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HISTORY 


j^fA_ 


WAYNE.  PIKE  0  MOIPOE 


COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ALFRED   MATHEWS. 


ILLTJSTEATED. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

B.   T.   PECK   &   CO 

1886. 


(f--  g  sa  (*T{ 


h 


PUBLISHERS'  PREFACE. 


The  publishers  believe,  in  issuing  this  volume,  that  they  have  not  only  equaled,  but  ex- 
celled all  promises  made  at  the  outstart.  Many  writers  have  been  employed  on  the  work,  and 
the  best  talent  possible  procured  in  the  department  of  illustrations  and  the  mechanical  produc- 
tion of  the  book.  While  aid  has  been  received  from  hundreds  of  citizens  of  the  three  countiesj 
it  may  be  fair  (and  not  invidious)  to  mention  several  of  those  who  were  chiefly  instrumental 
in  assisting  in  the  compilation  of  the  work.  First  among  these  (as  the  leading  historical 
authority  and  writer  in  the  Delaware  Valley)  is  Luke  W.  Brodhead,  who  has  contributed  much 
valuable   material,   for  the   most   part   of  which   he   is  given  especial   credit  in  the  proper  place. 

In  every  one  of  the  three  counties  the  editor  and  assistants  have  had  the  courteous  help 
of  county  and  borough  officials,  of  the  press,  of  the  clergy,  and  of  many  individuals  who  arc 
not  comprised   in  those  professions. 

In  Wayne  County,  among  others  who  contributed  in  written  matter  or  orally  to  the  work 
were  Francis  B.  Penninian,  E.  A.  Peuninian,  Dwight  Reed,  M.D.,  Henry  Wilson,  Esq.,  Rev. 
J.  J.  Doherty,  Thomas  J.  Ham,  editor  of  the  Wayne  County  1I<>;<I<I,  E.  F  Torrey,  writer  of  the 
history  of  the  Honesdale  National  Bank,  I.  N.  Foster;  some  articles — such  as  he  had  written 
and,  in  some  instances,  published — were  purchased  from  Mr.  John  Torrey. 

Ill  Pike  County  the  chief  sources  of  information  upon  the  larger  matters  of  history  were 
C.  R.  Biddis,  John  C  Westbrook  and  Hon.  William  F.  Bross,  ex-Lieutenant-Governor  of  Illinois, 
a  resident  for  many  years  of  Milford,  and  Colonel  C.  N.  Pine. 

In  Monroe  County  especial  thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  Brodhead,  heretofore  mentioned,  Dr. 
F.  Knighton,  A.  V.  Coolbaugh,  Robert  R.  De  Puy,  Mrs.  Jeannette  Hollinshead,  William  S.  Rees, 
Stephen    Holmes,   Esq.,  and   Judge  Samuel  S.   Dreher. 

The  editor  of  the  history  was  Alfred  Matthews,  and  his  assistants,  not  especially  named 
or  accredited  with  their  work  elsewhere,  were  Marion  Stuart  Cann,  of  Scranton,  Rhamanthus  M. 
Stocker,  Esq.,  of  Honesdale,  and  E.  0.  Wagner,  of  New   York. 

The  Publishers. 


September,  1886. 


I\ 


CONTENTS. 


GENERAL    HISTORY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Aboriginal  Inhabitants— Th»  Dclawures  or  Minsis— Their 
Chiefs — Indian  Nomenclature      

CHAPTER  II. 

Settlement  of  the  Lower  Minisink  by  the  Dutch 

CHAPTER  III. 

Release  of  Title  by  the  Indians— The  "Walking  Pop liase" 
of  1737— Later  Treaties 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Indian  War,  1765-1763— Benjamin  Franklin  Plans  the 
Frontier  Defense— Forts  Norris,  Hamilton,  Hyndshaw  and 
Depui 


CHAPTER  V. 

Paoe 

Connecticut  Men  Settle  on  the  I'pper  Delaware—  Cusliutuuk, 
Wyoming  and  Wallenpaupuek,  ur  "Laekawaek"  Settle- 
ments— The  "reiinanute  War11 53-71 

CHAPTER    VI. 

Period  of  the  Revolution  and  Second  Indian  War— Soldiers 
from  Upper  Northampton-  Fort  Penn,  at  Stroudsburg— 
Massacre  at  Wyoming— "Shad™  of  Death  "—Sullivan's 
March— Battles  of  the  Lackawaxen  and  Raymondskill— 
Indian  Incursions  and  Murders  from  I  ushutnnlc  to  Sinith- 


ti-ld 


IHAPTER  VII. 


of  tlielVnuaniileWar-Xortliainpton  County  at  the  close 
of  tlie  <  'etitury — Land  System— First  Effort  for  Erection 
of  a  New  County 98-109 


WAYJSE    COUNTY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Civil  History — Erection  from  Northampton— County-Seat  Re- 
movals—The Celebrated  Court-House  War—  c  ouuty  Offl- 
cialB,  1798-1885 110-139 

CHAPTER   II. 

The  Bench  and  Bar  uf  Wayne  County— A  General  Sketch,  with 

Biographies 139-192 

CHAPTER    III. 

Medical   History— Sketches  of  Prominent  Physicians— Early 

Practice— Dentistry 192-221 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Internal  Improvements— The  First  Roads  in  the  County — 
Turnpikes— Post-Offices  and  Mail  Routes— The  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  Company — The  "Gravity  "  Railroad- 
First  Locomotive  in  America— The  Pennsylvania  Coal 
Company— Outline  History  uf  the  Erie  Railroad  and 
"Jefferson"  Branch 221-257 


CHAPTER  V. 

Agricultural  Societies— The  Fanner-'  Institute 257-274 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Educational  Matters  in  General— The  Law  of  1834— Teachers' 

Institutes— County  Superintendents 274-280 

CHAPTER  VII. 

War  of  the  Rebellion— Wayne  County  Troops— Incidents  of  a 

Local  Nature 280-325 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Leading  and  Characteristic  Industries—  The  Tnuning  Interest 
— Lumbering — The  First  Raft  sent  down  the  Delaware 
— Bee-Keeping 325-330 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Description— Topography— Geological  NoteB— Soils— Streams, 

Lakes  and  Fish 330-336 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Page 
The  Borough  of  Honesdalc 336-443 

CHAPTER  XI. 


I'ainascns  Township. 


CM  A  ITER  XII. 


The  Borough  of  Bethany 


ClIAPTEIt    XIII. 


Berlin  Township. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
Buckingham 617-531 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Equiuunk 631-641 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

£anaan  and  the  BoiMii^h?  uf  W'aymart  and  Prorapton  .   .   .   .       541-558 


'II  A  ITER  XVII. 


Soulti  Canaan  Township  . 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Cherry  Ridge  Township 560-576 

CHAPTER    XIX. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CHAPTER   XXI. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Page 
Oregon  Township 6G7-680 

CHAPTER    XXV. 

Palmyra  Township 680-GS4 


(Tl  \1TEK   XXVI. 


The  Borough  of  Hawley. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Paupack  Township 701-707 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 


Preston  Township . 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 
Sterling  Township 790-802 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


Lehigh  Township  . 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


CHAPTER   XXXVI. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


Civil  History— TaxabU't.  in  1S14— Erection  of  the  County- 
Public  Buildings— Effort  to  Remove  Seat  of  Justice  to 
Blooming  Grove— Lists  of  County  Officials 830-840 


CHAPTER   III. 

Military— Soldiers  in  the  War  of  1812  and  War  of  the  Kebel- 


(TIAPTER    II. 
The  Bench  and  Bar— Biographical  Sketches  .  . 


840-8411       Railroads— Ellon 


CHAPTER  IV. 

struct  tli.'in—  Advantages  otl'ere.l  , 


CHAPTER  V. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Palmyra  Township  . 

CHAPTER    X. 

CHAPTER  XI. 


Lackawaxen  Township  . 


CHAPTER  XII. 
Shohola  Township 9G7-974 

CHAPTER   XIII. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Porter  Township 070-977 


Greene  Township  . 


MONROE   COUNTY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Erection  of  the  County— County-seat  Contest— Civil  List.  .   .       982-989 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Bench  and  Bar— The  Old  and  New  Bar— Biographical 

Sketches 989-1001 

CHAPTER  III. 

Medicine  and  Fhysicians—  Personal  Sketches— Dental  Surgery  1001-1015 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Education  in  Monroe  County 1016-1017 


CHAPTER  V. 


m-t..iy..f  the  Kebelli. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
Railroads 1031-1034 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Topography  and  Geology 1034-1047 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Smithfleld  Township 1047-1105 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Middle  Smithfleld  Township 1105-1121 

CHAPTER   X. 

Stroud  Township 1121-1141 

CHAPTER  XI. 
The  Borough  of  Stroudsburg 1141-1188 

CHAPTER  XII. 

East  Stroudsburg  Borough 1188-1203 


CHAPTER   XI II. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

CHAPTER   XV. 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

Pii.  i-Tuwnship  .   .   .    . 

CHAPTER  XX. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Barrett  Township 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Coolbaugh,  Tobyhanna  and  Tunkhannock  .    . 


-<;:i-127s 

J70-12S3 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


nn  or  opposit.-  ]*;>-r 

Abraham,  G ge,  Portrait  of 485 

Adams,  Geo.  I..,  Portrait  of U'Jl 

Alberty,  W.  N.,  Portrait  of 604 

Allen,  David,  Portrait  "f. 741 

Ames,  H.C.,  Portrait  of 654 

Ames,  J S.,  Portrait  of 698 

Apple;  Honumeat 481 

Armstrong,  Thomas,  Portrait  of 807 

Avon,  In.  Otis,  Portrait  of 219 

Baker;  George  E.,  Portraitof 014 

Barker,  Levi,  Portrait  of 096 

Barry,  Simon,  Portrait  of 11.10 

Beach,  J.  Howard,  Portrait  of 478 

Bell,  T.  .\.,  Portrait  Of 1165 

Boyd,  Tin. mas  Y.,  Portrait  of 48(1 

Brady,  Ii.  \\\,  M.D.,  Portrait  of .' 214 

Brodhead,  L.  W.,  Portraitof. ..  1056 

Brodhead,  Chas  n.  Portrait  of 1161 

Brodhead,  Thomas,  Portrait  of nu-l 

Brooks,  Ezra,  Portrait  of 608 

Hi"--.  William,  Portraitof 887 

Bunnell,  Henry,  Portrait  of 826 

Bunnell,  J.  K.,  Portrait  of. 827 

Bunnell,  '/..  M.  P.,  Portrait  of 605 

Burcher,  John,  Portrait  of 486 

Burns,  Heed,  Portraitof 216 

Butler,  Albert,  Portrait  of 613 

Bush,  P.  M„  Portrait  of. 111114 

Bush.  Lewis,  Portraitof 1005 

Case,  in- Portrait  of 591 

Clnmh,  Crare    Epis.  opal,  of  II -dalr  4Ua 

L'liurcli,  Methodist   EpLs.  opal,  of  Ilonesdale 406 

Ohnrch,  Methodist  Episcopal,'of  Stroudaburg 1177 

Chnn-h,  Prrshvt'-rian,  of  Stroudsburg 1178 

Church,  St.  John's  Roman  Catholic,  of  Hoi lale     408 

Church,  The  First  Presbyterian,  of  Honesdale  4111 

Church,  The  Old  Stone 1094 

Clark,  Perry  A.,  portrait  of .,7.i 

Cliff,  George  E.,  Portrait  of 802 

Cobb,  C.  8.,   Portrait  of 775 

Cole,  P.  ,1.,  Portrait  oi  367 

Collins.  Lucius,  P ait  of 572 

Conklln,  John,  Portrait  uf 516 

Coolbaugb,  A  v  .  Portrait  ol    1108 

Coons,  Sidney,  Portrait  of 329 

Court-Houae,   Pike  County 8:16 

Conrt-House,  Wayne  County 12ti 

Davis,  William,  Portrait  of 996 

Hay,  Lewis,  Portrait  of 610 

He  Pny,  Eobt.    P.,  Portrait  of 11511 

Dillon,  G.  B.,  Portraitof 529 

Dimmick,  Samuel  E.,  Portrait  of 175 


(111  or  OppU-ltr   pa;.'.' 

Dimmick,  w.  II.,  Portrait  of 17n 

Dingman,  A.  C,  Portrait  of    218 

Doherty,  J.  J.,  Portrait  of. 412 

Dorflinger,  Christian,  Portraitof 823 

Douglass,  II.  II.,  Portrait  of 62* 

Douglass,  Bobbins,  Portrait  of 628 

Dunning,  .1    II  ,  Portrait  of 141 

Dueinberro,  0.  A.,  Portrait  of 209 

Early,  Hallock,  Portrait  of. 748 

Bldred,  N.  B.,  Portrait  ..f 157 

l-'aa (/.  Charles,  Portrait  of (ill 

Ferguson,  W.  L.,   Portraitof. 

lit.  h.  ,1.  Ii.,  Portrait  of 251 

P. oil,..  Chas.  M.,  Portrait  of 1124 

Fulmar,  Philip  F.,  Portrait  of 924 

■•  odrich,  P.O.,  Portrait  of 755 

ciami.-,  Lorenzo,  Portrait  of 869 

Greene,  Giles,  Portrait  of 788 

Greenwald.A.  0.,  Portraitof 1172 

Ci.-iiier,  Henry,  Portrait  of 693 

Gltl I    0.,  Portrait  of 865 

Hackett,  C,  s  ,  Portrait  ..f 745 

II. -.   P..  Hi     P,  Poll. all  of 391 

Hani,  Thos.  J.,  Portrait  of. 382 

Hamlin.  Butler,  Portrait   ..1 772 

Hamlin,  K.  w.,  Portrait  of 609 

Hamlin,  William  E.,   Portraitof 797 

Hannes,  Rodney,  Portrait  of 204 

II. inn.-.  Budolph,  Portrait  of 2n7 

Bartwell, William,  Portraitof 479 

llo.i.ll.v,   John  It,  Portraitof 074 

Bolbert,  I.  Ii.,  Portrait  of 636 

Holbert,  William,  Portrait  of 962 

Holliushead,  S.  S.,  Autograph  of 1157 

llollinslieud,  Mra.Jeann.tti-,  Portrait  of 1158 

Holmes,  8.,  Portrait  of 998 

11. .nek,  Nathan,   Portrait  of 981 

Herd.  1',  Wilson,  Portraitof. 11||2 

Hutchinson,  M.  L.,  Portraitof 1202 

I  nd 1. 1 ii  Costumes 25 

Indian    Relics 42 

Irvine.  Charles,  Portrait  of 477 

Jackson,  Jno.,  Portrait  of : 482 

Jadwin,  CO.,  Portraitof 437 

Justin,  Jehiel,  Portrait  of 627 

•Keen,  .1.  I..,  Portrait  of 556- 

Kelly,  S.  A.,  Portrait  of 217 

Kenner,  David,  Portrait  of. 442 

Kimble,  George  W.,  Portrait  of. 677 

Kilgour  Blue  Stone  Co.,  Works  ol  970 

Kilgour,  John  F.,  Portrait  of 969 

King,  B.  K.,  Portrait  of 7:15 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


On  or  OI»p"Ml''  pa;:.- 

Kistler,  Chas.  E.,  Portrait  of. 1209 

Kistler,  M.  M.,  Portrait  of 1"29 

Kniglit,  W.  P.,  Portrait  of. 030 

La  Bar,  H.  M.,  Portrait  of. 942 

Lantz,  Jackson,  Portrait  of. 1012 

Le  Bar,  A.,  Portrait  of 1007 

LeBar,  .7.  Hepue,  Portrait  of 1083 

Lester,  Orrin,  Portrait  of 000 

Locomotive,  The  First 238 

Loder,  A.  W.,  Portrait  of 1200 

Loomis,  E.  W.,  Portrait  of 580 

Manning,  James,  Portrait  of >"7 

Map,  Historical,  of  Pennsylvania 2 

Map  of  Indian  Orchard  Tract 338 

Map,  Outline,  of  Monroe  County 982 

Map,  Outline,  of  Pike  County 830 

Map  of  the  Schoonover  Tract 838 

Map  of  United  Tracts '. 338 

Map,  Outliue,  of  Wayne  County 110 

Maps,  Topographical M37 

McAvoy,  Paul,  Portrait  of 668 

JI.  Ilium,  v,  Thomas  M.,  Portrait  of 1104 

Miller,  William,  Portrait  of. 000 

Millhum,  James,  Portrait  of 700 

Moras,  L.  \V„   Portrait  of 770 

Mott.II.  S.,   Portrait  of 803 

Mumfor.l,  James,  Portrait  of. 720 

Mumford.W.  W  .  Portrait  of 731 

Nelson,  W.  JI.,  Portrait  of. 639 

Osborn,  Geo.  B.,  Portrait  of. 295 

Penniman,  F.  B.,  Portrait  of 380 

Penwarden,  William,  Portrait  of 073 

Perham,  S.  G.,  Portraitof 663 

Peters,  Charles  l:  ,  Portrait  of. 948 

Petersen,  Charles,  Portrait  of. 41" 

Preston,  Paul  S.,  Portrait  of .">20 

Puterbaugh,  I.  T..  Portrait  ..f 1033 

Kansberry,  Michael,  Portrait  of 1196 

Reed,  Dwight,  Portrait  of 208 

Reiner,  John,  Portrait  of. 079 

Rhodes,  T.  W.,  Portraitof. 1128 

Ridgeway,  Thomas  J.,  Portraitof OGC 


On  or  opposite 

Rollinsou,  A.  J.,  Portrait  of. 

Rowlaud,  G.  II..  Portraitof 

Schwarz,  R.  F.,  Portrait  of. 

Scndder,  Isaiah,  Portraitof 

Seeley,  Richard  L.,  Portrait  of 

Shafer,  John  I).,  Portrait  of 

Sheard,  George,  Portrait  of 

SboholaGlell  Hotel 

Shohola  Glen  Silk  Mills 

Shull,  Jos.  H.,  Portraitof 

Shipmaster.  Henry,  Portrait  of 

Skinner,  Calvin,  Portraitof. 

Smith,  B.  I'..,  Portraitof 

Smith,  J.  R.,  Portrait  of 

Staples,  R.  S.,  Portraitof. 

Starbird,  Irvin,  Portrait  of 

Stevens,  Nicholas,   Portraitof 

Strong,  E.  P.,  Portrait  of 

Stroud,  Daniel,  Portrait  of 

Swingle,  Simon,  Portrait  of 

Tegeler,  C.  T.,  Portrait  of 

Torrey,  Jno.,  Portrait  of 

Tyler,  Israel,  Portrait  of 

Van  Dusen,  Henry,  Autograph  of 

Wagner,  George,  Portrait  of. 

Wallace,  Jno.,  Portraitof 

Ward,  BliaeO.,  Portraitof 

Watts,  William.  Portrait  of. 

Wayne  County  GlassWorks,  Blowing  Department,  Dortlinger&Soiis 
..    \\..!kr,  Culling  Ili-partment,  Dortlinger  .V  Sons 

Wayne  County  Glass  Works,  Dorflinger  &  Sons 

Wesley  Water  Cure 

Westbrook,  John  C,  Portraitof.  

Westbrook,  J.,  Portrait  of 

Westbrook,  II.  II..  Portrait  of 

Weston,  W,  W.,  Portrait  ..f 

Wl I.i,  Karl,  Portrait  of 

Wilson,  Henry,  Portraitof ■ 

Woodbridge,  How-el,  Portraitof 

Yale,  Norman,   Portrait  of 

Young,  Coe  F.,  Portrait  of. 


HISTORY 

OF   THE 

Counties  of  Wayne,  Pike  and  Monroe, 


COMMONWEALTH  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Aboriginal  Inhabitants— The  Delawares   or  Minsis— 
Their  Chiefs — Indian  Nomenclature. 

Actual  knowledge  of  the  Aboriginal  people 
who  inhabited  the  region  from  the  lower  waters 
of  the  North  River  to  the  Chesapeake,  and  the 
vast  wilderness  now  comprised  in  the  thickly 
populated,  wealthy  states  of  New  Jersey,  New- 
York  and  Pennsylvania,  may  be  said  to  date 
from  160!>,  when,  upon  September  15th,  Henry 
Hudson  sailed,  in  his  little  ship  the  Half  Moon, 
up  the  royal  river  which  bears  his  name,  and 
rode  at  anchor  in  the  majestic  tide  just  above 
the  Highlands.  The  Indians  whom  lie  there 
met  were  the  Lenni  Lenape,  who  afterwards 
came  to  be  commonly  called  the  Delawares. 
Full  of  simple  sublimity  and  lofty  poetry  was 
the  conception  these  savages  first  formed  of  the 
strange  white-faced  men  in  dress,  bearing  and 
speech  different  from  their  own,  who  came  in 
the  winged  canoe  to  their  shores.  In  their  as- 
tonishment they  called  out  to  one  another,  "Be- 
hold! the  Gods  are  come  to  visit  us!"  They 
at  first  considered  these  hitherto  unknown 
beings  as  messengers  of  peace  sent  to  them 
from  the  abode  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  wel- 
comed and  honored  them  with  sacrificial  feast- 
and  with  gifts.  Hudson  recorded  that  above 
the  Highlands  "  they  found  a  very  loving 
people  and  very  old  men,  and  were  well  used." 
The  Lenni  Lenape  handed  down  the  tradition 


of  their  reception  of  the  Dutch  upon  the  Hud- 
son and  the  island  where  it  came  about  that 
New  York  was  built,  and  always  maintained 
that  none  of  the  enemy — the  Irocjuois,  or  Five 
Nations — were  present,  though  they  sent  for 
their  friends,  the  Mohicans,  to  participate  in  the 
joy  of  the  occasion. 

Hudson  touched  the  extreme  northern  and 
eastern  portion  of  the  country  occupied  by  the 
Lenape.  The  Iroquois,  the  other  great  branch 
of  the  Algonquin  race,  occupied  the  region  of 
the  upper  Hudsou,  upon  its  west  shore,  and 
their  villages  sparsely  dotted  the  wilderness 
northward  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  westward 
to  the  great  lakes,  but  from  the  lower  waters  of 
the  Hudson,  southward  and  westward  through- 
out the  territory  included  in  New  Jersey  and 
eastern  Pennsylvania,  the  forest-covered  hills 
and  plains  constituted  the  land  of  the  Lenape, 
and  their  nation  was  centralized  upon  the  river 
Delaware  and  its  affluents. 

The  Lenni  Lenape,  as  they  called  themselves 
or  the    Delawares1   as   they   have   been    very 

1  The  name  '  Delaware,'  which  we  give  to  these  people 
is  unknowu  in  their  own  language  *  *  they  thought  the 
whites  had  given  it  to  them  in  derision  but  they  were 
reconciled  to  it,  on  being  told  that  it  was  the  name  of  a 
great  white  chief,  Lord  de  la  Warre,  which  had  been  given 
to  them  and  their  river.  As  they  are  fond  of  being  named 
after  distinguished  men,  they  were  rather  pleased,  con- 
sidering it  as  a  compliment.  — Heckewelder. 

The  Dutch  called  them  Mahikandeos ;  the  French, 
Abenakii. 

1 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


commonly  and  erroneously  denominated  by 
many  writers,  claimed  great  antiquity  and 
superiority  over  other  aboriginal  nations. 
Indeed  the  name  Lami  Lenape  signifies  "  the 
original  people  " — a  race  of  human  beings  who 
are  the  same  that  they  were  in  the  beginning, 
unchanged  and  unmixed.  They  asserted  that 
they  had  existed  from  the  beginning  of  time, 
and  many  Indian  nations,  the  Miamis,  Wyan- 
dots,  Shawanese  and  more  than  twenty  other 
tribes  or  nations  admitted  their  antiquity  and 
called  them  "  Grandfathers."  Their  own  tradi- 
tion of  the  advent  of  the  nation  upon  the 
Delaware  and  the  eastern  sea-coast  is  poetical 
and  interesting  and  not  entirely  unsupported  by 
evidence,  (which  however  it  is  beyond  the  scope 
of  this  work  to  adduce).  The  legend  runs  that 
a  great  many  hundred  years  ago,  their  ancestors 
had  dwelt  in  a  far  away  country  beyond  the 
Father  of  Waters — the  Mameesi  Sipu,  or  Mis- 
sissippi— and  near  the  wide  sea,  in  which  the 
sun  sank  every  night.  They  had,  very  long- 
before  tiie  white  men  came  to  their  country, 
traveled  eastward,  seeking  a  fairer  land,  of 
which  their  prophets  had  told  them,  and  as  they 
neared  the  western  shore  of  the  great  Missis- 
sippi they  had  met  another  mighty  nation  of 
men,  of  whose  very  existence  they  had  been  in 
ignorance.  These  people  they  say  were  the 
Mengwe  or  Iroquois,  and  this  was  the  first 
meeting  of  these  two  nations,  destined  to  remain 
in  the  east  for  centuries  as  neighbors  and  ene- 
mies. They  journeyed  on  together,  neither  in 
warfare  nor  friendship,  but  presently  they 
found  that  they  must  unite  their  forces  against 
a  common  enemy.  East  of  the  Father  of 
Waters  they  discovered  a  race  called  the  Al- 
legwi,  occupying  a  vast  domain,  and  not  only 
stronger  in  number  titan  themselves,  but  equally 
brave  and  more  skilled  in  war.  They  had, 
indeed,  fortified  towns  and  numerous  strong- 
holds. The  Allegwi  permitted  a  part  of  the 
emigrating  nations  to  pass  the  border  of  their 
country,  and  having  thus  caused  a  division  of 
their  antagonists,  tell  upon  them  with  great 
fury  to  annihilate  them.  But  the  main  body  of 
the  allied  Mengwe  and  Lenape  rallying  from 
the  first  shock,  made  resistance  with  such  des- 
perate energy  that  they  defeated  the  Allegwi, 


and  sweeping  them  forward  as  the  wind  does 
the  dry  leaves  of  the  forest,  they  invaded  the 
country,  and  during  a  long  and  bloody  war.  won 
victory  after  victory,  until  they  had  not  only 
entirely  vanquished,  but  well-nigh  exterminated 
them.  Their  country,  in  which  their  earth 
fortifications  remained  the  only  reminder  of  the 
dispersed  nation,  was  occupied  by  the  victors. 
After  this  both  the  Mengwe  and  the  Lenape 
ranged  eastward,  the  former  keeping  to  the 
northward,  and  the  latter  to  the  southward, 
until  they  reached  respectively  the  Hudson  and 
the  Delaware,  the  latter  of  which  they  called 
the  Lenape  Wihi&buek,  Upon  its  banks,  and  in 
the  wild  region  watered  by  its  tributaries,  they 
found  the  land  they  had  journeyed  in  quest  of 
from  the  setting  sun.  Whether  ornot  we  believe 
as  a  whole  this  legend,1  it  is  a  fact  that  the  two 
nations  were  located  as  described  when  the  first 
accurate  knowledge  of  them  was  obtained  by 
the  whites. 

The  Iroquois  usually  called  the  Five  Nations, 
because  consisting  of  the  confederated  tribes  of 
the  Mohawks,  Senecas,  Cayugas,  Onoiidagaa 
and  Oneidas,  becoming  about  1712,  by  the  in- 
corporation of  the  refugee  Southern  tribe  of 
Tuscaroras,  the  Six  Nations — were  almost  con- 
stantly at  war  with  their  neighbors  the  Lenape 
or  Delawares. 

The  Delawares  were  divided  into  nations  in 
much  the  same  manner  as  their  northern  ene- 
mies. Of  these  the  most  notable  were  the 
branches  of  the  Turtle  or  Unamis,  the  Turkey 
or  Unalachtgo,  and  the  Wolf  or  Minsi  (cor- 
rupted into  Monsey).  While  the  domain  of  the 
Delawares  extended  from  the  sea-coast  between 
the  Chesapeake  and  Long  Island  Sound  back 
beyond  the  Susquehanna  to  the  Alleglienies 
and  northward  to  the  hunting-grounds  of  the 
Iroquois,  it  seems  not  to  have  been  regarded  as 
the  common  country  of  the  tribes,  but  to  have 
been  set  apart  for  them  in  more  or  less  dis- 
tinctly-defined districts.  The  Undmis  and 
Unalachtgo  nations,  subdivided  into  the  tribes 


1  by  many  this  tradition  of  the  emigration  of  the  Lcnni 
Lenapi  is  believed  to  have  a  solid  foundation  in  fact,  and 
the  Alkgvn  are  regarded  as  being  the  Mound-Builders, 
whose  vast  works  are  numerous  along  the  Mississippi,  the 
Ohio,  and  their  tributaries. 


X 


THE  ABORIGINAL   INHABITANTS. 


of  Assnnp/iil;.*,  Mains,  <_'hic1ie<jiii(<is,  Sharka- 
iini.roii-*,  Tii/flocx,  Nantieokes  and  many  others, 
occupied  the  lower  country  toward  the  coast, 
while  the  more  warlike  tribe  of  the  Minsi  or 
Wolf,  as  Heckewelder  informs  us,  "  had  chosen 
to  live  back  of  the  other  tribes,  and  formed  a 
kind  of  a  bulwark  for  their  protection,  watch- 
ing the  motions  of  the  Mengwe,  and  being  at 
hand  to  offer  aid  in  case  of  a  rupture  with 
them." 

"The  Minsi"  continues  the  authority  from 
whom  we  have  quoted,  ''extended  their  settle- 
ments from  the  Minisink,  a  place  (on  the 
Delaware,  in  Monroe  County)  named  after  them, 
where  they  had  their  council-seat  and  tire,  quite 
up  to  the  Hudson  on  the  east,  and  to  the  west 
and  south  far  beyond  the  Susquehanna  ;  their 
northern  boundaries  were  supposed  originally 
to  be  the  heads  of  the  great  rivers  Susquehanna 
and  Delaware,  and  their  southern  that  ridge  of 
hills  known  in  New  Jersey  by  the  name  of 
Muskaneeum,  and  in  Pennsylvania  by  those  of 
Lehigh,  Coghuewago,  etc.  Within  this  bound 
ary  were  their  principal  settlements,  and  even 
as  late  as  1742  they  had  a  town  with  a  peach- 
orchard  on  the  tract  of  land  where  Nazareth 
was  afterwards  built,  another  on  the  Lehigh, 
and  others  north  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  besides 
many  family  settlements  '  here  and  there 
scattered." 

Thus  the  Minsi  tribe  were  the  chief  aborigi- 
nal occupants  of  the  Delaware  Country  2  and  of 
the  territory  now  included  within  the  bounds 
of  the    three  counties    which  are  the    especial 


•Concerning  some  of  these  settlements,  or  Indian  towns, 
facts  are  given  in  chapter  II,  drawn  from  the  accounts 
of  (lie  Moravian  missionaries. 

'The  Minds,  however,  did  not  always  have  exclusive 
possession  of  the  region  of  the  Delaware  or  even  the  Mini- 
sink  (which  was  so  named  because  understood  to  be  their 
domain).  There  were  Shawanese  upon  the  Delaware  as 
early  as  1698  or  1700,  and  not  much  later  than  the  latter 
date  they  had  passed  northward  through  the  Water  Gap 
and  make  setllements  in  the  Minisink  region.  The  Shawa- 
iH-se  wcresiiullievii  Indians, lint  had  prior  to  171 10  been  driven 
from  their  home  by  the  Spaniards  of  Florida.  They  located 
on  the  lower  waters  of  the  Susquehanna,  the  Potomac  and 
finally  on  the  Delaware  in  the  vicinity  of  Durham.  As 
early  as  1737  they  were  at  Wyoming,  under  the  protection 
of  t lie  Iroquois,  who  considered  them  excellent  guards  for 
that  much  prized  locality. 


province  of  this  work,  as  well  as  of1rhe_couutry 
further  south  and  on  the  east  side  of  the  river. 

The  Minsis  were  subdivided  into  clans,  of 
which  not  all  the  names  are  known.  There 
were  the  Manassings,  the  Wampings  (who  it  is 
supposed  were  identical  with  the  people  who 
came  in  time  to  be  called  the  "  Esopus  Indians" 
and  who  had  their  chief  residence  on  the  Hud- 
son in  the  vicinity  of  the  town  of  Esopus),  the 
Cashiegtonks  and  others.  These  clans  wire 
sometimes  known  by  other  names  and  some- 
times still  further  subdivided.  A  few  families 
whose  wigwams  and  cultivated  grounds  were 
in  the  vicinity  of  a  stream  or  mountain  took  the 
name  of  such  stream  or  mountain.  Thus  the 
titles  of  Lackatnieksiiigss,  Nacisings  and  Wau- 
wausinga  are  occasionally  found  in  old  official 
documents. 

The  Lencipe  and  the  Iroquois  confederacy,  as 
has  been  before  remarked,  were  almost  con- 
stantly at  war,  with  victory  usually  upon  the 
side  of  the  former,  according  to  their  claim. 
After  the  advent  of  the  French  in  Canada, 
however,  the  Iroquois,  finding  that  they  could 
not  withstand  an  enemy  upon  each  side  of  them, 
shrewdly  sought  to  placate  the  Leriape  tribes, 
and,  by  the  use  of  much  skilful  diplomacy,  in- 
duced them  to  abandon  arms  and  act  as  media- 
tors between  all  the  nations,  to  take  up  the 
peaceful  pursuit  of  agriculture,  and,  by  avoid- 
ing war,  promote  their  own  growth  as  a  people, 
and  at  the  same  time  exercise  an  influence 
toward  the  preservation  of  the  entire  Indian 
race.  Into  this  trap,  devised  by  the  cunning 
Iroquois,  they  fell,  and  for  a  long  period  occu- 
pied, as  they  themselves  expressed  it,  the  posi- 
tion of  women  instead  of  men.  The  Five  Na- 
tions, when  opportunity  presented  itself,  re- 
warded with  treachery  the  confidence  that  the 
Lenapehad  reposed  in  them,  and  the  latter,  then 
resolving  to  unite  their  forces  and  by  one  great 
effort  destroy  their  perfidious  northern  neigh- 
bors, again  became  men.  This  was  before  the 
era  of  the  English  in  America  had  really  begun, 
and  the  Lenape  were  diverted  from  their  pur- 
pose by  new  and  strange  occurrences.  The 
English  came  in  great  numbers  to  their  coast. 
They  received  the  new-comers  kindly,  as  the) 
had  the  Dutch,  but   in  time  the   English,  even 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  followers  of  Penn,  turned  from  them  and 
made  friends  with  their  enemy,  the  Iroquois,  as 
the  Dutch  had  done.  They  never  ceased  to  re- 
vere the  founder  of  Pennsylvania,  Miquon,  as 
they  called  him,  but  laid  all  of  the  subsequent 
wrong  to  mischievous  people  who  got  into 
power  after  their  good  brother  had  gone  away, 
and  who,  not  content  with  the  land  they  had 
given  them,  contrived,  they  alleged,  by  every 
fraudulent  means  in  their  power,  to  rob  them  of 
all  their  possessions,  and  brought  the  hated 
Mengwc  to  humiliate  them.  They  always 
maintained  that  they  were  insulted  and  treated 
in  a  degrading  manner  at  treaties  to  which  the 
English  were  parties,  and  particularly  at  that 
which  took  place  at  Philadelphia,  in  July,  1742, 
and  at  Easton,  in  November,  1756,  when  the 
Six  Nations  (they  had  become  six  by  the  incor- 
poration of  the  Tuscaroras,  about  1712)  were 
publicly  called  upon  to  compel  the  Lenape  to 
give  up  the  land  taken  from  them  by  the 
''Walking  Purchase'"  of  1737.  But  for  this 
and  other  outrages  they  declared  they  would 
not  have  taken  up  the  hatchet  against  the  Eng- 
lish in  the  so-called  "  French  and  Indian  War  " 
of  1755 — 17G3.  It  is  possible  that  they  would 
have  remained  neutral,  notwithstanding  their 
grievances,  had  they  not  been  incited  to  enmity 
by  the  Iroquois. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  in  17G3,  the 
Lenape  withdrew  altogether  from  the  proximity 
of  the  white  settlements  into  the  wilds  of  the 
Suscpuehauna  country,  and  even  the  Christian 
Indians,  who  had  been  converted  by  the  Mora- 
vians, removed  to  Wyalusing,  a  hundred  miles 
from  the  pioneer  settlers,  north  of  the  Blue 
Mountains,  the  government  not  feeling  that 
they  could  be  protected  within  the  settlements. 
They  did  not  long  remain  there,  however,  for 
the  Iroquois  sold  the  whole  country  to  the 
English.  Some  of  the  Minds  or  Munseys  had 
gone  before  this  to  the  head-waters  of  the  Alle- 
gheny, and  those  of  this  tribe  who  were  among 
the  converts  at  Wyalusing  joined  them  there. 
Subsequently  the  Lenape  tribes  were  in  Ohio, 
ami  a  considerable  number,  chiefly  of  the  Min- 


1  See   the   succeeding   chapte 
Walking  Purchase." 


for    an    account   of    the 


sis,  in  Upper  Canada,  while  others  were  upon 
the  waters  of  the  Wabash,  in  Indiana.  Between 
the  years  1  780  and  1700  they  began  to  emigrate 
from  those  regions  to  the  territory  west  of  the 
Mississippi.  The  remnant  of  the  race  thus — 
if  their  legend  was  true — retracing  the  steps  of 
their  ancestors  made  centuries  before. 

Of  the  chiefs  of  the  Lenni  Lenape,  Taroan- 
end,  or  Tammany  was  the  most  celebrated  and 
illustrious  in  the  whole  history  of  the  nation, 
and  yet  very  little  is  known  of  him.  He  lives 
principally  in  tradition,  and  his  name  has  been 
perpetuated  by  frequent  application  to  civic  so- 
cieties among  the  people  who  supplanted  his 
race.  He  lived  in  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century.2  In  1G83  he,  with  a  lesser  chief,  af- 
fixed their  hieroglyph ical  signatures  to  a  deed 
conveying  to  William  Penn  a  tract  of  land  in 
Bucks  County,  between  the  Pennypack  and 
Neshaminy  Creeks.'1  He  is  said  to  have  lived 
somewhere  in  the  territory  now  constituting  the 
State  of  Delaware,  and  it  is  traditionally  asserted 
that  he  also  lived  for  a  considerable  period  upon 
the  west  bank  of  the  upper  Delaware,  in  what 
is  now  Damascus  township,  Wayne  County. 
The  Connecticut  settlers,  the  Skinners  and  oth- 
ers, who  came  there  in  1757,  and  retained  the 
Indian  appelation  of  Cushutunk,  as  that  of 
their  settlement,  also  called  the  fertile  bottom 
land  "St.  Tammany  Flat,"  and  in  later  years 
his  name  was  applied  in  its  canonized  form  to  a 
local  lodge  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  The  tra- 
ditional fame  of  Tamancnd's  virtue,  wisdom  and 
greatness,  became  so  wide  spread  among  the 
whites  that  he  was  established  as  St.  Tammany, 
the  Patron  Saint  of  America.  His  name  was 
printed  in  some  old-time  calendars  and  his  fes- 
tival celebrated  on  the  1st  day  of  May  every 
year.  On  that  day  a  numerous  society  of  his 
votaries  walked  together  in  procession  through 
the  streets  of  Philadelphia  with  buektails  adorn- 
ing their  hats,  and  proceeded  to  a  "  wigwam," 
in  a  rural  locality,  where  they  smoked  the  cal- 
umet of  peace  and  indulged  in  festivity  and 
mirth.  The  original  Tammany  Society  in  the 
United  States  was  a  Philadelphia   organization 


William  L.  Stone. 

Penn  Archive*,  vol.  i.,  p.  64. 


THE  ABORIGINAL   INHABITANTS. 


of  high  repute,  which  had  no  other  purpose 
than  pleasure  and  quaint,  but  innocent,  diversion. 
The  later  societies  being  devoted  to  partisan 
politics,  have  lost  the  charm  which  the  old  so- 
ciety possessed.  It  is  interesting  to  note,  how- 
ever, that  one  of  the  most  widely  known  politi- 
cal associations  in  the  country  bears  the  name 
of  the  great  chief  of  the  Lenni  Lenape  who 
was  known,  and  whose  sway  was  felt,  even  if 
he  did  not  live  upon  the  upper  Delaware. 

Of  the  character  of  Tamanend  Heckewelder ' 
says :  "  He  was  in  the  highest  degree  endowed 
with  wisdom,  virtue,  prudence,  charity,  affabil- 
ity, meekness,  hospitality,  in  short  with  every 
good  and  noble  qualification  that  a  human  being 
may  possess." 

Teedyuscung,  Tadeuskund  or  Tedeuskung, 
as  his  name  is  variously  spelled,  was  foremost 
among  the  chiefs  of  the  Lenape,  who  were  well 
known  to  the  whites,  and  he  was  the  last  rider 
of  his  race  on  the  soil  which  they  longest  in- 
habited— the  region  of  the  river  whose  name 
they  bore.  His  name  is  a  conspicuous  one  in 
colonial  Pennsylvania  annals,  particularly  those 
pertaining  to  the  period  of  the  French  and  In- 
dian War. 

According  to  his  own  statement,  he  was  born 
about  the  year  1700,  in  New  Jersey,  east  of 
Trenton.  His  father  was  an  Indian  of  some 
note,  known  to  the  English  as  Old  Captain 
Harris,  and  he  was  also  the  father  of  Captain 
John,  of  Nazareth,  of  young  Captain  Harris,  of 
Tom,  of  Jo,  and  of  Sam,  Evans,  named  after 
men  of  repute  among  the  early  settlers  of  New 
Jersey  and  Pennsylvania.  These  sons  were 
feared  by  the  whites  who  lived  around  them, 
for  they  exhibited  resentment  as  they  saw  their 
hunting  grounds  converted  into  pastures  and 
ploughed  fields.  They  left  the  country  with 
reluctance,  and  migrated  northward  and  west- 
ward into  Pennsylvania  about  1730,  passing 
beyond  the  white  settlers  and  into  the  land  of 
their  kinsmen,  the  Minsis,  for  these  Indians 
were  of  the  Unaktchtgo  or  Turkey  tribe  of  the 
Lenapti  race. 

All  of  his  life,  before  he  was  raised  to  the 
station   of  chief,  he  passed  within  the  territory 

1  "  Manners  and  customs  of  (lie  Indian  nations." 


of  the  Minsi — he  was  an  Indian  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  had  become  a  member  of  one  of  the 
Moravian  Indian  congregation  in  1749,  and  was 
baptized  in  1750.2  It  was  not  until  17o4  that 
his  nation  raised  him  to  the  station  of  a  chief 
and  called  upon  him  to  assume  military  com- 
mand of  their  fighting  men  in  the  impending 
inter-colonial  conflict.  A  general  council  of  the 
Lenape,  tribes  was  then  held,  which  chose  Tee- 
dyuscung grand  sachem.  He  was  then  living 
at  ( Inadenhutten,  on  the  Lehigh  (in  Carbon 
county),  but  immediately  repaired  to  Wyoming, 
lie  had  before  been  respected  as  an  able  coun- 
sellor of  his  nation,  but  now  as  "  King  of  the 
Delaware's,"  he  was  placed  in  an  exceedingly 
precarious  position.  Whatever  might  have 
been  his  disposition  towards  the  English,  it  was 
an  impossible  task  to  govern  his  exasperated 
people.  Yet  he  did  much  towards  lessening  the 
cruelties  of  the  Indians  by  keeping  up  an  inter- 
course with  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
occasionally  drawing  many  of  his  people  from 
the  theatre  of  the  war  to  meet  the  colonial  author- 
ities at  Easton  or  Philadelphia.  His  frequent 
visits  to  the  Governor  and  the  Quakers,  to  whom 
he  was  much  attached,  because  of  their  friend- 
ship to  the  Indians,  excited  much  jealousy  in 
his  own  nation,  especially  among  the  Minsis1 
who  believed  that  he  was  carrying  on  some  un- 
derhand work  at  Philadelphia  detrimental  to 
the  nation  at  large.  Whether  this  was  in  any 
measure  true  or  not  it  is  indisputable  that  Tee- 
dyuscung was  not  uniformly  and  consistently 
true,  either  to  his  own  people  or  the  whites. 
He  fought  against,  as  well  as  made  treaties  with 
the  whites,  never  using  his  whole  influence  for 
peace,  and  he  was  at  the  same  time  accused  by 
his  followers  with  having  made  some  secret  ar- 
rangement with  the  English,  whereby  a  benefit 
would  accrue  to  himself  alone. 

The  Iroquois  or  Six  Nations  were  also  very 
bitter  against  him,  although,  when  he  seemed 
to  be  promoting  most  actively  the  same  inter- 
est, they  were  supporting  that  of  the  English, 
and  herein  lay  the  secret  of  the  peculiar  situation. 


2  In  the  record  of  Moravian  baptisms  for  1750,  Bishop 
Camraerhoff  made  an  entry  which  (translated)  reads 
"  March  12.  To-day  I  baptized  Tatuis  Kundt,  the  chief  among 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  paramount  object  of  Teedyuscung  was  be- 
yond doubt,  the  recovery  for  the  Lenni  Lenape, 
of  that  dignity  and  power  as  a  nation,  which 
had  been  treacherously  wrested  from  them  by 
the  Iroquois.  For  this  purpose  he  sought  for  a 
time  to  effect  an  advantageous  alliance  with  the 
British  colonial  government,  and  with  the  same 
object  in  view  he,  to  a  considerable  measure, 
checked  his  people  from  making  such  indiscrim- 
inate warfare  upon  the  whites  as  would  arouse 
an  overwhelming  hatred,  and  make  such  over- 
tures impossible.  When  he  discovered  that  the 
realization  of  his  fondest  hope  was  impossible, 
that  no  one  would  examine  into  the  controversy 
between  the  Lenape  and  the  Iroquois,  and  that 
the  latter  were  on  the  contrary  supported  in 
their  unjust  pretensions,  he  "sliptthe  leash  and 
let  loose  the  degs  of  war."  It  was  because  the 
Iroquois  recognized  his  strong  and  sincere  par- 
pose  to  build  up  his  nation,  and  because  they 
were  jealous  of  the  influence  they  feared  he 
might  obtain  among  the  English,  that  they  ex- 
hibited their  bitterness  towards  him  and  plotted 
his  destruction.  In  fact  there  is  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  they  compassed,  or  at  least  connived 
at  his  death.  On  April  19th,  1763  he  was 
burned  to  death  in  his  cabin  at  Wyoming,  while 
asleep  under  the  influence  of  liquor.  A  num- 
ber of  Indians  were  witnesses  to  the  fact  that  the 
cabin  was  fired  from  the  outside.  Suspicion  fell 
principally  upon  the  Mingoes,  some  of  whom 
were  said  to  beconcerned  in  bringing  the  fatal 
liquor  to  the  place,  which  was  instrumental  to 
the  design. 

Thus  died  Teedyuscung,  "  King  of  the  Del- 
awares,"  the  last  sachem  of  his  people  east  of 
the  Alleghenies,  after  he  had  met  with  a  large 
measure  of  success  in  uniting  his  people  and 
recovering  for  them  their  lost  power.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  the  acknowledged  ruler 
of  no  less  than  ten  considerable  tribes  of  the 
Lenape,  and  had  forced  the  Iroquois  to  acknowl- 
edge them  through  him,  as  their  peers. 

No  Indian  of  his  time  was  more  prominently 
identified  with  the  colonial  history  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  appeared  on  the  occasion  of  nearly 
all  the  important  councils  and  treaties  between 
the  whites  and  the  Delawares  from  1742  to  the 
time  of  his  death,  and  in    several    of  them    as- 


sumed very  important  roles.  He  had  much 
dignity  and  simple  eloquence.  In  person  he 
was  "a  partly,  well-looking  man,  endowed  with 
good  natural  sense,  quick  of  comprehension  and 
very  ready  in  answering  the  questions  put  to 
him."  He  was  ambitious  and  very  desirous  of 
respect  and  command,  liked  to  have  a  retinue 
following  him  when  lie  went  to  Philadelphia 
and  to  be  considered  as  the  king  of  his  country. 
The  doctrines  of  Christianity  which  Teedyus- 
cung had  learned  among  the  Moravians  prior  to 
the  Indian  War,  seemed  to  have  made  quite  a 
deep  impression  upon  him.  As  the  head  chief 
of  his  nation,  he  was  compelled  to  resort  to 
craft,  subtlety,  barbarity  and  bloodshed,  and 
after  his  activity  was  over  and  shortly  before 
he  hist  his  life,  he  appeared  greatly  to  deplore 
the  career  which  had  by  circumstances  been 
forced  upon  him.  "  As  to  externals,"  he  said 
mournfully,  "  I  possess  everything  in  plenty; 
but  riches  are  of  no  use  to  me,  for  I  have  a 
troubled  conscience.  I  still  remember  well 
what  it  is  to  feel  peace  in  the  heart;  but  I  have 
now  lost  all." 

Among  the  minor  chiefs  of  some  local  re- 
nown was  Tatamy,  from  whom  Tatamy's  Gap, 
in  the  Blue  Mountains,  derived  its  name.  He 
lived  many  years,  about  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
mountain,  at  this  Gap,  where  he  had  a  grant  of 
upwards  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land  confirmed 
to  him  by  the  Proprietaries'  agents,  about  the 
year  1737,  for  valuable  services  rendered. 
Moses  Tatamy,  also  called  Tademe  and  Tat- 
temi,  was  a  convert:  to  the  teachings  of  John 
Brainard,  the  devoted  Moravian  missionary 
among  the  Indians,  and  who  once  visited  them 
in  the  Delaware  Valley.  Tatamy  acted  as 
interpreter  for  Brainard.  He  attended  most 
of  the  treaties  held  at  Easton  with  the  Indians, 
when  Teedyuscung  was  chief  of  the  Delawares, 
and  acted  as  interpreter.  Tatamy  also  made 
frequent  visits  to  Bethlehem  on  various  mis- 
sions, and  seems  to  have  been  treated  with  re- 
spectful consideration.  In  the  account  of  the 
Moravian  brethren  with  the  commissioners, 
several  entries  similar  to  the  following  appear  : 
"Nov.  18th  1756  victuals  delivered  Tattama 
ye   Indian,  who  came  from   Easton,   and   hay 


THE  ABORIGINAL   INHABITANTS. 


and  oats  for  his  horse,  by  order  of  Mr.  Hors- 
fie'ld.     8.  2.  d.  4." 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  the  hostile  Indians  making  frequent  in- 
roads upon  the  frontier  settlements,  a  change 
of  residence  was  deemed  necessary  to  secure  the 
personal  safety  of  Tatamy.  He  was  removed 
to  Frenchtown,  on  the  Delaware.  There  he 
was  permitted  to  occupy  a  small  tract  of  land, 
and  there  he  yielded  up  his  spirit,  near  the 
close  of  the  Revolution.1 

The  language  of  the  Lenni  Lenape, — "the 
pure  C'astilian  of  the  new  world," — in  the 
opinion  of.  several  competent  judges,  is  the 
most  perfect  of  all  the  Indian  tongues.  It  is 
distinguished  by  beauty,  strength  and  flexibil- 
ity. It  has  the  power  of  compressing  a  whole 
sentence  into  a  single  word.  This  is  done  by 
taking  the  most  important  syllable  of  each 
word,  and  sometimes  simply  a  single  letter, 
combining  them  in  slightly  varying  forms  or 
with  different  terminations,  the  laws  of  euphony 
being  observed,  and  thus  forming  a  new  word, 
expressing  a  variety  of  ideas.  The  language 
of  the  Minsi  differed  somewhat  from  that  of 
the  southern  Delawares,  but  not  sufficiently  to 
be  classed  as  a  separate  dialect.  It  was  a  little 
broader,  more  guttural  and  not  quite  so  pleasant 
to  the  ear,  and  still  it  was  never  so  harsh  as 
some  now  commonly-accepted  spellings  would 
indicate.  As  an  instance,  it  may  be  cited  that 
the  "k"  which  is  the  final  letter  of  so  many 
Lenape  names,  particularly  of  mountains,  is 
not  so  truly  indicative  of  the  original  Indian 
pronunciation  as  would  be  the  softer  "  g." 
Nearly  all  of  the  Indian  names,  particularly 
those  of  the  Lenape,  are  rich  in  rythmical 
euphony,  and  some  which  are  exceptions  have 


1  It.  is  erroneously  stated  by  Heckewelder  that  Tatamy 
was  killed  at  the  Forks  settlement,  in  Northampton 
County,  by  a  white  man,  prior  to  1754.  This  usually 
trustworthy  writer  has  here  confused  the  identity  of  father 
and  son.  It  is  true  that  William  (or,  as  he  was  commonly 
called,  Bill)  Tatamy,  a  son  of  the  old  chieftain,  was  mor- 
tally wounded  in  July,  1757,  by  a  young  man  (within  the 
limits  of  Allen  township),  while  straying  from  a  band  of 
Indians  who  were  on  their  way  from  Fort  Allen  to  Easton, 
to  attend  a  treaty.  He  died  from  the  effects  of  the  gun- 
shot wound,  about  five  weeks  later,  near  Bethlehem,  The 
unprovoked  assault  greatly  incensed  the  Indians. 


doubtless  received  their  harshness  through  the 
imperfect  rendering  into  English  (or,  in  many 
cases,  Dutch  and  German). 

A  small  vocabulary  of  Lenape  names  applied 
to  mountains,  streams  and  localities  in  or  near 
the  field  of  which  this  work  treats,  and  of 
others  employed  in  the  volume,  together  with 
their  significance,  is  here  appended. 

Aqtjanshicola  Creek,  (Carbon  County), 
emptying  into  the  Lehigh  from  the  northeast. 
Corrupted  from  Achqtioanschicola,  signifying 
irlin-i   ire  fish  with  the  bush-net. 

Crsiir'rrNK  (Wayne  County). — The  name 
given  by  the  Indians  to  the  valley  of  the  Dela- 
ware in  the  vicinity  of  Damascus,  Wayne 
Comity,  Pa.,  and  Cochecton,  Sullivan  County, 
N.  Y.  Cochecton  is  a  corruption  of  the  original 
Indian  appellation.  The  name  has  been  trans- 
lated as  the  loir  lands;  but  from  the  termina- 
tion "  unk,"  it  is  presumable  the  term  was 
originally  applied  to  the  hills  bordering  the 
valley.  The  name  is  spelled  on  old  maps 
Cashiegtunk. 

Dfj-awaeb  River. — This  was  called  by 
the  Delawares  Lenape-wihittuck,  i  e.  the  river 
of  the  Lenape.  In  the  language  of  the  Minsi 
Delawares  it  was  Kit-luhme  or  Gicht-h&nrie, 
signifying  the  'main  stream  in  its  region  of 
country. 

The  Dutch,  who  were  the  first  white  people 
who  sailed  up  that  stream,  named  it  in  contra- 
distinction from  the  North  River,  Zuydi  or 
South  River.  It  takes  its  present  name  from 
Lord  de  la  Warre,  Governor  of  Virginia,  who 
passed  the  Capes  in  1610. 

Easton. — The  name  given  by  the  Dela- 
wares to  the  site  of  Easton  and  afterwards  to 
the  town  was  Leehavwitank,  i.  e.  the  place  at  or 
within  the  forks. 

Equinunk.  — A  creek  emptying  into  the  Del- 
aware from  the  southwest,  in  the  northern  part 
of  Wayne  County.  The  word  is  Delaware, 
and  signifies  where  articles  of  clothing  were  dis- 
tributed. 

Kittatinny. — The  Indian  name  for  the 
Blue  Mountains,  signifying  the  endless  mountain. 

Lackawannock  (Lackawanna). — A  stream 
emptying  into  the  Susquehanna  from  the 
northeast,  in    Lackawanna  (formerly  Luzerne) 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


County.    Corrupted  from  Lechauwdh-hannek  or 
Leohau-hdnnek,  signifying  the  forks  of  a  stream. 

LACKAWAXEN. — A  branch  of  the  Delaware 
in  Wayne  and  Pike  Counties,  corrupted  from 
Lechauwesink,  signifying  where  the  roads  part, 
at  the  forks  of  the  road. 

Lehigh  Eiver. — Called  by  the  Delaware? 
Lechauweeki,  LeeJneiceliink  or  Leeha  week  ink, 
signifying  where  there  are  forks.  This  name 
was  given  to  the  ris'er  because  through  it 
struck  an  Indian  path  or  thoroughfare,  coming 
from  the  lower  parts  of  the  Delaware  country, 
which  thoroughfare,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river,  forked  otf  into  various  trails,  leading 
north  and  west.  The  word  Lechauwekink  was 
shortened  to  Leeha,  the  word  still  in  use  by 
the  Germaus,  of  which  abbreviation  Lehigh  is 
a  corruption. 

Meech-iiaxxk  signified  the  main  stream;  a 
name  applied  to  the  largest  of  several  affluent 
streams  prior  to  their  confluence.  This  was 
the  name  given  by  the  Delawares  to  the  main 
branch  of  the  Lehigh,  between  Lackawanna 
and  Monroe  Counties,  because  it  was  larger 
than  the  Tobijhdnna  or  Tuuk-hanna. 

Masgeek-haxxe  (Monroe  County). — A 
name  given  by  the  Delawares  to  a  run  flowing 
through  the  swamp  of  the  Broad  Mountain. 

Matjch  Chunk. — Corrupted  from  maehk- 
tsrhiink,  signifying  Bear  mountain,  or  strictly 
where  there  is  a  mountain  the  resort  of  bears. 

Mi.visiNK.  —  Corrupted  from  Mins-inh  or 
Mini.ssiuk,  signifying  where  there  are  Minsies, — - 
the  home  or  country  of  the  Minsies. 

POCONO. —  A  stream  in  Monroe  County, 
emptying  into  McMichael's  Creek,  corrupted 
from  Pocohdnne,  signifying  a  stream  between 
mountains.  Broad  Mountain  received  the  name 
Pocono  from  this  creek. 

Pohopoco  or  Big  Creek. — Emptying  into 
the  Lehigh  from  the  north-east,  in  Carbon 
County,  rising  in  Monroe,  corrupted  from 
Pochkapochka,  signifying  tiro  mountains  bearing 
clown  upon  each  other,  with  a  stream  intervening. 

Pohocjualixe. — The  original  name  of  the 
Delaware  Water  Gap,  which  was  called  also  at 
different  times  Pahaqualong  and  Pahaqualia, 
meaning  a  river  passing  between  two  mountains. 
Pahaquarra  is  a  corruption  of  the  original  name. 


Poponomtxg. —  A  pond  or  small  lake  in 
Hamilton  township,  Monroe  County,  corrupted 
from  Papenndmink,  signifying  where  we  are 
gassing. 

Shohola. — A  stream  emptying  into  the 
Delaware  from  the  southwest  in  Pike  County. 
Corrupted  from  Sehttiarihilla,  signifying  weak, 
faint,  depressed.  The  township  of  Shohola,  in 
Pike  County,  was  named  after  this  creek. 

Shohokix. —  A  stream  emptying  into  the 
Delaware  from  the  southwest,  in  Wayne 
County,  corrupted  from  Schohdcan,  signifying 
glue.  Schohueannik,  where  there  is  glue — where 
glue  is  made. 

Tobyhanxa. — A  stream  of  Monroe  County, 
emptying  into  the  Lehigh.  Corrupted  from 
Topi-hanne,  signifying  alder  stream — a  stream 
whose  banks  arc  fringed  with  alder. 

Tuxkhaxxa,  or  Tunkhannock. — A  branch 
of  the  Tobyhanna,  Monroe  County.  Corrupted 
from  Tank-hdnne,  the  small  stream.  The  small- 
est of  two  or  more  confluents  of  a  river  was 
always  called  tank-hdnne  by  the  Delawares. 

Walpack  (New  Jersey). — Corrupted  from 
Wahlpeek,  signifying  a  turn-hole  or  eddy  in  a 
stream — here  meaning  in  the  Delaware. 

Walleni'AUI'ack,  or  Paupaek. — A  branch 
of  the  Laekawaxen  dividing  Wayne  and  Pike 
Counties.  Corrupted  from  Walinkpapeekj  sig- 
nifying deep  and  dead  water.  By  some  author- 
ities the  name  of  this  stream  is  said  to  mean 
swift  and  slow  water,  which  better  characterizes 
its  alternating  quiet  pools  and  dashing  falls  ami 
rapids  than  does  the  signification  first  given. 

WYOMING. — Corrupted  from  M'eheuomi  or 
M'cheuwami,  signifying  extensive  fats. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Settlement  of  the  Lower  Minisink  by  the  Dutch. 

It  is  requisite  for  a  proper  understanding  of 
the  early  settlement  of  the  Minisink  that  some 
preliminaries  should  be  briefly  recited  and  some 
explanations  be  made.  First  of  all,  let  us  de- 
line  the  meaning  of  Minisink  and  describe  the 
territory  to  which  the  term  has  been  and  is 
still  applied.  The  word  is  unquestionably  de- 
rived from  the  name  of  the  Lenape  or  Delaware 


SETTLEMENT  OF  LOWER  MINISINK  BY  THE  DUTCH. 


tribe,  the  Minsi,  the  seat  of  whose  residence 
was  the  region  on  both  sides  of  the  river  Del- 
aware, from  a  point  below  the  famous  Water 
Gap,  nearly  to  its  head  waters.  The  signifi- 
cance of  the  name  is :  where  there  are  3Iinsis, 
or  the  home  of  the  Minsis.  In  its  most  com- 
prehensive meaning,  the  Miuisink  was  and  is 
the  Valley  of  the  Delaware,  from  the  Water 
Gap  to  Calicoon,  X.  Y.;1  but  in  the  more  com- 
monly accepted  and  accurate  meaning,  the  term 
can  only  be  considered  as  applying  to  the  valley 
from  the  Gap  to  Port  Jem's,  or  at  furthest  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Lackawaxen.2  Under  either 
of  these  definitions  of  its  territory,  the  Minisink 
includes  a  narrow,  irregular  strip  of  territory 
following  the  meanderings  of  the  Delaware, 
and  embracing  portions  of  the  three  States  of 
Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey  and  New  York.  Of 
the  soil  of  the  latter,  it  includes  much  less  than 
of  either  of  the  other  two;  but  it  was  within 
the  New  York  Minisink  that  the  first  recorded 
visits  of  white  men  were  made;  it  was  there 
that  the  name  was  earliest  applied,  and  it  is 
there  that  the  name  has  found  securest  and 
most  permanent  lodgment,  in  its  application 
first  to  a  great  land  patent,  and  afterwards  to  a 
township  of  Orange  county — a  matter  to  which 
we  shall  have  occasion  to  revert. 

Great  antiquity  has  been  claimed  for  the 
Dutch  settlements  in  the  Lower  Pennsylvania 
Minisink,  and  many  careless  writers  have  bold- 
ly asserted  as  if  it  were  a  proven  fact,  that  the 
Dutch  were  located  upon  the  Delaware  in  what 
are  now  Monroe  and  Pike  counties,  not  only  be- 
fore the  coming  of  Pcnn  in  1682,  but  prior  to 
the  settlement  of  the  Swedes  on  the  lower  Del- 
aware, and  that  this  region  was  therefore  the 
first  in  all  Pennsylvania  occupied  by  Europeans 
or  white  people.  There  is  not  a  particle  of  ab- 
solute proof  for  such  an  assertion  and  yet  there 
is  considerable  presumptive  evidence  tending 
towards  the  creation  of  an  opinion,  that  the  re- 


1  The  settlers  at  Cushutunk,  in  Damascus  township, 
Wayne  County,  regarded  themselves  as  within  the  Mini- 
sink  country. 

''  The  liattle  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Lackawaxen, 
between  the  forces  of  Brant  and  the  whites,  on  July  22, 
1779,  has  been  commonly  called  "the  liattle  of  the  Mini- 
sink,''  indicating  that  the  region  was  regarded  as  a  part  of 
the  Minisink. 


gion  in  question,  if  not  the  first  portion  of  the 
Province  actually  settled  was  among  the  first 
temporarily  occupied  by  white  men. 

Resting  the  claim  for  the  early  settlement  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Minisink  and  of  Monroe 
County  solely  upon  the  well  authenticated  loca- 
tion of  Nicholas  Depui3  npou  the  west  side  of 
the  Delaware  in  1727,'  and  the  Ideality  still 
maintains  the  distinction  of  priority  of  settle- 
ment over  any  other  equidistant  from  Philadel- 
phia. The  site  of  Depui's  settlement  within 
the  present  county  of  Monroe  is  about  seventy- 
five  miles  in  an  air  line  from  the  Pennsylvania 
metropolis.  Now  the  segment  of  a  circle  swept 
by  a  seventy-five  mile  radius  from  Depui's  on 
the  Delaware,  to  the  Southern  boundary  of  the 
State  with  Philadelphia  as  a  centre,  will  be 
found  to  pass  almost  exactly  through  the  centre 
of  Monroe,  Carbon,  Schuylkill  and  Lebanon 
counties  ;  through  the  western  part  of  Lancaster, 
crossing  the  Susquehanna  near  Columbia  and 
passing  Southward,  nearly  centrally,  through 
York  county.  Outside  of  this  quarter  circle — 
to  the  northward  and  westward — it  is  believed 
there  were  few  if  any  permanent  settlements 
prior  to  Depui's.  Thus  Monroe  county  and  the 
lower  Minisink  are  justly  entitled,  on  thorough- 
ly attested  facts,  to  hold  a  prominent  place 
among  the  pioneer  settlements  of  Pennsylvania. 

As  to  the  occupation  of  the  Minisink  for 
many  years  prior  to  the  Depui  settlement  there 
can  be  no  doubt — and  yet  as  to  the  exact  tim€ 
that  the  first  comers  arrived  in  the  region  there 
exists  no  authoritative  data.  Whether  any  of 
the  settlers  who  preceded  Depui  in  the  Mini- 
sink,  as  a  whole,  were  located  on  the  Pennsyl- 
vania side  of  the  river  is  very  doubtful.  There 
is  no  weighty  authority  for  the  opinion  that 
they  did,    and    no  ground  for  an  assertion  that 


zSeepostca  this  chapter:  also  the  Chapter  on  Smithfield 
township  in  the  History  of  Monroe  County. 

*  This  date  rather  than  1725,  is  now  regarded  by  Mr. 
Luke  W.  Brodhead  as  the  proper  one  to  be  employed  in  fix- 
ing the  time  of  Depui's  location.  There  is  no  positive  evi- 
dence that  he  was  permanently  located  in  the  Pennsylva- 
nia Minisink  prior  to  1727,  although  he  doubtless  visited 
the  site  of  his  future  home,  in  1725,  the  year  designated 
by  many  writers  as  that  of  his  settlement.  Mr.  Brodhead 
has  stated  in  his  work  upon  the  Delaware  Water  Gap,  that 
he  settled  at  Shawnee  iu  1725,  hut  more  recent  investiga- 
tion have  convinced  him  that  the  later  date  is  correct. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


they  did  not;  but  even  if  it  be  admitted  that 
some  of  the  people  on  the  Delaware  before  De- 
pui's  time  had  habitations  on  the  Pennsylvania 
side,  it  cannot  be  claimed  that  they  were  more 
than  mere  transient  dwellers  here,  or  what 
would  be  called  in  more  modern  colloquial  Eng- 
lish, "  Squatters." 

The  whole  assumption — and  it  is  a  reasona- 
ble one — that  the  Dutch  were  in  the  Minisink 
many  years  before  the  first  recorded  permanent 
settlements  were  made,  rests  upon  the  existence 
of  the  old  mines  in  Pahaquarry1  township, 
Warren  County,  N.  J.,  and  the  "  old  mine 
road"  from  Esopus,  now  Kingston  on  the  Hud- 
son, to    the    Delaware,  in  the  vicinity  of  those 


mines,  and  upon  a  few  isolated  facts  in  Dutch 
Colonial  history.  And  in  this  connection  it 
may  be  added  that,  paradoxical  as  it  may  seem, 
the  silence  of  history  proves  much  concerning 
these  traces  of  early  occupation.  The  absence 
of  any  record  of  the  work  done  here  is  the  best 
proof  of  its  antiquity. 

Here  was  a  road  about  one  hundred  miles  in 
length,  (•(instructed  with  care  and  so  well  that 
it  was  still  in  a  condition  to  be  easily  traveled 
when  the  English  first  obtained  knowledge  of 
the  country,  and  here  in  the  mountains  of  Pah- 
aquarry,  about  half  way  between  the  Delaware 
Water  Gap,  and  Walpaek  Bend  were  extensive 
openings,  the  remains  of  mines  in  which  some 
enterprising  people  had  sought  and  found  cop- 
per.- The  English  had  no  knowledge  of  these 
works  until  long  after  they  had  been  abandoned, 
and  the  few  early  records  which  remotely  al- 
lude to  them  have  all  come  from  the  Dutch. 


■This  name  is  corrupted  from  the  original  Indian  name 
of  the  Delaware  Water  Gap  "  Pohoqualine,"  called  also  at 
different  periods  Pahaqualong  and  Pahaqualia,  meaning  a 
river  passing  between  two  mountains. 

a  Mr.  Luke  W.  Brodhead  says  :  "The  mines  appear  to 
have  been  worked  to  a  considerable  extent.  Two  horizon- 
tal drifts  <.f  several  hundred  feet,  in  length  penetrate  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  a  few  hundred  feet  above  the  river 
Delaware  with  several  smaller  openings  adjacent. 

A  company  was  formed  in  1847  for  reworking  these 
mines,  at  which  time  large  trees  were  growing  on  the 
debris  the  Holland  miners  had  removed. 

The  late  George  R.  Graham,  of  Philadelphia,  was  at  the 
head  of  the  new  organization  and  during  the  progress  of 
the  work  in  the  summer  of  1847  the  place  was  visited  by  a 
party  of  editors,  among  whom  was  the  late  Horace  Greeley. 


The  Hollanders  who  bad  found  the  Hudson 
in  1609,  built  a  fort  at  Albany  in  1614,  and 
bought  the  Island  of  Manhattan  in  1626  for 
sixty  guilders,  (twenty-four  dollars)  had  domin- 
ion over  the  country  as  far  west  as  the  Delaware 
until  it  was  wrested  from  them  by  the  English 
in  1664.  The}' had  disputed  the  possession  of 
the  lower  river  with  the  Swedes  and  had  exer- 
cised their  usual  energy  in  zealously  seeking 
commerce  throughout  the  region  which  they 
claimed,  and  were  beyond,  going  in  the  middle 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  at  least  as  far  west- 
ward as  the  Susquehanna.  That  the  mines  on 
the  Delaware  were  theirs,  is  an  undeniable  in- 
fereuce  from  the  fact  of  their  connection  by  the 
'■mine  road  "  with  one  of  their  chief  settlements, 
Esopus.  The  work  of  making  both  road  and 
mines  was  done  in  obedience  to  the  prominent 
national  characteristic  of  seeking  wealth,  and  it 
is  plain  that  works  of  so  great  an  extent  and 
importance  must  have  had  their  inception  many 
years  before  the  Dutch  overthrow,  for  of  course 
all  labor  upon  and  use  of  them  was  abandoned 
after  that  event.  There  are  some  shreds  of  evi- 
dence to  support  this  reasonable  and  almost 
universally  accepted  theory. 

The  Dutch  were  the  first  Europeans  who  had 
knowledge  of  the  territory  which  is  now  Penn- 
sylvania. Soon  after  they  had  established  a 
trading-post  at  the  site  of  Albany,  in  1614, 
three  of  their  men  wandered  out  into  the  in- 
terior along  the  Mohawk  River  and  cros=ed  the 
dividing  water-shed  to  Otsego  Lake,  the  very 
head  of  the  Susquehanna  River.  They  came 
down  this  river,  and  by  the  Lackawanna  and 
the  Lehigh,  passed  over  to  the  Delaware  River, 
where,  below  the  Trenton  Falls,  they  were  res- 
cued from  the  Minsis,  who  held  them  in  captivity, 
by  Captain  Hendricksen,  who  happened  to  be 
there  exploring  the  bay  and  river.  These  three 
Hollanders  were  the  first  white  men  that  ever  set 
foot  on  Pennsylvania  soil.  It  is  possible  that 
they  may  have  given  the  first  knowledge  of  the 
Minisink  Country.  In  1646,  Andreas  Huddle  at- 
tempted to  ascend  the  Delaware,  above  the  Falls, 
luit  was  stopped  by  the  Indians.  It  is  thought 
by  Hazzard  and  several  other  students  that  he 
was  trying  to  reach  the  mines  in  the  Minisink,  and 
that  there  was,  at  that  time,  a  Dutch  colonv  there. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  LOWER  MIXISINK  BY  THE  DUTCH. 


11 


In  1655,  Van  dor  Donk  published  a  history 
in  which  he  says  :  "  Many  of  the  Netherlander 
have  been  far  into  the.  country,  more  than 
seventy  or  eighty  leagues  from  the  river  and 
seashore.  We  frequently  trade  with  Indians 
who  come  more  than  ten  and  twenty  days' 
journey  from  the  interior." 

The  most  direct  testimony  about  the  mines, 
appears  iu  the  Albany  Records  under  date  of 
April  25,  1659,1  where  occurred  this  entry  : 
"  We  lately  saw  a  small  piece  of  mineral 
which  was  such  good  and  pure  copper  that  we 
deemed  it  worth  inquiring  of  one  Kloes  de 
Ruyter  about,  as  we  presume  he  must  know  if 
the  fact  is  as  stated.  He  asserted  that  there 
was  a  copper  mine  at  the  Minisink." 

This,  at  least,  fixes  the  fact  that  a  mine  was 
known,  somewhere  in  the  Minisink,  as  early  as 
1659,  two  centuries  and  a  quarter  ago,  or  sixty- 
eight  years  before  the  Depui  settlement  on  the 
Pennsylvania  side  of  the  river. 

Thomas  Budd,  in  his  account  of  Pennsylva- 
nia and  New  Jersey,  published  in  London, 
10s  I,  gays  :  "  The  Indians  go  up  the  Delaware 
in  canoes  from  the  Falls  (Trenton)  to  the  Indian 
town  called  Minnisink."  He  speaks  of  the 
exceeding  rich  open  lands  of  the  Mini-ink,  but 
gained  no  reliable  information  of  the  first  set- 
tlement of  this  region. 

We  now  leave,  for  a  time,  the  lower  Mini- 
sink  country,  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  a 
few  facts  chronologically  in  order,  concerning 
the  upper  Minisink. 

The  first  recorded  visit  to  any  part  of  the 
Minisink  region  was  by  Captain  Arent  Schuy- 
ler, in  1794.  He  was  sent  out  by  Governor 
Fletcher,  who  was  ruler  of  the  Province  of 
New  York  under  the  crown  of  England,  aud 
the  mission  with  which  he  was  charged  was  to 
ascertain  whether  the  Minsi  Indians  had  been 
tampered  with  by  the  French  ;  that  is,  whether 
the  emissaries  of  the  French  iu  Canada  had 
sought  to  enlist  them  with  the  Canadian  tribes 
against  the  English.  Schuyler  penetrated  the 
northern  Minisink  to  or  near  the  site  of  Port 
Jervis,  N.  Y.,  but  in  his  journal  he  makes  no 
allusion   to  settlers  there   or  to  any  knowledge 


Albany  Records,  vol.  IV,  p.  3U4. 


he  might  have  obtained  of  settlers  further 
south.  The  journal  of  his  journey  is  given 
place  here  because  it  is  the  earliest  record  of  a 
visit  by  a  white  man  to  the  territory  under  con- 
sideration.     It  reads  as  follows  : 

"May  it  please  your  Excellency. 

"In  pursuance  to  your  Excell:  commands  I  have 
been  in  the  Minissink  Country  of  which  1  have  kept 
the  following  journal  :  viz 

"  1694  ye  3rd  of  Feb.  I  departed  from  New  Yorke 
for  East  New  Jersey  and  came  that  night  att  Bergen- 
town  where  I  hired  two  men  and  a  guide 

"Ye  4th  Sunday  morning — I  went  from  Bergen 
and  travilled  about  Ten  English  miles  beyond  Hagh- 
kengsaek  to  an  Indian  place  called  Peckwes. 

"Ye  5th  Monday — From  Peckwes  North  and  he 
west  I  meet  about  thirty-two  miles,  snowing  and 
rainy  weather. 

"  Ye  6th  Tuesday — I  continued  my  Journey  to  Ma- 
gagbkamieck  [Indian  name  for  the  Xeversink]  and 
from  thence  to  within  half  a  days  journey  of  the 
Minissink. 

"  Ye  7th  Wednesday — About  eleven  oclock  I  ar- 
rived at  the  Minissink  and  there  I  met  with  two  of 
their  sachems  and  several!  other  Indians  of  whome  I 
enquired  alter  some  news,  of  the  French  or  their  In- 
dians had  sent  for  them  or  been  iu  ye  Minissink 
country. 

"Upon  which  they  answered  that  noe  French  nor 
any  of  the  French  Indians  were  nor  had  been  in  the 
Minissink  country  nor  there  abouts  anil  did  promise 
yt  if  ye  French  should  happen  to  come  or  yt  they 
heard  of  it  that  they  will  forthwith  send  a  messeuger 
and  give  yr  Excellency  notice  thereof. 

"  Inquireing  further  about  news  they  told  me  that 
six  days  a  goe  three  Christians  and  two  Shawans  In- 
dians who  went  about  fifteen  months  a  goe  with  Ar- 
nout  Vielle  into  the  Shawans  country  were  passed  by 
the  Minissink  going  for  Albany  to  fetch  powder  tor 
Arnout  and  and  his  company  ;  ami  further  told  them 
that  sd  Arnout  intended  to  be  there  with  Seaven 
hundred  of  ye  sd  Shawans  Indians,  loaden  wth 
beaver  and  peltries  att  ye  time  ye  Indian  corn  is 
about  one  foot  high  (which  may  be  in  the  month  of 
June) 

"  The  Minissink  Sachems  further  sd  that  one  of 
their  Sachems  and  other  of  their  Indians  were  gone 
to  fetch  bevor  and  peltries,  which  they  had  hunted  ; 
and  having  no  news  of  them  are  afraid  yt  ye  Sinne- 
ques  have  killed  them  for  ye  lucar  of  the  beaver  or 
because  ye  Minissinck  Indians  have  not  been  with  ye 
Sinneques  as  usual  to  pay  their  Dutty  and  therefore 
desier  yt  your  excellency  will  be  pleased  to  order  yt 
the  Sinneques  may  be  told  not  to  molest  or  hurt  ye 
Minissinck  they  be  willing  to  coutinue  in  amity  with 
them. 


12 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


"  In  the  afternoon  I  departed  from  ye  Mihissincks, 
The  8th  9th  and  10th  of  Feb  I  travilled  and  eame 
atl  Bei  ;en  in  ye  morning  and  about  noone  arrived  att 
New  Yorke 

"This  may  it  please  your  Excell:  the  humble  re- 
porte  of  your  Excellencys  most  humble  servt.1 

"  Areut  Schuyler  " 

In  1696  Governor  Fletcher  granted  authority 
to  certain  citizens  of  Ulster  county  to  obtain 
deeds  from  the  Indians  for  lands  in  the  New 
York  Minisink.  The  document  reveals  the 
names  of  several  of  the  applicants  whose  descen- 
dants ultimately  became  settlers  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania Minisink  (in  Pike  County)  and  is 
therefore  of  sufficient  interest  to  warrant  its 
insertion  here.     It  reads  as  follows: 

"  By  his  Excellency  the  Governor  in  Coun- 
cil the  ninth  day  of  January,  1*796. 

"Whereas  Jacob  Ruthe,  Jacob 2Gerryt 

"  Aaron  Rose,  Thomas  Naseon,    Johannes 

Westphalen,3  Thomas  Quick,  Tennis  Quick, 
Hendrick  Janse,  Cornelius  Switz,  Claas  West- 
phalen,3    Simeon       Westphalen,3       Hendryck 

Decker,   Cornelius   De ,'-    Jan    Middaugh, 

Daniel  Honaw,  Cornelius  Claas,  Peter  Jacobs, 
Dirck  Vandebergh  and  Cornelius  Christian, 
have  made  application  unto  me  for  license  to 
purchase  vacant  unimproved  laud  in  the 
Minnisink  Country  called  Great  and  Little 
Minnisink,  for  their  encouragement.  I  have 
with  advice  and  consent  of  the  council  granted 
and  by  these  presents  do  grant  full  liberty  to 
the  aforesaid  suppliants  to  purchase  from 
native  proprietors  four  thousand  acres,  that  is 
for  each  two  hundred  acres,  in  order  to  their 
obtaining  patents  for  the  same.  Provided  that 
they  shall  make  their  purchase  and  return  the 
Indian  deed  into  the  Secretary's  office  in  the 
space  of  one  year  and  day  from  and  next  after 
the  date  of  these  presents,  for  which  this  shall 
be  to  them  a  sufficient  warrant."4 

Dated  as  above,  Benjamin  Fletcher. 

Here  we  find  the  earliest  mention  of  several 
names  since  well  known  iu  Pike  County,  viz 
Quick,5  Decker,  and  Westphalen  (Westfall). 


1  Documentary  History  of  New  York,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  98. 

-  Names  which  are  illegible. 

3  Westphalen  undoubtedly  became  Westfall. 

J  Colonial  Records  of  New  York. 

s  It  was  doubtless  from  Thomas  Quick  mentioned  in   the 


The  precise  date  at  which  the  upper  and  New 
York  portion  of  the  Minisink  was  settled  cannot 
be  fixed,  but  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  about 
1690  one  William  Tietsort  came  to  the  Dela- 
ware and  that  he  was  the  first  settler  on  the 
western  border  of  Orange  County.  He  located 
at  Mae-haghkeniek.  In  1697  what  was  called  the 
Minisink  Patent  was  granted  to  Arent 
Schuyler.  This  was  not  the  Minisink  Patent 
usually  alluded  to  under  that  name,  but  a  kind 
of  a  floating  patent  of  one  thousand  acres  which 
included  a  tract  of  land  on  the  run  called  by 
the  Indians  Minisink,  and  "  before  a  certain 
Island  called  Menayak  which  is  adjacent  to  or 
near  to  a  certain  tract  of  land  called  by  the 
Indians  Maghaghkemek."  The  Swartwout 
Patent  was  granted  the  same  year  to  Thomas 
Swartwout,  Jacob  Caudebec,  Bernardus  Swart- 
wout, Anthony  Swartwout,  Jan  Tyse,  Peter 
Guimar  and  David  Jamison.  Then  the 
Chesekook,  Waywayanda,  and  Minisink 
Patents  were  granted,  respectivly  in  1702,  1703 
and  1704.  The  best  authorities  on  the  history 
of  Ulster  and  Orange  Counties  make  the  earliest 
settlements  upon  and  about  the  site  of  Port 
Jervis,  (after  Tietsorts)  to  have  begun  prior  to 
17011  and  name  Jacob  Caudebec6  and  Peter 
Guimar,'1  as  the  first  settlers.  Some  indeed 
have  placed  these  men  in  the  Minisink  as  early 
as  1690,  but  that  is  a  palpable  error  for  when 
the  Swartwout  Patent  was  granted  (1697) 
Swartwout  and  Guimar  were  residents  of  New 
Paltz  or  of  Esopus.  The  location  of  these  set- 
tlements was  known  as  the  "  Upper  Neighbor- 
hood", being  in  the  valley  of  the  Neversink  at 
Peenpack.7 

A  few  years  later,  probably  prior  to  1710,  a 
number  of  families  came  into  what  was  sub- 
sequently called  "  the.  Lower  Neighborhood" 
and  located  on  either  side  of  the  Neversink, 
front  what  is  now  Huguenot,  south  to  Port  Jervis. 
These  families  came  from  Ulster  County  and 
were  all  Hollanders  or  of  Holland  descent,  as 
indicated  by  their  names :  Cortright,  Van  Auken, 


grant  of  Governor  Fletcher,  that  the  noted  "  Tom"  Quick, 
of  Pike  County  was  descended. 

6  The  names  are  now  spelled  Cuddebaek  and  Gumaer. 

1  Now  known  as  Port  Clinton,  on  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  LOWER  MINISINK  BY  THE  DUTCH. 


13 


Westbrook,  Decker,  Kuykendal,  Westfall    ami 

others.  The  settlements  from  Port  Jervis  south- 
ward were  undoubtedly  made  about  the  same 
time  as  those  above  and  by  people  connected 
not  only  by  the  ties  of  nationality  but  of  con- 
sanguinity, for  the  same  names  as  those  given 
and  others  of  Hoi  land  ish  extraction  are  found 
in  the  records  pertaining  to  the  territory  all 
along  the  New  Jersey  side  of  the  Delaware  to 
the  Water  Gap.  A  student  of  New  Jersey 
history1  places  the  movement  southward  at  an 
earlier  date  than  some  other  authorities,  saying  : 
"  Just  priorto  the  year  1700  many  of  the  Low 
Dutch  farmers  from  Ulster  Comity,  New  York, 
together  with  fugitives  from  the  States  of 
Europe,  principally  from  France,  commenced 
the  establishment  of  a  chain  of  kindred  settle- 
ments along  the  Mackockemack  (Neversink) 
and  Delaware  Rivers  extending  from  Ulster 
County  on  the  north  to  the  Delaware  Water  Gap 
at  the  south,  and  covering  a  stretch  of  territory 
about  fifty  miles  in  width  and  of  variable 
width." 

Substantiating  this  opinion  there  is  documen- 
tary evidence.  "The  Precinct  of  Minisink" 
was  laid  off  in  what  is  now  the  northern  part 
of  Sussex  county,  New  Jersey,  in  1701.  It  ex- 
tended along  the  river  from  Carpenter's  Point 
to  the  lower  end  of  Great  Minisink  Island  and 
was  the  first  municipal  division  or  organization 
in  old  Sussex  (now  divided  into  Sussex  and 
Warren  counties).  That  region  was  then  with- 
in the  jurisdiction  of  New  York,  and  the  inhab- 
itants voted  for  at  least  eight  years  with  the 
people  of  Ulster  County,  and  afterwards  gave 
their  votes  in  Orange  County  until  the  settle-' 
ment  of  the  boundary  line  controversy  placed 
them  within  the  jurisdiction  of  New  Jersey. 
The  establishment  of  a  voting  precinct  in  this 
region  presupposes  that  there  were  a  considera- 
ble number  of  voters  in  the  region. 

Edsall2  is  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  these 
early  settlers,  concerning  whom  there  are  authen- 
tic data,  were  of  the  number  who  worked  the 
Pahaquarry  mines,  prior  to  the  period  on  which 
history  sheds  its  first  light,  and  presumptively 


B.  A.  Westbrook,  Esq.,  of  Montague. 

B.  B.  Edsall  Esq.,  in  Sussex  Centennial  Address,  1854. 


before  1664.  He  says  (speaking  of  the  miners 
and  builders  of  the  Esopus  Road) :  "  The  main 
body  of  these  men  are  believed  to  have  returned 
to  their  native  land,  yet  a  few  undoubtedly  re- 
mained and  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  their  aban- 
doned mines.  In  this  county,  (Sussex)  we  class 
the  Depuis,  Ryersons  and  probably  the  West- 
brooks  and  Schoonmakers  (Shoemakers)  as 
among  the  descendants  of  those  ancient  immi- 
grants," As  a  matter  of  fact  this  is  possible  ; 
it  is  even  probable,  but  it  is  by  no  means  "  un- 
doubtedly" established. 

The  whole  matter  of  the  early  settlement  of 
the  lower  Minisink  so  far  as  it  can  be  proven 
may  be  summed  up  together  with  two  or  three 
mere  probabilities  as  follows :  The  region  was 
certainly  known  to  the  Dutch  soon  after  the 
middle  of  the  Seventeenth  Century.  The 
mines  were  probably  worked  and  the  Esopus 
road  built  by  some  of  the  people  prior  to  1664  ; 
some  of  these  early  adventurers  may  have  re- 
mained in  the  country  and  become  permanent 
settlers  ;  the  actual,  authenticated  permanent  set- 
tlement of  the  region,  began  in  the  northern  or 
New  York  Minisink  in  the  Neversink  valley  and 
the  vicinity  of  Port  Jervis,  about  1697-1700, 
and  extended  rapidly  southward  in  the  valley  of 
the  Delaware  to  the  Water  Gap,  confined  for 
the  most  part  for  many  years  to  the  eastern,  or 
New  York  and  New  Jersey  side  of  the  river  ; 
that  the  settlers  were  nearly  all  Holland  Dutch, 
and  that  the  original  tide  of  immigration  and 
the  earliest  waves  of  accession  rolled  from  the 
same  source  and  direction,  from  Ulster  County 
and  Esopus  on  the  Hudson,  from  the  northeast, 
by  way  of  the  Mine  road  and  the  valley  of  the 
Delaware.  With  this,  and  the  statement  that 
it  is  possible  there  were  settlers  in  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Minisink,  prior  to  1727,  but  that  none 
can  be  proven  earlier  than  Nicholas  Depui's  in 
the  year  mentioned, — we  close  a  concise  summa- 
ry of  what  is  known  and  what  is  simply  prob- 
lematical concerning  the  beginning  of  the  Mini- 
sink  settlement. 

Having  now  related  something  of  the  early 
history  of  the  upper  Minisink  and  traced  the 
general  movement  of  population  southward  in 
the  Delaware  Valley,  we  will  revert  to  the  De- 
pui  settlement  of  1727,  made  upon  lands  bought 


It 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


privately  from  the  Indians1  at  Shawnee,  in 
Smithfield  township,  Monroe  County,  then 
Bucks.  It  was  hire  that  was  made  the  second 
recorded  visit  by  a  stranger  to  this  miniature, 
wilderness  surrounded,  world,  this  peaceful  Ar- 
cadia, practically  almost  as  remote  from  the  busy 
marts  and  centres  of  commerce  of  the  New  Con- 
tinent, as  if  it  had  been  located  a  thousand  in- 
stead, of  one  hundred  miles  from  New  York 
and  Philadelphia,  The  visitor — or  obtruder 
— was  Nicholas  Scull.  The  authorities  of  the 
Pen n  province  only  learned  in  1720,  that  in- 
truders had  come  upon  their  lauds  along  the 
Delaware,  and  they  sent  Scull,  a  surveyor  and 
trusted  man  of  affairs,  to  investigate  the  facts. 
We  have  an  account  of  this  first  appearance  of 
a  Pennsylvanian  in  the  Minisink — which  comes 
to  us  from  a  second,  or  rather  third  hand — in 
the  narrative  of  Samuel  Preston,  the  pioneer  of 
Stockport  on  the  upper  Delaware,  who  himself 
visited  the  lower  Minisink    in    1787.     The  ac- 


1  Depui  probably  knew  nothing  as  to  what  Province  he 
■was  in  the  jurisdiction  of.  He  purchased  in  1727,  of  the 
Mmsi  Delawares  a  large  portion  of  the  level  land  along  the 
river,  on  which  the  town  of  Shawnee  now  stands  and  also 
the  two  large  islands  in  the  Delaware — "Shawano"  and 
Manalamink,  and  received  from  the  Indians  a  deed  (for  a 
copy  of  which  see  the  Chapter  on  Smithfield  township, 
Monroe  County).  '  In  September,  1 7-53,  lie  purchased  the 
same  property,  in  all  six  hundred  and  forty-seven  acres, 
from  William  Allen,  a  large  land  owner,  who  had  bought 
from  the  Penns,  and  then  first  held  legal  title  under  the 
laws  of  the  Province. 

Concerning  the  purchase  from  the  Indians,  Sir  William 
Johnson  says  (MSS.  Sir  William  Johnson,  XXIV.  14.): 
'■  An  elderly  man  who  lived  in  the  Highlands,  and  at 
whose  house  I  dined  on  my  way  from  New  York,  some 
years  ago,  told  me  that  he  lived  with  or  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Depui  and  was  present  when  the  said  Depui  pur- 
chased the  Minisink  lands  from  the  Indians;  that  when 
they  were  to  sign  the  deed  of  sale  he  made  them  drunk  and 
never  paid  them  the  money  agreed  upon.  He  heard  the 
Indians  frequently  compluiu  of  the  fraud  aud  declare  that 
they  never  would  be  easy  until  they  had  satisfaction  for 
their  lands." 

There  was  certainly  something  irregular  in  the  transac- 
tion, for  the  deed  contains  no  consideration  and  was  there- 
fore void  according  to  law,  but  that  Depui  was  guilty  of  a 
positive  or  purposed  injustice  does  not  seem  probable,  for 
the  Indians  are  known  to  have  lived  on  terms  of  peace  with 
him.  Depui  was  a  man  of  politic,  as  well  as  peaceful  na- 
ture, and  far  too  shrewd  to  have  offended  a  people  among 
whom  he  was  living  almost  completely  isolated  from  his 
own  race. 


count  which  he  gives  of  Scull's  visit  in  1730  be 
received  from  John  Lukens,  who  as  a  lad  ac- 
companied Scull  upon  his  tour,  and  doubtless 
talked  with  him  about  it  in  later  years  to  re- 
fresh his  boyhood  memory.  Mr.  Preston's 
letters2  have  been  often  quoted  and  have  been 
largely  instrumental  iu  misleading  various  care- 
less writers  and  readers  in  regard  to  the  antiq- 
uity of  the  Minisink  settlement.  They  contain 
several  manifest  errors,  and  by  no  means  if 
thoughtfully  read,  establish  any  solid  ground 
for  the  claim  of  such  extreme  earliness  as  many 
historians  make  for  the  permanent  settlement  of 
the  region — that  is  of  an  unbroken,  consecutive 
occupancy  of  the  country  from  a  period  ante- 
dating 1664.  Nevertheless,  they  are  full  of 
interest  and  suggestiveness.  Following  is  a 
copy  of  the  letters  : 

"In  1787,  the  writer  went  on  his  first  sur- 
veying tour  into  Northampton  County.  He 
was  deputy  under  John  Lukens,  Surveyor  Gen- 
eral, and  received  from  him,  by  way  of  instruc- 
tions, the  following  narrative  respecting  the 
settlement  of  "Minisink"  on  the  Delaware 
above  the  Kittany  or  Blue  Mountains  :  that 
the  settlement  was  founded  a  long  time  before 
it  was  known  to  the  Government  in  Philadel- 
phia. That  when  the  Government  was  in- 
formed of  the  settlement,  they  passed  a  law  in 
1729  that  any  such  purchase  of  the  Indians 
should  be  void,  and  the  purchasers  be  indicted 
for  forcible  entry  and  detainer,  according  to  the 
laws  of  England.  That  iu  1739  they  appointed 
an  agent  to  go  and  investigate  the  facts  ;  aud 
the  agent  so  appointed  was  the  famous  surveyor, 
Nicholas  Scull  ;  and  that  he  (John  Lukens)  was 
Scull's  apprentice,  to  carry  chains  and  learn 
surveying.  That  he  accompanied  Scull,  and 
they  both  understood  and  could  talk  the  Indian 
language.  That  they  had  great  difficulty  in 
leading  their  horses  through  the  Water  Gap  to 
Meenesink  Flats,  which  were  all  settled  with 
Hollanders;  with  several  they  could  only  be  un- 
derstood in  Indian. 

"  At  the  venerable  Samuel  Depuis'  (an  error: 
Nicholas    Depui  was   the   person  meant,  unless 


2  They  were  originally  contributed  to  Kazan 
ud  dated  Stockport,  June  Gth  and  11th,  1828 


SETTLEMENT  OF  LOWER  MINISINK  BY  THE  DUTCH. 


15 


indeed  the  visit  was  at  a  much  later  date  than 
is  represented),  they  found  great  hospitality  and 
plenty  of  the  necessaries  of  life.  John  Lukens 
said  that  the  first  thing  that  struck  his  admira- 
tion was  a  grove  of  apple  trees,  of  size  far  be- 
yond any  near  Philadelphia.  That  N. 
Scull  and  himself  examined  the  banks,  and 
were  fully  of  the  opinion  that  all  those  flats  had 
at  some  former  age  been  a  deep  lake,  before  the 
river  broke  through  the  mountain,  and  that  the 
best  interpretation  they  could  make  of  Minisink, 
was  the  water  in  gone. 

"  That  S.  Depuis  told  them  that  when  the 
liver  was  frozen  he  had  a  good  road  to  Esopus 
from  the  Mine  Holes,  in  the  Mine  Road,  some 
hundred  miles.  That  he  took  his  wheat  and 
cider  there  ;  and  did  not  appear  to  have  any 
idea  where  the  river  ran,  of  Philadelphia 
market  or  of  being  in  the  Government  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

"  They  were  of  the  opinion  that  the  first 
settlements  of  Hollanders  in  Minisink  were 
many  years  older  than  William  Penn's  charter; 
and  as  S.  Depuis  had  treated  them  so  well  they 
concluded  to  make  a  survey  of  his  property  or 
claim,  iu  order  to  befriend  him  if  necessary. 
When  they  began  to  survey  the  Indians  gathered 
around,  and  one  old  Indian  laid  his  hand  on 
Scull's  shoulder  and  said,  'Put  up  iron  string 
and  go  home.'     They  then  quit  and  returned. 

"  1  had  it  in  charge,  from  John  Lukens,  to 
learn  more  particulars  respecting  the  Mine  road 
to  Esopus,  etc.  I  found  Nicholas  Depuis,  Esq., 
son  of  Samuel,  living  in  a  spacious  stone  house 
in  great  plenty  and  affluence.  The  old  Mine 
Holes  were  a  few  miles  above,  on  the  Jersey  side 
of  the  river  by  the  lower  point  of  Pahacpiarry 
Flat;  that  tiie  Minisink  settlement  extended 
forty  miles  or  more  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 
That  he  had  well  known  the  Mine  Road  to 
Esopus,  and  used,  before  he  opened  the  boat- 
channel  through  Foul  Rift,  to  drive  on  it,  sev- 
eral times,  every  winter  with  loads  of  wheat 
and  cider,  as  also  did  his  neighbors,  to  purchase 
his  salt  and  necessities,  iu  Esopus,1  having  then 


'The  Mine  road  was  repaired  from  time  to  time  and 
Berved  the  settlers  along  ils  line  through  New  Jersey  and 
New  York,  as  well  as  those  of  the  lower  Minisink,  as  an 
outlet  lo  the  market  on  the  Hudson  River.     The  road  very 


no  other  market  or  knowledge  where  the 
river  run  to;  that  after  a  navigable  channel 
was  opened  through  Foul  Rift  they  generally 
took  to  boating  and  most  of  the  settlement 
turned  their  trade  down  stream,  the  mine  road 
became  less  and  less  traveled. 

"This  interview  with  the  amiable  Nicholas 
Depui  was  in  June,  1787.  He  then  appeared 
about  sixty  years  of  age.  I  interrogated  as  to 
the  particulars  of  what  he  knew,  as  to  when 
and  by  whom  the  Mine  road  was  made,  and 
what  was  the  ore  they  dug  and  hauled  on  it, 
what  was  the  date  and  from  whence  or  how- 
came  the  first  settlers  of  Minisink  in  such  great 
numbers  as  to  take  up  all  the  flats  on  both  sides 
of  the  river  for  forty  miles.  He  could  only 
give  traditionary  accounts  of  what  he  had  heard 
from  older  people,  without  date,  in  substance  as 
follows  : 

"  That  in  some  former  age  there  came  a  com- 
pany of  miners  from  Holland;  supposed  from 
the  great  labor  expended  in  making  that  road, 
about  one  hundred  miles,  that  they  were  very 
rich  or  great  people,  iu  working  the  two  mines 
— one  on  the  Delaware,  where  the  mountain 
nearly  approaches  the  lower  point  of  Paaquarry 
Flat — the  other  at  the  north  foot  of  the  same 
mountain,  near  half  way  from  the  Delaware 
and  Esopus.  He  ever  understood  that  abund- 
ance of  ore  had  been  hauled  on  that  road,  but 
never  could  learn  whether  lead  or  silver;  That 
the  first  settlers  came  from  Holland  to  seek  a 
place  of  quiet,  being  persecuted  for  their  relig- 


eavly  claimed  the  attention  of  the  provincial  authorities  of 
New  York.  That  some  work  of  repairing  had  been  done 
prior  to  1734,  and  that  further  work  was  contemplated  is 
indicated  by  the  following  extract  from  the  records  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  New  York  : 

"General  Assembly,  Die  Sabbati,  May  11th;  1734. 

''The  petition  of  Jacobus  Swartwout,  William  Provost, 
William  Cool  and  others,  freeholders  and  inhabitants,  re- 
siding and  living  in  Minisink,  in  the  County  of  Orange 
and  Ulster,  was  presented  to  the  house,  &c,  setting  forth 
that  several  persons  in  West  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  hav- 
ing no  other  way  to  transport  their  produce  than  through 
the  Minisink,  and  there  was  but  about  40  miles  more  to 
repair  before  they  come  to  Esopus,  &c,  that  they  be  com- 
pelled to  work  on  said  road  and  assist  in  repairing  it,  to 
the  house  of  Egbert  Dewitt,  in  the  town  of  Rochester  in 
the  County  of  Ulster. 

"  Resolved,  That  leave  be  given  to  bring  in  a  bill  accord- 
ing to  the  prayer  of  the  Petition." 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


iou.  I  believe  they  were  Armenians.1  They 
followed  the  Mine  road  to  the  large  flats  on  the 
Delaware ;  that  smooth,  cleared  land  suited 
their  views ;  that  they  bona  fide,  bought  the 
improvements  of  the  native  Indians,  most  of 
whom  then  moved  to  the  Susquehanna  ;  that 
with  such  as  remained  there  was  peace  until 
1755.  I  then  went  to  view  the  Paaquarry  Mine 
holes.  There  appeared  to  have  been  a  great 
abundance  of  labor  done  there  at  some  former 
time,  but  the  mouths  of  these  holes  were  caved 
full  and  overgrown  with  bushes.  I  concluded 
to  myself  if  there  ever  was  a  rich  mine  under 
that  mountain  it  must  be  there  yet,  in  close  con- 
finement. The  other  old  men  I  conversed  with 
gave  their  traditions  similar  to  Nicholas  Depui, 
and  they  all  appeared  to  be  grandsons  of  the  first 
settlers,  and  very  ignorant  as  to  the  dates  and 
things  relating  to  chronology. 

"  In  the  summer  of  1789  I  began  to  build  on 
this  place;2  then  came  two  venerable  gentlemen 
on  a  surveying  expedition.  They  were  the  late 
General  James  Clinton,  the  father  of  the  late 
De  Witt  Clinton,  and  Christopher  Tappan,  Esq., 
Clerk  and  Recorder  of  Ulster  County  (X.  Y.). 
For  many  years  before  they  had  both  been  sur- 
veyors under  General  Clinton's  father,  when  he 
was  Surveyor-General.  In  order  to  learn  some 
history  from  gentlemen  of  their  general  knowl- 
edge, I  accompanied  them  in  the  woods.  They 
both  well  knew  the  mine  holes,  mine  road,  Ac., 
and  as  there  were  no  kind  of  documents  or 
records  thereof,  united  in  the  opinion  that  it 
was  a  work  transacted  while  the  State  of  New 
York  belonged  to  the  Government  of  Holland  ; 
that  it  fell  to  the  English  in  1064;  and  that 
the  change  of  government  stopped  the  mining 
business,  and  that  road  must  have  been  made 
years  before  such  digging  could  have  been  done. 
That  it  undoubtedly  must  have  been  the  first 
good  road  of  that  extent  made  in  any  part  of  the 
United  States." 


1  An  evident  confusion.  The  Depuis  were  French  and 
did  leave  their  country  because  of  religious  persecution,  but 
the  Holland  Dutch,  who  formed  the  greater  part  of  the 
early  population  of  the  Minisink,  did  not  leave  for  such 
reason. 

2  Stockport,  on  the  Delaware,  Buckingham  township, 
Wayne  County. 


The  Van  Campens  settled  about  the  same 
time  as  the  Depuis,  but  five  miles  above  them 
and  on  the  Jersey  side  of  the  river.  They  did 
not  come  to  the  west  shore  until  many  years 
later.  Just  who  followed  tli3  Depuis  on  the 
Pennsylvania  side  of  the  river  can  not  now  be 
told,  but  it  seems  probable  that  the  stream 
may  have  been  crossed  at  various  places  be- 
tween Port  Jervis  and  the  Water  Gap  within  a 
few  years  after  1727.  Andrew  Dingman,  of 
Kinderhook,  is  known  to  have  settled  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river,  at  "  Dingman  Choice  " 
(Diugmau's  Ferry,  in  what  is  now  Delaware 
township,  Pike  County)  in  1735,  and  he  had 
near  neighbors  very  soon  after  that  date,  if  not 
at  once.  Another  important  settlement  the 
date  of  which  is  well  authenticated  was  that  of 
Daniel  Brodhead,  made  in  1737,  on  Analoni- 
ing  creek  (afterward  called  Brodheads),  where 
East  Stroudsburg  now  is.  His  settlement  was 
called  Dansbury,  and  became  noted,  during 
the  Indian  War  beginning  in  1755,  and  the 
family  became  one  of  the  most  prominent  in 
the  whole  Minisink  country '  Scull  says  that 
in  1730  there  were  settlements  upon  both  sides 
of  the  river  for  a  distance  of  more  than  forty 
miles,  and  yet  his  testimony  on  that  point  has 
little  value  for  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  he 
ascended  the  valley  above  Depui's,  and  he 
mentions  no  names  of  people  on  either  side  of 
the  river,  although  he  speaks  of  "  other  old 
men" — all  of  whom,  for  anything  he  says  to 
the  contrary  may  have  been  upon  the  Jersey 
side.  Smith  in  his  History  of  New  Jersey 
says  that  in  1756  the  settlements  were  far  more 
numerous  on  the  east  than  on  the  west  shore  of 
the  river.  That  the  former  was  especially  well 
peopled  in  what  is  now  the  northern  part  of 
Sussex  County,  New  Jersey,  as  early  as  1739, 
we  have  documentary  proof.  This  region  from 
the  vicinity  of  Port  Jervis  down  to  a  point 
about  opposite  the  site  of  Milford  was,  as  here- 
tofore explained,  constituted  "the  Minisink  pre- 
cinct" of  Orange  County,  N.  J.  In  1739  the 
inhabitants  of  this  precincts  were  taxed  to  assist 
in  the  building  of  the  first  county  "goal"  or 


'See  cbapte 
History. 


Smithfield  township,  in  Monroe  County 


SETTLEMENT  OF  LOWER  MINISINK  BY  THE  DUTCH. 


17 


jail  of  Goshen.  The  original  tax  warrant 
issued  under  the  seals  of  the  several  justices  of 
the  peace  of  the  county  of  Orange,  among 
them  being  that  of  Anthony  Westbrook,1  of 
Minisink,  is  still  in  existence,  and  shows  just 
who,  in  1739,  were  the  taxable  inhabitants  of 
that  part  of  the  Minisink.  It  will  be  noted 
that  the  names  of  very  many  are  the  same 
which  are  to  be  found  in  the  records  of  a  later 
period  pertaining  to  the  Pennsylvania  side  of 
the  river.  Following  are  the  names  as  given  in 
the  return  testified  to  by  Johanes  Westbrook : 

Samuel  Swartwout,  Solomon  Davis, 

William  Codebek,  Jacobis  Codebek, 

Gerardis  Van  Minwege,  Johanis  Hoogtyling, 

Pieter  Gemaer,  Stifanis  Tietsoort, 

Jacobis  Swartwout,  Lambart  Brink, 

Klaes  Westfael,  Adries  Decker, 

Cornells  de  Duyster,  Huge  Puge, 

Jacob  Bogert,  Allebert  Van  Garden, 

Willem  Tietsoort,  Jacob  Decker,  Junier, 

Jacobis  Decker,  Dirik  Quik, 

Hermanus  Van  Gorden,  Thotnas  Schoonoven, 

Hendrik  Decker,  Isaak  Van  Aken, 

Willem  Provost,  Peter  Lameose  Brink, 

Samuel  Provost,  Cornelis  Brink, 

Evert  Horinbeck,  Gysbert  Van  Garden, 
Johanis  Westbrook,  Jnier,  Ary  Cortregt, 

Autye  Decker,  Antony  Westbrook, 

Barint  Mollin,  Cornelis  Crom, 

Petris  Decker,  Thomas  Decker, 

Jacob  Decker,  Hendrik  se  Cortregt. 

Abraham  Van  Aken,  Abraham  Cortregt, 

William  Cool,  Cornelis  Cuykundal, 

Peter  Cuykindal,  Terins  Davin, 

Hendrik  Cuykindal,  Johanis  Westfael, 

De    Staet    Van  Hillitge  Martye  Westfael, 

Conner,  Johanis  Westb'roek, 
Johanise  Jacobse  Decker,  Willem  Cortregt, 

Jan  Van  Vliet,  Casparis  Cimber, 

Jacob  Westfael,  Hendrik  Cortregt, 

David  Cooll,  Abraham  Louw. 

As  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Minisink  (in  the  region  now  included  in  Mon- 
roe and  Pike  Counties),  there  exists  document- 
ary proof  that  there  were  a  considerable  number 

"  '  Anthony  Westbrook,  of  Minisink  precinct,  County  of 
Orange  and  Province  of  New  York,"  lived  in  what  is  now 
Montague,  Sussex  County,  N.  J.,  opposite  the  place  where 
Milford,  the  county  seat  of  Pike,  was  afterwards  built,  and 
he  and  Peter  Lambartus  Bouick,  owned  the  Jersey  flats 
adjoining  and  a  large  tract  of  country  extending  back  upon 
the  mountains.  He  was  of  the  same  family  afterwards, 
and  to  this  day  numerous  in  Pike  and  Monroe  Counties. 


as  early  as  1746.  In  that  year  was  taken  the 
first  action  of  which  there  is  any  record,  for 
the  formation  of  Smithfield  township,  the  first 
municipal  division  north  of  the  Blue  Moun- 
tains. The  petition  of  the  settlers  for  the  set-' 
ting  off  of  a  township  in  this  region  contains 
the  names  of  twenty-seven  persons,  all  doubt- 
less landholders,  and  nearly  all  presumably  the 
heads  of  families.  Thus  we  know  that,  besides 
Nicholas  Depui  and  the  Brodheads,  there  were 
living  here  prior  to  the  middle  of  the  eight- 
eenth century  Christopher  Denmark,  Bernard 
Stroud,  Piatro  J.  Westbrook,  James  Hyndshaw, 
Daniel  and  Aaron  Depui,  John  Courtright, 
Rudolphus  Schoonover,  Beama  Scoonmaker 
(Shoemaker),  John  Decker,  Patt  Ker,  William 
McNab,  Abram  Clark,  John  Pierce,  Robert 
Hannah,  Samuel  Vanaroun,  Valentine  Snyder, 
John  Boss,  Jonathan  Gerenly,  Isaac  Tak,  Jo- 
seph Savin,  Richard  Howell,  Lambert  Bush, 
John  Riley,  John  Honog  and  Thomas  Hersou.2 

The  foregoing  did  not,  by  any  means,  include 
all  of  the  taxable  inhabitants.  A  petition,  dated 
only  two  years  later  (1748),  contains  the  addi- 
tional names  of  Adam  Suell,  John  Baker,  Sam- 
uel Drake,  John  Teed,  John  Garliughouse, 
Edward  Halley,  John  McDowell,  Samuel 
Holmes,  Joshua  Parker,  Benjamin  Teed,  Wil- 
liam Macknot,  James  Powell,  Andrew  Robin- 
son, James  Phillips,  Elisha  Johnson,  Johnson 
Decker,  Samuel  Barber,  Jonathan  Barber,  Ben- 
jamin Barber,  James  Carle,  Aia  Clark,  David 
Teed,  Daniel    Roberts,  John   McMichel,  John 

Hilliman, Seitz, Jeunings,  Edward 

Snell,  Thomas  Hill  and  John  Brink. 

A  document  of  1753  gives  other  names,  viz.: 
Daniel  Shoemaker,  Daniel  Zaner,  Honre  Zauer, 
Samuel  Goodrich,  Ephraim  Culver,  Joseph 
Soely,  Edward  Botts.  None  of  these  lists  con- 
tain the  names  of  the  Van  Campens,  Quicks, 
Overfields,  Bossarts,  Dingmans,  Van  Vliets, 
Van  Ettens,  Van  Akens  and  others,  nearly  all 
of  whom  are  known  to  have  been  in  the  terri- 
tory prior  to  the  time  of  the  circulation  of  the 
petition  last  cited.  Some  of  them,  however, 
lived  so  far  distant  (above  the  Bushkill)  from 


2  These  names  are,  for  the  most  part,  spelled  as  found 
in  the  original  petition.     See  Smithfield  township. 


IS 


WAYNE.  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


the  main  body  of  the  settlers,  that  their  influ- 
ence was  not  sought  in  aid  of  the  measures 
which  the  petitioners  advocated. 

In  1752  when  Northampton  County  was  set 
off  from  Bucks,  the  township  of  Smithfield, 
which  was  supposed  to  include  all  of  the  settle- 
ments of  the  country  north  of  the  mountains, 
was  accredited  with  a  population  of  five  hun- 
dred, the  whole  territory  of  the  new  county  (in- 
cluding not  only  its  present  territory  but  all  of 
Lehigh,  Carbon,  Monroe,  Pike  and  Wayne  and 
parts  of  Luzerne  and  Schuylkill),  being  estimated 
to  contain  a  few  less  than  six  thousand  people.1 

By  the  year  1742  four  churches  had  been 
built  conjointly  by  the  settlers  in  the  New 
Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  Minisink.  Only  one, 
of  them  was  upon  the  Pennsylvania  side,  and 
that  was  located  at  Shawnee,  two  miles  above 
Dupui's,  in  Smithfield.  The  others  were  the 
"  Machakomach,  near  the  site  of  Port  Jervis, 
N.  Y.,  the  "  Minisink  "  at  Montague,  and  the 
third  at  Walpack.  The  movement  toward  their 
establishment  began  as  early  as  1737.  The 
Rev.  Johannes  Casparus  Freyenmoet  was  sent 
as  a  young  man  to  Holland,  to  be  educated  for 
the  ministry,  and  on  his  return  took  charge  of 
all  four  churches  in  1742. 

The  effect  of  the  settlement  of  the  territory 
now  included  in  Northampton  County  (Bucks 
until  1752)  must  not  be  forgotten.  That  region 
was  settled,  though  sparsely,  before  the  first 
authenticated,  permanent  settlements  were  made 
in  the  Minisink.  The  current  set  in,  slowly  at 
first,  but  with  constantly  increasing  volume, 
from  Philadelphia  and  Bucks  County,  but  the 
tide  did  not  rise  and  flow  over  the  mountains 
to  mingle  with  the  Dutch  population  in  what 
is  now  Monroe  County  in  appreciable  strength 
until  about  1780. 

The  population  of  that  portion  of  northern 
Bucks,  which  became  Northampton,  was  almost 
from  the  beginning  a  mixed  one,  containing 
Irish,  Scotch-Irish,  English  and  German  bloods, 
all  varying  in  customs,  habits  of  thought  and 
religious  creed  as  they  did  in  nationality.     The 


1  For  a  further  and  detailed  account  of  the  settlements 
in  the  Minisink  see  chapters  on  Smithfield  and  other  old 
townships  in  Monroe  and  Pike  counties. 


faiths  of  the  Presbyterian,  the  Lutheran,  the 
Mennonite,  the  Dunker,  the  Schwenkfelder,  the 
Reformer,  and  last  but  not  least,  the  lowly 
Moravian,  all  flourished  upon  the  soil  of  North- 
ampton County  before  it  came  into  organized 
existence  as  such. 

In  a  report  made  to  the  Legislature  about 
the  time  that  Northampton  County  was  erected 
it  is  asserted  that  as  early  as  1723  the  settle- 
ments extended  above  Durham.  John  Apple, 
a  German,  is  known  to  have  located  in  what  is 
now  Lower  Saucon,  just  below  the  Lehigh,  in 
1726.  The  first  settlement,  however,  established 
in  numbers  sufficient  to  deserve  the  name,  was 
that  planted  in  1728  within  the  present  limits 
of  Allen  township  (midway  between  Allentowu 
and  the  Blue  Mountains)  by  Scotch-Irish  Pres- 
byterians, among  whom  were  Thomas  Craig, 
William  Craig,  Neigal  Gray,  John  Boyd,  Hugh 
Wilson  and  Samuel  Brown.  Then  followed, 
in  1730,  a  colony  of  the  same  element,  led  by 
Alexander  Hunter,  and  consisting  of  about 
thirty  families, — the  Moodys,  Brittons,  Rays 
Arrisons,  Lyles,  Moores  and  others.  These 
located  at  three  different  points  well  up  towards 
the  Blue  Mountains  and  the  present  boundary 
of  Monroe  County,  in  what  afterwards  became 
the  township  of  Mount  Bethel. 

The  Germans  did  not  lag  far  behind  the 
Scotch-Irish.  They  entered  the  county  at  its 
south  part,  coming  from  the  region  round  about 
Philadelphia,  and  located  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  Lehigh.  Among  the  first  were  George 
Hess,  AdaYu  Schaus  (Shouse),  Isaac  Martens 
Ysselstein,  (a  relative  of  Daniel  Brodhead,  of 
Dausbury)  and  Conrad  Reutschi,  (a  Swiss). 
The  lands  were  placed  regularly  in  the  market 
in  1735,  and  they  pushed  rapidly  northward  to 
occupy  them,  reaching  a  point  (now  Lehigh  town- 
ship) near  the  mountains  in  1731],  and  spread- 
ing soon  afterwards  eastward  and  westward. 

A  small  but  historically  important  element 
of  population  was  added  to,  or  rather  imbedded 
in  this  heterogeneous  mass  of  people,  when  the 
humble,  unworldly,  unselfish,  devotedly  benevo- 
lent Moravians2  entered  the  region  in  1741. 


1  The  Moravians  were  so  called  because  in  the  fifteenth 
d  sixteenth  centuries  Moravia,  a  province  of  the  Aus- 
an  Empire,  was  a  principal  seat  of  their  church.    In  ihe 


SETTLEMENT  OF  LOWER  MINISINK  BY  THE  DUTCH. 


Early  in  that  year  seventeen  of  these  people, 
led  by  Peter  Bohler,  bought  four  thousand,  one 
hundred  acres  of  land  on  that  point  on  the 
Lehigh  River  where  the  Monockasy  pours  its 
tributary  waters  into  that  stream.  By  Christ- 
mas Eve  of  the  same  year  they  had  built  a 
house  and  a  stable,  and  were  entertaining  Count 
Zinzendorf  and  his  daughter,  when  the  "  blessed 
season "  commemorated  suggested  the  name 
Bethlehem  as  one  appropriate  to  the  settlement, 
and  it  was  adopted.  The  first  house  was  of 
logs,  one  story  in  height,  with  attic  rooms. 
Other  buildings  were  soon  erected  including  a 
chapel  for  an  Indian  congregation  worshipping 
at  Nain,  three  miles  distant.  When,  in  1765, 
the  Indians  left  Nain,  the  chapel  was  removed 
to  Bethlehem. 


early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  refugees  from  Moravia 
fled  from  that  country  into  Saxony.  The  official  name  of 
this  people  is  the  United  Brethren,  and  their  archives 
show  that  they  originated  not  only  in  Moravia,  but  also  in 
Bohemia.  As  far  back  as  the  ninth  century  these 
two  countries  were  converted  to  Christianity.  A  Pro- 
testant movement  traceable  from  the  beginning,  or  nearly 
so,  resulted  in  the  Bohemian  Reformation,  and  the  execu- 
tion of  John  Huss. 

This  event  took  place  in  1415,  ami  in  1457  sotneof  his  fol- 
lowers founded  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren,  on  the 
estate  of  Lititz,  about  one  hundred  miles  east  of  Prague, 
on  the  confines  of  Silesia.  The  church  numbered  about 
two  hundred  thousand  persons  by  the  year  1517.  It 
rapidly  extended,  and  in  1557,  its  Polish  parishes  were 
constituted  a  distinct  ecclesiastical  province.  In  1609  it 
was  legally  acknowledged  as  one  of  the  churches  of  Bohe- 
mia anil  Moravia. 

The  church  was  subsequently  crushed  and  had  no  visi- 
ble organization,  but  in  1722  some  of  its  survivors  went 
into  Saxony,  where  they  began  to  build  the  town  of 
Herrnhut,  on  the  estate  of  Count  Zinzendorf,  who  had  offered 
them  an  asylum.  He  afterward  became  the  leading 
Bishop  of  the  revived  church,  and  introduced  on  the  con- 
tinent of  Europe,  Great  Britain,  and  in  America,  exclu- 
sively Moravian  settlements. 

The  members  undertook  extensive  missions  in  heathen 
lands,  and  work  among  members  of  State  churches  in 
Europe  which  excluded  proselytism.  There  are  eighty 
thousand  Moravian  converts  now  in  Europe  who  belong  to 
other  churches. 

Exclusive  settlements  disappeared  from  this  continent 
in  1856,  fourteen  years  after  that  at  Bethlehem  was  given 
up.  What  is  known  as  the  American  Province  of  the 
church  and  the  British  aud  the  German  provinces  form 
one  organic  whole  throughout  the  world. 

There  are  about  seventeen  thousand  Moravians  on  this 
continent,  including  children,  of  whom  about  two  thousand 
reside  in  Bethlehem. 


The  Moravians  immediately  began  a  system- 
atized and  zealous  missionary  work  among  the 
Indians  throughout  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  ulti- 
mately exteuding  it  to  Ohio  and  other  fields. 
They  occupied  a  peculiar  position  in  the  auton- 
omy of  Provincial  Pennsylvania,  exercised  a 
potent  influence  in  the  affairs  of  state,  and  ex- 
erted a  vast  power  for  good  in  a  num- 
ber of  public  measures.  Their  rigid  adherence 
to  the  system  of  keeping  records  has  preserved 
an  immense  amount  of  valuable  materials  for 
the  historian,  and  to  the  various  works  com- 
piled from  those  records  we  are  indebted  for 
facts  which  appear  on  hundreds  of  pages  in  the 
present  volume.  Holding  this  fact  in  view, 
and  also  the  very  intimate  relation  between 
these  people  and  various  occurrences  in  the  re- 
gion of  which  we  treat,  we  deem  no  apology 
necessary  for  the  extended  observations  on  the 
Moravians  which  are  here  and  elsewhere  intro- 
duced. The  country  immediately  north  of  the 
Blue  Mountains  was  in  a  historical  sense  as 
closely  identified  with  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth 
as  with  the  seat  of  justice — Easton — to  which  it 
was  tributary,  during  the  momentous  latter  half 
of  the  eighteenth  century. 

There  were  always  existing  intimate  relations 
between  the  Moravians  and  the  cis-montane  in- 
habitants of  -Northampton,  and  when  the  hor- 
rors of  Indian  war  were  experienced  by  the 
latter,  the  settlements  of  the  former  became  their 
refuge  and  asylum. 

It  was  for  the  use  of  the  Moravian  missiona- 
ries that  Daniel  Brodhead  built  a  little  mission 
house  upon  his  Dansbury  lands  (very  near  the 
west  end  of  the  iron  bridge  over  the  Analom- 
iug,  or  Brodhead's  Creek,  between  Stroudsburg 
and  East  Stroudsburg),  which  was  the  second 
house  of  worship  erected  north  of  the  moun- 
tains— the  Shawnee  Church  heretofore  alluded 
to  being  the  first.  Here  Zinzendorf  and  other 
Moravian  missionaries  visited  and  preached — 
some  of  them  before  the  chapel  was  built,  for 
we  are  told  it  was  not  dedicated  until  May  19, 
1753 — and  here  was  organized  a  little  Moravian 
society,  which,  in  1747,  according  to  the  records 
of  the  sect,1  consisted  of  the  following  "  persons 


'Transactions of  the  Moravian  Historical  Society,  Vol.  I., 
p.  414. 


20 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


attached  to  the  Moravian  Church,"  viz.:  Daniel 
and  Esther  Brodhead,  John  Baker,  John  and 
Catharine  Hillman,  Joseph  and  Helen  Haines, 
Edward  and  Catherine  Holly,  Francis  and 
Eebecca  Jones,  William  and  Mary  Clark,  John 
and  Hannah  McMichael,  Daniel  Roberts, George 
and  Mary  Salathe— in  all  eighteen  persons.  The 
church  was  burned  by  the  Indians  in  17-55,  and 
the  mission  was  abandoned.  The  Moravians  had 
also  at  the  same  period  missions  at  Walpack 
and  Pawlin's  Kill  in  the  Jersey  Minisink. 

Some  interesting  glimpses  of  the  condition  of 
that  part  of  Northampton  County,  now  Monroe, 
during  the  period  prior  to  the  Indian  war,  and 
while  the  region  was  jointly  occupied  by  people 
of  the  savage  and  civilized  races,  are  afforded  in 
the  journals  of  the  missionaries,  who,  in  1742, 
and  subsequent  years,  toiled  over  the  mountains, 
penetrated  the  almost  unbroken  forests,  and  vis- 
ited the  few  squalid  Indian  villages  and  isolated 
settlements  of  the  whites.  Count  Zinzendorf 
was  the  pioneer  of  these  zealous  men,  who  car- 
ried the  Gospel  into  "  the  wilderness  and  the 
savage  place."  Of  his  three  journeys  through 
the  region  we  give  an  account,  which  is  princi- 
pally from  the  pen  of  Luke  W.  Brodhead  : 

"  Count  Zinzendorf  landed  at  New  York  on 
2nd  Dec,  1741;  on  the  10th  he  reached  Phila- 
delphia; on  the  24th  he  visited  the  settlement 
in  the  Forks  of  the  Delaware  and  named  it 
Bethlehem,  and  then  returned  and  preached  for 
some  time  in  Philadelphia  and  Germantown. 
On  the  20th  June  following  he  again  repaired 
to  Bethlehem,  and  having  organized  the  Breth- 
ren there  into  a  congregation,  completed  arrange- 
ments for  his  contemplated  visit  to  the  Mora- 
vian Mission  at  Shecomeco,  N.  Y.,  and  for  his 
tour  of  exploration  into  the  Indian  country. 

"On  the  24th  July,  1742,  he  set  out  on  his 
visit  to  the  Indians  residing  in  the  first  main 
valley  north  of  the  Blue  Mountain.  He  was 
accompanied  by  his  daughter,  the  Countess 
Benigna  (then  in  her  seventeenth  year),  Anton 
Seyfert,  Andrew  Eschenback,  Jacob  Lischey, 
Henry  Muller,  William  and  Johanna  Zander 
(most  of  whom  were  missionaries)  and  an  In- 


1  Derived  by  Mr.  Brodhead  from  Count  Zimendorl's 
journal  and  nods  from  the  "Memorials  of  the  Moravian 
Church,"  edjted  by  William  C,  Reichel. 


dian  interpreter.  Having  visited  Nazareth, 
they  set  out  on  the  morning  of  the  26th ;  making 
a  detour  a  few  miles  to  the  northeast,  they 
crossed  the  Big  Bushkill,  then  called  Tatemy's 
Creek,  and  came  to  the  'reserve'  of  Moses 
Tatemy,  who  was  farming  in  a  small  way  on  a 
grant  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land  given  him 
by  the  proprietaries'  agents  in  consideration  of 
services  he  had  rendered  as  interpreter  and 
messenger  to  the  Indians.  He  received  them 
well,  was  communicative,  and  in  conversation 
gave  an  account  of  the  mode  of  sacrifice  prac- 
ticed by  his  heathen  brethren,  which  afforded 
Zander  an  opportunity  of  speaking  to  him  of 
the  great  sacrifice  of  the  Lamb  of  God,  made 
for  the  remission  of  sins. 

"  Following  the  Indian  path  that  led  past 
Tatemy's  house  north  into  the  Minisink,  they 
came  to  Clistowackin,  five  miles  above  on  Mar- 
tin's Creek  (one  of  Brainerd's  missionary  sta- 
tions). In  the  lodge  of  an  Indian  medicine 
man  lay  his  grand-child  sick  unto  death.  The 
Count  prayed  in  behalf  of  the  sufferer,  com- 
mending him  to  the  keeping  of  his  Redeemer. 
Zander  also  spoke,  and  his  words  were  inter- 
preted to-  the  villagers  who  had  assembled 
about  the  lodge.  Toward  evening  they  reached 
a  second  village  inhabited  chiefly  by  Dela wares. 
Having  been  overtaken  by  a  shower,  they 
gladly  accepted  the  Captain's  invitation  to  enter 
his  hut,  dry  their  clothes  and  pass  the  night 
with  him. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  27th  they  crossed 
the  Blue  Mountain  at  Tatemy's  Gap.  They 
were  now  in  the  Indian  country,  and  what  was 
justly  the  Indians'  country,  although  white  set- 
tlers were  trespassing  within  its  precincts. 
Keeping  on  to  the  northwest  some  ten  (say 
twelve)  miles,  they  struck  the  western  terminus 
of  the  valley  of  the  Pocopoco  (Poch-co-poch- 
co),  near  what  is  now  Brodheadsville.  They 
turned  down  the  stream,  and  came  to  a  village 
on  its  banks.  This  had  been  the  home  of  a 
well-known  Delaware  chief,  old  Captain  Har- 
ris, father  of  Teedyuskung,  King  of  the  Dela- 
wares  during  their  alienation  from  the  English; 
and  here  Nicholas  Scull  and  Benjamin  East- 
burn,  surveyors,  passed  the  night  on  the  com- 
pletion of  the  one  and  a  half  day's  walk  in 


SETTLEMENT  OP  LOWER  MINLSINK  BY  THE  DUTCH. 


21 


September,  1737,  which  passed  into  history  as 
the  '  Walking  Purchase.' 

"The  Brethren  pitched  their  tent  near  the 
lodge  of  another  medicine-man,  and  here  they 
passed  the  night,  and  this  was  the  extreme 
northern  point  of  their  journey.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  28th  they  crossed  Chestnut  Hill 
mountain,  and  came  down  the  narrow  valley  of 
the  Aquanshicola  to  a  Delaware  town,  called 
Miniolagomeka,  signifying  '  a  trad,  of  fertile 
land  .surrounded  by  barrens.'  This  town  con- 
sisted of  eleven  huts  and  fifty-four  inhabitants. 

"The  village  of  Miniolagomeka1  lay  in 
Smith's  valley,  eight  miles  west  of  the  Wind 
Gap,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Aquanshicola, 
at  the  intersection  of  the  old  Wilkes  Barre 
road,  which  crossed  the  mountain  at  Smith's 
Gap,  in  Eldred  township,  Monroe  County. 
The  village  was  visited  many  times  between 
1743  and  1754  by  differeut  missionaries  from 
Bethlehem."2  The  second  journey  of  Count 
Zinzendorf  across  this  mountain  path  was  in 
August,  1742,  on  his  way  to  Shecomeco.  "  On 
the  11th  of  August,  1742,  Count  Zinzendorf, 
his  daughter  and  Anton  Seyfert  left  Nazareth 
for  Shecomeco,  by  what  might  be  called  the 
overland  route,  leading  almost  due  northeast 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  to  King- 
ston, on  the  Hudson. 

"At  that  time  there  was  no  connection  by 
road  between  Lower  Smithfield,  in  Monroe 
County,  and  the  comparatively  populous  part 
of  the  Province  south  of  the  Lehigh.  The 
great  highway  from  Philadelphia  to  the  Forks 
terminated  near  Iron  Hill,  in  Saucon  township. 
All  above  this  was  new  country.  The  Blue 
mountain  was  passable  only  with  difficulty  at 
three  depressions  or  gaps  in  that  part  of  its 
barrier-like  extent  which  Zinzendorf  and  his 
companions  would  cross  in  their  course  to  the 
Delaware :  at  the  Wind  Gap,  at  Fox  Gap  and 


1  The  name  signifies  a  trad  of  ferti'e  land  surrounded  hy 
barrens. 

2  The  -village  had,  in  1753,  a  population  of  about  fifty- 
four  Indians,  who  lived  in  ten  huts,  clustered  about  a 
house  built  by  the  Moravians  as  a  residence  and  a  place 
for  holdiug  meetings.  The  Indians  removed  to  Gnaden- 
hiitten,  on  the  Lehigh,  in  1704,  Secretary  Richard  Peters 
having  urged  his  claim  to  the  lands  on  the  Aquanshicola, 


at  Tatemy's  Gap,  respectively  twelve,  five  and 
two-and-a-half  miles  west  of  the  Delaware 
Water  Gap  (which  was  then  considered  impas- 
sible). An  old  Indian  trail,  leading  into  the 
Minisink,  passed  over  the  mountain  through 
Tatemy's  Gap.  Crossing  the  Wind  Gap  (even 
as  late  as  1750)  was  a  difficult  undertaking, 
although  the  presence  of  an  Inn  near  there  at 
that  time  would  indicate  the  fact  of  its  having 
become  a  thoroughfare. 

"In  August  of  the  year  just  named,  the  Rev. 
Henry  M.  Muhlenberg,  accompanied  by  his 
father-in-law,  Conrad  Weister,  rode  to  Esopus, 
and  in  his  journal  writes  as  follows :  '  August 
3rd  we  rode  on  five  miles  above  Nazareth,  and 
put  up  for  the  night  at  a  tavern.3  August  9th, 
early  in  the  morning,  we  were  in  our  saddles, 
climbed  the  first  Blue  mountain,  and  were  com- 
pelled, in  its  ascent,  to  lead  our  horses  several 
miles  over  rocks  and  stones.'  It  is  not  impro- 
bable, then,  that  the  Count  and  his  fellow- 
travelers  followed  the  Indian  path  that  led 
through  Tatemy's  Gap.  The  ride  of  thirty 
miles  to  Depui's  Ford  was  unquestionably  the 
most  fatiguing  part  of  the  journey,  for  after 
crossing  the  river  into  the  Jersey  Minisinks, 
they  struck  into  the  Esopus  or  'old  mine  road.' 

"  Count  Zinzendorf 's  journal  continues, — 
'  We  crossed  the  Blue  mountain  en  route  for 
Esopus  (August  11th).  The  road  tried  our 
horses  severely;  we  were,  however,  in  a  tran- 
quil frame  of  mind.  In  the  evening  we  reached 
the  bank  of  the  Delaware,  and  came  to  Mr. 
Depui's,4  who  is  a  large  land-holder  and  wealthy. 
While  at  his  house,  he  had  some  Indians  ar- 
rested for  robbing  his  orchard.  August  12th 
(Sunday)  his  son5  escorted  us  to  church.  We 
dismounted  at  the  church,  and  were  compelled 
to  listen  to  two  sermons,  which  wearied  us.  In 
the  morning  the  heat  was  overpowering.  In 
order  to  avoid  being  drawn  into  a  religious 
controversy,  I  went  into  the  woods  and  read 
Josephus.  .  .  .  The  Dominie  is  the  well-known 
Casper  (Johannes  Casparus  Freyenmoet),  from 


Seven  miles  north  of  Nazareth,  rather  than  five. 

This  was  Nicholas  Depui. 

Samuel  Depui,  who  was  then  about  twenty-four  years 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Zurich,  a  well-meaning  man  I  must  confess. . . . 
August  14th,  set  out  early  in  the  morning; 
rode  through  the  remainder  of  the  wilderness, 
and  reached  Momback  and  Marbletown.  .  .  . 
Rode  on  through  Hurley  to  Esopus.  Here  we 
met  Anna  and  Christian  Frohlich  and  his  wife. 
...  In  the  afternoon  we  resumed  our  journey, 
crossed  the  north  river  and  halted  for  the  night. 
.  .  .  August  15th,  at  noon,  we  reached  Rhine- 
beck.  Having  rested,  we  set  out  for  Sheco- 
meco,  and  after  riding  through  an  almost 
impenetrable  swamp,  came  to  our  journey's  end 
at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  16th.  .  .  . 
After  spending  eight  days  at  this  place  preach- 
ing, teaching  and  exhorting  among  the  Indians, 
the  party  set  out  on  their  return  voyage  on  the 
24th,  and  on  the  27th  reached  the  Minisink. 
'  Came  to  the  Delaware  on  the  28th,  across 
which  we  swam  our  horses.  Anna,  as  usual, 
took  the  lead.  August  29th,  Jeannet  was 
seriously  indisposed  and  scarcely  able  to  bear 
up.  We,  however,  pushed  our  way  through 
the  wilderness,  crossed  the  mountain,  and  after 
nightfall  reached  Nazareth.' 

On  a  third  journey  of  the  same  year  Count 
Zinzendorf  with  some  companions  visited  Wyo- 
ming. His  journal  says  :  "  We  came  to  the 
boundary  of  Shamokin,  a  precipitous  hill,  such 
as  I  scarce  ever  saw.  Anna,  who  is  most  cour- 
ageous of  our  number,  and  a  heroine,  led  in  the 
descent  (ascent  ?).  I  took  the  train  of  her 
riding  habit  in  my  hand  to  steady  me  in  the 
saddle,  Conrad  held  to  the  skirt  of  my  overcoat 
and  Bohler  to  Conrad's.  In  this  way  we  mu- 
tually supported  each  other,  and  the  Saviour 
assisted  us  in  descending  the  hill  in  safety." 

On  their  return  from  another  journey  to  the 
Susquehanna  they  came  by  way  of  the  Great 
Swamp1  and  Dansbury2 


1  The  Great  Swamp  was  also  known  afterwards  as  the 
Shades  of  Death,  on  account  of  the  suffering  endured  by 
the  people  of  Wyoniing  after  the  massacre  in  their  at- 
tempts to  reach  the  settlements  on  the  Delaware. 

2  Dansbury  was  the  home  of  Daniel  Brodhead,  who  be- 
came acquainted  with  the  Brethren  at  Bethlehem,  soon  af- 
ter their  settlement  there,  on  his  way  to  visit  his  relative, 
Isaac  Ysselstein.  At  his  house  the  missionaries  often 
lodged  as  they  traveled  to  or  returned  from  their  mission  sta- 
tionsnortli  of  the  mountains.  It  was  about  this  this  time  that 
he   built  for  their  use  the  log  church  heretofore  mentioned. 


Easton,  which,  as  the  seat  of  justice  of  the 
immense  county  of  Northampton,  once  extend- 
ing to  the  northern  boundary  of  Pennsylvania, 
our  especial  field,  and  including  all  of  the  ter- 
ritory which  is  here  together  with  much  more, 
was  laid  out  at  what  was  then  called  the  Forks 
of  the  Delaware,2  in  May,  1750,  by  Nicholas 
Scull,  surveyor-general,  and  William  Parsons, 
Penn's  agent.  It  was  established  and  named 
in  pursuance  to  an  order  of  Thomas  Penn, 
written  to  Dr.  Graeme  and  Secretary  Peters. 
"  I  desire,"  writes  the  Proprietor,  "  that  the 
new  town  be  called  Easton,  from  my  Lord 
Pomfret's  house,  and  whenever  there  is  a  new 
county,  that  shall  be  called  Northampton."  It 
was  only  two  years  later  that  it  became  the  seat 
of  justice  of  the  newly  erected  Northampton, 
and,  in  the  winter  of  1752-53,  it  contained 
eleven  families.  From  this  time  on  its  growth 
though  not  rapid,  was  quite  uniform  and  health- 
ful. Many  men  of  character  and  ability  whom 
circumstances  made  prominent  in  the  affairs  of 
eastern  Pennsylvania,  and  whose  names  are 
frequently  mentioned  in  these  pages,  came 
there  to  live,  and  the  town  assumed  from  va- 
rious causes  considerable  importance,  during  the 
Indian  War,  the  period  of  Pennamite  and 
Yankee  disturbance,  and  through  the  years  of 
the  Revolution  in  the  last,  vying  with  Bethle- 
hem as  a  Mecca  for  the  distinguished  men  in 
civil  and  military  authority. 

These  settlements  within  the  present  limits  of 
Northampton  had  but  little  effect  for  many  years 
upon  the  occupation  of  the  country  north  of  the 
mountains.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution 
nearly  all  the  inhabitants  in  the  region  that  is 
now  included  in  Monroe  and  Pike  Counties — the 
Pennsylvania  Minisink — were  those  who  came 
with  the  tide  of  immigration  from  the  Hudson 
by  the  Matnakating,  Neversink  and  Delaware 
Valleys.  About  1780,  however,  a  tide  of  im- 
migration set  in  from  the  southward  and  south- 
west which  mingled  a  new  element  of  pop- 
ulation with  the  Dutch  of  the  Minisink.  This 
brought  mainly  the  descendants  from  the  early 
settlers  from  Philadelphia,  Bucks  and  North- 
ampton Counties,  who,   finding  the   most   de- 

»The  continence  of  the  Lehigh  and  Delaware. 


RELEASE  OF  TITLE. 


•J.-5 


sirable  lands  south  of  the  mountains  already 
occupied,  pushed  north  across  the  great  barrier 
and  located  upon  the  best  lands  which  were 
there  opened  to  settlement.  These  people  made 
farms  and  homes  iu  Cherry  Valley,  on  Brod- 
heads  Creek,  and  iu  the  valley  of  the  Pocono. 
Their  immigration  continued  until  about  the 
year  1800.  Then  between  the  opening  of  the 
century  and  1820,  came  a  second  wave,  "  flow- 
ing," as  Mr.  Brodhead  says,1  "  from  the  same 
direction  "  which  brought  to  Stroudsburg  and 
vicinity  a  considerable  class  of  our  most  res- 
pectable citizens,  mostly  from  Bucks  County. 
In  the  same  tide  came  the  Germans  from  what 
is  known  as  the  '  Drylands  '  of  Northampton 
County.  They  swept  by  the  valley  settlers  and 
located  on  the  higher  lands  overlooking  the 
river.  The  whole  range  of  what  is  known  as 
the  Shawnee  Hills,  extending  from  Brodhead's 
Creek  to  the  Delaware,  below  the  mouth  of 
the  Bushkill,  is  almost  entirely  owned  and  oc- 
cupied by  this  class  of  people." 


CHAPTER  III. 

Release  of  Title  by  the  Indians— The  "  Walking  Purchase" 
of  1737— Later  Treaties. 

The  first  release  of  Indian  title  effected  in  the 
Province  of  Pennsylvania  was  brought  about 
in  1782  before  Penn's  arrival,  by  his  Deputy 
Governor,  William  Mark  ham.  It  embraced  all 
of  the  territory  between  the  Neshaminy  and  the 
Delaware,  as  far  up  as  Wrightstown  and  Upper 
Wakefield — about  the  centre  of  the  present 
county  of  Bucks.  In  1683  and  1684,  Penn 
himself  made  other  purchases.  It  has  been 
claimed  that  in  1686  the  Indians  granted  to 
Penn,  a  tract  of  country  commencing  on  the 
line  of  the  former  purchases,  and  extending  as 
far  northwesterly  as  a  man  could  ride  on  horse- 
back iu  two  days.  No  copy  of  the  treaty  or 
deed  was  preserved,  if  any  was  made,  and  the 
extent  of  the  averred  purchase  remained  unde- 
cided. On  the  17th  of  September,  1718,  the 
Lenape  or  Delaware  Indians  made  another  treaty 


Luke  W.  Brodhead   in  "The  Delaware  Water  Gap,"  p. 


by  which  they  confirmed  the  sales  they  had  pre- 
viously made  and  extended  them  from  the  Del- 
aware to  the  Susquehanna.  This  last-named 
sale  was  again  confirmed  at  a  treaty  council 
held  and  concluded  on  the  11th  of  October, 
1736,  at  which  time  twenty-three  chiefs  of  the 
Six  Nations,  who  presumptuously  claimed  pos- 
session of  the  whole  region,  sold  to  John, 
Thomas  and  Richard  Penn,  all  the  lands  on 
both  sides  of  the  Susquehanna, — eastward,  to 
the  heads  of  the  branches,  or  springs,  flowing 
into  the  river;  northward,  to  the  Kittochtinny 
Hills;  and  westward,  to  the  setting  sun,  — this 
vague  and  extravagant  description  meaning 
nothing  more  than  that  the  western  boundary 
was  undecided  on  and  indefinite.  The  actual 
boundaries  of  the  purchase  were  the  Susquehan- 
na on  the  west,  the  Conewago  Hills  and  South 
Mountain  and  the  Lehigh  River  between  the 
sites  of  Bethlehem  and  Easton,  on  the  north, 
and  the  territory  included  was  that  which  now 
forms  the  whole  erf  Philadelphia,  Bucks,  Ches- 
ter, Delaware,  Montgomery  and  Lancaster  and 
parts  of  Berks,  Lehigh  and  Northampton. 

Still  another  treaty  was  made  also  iu  1736, 
by  which  the  Iroquois  or  Six  Nations  released 
their  assumed  claim  to  a  belt  of  country  lying 
north  of  the  former  purchase  and  south  of  the 
Blue  Mountains,  and  extending  southwesterly 
from  the  Delaware  to  and  beyond  the  Susque- 
hanna— in  fact,  to  the  present  western  line  of 
Franklin  County — thus  including  the  northern 
parts  of  the  present  Northampton,  Lehigh, 
Berks  and  the  whole  of  several  counties  further 
west. 

Settlers  had  begun  to  throng  into  the  lower 
part  of  the  country  which  it  was  supposed  had 
been  purchased,  and  they  soon  pushed  above 
"the  Forks  of  the  Delaware,"  (the  confluence 
of  the  Lehigh  with  that  river)  — and  even  as  we 
have  shown,  in  the  preceding  chapter,  above  the 
Blue  Mountains,  along  the  Delaware  (in  what 
is  now  Smithfield  township,  Monroe  County). 

The  Delawares,  who  had  been  allowed  to  take 
only  a  trivial  part  in  these  later  transactions, 
grew  restive  under  what  they  considered  an  un- 
warranted encroachment  upon  their  domain  and 
ignoring  the  more  northerly  purchase  of  1736, 
they  had  several  meetings  with    the    proprieta- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ries  to  form  a  plan  for  confirming  and  carrying 
out  the  alleged  treaty  of  1686,  which  they 
averred  had  been  made  with  their  own  people, 
and  thus  definitely  fixing  the  limits  of  the  terri- 
tory they  had  ceded.  The  first  meeting  was 
held  at  Durham,  below  Easton,  in  1734;  an- 
other was  at  Pennsbury,  in  May,  1735,  and 
the  negotiations  were  concluded  at  Philadelphia, 
August  25,  1737.  The  last  meeting  resulted 
in  an  agreement  that  the  treaty  of  1686  should 
be  consummated,  and  the  extent  of  the  purchase 
was  decided  in  a  novel  manner.  The  proprie- 
taries were  to  receive  such  portion  of  the  Indian 
territory  as  should  be  included  within  a  line 
drawn  northwesterly  from  a  point  in  or  near 
Wrightstown  as  far  as  a  man  could  walk  in  a 
day  and  a  half,  and  a  line  drawn  from  his  stop- 
ping-place straight  to  the  Delaware,  which  was 
of  course  the  eastern  boundary. 

Thus  was  brought  about  the  celebrated 
"  Walking  Purchase."  No  event  in  the  history 
of  the  region  gave  so  much  -dissatisfaction  to 
the  Indians  as  the  making  of  this  alleged  un- 
just bargain,  and  it  was  directly  or  indirectly 
productive  of  dire  effects  which  we  shall  chron- 
icle in  the  next  chapter. 

While  the  treaty  was  in  negotiation  the  pro- 
prietaries caused  a  preliminary  or  trial  walk  to 
be  made  to  ascertain  what  amount  of  ground 
could  be  secured.  It  appears  that  this  was  un- 
dertaken as  early  as  April,  1735,  and  that  the 
trees  along  the  route  were  blazed,  so  that  the 
persons  to  be  engaged  in  the  walk  deciding  the 
ownership  of  land  might  have  the  advantage  of 
a  marked  pathway.  As  soon  as  the  treaty  of 
August  25,  1737,  had  been  consummated,  James 
Steel,  receiver-general  under  Thomas  Penn,  took 
measures  to  secure  for  the  performance  of  the 
purchase-walk  the  man  who  had  "  held  out 
the  best "  in  the  preliminary  walk.  It  was  pro- 
posed that  he  should  walk  with  two  others,  who 
were  actively  to  engage  in  competition,  and  that 
Timothy  Smith,  sheriff  of  Bucks  County,  and 
John  Chapman,  surveyor,  should  accompany 
the  trio,  provide  provisions,  etc.  The  time 
fixed  for  the  walk  under  the  treaty  was  Sep- 
tember 12,  1737,  but  it  was  postponed  until  the 
19th.  The  preliminaries  were  all  arranged  in 
advance,  and  Edward  Marshall,  James  Yeates. 


and  Solomon  Jennings,  all  noted  for  their  pow- 
ers of  endurance,  and  one  of  them  undoubtedly 
the  champion  of  the  trial  walk,  were  employed 
by  the  proprietaries  to  make  the  decisive  effort. 
It  Mas  arranged  that  the  Indians  should  send 
some  of  their  young  men  along  to  see  that  the 
walk  was  fairly  made.  The  walkers  were  prom- 
ised five  pounds  in  money  and  five  hundred 
acres  of  land.  The  place  of  starting  was  fixed 
at  a  well-known  point,  a  large  chestnut-tree 
near  the  junction  of  the  Pennsville  and  Durham 
roads,  at  the  Wrightstown  meeting-house,  in 
Bucks  County,  very  close  to  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  Markham  purchase.  Marshall, 
Yeates,  and  Jennings  stood  with  their  hands 
upon  the  tree,  and  as  the  sun  rose  above  the  ho- 
rizon the  signal  was  given  by  Sheriff  Smith, 
and  they  started.  Their  route  was  as  straight 
as  the  inequalities  of  the  ground  and  the  numer- 
ous obstructions  would  permit,  and  led  for  a 
number  of  miles  along  the  Durham  road  (which 
was  then  a  road  in  little  more  than  name).  It 
is  said  that  Yreatesled  the  way  with  a  light  step, 
and  next  came  Jennings,  with  two  of  the  In- 
dian walkers,  while  Marshall  was  last,  a  con- 
siderable distance  behind  the  others.  He 
swung  a  hatchet  in  his  hand,  and  walked  with 
an  easy  and  careless  lope.  The  walkers  reached 
Red  Hill,  in  Bedminster,  in  two  and  a  half 
hours,  took  dinner  with  the  Indian  trader  Wil- 
son, on  Durham  Creek,  near  where  the  old  fur- 
nace stood,  crossed  the  Lehigh  a  mile  below 
Bethlehem,  at  what  is  now  Jones  Island,  and 
passing  the  Blue  Ridge  at  Smith's  Gap  (in 
what  is  now  Moore  township,  Northampton 
County),  slept  at  night  on  the  northern  slope. 
The  walk  was  resumed  at  sunrise,  and  termi- 
nated at  noon,  when  Marshall,  who  alone  held 
out,  threw  himself  at  length  upon  the  ground 
and  grasped  a  sapling,  which  was  marked  as 
the  end  of  the  line.  Jennings  first  gave  out, 
about  two  miles  north  of  the  Tohickon,  and 
then  lagged  behind  with  the  followers  until  the 
party  reached  the  Lehigh  River.  He  then  left 
for  his  home,  in  what  is  now  Salisbury  town- 
ship1, Lehigh  County. 


1  Solomon  Jennings  had  settled  some  years  previous  to 
t lie  "  Walking  Purchase  "  on  what  is  now  the  Geisinger 
farm,  two  miles  above    Bethlehem,  and  living   on   the   ex- 


THE  "  WALKING  PURCHASE. 


25 


Yeates  fell  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  oh 
the  morning  of  the  second  day,  was  quite  blind 
when  taken  up,  and  died  three  days  later. 
Marshall,  the  champion  of  the  walk,  was  not 
in  the  least  injured  by  his  exertion,  and  lived 
to  the  age  of  seventy-nine,  dying  in  Tini- 
cum,  Bucks  County.1 

The  walk  is  said  to  have  followed  an  Indian 
path  which  led  from  the  hunting  grounds  of 
the  Minsis  down  to  Bristol,  on  the  Delaware. 
The  Indians  showed  their  dissatisfaction  at  the 
manner  in  which  the  so-called  "walk"  was 
made,  and  left  the  party  before  it  was  concluded. 
It  is  said  that  they  frequently  called  upon  the 
walkers  not  to  run.  The  distance  walked,  ac- 
cording to  the  generally-accepted  measurement, 
was  sixty-one  and  one-fourth  miles.  Nicholas 
Scull  says  it  was  only  fifty-five  statute  miles, 
while  others  estimate  the  distance  as  high  as 
eighty-six  miles. 

When  the  walk  had  reached  the  extreme 
point  in  a  northwesterly  direction  from  the 
starting-place,  it  still  remained  to  run  the  line 
to  the  Delaware,  and  here  arose  another  ground 
for  disagreement.  The  Indians  had  expected 
that  a  straight  line  would  be  drawn  to  the 
river  at  the  nearest  point,  but  instead  it  was  run 
at  right  angles  and  reached  the  river  at  or 
near  the  Lackawaxen,  taking  in  about  twice  as 
much  territory  as  would  have  been  included 
by  the  other  arrangement.     The  lines  embraced 


treme  frontier,  had  become  famous  as  a  hunter  and  a  woods- 
man, a  fact  which  led  to  his  being  selected  as  one  of  the 
walkers.  He  is  said  to  have  been  extremely  fond  of  whis- 
key, and  it  has  been  averred  that  it  was  because  of  that 
weakness  that  he  failed  in  the  walk.  This,  however,  may 
be  an  injustice  to  him.  It  is  certain  that  he  never  recov- 
ered from  the  effects  of  his  over-exertion,  though  he  lived 
for  twenty  years.  His  son,  John  Jennings,  was  elected 
sheriff  of  Northampton  County'in  1762,  and  again  in  1768. 
It  is  traditionally  asserted  that  Solomon  Jennings  received 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Geisinger  farm  as  a  reward  for 
his  taking  part  in  the  walk,  but  there  is  no  foundation  for 
that  theory  of  his  ownership,  and  it  is  well  known  that  he 
resided  upon  the  property  fir  a  number  of  years  prior  to 
1737.  The  farm  was  sold  to  Jacob  Geisinger  :il  public  sale 
in  1764. 

1  The  date  of  his  death  was  November  7,  1789.  He  was 
a  native  of  Bustleton,  Philadelphia  County,  where  he  was 
born  in  1710.  He  was  twice  married,  and  the  father  of 
twenty-one  children.  He  lived  for  a  time  on  (lie  island  in 
(he  Delaware  opposite  Tinicum  which  bears  his  name. 
8 


nearly  all  of  the  lands  within  the  forks  of  the 
Delaware  (that  is,  between  the  Delaware  and 
the  Lower  Lehigh),  in  fact  all  of  the  valua- 
ble land  south  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  in  North- 
ampton County,  already  ceded  by  the  treaty, 
all  of  the  celebrated  Minisink  flats,  north  of  the 
Mountains,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Lackawaxen. 
The  larger  part  of  the  present  Monroe  County 
and  more  than  half  of  Pike.  Had  the  line  been 
drawn  to  the  Delaware  at  the  nearest  point 
(which  would  have  been  almost  due  east),  in- 
stead of  at  right  angles,  it  would  have  included 
only  about  half  as  much  territory  as  was  se- 
cured by  the  line  actually  drawn.  The  quanti- 
ty of  land  embraced  in  the  purchase  was  about 
five  hundred  thousand  acres.  James  Steel, 
writing  to  Letitia  Aubrey  in  1 737,  said  that  it 
required  about  four  days  to  walk  from  the  up- 
per end  of  the  day  and  a  half's  journey,  and 
that  "  after  they  crossed  the  great  ridge  of  moun- 
tains they  saw  very  little  good  or  even  tolerable 
land  fit  for  settlement." 

This  walk  gave  great  dissatisfaction  to  the 
Indians,  and  was  the  principal  cause  of  the 
council  held  at  Easton  in  1756,  where  it  was 
elaborately  discussed.  The  Indians  complained 
that  the  walkers  walked  too  fast,  that  they 
should  have  stopped  to  shoot  game  and  to 
smoke ;  in  short,  should  have  walked  as  the 
Indians  usually  did  when  engaged  in  the  hunt. 
They  also  found  fault  with  the  manner  in  which 
the  line  was  run  from  the  stopping-place  to  the 
river,  claiming  that  it  should  have  been  drawn 
to  the  nearest  point,  The  proprietaries  were 
accused  of  trickery  and  dishonesty,  and  the 
"  walking  purchase  "  drew  upon  them  and  their 
associates  the  bitter  hatred  of  the  Dela wares.  It 
was  the  smoldering  fire  of  the  feeling  thus  en- 
gendered which  by  the  influence  of  men  and 
events  was  fanned  into  an  intense  heat  eighteen 
years  later,  and  created  great  havoc  in  the  re- 
gion now  comprised  in  Northampton,  Monroe 
and  Pike  Counties.  If  the  line  had  been  drawn 
to  the  nearest  point  on  the  Delaware,  it  would 
have  recrossed  the  Blue  Mountains,  and  reached 
the  river  considerably  below  the  Water  Gap,  and 
thus  would  have  included  no  part  of  the  Minisink, 
and  only  a  small  triangle  of  territory  in  the  south- 
western part  of  the  present  county  of  Monroe. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Concerning  this  "walking  purchase"  and 
some  preliminary  and  subsequent  matters  of 
collateral  interest,  L.  W.  Brodhead,  the  well 
known  student  of  Minisink  history,  contributes 
a  mass  of  information  drawn  largely  from 
Charles  Thompson's  "  An  Enquiry  into  the 
causes  of  the  Alienation  of  the  Delaware  and 
Shawanese  Indians  from  the  British  Inter- 
est ; m  and  also  copies  of  interesting  and 
valuable  Indian  letters  upon  the  "  Walk,"  (the 
originals  of  which  are  among  the  Logan  papers 
in  the  possession  of  the  Historical  Society  of 
Pennsylvania),  and  letters  from  individuals  in 
Smithfield. 

The  "  Enquiry  into  the  causes  of  the  aliena- 
tion of  the  Delaware  and  Shawnee  Indians," 
just  alluded  to  says ; 

'•'  While  they  (the  Delawares)  were  paid  for 
their  lands  on  Tulpehocken,  they  were  unjustly, 
and  in  a  manner  forcibly,  dispossessed  of 
their  land  in  the  forks  of  the  Delaware.  At 
this  very  time  (1733)  William  Allen,  one  of  the 
principal  gentlemen  in  Pennsylvania,  and  a 
great  dealer  in  land  purchased  of  the  proprietors, 
was  selling  the  land  in  the  Minisinks,  which 
had  never  been  purchased  of  the  Indians ;  nay, 
was  near  forty  miles  above  the  Lehigh  hills, 
which  was  solemnly  agreed  upon,  (by  the  treaty 
of  1718)  to  be  the  boundary  between  the 
English  and  the  Indians.  Governor  Penn,  the 
founder,  had  devised  to  his  grandson  William, 
and  his  heirs,  ten  thousand  acres  of  land,  to  be 
set  out  in  proper  and  beneficial  places,  in  this 
province,  by  his  trustees.  This  ten  thousand 
acres  Mr.  Allen  purchased  of  William  Penn,  the 
grandson,  and  by  virtue  of  a  warrant  or  order 
of  the  trustees  to  Jacob  Taylor,  Surveyor 
General,  to  survey  the  said  ten  thousand  acres, 
he  had  part  of  the  land  located  or  laid  out  in  the 
Minisinks,  because  it  was  good  land,  though  it 
was  not  yet  purchased  of  the  Indians. 

"Had  he  contented  himself  with  securing  the 
right,  and  suffered  the  lands  to  remain    in   the 


'This  work  was  published  in  London  in  1759.  Charles 
Thompson  was  the  American  Patriot  who  in  1774,  was 
elected  Secretary  of  Congress,  and  whom  John  Adams 
styled  "  The  Sam  Adams  of  Philadelphia,  the  life  of  the  cause 
of  liberty."  His  last  literary  labor  was  a  translation  of  the 
Septuagiut,  published  in  1808. 


pbssession  of  the  Indians  till  it  had  been  duly 
purchased  and  paid  for,  no  ill  consequences 
would  have  ensued.  But  no  sooner  had  the 
land  been  surveyed  to  him  than  he  began  to 
sell  it  to  those  who  would  immediately  settle  it. 
His  deed  to  Nicholas  Depui  in  1733  is  recorded 
in  the  rolls  of  office  of  Bucks  County." 
"  About  this  time  the  proprietor  published  pro- 
posals for  a  lottery  of  one  hundred  thousand 
acres  to  be  laid  out  anywhere  within  the  pro- 
vince, except  on  manors,  lauds  already  settled, 
etc.  There  was  no  exception  of  lands  unpur- 
chased of  the  Indians,  but  rather  an  express 
provision  for  those  who  had  unjustly  seated 
themselves  there,  since  by  drawing  prizes  they 
might  lay  them  on  the  lands  on  which  were 
already  seated.  By  virtue  of  these  tickets, 
tracts  laid  out  in  the  forks  were  quickly 
taken  up  and  settled.  These  transactions  pro- 
voked the  Indians." 

"  The  extreme  anxiety  of  the  proprietors,  as 
well  as  their  motives,  for  extending  the  walk 
as  far  as  possible,  may  be  best  appreciated  by  a 
glance  at  the  map,  and  the  peculiar  course  of 
the  Delaware  above  the  Kittatinny  mountain. 
If  the  walk  had  terminated  at  the  Kittatinny, 
the  line  from  the  end  of  the  walk,  to  intersect 
the  Delaware  if  drawn  at  right  angles,  (as  the 
Surveyor  General  Eastburn  and  the  laud  specu- 
laters  claimed  that  it  should),  would  have 
intersected  the  Delaware  at  the  Water  Gap,  and 
wvidd  not  h  ive  included  the  Minisink  lands,  a 
prominent  object  of  the  speculators.  The  line 
as  actually  drawn  by  Eastburn,  strikes  the 
Delaware  near  Shohola  Creek  in  Pike  County. 
Overreaching,  both  in  its  literal  and  figurative 
sense,  is  the  term  most  applicable  to  the  whole 
transaction." 

"  The  deliberations  of  the  council  terminated 
however  unfavorably  to  the  Delawares. 

"  The  Governor  complained  to  the  deputies  of 
the  Six  Nations  of  the  refusal  of  the  Delawares, 
to  remove  from  the  lands  embraced  in  the 
walking  purchase,  that  they  were  disturbing  the 
peace,  and  had  the  insolence  to  write  letters  to 
some  of  the  magistrates  of  this  government, 
wherein  they  had  abused  the  worthy  proprietors, 
and  threatened  them  with  the  utmost  rudeness 
and  ill  manners  (referring  to    letters   given    in 


THE  "WALKING  PURCHASE." 


27 


the  following  pages).  Canasatego  in  the  name 
of  the  deputies  of  the  Six  Nations  told  the 
Governor,  '  That  they  saw  the  Delawares  had 
been  an  unruly  people  and  were  altogether  in 
the  wrong ;  that  they  concluded  to  remove 
them.'  Then  addressing  himself  to  the  Dela- 
wares in  a  violent  and  singular  strain  of  invec- 
tive, he  said,  they  deserved  to  be  taken  by  the 
hair  of  their  head  and  shaken  severely  till  they 
had  recovered  their  senses  and  become  sober.  . 
.  .  .  .  For  what  you  have  done,  we 
charge  you  to  remove  instantly  ;  ire  don't  give 
you  liberty  to  think  about  it.  You  are  women. 
Take  the  advice  of  a  wise  man  and  remove 
instantly.  You  may  return  to  the  other  side 
of  the  Delaware,  where  you  came  from  ;  but  we 
do  not  know  whether,  considering  how  you  have 
demeaned  yourselves,  you  will  be  permitted  to 
live  there, — or  whether  you  have  not  swallowed 
that  laud  down  your  throats,  as  well  as  the 
land  on  this  side.  We  therefore  assign  you 
two  places  to  go  to,  either  Wyoming  or  Sharuo- 
kin.  You  may  go  to  either  of  these  places, 
and  then  we  can  have  you  under  our  eye,  and 
shall  see  how  you  behave.  Don't  deliberate,  but 
remove  away  and  take  this  belt  of  Wampum. 
He  then  forbid  them  ever  to  intermeddle  in 
laud  affairs,  or  ever  hereafter  pretend  to  sell 
any  land,  and  commanded  them,  as  he  had 
something  to  transact  with  the  English,  imme- 
diately to  depart  the  council." 

The  Delawares  dared  not  disobey  this 
peremptory  command.  They  immediately  left 
the  council,  and  soon  after  removed  from  the 
Forks.  Some  to  Wyoming  and  Shamokin  and 
some  to  Ohio. 

Thus  passed  away  the  power  as  well  as  the 
prestige  of  this  remnant  of  the  great  Lenni 
Lenape  Nation. 

Teedyuseung  was  the  last  chief  of  the  tribe  on 
their  favorite  river.  He  represented  his  people 
at  several  subsequent  councils  held  at  Easton 
and  Philadelphia  and  displayed  a  high  order  of 
native  talent.  He  possessed  a  good  deal  of  force 
of  character  and  was  a  good  speaker,  exercising 
thereby  great  influence  in  council,  and  did  much 
to  restore  the  former  reputation  of  his  people. 
He  was  a  prominent  actor  in  the  councils  of 
1756  and  58.     Atone  of  these    assemblies    he 


contended  for  a  secretary  of  his  own  selection, 
and  demanded  a  record  of  the  proceedings,  in 
view  of  the  treacherous  memory  evinced  by  the 
Proprietaries  at  former  deliberations.  Strange 
as  it  may  appear,  Governor  Denny  persistently 
opposed  this  request ;  but  the  chief  sustained 
his  demand  so  ably  and  with  such  good  and 
forcible  reasoning  that  the  Governor  was  obliged, 
though  very  ungraciously,  to  yield  to  his 
wishes.  Of  his  numerous  speeches,  space  can 
be  spared  but  for  a  few  extracts. 

At  the  Council  at  Easton  in  November  1756, 
Teedyuseung  addressed  Governor  Denny  as 
follows.  ("  Pumpshiu,"  a  Delaware  Indian  act- 
ing as  interpreter) 

"Brother:  Hear  me  with  patience;  you  may  re- 
member I  often  desired  you  to  endeavor  to  apprehend 
me  aright  when  I  am  speaking  of  matters  of  impor- 
tance. Brother:  I  am  going  to  use  a  comparison  in  or- 
der to  represent  to  you  the  1  letter  what  we  ought  to  do. 

"  When  you  choose  a  spot  of  ground  for  planting 
you  first  prepare  the  ground,  then  you  put  the  seed 
into  the  earth,  but  if  you  don't  take  pains  afterwards 
you  will  not  obtain  fruit.  To  instance  in  the  Indian 
corn  which  is  mine,  (meaning  a  Native  plant  of  this 
country)  as  is  customary  I  put  seven  grains  in  one  hill, 
yet  it  will  come  to  nothing,  tho'  the  ground  be  good; 
tho'  at  the  beginning  I  take  prudent  steps,  yet  if  I 
neglect  it  afterwards,  tho'  it  may  grow  up  to  stalks  and 
leaves,  and  there  may  be  appearance  of  Ears  there 
will  be  only  leaves  and  cobs.  In  like  manner  in  the 
present  Business,  tho'  we  have  begun  well,  yet  if  we 
hereafter  use  not  prudent  means  we  shall  not  have 
success  answerable  to  our  expectations.  God  that  is 
above  hath  furnished  us  both  powers  and  abilities.  As 
for  my  part  I  must  confess  to  my  shame,  I  have  not 
made  such  improvements  of  the  power  given  me  as  I 
ought,  but  as  I  look  on  you  to  be  more  highly  favored 
from  above  than  I  am,  I  wou'd  desire  you  that  we 
would  join  our  endeavors  to  promote  the  good  work, 
and  that  the  cause  of  our  uneasiness,  begun  in  the 
time  of  our  forefathers,  may  be  removed  ;  and  if  you 
look  into  your  hearts,  and  act  according  to  the  Abili- 
ties given  you,  you  will  know  the  grounds  of  our 
uneasiness  in  some  measure  from  what  I  have  said 
before  in  the  comparison  of  the  fire;  though  I  was  but 
a  boy,  yet  I  wou'd  according  to  my  abilities  bring  a 
few  chips.  So  with  regard  to  the  corn  ;  I  can  do  but 
little;  you  can  do  a  great  deal ;  therefore  let  us  all 
men,  women  and  children,  assist  in  pulling  up  the 
weeds,  that  nothing  may  hinder  the  com  from  growing 
to  perfection,  when  this  is  done,  tho'  we  may  not  live 
to  enjoy  the  Fruit  ourselves,  yet  we  shou'd  remember 
our  children  may  live  and  enjoy  the  Good  Fruit,  and 
it  is  our  duty  to  act  for  their  good." 


28 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


"  Brother :  I  desire  y<  m  will  attend  to  these  few  words, 
and  I  will,  with  all  dilligence,  endeavor  to  tell  you  the 
truth:  the  Great  Log  you  mentioned,  when  kindled,  will 
make  a  great  name,  but  it  will  not  kindle  of  itself,  nor 
continue  naming  unless  there  be  Air  and  Leaves,  as  well 
as  coals,  to  make  it  kindle.  I  desire  we  may  use  our 
utmost  endeavors  to  make  it  kindle,  tho'  what  I  have 
told  you  may  relate  to  matters  disagreeable  to  you,  yet 
if  we  exert  ourselves  and  act  according  to  our  abilities 
given  from  above,  the  events  will  be  agreeable  and 
pleasing  to  ourselves  and  of  service  to  our  children." 

"Brothers:  I  have  to  request  you  that  you  would 
give  Liberty  to  all  Persons  and  friends,  to  reach  into 
these  matters ;  as  we  are  all  children  of  the  Most  High,  we 
should  endeavor  to  assist  and  make  use  of  one  another, 
and  not  only  so,  but  from  what  I  have  heard,  I  believe 
there  is  a  future  State  besides  this  Flesh." 


Mr.  Brodhead  comments  as  follows  : 

"  The  founder  of  this  great  Common  wealth  was 
ever  the  faithful  friend  of  the  Miosis  and  the 
other  tribes  in  his  province.  He  understood 
their  case  perfectly  ;  and  had  he  been  permitted 
to  be  present  at  the  Council  of  1742,  the  result 
of  their  deliberations,  we  can  readily  conjecture, 
would  have  been  greatly  different.  No  preten- 
sions of  the  Six  Nations,  nor  the  alluring  promi- 
ses of  gain  by  their  white  allies,  could  have  in- 
duced him  to  depart  from  the  plain  path  of  duty. 

He  knew  what  these  people  had  suffered,  and 
knew  also  that  they  were  the  rightful  owners  of 
the  soil.  His  transactions  with  them  were  ever 
stamped  with  the  impress  of  humanity  and  jus- 
tice. Would  that  we  could  say  as  much  of  his 
immediate  successors.  Well  might  these  poor 
men  lament  the  loss  of  such  a  friend,  at  a  time 
too  when  all  mankind  else  seemed  to  be  frown- 
ing upon  them — when  the  sun  of  their  great- 
pess  was  setting  in  thickening  clouds,  porten- 
tous of  the  tempest  that  was  to  overwhelm  them. 

"  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  these  In- 
dians desired  to  live  on  terms  of  friendship  with 
the  white  settlers ;  they  evidently  looked  upon 
them  as  a  superior  order  of  beings,  and,  at  first, 
thinking  they  were  to  be  made  wiser  and  better 
by  their  teaching  and  example,  they  made  them 
welcome,  so  far  as  the  simple  native  manners 
of  these  people  could  testify.  Could  we  have 
more  conclusive  evidence  of  the  friendly  dispo- 
sition of  the  Minsis  than  is  derived  from  the 
fact  that  for  near  a  quarter  of  a  century  they 
Hved  quietly  and  peaceably  with  the  settlers  in 


this  valley,  and  permitted  them  to  cut  down 
their  forests  and  cultivate  their  best  hunting- 
grounds,  all  unprotected  as  the  confiding  settlers 
were  against  their  overpowering  numbers,  and 
against  the  means  they  possessed  of  extermina- 
ting them  without  warning  should  they  be  dis- 
posed at  any  time  to  do  so. 

"  Yet  in  all  these  years  we  hear  of  the  com- 
mission of  no  single  act  of  violence  on  the  part 
of  the  Indians  until  the  general  outbreak  dur- 
ing the  war  of  1755. 

"  But  was  there  not  sufficient  provocation  for 
this  outbreak?  Was  there  not  already  cause 
for  it  in  the  infamous  "  walking  purchase  "  of 
1737,  when  the  full  effect  of  that  fraud  became 
apparent  in  the  loss  of  their  cherished  posses- 
sions in  the  Minisink  ? 

"  At  the  Council  held  in  Philadelphia  in  1742, 
called  at  the  request  of  Governor  Thomas  Penn, 
the  Delawares  and  Six  Nations  were  each  repre- 
sented. 

"  The  Governor's  object  was  to  make  com- 
plaints to  the  latter  of  the  Delawares,  as  he  had 
threatened  in  his  letter  of  1741,  and  induce  the 
Six  Nations  to  enforce  his  claim  to  lands  in  the 
Minisink,  as  well  as  in  the  Forks,  and  oblige 
them  to  quit  the  country.  There  were  of  the 
Six  Nations  then  present  two  hundred  and 
thirty,  the  Delawares  being  under  a  species 
of  vassalage  to  that  nation. 

"  The  question  of  the  "  walking  purchase  " 
was  discussed  at  this  Council. 

"  When  settlers  began  to  move  upon  the  lands 
in  the  Minisink  great  dissatisfaction  was  ex- 
pressed by  the  Delawares  They  declared  the 
"  walk "  a  fraud,  especially  as  to  the  land 
claimed  north  of  the  Kittatinny,  or  Blue  Moun- 
tains, which  included  the  Minisink,  their  favor- 
ite hunting-grounds,  and  declared  their  deter- 
mination to  maintain  its  possession  by  force. 

"  That  these  lands  were  occupied  without  their 
consent  the  following  pathetic  letters  will  show: 

(From  the  Logan  MSS.  in  possession  of  the  His- 
torical Society  of  Pennsylvania.) 

"Memorandum  of  two  letters  to  Jeremiah 
Langhorne,1  J.  P.  of  Bucks  County,  from  sun- 
dry Indians  : 


'Jeremiah  Langhorne  liverl  at  Newtown,  Bucks  County. 


THE  "  WALKING    PURCHASE." 


2(1 


"Smithfield,  Nov.  21,  1740. 
" To  Mr.  Jeremiah  Langhome  and  all  Magistrates  of 

Pennsylvania : 

"  We  pray  you  that  you  would  take  notice  of  the 
great  wrong  we  receive  in  our  lands — here  are  about  100 
families  settled  on  it,  for  what  reason  they  cannot  tell. 

"  They  tell  that  Thos.  Penn  has  sold  them  the  land, 
which  we  think  must  be  very  strange,  that  T.  Penn  should 
sell  them  that  which  was  never  his,  for  we  never  sold  him 
this  land.  The  case  was  this :  That  when  we  were  with 
Penn  to  treat,  as  usual  with  his  father,  he  kept  beg- 
ging and  plaguing  us  to  give  him  some  land,  and 
never  gives  us  leave  to  treat  upon  any  thing  until  he 
wearies  us  out  of  our  lives,  but  what  should  we  give 
Penn  any  lands  for — we  never  had  any  thing  from  him 
hut  honest  dealings  and  civility.  If  he  lets  us  alone, 
we  will  let  him  alone.  The  land  we  do  own  to  be  ours, 
Begins  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tohickon,  runs  up  along 
tin'  said  branch  to  the  head  springs,  thence  up  with  a 
straight  line  to  Patqualing,1  thence  in  a  straight  line 
to  the  Blue  Mountains,  thence  to  a  place  called  Ma- 
honing, thence  along  a  mountain  called  Neshameck, 
thence  along  the  Great  Swamp  to  a  Branch  of  the 
Delaware  River — so  along  Delaware  River  to  the  place 
where  we  first  began. 

"  All  this  is  our  land  except  some  tracts  we  have  dis- 
posed of — The  tract  of  Durham — the  tract  of  Nicholas 
Depui — The  tract  of  old  Weiser  we  have  sold.  But 
for  the  rest  we  have  never  sold  and  we  desire  Thos,  Penn 
would  take  these  people  off  from  our  land  in  Peace,  that 
we  may  not  be  at  the  trouble  to  drive  Ihrin  iff',  for  the 
land  we  will  hold  fast  with  both  our  hands  nor  in  pri- 
vately but  in  open  view  of  all  the  Country,  and  all  our 
friends  and  relations,  that  is  the  Eastern  Indians  and 
our  uncles  the  five  nations  and  the  Mohicons  and  the 
troctweys,  Shawanahs,  Shawekelan.  Tuskeroras  &  the 
Iakkesau  the  last,  these  all  shall  be  by  and  hear  us 
speak  and  we  shall  stand  at  our  uncle's  breast  when  we 
shall  speak.  Now  Gentlemen  &  all  others  we  desire 
some  of  your  advice  &  likewise  some  of  your  assistance 
in  this  affair,  for  we  have  lived  in  brotherly  friendship, 
so  we  desire  to  continue  the  same  if  so  be  we  can  be 
righted  any  manner  of  ways  so  we  remain  your  friends. 
(The  Indians  acknowledge  this  to  lie  done  by  their 
direction.)" 

The  second  letter  or  petition  is  addressed  to 
Governor  Thomas  Penn,  dated — 

"Smithfield  Januarv  ve  3,  1741 

"  Hon"  Sir 

"We  are  very  much  wronged  and  abused  of  having 
our  lands  taken  it  settled  and  we  know  not  how  or 
what  affor — We  have  applied  ourselves  sometime  ago 


»  Patqualing.— There  is  a  township  in  the  New  Jersey 
Minisink,  now  called  Pahaquarry.  It  is  the  Indian  name 
for  the  Water  Gap.  In  surveys  of  land  made  in  1718,  1720, 
1728,  1805  it  was  called  respectively  Pahakqualong,  Paha- 
qualing,  Pehoquenlin.  Pahaqualong.  The  word  signifies  a 
river  passing  between  two  mountains. 


to  ye  authority  of  the  Province  to  Mr.  Langhorne  and 
begged  their  advice  and  assistance,  but  we  have  re- 
ceived no  answer,  nor  any  news  as  yet — We  hope  your 
Excellency  will  help  us,  that  we  may  have  justice  done 

us  according  to  the  Articles  made  between  ye  English 
and  our  Fathers,  which  was  if  we  are  right  informed 
to  live  in  Brotherly  Love  together — but  not  as  we  live 
now,  for  we  cannot  enjoy  our  Birth-rights  in  peace  & 
quietness  but  we  are  abused  as  if  we  were  enemies  and 
not  friends,  for  we  dare  not  speak  for  our  rights,  but 
there  is  an  upcom  and  in  danger  of  being  cut  to  pieces 
and  destroyed — so  that  we  cannot  keep  our  young 
people  in  order  and  if  we  do  get  an  honest  man  to 
assist  in  anything  that  we  want,  he  is  in  danger  of  his 
life  as  appears  now  at  this  time  for  here  is  a  great  up- 
roar and  we  know  not  what  it  is  (for  it  is  very  strange 
that  we  may  not  have  an  honest  man  to  take  our  parts 
in  any  just  cause,  but  he  must  be  killed  or  fly  his 
Country),  so  if  this  practice  must  hold  why  then  we 
are  no  more  brethren  or  friends  but  must  be  more  like 
open  enemies,  then  we  shall  ruin  and  destroy  our- 
selves— It  looks  very  strange  that  Your  Excelly,  would 
take  any  notice  of  John  McMaken,9  what  he  says  or 
what  he  can  do,  for  he  is  not  a  friend  of  the  English 
nor  to  us — He  is  partly  a  Shawanah,  the  worst  of  all 

Indians — He  has  lived  so  long  a ng  you  (them)  that 

he  has  got  their  own  nature.  He  lives  a  lazy  idle  life 
He  is  an  intruder  upon  the  Proprietor  and  us. 

"He  buys  no  land  nor  settles  for  a  livelihood,  but 
makes  a  little  improvement  and  so  gets  a  bottle  of 
rum  and  other  truck  and  goes  peddling.  He  does  no 
good  to  himself  or  anybody  else.  Now  he  is  afraid  he 
shall  lose  his  way  of  living.  He  makes  a  great  up- 
roar, and  does  nut  care  what  he  does,  so  he  may  lie 
revenged  upon  us,  for  we  do  not  intend  to  let  him 
settle  any  of  our  land  any  more. 

"Indeed  all  the  rest  that  make  this  uproar  there  is 
not  a  creditable  person  among  them,  for  they  think 
that  by  uproar,  they  will  scare  us  to  be  easy  and  let 
them  alone  in  their  wicked  way  to  take  our  land  and 
nev.  r  give  us  anything  for  it — hut  we  are  not  willing 
to  be  served  so.  Therefore  we  pray  your  Excelly. 
will  assist  us  to  settle  these  affairs,  so  that  we  alto- 
gether live  in  Peace  and  in  Brotherly  Love,  according 
to  our  first  Articles  which  we  made  by  our  Forefathers. 
"  We  pray  it  may  please  your  Excelly  to  send  us  an 
answer  and  although  we  be  Indians  we  beg  leave  to 
subscribe  ourselves  his  Excellencies  most  humble 
servauts 

Onottessae  —  his  mark 
Mawence  —  his  mark 
Mataker  —  his  mark 
Onahackis  —  his  mark 
WlENHACKEME  —  his  mark 
TASSEHAWA  —  his  mark 
3  CAPPOS  —  his  mark 
3  Nottemeus  —  his  mark" 


McMichael. 

The  names   of  Cappos  »/•  Cipoose,  and  N"ltimeus,  were 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  Indians  acknowledge  this  to  be  done  by 
their  direction. 

These  letters  are  endorsed  as  follows : 

Copies  of  letters  from  Indians  to  ye  Governor  & 
Jeremiah  Langhorne.  Referred  to  in  Minutes,  March 
26,  1741. 

Following  the  last  letter  of  the  Indians  is  a 
letter  or  petition  to  the  Governor  setting  forth  : — 

Jacob  Sebring  to  be  an  honest  and  true  man  &c. 
and  John  McMachon  a  very  bad  man. 

Signed  by 
Abraham  Van  Campen,  Justice. 
Jacob  Kuykendall. 
Nicholas  Depot. 
Jacobus  Kuykendall. 

The  scribe  for  the  Indians  was  Jacob  Seb- 
ring, whose  character  is  vouched  for  above. 
He  was  arrested  by  the  Sheriff  of  Bucks  County 
for  serving  them  in  that  capacity. 

The  following  is  a  memorandum  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's reply,  and  is  endorsed  : 

"  Rough  draft  of  an  Intended  letter  to  the  Delaware 
"  Indians,  17th  March  1741 

Sent  accordingly  May  1st  and  the  answer  inclosed  " 
The  letter  Begins: 

"Acknowledge  ye  rect  of  these  letters  pr  two  Indian 
messengers  two  months  and  21  days  after  date  and 
also  yt  wrote  to  Jeremiah  Langhorne  mentions  it 
being  wrote  in  a  different  style  and  manner  from 
others  had  hitherto  seen  from  any  Indians  in  this 
Goverment,  who  had  sworn  themselves  to  be  an  hon- 
est fair  people,  ready  to  perform  their  agreements, 
and  who  had  always  been  treated  by  us  with  great 
tenderness — hopes  that  those  letters  were  wrote  by 
some  evil  minded  men  and  that  the  Indians  did  not 
know  ye  contents  which  were  not  true — those  relates 
the  purchase  made  in  1680  and  the  confirmation  with 


noted  in  all  the  treaties  of  this  period.  The  former  is  per- 
petuated at  a  clearing  of  his  own,  near  Scranton,  called 
"  Capoose  Meadow,"  and  on  which  a  part  of  the  Scranton 
race-course  is  situated. 

There  is  also  an  island  in  the  Delaware,  four  miles  below 
Belvidere.  called  Capoose  Island. 

Dr.  Hollister,  in  his  History  of  the  Lackawanna  Valley, 
says.  "Capoose  himself  was  a  contemporary  of  Tudyus- 
cuug  of  the  Delawares,  but  so  diverse  in  character  and 
temperament,  that  while  the  latter  was  ambitious  for  dis- 
tinction, and  prominent  in  Council  gatherings,  where  he 
joiutly  looked  after  the  interests  of  the  Moneys  and  his 
own  tribe,  Capoose,  undecked  with  the  emblems  of  war, 
ived  in  amity  with  the  whites,  encouraged  the  culture  of 
the  soil,  and  left  behind  him  a  name  untarnished  with 
either  blood  or  carnage." 


the  transactions  at  Durham  and  at  Pennsbury  and 
describes  ye  courses  of  the  purchase.  Mentions  that 
Sappawinsa  and  their  honest  old  men  were  satisfied 
with  and  acknowledged  it  was  all  true  and  agreed 
upon  ye  day  and  a  half's  walk  at  a  third  meeting  at 
Philadelphia,  were  the  deeds  were  all  produced  and 
read  again  in  presence  of  Sappawinca  Tishiconk  and 
Nautemus  and  many  white  people  and  Indians  who 
were  witnesses  wherein  they  ye  Delawares  released 
all  right  and  claim  to  those  lands  and  promised  to 
appoint  some  persons  to  walk  ye  day  and  a  half 
which  they  did  and  they  set  out  together  in  order  to 
execute  ye  agreement — mentions  ye  fairness  of  the 
walk  and  where  they  stopped  at  a  mountain  and 
according  to  ye  words  in  ye  deed  run  a  strait  line  to 
Delaware  River — Then  mentions  yt  as  this  is  the  case 
it  is  they  who  have  acted  wrong  &c  and  told  a  story 
in  order  to  break  ye  friendship,  or  otherwise  they 
might  remember  several  things — 

"  Queries,  how  they  could  claim  lands  to  ye  mouth  of 
Tohickon  &c  unless  you  had  a  mind  to  break  ye 
peace,  or  if  you  had  an  inclination  to  keep  the  peace, 
how  came  you  to  write  to  J.  Langhorne,  that  several 
Indians  would  be  with  you  to  demand  Justice  as  if 
intended  to  attack  and  make  war  on  the  King's  sub- 
jects— Desires  ye  Indians  to  consider  well  what  they 
are  about — Mentions  ye  strength  of  ye  English  and 
if  forced  might  easily  overcome  them — reprimands 
them  for  their  taking  Jacob  Sebring  out  of  ye  hands  of 
the  Sheriff  and  demands  his  delivery — after  this  treaty 
that  their  uncles  ye  five  nations  had  signed  a  release 
fur  these  lands  to  the  Proprietors  and  further  desired 
Onas  and  James  Logan  that  they  would  never  treat 
with  their  cousins  ye  Delawares  about  land  for  that 
they  were  a  people  of  no  virtue  and  had  nowhere  a 
Council  fire  burning  and  who  dealt  often  very  un- 
justly with  our  friends  and  brethren  the  English  &:. — 
Then  acquaints  them  that  some  of  their  chiefs  are  to 
be  here  in  May  and  that  Mr.  Penn  will  complain  to 
them  of  their  behavior  and  acquaint  them  publicly 
of  everything  that  has  passed  at  which  any  of  ye  may 
come  down  and  be  present,  provided  you  come  down 
at  your  own  charge  (!!!)  for  the  Proprietors  concern 
you  have  acted  so  injustly  by  them  and  have  so  often 
put  them  to  the  expense  in  several  meetings,  without 
intending  to  do  the  business  that  you  must  not  expect 
to  be  maintained  here — you  may  send  such  as  are 
allowed  to  be  of  the  Delaware  Nation  because  the 
Jersey  or  other  strange  Indians  will  not  be  taken  any 
notice  of.  Mentions  he  had  wrote  a  letter  about  3 
months  ago  and  given  it  to  Nicholas  Scull  to  be  deliv- 
ered them,  with  orders  to  examine  very  closely  into 
ye  cause  of  these  Disturbances,  and  that  if  any  injus- 
tice was  done  you  by  ye  inhabitants,  they  might  be 
punished  for  such  behavior — But  that  he  could  not 
proceed  for  ye  cold  and  was  obliged  to  return — I  now 
send  him  again  to  make  this  inquiry  that  he  may 
know  who  are  the  principal  causes  of  this  uneasiness 
and  that  he  does  not  expect  they  will  interfere  with 


THE  "  WALKING  PURCHASE.' 


31 


any  orders  he  shall  send  relating  to  ye  white  people 
King  of  England's  subjects  put  under  his  Govt. — 
Sends  a  copy  of  ye  last  deed  to  be  read  to  you  all 
and  to  be  left  in  your  hands,  that  all  their  young 
people  may  know  ye  contents. 

"N.  B. — See  the  indorsement  copied  from  ye  original 
Indorsement. 

The  answer  of  the  Chiefs  of  the  Delaware 
Indians  to  the  Governor's  message  of  the  27th 
March,  1741: 

"Our  young  men  shall  behave  peacably  and  orderly 
toward  the  English  (ill  the  Five  Nations  come  down 
to  Philadelphia  to  treat,  at  which  time  we  will  have  a 
fair  hearing  with  them  and  if  the  land  be  sold  we  will 
be  easy. 

"/Signed 
Onotopy. 
Capus. 

NUTEMUS. 

"  Smithfield  in  the  Wienhockasinck. 

Cuiinty   of  Bucks,  Houghquatoon. 

May  12th,  1741."     Maweemoo. 
Matuamin. 

Walla  Wanchun  Papes, 
alias  Jo." 

"  It  is  difficult  to  read  this  correspondence 
without  the  feeling  that  deliberate  and  cruel  in- 
justice was  done  to  these  simple-minded 
people  —  the  Indians.  The  letter  of  the 
Governor  is,  to  say  the  least,  hard,  un- 
sympathic  and  mercenary,  and  is  not  such  an 
one  as  the  ordinary  feeling  of  humanity  would 
dictate,  and  most  certainly  not  such  a  letter  as 
would  have  been  written,  under  like  circum- 
stances, by  the  founder  of  the  commonwealth. 

"  The  following  extracts  from  two  other  letters 
are  equally  interesting  and  equally  painful,  with 
the  former  correspondence. 

"  The  letter  from  William  Penn  (the  grandson) 
shows  that  efforts  had  been  made  for  the  sale 
of  the  land  in  theMinisink  nine  years  beforethe 
"  Walking  Purchase." 

proprietary  correspondence. 

In  possession  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Extract  from  a  letter  of  William  Penn  (the  grand- 
son) to  James  Logan.  • 

April  28th,  1728. 

I  return  you  thanks  for  the  regard  you  are  pleased 
to  express  for  my  interest  in  Pennsylvania;  and  had 
at  first  some  thought  of  attending  to  it  myself, 
persuent  to  your  advice,  but  finding  that  not  so  suit- 
able to  my  present  circumstances   as   I   could   have 


wished,  do  herewith  send  a  full  power  of  attorney  to 
yourself  and  Mr.  Langhorne,  which  I  hope  will  be 
accepted,  and  doubt  not  it  will  under  your  care  be 
disposed  of  to  as  much  advantage  as  if  I  were  present, 
especially  if  the  Indians  can  be  prevailed  upon  to 
surfer  a  survey  to  be  made  of  the  valuable  tract  of 
land  you  mention,  which  I  hope  will  not  be  found 
impracticable. 

To  this  the  following  note  is  appended  :  The 
Indians  forbade  the  survey,  but  promised  if 
young  William  Penn  (for  which  name  they  ex- 
pressed a  high  veneration)  would  come  over  he 
should  have  what  he  pleased. 

Extract  of  a  letter  from  James  Logan  to  the 
proprietor: — 

July  10,  1742. 

This  is  the  10th  and  last  day  of  my  attendance  here 
for  a  treaty  with  the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations,  who, 
with  the  Delawares,  between  20  and  30  in  number  and 
8  of  Shawnees  made  up  188  persons  with  their  wom- 
en and  children. 

When  on  the  29th  of  last  month  they  came  to  my 
house  where  they  were  entertained  till  the  next  after- 
noon, and  then  coming  thither  were  joined  by  about 
40  more  from  the  Conestoges,  with  the  Ganawese  and 
soon  alter  by  Natimus  and  his  company,  who  com- 
plained very  heavily  to  their  uncles  of  being  cheated, 
after  a  full  hearing  have  this  day  been  commanded  by 
them  (the  Six  Nations)  to  quit  all  that  tract  entirely 
and  to  remove  either  over  to  Jersey  again  or  beyond 
the  Hills,  but  as  this  has  been  throughout  excellent 
treaty  (for  the  whites)  I  shall  refer  you  more  particu- 
lar accounts  to  more  ready  pens.  This  treaty  will 
cost  me  £20  out  of  pocket  and  which  I  shall  not 
charge  a  penny  to  any. 

Just  twelve  yearsafter  the  unfortunate  "  Walk- 
ing Purchase"  was  made,  and  while  the  conten- 
tion in  regard  to  it  was  still  carried  on,  a  portion 
of  the  territorry  which  it  covered  and  very  much 
more  was  secured  from  the  Delaware,  or  Lenape, 
and  the  Six  Nations  by  purchase,  the  considera- 
tion being  £300  "  lawful  money  of  Pennsyl- 
vania." This  purchase  included  a  belt  of  coun- 
try stretching  from  the  Delaware  to  the  Susque- 
hanna; having  as  its  south  boundary  the  Blue 
Mountains.  In  this  scope  of  country,  thus  ob- 
tained, lies  the  whole  of  the  present  Monroe 
County,  the  greater  part  of  Pike,  a  very  small 
portion  of  Wayne  (the  extreme  tip  of  its 
southern  panhandle),  the  whole  of  Carbon  and 
Schuylkill  and  parts  of  Lackawanna,  Luzerne, 
Columbia,  Northumberland,  Dauphin  and  Le- 
banon. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  treaty  was  consummated  August  22, 
1749,  at  Philadelphia,  the  parties  being  Edward 
Warner,  Lynford  Lardner,  receiver  general 
of  the  province,  William  Peters,  Richard 
Peters,  secretary  of  the  province,  and  others, 
and  the  sachems  and  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations, 
Delawares,  Shamokin  and  Shawanese  Indians. 
The  purchase  was  described  in  one  of  the  treaty 
documents  as  follows : 

"  All  that  Tract  and  parcel  of  Land  situate, 
lying  and  being  within  the  following  limits  or 
bounds,  and  thus  described  (that  is  to  say): 
Beginning  at  the  Hills  or  Mountains  called  in 
the  language  of  the  Five  Nations  Indians  the 
Tyanuntasachta  or  Endless  Hills,  and  by  the 
Delaware  Indians  the  Keckachtany  Hills.  On 
the  east  side  of  the  river  Susquehanna,  being 
in  the  North  West  line  or  boundary  of  the 
Tract  of  Land  formerly  purchased  by  the  said 
Proprietors  from  the  Said  Indian  Nations  by 
their  Deed  of  the  Eleventh  day  of  October, 
Anno  Dom,  One  Thousand  Seven  Hundred  and 
Thirty  Six  ;  and  from  thence  running  up  said 
river  by  the  several  courses  thereof  to  the  first 
or  nearest  Mountain  to  the  North  side  of  the 
Mouth  of  the  Creek  called  in  the  Language  of 
the  said  Five  Nation  Indians  Cautaguy,  and  in 
the  Language  of  the  Delaware  Indians  Mag- 
honioy,  and  from  thence  extending  by  a  direct 
or  straight  line  to  be  run  from  the  said  Moun- 
tain on  the  north  side  of  said  creek  to  the  main 
branch  of  Delaware  River  at  the  north  side  of 
the  Mouth  of  the  Creek  called  Lechawachsein, 
and  from  thence  to  return  across  Lechawachsein 
Creek  aforesaid,  down  the  River  Delaware  by 
the  several  courses  thereof  to  the  Kekachtany 
Hills  aforesaid,  and  from  thence  by  the  range 
of  said  Hills  to  the  place  of  Beginning."  ' 

After  the  treaty  of  1749,  the  first  purchase  of 
lands  from  the  Indians,  which  included  any  por- 
tion of  the  territory  which  is  the  province  of  this 
work,  was  that  made  in  1768.  The  treaty  was 
made  between  the  representatives  of  Thomas  and 
Richard  Penn  and  the  Sachems  of  the  Six  Na- 
tions, at  Fort  Stauwix  (now  Rome,  N.  Y.),  and 
concluded  on  November  5,  1768.  By  its  terms 
the  Indian  title  was  released  from  an  immense 


belt  of  country,  northwest  of  the  lands  ceded 
by  the  treaties  of  1749,  1754  and  1758,  and 
extending  diagonally  across  the  entire  province 
from  the  Delaware  River,  in  the  northeastern, 
corner  to  the  boundaries  of  Virginia  on  the 
west  and  of  Virginia  and  Maryland  on  the  south. 

All  of  the  territory  of  the  present  Wayne 
County,  except  a  very  small  fraction  of  its 
southern  extremity,  was  included  in  this  cession, 
which  embraced  the  whole  of  Susquehanna, 
Wyoming,  Sullivan,  Montour,  Green,  Wash- 
ington, Fayette,  Westmoreland,  Somerset  and 
Cambria,  and  parts  of  Lackawanna,  Luzerne, 
Columbia,  Northumberland,  Union,  Snyder, 
Bradford,  Lycoming, Clinton,  Centre,  Clearfield, 
Indiana,  Armstrong,  Allegheny  and  Braver. 

In  the  deed  from  the  Six  Nations,  the  terri- 
tory of  the  purchase  was  described  as  follows: 

"All  that  part  of  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania  not 
heretofore  purchased  of  the  Indians,  within  the  said 
general  boundary  line,  and  beginning  in  the  said 
Boundary  line  on  the  east  side  of  the  east  Branch  of 
the  River  Susquehanna,  at  a  place  called  Owegy,  and 
running  with  the  said  boundary  Line  down  the  said 
Branch,  on  the  east  side  thereof,  till  it  comes  opposite 
the  mouth  of  a  Creek  called  by  the  Indians  Awaudac 
(Tawandee)  and  across  the  River,  and  up  the  said 
Creek  on  the  south  side  thereof  and  along  the  range 
of  hills  called  Burnett's  Hills  by  the  English  and  by 
the  Indians'- — on  the  north  side  of  them,  to  the  head 
of  a  creek  which  runs  into  the  West  Branch  of  the 
Susquehanna ;  then  crossing  the  said  River  and  run- 
ning up  the  same  on  the  South  side  thereof,  the  sev- 
eral courses  thereof,  to  the  forks  of  the  same  River 
which  lies  nearest  to  a  place  ontheRiverOhio3  called 
Kittanning,  and  from  the  said  fork,  by  a  straight  line 
to  Kittanning  aforesaid,  and  then  down  the  said  Ohio 
by  the  several  courses  thereof,  to  where  the  western 
Bounds  of  the  said  Province  of  Pennsylvania  crosses 
the  same  river,  and  then  with  the  same  western 
Bounds  to  the  South  boundary  thereof,  and  with  the 
South  boundary  aforesaid  to  the  east  side  of  the  Alle- 
gheny hills,  on  the  east  side  of  them  to  the  west   line 


2  Meaning  the  Allegheny,  to  which  the  Indians  always 
gave  the  name  Ohio. 

3  At  a  subsequent  treaty  at  Fort  Stanwix  (October,  1784', 
the  Pennsylvania  Commissioners  iuquired  of  the  Indians 
what  was  their  name  fm-  I  lie  range  called  by  the  English 
"  Burnett's  Hills,"  to  which  they  replied  that  they  knew 
them  by  no  other  name  than  the  •'  Long  Mountains."  As  to 
the  creek  called  by  them  "  Tiadaghton  "  they  explained  that 
it  was  the  same  known  by  the  whites  as  Pine  Creek  which 
flows  into  the  West  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna  from  the 
northward. 


THE  INDIAN  WAR,  1755-1763. 


of  a  tract  of  Land  purchased  by  the  Said  Proprietors 
from  the  Six  Nations,  and  confirmed  October  23, 
1758,  and  then  with  the  Northern  bounds  of  that 
Tract  to  the  River  Susquehanna  and  crossing  the 
River  Susquehanna  to  the  northern  Boundary  line 
of  another  tract  of  Land  purchased  of  the  Indians  by 
Deed  (August  22,  1749),  and  then  with  that  northern 
Line,  to  the  River  Delaware  at  the  north  side  of  the 
mouth  of  a  creek  called  Lechawachsein,  then  of  the 
said  River  Delaware  on  the  west  side  thereof  to  the 
intersection  of  it  by  an  east  line  to  be  drawn  from 
Owegy  aforesaid  to  the  Said  River  Delaware  and 
then  with  that  east  Line,  to  the  beginning,  at 
Owegy  aforesaid." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Indian  War,  1755-1763— Benjamin  Franklin  Plana 
the  Frontier  Defense— Forts  Norris,  Hamilton,  Uynd- 
shaw  and  Depui. 

What  is  known  locally  in  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania as  the  Indian  War  of  1755-1763  was 
but  a  comparatively  small  and  partially  inde- 
pendent scene,  or  incident,  in  that  long  bloody 
drama  commonly  called  the  French  and  In- 
dian War,  the  theatre  of  which  extended  from 
the  Hudson  and  St.  Lawrence  to  Fort  Pitt,  to 
Detroit  and  other  points  upon  the  great  lakes, 
and  even  to  Western  Michigan. 

The  greater  war  consisted  of  a  protracted, 
stubborn,  desperate  contest  between  the  French 
and  their  Indian  allies  upon  one  side,  and  the 
English  upon  the  other,  for  dominion  in  Amer- 
ica, and  finally  concluded,  as  all  know,  with  the 
victory  of  the  latter  and  the  complete  overthrow 
of  the  power  of  France  in  America. 

The  lesser  war  which  prevailed  at  the  same 
time,  and  of  which  we  are  to  treat  in  these 
pages,  while  in  some  measure  incited  by  the  in- 
trigues of  the  French,  and  by  the  generally  in- 
flamed condition  of  the  Indian  tribes,  was  chief- 
ly brought  about  by  local  causes,  was  local  in 
its  aim  and  effects — and  in  short,  practically  a 
separate  and  distinct  campaign.  It  was  essen- 
tially a  war  of  the  Delawares  under  Teedyus- 
cung,  who  was  called  at  that  period,  "  the  War 
Trumpet  "  of  his  people  ;  it  grew  out  of  the  dis- 
satisfaction of  the  Indians  with  the  terms  of  sev- 
eral treaties  and  land  purchases,  particularly 
that  of  1837,  where  the  Proprietaries' represen- 


tatives engaged  in  literally  "  running "  the 
boundaries  of  the  "  Walking  Purchase ; "  and 
its  fury  was  particularly — almost  exclusively — 
directed  toward  and  sated  upon  the  inhabitants 
of  the  region,  which  the  Indians  regarded  as 
having  been  fraudulently  taken  from  them. 
The  field  of  Teedyuscung's  war  was,  therefore, 
principally  confined  to  that  part  of  Northamp- 
ton County  north  of  the  Blue  Mountains  and 
between  the  Lehigh  and  the  Delaware — the  re- 
gion now  chiefly  comprehended  in  Monroe, 
Pike,  Carbon  and  Lehigh  counties— though  in 
several  instances,  carried  for  local  causes 
and  the  blind  hate  engendered  by  the  heat  of 
strife,  into  regions  outside  of  these  general 
boundaries.  In  fact,  the  field  of  the  lesser  war 
over-lapped  at  various  times  and  places  the  ter- 
ritory of  the  greater,  and  so  it  is  in  some  cases 
difficult  to  determine  to  which  general  conflict 
particular  hostilities  should  be  attributed. 

The  connection  between  the  lesser  and 
greater,  the  local  and  the  general  wars,  was 
apparent  at  the  beginning.  The  French  knew 
that  by  securing  as  allies  the  Delawares  and 
other  tribes  of  Pennsylvania  the  probabilities  of 
success  in  their  military  operations  against  the 
Euglish  on  the  Ohio,  would  be  greatly  enhanced, 
and  it  was  for  that  reason  that  they  flattered 
and  cajoled  them.  But  the  Indians  were  also 
slow  to  espouse  a  doubtful  cause,  and  hence  we 
find  that  the  Indians  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania 
did  not  assume  an  attitude  of  active  hostility 
uutil  the  French  had  won  a  signal  victory,  and 
one  which  presaged  the  success  of  their  arms. 
Braddoek's  terrible  defeat  on  the  Mouonga- 
hela,  near  the  site  of  Pittsburg,  on  the  9th  of 
July,  1755,  proved  the  direct  means  of  encour- 
aging the  disaffected  Indians  to  make  indis- 
criminate war  upon  the  whites,  and  they  fol- 
lowed it  with  savage  zest  for  several  years. 

It  was  then  that  Teedyuscung  who  had  been 
led  from  paths  of  peace — from  the  teachings  of 
the  Moravians — by  the  incitement  of  his  ambi- 
tion to  become  the  "  King  of  his  People  " — the 
"  War  Trumpet  of  the  Delawares,"  assembled 
his  braves  and  the  allied  Mohicans  and  Shawa- 
nese,  at  Nescopeck,  and  marked  out  a  campaign 
which  carried  terror  through  the  frontier  settle- 
ments of  old  Northampton  in  the  fall  of   1755, 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  the  succeeding  winter.  But  prior  to  the 
open  exhibition  of  his  mighty  hand  in  open 
hostility  to  the  whites  among  whom  he  had 
formerly  lived,  several  atrocities  were  com- 
mitted in  the  interior  of  the  province,  particu- 
larly along  the  Susquehanna.  There  may  be 
said  to  have  begun  the  Indian  war  in  Pennsyl- 
vania— a  war  desultory,  but  none  the  less 
bloody,  fatal  and  desolating.  A  settlement  on 
John  Penn's  creek  below  Sunbury  was  sacked 
on  the  18th  of  October,  the  great  cove  on  the 
Oonococheague  shared  the  same  fate  on  the 
3rd  of  November,  and  two  weeks  later  the 
camp-fires  of  the  Lenape  and  their  allies  blazed 
through  the  forest,  north  of  the  line  of  frontier 
settlements  from  the  Susquehanna  to  the  Dela- 
ware. 

The  first  fatal  blow  struck  by  savage  fury 
near  the  region  which  is  our  especial  field  in 
this  work,  and  the  one  which  may  be  said  to 
have  opened  the  war  in  Northampton  County, 
was  curiously  enough  directed  against  the 
peaceful  Moravians  upon  the  Upper  Lehigh. 
Where  the  wild  waters  of  the  Mahanoy  poured 
their  tribute  to  the  former  stream  (near  the  site 
of  Lehighton  in  Carbon  County),  the  Mora- 
vians had  established  in  1746,  a  mission  station 
known  as  Gnadenhutten,  (meaning  "  Tents  of 
Grace"  or  more  literally  "Mercy  Huts.")  The 
mission  was  moved  in  1754  to  the  east  side  of 
the  Lehigh  where  upon  the  site  of  the  present 
town  of  Weissport,  a  village  called  New 
Gnadenhutten  was  built.  Here  had  been  lo- 
cated the  Mohican  Indians,  a  short  time  before 
driven  out  of  Shekomeko,  in  Connecticut,  and 
Patchgatgoch  in  New  York  near  the  border 
of  the  former  State,  and  here  too,  were  a  large 
number  of  Delawares  who  had  been  converted 
to  Christianity.  The  congregation  we  are  told 
numbered  five  hundred  souls.  Just  before  the 
opening  of  the  war  some  of  the  Mohicans  had 
been  induced  by  the  Delawares,  and  their  allies 
on  the  Susquhanna  after  long  persuasion  to 
desert  the  mission  and  remove  to  Wyoming, 
but  nearly  as  many  converted  Delawares  were 
about  the  same  time  brought  from  Meniala- 
gomeka.1       So    the     Indian     town     remained 


1  \li>iiialagomeka  was  on  the  Pohopoco,  in   Eldred  town- 
ship, Monroe  County.     See  chapter  II. 


nearly  as  large  as  ever  in  1755.  Of  the 
Moravian  brethren  and  sisters  there  were 
about  twenty  living  upon  the  west  side  of  the 
Lehigh.  They  fondly  hoped  that  their  little 
mission  colony  and  the  Christian  Indian  vil- 
lage might  flourish  and  become  a  permanent 
abode  of  peace,  but  destiny  ruled  otherwise, 
and  while  they  were  enjoying  a  sense  of  almost 
complete  security  they  were  suddenly  and 
terribly  aroused  by  an  Indian  attack  which 
swept  the  little  frontier  dot  of  civilization  com- 
pletely out  of  existence,  and  left  more  than  half 
their  number  slain. 

This  massacre  was  doubtless  attributable  to 
French  machinations  or  at  least  to  the  Indians 
who  had  warmly  espoused  the  French  cause 
and  there  is  no  convincing  evidence  that  Teedy- 
uscung  was  so  far  treacherous  to  the  people 
from  whose  faith  he  was  an  apostate,  as  to  take 
an  active  part  in  planning  or  executing  the  as- 
sault. His  hands,  however  red  with  blood  of 
other  victims,  were  probably  not  stained  by  that 
of  his  former  Moravian  friends  and  spiritual 
advisers  of  the  place  where  he  was  baptized  only 
five  years  before.2 

Loskiel  says  of  the  period  preceding  the 
massacre  :  "The  Indians  in  the  French  interest 
were  much  incensed  that  any  of  the  Moravian 
Indians  chose  to  remain  at  Gnadenhutten  and 
determined  to  cut  off  the  settlement.  After 
Braddock's  defeat  the  whole  frontier  was  open  to 
the  inroads  of  the  savage  foe.  Every  day  dis- 
closed new  scenes  of  barbarity  committed  by  the 
Indians.  The  whole  country  was  in  terror;  the 
neighbors  of  the  Brethren  forsook  their  dwellings 
and  fled ;  but  the  Brethren  made  a  covenant 
together  to  remain  undaunted  in  the  place  al- 
lotted them  by  Providence."3 

The  attack  was  made  late  in  the  evening  of 
November  24th  by  a  large  body  of  Indians ; 
the  Mission  house  was  fired  and  while  the  glare 
of  the  flames  lit  up  the  gloom  of  the  surround- 
ing forest,  from  which  the  stealthy  savages  had 
come,  eleven  of  the  inmates  perished  by  the 
tomahawk  ami  rifle  or  were  burned  to  death  in 
the  building  which  had  been  their  shelter  and 
home.     The  house  being  consumed  the  murder- 


See  sketch  of  Teedyuscung  i 
Loskiel,  Vol.  II.  p.  163. 


chapter  1 


THE  INDIAN  WAR,  1755-1763. 


ous  horde  set  fire  to  the  barns  and  stable,  and 
thus  destroyed  all  of  the  corn,  hay  and 
cattle  together  with  much  other  property 
within  them.  The  Meeting  house  (Gemein 
haus)  a  grist  and  saw  mill,  a  store  building  and 
numerous  out  houses  were  also  burned  and  all 
of  the  portable  property  of  value  that  was  not 
destroyed  was  carried  away  as  spoil.1 

The  Indians  at  the  mission  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river  were  alarmed  by  the  firing  and 
shouts  of  their  savage  brothers  and  offered  to 
attack  the  enemy  without  delay,  but  being  ad- 
vised to  the  contrary  by  the  missionaries  who 
had  escaped,  they  all  fled  into  the  woods.2 

The  people  of  Bethlehem  had  seen  ihe  lurid 
glare  beyond  the  Blue  Mountains  and  had  been 
in  an  agony  of  suspense  in  regard  to  the  fate  of 
their  brethren. 

They  apprehended  that  evil  news  would  be 
brought  to  them,  and  were  in  a  measure  pre- 
pared for  the  tidings  borne  by  a  breathless  mes- 
seuger  between  midnight  and  morning.  During 
the  following  day  it  was  confirmed  by  one  after 
another  of  the  poor  people  who  had  barely 
escaped  with  their  lives,  and  had  fled  in  terror 
from  the  fire-illumined  scene  of  murder.  By 
night  eight  of  the  white  people  and  about  forty 
of  the  Indian  converts  had  reached  Bethlehem 
and  from  this  time  on,  lor  several  days  the 
people  of  the  Lehigh  Valley  were  precipitately 
pushing  southward  into  the  older  and  larger 
settlements  to  escape  the  savage  hordes  they  im- 
agined might  at  any  instant  come  upon  them. 
They  were  filled  with  the  wildest  alarm  and 
many  came  with  scarcely  clothes  enough  upon 
their  backs  to  protect  them  from  the  cold,  while 
all  were  entirely  destitute  of  the  means  to  obtain 
the  necessities  of  life.  There  was  a  general  he- 
gira  from  all  that  part  of  the  valley  north  of 
the  Mountains  and  nearly  all  the  people  below, 
as  far  down  as   the  Irish  settlement,  left  their 


i  The  total  financial  loss  of  the  Moravians  at  Gnadenhut- 
ten,  November '24.  17")"..  as  sworn  to  before  Justice  Timothy 
Rorsfield  at  Bethlehem,  February  -I.  1756,  was  61638  19s. 
8d  and  of  the  destruction  of  the  Indian  town  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  river,  January  1,  1756,  the  amount  of 
damage  was  sufficient  to  make  the  grand  total  of  loss 
nearly  £21 

-  Loskiel,  Vol.  11.  p.  165. 


homes.  The  Moravians  at  Bethlehem  and  Na- 
zareth and  the  citizens  of  Easton  extended  to 
these  panic-stricken  and  destitute  people,  every 
kindness  in  their  power.  The  Brethren  kept 
their  wagons  plying  to  and  fro  between  Bethle- 
hem and  points  eight  or  ten  miles  up  the  mail, 
bringing  into  their  hospitable  town  the  woman 
and  children  who  had  become  exhausted  in  their 
flight  and  sunk  by  the  way. 

The  Provincial  authorities  had  failed  to  read 
in  Braddock's  defeat  a  warning  of  the  danger 
that  was  imminent,  but  the  butchery  on  the 
Lehigh  and  the  abandonment  of  the  valley 
brought  them  to  an  appreciative  sense  of  the 
condition  of  the  frontier  and  they  sought  at  the 
eleventh — perhaps  we  may  say  the  twelfth — 
hour  to  atone  for  their  remissness  of  duty. 
Their  measures  were  two  fold.  They  eudeavored 
to  pacify  the  Indians,  and  at  the  same  time 
hastened  to  put  the  Province  on  a  war  footing, 
by  organizing  troops  and  building  a  line  of 
defenses  along  the  frontier.  Early  in  December 
1755  Governor  Morris  decided  to  summon  the 
Indians  to  a  conference  and  he  entrusted  the 
diplomatic  delivery  of  his  message  to  Aaron 
Depui,  Charles  Brodhead  and  Benjamin  Shoe- 
maker, all  of  the- county  of  Northampton,  but 
the  effort  toward  pacification  was  abortive.  By 
a  letter  from  James  Hamilton  to  Governor 
Morris  dated  Easton,  December  25,  it  appears 
that  Depui  was  then  still  at  home,  sick  and  it 
was  not  probable  that  he  would  be  able  to  carry 
the  message  to  Wyoming,  so  that  he  "  believed 
the  Expectation  of  the  Treaty  would  fall  to  the 
ground" — and  it  did. 

The  action  taken  toward  the  protection  of  the 
frontier,  which  we  shall  speak  of  fully  in  proper 
place,  was  more  effective  than  the  measures  to 
bring  about  conciliation,  and  it  ushered  into  the 
arena  of  military  life,  for  a  short  career,  one  of 
the  most  illustrious  characters  in  the  civil  his- 
tory of  America — Benjamin  Franklin. 

But  in  the  meantime  had  occurred  the  first 
organized  Indian  invasion  of  the  Minisink 
country — the  first  active  hostility  in  which  Tee- 
dyuscung's  hand  was  exhibited.  This  was  the 
strong-concerted  assault  upon  the  Brodheads,  on 
the  site  of  East  Stroudsburg  (then  known  as 
Dansbury  and  included  in  the  bounds  of  Smith- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


field),  aud  the  series  of  attacks  upon  other  set- 
tlers, chiefly  within  the  limits  of  the  present 
Monroe  County,  though  the  general  incursion 
extended  also  into  what  is  now  Pike  County ; 
and  its  effects  were  felt  still  further  north,  in 
Wayne  County,  and  along  the  Delaware  in  New 
Jersey  and  New  York. 

Upon  the  morning  of  the  11th  of  December 
1755,  a  large  body  of  Indians,  variously  esti- 
mated at  from  one  to  two  hundred,  suddenly  ap- 
peared at  Daniel  Brodhead's  settlement.  Here, 
besides  Brodhead  and  his  several  stalwart  sons, 
lived  several  other  families,  either  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  or  a  few  miles  away.  Ephraim 
Culver  had  built  a  mill  upon  the  Brodhead 
tract  this  very  year  and  was  living  there.  So 
also  was  Francis  Jones.  Not  far  away  were  the 
McMichaels  and  the  Carmichaels,  while  Jasper 
Payne1  had  only  a  few  days  before  vacated  the 
mission-house,  which  had  been  built  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Analoming  Creek,  where  it  is 
now  crossed  by  the  iron  bridge  in  Stroudsburg. 
Apprehension  of  danger  had  been  the  cause  of 
his  removal,  and  it  was  fortunate  that  he  had 
yielded  to  his  fears,  for  otherwise  he  would 
doubtless  have  fallen  a  victim  to  the  Indians. 

The  savages  fiercely  attacked  the  Brodhead 
house,  but  the  master  and  his  sons  had  barri- 
caded it,  and  they  made  a  vigorous  defense,  for 
they  were  well  armed,  accustomed  to  the  use  of 
the  rifle,  and,  having  had  reason  to  fear  an 
attack,  they  were  as  well  provided  to  with 
stand  it  as  any  single  family,  within  the  walls 
of  a  log  house  could  be.  The  Indians  did 
not  succeed  in  surprising  any  members  of  the 
household,  nor  could  they  steal  up  to  fire  the 
building,  for  eyes  and  rifles  commanded  every 
approach.  The  Indians  were  only  made  more 
fierce  by  meeting  this  strong  resistance,  and 
they  patiently  besieged  the  house,  in  the  mean- 
time, fireing  the  barn  and  other  outbuildings,  <  Sil- 
ver's mill,  and  the  mission  house,  and  sent  small 
bands  to  tall  upon  the  other  settlers  in  the  re- 
gion. All  day  long,  mingled  with  the  sound 
of  the  crackling  flames  at  Brodhead's,  resounded 
the  demoniac  yells  of  the  besieging  savages  and 

'He  was  a  native  of  Twickenham,  England,  and,  after 
his  removal  from  Dansbury,  became  the  landlord  of  the 
Sun  Inn,  at  Bethlehem. 


the  reports  of  near  and  distant  firing.  It  was 
a  perilous  time  for  the  inmates  of  that  little  log 
house,  surrounded  by  a  hundred  or  more  infu- 
riated Indians,  in  an  almost  unbroken  forest, 
literally  upon  the  frontier,  and  far  beyond  the 
hope  of  succor  from  the  larger  settlements;  but, 
if  the  courage  of  the  small  domestic  garrison 
ever  failed,  their  enemy  did  not  know  it,  and 
they  were  obliged  to  disperse  without  glutting 
their  thirst  for  blood.  It  was  supposed  that 
some  of  the  Indians  were  killed  by  rifle-shots 
from  the  house,  and  it  is  not  improbable,  as  the 
Brodhead  boys  were  famous  marksmen  ;  but  if 
any  were  killed  it  could  not  be  definitely  ascer- 
tained, for  the  Indians,  as  is  well  known,  had  a 
custom  of  carrying  their  fallen  from  the  field. 

The  Culvers  and  Francis  Jones,  who  was 
living  with  them,  fled,  and  none  too  soon,  for 
looking  back  when  only  a  few  miles  away  they 
saw  their  dwellings  and  the  mill  both  in  flames 
and  the  forms  of  men  moving  about  the  burn- 
ing buildings.  Thus  were  saved  from  the 
tomahawk  and  scalping  knife  eight  persons,  for 
the  Culver  family  consisted  of  Ephraim,  the 
father,  Elizabeth  his  wife,  Ephraim,  Jr.,  and 
four  girls.  Together  with  Jones  they  journeyed 
southward  through  the  forest  with  all  possible 
haste,  not  knowing  but  that  they  might  be  pur- 
sued, and  at  length  reached  Nazareth  where 
they  were  domiciled  in  the  famous  Whitefield 
House  and  remained  for  some  time."  Jones 
was  for  a  considerable  period  an  inmate  of  the 
"  Rose  Inn."3 

The  alarming  news  of  the  attack  on  Brod- 
heads  was  carried  to  Easton,  Philipsburg  and 
other  settlements  by  messengers  who  spread 
consternation  among  the  scattered  people  along 
their  paths,  and  indeed  created  great  alarm  in 
the  places  mentioned  whose  citizens  did  no1 
think  themselves  sufficiently  remote  to  be  be- 
yond the  reach  of  so  large  and  determined  a  band 
of  hostile  Indians  as  was  reported  in  Smith- 
field. 


1  "  Friedensthal   and   its    St.ciuka.deil    Mill  ;  a    Mo 
Chronicle,''  hy  Rev.  William  C.  Reichel,  p.  27. 

3"A  Red  Rose  from  the  Olden  Time"  (the  Rose  Inn), 
by  Maurice  C.  Jones,  p.  21.  The  Francis  Jones,  above  re- 
ferred to,  subsequently  returned  to  Smithfield,  entered  the 
Provincial  service  and  was  posted  at  Dietz's,  near  the 
Wind  Gap. 


THE  INDIAN   WAR,  1755-1763. 


37 


1  .luliii  McMichael,  Henry  Deysert  and  Job 
Bakehorn  arrived  in  Easton  from  the  scene  of 
the  outbreak,  upon  the  12th  of  December,  and 
made  a  deposition  of  what  they  knew,  which  was 
sworn  to  before  Justice  William  Parsons.  As 
it  forms  a  contemporary  account  of  the  first 
hostile  demonstration  of  the  Indians  in  the 
territory  which  is  our  especial  province,  and 
contains  some  items  of  information  not  hereto- 
fore  given,  it  is  reproduced  as  follows: 

"Thel2th  day  of  December,  1755,  personally  ap- 
peared before  nie,  William  Parsons,  one  of  bis  majes- 
ty's Justices  of  the  Peace,  for  the  county  of  North- 
ampton, John  McMichael,  Henrj  Deysert,  James  Tidd 

and  Job  Bakehorn,  Jr.,  who,  being  duly  sworn  on  the 
Holy  Evangelists  of  Almighty  God,  did  depose  and 
declare  that  yesterday  about  three  of  the  clock  in  the 
forenoon  two  Indian  men  came  from  towards  Brod- 
bead's  house,  who  fired  on  these  deponents  and  several 
others,  who  returned  the  tire  and  made  the  Indians 
turn  oil';  and  the  said  deponents,  James  Tidd  and  Job 
Bakehorn,  further  say  that  as  they  were  going  round 
the  stack  yard  of  the  said  McMichael,  where  they  all 
were,  they  saw,  as  they  verily  believe,  at  least  four  In- 
dians on  their  knees,  about  twenty  [lurches  from  the 
stack  yard,  who  fired  at  these  deponents.  And  these 
deponents  further  say,  that  they  were  engaged  in  the 

manner  aforesaid  with  the  Indians  at  least  three  quar- 
ters of  an  hour;  and  these  deponents,  John  McMich- 
ael anil  Henry  Deysert,  further  say  that  they  saw  the 
barn  of  the  said  Brodhead  on  fire  about  nine  of  the 
clock  in  the  morning,  which  continued  burning  till 
they  left  the  house,  being  about  four  in  the  afternoon, 
and  that  they  heard  shooting  and  crying  at  Brodhead'a 

house  almost  the  whole  day,  and  that  when  they  left 
McMichael's  house  the  dwelling  house  of  the  said 
Broadhead  was  yet  unburnt,  being,  as  they  supposed, 
defended  by  the  people  within.  And  these  deponents 
James  Tidd,  and  Job  Bakehorn,  further  say,  that  they 
did  not  come  to  McMichael's  house  until  about  three 
in  the  afternoon,  wlien  they  could  sec  the  barn  and 
barracks  Of  the  said  Brodhead  on  tire;  and  these  de- 
ponents further  say,  that  they  did  not  see  anyone 
killed  on  either  side,  but  James  Garland,  one  of  their 
company,  was  shot   through   the   hand   and   arm,  and 


•tits 


"Henry  McMichael, 
"  Henry  Deysert, 
"  Job  Bakehorn, 
"Sworn  at  Easton,  December  1:2,  1755, before  me. 
"WlLIilAM   Parsons." 

Iii  another  deposition  sworn  to  at  Philipsburg 
on  the  same  day  as  the  foregoing,  before  Henry 
Cole,  by  a  young  mail  who  fled  from  the  scene, 


it  was  stated  that  the  Indians,  as  near  as  he 
could  estimate,  were  about  one  hundred  iu  num- 
ber and  "  were  in  white  people's  clothing,  only 
a  few  match  coats." 

As  late  as  December  'iotli  James  Hamilton, 
writing  to  Governor  Morris  from  Easton,  where 
he  had  gone  on  a  government  errand,  says, — 

"  We  found  the  country  under  the  greatest  Conster- 
nation and  every  thing  that  has  been  said  of  the  dis- 
tress of  the  Inhabitants,  more  than  verified  upon  our 
own  view.  The  country  along  the  river  is  absolutely 
deserted  from  this  place  to  Brodhead's,  nor  can  there 
lie  the  least  communication  between  us  and  them,  but 

by  large  parties  of  armed  men,  everybody  being  afraid 
to  venture  without  that  security.  So  that  we  have  had 
no  accounts  from  there  for  several  days. 

"  Brodheads  was  stoutly  defended  by  his  sons  and 
others  till  the  Indians  thought  tit  to  retire,  without 
being  able  to  take  it  or  set  it  on  fire,  tho'  they  fre- 
quently attempted  it.  It  is  thought  several  of  them 
were  killed  in  the  attacks,  but  that  is  not  known  witli 
certainty."1 

On  the  same  day  that  the  trooping  horde 
surrounded  and  penned  in  the  Brodheads 
and  put  to  flight  the  Culvers  and  other  settlers 
of  the  vicinity,  a  small  band  dissevered  itself, 
and  striking  westward  through  the  forest  in 
search  of  isolated  settlers  whom  they  could 
murder  and  scalp,  came  to  the  new  farm  of 
Frederick  Hoeth,2  on  Pocopoco  Creek  (in  what 
is  now  Polk  township  of  Monroe  County).  The 
family  at  this  frontiersman's  was  gathered  about 
the  supper- table,  unmindful  of  their  approach- 
ing doom,  when  the  ludians  arrived.  The 
house  was  new  and  the  crevices  between  the 
logs  had  not  been  "chinked."  The  Indians, 
steathily  approaching  and  thrusting  their  guns 
into  these  cracks,  poured  a  murderous  fire  upon 
the  utisuspecting  inmates.  Two  persons  fell — 
Hoeth  himself  dead — and  a  woman  wounded. 
Several  more  shots  were  fired,  and  then  all  who 
could  do  so  ran  out  of  the  house  with  the 
forlorn  hope  of  effecting  their  escape.  The 
Indians  immediately  set  fire  to  the  house,  baru 

1  Col.  llec,  vol.  vi.,  p.  704. 

*  Hoeth  was  a  baker  by  trade,  from  Zweibrucken.  He 
immigrated  in  1748,  and  with  his  wife,  Johanette,  was 
among  the  members  of  the  Philadelphia  congregation  of 
Moravians  in  1 749.  He  purchased  seven  hundred  acres  of 
land  on  the  Pocopoco  Creek  in  1750  and  removed  there 
with  his  family  in  1752. 


38 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  grist-mill.  Hoeth's  wife  ran  into  the  bake- 
house, which  was  also  set  on  fire.  The  poor 
woman  ran  out  through  the  flames,  was  very 
much  burned,  and  in  a  mad  effort  to  relieve 
her  agony  ran  into  the  stream,  where  she  died. 
The  Indians  drew  her  out  and  mutilated  the 
inanimate  corpse  ina  horrible  manner — "cutting 
the  belly  open  and  used  her  otherwise  inhu- 
manly,"— said  one  who  had  cotemporary  knowl- 
edge of  the  facts.1  Three  children  were  burned, 
one  daughter  was  killed  and  scalped  and  two 
or  three  more  were  carried  away  into  captivity. 
One  of  the  Indians  was  killed  and  another 
wounded  in  this  attack,  but  how  is  not  stated 
in  the  brief  cotemporary  accounts  of  the  affair 
which  the  old  colonial  documents  afford. 

Several  families  in  the  vicinity  narrowly 
escaped  the  fury  of  the  party  who  murdered 
the  Hoeths.  The  Moravian  records  contain 
mention  of  one  of  them— a  poor  Palatine  and 
his  wife  who  arrived,  famished  and  exhausted, 
at  Friedensthal  upon  the  13th  of  December.  It 
was  late  at  night  when  word  was  brought  the  man 
that  the  Hoeths  had  been  slain  and  their  home 
burned.  There  was  not  a  moment  to  be  lost, 
and  so,  taking  his  wife  upon  his  shoulders  as 
she  lay  in  bed  (she  had  hut  lately  given  birth 
to  a  babe)  he  fled  for  his  life,2  as  scores  of 
others  did,  from  all  the  sparsely  settled  region 
round  about. 

Nearly  cotemporary  with  the  last  described 
atrocity  was  the  affair  at  Philip  Bossert's,  at 
the  locality  now  known  as  Bossertsville  (in 
Hamilton  township,  Monroe  County).  One 
Mulhausen,  a  Palatine,  while  breaking  flax  on 
Bossert's  farm,  was  shot  through  the  body  by 
an  unseen  Indian,  receiving  a  wound  which,  it 
was  feared,  would  prove  fatal.  One  of  Bos- 
sert's sons,  running  out  of  the  house  on  the  re- 
port of  the  gun,  was  shot  by  the  enemy  in  sev- 
eral places,  and  soon  died.  Hereupon  old  Philip 
appeared  upon  the  scene  of  action,  and  ex- 
changed shots  with  one  of  the  attacking  party, 


1  John  Michael  Hute's  deposition,  swore  to  before  William 
Parsons,  at  Eastou,  December  12th,  1755,— two  days  after 
the  murder.  Hute  was  from  near  Hoeth's  settlement.  See 
Col.  Rec.  Vol.  II. 

2  "  Friedensthal  and  its  Stockaded  Mill,"  by  William  C. 
Reichel,  p.  23. 


striking  him  in  the  small  of  the  back,  and  send- 
ing him  away  evidently  much  injured.  He, 
himself,  however,  received  a  flesh  wound  in  the 
arm.  At  this  juncture  some  of  Bossert's  neigh- 
bors came  to  the  rescue,  and  the  five  remaining 
Indians  (for  there  had  been  a  war  party  of  six) 
made  off.  Mulhausen  was  taken  to  the  Frie- 
densthal Mill  and  received  surgical  treatment, 
but  the  poor  man  died  on  the  3rd  of  March  fol- 
lowing (1756). 

About  the  same  time  a  party  of  savages  min- 
ing down  the  Delaware  valley  destroyed  An- 
drew Dingman's  house,  in  what  is  now  Dela- 
ware township,  in  Pike  County. 

These  attacks  it  must  by  no  means  be  sup- 
posed were  all  that  occurred  in  Northampton 
County,  above  the  mountains,  in  the  latter  part 
of  1755.  In  fact  they  did  not  form  a  tenth 
part  of  the  sum  of  bloodshed  and  burning  and 
pillaging  with  which  this  unhappy  region  was 
afflicted.  Of  the  greater  number  of  murders 
which  occurred  in  this  desultory  but  demoniac 
frontier  war  no  records  have  been  preserved. 
Isolated  cases  of  barbarity  were  lost  sight  of  in 
the  common  consternation  which  prevailed 
throughout  Northampton  County,  and,  indeed, 
through  all  inhabited  portions  of  the  Province 
down  to  within  a  distance  of  twenty  miles  from 
Philadelphia ;  for  while  few  murders  were  com- 
mitted south  of  the  mountains,  the  people  there 
were  constantly  apprehending  the  fate  which 
had  overtaken  their'  northern  neighbors. 

Teedyuscung's  followers  came  down  from 
Wyoming  and  the  North  Branch  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna, lay  concealed  in  the  "  Great  Swamp  " 
of  Pocono — which  then,  instead  of  years  after- 
wards, should  have  received  its  fitting  name,  the 
"Shades  of  Death  " — and  stole  stealthily  down 
upon  the  small  exposed  settlements,  precisely  as 
beasts  creep  at  night  from  the  covering  dark- 
ness of  the  jungles,  in  other  lands,  to  satiate 
their  appetite  for  blood.  Blow  after  blow  fell 
upon  the  defenceless  people,  whose  "planta- 
tions," as  they  then  were  commonly  called, 
sparsely  dotted  the  great  wilderness  of  northern 
Northampton.  Camp-fires  gleamed  through  the 
forest  from  the  Delaware  to  the  Susquehanna, 
and  ever  and  anon  the  more  lurid  flames  which  de- 
voured frontiersmen's  homes  lit  up  scenes  of  sav- 


THE  INDIAN  WAR,  1755-H 


:<9 


age  carnage  which  almost  affrighted  nature  itself; 
but  they  died  away  in  the  solitude  of  the  wood- 
covered  valleys  and  hills,  and  left  only  dumb 
evidences  of  devastation  and  murder,  in  the 
charred  timbers  of  the  cabins  and  mutilated 
human  remains,  which  often  lay  until  torn  as- 
under by  the  beasts  and  carrion  birds  and  dis- 
solved by  the  elements. 

So  good  an  authority  as  the  Secretary  of  the 
Province  at  the  close  of  this  year,  1 755,  in  a 
paper'  read  before  the  Council,  said  : 

"During  :ill  of  this  month,  (December)  the  Indians 
have  been  burning  and  destroying  nil  before  them  in 
thecountj  of  Northampton  and  have  already  burned 
fifty  houses  hen',  murdered  above  one  hundred  Per- 
sons and  arc  still  continuing  their  Ravages,  Murders 
and  Devastations  A  have  actually  overrun  and  laid 
waste  a  great  part  of  that  County,  even  as  tar  as 
within  twelve   miles  of  Eaaton.  *     *     This  is  a 

brief  accounl  of  the  progress  of  these  Savages  since  the 
18th  day  of  October,  on  which  day  was  committed  the 
lirst  Inroad  ever  made  by  Indians  upon  this  Province 
since  its  first  Settlement,  and  in  consequence  hereof 
all  our  Frontier  Country,  which  extends  from  the 
River  Patowmac  to  the  River  Delaware,  not  less  than 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  length  and  between 
twenty  and  thirty  in  breadth,  hut  not  fully  settled,  has 
been  entirely  deserted,  the  Houses  and  Improvements 
reduced  to  Ashes,  the  Cattle,  Horses,  ( irain,  Goods  A; 
Effects  <>f  the  Inhabitants  either  destroyed,  burned  or 
carried  off  by  the  Indians.  Whilst  the  Poor  Planters, 
with  their  Wives,  Children  and  Servants,  who  could 
get  away,  being  without  arms  or  any  kind  of  Defence 
have  been  obliged  in  this  severe  season  of  the  year  to 
abandon  their  Habitations  naked  and  without  any  sup- 
port, and  throw  themselves  on  the  Charity  of  the  other 
Inhabitants  within  the  Interior  Parts  of  the  Province 
upon  whom  they  are  a  heavy  Burthen. 

"Such  shocking  Descriptions  arc  given  by  those  who 
have  escaped  of  the  horrid  Cruelties  and  indecencies 
committed  by  these  merciless  Savages  on  the  Bodies 
of  the  unhappy  wretches  who  fell  into  their  Barbarous 
hands,  especially  the  Women,  without  regard  to  Sex 
Or  Age  as  far  exceeds  those  related  of  the  most  aban- 
doned Pirates;  Which  has  occasioned  a  general  con- 
sternation and  has  struck  so  great  a  Panic  and  Damp 
upon  the  spirits  of  the  People,  that  hitherto  they  have 
not  been  able  to  make  any  considerable  resistance  or 
stand  against  the  Indians." 

As  one  after  another  the  savage  strokes  of 


1  "A  Brief  Narrative  of  the  Incursions  ami  Ravages  of 
the  French  &  Indians  in  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania," 
read  by  the  Secretary  to  the  Provincial  Council,  Dec.  29, 
1755.     Col.  Records,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  766-68. 


death  and  destruction  fell  upon  the  exposed  set- 
tlements, the  people  who  escaped  fled  to  Easton 
and  the  Moravian  towns,  which  became  literally 
asylums  for  these  distressed  people,  driven  from 
their  homes. 

The  precipitate  evacuation  of  the  country  be- 
gan on  the  night  of  the  Gnadeuhutten  massa- 
cre and  received  a  fresh  impetus  with  every  ap- 
pearance of  the  savages.  Every  day  during  the 
last  months  of  the  year,  some  poor,  terrified, 
travel-worn  fugitives  were  received  in  the  older 
and  larger  settlements.  "  They  came,"  says  one 
chronicler,  "  like  hound-driven  sheep,  a  motley 
crowd  of  men,  women  and  children — Palatines, 
many  of  them,  with  uncouth  names  ;  some  ol 
them,  as  we  read,  '  with  clothes  not  lit  to  be  seen 
of  mankind  ;'  and  some  with  scarce  a  sufficiency 
of  rags  to  cover  their  nakedness."  And  so  it 
came  about  that,  upon  the  29th  of  January, 
175(i,  there  were  almost  five  hundred  refugees 
in  the  Moravian  settlements  alone — two  hun- 
dred and  fifty-three  at  Nazareth,  fifty-two  at 
Gnadenthal,  forty-eight  at  Christians'  Spring, 
twenty-one  at  "  The  Rose  Inn"  and  seventy- five 
at  Friedensthal.  Of  this  number  two  hundred 
and  twenty-six  were  children.-  The  year  had 
closed  gloomily  enough,  for  even  the  Moravian 
settlements,  far  below  the  mountains,  had  been 
threatened,  and  their  inhabitants  had  good 
grounds  for  apprehending  that  the  threats  would 
be  carried  out.  The  country  north  of  the 
mountains  was  almost  completely  deserted,  and 
there  were  evidences  of  devastation  in  nearly 
every  locality,  which,  at  the  opening  of  the 
year,  had  shown  only  signs  of  peace  and  pros- 
perity springing  up  where  had  fallen  the  first 
footprints  of  civilization. 

But  during  this  time  of  terror  the  provincial 
government  (as  heretofore  indicated)  had  not 
been  idle,  and  the  best  measures  possible  for 
protecting  the  frontier  had  been  resorted  to. 

Governor  Robert  Hunter  Morris  had,  in  con- 
junction with  the  council,  taken  action  toward 
placing  the  province  on  a  war  footing  immedi- 
ately after  the  massacre  at  Gnadenhutteu.  It 
was  then  that  Benjamin  Franklin,  metaphori- 
cally at  least,  doffed  the  philosopher's  gown  and 


Friedensthal.     By  William  C.  Reichel,  p.  22. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


donned  the  soldier's  garb,  becoming  oue  of  the 
chief  agents  of  the  governor  in  planning  and 
executing  measures  for  the  defense  of  the  fron- 
tier. He  was  appointed  early  in  December, 
1755,  and  he  lost  no  time  in  undertaking  the 
work  entrusted  to  him.  He  arrived  at  Bethle- 
hem upon  the  eighteenth  of  the  month,  with 
Commissioners  Hamilton  and  Fox,  escorted  by 
Captain  Trump's  company  of  fifty  men  from 
Bucks  County,  whose  "  arms,  ammunition  and 
blankets,  and  a  hogshead  of  rum  for  their  use, 
had  been  forwarded  to  Easton  in  advance." 

Franklin  divided  his  time  between  Easton 
and  Bethlehem,  making  his  headcpiarters  at  the 
latter  place  from  the  7th  to  the  15th  of  January. 
He  was  to  secure  the  erection  of  several  forts 
in  a  line  of  extend  from  the  Delaware  to  the 
Susquehanna,  on  a  line  north  of  and  parallel  to 
the  Blue  Mountains,  and  to  raise  troops  to  gar- 
rison them.  "  I  had  no  difficulty,"  he  says  in 
his  autobiography,  "  in  raising  men,  having 
soon  five  hundred  and  sixty  under  my  com- 
mand." These  soldiers  or  minute  men  were 
comprised  in  the  following  companies,  viz.  : 
Captain  William  Parson's  company,  twenty- 
four  men,  and  McLaughlin's  detachment,  twenty 
men,  from  Easton;  Captains  Trump's,  Aston's 
and  Wayne's,  of  fifty  men  each  (except  the  last, 
which  contained  fifty-five),  from  Bucks  County; 
Captain  Volck's  (or  Foulk's)  company  of  forty- 
six  men  from  "  Allemangel  "  (now  Lynn  town- 
ship, of  Lehigh  County);  Captain  Trexler's 
company  of  forty-eight  men,  from  townships  of 
Northampton  (now  in  Lehigh  County) ;  Cap- 
tain Wetterholt's  company  of  forty-four  men 
from  the  same  region  ;  Captain  Arndt's,  of  fifty 
men,  from  Bucks  County;  Captains  Craig's, 
Martin's  and  Hay's  companies,  from  "  the  Irish 
settlement,"  in  Northampton  County ;  and  Cap- 
tain Van  Etteu's  company  of  thirty  men,  from 
Upper  Smithfield.  Besides  these,  there  was  a 
company  of  sixty  men  from  New  Jersey,  under 
command  of  Colonel  John  Anderson,  and  no 
doubt  a  number  of  smaller  bodies  of  which  no 
record  has  been  preserved.  Some  of  these 
companies  served  without  pa}-  and  furnished 
their  own  arms  and  ammunition,  but  most  of  the 
men  received  about  six  dollars  per  month  and 
subsistence. 


Immediately  after  his  arrival  at  Bethlehem, 
Franklin  reported,  by  letter,  to  Governor  Mor- 
ris as  to  what  he  found  there,  and  indicated  his 
plans  for  the  protection  of  the  frontier.  Speak- 
ing of  the  region  which  is  the  especial  field  of 
this  work,  he  said — 

"  I  have  .  .  allowed  thirty  men  to  secure  the 
township  of  Upper  Smithfield  "  (the  region  now  in- 
eluded  in  Pike  County),  "  and  commissioned  Van  Et- 
ten  and  Hinsliaw  (Hyndshaw),  Captain  and  Lieuten- 
ant.'' 

The  sage,  a  little  later,  sent  Captain  John 
Van  Etten,  whom  he  calls  "  Yanetta,"  the  fol- 
lowing interesting  letter  of  instructions,  in 
which,  among  other  things,  he  makes  mention 
of  a  reward  offered  for  Indian  scalps  : 

"  At  Bethlehem,  in  the  County  of 
"  Northampton,  January  12, 1756. 
"To   Captain   Vanetta,  of   the   township   of  Upper 
Smithfield— 

"  You  are  to  proceed  immediately  to  raise  a  com- 
pany of  Foot  consisting  of  30  able  Men,  including 
two  Sergeants,  with  which  you  are  to  protect  the  in- 
habitants of  Upper  Smithfield,  assisting  them  while 
they  thresh  out  and  Secure  their  Corn,  and  Scouting 
from  time  to  time,  as  you  judge  necessary,  on  the 
outside  of  the  settlements,  with  such  of  the  Inhhab- 
itants  as  may  join  you,  to  discover  the  Enemy's  Ap- 
proaches, and  repel  their  attacks. 

"  2.  For  the  better  Security  of  the  Inhabitants  of 
that  District,  you  are  to  post  your  men  as  follows: 
Eight  at  your  own  house.     Eight  at  Lieutenant  Hin- 

shaw's ;  Six  with  a  sergeant   at  Tishock  ■ ,  and 

Six  with  another  Sergeant  at  or  near  Henry  Coot- 
racht's ;  and  you  are  to  Settle  Signals  or  Means  of 
Suddenly  alarming  the  Inhabitants,  and  convening 
your  whole  Strength  with  the  Militia  of  your  District 
on  any  necessary  Occasion. 

"  3.  Every  man  is  to  be  engaged  for  one  month,  and 
as  the  Province  cannot,  at  present  furnish  Arms  or 
Blankets  to  your  Company,  you  are  to  allow  every 
man  enlisting  and  bringing  his  own  arms  &  Blanket, 
a  Dollar  for  the  use  thereof  over  and  above  his  pay. 

"  4.  You  are  to  furnish  your  Men  with  Provisions, 
not  exceeding  the  Allowance,  mentioned  in  the  Paper 
herewith  given  you,  and  your  reasonable  Accounts 
for  the  same  shall  be  allowed  and  paid. 

"  5.  You  are  to  keep  a  Diary  or  Journal  of  every 
day's  transactions,  and  an  exact  Account  of  the  Time 
when  each  man  enters  himself  with  you,  and  if  any 
Man  desert  or  die  you  are  to  note  the  Time  in  your 
Journal,  and  the  Time  of  engaging  a  new  Man  in  his 
Place,  and  submit  your  Journal  to  the  inspection  of 
the  Governor  when  required. 

"  6.  You  are  to  acquaint  the  men,  that  if  in  their 
ranging  they  meet  with,  or  are  at  any  time  attacked 


THE  INDIAN  WAR,  1755-1703. 


by  the  Enemy,  and  kill  any  ot'  them,  Forty  Dollars 
will  be  allowed  and  paid  by  the  Government  for  each 
Scalp  of  an  Indian  enemy  so  killed,  the  same  pro- 
duced with  proper  attestations.1 

"7.  You  are  to  take  care  that  your  stores  and  pro- 
visions lie  not  wasted. 

"  8.  Ii'  by  any  Means  you  gain  Intelligence  of  the 
Designs  of  the  Enemy,  or  the  March  of  any  of  their 
parties  toward  any  part  of  the  Frontier,  you  are  to 
send  advice  thereof  to  the  Governor  and  to  the  other 
Companies  in  the  Neighborhood,  as  the  Occasion  may 
require. 

"  !i.  You  are  to  keep  good  Order  among  your  Men, 
and  prevent  Drunkenness  and  other  Immoralities,  as 
much  as  may  be,  and  not  Suffer  them  to  do  any  In- 
jury to  the  Inhabitants  whom  they  come  to  protect. 

"  10.  You  are  to  take  Care  that  the  Men  keep  their 
Arms  clean  and  in  good  Order  and  that  their  Powder 
be  always  kept  dry  and  fit  for  Use. 

"  11.  You  are  to  make  up  your  Muster  Roll  at  the 
Mouth's  End  in  order  to  receive  the  Pay  of  your 
Company,  and  to  make  Oath  to  the  Truth  thereof  be- 
fore a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  then  transmit  the 
same  to  the  Governor.2 

"  B.  Franklin." 

The  frontier  defenses  which  Franklin  was 
called  upon  to  establish,  as  before  intimated, 
were  to  consist  of  a  line  of  forts  from  the  Dela- 
ware to  the  Susquehanna,  but  his  responsibility 
appears  to  have  been  confined  to  those  from  the 
Lehigh  eastward.  He  personally  superintended 
the  construction  of  Fort  Allen  upon  the  right 
bank  of  the  Lehigh  (where  Weissport,  Carbon 
County,  now  stands),  and  he  exercised  control 
over  the  location  of  Forts  Norris,  Hamilton 
and  Hyndshaw,  all  three  in  what  is  now  Mon- 
roe Count)',  the  last  near  the  Bushkill,  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  Delaware.  Brod- 
head's  house  at  Dansbury,  (ou  the  site  of  East 
Stroudslmrg)  and  Samuel  Depui's,  on  the  Dela- 
ware in  Smith  field  township,  at  the  mouth  of 
Mill  creek  were  also  stockaded. 

The  line  of  defense  was  also  extended  up  the 
Delaware  by  the  New  Jersey  people,  while 
some  block-houses    were  built  along    the    same 


1  Similar  information  was  furnished  by  Franklin  to  Cap- 
tain Isaac  Wayne  in  a  letter  or  order  written  in  January, 
1750.  '' You  are,"  lie  says,  "to  inform  the  men  of  your 
company  that  they  shall  receive  a  reward  from  the  Govern- 
ment of  forty  pieces  of  right  for  every  Indian  they  shall  kill 
and  scalp  in  any  action  they  may  have  with  them  which  I 
hereby  promise  to  pay  upon  producing  the  scalps." — Penn. 
Archives,   Vol.  ii.  p.  -r)42. 

2  Penn.  Archives,  Vol.  ii.  546-47. 


river  in  Orange  and  Sullivan  Counties,  New- 
York,  and.  one  on  the  Pennsylvania  side  of  the 

river  in  what  is  now  Damascus  township, 
Wayne  County.  This  was  at  the  mouth  of 
Calkin's  creek,  and  it  was  built  by  Moses  Thom- 
as and  Simeon  Calkins  and  their  sons,  who 
were  si | natter  settlers  there.  During  the  latter 
part  of  the  Indian  war  of  1755— 170-i,  after  the 
Connecticut  settlers  had  located  in  this  vicinity, 
t lie  Indians  gave  them  some  trouble,  ami  mur- 
dered at  least  one  of  their  number. 

None  of  these  forte,  or  block-houses,  above 
Fort  Hyndshaw  were  erected  under  the  general 
plan  for  the  defense  of  the  frontier,  which  was 
undertaken  by  the  Pennsylvania  authorities. 
Those  along  the  east  bank  of  the  Delaware,  in 
the  Minisink  region,  were  established  by  the 
New  Jersey  government,  upon  the  representa- 
tion of  Judge  Abram  Van  Campen,  he  having 
repaired  in  1756,  after  the  murders  in  North- 
ampton County,  to  Elizabethtown,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  acquainting  the  provincial  authorities 
of  the  defenseless  condition  of  the  frontier. 

( )f  the  forts  within  the  territory  of  which  we 
here  treat,  it  is  probable  that  Fort  Hamilton, 
on  the  site  of  Stroudsburg,3  was  the  first  one 
built.  Franklin  writing  to  Governor  Morris, 
December  18,  1755,  says:  "Captain  Wayne 
tells  me  that  Trump  expects  the  first  fort  will 
be  built  next  week."  Captain  Trump  undoubt- 
edly built  it,  and  he  had  command  of  it  for  a 
time,  and  was  there  with  a  body  of  men  as  early 
as  January  15,  1756/ 

Upon  that  date,  we  are  told  by  a  trustworthy 
Moravian  historian/'  "a  company  of  refugees  set 
out  from  Bethlehem  for  the  mountains,  to  look 
after  their  farms  and  cattle.  Among  them  being- 
Christian  Boemper, — a  son  of  Abraham  Boem- 
per,  and  son-in-law    of  Frederick  Hoeth,  who 

::  The  fort  occupied  ground  which  can  now  be  best  located 
by  the  statement  that  it  is  in  the  rear  of  Judge  Samuel  S. 
Dreher's  law  office,  on  Elizabeth  or  Main  Street. 

'  While  the  men  of  Captain  Trump's  company  were  en- 
gaged in  building  the  fort,  and  probably  for  some  time  aft- 
erward, they  were  supplied  with  bread  baked  in  a  large 
family  oven  at  Nazareth,  detachments  being  seat  down 
from  the  fort  regularly  to  convey  it  to  their  hungry  com- 
rades. "A  Red  Rose  from  the  <~>lilen  Time."  (The  Kose  lnu.) 
edited  by  William  C.  Reichel,  p.  16. 

5  Win.  C.  Reichel,  in   "  Friedensthal,"  p.  25. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


had  bee urdered  a  month  before,—  and  Adam 

Hold,  his  servant,  a  Redemptioner.  The  party 
and  some  soldiers  who  escorted  them,  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Indians,  near  Schupp's  Mill, 
Hold  alone  escaping  with  asevere  flesh  wound 

in  the  arm The  killed,  according 

to  Captain  Trump,  were  Christian  Boemper, 
Felty  Hold,  Michael  Hold,  Lawrence  Kunckle 
and  four  privates  of  his  company,  then  sl<iti<>t,<<l 
iii  Fori  Hamilton." 

Franklin  himself  went  to  the  site  of  Weiss- 
port.,  and  luiilt  Fort  Allen,  which  he  named,  as 
he  says  in  a  Letter  to  Governor  Morris,  "  in  hon- 
or of  our  old  friend,"    meaning   Chief  Justice 

William  Allen,  a  large  land-holder  and  the 
father  of  .lames  Allen,  who  laid  out  Allentown. 
lie  left  Bethlehem  at  the  head  of  a  little  army 
January  15,  1756,  and  erected  the  work  of  de- 
fense during  that  and  the  following  month.  It 
was  an  oblong,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
feet  in  length  and  fifty  in  width,  and  was  com- 
posed of  a  stockade  twelve  feet  high,  in  which 
most  of  the  palings  were  a  foot  thick.  It  had 
four  bastions,  on  one  of  which  was  mounted 
a  swivel  gun.  A  well  was  dug  under  Frank- 
lin's orders,  which  is  still  In  use.  Good  bar- 
racks buildings  and  a  guard-house  and  maga- 
zine were  erected  within  the  walls.  After  he 
had  been  at  Gnadcnhuttcii  nineteen  days,  Frank- 
lin returned  to  Bethlehem,  and  thence  went  to 
Philadelphia,  and  thus  closed  the  brief  military 
career  of  a  man  destined  to  achieve  a  vastly 
greater  renown  in  civil  life.  He  had  no  expe- 
rience in  actual  warfare,  but  in  the  provisions 
which  he  made  for  the  protection  of  the  frontier, 
he  exhibited  the  same  strong  common  sense  and 
varied  ingenuity,  which  in  other  lines  of  action 
did  much  to  make  his  fame. 

Colonel  Clapham, a  New  England  officer,  who 
had  had  much  experience  in  Indian  warfare  was 
invested  with  command  of  the  fort  by  Franklin 
upon  his  retirement.  Later  it  had  various 
commanders.  It  was  regularly  garrisoned  for 
a  period  of  five  years — 1750  to  17(>1  inclusive — 
and  after  the  expiration  of  (hat  period,  was  oc- 
casionally occupied  by  soldiers.  Forts  Hamil- 
ton and  Nori'is  appear  to  have  been  garrisoned 
during  the  same  period  that  troops  were  kept  at 
Fort  Allen. 


Fort  Hamilton,  which  we  have  shown  was 
built  late  in  L755  or  in  January  1706  was 
visited  June  24th,  1756  by  James  Young, 
"  Commissary  General  of  ye  Musters"  who  made 
a  general  tour  of  inspection  to  all  of  the  frontier 
posts  of  Northampton  and  Berks  Counties.  In 
his  journal  he  says:  "At  4  A.  M.,  sett  out 
from  Bossarts,  at  6  came  to  Fort  Hamilton  at 
about  seven  miles  from  Bossarts,  a  good  wagon 
road,  and  the  land  better  than  any  I  have  seen 
on  the  No.  side  of  the  mountain.  Fort  Hamil- 
ton stands  in  a  corn-field  by  a  farm-house,  in  a 
Plain  and  Clear  country.  It  is  a  square  with 
4  half  Bastions  all  Very  ill  Contrived  and 
finished  ;  the  Staccades  open  six  inches  in  many 
Places,  and  not  firm  in  the  ground  and  may  be 
easily  pulled  clown.  Before  the  gates  are  some 
Staccades  drove  in  the  Ground  to  Cover  it 
which  I  think  might  be  a  great  Shelter  to  an 
Enemy.  I  therefore  ordered  to  pull  them 
down :  I  also  ordered  to  fill  up  the  other 
Staccades  where  open." 

"  The  Provincial  Stores"  on  hand  at  Fort 
Hamilton,  were  "  1  Wall  Piece,  14Gd  Muskets, 
4  wants  repair,  16  Cartootch  boxes,  filled  with 
Powder  and  Lead,  28  lbs.  Powder,  30  lbs. 
Lead,  10  Axes,  1  Broad  Axe,  26  Tomhaukes, 
28  Blankets,  3  Drawing  Knives,  3  Splitting 
knives, 2  adses, 2  Saws,  1  Brass  kettle."  "I  found 
here  a  Lieut,  and  Eight  men.  7  were  gone  to 
Easton  with  a  Prisoner,  Deserted  from  Gen. 
Shirleys  Kegt. ' " 

In  April  1757  it  was  arranged  that  "the 
long  frontier  between  Susquehanna  and  Dela- 
ware was  to  be  defended  by  Col.  Weiser's 
Battalion  and  all  the  forts  reduced  to  three" — 
of  which  Fort  Hamilton  was  to  be  one,  with  a 
garrison  of  one  hundred    men.     Colonel    James 

Burdwho  visited  the  Fort  in says  in   his 

Journal,  "It  is  a  very  poor  stockade,  with  one 
large  house  in  the  middle  of  it,  and  some  fami- 
lies living  in  it." 

This  Fort  was  named  after  James  Hamilton 
of  the  Governor's  Council. 

FortNorris,  located  near  the  present  west 
line  of  Monroe  County  in  Polk  township  on 
II oeth's  Creek,    now    called    Big    Creek — was 


Penn.  Archives,  Vol.  ii.  p.  079. 


THE  INDIAN  WAR,  1755-1763. 


probably  the  third  fori  built  in  the  Lehigh — 
Delaware  region,  (Fort  Hamilton  being  con- 
sidered the  first  and  Fort  Allen  at  Gnaden- 
lmtten,  the  second).  It  was  built  early  in  1756 
ami  was  Darned  after  Isaac  Norris,  speaker  of 
the  Provincial  Assembly.  The  earliest  descrip- 
tion of  it  which  has  been  preserved  is  that 
given  by  Commissary  General  James  Young, 
who  visited  it  in  June  1756,  and  says  in  his 
Journal  under  date  of  the  23d  :  "  At  8  A.  M., 
set  out  (from  the  Lehigh  Gap)  for  Fort  Norris  5 
first  6  miles  a  good  wagon  road,  along  the  foot 
of  the  North  Mountain,  the  other  seven  miles 
hilly  and  stony — passed  three  plantations  on 
the  road,  all  deserted  and  houses  burnt  down. 
At  11a.  M.,  came  to  Fort  Norris;  found  here 
a  Sergeant  commanding  21  men,  the  Ensign 
with  12  men  out  ranging  the  woods  towards 
Fort  Allen,  the  Captain  at  Philadelphia  for  the 
people's  pay  since  16th;  other  Sergeant  at 
Easton  ou  furlough  since  20th.  This  fort 
stands  in  a  valley  about  midway  between  the 
North  Mountain  and  the  Tusearory,  6  miles 
from  each,  on  the  high  road  towards  the 
Minisink  ;  it  is  a  square  about  eighty  feet  each 
way,  with  4  half  bastions,  all  very  completely 
stockaded  and  finished,  and  very  defenceable  ; 
the  woods  are  clear  400  yards  around  it ;  ou 
the  bastions  are  two  Swivel  guns  mounted  ; 
within  is  a  good  barrack,  a  guard-room,  store- 
room and  kitchen,  also  a  good  well.  At  1 
o'clock  the  Ensign  with  twelve  men,  returned 
from  ranging  the  woods — had  seeu  no  Indians. 
Mustered  the  whole,  34  in  number — stout, 
able  men ;  the  arms  loaded  and  clean,  the 
cartouch  boxes  filled  with  12  rounds  per  man. 
Provisions,  a  large  quantity  of  beef,  very  ill 
cured,  standing  in  tubs  ;  a  quantity  of  biscuits 
and  flour  and  about  fifty  gallous  of  rum."  The 
Provincial  stores  on  hand  were  "thirteen  good 
muskets  (and  many  more  not  very  good)  38 
cartouch  boxes,  100  pounds  of  powder,  300 
pounds  of  lead,  112  blankets,  39  axes,  3  broad 
axes,  80  tomahawks  6  shovels,  2  grubbing  hoes, 
5  spades,  5  drawing  knives,  9  chissels,  3  adzes, 
3  hand-saws,  2  augers,  2  splitting  knives" — a 
very  well  supplied  armory  and  tool-house.  Fort 
Norris  appears  to  have  been  in  all  respects  a 
model     frontier     post.     Its    commander     was 


Captain  Weatherhold  or  Wetterholt,  a  very 
competent  officer.  Young  states  that  on  his 
arrival  at  the  fort  the  Captain  hail  gone  to 
Philadelphia.  He  had  started  and  gone  a  few 
miles  when  he  was  overtaken  by  a  messenger 
and  being  told  of  the  presence  of  "ye  Com- 
missary General  of  ye  Musters"  at  his  post, 
returned.  He  proposed  to  go  with  Young  to 
Depui's  where  he  informed  him  his  lieutenant 
and  twenty-six  men  were  stationed,  and  thither 
we  follow  them,  stopping  as  they  do  at  Bosserts, 
(which  was  a  place  of  rendezvous  and  defence, 
most  of  the  time  during  the  Indian  war,  though 
not  a  regularly  established  fort,)  and  making 
with  them  a  detour  to  Fort  Hyndshaw. 

"At  3  ]-.  St.,  (June  23, 1756)  says  the  Journal, 
we  set  out  from  Fort  Norris.  ...  At  6 
i'.  M.,  we  came  to  Philip  Bosserts,1  a  fanner  12 
miles  from  Fort  Norris.  Here  we  stayed  all 
night.  In  our  way  to  this  house  the  road  very 
hilly  and  barren.  Past  by  three  Plantations 
Deserted  and  the  Houses  Burnt  down.  In 
Bosserts  house  are  6  Families  from  other  Plan- 
tations." 

It  was  near  here  that  Peter  Hess,  Nicholas 
Coleman  and  one  Gottleib,  were  killed  in  Feb- 
ruary 1756  by  a  party  of  Indians,  supposed  to 
have  been  led  by  Teedyuscung  in  person. 
Hess'  body  was  found  in  the  woods  two  miles 
from  Bosssert's  on  the  25th  of  June,  when 
Young  stopped  there  on  his  return  trip. 

From  Bossert's  Young  went  to  Fort  Ham- 
ilton early  in  the  morning  of  the  24th  of  June, 
but,  as  we  have  already  seen  that  post  through 
his  eyes,  we  pass  on.  The  same  morning,  still 
accompanied  by  Captain  Weatherhold,  the  com- 
missary, went  to  Samuel  Depui's,  but  as  the 
lieutenant  had  not  made  out  the  muster-roll,  he 
turned  his  steps  northward  and  journeyed  up 
the  Delaware  to  Fort  Hyndshaw,  which  he 
says  in  his  journal,  "  is  ten  miles  higher  up 
the  river."  He  says  that  there  was  "a  good, 
plain  road  from  Depui's  and  many  plantations, 
but  all  Deserted  aud  the  houses  Chiefly  Burned." 

Fort  Hyndshaw,  says  Youug,  "  is  a  Square 
70  feet  each  way,  very  slightly  Stoccaded.  I 
gave    some    directions   to   alter    the    Bastions, 


1  See  chapter  on  Hamilton  township,  in  Monroe  County. 


u 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


which  at  present  are  of  very  little  use.  It  is 
clear  all  around  for  300  yards,  and  stands  on 
the  banks  of  a  large  creek  and  about  /,  mile 
from  the  river  Delaware,1  and  I  think  it  a 
very  important  Place  for  the  Defense  of  this 
frontier.  At  3  P.M.  I  mustered  the  people  and 
found  them  agreeable  to  the  Lieut. 's  Roll,  Regu- 
larly enlisted.  .  .  .  Found  at  this  fort  Lieut. 
Jas.  Hyndshaw  with  25  men.  He  told  me  the 
Captain,  (Van  Etten)  with  5  men,  was  gone  up 
the  River  yesterday  and  did  not  expect  him 
back  before  two  days.  They  had  been  informed 
from  the  Jerseys  that  6  Indians  had  been  seen 
and  fired  at  the  night  before  18  miles  up  the 
River." 

The  Provincial  stores  here  were  "11  good 
muskets,  14  rounds  of  powder  and  lead,  for  30 
men,  4  pounds  powder,  30  blankets."  Young 
ordered  more  powder  and  lead  to  be  sent  up 
from  Fort  Norris.  It  may  be  added  that  the 
colonial  records  mention  that  the  Fort  was 
further  supplied  with  ammunition  from  Eastern, 
by  Colonel  William  Parsons,  in  August,  175(>." 

Captain  John  Van  Patten,  it  may  be  re- 
marked, appears  to  have  commanded  at  Fort 
Hyndshaw  until  as  late  as  June  14,  1757, 
when  he  received  orders  from  the  governor  to 
remove  to  Fort  Hamilton.  On  the  19th  he  left 
Fort  Hyndshaw  with  all  the  baggage,  and 
arrived  safely  at  Fort  Hamilton  the  next  day. 
Lieutenant  Hyndshaw  came  to  the  place  seven 
days  later,  with  a  conflicting  order  from  Colonel 
Weiser,  giving  him  command  of  Fort  Hamilton, 
but  Van  Etten  appears  to  have  remained  there. 

Just  a  mouth  after  Young's  visit  (July  24, 
1756),  Captain  A7 an  Etten  wrote  from  Fort 
Hyndshaw  of  a  collision  with  the  Indians  two 
days  before  :  "On  the  22"J,  about  fifteen  miles 
from  this  fort,  he  sent  out  a  sergeant  and  4 
men  to  guard  some  farmers  in  their  harvest. 
They  had  an  interview  with  some  Indians  who 


1  Authorities  almost  unanimously  agree  that  the  exact 
site  of  Fort  Hyndshaw  was  on  the  hill  in  front  of  Jacob 
Place's  hotel.  It  is  said  that  there  are  still — or  were  in 
1880 — indications  that  the  fort  was  thus  located,  in  the 
marks  upon  the  large  maple-trees  at  the  right  of  the  road, 
after  entering  it  from  the  river  road,  these  marks  being 
supposed  to  be  the  sears  left  by  balls  fired  from  :i  swivel  gun 
in  the  fort. 
|j   2  See  also  Peim.  Archives  (Appendix,  p.  379.) 


from  their  conversation  (especially  after  a  recent 
murder  had  been  mentioued)  excited  suspicion 
and  ran  off.  Van  Etten  fired  at  one,  only  par- 
tially wounding  (sic)  him  with  shot ;  Another 
Indian  running  off,  9  guns  were  fired  at  and 
killed  him."  This  appears  to  have  been  one 
of  the  few  instances  of  wanton  killing  of  the 
Indians  by  whites. 

But  we  return  to  Commissary  Young  to  gain 
a  first  glimpse  of  Fort  Depui,3  the  only  one  of 
the  posts  in  the  region  north  of  the  mountains 
remaining  to  be  described.  He  came  back  to 
this  place  on  the  evening  of  the  24th  of  June, 
and  in  his  Journal  says  : 

"At  7  P.M.  came  to  Saml.  Depui's,  Mustered  that 
part  of  Captain  Weatherholt's  company  that  are  sta- 
tioned here,  a  Lieut,  and  26  men,  all  regularly  en- 
listed for  G  months,  as  are  the  rest  of  his  company. 
Bound  Depui's  house  is  a  large  square,  but  very  slight 
and  ill  contrived,  stockade,  with  a  swivel  gun  mounted 
on  each  corner.  Mr.  Depui  was  not  at  home,  his  sou, 
with  a  son  of  Mr.  Brodhead,  keeping  house.  They 
expressed  themselves  as  if  they  thought  the  Province 
was  obliged  to  them  for  allowing  this  party  to  be  in 
their  house ;  also  made  use  of  very  Arrogant  Expres- 
sions!'I' the  Commissioners  and  the  People  of  Phila.,in 
General."     .     .     . 

There  were  reported  here  only  thirteen  good 
muskets,  but  that  number  represented  only  those 
included  in  "  Provincial  Stores,"  and  doubtless 
many  of  the  men  on  duty  here,  as  well  as  at  the 
other  forts,  had  brought  with  them  their  own 
trusty  rifles. 

Tt  is  quite  possible  that  YToung's  unfavorable 
report  on  Depui's  may  have  been  influenced  by 
pique  at  the  manner  in  which  he  was  received. 
Col.  James  Burd,  who  visited  the  fort  on 
Search  2,  1758,  tells  quite  a  different  story 
about  it,  viz.  : 

"This  is  a  very  fine  plantation,  situate  upon  the 
river  Delaware.  .  .  .  There  is  a  pretty  good 
stockade  here  and  four  swivels  mounted,  and  good 
accommodations  for  soldiers.  .  .  .  Found  here 
twenty -two  good  men,  fifty  pounds  of  powder,  one 
hundred  and  twenty -five  pounds  of  lead,  no  flints,  a 


3  Depui's  was  visited  immediately  after  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war,  in  January,  1750,  by  Captain  Isaac  Wayne, 
who  went  there  in  command  of  some  soldiers  by  order  ot 
Benjamin  Franklin,  and  thence  retired  to  Nazareth.  The 
Stockade  was  possibly  constructed  under  Wayne's  super- 
vision. 


THE  INDIAN  WAR,  1755-1763. 


45 


great  quantity  of  beef.  I  suppose  eight  months'  pro- 
visions for  a  company,  plenty  of  flour  at  the  mill, 
about  300  yards  off." 

Soldiers  were  kept  at  Depui's  during  the 
continuance  of  active  Indian  hostilities,  and  in 
February  of  1760,  Ensign  Hughes  was  there 
with  twenty-three  men,  and  Mr.  Depui  was 
acting  as  commissary.1 

The  forts  within  the  territory,  which  is  the 
province  of  this  volume,  have  now  all  been  de- 
scribed. Those  westward  of  the  Lehigh  and 
extending  to  the  Susquehanna,  and  those  along 
the  New  Jersey  frontier,  were  similar  in  size 
and  general  characteristics.  There  were  other 
places  of  defence — forts,  block-houses  and  stock- 
aded dwelling-houses  in  Northampton  County, 
at  the  Moravian  settlements  and  elsewhere.  Of 
the  lesser  forts  there  was  one  at  the  Lehigh 
Gap,  and  one  at  Wind  Gap,  and  several  farm- 
houses below  the  mountains  were  designated  as 
places  of  rendezvous  in  case  of  danger.  At 
these  a  few  soldiers,  under  a  subaltern  officer, 
were  frequently  to  be  found,  as,  for  instance,  at 
a  farm-house  at  the  Wind  Gap,  Young,  in 
1756,  met  seven  men  under  one  of  Captain 
Weatherhold's  ensigns. 

Together  these  forts  and  block-houses  consti- 
tuted quite  a  formidable  barrier  against  the  in- 
cursions of  the  Indians.  The  most  important 
function  which  the  forts  served,  however,  was 
to  afford  permanent  places  of  living  and  retreat 
for  the  soldiers,  who,  acting  as  rangers,  discov- 
ered the  presence  of  lurking  bands  of  savages, 
and,  in  a  large  measure,  prevented  surprises, 
such  as  those  which  cut  off  the  frontier  in  habi- 
tants in  1756  and  threatened  to  depopulate  the 
whole  country.  The  soldiers  of  these  little  gar- 
risons at  Forts  Hyndshaw,  Depui,  Hamilton 
and  Norris  also  performed  very  valuable  ser- 
vice in  protecting  the  settlers  while  harvesting 
and  securing  their  crops. 

Notwithstanding  the  establishment  of  the 
forts  and  the  presence  of  troops  all  along  the  bor- 
der, and  notwithstanding  the  fact,  that  peace 
negotiations  were  entered  upon  and  a  treaty 
actually  effected  in  1756,  numerous  murderous 
incursions  were  made  by  the  Indians  during  that 

irenn.  Archives,  Vol.  V11I.,  P.  040. 


and  the  succeeding  years  down  to  1763,  espe- 
cially in  1757.  These  were  not  so  much  of  a 
part  of  general  hostile  demonstration  as  the 
former  attacks,  but  were  carried  on  for  the  must 
part  by  small,  disconnected,  predatory  bauds. 

Sunn  after  the  first  outbreak  of  Indian  hostil- 
ities messengers  were  despatched  to  Teedyuscung 
with  an  invitation  to  meet  his  friends,  the  chil- 
dren of  William  Penn,  and  to  tell  the  causes  of 
his  alienation  from  them.  An  appeal  was  also 
made  to  the  Six  Nations  to  lift  up  their  authori- 
tative hand  and  stay  the  destroyer.  These 
measures  ultimately  proved  effectual  for  Teedy- 
uscung met  Governor  Morris  in  treaty  at  East- 
on,  for  the  first  time,  in  July,  1756,  Governor 
Denny,  in  November  of  that  year,  and  again  in 
November  of  1757,  but  it  was  not  until  October 
26,  1758,  that  a  general  treaty  of  peace  was  en- 
tered into. 

It  was  during  the  course  of  these  negotiations, 
says  a  historian  of  Pennsylvania,- that  Teedyus- 
cung, the  Delaware  chief,  succeeded — by  his  el- 
oquence, by  the  weight  of  his  personal  charac- 
ter, and  by  the  firmness  and  cunning  of  his  di- 
plomacy— in  redeeming  his  nation,  in  a  ureal  de- 
gree, from  their  degrading  subserviency  to  the  Six 
Nations;  and  also  in  securing  from  the  propri- 
etary government,  in  substance  if  not  in  form, 
some  acknowledgment  and  reparation  for  the 
wrongs  done  to  his  nation  by  the  subtleties  of 
the  Indian  "  walk,"  and  by  calling  in  the  aid  of 
the  Six  Nations  to  drive  them  from  the  forks. 
He  would  scarcely  have  succeeded  in  securing 
these  advantages,  had  lie  not  been  assisted  and 
advised  at  every  step  by  the  Quakers  and  mem- 
bers of  the  Friendly  Association,  who  were  de- 
sirous of  preserving  peace  and  of  seeing  justice 
done  to  the  Indians.  They  suggested  to  Teed- 
yuscung the  propriety  of  having  a  secretary  of 
his  own,  (Cliarles  Thompson,  Esq.,)  to  take 
minutes  of  what  was  said  and  done  in  council. 
This  was  to  prevent  that  convenient  forgetful- 
ness  which  often  seized  the  proprietary  secreta- 
ries whenever  the  proprietary  interest  required 
it.  This  measure  was  strenuously  resisted  both 
by  the  governor  and  George  Croghan,  but  firm- 
ly insisted    upon    by    Teedyuscung.     The  fir-i 

'Sherman  Day  in  "  Historical  Collections  of  Pemi-vh,! 


46 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROK  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


council  was  held  in  July,  1756  ;  but  as  the  par- 
ties were  not  fully  prepared,  and  the  attendance 
was  small,  the  more  important  business  was  de- 
ferred until  autumn.  On  the  8th  of  November 
1756,  the  Indian  tribes,  Delawares,  Shawanese, 
Mohicans,  and  Six  Nations,  represented  by  their 
principal  chiefs  and  warriors,  met  Governor 
Denny,  with  his  council,  commissioners,  and 
secretary,  and  a  great  number  of  citizens  of 
Philadelphia,  chiefly  Quakers.  Great  pomp 
was  observed  on  these  occasions.  "At  three 
o'clock,"  says  the  record,  "  the  governor  marched 
from  his  lodgings  to  the  place  of  conference, 
guarded  by  a  party  of  the  Royal  Americans  in 
front  and  on  the  flanks,  and  a  detachment  of 
Col.  Weiser's  provincials  in  subdivisions  in  the 
rear,  with  colors  flying,  drums  beating,  and  mu- 
sic playing— which  order  was  always  observed 
in  going  to  the  place  of  conference."  Teedyus- 
cung,  who  represented  four  tribes,  was  the  chief 
speaker  on  the  occasion. 

"  When  the  governor  requested  of  him  to  explain 
the  cause  of  the  dissatisfaction  and  hostility  of  the 
Indians,  he  mentioned  several, — among  which  were, 
the  instigations  of  the  French,  and  the  ill  usage  or 
grievances  they  had  suffered  both  in  Pennsylvania 
and  New  Jersey. 

"  Winn  the  governor  desired  to  be  informed  what 
these  grievances  were,  Teedyuscung  replied,  '  I  have 
nut  far  to  go  far  an  instance :  this  very  ground  that 
is  under  me  (striking  it  with  his  foot)  was  my  land 
and  inheritance,  and  is  taken  from  me  by  fraud 
When  I  say  this  ground,  I  mean  all  the  land  lying  be- 
tween Tohiccon  creek  and  Wioming,  on  the  river  Sus- 
quehanna. I  have  not  only  been  served  so  in  this 
government ;  but  the  same  thing  has  been  done  to  me 
as  to  several  tracts  in  New  Jersey,  over  the  river.' 
The  governor  asked  him  what  he  meant  by  fraud  f 
Teedyuscung  answered,  'When  one  man  had  formerly 
liberty  to  purchase  lands,  and  he  took  the  deed  from 
the  Indians  for  it,  and  then  dies — after  his  death  his 
children  forge  a  deed  like  the  true  one,  with  the  same 
Indian  names  to  it,  and  thereby  take  lands  from  the 
Indians  which  they  never  sold, — this  is  fraud;  also, 
when  one  king  has  land  beyond  the  river  and  another 
king  has  land  on  this  side — both  bounded  by  rivers, 
mountains,  and  springs,  which  cannot  be  moved — and 
the  proprietaries,  greedy  to  purchase  lands,  buy  of 
one  king  what  belongs  to  another, — this  likewise  is 
fraud.' 

"  Then  the  governor  asked  Teedyuscung  whether  he 

had    I n  served  so?     He  answered,  'Yes— I   have 

been  served  so  in  this  province  ;  all  the  land  extend- 
ing from  Tohiccon,  over  the  great  mountain,  to  Wio- 


ming, has  been  taken  from  me  by  fraud;  for  when  I 
had  agreed  to  sell  land  to  the  old  proprietary  by  the 
course  of  the  river,  the  young  proprietaries  came  and 
got  it  run  by  a  straight  course  by  the  compass,  and  by 
that  means  took  in  double  the  quantity  intended  to  be 
sold  ;  and  because  they  had  been  unwilling  to  give  up 
the  land  to  the  English  as  far  as  the  walk  extended, 
the  governor  sent  for  their  cousins  the  Six  Nations, 
who  had  always  been  hard  masters  to  them,  to  come 
down  and  drive  them  from  the  land.  The  English 
made  so  many  presents  to  the  Six  Nations,  that  they 
would  hear  no  explanation  from  the  Delawares;  and 
the  chief  (Connassatego)  abused  them,  and  called 
them  women.  The  Six  Nations  had,  however,  given 
to  them  and  the  Shawanese  the  country  on  the  Junia- 
ta for  a  hunting  ground,  and  had  so  informed  the  gov- 
ernor ;  but  notwithstanding  this,  the  latter  permitted 
the  whites  to  go  and  settle  upon  those  lands.  That 
two  years  before,  the  governor  had  been  to  Albany  to 
buy  more  of  the  lands  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  had 
described  their  purchase  by  points  of  compass,  which 
they  did  not  understand — including  not  only  the  Ju- 
niata, but  also  the  West  branch  of  the  Susquehanna, 
which  the  Indians  did  not  intend  to  sell ;  and  when 
all  these  things  were  known,  they  declared  they 
would  no  longer  be  friends  to  the  English,  who 
were  trying  to  get  all  their  country  from  them.' 

"He  assured  the  council  that  they  were  glad  to  meet 
their  old  friends,  the  English,  to  smoke  the  pipe  of 
peace  with  them,  and  hoped  that  justice  would  be 
done  to  them  for  all  the  injuries  which  they  had 
received." 

This  conference  continued  nine  days,  and  at 
the  close  a  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded  be- 
tween the  Shawanese  and  Delawares  and  the 
English.  The  governor  also  offered  to  satisfy 
them  for  the  land  in  the  Forks  and  the  Mini- 
sinks,  but  as  many  of  those  concerned  in  the 
land  were  not  jiresent,  that  question,  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  Teedyuscung,  was  adjourned,  and 
was  fully  discussed  at  a  subsequent  council  held 
at  Easton  in  July,  1757.  The  old  deeds  were 
called  for,  but  could  not  till  be  produced. 
Teedyuscung  was  well  plied  with  liquor,  and 
it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  the  Quakers 
could  keep  him  in  a  proper  state  to  see  clearly 
his  own  interest,  and  resist  the  powerful  in- 
trigues of  Colonel  Croghan  with  the  Six  Na- 
tions to  weaken  his  influence.  It  was  at  length 
agreed  to  refer  the  deeds  to  the  adjudication  of 
the  kingand  council  in  England,  and  the  cpies- 
tion  was  quieted  for  a  time. 

Another  council  was  held  at  Easton,  in  the 
summer  of  1758,  having  for  its  object  more  espe- 


THE  INDIAN  WAR,  1755-1763. 


47 


daily  the  adjustment  of  all  differences  with  the 
Six  Nations,  as  well  as  with  the  other  tribes.  All 
the  Six  Natious,  most  of  the  Delaware  tribes, 
the  Shawanese,  the  Miamis,  the  Mohicans,  Mon- 
seys,  Nanticokes,  Conoys,  <&c,  were  represented  ; 
in  all,  about  five  hundred  Indians  were  present. 
The  governors  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jer- 
sey, Sir  William  Johnson,  Col.  Croghan,  Mr. 
Chew,  Mr.  Norris,  and  other  dignitaries,  with  a 
great  number  of  Quakers,  also  attended.  Teed- 
yuscung, who  had  been  very  influential  in  form- 
ing the  council,  acted  as  principal  speaker  for 
many  of  the  tribes  ;  but  the  Six  Nations  took 
great  umbrage  at  the  importance  which  he  as- 
sumed, ami  endeavored  to  destroy  his  influence. 
Teedyuscung,  however,  notwithstanding  he  was 
well  plied  with  liquor,  bore  himself  with  digni- 
ty and  firmness,  refused  to  succumb  to  the  Six 
Nations,  and  was  proof  against  the  wiles  of  Col. 
Croghan  and  the  governor.  The  council  con- 
tinued eighteen  days.  The  land  questions  were 
discussed — especially  the  purchase  of  1754.  All 
causes  of  misunderstanding  between  the  Eng- 
lish and  the  Indians  being  removed,  a  general 
peace  was  concluded  on  the  26th  of  October. 
At  the  close  of  this,  as  at  nearly  all  the  other 
treaties,  stores  of  rum  were  opened  and  the  In- 
dians present,  as  usual,  soon  exhibited  its  worst 
effects.  Another  council  was  held  at  Easton  in 
1761,  concerning  the  Delaware  settlement,  at 
Wyoming,  in  which  Teedyuscung  took  an  ac- 
tive part. 

Aniline,  the  hostilities  in  the  region  of  which 
we  treat,  not  heretofore  alluded  to,  and  occur- 
ring for  the  most  part  in  a  period  later  than  has 
yet  been  entered  upon,  were  the  attacks  upon 
the  Marshall  family,  the  capture  of  the  Kellers, 
the  second  attack  on  Bosserts,  the  killing  of 
Sower  and  Klein,  the  burning  of  Brodhead's 
house,  and  several  small  skirmishes  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Forts  Hamilton,  Hyndshaw  and 
Depui. 

The  Indians  appear  never  to  have  forgiven 
or  lost  sight  of  Edward  Marshall,  the  champion 
of  the  "  Walking  Purchase"1  of  1737,  by  which 
they  were  cheated  out  of  their  hunting  grounds. 
He   lived  south  of  the   mountains,  about  where 


See  tbe  preceding  chapter. 


the  village  of  Slateford  now  is,  and  as  early  as 
1 748,  seven  years  before  the  Indian  war  began, 
they  had  attacked  his  family  and  neighbors,  and 
killed  one  of  his  sons.  When  the  war  broke 
out  Marshall  and  his  family,  after  being  once 
attacked,  moved  across  the  river  into  New  Jer- 
sey, but  they  returned  in  the  Spring  of  1756, 
and  their  home  was  again  attacked  by  the  sav- 
ages in  the  Spring  of  1757.  A  party  of  sixteen 
Indians  appeared  before  the  house  one  day, 
while  Marshall  was  absent,  and  began  firing  up- 
on all  who  were  in  sight.  They  shot  a  daugh- 
ter as  she  was  attempting  to  escape,  but  though 
she  was  pierced  from  hack  to  breast  by  a  rifle 
ball,  she  succeeded  in  getting  away,  and  event- 
ually recovered.  They  took  Marshall's  wife, 
who  was  not  in  a  condition  to  make  a  rapid 
flight,  and  after  leading  her  some  miles  away, 
killed  and  scalped  her,  and  left  her  body  in  the 
woods.  Thus  Marshall  suffered  for  his  remark- 
able feat  performed  for  the  benefit  of  the  Pro- 
prietaries, and  for  which  he  was  never  paid. 
He  himself  escaped  the  vengeance  of  the  Indians, 
and  although  he  had  some  hair-breadth  escapes 
from  death  at  their  hands,  lived  to  be  an  old 
man,  and  died  a  natural  death. 

In  April,  1757,  one  Casper  Countryman  (or 
Gundryman)  a  lad  of  about  seventeen  years, 
was  killed  ami  scalped  within  three  hundred 
yards  of  Fort  Hamilton.  Captain  John  Van 
Etten  with  seven  men  went  down  from  Fort 
Hyndshaw,  on  the  21st,  the  day  after  the  mur- 
der, and  gave  the  body  burial. 

On  the  25th  of  April,  Van  Etten  sent  Ser- 
geant Leonard  Denn  and  two  men  down  to 
Depui's  for  provisions.  They  were  waylaid  by 
a  hand  of  Indians,  and  when  within  two  miles 
from  Depui's,  Denn  was  shot  and  killed.  His 
comrades  fled  and,  reaching  the  fort  ( I  [yndshaw), 
gave  warning  of  the  presence  of  Indians,  where- 
upon, we  are  told,  "  The  drummer  beat  an  alarm 
and  the  neighbors  all  gathered  into  the  fort.2 
Van  Etten  and  seven  men  went  immediately  to 
the  scene  of  the  attack,  and  found  the  body  of 
the  Sergeant,  "scalped  and  entirely  stripped, 
and  shamefully  cut,  so  much  so  that  his  bowels 


-John  \nn  Ellen's  Journal,  appendix  of  Kupp's  History 
of  Northampton,  Lehigh,  Carbon,  Monroe  and  Schuylkill 
counties,  p.  430. 


48 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


were  spread  upon  the  ground."  A  wagon  being 
procured  from  Depui's,  the  body  was  taken 
there,  guarded  during  the  night,  and  on  the  next 
day  given  "  Christian  burial." 

Other  murders  were  committed  about  the 
same  time  by  small  lurking  bands  of  savages, 
as  appears  from  letters  written  by  Mayor  Par- 
sons, of  Easton,  to  Governor  Denny,  enclosing 
depositions  taken  by  him.  We  quote  from  one 
made  by  Michael  Roup  : 

"  The  24"'  of  April,  1757,  appeared  before  me,  Wil- 
liam Parsons,  Esq.,  &c,  Michael  Roup,  of  Lower 
Smithfield,  Northampton  County,  .  .  and  did  de- 
pose and  declare,  That  his  neighbor,  Philip  Bozart, 
being  at  Fort  Norris  last  Saturday  week,  heard  a  let- 
ter read  there,  which  was  dispatched  by  Major  Par- 
sons to  acquaint  the  garrison  that  he  had  received  in- 
formation that  some  enemy  Indians  intended  shortly 
to  conic  and  attack  the  inhabitants  at  and  about 
Minisinks,  and  to  desire  them  to  be  on  their  guard, 
winch  was  soon  made  known  to  all  the  neighboring 
inhabitants  .  .  That  on  Friday  morning  last,  John 
Le  Fever,  passing  by  the  houses  of  Philip  Bozart  and 
others,  informed  them  that  the  Indians  had  murdered 
Caspar  Gundryman  last  Monday  evening  ;  whereupon 
this  deponent  went  immediately  to  the  house  of 
Philip  Bozart  to  consult  what  was  best  to  be  done, 
their  houses  being  half  a  mile  apart.  That  they  con- 
cluded at  last  for  the  neighbors  to  collect  themselves 
together,  as  many  as  they  could,  in  some  one  house. 
And  this  deponent  further  saith,  that  he  immediately 
returned  home  and  loaded  his  wagon,  as  fast  as  he 
could,  with  his  most  valuable  effects,  which  he  car- 
ried to  Bozart's  house;  that  as  soon  as  he  bad  un- 
loaded bis  wagon,  he  drove  to  his  son-in-law's,  Peter 
Soan's  bouse,  about  two  miles,  and  loaded  as  much 
of  his  effects,  as  the  time  and  hurry  would  admit,  and 
took  them  also  to  Bozart's,  where  nine  families  were 
retired;  that  a  great  number  of  the  inhabitants  were 
also  retired  to  the  houses  of  Conrad  Bittenbeixler  and 
John  McDowell;  that  Bozart's  house  is  seven  miles 
from  Fort  Hamilton  and  twelve  from  Fort  Norris- 
And  this  deponent  further  saith,  that  yesterday  morn- 
ing (the  23d  of  April),  about  nine  o'clock,  the  said 
Peter  Soar)  and  Christian  Klein,  with  his  daughter, 
about  thirteen  years  of  age,  went  from  Bozart's  house 
to  the  house  of  the  said  Klein,  and  thence  to  Soan's 
house  to  look  after  the  cattle  and  bring  more  effects. 
That  about  half  an  hour  after  the  above  three  persons 
were  gone  from  Bozart's,  a  certain  George  Hartleib, 
who  had  also  tied  with  his  family  to  Bozart's,  and  who 
bad  been  at  his  own  house,  about  a  mile  from  Soan's, 
to  look  after  his  creatures  and  bring  away  what  he 
could,  returned  to  Bozart  and  reported  that  he  had 
heard  three  gnus  fired  very  quick,  one  after  another, 
towards  Soan's  place,  which  made  them  all   conclude 


the  above  three  persons  were  all  killed  by  the  Indians. 
And  this  deponent  further  saith,  that  their  little  com- 
pany were  afraid  to  venture  to  go  and  see  what  had 
happened  that  day,  as  they  had  many  women  and 
children  to  care  for,  wdio,  if  they  had  been  left 
might  have  fallen  an  easy  prey  to  the  enemy.  And 
this  deponent  further  saith,  that  this  morning  nine 
men  of  their  neighborhood  armed  themselves  as  well 
as  they  could  and  went  towards  Peter  Soan's  place 
in  order  to  discover  what  had  become  of  the  threa 
persons ;  that  when  they  came  within  about  three 
hundred  yards  of  the  house  they  found  the  bodies  of 
the  said  Soan  and  Klein  lying  about  twenty  feet  from 
each  other,  killed  and  scalped,  but  did  not  find  Klein's 
daughter.  Soan  was  killed  by  a  bullet,  which  en- 
tered the  upper  part  of  his  back  and  came  out  at  his 
breast.     Klein  was  killed  with  their  tomahawks. 

"The  nine  men  now  immediately  returned  to  Bo- 
zart's and  reported  as  above.  Deponent  was  not  one 
of  the  nine,  but  remained  with  the  women  and  chil- 
dren ;  that  the  rest  of  the  men  desired  deponent  to 
come  to  Easton  and  acquaint  the  justice  with  what 
had  happened;  that  the  nine  men  did  not  think  it 
safe  to  bury  the  dead,  &c." 

An  account  of  the  killing  of  several  men, 
soon  after  the  foregoing  occurrence,  is  afforded  by 
George  Ebert,  who  was  taken  prisoner  at  the 
same  time,  but,  escaping,  returned  in  June,  and 
made  a  deposition  of  the  facts  upon  the  20th 
before  Parsons  at  Easton.  He  said  (in  sub- 
stance) that  on  or  about  the  2d  of  May  hist 
(1757)  he,  with  about  eighteen  armed  men,  went  ' 
with  two  wagons  from  Plainfield  township  to 
assist  the  inhabitants  of  Lower  Smithfield,  who 
had  a  few  days  before  been  attacked  by  the  In- 
dians, and  some  of  them  murdered,  to  bring  off 
some  of  their  best  effects  ;  that  about  noon  of 
the  same  day  they  came  to  the  house  of  Conrad 
Bitten  bender,  to  which  divers  of  the  neighbors 
had  fled.  Here  one  of  the  wagons,  with  about 
ten  men,  among  them  Ebert,  halted  to  load  up 
the  poor  people's  household  goods,  anil  the  rest 
of  the  company,  with  the  other  wagons,  were 
sent  forward  about  a  mile  to  the  house  of  Philip 
Bozart,  to  which  place  others  of  the  neighbors 
had  fled,  with  such  of  their  effects  as  they  could 
in  their  confusion  carry.  Ebert,  Conrad  Bit- 
tenbender,  Peter  Shaeffer,  John  Nolf,  Jacob 
Roth,  Michael  Kiersfer,  one  Keins  and  another 
man  (whose  name  Ebert  forgot)  then  went  into 
the  woods  about  two  miles  to  seek  their  neigh- 
bor's horses,  and  were  returning  with  them, 
when   they    were   attacked,    about    half  a   mile 


THE   INDIAN  WAR,  1 755-]  763. 


from    Bittenbender's,   by   fifteen  Indians,  who 

fired  upon  them,  killed  Bit  ten  bender,  Jacob 
Roth  and  John  Nolf  (as  the  deponent  believed), 
and  took  Peter  Shaeffer,  who  had  received  two 
flesh  wounds,  and  himself,  Ebert,  prisoners,  and 
set  off  immediately  lor  the  north. 

On  the  evening  of  the  next  day  they  fell  in 
with  another  party  of  about  twenty-four  In- 
dians, who  had  Abraham  Miller  and  his  mother 
and  Adam  Snell's  daughter  prisoners,  and  that 
night  they  marched  on  together  as  far  as  Dia- 
boga  (Tioga),  where  they  separated,  the  other 
prisoners,  with  the  exception  of  Abraham  Mil- 
ler, being  taken  away  and  never  afterward  seen 
by  Ebert.  When  they  had  gone  about  a  day's 
journey  beyond  Tioga,  the  Indians,  on  encamp- 
ing, loosed  the  two  prisoners,  whom  they  had 
before  bound  every  night,  and  finding  them- 
selves at  liberty,  Miller  and  Ebert  made  their 
escape  in  the  night.  They  fled  to  Tioga,  where 
they  were  concealed  for  four  weeks  by  French 
Margaret,  and  then,  on  her  advice,  made  their 
way  homeward.  They  were  assisted  and  di- 
rected on  their  way  by  all  of  the  Indians  "this 
side"  (southward)  of  Tioga  (which  proves  that 
Teedyuseung's  followers  were  now  observing 
peace,  and  that  the  Indians  who  were  carrying 
on  hostilities  at  this  time  were  of  other  tribes, 
directly  in  the  French  interest),  and  they  finally 
arrived  at  Fort  Hamilton,  after  about  seven 
weeks'  absence. 

Parsons  also  forwarded  a  letter  about  the 
time  this  deposition  was  taken,  giving  an  ac- 
count of  a  large  body  of  Indians  attacking  and 
burning  Brodhead's  house  (which,  it  will  be 
borne  in  mind,  was  the  scene  of  the  first  attack 
in  this  region,  in  1755)  and  the  killing  of  one 
Tidd. 

This  was  an  affair  which  occurred  on  the 
2:5rd  of  June,  1757.  Captain  John  Van  Etten, 
formerly  of  Fort  Hyndshaw,  had  then  recently 
taken  command  of  Fort  Hamilton,  and  we 
find  the  following  in  his  journal1  concerning 
this  attack  :  "  In  the  morning,  near  eleven 
o'clock,  the  fort  was  alarmed  by  some  of  the 
neighbors,  \vho  had  made  their  escape  from  the 


1  Captain  Vau   Elten's  Journal.     Rupp  (Appendix),  pp. 
43(3,  437. 


enemy.  Five  of  them  in  company,  near  Brod- 
head's house  (a  mile  from  the  fort),  seeking 
their  horses,  in  order  to  go  to  mill,  were  fired 
upon  by  the  enemy,  and  they  said  that  one  of 
them,  John  Tidd,  by  name,  was  killed.  Where- 
upon I  immediately  drafted  nine  men,  myself 
making  the  tenth,  in  as  private  a  manner  as 
possible,    and     privately    went     back    into    the 


mountains  in  order  to  maki 


Liscovery,  giving 


strict  orders  to  those  left  to  tire  the  wall  piece 
to  alarm  us,  if  any  attack  should  be  attempted 
on  the  fort  in  my  absence.  There  were  but  six 
men  left  at  the  fort.  Coming  in  sight  of  said 
house,  on  the  back  side,  I  perceived  some 
smoke  arise  near  the  house;  then  traveling 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  in  order  to  surround 
them,  we  heard  four  nuns,  the  first  of  which 
was  much  louder  than  the  rest.  I  expected 
the  fort  was  attacked;  whereupon  we  retreated 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  hearing  no  more 
guns,  my  counsel  was  to  go  to  the  house;  but 
my  pilot,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the 
woods,  thought  it  best  to  place  ourselves  in 
ambush,  for  they  would  come  that  way,  he 
said.  As  we  ascended  the  mountain  in  order 
to  place  ourselves,  we  saw  the  house  in  a  blaze, 
and  the  pilot  thought  best  to  retire  a  little 
nearer  between  the  house  and  the  fort,  where 
we  might  have  a  better  view;  and  in  the  re- 
treat we  heard  fourteen  guns  fired  as  quick  in 
succession  as  one  could  count.  Then  we  placed 
ourselves  in  two  companies,  the  better  to  way- 
lay them.  The  party  that  was  nearest  between 
the  house  and  the  fort  saw  twenty-seven  en- 
deavoring to  get  between  them  and  the  fort. 
I,  with  the  other  party,  saw  five  more  coming 
on  the  other  side;  we  found  that  we  were  dis- 
covered, and  likely  to  be  surrounded  by  a  vast 
number;  wherefore  we  all  retreated,  and  got 
between  them  and  the  fort ;  then  halting,  they 
came  in  view.  I  then  challenged  them  to 
come,  and  fired  at  them;  and  although  at  a 
considerable  distance,  it  was  generally  thought 
one  of  them  was  killed,  by  their  squalling  and 
making  off.  Then  we  all  returned  to  the  fort. 
Immediately  upon  our  return,  a  scout  of  thir- 
teen men  from  the  Jerseys,  wdio  were  in  search 
of  Edward  Marshall's  wife,  who  was  killed 
some  time  ago,  came  to  the  fort,  being  led  there 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


by  seeing  the  smoke  and  hearing  the  guns  fired, 
who  all  seemed  forward  to  go  after  the  Indians, 
when  I,  with  nine  men,  went  out  with  them  ; 
but  having  got  some  distance  out,  they  would 
go  to  the  house  to  see  whether  the  said  man 
(meaning  Tidd)  was  killed.  Being  come,  we 
found  him  killed  and  scalped;  his  body  and 
face  were  cut  inhumanly.  There  were  also 
some  cattle  lying  dead  ou  the  ground."  The 
next  day  Tidd  was  buried  under  the  direction 
of  Captain  Van  Etten. 

The  ravages  of  the  Indians  were  continued 
during  the  summer  and  fall.  Bozart  who  had 
made  a  brave  stand  and  whose  house  had  been 
a  place  of  refuge  for  the  neighboring  inhabitants 
as  we  have  seen,  was  finally  forced  to  fiee  below 
the  mountains.  Even  that  region  was  not  ex- 
empt from  invasion,  and  several  raids  were 
made  there  in  the  fall  of  1757.  Among  others 
who  suffered  there  were  the  Kellers  of  Plain- 
field  township,  Northampton  County,  afterwards 
settlers  within  the  present  limits  of  Monroe. 
On  the  15th  of  September  their  home  was  sud- 
denly surrounded  by  Indians,  while  the  head  of 
the  family,  Joseph  Keller,  was  away  and  his 
wife  and  two  sons,  Joseph  and  Jacob,  were 
captured  and  borne  away  to  Canada,  the  attack- 
ing party  being  one  of  the  tribe  attached  to  the 
French.  Mrs.  Keller  was  in  captivity  until 
1760,  when  she  secured  her  liberty  and  made 
her  way  to  her  husband  and  family.  Joseph 
Keller  also  was  restored  to  his  home,  but  not 
until  after  seven  years  had  elapsed. ' 

After  1757  the  cases  of  Indian  atrocity  were 
few  and  isolated,  yet  there  was  a  constant  fear 
that  the  scenes  of  the  preceding  years  would  be 
repeated.  Troops  were  kept  upon  the  frontier 
and  in  1758  there  were  almost  four  hundred 
men  on  constant  duty  in  Northampton 
County.  Captain  Van  Etten,  at  Fort  Hynd- 
shaw,  had  thirty  men,  under  his  constant  com- 
mand; Captain  Craig,  at  Fort  Hamilton,  had 
forty-one;  Lieutenant  Weatherhold,  at  Hind- 
head's,  had  twenty-six;  Ensign  Sterling  at 
Tietz's  (sometimes  called  Teed's)  house,  at  the 
Wind  Gap,  had  eleven  ;  Captain  Orndt,  at  Fort 


1  The    family  settled   in  what   is   now  Stroud  township, 
Monroe  County.     (See  chapter  upon  that  division.) 


Norris,  had  fifty,  and  there  were  various  other 
bodies  of  from  five  to  sixty  meu  at  other  posts. 
There  were  no  soldiers  located  at  Depui's  dur- 
ing the  early  part  of  this  year  and  the  family 
appears  to  have  had  considerable  ground  for 
alarm  and  made  an  appeal  for  assistance.  Early 
in  June  a  wandering  band  of  Indians,  acting 
under  the  management  of  the  French,  came  down 
the  Delaware  and  created  great  consternation 
among  the  inhabitants.  It  was  feared  that  the 
lower  Minisink  would  be  invaded,  but  it 
escaped  that  calamity.  A  letter  from  Samuel 
Depui  to  a  friend  of  the  Governor  reflects  the 
general  feeling  of  fear  that  prevailed  at  this  time 
and  gives  information  concerning  some  affairs 
that  occurred  up  the  river, — 

"Smithfield,  June  15,  1758— at  Night. 
"Inclosed,  I  send  you  Captain  Bull's  letter  to  me, 
from  Fort  Allen,  with  an  acct  of  Indians  supposed 
to  be  on  their  way  to  this  part  of  the  Frontiers  or 
Minisinks,  which  is  much  to  be  feared  will  prove 
most  fatal  to  this  part,  as  it  is  at  present  the  most  De- 
fenceless. The  bearer  of  Mr.  Bull's  letter  in  Cuius 
me  that  he  saw  11  Indians  between  this  and  Fort 
Allen,  but  he  Luckily  made  his  escape.  To  this  he 
is  willing'  to  be  qualified  (sworn).  I  hope  Dr  Sir  you 
will  be  kind  enough  to  take  his  qualification,  and 
Dransmitt  it  to  his  Honour  our  Governeur  with  a  state 
of  our  present  Defenceless  circumstances,  interceding 
for  us  by  imploring  his  honor  to  aid  and  assist  us  as 
much  as  in  his  power,  as  your  influence  I  humbly 
apprehend  is  Great  and  yourself  well  acquainted  with 
our  Defenceless  Situation.  Much  mischief  has  been 
done  in  the  Minesinks  some  time  ago  of  which  I  be- 
lieve you  are  by  this  time  acquainted.  Last  Thursday 
the  Indians  began  to  renew  their  Barbarities  by  kill- 
ing and  scalping  two  men  and  slightly  wounding 
another  in  the  Minesinks,  and  this  morning  we 
heared  the  Disagreeable  news  of  a  Fort  being  taken 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  Minesinks  by  a  party  of  In- 
dians said  to  be  40  in  number.  The  white  men  it  is 
said  belonging  to  that  Garrison  were  Fanners,  and 
were  out  on  their  plantations  when  the  Indians  tired 
on  them  and  killed  them,  whereupon  the  Indians 
marched  up  to  the  Fort  and  took  all  of  the  women 
and  children  captive  and  earned  them  away,  and  last 
night  the  Indians  stole  a  ferry  Boat  at  a  place  called 
Wallpack ;  and  brought  from  the  Jersey  shore  to  this 
side  a  large  number  of  Indians,  as  appeared  by  their 
Tracks  on  the  sand  banks ;  so  that  we  are  in  contin- 
ual fear  of  their  approach.  I  wish  we  may  be  able 
t<>  Defend  ourselves  against  them  until  it  be  in  his 
Honour's  power  to  assist  us  under  God,  he  being  our 
protector,  and  I  make  no  doubt  from  the  Fatherly 
care  his  honour  has  been  pleased  to  exercise  over  us 


THE  INDIAN  WAR,  1755-1763. 


51 


since  his  succession  to  the  province,  that  he  will  be 
willing  to  acquiesce  with  your  reasonable  and  just 
sentiments.  .  .  .1  "Samuel  Dupui." 

Nearly  five  years  of  almost  uninterrupted 
peace  ensued  between  1758  and  the  summer  of 
17tio,  when  "  the  last  act  in  the  drama  of  the 
French  and  Indian  War  "  was  inaugurated  by 
the  mighty  Ottawa  chieftain,  Pontiac.  While 
the  region  of  which  we  treat — the  territory  now 
included  in  Monroe,  Pike  and  Wayne  Counties — 
was  faraway  from  the  chief  theatre  of  that  war, 
it  is  indisputable  that  the  several  incursions  of 
the  Indians  directed  against  the  people  of  that 
region  were  brought  aboutthrough  the  sympathy 
of  disaffection,  engendered  by  Pontiac's  scheme. 

The  last  act  in  the  local  war  was  a  brief,  but 
not  a  bloodless  one.  The  Indians  made  their  ap- 
pearance in  Smithfield  and  they  struck  a  savage1 
blow  in  Whitehall  (now  in  Lehigh  County), 
subsequently  attacked  Captain  Weatherhold's 
command,  which  had  been  organized  to  punish 
them,  on  the  Lehigh,  at  John  Stentou's,  and 
sent  marauding  bands  against  numerous  isolated 
settlements,  among  them  that  on  the  Upper  Dela- 
ware, in  what  is  now  Damascus  township, 
Wayne  County,  and  along  the  east  bank,  in  Sul- 
livan County,  New  York,  a  region  which  had  only 
six  years  before  received  (upon  the  Pennsyl- 
vania side)  its  first  settlers.2 

The  ensuing  mouths  were  months  of  harass- 
ing anxiety  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  older  set- 
tlements, who  had  known  the  terrors  of  Indian 
war  in  1755-56-57,  but  they  promptly  took 
steps  towards  strengthening  themselves  for  the 
apprehended  onslaught.  The  troops  had  been 
for  the  most  part  withdrawn  from  the  forts  and 
block-houses,  and  the  people,  rejoicing  in  the 
sense  of  security  and  freedom,  had  actively  re- 
sumed the  avocations  of  peace.  But  now  all 
was  changed  ;  Bethlehem,  long  quiet,  again  re- 
sounded with  the  tramp  of  soldiery ;  there  was 
a  stir  in  Easton,  Allentown  and  all  of  the  lesser 
villages  of  the  Northampton  frontier,  while 
everywhere  throughout  the  threatened  region 
the  inhabitants  again  took  up  arms,  formed 
military  companies  (where  they  were  numerous 


1  Penn.  Archives,  Vol.  III.,  p.  424. 

2  See  the  following  chapter  and  also  the  chapter  on  Da- 
mascus township,  in  the  Wayne  County  history. 


enough)  and  resorted  to  all  of  the  precautions 
they  had  learned  to  practice  during  Teedy- 
uscung's  war. 

In  Smithfield  a  military  company  was  formed, 
with  John  Van  Campen  as  captain — for  which 
there  was  fortunately  little  service  and  no  actual 
war.  A  record  of  the  organization  of  this  vol- 
unteer company,  in  the  form  of  a  memorial  to 
the  provincial  authorities,  has  been  preserved 
and  is  of  interest.      It  reads  as  follows  : 

"  Lower  Smithfield  1"  September  1763 
"  To  the  Honorable  James  Hamilton  Esqr  Lieutenant 
Governor  and  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  Province 
of  Pennsylvania  : 

"We  the  within  Subscribers  inhabitants  residing 
upon  the  frontiers  of  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania 
in  the  County  of  North  Hampton  do  from  divers  re- 
ports and  information  and  from  the  Different  accounts 
we  have  from  the  Ohio,  that  the  Savages  Is  commit- 
ting their  Cruel  barbarities,  we  have  the  greatest  Rea- 
son in  life  to  Expect  these  Savage  Indians  will  ex- 
tend their  cruel  barbarity  as  farr  as  our  places ;  as  we 
are  in  no  Order  of  defence,  but  ly  intirely  open  to  the 
mercy  of  Those  Barbarous  Savage  Indians  who  de- 
lights the  shedding  of  innocent  blood,  and  for  the 
diffence  of  any  Attempts  which  might  be  made  of 
the  like,  a  number  of  us  have  formed  and  enjoined 
Ourselves  under  articles  In  a  associated  independent 
Company,  as  loyal  subjects  to  our  king  and  country, 
Heady  and  willing  to  defend  What  ever  attempts  those 
barbarians  might  make  upon  our  settlements  for 
which  we  have  thirty  of  Us  unanimously  chosen  Mr. 
John  Van  Campen  as  Captain,  Mr.  Joseph  Wheeler 
as  Lieutenant  and  Cornelius  Van  Campen  Ensign, 
and  your  humble  Petitioners  pray  your  honor  will  be 
pleas  to  Commission  the  aforesaid  gentlemen,  Unani- 
mously Chosen  for  our  officers,  and  likewise  your  pe- 
titioners Pray  your  honor  will  pleas  to  Grant  us  your 
assistance  in  Carrying  on  so  loyal  a  design,  and  your 
Petitioners  will  ever  pray 

"  Benjamin  Shoemaker  Mycal  Sly 

Elijah  Shoemaker  Benjamin  Foster 

William  Smis  Benjamin  Van  Campen 

Nicholas  Depui  Jonathan  Hunlock 

James  Higerman  John  Canterman 

Benj.  Shoemaker,  Jr  Henry  Bensil 

Moses  Shoemaker  Charles  Deloy 

William  Clark  John  Chambers 

Leonard  Weser  Benjamin  Oney 

Charles  Holmes  Peter  Hains 

John  Camden  Isaac  Vanormen 

Benjamin  Hains  Joseph  Hains 

William  Devore  William  Carrell 

John  Fish  James  Ewel 

Samuel  Hyndy  Garret  Shoemaker  ":: 

s  Penn.  Archives,  IV.  p.  120. 


52 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  apprehended  attack  was  not  made. 

The  settlers  upon  the  upper  Delaware  did 
not  escape  so  lightly  as  those  in  the  Minisink 
region,  and,  indeed,  sustained  a  very  heavy 
stroke.  As  we  have  already  seen,  a  block- 
house was  built  at  the  mouth  of  Calkin's  Creek 
(in  the  present  boundaries  of  Damascus  town- 
ship, Wayne  County)  in  1755,  and  Joseph 
Skinner  had  fallen  a  victim  to  the  Indians 
there  as  early  as  1759  or  1760.  The  savages 
appear,  however,  to  have  had  no  general  enmity 
toward  the  Cushutunk  settlers  or  those  on  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  river,  and  they  escaped 
molestation  during  the  dark  period  in  which 
the  inhabitants  of  the  lower  part  of  Northamp- 
ton County  were  constantly  scourged.  They 
lived  beyond  the  limits  of  the  lands  of  which 
the  Delawares  claimed  they  had  been  deprived 
by  fraud,  and  tiny  had  secured,  in  1754,  a  more 
or  less  clear  title  to  their  lands  from  the  Six 
Nations.1  Still  it  is  probable  that  the  Dela- 
ware followers  of  Teedyuscung,  if  not  wholly 
responsible  for  the  attack  on  Cushutunk  and 
( Jochecton,  and  the  settlements  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Delaware  down  to  the  Lackawaxeu,  were 
at  least  concerned  in  it.  The  chief  had  been 
killed  by  or  at  the  instigation  of  some  of  the 
Six  Nation  Indians,  on  April  19,  17G3,  and 
his  disaffected  people,  released  from  his  re- 
straining influence,  may  have  very  naturally 
looked  upon  the  extinction  of  the  white  settle- 
ments placed,  by  Croquois  influence,  upon  lands 
which  they  themselves  claimed  to  own,  as  a 
legitimate  mode  of  retaliation.  Beyond  this, 
they  were  actuated  by  a  general  thirst  for  blood. 

However  probable  or  improbable  these  con- 
jectures may  be,  it  is  a  fact  that  the  Indian 
party  who  marched  against  the  Cushutunk  set- 
tlement came  from  Wyoming  by  way  of  the 
Lackawaxeu,  and  thence  up  the  Delaware,  hop- 
ing, no  doubt,  to  hem  in  the  inhabitants  and 
cut  off  communication  between  them  and  the 
people  of  the  Minisink  region  southward — the 
region  around  aud  below  the  site  of  Port  Jervis. 

The  time  of  the  attack  was  the  fall  of  1763. 
The  settlement  on  the  Pennsylvania  side  of  the 
river  then  included   about  thirty  log  houses,  a 


i  See  i lie  follow  ing  chapter. 


block-house,  and — according  to  some  authori- 
ties— a  grist  and  saw-mill ,  and  there  were  a 
much  larger  number  of  houses  upon  the  New 
York  side  of  the  river,  extending  from  opposite 
the  cluster  of  habitations  at  Cushutunk — from 
Cochecton,  N.  Y. — quite  down  to  the  Lacka- 
waxeu. The  people  of  Cushutunk,  being  ap- 
prised of  the  approach  of  the  war-party  by 
fugitives  from  below,  and  warned  to  prepare 
for  an  attack,  repaired  to  the  block-house  at 
the  mouth  of  Calkin's  Creek,  and  made  prepa- 
rations to  stand  a  siege.  Besides  the  women 
and  children,  there  were  but  three  persons  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  block-house — Moses 
Thomas,  Sr.,  Hilkiah  Willis,  who  had  come  up 
with  his  family  from  Narrowsburg,  and  one 
Witters.  The  Indians  did  hot  make  an  attack 
as  soon  as  had  been  apprehended,  and  the 
people  were  thus  thrown  off  their  guard.  The 
enemy  had  reached  the  neighborhood,  however, 
and  the  woods  were  full  of  skulking  savages. 
Suddenly  they  appeared  near  the  little  fort,  and 
in  the  first  onslaught  Thomas  and  Willis,  who 
had  been  out  on  a  reconnoissance,  were  killed. 
Witters  succeeded  in  reaching  the  block-house, 
and  he  and  the  women  and  children  then 
bravely  defended  it,  and  by  subterfuges  led  the 
Indians  to  think  that  it  contained  a  far  more 
formidable  garrison  than  was  the  case.  Witters 
sent  a  boy,  Moses  Thomas 2  (second)  to  the 
neighborhood  northward  to  inform  the  people 
of  approaching  danger,  and  the)-  fled  through 
the  wilderness  to  Esopus  (Kingston).  He  also 
sent  two  boys,  Elias  Thomas  and  Jacob  Kenny, 
neither  of  whom  was  over  eleven  years  of  age, 
to  the  Minisink  region  for  aid.  All  day  and 
all  night  long  the  little  garrison,  consisting  of 
several  women  and  children  and  one  man,  Wit- 
ters, stood  at  the  loopholes  of  the  block-house, 
guns  in  hand,  and  watched  their  stealthy  foes 
moving  about  the  besieged  house  under  cover  of 
the  trees  and  bushes  and  the  darkness.  Once 
they  tried  to  fire  some  straw,  which  had  been 
stacked  against  or  near  the  side  of  the  house, 
and  almost  succeeded,  but  the  Indian  who  at- 
tempted the  deed  fell,  before  he  accomplished  it, 

'This  was  the  Moses  Thomas  who  was  killed  in  the  bat- 
tle of  the  Lackawaxen,  or  Minisink,  July  22,  1779.  See 
chapter  upon  the  Revolution. 


SETTLEMENTS  ON  THE  UPPEE   DELAWARE. 


:»3 


a  victim  to  Witter's  rifle.  This  intimidated  the 
other  Indians  to  such  a  degree  that,  as  the  siege 
seemed  hopeless,  they  made  preparations  to 
move  off.  They  did  not  do  this,  however,  until 
they  had  secured  the  body  of  the  dead  Indian 
and  burned  all  of  the  undefended  buildings. 

Upon  the  second  day  men  came  up  from  the 
Minisink  in  canoes,  the  boys  having  reached 
there  safely  and  given  the  alarm.  The  dead 
bodies  of  Thomas  and  Ellis  were  buried  and 
the  survivors  taken  down  the  river,  where  they 
were  safe  from  any  repetition  of  the  attack, 
which  had  so  nearly  proved  fatal  to  all.  It  is 
said  that  when  the  party  set  off  in  the  canoes  an 
idiot  child  was  left  behind,  notwithstanding  the 
entreaties  of  its  mother  that  it  should  be  taken, 
and  that  the  bones  of  this  child,  so  cruelly 
abandoned,  were  subsequently  found  near  the 
block-house  and  buried.1 

Several  settlers  between  Cochecton  and  Nar- 
rowsburg  were  killed  and  a  number  of  houses 
burned  while  the  Indians  were  making  their 
way  up  the  river.  There  were  living  at  the 
time  in  this  locality  a  few  peaceable  Indians 
called  Cushutunks,  who  condemned  this  unpro- 
voked attack  upon  the  whites,  and  promised,  in 
case  of  another  incursion,  to  assist  the  settlers. 

It  was  the  outbreak  of  17(33  which  led  John 
Penn,  a  grandson  of  the  good  William,  he  being 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  province,  to  offer, 
in  17G4,  a  large  bounty  for  Indian  scalps.  This 
action  is  sometimes  erroneously  alluded  to  as 
the  first  offer  by  the  English  of  money  pre- 
miums for  the  killing  of  their  savage  enemies; 
but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  Benjamin  Franklin 
made  a  similar  proposition  to  pay  for  scalps 
nine  years  before,2  though  he  fixed  the  bounty 
at  only  forty  dollars,  about  one-third  of  the 
sum  offered  by  John  Penn,  and  did  not  make  it 
apply  to  females  and  children, as  did  the  latter. 
The  bounties  announced  by  Penn  were:  "For 
every  male  above  the  age  of  ten  years  captured, 


1  Quintan's  "  History  of  Sullivan  County,  N.  Y."  The  au- 
thor says  that  the  remains  of  Thomas  ami  the  girl  were 
laid  hare  a  few  years  since  by  the  washing  of  the  river,  and 
reburied  by  Moses  Thomas  (third). 

2  See  Franklin's  letter  to  Captain  John  Van  Etten— ante, 
this  chapter — and  also  note  lo  same  mentioning  the  instruc- 
tions to  Captain  Isaac  Wayne  concerning  scalp  bounties. 


$150;  scalped,  being  killed,  $134;  for  every 
female  Indian  enemy  and  every  male  under  the 
age  of  ten  years  captured,  $130  ;  for  every 
female  above  the  age  often  years  scalped,  being 
killed,  $30." 

Happily  the  Indian  war  was  concluded  before 
the  promulgation  of  this  inhuman  scalp  bounty, 
and  an  era  of  peace  inaugurated,  which  was  not 
broken  until  the  War  of  the  Revolution  opened  ; 
and  the  struggling  colonists,  in  addition  to 
fighting  the  soldiers  of  the  crown,  had  to  watch 
the  powerful  Six  Nations,  who  were  incited  to 
frequent  hostilities  by  the  machinations  of  t he 
British  and  Tories.  Then,  again,  the  settlers 
in  Northern  Northampton — in  the  region  now 
included  in  the  three  counties  which  form  the 
subject  of  this  work — suffered  the  frequent 
asperities  and  terrors  of  Indian  war. 


CHAPTER    V. 

Connecticut  Men  Settle  on  the  Upper  Delaware — Cushu- 
tunk,  Wyoming  and  Wallenpaupack,  or  "  Lackaw:u-k'' 
Settlements— The  "  Pennamite  War." 

While  the  Minisink,  first  settled  upon  the 
Pennsylvania  side  in  1727,  had  received  small 
hut  constant  accessions  of  population  from  the 
Water  Gap  to  the  site  of  Port  Jervis,  and  had  a 
fixed  and  quite  numerous  population  by  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  region  of 
the  Upper  Delaware,  or  at  least  its  west  hank, 
and  all  of  the  territory  between  the  Wallenpau- 
pack and  the  Lackawaxen  on  the  south  and 
the  New  York  State  line  on  the  north — -a  region 
practically  commensurate  with  the  present 
county  of  Wayne — was  still  a  pristine  wilderness, 
its  soil  untouched  by  the  white  man's  foot,  its 
forests  unscathed  by  his  axe  and  "  clearing  fire." 
It  was  the  disputed  hunting-ground  of  the Lenni 
Lenape,  or  Delawares  and  the  Iroquois  or  Six 
Nations,  but  the  civilized  race  had  not  yet  con- 
tested with  the  savage,  its  ownership  or  pos- 
session. 

But  in  the  year  1757 — just  thirty  years  after 
the  first,  authenticated  settlement  of  the  Lower 
Pennsylvania  Minisink — in  June,  when  nature 
had  arrived  at  the  full  sumptuousness  of  life, 
even    as    it    had    for    countless    years    of    im- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


memorial,  unhistoric  time,  a  little  settlement  was 
indented  upon  the  eastern  border  of  this  vernal- 
clad,  unknown  land.  The  strokes  of  the  axe 
resounded  along  the  river  and  through  the 
dusky  aisles  of  the  forest,  and  soon  the  smoke 
curled  upward  from  tlie  stick  and  stone  chimneys 
of  a  half-dozen  small,  rude,  log  cabins.  The 
settlers  were  Daniel  Skinner1  and  his  sons  and 
possibly  a  few  others,  from  the  town  of  Preston, 
New  London  County,  Connecticut.  Cushu- 
tunk,  as  they  called  their  settlement,  after  an 
Indian  village  then  existing,  or  said  by  tradi- 
dition  to  have  existed  at  this  locality,  was  a 
mere  dot  of  civilization,  made  with  the  most 
humble  beginning,  and  containing  three  years 
later,  according  to  good  authorities,  Jess  than 
thirty  families. 

Insignificant  as  it  was,  however,  in  numbers 
and  in  individual  importance,  this  little  frontier 
outpost  involved  momentous  issues.  It  was 
the  first,  the  pioneer  settlement  of  the  Connecti- 
cut people  within  the  boundaries  of  Penn's  pro- 
vince,— the  initial  movement  in  that  general  and 
systematic  intrusion  which  resulted  in  the  settle- 
incut  of  Wyoming  and  Wallenpaupack,  or 
"  Lackawack,"  the  establishment  of  a  Connec- 
ticut county  on  Pennsylvania  soil,  a  deter- 
mined effort  to  dismember  the  State,  and  all  of 
the  varied  acts,  the  dissension  and  strife  and 
bloodshed  of  what  has  been  commonly  called 
the  "Pennamite  War." 

Cushutunk  and  Wyoming  were  established 
under  the  auspices  of  two  separate  companies, 
both  of  which  originated  in  Connecticut,  and 
were  actuated  by  a  common  purpose — the 
colonization  of  Northern  Pennsylvania  under 
the  claim  that  it  was  covered  by  the  Connecticut 
<hartcr.  Wyoming  was  founded  by  what  was 
known  as  the  Connecticut  Susquehanna  Com- 
pany, and  Cushutunk  and  the  Wallenpaupack 
settlement  by  the  Delaware  Company,  of  the 
same  colony.  Both  had  precisely  the  same 
basis  of  claim  and  both  sought  to  accomplish 
their  purposes  by  exactly  the  same  methods. 
The  Susquehanna  Company  was  the   strongest, 


1  II  is  altogether  probable  that  Daniel  Skinner  had  been 
here  on  a  tour  of  observation  as  early  as  1755.  For  details 
concerning  the  Skinner  family  and  the  early  settlement. 
of  Cushutunk,  see  the  chapter  on  Damascus  township. 


most  persistent,  accomplished  most,  gave  the 
Pennsylvania  the  most  trouble,  and  hence  its 
action  and  its  principal  settlement,  Wyoming, 
have  been  prominent  in  history  f  while  the 
weaker  efforts  and  smaller  accomplishment  of 
the  Delaware  Company  have  been  left  in  com- 
parative obscurity,  although,  as  we  shall  exhibit, 
there  is  much  concerning  the  settlements  of  the 
latter  in  the  colonial  records  and  archives, 
indicating  that  the  action  of  the  company  was  of 
considerable  cotemporary  interest. 

The  authority,  the  purposes  and  the  methods 
of  the  two  Connecticut  organizations  being  iden- 
tical, they  will,  for  the  sake  of  convenience,  and 
clearness  be  here  considered  in  connection  with 
each  other. 

To  begin  with,  it  must  be  stated  that  the  con- 
test for  the  possession  of  Northern  Pennsylvania 
had  its  origin  in  the  ignorance  or  indifference 
of  the  British  monarchs  concerning  American 
geography,  and  consequent  confusion  in  the 
granting  of  charters  to  the  several  colonies,  sev- 
eral of  them  overlapping,  and  thus  causing  con- 
flicts of  authority  over  ownership  and  possession. 

The  charter  of  Connecticut  was  granted  by 
Charles  II.  in  1662,  and  was  confirmatory  to 
the  charter  granted  by  James  I.  to  "  the  Grand 
Council  of  Plymouth  for  planting  and  govern- 
ing New  England  in  America  "  in  1620,  and 
also  to  a  deed  given  in  1631  by  the  Earl  of 
Warwick,  then  president  of  the  Plymouth 
Council,  to  Lord  Say  and  Seal,  Lord  Brooke 
and  others,  by  which  was  conveyed  to  them  that 
part  of  New  England  afterwards  purchased  by 
the  colony  of  Connecticut.  The  charter  granted 
to  the  colony  all  the  lands  west  of  it,  to  the  ex- 
tent of  its  breadth,  from  sea  to  sea,  or  "  from 
Narragansett  Eiver,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  on  a  straight  line,  near  the  shore  towards 
the  southwest, as  the  coast  lies  towards  Virginia, 
and  within  that  breadth  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
to  the  South  Sea."3  This  measurement  would 
bring  the  southern  line  of  Connecticut  nearly 
or  quite  to  the  forty-first  degree  of  north  lati- 
tude (upon  or  near  which  Stroudsburg,  Monroe 
County,  is  located),  and  thus  had  the  claim  been 


2  At  least  sixty  works,  large  and  small,    and    of 
worth,  have  been  written  upon  Wyoming. 

3  The  vaguely-known  Pacific  was  then  so  called. 


SETTLEMENTS  ON  THE  UPPER  DELAWARE. 


:»r. 


maintained,  Pennsylvania  would  have  been  di- 
minished to  the  extent  of  over  two-fifths  of  its 
present  territory.  The  charter  included  an  ex- 
ception of  lauds  "  then  actually  possessed  or  in- 
habited by  any  other  Christian  prince  or  State," 
and  under  this  exception  the  Dutch  possessions 
of  New  York,  or  the  New  Netherlands,  ex- 
tending to  the  Delaware,  were  exempted  from 
the  "  sea  to  sea  "  charter  of  Connecticut.  The 
lands  of  the  Dutch  were  never  vested  in  the 
British  crown  until  the  conquest  of  1664,  and 
in  1650  articles  of  agreement  respecting  their 
eastern  line  had  been  made  between  them  and 
( Jonnecticut.  On  the  conquest  of  the  Dutch  by 
the  English — their  lands  having  been  given  to 
the  Dukeof  York  (afterwards  James  II.,  brother 
of'Charles  II.) — the  line  established  in  1650  was 
agreed  upon  as  "  the  western  bound  of  the  Col- 
ony of  Connecticut,"  as  it  was  the  eastern  of 
the  Duke's  lands — a  statement  which  was  after- 
wards taken  advantage  of  by  Pennsylvania  and 
construed  into  a  relinquishment  by  Connecticut 
of  all  claim  to  lands  west  of  the  Delaware, 
although  they  had  been  distinctly  included  in 
the  charter  of  1662. 

By  the  charter  granted  to  William  IVnn  in 
1681  by  Charles  II.,  he  was  invested  with  the 
ownership  of  a  vast  province — greater  than  the 
present  Statt — having  the  end  of  the  forty- 
second  degree  of  north  latitude,  or  the  beginning 
of  latitude  forty-three  degrees  north  for  a  north- 
ern boundary,  and  thus  overlapping  by  one  de- 
gree the  grant  made  to  Connecticut  by  the  same 
sovereign  nineteen  years  before.  The  Pennsyl- 
vania charter  also  included  a  portion  of  the 
lands  before  granted  to  Lord  Baltimore,  just  as 
Lord  Baltimore's  patent  had  covered  lands  long 
vested  in  Virginia,  and  thus  there  was  error  all 
around.  The  King,  however,  undoubtedly  acted 
in  good  faith,  if  in  ignorance.  When  the  <  Quaker 
petitioned  for  his  charter  it  was  referred  to  the 
attorney-general  of  the  crown,  Sir  William 
.rones,  who  reported  that  "  the  tract  of  land 
desired  by  Mr.  Penn  seems  to  be  undisposed  of 
by  His  Majesty,  except  the  imaginary  lines  of 
New  England  patents,  which  are  bounded  west- 
wardly  by  the  main  ocean,  should  give  them  a 
real,  though  impracticable  right  to  all  of  those 
vast  territories." 


Thus  the  seed  of  strife  was  sown  far  away 
across  the  ocean.  The  Connecticut  people 
claimed  priority  and  the  far-reaching  nature 
of  their  charter  ;  the  proprietaries  of  Pennsyl- 
vania maintained  that  when  their  charter  was 
granted  the  eastern  bounds  of  the  Duke  of 
York's  lands  (New  York)  had  been  decided  to 
be  the  western  bounds  of  Connecticut,  which 
restored  the  lands  westward  of  the  former  to  the 
crown  and  laid  them  open  to  a  new  grant.1 
Beyond  these  conflicting  claims  there  were  many 
others,  Connecticut  asserting  priority  of  pur- 
chase from  the  Indians  (1751)  and  priority  of 
occupation,  Wyoming  being  settled  by  her  colo- 
nists in  1762,  while  alleging  that  the  Pennsyl- 
vania proprietaries  did  not  purchase  from  the 
Indians  the  considerable  portion  of  the  disputed 
territory  until  1768,  and  did  not  effect  a  settle- 
ment (at  Wyoming)  until  1760.  In  response  to 
the  claim  of  prior  purchase  from  the  Indians, 
the  proprietaries  asserted  that  in  17-'!li  they  had 
obtained  from  them  the  right  of  pre-emption  of 
all  the  lands  not  before  sold  to  them  within  the 
limits  of  their  charter.  There  were  still  further 
conflicting  claims  and  counter-claims,  confused 
and  almost  innumerable,  the  more  important  of 
which  will  hereafter  be  alluded  to. 

It  is  worth  while  in  passing  to  note  the  fact 
that  confusion  of  boundaries  and  the  world-old 
greed  of  land,  which  has  actuated  governments 
as  well  as  men,  led  to  a  contest  by  four  colonies 
instead  of  two,  for  possession  of  Northeastern 
Pennsylvania.  Not  only  did  Connecticut  dis- 
pute it  stubbornly,  and  long  with  the  Pennsyl- 
vania government,  but  New  York,  in  l(i.S7, 
sought  to  have  a  portion  of  the  territory  an- 
nexed to  its  own,  urging  that  "  a  line  from  forty- 
one  degrees  forty  minutes  on  the  Delaware  (Cushu- 
tunk  or  Damascus)  to  the  Falls  upon  the  Sus- 
quehanna "  should  be  the  boundary  line  between 
the  province  of  New  York  and  "  Mr.  1'enn's 
possessions,"  while  even  New  Jersey,  not  satis- 
tied  with  her  "boundary  line  war"  with  New 
York,  laid  claim — feeble  and  short-lived — to 
a  fraction  of  Penn's  dominions. 

'Argument  of  Mr.  Pratt  (afterwards  Lord  Camden), 
attorney -general  to  the  crown,  in  reply  to  a  query  of  the 
Pennsylvania  proprietaries. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  Connecticut-Susquehanna  Company  was 
formed  in   1753,  and  consisted  at  first  of  eight 

hundred  and  forty  persons,  including  a  large 
proportion  of  the  leading  men  of  the  colony. 
Afterwards  the  number  of  proprietors  was 
augmented  to  twelve  hundred.  "Their  ac- 
tion," says  Miner,  the  historian  of  Wyoming, 
"  may  lie  regarded  as  an  unofficial  popular 
movement  of  the  colony  itself."1  Their  pur- 
pose was  to  purchase  the  Indian  title  within  the 
charter  limits  of  the  colony  of  Connecticut  on 
the  waters  of  the  Susquehanna,  and  this  they  did 
at  a  council  held  with  the  Six  Nations  Indians  in 
Albany,  in  July,  1754.  The  treaty  was  con- 
cluded and  a  deed  executed  on  the  11th  of 
the  month.  The  consideration  for  and  the 
boundaries  of  the  purchased  lands  were  given 
in  the  deed.  After  describing  the  grantors  as 
"  the  chiefs,  sachems  and  heads  of  the  Six 
Nations  and  the  native  proprietors  of  the  land," 
and  setting  forth  that  the  same  lies  within  the 
limits  of  the  royal  charter  to  Connecticut 
mentioning  the  application  of  the  grantees  being 
subjects  of  King  George  the  Second,  and  inhabit- 
ants of  Connecticut,  and  expressing  the  good 
understanding  which  had  mutually  subsisted 
between  the  parties,  their  wish  for  its  continu- 
ance and  the  benefits  which  would  result  from 
a  settlement,  the  deed  contains  these  words: 
"  Now,  therefore,  for  and  in  consideration 
thereof,  and  for  the  further,  full  and  ample  con- 
sideration of  the  sum  of  two  thousand  pounds 
of  current  money  of  the  province  of  New  York, 
to  us,  to  our  full  satisfaction,  before  the  enseal- 
ing hereof,  contended  and  paid,  the  receipt 
whereof,  to  our  full  content,  we  do  hereby 
acknowledge,  thereupon  do  give,  grant,  bar- 
gain, sell,  convey  and  confirm  to,"  etc.  (here 
follow  the  names  of  the  grantees),  "  which  said 
given  and  granted  tract  of  lands  is  butted, 
bounded  and  described  as  followeth,  viz.  :  Be- 
ginning from  the  one  and  fortieth  degree  of 
north  latitude  at  ten  miles  distance  east  of  Sus- 
quehanna River  and  from  thence  with  a  north- 
erly line,  ten  miles  east  of  the  river,  to  the  forty- 
second  or  beginning  of  the  forty-third  degree  of 
north  latitude,  and  to  extend  west  two  degrees 

i  Miner's  "  History  of  Wyoming,''  p.  68. 


of  longitude,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles, 
and  from  thence  south  to  the  beginning  of  the 
forty-second  degree,  and  from  thence  east  to  the 
aforementioned  bounds,  which  is  ten  miles  cast 
of  the  Susquehanna  River,  together  with  all  and 
every  the  mines,  etc.,  and  all  the  hereditaments, 
etc.,  to  have  and  to  hold  the  above  granted  and 
bargained  premises  etc.,  to  them  and  their  heirs 
and  assigns,  forever,"  etc.  These  boundaries 
(better  understood  by  reference  to  the  historical 
map)  included  the  beautiful  Wyoming  \ralley 
and  a  great  extent  of  territory  besides,  stretch- 
ing westward  to  the  head-waters  of  the  Alle- 
gheny, but  no  part  of  the  region  which  forms 
the  subject  of  this  work. 

The  Pennsylvanians  asserted  that  there  were 
great  frauds  perpetrated  in  this  purchase ;  that 
undue  influences  were  resorted  to,  the  Indians 
made  drunk  by  one  Lydius,  an  inn-keeper  of 
Albany,  in  the  employ  of  the  Connecticut  men, 
etc.,  etc. 2 


'•"These  objections,  together  with  some  others  advanced 
by  the  Pennsylvanians,  were  comprehensively  set.  forth  by 
the  liev.  Richard  Peters  in  a  letter  written  to  Henry  Wil- 
mot  from  Philadelphia,  dated  "  18th  May,  1774,"  of  which 
the  following  is  a  condensation  : 

"  1  am  desired  by  the  Governor  to  give  you  an  account 
of  what  I  know  with  respect  to  an  Indian  Deed  under 
which  some  private  people  calling  themselves  the  Susque- 
hanna Company,  Inhabitants  of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut, 
claim  all  the  lands  in  Pennsylvania  between  the  41st  & 
4'ind  Degree  of  Latitude. 

"In  the  year  1741  the  Proprietor  Thomas  Penn  went  from 
here  to  England  and  from  that  time  to  this  I  have  been  well 
acquainted  with  all  Indian  negotiations  and  had  great 
share  in  their  management  either  as  Proprietary,  Secre- 
tary, or  Member  of  the  Council  or  as  Provincial  Secretary, 
which  enables  me  to  declare  with  truth  that  before  the 
year  1753  I  never,  that  I  can  remember,  heard  of  any  claim 
set  up  by  the  Government,  or  any  inhabitants  of  the  Colony 
of  Connecticut  to  any  lands  within  this  Proviuce.  In  the 
year  1753  I  received  information  of  a  claim  setup  by  some 
Connecticut  people  within  this  Province  by  virtue  of  the 
Connecticut  Charter,  and  that  there  was  a  party  gone  into 
the  Indian  country  to  make  a  purchase  of  lands  between 
Susquehanna  and  Delaware,  to  begin  at  or  near  Wyomink. 
This  alarmed  Mr.  Hamilton  and  others,  and  Conrad 
Weiser,  the  Indian  interpreter,  was  ordered  to  give  the  Six 
Nations  an  account  of  this  intelligence  and  to  put  them  on 
their  guard.  Col.  Johnson,  His  Majesty's  Indian  Agent  in 
the  New  York  government,  was  also  made  acquainted  with 
this  new  project  and  the  intelligence  was  also  communi- 
cated to  the  Governor  and  Deputy-Governor  of  Con- 
necticut, who  both  disavowed  the  scheme.  In  the  year  1754 
a  Congress  was  held  at  Albany  between  the  Six  Nations 


SETTLEMENTS  ON  THE  UPPER  DELAWARE 


The  Delaware  Company,  subsequent  to  the 
Susquehanna  Company's  purchase,  bought  with 
less  formality  the  Indian  title  from  certain 
chiefs  of  all  the  laud  bounded  east  by  the  Dela- 
ware River,  within  the  forty-second  degree  of 
latitude,  west   to  the  line  of  the  Susquehanna 


and  the  King's  agent,  together  with  the  governments  of  all 
the  Northern  Colonies.  Mr.  John  Penn  and  myself  were 
sent  from  Pennsylvania  as  Commissioners  by  the  Governor 
to  this  Congress  and  Mr.  Isaac  Norris  and  Mr.  Benjamin 
Franklin  on  the  part  of  the  Assembly.  Mr.  John  Penn  was 
at  this  time  instructed  to  make  as  extensive  a  purchase  of 
lands  as  the  Indians  could  be  persuaded  to  part  with  and 
Hells  were  sent  to  the  Onandago  Council  by  the  Governor 
to  Signify  his  desire  for  another  purchase. 

"Accordingly  a  large  Section  of  country  was  treated  for, 
extending  to  the  Western  Boundary  of  the  Province;  a  Deed 
was  executed  by  the  Indians  and  likewise  another  Deed 
confirming  to  tlie  Proprietaries  a  former  Deed  which  bound 
the  Indians  not  to  sell  to  any  persons  any  Lands  comprised 
within  the  bounds  of  His  Majesty's  Charter  to  the  Proprie- 
taries. The  Indians  declared  at  this  time  their  absolute  re- 
fusal to  make  any  grant  to  Connecticut  parties  of  any  lands 
and  declared  in  their  Public  Treaty  that  they  would  sell 
none  of  the  Wyomiug  Country  either  to  them  or  to  us. 

"  This  will  show  that  at  that  time  there  was  no  Indian 
Deed  made  to  the  Connecticut  people  by  the  Onondaga 
Council  and  if  any  Deed  is  set  up  it  must  have  been  ob- 
tained in  a  clandestine  manner  from  private  Indians, 
It  was  currently  reported  that  one  Lydius,  of  the  city 
of  Albany,  had,  in  behalf  of  the  Connecticut  people,  endea- 
vored by  bribes  and  liquor  to  get  the  Indians  to  execute  a 
Deed  lodged  with  him  for  this  infamous  purpose.  The 
persons  to  whom  this  pretended  deed  was  made  were 
private  persons  and  acting  in  violation  of  their  own  laws 
and  the  right  of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  to  these  lands, 
which  Mr.  Penn  had  purchased  of  them  and  for  which  he 
had  given  full  value.  In  the  General  Treaty  held  at  Fort 
Stanwix  by  Sir  William  Johnson,  His  Majesty's  Indian 
Agent,  with  all  the  Six  Nations,  in  1768,  the  Indians  exe- 
cuted a  Deed  to  the  Proprietors  of  Pennsylvania  for  all  the 
lands  within  t lie  bounds  of  this  province  so  far  as  they  had 
then  Settled  the  general  boundary  with  His  Majesty.  This 
purchase  contains  most  or  all  the  lauds  claimed  by  the 
people  of  Connecticut,  the  consideration  for  the  same  being 
the  Sum  of  Eight  Thousand  Pounds  or  a  like  Sum,  and  in 
that  treaty  the  attempt  of  the  Connecticut  people  was 
mentioned  and  condemned.  This  treaty  being  deemed  the 
basis  of  all  matters  relating  to  lands  between  the  Indians 
&  His  Majesty,  it  was  transmitted  to  the  King's  ministers 
&  now  lies  among  the  public  papers  in  the  Privy  Council, 
where  it  may  be  consulted. 

"As  it  is  supposed  that  the  Susquehanna  Company  have 
assigned  over  their  right  under  this  Deed  to  the  Govern- 
ment of  Connecticut,  1  have  been  thus  particular  to  furnish 
ample  proofs  for  the  invalidating  of  this  pretended  Indian 
Deed  if  it  should  ever  be  set  up  by  the  Connecticut  Gov- 
ernment."— Colonial  Records,  Vol.  X.  pp.  178-179. 


purchase,  viz.,  ten  miles  east  of  that  river.  It 
was  under  the  auspices  of  this  company  that  the 

Skinner  settlement,  alluded  to  at  the  outset  of 
this  chapter,  was  made  in  1757  at  Cushutunk, 
in  the  present  limits  of  Damascus  township, 
Wayne  County. 

Both  purchases  were  immediately  made 
known  to  the  Pennsylvania  authorities,  and, 
in  fact,  commissioners  from  the  province  were 
present  at  the  Albany  council.  The  Governor 
at  once  wrote  Sir  William  Johnson  requesting 
him,  if  possible,  to  induce  the  Indians  to 
deny  the  regularity  of  the  purchase,  ami  he 
took  various  other  means  to  defeat  the  ( lonnec- 
ticut  scheme. 

The  Susquehanna  Company,  having  com- 
pleted its  purchase,  concluded  to  divide  the  kind 
into  shares,  which  were  to  be  distributed,  and 
called  a  general  meeting,  to  be  held  at  Hart- 
ford, for  that  purpose.  They  had  very  shrewdly 
endeavored  to  interest  Penusylvanians,  especially 
those  of  the  frontier  settlements,  in  their  enter- 
prise, and  had  succeeded  in  some  measure. 

In  some  localities  such  inducements  were 
made  that  a  majority,  or,  at  least,  a  considerable 
number,  of  the  inhabitants  unreservedly  favored 
the  project  and  unhesitatingly  decided  to  share 
in  it.  This  was  the  case,  as  we  shall  presently 
show,  in  the  old  Minisink  settlement  of  Smith- 
field,  comprising  nearly  all  of  the  then  settled 
portion  of  what  is  now  Monroe  County,  and, 
it  may  be  added,  that  region  had  quite  a  close 
connection — friendly  and  unfriendly — with  the 
affairs  of  the  Connecticut- Pennsylvania  settle- 
ments throughout  the  whole  period  of  the 
Peunamite  War.  There  were  in  the  Sniithtield 
settlement  men  of  character  on  both  sides  of 
the  controversy,  among  the  most  prominent  of 
those  steadily  loyal  to  the  Pennsylvania  inter- 
ests being  Daniel  Brodhead.  It  was  upon  a 
warrant  issued  by  him,  as  one  of  "  His  Majes- 
ty's Magistrates  of  the  Peace "  that  the  mes- 
senger of  theSusquehanna Company  was  arrested 
when  he  came  to  Pennsylvania  to  invite  resident 
members  of  the  company  to  the  Hartford  meet- 
ing, and  appeared  in  that  part  of  Northampton 
County  over  which  Justice  Brodhead  had  juris- 
diction. He  appears  frequently  in  the  archives 
j  of   the  State  as  a  trusty  guard   of   the    pro- 


5N 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


prietaries'  claims.  At  the  very  outset  of  the 
controversy  lie  is  mentioned,  as  giving  valuable 
information  regarding  the  Connecticut  intruders, 
by  William  Parsons,  who  wrote  the  following 
to  Governor  James  Hamilton,  under  date  of 
February  8,  1754  :  "  Having  heard  that  some 
persons,  under  pretence  of  an  Authority  from 
the  Government  of  Connecticut,  had  passed  by 
Daniel  Broadhead,  Esquire's,  in  their  way  to 
Wyomink,  upon  Sasquehanna  River,  in  order 
to  view  the  Lands  in  those  Parts,  giving  out 
that  those  lands  were  included  within  the 
Boundaries  of  the  Royal  Charter  to  the  Colony 
of  Connecticut,  and  that  they  intended,  with 
a  very  considerable  Number  of  Families,  to  go 
and  settle  there  next  Spring,  and  at  the  same 
time  inviting  the  present  Settlers  within  this 
Province,  in  their  way,  to  accept  of  Titles  under 
the  Government  for  Part  of  those  Lands,  1 
went  up  to  Mr.  Broadhead's  to  speak  to  him 
and  to  be  more  fully  informed  of  the  matter. 
Mr.  Broadhead  told  me  that  my  information 
was  but  too  true,  and  that  some  of  his  near 
neighbors  had  accompanied  three  Gentleman- 
like men  to  Wyomink,  who  produced  a  Writing, 
under  a  large  Seal,  which  they  said  was  the 
public  Seal  of  the  Government  of  Connecticut, 
empowering  them  to  treat  and  agree  with  such 
persons  as  were  disposed  to  take  any  of  these 
Lands  of  them  ;  and,  since  waiting  upon  Mr. 
Broadhead,  the  same  has  been  confirmed  to  me 
by  several  other  Persons  of  Reputation  in  these 
Parts.  As  I  am  very  apprehensive  this  affair 
may  not  only  be  very  injurious  to  the  Interest 
of  the  Honourable  the  Proprietors,  but  that  it 
may  also  be  the  means  of  occasioning  very  great 
Disorders  and  Disturbances  in  the  Back  Parts 
of  the  Province,  I  thought  I  should  be  wanting 
in  my  duty  if  I  did  not  give  your  Honour  this 
Information."1 

That  the  New  England  agents  interested 
some  of  the  settlers  along  the  Delaware 
in  their  land  schemes,  and  that  the  danger 
threatened  was  appreciated,  is  shown  clearly  by  a 
letter  from  Daniel  Brodhead  to  the  Council, 
dated  February  21st,  less  than  a  fortnight  after 
Mr.  Parsons' communication.   He  says:  "  There 

'Col.  Rec,  Vol.  V.,  p.  736. 


has  been  and  is  great  Disquietude  amongst  the 
people  of  these  parts,  occasioned  by  some  New 
England  Gentlemen,  to  such  a  Degree  that  they 
are  all  or  the  Majority  of  them  going  to  quit 
and  sell  their  Lands  for  Trifles ;  and  to  my 
certain  Knowledge  many  of  them  have  advanced 
Money  on  said  Occasion,  in  order  that  they 
might  secure  Rights  from  the  New  England 
Proprietaries,  which  Right  I  suppose  is  intend- 
ed to  be  on  Sasquehanna,  at  a  Place  called 
Wyomink. 

"At  the  time  those  Gentlemen  were  here,  I 
was  at  a  Loss  how  to  act,  least  I  should  do  the 
thing  not  just;  therefore  desire  your  Honour 
will  be  pleased  to  favour  me  with  your  advice, 
and  depend  I  shall  justly  obey  your  Orders  in 
case  they  come  again. 

"  As  I  am  conscious  of  acting  with  the 
utmost  Honesty,  both  to  the  Honorable  the 
Proprietaries  in  every  respect  and  to  every  one 
in  general,  I  am  resolved  so  to  continue."2 

Further  light  is  thrown  upon  the  disaffection 
of  the  Pennsylvanians  at  Smithfield  by  a  letter 
from  Daniel  Broadhead  to  Richard  Peters,  dated 
"Lower  Smithfield,  November  13,  1754,"  and 
he  evinces  in  it  a  shrewd  foresight  of  the 
things  that  were  to  follow.     He  says, — 

"  I  thought  it  an  incumbent  Duty  on  me  to 
inform  you  to  what  a  Crisis  the  New  Eng- 
landers  have  raised  most  of  the  people  of  our 
Neighbourhood  to  in  Relation  of  their  settling 
the  Lands  of  Wyomink.  As  soon  as  I  re- 
ceived the  orders  from  our  late  Honourable 
Governor  and  Mr.  Allen  I  communicated 
them  to  my  Brother  Justices  and  likewise 
desired  their  Assistance  in  order  to  suppress 
some  Persons  whom  I  looked  upon  to  be  busy 
in  Seducing  our  people  to  join  the  New  Eng- 
enders, but  found  those  Parties  concerned  that 
by  their  Slackness  the  New  Englanders  have 
insinuated  themselves  iuto  our  People  to  a  great 
Height,  as  an  Instance  of  which  I'll  beg  Leave 
to  mention  one  particular  :  There  were  some 
Letters  came  from  New  England  last  Week 
intimating  that  Wyomink  was  purchased,  and 
that  Thirteen  of  the  Sachems  had  already  signed 
the  Deed,  at   the   same  time  desiring    all    the 


;  Col.  Rec,  Vol.  V.  p.  757. 


SETTLEMENTS  ON  THE  UPPER   DELAWARE. 


59 


Persons  who  were  concerned  to  meet  at  Hart- 
ford in  Connecticut  on  the  twentieth  of  this 
Instant,  in  order  to  have  their  Rights  delivered 
to  them.  Thia  occasioned  a  meeting  in  our 
Parts  to  the  number  of  thirty  who  had  already 
become  Admit  urn*  mid  lodged  their  money  in 
tlie  Hands  of  one  Robert  Parkas,  in  order  to  be 
conveyed  to  New  England.  Upon  hearing  of 
which  I  immediately  issued  out  a  Warrant  and 
liad  him  brought  before  me  just  as  he  was  setting 
out  on  his  Journey ;  after  some  examination 
left  him  in  Care  of  the  Constable  to  get  Security 
for  his  Personal  Appearance  at  our  next  Court, 
according  to  the  directions  I  received  from  Mr. 
Allen  ;  but  instead  of  bringing  me  Security  the 
Constable,  who  is  a  Party  concerned,  let  him  go, 
and  Mr.  Atkins  who  is  one  of  our  Magistrates, 
at  the  same  time  wished  I  would  send  him  to 
Goal  with  said  Parkes,  and  accordingly  set  off 
with  him  for  New  England  as  agents  for  our 
People.  This  appears  to  be  a  sort  of  Anarchy 
which,  if  not  soon  stopped,  will,  I  am  afraid, 
prove  very  detrimental  to  the  Proprietors  and 
to  the  Peace  of  this  Province."1 

The  contents  of  this  letter  being  duly  com- 
municated to  Governor  Robert  H.  Morris,  he 
wrote  Mr.  Brodhead,  expressing  sorrow  that 
"some  of  the  People  in  his  county  were  weak 
enough  to  be  led  away  by  the  Idle  tales  of  some 
designing  Men  from  New  England;"  commend- 
ing him  for  his  action  and  urging  him  to  act  with 
increased  vigor  in  the  future. 

The  Pennsylvania  government  was  unremit- 
ting in  its  efforts  to  thwart  the  plans  of  the  Sus- 
quehannaand  Delaware  Companies.  Although 
the  former  was  the  more  powerful  and  better 
disciplined  organization,  it  did  not  effect  a  set- 
tlement upon  the  lands  it  claimed  until  17(32, 
while,  as  we  have  seen,  the  settlement  of  Cushu- 
tunk  was  made  under  the  authority  of  the  Dela- 
ware Company  in  1757.  It  was  here,  then,  that 
the  Pennsylvania  officials  had  first  to  use  or 
threaten  to  use  coercive  measures  against  the 
trespassers.  Cushutunk  was,  in  1760,  still  an 
insignificant  settlement,  but  it  gave  the  provin- 
cial government  as  much  trouble  as  a  gnat 
lodged  in  the  eye  of  an  elephant    might    cause 


'  Col.  Rec,  Vol.  VI.  p.  253-254. 


that  mighty  animal.  Repeatedly  the  little 
band  of  settlers  were  warned  to  depart.  Proc- 
lamations were  made  against  them  and  officers 
ordered  to  arrest  them,  but  so  far  as  any  evi- 
dence appears  in  the  State  documents,  they 
were  never  actually  molested. 

On  September  15,  1760,  Richard  Peters, 
wrote  Lewis  Gordon  to  go  to  "  Cashictan"  with 
two  of  His  Majesty's  justices  of  the  peace,  take 
down  the  names  of  all  the  people  there,  inform 
them  that  they  were  trespassers  and  warn  them, 
under  penalty  of  arrest,  to  leave  the  province. 

Gordon,  in  answering  Peters  upon  September 
15th,  says  :  "  It  occurred  to  me  that  if  any  of  the 
people  (of  Cusutunk)  should  happen  to  be  down 
towards  the  Minisinks,  where  they  sometimes 
come  to  purchase  some  necessaries,  the  Noise  of 
our  Journey  being  spread  abroad  in  the  Country 
might  reach  <  'a-hitunek  before  we  got  thither, 
which  would  in  my  opinion  greatly  disconcert 
us.  For  the  people  being  once  apprized  of  our 
coming  (they  to  be  sure)  would  not  permit  us  to 
enter  their  settlements,  much  less  acquaint  us 
with  their  Names  or  anything  else  they  could 
conceal.  It  was  this  Conversation,  therefore, 
made  me  conclude  it  most  proper  for  us  not  to 
go  or  appear  there  in  our  real  Character.-,  but 
to  assume  that  and  the  dress  of  farmers  going  in 
(piest  of  Lands  to  settle  upon,  by  which  we  might 
more  easily  introduce  ourselves  amongst  them, 
learn  all  that  was  necessary,  and  then,  if  weshould 
think  it  prudent,  we  might  discover  ourselves 
tell  them  our  real  errand  and  take  our  leave."2 

All  of  which  proves  now,  after  the  lapse  of 
a  century  and  a  quarter,  that  Lewis  Gordon  was 
a  very  shrewd,  fox-like  man,  and  ardent  in  his 
loyalism  to  the  provincial  government. 

Gordon,  who  was  sheriff  of  Northampton,  did 
go  to  the  settlement  in  October,  in  company 
with  three  justices  of  the  peace — one  of  whom 
was  Aaron  Depui,  of  Smithfield,  and  learned 
many  foots,  which  he  reported  to  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Hamilton.  As  his  report  gives  inter- 
esting and  valuable  particulars, — quite  a  minute 
description,  in  fact,  of  the  otherwise  little-known 
settlement — we  give  it  almost  entire.  It  is 
dated  October  15,  1760,  and  reads, — 


On 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


"  The  Report  of  the  Sheriff  and  Justices  of  Northampton 
<  bunty, 

"  To  the  Honorable  James  Hamilton,  Esquire,  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Province  of  Pennsylvania,  etc. 
"  We,  Aaron  Dupui,  Lewis  Klotz,  John  Moor  and 
Lewis  Gordon,  beg  leave  to  report  to  your  Honour — 
"  That  in  obedience  to  your  Honour's  command, 
We  having  joined  company  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
Dupui,  set  out  from  thence  on  Wednesday,  the  8th 
Instant,  on  our  Journey  to  Cushietunk,  where  we  ar- 
rived on  Saturday  following,  and  collected  the  follow- 
ing intelligence,  viz. :  That  the  Government  of  Con- 
necticut, by  virtue  of  their  original  charter  from  the 
Crown,  about  six  or  seven  years  ago,  granted  to  a 
great  number  of  Persons,  not  less  than  eight  or  nine 
Hundred,  who  are  called  Proprietaries  of  a  large 
tract  of  land  in  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania,  ex- 
tending on  the  River  Delaware,  30  miles  Horizontal 
Measure,  beginning  nearly  opposite  to  Peter  Kuyken- 
dahl's,  in  New  Jersey,  and  so  running  northwards 
the  said  extent,  and  westward  to  a  Mountain  (Moosic 
range)  lying  something  like  hall-way  between  Cushie- 
tunk and  Susquehanna,  in  which  Tract  the  Lands  at 
Cushietunk  are  included,  with  lull  power  to  the  said 
Proprietaries  to  purchase  the  said  Tract  from  the  In- 
dians; That,  in  consequence  of  the  said  Grant,  the 
said  Proprietaries  did  empower  and  appoint  two  of 
their  own  Number,  Namely,  Eldrickens  and  Whit- 
ney, to  purchase  the  same  or  part  thereof  from  the 
Delaware  Indians;  the  names  of  some  of  them  follow, 
viz.:  Mayhios,  Mastohop,  Attamesick,  Westcrank, 
Christias,  Mictauk,  Wiselawah,  Nolotock  Pooth,  the 
King  Cattacool,  Mawicheomet,  Maudlin,  Colvelateb, 
Makeshacomas,  Quanaloch,  Tangol,  Metuxing,  Mon- 
kyehiss,  Mechukings ;  which  said  purchase  was 
made  about  six  years  ago  ;  That  afterwards  a  Second 
Purchase  was  made  for  the  said  Proprietaries  by  John 
Curtius  &  Peebody,  Surveyor  (who  are  also  of  the 
number  of  Proprietaries),  from  the  said  Indians,  either 
as  a  farther  purchase  in  extent  or  in  confirmation  of 
the  former;  that  the  said  Proprietaries  have  selected 
a  certain  number  id'  themselves  whom  they  have  ap- 
pointed to  be  a  committee  to  manage  and  transact  all 
Business  relating  to  said  Lands,  who  have  accordingly 
laid  out  and  surveyed  the  same,  and  at  Cushietunk 
have  erected  three  Townships,  each  of  which  is  to 
extend  in  length  on  Delaware  ten  miles,  and  in 
breadth  eighi  miles.1  In  the  Middle  Township  a 
large  Town  is  laid  out,  consisting  of  eighty  and  odd 
Lots,  two  Hundred  acres  in  each  Lott,  to  each  of 
which  a  Water  Lott  of  ten  Acres  appertains;  On  the 
Lowlands  are  built  three  Logg  Houses,  one  Saw  Mill, 


1  No  other  mention  of  these  townships  is  known,  and  it 
is  doubtful  whether  they  were  ever  laid  out.  The  whole 
pm-cha-i'  was  divided  into  townships  by  the  company,  as 
will  hereafter  lie  shown. 


one  Grist  Mill,  almost  finished,  and  about  thirty  Cab- 
bins  for  working  people  ;  their  number  at  present  is 
about  twenty  men,  besides  Women  and  Children  ; 
about  twenty  more  are  gone  home  for  want  of  Provis- 
ions; But  they  are  in  full  expectation  to  be  joined  by 
One  Hundred  Families,  at  least,  in  the  spring.  That 
it  is  strongly  affirmed  that  every  individual  member  of 
the  Upper  House  and  Chief  part  of  the  Lower  House 
of  Assembly  of  Connecticut  are  interested  and 
concerned  in  the  said  purchase;  the  Governor  has  not 
yet  thought  proper  to  suffer  his  name  to  be  made  use 
of,  but  his  son,  whose  name  is  Fitch,  is  one  of  the 
Proprietaries;  That  the  lands  are  sold  for  8  or  10 
Dollars  in  hand  for  200  Acres,  twelve  whereof  to  be 
cleared  and  improved  and  a  House  built  in  three 
years,  otherwise  to  be  forfeited  ;  That  a  large  Sum  of 
Money  hath  been  raised  and  Sent  home  in  order  to 
sollicit  a  confirmation  of  this  Grant  to  the  said  Pro- 
prietaries, or  to  get  the  ancient  Charter  renewed, 
which  is  said  to  be  forfeited,  and  the  better  to  affect 
the  same,  Affidavits  (particularly  the  affidavit  of  one 
Thomas  Nottingham,  wdio  speaks  the  Delaware  tongue 
well,  and  negotiated  this  bargain  with  the  Indians, 
and  hath  been  of  singular  service  to  us  in  collecting 
these  Accounts,  having  since  quarreled  with  the  Con- 
necticut people)  have  been  transmitted  to  England, 
of  the  said  Proprietaries  having  purchased  the  said 
Tract  of  Land  bona  fide  from  the  Indians,  and  of  this 
Nottingham's  being  present  when  the  purchase  money 
was  paid  ;  That  the  soil  of  the  said  land  is  said  to  be 
good  in  general ;  of  the  three  Townships,  the  upper 
and  lower  is  said  to  be  very  good,  the  Middle  town- 
ship, where  they  are  settled,  being  but  indifferent. 
But  the  deficiency  of  the  Land  is  abundantly  com- 
pensated by  the  goodness  of  timber,  especially  the 
white  Pine,  hard  Maple  or  Sugar  Tree,  Beech,  Wild 
Cherry  and  Black  Birch,  the  finest  and  plentiful  est  in 
the  world;  That  aright  hath  sold  here  for  £40;  a 
right  is  supposed  to  contain  r>000  Acres. 

"  Here  follow  the  names  of  some  of  the  committee 

who  are  also  proprietaries,  viz. :     Fiteh,  son  to 

the  present  Governor  of  Connecticut;  Isaac  Tracey, 
Benijah  Geers,  Gebish  Fitch,  John  Curtius,  Elisha 
Tracey,  clerk;  Benijah  Parks, Peebody,  Survey- 
or ;  Moses  Thomas,  Hezekiah  Huntington,  Esq.,  late 
Governor;  Stephen  Kinney,  Robert  Kinnsman,  John 
Burchard. 

"  Here  follow  the  names  of  some  of  the  settlers: 

Stanton,    Trim,   Daniel   Skinner,   Simon 

Corking,  who  hath  been  a  Justice  and   Lieutenant  in 

Connecticut  (a  busy  fellow  and  a   ring  leader), 

Holly,  John  Smith,  John  Corkins,  Jedediah  Willis, 
Jedediah  Willis,  Jr.,  James  Adams,  Benjamin  Ashley, 

Nathan  Chapman,  Doctor  Payne, Kellick.   That 

having  given  these  people  previous  Notice  that  we 
had  something  of  importance  to  deliver  to  them, 
about  a  dozen  of  them  assembed  in  one  of  their 
Houses,  where  Mr.  Gordon  addressed  them  to  this 
purpose ;  That  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  being 


SETTLEMENTS  ON  THE  UPPER  DELAWARE. 


6] 


informed  that  some  people  from  Connecticut  had  pre- 
sumed to  settle  themselves  on  lands  at  Cushietunk, 
within  his  Province,  but  without  his  knowledge  or 
permission,  and  as  yet  not  purchased  from  the  Indians, 
had  sent  us  (declaring  who  we  are)  to  enquire  if  said 
Information  was  true,  and  if  we  found  any  person 
there  to  warn  them  off  immediately  ;  Which  Mr. 
Gordon  (after  claiming  as  well  those  Lands  at  Cush- 
ietunk as  the  large  Tract  by  said  Government  of  Con- 
necticut, laid  out  and  surveyed  on  Susquehanna,  as 
the  undoubted  Right  and  property  of  the  Honoura- 
ble the  Proprietaries  of  Pennsylvania)  accordingly 
did.  To  this  it  was  answered  that  they  claimed  under 
the  Connecticut  Government  &  the  Indian  purchase, 
and  that  they  would  hold  their  Lands  until  it  was 
decided  by  the  highest  Authority  in  whom  the  true 
title  was  vested. 

"  Dated  the  fifteenth  day  of  October,  Annoque  Do- 
mini, 1760, 

"  Aaron  Dupui. 

"  Lewis  Klotz. 

"  John  Mook. 

"Lewis  Gordon.'*1 
Richard  Peters,  writing  to  Sir  William  John- 
son, February  12,  1761,  pointedly  sets  forth  the 
condition  of  fear  and  disquietude  that  the  settle- 
ment and  the  scheming  of  the  intruders  had 
caused.  "The  Connecticut  people,"  he  says,  "are 
making  their  grand  push  both  in  England,  for 
a  new  Grant  from  the  King,  and  in  this  prov- 
ince, for  a  forceable  Entry  and  Detainer  of  the 
Iudian  Lauds,  on  no  other  pretence  than  that 
their  Charter  extends  to  the  South  Seas,  and  so, 
like  Mad  Men,  they  will  cross  New  York  and 
New  Jersey  and  come  to  kindle  an  Indian  War 
in  the  Bowete  of  this  poor  Province.  .  .  . 
The  Governor  has  wrote  you  at  large  on  this 
wicked  revival  of  the  Connecticut  Claims,  and 
I  wish  either  you  or  General  Amherst  cou'd 
fall  on  some  means  to  have  it  laid  aside ;  for  it 
toill  breed  a  Civil  War  among  owr  Back  Inhabit- 
ants, who  are  sucking  in,  all  over  the  Frontiers, 
the  Connecticut  poison  and  Spirit,  and  will  Ac- 
tually, in  my  Opinion,  go  into  Rebellion  in  the 
opening  of  the  Spring."2 

The  Governor,  upon  February  20,  1761 
("  And  in  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  our  Sov- 
ereign Lord,  George  the  Third,")  issued  a  pro- 
clamation to  the  trespassers  at  Cushutunk,  en- 
joining all  to  immediately  depart.  It  read,  in 
part,  thus, — 


Col.  Kec.,  Vol.  viii.  p.  564- 
'■  Peuu.  Archives.  Vol.  IV.,  ] 


"  Wliereas,  Divers  persons,  the  National-born  Sub- 
jects of  his  Majesty  belonging  to  some  of  our  neigh- 
boring colonies,  have  lately  come  into  this  Province 
and  without  Licence  or  Grant  from  the  Honourable 
Proprietaries,  or  Authority  from  the  Government 
have  presumed  in  a  body  to  possess  themselves  of  and 
settle  upon  a  large  Tract  of  Land  in  this  Province, 
not  yet  purchased  from  the  Indians,  near  Cushietunck, 
on  the  River  Delaware  and  in  the  parts  of  Northampton 
County,  and  are  endeavoring  to  pursuade  and  invei- 
gle many  of  the  Inhabitants  df  this  and  the  neigh- 
boring Provinces  to  Confederate  and  join  with  them  in 
their  illegal  and  dangerous  Designs,  and  to  assist  in 
settling  and  holding  the  said  Lands  by  strong 
Hand  ; 

"And  Whereas,  the  Delaware  Chief  Teedyuscung 
hath  made  a  very  earnest  and  formal  Complaint  and 
Remonstrance  to  me  against  the  said  Practices,  in- 
sisting that  the  intruders  shall  be  immediately  re- 
moved by  the  Government  to  which  they  belonged, 
or  by  me,  and  declared  if  this  was  not  done,  the  In- 
dians would  come  aud  remove  them  by  force 
and  do  themselves  justice,  with  which  he  de- 
sired they  might  be  made  acquainted  beforehand 
that  they  might  not  pretend  Ignorance,  which  has 
been  since  accordingly  done  by  my  order, 

"  Wherefore,  as  well  to  assert  the  just  Rights  of  the 
Proprietaries  of  this  Province  to  the  said  Lands,  and 
to  preserve  the  peace  and  friendship  which  is  now  so 
happily  restored  and  subsisting  between  us  and  the 
Indians,  and  prevent  the  terrible  consequences  that 
must  necessarily  arise,  by  their  carrying  into  Execu- 
tion their  Threats  of  removing  by  force  the  Intruders 
(if  the  said  Lands,  as  also  U<  warn  and  prevent  any  of 
the  Inhabitants  of  this  province  from  being  unwarily 
drawn  in  to  join  the  said  intruders  in  their  intended 
design  of  making  settlements  in  the  said  Indian 
Country,  I  have  judged  it  proper,  by  and  with  the 
Advice  of  the  Council,  to  issue  this  proclamation, 
hereby  Strictly  requiring  and  enjoining  in  his  Majesty's 
Name  all  and  every  Person  and  Persons  already  settled 
or  residing  on  thesaid  Lands,  immediately  to  depart  and 
move  away  from  the  same  ;  and  do  hereby  forbid  all 
His  Majesty's  Subjects  of  this  or  any  other  Province 
or  Colony,  on  any  pretence  whatever,  to  intrude  upon, 
settle  or  possess  any  of  the  said  Lands,  or  any  other 
of  the  Lands  within  the  Limits  of  this  Provice  not 
yet  purchased  of  the  Indians,  as  they  will  answer  the 
contrary  at  their  peril  and  on  pain  of  being  prose- 
cuted with  the  utmost  Rigour  of  the  Law.  And  I  do 
hereby  also  strictly  charge,  enjoin  and  require  all 
Sheriffs,  Magistrates,  Peace  Officers  and  all  other  His 
Majesty's  Liege  people  within  this  Province  to  exert 
themselves  and  use  their  utmost  Endeavors  to  prose- 
cute and  bring  to  Justice  and  condign  Punishment 
all  offenders  in  the  premises."3 


1  Col.  Rec,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  66G-56V 


WAYNE,  PTKE  AXI>  MONROE  COUNTIES    PENNSYLVANIA. 


Prior  to  the  issuance  of  this  proclamation 
(February  10th)  Governor  Hamilton  wrote  a 
letter  to  the  Governor  of  Connecticut,  in  which 
he  bitterly  complained  of  the  settlers,  and 
urged  him  to  use  his  influence  for  their  with- 
drawal ffom  the  province. 

Teedyuscung,  who,  as  we  have  seen  by  the 
Governor's  proclamation,  seriously  disapproved 
of  the  continuance  of  the  settlement  at  Cushu- 
tunk,  again,  in  the  spring  of  1761,  strongly 
urged  its  ellaeoment.  At  Easton,  on  April  li, 
1761,  with  other  Delawares,  in  conference  with 
Lieutenant-Governor  Hamilton  and  Richard 
Peters,  he  said   (through  an  interpreter), — - 

"  Brother :  you  may  remember  that  when  I  was 
here  in  the  Fall  of  the  year,  I  informed  you  that  some 
New  England  people  were  settling  the  Indians 
Lands,  neara  place  called  Cushietunck,  and  expressed 

a  great  deal  of  uneasiness  at  it.  You  told  me  that 
you  had  likewise  heard  something  of  il  and  had  sent 
the  Sheriff  and  Magistrates  of  the  county  bordering 
on  these  lands  to  the  place  with  orders  to  see  what 
was  doing  and  to  warn  any  persons  off  whom  they 
should  find  settling  there.  ...  I  have  not 
heard  anything  from  you  since  that  time  and  our 
People  are  become  so  uneasy  at  this  new  settlement 
that  several  of  them  are  moved  away  to  other  places, 
and  these  now  present  are  come  on  purpose  with  me 
to  hear  what  you   have  to  say  about   this  affair."     . 

"  The  reason  why  we  were  so  uneasy  is  this :  About 
three  weeks  ago,  Robert  White  came  to  our  town 
with  Thomas  Kiug,  one  of  the  Six  Nation  Indians, 
and  told  us  that  they  had  been  at  Cushietunck  among 
these  People,  and  that  Sir  William  Johnson  had  sent 
to  warn  them  off  if  they  intended  to  settle  there  ;  If 
only  to  trade  there  lie  desired  that  they  would  use 
the  Indians  well,  and  give  them  no  offence  ;  but  they 
made  very  light  of  it  and  said  they  would  not  regard 
either  what  Sir  William  Johnson  should  say,  nor  the 
Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  nor  the  Magistrates,  but 
only  what  should  come  from  their  own  Governor. 
They  said  that  they  had  bought  the  land  from  some 
Indians  who  were  at  the  last  treaty  at  Easton,  and 
would  settle  there.  They  said,  likewise,  that  in  the 
Spring,  when  there  should  be  plenty  of  Grass,  they 
would  come  and  settle  the  Lands  at  Wyomink,  and 
that  Thomas  King  had  given  them  leave  to  settle  the 
Wyomink  Land,  and  if  the  Indians  who  lived  there 
should  hinder  their  Settlement,  they  would  fight  it 
out  with  them  and  the  strongest  should  hold  the 
Land.  Robert  White  added  that  they  told  him  that 
they  should  be  four  thousand  strong  in  the  Spring 
and  would  all  come  to  Wyomink. 

"Robert   White   told    us    further   that   they   kept 


continual  watch  for  fear  the  Indians  should  shoot 
them."1 

Teedyuscung  being  asked  how  many  Robert 
White  found  there,  said  that  there  were  reported 
by  him  thirty  families. 

Shortly  after  Teedyuscung's  complaint  was 
made,  the  Lieutenant-Governor  sent  James 
llyndshaw  (of  Bushkill)  to  Cushutunk  to  ob- 
serve what  was  going  on  there  and  ascertain  the 
temper  of  the  venturesome  Quakers.  He  set  out 
upon  his  journey  April  16  (1761),andjhaving  re- 
turned, made  report  of  it  upon  the  29th.  Accord- 
ing to  this  report  he  reached  Kuykendal's  tavern 
''on  or  near  the  River  Delaware,  at  Mackhacka- 
mack,  in  Sussex  County,  West  New  Jersey," 
upon  the  second  day  of  his  travel,  and  there  met 
one  Halbert,  who  said  that  he  was  from  Connec- 
ticut and  was  going  with  his  family  to  live  at 
Cushutunk.  He  learned  from  Halbert  that  some 
nf  the  Indians  living  upon  the  Delaware,  at  (li- 
near Cushutunk,  (and  of  whom  the  New  Eng- 
enders, it  was  alleged,  had  bought  their  lands), 
had  sent  word  to  Teedyuscung  that  if  he  or  his 
followers  should  make  any  opposition  to  the 
Connecticut  people  settling  either  at  Cushutunk 
or  Wyoming,  they  (the  senders  of  the  message) 
would  join  with  the  new-comers  and  settle 
them  there  by  force. 

Upon  arriving  at  Cushutunk,  Hyudshaw  "  put 
up  at  the  house  of  Moses  Thomas,  one  of  the 
principal  Men  of  the  Settlement,  and  saw  over 
the  door  an  Advertisement,  signed  Moses  Thom- 
as, giving  notice  to  all  the  Inhabitants  of  the 
Settlement  that  they  were  to  meet  at  his,  the 
said  Thomas'  house,  on  the  Monday  follow- 
ing, in  order  to  Chuse  a  Magistrate  and  their 
other  Officers  for  the  ensuing  Year,  and  also  to 
consult  on  other  Affairs  relating  to  the  Settle- 
ment." Thus  early  was  the  institution  of  the 
New  England  "Town-Meeting"  established  in 
this  pioneer  settlement. 

It  happened  that  Moses  Thomas  was  not  at 
home,  and  the  agent  of  the  Pennsylvania 
government  found  him  "  at  work  at  a  new 
erected  Mill  for  grinding  Corn."  Thomas  said 
that  he  "  wondered  the  Lord  Penn  should  send 
up  there  a  proclamation  threatening  them  with 
the  Indians  ;  that  he  was  settled   there  under  a 

'Col.  Kec,  Vol.  VIII.,  p.  595. 


SETTLEMENTS  ON  THE  UPPER  DELAWARE 


i;:; 


Connecticut  right,  which  he  thought  a  good  one  ; 

but,  it'  it  should  prove  otherwise,  he  would  take 
and  hold  his  Land  under  the  Lord  Peiin,  it 
being  all  one  to  him."  Some  Indians  who 
were  present  told  Hyndshaw  that  if  the  Gover- 
nor of  Pennsylvania  did  not  send  the  settlers 
away,  that  they  would  drive  them  out  by  force 

He  learned  that  there  were  quite  a  number  of 
houses  in  the  settlement,  but  saw  only  four.  In 
Moses  Thomas'  house  he  "  observed  that  there 
were  a  great  many  Families,  the  Beds  lying  as 
thick  on  the  Floors  as  they  commonly  do  in  a 
Hospital." 

A  block-house  of  good  size  was  in  process  of 
construction,  which  the  settlers  said  was  for  pro- 
tection against  the  Indians,  and  they  intended 
getting  some  swivel  guns  to  mount  in  it. 

On  returning  to  Kuykendal's  the  agent  met 
in  all  fourteen  men  armed  with  guns,  who  told 
him  that  they  "  were  going  with  Captain  Tracey, 
one  of  their  head  men,  to  settle  at  Cushie- 
tunck."  Information  was  received  from  these 
men  to  the  effect  that  another  town  had 
been  laid  out  about  eight  miles  westward  of 
Cushutunk,  that  "lots  for  a  town"  had  been 
laid  out "  at  a  place  called  Leighwackson,1  within 
a  Tract  of  Land  bought  of  the  Indians  by  the 
Proprietaries  of  Pennsylvania  and  surveyed  for 
them  in  1749,  and  that  they  intended  to  settle 
it  in  like  manner  under  the  Connecticut  right." 
These  reports  the  people  on  their  way  to  Cushu- 
tunk had  learned  from  the  Indians,  who  also 
reported  that  the  settlers  had  marked  the  trees 
for  a  distance  twenty  miles  back  from  the  Dela- 
ware." 

On  Sept.  16,  17(51,  Lieutenant-Governor 
Hamilton,  having  in  the  mean  time  heard  from 
the  Governor  of  Connecticut,  who,  however, 
did  not  offer  to  recall  the  subjects  of  his  govern- 
ment from  the  disputed  territory,  as  he  had  been 
requested,  and  receiving  the  protest  of  the  Six 
Nation  Indians  that  they  had  never  sold  the  lands 
in  question,  issued  a  second  proclamation,  simi- 


»Thc  locality  here  referred  to  as  "Leighwackson"  was 
the  same"  at  which,  in  1774,  was  made  the  Wallenpaupack 
settlement,  sometimes  called  "  Lackawack,''  from  its  prox- 
imity to  the  Lackawaxen.  Of  this  name,  '•  Leighwackson  " 
was  a  corruption  or  careless  rendering. 

2  Col.  Rec,  Vol.  VIII.  p  612-614. 


lar  to  his  first,  enjoining  the  Cushutunk  settlers 
to  depart  and   forbidding    others    to     intrude.1 

This  proclamation  had  just  as  little  effect  uj 

the  imperturbable  "  Yankees  "  as  the  former  one. 
In  the  spring  of  17(>2  John  Jennings,  sheriff  of 
Northampton  County,  contemplating  the  arrest 
of  the  Cushutunk  people, sent  John  Williamson 
up  to  gain  intelligence  of  the  number  living 
there  and  other  particulars,  and  Williamson, 
executing  his  commission,  duly  made  a  report 
on  June  18th,  which  showed  the  sheriff,  among 
other  things,  that  the  trespassers  held  him  in 
contempt,  and  were  as  defiant  as  ever.  Wil- 
liamson's report  reads  as  follows  : 

"Hi  Families  are  settled  on  the  river;  their  whole 
settlement  extends  7  miles. 

"Their  head  man  is  named  .Moses  Thomas,  lives  in 
ye  2'1  settlemt  ;  his  Brother  lives  \  mile  from  him 
and  is  named  Aaron  Thomas,  lives    in  ye  I"   settlemt, 

"3d  Settlemt. 

Isaac  Tracy  owns  a  saw-mill. 
Christopher  Tracy. 
Jonathan  Tracey,  their  cousin,  lives  with  Christo 
pher. 

» ith  Isaac  Tracey. 
Do 
Do 


Brothers. 


Reuben  Jones  I 
.Moses  Kimball 
Levi  Kimball 

.lames  l'ennin. 

Daniel  Cash. 

"   ilh  Sill,  ml. 

Nathan  Parks. 

Tyler. 

Cummins. 

"  There  are  in  all  40  men  —  told  him  they  held  their 
Lands  under  N.  England — have  laid  out  a  Town  four 
miles  to  the  West  of  them,  on  a  Body  of  line  Laud,  on 
a  Branch  running  in  Lackawaxcn1 — threatened  if 
any  Sheriff  came  to  molest  them  they  wou'd  tie  a 
Stone  about  his  Neck  iV  Send  him  down  to  his 
Governor,  they  knew  the  woods  well  and  would  poo 
them  over  3  for  1."  .  .  .  "  Was  informed  by  them 
that  the  land  held  good  for  oil  miles  Up  the  Dela- 
ware; said  their  agent  had  lately  returned  from 
England  and  brot  news  that  there  was  no  doubt 
of  getting  tlie  Land  for  Connecticut.  Some  have  got 
4  or  5  acres  of  Indian  Corn,  some  '■'<,  some  '2;  no 
wheat.  Live  in  pretty  good  Log1  houses,  covered 
with  White  Pine  Shingles  or  Boards.  Vast  quantities 
of  that  kind  of  Timber  there,  very  tine.  .  .  .  Said 
it  wou'd  be  hard  to  hurt  them,  shou'd  fall  on  those 


"Col.  Rec,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  663-664. 

'This  was  probably  a  "town  "  only  in  tlie  Connecticut 
sense,  or  a  tuwnslap  as  it  would  be  called  in  Pennsylvania. 
It  was,  undoubtedly,  one  of  the  several  townships  surveyed 
by  the  Delaware  Company. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


who  sent  them — were  in  genera]  scarce  of  provisions, 
especially  bread — get  their  corn  in  canoes  from  Mini- 
sink."1 

The  first  settlement  at  Wyoming  was  made 
in  the  spring  of  1762 — if,  indeed,  settlement  it 
could  be  called  in  which  the  men,  after  plant- 
ing, and,  perhaps,  securing  some  of  their  crops, 
retired  to  their  Connecticut  homes  for  the 
winter.  In  the  following  spring,  however, 
they  came  back  prepared  to  establish  themselves 
permanently,  bringing  their  stuck,  household 
goods  and,  it  is  probable,  all  that  they  pos- 
sessed. But  their  hopes  were  doomed  to  early 
and  sudden  blight. 

The  Delaware  Indians,  who  claimed  the  lands 
on  the  Susquehanna  and  Delaware,  embraced  in 
the  ( ionnecticut  charter,  averred  that  they  had 
never  sold  any  of  their  possessions  on  the 
former  river,  though  they  admitted  that  some 
of  their  lesser  chief  had,  in  an  irregular  way, 
granted  a  title  to  those  on  the  Delaware,  and 
they  complained  bitterly  of  the  presence  of 
white  men  upon  these  lands,  which,  they  as- 
serted, had  been  "  bought  from  under  their 
feet  "  of  the  Six  Nations.  The  provincial  au- 
thorities were  constantly  beset  with  applications 
to  have  the  trespassers  removed,  and  there  were 
not  wanting  evidences  that  the  Indians  would 
take  the  matter  in  their  own  hands  if  the  au- 
thorities did  not  intervene.  Such  was  the  con- 
dition of  the  Indian  mind  when  Teedyuscung, 
king  of  the  Delawares,  was  burned  to  death  in 
his  cabiu  on  the  night  of  April  19,  1763. 
While  this  deed  was  unquestionably  committed 
by  his  Indian  enemies,  either  by  or  through  the 
influence  of  the  Six  Nations,  Indian  cunning 
ascribed  the  murder  to  the  New  England 
people.  The  people  of  the  dead  chief  now  be- 
came clamorous  for  the  removal  of  the  settlers, 
and  several  times  importuned  the  government 
to  drive  them  from  the  valley. 

The  Governor  having,  in  June,  17ii:i,  received 
fresh  complaints  from  the  Indians  at  Wyoming 
that  the  Connecticut  trespassers  were  still  obsti- 
nately prosecuting  their  settlement  on  the  lands 
there  and  at  Cushutunk,  thought  proper,  on  the 
2nd  of  that  month,  to  issue  a  third  proclamation 


Perm.  Archives,  Vol.  IV.  p.  83-84. 


requiring  those  intruders  forthwith  to  remove 
from  the  lands.  He  also  appointed  James 
Bind  and  Thomas  McKee,  Esqs.,  justices  of  the 
peace,  and  gave  them  written  instructions  to  pro- 
ceed to  Wyomiug,and  having  convened  thepeople 
settled  there,  publicly  to  read  the  following  pro- 
clamation ;  to  use  the  utmost  endeavors,  by 
expostulations  and  arguments,  to  prevail  on 
them  to  relinquish  their  scheme  of  settling  the 
lands  there,  and  to  depart  peaceably  without 
delay  ;  otherwise  to  cause  some  of  its  principals 
to  be  apprehended  and  carried  to  the  "  Goal  " 
at  Lancaster: 

"  By  the  Hon.  James  Hamilton,  Esquire,  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor and  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  Prov- 
ince of  Pennsylvania  and  the  Counties  of  Newcastle, 
Kent  and  Sussex  upon  Delaware. 
"  A  Proclamation 

"  Whereas  persons,  the  natural  born  subjects  of 
His  Majesty,  belonging  to  some  of  the  Neighbor- 
ing Colonies  have,  without  any  License  or  Grant 
from  the  Honorable  the  Proprietaries  of  this  Prov- 
ince, made  several  Attempts  in  Bodies  to  settle 
upon  a  large  Tract  of  Laud  within  the  limits  of  this 
Province  not  yet  purchased  from  the  Indians,  lying  at 
and  between  Wyoming  on  the  Susquehanna  and 
Cusbietunck  on  the  Delaware  and  in  the  upper  part 
of  Northampton  County  and  have  called  the  inhabit- 
ants to  their  aid  in  holding  the  lands  ;  And  whereas  the 
I  Maw  a  res,  and  other  tribes  of  Indians  and  also  the  Six 
Nation  Indians  have  repeatedly  made  complaints  and 
Remonstrances  to  me  against  the  said  Practices  and 
Attempts,  and  insisted  that  the  Intruders  be  removed 
by  the  Government  to  which  they  belonged,  or  by 
me,  aud  declared  that  otherwise  they  would  remove 
them  by  Force,  and  do  themselves  Justice,  but  de- 
sired that  the  Intruders  might  be  previously  ac- 
quainted therewith;  And  Whereas  Notwithstanding 
I  have  already  issued  two  Proclamations  to  apprise 
the  said  Intruders  of  their  Danger  and  to  forbid  their 
settling  on  the  said  lands  and  strictly  enjoining  those 
who  had  already  settled  to  depart;  yet  I  have  lately 
received  Information  and  fresh  Complaints  from  the 
Indians  that  divers  persons  do  still  persist  in  their 
said  Design  and  are  now  actually  settling  on  the  said 
Land  about  Wyoming  and  Cushietunck.  Wherefore, 
In  order  to  procure  the  Peace  and  Friendship  be- 
tween us  and  the  Indians  and  to  prevent  the  carrying 
in  execution  of  such  threats,  from  which  I  fear  the 
Indians  cannot  longer  be  restrained,  as  also  again  to 
warn  any  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  Province  against 
aiding  the  Intruders,  I  have  judged  it  proper,  before 
using  Force,  by  and  with  the  advice  of  Council,  to  is- 
sue this  Third  Proclamation,  requiring  in  His  Majes- 
ty's name  all  persons  already  settled  on  the  Lands  to 
depart.  And  do  hereby  forbid  all  his  Majesty's  Subjects 


SETTLEMENTS  ON  THE  UPPER  DELAWARE. 


to  intrude  upon  any  Lands  within  the  Province  not  yet 
purchased  of  the  Indians.  And  hereby  strictly  charg- 
ing all  Sheriffs,  Magistrates,  Peace  officers  and  other 
people  within  this  province  to  exert  themselves  to 
bring  to  Justice  and  condign  Punishment  all  Offend- 
ers in  the  Premises. 

"Given  under  my  hand  ....  at  Philadelphia,  the 
second  day  of  June,  1763. 

"James  Hamilton. 
"  By  Hi*  Honor's  Command, 

"  Joseph  Shippen,  Jr., 
"  Secretary. 
"  God  save  the  King."  ' 

This  proclamation,  like  those  directed  exclu- 
sively against  Cushutunk,  availed  nothing.  The 
few  Connecticut  people  at  Wyoming  unfortu- 
nately did  not  heed  it.  The  Indians  were  sullen. 
A  storm  was  portending,  and  upon  the  15th 
of  October  (1763)  it  suddenly  broke.  The 
Indians,  without  the  slightest  warning,  raised  the 
war-whoop  and  fell  with  fury  upon  the  defence- 
less village.  About  twenty  men  were  killed 
and  scalped,  and  those  who  escaped  a  horrible 
death — men,  women  and  children — fled  to  the 
mountains,  and  after  long  wandering  in  the 
wilderness,  destitute  of  food  and  almost  desti- 
tute of  clothing,  found  their  way  to  older  settle- 
ments and  eventually  to  their  Connecticut 
homes.2  This  was  the  first  massacre  of  Wyom- 
ing— not  a  part  of  the  Pennamite  War,  but  an 
example  of  Indian  ferocity  in  the  resentment  of 
leal  or  imagined  wrong.  The  government  sent 
soldiers  to  the  scene  of  the  massacre,  but  they 
found  the  valley  deserted  by  the  Indians. 

After  this  terrible  experience  no  attempt  was 
made  by  the  Susquehanna  Company  to  settle 
Wyoming  until  1769.  In  the  meantime  the 
proprietary  government  had  fortified  itself  witl 
a  deed  from  the  Six  Nations  and  other  Indians 
of  all  that  portion  of  the  province,  not  before 
bought,  which  lay  in  the  limits  of  the  Connecti- 
cut claim.  This  was  procured  at  the  treaty 
held  in  1768.3  And  now  commenced  in  earnest 
the  strife,  foot  to  foot  and  hand  to  hand,  for  the 
occupation  of  the  lovely  valley  of  Wyoming 
and,  practically,  for  the  possession  of  that  part 
of    Pennsylvania    between    the   forty-first  and 


'Colonial  Records,  Vol.  IX.  pp.  27,  28. 
2  Miner's  "  History  of  Wyoming",  p.  54. 
5  See  Chapter  III. 
7 


forty-second  parallels  of  latitude — the  struggle 
known  in  history  as  "  the  Pennamite  War." 
To  give  an  adequate  history  of  this  long,  event- 
ful contest  between  the  Pennsylvania  and  Con- 
necticut immigrants  would  alone  require  a 
volume,  and,  for  that  reason  and  the  fact  that 
the  leading  events  of  the  war  occurred  on  terri- 
tory of  which  it  is  not  our  province  to  treat  in  this 
work,  we  attempt  only  such  a  brief  analysis  of 
important  general  movements  as  is  necessary  to 
a  proper  understanding  of  local  events  which 
come  within  the  field  which  is  our  subject. 

Each  party,  at  the  opening  of  the  year  1769, 
was  pretty  well  prepared  to  assert  and  defend 
its  claims.  There  had  been  action  upon  each 
side  something  like  that  of  two  armies  in  the 
field  as  they  prepare  to  meet  for  a  stubborn  cam- 
paign. Of  the  Susquehanna  Company's  party 
which  determined  to  effect  the  planting  of  a 
colony  at  Wyoming,  Captain  Zebulon  Butler, 
a  hero  of  the  French  and  Indian  War,  was  by 
common  consent  regarded  the  leader,  if  not 
actually  clothed  with  official  power.  There  were 
a  number  of  other  strong  characters  among  the 
Connecticut  adventurers,  and  they  were  not 
wanting  in  friends  and  adherent-;  within  the 
limits  of  Pennsylvania. 

InSmithfield,  on  the  Delaware  (now  in  Mon- 
roe County),  as  heretofore  shown  they  had  active 
sympathizers,  and  in  several  other  localities 
they  possessed  strength  which  they  could  and  did 
rely  upon.  Miner  says  of  Smithfield  that  "  a 
number  of  its  principal  inhabitants  united  with 
the  Connecticut  people  and  entered  heart  and 
hand  into  their  cause.  The  aid  afforded  by 
these  Pennsylvania  allies  was  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  the  new  colony.  Benjamin 
Shoemaker,  one  of  the  Executive  Committee, 
was  from  this  settlement.  John  McDowell,  a 
wealthy,  high-toned  Cameroniau  Scotchman, 
became  a  true  friend  to  the  Yankees.  With 
Highland  zeal  he  espoused  their  cause."  With 
subsequent  events  in  mind,  he  adds  :  "  His 
granaries  and  purse  were  ever  tendered  to  the 
sufferers  with  a   '  Highland  welcome.'"4 

"  On  the  other  hand  "  continues  the  author 
from  whom  we  have  just   quoted,   "the    Pro- 


'Miner's  "  History  of  Wyoming,"  p. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


prietaries  designated  their  leaders  and  marshal- 
ed their  forces  for  the  contest."  Charles 
Stewart  stands  forth  most  conspicuously  upon 
their  side.  With  him  were  associated  Captain 
Amos  Ogden  and  John  Jennings,  high  sheriff 
of  Northampton  County.  These  three  consti- 
tuted the  chief  executive  directory  to  conduct 
the  proprietaries'  affairs  at  Wyoming.  To 
them  a  lease  for  a  hundred  acres  of  land  at 
Wyoming  had  been  issued,  on  condition  that 
they  should  establish  an  Indian  trading-house 
upon  it  and  defend  the  valley  from  encroach- 
ment. Other  lands  had  been  sold  on  the 
express  condition  that  the  buyers  should  defend 
them  with  arms,  if  necessary. 

These  lessees  with  several  followers  were  first 
upon  thy  ground,  arriving  there  in  January, 
1769,  and  taking  possession  of  the  improve- 
ments from  which  (he  Connecticut  settlers  had 
been  driven  in  1763. 

The  forty  persons  selected  by  the  Susque- 
hanna Company  to  found  a  colony  arrived  at 
Wyoming  on  the  8th  of  February,  and  found 
Stewart  and  his  party  in  possession  and  well 
fortified  in  a  block-house  at  the  mouth  of  Mill 

Creek.  The  Connecticut  party  took  possessii f 

another  piece  of  ground,  built  temporary  huts  for 
shelter,  and  adopted  measures  which  cut  the 
Pennsylvanians  off  from  communication  with 
Philadelphia  or  the  surrounding  country.  Og- 
den  and  Stewart  had  been  warned  of  the 
coming  of  the  Yankees  by  one  of  the  Van 
Campens,1  on  the  Delaware,  and  had  sent  to 
Philadelphia  for  reinforcements,  leaving  but  ten 
men  in  their  garrison.  As  several  days  elapsed 
and  no  aid  came,  he  had  recourse  to  stratagem 
to  effect  what  he  did  not  dare  try  by  force. 
He  accordingly  sent  a  polite  note  to  the  Con- 
necticut men  inviting  some  of  their  leaders  to 
his  house,  under  pretext  of  effecting  an  ami- 
cable negotiation  concerning  their  respective 
titles,  and  when  Isaac  Tripp,  Vine  Elderkin 
and  Benjamin  Follett  came  over,  Sheriff  Jen- 
nings arrested  them  and  took  them  to  Easton, 
where  they  were  thrown  into  jail.  Their  com- 
panions could  have  rescued  them,  but  abstained 
from   making  any  demonstration  through  fear 


'Chapn 


of  endangering  their  safety.  They  were  bailed, 
released  and  returned  to  Wyoming.  The 
Yankees  increased  their  settlement  after  this, 
and  Sheriff  Jennings  learning  of  it,  went  up  in 
March,  accompanied  by  Lewis  Gordon,  Aaron 
Depui  (of  Smithfield)  and  Henry  Hooker, 
three  justices  of  the  peace,  and,  after  breaking 
their  way  into  a  barricaded  house,  arrested  the 
whole  number  present  (about  thirty),  and 
marched  them  to  Easton,  as  prisoners.  They 
were  bailed  and  returned  to  Wyoming,  where, 
in  April,  they  were  met  by  a  company  of  two 
hundred  men,  sentout  from  Connecticut.  Having 
now  considerable  strength,  they  built  a  fort, 
and  near  it  twenty  log  houses  pierced  with 
loop-holes,  and  now  they  seemed  secure  against 
the  Pennamites,  and  for  a  time  they  were. 
Sheriff  Jennings,  who,  with  Ogdeu,  had  been 
for  a  time  absent  from  Wyoming,  assembled 
as  many  men  as  they  could  induce  to  fol- 
low them  and  proceeded  to  Wyoming,  where 
they  arrived  on  May  24th  ;  but  they  found  the 
enemy  too  numerous  and  too  well  fortified  to 
justify  an  attack  upon  them,  and  returned  to 
Easton,  whence  Jennings  sent  the  rather  dis- 
couraging information  to  the  Governor  that  he 
"  did  not  believe  it  possible  to  raise  a  force  in 
the  county  strong  enough  to  dispossess  them, 
they  being,  by  account,  upwards  of  300  able- 
bodied  men."  Two  other  and  larger  parties 
were  subsequently  sent  out,  to  one  of  which, 
commanded  by  Sheriff  Jennings,  furnished  with 
a  large  quantity  of  arms  and  provided  with  an 
iron  four-pound  cannon,  the  Yankees  finally 
capitulated,  after  Colonel  Durkee,  one  of  their 
leaders,  had  been  captured.  Articles  were  drawn 
up,  by  which  it  was  agreed  that  the  greater 
number  of  the  settlers  should  leave  the  country, 
a  few  remaining  to  harvest  the  crops,  and  in  a 
few  days  over  two  hundred  did  depart  for 
Connecticut.  But  they  had  no  sooner  left  than 
a  party,  led  by  Ogden,  began  an  indiscriminate 
plundering  of  the  settlement.  Cattle,  sheep  and 
swine,  and  property  of  all  kinds,  was  taken 
possession  of,  carried  to  the  Delaware  and  sold, 
and  the  men  who  had  been  left,  seventeen  in 
number,  being  thus  deprived  of  the  means  of 
subsistence  during  the  winter,  were  also  com- 
pelled to  return  to  their  friends  in  New  England. 


SETTLEMENTS  ON  THE  UPPER.  DELAWARE. 


Thus  the  scheme  for  settling  Wyoming  was 
again  thwarted. 

The  Yankees,  however,  were  not  long  inac- 
tive. In  February,  1770,  in  connection  with  a 
number  of  people  from  Lancaster,  they  again 
appeared  upon  the  ground,  and  tiny  easily  took 
possession  of  the  fort,  which  had  only  a 
small  garrison.  Ogden  remained  at  the  place, 
with  a  number  of  his  men,  fortified  in  a  block- 
house, which  was  besieged,  and  he  was  obliged 
to  capitulate,  and,  with  his  followers,  depart 
from  Wyoming,  after  which  his  house  was  burnt 
in  retaliation  for  the  deeds  he  had  committed 
the  year  before.  This  was  in  April,  and  in 
September  following,  after  Governor  Penn  had 
issued  a  proclamation  warning  the  Yankees  to 
depart  from  Wyoming,  Ogden  led  an  armed  party 
against  his  late  victors,  took  several  of  them 
prisoners  as  they  were  engaged,  unprotected,  at 
their  farm-work,  and  finally  captured  the  fort, 
after  killing  a  number  of  their  garrison.  Cap- 
tain Butler  himself  would  have  been  bayoneted 
by  the  attacking  party  after  they  had  gained  an 
entrance  had  it  not  been  for  Captain  Craig, 
wdio  commanded  a  detachment  of  Ogden's  men. 
During  this  siege  the  Wyoming  men  attempted 
to  send  messengers  to  Cushutunk,  but  the  paths 
were  watched  by  Ogden's  scouts,  who  captured 
them. 

From  this  time  on  until  1 77.'^,  when  a  brief 
peace  ensued,  there  was  almost  constant  warfare 
at  Wyoming,  the  parties  rapidly  alternating  in 
ascendency,  sometimes  one  and  sometimes  the 
other  being  in  possession. 

A  matter  of  interest  in  connection  with  these 
affairs,  and  which  pertains  more  particularly  to 
the  territory  which  is  our  province  in  this 
work,  was  the  appointment  of  Garret  Brodhead 
and  John  Van  Campen,  of  Smithfield,  as  jus- 
tices of  the  peace  to  aid  in  enforcing  law  at 
Wyoming  in  1770.  At  a  council  held  in 
Philadelphia  on  the  3d  of  March  in  that 
year,  the  Hon.  John  Penn  and  others  being 
present,  we  find  that  "The  board,  having  con- 
sidered the  present  state  of  the  intrusion  and 
settlements  made  by  the  Connecticut  people  on 
the  proprietary  lands  within  this  province,  were 
of  the  opinion  that  if  two  prudent  persons  living 
in  the  north  part  of  Northampton  County  were 


immediately  vested  with  the  authority  of  magis- 
trates, it  would  greatly  conduce  to  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  peace  and  better  execution  of  the 
orders  of  the  Government,  from  time  to  time,  in 
defeating  the  measures  of  those  people  and 
checking  the  progress  of  their  scheme  of  settle- 
ment on  the  lands  at  Wyoming  and  on  the 
Delaware" — and  the  Governor  accordingly  ap- 
pointed the  two  men  named. 

The  same  John  Van  Campen  was  engaged 
in  guarding  the  roads  east  from  Wyoming  to 
cui  off  communication  to  or  from  New  England 
in  the  summer  of  1771.  He  raised  a  company 
for  that  purpose,  at  the  request  of  Lewis  Gor- 
don, and  wrote  that  "On  Friday,  the  9th  of 
August,  he  went  up  along  the  Delaware 
towards  Minisink,  and  by  Saturday  evening 
collected  nineteen  men,  and  marched  them  as 
far  as  his  own  house,  and  proceeded  Sunday  to 
Pauley's  "  (the  vicinity  of  the  Rayinondskill, 
in  Pike  County).  He  sent  a  party  of  six  men 
"  to  lay  on  Sheholey  (Shohola  Creek)  road  from 
Wioming  to  the  Delaware,  to  prevent  expresses 
going  that  way  to  New  England." 

The  Smithfield  or  Stroudsburg  settlements 
were  frequently  resorted  to  by  the  Wyoming 
people  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  supplies, 
when,  through  the  vicissitudes  of  warfare,  they 
were  despoiled  of  their  crops,  or  prevented  by 
Pennamite  sieges  from  sowing  or  harvesting 
them.  Thus  in  the  month  of  February,  1773, 
the  provisions  at  the  Wilkes-Barrc  settlement 
were  so  nearly  exhausted  that  live  persons  were 
selected  to  visit  the  friendly  Scotchman,  John 
McDowell,  and  other  sympathizers  in  the  region 
of  Stroudsburg.  In  Miner's  "  Wyoming,"  John 
Carey,  a  lad  of  sixteen  years,  is  mentioned  as 
one  of  these  five  men,  and  we  know  from  other 
sources  that  John  Shaw  (afterwards  a  settler 
within  the  present  limits  of  Monroe  County)  was 
also  of  the  party.  "  The  distance  was  fifty  miles 
through  the  wilderness  ;  numerous  streams,  in- 
cluding the  deep  and  rapid  Lehigh,  were  to  be 
crossed.  Had  these  been  frozen  over,  so  as  to 
be  passable,  their  toils  would  have  been  sen- 
sibly mitigated,  but  the  ice  had  formed  on  each 
side,  many  feet  from  the  shore,  leaving  in  the 
centre  a  deep-rushing  flood.  Stripping  naked, 
tying  their  clothes   and   sacks   on  their  heads 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  shoulders,  cutting  a  way  through  the  ice 
from  the  shore  to  the  open  stream,  and  from 
the  stream  to  the  opposite  shore,  they  waded 
through,  dressed  themselves,  and  found  warmth 
in  marching  rapidly.  Arrived  at  the  good  old 
Scotchman's  and  sending  in  to  make  their 
errand  known,  Mr.  McDowell  came  out,  rub- 
bing his  hands  in  glee,  bade  them  welcome,  but 
in  his  Scotch  dialect,  broad  as  his  benevolence, 
told  them  he  had  a  house  thronged  with  com- 
pany on  the  occasion  of  his  daughter's  wedding. 
Among  the  guests  were  magistrates  and 
others,1  whose  enmity  was  to  be  dreaded, 
if  they  knew  a  party  of  Yankees  were  within 
reach,  but  McDowell  gave  directions  that  they 
should  warm  themselves  noiselessly  at  an  out- 
house, then  take  shelter  in  the  barn,  where 
comfortable  blankets  were  spread  on  the  mow, 
a  most  royal  supper  sent  them,  with  spirits  and 
wine  ;  their  sacks  were  filled  with  flour  and 
their  pockets  with  provisions.  The  four  men 
took  each  an  hundred  pounds,  young  Carey 
seventy-five,  and  welcome  was  their  return  to 
their  half-famished  friends  at  Wilkcs-Barre." 2 
Similar  visits,  for  a  like  purpose,  were  fre- 
quently made  to  McDowell's. 

The  peace  which  prevailed  in  1773  was  taken 
advantage  of  by  the  Connecticut  people  to  per- 
fect their  organization  and  prosecute  their  plans 
for  possessing  and  holding  jurisdiction  over 
their  claim.  In  that  year  the  government  of 
Connecticut,  which,  up  to  that  time,  had  left 
the  Susquehanna  and  Delaware  Companies  to 
manage  their  own  affairs,  decided  to  make  its 
claims  to  all  of  the  lands  within  the  charter, 
west  of  the  province  of  New  York,  and  in  a 
legal  manner  to  support  the  same.  Commis- 
sioners were  appointed  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  C lectieut  to  negotiate  with  the  pro- 
prietaries of  Pennsylvania  and  to  make  a  final 
settlement  of  all  boundaries  and  claims  in  dis- 
pute. Having  received  their  full  powers,  these 
commissioners,  in  December,  1778,  proceeded 
to  Philadelphia,  and  opened  an  amicable  dis- 
cussion of  all  pending  issues  with  Governor 
Peim   and    the    Pennsylvania    Council.      They 


'The  Brodheads,  Depuis  and  Van  Campe 

probability,  present  <.n  thia  festal  occasion. 

'  Miner's  "  History  of  Wyoming,"  p.  141. 


returned,  however,  without  accomplishing  their 
mission,  and  immediately  afterwards,  in  Janu- 
ary, 1774,  the  General  Court  of  Connecticut, 
in  pursuance  of*  the  policy  of  exerting  the  au- 
thority of  the  colony,  passed  an  act  by  which 
the  country  extending  from  the  River  Delaware 
westward  fifteen  miles  beyond  Wyoming,  and 
in  extent  north  and  south  the  whole  width  of 
the  charter  bounds,  was  erected  as  a  county 
named  Westmoreland,  aud  annexed  to  Litch- 
field County,  Conn. 

Under  the  influence  of  the  general  peace 
which  had  ensued,  and  the  resolute  policy 
adopted  by  Connecticut  in  extending  the  au- 
thority of  her  jurisdiction  over  the  territory  in 
dispute,  the  immigration  idea  was  greatly  stim- 
ulated, and  settlers  began  to  throng  into  the 
lands  of  the  Susquehanna  and  Delaware  Com- 
panies. 

The  Wallenpaupack  or  "  Lackawack "  set- 
tlement was  made  in  that  year  (1774)  in  what 
is  now  Palmyra  township,  Pike  County,  and  as 
it  was  within  the  boundary  of  the  territory 
which  forms  our  subject,  and  also  an  important 
settlement,  we  shall  give  a  detailed  account 
of  it. 

First,  however,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  state 
that  the  encouraging  aspect  of  the  affairs  of 
Wyoming  as  early  as  1772  had  induced  some 
individuals  to  locate,  in  the  summer  of  that 
year,  in  the  general  region  of  the  Lackawack 
settlement  (northern  Pike  County).  In  proof 
of  this  not  commonly  known  fact  we  find  that 
there  was  laid  before  the  Provincial  Council, 
June  20,  1772,  a  letter  from  Charles  Stewart, 
bearing  date  of  Easton,  June  17th,  in  which  the 
writer  acquainted  that  body  with  the  substance 
of  a  message  from  Garret  Brodhead  to  the  effect 
that  "a  considerable  number  of  Connecticut 
people  were  forming  a  Settlement  on  the  Pro- 
prietaries' manors  at  Shoholy  and  Lechawaxin, 
and  other  places  on  the  River  Delaware,  within 
Pennsylvania."  The  Governor,  by  the  advice 
of  the  Council,  directed  thereupon  that  a  pro- 
clamation be  drawn  and  published,  commanding 
the  intruders,  in  His  Majesty's  name,  to  evacu- 
ate their  illegal  settlement.3 


Col.  Rec,  Vol.  X.,  p.  50. 


SETTLEMENTS  ON  THE  UPPER  DELAWARE. 


The  Wallenpaupack  settlers,  or  at  least  the 
majority  of  those  who  composed  the  colony, 
arrived  early  in  1774.  It  is  possible  that  a 
few  may  have  been  on  the  ground  in  1772,  at 
the  time  that  Garrett  Brodhead  made  mention 
of  intrusion  upon  the  Lackawaxen  and  Sho- 
hola.  The  men  composing  the  settlement,  so 
far  as  their  names  have  been  preserved,  were 
Uriah  Chapman,  Esq.,  Captain  Zebulon  Par- 
rish,  Captain  Eliab  Varnuni,  Nathaniel  Gates, 
Zadok  Killam,  Ephraim  Killam,  Hezekiah 
Bingham,  John  Ansley,  Jacob  Kimble,  Enos 
Woodward,  Isaac  Parrish,  John  Killam,  Elijah 
Winters,  John  Pellet,  Sr.,  John  Pellet,  Jr., 
Abel  Kimble  and  Walter  Kimble,  all  of  whom 
returned  to  the  locality  after  the  War  of  the 
Revolution,  and  the  following  who  did  not 
return,  some  of  whom  were  killed,  viz. :  Joshua 
Varnum,  Doctor  Amos  Parks,  Silas  Parks, 
David  Gates,  Jonathan  Haskell,  William  Pel- 
let,   Charles    Forsythe,    Roger    Clark,    

Strong,   James    Dye,    Nathaniel    Washburnc, 

Joseph  Washburne,  Fry,  James  Hal  let  > 

Jasper  Edwards  aud  Reuben  Jones. 

As  if  in  designed  and  marked  defiance  of  the 
proprietaries,  this  body  of  men  selected  for  their 
settlement  the  Wallenpaupack  Manor,  which 
had  been  surveyed  October  14,  1751,  upon  a 
warrant  dated  November  25,  1748,  "for  the 
use  of  the  Proprietaries  of  Pennsylvania."1 
This  was  a  tract  of  twelve  thousand  five- 
hundred  acres  situated  almost  entirely  in  what 
is  now  Palmyra  township,  Pike  County,  though 
a  portion  of  it  is  on  the  north  side  of  the  stream, 
in  What  is  Paupack  township,  Wayne  County. 
The  original  settlement  was  wholly  upon  the 
south  side  of  the  stream.  The  location  had 
been  favorably  regarded  as  early  as  17<i"2,  when 
the  first  settlers  were  on  their  way  to  Wyoming. 
They  followed  the  old  Indian  path  from  Cushu- 
tunk  to  the  Wallenpaupack  and  found  near  the 


1  Tliis  manor  was,  on  February  21,  1793,  conveyed  by 
John  Penn  the  elder  and  John  Penn  the  younger  to  Hon. 
Jamee  Wilson,  who  gave  a  mortgage  for  it  to  the  vendors. 
This  mortgage  was  foreclosed  in  1804,  and  the  land  was 
purchased  at  sheriff's  sale  by  Samuel  Sitgreaves,  of  Eastern, 
in  trust  for  the  Penn  heirs.  The  settlers  at  that  time 
residing  on  the  manor  bought  the  lands  of  Sitgreaves,  who 
gave  to  them  the  first  title  that  they  possessed. 


lower  part  of  the  manor  an  Indian  clearing 
and  farther  up  the  creek  the  ruins  of  a  cabin, 
in  which  the  Carter  family  had  lived  for  several 
years  prior  to  the  close  of  the  French  and 
Indian  War,  when  they  were  murdered 
and  the  cabin  burned.  The  main  benly  of 
the  Wyoming  immigrants  stopped  here  and 
encamped  overnight.  Pioneers  were  sent 
ahead  to  ascertain  and  indicate  the  way  from 
here  to  their  proposed  destination.  They  fol- 
lowed the  Indian  path  westward  and  lit  a  great 
fire  on  the  Summit  of  Cobb's  Mountain  to  serve 
as  a  guiding  mark  for  their  comrades,  and  towards 
it  they  journeyed,  cutting  a  road  as  they  went, 
and  being  literally  led  on  their  way  by  "  a 
column  of  fire  by  night  and  a  pillar  of  smoke 
by  day." 2 

It  is  not  improbable  that  the  knowledge 
obtained  at  this  time  led  to  the  settlement  of 
Wallenpaupack.  The  little  colony  was  within 
the  limits  of  the  Delaware  Company's  purchase 
and  was  founded  under  the  authority  of  that 
company,  though  its  communications  and  asso- 
ciations were  always  more  with  Wyoming  than 
with  its  sister  Delaware  settlement  at  ( 'ushu- 
tunk. 

Almost  immediately  after  their  arrival  farms 
were  assigned  to  each  settler  and  the  work  of 
planting  and  sowing  was  commenced.  The  lots 
were  regularly  surveyed  and  extended  from  the 
creek  back  on  to  the  hill  a  mile  in  length,  the 
width  being  graduated  in  accordance  with  the 
quantity  aud  quality  of  the  bottom-land.  The 
settlement  extended  four  miles  and  a  half  along 
the  creek. 

A  fort  was  erected  east  of  the  line  of  the  pres- 
ent Sterling  road,  about  opposite  where  the  old 
Wyoming  road  branches  from  it,  six  miles 
southwest  from  Wilsonville.  This  was  a 
stockade  of  hewed  timber  palings,  inclosing 
about  an  acre  of  ground,  in  the  centre  of  which 
was  a  block-house  built  ofseiuared  logs  and 
adjoining  it  upon  the  east  side  a  guard-house. 
The  block-house  was  surmounted  by  a  sentry  - 


2  This  road,  which  diverges  from  the  Sterling  road,  run- 
ning parallel  with  the  Wallenpaupack,  was  subsequently 
the  main  thoroughfare  from  the  Paupack  region  and  Mil- 
ford  to  Wilkesbarre,  and  is  still  used.  It  is  said  to  have 
been  very  judiciously  located. 


!,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


box,made  bullet-proof,  which  commanded  a 
view  of  a  wide  scope  of  cleared  land  inalldirec- 
tions.  The  fort  was  so  constructed  that  a  rifle- 
ball  fired  from  thehigh  ground  on  the  east  into 
the  fori  could  not  strike  the  opposite  side  of 
the  palings  below  the  level  of  a  man's  head, 
and  therefore  the  palings  upon  the  east  side 
must  have  been  much  higher  than  upon  the 
other  sides  of  the  inclosnre.  When  the  I  ndians 
became  hostile  during  the  Revolution  this 
primitive  fort  served  a  very  useful  purpose,  for 
without  its  protection  the  inhabitants  must  have 
all  inevitably  been  massacred.1 

No  sooner  had  a  defense  been  provided  and  a 
few  other  necessary  works  accomplished  than  the 
emigrants,  true  to  New  England  principles,  took 
steps  for  establishing  local  government.  Silas 
Parks,  who  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace,  is  be- 
lieved to  have  brought  his  commission  with  him 
from  Connecticut,  which  would  naturally  have 
been  the  case,  for  the  colony  had,  prior  to  this 
time,  as  we  have  shown,  extended  her  jurisdiction 
over  the  settlements  in  her  charter  limits. 
Parks,  however,  being  found  guilty  of  card- 
playing,  which,  according  to  Connecticut  morals 
of  a  century  ago,  was  a  serious  offense,  was 
superseded  in  office  by  Uriah  Chapman.  Joh 
Killam  was  made  constable  and  ('apt.  Zebulon 
Parrish  "tithing  man."  The  military  com- 
mand devolved  upon  Capt.  Kliab  Yarnum, 
whose  lieutenant  was  Jonathan  Haskell,  and 
ensign,  Elijah  Winters. 

That  the  Paupack  settlers  were  men  of  ability 
and  character  appears  clearly  from  the  records 
of  Westmoreland  County,  which,  as  we  have 
seen,  was  erected  liy  the  General  Court  of  Con- 
necticut,  and  included  all  of  the  Pennsylvania 
settlements.  In  proportion  to  population,  as 
many  men  were  elected  to  county  offices  and 
representative  places  in  the  colonial  govern- 
ment from  Wallenpaupack,  or  "  Lackawa,"  as 
from  Wyoming,  and  they  appear  to  have  kept 
up  a  lull  and  active  town  (or  township)  govern- 
incut  from  1771  until  brought  under  the  do- 
minion of  Pennsylvania  law  (except,  of  course, 
during   the    Revolution,   when    the   settlement 


'  Src  i  he  siwi-iM'iling  chapter  for  an  account  of  Indian 
hostilities  at  t lie  Paupack  settlement. 


was  for  a  time  abandoned).  The  most  perfect 
equality  existed  throughout  the  settlement  as  to 
rights,  privileges  and  property.  The  lands 
were  disposed  of,  it  is  believed,  by  lot.  The 
title  of  each  man  to  bis  land  was  the  consent, 
and  the  proof  of  his  title  was  the  memory,  of 
his  neighbors. 

Religion  had  a  place  in  the  community  from 
the  start,  and  on  Sundays  it  was  the  custom  for 
the  whole  population  to  assemble  and  listen  to 
the  reading  of  a  sermon.  The  observance  of 
the  Lord's  Day  was  enforced  with  characteristic 
New  England  severity,  and  the  morality  and 
decorum  of  the  settlers  carefully  insisted  upon. 
The  population  was  chiefly  composed  of  Presby- 
terians. 

The  settlement  enjoyed  peace  and  prosperity 
from  the  time  it  was  founded  until  a  little 
before  the  Wyoming  massacre  of  1778,  and 
after  that  suffered  in  common  with  all  of  the 
exposed  frontier  posts  until  the  end  of  the 
Revolution. 

During  those  few  years  of  freedom  from 
annoyance,  either  by  white  or  savage  foes,  the 
various  works  of  pioneer  communities  were 
carried  on  effectively,  and  the  welfare  of  the 
people  correspondingly  enhanced.  The  Susque- 
hanna and  Delaware  Companies  had  both  caused 
the  greater  portions  of  their  purchases  to  be 
surveyed  into  towns  or  townships,  and  were  en- 
gaged in  furthering  various  schemes  for  their 
thorough  colonization,  which,  however,  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  effectually  stopped. 

In  the  Delaware  Company's  purchase  about 
fifty  townships,  and  perhaps  more,  were"  laid 
out,  chiefly  in  what  are  now  the  counties  of 
Wayne,  Susquehanna,  Lackawanna  and  Pike, 
but  extending  also  southward  into  the  present 
Monroe.  These,  as  a  rule,  were  about  six  miles 
square,  and  contained,  therefore,  approximately 
twenty-three  thousand  acres.  Newry,  Young, 
Scotland,  New  Haven,  Faxon,  Lycurgus, — in- 
cluding the  site  of  Honesdale— Cauonicus  were 
wholly  within  the  present  limits  of  Wayne 
County,  extending  from  north  to  south  in  the 
order  named.  South  of  Canon icus  was  Bozrali, 
which  included  lauds  now  divided  by  the 
Wayne  and  Pike  County  line.  It  was  within 
this  Connecticut  town  that  the  compact  part  of 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


the  Wallenpaupack  settlement  was  located. 
The  other  townships  within  what  is  now  Wayne 
County,  east  of  those  named,  were  Columbia, 
Sassacus,  Uncas,  Huntington  and  Winslow. 
The  townships  of  Monmouth,  St.  Patrick, 
Sims,  Sedgwick,  Griffin  and  Squanto  were 
about  equally  divided  by  the  line  between 
Wayne  County  on  one  side  and  Susquehanna 
and  Lackawanna  upon  the  other.  Piehegru 
lay  southeast  of  Bozrah,  in  what  is  now  Pike 
County,  aud  Ulysses  was  east  of  Piehegru. 
Other  townships  in  the  present  limits  of  Pike 
were  Dolleourla  and  Scandebeg.  The  extreme 
southern  ones  in  the  Delaware  purchase,  of 
which  any  knowledge  remains,  were  Wedder- 
Imrn  and  Thales,  and  these  must  have  included 
lands  now  in  Monroe  County.  The  plan  of 
these  townships  appears  in  an  old  "  map  of 
Westmoreland,  shewing  the  Connecticut  sur- 
veys." Strangely  enough,  it  indicates  no  town- 
ships at  all,  along  or  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  Delaware,  though  townships  were  un- 
doubtedly laid  out  there,  one  of  them  including 
Cushutunk.  These  townships  were  probably 
surveyed  at  several  periods,  as  the  Indian  tem- 
per permitted,  and  it  is  very  doubtful  whether 
the  map  preserved  is  accurate  as  far  as  it  goes, 
while  it  is  certain  that  it  is  not  complete.  Sev- 
eral parties  of  surveyors  were  undoubtedly  en- 
gaged at  different  times  in  the  work.  There 
remains  little  data  concerning  them,  but  from 
what  we  have,  it  can  be  authoritatively  stated 
that  John  Curtius  and  one  Peebody  were  the 
first. 

That  a  township  existed,  variously  known  as 
"  Lackawa,"  or  "  Lackaway  "  or  "  Lackawack," 
adjoining  Bozrah,  is  certain,  yet  it  does  not  ap- 
pear on  the  map  just  alluded  to.  It  was  prob- 
ably east  of  the  latter,  and  a  part  of  the  town- 
ship originally  called  Huntington. 

The  "  Town  of  Westmoreland,"  which  was 
practically  co-extensive  with  Westmoreland 
County,  was,  on  March  2,  1774,  divided 
into  election  districts.  At  "  a  town-meeting," 
it  was  voted  "  that  ye  town  of  Westmore- 
land be  divided  .  .  .  into  districts," 
which  was  accordingly  done.  The  minutes, 
after  exhibiting  the  feet  that  Wilkes-Barre  was 
to  constitute  one  entire  district,  and  describing 


five  others — Hanover,  Plymouth,  Kingston, 
Pittston  and  North  (Exeter  and  Providence) 
Districts, — show^the  provision  "  that  Lackaway 
settlement  and  Blooming  Grove  and  Sheolah 
be  one  district,  and  be  called  by  ye  name  of  ye 
Lackaway  district  ;  and  that  Coshutunk  and  all 
ye  settlements  on  Delaware  be  one  district 
and  joined  to  ye  other  districts,  and  known  by 
ye  name  of  ye  East  district." 

As  we  have  said,  the  few  years  preceding  the 
Revolution  were  years  of  peace  and  comparative 
prosperity  in  the  Connecticut  settlements  of 
Wyoming,  Lackawa  and  Cushutunk,  for  the 
efforts  of  the  Pennsylvanians  had  been  re- 
laxed, as  other  interests  claimed  their  attention. 
The  power  of  the  proprietaries,  too,  began  to 
wane,  as  it  became  more  and  more  clearly  evi- 
dent that  a  rupture  must  occur  between  the 
mother-country  and  the  colonies  ;  and,  finally, 
the  "  Pennamite  War,"  which  had  been  waged 
vigorously  for  years,  faded  into  insignificance 
in  the  darkening,  portentous  shadows  which 
coming  events  cast  before.  During  the  Revo- 
lution these  unhappy  settlements  were  again  the 
scenes  of  blood  and  carnage,  of  death  and  de- 
vastation, and  their  people  (as  we  shall  see  in  the 
next  chapter)  were  placed  at  the  mercy  of  a 
savage  instead  of  a  civilized  enemy — the  In- 
dians who  were  allied  to  the  British.  It  was 
only  after  the  great  struggle  was  over  that  the 
lesser  was  resumed,  again  involving  heated  con- 
troversy, bloodshed,  State  and  inter-State  legisla- 
tion and  the  intervention  of  Federal  authority, 
aud  was  finally  legally  settled  after  thirty  years 
of  more  or  less  active  strife. 


CH  Al'TER  VI. 

Period  of  the  Revolution  and  Second  Indian  War — Soldiers 
from  Upper  Northampton — Fort  I'enn,  at  Stroudsburg— 

Massacre  at  Wyoming — "  Shades  of  Death  " — Sullivan's 
March — Battles  of  the  Lackawaxen  and  Kaymondskill 
— Indian  Incursions  aud  Murders  from  Cushutunk  to 
Smilhncld. 

The  opening  of  the  Revolutionary  War  found 
the  people  of  the  territory  which  is  our  province 
in    this  work    enjoying    an  era  of   peace    and 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


prosperity  broken  only — and  that  in  a  slight 
measure — by  the  remote  and  occasional  hos- 
tilities of  the  Pennamite  contest.  Most  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  integral  portion  of  North- 
ampton, which  is  now  Wayne,  Pike  and  Mon- 
roe, lived  in  the  two  latter  counties,  and  were 
quietly  engaged  in  farming.  Put  when  the 
inexorable  tide  of  events  operating  on  public 
opinion  showed  that  the  crisis  of  war  with  the 
mother-country  was  inevitable,  the  martial  and 
the  patriotic  spirit  of  these  quiet  and  usually 
undemonstrative  people  was  awakened,  and 
their  thoughts  were  given  to  the  one  absorb- 
ing topic  of  the  times. 

In  1774  the  oppressions  and  exactions  of  the 
mother-country  were  becoming  more  and  more 
odious  to  the  people,  and  were  acting  as  educators 
to  prepare  the  colonists  for  the  impending  con- 
test, which,  under  Providence,  was  to  result  in 
their  emancipation  from  foreign  rule.  Among  the 
first  of  (lie  measures  taken  in  Pennsylvania  to 
organize  an  opposition  to  the  encroachments  of 
the  ministry  on  the  people's  liberties  was  the 
formation  of  a  central  Committee  of  Correspond- 
ence and  Safety  in  Philadelphia,  and  of  branch 
committees  in  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  several 
counties.  The  central  committee  assumed  a 
general  oversight  of  affairs  through  the  prov- 
ince, and  placed  themselves  in  correspond- 
ence  with  the  leading  patriots  of  the  different 
counties  for  that  purpose. 

The  central  committee  advised  the  holding 
of  local  or  county  meetings  and  the  appoint- 
ment of  deputies  to  attend  a  meeting  to  be 
held  in  Philadelphia  for  the  purpose  of  ex- 
pressing  the  thought  of  the  province  on  the 
odious  exactions  of  the  mother  government. 
This  meeting  was  duly  held  at  Carpenter's 
Hall,  on  Friday,  July  15,  1774.  Thomas 
Willing     was     made     chairman,     and    Charles 

I'l ipson  secretary,  and  among  the  resolutions 

passed  were  the  following  : 

"U1.  1.  That  we  acknowledge  ourselves  and  the 
ei'  this  Province  liege  subjects  of  His 
Majestj  Kin-  George  III.,  to  whom  they  an. I  we  ewe 
and  will  hear  inn- ami  faithful  allegiance. 

"U.    2.  That  as   the  idea  el'  an  unconstitutional 

'The  letter  (/'thus  placed  before  a  resolution  iinlieule-. 
that  it  was  pa 


independence  of  the  parent  state  is  utterly  abhorrent 
to  our  principles,  we  view  the  unhappy  differences 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  Colonics  with  the 
deepest  distress  and  anxiety  of  mind,  as  fruitless  to 
her,  grievous  to  us  and  destructive  to  the  best  inter- 
ests of  both. 

"U.  3.  That  it  is,  therefore,  our  ardent  desire 
that  our  ancient  harmony  with  the  mother-country 
should  be  restored,  and  a  perpetual  love  and  union 
subsist  between  us,  on  the  principles  of  the  constitu- 
tion and  an  interchange  of  good  offices,  without  the 
least  infraction  of  our  mutual  rights. 

"  IT.  4.  That  the  inhabitants  of  these  Colonies  are 
entitled  to  the  same  rights  and  liberties  within  these 
Colonics  that  the  subjects  born  in  England  are  en- 
titled to  within  that  realm. 

"  U.  5.  That  the  power  assumed  by  the  Parliament 
of  Great  Britain,  to  bind  the  people  of  these  Colonies, 
'  by  statutes  in  all  cases  whatsoever,'  is  unconstitu- 
tional, and,  therefore,  the  source  of  these  unhappy 
differences. 

"  LI.  6".  That  the  act  of  Parliament  for  shutting 
up  the  port  of  Boston  is  unconstitutional;  oppressive 
to  the  inhabitants  of  that  town;  dangerous  to  the 
liberties  of  the  British  Colonics;  and,  therefore,  that 
we  consider  our  brethren  at  Boston  as  suffering  in  the 
common  cause  of  these  Colonies. 

******* 

"U.  9.  That  there  is  an  absolute  necessity  that 
a  Congress  of  deputies  from  the  several  colonies  be 
immediately  assembled  to  consult  together  and  form 
a  general  plan  of  conduct  to  be  observed  by  all  the 
Colonies,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  relief  for  our 
suffering  brethren,  obtaining  redress  of  our  grievances, 
preventing  future  dissensions,  (irmly  establishing  our 
rights,  and  restoring  harmony  between  Great  Britain 
and  her  Colonies  on  a  constitutional  foundation. 

"  U.  16.  That  this  committee  give  instructions  on 
the  present  situation  of  public  affairs  to  their  Repre- 
sentatives who  are  to  meet  next  week  in  Assembly, 
and  request  them  to  appoint  a  proper  number  of 
persons  to  attend  a  congress  of  Deputies  from  the 
several  Colonies,  at  such  time  and  place  as  may  be 
agreed  upon,  to  effect  one  general  plan  of  conduct 
for  attaining  the  great  and  important  ends  mentioned 
in  the  ninth  resolve." 

In  the  Provincial  Assembly,  June  30th,  it 
was  "  Resolved,  that  this  House  approves  the 
Association  entered  into  by  the  good  people  of 
this  colony  for  the  defense  of  their  lives,  liber- 
ties and  property."  And  by  the  same  body, 
on  the  22d  of  July,  on  receipt  of  a  re] ant  of 
the  proceedings  of  the  deputies,  it  was  "  Re- 
solved,  that  there  is  an  absolute  necessity  that 
a    Congress    of    Deputies    from    the    several 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


73 


Colonies  be  held  as  soon  as  conveniently  may 
be,  to  consult  upon  the  unhappy  state  of  the 
Colonies,  and  to  form  a  plan  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  redress  of  American  grievances,  &c., 
and  for  establishing  that  union  and  harmony 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  Colonies  which 
is  indispensably  necessary  to  the  welfare  and 
happiness  of  both."  The  first- mentioned  of 
these  resolutions  had  reference  to  the  fact  that 
a  Committee  of  Safety,  consisting  of  twenty- 
five  citizens,  was  appointed  and  authorized  to 
call  into  actual  service  such  number  of  the 
Associators  as  they  might  judge  proper.  Organ- 
izations of  "Associators  "'  were  found  in  most, 
if  not  all,  the  counties.  The  committee  organized 
July  3d  by  the  choice  of  Benjamin  Franklin, 
president.  Congress,  July  18th,  recommended 
that  all  able-bodied,  effective  men  between  six- 
teen and  fifty  years  of  age  should  immediately 
form  themselves  into  companies  of  militia,  to 
consist  of  one  captain,  two  lieutenants,  one 
ensign,  four  sergeants,  four  corporals,  one  clerk, 
one  drummer,  one  fifer  and  about  sixty-eight 
privates;  the  companies  to  be  formed  into 
regiments  or  battalions,  officered  with  a  colonel, 
lieutenant-colonel,  two  majors  and  an  adjutant  or 
quartermaster ;  all  officers  above  the  rank  of  cap- 
tain to  be  appointed  by  the  provincial  authorities. 

The  feeling  that  existed  in  the  province  is 
shown  by  the  expressions  of  the  convention 
which  was  held  in  Philadelphia  January  23-28, 
1775.  Following  is  an  extract  from  the  reso- 
lutions adopted :  "  But  if  the  humble  and  loyal 
petition  of  said  Congress  to  his  most  gracious 
Majesty  should  be  disregarded,  and  the  British 
administration,  instead  of  redressing  our  griev- 
ances, should  determine  by  force  to  effect  a 
submission  to  the  late  arbitrary  acts  of  the 
British  Parliament,  in  such  a  situation  we  hold 
it  our  indispensable  duty  to  resist  such  force, 
and  at  every  hazard  to  defend  the  rights  and 
liberties  of  America." 

Northampton  was  represented  in  the  conven- 
tion, which  thus    enunciated    the  independent 


1  The  term  ''  Associators  ''  was  adopted  to  designate  those 
who  subscribed  to  the  test-oath  of  allegiance  to  the  provin- 
cial government,  as  prescribed  by  resolution  of  Congress. 
Those  who  did  not  take  this  oath  were  called  '•  Non-Asso- 
ciators." 
8 


principles  of  the  people,  by  George  Taylor, 
John  Oakley,  Peter  Kichline  and  Jacob 
Arndt. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  1775,  Congress  au- 
thorized the  raising  of  six  companies  of  expert 
riflemen  in  Pennsylvania,  two  in  Maryland  and 
two  in  Virginia,  to  join  the  army  near  Boston. 
On  the  22d  the  "colony  of  Pennsylvania"  was 
directed  to  raise  two  more  companies,  making 
eight  in  all,  which  were  to  be  formed  into  a 
battalion.  Lancaster  County  furnished  two 
companies  instead  of  one,  and  thus  the  bat- 
talion, which  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Thompson,  of  Carlisle,  was  swollen  to 
nine  companies,  viz.:  Captain  James  Chambers' 
company,  enlisted  in  that  part  of  Cumberland 
which  is  now  Franklin  County  ;  Captain  Robert 
Cluggage's  company,  enlisted  chiefly  in  what 
is  now  Bedford  County ;  Captain  William 
Hendricks'  company,  of  Cumberland  County; 
Captain  John  Lowdon's  company,  enlisted  at 
Northumberland ;  Captain  Abraham  Miller's 
company,  enlisted  in  Northampton  County ; 
Captain  George  Nagel's  company,  enlisted  at 
Reading,  Berks  County;  Captain  James  Ross' 
company,  enlisted  in  Lancaster  County;  and 
Captain  Matthew  Smith's  company,  enlisted  in 
that  part  of  Lancaster  which  is  now  Dauphin 
County.  As  we  shall  presently  show,  there 
were  in  Captain  Miller's  company  some  men 
from  north  of  the  mountains. 

The  war  that  was  to  last  seven  years  opened 
with  the  battle  of  Lexington  upon  the  1 9th  of 
April,  1775,  and  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was 
fought  on  the  17th  of  the  following  June. 
Washington  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  army. 
Pennsylvania  took  prompt  action  toward  rais- 
ing the  four  thousand  three  hundred  men  appor- 
tioned to  the  province,  and  made  appropriations 
for  their  support.  Northampton  County  was 
as  fully  aroused  as  any  portion  of  the  province, 
and  quickly  organized  a  company  of  soldiers, 
each  man  enlisting  receiving  a  bounty  of  three 
pounds  (eightdollars).  This  company,  of  which 
Thomas  Craig  was  captain,  was  composed  almost 
entirely  of  Northampton  County  men,  and 
there  were  a  few  from  north  of  the  mountains 
whose  names  (so  far  as  they  can  be  distinguished) 
will  be  found  in  these  pages. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


After  the  evacuation  of  Boston  by  the  British 
under  Howe,  in  March,  1776,  Washington, 
apprehending  that  New  York  was  the  objective 
point  of  the  enemy,  moved  there  with  the  whole 
of  his  army  except  a  small  force  sufficient  to 
garrison  Boston.  But  his  entire  army  was 
lamentably  insufficient,  and  Congress  resolved 
to  reinforce  the  commander-in-chief  with  thir- 
teen thousand  eight  hundred  militia,  ten  thou- 
sand of  whom  were  to  form  the"  Flying  Camp." 
Of  this  militia,  the  quota  of  Pennsylvania  was 
six  thousand. 

The  matter  of  the  quotas  of  Pennsylvania 
and  of  the  different  counties  was  also  considered 
at  the  conference  of  the  committees  of  the  prov- 
ince, held  at  Carpenter's  Hall,  Philadelphia, 
from  June  18th  to  the  25th,  1776,  to  which  the 
delegates  from  Northampton  County  were 
Eobert  Levers,  Colonel  Neigel  Gray,  John 
Weitzel,  David  Deshler,  Nicholas  Depui  and 
Benjamin  Depui.  At  this  session  of  the  con- 
ference the  following  resolutions  were  passed 
concerning  the  organization  of   the  troops: 

"Resolved,  unanimously,  That  this  conference  do 
recommend  to  the  committees  and  associators  of 
this  province  to  embody  4500  of  the  militia,  which, 
with  the  151.0  men  now  in  the  pay  of  this  province, 
will  be  the  quota  of  this  province,  as  required  by 
Congress. 

"  Resolved,  unanimously,  That  the  4500  militia  re- 
commended to  be  raised  be  formed  into  six  battalions, 
each  battalion  to  be  commanded  by  one  colonel,  one 
lieutenant-colonel,  one  major ;  the  staff  to  consist  of 
a  chaplain,  a  surgeon,  an  adjutant,  a  quartermaster, 
and  a  surgeon's  mate,  and  to  have  one  surgeon-major, 
one  quartermaster-sergeant,  a  drum-major,  and  a  fife- 
major,  and  to  be  composed  of  nine  companies,  viz.: 
eight  battalion  companies,  to  consist  of  a  captain, 
two  lieutenants,  one  ensign,  four  sergeants,  four  cor- 
porals, a  drummer,  a  fifer,  and  sixty-six  privates 
each,  and  one  rifle  company,  to  consist  of  a  captain, 
three  lieutenants,  four  sergeants,  four  corporals,  one 
drummer,  one  fifer,  and  eighty  privates." 

The  establishment  of  a  permanent  provincial 
government,  and  the  holding  of  a  convention  for 
the  purpose  of  forming  the  same,  were  also 
considered.  A  resolution  was  passed  providing 
that  all  who  were  entitled  to  vote  for  represen- 
tatives in  Assembly  should  be  permitted  to  vote 
for  delegates  to  the  convention  after  taking  the 
test-oath  ofallegiance  (should  it  he  required). 
The  judges  of  election  were  vested  with    power 


to  administer  the  oath.  Monday,  the  8th  of 
July,  was  appointed  as  the  time  for  holding  the 
election. 

Northampton  County  was  divided  into  four 
election  districts,  as  follows  : 

The  First  District. — Easton,  William,  Lower 
Saucon,  Bethlehem,  Forks,  Mount  Bethel, 
Plainfield  ;  to  be  held  at  Easton. 

The  Second  District. — Northampton,  Salis- 
bury, Upper  Saucon,  Upper  Milford,  Maeungie, 
Weisenberg,  Lynn,  Whitehall,  Heidelberg;  to 
beheld  at  Allen's  Town. 

The  Third  District. — Allen,  Moore,  Chestnut 
Hill,  Towamefising,  Penu,  Lehigh;  to  be  held 
at  Peter  Anthony's. 

The  Fourth  District. — Hamilton,  Lower 
Smithfield,  Delaware,  Upper  Smithfiekl  ;  to  be 
held  at  Nicholas  Depui 's. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  greater  part  of 
the  territory  now  included  in  Monroe  and  Pike 
Counties  was  within  the  Fourth  District,  and  a 
small  fraction  in  the  Third. 

When  the  news  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence reached  Easton  it  was  determined  to 
make  a  public  demonstration,  which  was  accor- 
dingly done  upon  the  8th  of  July.  Captain 
Abraham  Labar's  company  paraded  the  streets, 
with  fife  and  drum  loudly  resounding  and 
colors  flying,  and  the  citizens  assembled  in  the 
court-house  to  hear  their  townsman,  Robert 
Levers,  read  the  Declaration. 

Easton  and  Bethlehem,  it  may  be  remarked, 
became  active  centres  of  war  operations. 
Particularly  was  this  true  of  the  latter.  The 
place  was  for  some  time  a  rendezvous  for  prom- 
inent military  and  civil  leaders.  Washing- 
ton, Lafayette,  Pulaski,  "  Mad  Anthony  " 
Wayne,  Sullivan  and  De  Kalb  were  all  there, 
and  the  latter  once  thought  of  fortifying  the 
town.  So  also  were  John  Hancock,  Samuel 
Adams,  Richard  Henry  Lee,  Henry  Laurens, 
John  Adams  and  a  host  of  other  statesmen  of 
the  Revolutionary  period.  Many  prisoners 
were  taken  there  and  the  town  too  became  a  huge 
hospital  for  the  patriot  soldiers. 

But  we  must  return  to  those  matters  which 
belong  more  especially  to  our  province. 

Of  the  soldiers  who  entered  the  field  from 
the  thinly-settled  region  of  Northampton   north 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


75 


of  the  Blue  Mountains,  it  is  impossible  to  give 
the  names  of  all;  but  such  as  we  have  been 
enabled,  by  careful  search  and  the  assistance  of 
others,  to  single  out  from  the  companies  of  the 
county,  we  shall  present, 

Among  the  most  distinguished  patriots  and 
soldiers  of  Northampton  County  were  the 
Brodheads,  Daniel  and  Luke,  sons  of  the  Daniel 
who  won  distinction  in  the  Indian  war,  and 
brothers  of  Charles  B  rod  head,  who  was  also 
prominent  in  that  struggle — and  Daniel,  Jr., 
(or  3d). 

Daniel  Brodhead  had  indeed  become  a  resi- 
dent of  Berks  County  before  the  outbreak  of  the 
Revolution,  but  that  fact  does  not  form  a  reason 
why  his  name  should  be  omitted  in  this  con- 
nection. He  was  commissioned  a  lieutenant- 
colonel  in  the  summer  of  1776,  and  on  the  4th 
of  July  was  ordered  by  the  Committee  of  Safety 
of  Philadelphia  to  proceed  with  one  battalion 
of  five  hundred  men  to  Bordentown,  N.  J.,  to 
be  employed  agreeable  to  a  requisition  of  the 
"  Honorable  the  Continental  Congress."  He  was 
in  most  of  the  battles  fought  by  Washington's 
army  until  1778,  when,  then  being  colonel  of 
the  Eighth  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  he  was 
transferred  by  General  Washington  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Western  Department.  He  had 
headquarters  at  Fort  Pitt  and  his  command  was 
in  almost  constant  struggle  with  the  Indian 
allies  of  the  British  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

His  patriotism  at  the  opening  of  the  war  is 
attested  by  the  following  letter  to  Nicholas 
Depui. 

"Spring  Mill,  28th  January,  177(5. 
"  Dear  Nicky : 

"  I  suppose  you  have  before  now  heard  that  at  the 
late  appointment  of  the  Field  officers,  I  had  nearly 
been  appointed  Col1  of  one  of  the  Battalions  in 
this  Province,  from  which  you  will  judge  that  I  have 
an  inclination  to  go  in  Defence  of  our  country,  and 
I  am  assured  that  whenever  other  Battalions  are  to  be 
raised  I  shall  be  appointed  to  that  important  com- 
mand, and  tho'  not  so  well  Qualified  for  the  under- 
taking as  I  could  wish,  yet  my  attachment  to  the 
Glorious  cause  we  are  engaged  in  is  such  that  I  am 
Determined  to  neglect  nothing  that  may  tend  to  im- 
prove my  knowledge  in  the  military  way.  If  it  had 
not  been  owing  to  my  own  diffidence  and  the 
good  opinion  I  entertained  of  the  Gent,  who  have 
been  appointed,  I  am  confident  I  might  have  been 
appointed  then.     When   we   are   blessed   with   con- 


nexions and  the  means  of  being  Happy  at  Home,  it 
at  first  thought  seems  Hard  to  break  up  that  Repose, 
but  when  the  Dye  is  cast  and  no  choice  left  us  but 
the  Horrid  alternative  of  arms  or  chains,  I  think  we 
can't  hesitate  a  moment  which  to  choose.  .  .  . 
My  Daniel,  eldest,  is  appointed  first  Lieut,  in  Col' 
Sheas'  Battallion,  in  Capt.  Boyler's  company.  The 
Capt.  and  him  will  pay  you  a  visit  very  soon  and 
should  be  obliged  to  you  for  all  the  assistance  in  your 
Power  to  get  a  number  of  Good  Soldiers. 
"  I  am,  Dear  Nicky,  your  Affect.  Brother, 

"  Daniel  Brodhead." 

Luke  Brodhead  entered  the  First  American 
Rifle  Regiment  (Abraham  Miller's  company), 
under  command  of  Colonel  William  Thompson, 
which  marched  direct  to  Boston,  and  he  distin- 
tinguished  himself  as  a  brave  and  intrepid 
soldier.  He  was  commissioned  as  a  lieutenant 
in  Colonel  Samuel  Miles'  rifle  regiment  and 
was  severely  wouuded  at  the  battle  of  Long 
Island,  and  made  a  prisoner.  After  his  return 
from  captivity  he  became  a  captain  in  the  Sixth 
Pennsylvania  (February  15,1777)  and  retired 
June  21,  1778,  having  participated  in  the 
actions  at  Short  Hills,  the  Brandy  wine  and 
Germantowu. 

Daniel  Brodhead,  Jr.,  son  of  Colonel  Daniel, 
was  commissioned  a  first  lieutenant  in  Colonel 
John  Shea's  battalion  January  6',  1776;  was 
captured  November  16th,  of  the  same  year; 
exchanged  August  26th,  1778,  and  died  shortly 
after.  (He  is  the  one  alluded  to  in  Daniel 
Brodhead's  letter  to  Nicholas  Depui,  heretofore 
given.) 

In  Captain  Abraham  Miller's  company  of 
Colonel  William  Thompson's  regiment  were, — 

Sergeant. — Luke  Brodhead  (afterwards  captain  of 
Sixth  Pennsylvania). 

Privates. — Benjamin  Decker,  Bernhard  Kline,  John 
McFerren,  Robert  Marshall,  Jacob  Miller,  John  Moe- 
ser,  Jacob  Moyer. 

In  Captain  Thomas  Craig's  company  of 
Colonel  Arthur  St.  Clair's  Second  Pennsylva- 
nia Battalion,  January  5  to  November  25, 
1776,  were, — 

First  Lieutenant, — Andrew  Kechlein. 

Sergeant. — John  McMichael. 

Privates. — John  McMichael,  Felty  Yiesly. 

In  Captain  Walter  Stewart's  company  of  the 
Third  Battalion  were, — 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Privates. — James  Rosenkrantz,  William  Schoon- 
over,  Abraham  Van  Gorden,  Cornelius  Westbrook. 

In  Captain  Henry  Shade's  company  of  Col- 
onel Samuel  Miles'  rifle  regiment  were, — 

Privates.— Jacob  Ediuger,  Jacob  Frederick,  Michael 
Kelchner,  Adam  Kerchner,  Henry  Miller,  Michael 
Mosteller,  Nicholas  Mosteller. 

In  Captain  John  Arndt's  company  of  Bax- 
ter's battalion,  which  joined  Washington's  army 
on  Long  Island,  there  were, — 

Privates. — Benjamin  Depui,  Isaac  Shoemaker. 

Nearly  the  whole  of  Captain  Johannes  Van 
Etten's  company  must  have  been  from  the 
region  now  in  Monroe  and  Pike  Counties. 
That  the  company  was  in  the  battle  of  the 
Brandy  wine,  September  11,  1777,  is  evident 
from  the  number  of  casualties  indicated  on  that 
date.  The  survivors  were  on  duty  as  rangers 
in  Upper  Northampton  in  1781-82.  Follow- 
ing is  the  roll  as  it  appeared  in  1781,  when  on 
the  duty  specified,  together  with  the  killed  of 
September  11,  1777  : 

Captain. — Johannes  Van  Etten. 

First  Lieutenant. — John  Fish. 

Second  Lieutenant. — John  Myer. 

First  Ensign. — Henry  Bush. 

Second  Ensign. — James  Scoby  (taken  prisoner  the 
11th  of  September). 

Sergeants. — Thomas  Johnson,  Samuel  Hillet,  James 
Scoby  (advanced  to  ensign  September  1st),  Frederick 
Everhart,  Joseph  Gable,  George  Price. 

Corporals. — Lewis  Holmes,  Thomas  Gay,  Samuel 
Bond  (killed  September  11th),  Adam  Hicker. 

Privates. — Samuel  Van  Dermark,  Daniel  McDole, 
John  Morhart,  John  Ronts  (killed  September  11th), 
Rudolph  Smith,  Abram  Clider  (killed  September  11th ), 
Daniel  Smith,  George  Gangware,  John  Myer,  Peter 
Apler,  John  Weaver  (killed  September  11th),  Daniel 
France,  Lawrence  Miller,  George  Pigg,  John  Roben- 
holt,  Leonard  Pack,  John  Sack,  Job  Strout,  George 
Ripsher,  Peter  Snyder,  Peter  Losher,  Jacob  Cryder, 
C.  Kowler,  John  Nap  Snyder,  Adam  Teel,  Valentine 
Nichols,  George  Hickman,  John  Smith,  John  Weth- 
erstone,  Christian  Haller,  Jacob  Horner,  Peter  Siner, 
Peter  Corms  (taken  prisoner  September  11th),  Philip 
G.  Shilhamer,  B.  Snyder  (killed  September  11th), 
Philip  Betten,  George  P.  Rinehart  (killed  September 
11th),  Andrew  Myer,  Joseph  Gable  (advanced  to  ser- 
geant August  30th),  Peter  Croom  (killed  September 
11th),  Johannes  Snyder,  Andrew  Maurer,  Adam 
Lung,  George  Shelhamer  (killed  September  11th), 
Paul  Neely  (killed  September  11th),  Abraham  Smith 
(killed   September   11th),  John    Lyn    (sick,  absent), 


Jacob  Arndt  (killed  September  11th),  Samuel  Sum- 
meny,  Jacob  Collins,  Henry  Davis,  Philip  George 
(killed  September  11th),  Peter  McCoy,  John  Hann, 
Abraham  Weisner,  Uria  Tippy,  Paul  Reeser,  B. 
Weaver,  Georgg^Heaton,  John  Smith,  Jr.,  Christian 
Wood,  John  Morgan,  Henry  France,  Bond  Hewe, 
John  Hain,  Michael  Yerty,  Adam  Brunthaven,  An- 
thony Bishop,  John  Snyder,  Peter  Daniel,  Peter 
Simonton,  John  Dahly,  Henry  Van  Gorden,  Abra- 
ham Westfall,  Cornelius  Devoor,  Casper  Clutter, 
Peter  Quick,  Thomas  Van  Sickle,  Samuel  Van  Gor- 
den, Solomon  Huff,  Thomas  Howe,  JamesTlcGraw 
(killed  September  11th),  Jacob  Rowe  (killed  Sep- 
tember 11th). 

"  I  do  solemnly  Swear  that  the  within  Muster  Roll 
is  a  true  State  of  the  Company,  without  fraud  to  the 
United  States  or  any  Individual,  to  the  best  of  my 
knowledge. 

"Johannes  Van  Etten,  Captain. 

"JACOB  Stkoud,  Lieutenant- Colonel." 

"Mustered  at  Fort  Penn,  January  the  15th,  1781, 
in  the  absence  of  the  muster-master. 

"Jacob  Stroud,  Lieutenant- Colonel." 

In  1777  a  return  of  persons  in  Northampton 
County,  north  of  the  mountains,  who  had  taken 
the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  commonwealth, 
was  made  by  Nicholas  Depui.  It  contained 
the  following  names : 

[Lower)  Smithfield. — James  Brooks,  Moses  Cool- 
baugh,  Thomas  Plant,  William  Smith,  Cornelius 
Brooks,  John  Chambers,  John  Irish,  Benjamin  Van 
Campen,  Samuel  Stover,  Noah  Lee,  William  Tush, 
James  Dalson,  Joseph  Van  Namen,  John  Van 
Campen,  John  White,  Daniel  Haines,  Samuel  Mon- 
day, James  Johnston,  Solomon  Bunnell,  Joseph 
Sharp,  Scurmorn  Travis,  John  Lamberman. 

Delaware. — Thomas  Swartwout. 
Smithfield. — William  Jayne,  Elias  Hementon,  Philip 
Sailer,  John  Vaney,  Rodolphus  Schoonoven,  William 
Burley,  David  Johnston. 

Fort  Penn  was  built  on  the  site  of  Strottds- 
burg  early  in  the  Revolution,  probably  in  1776 
or  1777.  It  was  not  a  formidable  fort  and  of 
course  was  intended  merely  as  a  protection 
against  the  Indians  in  case  they  made  incursions 
in  such  strength  as  to  drive  the  scattered  in- 
habitants from  their  homes.  It  was,  in  fact,  a 
simple  stockade  around  the  house  of  Col.  Jacob 
Stroud,  and  was  probably  built  by  him  and 
entirely  at  his  own  expense,  for  no  mention  of 
it  is  found  in  the  official  records  of  the  time. 
Its  location  was  on  or  back  of  the  site  of  the 
"Fort    Penn  Hotel,"  which   was  a  flourishing 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


hostelry  until  a  few  years  since,  and  it  can 
be  best  described  at  present  by  saying  that 
the  site  was  back  of  the  Wiutennute  property, 
on  ground  bounded  by  Main  or  Elizabeth 
Street,  Chestnut  Street  and  Quaker  Alley.  The 
doughty  commander  of  Fort  Penn  (if  indeed  it 
is  entitled  to  be  called  a  fort)  was  Col.  Jacob 
Stroud,  who  figured  quite  prominently  during 
the  period  of  war  in  local  affairs. 

While  Lower  Northampton  was  engaged  in 
raising  troops  to  meet  the  British  in  the  field, 
the  people  of  the  great  northern  frontier  region, 
above  the  Blue  Mountains,  in  the  territory  now 
included  iu  Monroe,  Pike  and  Wayne  Counties, 
experienced  the  most  terrible  effects  of  war  in 
their  own  homes,  for  the  whole  region  from 
Cushutunk  down  to  the  Blue  Mountains  was 
repeatedly  ravaged  by  the  Indians  iu  the  em- 
ploy of  theBritish,  and  was  the  scene  of  frequent 
battles,  murders,  burnings,  pillagingsand  general 
consternation  and  distress,  as  it  was  in  the 
memorable  years  from  1755  to  17b'4.  The 
little  settlement  of  Cushutunk  (in  Damascus 
township,  Wayne  Couuty),  its  sister  colony  on 
the  Wallenpaupack,  known  as  "  Lackawa "  or 
"  Lackawack,"  the  few  people  located  along  the 
Delaware  in  what  is  now  Pike  County,  together 
with  the  inhabitants  of  contiguous  regions  in 
New  York  and  New  Jersey,  and  the  scattered 
farmers  of  Old  Smithfield  (surrounding  Fort 
Penn  and  the  site  of  Stroudsburg)  alike  felt  the 
fury  of  a  savage  enemy,  incited  by  British  craft 
and  British  gold. 

Cushutunk  was  a  peculiarly  exposed  locality 
during  the  war,  for  it  lay  farthest  north  of  all 
the  settlements,  upon  the  path  down  which  the 
Indians  came  to  strike  the  Minisink  region,  and 
in  addition  to  this  it  suffered  from  internal  dis- 
sensions between  patriots  and  Tories  and  between 
the  holders  of  lands  under  opposing  titles.  A 
brief  sketch  of  occurrences  there  and  in  the 
neighborhood  must  suffice. 

In  the  spring  of  1777  the  wife  of  Robert 
Laud,  an  Englishman  who  held  a  commission  as 
justice  of  the  peace  under  the  colonial  govern- 
ment, learning  of  the  approach  of  a  party  of 
Iudians,  took  her  infant,  and,  in  company  with  her 
eldest  son,  nineteen  years  of  age,  drove  their 
cattle   back  into  the  woods.     The  Indians  did 


make  their  appearance  early  the  next  morning 
and  some  of  them  entered  the  house  of  Land, 
where  four  children  were  sleeping  wholly  un- 
suspicious of  danger,  and  one  of  them  going  to 
the  bed  where  Rebecca  and  Phoebe  slept,  awak- 
ened them  by  tickling  their  feet  with  a  spear. 
It  seems  that  a  certain  chief  of  the  Tuscaroras, 
Captain  John,  had  frequently  been  at  the  house 
and  was  very  friendly.  Rebecca  awaking, 
supposed  the  Indian  to  be  the  captain  and  ex- 
tending her  hand  said,  "  How  do  you  do,  Captain 
John."  The  Indian  told  her  that  he  was  .not 
Captain  John,  but  he  appears  to  have  spared 
them  because  she  was  acquainted  with  that 
savage  dignitary.  He  told  her  that  they  were 
Mohawks  and  had  come  to  drive  the  whites 
from  the  valley,  but  that  she  and  her  sister 
might  dress  and  leave  unharmed.  They  lost  no 
time  in  doing  so,  and  crossing  the  Delaware  in  a 
canoe,  went  first  to  Brant  Kane's,  where  they 
found  that  all  of  the  family  had  been  murdered 
except  a  little  girl,  who,  however,  had  been 
scalped  and  was  nearly  dead  from  loss  of  blood 
and  fright.  Rebecca  then  ran  up  the  river  to 
Nathan  Mitchell's  and  gave  the  alarm  and  then 
returned  home,  where  she  found  that  the  In- 
dians had  bound  her  brother  Abel,  aged  about 
seventeen,  and  taken  him  with  them,  without 
doing  any  other  harm.  The  retreating  party 
went  up  Calkin's  Creek  and  met  a  small  band  of 
Cushutunk  Indians,  who  were  friendly  to  the 
whites,  and  the  latter,  after  vainly  endeavoring 
to  induce  them  to  release  Abel  Land  hur- 
ried to  the  river  to  alarm  the  settlers.  About 
the  time  that  they  got  there  Mrs.  Laud  and  her 
son  John  returned  from  the  woods,  where  they 
had  been  all  night,  and  the  latter,  with  these 
Indians  and  the  few  whites  who  could  be  as- 
sembled, then  set  out  after  the  marauders.  They 
overtook  the  Mohawks  a  few  miles  away  and 
persuaded  them  to  release  Abel  after  they  had 
made  him  run  the  gauntlet. 

The  murder  of  Brant  Kane  and  his  family 
struck  terror  into  the  settlement,  and  the  people 
fled  to  the  more  thickly-settled  parts  of  Orange 
County.  Among  them  were  Nathan  Skinner 
and  his  son,  Garret  Smith  and  wife,  the  wife  and 
child  of  Nathaniel  Evans  and  others.  Some,  how- 
ever, remained  and  went  on  with  their  farming. 


78 


WAYNE.  PIKE  A.ND  MONEOE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  another  maraud- 
ing party,  composed  of  about  as  many  murderous 
and  thieving  whites  as  Indians,  made  a  second 
descent  on  ill-fated  Cushutunk,  shot  a  man 
named  Ilanda,  took  Nathan  Mitchell  prisoner, 
burnt  down  Daniel  Skinner's  house  and  de- 
stroyed the  crops.  There  appears  something 
strange  and  unaccountable  in  this  affair,  as  there 
docs  something  improbable  in  the  Land  narra- 
tive. The  latter,  however,  is  well  attested,  and 
of  the  second  foray,  Nathan  Skinner,  in  his 
manuscript,  asserts  that  the  leading  and  chiefly 
active  persons  in  it  were  of  those  in  the  neigh- 
borhood who  professed  to  he  actuated  by  pure 
patriotism.  If  this  was  so,  then  Skinner, 
Mitchell,  Handa  and  the  others  who  were 
made  the  victims  of  their  attacks  must  have 
been  regarded  as  Tories.  Skinner,  however, 
says  in  another  place  in  his  manuscript  that  the 
marauders  were  in  reality  moved  by  a  desire  to 
drive  the  owners  of  the  best  farms  and  crops 
and  cattle  out  of  the  country,  that  they  might  in 
this  high-handed  way  confiscate  their  property. 
Of  the  second  raid  Skinner  says, — 

"This  party  came  up  the  Delaware  on  the 
east  side,  and  from  Ten-Mile  River  upward 
plundered  all  that  came  in  their  way  without 
opposition  until  they  came  in  sight  of  Big 
Island,  where  they  discovered  a  party  retreat- 
ing before  them,  who  continued  their  retreat  to 
the  upper  end  of  Ross's,  where  the  settlers  made 
a  stand  and  sent  word  to  their  pursuers  that 
they,  the  whites  and  friendly  Indians,  should 
retreat  no  further.  The  marauders  came  to  a 
stand  at  Nathan  Skinner's  new  house,  which 
they  plundered  and  burnt,  and  then  retreated 
down  the  river,  on  their  way  treacherously 
capturing  John  Land  and  a  man  named  Davis. 
Land  was  shamefully  maltreated  by  his  captors, 
and  he  and  Davis  were  shackled  and  handcuffed 
and  thrown  into  prison  to  answer  to  the  charge 
of  disloyalty,  of  which  charge  they  were  after- 
wards acquitted."  Nathan  Mitchell  escaped, 
but  how,  is  not  known. 

In  his  "  History  of  Sullivan  County  N.  Y.," 
Quinlan,  apropos  of  these  affairs,  says  :  "  Some 
of  the  Whigs  left  without  harvesting  their  crops 
and  after  leaving  their  families  in  places  where 
they  would  be   safe,  returned  to  gather    what 


they  had  cultivated  with  anxious  forebodings. 
They  were  driven  from  the  neighborhood  or 
found  that  theirproperty  had  been  appropriated 
or  destroyed  by  their  enemies.  .  .  .  The 
Tories  appropriated  the  abandoned  property  of 
their  former  Whig  neighbors."  Such  seems  to 
have  been  the  case.  An  almost  constant  local 
war  prevailed  between  the  two  parties  and 
intermixed  with  its  asperities  were  occasional 
Indian  murders. 

At  the  Wallenpaupack  settlement,  too,  there 
was  trouble  made  both  by  Indians  and  Tories 
in  1777.  The  former  were  not  of  the  Six 
Nations,  but  some  renegade  savages,  outcasts 
from  all  tribes,  and  the  latter  were  not  of  the 
better  class  of  Tories,  but  a  parcel  of  vagabonds 
who  took  advantage  of  the  general  state  of 
hostility  to  plunder  whoever  they  could. 
Some  time  during  the  year  mentioned  a  party  of 
men  were  discovered  lurking  in  the  "great 
swamp,"  as  the  bottom  land  along  the  Wallen- 
paupack was  called,  and  Lieutenant  Jonathan 
Haskell,  the  military  commander  of  the  colony, 
collecting  as  many  men  as  he  could,  succeeded  in 
capturing  the  whole  party,  eighteen  in  number. 
They  proved  to  be  Tories  who  had  deserted 
from  the  American  army.  Lieutenant  Haskell 
conducted  them  to  Hartford,  where  they  were 
imprisoned.1 

The  Tories  who  usually  harassed  the  set- 
tlement came  from  the  Delaware  at  and  below 
Cushutunk. 

The  settlements  along  the  Delaware  in  what  is 
now  Pike  County  were  occasionally  disturbed 
during  this  year;  but  no  serious  incursions  were 
made  until  a  year  or  so  later.  These  people, 
however,  had  built  "  forts,"  as  they  were  called, 
but  in  reality  their  preparations  for  defense 
consisted  in  simple  stockades  around  several  of 
the  stronger  dwelling-houses.  One  of  these  was 
atDingman's;  one  at  Captain  Johannes  Van 
Etten's,  three  or  four  miles  above  Dingman's; 
another,  "  Fort  Decker,"  about  three  miles  below 
Dingman's,  on  Horn  beck  Creek;  and  still  another 
was  "Fort    Prink,"    where   John    and    Garret 


1  It  must  have  been,  snys  Miner,  about  this  time  (hat 
Connecticut  began  to  exercise  control  over  the  Wallenpau 
pack  settlement. 


THE  WYOMING  MASSACRE. 


79 


Brink  lived,  two  or  three  miles  above  the 
Bushkill.  Emmanuel  Gunsalue  (Gonzales)  lived 
at  the  Bushkill,  and  his  house,  too,  was  placed 
in  as  good  a  condition  for  defense  as  was  possible. 
There  were  forts  also  upon  the  Jersey  side  of 
the  river,  one  of  the  principal  ones  being  at 
Wallpack,  while  others,  mere  block-houses  and 
stockades,  were  to  be  found  along  the  shore  from 
Port  Jervis  down  nearly  to  the  Water  Gap. 

Although  a  condition  of  comparative  peace 
had  thus  far  prevailed,  there  were  portentous 
signs  of  dire  events  to  come. 

On  the  3d  of  July,  1778,  occurred  the  world- 
famous  massacre  of  Wyoming.  The  c feder- 
ated Six  Nations,  who  had  been  induced  by  the 
British  in  1777  to  take  the  war-path  against 
the  Americans,  committed  great  ravages  in 
New  York  during  that  year,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing they  determined  to  make  a  murderous  foray 
into  Pennsylvania,  with  the  especial  object  of 
striking  the  settlements  on  the  two  branches  of 
the  Susquehanna,  which  were  left  iii  an  almost 
defenceless  condition  through  the  departure  of 
their  patriotic  men  for  the  army. 

The  Wyoming  settlement  was  very  naturally 
the  object  of  the  Englishmen's  especial  hatred, 
because  of  the  devotion  its  people  had  shown  to 
the  cause  of  liberty  \  and  it  was  easily  accessible 
by  the  North  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna.  Late 
in  June  there  descended  that  stream,  under 
command  of  Colonel  John  Butler,  a  force  of 
eleven  hundred  men,  four  hundred  of  whom 
were  Tory  rangers  and  regular  soldiers  of  Sir 
John  Johnson's  Royal  Greens,  with  seven  hun- 
dred Indians,  chiefly  Senecas.  Jenkins'  Fort 
capitulated,  and  Wintermoot's  (which,  as  was 
afterwards  learned,  was  built  to  aid  the  incur- 
sions of  the  Tories)  at  once  opened  its  gates  to 
the  invading  host.  At  Wyoming  were  several 
so-called  forts,  mere  stockades,  in  no  one  of 
which  was  there  a  cannon  or  an  adequate  garrison, 
the  arms-bearing  men  nearly  all  being  absent, 
as  has  heretofore  been  stated.  Colonel  Zebulon 
Butler,  wdio  happened  to  be  at  Wyoming,  took 
command  by  invitation  of  the  people,  and  the  lit- 
tle band,  consisting  chiefly  of  old  men  and  boys, 
with  a  handful  of  undisciplined  militia,  against 
whom  eleven  hundred  warriors  had  inarched, 
made  as  heroic  a  stand  as  the  world  ever  saw. 


And  SO  upon  that  fatal  3d  of  July  they 
marched  out  to  meet  and  fight  the  enemy,  for  a 
safe  retreat  with  their  families  was  impossible, 
and  surrender  seems  never  to  have  been  thought 
of.  It  is  beyond  our  province  in  this  work-  to 
describe  the  uneven  battle  and  the  slaughter 
which  ensued.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  brave 
defenders,  about  four  hundred  in  number,  were 
defeated  by  the  assailing  force,  outnumbering 
them  by  nearly  three  to  one.  Then  followed 
the  horrible  massaen — a  carnival  of  murder 
and  torture  performed  by  fiends,  lint  who  is 
there  who  know.-  not  Wyoming?  Who  that 
does  not  shudder  at  tin-  recall  of  that  name".' 
Of  four  hundred  men  who  went  into  battle,  but 
sixty  escaped  the  fury  of  the  Indians.  That 
bloody  day  made  one  hundred  and  fifty  widows 
and  six  hundred  orphans  in  the  valley. 

And  now  the  Wyoming  Valley  is  a  scene  of 
pastoral  quiet  and  loveliness,  as  if,  in  recompense 
for  the  dark  <\wi\>  done,  the  Creator  had 
breathed  upon  the  bosom  of  nature  there  the 
benison  of  eternal  peace. 

The  massacre  of  Wyoming  thrilled  the  world 
with  horror.  What,  then,  must  have  been  the 
feelings  of  those  people  who  had  reason  to  think 
they  might  at  any  hour  meet  with  the  same  fate 
which  had  extinguished  the  lives  of  the  four 
hundred  settlers  in  the  beautiful  valley?  The 
whole  border  was  filled  with  tint  wildest  alarm, 
and  a  fever  of  fear  took  possession  of  the  people 
even  as  far  down  the  country  as  Bethlehem  and 
Eastori. 

Flight  was  the  only  recourse  for  the  few  terror- 
stricken  survivors.  Yaiu  efforts  were  made  to 
concentrate  the  settlement  at  Forty  Fort,  but 
the  tide  of  panic  had  already  set  in,  and  by 
night  of  the  day  of  battle  fugitives  were  flying 
in  every  direction  to  the  wilderness.  It  was  a 
wild,  chaotic,  precipitate  hegira.  All  was  con- 
fusion, consternation,  horror.  The  poor,  terri- 
fied people,  men,  women  and  children,  scarcely 
thinking  or  caring  whither  their  trembling 
footsteps  led,  if  they  could  only  escape  the  sav- 
age enemy  and  cruel  death,  fled  onward  into  the 
wilderness  and  night.  The  general  direction 
pursued  was  towards  the  Delaware  and  the 
Stroudsburg  settlement.  Every  passage  into 
the  forest  was  thronged.      On  the  old  Warrior's 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Path  there  were,  says  Miner,  in  one  company, 
nearly  a  hundred  women  and  children,  with  but 
one  man,  Jonathan  Fitch,  to  advise  or  aid  them. 
The  forlorn  flight  led  into  and  through  the 
"  Dismal  Swamp"  or  "  Shades  of  Death,"  as  it 
was  then,  and  is  sometimes  even  to  this  day, 
called.  This  was  the  wet,  marshy  plateau  of  the 
Pocono  and  Broad  Mountains,  an  area  included 
now  in  Monroe,  Carbon  and  Pike  Counties, 
surrounding  the  headwaters  of  the  Lehigh. 
Over  the  greater  part  of  this  singularly  wet 
table-land  there  was  a  dense  growth  of  pines 
and  a  (angled, almost  impenetrable  undergrowth, 
the  whole  interspersed  here  and  there  with  ex- 
panses of  dark,  murky  water,  swarming  with 
creeping  things,  even  as  the  matted  forest 
abounded  with  wild  beasts. 

It  was  through  this  desolate,  seemingly  inter- 
minable swamp  that  the  fugitives  from  Wyo- 
ming, by  day  and  night,  made  their  toilsome 
way  to  Stroudsburg,  and  some  by  way  of  the 
Wind  Gap  to  the  lower  settlements. 

Children  were  born  and  children  died  in  that 
terrible  forced  march  through  the  "Shades  of 
Death."  One  infant  that  came  into  the  world 
in  this  scene  of  terror  and  travail  was  carried 
alive  to  the  settlements.  At  least  one  which 
died  was  left  upon  the  ground  to  be  devoured 
by  wolves,  while  the  agonized  mother  went  on. 
There  was  not  time,  nor  were  there  means,  for 
making  even  a  shallow  grave.  One  woman 
bore  her  dead  babe  in  her  arms  for  twenty 
miles,  rather  than  abandon  its  body  to  the 
beasts,  and  it  finally  found  sepulchre  in  a  Ger- 
man settlement  which  she  reached.  The  flight 
had  been  so  precipitate  that  few  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  secure  provisions  from  their  homes, 
and  for  two  or  three  days  the  greater  number 
lived  upon  whortleberries,  which  fortunately 
grew  in  abundance  that  season — the  manna  of 
that  wilderness.  Some  wandered  from  the 
path  and  were  lost,  some  died  from  their 
wounds,  some  from  exhaustion,  but  the  ma- 
jority of  that  distressed,  straggling  band  of 
refugees  reached  the  Stroudsburg  settlement 
after  traveling  sixty  miles,  and  were  tenderly 
cared  for  until  they  could  goto  their  old  homes 
or  find  new  ones.  Many  made  their  way  to 
their  native  Connecticut. 


One  band,  consisting  of  a  single  man  and 
twelve  women  and  children,  were  cared  for  by 
Colonel  Stroud,  and  given  a  passport  by  him, 
recommending  them  to  all  whom  they  might 
meet  in  journeying  destitute  toward  their  homes. 
The  document,  of  which  a  copy  has  been  pre- 
served, read  as  follows : 

"Permit  the  bearer,  Sergeant  William  Searle,  with 
twelve  women  and  children  in  company  with  him,  to 
pass  unmolested  to  some  part  of  the  State  of  Connec- 
ticut, where  they  may  be  able,  by  their  industry,  to 
obtain  an  honest  living,  they  being  part  of  the  un- 
happy people  drove  oflf  from  Wyoming  by  the  Tories 
and  Indians,  and  are  truly  stript  and  distressed,  and 
their  circumstances  call  for  the  charity  of  all  Chris- 
tian people ;  and  are  especially  recommended  by  me 
to  all  persons  in  authority,  civil  and  military,  and  to 
all  Continental  officers  and  commissaries,  to  issue 
provisions  and  other  necessaries  for  their  relief  on 
the  road. 

"Given  under  my  hand  at  Fort  Penn,  July-14, 1778. 
"Jacob  Stroud,  Colonel." ' 

Upon  the  evening  of  the  very  day  that  the 
butchery  occurred  at  Wyoming — July  3,  1778 
— Wallenpaupack  had  a  narrow  escape.  The 
officer  in  command,  to  try  the  temper  of  his 
troops,  caused  a  false  alarm  of  danger  to  be 
made.  Movables  were  hurriedly  carried  into 
the  fort,  the  whole  force  of  the  settlement  was 
collected  and  the  arras  prepared  for  use.  Just 
as  the  noise  and  clamor  caused  by  the  alarm 
was  at  its  height,  a  body  of  sixty  Indians  and 
Tories  from  the  neighborhood  of  Cochecton 
approached  from  the  direction  of  Wilsonville  to 
within  half  a  mile  of  the  fort.  They  told  some 
prisoners  afterwards  captured  that  their  object 
was  to  drive  away  the  cattle  belonging  to  the 
settlers.  The  noise  and  confusion  at  the  fort, 
however,  induced  them  to  believe  that  the  New 
York  Indians  under  Brant  had  attacked  the 
settlement,  and  as  Brant  had  given  them  dis- 
tinct orders  not  to  interfere  with  Wallenpau- 
pack, they  withdrew,  burning,  however,  as  they 
retreated,  a  grist-mill,  at  what  is  now  Wilson- 
ville, owned  by  Joseph  Washburn. 

The  reception,  on  July  4th,  of  the  news  of  the 
Wyoming  massacre  caused  a  stampede  from 
this  settlement.  When  the  tidings  were  re- 
ceived  Captain   Zebulon   Parrish,  his  son  Jas- 


Appeniiix,  Miner's  Wyoming,  p.  4-J 


THE  WYOMING  MASSACRE. 


81 


per  and  Stephen  Kimble  went  down  to  the 
Lackawaxen,  a  short  distance  above  the  month 
of  the  Wall  en  pan  pack,  for  the  purpose  of  giv- 
ing the  alarm  to  Benjamin  Haynes,  David  Ford 
and  James  Hough,  who  lived  there  with  their 
families;  but  these  three  men  on  this  errand  of 
mercy  fell  into  the  bauds  of  the  same  body  of 
Indians  and  Tories  who  had  been  hovering 
about  the  fort.  They  were  carried  to  the  State 
of  New  York  and  retained  as  prisoners  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  Stephen  Parrish  and 
Reuben  Jones  were  also  taken  prisoners  about 
this  time.  Both  were  subsequently  returned 
and  Jones  lived  many  years  in  Wayne  County. 

In  the  mean  time  all  had  been  activity  at  the 
settlements.  The  people  prepared  as  rapidly 
as  possible  for  flight,  and  before  sunset  on  the 
night  of  that  4th  of  July  the  poor  people  were 
on  their  way  to  the  Delaware.  A  number  of 
the  women  and  children  who  were  sick  were 
transported  in  carts.  They  were  put  on  beds 
on  the  bottoms  of  the  carts  and  thus  moved 
comfortably.  The  men  walked  or  rode  horse- 
back, driving  their  cattle  before  them,  and  car- 
rying as  many  of  their  portable  goods  as  pos- 
sible, and  thus  the  strange  and  mournful  caval- 
cade moved  away  from  their  homes,  scarcely 
knowing  whither  they  were  goiug,  but  direct- 
ing their  steps  towards  safety.  They  traveled 
the  whole  night  and  the  greater  part  of  the 
next  day,  and  found  themselves  at  a  point 
about  three  miles  from  the  site  of  Milford, 
upon  the  old  Wyoming  road.  They  intended 
to  pass  the  night  here,  but  becoming  fearful 
that  they  were  followed  by  the  Indians,  re- 
sumed their  weary  march,  and  did  not  again 
halt  until  they  had  reached  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Delaware.  From  here  some  went  to  Con- 
necticut, and  some  located  on  the  Delaware,  the 
majority,  however,  going  to  Orange  County, 
New  York,  where  they  remained  until  after  the 
war. 

In  August  following  four  young  men,  John 
Pellet,  Jr.,  Walter  Kimble,  Charles  Forsythe 
and  Uriah  Chapman,  Jr.,  returned  to  the  Wal- 
lenpaupack  to  cut  hay  upon  the  rich  bottom- 
lauds,  and  while  engaged  at  their  work  were 
attacked  by  Indians,  who  had  probably  come 
there  anticipating  their  return.  Chapman  was 
9 


wounded  (and  carried  the  ball  until  his  death, 
fifty-one  years  later),  but  all  succeeded  in  getting 
to  the  fort,  which  was  still  standing.  The 
next  day  they  left  the  scene  of  their  dangerous 
labors. 

Most  of  the  settlers  also  fled  from  Cushutunk 
after  the  Wyoming  massacre,  but  the  Tylers, 
Thomases,  John  hand  and  Nathan  Mitchell 
remained.  Nearly  all  of  those  who  fled  re- 
turned in  the  spring  of  1779. 

During  the  fall  of  this  year  (1778)  Brant, 
the  celebrated  Mohawk  chief,  who  held  the 
commission  of  a  British  captain,  appeared  in  the 
Minisink  at  the  head  of  about  one  hundred 
Indians  and  Tories,  confining  his  atrocities,  how- 
ever, to  the  settlements  north  of  the  Neversink. 
Some  neighbors  returning  from  a  funeral 
were  surprised  by  a  party  in  ambush  and  sev- 
eral of  their  number  killed.  Jeremiah  Van 
Auken,  a  school-master,  was  dragged  from  his 
school  and  murdered  in  the  presence  of  the 
children  assembled.  An  incident  is  related  in 
connection  with  the  killing  of  Van  Auken, 
which  shows  that  Brant  was  not  devoid  of  the 
feelings  of  humanity,  and  which  would  seem  to 
furnish  negative  evidence  to  the  question  long 
iu  dispute  as  to  whether  he  was  in  command  of 
the  Indians  at  the  Wyoming  massacre;  especial- 
ly if  we  concede  (what  is  quite  possible)  that  he 
was  not  personally  present  with  such  of  his  de- 
tached forces  as  committed  atrocities  in  the  val- 
ley. 

"  After  the  murder  of  Van  Auken,  the  school- 
master, some  of  the  boys  at  the  school  were  cleft 
with  the  tomahawk;  others  fled  to  the  woods  for 
concealment;  while  the  little  girls  stood  by  the 
slain  body  of  their  teacher  bewildered  and 
horror-stricken,  not  knowing  their  fate,  wheth- 
er death  or  captivity.  Wrhile  they  were  stand- 
ing in  this  pitiable  condition,  a  strong,  muscular 
Indian  came  along,  and  with  a  brush  dashed 
some  black  paint  across  their  aprons,  bidding 
them  hold  up  the  mark  when  they  saw  an  In- 
dian coming,  and  it  would  save  them,  at  which 
he  plunged  into  the  woods  and  disappeared. 
This  was  Captain  Brant,  and  the  little  girls  of 
the  school  were  safe.  The  Indians,  as  they 
passed  along  and  ran  from  place  to  place,  saw 
the  black   mark,  and   left   them    undisturbed. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  happy  thought,  like  a  flash,  entered  the 
minds  of  these  little  sisters,  and  suggested  that 
they  should  use  the  mark  to  save  their  brothers. 
The  scattered  boys  were  quickly  sought,  and 
the  girls  threw  their  aprons  over  the  clothes  of 
the  boys,  and  stamped  the  black  impression 
upon  their  outer  garments.  They,  in  turn,  held 
up  the  palladium  of  safety  as  the  Indians  pass- 
ed and  re-passed,  and  were  thus  saved  from  in- 
jury and  death,  to  the  unexpected  joy  of  their 
parents.  Brant  had  received  a  Christian  educa- 
tion, and  it  is  not  improbable  that  when  he  saw 
this  array  of  youthful  pupils,  old  memories  of 
boyhood  crowded  his  mind,  and  constrained 
him  to  stay  the  hand  of  slaughter."  James 
Van  Auken,  an  uncle  of  the  school-teacher,  was 
killed  at  the  same  time. 

The  raid  in  the  Upper  Minisink  had  the  ef- 
fect of  striking  terror  through  the  whole  valley 
down  to  Smithfield  and  Easton.  Robert  Levers 
wrote  from  the  latter  place  to  the  Executive 
Council,  under  date  of  October  17(1778)  that  :— 

"An  express  is  just  this  moment  come  from  Col. 
Stroud's,  bringing  the  melancholy  accou  .t  that  the 
Tories  and  Indians  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Mine- 
sinks,  in  York  government,  are  burning  and  destroy- 
ing all  before  them.  It  is  said  the  enemy  are  six 
hundred  s'rong  and  that  the  Tories  join  them  every 
hour.  It  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  ihey  will  be  in  this 
State  very  soon,  and  the  inhabitants  above  are  all 
moving  and  in  the  greatest  distress  and  confusion. 
By  a  letter  I  hav«  seen  this  morning  from  Capt.  Alex- 
ander Patterson  at  Col.  Stroud's,  stationed  as  Quarter- 
master, it  is  mentioned  that  they  have  neither  military 
stores  or  provisions,  so  that  if  they  should  suddenly 
attack  that  part  of  this  county,  destitute  of  help  as 
they  are,  the  country  must  fly  before  the  enemy."1 

A  little  later,  October  24th,  Major  Samuel 
"VVestbrook  wrote  that  he  had  seen  two  persons, 
who  had  conversed  with  some  of  the  party  with 
Brant,  "  in  Doing  the  mischief  att  Peainpack 
and  to  my  sorrow  I  acquaint  you  it  has  struck 
the  People  in  general  with  such  fear  that  they 
are  moving  away  from  the  upper  end  of  the 
Minesink  very  fast,  If  there  is  not  some 
Means  Taken  To  Stop  the  Enemy,  the  whole  of 
the  Inhabitance  will  move  from  this  Place,  and, 
if  so,  pray  what  will  be  Cousiquence?  Ruin 
and  destruction  will  Emediately  follow."2 


'Penn.  Archives,  Vol.  VII.  pp.  15-16. 
'Fenna.  Archives  Vol.  VII.  p.  63. 


Colonel  Stroud,  about  this  time,  wrote  to  the 
Council  from  Fort  Penn  the  following  account 
of  the  condition  of  the  frontier  and  suggestions 
for  guarding  it  from  Indian  ravages  : — 

"  Fort  Penn  October  the  25th  1778 
"Dear  Sir 

"  I  heare  send  with  the  Bearer  the  Copy  of  Two 
Men's  Oathes  and  by  other  sircumstanees  as  wee  can 
fully  Learn,  That  the  Indeons  and  Toreys  are  gon  up 
to  Coshishton  with  their  Plunder  and  Expect  there 
to  get  more  Reinforsments  and  to  be  Down  Emedi- 
ately on  us ;  perhaps  when  you  see  the  oathes  of 
these  people  that  was  sworn  at  Minesink,  you  may 
not  fully  persieve  why  These  Toreys  that  is  there 
spoke  of  stays  in  them  woods,  but  I  will  relate  a  little 
fuller,  a  great  part  of  these  Toreys  that  has  been  seen 
theire  is  persons  that  has  there  Wives  and  fameleys 
and  Relations,  and  indeed  Correspondence  in  the  set- 
tlement, and  I  am  apprehensive  That  the  Councyl 
and  your  Honour  Dos  not  persive  how  this  settlement 
and  Wyoming  Lyes,  as  Wyoming  can  be  of  no  service 
to  us  as  a  frunteer  from  the  Indeons  and  Toreys  from 
(Josishton  and  Cook  house,  and  That  Quarter  if  you 
please  to  Take  the  map  and  Look  in  that  there,  you 
may  see  that  Wyoming  with  a  small  party  hardly  able 
to  keep  That  fort  can  be  of  any  Safety  to  us  from  up 
Delowar,  as  these  Indeons  That  we  feare  will  fall  on 
us  will  come  down  Delowar  River  with  Cnowes  down 
to  the  mouth  of  Mahaughkamack  Creek  which  is  just 
above  Our  settlement  as  they  did  Last  or  perhaps 
they  may  come  a  little  Lower  as  they  may  find  Con- 
venient as  I  know  of  nothing  to  prevent  them ;  for  I 
assure  you  there  is  very  few  people  Left  above  Manuel 
Gonsaleses  mill  which  is  12  miles  from  My  house,  and 
Back  of  me,  between  me  and  the  great  Swamp,  there 
is  no  settlement  but  the  bare  woods,  now  if  it  Can  be 
thought  Best  not  to  have  the  frunteer  heare,  I  could 
wish  the  Councyl  in  their  wisdom  would  point  out  the 
place.  Indions  is  not  like  our  other  Eunemys,  that 
we  can  live  with  them  and  abought  them,  but  where 
they  have  there  Camp  for  they  Distroy  all ;  and  as  for 
the  other  ace'  that  wee  sent  with  Esqr  Van  camp,  the 
oath  of  that  Woman,  the  Indeons  come  neer  the  time 
she  spoke  of,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  high  Weatters 
they  would  have  done  much  more  Mischief,  for  there 
was  nothing  to  hinder  them,  for  it  was  Two  Days  after 
they  was  gon  before  the  Malitia  could  be  collected 
all :  So  I  must  Leave  the  Matter  with  you  and  the 
Councyl.  Hoping  you  will  do  at  this  Distressing 
time  something  for  us  and  to  give  us  Relief,  as  wee 
have  our  eyes  on  you,  as  wee  have  no  other  place 
to  apply  to  for  Relief 

"  I  am  Sir  your  very  umble  serv't 

"  Jacob  Stroud  " 3 

It  became  evident  very  early  in  the  spring  of 


3  Penn.  Archives,  Vol.  VII.  p. 


FORT  PEXN. 


1779  that  Indiau  hostility  was  to  undergo  no 
abatement,  and  as  the  season  progressed  the 
people  of  Upper  Northampton,  in  common  with 
those  along  the  Jersey  shore  and  in  the  Never- 
sink  region  of  New  York,  were  more  direfully 
harassed  than  ever  before,  or,  in  fact,  than  at 
any  time  during  the  war. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  this  year  five  young 
men  who  had  returned  to  the  Wallenpaupack 
settlement  to  make  maple  sugar — Ephraim, 
Jeptha,  and  Silas  Killam,  Walter  and  Ephraim 
Kimble — were  attacked  by  Indians  and  nar- 
rowly escaped  with  their  lives. 

Not  long  after  this  occurrence  a  straggling 
band  of  Indians  came  suddenly  upon  the  fort  at 
Dingman's.1  One  of  Andrew  Dingman's  sons, 
Isaac  by  name,  chanced  to  be  outside  the  fort, 
and  seeing  his  danger,  endeavored  to  reach  a 
place  of  safety.  But  the  unfortunate  youth  was 
too  late.  One  of  the  savages,  springing  from  a 
place  of  concealment,  fired  upon  him,  mortally 
wounding  him.  The  marauders  then  withdrew. 
The  remains  of  the  young  man  were  secured 
and  buried  on  the  Jersey  side  of  the  river. 
The  burial  took  place  under  the  cover  of  a 
cannon,  mounted  in  a  fort2  erected  opposite  the 
barricade  at  Dingman's.  Consternation  spread 
throughout  the  locality.  Many  of  the  settlers 
fled  from  their  homes,  seeking  places  of  safety. 
Below  Dingman's  was  a  stone  house,  built  by 
Col.  John  Rosencrans,  of  New  Jersey.  This 
house  was  vacated,  but  escaped  destruction.  Be- 
tweeu  this  house  and  the  fort  at  Deckertown 
stood  a  log  structure,  occupied  by  Hendriek 
Decker,  brother-in-law  to  Dingman's  wife.  On 
the  morning  succeeding  the  death  of  Isaac  Ding- 
man  a  body  of  Indians  attacked  this  building. 
The  family,  consisting  of  eight  persons,  fled  at 
the  approach  of  the  savages,  and  made  a  frantic 
effort  to  reach  the  fort  at  Deckertown,  about 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  distant.  The  war-whoop 
rang  out  on  the  still  air, and  lent  strength  to  the 
terrified  fugitives.  The  savages  pursued  them 
hotly,  firing  upon  them  as  they  ran.  Two  of 
the  family  fell  ere  the  fort  was  reached — Henry 


and  David  Decker — and  their  reeking  scalps 
swung  from  the  girdles  of  two  of  the  yelling 
pack  as  they  came  in  sight  of  the  fort.  Foiled 
in  their  work  at  this  point,  they  continued  their 
march  below  the  fort,  where  they  fired  upon  a 
settler  named  Jacobus  Van  Gorden,  breaking 
his  thigh  with  a  musket-ball.  They  did  not 
succeed  in  capturing  him,  however,  and  he  was 
spared  further  injury. 

Brandt,3  the  most  distinguished  Indian 
personage  of  his  time,  now  came  upon  the 
scene.  He  had  appeared  casually  and  with 
small  bands,  it  is  true,  in  1778,  but  he  came  in 
1779  at  the  head  of  a  large  organized  force. 
After  the  incursions  of  1778  in  the  Mamakating 
and  Upper  Minisink  regions,  Count  Pulaski  with 
a  battalion  of  cavalry  was  stationed  there  for 
the  protection  of  the  frontier,  but  in  February, 


l  The  attack  on  Dingman's  has  usually  been  supposed  to 
have  occurred  in  1770,  but  that  is  a  manifest  error.  It 
was  in  1779. 

■'  "Old  Fort." 


3  The  character  and  career  of  this  great  chief  are  worth 
more  lhan  a  passing  notice. 

Joseph  Brandt,  the  Mohawk  chief,  was  born  in  Ohio  in 
about  1712,  and  died  November  24,  1807.  He  was 
frequently  spoken  of  as  a  Shawnee  by  birth  and  only  a 
Mohawk  by  adoption,  and  it  has  also  been  said  that  he 
was  a  son  of  Sir  William  Johnson.  Having  taken  a  part  in 
the  campaign  of  Lake  George  in  1735,  and  in  various  sub- 
sequent, eonflicls,  he  officiated  after  Sir  Wra.  Johnson's 
death  as  secretary  of  Col.  Guy  Johnson,  Superintendent- 
General  of  the  Indians,  and  when  the  American  Revolution 
began,  lie  was  instrumental  in  exciting  the  Indians  agaiust 
the  colonies.  His  presence  at  the  battle  of  Wyoming  is 
doubtful,  though  he  took  part  in  thai  of  Cherry  Valley  and 
other  sanguinary  engagements.  He  was  received  with 
great  distinction  on  his  tour  to  England  in  1786  and  was 
attached  to  the  military  service  of  Sir  Guy  Carleton  in 
Canada.  He  opposed  the  confederation  of  the  Indians, 
which  led  to  the  expedition  of  General  Wayne,  and  did  all 
he  could  to  prevent  peace  between  the  Indians  and  the 
United  States.  He  was,  however,  zealously  devoted  to  the 
welfare  of  his  own  people,  and  conspicuous  for  his  efforts  to 
prevent  the  introduction  of  ardent  spirits  among  them. 
He  was  a  brave  warrior  and  noted  for  his  ability,  as  testified 
by  his  correspondence.  During  his  stay  in  England  he  col- 
lected funds  for  a  church,  which  he  built  in  Upper  Canada. 
He  there  also  published  the  "  Book  of  Common  Prayer" 
and  the  "Gospel  of  Mark"  in  Mohawk  and  English.  He 
spent  the  latter  part  of  bis  life  at  Burlington  Bay,  near  the 
head  of  Lake  Ontario,  where  he  built  a  house  for  himself 
on  a  tract  of  land  conferred  upon  him  by  the  British 
government.  Brandt's  personal  appearance  and  manners, 
added  to  his  acknowledged  abilities,  gave  him  great  power 
over  his  followers.  His  bearing  was  haughty  and  his 
language  often  insulting.  He  was  tall  and  rather  spare ; 
generally  wore  moccasins  elegantly  trimmed  with  beads ; 
leggings  and  breech-cloth  of  superfine  blue;  a  short,  green 
coat  with  two  silver  epaulets,  and  a  small  round  laced  hat. 


84 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


1779,  he  had  been  ordered  to  South  Carolina 
and  this  region  was  again  left  unprotected.  It 
is  probable  that  Brandt  was  soon  informed  of 
this  condition  of  things,  for  he  made  his  ap- 
pearance in  July. 

The  battle  of  the  Lackawaxen,  or,  as  it  is 
often  called,  the  battle  of  the  Minisink,  ensued 
from  this  invasion  and  was  the  largest  and  most 
important  engagment  that  took  place  in  or  near 
the  region  that  forms  the  field  of  this  history. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  did  not  occur  on  Penn- 
sylvania soil,  but  at  a  spot  immediately  con- 
tiguous, in  New  York,  a  little  plateau  opposite 
the  mouth  of  the  Lackawaxen  (which  flows  into 
the  Delaware  in  Pike  County). 

Brandt's  forces  made  their  way  southward 
very  stealthily,  considering  their  number,  and 
appeared  in  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now  called 
Cuddeback,  near  the  line  of  Orange  County,  on 
the  19th  of  July  (1779). 

Some  of  the  people  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
block-houses,  others  took  refuge  in  the  woods, 
while  many  were  murdered  and  their  houses 
burned.  The  murders  were  committed  quickly 
and  Brandt's  followers  hastily  retreated  to 
Grassy  Brook,  a  small  tributary  of  the  Mongaup, 
a  few  miles  up  the  Delaware,  where  a  portion  of 
the  command  had  been  left.  Some  of  the  In- 
dians must  have  passed  farther  down  the  valley 
and  committed  depredations  in  Pennsylvania 
and  New  Jersey.  The  tidings  of  an  Indian  in- 
cursion, always  alarming  and  fast  flying,  seem  on 
this  occasion  to  have  been  carried  on  the  wings 
of  the  wind  down  to  Smithfield  and  Easton  and 
even  over  to  Allentown,on  the  Lehigh,  and  the 
people  everywhere  were  filled  with  consterna- 
tion. Some  idea  of  the  general  alarm  is  con- 
veyed by  the  correspondence  of  the  time. 

Col.  John  Wetzel  wrote  President  Reed,  of 
the  Executive  Council,  from  Northampton 
(Allentown),  under  date  of  July  22d,  that  lie  was 
just  in  receipt  of  an  express  from  Col.  Stroud 
informing  him  that  he  hourly  expected  an  at- 
tack from  the  Indians,  "  there  being  a  large 
body  of  them  (the  numbers  not  yet  known)  at 
the  Minisinks,  and  that  they  had  got  down  as 
far  as  Aaron  Frandenbur's,  in  ye  Jerseys,  and 
they  have  burnt  his  house  and  barn  and  taken 
some  prisoners  there."      Col.   Stroud    bitterly 


complained  that  he  lacked  ammunition,  but 
Col.  Wetzel  could  send  him  none  from  Allen- 
town,  as  his  supply  was  exhausted.1 

Upon  the  same  date  as  the  foregoing  John 
Van  Campen  wrote  President  Reed,  from 
Lower  Smithfield,  that  he  had  on  that  morn- 
ing returned  home  from  the  Minisink,  "  at 
which  place,"  ...  he  says,  "  I  was  the 
spectator  of  great  Distress's,  of  many  families 
left  bare  and  destitute  of  all  necessaries  of  life, 
who  lived  formerly  in  the  midst  of  Plenty. 
.  .  .  The  people,  in  general,  are  all  fled 
in  Forts  Both  sides  of  the  River.  The  Distress 
is  very  great  in  our  parts  and  adjacent  Neigh- 
bours. .  .  .  Col.  Jacob  Stroud  acts  the  part 
of  a  Brave  officer,  with  a  few  of  his  Neighbors, 
who  Scouts  in  the  woods  with  him.  .  .  .  We 
have  applied  to  our  Lieutenants  sundry  times 
for  relief,  but  none  yet  came." 2 

Van  Campen,  writing  again  to  the  President 
(probably  upon  July  23d),  says :  "  By  express 
this  morning  we  are  informed  the  Enemy  are 
Legally  (formally)  Encamped  at  Willes  Mill 
(probably  Wells'  Mill  at  the  site  of  Milford), 
and  Grinding  all  the  Grain  that  was  in  the  mill 
and  what  they  can  collect  in  Defiance  of  all  the 
Forces  that  can  be  collected  at  present."  He 
also  says  that  on  the  day  before  they  had  taken 
three  prisoners  in  Jersey,  and  killed  twenty 
head  of  horned  cattle  and  all  the  horses  of 
Morgan  Desheay  in  Pennsylvania.  He  con- 
cluded his  letter  by  saying  that  he  has  no 
doubt,  unless  speedy  relief  be  sent  to  supple- 
ment the  small  forces  they  can  gather,  they  will 
not  be  able  to  save  "  the  poor  people  that  are 
Fled  into  Forts  For  the  Preservation  of  their 
Lives." 3 

Reverting  to  the  battle  and  the  events  that 
led  to  it,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  greater  num- 
ber of  the  fugitives  from  Minisink  fled  to 
Goshen,  and  as  soon  as  the  first  of  them  arrived 
and  gave  intelligence  of  the  presence  of  the 
enemy,  Dr.  Tusten,  the  colonel  of  the  local 
militia,  issued  orders  to  the  officers  of  his  com- 
mand to  meet  him  at  Minisink  on  the  following 
day  with  as  many  volunteers  as  they  could  pos- 


IY1111.  Archives,  Vol.  VII. 
Penn.  Archives,  VII.  573. 
Tenn.  Archives,  Vol.  VII 


FORT  PENN. 


85 


sibly  raise.  The  order  was  promptly  obeyed, 
and  a  body  of  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  men 
met  their  colonel  at  the  appointed  rendezvous 
at  the  time  designated.  Early  in  the  morning 
they  pushed  forward  toward  the  Neversink. 
We  quote  from  one  who  has  been  a  careful  stu- 
dent of  the  subject :' 

At  the  place  now  called  Finchville,  on  the 
east  side  of  Shawangunk  Mountain,  they  had 
breakfast,  and  were  supplied  with  some  pro- 
visions for  the  campaign.  After  the  long  and 
weary  march  of  that  day,  following  the  trail  of 
the  retreating  foe,  they  encamped  for  the  night 
at  Skinner's  Mill,  about  three  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  Half-way  Brook. 

On  the  morning  of  the  22d  they  were  joined 
by  Col.  Hathorn,  of  the  Warwick  regiment, 
with  a  few  men,  and  he,  being  the  senior  officer, 
took  command. 

Advancing  to  Half-way  Brook  (now  Barry  - 
ville),  they  came  upon  the  Indian  encampment 
of  the  previous  night,  and  it  was  evident  that 
Brandt  was  near.  In  order  to  ascertain  his 
exact  position  and  his  contemplated  place  of 
crossing  the  Delaware,  Captains  Tyler  and 
Cuddeback  were  sent  forward.  Tyler  was  soon 
shot,  and,  after  a  short  delay,  caused  by  his 
death,  Col.  Hathorn  advanced,  and  as  soon  as 
he  saw  the  main  body  of  the  enemy  leisurely 
approaching  the  ford,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Lackawaxen  (some  had  crossed  and  others  were 
crossing  with  the  plunder),  he  left  the  Indian 
trail  and  turned  to  the  right,  intending  by  a 
rapid  march  over  the  hills  to  intercept  Brandt 
at  the  ford. 

The  wily  Indian  had  discovered  his  pursuers, 
and  anticipating  their  object,  marched  his  forces 
quickly  up  a  ravine,  thereby  placing  himself  in 
the  rear  of  Col.  Hathorn,  and  preventing  about 
fifty  of  his  men,  who  had  fallen  behind  in  the 
march,  from  joining  him. 

And  now  we  have  the  contending  forces  in 
close  proximity  to  each  other.2     The  Ameri- 


1  From  this  point  our  narrative  is  condensed  from  an  ad- 
dress delivered  by  Hon.  William  J.  Groo,  of  Middletown, 
N.  Y.,  on  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  battle. 

2  The  field  of  the  battle  of  the  Lackawaxen  must  here  be 
described.  It  is  situate  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  High- 
laud,  county  of  Sullivan  and  State  of  New  York,  and  in 


cans,  numbering  about  ninety,  occupied  the 
small  plateau  nearly  opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
Lackawaxen,  a  ledge  of  rocks  which  formed 
the  southerly  boundary  of  the  battle-field. 


lots  number  sixteen  and  seventeen  in  the  seventh  division 
of  the  Minisink  Patent.  By  an  air  line  the  distance  of  the 
field  from  (lie  village  of  Barryville,  in  the  town  of  High- 
land, is  two  hundred  ami  eighty-eight  chains,  or  three  and 
three-fifths  miles,  and  about  four  and  one-half  miles  by  the 
usual  route  of  travel.  From  Lackawaxen  it  is  distant 
about  one  and  one-fourth  miles  by  road,  and  is  elevated 
above  the  level  of  the  Delaware  River  at  that  place  not  less 
than  five  hundred  feet. 

The  field  itself  is  a  plateau  formed  by  a  ledge  of  rock, 
most  of  which  is  covered  by  earth  to  a  depth  sufficient  to 
support  the  growth  of  shrubbery.  The  edges  of  the  ledge 
present  a  projection  towards  the  southeast,  southwest  and 
northwest,  and  when  viewed  together  form,  most  nearly,  a 
semi-circle.  Toward  the  southeast  the  face  of  the  ledge  is 
somewhat  broken,  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet  high,  and  may  be 
ascended  or  descended  without  much  difficulty.  Towards 
the  southwest  it  is  in  part  composed  of  broken  rock,  while 
another  part  exhibits  a  steep  hill  some  twenty-five  feet  in 
height.  Towards  the  northwest  the  face  of  the  rock  is 
very  nearly  perpendicular,  quite  solid,  about  fifteen  feet 
high,  and  it  was  at  its  base  that,  it  is  fully  believed,  Colonel 
Tusten  and  the  wounded  under  his  care  were  tomahawked 
after  the  Indians  gained  the  advantage. 

A  little  northwesterly  from  the  central  point  of  the  pla- 
teau, a  hill  rises  to  an  extent  of  thirty  or  forty  feet,  ex- 
tending towards  the  northwest  and  northeast,  but  towards 
the  southeast  terminating  in  a  manner  so  that  from  one 
hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  level  surface  re- 
mains between  the  foot  of  the  hill  and  the  southeast  brink 
of  the  ledge. 

The  ground  occupied  by  the  white  people  in  the  battle  is 
from  a  quarter  to  half  an  acre  in  extent,  and  is  the  west- 
erly proportion  of  the  plateau,  while  the  Indians  and  Tories 
occupied  the  part  east,  the  hill  above  mentioned  and  the 
level  ground  extending  around  and  behind  the  southeast- 
erly point  of  the  hill. 

The  imperfect  breast-work  of  the  whites,  so  hastily  erect- 
ed, may  still  be  traced,  and  as  late  as  18o9  was  so  distinct 
as  to  leave  no  doubt  of  its  direction  and  extent,  or  the 
ground  occupied  by  those  it  was  intended  to  shield. — J.  W. 
Johnston. 

Hon.  George  H.  Rowland,  of  Rowland's,  Pike  County, 
Pa.,  in  an  address  delivered  upon  the  field  of  battle  speak- 
ing of  the  doubt  that  existed  in  some  minds  as  to  whether 
the  battle  was  fought  on  this  ground,  says, — 

"That  this  is  the  exact  spot  on  which  the  battle  was  fought 
there  is  no  doubt,  from  the  fact  that  there  are  men  upon 
the  ground  to-day  who  were  here  when  the  bones  of  the 
slain  were  gathered  and  taken  to  Goshen  and  interred 
with  imposing  ceremonies.  Again,  there  are  those  sfill 
living  who  have  visited  the  ground  with  men  who  partici- 
pated in  the  battle. 

"  Having  lived  all  my  life  in  this  vicinity,  I  have  sought 
after  particulars  with  some  pains.  Some  thirty-seven  years 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  Indians  and  Tories  came  up  from  the 
ravine  to  the  northward,  and  extended  their 
line  around  to  the  west. 

The  battle  really  began  about  eleven  o'clock, 
by  the  Indians  advancing  from  the  north,  but 
they  were  promptly  repulsed  and  held  in  check 
while  some  of  the  men  hastily  threw  up  a  sort 
of  breast-work  of  sticks  and  upturned  stones, 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  the 
southerly  extremity  of  the  plateau.  The  loca- 
tion of  this  defensive  line  was,  but  a  few  years 
ago,  distinctly  marked. 

At  this  juncture  Brandt's  voice  was  distinct- 
ly heard  within  the  American  lines,  calling 
upon  those  of  his  forces  who  had  crossed  the 
Delaware  to  return ;  and  soon  thereafter  Ha- 
thorn's  men,  who  had  been  formed  into  a  sort 
of  hollow  square,  were  nearly  surrounded.  In- 
dians appeared  in  all  directions,  but  in  greatest 
numbers  towards  the  north  and  west,  and  con- 


ago  I  closed  the  eyes  of  Absalom  Gonklin  in  death  at  the 
age  of  eighty.  He  was  over  fifteen  years  old  at  the  time 
of  the  battle.  .  .  .  The  old  man  lived  with  my  fatner  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  and  never  tired  of  telling  me  how 
they  were  compelled  to  leave  their  rude  homes  and  descend 
the  Delaware  River  in  a  canoe  on  account  of  the  Indians 
becoming  threatening,  only  a  short  time  before  the  battle. 
How  they  stopped  on  the  Pennsylvania  side  of  the  river, 
opposite  Minisink;  how  his  father  joined  the  militia  in 
pursuit  of  Brandt;  how  they  fought  until  late  in  the  after- 
noon of  a  very  hot  day  without  water ;  when  their  am- 
munition became  exhausted  they  were  compelled  to  re- 
treat— his  father  running  to  the  Delaware  at  Otter  Eddy, 
swimming  the  same  and  making  his  way  back  to  his  fam- 
ily. How  they  soon  moved  back ;  how  he  had  gone  to  the 
battle-ground  with  his  father  and  saw  the  bones  of  those 
who  died." 

Again  Brandt,  who  at  and  after  that  time  held  a  com- 
mission in  the  British  army,  on  a  certain  occasion  in  New 
York  City,  after  peace  was  declared,  gave  his  version  of  the 
battle,  in  brief,  like  this  : 

He  said  the  whites  took  a  position  on  an  elevated  pla- 
teau with  a  small  round  hill  on  their  left ;  that  before 
bringing  on  a  general  engagement  he  sent  out  a  while  flag, 
which  was  met  by  one  from  our  side;  that  he  .  .  .  told  our 
men  they  had  better  surrender  and  he  would  treat  them  as 
prisoners  of  war ;  that  his  force  was  far  superior  to  ours,  and 
if  a  general  battle  was  brought  on,  he  would  not  be  able  to 
restrain  his  savage  warriors ;  that  while  thus  in  parley  a 
bullet  came  whistling  by  his  side  and  cut  his  sword-belt ; 
that  he  then  threw  himself  from  his  horse,  retreated  t.> 
his  men  and  drew  them  up  for  buttle.  Be  that  as  it  may. 
there  is  no  doubt  our  men  occupied  this  half-acre  of  ground, 
with  rude  breastworks  of  stone,  logs  and  brush  hastily 
thrown  up. 


cealing  themselves  behind  rocks  and  trees,  ad- 
vanced from  time  to  time,  as  opportunity  offer- 
ed, and  thus  a  running  fire  was  kept  up.  At 
every  weak  point  Brandt  directed  his  efforts, 
but  without  avail.  Colonel  Hathom,  while 
guarding  every  point  in  the  line,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, gave  strict  orders  to  his  men  to  reserve 
their  fire  until  it  could  be  made  effective.  Thus 
the  ammunition,  which  was  lamentably  short, 
was  carefully  husbanded.  As  the  day  wore  on, 
Brandt  became  disheartened,  and  was  about  to 
abandon  the  conflict  and  withdraw  from  the 
field ,  when  the  death  of  one  of  the  most  effec- 
tive militiamen,  who  had  for  hours  successfully 
guarded  a  point  towards  the  northwesterly  point 
of  the  line,  and  near  where  Colonel  Tusten  was 
with  the  wounded,  gave  the  Indians  and  Tories 
an  opportunity  to  break  through.  Amid  deaf- 
ening yells,  they  came  pouring  through  this 
opening  in  such  numbers  that  further  resistance 
was  impossible,  and  the  brave  men  who,  for  six 
long  hours,  without  water,  under  a  burning 
July  sun,  with  insufficient  ammunition,  had 
successfully  defied  an  enemy  many  times  out- 
numbering them,  fled  from  the  field  soaked  with 
the  blood  of  their  comrades.  Colonel  Tusten 
being,  as  we  have  seen,  a  physician  and  surgeon, 
was  at  this  time,  as  he  probably  had  been  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  engagement,  attending  to 
the  necessities  of  the  wounded  behind  a  cliff  of 
rocks.  He  and  the  seventeen  disabled  men  under 
his  care  were  at  once  set  upon  and  killed.  Others 
who  were  wounded,  and  some  who  were  not, 
were  pursued  and  dispatched.  Some  died  of 
their  wounds,  so  that  we  may  safely  conclude 
that  not  more  than  thirty  of  the  ninety  who 
were  in  the  engagement  survived.  What  be- 
came of  the  fifty  men  who  were  isolated  from 
the  main  force  history  does  not  record.  The 
loss  of  the  enemy  has  never  been  ascertained, 
but  was  undoubtedly  much  greater  than  that  of 
the  patriots.1 


■The  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  battle  was  cele- 
brated at  Lackawaxen,  or  rather  upon  the  field  opposite 
that  village,  and  also  at  Goshen,  N.  Y.,  July  22,  1879. 

At  the  battle-field  a  monument  was  dedicated  and  an  in- 
teresting programme  of  exercises  rendered  before  a  large 
audience.  The  introductory  address  was  delivered  by  .1. 
W.  Johnston  and  then  followed   Prayer,  by  Bev.  J.  B.  Wil- 


SULLIVAN'S  MARCH. 


S7 


The  names  of  the  .slain  upon  the  American 
side,  so  far  as  they  have  been  preserved,  were 
as  follows : 

Colonel  Benjamin  Tusten,  Captain  Bazaliel  Ty- 
ler, Ensign  Ephraira  Masten,  Adjutant  Nathaniel 
Fitch,  Captains  John  Duncan,  Samuel  Jones,  John 
Little,  Ensign  Ephraim  Middagh,  Captain,  Benja- 
min Vail,  Lieutenant  John  Wood,  Gabriel  Wisner, 
Stephen  Mead,  Nathaniel  Terwilliger,  Ephraim  Fer- 
guson, Robert  Townsend,  Samuel  Knapp,  James 
Knapp,  Benjamin  Bennett,  William  Barker,  Jacob 
Dunning,  Jonathan  Pierce,  James  Little,  Joseph 
Norris,  Gilbert  S.  Vail,  Joel  Decker,  Abram  Shep- 

pard,  Sheppard,  Nathan    Wade,    Simon  Wait, 

Talmage,    John    Carpenter,     David     Barney, 

Gamaliel  Bailey,  Moses  Thomas,  Jonathan  Has- 
kell, Abram  Williams,  James  Masher,  Isaac  Ward, 
Baltus  Niepas,  Eleazer  Owens,  Adam  Enibler,  Sam- 
uel Little,  Benjamin  Dunning,  Daniel  Reed. 

A  word  should  be  said  about  the  leaders  of 
the  little  American   armv,  brave,  but  unfortu- 


Col.  Benjamin  Tusten  was  born  on  Long 
Island  in  174:»,  and,  consequently,  was  thirty- 
six  years  old  at  the  time  of  the  battle.  His 
father  moved  into  Orange  County  when  the  son 
was  but  three  years  old,  and  settled  about  three 
miles  from  the  village  of  Goshen.  Youug 
Tusten,  after  a  thorough  academic  education, 
studied  medicine,  and  became  a  prominent  and 
successful  physician  and  surgeon.  He  con- 
tinued the  practice  of  his  profession,  having  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  entire  community 


liams;  Ovation,  by  Hon.  Wm.  J.  Groo ;  Addresses,  by  Hon. 
A.  C.  Butts,  J.  W.  Johnston,  Hon.  George  H.  Rowland, 
Hon.  Thomas  J.  Lyon;  and  a  Poem,  by  Ezra  F.  Calkin. 
Esq.  Anaceount  of  these  exercises,  together  with  copies  of 
the  addresses  and  a  history  of  the  battle  by  J.  W.  Johnston, 
were  afterwards  published  in  a  pamphlet. 

At  Goshen  a  salute  of  thirteen  guns  was  fired  at  sunrise, 
and  at  half-past  nine  o'clock  forty-four  guns  were  fired  in 
honor  of  the  forty-four  who  fell  under  the  tomahawk  of 
Brandt  and  his  men.  At  the  same  time  the  village  hells 
were  tolled,  all  flags  were  displayed  at  half-mast  and  a 
procession  a  mile  and  a  half  long  marched  through  the 
streets.  Not  less  than  ten  thousand  persons  were  in  the 
place. 

Harrison  W.  Manny,  president  of  the  village  of  Goshen, 
delivered  an  address  of  welcome.  Ex-Judge  James  W.  Tay- 
lor, of  Newburgh,  presided  and  made  an  address.  An  ora- 
tion was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  Ilalstead  Carroll,  of 
Newburgh.  Speeches  were  made  by  State  Assessor  James 
A.  Briggs,  of  Brooklyn,  and  Chas.  H.  Winfield,  of  New 
York.  The  monument  was  wreathed  with  flowers,  and 
many  public  and  private  buildings  were  decorated. 


in  which  he  lived  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
did  not  live  to  witness  the  independence  of  the 
colonies. 

Colonel  (afterward  General)  John  Hathorn, 
was,  at  the  time  of  the  battle,  about  the  same 
age  as  Col.  Tusten  and  Brandt.  He  lived  at 
least  forty-three  years  after  the  engagement,  and 
was  present  at  the  laying  of  the  foundation  of 
the  monument  at  Goshen,  Orange  County, 
N.  Y.,  on  the  22d  of  July,  1822,  which  per- 
petuated the  fame  of  the  fallen  in  the  battle, 
and  he  made  an  address  on  that  occasion.  He 
served  several  terms  in  the  State  Legislature 
and  the  National  Congress. 

It  has  been  averred  by  some  writers  that  the 
Pennsylvania  militia  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
the  Lackawaxen,  but  this  is  an  error.  Captain 
Bazaliel  Tyler  and  Moses  Thomas,  to  be  sure, 
were  Pennsylvanians — from  the  neighborhood 
ofCushutunk — but  there  were  few,  if  any,  others 
in  the  battle  from  the  Pennsylvania  side  of  the 
river,  and,  certainly,  no  organized  force.  Sev- 
eral forces  of  men  appear  to  have  set  out  in  pur- 
suit of  the  Indians,  but  not  to  have  come  up  with 
them  ;  for  John  Van  Campen,  of  Lower  Smith- 
field,  wrote,  on  July  22d,  to  President  Reed,  of 
the  Supreme  Executive  Council,  informing  him 
that  Captain  Shymer,  with  one  hundred  and 
seventy  men  had,  that  morning,  at  ten  o'clock, 
marched  across  the  Delaware  with  intent  to 
"  head  the  enemy  off  at  the  Lackawaxen,"  and 
also  that  one  hundred  and  five  men,  under  the 
command  of  Major  Meeker,  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  were  in  pursuit  of  the  savages. 

Sulli  van'sexpedition  against  the  Indian  strong- 
holds on  the  North  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna 
had  in  the  mean  time  been  undertaken  and 
accomplished,  and  thus  Wyoming  was  in  some 
measure  avenged,  and  the  Indians  were  so 
cowed  that  they  made  no  more  large  incursions 
into  the  settlements. 

It  was  on  June  18,  1779,  that  General  Sul- 
livan left  Easton  with  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred men  en  route  to  chastise  the  Indians  in  the 
Wyoming  Valley.  His  route  lay  through  Mon- 
roe County.1      The  first  day  he   went  as  far  as 


■The  sketch  of  Sullivan's  route  from  Easton  to  Wyoming 
furnished  by  William  S.  Rees. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Heller's1  tavern,  about  two  miles  below  the 
Wind  Gap  (afterwards  known  as  Lever's).  On 
the  second  day  he  marched  through  the  Wind 
Gap,  and  passed  about  half  a  mile  east  of  what 
is  now  "  Ross  Common,"  coming  into  the  val- 
ley (below  Saylorsbiirg)  near  the  Indian  Springs, 
passiug  what  is  now  Saylorsburg  and  Brinker's 
(now  Sciota),  and  thence  marching  in  a  nearly 
direct  line  to  Learn's  (called  then  Lame's  and 
Lanier's,  now  the  village  of  Tannersville), 
where  he  camped  the  second  night.  From 
Learn's  he  went  up  the  westerly  branch  of 
the  Pocono  Creek,  by  Scott's  Run,  to  "  Camp 
Chowder,"2  at  or  near  the  mouth  of  White  Oak 
Run  (at  which  place  there  was  afterwards  a 
tavern  kept  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  Zabrieski, 
and  known  at  that  time  as  Zabrieski's,  but  for 
the  last  fifty  years  known  as  "  White  Oak 
Run ").  From  White  Oak  Run  the  army 
passed  over  "  Birch  Hill,"3  crossing  Birch 
Run  and  Mud  Run.  Soon  after  crossing  Mud 
Run  they  came  to  a  knoll,  or  small  round  hill, 
and  encamped,  and  sent  back  to  Fort  Peun 
(Stroudsburg)  for  provisions,  and  lay  there  sev- 
eral days  making  a  road  through  a  swamp  at 
the  northwestern  base  of  the  hill  while  waiting 
for  provisions  from  Fort  Penn.  Sullivan  named 
the  two  places  respectively  "  Hungry  Plill  " 
and  "  Hell's  Kitchen."  On  the  hill  a  tree  was 
marked  by  letters  cut  in  it,  "HUNGRY 
HILL,"  and  one  in  the  swamp,  "HELL'S 
KITCHEN,"  in  letters  about  two  inches  in 
size,  by  peeling  the  bark  off  the  tree  about 
half-way  around  and  cutting  the  letters  in  the 
solid  peeled  wood.  As  the  bark  grew  over  the 
letters  it  was  cut  away  by  different  ones,  so  as 
not  to  cover  the  letters  from  view  by  new- 
formed  wood  and  bark.  The  tree  on  the  hill 
has  been  broken  by  the  wind.  About  thirty  or 
thirty-five  years  ago  the  tree  in  the  swamp  was 
broken  down  in  a  storm,  and  Frederick  P. 
Miller,  who  kept  a  hotel  a  few  miles  west  of 


'Called  Millard's  in  most  of  the  accounts  of  Sullivan's 
march. 

2  It  was  said  that  trout  were  so  plenty  that  the  army  made 
a  chowder  of  them,  and,  consequently,  called  the  place 
Camp  Chowder. 

3  While  Oak  Run  passes  along  the  foot  of  Birch  Hill  on 
the  southeast,  and  Birch  Run  on  the  north  and  northwest 
at  the  base  of  the  hill. 


"  Hell's  Kitchen  "  (now  Tompkinsville),  i 
a  block  out  of  the  tree  with  the  letters  on,  and 
had  it  on  the  mantel  in  his  bar-room  for  some 
time,  when  the  late  John  Newton  Stokes,  of 
Stroudsburg,  purchased  it  from  him  and  sent  it 
to  the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  where 
it  is  at  present.4 

While  at  Hungry  Hill  one  of  Sullivan's  sol- 
diers died,  and  was  buried  by  the  side  of  the 
road,  on  the  crest  of  the  hill,  and  the  grave  is 
plainly  to  be  seen  by  all  passers,  being  indicated 
by  the  mound  and  a  large  stone  at  the  head  of  the 
grave. 

The  army  crossed  the  Tunkhauna  Creek  at 
or  near  the  present  site  of  Tompkinsville,  and 
a  few  miles  farther  west  crossed  the  Tobyhanna 
at  an  island,  where  afterwards  there  -was  a 
tavern  or  hotel  kept  by  a  man  named  Levers. 
One  or  two  of  the  old  apple-trees  at  the  place 
are  to  be  seen  at  this  day.  About  two  and  one- 
half  miles  west  of  the  Tobyhanna  Creek  (after 
crossing  Tobyhanna  Branch  and  Deep  Run)  the 
army  passed  around  the  south  side  of  "  Locust 
Ridge,"  a  large  round  hill  or  mountain,  which 
can  be  seen  from  a  distance  in  almost  any  direc- 
tion (in  fact,  can  be  seen  from  a  point  on  the 
"  Godfrey  Hill,"  about  two  miles  from  Strouds- 
burg). 

At  Locust  Ridge,  close  to  the  Sullivan  road, 
there  is  a  grave,  with  a  stone  mound,  said  by 
some  in  early  days  to  be  the  grave  of  one  of  Sul- 
livan's men,  and  by  others  to  be  the  grave  of  a 
man  named  Everitt  (a  Pennamite),  killed  in  the 
fight  at  Locust  Ridge  between  the  Yankees  and 
Pennamites,  in  1784. 

About  four  miles  west  of  Locust  Ridge  Gen- 
eral Sullivan  crossed  the  Lehigh  River,  a  short 
distance  below  the  mouth  of  Trout  Creek,  from 
what  is  now  Tobyhanna  township,  Monroe 
County,  into  the  township  of  Buck,  Luzerne 
County,  and  between  three  and  four  miles  from 
the  Lehigh  in  a  northwesterly  course,  struck 
the  road  leading  from  the  Wyoming  Valley  to 
the  Wind  Gap  (in  what  was  called  the  "  Shades 
of  Death,"  which  extended   from  the   Lehigh 


;  It  was  said  years  ago  by  the  old  settlers  that  Gen.  Sul- 
ci's son,  a  lad  of  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  was  with 
:  general,  and  that  he  cut  the  letters  in  both  trees. 


SULLIVAN'S  MARCH. 


89 


River  to  and  west  of  Bear  Creek,  in  Luzerne 
County),  which  on  the  surveys  and  drafts  was 
generally  designated  as  "  The  road  from  Shupp's 
to  Wyoming,  or  Old  Shupp  road." 

The  plan'  where  Gen.  Sullivan  came  on  the 
Shupp  road  was  at  the  location  of  Buck's  tav- 
ern,— now  Baumont,  Luzerne  County, — three 
miles  from  "Lehigh  Falls"  (at  what  is  now 
Stoddartsville.) 

On  the  1st  of  duly,  preparations  having  all 
heen  made,  the  army  left  Wilkesbarre  to  ascend 
the  North  Branch.  As  we  have  before  said, 
the  force  consisted  of  twenty-five  hundred  men, 
many  of  them  sharpshooters,  and  was  followed 
by  a  train  of  two  thousand  pack-horses.  It  was 
the  bravest  sight  which  the  Susquehanna  Val- 
ley had  ever  seen.  One  hundred  and  twenty 
floats  had  been  collected  to  assist  the  army  in 
its  passage  up  the  North  Branch.  As  they 
passed  the  fort  which  Captain  Spaulding  had 
rebuilt  mutual  salutes  were  passed,  and  the  col- 
umn pushed  on  through  the  wild  woods  to  Tioga 
Point.  At  that  place  he  was  joined  by  an  aux- 
iliary body  under  General  Clinton  (father  of 
De  Witt  Clinton),  and  together  the  united  forces 
— consisting  of  fifteen  hundred  riflemen,  thirty- 
five  hundred  of  the  other  arms,  four  six-pounder 
and  three  three-pounder  guns — proceeded  on 
the  campaign,  with  one  month's  provisions 
laden  on  their  pack-horses.  The  Indians 
believed  it  impossible  that  a  regularly-appointed 
army  should  reach  them  in  their  fastnesses  and 
destroy  their  towns,  but  soon  they  saw  their 
mistake.  Then,  in  the  presence  of  actual  dan- 
ger, they  collected  their  warriors,  and,  accept- 
ing battle  near  where  Elmira,  New  York,  now 
stands,  they  fought  with  the  utmost  bravery 
and  desperation,  but  it  was  of  no  avail;  they 
were  utterly  defeated  and  fled  in  a  panic,  leav- 
ing their  fields  and  villages  unprotected  before 
the  victors.  The  women  and  children  fled  in 
crowds  to  the  protection  of  Fort  Niagara,  and 
the  warriors  made  no  further  stand,  except  to 
harass  the  avenging  columns  from  places  of  con- 
cealment along  the  march,  and  even  in  this 
manner  they  could  inflict  but  slight  damage  on 
the  whites.  The  day  of  reckoning  and  of 
retribution  had  come.  Their  corn-fields  were 
totally  destroyed,  their  villages  burned,  and 
10 


themselves,  cowed  in  spirit  and  stripped  of  all, 
forced  to  seek  food  and  protection  with  their 
British  allies.  Having  thus  struck  the  blow 
which  forever  destroyed  the  Iroquois  confeder- 
acy, and  accomplished  the  object  of  the  cam- 
paign, General  Sullivan  once  more  turned  his 
face  towards  the  southeast,  and  moved  his  col- 
umn, by  easy  marches,  back  to  their  starting- 
point  in  Northampton  County. 

The  following  eulogistic  review  of  General 
Sullivan's  operations  is  taken  from  ( 'hastilleux's 
•'  Voyages  dans  I'Amerique  Septentrionale," 
vol.  ii.  p.  -lit;.  "  Til  whatever  manner  this  ex- 
pedition was  set  on  foot,  which  took  place  in 
1779,  after  the  evacuation  of  Philadelphia  and 
the  diversion  made  by  d'Estaing's  squadron,  the 
greatest  difficulty  to  surmount  was  the  long 
march  to  be  made  through  woods,  deserts  and 
morasses,  conveying  all  their  provisions  on 
beasts  of  burden  and  continually  exposed  to  the 
attacks  of  the  savages. 

"  The  instructions  given  by  <  teneral  Sullivan 
to  his  officers)  the  order  of  march  he  prescribed 
to  his  troops,  and  the  discipline  he  had  the 
ability  to  maintain,  wotdd  have  done  honor  to 
the  most  experienced  amongst  ancient  or  modern 
generals.  It  may  fairly  be  asserted  that  the 
journal  of  this  expedition  would  lose  nothing 
in  a  comparison  with  the  famous  retreat  of  the 
ten  thousand  Greeks,  which  it  would  resemble 
very  much,  if  we  could  compare  the  manoeuvres, 
the  object  of  which  is  attack,  with  those  which 
have  no  other  than  the  preservation  of  a  forlorn 
army. 

"General  Sullivan,  after  a  month's  march, 
arrived  without  any  check  at  the  entrenched 
camp,  the  last  refuge  of  the  savages;  here  he 
attacked  them,  and  was  received  with  great 
courage,  insomuch  that  the  victory  would  have 
been  undecided  had  not  the  Indians  lost  many 
of  their  chiefs  in  battle,  which  never  fails  to  in- 
timidate them,  and  they  retreated  during  the 
night.  The  general  destroyed  their  houses  and 
plantations,  since  when  they  have  never  shown 
themselves  in  a  body.  However  slight  and  in- 
sufficient the  idea  may  be  that  I  have  given  of 
this  campaign,  it  may  nevertheless  astonish  our 
European  military  men  to  learn  that  General 
Sullivan  was  only  a   lawyer    in   177"),  and  that 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


in  the  year  1780  he  quitted  the  army  to  resume 
his  professiou,  and  is  now  civil  Governor  of 
New  Hampshire." 

General  Sullivan  returned  by  the  same  route 
upon  which  he  went  to  Wyoming,  and  halted  at 
Brinker's  (in  Hamilton  township,  formerly  Fen- 
nersvilh', now Sciota) several  days,  waiting  forhis 
wagon-train,  which  took  the  Shupp  road  and  came 
down  through  what  is  now  Chestnut  Hill  town- 
ship, by  way  of  Shupp's.  Both  of  those  roads 
(Shupp's  and  Sullivan's)  are  plainly  indicated 
in  many  places,  where  they  had  been  dug  out 
against  side  hills,  and  also  by  belts  of  yellow 
(or  pitch)  pine  trees  across  the  barrens  on  the 
Pocono  Mountain.  The  old  Shupp  road  is 
plainly  seen  on  the  spur  of  the  mountain,  east  of 
the  Gap  and  turnpike,  and  forty-five  years  ago 
the  Indian  path,  at  the  Sullivan  road,  could  be 
clearly  seen  in  places.  Both  roads  were  made 
near  old  Indian  trails. 

The  capture  and  escape  of  John  Hilborn  ' 
formed  one  of  the  most  notable  occurrences  of 
the  Indian  War  of  the  Revolutionary  period. 
Of  this  we  have  quite  a  minute  and  circumstan- 
tial account,2  which  we  give  at  length,  partly 

1  John  Hilborn  was  one  of  the  trustees  who  fixed 
the  site  for  the  seat  of  justice  for  Wayne  County  at 
Bethany,  and  erected  the  first  county  buildings  there.  He 
and  his  two  brothers,  Joseph  and  William,  had  the  charge 
of  and  performed  much  of  the  work  in  first  opening  the 
State  road,  called  the  "North  and  South  road,"  in  1788, 
from  Pocono  Point,  through  the  western  part  of  the  county, 
to  the  north  line  of  the  State,  with  a  branch  road  to  Har- 
mony, and  in  opening,  in  1792,  the  State  road  from 
Struudshurg,  via  "  Bloomingrove  Farm"  and  "  Union  Sugar 
Co.,"  property  to  Equinunk  and  Stockport.  This  last-men- 
tioned road  was  known  as  the  "  Hilborn  road,"  and  in 
the  erection,  in  1708,  of  the  "  Six  Northern  Townships  " 
(then  so  called),  it  was  made  the  boundary  line  between 
Palmyra  and  Lackawaxen  townships.  In  1791  John  Hil- 
born settled  with  his  family  on  the  Susquehanna  flats,  at 
the  mouth  of  Cascade  Creek,  in  Harmony  township — now 
Susquehanna  County.  In  making  their  journey  to  this 
new  home,  his  wife  traveled  all  the  way  from  Strouds- 
burg,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  ten  miles,  on  horse- 
hack,  and  carried  an  infant  child  in  her  arms.  Mr.  Hilborn 
died  at  Harmony  in  April,  1826,  in  the  eighty -fifth  year 
of  his  age. 

2  The  sketch  is  contributed  by  Luke  W.  Brodhead,  who 
derived  it  from  Paul  S.  Preston,  who,  in  turn,  had  the  facts 
from  the  journal  of  his  father,  Samuel  Preston,  of 
Stockport,  Wayne  County,  written  in  1787.  It  appears 
that  in  June  of  that  year  the  father,  Samuel  Preston,  was 
a  guest  at  the  house  of  Colonel   Jacob  Stroud,  of  Strouds- 


because  of  its  intrinsic,  and  partly  because  of  its 
illustrative  interest. 

"Mr.  Hilborn  and  his  few  scattered  neigh- 
bors had,  in  their  isolated  condition,  become 
apprehensive  of  the  danger  of  a  sudden  attack 
by  the  Indians,  and  had  agreed  to  keep  each 
other  informed  on  what  was  taking  place, 
by  communicating  as  frequently  as  possible. 
Among  these  neighbors  was  John  Price,  a 
relative  of  Hilborn's,  who  lived  seven  miles 
above,  on  the  north  branch  of  the  creek. 

"One  morning  in  the  early  part  of  June,  1770, 
an  old  woman  came  running  down  the  stream 
in  great  distress,  saying  that  her  son's  family 
were  all  killed  or  taken  prisoners  by  the  In- 
dians, herself  only  escaping.  This  family  re- 
sided on  the  west  branch  of  the  creek,  though 
I  am  unable  to  give  the  name. 

"Mr.  Hilborn  set  out  immediately  to  give  the 
warning  to  John  Price.  On  his  way,  after 
ascending  a  hill,  he  saw  the  house  in  flames 
from  which  the  family  had  been  captured.  Pro- 
ceeding in  the  direction  of  Mr.  Price's,  and 
when  about  one  mile  from  the  burning  dwell- 
ing, on  ascending  another  hill,  he  found  him- 
self suddenly  surrounded  by  five  Indians,  all 
armed  with  guns,  who  demanded  his  surrender ; 
seeing  no  possibility  of  escape,  he  felt  that  he 
must  submit  to  whatever  conditions  they  might 
be  disposed  to  exact,  and  resolved  to  do  it  with 
as  good  grace  as  possible.  They  then  informed 
him  (as  they  all  spoke  tolerably  good  English) 
that  if  he  would  give  a  solemn  promise  not  to 
attempt  to  escape,  they  would  spare  his  life ;  if 
not,  they  would  kill  him  on  the  sjjot.  He 
made  the  promise,  and,  as  will  appear,  kept  it 
faithfully  during  the  entire  period  of  his  cap- 


burg,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  16th  lie,  in  company  with 
John  Fish,  went  to  see  John  Hilborn,  who  lived  seven 
miles  up  Brodhead's  Creek.  Mr.  Preston,  as  also  Mr. 
Hilborn,  were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  They 
reached  the  house  about,  noon,  and  were  kindly  received  by 
Mr.  Hilborn  and  his  brother,  whom  Mr.  Preston  repre- 
sents as  worthy  men,  and  the  owners  of  a  large  property 
and  mill,  where  they  manufactured  pine  lumber,  which 
was  then  in  great  abundance,  and  hauled  it  some  seven  or 
eight  miles  to  the  Delaware  River  to  be  rafted.  During 
his  stay  Mr.  Preston  received  from  Mr.  Hilborn  a  detailed 
narrative  of  his  capture  and  his  subsequent  adventures 
with  the  Indians,  which  is  here  related  in  as  condensed 
form  as  possible,  without  omitting  incidents  of  interest. 


SULLIVAN'S  .MARCH 


SI 


tivity.  They  then  hound  a  heavy  burthen  on 
his  back  and  ordered  hi  in  to  march.  Soon 
after  they  passed  in  sight  of  John  Price's  house, 
where  a  halt  was  made.  The  Indians  ques- 
tioned Hilborn  closely  as  to  who  lived  there, 
what  sort  of  a  man  he  was,  whether  he  was 
rich,  etc.,  and  also  whether  he  kept  a  gun.  He 
answered  truthfully  all  their  questions;  that 
Price  was  a  peaceable,  quiet  man,  that  he  was 
not  rich,  that  he  kept  a  gun,  as  every  one  did,  to 
supply  himself  with  game,  that  he  took  no 
part  in  the  war,  etc.  After  an  excited  talk  of 
considerable  length  they  concluded  to  pass  by 
the  house  of  Mr.  Price  and  spare  him  for  the 
present,  to  the  great  relief  of  Mr.  Hilborn. 
He  discovered  that  all  the  family  whose  house 
they  had  burned  were  in  company  except  one 
little  boy,  who,  on  account  of  his  loud  cries — as 
he  some  time  after  learned — was  killed  at  the 
house.  They  made  rapid  marches  all  the  way 
to  the  North  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  cross- 
ing many  streams  of  considerable  depth,  which 
they  were  obliged  to  wade,  and  proved  a  cause 
of  much  suffering  to  the  women  and  children, 
who  became  greatly  fatigued  and  at  times 
nearly  exhausted.  They  crossed  the  Susque- 
hanna above  the  mouth  of  the  Tioga,  and 
found  the  former  deep  and  difficult  of  passage, 
so  much  so  that  two  of  the  young  girls  were 
only  saved  from  drowning  by  the  extraordinary 
efforts  of  Mr.  Hilborn.  He  seems  to  have  had 
great  sympathy  for  this  captive  family,  consist- 
ing of  the  mother  and  four  or  five  children, 
affording  them  all  the  relief  possible  in  their 
tiresome  journey,  and  encouraging  them,  when- 
ever opportunity  afforded,  with  comforting 
words  ;  and  they  were  greatly  endeared  to  him, 
confirming  our  observations  of  all  similar  expe- 
rience in  life,  that  community  of  suffering 
makes  the  sufferers  kin.  After  crossing  the 
Susquehanna  the  Indians  seemed  to  feel  them- 
selves out  of  danger  of  pursuit,  and  their 
marches  were  thereafter  much  easier.  A  little 
girl  of  the  captive  family  became  a  great  favor- 
ite with  all  the  Indians,  and  was  treated  with 
much  kindness,  they  doing  everything  possible 
for  her  comfort  on  the  journey,  promising  her 
many  things  on  their  arrival  at  their  home  in 
Shenango,    telling    her   many    times    that    she 


should  have  plenty  of  milk,  etc.  But  what 
seemed  very  remarkable  in  view  of  the  care  and 
consideration  bestowed  on  this  child,  was  the 
fact,  that  they  frequently  showed  her  the 
scalp  of  her  little  brother,  killed  at  the  house, 
the  sight  of  which  caused   her  to  wee])  bitterly. 

"After  crossing  the  river,  a  few  short  inarches 
brought  them  to  the  place  where  their  ea noes 
were  tied  up  ;  why  they  were  not  left  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river  on  setting  out  with 
their  expedition,  Mr.  Hilborn  could  not  under- 
stand. They  placed  him  in  one  of  the  canoes 
with  the  larger  portion  of  the  party,  and  under 
guard,  ordered  him  to  pole  it  up  the  stream, 
which  he  did  the  whole  distance  to  Shenango. 
They  frequently  went  ashore,  and  on  one  occa- 
sion the  old  Delaware  Indian,  who  seemed  to 
act  the  part  of  a  chief,  went  out  hunting  and 
killed  a  large  buck.  On  his  return  he  ordered 
two  Indians,  young  men,  with  Mr.  Hilborn,  to 
go  and  dress  the  deer  and  bring  it  in.  One  of 
these  Indians  was  a  Delaware,  a  large,  coarse 
man,  the  other  a  genteel  young  Mohawk,  who 
had  on  several  occasions  before  shown  kindness 
to  Mr.  Hilborn.  The  Delaware  was  surly  and 
overbearing  and  ordered  the  young  Mohawk  to 
dress  the  deer,  which  he  undertook,  but  not 
succeeding  very  well,  they  soon  engaged  in  a 
quarrel  in  their  own  language  and  finally  in 
a  desperate  fight.  The  Mohawk,  though  the 
younger,  was  the  more  active  and  proved  the 
conqueror,  compelling  the  Delaware  to  finish 
dressing  the  deer. 

'•'On  the  arrival  of  the  party  at  the  Indian 
settlements  at  Shenango,  Mr.  Hilborn  found 
himself  ipiite  ill  from  exposure,  and  nearly 
exhausted.  He  was  compelled  to  perform  a 
great  amount  of  severe  labor  for  the  Indians, 
and  imposed  an  additional  amount  on  himself 
in  his  efforts  to  relieve  his  fellow-captives.  In 
this  condition  he  learned  to  his  horror  that  he 
was  required  to  undergo  the  severe  ordeal  of 
running  the  gauntlet. 

"  The  arrival  of  the  party  seemed  soon  to  be 
generally  known  at  the  different  Indian  towns 
near,  as  a  large  and  jubilant  crowd  was  soon 
collected,  composed  mainly  of  women  and  chil- 
dren, who  were  to  be  Mr.  Hilborn 's  torment- 
ors, and  who  seemed  eager  to  engage  in  the 


92 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


sport  of  lashing  the  poor  captive.  Two  long 
lines  were  formed,  composed  of  women  and 
children  armed  with  whips  and  clubs,  through 
which  Mr.  Hilborn  was  to  pass.  The  young 
Mohawk,  of  whom  mention  has  been  made, 
stood  by  silently  watching  with  evident  dis- 
pleasure the  preparations  for  this  humiliating 
method  of  torture,  so  universally  prevalent 
among  his  people,  feeling  that  the  prisoner  in 
his  present  condition  was  unable  to  endure 
the  punishment.  Mr.  Hilborn  was  ordered  to 
start  at  a  given  signal  ;  he  attempted  to  run  as 
well  as  he  could,  but  had  proceeded  but  a  few 
paces  when  the  brave  and  generous  young 
Mohawk  broke  in  the  ranks  and  arrested  his 
further  progress ;  the  confusion  that  ensued 
lasted  but  a  moment,  as  he  boldly  announced  his 
determination,  and  right  from  custom,  to  offer 
himself  to  run  in  place  of  the  sick  captive.  He 
was  accepted, and  ran  the  whole  course;  not- 
withstanding his  remarkable  agility,  he  was 
severely  punished,  but  he  endured  it  without  a 
word  of  complaint  and  apparently  with  stoical 
indifference.  The  young  Mohawk  continued 
(lie  friend  of  Mr.  Hilborn  throughout  his  cap- 
tivity and  was  always  kind  and  considerate 
towards  him. 

"During  his  stay  at  Shenango  the  Indians 
received  intelligence  of  General  Sullivan's  in- 
tention of  coming  up  the  Susquehanna  to  de- 
stroy their  towns  and  growing  crops  ;  this  in- 
formation produced  the  wildest  excitement,  and 
on  the  part  of  some  of  the  warriors,  exhibitions 
of  violent  rage. 

"  They  had  a  large  body  of  the  best  of  laud 
under  cultivation,  with  the  prospect  of  an 
abundant  harvest  of  Indian  corn,  beans,  etc., 
and  the  thought  of  having  it  destroyed  was  a 
natural  cause  of  anxiety. 

"About  the  time  of  receiving  intelligence  of 
the  movements  of  General  Sullivan  they  were 
holding  a  council  in  reference  to  an  expedition 
to  the  settlements  on  the  West  Branch  of  the 
Susquehanna,  to  be  commanded  by  the  cele- 
brated ('apt.  Brandt  and  Capt.  Montour.  Hil- 
born was  informed  of  this  contemplated  expedi- 
tion by  his  friend,  the  young  Mohawk,  who 
seemed  to  be  privy. to  all  that  was  taking  place. 
He  expressed  Ins  fears  for  the  fate  of  Hilborn 


should  this  expedition  be  attended  with  unfavor- 
able results,  and  also  iu  case  General  Sul- 
livan's army  should  make  its  appearance.  The 
prisoners  in  either  case  would  be  treated  badly. 
Hilborn  now  for  the  first  time  made  efforts  to 
obtain  for  himself  and  his  companions  release 
from  captivity,  and  for  this  purpose  had  an 
interview  with  the  old  Delaware  chief  who  took 
him  prisoner.  He  made  no  attempts  at  mis- 
statement, for  he  found  the  old  man  exceedingly 
shrewd  and  any  efforts  to  deceive  him  would  lie 
fruitless.  He  told  him  that  he  was  a  Quaker, 
that  he  had  taken  no  part  in  the  war,  that  it 
was  against  his  religious  principles  to  fight,  etc, 
and  that  the  women  and  children  could  do  them 
no  harm  ;  but  all  his  arguments  were  in  vain  ; 
the  only  reply  was  that,  "all  the  Yankees  have 
the  same  story."  Yet  they  treated  him  with 
more  consideration  after  this  interview.  His 
employment  was  now,  and  had  been  for  some 
lime,  to  attend  to  the  cultivation  of  the  growing 
corn.  (As  is  well  known,  General  Sullivan 
in  a  tew  weeks  from  this  time  rendered  desolate 
this  whole  region  of  country,  destroying  forty 
villages,  some  of  them  containing  as  many  as  a 
hundred  houses,  together  with  160,000  bushels 
of  corn,  leaving  scarce  a  trace  of  vegetation  on 
the  surface.) 

"  Mr.  Hilborn,  now  finding  that  he  could  not 
purchase  his  freedom  by  entreaties,  laid  a  plan 
for  his  escape.  He  concluded  to  take  a 
canoe  at  night  and  quietly  push  down  the 
Susquehanna  until  morning,  and  then  hide 
the  craft  in  the  mouth  of  some  creek,  while  he 
watched  from  an  elevated  position  to  ascertain 
if  he  was  pursued;  if  so,  to  take  his  chauces  by 
land,  and  if  not,  to  again  take  the  canoe  and  at 
night  make  his  way  down  the  stream.  In  plan- 
ning his  escape  his  mind  became  greatly  exer- 
cised, for  notwithstanding  the  promise  made  on 
the  day  of  his  capture  was  not  voluntary,  having 
been  extorted  from  him  at  the  peril  of  his  life, 
and  therefore  not  strictly  binding,  yet  when  he 
came  to  make  the  trial,  he  could  not  with  a 
clear  conscience  disregard  the  pledges  he  had 
given  and  falsify  his  word ;  yet  the  plan  of 
escape  was  deemed  practical,  and  he  had  many 
opportunities  for  putting  it  in  execution.  On 
one    occasion    he    was    sent    some  distance    tor 


LACKAWAXEN  AND    RAYMONDSKILL. 


water;  a  strong  impulse  to  regain  liis  freedom 
suddenly  took  possession  of  him,  and  he  drop- 
ped his  camp-kettle  and  began  to  run.  After 
going  about  half  a  mile  he  again  thought  of  the 
promise  on  which  his  life  had  been  spared,  and 
as  speedily  returned  to  the  camp  with  the  water. 

"  Capt.  Brandt  was  arranging  now  for  his  in- 
tended expedition  against  the  settlements  on  the 
West  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna. 

"  Hilborn  heard  from  his  Indian  friend  his 
opinion  of  the  high  character  of  the  Mohawk 
chief,  whom  lie  described  as  the  greatest  man 
among  the  Indian  nations;  that  he  had  been 
educated  in  New  England,  had  since  been  in 
London  in  company  with  Guy  Johnston,  and 
now  held  a  commission  under  the  crown,  and 
that  he  was  noted  as  much  for  his  humanity  as 
for  his  bravery.  Mr.  Hilborn  now  resolved  to 
call  on  Brandt  and  state  his  case  as  well  as  he 
could.  He  found  him  in  his  tent,  seated  at  a 
table,  writing,  and  dressed  in  a  calico  wrapper. 
He  was  received  with  great  politeness,  and 
Capt.  Brandt  acted  towards  him  more  like  an 
English  gentleman  than  an  Indian  chief.  He 
listened  attentively  to  what  Mr.  Hilborn  had  to 
say,  and  seemed  to  have  much  sympathy  for  him, 
but  finally  told  him  that  as  he  was  a  prisoner 
of  the  Delawares,  he  could  not  interfere  for  him, 
as  he  was  a  Mohawk.  Yet  Hilborn  believed 
that  the  interview  was  of  service  to  him,  for  it 
was  ordered  soon  after  that  he  should  be  sent 
to  Niagara  and  delivered  to   the  English  there. 

"After  bidding  farewell  to  his  generous  Indian 
friend,  he  was  conducted  through  the  Genesee 
country,  where  he  saw  large  bodies  of  beautiful 
land  under  cultivation  by  the  Indians. 

"  From  Niagara  he  was  ordered  on  board  a  ves- 
sel to  be  sent  to  Quebec.  In  passing  down  the 
St.  Lawrence  the  water  was  exceedingly  rapid 
and  the  navigation  appeared  dangerous.  The 
vessel  was  conducted  by  a  Frenchmau  with 
much  skill,  and  he  arrived  safely  in  Quebec  in 
just  two  months  from  the  time  he  was  taken 
prisoner.  Here  he  was  under  no  restraint  and 
seemed  to  be  left  to  take  care  of  himself.  He 
was  now  hungry,  moneyless  and  almost  naked. 
In  this  extremity  he  applied  to  an  Irish  colonel 
in  the  British  service  for  relief.  The  colonel 
listened  to  the  relation  he  gave  of  himself,  and, 


to  Hilhorn's  surprise,  loaned  him  monej  ei gh 

to  purchase  a  tolerably  decent  suit  of  clothes 
and  something  to  eat. 

"  He  now  made  effort  to  obtain  employment, 
by  which  he  might  support  himself  for  the 
present  and  discharge  his  obligation  to  the 
generous  colonel.  Happening  to  mention  to 
him  that  he  was  a  miller  by  trade,  he  at  once 
seut  him  to  a  mill  of  his  own  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  to  work  for  a  time  on  trial. 
In  this  new  situation  he  did  everything  in  his 
power  to  show  his  gratitude  by  furthering  the 
interests  of  his  employer.  He  made  several 
alterations,  re-dressed  the  stones,  etc.,  and  after 
a  little  tiine'had  the  mill  doing  better  than  it 
had  ever  done  before.  The  colonel  was  greatly 
pleased  and  soon  after  made  him  superintendent 
of  the  whole  business  of  purchasing  grain,  sel- 
ling the  flour,  as  well  as  attending  to  its  manu- 
facture, the  sale  of  flour  amounting  to  about 
£100  per  week.  He  remaiued  in  this  situation 
over  a  year,  but  with  constant  longing  to  return 
home;  yet  no  opportunity  was  afforded.  He  at 
length  made  known  his  desire  to  the  colonel, 
who  seemed  very  reluctant  to  part  with  him, 
and  offered  to  give  him  whatever  wages  he 
might  in  reason  ask,  if  he  would  remain. 

"  But  seeing  he  had  his  heart  set  on  getting  to 
his  home,  the  colonel  geuerously  procured  a 
passage  for  him  in  a  transport  abeut  to  sail  for 
New  York.  They  sailed  by  the  Newfound- 
land fisheries,  when  the  captain  receiving  infor- 
mation of  a  French  fleet  lying  off  the  coast, 
they  put  iuto  Halifax.  He  remained  in  Nova 
Scotia  a  considerable  time,  when  he  again  took  pas- 
sage and  was  finally  landed  in  New  Jersev, 
somewhere  near  Amboy,  from  which  place  he 
walked  to  his  father's  house,  in  Makefield,  aud 
from  thence  to  his  home  on  Brodhead's  Creek, 
having  been  away  just  two  years  from  the  time 
of  his  capture." 

The  family  captured  with  Mr.  Hilborn  were 
all  released  and  returned  safely  home,  excepting 
one  of  the  children,  who  died  at  Niagara. 

The  battle  of  the  Raymondskill,  or,  as  it  is 
sometimes  called,  the  battle  of  the  Conashaugh, 
occurred  the  year  following  the  battle  of  the 
Lackawaxen  or  Minisink.  Of  this  engagement 
we  have  a  carefully  preserved  traditional  report 


94 


WAYNK,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  a  o 'temporary  account  which  agrees  sub- 
stantially with  it,  and  give  place  to  both,  as  no 
narrative  of  the  fight  has  ever  appeared  in 
the  public  prints. 

Old  James  Philip  McCarty,  who  was  "  re- 
deemed "  by  Daniel  Westiall  (that  is,  he  sold 
his  time  to  pay  his  passage),  was  brought  by  the 
latter  up  to  New  Jersey.  He  started  a  clearing 
on  the  Pennsylvania  side,  up  the  Raymondskill 
(Pike  County),  and  had  stock  over  there.  One 
rainy  day  in  April,  1780,  McCarty  crossed  the 
Delaware  ami  went  up  to  his  clearing  to  look 
after  his  horses.  He  was  riding  his  horse  when 
it  started  and  gave  a  snort.  McCarty  looked 
and  discovered  an  Indian.  He  ro"de  on,  how- 
ever, trying  to  appear  as  if  he  did  not  see  him, 
but,  when  he  got  out  of  sight,  he  slipped  from 
the  horse  and  ran  across  the  creek  and  down 
near  its  mouth,  where  he  crossed  it  again  on  a 
foot-log,  and  followed  down  the  Delaware  under 
cover  of  the  bank  to  the  usual  place  of  crossing, 
opposite  the  stone  fort  in  New  Jersey.  Here 
he  hid  in  the  brush  and  waited  for  some 
one  to  come  across  for  him,  for  he  concluded 
that  his  people  would  become  alarmed  on  ac- 
count of  his  absence  and  look  for  him.  His 
brother  John  became  anxious  about  him 
towards  nightfall,  and,  in  company  with  Sam 
Helm,  started  across  the  river  from  the  fort,  to 
look  for  him/  As  McCarty  saw  them  coming, 
he  stood  up,  and  Sam  Helm,  mistaking  him 
for  an  Indian,  immediately  drew  up  his  rifle  and 
fired.  The  ball  hit  McCarty  in  the  shoulder; 
then  they  saw  what  they  had  done  and  carried 
him  across  to  the  fort.  He  told  them  about 
seeing  the  Indian,  and  Captain  Peter  West- 
brook  immediately  began  to  make  preparations 
to  reconnoitre  the  Pennsylvania  side  in  force 
next  day.  lie  received  reinforcements  from 
the  Pennsylvania  side  ;  Lieutenant  Ennis  was 
along  and  Captain  Van  Etten.  They  crossed 
from  the  fort  the  next  morning  and  thought  they 
would  find  the  Indians  on  Powwow  Hill,  an 
elevated  little  plateau,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Raymondskill.  Part  of  the  men  went  up  over 
the  hill  and  the  rest  of  them  went  up  the  Ray- 
mondskill. Those  that  crossed  Powwow  Hill 
found  two  Indians,  and  Sain  Helm  shot  and 
wounded    one    of  them    badly.      (Years    after- 


terward  they  found  the  skeleton  of  an  Indian 
in  a  cleft  in  the  rocks  not  far  away,  and  they 
supposed  it  was  that  of  this  wounded  Indian, 
who  had  hidden  away  and  died  there.)  They 
worked  their  way  up  the  mountain  and  came 
together,  and  followed  the  Indian  trail,  single 
file.  When  they  had  reached  Bastian  Spring, 
where  there  is  a  bluff  at  the  right,  they 
were  tired  upon  by  the  Indians,  who  were  in 
ambush.  The  captain  and  about  one-third  of 
the  men  in  front  stood  their  ground,  while  those 
in  the  rear  broke  and  fled.  The  men  who 
fought  dropped  behind  trees  and  returned  the 
tire  of  the  Indians.  Abram  Westbrook,  who 
was  a  young  man,  kept  close  to  his  uncle,  the 
captain,  and  fired  away  with  his  gun,  but  he 
noticed  that  the  Indian  he  had  selected  did  not 
fall.  The  captain  looked  around  and  saw  that 
they  were  alone  and  that  the  Indians  were  trying 
to  surround  them.  He  told  his  nephew  to  load 
his  gun  and  then  they  started  to  retreat.  They 
had  not  run  far  when  they  came  to  a  thicket, 
and  there  they  parted,  Abram  taking  one  side 
and  the  captain  the  other.  Abram  reached  the 
Delaware  and  crossed  with  the  other  fugitives, 
who  had  rendezvoused  there.  Sam  Helm  was 
shot  through  the  fleshy  part  of  both  thighs, 
but  waded  down  the  Conashaugh,  supported  by 
two  men,  vfho  carried  a  stick  that  he  leaned 
on.  Lieutenant  Ennis  was  killed  and  twelve 
others,  and  a  number  were  wounded.  The 
place  to  which  they  retreated  is  below  Cave 
Bank,  and  is  called  Death  Eddy  to  this  day. 
They  went  up  in  force  the  next  day  and  found 
( 'aptain  Westbrook  killed  and  scalped  near  the 
thicket  where  he  separated  from  young  Abram 
Westbrook.  The  dead  were  taken  up  and  buried 
in  the  old  Minisink  burying-ground,  and  cedar 
posts  were  placed  at  their  heads.  These  posts 
remained  for  years  and  some  persons  now 
living  remember  seeing  them.  There  was  an 
Indian  burying-ground  not  far  from  where  the 
battle  was  fought,  on  the  side-hill  back  from 
the  Delaware,  and  that  region  was  sacred 
ground  to  the  Indians.  If  the  forces  under 
Westbrook  had  stood  their  ground  they  might 
have  defeated  the  Indians,  but  they  were  under 
no  discipline,  and,  being  suddenly  attacked, 
every  man  appears  to  have  looked  out  for  him- 


LACKAWAXKN   AND  RAYMONDSKILL. 


!i:, 


self.  Abrarn  Westbuook  was  ouly  about  nine- 
teen when  the  battle  was  fought,  and  he  kept 
close  to  his  uncle,  fancying  that  he  would  be 
safer  with  him.  The  gun  which  he  used  was  a 
borrowed  one,  aud  he  afterward  found  that 
the  barrel  was  crooked,  which  accounted  for  his 
poor  shots  during  the  fight.1 

The  cotemporary  account  which  we  cull  from 
the  musty  and  little-known  pages  of  the 
Colonial  Records,  appears  in  a  letter  from  John 
Van  Cam  pen  to  President  Reed  and  fixes  the 
date  of  the  battle  of  the  Raymondskill  on  April 
21,  1780.  It  will  be  notified  that  it  disagrees 
in  details  with  the  account  already  given,  but 
in  the  main  supports  it. 

"Lower  Smith  field,  April  tin-  24th,  17*0. 
"  Honored  Sir : 

"  In  hope  my  last  by  Mr.  Mixer  is  come  to  hand, 
informing  you  of  the  Incursion  of  the  Indians  at  the 
house  of  Manvel  Gunsaleyes.  I  herewith  inform 
your  honor  of  their  later  attempts.  James  McCarte, 
with  his  family,  was  removed  to  the  Jersey.  On  the 
20th  Instant  Iris  sons  went  to  their  home  to  feed  the 
Cattle,  Discovered  Signs  of  Indians,  returned  to  the 
Jersey  immediately,  and  acquainted  Major  Westbrook 
and  Captain  Westbrook  (with)  the  signs  they  had 
Discovered.  They  sent  immediately  for  some  of 
their  best  men  and  Crossed  the  River  that  night,  and 
about  sunrise  the  morning  following  Diseovered  the 
Indians  Nigh  the  Baron  and  began  the  attack  ;  the 
number  of  the  Enemy  is  supposed  to  ha  about  four- 
teen ;  the  Major  received  no  Damage  with  his  party  ; 
the  Indians  retreated  to  the  woods ;  the  Major  was  re- 
inforced by  Captain  Vannatten  with  three  of  his  sons 
&  Son  in  Law.  Pursued  the  Indians  by  the  Blood, 
and  about  two  miles  came  up  with  them.  As  it  is, 
without  Doubt  three  of  them  was  wounded.  Renewed 
the  attack,  Drove  the  Indians  in  a  few  minutes ;  they 
Ran  to  the  edge  of  a  thick  woods.  Captain  Vannat- 
ten maintained  his  ground  with  his  few  men,  the 
Major  with  his  men  also.  Captain  Westbrook's  men 
left  him  at  the  first  fire  from  the  enemy  in  the  Woods, 
which  was  the  ruin  of  the  whole  ;  but  the  ground 
maintained  for  some  time  and  the  retreat  secured  by 
the  Major  &  Vannatten ;  kill'd  and  missing  on  the 
part  of  the  Major  aud  Vannatten  ;  Captain  West- 
brook  missing;  not  yet  found;  Benjamin  Ennis 
kill'd,  son   in  law  to  Captain  Vannatten;   Richard 

'  This  is  the  first  time  that  an  account  of  tins  battle  has 
ever  been  fully  given.  B.  A.  Westbrook  collected  the  facts 
from  "Long  Ben"  Westbrook,  a  son  of  Abram  Westbrook, 
and  Philip  McCarty,  a  son  of  Old  Philip  McCarty  ;  and  Ed- 
monrt  Lord's  recollection-*  of  wloil  Sam  llclin  lul'l  him  agree 
with  the  account  as  here  given. 


Rosekrans  kill'd  and  two  more  wounded.  Of  the 
enemy  kill'd,  two  found,  one  an  officer,  appearing  by 
his  Dress,  found  in  his  pocket  a  regular  Journal 
from  the  first  of  March  "until  the  16th  Inst. ;  as  ap- 
pears by  his  journal  there  is  three  hundred  and 
Ninety  marched  from  Niagari  (Niagara),  divided  into 
Different  parties;  the  Officer  was  a  White  man. 
"  Respective  Sir : 

"  I'me  now  under   Difficulties  of  mind;    what   the 
Event  will  be  God  only  knows;  the  People  are  De- 
termined to  Evacuate  the  Country,  as  there  appears 
no  Prospect  ot  Belief  by  the  Militia. 
"  I  am,  Sir,  with  Due  Respect, 

"  Your  Most  Huble  Servt, 

"  John  Vancampen. 

"  P.  S.— The  said  McCarte  where  the  attack  began 
is  about  two  miles  Below  Well's  Ferry,2  on  the 
Banks  of  Delaware. 

"Capt.  Vannatten  lives  in  Delaware  township,  one 
mile  below  McCartc's.'™ 

Aland  the  time  of  the  Hilborn  capture  by  the 
Indians,  there  were  several  other  persons  either 
made  prisoners  or  murdered  by  the  Indians  in 
what  is  now  Monroe  ( lounty.  Emmanuel  Salle- 
day,  who  lived  on  the  Ransbury  place,  three 
miles  from  Stroudsburg,  with  his  family,  were 
made  captives  and  taken  to  New  York  State, 
hut  subsequently  released  and  returned  to  the 
Minisink.  Emmanuel  Gunsolus  (or  Gonzales) 
and  his  daughter  were  taken  from  their  home 
near  Bushkill  and  conveyed  to  Niagara,  where 
the  lather  was  compelled  to  run  the  gauntlet. 
The  Learn  (or  Lamer)  family  were  surprised 
and  several  of  them  killed,1  and  Colonel  Stroud, 
of  Fort  Penn,  was  bitterly  complained  of  by 
Robert  Levers,  of  Easton,  in  letters  to  the 
Council,  it  being  alleged  that  he  would  notseud 
men  to  protect  them,  because  lie  judged  Learn 
to  be  a  Tory. 

It  was  also  about  this  time  that  a  small  hand 
of  Indians  came  down  upon  the  Middle  Smith- 
field  settlement,  near  the  "  Kechout,"  on 
the  Bushkill,  and  lying  stealthily  in  ambush,  suc- 
ceeded in  accomplishing  a  murderous  design. 
William  Courtright  and  Charles  McGinnis 
went  at  evening  to  a  pasture  owned  by  the 
former  to  turn  out  some  horses,  and   as  they  let 

2  This  Well's  Kerry  was  at  the  site  of  Milford,  Pike 
County. 

3Col.  Rec,  vol.  viii.  p.  202,  203. 

*  See  the  chapter  on  Pocono  township  for  a  full  accounl 


WAYNE   PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


down  the  bars,  three  Indians  sprang  out  of  the 
hushes  and  captured  them  and  the  animals  they 
led.  They  speedily  fled  with  their  prisoners 
northward  (following  a  route  coinciding  with 
the  present  Coolbaugh  road  northward  to  the 
saw-mill).  When  they  had  gone  about  five  miles 
McGinnis  became  fatigued,  and  his  captors,  not 
being  able  to  make  him  travel  as  fast  as  they 
desired,  halted,  deliberately  painted  themselves, 
as  was  their  custom  when  about  to  commit  a 
deed  of  blond,  and  killed  him  with  their  toma- 
hawks. This  occurred  in  the  wilderness,  at  a 
place  in  the  northern  part  of  Middle  Smithfield, 
ever  since  called  "  McGinnis'  Barren."  After 
taking  his  scalp  they  marched  on  and  reached  a 
point  about  twelve  miles  farther  north  at  sun- 
down, and  encamped  in  a  large  swamp.  Court- 
right,  unperceived  by  the  Indians,  had  been 
breaking  twigs  along  the  route,  and,  unknown 
to  the  Indians,  a  party  of  rescuers  were  follow- 
ing  as  fast  as  possible  the  trail  thus  indicated. 

The  pursuing  party,  Robert  and  Benjamin 
Hanna  and  William  Sanders,  came  up  with 
them  about  the  time  they  halted.  They  crept 
cautiously  close  to  them  and  just  as  one  of  the 
savages  was  kneeling  and  about  to  strike  fire 
with  a  flint  and  steel,  they  fired.  Two  of  the 
Indians  fell  and  the  third  sprang  away  like  a 
startled  deer  into  the  fastnesses  of  the  swamp. 
Courtright  jumped  to  his  feet  and  ran  towards 
his  deliverers  exclaiming  "  Thank  God,  I  am  a 
free  man!"  The  Indian  who  was  running  for 
his  own  freedom  turned  quickly,  however,  and 
fired  at  ( lourtright,  the  ball  breaking  his  thigh. 
Rescuers  and  rescued  remained  near  by  during 
the  night  and  on  the  following  day  the  wounded 
man  was  carried  home  on  a  blanket  suspended 
between  the  two  horses  which  had  been  re- 
covered. The  place  of  this  occurrence,  about 
three  miles  south  of  the  High  Knob,  in  Pike 
<  lounty,  is  known  as  the  "  Big  Indian  Swamp." 
Courtright  finally  died  from  his  wound. 

A  family  named  Shoemaker,  residing  near 
Jacob  Nyce's  place,  above  Bushkill,  was  at- 
tacked, the  father  and  son  were  killed,  and  the 
daughter,  "  Yonaohv,"  then  seven  years  of  age, 
taken  prisoner.  In  the  exchange  of  prisoners 
she  was  returned  and  afterwards  married  a  Mr. 
Cortright. 


Such  incidents  as  the  foregoing  were  of 
frequent  occurrence,  and  the  whole  country  was 
kept  in  a  state  of  continual  terror. 

The  provincial  authorities  were  in  constant 
communication  with  the  local  officers,  Colonel 
Stroud,  of  Fort  Penn,  and  others,  and  always 
manifested  sympathy,  while  they  furnished  all  of 
the  aid  in  their  power. 

President  Reed,  of  the  Executive  Council, 
writing  to  Colonel  Stroud,  under  date  of  Aug- 
ust 3,  1779,  says, — 

"The  distress  of  your  County  by  the  late  Incur- 
sions of  the  Indians  has  given  us  very  great  Concern, 
and  the  more  so  as  we  understand  the  militia,  having 
got  into  some  Confusion,  do  not  render  the  services 
that  might  be  expected.  We  are  sorry  to  find  that 
some  mistaken  opinions  you  have  formed  on  the  mode 
of  their  being  called  out  &  of  the  Appointments  of 
the  Lieutenants  have  had  a  great  share  in  this  Evil. 
As  you  are  now  most  probably  experiencing  the  sad 
Effects  of  such  Mistakes,  we  shall  not  add  to  your 
Pain  by  dwelling  upon  them,  but  desire  you  to  con- 
sider the  Effects  &  Consequences,  which  cannot  be 
other  than  the  Ruin  of  your  outer  settlements  &  im- 
poverishment of  the  County  itself.  As  you  .  .  . 
possess  a  good  share  of  the  Esteem  &  Confidence  of 
the  People,  I  shall  hope  and  do  recommend  it  to  you 
as  the  best  Service  you  can  perform  to  your  Bleeding 
country  to  do  away  as  far  as  possible  the  Effects  of 
former  Opinions  &  strive,  by  a  general  Concurrence 
with  the  other  Gentlemen  in  the  militia,  to  give  them 
vigour  &  Efficacy,  encouraging  and  promoting  a 
spirit  of  Fidelity  &  Obedience  to  the  Laws  as  calcu- 
lated to  afford  the  best  Relief  and  Security  against 
the  dreadful  calamity."  ; 

(  >n  April  7,  1780,  the  Council  received  letters 
from  Colonel  Stroud,  Depui,  Van  Campen  and 
others,  representing  the  condition  of  distress 
north  of  the  mountains,  in  Northampton  <  loun- 
ty, the  need  of  ammunition,  etc. 

President  Reed  wrote  to  Col.  Jacob  Stroud, 
April  11,  1780,  telling  him  that  he  had  received 
his  favor  by  Mr.  Kortright  and  expressing  sym- 
pathy with  him  in  his  distress.  "We  have," 
he  says,  "as  the  first  step  of  relief,  delivered 
Mr.  Kortright  two  hundred  pounds  of  powder, 
eight  hundred  lead  and  five  hundred  flints, 
which  will  be  delivered  by  him  to  Mr.  Kack- 
lin,  lieutenant  of  the  county,  to  he  forwarded  to 
the  places  most  wanted.  .  .  .  We 

have  also  directed  Colonel  Kacklin  to  order  out 


Penn,  Archives,  Vol.  VII.  p.  613. 


LACKAWAXEN  AND  RAYMONDSKILL. 


a  class  of  the  militia  on  tour  of  duty,  to  inarch  up 
to  your  township  with  as  little  delay  as  possible." 
He  expressed  but  little  faith  in  the  efficacy  of 
such  measures,  however,  and  urged  the  encour- 
agement of  the  young  men  to  form  parties  "  to 
strike  the  enemy  near  home  and  give  them  the 
alarm  for  their  own  safety,"  saying,  "  we  would 
gladly  support  and  promote  such  a  measure  and 
have  therefore  authorized  the  lieutenant  of  the 
county  to  offer  fifteen  hundred  dollars  for  every 
Indian  or  Tory  prisoner  taken  in  arms  against 
us  and  one  thousand  dollars  for  every  Indian 
scalp."  l  Colonel  Stroud  thanked  the  President 
for  the  aid  and  encouragement  extended  in  a 
letter  dated  "  April  ye  17." 

It  was  not  from  actual  Indian  hostilities  alone 
that  the  people  suffered.  The  asperities  of  life  in 
small  ways  were  very  great.  The  inhabitants 
of  the  regions  remote  from  trade  centres  suffered 
from  absence  of  many  of  the  commonest-neces- 
saries of  life.  Heavy  demands  were  made  upon 
the  country  for  supplies  for  the  army.  The  cattle 
were  all  driven  away  to  Bethlehem,  Philadelphia 
and  other  points,  and  so  the  people  had  little  or 
no  meat  but  such  as  the  frontiersman's  rifle  could 
procure. 

Tallow  was,  as  a  matter  of  course,  equally  scarce, 
and  the  people  in  many  instances  had  recourse 
to  a  bush  called  the  caudleberry-bush  to  obtain 
the  material  for  candles.  The  stems  and  twigs 
of  this  bush,  cut  in  small  fragments,  were  boiled 
in  a  kettle,  when  a  peculiar  wax  or  grease  arose 
to  the  surface,  which  was  carefully  skimmed 
off,  and,  when  a  sufficient  amount  was  procured, 
formed  into  candles  by  dipping  or  molding. 
The  candles  were  of  a  delicate  green  color  and 
gave  a  pale,  but  clear  light.  This  serves  as  a 
fair  illustration  of  the  expedients  to  which  the 
people  were  driven   to  provide  the  commonest 


An  extreme  scarcity  of  salt  was  a  more  seri- 
ous deprivation  during  Revolutionary  times 
than  would  at  first  be  imagined.  It  brought 
from  eight  to  twenty  dollars  per  bushel  and 
oftentimes  was  not  to  be  had  for  any  price.  A 
plant,  of  the  fern  species,  was  used  by  many 
families  as  a  substitute,  but  poorly  answered 


the  purpose,  though  it  made  meat  and  vegeta- 
bles more  savory  and  palatable  than  they  would 
be  without  its  application. 

Concerning  this  matter  of  the  scarcity  of  salt, 
there  has  been  preserved  an  old  letter  of  Colonel 
Stroud's,  which  shows  how  difficult  it  was  to 
procure  it  and  also  how  scarce  were  some  other 
commodities, — 

"Lower  Smithfield,  October  the  16th,  1779. 
"  Col.  Matlack  : 

"  I  must  Beg  of  you  if  it  is  in  your  power  to  assist 
me  in  geting  again  27  and  t  bushels  of  salt  that  I 
had  engaged  and  paid  for  last  April  to  Abbe  James, 
but  being  alarmed  with  the  Indeons  so  that  I  could 
not  Send  for  it,  and  looking  on  it  safer  than  it  would 
be  at  home,  as  I  did  not  know  but  every  day  wee 
should  be  drove  off,  I  had  ingaged  all  the  salt  to  my 
nabours  that  allways  this  several  years  have  had  their 
supplyes  from  me.  If  anything  should  be  wanting 
to  Inform  any  Gentleman,  Mr.  Abbe  James  will  be 
able  to  give  a  full  information.  I  spoke  to  His  Ex- 
cellency the  President  and  he  told  me  I  should  have 
Some  if  not  all,  I  now  have  sent  my  Team  for  the 
Salt  and  as  the  President  has  so  much  business  on 
hand  to  take  his  attention,  I  must  Beg  of  you  to 
Take  the  Troble  to  forrowd  the  matter.  The  salt  was 
taken  by  the  Committee,  and  what  Line  that  now 
Lies  in  now  is  unknowing  to  me,  as  I  live  so  far  off, 
and  as  we  Live  so  far  of  we  Dont  stand  any  Chance 
of  getting  Salt  to  what  others  Doe  that  Lives  near 
Town,  and  as  for  Sending  flouer  down,  we  cant  do  it 
now  as  the  army  has  been  abought  hear,  and  has 
Taken  all  our  grane,2  &c.,  that  unless  it  is  a  few  that 
have  a  little  yet.  Any  Troble  you  are  at  I  shall  be 
Ready  and  willing  to  pay  you  for  and  be  very  much 
obliged  to  you,  besides  I  dont  know  of  any  other  man 
at  this  time  I  can  apply  to  but  you.  I  am  Sir 
"  Your  very  umble  Servant 

"  Jacob  Stroud." 


Penn.  Archives,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  176. 


During  1781-82  two  companies  of  soldie 
Captain  Philip  Shrawder's  rangers  and  Captain 
Johanues  Van  Etten's  veterans,  who  had 
been  in  the  field  in  1777  and  fought  at  the 
Brandywine — were  kept  on  duty  in  the  region 
north  of  the  mountains,  and,  in  conjunction  with 
Colonel  Stroud's  men  at  Fort  Penn  and  small 
informally  banded  bodies,  kept  the  Lower  Mini- 
sink  free  from  depredations. 

Farther  up  the  valley,  however,  the  depreda- 
tions of  the  Indians  were  still  continued  in  1782, 
and  the  Pennsylvania  side  was  almost  deserted, 


1  This  allusion  is  evidently  to  Sullivan's  army. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


as  the  following  petition  from  some  of  the 
inhabitants  in  New  Jersey  shows  : 

"Minisink,  10  December,  1782. 

"His  excellency  Governor  Livingston  ami   the   Bon- 

orable  Legislative  Council  and  General  Assembly 

of  New  Jersey. 

"Gentlemen  we  the  inhabitants  of  the  frontier  of 

the  county  of  Sussex  beg  leave  to  present  our  petition 

to  the  Honorable  Legislature  of  the  State.  The  In- 
habitants who  formerly  lived  on  the  Pennsylvania 
Side  of  the  river  opposite  to  us  have  Principally  left 

their  farms  and  moved  into  Jersey  and  other  places 
to  escape  savage  cruelty.  These  Inhabitants  was 
formerly  a  considerable  guard  to  us,  but  now  there  is 
nothing  to  stop  the  Enemy  hut  the  river  which  is 
Fordible  in  a  grate  Number  of  (daces  a  considerable 

part  of  the  year  Particularly  in  Harvest  and  other 
times  when  the  Enemy  can  do  us  the  Greatest 
Damage.  The  Situation  of  this  country  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  Savages  Carry  on  the  War  like  a 
Thief  in  the  Night  renders  it  impracticable  to  de- 
pend on  Hie  Mali tia  for  Security,  for  before  they  can 
lie    collected    the  mischief   is  done    and   the    Enemy 

secure  in  the  Wilderness.   Numbers  of  us  havefriends 

ami  near  relatives  who  have  been  torn  from  their 
familys  and  connections  and  are  groaning  under 
cruel  Savage  Captivity.  These  labour  under  the 
sad  remembrance  of  having  experienced  the  Truly 
Shocking  Spectacle  of  Seeing  there  Dearest  Connec- 
tions Murdered  and  Scalped  before  there  Eyes  and 

we  have  grate  reason  to  fear  we  shall  share  the  same 
fate  unless  some  move  be  adopted  for  our  security 
We  therefore  most  earnestly  pray  that  a  law  may  be 
passed  by  the  Honourable  Legislature  before  they 
adjourn  for  raising  a  company  of  about  Eighty  men 
Properly  officered  and  to  be  Stationed  here  for  our 
Protection  the  Ensuing  Campaign." 

The  signatures  to  this  petition  have  not  been 
preserved,  but  it  was  forwarded  the  day  of  its 
date  to  the  Governor  of  New  Jersey.  The 
petition  is  valuable  chiefly  as  showing  the 
deplorable  condition  of  the  Pennsylvanians 
along  the  Delaware  River  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Lackawaxen  to  Fort  Hyndshaw.  The 
Delaware  had  been  the  frontier  line,  and  the 
Pennsylvanians,  being  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  were  to  New  York  and  New  Jersey 
what  a  picket  line  is  to  an  army.  This  sturdy 
band  of  Pennsylvania  pioneers  maintained 
the  unecpial  contest  during  all  those  dark  and 
bloody  years  when  Brandt  and  his  Indian  and 
Tory  followers  were  ravaging  the  country. 
After  the  disastrous  defeat  at  the  battle  of 
Lackawaxen  or    Minisink  and  the  murder  of 


Jeremiah  Van  Auken,  the  school-teacher  at 
Carpenter's  Point,  together  with  the  destruction 
of  everything  in  that  vicinity  by  fire,  followed 
by  the  defeatat  the  Raymondskill,  with  the 
constant  incursions,  murders  and  annoyances 
from  skulking  Indians,  it  was  no  wonder  that 
the  picket  line  of  lVnnsylvanians  had  with- 
drawn. 

But  finally  the  dawn  began  to  break,  the 
long  war  drew  to  a  close.  Upon  the  19th  of 
October,  L781,  Cornwallis'  forces — seven  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  forty-seven  British  and 
Hessian  soldiers — surrendered  at  Yorktown, 
and  by  a  swift  courier  the  news  was  borne  to 
Congress  at  Philadelphia,  the  messenger  arriv- 
ing there  on  the  evening  of  the  23d;  and  the 
sentinels,  when  they  called  the  hour  of  the 
night — "ten  o'  the  clock  and  all  is  well" — 
added,  "  and  Cornwallis  is  taken,"  This  news, 
which' spread  rapidly  through  Pennsylvania 
and  the  other  colonies,  brought  the  long-suffer- 
ing inhabitants  to  a  realization  that  they  were 
at  last,  even  if  an  impoverished,  an  independent 
people.  Though  the  armies  remained  for  some 
time  in  the  field,  the  war  had  really  ended. 
Preliminary  articles  of  peace  were  ugrced  to 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  Confederation  of 
Colonies  November  :!(),  1782, and  the  definitive 
treaty  was  concluded  at  Paris  upon  the  3d  of 
September,  1783. 

Tims  closed  the  Revolution,  but  upon  the 
frontier  its  animosities  and  asperities  died  sul- 
lenly and  slowly  away,  like  the  last,  lingering 
reverberations  of  thunder  in  the  passing  of  a 
mighty  storm.  Peace  came  ;d  last — like  the 
warm  sunshine  after  long  and  dreary  winter — ■ 
and  with  it  began  a  new  life  throughout  the 
land. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

End  of  the  Peunamite  War — Northampton  County  at  the 
Close  of  the  Century— Land  System— First  Effort  for 
Erection  of  a  New  County. 

The  Revolution  being  at  an  end,  and  the 
danger  of  Indian  invasion  over,  the  settlers  be- 
gan to  return  to  Wyoming  and  the  lesser  col- 
onies of  Wallenpaupack  and   Cushutunk,  still 


END  OF  THE  PENNAMITE  WAR. 


99 


claiming  their  lauds  under  Connecticut  title. 
Pennsylvania,  as  ever  before,  viewed  with  great 
displeasure  the  growth  of  a  colony  within  her 
limits  which  refused  to  recognize  her  authority, 
and  applied  to  the  Continental  Congress,  re- 
questing the  appointment  of  a  tribunal  to  de- 
termine the  matter  in  dispute. 

Congress  accordingly  appointed  a  board  of 
commissioners  to  adjudicate  the  question,  and 
provided  that  it  should  meet  at  Trenton,  where 
the  parties  were  notified  to  attend.  The  State 
of  Connecticut  appointed  as  its  representatives 
Messrs.  Dyer,  Johnston  and  Root,  and  on  the 
part  of  Pennsylvania  there  appeared  Messrs. 
Bradford,  Reed,  Wilson  and  Sergeant.  After 
a  deliberation  of  five  weeks  the  board,  on  the 
30th  of  December,  1782,  pronouuced  the  opinion 
that  the  State  of  Connecticut  had  no  right  to  the 
lands  in  controversy,  and  that  all  of  the  lands 
lying  within  the  charter  bounds  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, "  now  claimed  by  Connecticut,  do  of  right 
belong  to  the  State  of  Pennsylvania."  This 
was  what  was  known  as  the  "  Trenton  decree." 

The  people  of  Wyoming,  says  Chapman,1 
considered  the  question  before  the  board  merely 
one  of  jurisdiction,  and  that  it  did  not  affect 
in  any  degree  the  right  of  soil.  They  acqui- 
esced in  the  verdict,  therefore,  and  regarded 
themselves  as  holding  title  under  Connecticut, 
but  as  amenable  to  the  laws  of  Pennsylvania. 
"  We  care  not,"  they  said,  "  under  what  State 
we  live,  if  we  live  protected  and  happy." 

It  Mas  now  recommended  by  the  General 
Assembly  that  commissioners  should  be  ap- 
pointed to  go  to  Wyoming,  examine  into  the 
state  of  the  country,  act  as  magistrates  and 
recommend  what  measures  the  government 
should  adopt  in  regard  to  the  settlers,  and  such 
commissioners  were  duly  appointed  and  directed 
to  attend  there  on  April  15,  1783.  The  guard 
of  Continental  troops  having  been  withdrawn, 
it  was  ordered,  on  March  4th,  that  Captain 
Philip  Shrawder's  company,  of  Northampton 
County,  and  Captain  Thomas  Robinson's  be 
ordered  there  to  "  take  proper  measures  for 
sustaining  the  post  and  protecting  the  settle- 
ment."    Shrawder  arrived  first,  on  March  21st, 


1  Chapman,  p.  134. 

LofC. 


took  possession  of  the  fort  and  renamed  it  "  Fort 
Dickinson,"  in  honor  of  the  president  of  the 
Supreme  Executive  Council. 

The  inhabitants  now  discovered,  by  the  con- 
duct of  the  troops  and  the  report  of  the  com- 
missioners, that  the  government  of  Pennsylva- 
nia regarded  the  Trenton  decree  as  having  de- 
cided not  only  the  question  of  jurisdiction,  but 
the  right  of  private  property  also,  and  they  dis- 
covered that  the  troops  were  present,  not  simply 
for  the  purpose  of  guarding  against  the  common 
enemy,  but  also  to  protect  the  Pennsylvania 
claimants  in  possession  of  their  lands. 

What  has  been  called  the  u  Third  Peunamite 
War  "  now  commenced.  It  was  in  reality  the 
beginning  of  the  end  of  the  general  conflict  be- 
tween the  Pennsylvanians  and  the  Connecticut 
people.  There  was  constant  contention,  but  no 
violeuce  or  overt  acts  were  committed  until 
May,  1784,  when  the  troops  were  ordered  to 
disarm  the  Connecticut  settlers  who  had  resisted 
the  mandates  of  the  alleged  "  mock  tribunals  " 
of  the  Pennsylvania  magistrates.  Under  this 
pretense  one  hundred  and  fifty  families  were 
turned  out  of  their  dwellings  (many  of  which 
were  burned),  and,  reduced  to  destitution,  they 
were  compelled  to  leave  the  valley. 

Thus  came  about  another  hasty  evacuation  of 
Wyoming.  The  people  thus  driven  from  their 
homes  proceeded  on  foot  through  the  wilder- 
ness, by  way  of  the  Lackawaxen,  to  the  Dela- 
ware, a  distance  of  about  eighty  miles.  "  Dur- 
ing this  journey,"  say  Chapman  and  Miner, 
"  the  unhappy  fugitives  suffered  all  of  the  mis- 
eries which  human  nature  seems  capable  of  en- 
during." 

"  It  is  probable,"  says  Miner,2  "  that  the 
ostensible  reason  for  compelling  the  exiles  to 
this  route  (the  Lackawaxen),  the  fear  lest  their 
old  friends  at  Stroudsburg  should  afford  them 
aid,  was  not  without  weight."  One  of  the  fu- 
gitives, describing  the  flight,  says,  "  It  was  a 
solemn  scene;  parents,  their  children  crying  for 
hunger,  aged  men  on  crutches,  all  urged  forward 
by  an  armed  force  at  our  heels."  The  first 
night  they  encamped  at  Capouse,  the  second  at 
Cobb's,  the  third  at  Little  Meadow,  the  fourth 


:  Miner's  Wyoming,  p.  340. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


at  Lackawack,  the  fifth  at  Blooming  Grove, 
the  sixth  at  Shohola,  and  on  the  seventh  they 
arrived  at  the  Delaware,  -where  the  people 
dispersed,  some  going  up  and  some  down 
the  river,  some  continuing  on  their  way  east 
and  some  going  back  to  make  another  effort  to 
secure  their  homes  and  lands.  They  fought 
again  to  retain  their  possessions,  and  considera- 
ble bloodshed  ensued  in  July,  1784,  in  engage- 
ments between  the  soldiers  and  the  Pennsylva- 
nians  on  one  side  and  the  Connecticut  people 
upon  the  other.  As  of  old  in  the  Pennamite 
conflicts,  victory  perched  first  upon  one  banner 
and  then  upon  the  other.  It  is  beyond  our 
scope  in  these  pages  to  follow  the  varying 
vicissitudes  of  this  war.  One  item  in  it,  how- 
ever, is  of  local  interest. 

A  considerable  force,  ordered  out  to  quell  the 
riots  at  Wyoming,  was  quartered  for  a  time  in 
that  part  of  Northampton  which  is  now  Monroe 
County. 

The  Council,  in  session  at  Philadelphia,  July 
29,  17S4,  resolved,  "that  the  peace  and  good 
order  of  government  are  interrupted  by  sudden 
and  dangerous  tumults  and  riots  near  Wyoming, 
in  the  county  of  Northumberland,  for  the  sup- 
pression of  which  the  immediate  aid  of  the 
militia  is  expedient  and  necessary."  It  was  also 
resolved,  "  That  the  Lieutenant  of  the  county 
of  Northampton  be  directed  to  draw  forth  a 
detachment  of  three  hundred  Infantry  and 
twelve  or  fifteen  Light  Dragoons  properly  offi- 
cered and  equipped  from  the  militia  of  said 
county."  A  portion  of  the  command  was  under 
Colonel  Nicholas  Kern.  The  names  of  the 
officers  of  his  command  were  as  follows  : 

Lieutenant-colonel  commanding;,  Nicholas  Kern ; 
Majors,  Henry  Alshouse  and  John  Nelson  ;  Adju- 
tant, Lawrence  Erb;  Quartermaster,  Peter  Overshimer; 
Sargeant Major,  Jno.  Barnet ;  Quartermaster  Sergeant, 
Henry  Spering.  Captains  of  companies,  Adam  Clen- 
deneris,  John  Bitter,  Jacob  Clader,  John  Santee,  Ja- 
cob Balliet,  Lewis  Stacher,  John  Van  Etten,  Timothy 
Jeyne,  Christopher  Keller  and  Benjamin  Schoon- 
hoven. 

Captain  Philip  Shrawder,1  in  May,  1784,  was 


1  Captain  Shrawder  was  an  exceedingly  methodical  and 
painstaking  man,  and  kept,  a  record  of  his  militia  company 
in  a  huge  folio  volume  (now  owned  by  Luke  W.  Brodhead), 


in  command  of  a  company  attached  to  the  First 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  then  com- 
manded by  Major  James  Moore,  and  the  men 
in  his  company,  there  is  every  reason  to  be- 
lieve, were,  with  perhaps  a  few  exceptions,  the 
same  whom  he  led  to  Wyoming  in  August, 
1784,  under  Col.  Nicholas  Kern.  Following 
is  the  roster: 

Captain,  Philip  Shrawder;  First  Lieutenant,  John 
Armstrong  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  Andrew  Henderson  ; 
First  Sergeant,  Michael  Knight ;  Second  Sergeant, 
James  Melviu  ;  Third  Sergeant,  John  Kilby  ;  First  Cor- 
poral, John  Griffey  ;  Second  Corporal,  Jacob  Stoner ; 
Drummer,  John  Brown  ;  Fifer,  George  Burnett. 

Privates. 
George  Alexander.  John  Lessly. 

Wm.  Armstrong.  Daniel  McMullen. 

Thomas  Brown.  Claudius  Martin. 

John  Burrage.  Daniel  MoLoskcy. 

Christopher  Bigner.  David  McCartney. 

James  Butler.  Peter  Miunick. 

Jonathan  Burwell.  Patrick  Norton. 

John  Clark.  Edward  Nelson. 

Anthony  Curshong.  George  Rhecroft. 

Conrad  Dressel.  Christopher  Riley. 

Patrick  Dunlevy.  John  Phil.  Steel. 

Frederick  Fisher.  Ezekiel  Shelcott. 

Thomas  Garvin.  Andrew  Shafer. 

Daniel  Gridley.  John  Smith. 

Henry  Harpoole.  Moses  Swartwood. 

Conrad  Hoffner.  William  Shewell. 

George  Heflinger.  John  Tom. 

John  Henry  Hesser.  William  Thomson. 

David  Jacobs.  Henry  Vogelsong. 

Thomas  Jennings.  Thomas  Williot. 

William  Kelly. 

A  considerable  portion  of  Col.  Kern's  force 
was  provided  for  at  the  inn  and  on  the  premi- 
ses of  James  Logan,  in  what  is  now  Stroud 
township. 2 


which  he  evidently  procured  for  that  purpose,  but  which 
be  subsequently  made  a  common-place  book,  recording 
many  interesting  documents,  such  as  early  assessment 
lists,  resolutions  relating  to  the  Pennamite  War,  etc.  (the 
more  valuable  of  which  are  preserved  in  this  work),  as 
well  as  literary  extracts,  recipes,  etc.  He  makes  a  sum- 
mary of  the  officers  engaged  in  the  Wyoming  expedition, 
but  gives  no  roster  of  his  own  men  for  August,  1  784,  which 
would  indicate  that  the  list  was  identical  with  those  given 
fov  the  months  preceding,  the  latest  of  which,  prior  to 
August,  17b4,   (May)  is  here  copied. 

1  See  chapter  on  Stroud  township,  Monroe  County,  for 
an  account  of  James  Logan  and  his  tavern,  the  second  one 
north  of  the  mountains. 


END  OF  THE  PENNAMITE  WAR. 


101 


John  Van  Cam  pen,  Esq.,  was  appointed 
commissary  to  furnish  provisions,  which  he  did 
at  the  rate  of  ten    pence  half-penny  per  ration. 

Logan  rendered  an  account  to  John  Van 
Campen,  commissary,  which  has  been  preserved, 
and  affords  interesting  reading.1 


1  The  following  account  (with  the  matter  above  given  con- 
cerning Kern'3  forces)  is  contributed  by  Luke  W.  Brodhead : 
£    t.    d. 

"July  28,  1784,  To  568  pounds  of  Bread 6     19    6 

"  7  Sheep  ((:•  15  shillings 5      .1    0 

"  "  12  gallons  Rum  delivered  at  6  shil.,  is- 
sued to  the  volunteers  Yankee  Intru- 
ders  (probably  lneunt  to  say,  to  suppress 

Yankee  htinuim) 3    12    0 

"  "  "  cash  to  . lamb  Miner  to  going  express....  0       7     6 


the 


'  2  do  Spirits  to  the  officers 0    14 

■  18  Bushels  of  ground  Rye  and  sent  after, 
to  support  the  volunteers  when  lying  at 
Locust  Hill  and  on  the  road  to  Wyoming.  0    11 

1  9  Bush.  Rye  chnpped  to  feed  tho  horses 
when  out  on  public  Business 2     14 

'  Pasturing;  Iloisesand  cut  straw. &      0 

'  Cash  paid  to  Jonas  Suteiiy  for  going 
Express  to  Bullocks 0      7 

'  Cash  paid  tnlVnj.  YanderinaiU  for  dam- 
ages when  the  Horses  broke  into  his 
Hats 0     15 

'  Six  Quires  of  Paper 

'  Expenses  at  Wyoming  when  out  u 
pmvhasine,  fur  the  Militia 

'  Expenses  going  to  Wyoming  for  myself 
and  others 

1  Cash  paid  for  Mutton 

'     "      "      to  Melchior  Bossard 

Four  gallons  of  Rum  for  the  Wounded.. 
Not  to  forget  four  head  of  cattle  uf  Bos- 

My  sou  going    Express   to  town    five 


15 


My  own    time  and  expenses   when  out 

upon  purchasing  Cattle 1! 

My  own  team  entered  into  the  Service 
from  here  to  Easton  and  from  there  to 
Wyoming  was  kept  constant  a  hauling 
from  there  till  the  24th  of  this  instant, 
and  found  my  own  Feed  and  driver  at 
one  Pound  ten  Shillings  per  day,  which 


Two  teams  sent  from  here  to  go  to  Easton 
to  bring  up  Flour,  and  brought  it  as  far 
as  Heller's,  and  was  taken  back  to 
Easton  again  and  brought  up  another 
Load  and  was  gone  four  Day6,  and  found 
their  own  feed  at  £1.  ().  0.  per  day ; 
they  brought  their  Load  as  far  as  John 

'  My  two-horse  team  going  to  Brinker's, 
and  from  there  with  loads  to  John  Learn 
three  times,  they  being  gone  four  days 
at  15  Shillings  per  day  comes  to ; 

'  My   son   goiDg    Express   to    town    five 


The  entire  force  raised  by  the  Supreme  Ex- 
ecutive Council  for  the  suppression  of  disturb- 
ances in  Wyoming  was  under  command  of  Col. 
John  Armstrong.  An  advance  guard  under 
Major  Moore  was  assembled  at  Learner's  or 
Learn's.  The  Yankees  had  previously  dis- 
patched Capt.  John  Swift,  with  thirty  picked 
men,  to  meet,  dislodge  and  defeat  them  before 
they  could  reach  the  valley  of  Wyoming.  An 
engagement  ensued  at  Locust  Fudge2  on  the 
second  day  of  August,  in  which  Jacob  Everett, 
one  of  Moore's  men,  was  killed,  and  several 
others  wounded  on  each  side.  In  Miner's 
"  History  of  Wyoming  "  it  is  stated  "  that  the 
Yankeys  affirmed  that  Logan  (the  tavern- 
keeper),  a  mulatto,  was  under  Patterson  (Alex- 
ander) with  a  company  of  thirty  men  raised  on 
the  Delaware.  A  rude  old  song  spoke  of 
Logan :" 

"The  20th  of  September 

We  marched  the  rebel  route ; 
From  Easton  to  Wyoming, 
To  drive  the  Yankeys  out. 

The  wary  dogs  and  savage  beasts 
Would  rather  steal  than  show  their  face. 
"  We  halted  all  at  Romig's, 

Our  forces  to  review  ; 
Our  chief  commander  Logan 
Encouraged  thus  his  crew — ■ 

'  Brave  lads,'  he  cried,  '  who  steals  the  most, 
He  shall  obtain  the  highest  post.'  " 
James  Logan  had,  of  course,  nothing  what- 

In  the  foregoing  there  is  a  first  and  second  account  ag- 
gregating £159  8*. 

Following  this  is  the  wagoner's  account,  in  which  Con" 
rad  Grubb,  George  and  Henry  Stacker,  Christopher  Kel- 
ler, Melchoir  Bossard,  James  Logan  and  Clarke  Winans 
were  employed  in  hauling  flour  and  provisions  to  Jacob 
Brinker's,  Nicholas  Ernfield's,  John  Learn's  and  to 
Wyoming. 

In  the  forage  account  of  the  militia  light  horse,  hay, 
oats,  etc.,  are  supplied  to  the  following-named  persons  : 
"  To  Jacob  Heller,  Capt.  John  Brisbin,  Capt.  Shrawder 
and  company,  John  Hollenback,  hay  for  80  nights  and 
621  qts.  oats,  John  Hollenback  for  Col.  Kern,  2  nights  hay 
and  oats,  John  Hollenback  for  Robert  Levers,  Esq.,  John 
P.  Shott  for  Col.  Wilson,  Lawrence  Erb  to  hay  &  oats  fur- 
nished Colonel  Kern,  the  adjutant  &  2  light  horse,  John 
Learn  for  L.  Horn  hay  &  oats,  John  Learn  U  Bush  Rye, 
do.  to  supper  and  grog,  do  supper  for  0  men,  Jacob 
Brinker  C  meals  &c." 

■'  Locust  Ridge  is  on  the  old  Sullivan  road,  near  the 
south  bank  of  the  Lehigh,  three  or  four  miles  east  of 
Stoddartsville. 


102 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ever  to  do  with  the  expedition,  but  his  presence 
before  or  after  the  engagement,  as  an  excited 
and  perhaps  officious  follower  of  the  train,  gave 
rise  to  the  above  ridiculous  doggerel. 

On  the  arrival  of  Armstrong's  force  (in- 
cluding Col.  Kern's)  at  Wyoming  hostilities 
ensued  in  that  much-troubled  valley,  and  they 
were  continued  during  the  year  and  later. 

The  years  1785  and  1786  did  not  exhibit 
any  abatement  of  the  controversy  between  the 
rivals.  Col.  John  Franklin  became  the  leading 
spirit  among  the  Connecticut  claimants,  and 
Col.  Timothy  Pickering  appeared  as  the  chief 
champion  of  the  Pennsylvania  cause.  A  plan 
Avas  formed  for  carving  a  new  State  from  Penn- 
sylvania, to  include  the  old  county  of  West- 
moreland and  all  of  the  territory  claimed  by 
Connecticut,  and  thus  wrest  Wyoming  from  the 
jurisdiction  of  Pennsylvania.  Col.  Ethan 
Allen,  of  Vermont,  appeared  upon  the  scene 
as  one  pledged  to  furnish  means  and  men  for 
the  dismemberment  of  Pennsylvania. 

This  bold  and  dangerous  scheme  was  frustrated 
simply  by  the  erection  of  Luzerne  County  on 
Sept.  25,  1786,  thus  affording  an  apportunity 
for  the  people  to  have  a  direct  representation 
in  the  Assembly  and  to  state  their  grievances, 
and,  in  a  large  measure,  shape  their  own  affairs. 
This  county  included  all  of  the  Connecticut  set- 
tlers, except  those  at  Lackawack  or  Wallen- 
paupack  and  the  few  on  the  Delaware,  princi- 
pally at  Cushutunk. 

In  March,  1787,  the  inhabitants  proposed  a 
compromise,  in  effect  that  if  the  commonwealth 
would  grant  them  the  seventeen  townships 
which  had  been  laid  out,  and  in  which  settle- 
ments had  been  made  prior  to  the  "  Trenton 
decree,"  they  would  relinquish  their  claim  to 
all  other  lands  within  the  limits  of  the  Susque- 
hanna purchase ;  what  were  known  as  the 
"  certified  townships"  were  thus  secured  to  the 
settlers ;  but  while  most  of  the  inhabitants  were 
within  these  townships,  there  were  others 
scattered  here  and  there  who  had  bought  rights 
of  the  Susquehanna  and  Delaware  Companies 
and  made  improvements  upon  their  locations. 
There  were  quite  a  number  of  this  class  within 
the  present  limits  of  Wayne  and  Pike  Counties. 
Another  class  of   people  dissatisfied   with  the 


compromise  were  the  Penusylvanians  to  whom 
the  State  had  previously  sold  a  portion  of  the 
lands,  and  who  did  not  wish,  very  naturally,  to 
be  dispossessed  of  them.  Such  was  the  effect  of 
the  opposition  that  the  next  year  the  compro- 
mise act  was  suspended  and  afterwards  repealed. 
The  conflict  was  continued. 

In  1795  "the  Intrusion  Law"  was  passed, 
warning  off  all  settlers  not  applying  for  land 
under  a  Pennsylvania  title.  On  April  4,  1799, 
an  act  for  offering  compensation  to  the  Pennsyl- 
vania claimants  of  certain  lands  within  the 
"  certified  townships"  was  passed  and  was 
known  as  the  compromising  law.  On  February 
16,  1801,  an  act  supplementary  to  the  "  Intru- 
sion Law"  of  1795  was  passed,  authorizing  the 
Governor  to  issue  a  proc'amation,  forbidding  all 
future  intrusions  and  requiring  all  who  had 
•ntruded  to  peaceably  withdraw. 

The  State  had,  in  1799,  appointed  commis- 
sioners to  adjust  the  conflicting  claims  of  the 
Pennamites  aud  "  Yankees,  "  to  examine  all  of 
the  claims,  fix  the  amount  each  Connecticut 
settler  should  justly  pay  the  State  to  perfect  his 
title,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  sum  that  the 
State  should  pay  to  those  who  were  compelled 
to  relinquish  the  lands  they  had  bought  from 
the  State.  The  commission  performed  its  duties 
fairly,  but  many  persons  were  dissatisfied.  On 
April  6,  1802,  au  act  of  Assembly  provided 
"that  no  conveyance  of  land  within  the  counties 
of  Luzerne,  Lycoming  and  Wayne  shall  pass 
any  estate,  where  the  title  is  not  derived  from  this 
State  or  the  proprietaries,  before  the  4th  of  July, 
1 776."  The  law  was  promulgated  by  procla- 
mation of  the  Governor  May  1, 1802,  and  from 
that  time  whatever  "right"  Connecticut 
claimants  may  have  had,  it  was  the  veriest  folly 
to  defend  it.  But  many  persons  still  scorned  all 
overtures  from  the  State  aud  firmly  believed  in 
the  validity  of  the  Connecticut  title.  They  pro- 
posed to  hold  their  claims  in  spite  of  all. 
Public  feeling  ran  high.  The  newspaper  con- 
troversy was  heated  and  it  seemed  as  if  armed 
conflict  must  again  occur.  In  fact,  the  Gover- 
nor again  contemplated  calling  out  the  militia  of 
the  State  to  enforce  obedience ;  but  milder  meth- 
ods finally  prevailed,  and  the  long-vexed  ques- 
tion was  eventually  settled  by  amicable  means. 


NORTHAMPTON  COUNTY  AT  THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  CENTURY. 


103 


Much  of  thecredit  for  the  peaceable  solution 
of  the  problem  and  the  adjustment  of  differences 
by  bloodless  means  was  due  to  the  Quakers,  or 
Friends,  who  were  among  the  largest  land- 
owners under  the  Pennsylvania  title  in  the 
disputed  territory. 

Major  Jason  Torrey,  of  Wayne  County,  who 
was  agent  for  many  of  these  owners,  seems  to 
have  exerted  quietly  a  beneficent  influence  at 
a  critical  juncture.  In  his  memoir,  written  by 
his  son,  Rev.  David  Torrey,  D.D.,  occurs  the 
following  apropos  to  this  subject : 

"  It  was  on  March  1,  1803,  just  about  three 
years  after  the  commission  of  adjustment  was 
appointed  by  the  Governor,  and  when  about 
two  years  of  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  Con- 
necticut settlers  to  the  awards  of  that  commis- 
sion had  wrought  up  the  controversy  between 
them  and  the  authorities  of  the  State  almost  to 
the  point  of  a  violent  and  bloody  conflict,  that 
Mr.  Torrey  writes  to  his  parents  from  Phila- 
delphia as  follows  : 

"  When  I  left  home  last  Monday  I  expected 
to  be  absent  four  weeks.  I  now  expect  to  be 
at  home  a  week  from  this  day. 

"The  urgency  of  my  return  is  occasioned  by 
an  interference  between  the  landholders  and  the 
Executive  of  the  State,  relative  to  the  Connecti- 
cut settlers  in  Luzerne.  The  Governor  has 
proposed  sending  a  military  force,  and  we  (i.  e., 
the  landholders  and  Mr.  Torrey)  are  for  bring- 
ing them  to  an  amicable  settlement. 

"  In  this  I  flatter  myself  with  some  success ; 
at  least  sufficient  to  avert  a  civil  war  with 
them. 

"  For  the  last  twelvemonth  I  have  taken  the 
position  of  a  mediator  between  the  landholders 
and  the  intruders.  Both  parties  have  embraced 
my  proposals  and  it  now  remains  to  put  the 
plan  in  operation. 

"  The  law  knows  no  such  thing  as  compro- 
mise between  the  injured  and  the  offender.  To 
punish  the  one  and  restore  to  the  other  are  its 
only  means.  But  when  the  offender  acknowl- 
edges his  crime,  comes  forward  with  an  honor- 
able restitution  and  allies  himself  by  strong  ties 
of  interest  to  the  party  he  has  inj  ured,  the  Ex- 
ecutive may  forgive  the  injury,  and  even  pro- 
mote and  encourage  the  measure. 


"  The  mission  upon  which  I  am  now  engaged 
will  decide  the  fate  of  the  Connecticut  settlers, 
who  are  under  a  Connecticut  claim.  If  they 
treat  for  a  purchase,  they  may,  from  intruders 
— violators  of  the  laws  of  the  State,  and  of  the 
United  States  —  become  valuable  citizens  and 
good  members  of  society.  If  these  terms  are 
rejected,  force  will  speedily  compel  them,  and 
they  may  be  exterminated  from  the  country." 

It  was  not  until  three  years  later  than  this 
period,  in  1806,  that  a  final  settlement  was 
made  through  agents  of  the  two  classes  of  land- 
owners. Then  the  "  Penuamite  War  "  was  a 
thing  of  the  past,  but  personal  prejudices  and 
animosities  prevailed  for  at  least  a  generation 
afterwards. 

In  old  Northampton  County,  after  the  close 
of  the  Revolution,  there  was  a  rapid  advance- 
ment in  population  and  prosperity.  Settlers 
began  to  throng  into  the  great  region  north  of 
the  mountains,  lands  were  cleared  and  every 
year  witnessed  an  improvement  in  values. 

Some  facts  as  to  the  condition  of  the  country 
in  Northampton,  north  of  the  mountains,  are 
afforded  by  the  general  return  of  taxable  prop- 
erty for  the  year  1796.  According  to  this  re- 
port, the  number  of  acres  of  improved  land  in 
the  townships  which  then  embraced  practically 
the  same  territory  as  that  now  included  in 
Wayne,  Pike  and  Monroe  Counties  was  as  fol- 
lows : 

Chestnut  Hill 12,513 

Delaware 7,887 

Lower  Smithfield 15,443 

Middle  Smithfield 11,225 

Upper  Smithfield 8,756 

The  value  of  the  taxable  property  in  these 
five  townships,  as  rated  by  the  commissioners, 
was  as  follows : 

Chestnut  Hill 113,709.00 

Delaware 15,305.33 

Lower  Smithfield 22,436.35 

Middle  Smithfield 16,241.00 

Upper  Smithfield 15,610.93 

Slavery  existed  in  Northampton  (in  common 
with  the  rest  of  the  State)  until  after  1800, 
though  its  gradual  abolishment  was  commenced 
by  the  passage  of  an  act  by  the  Assembly  on 
March  1,  1780. 

Following  is  a  record  of  the  slaves  held  in 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


1780  in  that  part  of  Northampton  County  lying 
north  of  the  mountains,  as  copied  from  the 
register  then  made : 

John  Van  Campen,  farmer,  Lower  Smithfield,  four, 
—Dick,  aged  36;  Peter,  32;  Joseph,  8  years  and  9 
months  ;  Suekey  (female),  4  years  and  10  months. 

Benjamin  Van  Campen,  farmer,  Lower  Smithfield, 
five, — Dyon  (female),  29  years  and  8  months;  Pom- 
pey,  33 ;  Roger,  9  years  and  4  months ;  Judah,  2 
years  and  11  months;  Leah,  10  months. 

William  Smith,  farmer,  Delaware,  three, — Joseph, 
13  years;  Bythinia  (female),  10  years. 

Walter  Berry,  farmer,  Hamilton,— Ellich  (Alleck), 
30  years. 

Rohert  McDowell,  farmer,  Hamilton,  one, — Dick, 
10  years. 

Jane  Shoemaker,  Hamilton,  one, — James. 

Nicholas  Depui,  farmer,  Smithfield,  two, — Abra- 
ham, 28  years,  and  Thomas,  30  years. 

Jacob  Stroud,  tavern-keeper,  Smithfield,  four, — 
Jack,  35  years;  Briss,  32  years;  Robin,  26  years; 
Isaac,  6  years. 

Morgan  Duche,  farmer,  Delaware,  four,  —  Abby 
(female),  25  years ;  Ben,  7  years ;  Dinah,  5  years ; 
Quannine,  2  years. 

Garret  Brodhead,  farmer,  Smithfield,  one, — John, 
75  years. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  in  Northampton 
County,  north  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  the 
region  now  included  in  Monroe  and  Pike 
Counties,  there  were  in  the  year  1780  twenty 
six  slaves. 

The  lands  in  the  wilderness  region  of  North- 
ampton, as  we  have  heretofore  intimated,  were 
eagerly  sought  for  by  capitalists  and  small 
purchasers  who  intended  to  cultivate  the  estates 
they  procured. 

Long  before  this  the  proprietaries  had  mani- 
fested a  peculiar  fondness  for  the  lands  in  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  State,  in  what  is  now 
Wayne  County,  and  there  were  more  "  Manors" 
located  there  than  in  any  other  region  so  remote 
from  Philadelphia.  There  are  no  less  than  six- 
teen within  the  present  limits  of  the  three 
counties  which  form  our  subject,  and  of  these 
all  but  two  or  three  are  in  Wayne. 

The  query  arises :  Did  not  the  proprietaries 
locate  these  many  manors  (in  a  comparativly 
poor  region,  so  far  as  natural  resources  go)  with 
a  view  to  securing,  as  it  were,  a  kind  of  donble 
title  to  the  soil,  and,  in  some  sense,  of  fortify- 
ing this   corner  of  the  province  against  Con- 


necticut intruders?  However  this  may  have 
been,  the  fact  remains  that  no  less  than  fifteen 
manors  were  surveyed  for  the  Penns  in  what  is 
now  Wayne  and  Pike  Counties.  There  were  in 
the  former  county  the  "  Amsterdam  and  Rotter- 
dam "  Manor,  of  two  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  seventy  acres,  in  Lebanon  township;  "Safe 
Harbor"  (Equinunk),  two  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-two  acres  ;  "  Damascus,"  four 
thousand  three  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  at  the 
confluence  of  Cashe's  Creek  aud  the  Delaware  ; 
"  William  Penn,  Jr.,"  five  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  fourteen,  between  the  waters  of  the 
Lackawaxen  and  Equinunk  Creeks ;  "  The 
Meadows,"  three  thousand  and  thirty-two  acres, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Moosic,  on  the  waters  of 
the  Lackawaxen  ;  the  "  Mill  Seat,"  nine  hun- 
dred and  ninety-nine  acres,  on  the  south  branch 
of  theEquinuuk;"  Duck  Harbor,"  five  hundred 
and  ten  acres,  on  the  Little  Equinunk  ;  "  Fox 
Harbor,"  on  the  east  branch  of  the  Lackawaxen ; 
"  Pleasant  Garden,"  twenty  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  forty-eight  acres,  on  Big  Middle 
Creek  ;  "  Sandy  Run,"  one  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres,  on  the  east  branch  of  the 
Lackawaxen;  " Brewer's  Den,"  three  hundred 
and  twelve  acres,  on  a  branch  of  Equinunk 
Creek  ;  "  Shohocking,"  in  Buckingham  town- 
ship ;  "  Elk  Forest,"  eleven  thousand  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty-six  acres,  on  the  waters  of  the 
Lackawaxen  and  Big  Middle  Creek;  and 
another  unnamed.  The  "  Wallenpaupack " 
Manor  was  partly  in  Wayne,  but  principally  in 
Pike,  and  consisted  of  twelve  thousand  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres.  It  was  laid  off  in 
1748.  A  small  manor  (the  only  one  in  Monroe 
County)  included  Lake  Poponoming  and  bore 
that  name. 

These  manors  were  surveyed  from  1748  to 
1769,  the  greater  number  of  them  in  1763. 

Of  far  more  benefit  to  the  country  was  the 
purchase  of  lands  by  individuals.  Some  quite 
distinguished  persons  became  proprietors  and 
some  very  extensive  tracts  were  bought. 

In  1774  Samuel  Meredith  and  George 
Clymer  began  purchasing  wild  lands  in  Dela- 
ware County,  N.  Y.,  in  what  is  now  West  Vir- 
ginia and  in  the  territory  now  included  in 
Schuylkill,  Pike,  Monroe,  Lackawanna,  Luzerne, 


LAND  SYSTEM. 


105 


Wyoming,  Bradford,  Sullivan  and  Susquehanna 
Counties,  and  between  1790  and  179(3,  iu  what 
i.s  now  Wayne,  they  bought  about  fifty  thousand 
acres. 

What  was  known  as  Belmont  Manor  be- 
gan on  the  Moosic  Mountains,  near  the 
site  of  Waymart,  and  extended  north  along 
the  range  to  what  is  now  Hine's  Corners,  in 
Preston  township.  It  was  twenty  odd  miles 
in  length  and  about  two  in  width  and  contained 
about  twenty-six  thousand  acres.  The  other 
portion  of  the  great  estate  was  purchased  as 
follows  :  From  Robert  Morris,  Philadelphia 
(financier  of  the  Revolution),  seven  thousand 
one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres,  one  hun- 
dred and  nineteen  perches,  for  nine  thousand 
five  hundred  aud  sixteen  dollars  ;  from  William 
Lane,  Philadelphia,  eight  hundred  and  seventy- 
nine  acres  and  seventy-three  perches,  for  two 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars  ;  from  John  Mes- 
ser,  of  Lancaster,  two  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  seventy  acres  and  thirty  perches,  for  eleven 
thousand  one  hundred  and  eighty  dollars  (Penn- 
sylvania money) ;  from  Samuel  Stanton,  three 
hundred  acres,  for  one  thousand  five  hundred 
dollars;  from  Tench  Coxe,  Philadelphia,  nine 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  acres,  twenty-eight 
perches,  for  four  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  aud  other  tracts  in  various  parts 
of  the  county,  completing  the  aggregate  of 
fifty  thousand  acres  from  various  persons. 

Meredith  owned  the  Amsterdam  and  Rotter- 
dam Manor,  in  Lebanon,  and  many  tracts  in 
Mount  Pleasant  and  Preston.  Upon  his  death 
these  descended  to  his  heirs  or  devisees,  and 
Thomas  Meredith,  his  son,  took  charge  of  the 
lands.  Calvely  Freeman,  Esq.,  was  his  sur- 
veyor. In  1830,  Mr.  Meredith  moved  to  Lu- 
zerne County,  and  Mr.  Meylert,  a  Frenchman, 
took  charge  of  the  Meredith  lauds,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Michael  Meylert. 

The  Elk  Forest  tract,  in  Old  Canaan,  became 
the  property  of  Joseph  Fellows,  of  Geneva, 
N.  Y.,  who  made  Hon.  N.  B.  Eldred  his  agent, 
who  was  succeeded  by  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Dimmick, 
Sr.  Moses  Killam,  Esq.,  divided  the  tract 
into  one  hundred  or  two  hundred  acre  lots. 

Upon  this  subject  of  lands  in  Wayne  and 
Pike    Counties    and    the    Pennsylvania    laud 


system  we  quote  and  condense  from  Phineas  G. 
Goodrich,  an  excellent  authority,  because  for 
half  a  century  a  surveyor.  '  Mr.  Goodrich 
says, — 

"The  General  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  on 
the  27th  day  of  November,  1779,  passed  'an  act 
for  vesting  the  Estate  of  the  late  Proprietaries 
of  Pennsylvania,  in  this  Commonwealth  ;'  in 
the  preamble  whereto  it  is  set  forth,  '  that  the 
claims  heretofore  made  by  the  late  Proprietaries 
to  the  whole  of  the  soil  contained  within  the 
charter  from  Charles  II.  to  William  Pent)  can- 
not longer  consist  with  the  safety,  liberty  and 
happiness  of  the  good  people  of  this  Common- 
wealth, who,  at  the  expense  of  much  blood  aud 
treasure,  have  bravely  rescued  themselves  and 
their  possessions  from  the  tyranny  of  Great 
Britain  and  are  now  defending  themselves  from 
the  inroads  of  the  savages.'  The  act  did  not 
confiscate  the  lands  of  the  Proprietaries  within 
the  lines  of  manors,  nor  embrace  the  purchase- 
money  due  for  lands  sold  lyiug  within  surveyed 
manors.  The  manors,  in  legal  acceptation,  were 
lands  surveyed  and  set  apart  as  the  private 
property  of  the  Proprietaries. 

"The  titles  to  all  lands  sold  and  conveyed  by 
William  Penu  or  his  descendants  were  confirmed 
and  made  valid.  But  the  title  to  all  lands  in 
the  Commonwealth,  which  had  not  been  sur- 
veyed and  returned  into  the  land-office,  on  or 
before  the  4th  of  July,  1776,  was  by  said  act 
vested  in  the  State.  This  act  provided  that  the 
sum  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand 
pounds,  sterling  money,  should  be  paid  out  of 
the  treasury  of  this  State  to  the  devisees  and 
legatees  of  Thomas  Penn  and  Eichard  Peun, 
late  Proprietaries,  and  to  the  widow  and  relict 
of  Thomas  Penn,  iu  such  proportions  as  should 
thereafter,  by  the  Legislature,  be  deemed 
equitable  and  just,  upon  a  full  investigation  of 
their  respective  claims.  No  part  of  the  sum  was 
to  be  paid  within  less  than  one  year  after  the 
termination  of  the  war  with  Great  Britain  ;  and 
no  more  than  twenty  thousand  pounds,  nor  less 
than  fifteen  thousand  pounds  should  be  payable 
in  any  one  year.  The  land-office  was  begun  by 
William  Penn,  and  many  features  of  the  office, 


story  of  Wayue  County,"  by  Fhineas  G.  Goodrich. 


km; 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


as  it  was  in  his  day,  remain  to  the  present 
time. 

"  A  land-office  by  and  under  the  act  of  9th 
of  April,  1781,  was  created  under  the  Common- 
wealth, its  officers  consisting  (if  a  secretary  of 
the  land-office,  receiver-general  and  surveyor- 
general.  By  an  act  uf  the  29th  of  March, 
ISO!),  the  office  of  receiver-general  was 
abolished,  and  liis  duties  were  discharged  by 
the  secretary  of  the  land-office ;  and  by  the  act 
of  the  17th  of  April,  1843,  tliis  latter-named 
office  was  discontinued,  and  the  duties  pertain- 
ing thereto  were  performed  by  the  surveyor- 
general.  By  the  Constitution  of  l<s71  this 
office  is  now  under  the  charge  of  the  Secretary 
of  I  nternal  Affairs. 

"An  act  for  opening  the  land-office  and  for 
granting  and  disposing  of  the  unappropriated 
lauds  within  this  State  passed  April  1,  1784, 
provided 'that  the  land-office  shall  be  opened 
for  the  lands  already  purchased  of  the  Indians 
on  the  1st  day  of  July  next,  at  the  rate  of  ten 
pounds  for  every  hundred  acres,  with  the  usual 
fees  of  granting,  surveying  and  patenting,  ex- 
cepting such  tracts  as  shall  be  surveyed  west- 
ward of  the  Allegheny  mountains,  etc.  Every 
applicant  for  lands  shall  produce  to  thesecretary 
of  the  land-office  a  particular  description  of  the 
lands  applied  for,  with  a  certificate  from  two 
justices  of  the  peace  of  a  proper  county,  specify- 
ing whether  the  said  lands  be  improved  or  not, 
and  if  improved,  how  long  since  the  improve- 
ment was  made,  that  interest  may  be  charged 
accordingly.  The  quantity  of  land  granted  to 
any  one  person  shall  not  exceed  four  hundred 
acres,  etc.  The  prices  of  unimproved  land  were 
different  at  various  periods  under  the  several 
purchases  made  of  the  Indians.  From  the  1st 
of  July,  1784,  to  April  3,  1792,  the  price  of 
unimproved  wild  lands  was  $26.66§  per  hun- 
dred acres  in  Wayne,  Pike,  Susquehanna  and 
other  counties.  By  act  of  April  3,  1792,  the 
price  of  unimproved  lands  was  fixed  at  $6.6G| 
per  hundred  acres.  The  latter-named  act  was 
repealed  by  act  of  29th  of  March,  1809,  since 
which  time  the  price  of  lands  in  the  above- 
named  counties  has  been  $26.66f  per  hundred 
acres.  The  laws  passed  relative  to  State  lands 
were  numerous.     Under  said  laws  the  surveyor- 


general,  or  the  oflicer  acting  in  that  capacity, 
was  authorized  to  appoint  a  deputy-surveyor  in 
each  and  every  county.  George  Palme]-,  of 
Easton,  was  the  deputy-surveyor  appointed  for 
Wayne  and  Pike  Counties,  and  most  of  the 
State  lands  were  surveyed  and  located  by  him 
in  those  counties,  and  were  made  before  there 
were  any  permanent  settlements.  As  the 
greater  part  of  the  names  of  the  eleven  or 
twelve  hundred  persons  named  as  warrantees 
on  the  county  maps  are  strange  and  unknown, 
it  lias  been  supposed  that  many  of  those  names 
were  fictitious,  which  supposition  is  erroneous. 
The  persons  named  were  those  that  made  the 
original  applications.  Some  of  the  lands  were 
taken  up  by  the  early  settlers.  Witness  the 
names  of  Evans,  Skinner,  Thomas,  Little, 
Smith,  Allen,  Hays,  Land,  and  others  in 
Damascus,  and  of  Seely,  Torrey,  Woodward, 
Brown,  Bingham,  Day,  Brink,  Ball,  Scudder, 
Moore,  Taylor  and  many  other  well-known 
names  in  other  parts  of  the  county.  The  law 
allowed  the  applicant  to  take  up  lour  hundred 
acres,  with  an  allowance  of  six  per  cent,  for 
roads,  but  in  consequence  of  inaccuracies  in  sur- 
veys, the  law  or  practice  of  the  land  depart- 
ment allowed  ten  per  cent,  surplusage.  After 
the  establishment  of  the  land-office  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Commonwealth,  many  persons 
were  deluded  by  the  belief  that  it  would  be 
profitable  for  them  to  take  up  a  tract  of  land 
for  their  own  use,  or  for  their  children,  or  for 
the  purpose  of  speculation.  But  lands  taken  up 
from  1780  to  1800  were  not  in  demand,  and 
could  not  be  sold  at  a  profit ;  and  many,  who,  at 
the  time  when  they  took  up  tracts,  designed  to 
settle  upon  them,  oil  a  view  of  the  hardships  to 
be  endured  in  a  region  destitute  of  mads, 
schools  and  churches,  were  deterred  from  car- 
rying their  original  designs  into  execution,  and 
at  last  sold  out  their  wild  possessions  to  the 
large  land-holders,  or  suffered  their  lands  to  be 
sold  for  taxes.  The  land  department  allowed 
applicants  to  take  uplands  without  paying  the 
purchase-money,  or  fees,  or  granted  warrants  on 
which  only  a  part  was  paid.  Such  lands,  being 
located,  surveyed  and  returned  by  the  deputy- 
surveyor,  were  subject  to  taxation,  and  liable  to 
be  sold  every  other    year   for  taxes.      Hundreds 


LAND  SYSTEM. 


107 


of  tracts  were  thus  sold  biennially.  Tn  the  be- 
ginning and  during  the  progressive  settlemenl 
of  the  county  the  greater  part  of  the  wild  lands 
wore  held  and  sold  by  large  land-owners.  Jason 
Torrey  was  the  agent  of  the  following-named 
persons  and  their  executors,  viz  :  Henry 
Drinker,  Thomas  Shields,  Edward  Tilghman, 
Mark  Wilcox,  Samuel  Baird,  L.  Hollingsworth, 
Win.  Bell,  heirs  of  James  Hamilton,  Thomas 
Stewardson,  (  reorge  Yaux,  Thomas  ( 'adwaladcr, 
Thomas  Astlcy  and  several  other  persons  not 
large  owners.  From  well-authenticated  evidence 
it  appears  that  Jason  Torrey,  who  was  a  native 
of  Williamstown,  Mass.,  came  into  Mount 
Pleasant  in  17!).'!,  when  scarcely  twenty  years 
of  age;  while  working  there  for  Jirah  Mumford, 
Samuel  Baird,  of  Pottstown,  Pa.,  came  to  Kel- 
Iogg's,  anil  at  once  apprehending  the  natural 
ability  of  the  young  man,  engaged  him  in  as- 
sisting to  survey  some  land  on  (lie  Lackawaxen 
and  some  other  parts  of  Northern  Pennsylvania. 
Samuel  Baird  was  the  deputy-surveyor  of  Lu- 
zerne ( Ymnty. 

"From  the  experience  thus  afforded  he  be- 
came an  expert  and  ready  surveyor.  The  land- 
holders named  committed  the  care  and  sale  of 
their  lands  in  Wayne  and  Pike  Counties  to  Mr. 
Torrey,  they,  however,  in  all  cases,  fixing  the 
prices  and  the  conditions  under  which  their  re- 
spective lands  should  be  sold.  Jason  Torrey 
knew  more  about  the  titles  and  the  location  of 
lands  in  Wayne  and  Pike  Counties  than  any 
man  then  living,  and  he  made  more  sales  than 
all  other  agents  combined.  He  compiled  and 
published  a  map  showing  by  numbers  the  loca- 
tion and  quantity  of  every  warrantee  in  Wayne 
and  Pike  Counties.  In  1827,  Torrey  gave  up 
the  agency  of  the  greater  part  of  the  lands  which 
had  been  committed  to  his  care,  and  it  was  given 
to  Henry  R.  Stilly,  who  was  a  relative  of  some 
of  the  large  owners,  and  came  from  Phil- 
adelphia to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  matters 
relative  to  the  surveys  and  sales,  and  spent  six 
years  in  the  office  of  Jason  Torrey  before  he 
became  familiar  with  the  manner  in  which  the 
business  had  formerly  been  done.  He  was 
dismissed  from  all  his  agencies  after  a  few- 
years,  and  in  1831,  John  D.  Taylor,  wdio  had 
been  a  clerk   in  the  office  of  General   Thomas 


('adwaladcr,  of  Philadelphia,  was  sent  to 
WayneCounty  to  take  the  agency  for  ('adwala- 
dcr and  several  others.  Mr.  Taylor  remained 
in  the  county  some  five  or  six  years,  attending 
to  the  duties  connected  with  his  agencies;  but, 
not  finding  the  business  satisfactory,  he  gave  it 
up  and  removed  from  the  county.  As  early  as 
1835  -"me  of  the  owners  placed  their  lands 
under  the  agency  of  John  Torrey,  of  Hones- 
dale,  and  after  the  removal  of  Mr.  Taylor, 
nearly  all  the  unsold  lands,  which  had  been 
under  Jason  Torrey's  care,  were  added  to  John 
Torrey's  agency. 

"The  Shields  lands,  in  Lebanon,  Oregon, 
Berlin  and  Damascus,  and  the  Manor  of 
Amsterdam  and  Rotterdam  were  run  north  10 
degrees  west  or  north  1 2A  degrees  west,  while 
the  lands  in  Salem,  North  Sterling,  in  most  of 
South  Canaan,  and  in  part  of  Cherry  llidgc 
were  run  north  •  ><>  degrees  west,  and  in  other 
parts  of  the  county,  in  divers  other  directions. 
Samuel  Baird  may  have  laid  a  few  warrants, 
but  George  Palmer,  as  before  said,  originally 
surveyed  and  located  most  of  the  lands  in 
Wayne  County,  and  his  work  was  well  done. 
Anthony  Crothers  was  his  successor.  It  is 
contended  that  he  never  came  into  the  county, 
and  that  all  his  pretended  surveys  were  made 
by  sub-deputies,  or  made  by  bis  own  fireside, 
and  were  called  '  chamber  surveys.'  At  any 
rate  there  were  many  of  them  found  to  be  very 
inaccurate.  The  north  assumed  by  the  original 
surveyors  was  not  the  true  polar  north,  but  had 
a  western  declination  therefrom  of  about  two 
and  a  half  degrees. 

"It  was  once,  if  it  is  not  now,  a  common  be- 
lief that  the  large  land-owners  realized  greai 
ft  irtunes  from  the  sale  of  their  wild  lands,  which 
was  not  the  case.  If  to  the  price  paid  for  the 
lands  were  added  the  yearly  taxes  for  forty  or 
fifty  years,  and  the  compensation  made  to  agents 
for  watching  them,  and  finally  surveying  and 
selling  them,  the  lands  cost  their  owners  more 
than  they  realized  from  them,  and  sometimes 
double.  Hon.  James  Wilson,  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  owned 
more  lauds  in  Wayne  County  than  any  other 
man.  He  died  in  1798,  and  his  lands  were 
sold  under  a  mortgage,  and   his  heirs  found  his 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


estate  diminished,  rather  than  enlarged,  hy  his 
land  investments. 

"  Judge  Wilson's  lands  upon  the  Paupack 
were  purchased  by  Samuel  Sitgreaves,  of  Eas- 
ton,  who  sold  them  to  the  settlers  at  a  very  low 
price.  Other  lands  taken  up  by  Wilson,  in 
Sterling,  Salem,  Canaan  and  other  parts  of  the 
county,  fell  into  the  hands  of  Thomas  Cadwal- 
ader  and  Edward  Tilghman,  of  Philadelphia. 
Henry  Drinker,  of  the  same  city,  owned  the 
most  of  the  lands  in  Dyberry  and  many  tracts 
in  Manchester  and  Buckingham. 

"  The  person  who  obtained  a  warrant  was 
called  the  warrantee.  Upon  paying  the  State 
treasurer  the  legal  price  of  the  land,  and  the 
office  fees,  $4.50,  the  warrant  was  sent  to  the 
county  surveyor,  whose  business  it  was  to  sur- 
vey the  land  within  six  months,  make  a  draft 
and  description,  and,  upon  being  paid  for  his 
services,  make  a  return  to  the  land  department. 
Then  the  warrantee,  upon  paying  $10  to  the 
land  department,  would  receive  a  patent  for  his 
land.  Then,  if  he  had  the  first  warrant,  the 
first  survey  and  the  first  patent,  the  title  was 
secure.  The  land  department,  for  many  years 
past,  has  required  the  applicant  for  a  warrant 
to  make  oath  before  a  justice  of  the  peace,  of 
the  proper  county,  touching  the  condition  of 
the  lands  as  to  its  improved  or  unimproved 
state,  and  proving  the  same  by  a  disinterested 
witness,  on  his  oath  made  before  two  justices  of 
the  peace.  The  act  of  April,  1850,  provided 
for  the  election  in  that  year,  and  every  third 
year  thereafter,  of  one  competent  person,  being 
a  practical  surveyor,  to  act  as  county  surveyor." 

By  1794  the  population  of  Northampton 
above  the  Blue  Mountains  had  so  increased 
that  the  people  began  ambitiously  to  seek  the 
erection  of  a  new  couuty.  The  first  effort  in 
this  direction  of  which  any  knowledge  is  at- 
tainable was  made  chiefly  through  the  ef- 
forts of  the  people  living  immediately 
north  of  the  mountains,  in  1794.  A  petition 
then  circulated  (the  date  only  being  preserved 
by  Francis  J.  Smith's  peculiar  custom  of  weav- 
ing day,  month  and  year  into  the  flourishes  of 
his  signature)  is  here  given. 

"  To  the  Honorable,  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives of  the  commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania. 


"The  petition  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Towamensing, 
Chestnut  Hill,  Hamilton,  Lower  Smithfield,  Mid- 
dle Smithfield,  Delaware,  Matlack  and  Upper  Smith- 
field  townships,  in  Northampton  County,  Most  Re- 
spectfully Sheweth 

"That  your  Petitioners  experience  a  grievious  & 
almost  unsupportable  inconvenience  from  crossing 
the  mountain  called  the  'Kittatiny  or  Blue 
Mountain'  &  traveling  at  every  Season  of  the 
year  to  attend  on  courts  of  Justice  as  Jurors, 
Witnesses,  &c, — some  of  your  petitioners  residing 
nearly  one  hundred  miles  distant  from  Easton,  the 
present  Seat,  of  Justice  of  Northampton  County. 

"That,  on  account  of  the  multiplicity  of  business 
in  the  courts  of  Justice,  causes  are  greatly  retarded 
&  Witnesses  &  Suitors  obliged  to  attend  every  Court 
for  two,  three  and  sometimes  four  or  more  years  before 
a  trial  can  be  had,  which  is  extremely  ruinous  to 
iln.se  citizens  who  are  thus  unfortunately  necessitated 
to  attend  at  the  very  great  Distance  which  most  of 
your  Petitioners  live  from  the  county  town,  or  place 
(if  transacting  couuty  business. 

"That  there  are  living  in  the  remote  parts  of  said 
county  upward  of  three  hundred  persons  who  ought 
to  be  Taxable,  but  who  have  never  yet  paid  any  taxes 
imr  performed  any  military  service,  all  of  whom  may 
be  made  good  &  obedient  citizens  &  many  more  may 
be  induced  to  become  improvers  of  the  unimproved 
lands,  amongst  us,  your  Petitioners,  if  the  disadvan- 
tages of  our  remote  situation  from  the  seat  of  Justice 
and  place  of  transacting  public  business  were  done 
away  with. 

"  Your  petitioners  therefore  earnestly  pray  and 
humbly  expect  that  the  advantages  of  an  influx  of 
settlers  on  the  unimproved  land  in  the  aforesaid  re- 
mote part  of  said  county,  the  civilization  of  upward  of 
three  hundred  families  already  within  the  remote  part 
of  said  county  A  added  to  this  the  serious  and  pecu- 
liar hardships  which  your  petitioners  are  continually 
exposed  to  on  account  of  the  great  length  of  bad  roads 
they  have  to  travel  to  the  present  metropolis  of  said 
county  &  on  account  of  the  unreasonable  delays  and 
enormous  expenses  they  are  frequently  exposed  to,  oc- 
casioned by  the  multiplicity  of  Business  and  their  re- 
mote situation  from  the  Seat  of  Justice  will  be  irre- 
fragable reasons  to  induce  the  Legislature  to  erect 
the  said  townships  into  a  separate  county  &  your  Pe- 
titioners pray  the  Honorable  Legislature  to  erect  the 
said  Townships  into  a  new  &  separate  county  and  to 
appoint  commissioners  to  ascertain  the  proper  place 
for  public  Buildings,  &c.  And  your  petitioners,  as  in 
duty  bound,  will  ever  pray,  &c. 


"  John  Starbird, 
James  Holliushead, 
Jacob  Stroud, 
John  Bush, 
James  Boys, 
James  Bush, 
( 'has.  MeNair, 


Peter  De  Cousard, 
Leonard  Full, 
John  Clark, 
Thomas  Ashton,  Jr., 
John  C.  Walfinger, 
Thomas  Scotland, 
Edward  Durham, 


FIRST  EFFORT  FOB  THE  ERECTION  OF  A  NEW  COUNTY. 


John  Huston, 
John  Fish, 
Abraham  Wirman, 
( iarnt  Brodhead, 
James  Bush,  Jr., 
Aaron  Depui, 
Peter  White, 

George  White, 
Alexander  Fleming, 
John  Law, 
Peter  Conrad, 
Levi  Courtright, 
.lames  V;im  I  lemark, 
Peter  Blue,  Jr., 
George  Heller, 
William  Drake, 
Franeis  J.  Smith, 
Daniel  Wheeler, 
John  Brodhead, 
Richard  Bush,  Jr., 


I  laniel  Shoemaker,  Jr., 
G.  Ganter, 

Garbor  Saubor, 
Moses  Chambers, 
Cornelius  Depuy, 
Nicholas  Mussel, 
John  Crissebark, 
1 

John  Carson, 
John  Dolman, 
John  Jayne, 
Joseph  I'ennell, 

Unbelt  Patterson, 
Abraham  Van  Camp  (en), 
Jacob  Brown, 
Samuel  Fleming, 
Richard  Shaw, 
John  De  Long,  Sr., 
Flias  Long." 


A  copy  of  the  foregoing  petition  and  presum- 
ably circulated  at  the  same  time,  is  among  the 
papers  collected  by  Luke  W.  Brodhead.  To  it 
are  appended   the  signatures  of  the  following 

persons: 


Jacob  Postens, 
Elias  Pierce, 
William  Thysham, 
Isaac  Seely, 
Abraham  Bennett, 
James  Shelby, 
Coenraught  Cline,  (Con- 
rad Kline?), 
Abraham  Salt'or, 
Peter  Delagruse, 
Daniel  Shoemaker,  Jr., 
John  Shaw, 

Richard  Shaw,  Jr., 
Aaron  Wood, 
George  Houser, 
J.  De  Long,  Jr., 
Elijah  Shoemaker, 
Samuel  Brodhead, 
George  Spragel, 
John  Morgan, 
David  Heller, 
Bart  Bartleson, 
J.  Heller, 
N.  Cornell, 

John  Tuck, 
Levi  Drake, 


John  Kurtz, 
Abram  Tilbury, 
Daniel  Williams, 
John  Van  Dermark, 
Daniel  Koons, 
Moses  Van  Dermark, 
John  Hauser, 
Christopher  Filker, 
Daniel  Britten, 
Isaac  Van  Norman,  >■ 
Frederick  Miller, 
John  Tilbury, 
M.  Montaine, 
Jacob  Williams, 
John  Swartwood, 
Francis  Al.  Smith, 
Thomas  Swartwood, 
Dirck  Van  Vliet, 
David  Casebeer, 
David  Williams, 
Wm.  Haines, 
John  Bush, 
Isaac  Winans, 
Jacob  Hendrickson, 
John  Gold, 

Jacob  La  Bar, 
Benj.  Schoonover, 


'These  blanks  represent  names  which 


Thomas  Hisem, 

David  Smiley, 

Philip  Long, 
John  Spencer, 
Mark  Ransberry, 
John  Gay, 
John'Lee, 
Thos.  Gay, 
J.  Smith, 

Wm.  A.  Patterson, 
Richard  Postens, 
John  Alexander, 
Samuel  Van  Norman, 
Fred'k.  Eishard, 
Nicholas  Bush, 
Charick  Van  Vleete(V 
Piatt  Smith, 
Abraham  Cousard, 

Ja s  Wathon. 

Sqnir  Marple, 
Derick  Tilbury, 


Thomas  Dillonselner, 

Jacob  Latin, 
Jacob  Winans, 
John  Staples, 
Jacob  Kirkendall, 
James  Titter, 
James  Wheeler, 
John  Smith,  Jr., 

Henry  Ransberry, 
.Toll n  Baker, 
Philip  Schafer, 

David  Fish, 

Isaac  Morgan, 
^       Benj.  Decker, 

Elijah  Montany, 

Philip  Moran, 
liet)Jacob  Brown,  Jr., 

I  laniel  Karlson, 


Abram  Smith, 
Joseph  Lee. 


It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  majority  of  the 
people  who  signed  this  petition — the  first  for  a 
new  county  north  of  the  mountains  of  which 
we  have  any  knowledge — were  the  last  of  all, 
between  the  present  line  of  Northampton  and 
the  boundary  of  New  York  State,  to  secure 
the  coveted  boon.  They  lived  in  that  region 
immediately  north  of  the  Blue  Mountains  which 
remained  attached  to  the  mother-county  for 
forty  years  later,  or  until  the  erection  of  Monroe 
County,  iu  1836. 

The  people  farther  north  were  more  fortunate, 
for  the  very  fact  that  they  were  so  far  removed 
from  the  seat  of  justice  gave  them  the  earlier 
benefit  of  a  separate  county  organization,  and 
thus  Wayne  was  brought  into  existence  on 
March  21,  1798, as  the  third  county  set  off  from 
old  Northampton.2 


1  These  blanks  represent  names  which  are  illegible. 

2  Northumberland  was  erected  in  1772,  Luzerne  in  1786. 
The  other  counties  of  which  Northampton  (erected  from 
Bucks  March  11,  1752)  was  the  original  mother  were  Sus- 
quehanna, erected  in  1810;  Schuylkill,  in  1811  ;  Lehigh,  in 
1812;  Pike  (from  Wayne),  in  1814;  Monroe  (from  Pike 
and  Northampton),  1836  ;  Wyoming,  1842  ;  Carbon,  1843. 


HISTORY    OF.  WAYNE    COUNTY 


CHAPTER   I. 

Civil  History — Erection  from  Northampton— County  Seat 
Removals— The  Celebrated  Court-House  War— County 
Officials,  1798-1885. 

The  county  was  named  in  honor  of  the 
celebrated  General  Anthony  Wayne — commonly 
known  as  "Mad  Anthony" — one  of  the  chief 
heroes  of  the  Revolution,  and  no  less  distin- 
guished as  the  vanquisher  of  the  Western  In- 
dians in  1794.  Wayne  was  born  at  East  Town, 
Chester  County,  Penn.,  January  1,  1745,  and 
died  at  Presque  Isle  (now  Erie),  December  15, 
179G.  He  was  buried  there;  but  in  1809  his 
remains  were  removed  to  Radnor  Church,  near 
Waynesborough,  Pcnn.  (vicinity  of  Philadel- 
phia), where  a  monument  was  erected  by  the 
Pennsylvania  .Society  of  the  Cincinnati. 

County  Erection — Contests  for  Seat 
of  Justice. — Wayne  County,  original  ly  embrac- 
ing all  of  the  territory  now  comprised  in  Wayne 
and  Pike  and  the  northern  part  of  Monroe,  was 
erected  by  an  act  of  Assembly  passed  March 
21, 1798,  in  which  its  boundaries  were  described 
as  "Being all  that  part  of  Northampton  County 
lying  to  the  northward  of  a  straight  line  from 
the  West  end  of  George  Michael's  farm  at  the 
River  Delaware,  in  Middle  Smith  field  town- 
ship, to  the  mouth  of  Trout  Creek  on  the  Le- 
high, adjoining  Luzerne  County."1 

( )f  the  trustees  named  in  the  act,  whose  duty 
it  was  to  fix  the  site  of  the  scat  of  justice  for 
the  new  county,  Samuel  Stanton  resided  in 
what  is  now  Mount  Pleasant  township,  near 
Belmont;  Samuel  C.  Seely,  in  what  is  now 
Milford;  Daniel   Stroud,  at   Stroudsburg,  and 


'  Smith's  Laws,  Vol.  III.,  pp.  316-319. 


A I  nam  Ham  and  John  Mulhallen  below  the 
mountains.  They  eventually  designated  Mil- 
ford  as  the  county  seat,  but  not  until  strong 
efforts  had  been  made  in  behalf  of  other  loca- 
tions. Stanton  was  represented  as  favoriug  the 
selection  of  Milford  because  he  wanted  to  bring 
about  the  organization  of  a  new  county,  to  in- 
clude the  northern  part  of  Wayne  and  north- 
eastern part  of  Luzerne  (now  Susquehanna),  in 
such  proportions  as  to  make  Mount  Pleasant 
the  approximate  centre,  and  thus  presumptively 
the  seat  of  justice.  As  an  inducement  to  the 
selection  of  Milford,  a  proposition  was  made 
by  John  Biddis  to  convey  to  the  trustees  grat- 
uitously fifteen  acres  of  land,  a  part  of  which  it 
wits  proposed  should  serve  as  a  site  for  the 
public  buildings,  and  the  residue  be  laid  out  in 
lots,  the  sale  of  which  should  aid  in  covering 
the  cost  of  such  buildings.  In  pursuance  of 
this  proposition  Biddis  executed  a  deed  bearing 
date  of  November  1,  1798,  by  which,  for  the 
nominal  consideration  of  one  dollar,  he  con- 
veyed to  the  trustees  fifteen  acres  of  land  in 
Milford;   but   the  deed  was  not  acknowledged 

until  January  16,  1799,  nor  entered  for  r id 

until  February  27,  1799,  one  month  before  the 
law  was  passetl  removing  the  seat  of  justice 
from  Milford. 

The  selection  of  Milford  had  greatly  dissatis- 
fied the  mass  of  the  residents  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county,  and  at  the  next  session  of 
the  Legislature  application  was  made  for  the 
passage  of  a  law  authorizing  a  change  of  the 
location.  Notwithstanding  the  strong  opposi- 
tion by  the  friends  of  Milford,  an  act  was 
passed  April  1,  1799,  declaring  that  from  and 
after  that  date  the  seat  of  justice  should  cease 
to  be  at  Milford,  and  that  the  courts  should  be 


OUTLINE      MAP 

WAYNE  COUNTY 


Corrected    bv 
&  Collins 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Ill 


held  at  Wilsonville1  "until  public  buildings 
should  be  erected  within  lour  miles  of  Dyberry 
Forks  "  (the  confluence  of  the  Dyberry  and  west 
branch  of  the  Lacka waxen,  in  the  present 
bounds  of  Honcsdale  borough).  The  trustees 
were  John  Hilborn,  of  Willingborough,  Lu- 
zerne County  (now  Harmony,  Susquehanna 
County),  John  S.  Rogers,  of  Mount  Pleasant, 
John  Bunting,  of  Canaan,  John  Brink,  of  Mil- 
ford,  and  Ebenezer  Jayne,  of  Middle  Smith- 
field.  They  obtained  a  connected  map,  showing 
the  Location  of  all  lauds  within  four  miles  of 
Dyberry  Forks,  with  the  names  of  the  several 

'  The  arguments  made  agaiust  the  removal  of  the  county 
seat  from  Milford  were  many  and  varied.  They  are  well 
summarized  in  the  protest  addressed  to  Governor  Mifflin 
by  a  number  of  Milford  lot-owners  who  lived  in  Philadel- 
phia, which  document  was  found  by  Dr.  William  H.  Egle 
among  the  State  papers  in  Ilarrisburg,  and  is  here  copied 
from  the  original : 
"His  Excellency  Thomai  Mifflin,  Esqr.,  Governor  «f  tlw  Stale 

of  Pennsylvania.     M<iy  it  j>lntse  !i<>nr  i'.i  rrlha r//. 

"  A  Bill  has  passed  both  Houses  of  the  legislature  of 
this  State  for  the  removal  of  the  Seat  of  Justice  from  the 
Town  of  Milford,  County  of  Wayne,  to  an  interior  spot  in 
the  County,  which  the  Subscribers,  proprietors  of  Lots  in 
said  Town  are  well  assured  is  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  a 
majority  of  the  Inhabitants,  and  that  the  removal  will  be 
of  essential  injury  to  the  local  Interests  of  the  county,  and 
to  the  growing  Commercial  connection  with  Philadelphia. 
They  beg  leave  to  state  their  reasons : 

"1st.  The  removal  of  the  Seat  of  Justice  from  Milford, 
where  the  Commissioners  first  fixed  it,  has  been  attempted 
thro  the  influence  of  a  very  few  proprietors  of  Land  in 
the  upper  district,  and  who  reside  in  this  City.  It  has  not 
even  been  wished  for  by  the  Inhabitants  of  that  District; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  a  remonstrance  has  been  presented 
from  a  considerable  number  of  them  agaiust  a  removal. 

"'2nd.  The  number  of  Inhabitants  in  the  lower  Town- 
ships, agreeably  to  the  statement  of  the  Assessors,  lately 
presented  to  the  Senate,  amounts  to  as  much  as  two  to 
one,  or  more,  against  the  removal. 

•'3rd.  The  Town  of  Milford  is  at  the  point  of  intersec- 
tion of  a  number  of  great  roads,  leading  from  the  eastern 
States  to  the  thickly-settled  parts  of  this  State,  and  is  ad- 
vantageously situated  for  Commerce  with  Philadelphia.  It 
has  been  considerably  improved  from  the  full  assurance  of 
the  Seat  of  Justice  being  fixed  there,  and  from  present 
appearances  will  be  much  more  rapid  in  its  advancement 
than  any  other  spot  in  the  County. 

"4th.  We  take  the  liberty  to  suggest  that  it  is  not  so 
much  the  central  situation  of  the  Town  in  the  County  that 
ought  to  influence  in  a  decision  upon  this  question,  as  the 
present  population  and  prospect ;  And  we  suffer  no  wrong 
in  asserting  that  the  advantages,  in  these  respects,  are 
greatly  in  favor  of  Milford. 

"  5th.  That  in  consequence  of  the  nomination  of  Milford 


owners  with  whom  they  communicated,  ashing 
for  statements  of  the  best  terms  on  which  they 
would  grant  a  site  for  a  county  seat  on  their 
respective  tracts.  The  titles  to  some  of  the 
tracts  within  the  prescribed  limits  were  in  dis- 
pute between  adverse  claimants,  so  that  a  clear 
title  could  not  at  once  be  given.  Replies,  with 
propositions,  were  received  from  mauy  of  the 
owners ;  lint  the  terms  of  two  were  so  much 
more  favorable  than  any  of  the  others,  that 
they  only  were  deemed  worthy  of  especial  con- 
sideration. One  of  these  was  from  Edward 
Tilghman,  of  Philadelphia,  proposing  to  give 


(by  the  Trustees)  as  the  Seat  of  Justice,  considerable  pur- 
chases have  been  made  of  Lots,  Contracts  entered  into  for 
buildings,  and  large  quantities  of  materials  purchased. 

••Gth.  That  such  have  been  the  spirited  and  generous 
exertions  of  the  Lot-holders  that  Subscriptions  to  the 
amount  of  upwards  of  4000  Dlls.  has  been  made,  and  the 
contract  entered  into  for  erecting  the  public  buildings  free 
of  any  Charge  or  Tax  on  the  County  in  respect  thereof. 

"  We  respectfully  submit  the  above  to  your  Excellency, 
and  earnestly  request  you  will  take  the  subject  into  your 
serious  consideration,  and  reflect  that  the  removal  of  tho 
Seat  of  Justice,  however  profitable  it  may  be  to  a  few  in- 
dividuals, will  be  a  very  serious  injury  and  inconceivable 
inconvenience  to  a  great  majority  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the 
County. 

"We  therefore  pray  that  we  may  be  heard  on  the  occa- 
sion. 


•  Robert  II.  Dunkin, 
John   Phillips, 
Rebecca  Learning, 
Wikoff  &  Harrison, 
Henry  Sparks,  Jr., 
Samuel  Dufrield, 
Conrad  Hause, 
Thomas  Proctor, 
William  Coats, 
William  Dean,  Jr., 
Tho.   Kennedy, 
Morda  Jones, 
Isaac  Jones, 
James  Whatcheall, 
Jas  Boyd, 

Anthony  Vanderslice, 
Henry  Vanderslice, 
Matheas  Iveeley, 
Joshua  Tyson, 
James  Simpson, 
Andrew  Eppli, 
Budd  &  Bartrarn, 
George  Marchley, 
John  Shee, 
II.  George  1,1. ..yd, 
Arch.  McCall, 
William  Lawrence, 


Isaao  Lloyd, 
James  Pant, 
Chris.  Wiltberger, 
William  Duncan, 
Caleb  Hughs, 
James  Hart,  - 
Joseph   Hint, 
William  Geisse, 
Elizabeth  Wiltberger, 
John  Mason, 
Job  Butcher, 
David  Callagban, 
William  Bourge, 
William  Lintau, 
Peter  Dolphin, 
Francis  Adames, 
John  N.  Ilagenan, 
George  Hugh, 
Benjamin  Johnson, 
Jesse  Shoemaker, 
John  Jarvis, 
Andrew  Young, 
John  Young, 
John  Baruet, 
Haul.  Miller, 
Melchoir  Laren, 
Elisha  Gordan." 


112 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


one  thousand  acres  of  land  for  a  site  for  public 
buildings  and  a  county  town,  to  be  located  on 
his  tract  between  Dyberry  Forks  and  the  set- 
tlement on  Cherry  Ridge.  This  was  consid- 
ered a  very  liberal  proposition;  but  it  was  no 
less  so  than  that  of  Henry  Drinker,  a  large 
landholder,  also  of  Philadelphia.  He  ottered 
one  thousand  acres  to  be  selected  by  the  trus- 
tees from  his  body  of  ten  thousand  acres  of 
laud  lying  between  Dyberry  Creek  and  the 
West  Branch  of  the  Lackawaxen.  With  his 
proposition,  lie  informed  the  trustees  that  cav- 
eats had  been  entered  in  the  Land  Office  against 
the  issuance  to  him  of  patents  for  his  land;  but 
he  was  assured  by  the  best  legal  counsel  that 
his  title  was  good,  though  it  would  require  a 
little  time  to  get  a  decision  of  the  Board  of 
Property,  who  were  then  hearing  the  ease,  and 
to  have  his  patents  issued.  This  proposition 
was  regarded  more  favorably  than  Mr.  Tilgh- 
man's, except  for  the  delay  required  to  have 
the  title  perfected. 

BkTIIANY    AS    THE    COUNTY     SEAT — FlBST 

Court-House. — After  waiting  until  Novem- 
ber, application  was  made  to  the  trustees 
by  Judge  Preston  and  others  to  proceed 
at  once  and  set  the  stakes  for  the  site  of  the 
court-house  on  Mr.  Tilghman's  land,  as  it 
was  urged  a  long  period  might  pass  before 
Mr.  Drinker  could  obtain  patents.  The 
trustees,  however,  reported  that  they  were  "  nut 
yet  ready  to  act."  Early  in  May,  1800,  Mr. 
Drinker  wrote  to  Judge  Preston  and  several 
others,  giving  information  that  the  Board  of 
Property  had  decided  against  all  the  objections 
made  to  his  title,  and  had  directed  that  patents 
should  be  issued  to  him  for  his  twenty-four 
tracts.  This  afforded  the  trustees  an  opportu- 
nity to  choose  between  the  two  most  favorable 
offers  made  to  them,  and  on  the  15th  of  May  they 
met  and  resolved  to  proceed  to  the  selection  of 
a  site  for  a  county-seat,  and,  accompanied  by 
Jason  Torrey,  whom  they  had  appointed  their 
clerk,  and  several  gentlemen  who  manifested 
a  deep  interest  in  their  decision,  and  some  of 
whom  decidedly  favored  the  Cherry  Ridge,  or 
Tilghtnan  location,  tiny  proceeded  to  view  the 
lands  offered  them,  and  subsequently  to  vote 
on  a  choice  between  the  two  sites  ;  Mr.  Jayne 


voted  in  favor  of  the  site  on  Mr.  Tilghman's 
land ;  Mr.  Brink  refused  to  vote,  and  Messrs. 
Hilborn,  Rogers  and  Bunting  (all  Friends  or 
Quakers)  voted  in  favor  of  the  site  on  Mr. 
Drinker's  land,  where  Bethany  now  is.  On  the 
next  clay,  May  16th,  the  trustees  selected  the 
precise  locality  for  erecting  a  court-house,  in 
the  unbroken  virgin  forest,  and  marked  it  by 
a  large  stake  driven  into  the  ground  at  a  point 
from  which  the  surface  sloped  gently  in  all 
directions,  except  the  northwest. 

On  the  2d  of  June  they  met  at  the  site 
selected  and  adopted  plans  for  a  court-house 
and  jail,  and  decided  upon  the  location  of  a 
public  square  and  the  courses  and  widths  of 
some  of  the  principal  streets,  in  accordance 
with  a  plan  for  a  town,  which  they  adopted, 
and  in  which  provision  was  made  for  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty-four  house-lots  and  one  hundred 
and  sixty-three  out-lots. 

Thus  the  beginning  was  made.  On  June 
10th  a  number  of  the  residents  of  the  neigh- 
boring settlements  assembled  and  put  up  a  log 
house  on  the  public  square,  to  be  used  as  a 
boarding-house  by  the  workmen  while  erecting 
the  public  buildings.  On  June  13th,  to  relieve 
themselves  as  a  body  from  attending  to  the 
erection  of  the  county  buildings,  the  trustees 
authorized  John  Bunting  and  John  »S.  Rogers 
to  act  for  them  in  superintending  the  building 
and  making  such  other  improvements  as  were 
deemed  advisable.  At  the  same  time  Jason 
Torrey  was  engaged  to  lay  out  the  town  and 
prepare  maps  of  it.  Mr.  Bunting  was  directed 
to  go  to  Philadelphia  and  obtain  money  and 
supplies  of  provisions,  nails,  etc.,  to  enable  them 
to  proceed  at  once  with  the  building  without 
waiting  for  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  lots. 
The  supplies  thus  procured  were  to  be  sent  to 
Easton,  by  boats  upon  the  Delaware,  and  from 
there  transported  in  wagons  to  their  destination. 
The  trustees  also  made  application  to  the  non- 
resident owners  of  land  located  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county  for  aid  in  paying  the  trustees 
named  in  the  original  act  erecting  Wayne 
County,  according  to  the  provisions  of  that  act.' 

1  Tlif  amount  raised  and  paid  to  the  former  trustees 
under     requirement    of    the    net    of    April    1,    1 7 '. ' '. I ,    was 

$871.58. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


113 


Advertisements  of  a  sale  of  lots  in  the  town 
of  Bethany,  for  thus  the  county-seat  was  named, 
were  sent  to  be  published  in  Philadelphia  and 
Easton  on  -June  LOth.  The  sale  was  to  corn- 
menceon  September  8th,  at  Wilsonville,  which, 
it  will  be  borne  in  mind,  was  the  temporary 
seat  of  justice. 

The  carpenters  began  hewing  timber  for  the 
frame  of  the  court-house  August  12th.  The  diffi- 
culty of  procuring  sawed  Lumber  was  so  great  (by 
reason  of  there  being  no  saw-mill  nearer  than  I  u- 
dian  <  Orchard,  ami  few  and  poor  roads  for  trans- 
porting it),  that  not  only  the  main  timbers  of 
the  frame,  but  the  studding  and  rafters  were 
also  hewn  upon  the  spot.  On  September  5th 
the  frame  of  the  court-house  was  raised  and  ii 
was  inclosed  before  winter.  It  was  one  and  a 
half  stories  in  height,  and  thirty  six  feel  in 
length  by  thirty-two  in  breadth.  As  lime  could 
not  lie  procured  for  plastering,  the  inner  walls 
and  ceilings  were  all  ceiled  with  pine  boards 
Work  was  all  done  by  the  day,  subsistence 
being  provided  by  the  trustees  tin- all  employees, 
as   there    were    no    houses  near  at  which  board 

could  be  obtained.     Co ion    laborers  received 

fifty  cents  per  day  and  board,  and  mechanics 
seventy-five  cents  to  oue  dollar  per  day,  with 
board. 

The  trustees  met  at  Wilsonville,  September 
8th,  and  duly  opened  the  public  sale  of  lots. 
They  had  a  map  of  the  town  of  Bethany,  drawn 
on  a  large  scale,  on  which  certain  lots  were 
designated  as  reserved  for  various  purposes. 
The  jail  lot  fronted  westwardly,  fifty  feet  on 
the  southeastern  corner  of  the  public  square. 
Three  lots  of  fifty  feet  front  each,  where  the 
Presbyterian  Church  now  is,  and  extending 
westward  from  the  Main  Street,  were  reserved 
for  church  lots.  Next  north  of  these,  ami,  like 
them,  three  hundred  feet  in  depth,  were  five  lots 
reserved  for  school  purposes.  With  these  ex- 
ceptions, die  lots  were  offered  to  the  highest 
bidder.  The  sales  were  continued  from  time  to 
time,  until  the  aggregate  amount  of  money  re- 
ceived reached  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
thirty-six  dollars,  one  hundred  and  thirty-three 
house-lots  and  one  hundred  and  one  out-lots 
being  purchased  by  about  seventy  persons^  at 
prices  ranging  from  a  few  cents  to  twenty -seveu 


dollars  each.  Among  the  first  purchasers  were 
John  Brodhead,  John  Conkiin,  Reuben  Skin- 
ner, ( Jeorge  Parkinson,  Thomas  Shields,  Thomas 
Potts,  Thomas  Moore  Edwards,  John  Ross, 
Daniel  Stroud,  Theodore  Woodbridge,  L.  Col- 
lins, Jason  Torrey,  Jesse  Drake,  Oliver  Tyler, 
Moses  Tyler,  Thomas  15.  Dick,  William  North- 
rip,  Jacob  Schoonover,  Edward  London,  Leon- 
ard Labar,  John  Connett,  .1.  Conkwright, 
( Ihristopher  Snyder,  William  Barnes,  John  Hil- 
born,  John  Bunting.  Samuel  Stanton,  Daniel 
Skinner,  Moses  Brink,  Nathan  Skinner,  Mor- 
decai  Roberts,  Isaac  Prink,  Abraham  Bickley, 
Henry  Drinker,  William  Williams,  Philip 
Culp,  Lliphalet  Kellogg,  Samuel  Preston  and 
Daniel  Stevenson. 

A  deed  from  Henry  Drinker,  dated  August 
30,  1800,  conveying  to  the  trustees  999  acres, 
lot!     perches,    was    received    and  entered.      The 

conveyance  was  specified  as  made  to  the  trus- 
tees, "in  trust  for  the  use  of  the  county  of 
Wayne,  and  upon  the  further  trust  that  they 
shall  lay  out  said  tract  in  proper  town  and  out- 
lots,  and  convey  to  the  county  commissioners 
such  of  said  lots  as  they  shall  fix  on,  for  the 
purpose  of  erecting  a  court-house,  jail  ami  of- 
fices for  the  sate  keeping  of  the  records,  and  sell 
at  public  auction  so  many  of  the  lots  as  they 
may  sec  proper,  and  appropriate  the  money  re- 
ceived for  the  purpose  of  erecting  the  necessary 
buildings — and  for  no  oilier  -purpose  whatso- 
ever" 

A  jail  building  and  residence  for  the  sheriff 
or  jailor  was  erected  upon  the  lot  provided  for 
that  purpose  in  the  summer  and  autumn  of 
1801.  It  was  nearly  square,  thirty-two  by 
thirty-six  feet,  and  a  story  and  a  half  in  height. 
It  was  constructed  of  hewed  timber,  ten  inches 
square  and  laid  up  like  the  logs  in  a  cabin. 
There  were  two  small  prisons  upon  the  ground- 
floor,  and  the  remainder  of  that  floor  and  the 
chambers  were  for  the  convenience  of  the 
jailor's  family.  The  walls  and  floors  of  the 
prisous  were  constructed  of  ten-inch  hewed  tim- 
ber and  covered  inside  with  seasoned  hard  wood 
plank,  securely  spiked  to  the  timbers.  In  the 
rear  of*  and  adjoining  the  prison  building  was  a 
prison-yard,  about  thirty-five  feet  square,  one 
side  of  which  was  formed  by  the  building,  and 


114 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.   PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  other  three  of  hewed  timbers,  set  upright 
in  the  ground,  dowelled  together  and  standing 
ten  feet  above  the  surface,  with  t lie  tops  of  the 
timbers  armed  with  barbed  and  pointed  spikes. 

In  the  second  floor  of  the  court-house  two 
rooms  were  partitioned  off  for  county  offices, 
one  of  which  was  for  the  use  of  the  county  com- 
missioners and  treasurer  and  the  other  for  the 
prothonotary  and  register  and  recorder.  The 
lower  floor  was  entirely  occupied  by  the  court- 
room, except  a  small  vestibule  and  a  stair-way 
to  the  offices. 

The  buildings  were  so  far  completed  at  the 
time  of  the  September  term  of  court  in  1  SO  1 
that  the  trustees  gave  notice  to  the  county 
commissioners  and  the  judges  that  they  were 
ready  for  the  accommodation  of  the  court  ;  but 
the  judges  declined  to  remove  the  courts  and 
offices  to  Bethany  "  until  lawfully  assured  thai 
the  buildings  were  completed." 

This  action  of  the  judges  indicated  a  dis- 
position to  prevent  the  removal  and,  if  neces- 
sary, to  raise  technical  objections;  therefore, 
to  carry  out  more  completely  the  duties  imposed 
upon  them,  the  trustees,  on  the  2d  of  January, 
1802,  executed  and  delivered  to  the  county 
commissioners  a  deed  conveying  to  them  and 
their  successors  the  public  square,  including  the 
court-house  upon  it,  the  jail  lot  and  jail. 

The  motive  for  refusing  to  hold  the  courts  at 
Bethany  soon  became  apparent.  At  the  next 
session  of  the  Legislature  an  application  was 
made  to  have  them  moved  back  to  Mil  ford  and 
there  to  remain  permanently  ;  another  to  have 
them  alternately  held  at  Milford  and  Wilson- 
ville,  in  connection  with  which  was  a  proposi- 
tion to  have  annexed  to  Wayne  County  a 
portion  of  Luzerne  which  is  now  included  in 
Susquehanna.  The  latter  bill,  as  before  the 
Legislature  contemplated  to  annex  to  Wayne 
that  part  of  Luzerne  east  of  a  line  extending 
from  the  twenty-eighth  milestone  on  the  New 
York  State  line,  southward  ten  miles,  and  then 
southeast  about  thirty  miles  to  the  line  of 
Wayne.  This  proposed  annexation  was  in 
accordance  with  a  plan  devised  and  advocated 
by  Samuel  Stanton,  and  was  to  be  followed,  if 
it  was  successful,  by  an  act  erecting  a  new 
county  with  Mount  Pleasant  central  within   it, 


in   order   that   it   might  be  made  the  county- 
seat.1 

The  annexation  scheme  entirely  failed.  The 
people  of  the  northern  townships  strongly  re- 
monstrated against  the  removal,  urging  the 
great  injustice  it  would  involve,  as  they  had 
been  required  by  act  of  Assembly  to  repay  the 
moneys  expended  by  former  trusties,  and  also 
the  moneys  paid  to  those  trustees  for  lots  in 
Milford  sold  by  them  at  auction — and  they  had 
actually  paid  the  sum  of  $871.58.  They  pro- 
tested, further,  that  the  present  trustees  had, 
under  authority  of  the  Legislature,  sold  and 
conveyed  a  great   number  of  lots   in  Bethany, 


1  Apropos  of  this  scheme,  the  following  petition  for  the 
erection  of   "Hebrok"  County  is  of  interest.     It  is  un- 
dated) : 
"To  the  honourable  the  Legislature  of  the  Commonwealth 

of  Pennsylvania,  in  General  Assembly  now  sitting. 

"The  Petition  of  the  Subscribers,  Inhabitants  of  the 
northeastern  parts  of  Luzerne  County,  that  adjoins  the 
County  of  Wayne,  most  humbly  sheweth  : 

"That  your  Petitioners  are  greatly  agrieved  with  the 
distance  they  have  to  travel  to  the  Seal  of  Justice  at 
Wilkesbarre,  in  which  distance  the  Roads  are  very  rough 
and  mountainous,  being  also  iutersepted  with  the  two 
large  Streams  of  Tunckhannunk  and  Lackawana,  over 
which  there  is  no  Iiridges  erected;  that,  the  said  Streams, 
unless  in  tinfes  of  very  low  Water,  are  not  fordable,  by 
which  reason  your  Petitioners,  if  Summoned  to  Court  as 
Suitors,  Witnesses  or  Jurors,  cannot  attend  at  times  of 
high  Water,  and  are  thereby  debared  the  Priveledge  of  the 
Courts  of  Justice. 

"And  inasmuch  as  we  understand  that  the  Six  upper 
Townships  of  Wayne  County,  as  they  are  seperated  from" 
their  Seat  of  Justice  by  an  extensive  Barren  from  thirty 
to  forty  Miles  wide,  are  about  praying  your  honourable 
Body  to  redress  their  Grievances  by  erecting  the  said  six 
Townships  north  of  the  Barrens  into  a  seperate  County, 
that  they  may  have  their  Seat  of  Justice  in  a  central  Situ- 
ation,— 

"We,  therefore,  most  humbly  pray  your  honourable 
Body  that  we  may  be  annexed  with  the  said  six  upper 
Townships  of  Wayne  County  into  a  seperate  County,  by  a 
Line  begiiiing  where  the  Koad  from  Sheholy  to  Lackawana 
crosses  the  County  Line,  &  riming  thence  North  forty-five 
Degrees  West,  untill  it  strikes  the  State  Line,  may  be  the 
division  Line  between  us  and  Luzerne  County,  and  that 
the  new  County  may  be  called  Hebron,  and  that    George 

Palmer   ,\    Daniel   Sti .1,    Esq's,  of  Northampton   County, 

and  Samuel  Preston  &  Thomas  Sheilds,  Lsc|>«,  of  the 
County  of  Wayne,  and  John  Tyler,  of  Luzerne  County, 
may  be  the  Commissioners  appointed  by  Law  to  perform 
the  customary  duties  of  establishing  the  Seat  of  Justice, 

"And  your  Petitioners,  in  duty  bound,  shall  ever  pray.'' 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


115 


and  had  expended  in  improvements  and  the 
construction  of  public  buildings  over  $4500. 
The  Legislature  was  convinced  it  would  not 
be  right  or  constitutional  to  make  the  perma- 
nent removal  which  had  been  asked  for;  but, 
on  the  5th  of  April,  1802,  an  ad  was  passed 
providing  for  a  temporary  removal,  viz.,  that 
the  seat  of  justice  should  from  that  date  he 
transferred  from  Bethany  to  Milford,  and  the 
courts  held  at  Milford  "for  three  years,  and  no 
longer." 

While  this  act  nominally  removed  the  courts 
from  Bethany,  it  really  removed  them  fromWil- 
sonville,  for  none  had  been  held  at  the  former 
place,  owing  to  the  refusal  of  the  judges  to  go 
there,  as  has  been  heretofore  stated. 

Three  of  the  judges  resided  mar  Milford, 
and  the  re-location  of  the  seat  of  justice  there 
was  not  displeasing  to  them.     The  May  term 

of  tin urts  in  1802  was  held   there.      By  the 

terms  of  the  act  of  April  5,  1802,  the  aci  of 
April  1,  1799,  by  which  the  seat  of  justice  was 
located  at  Bethany,  was  suspended  for  three 
years,  and  thus  the  trustees  were  prevented 
from  making  any  more  sales  of  lots  during 
that  time,  to  raise  funds  for  reimbursing  them- 
selves for  what  they  had  advanced  or  had  procured 
from  others  to  put  the  buildings  in  readiness 
for  occupancy.  They  and  their  friends  suffered 
considerable  embarrassment.  To  relieve  them  in 
some  measure  from  their  unfortunate,  but  not 
blamable,  predicament,  the  Legislature  passed 
an  act  February  11,  1803,  authorizing  the 
county  commissioners  to  settle  the  accounts  of 
the  trustees  and  pay  them  whatever  balance 
was  found  i\uv,  to  them,  and  also  to  receive  a 
conveyance  from  them  of  all  the  unsold  lots  in 
Bethany  and  to  sell  the  same  for  the  benefit  of 
the  county.  In  accordance  with  this  provision, 
the  trustees,  on  the  9th  of  May,  BSD.'!,  executed 
a  deed  conveying  to  the  commissioners  one 
hundred  and  twenty  house-lots'and  sixty-two  out- 
lots  in  Bethany,  being  all  not  previously  sold. 
From  this  time  the  powers  of  the  trustees  were 
vested  in  the  commissioners,  who  sold  at  various 
times,  for  the  benefit  of  the  county,  all  of  the 
lots  conveyed  to  them  except  those  reserved  as 
church  and  school  lots,  eight  in  all,  which,  on 
September  10,  1810,  were  conveyed  in  trust  to 


trustees  to  serve  as  sites  for  a  house  of  worship 
and  a  school-house. 

The  residents  of  the  northern  part  of  the 
county  and  those  wdio  had  purchased  lots  and 
built  in  Bethany  indulged  the  hope  that  at 
the  expiration  of  the  "  three  years  and  no  longer  " 
for  which  the  courts  were  removed  to  Milford, 
they  would  be  transferred  to  the  place  prepared 
for  them  without  further  opposition.  They 
were  removed,  but  not  till  after  the  friends  of 
Milford  had  made  a  strong  struggle  to  retain 
them.  In  the  winter  of  1804-5  the  opponents 
of  Bethany's  interests  made  another  application 
to  the  Legislature,  asking  that  the  courts  should 
be  continued  permanently  at  Milford.  This  was 
again  strongly  remonstrated  against  by  the  resi- 
dents of  the  northern  pari  of  the  county  and 
the  friends  of  Bethany,  and  so  many  members 
of  the  Assembly  were  convinced  that  it  would 
not  only  be  unjust,  but  unconstitutional,  that 
the  measure  was  defeated  by  a  large  majority. 

The  "  three  years  and  no  longer  "  having  ex- 
pired, before  the  time  for  the  May  court  in  1805, 
that  term  was  held  in  Bethany  on  the  6th  of 
the  month,  and  was  the  first  court  ever  held 
there.  Judges  Biddis  and  Brink  occupied  the 
bench.  As  the  carpenters  were  engaged  in  fin- 
ishing some  details  of  their  work  in  the  court- 
room, the  courts  were  held  for  the  first  day  in 
the  large  east  room,  in  the  house  of  Jason  Tor- 
rey,  but  after  that  the  court-room  was  used. 
The  progress  of  affairs  was  now  smooth  enough 
tor  about  four  years.  Then  the  people  of  the 
lower  part  of  the  county  made  another  effort  to 
wrest  away  little  Bethany's  pride  and  prop. 
They  applied  to  the  Assembly  to  have  the  seat 
of  justice  removed  to  some  locality  near  the 
territorial  centre  of  the  county.  This  was  op- 
posed not  only  by  the  citizens  of  the  northern 
townships,  but  by  many  at  and  near  Milford, 
but  their  opposition  availed  nothing,  for  on  the 
19th  of  March,  1810,  an  act  was  passed,  entitled 
"  An  act  for  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  justice  of 
Wayne  county  from  Bethany  to  a  place  at  or 
near  the  centre  of  said  county."  l 

Under  authority  of  this  act,  the  Governor  ap- 
pointed as  commissioners,  to   fix  on  the  exact 


Smith's  Laws,  Vol.  v.  pp.  125-127. 


116 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


location,  Jeptha  Arrison,  James  Clyd  and  Abra- 
ham Levan.  These  commissioners  made  their 
report,  dated  August  21  and  22,  1810,  in 
which  they  say  they  "  have  fixed  on  the  cleared 
field  west  of  the  house  commonly  called  '  Bloom- 
ing Grove  House,'  and  situated  on  a  tract  of 
land  called  'Blooming  Grove  Farm,'  owned  by 
Nicholas  Kern  and  Henry  Spering,  as  a  fit, 
proper,  central  and  convenient  place  for  the  site 
of  the  scat  of  justice  for  the  county  of  Wayne." 

They  also  reported  that  they  had  received  fr 

Kern   and   Spering  a  conveyance  to  tli m- 

missioners,  in  fee-simple,  of  thirty  seven  town- 
lots,  including  the  site  for  the  court-house,  in 
the  town  of  Blooming  Grove,  laid  out  on  the 
cleared    field    alluded   to;  and   also   a   bond  for 

the  payment,  to  tl immissioners,  of  the  sum 

of  four  hundred  dollars — one-half  to  he  paid 
when  the  court-house  should  he  under  roof  and 
the  other  half  when  it  should  he  finished.  The 
place  thus  selected  was  where  the  old  road  from 
Milford  to  the  Paupack  settlement  crossed  the 
Blooming  Grove  Greek,  and  is  within  the 
present  limits  of  I 'ike  ( lounty. 

The  location  was  unsatisfactory  to  a  large 
majority  of  the  citizens  of  the  county,  and  ar- 
rangements were  made  to  give  a  distinct  expres- 
sion to  their  dissatisfaction  at  tin1  genera]  elec- 
tion the  next  October.  The  opponents  to  re- 
moval put  in  nomination  for  county  commis- 
sioner Ahisha  Woodward,  known  to  he  opposed 
to  the  removal,  and  the  advocates  of  such  re- 
moval put  in  nomination  a  candidate  known 
to  he  in  its  favor.  The  campaign  was  ener- 
getically conducted  on  both  sides,  and  resulted 
in  a  victory  for  the  opponents  of  the  removal 
scheme,  by  a  very  large  majority.1 

The  commissioners  met  on  October  30, 
1810,  Moses  Thomas  and  George  W.   Nyce,  of 


1  Jason  Torrey,  in  a  letter  to  li  is  parents,  dated  October 
14,  1810,  says:  "  The  strife  in  our  election  for  a  commis- 
sioner just  held,  was  especially  governed  by  the  opinion  of 
the  people  respecting  the  seat  of  justice.  The  county  elec- 
tion has  just  been  canvassed  and  the  result  declared,  show- 
ing that  we  succeeded  by  a  majority  of  more  tlian  tiro  i„  ,, tu- 
rn electing  a  commissioner  opposed  to  the  removal — hence 
we  feel  safe  that  no  public  money  will  he  spent  for  erecting 
public  buildings  at  that  place" — i.e.,  Blooming  Grove, 
which  lie  writes  "has  been  the  solitary  residence  of  a 
single  family,  in  a  poor  log  house,  for  over  thirty  years." 


the  old  hoard,  being  present,  and  Ahisha  Wood- 
ward, the  new  commissioner  elected  to  succeed 
Dan  Dimmick,  Esq.,  whose  term  had  expired, 
being  sworn  in,  a  full  hoard  was  effected.  Ap- 
plication was  made  urging  the  board  to  levy  a 
tax  for  a  building  fund  to  erect  public  buildings 
at  Blooming  Grove,  and  claiming  that  by  the 
provisions  of  the  act  providing  for  the  removal 
of  the  seat  of  justice  they  were  required  to  do 
so.  After  deliberation  they  adopted  and  placed 
on  their  record  the  following  carefully  prepared 
minute  and  resolution  in  answer  to  the  applica- 
tion : 

"  At  a  full  meeting  of  the  board  they  proceeded  Co 
examine  the  act   of  Gen'  Assembly  passed  al    last 

session   for  the  removal   of  the   seat   of   Justice   from 

Bethany  to  Blooming  Grove,  &  utter  carefully  and 
attentively  perusing  the  whole  Act,  they  cannot  Bud 
any  provision  therein  which, by  positive  expression  or 
line  construction,  enjoins  on  them  a  duty  to  levy  a  tax 

upon    the   County    at   the  present  time   &    under    the 

present  circumstances,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting 
public  buildings  at  1'.'  Grove. 

"The  com1  believe  that  the  Act  was  passed  by  the 
beg.  under  a  reliance  upon  the  sufficiency  of  grants 
which  would   be  made  to  the  County  to  cover  all,  or 

at  least  a  principal  part,  of  the  espouses  which  would 
occur  to  the  I'u.  in  consequence  of  a  removal  of  the 
seat  of  Justice.  They  believe  that  the  duties  en- 
joined on  them  by  the  4th  Sec.  of  the  Act  have  a 
special  allusion  to  an  appropriation  of  the  monies  to 
be  divided    under  the   provisions    of   the  2d    anil    .".il 

Sections  j  and  that  the  liberty  granted  by  the  fifth  Sec. 

to  levy  a  tax  for  the  purposes  therein  mentioned  was 
mainly  intended  as  a  provision  against  any  casual 
deficiency  of  the  other  funds,  and  to  secure  a  means 
of  fulfilling  engagements  which  might  he  made  in  ex- 
cess of  funds  to  discharge  them.  But  they  cannot 
believe  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Leg.  that,  in 
case  of  a  general  failure  of  the  provisions  of  the  2d 
.'id  &  4th  (sections,  that  the  liberty  granted  in  the  5th 
Sec.  should  he  construed  as  a  mandate,  and  (hat  the  rate 
of  taxation  which  has  been  so  much  complained 
of  as  grievous,  and  which  has  so  frequently  produced 
a  severity  of  treatment  to  Treasurers,  Collectors  .\; 
Commissioners,  should  be  increased  by  an  addition  of 
\  of  its  amount,  and  be  continued  until  the  excess 
shall  produce  a  fund  adequate  to  the  expense  of  the 
public  buildings.  This  opinion  the  Com™  consider 
to  he  strongly  supported  by  the  whole  tenor  of  the  Act 
as  well  as  by  a  reference  to  other  acts  for  fixing  the 
seat  of  Justice  in  new  counties.  IheComra'  believe 
that  if  the  finances  of  the  County  were  in  a  condition 
to  warrant  the  measure,  they  might  with  legal  pro- 
priety proceed  to  the  levying  and  collecting  of  monies 
as  a  fund  for  erecting  public  buildings,  and  as  soon  as 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


:t  sufficient  fund  should  be  thus  collected,  that  they 
might  proceed  to  the  application  thereof  to  that  pur- 
pose; but  while  the  County  is  annually  subjected  to 
a  heavy  tax,  without  being  able  to  discharge  its  just 
and  necessary  expenditures,  which,  after  the  most 
vigorous  exertions  in  collecting  taxes,  there  remain 

many  orders  on  the  treasury  unpaid,  while  the  | r 

juror  and  laborer  is  compelled  from  his  necessities 
t<>  sell  his  hard-earned  wages  to  some  speculator 
at  a  discount  of  from  twelve  to  twenty-five  pei  cent.; 
while  the  traveler  is  put  in  jeopardy  h\  the  failure 
of  bridges  the  Co.  wants  funds  to  repair;  and  while, 

with  the  best    efforts   and   the  strictest    ecoi y,   the 

Commr'are  able  hut  gradually  to  retrieve  the  credit 
of  the  County,  they  cannot  consider  that  there  are 
any    existing    circumstances    or   advantages    to  tin' 

County   which    would  result    from    forcing  a   fund    for 

the  ereeti f  public  buildings  at    1'..  Grove  which 

would  hear  any  comparative  weight  in  counterbalanc- 
ing the  evils  which  would  necessarily  follows  pursuit 

of  the  measure. 

"Therefore,  Resolved  that  they  do  not  levy  a  tout  ih< 
ensuing  year  far  (he  purpose  >>f  erecting  public  building) 
ui  Blooming  Grove." 

Affairs    <>k    Wayne    am>    Pike.  —  No 

effort  of  any  moment  was  made  to  remove  the 
county-seat,  from  Bethany  to  the  southern  pari 
of  the  county,  alter  the  foregoing  action  of 
the  commissioners ;  but  those  who  had  been  in 
favor  of  Milford  began  to  urge  in  a  more 
friendly  manner  those  who  had  stood  by  Beth- 
any to  consent  to  a  division  id'  the  comity  a.s  a 
measure  which  would  accommodate  each  section 
with  a  county-seat,  and  put  an  end  to  further 
contest  and  rivalry  between  them.  In  1813 
many  of  the  friends  of  Bethany,  after  consider- 
ing the  matter,  assented  to  having  application 
made  at  the  next  session  of  the  Assembly  for  a 
division  of  Wayne  County  and  the  erection  of 
a  new  county  from  its  southern  portion.  It 
was  agreed  that,  if  the  people  of  Milford  and 
the  surrounding  region  should  ask  for  such  new 
county,  to  be  bounded  northerly  by  the  Lacka- 
waxen  River,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Wallenpau- 
pack  Creek  and  up  that  creek  to  the  forks  of 
the  west  and  south  branches  thereof,  and  up  the 
west  branch  thereof  (which  now  divides  Salem 
and  Sterling  townships)  to  the  line  of  Luzerne, 
the  inhabitants  of  the  region  remaining  in 
Wayne  would  not  oppose  the  application  for 
division.  But  before  the  time  for  the  Legisla- 
ture to  act  had  arrived,  the  advocates  of  the  new 


county  ami  of  Milford's  interests  desired  a 
change  in  the  proposed  boundary,  so  that  a 
new  county  should  extend  up  the  Delaware 
to  the  "  Big  Eddy,"  and  then  be  bounded  by  a 
straight  line  to  the  mouth  of  the  Wallenpau- 
pack  Creek  and  thence  up  that  stream,  as  before 
proposed.  They  argued  that  such  increase  of 
river-froni  would  leave  Milford  equidistant,  in 
direct  lines,  from  the  northern  and  southern 
boundaries  of  the  new  county,  while  by  going  no 
further  up  the  Delaware  than  to  the  Lackawaxen 
River,  Dingman's  would  be  very  nearly  equi- 
distant from  these  boundaries,  and  that  place 
might  be  advocated  as  the  site  id' the  county-seat. 
The  men  acting  for  the  northern  part  of  Wayne 
consented  to  having  the  new  county  extend  up 
the  Delaware  to  Big  Eddy,  provided  the  divi- 
sion line  should  follow  the  south  branch  of  the 
Walleiipaupaik  to  the  North  and  South  road, 
and  thence  extend  west  to  the  line  of  Luzerue 
(  ountv. 

This  differed  from  the  boundary  first  proposed 
in  that  it  gave  to  Wayne  all  of  Sterling  town- 
ship, as  that  township  was  originally  erected, 
in  exchange  for  that  pari  of  Pike  County  lying 
north  of  the  Lackawaxen,  and,  considering  the 
quality  of  the  lands,  it  was  then  considered  an 
exchange  advantageous  to  Wayne,  though  it 
made  the  form  of  Wayne  rather  too  long  for  its 
breadth. 

The  Assembly,  on  March  2G,  1814,  passed 
an  act, containing  twenty-three  sections,  entitled 
"  An  act  erecting  a  part  id'  Wayne  County  into 
a  separate  county."  Some  of  the  provisions  of 
that  act  which  pertain  directly  to  Wayne  County 
are  here  given. — ' 

Section  I  provided  "that  all  of  that  part  of  Wayne 
County  lying  south  and  east  of  a  direct  line  from  the 
lower  end  of  Big  Eddy,  on  the  Delaware  River,  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Walleiipaupaik  Creek,  and  thence  up 
the  same  to  the  main  forks  thereof,  thence  up  the 
south  branch  to  where  the  most  southerly  branch 
crosses  the  North  and  South  road,  and  from  thence  due 
west  to  the  line  of  Luzerne  County,  be,  and  the  same 
is  hereby  declared  to  be  erected,  into  a  new  county, 
henceforth  to  he  called  Pike." 

Section  ">  provided  that  taxes  heretofore  levied  on 
property  in  Pike,  and  unpaid,  may  be  collected  by  the 
commissioners  of  Wayne  County. 

1  For  i  In.-  full  text  of  the  act,  see  History  of  Pike  County, 
('banter  I. 


118 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Section  6  required  (he  commissioners  of  Wayne  to 
make  out  a  statement  by  the  second  Monday  of  No- 
vember (1814),  showing  the  amount  due  on  taxes 
theretofore  levied,  and  the  amount  of  money  in  the 
treasury,  and  from  the  sum  of  these  to  deduct  the 
amount  of  debts  owing  from  the  county,  and  to  pay 
one-half  of  the  surplus  thus  found  to  the  treasurer  "I 
Pike  County,  the  payment,  however,  to  he  made  no 
faster  than  the  taxes  should  be  collected. 

Section  '.1  authorized  John  K.  Woodward  to  run 
and  mark  the  line  between  the  two  counties,  com- 
mencing on  the  second  Monday  of  September,  at  the 
Big  Eddy,  and  running  from  thence  according  to 
the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  the  act.  His  com- 
pensation was  fixed  at  three  dollars  per  day,  with  the 
necessary  expenses,  to  lie  paid  out  of  the  treasury  of 
Wayne  County. 

Section  Id  enacted  that  where  the  division  line 
divided  a  township,  the  part  thereof  which  remained 
in  Wayne  should  be  a  separate  township,  ami  the 
part  in  Pike  a  separate  township,  each  to  retain  its 
original  name  until  altered  by  the  court. 

Section  14  required  the  Governor,  after  the  1st  of 
June  following,  to  appoint  three  commissioners  tn  fix 
on  a  site  for  a  seat  of  justice  for  Pike  County,  as  near 
the  centre  as  circumstances  would  allow. 

"  Provided,  however,  that  if  the  inhabitants  of  Mil- 
ford,  and  others,  shall,  before  said  1st  of  June,  sub- 
scribe and  pay  in,  or  give  security  for  payment 
thereof,  to  the  commissioners  of  Wayne  County,  a  sum 
not  less  than  $15(10  for  the  use  of  the  county  of  Pike, 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  public  buildings,  then  the 
'  Centre  Square '  in  the  town  of  Milford  shall  be  the 

site  for  the  seat  of  justice  ;  and,  in  that  case,  the  < - 

missioners  aforesaid  shall  not  be  appointed." 

Section  15  provided  that  in  order  that  the  county 
of  Wayne  shall,  as  nearly  as  may  be,  bear  one  hall 
the  expense  of  erecting  public  buildings  in  Pike, 
equal  to  those  in  Bethany,  the  commissioners  of 
Wayne  should  direct  their  treasurer  to  pay  over  to 
the  treasurer  of  Pike,  in  four  equal  instalments,  the 
sum  of  $1750. 

Sections  L9,  20  and  21  authorized  and  required  the 
sheriff  of  Wayne  to  keep  the  Pike  County  prisoners 
for  three  years,  or  until  a  jail  should  have  been 
erected  in  Pike  County. 

Section  22  required  the  commissioners  of  Wayne 
to  deliver  to  the  commissioners  of  Pike  all  maps, 
charts, records  and  papers  which,  of  right,  belonged 
to  Pike. 

The  first  section  of  the  act,  which  defines  the 
boundaries  of  Pike  County,  was  in  accord  with 
the  understood  wishes  of  the  citizens  of  both 
counties,  but  the  provisions  of  the  fifteenth  sec- 
tion requiring  Wayne  to  pay  to  Pike,  to  cover 
one-half  the  cost  of  erecting  as  good  public 
buildings  in  Pike  as  those  at  Bethany,  the  sum 


of  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
(estimating  the  value  of  the  old  court-house  and 
jail  at  three  thousand  live  hundred  dollars),  was 
considered  by  intelligent  people  of  Wayne  as 
very  unjust.  They  agreed  that,  even  if  the 
buildings  had  been  wholly  erected  with  funds 
raised  by  taxation,  of  which  the  citizens  and 
property  of  Pike  had  paid  one-half,  the  sum  of 
one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars, 
as  an  estimate  of  one-half  their  present  value, 
was  unreasonable,  because  the  old  shell  of  a  court- 
house and  log  jail  did  not  originally  cost  any- 
thing like  the  value  (three  thousand  iht-  hun- 
dred dollars)  now  put  upon  them,  although 
erected  when  there  was  great  difficulty  in  trans- 
porting materials,  and  that  better  buildings 
could  then  (1814)  be  erected  either  at  Milford 
or  Bethany  for  one  thousand  dollars.  And  they 
argued  further,  that  the  buildings  were  origin- 
ally erected  in  Bethany  without  the  use  of  any 
funds  voluntarily  contributed  by  residents  of 
the  new  county  of  Pike,  or  of  funds  raised  by 
taxation,  of  which  Pike,  as  an  integral  part  of 
Wayne,  had  paid  her  full  share,  but  that  the 
entire  cost  of  those  buildings  had  been  derived 
directly  fr property  donated  as  a  considera- 
tion for  having  the  seat  of  justice  established  at 
Bethany,  and,  therefore,  the  people  of  the  new 
county  had  no  equitable  claim  to  any  part  of 
the  present  value  of  those  old  buildings.  This 
reasoning  did  not  prevent  the  passing  in  Assem- 
bly of  the  manifestly  unjust  clause  of  the  act, 
and  Wayne  was  required  to  pay  the  one  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

The  statement  of  assets  and  liabilities  of  the 
original  Wayne  County,  required  by  section  six 
of  the  act,  as  made  by  the  commissioners  of 
Wayne,  showed  a  balance  of  assets  in  excess  of 
liabilities  of  $6960.  One-half  of  this  sum,  de- 
ducting losses  and  expenses  of  collection,  was 
to  be  paid  to  Pike,  and  that  county  received,  as 
fast  as  collected,  $2950, 

The  injustice  of  the  financial  provisions  of 
the  new  county  enactment  are  illustrated  by  the 
fact  that,  in  addition  to  the  foregoing  $2950, 
Wayne  was  obliged  to  pay  Pike  $1 7.ri0,  thus 
providing  her  with  a  fund  of  $4700,  and  being 
left  with  $2950,  less  $1750,  or  only  $1200, 
including  taxes  levied   but  not  yet  collected,  to 


WAYNE  COUNTY, 


pay  the  expenses  of  the  county  until  the  taxes 
for  1815  could  be  collected.1 

That  portion  of  the  division  line  between  the 
counties,  exclusive  of  that  constituted  by  the 
Wallenpaupack,  was  run  and  marked  by  John 
K.  Woodward  in  September,  181  1,  as  provided 
for  in  section  nine  of  the  act.  He  tirsl  ran  a 
line,  without  marking  it,  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Wallenpaupack  to  the  Delaware,  at  Big  Eddy, 
to  enable  him  to  calculate  the  true  bearing 
between  the  two  designated  points,  and  then 
commenced  at  the  lower  end  of  Big  Eddy  and  ran 
and  marked  a  line  on  a  course  of  S.  31°  15'  W., 
a  distance  of"  ten  miles  and  twenty-three  rods  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Wallenpaupack.  Then  lie 
ran  a  line  from  where  the  old  North  and  South 
road  '-'  crossed  the  most  southerly  affluent  of  the 
south  branch  of  the  Wallenpaupack  in  what 
was  then  called  "  the  twelve  mile  woods,"  and 
ran  and  marked  a  line  on  a  course  due  west,  a 
distance  of  seven  miles  and  ninety-two  rods,  to 
the  Lehigh  Creek,  which  was  there  the  boundary 
between  Luzerne  and  Wayne  Counties. 

The  erection  of  Pike  took  from  Wayne  all 
of  the  townships  of  Middle  Sniithtield  and 
Upper  Smithlield,  and  all  of  Delaware  except 
what  afterwards  became  the  south  half  of  Ster- 
ling, nearly  all  of  Lackawaxen  and  the  larger 
part  of  old  Palmyra  and  Salem,  the  line  so 
dividing  these  two  townships,  however,  as  to 
leave  sufficient  territory  in  each  county  for  a 
separate  township,  and  they  retained  their  orig- 
inal names  in  accordance  with  section  ten  of  the 
act.  The  part  of  Lackawaxen  left  in  Wayne 
contained  about  six  thousand  acres,  all  unseated 
land.  This  was  attached  to  and  became  a  part 
of  Dyberry  township.  There  was  also  a  small 
triangle  of  about  two  thousand  acres  of  unseated 
laud  taken  into  Pike  from  the  southeastern 
corner  of  Dyberry  and  attached  to  Lackawaxen 
in  Pike.  The  portion  of  Delaware  left  in 
Wayne  was  attached  to  Salem. 

The  area  of  Wayne  was  thus  reduced  from 


1  [u  addition  to  the  £4700  paid  1'ikc  by  Wayne,  the  citi- 
zens of  Milfoi'd,  to  secure  the  location  of  the  county-seat, 
were  required  to  pay  at  least  $1500,  and  thus  the  new 
county  secured  a  building  fund  of  $0200.     Voracious  Pike  ! 

2 This  old  North  and  South  road  was  nearly  one  hundred 
rods  west  of  the  present  old  turnpike  road. 


about  loot)  square  miles  (the  estimated  area  as 
originally  erected)  to  about  7i!'_'  square  miles, 
its  estimated  present  area;1 

The  population  of  the  original  Wayne  ( iounty 
in  1810  was  U25,  and  in  1820,  with  Pike  off, 
it  was  4127,  while  that  of  Pike  was  2849.* 

The  valuation  of  Wayne  after  the  erection  of 
Tike,  including  land  and  other  ratable  prop- 
erty, as  ascertained  from  the  tax-list,  was 
$529-,788.50.  The  average  value  of  land  was, 
according  to  the  assessment  of  L81  1,  $1.1 1  per 
acre. 

The  public  buildings  at  Bethany  had  fairly 
well  served  the  purposes  tor  which  they  were 
intended,  hut  in  less  than  a  year  after  the  sever- 
ance of  Pike,  Wayne  County  was  left  without 
a  prison,  the  old  log  jail  being  burned  on  Janu- 
ary '.!•'!,  1815— Monday  of  court  week.  The 
immediate  provision  of  a  temporary  prison  was 
necessary,  and  arrangements  were  therefore  made 
with  D.  Wilder  to  have  two  small  rooms 
strongly  partitioned  off,  adjoining  anil  in  the 
rear  of  the  bar-room  in  his  public-house,  to  use 
as  a  prison  until-  a  better  could  be  provided. 
Prisoners  were  kept  in  the  "  Wilder  Jail,"  as  it 
was  commonly  called,  until  some  time  in  the 
following  year.  On  January  25th  (two  days 
alter  the  lire)  the  commissioners  met  the  grand 
jurors  and  consulted  them  as  to  the  propriety  of 
building  a  new  court-house,  also  of  build- 
ing a  jail  to  supply  the  loss  of  the  old  one. 
It  was  decided  that  one  juror  from  each  town- 
ship should  meet  the  commissioners  the  next 
day,  to  consult  further  on  that  matter,  but  the 
minutes  do  not  show  that  they  did  so.  <  )n  the 
.">lst  of  January,  Commissioners  Spang  and 
King  were  appointed  a  committee  to  visit 
Montrose,  and  procure  a  sketch  of  the  building 
erected  there  in  1813,  comprising  a  court-house, 
county  offices,  jail  and  residence  for  the  jailer's 
family  (the  cost  of  which,  as  stated  in  the  "  His- 
tory of  Susquehanna  County,"  was  $4500. 

3  The  total  area  of  Wayne  County  after  division  was 
originally  computed  at  o.VJ.N  10.22  acres,  the  proportion  of 
first-rate  land  being  to  the  entire  area  as  1  to  2320.  A 
later  report  made  by  Jacob  S.  Davis  estimated  the  area, 
including  the  allowance  of  six  per  cent,  for  roads,  at 
462,615  acres.  ■ 

1  United  States  t 


120 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


The  new  county  building  project  progressed 
favorably.  On  the  8th  of  February,  1815,  the 
commissioners  again  met,  and  after  careful  de- 
liberation decided  to  erect  a  new  court-house 
and  jail  in  one  building,  including  also  a  jailer's 
residence  ami  rooms  for  the  county  offices.  A 
plan  was  adopted  and  notice  given  of  the  time 
and  place  for  the  public  letting  of  the  contract 
for  the  building.  (The  date  fixed  does  nol  ap- 
pear in  the  minutes.)  When  the  proposals  were 
received,  Joseph  Miller,  of  Bethany,  was  de- 
clared the  "lowest  and  best  bidder,"  and  a 
contract  was  drawn  and  executed,  by  which  he 
agreed  to  furnish  the  materials  and  erect  and 
finish  the  building  complete  in  all  its  parts. 
Miller  commenced  his  work,  but  was  so  far  lie- 
hind  with  his  contract  in  March,  1*17,  that  an 
entry  was  made  in  the  records,  censuring  him 
very  severely  lor  his  delay.  This  action,  how- 
ever, appears  to  have  had  hut  very  little  effect, 
for  in  1818  he  was  again  the  subject  of  criti- 
cism, and  in  1820  the  commissioners  despairing 
of  bringing  him  to  terms,  made  an  agreement 
by  which  the  work  should  be  completed  by 
another  contractor,  and  the  building  was  event- 
ually finished.  There  still  remained  an  anxiety 
concerning  the  safety  of  the  public  records,  and 
soon  after  the  completion  of  the  court-house  a 
contract  was  entered  into  with  Manning  &  Tor- 
rey  for  the  erection  of  a  lire-proof  building 
on  the  public  square,  in  Bethany,  the  upper 
story  of  which  was  to  be  fitted  up  as  a  residence 
at  the  discretion  of  the  contractors,  and  occupied 
as  they  might  see  lit,  free  of  rent,  so  long  as 
$1450  out  of  the  $1(15(1,  which  they  were  to 
receive  for  the  building,  remained  unpaid.  The 
location  of  the  building  was  staked  out  on  the 
28th  of  March,  1823,  and  its  erection  carried 
on  according  to  contract.     It  is  still  standing. 

Early  Townships. — The  act  of  Assembly 
erecting  Wayne  County  mentions  the  townships  of 
Middle  Smithfield,  Delaware,  Upper  Smithfield 
and  Matlack  as  then  existing  within  its  hounds. 
No  full  record  of  the  origin  of  the  first  three  of 
these  has  been  found. 

W.  H.  II.  Davis,  of  Doylcstown,  in  his"  His- 
tory of  Bucks  County,"  says, — "  The  earliest 
settlement  in  Bucks  County,  north  of  the  Le- 
high, was  in  Smithfield  township,  now  in  Mon- 


roe County;"  and  that  "the  first  attempt  to 
organize  Smithfield  was  in  174(i." 

"  in  June,  1746,  the  inhabitants  petiti id  for 

a  township  to  begin  at  a  gajt  in  the  mountain 
where  the  Delaware  river  ruus  through,  & 
from  thence  five  or  six  miles,  on  a  North  & 
by  \\ 'est  course;  from  thence  to  the  North  corner 
of  Christoffel  Denmark's  plantation;  &  thence 
with  a  straight  line  to  the  river  Delaware; 
>v  thence  tin'  several  courses  thereof  to  place  of 
beginning."  <  >n  the  hack  was  endorsed,  '  Plan 
next  (  'oiirt,'  and  no  further  record  is  found  con- 
cerning it." 

In  June,  1748,  another  petition  for  a  town- 
ship was  made  by  the  inhabitants  of  Dansbury 
and  Smithfield,  describing  its  hounds  as  "To 
extend  from  the  river  Delaware,  along  the 
.Mountain,  to  a  <  rap  in  the  same  ;  thence  North- 
erly to  a  large  Creek  commonly  called  Bushkill, 
and  down  the  same  to  the  Delaware,  &  to  the 
place  of  beginning." 

The  township  was  ordered  to  he  laid  out,  hut 
no  further  record  is  found  concerning  it. 

In    December,   1750,  Daniel  Brodhead  and 

others  petitioned  for  a  township,  "  to  he  hounded 
by  the  Bushkill  on  the  South,  to  which  Creek 
there  is  the  grant  of  a  township,  by  Delaware 
on  the  East,  and  by  lands  belonging  to  the 
lion.1  the  Proprietaries  on  the  North  and 
West."     The  petitioners  set  forth  that  they  are 

the   remotest    livers    from    the  honorable  c 't. 

The  application  was  held  under  advisement  and 
no  further  record  concerning  it  is  found. 

Thereafter  the  township  of  Upper  Smithfield 
appears  among  the  townships  of  Bucks  (  'ounty 
until  the  county  of  Northampton  was  erected, 
which  included  it. 

After  such  erection  of  Upper  Smithfield  the 
township  south  of  the  Bushkill  became  known 
a-  Lower  Smithfield.  Delaware  township  ap- 
pears in  the  list  of  Northampton  County  town- 
ships continuously  after  17(i(i,  hut  the  record 
of  its  erection  cannot  lie  found. 

In  1794  Middle  Smithfield  was  erected  fr 

the  north  part  of  Lower  Smithfield.  The  fol- 
lowing is  extracted  from  the  court  records  of 
Northampton  County  concerning  its  erection  : 

"On  1'2"'  Aug.,  1794,  Sam1.  C.  Seely,  John  Biddis, 
&  Hugh  Foreman,  who  were  appointed  by  the   Court 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


121 


at  April  Sessions  last,  upon  the  petition  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  upper  district  of  Lower  Sinithfield  Town- 
ship commissioners,  to  view  the  said  Township,  & 
report  whether  it  would  be  expedient  to  divide  the 
same,  and  if  so,  in  what  manner,  made  report:  'That 
a  division  is  highly  necessary, — that  the  division  line 
being  at  the  mouth  of  John  Van  Camp's  Mill  Creek, 
and  that  the  Creek  he  the  line,  until  it  runs  up  to  the 
tail  race  of  said  Van  Camp's  Grist  mill,  and  up  said 
Race  until  it  strikes  the  West  end  of  the  Mill ;  thence 
from  the  Westmost  corner  of  the  Mill,  a  direct  line 
until  it  reaches  the  Saw-Mill  late  the  property  of 
Wm.  Wills,  Esq.;  thence  a  due  Northwest  coarse  until 
it  intersects  the  Northern  line.' 

"  Which  report  was  read  &  confirmed  by  the  Court 
Aug.  12,  1794,— November  11th,  1704,  the  Court 
named  the  Township  so  cut  off  Middle  Sinithfield." 

By  the  act  erecting  Wayne  County,  Middle 
Sraithfield  township  was  divided,  and  the  part 
thereof  set  off'  to  Wayne  was  to  retain  the  original 
name,  Middle  Sinithfield. 

The  western  boundaries  of  all  the  foregoing 
townships  were  left  very  indefinite  when  they 
were  first  erected,  but  before  the  erection  of 
Wayne  County,  Middle  Sinithfield,  Delaware 
and  Upper  Sinithfield  were  all  understood  as  ex- 
tending westward  to  the  line  of  Luzerne  County. 

Of  the  erection  of  Matlack  township  no 
record  can  be  found,  nor  any  knowledge  ob- 
tained as  to  its  exact  location.  Its  territory, 
however,  was  covered  by  the  six  new  townships 
erected  at  the  first  court  in  Wayne  in  1798. 

Middle  Smithfield,  as  it  existed  when  Wayne 
County  was  erected,  extended  from  the  Delaware 
River  to  the  Luzerne  County  line,  with  an  aver- 
age width  of  about  five  and  a  half  miles,  being 
bounded  southward  by  Northampton  County 
and  northward  by  Delaware  township.  Its 
boundaries  remained  unaltered  while  it  was  in 
Wayne  County. 

Delaware  township  also  extended  from  the 
Delaware  River  to  the  Luzerne  County  line.  It 
was  bounded  south  by  Middle  Sinithfield;  east 
by  the  Delaware  River,  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Bushkill  Creek  to  the  lower  end  of  Minisink  Is- 
land, some  three  miles  below  Milford ;  north  by  a 
line  from  the  Delaware  River  at  the  lower  end 
of  that  island,  on  a  course  of  about  north  eighty- 
five  degrees  west  to  the  line  of  Luzerne  County. 
In  1807  or  1808  the  western  half  of  Delaware 
township  was  set  off' and  formed  part  of  Salem, 


then  erected.  No  other  alteration  in  its  bound- 
aries was  made  while  it  continued  to  be  part  of 
Wayne. 

Upper  Smithfield,  as  originally  erected,  in- 
cluded all  the  settlements  in  and  near  the  Dela- 
ware Valley  north  of  Middle  Smithfield,  but  its 
northern  and  western  bounds  were  indefinite.  As 
settlements  were  extended  north  and  west,  the 
bounds  of  the  township  were  understood  also  t«> 
extend  so  as  to  include  all  such  settlements  east 
of  Luzerne  until  it  covered  all  of  the  present 
counties  of  Wayne  and  Pike. 

With  the  movements  for  the  erection  of  Mat- 
lack  its  limits  seem  to  have  been  so  diminished 
as  to  leave  only  that  part  of  its  former  territory 
which  lay  southeastward  of  Shohola  Creek, 
though  no  court  record  of  such  change  can  be 
found.  Its  territory  conformed  to  such  reduced 
boundaries  so  long  as  it  remained  part  of  Wayne 
County. 

Erection  of  the  Six  Northern  Town- 
ships.— At  the  first  court  in  Wayne  County, 
in  September,  1798,  a  petition  with  twenty-five 
signers  was  presented,  viz.: 

"To  the  Hon1.  Jacob  Rush  and  the  associate  judges 
of  Wayne  County:  We,  the  subscribers,  inhabitants 
of  the  northern  part  of  this  county,  desire  your  hon- 
ors to  take  into  consideration  the  very  great  incon- 
venience that  must  arise  to  the  inhabitants  in  taking 
assessments  for  taxation,  and  transacting  all  town 
business,  by  reason  of  our  part  of  the  county  not 
being  made  into  townships  of  a  moderate  size.  There- 
fore, we  hope  your  honors  will  direct  the  part  of  the 
county  north  and  west  of  Shohola  Creek  be  made 
into  six  townships,  according  to  the  enclosed  plan  of 
this  part  of  the  county." 

The  prayer  of  the  petitioners  was  granted, 
and  an  order  made  "  that  Samuel  Stanton, 
Eliphalet  Kellogg,  Nathan  Skinner,  Mordecai 
Roberts,  Jr.,  and  Hezekiah  Bingham,  Jr.,  or 
any  of  them,  be  authorized  to  run  the  lines  of  a 
tract,  beginning  at  the  Delaware  River,  where 
the  New  York  State  line  intersects  said  river, 
thence  along  said  line  to  the  line  of  Luzerne 
County,  and  thence  along  the  same  according  to 
a  plan  of  the  same  filed,  marking  all  the  trees 
with  four  notches  on  each  side.  The  same  to  he 
laid  oil'  in  townships  and  named  respectively 
Buckingham,  Mount  Pleasant,  Damascus,  Pal- 
myra, Canaan  and  Lackawaxen." 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  plan,  said  to  lie  filed,  cannot  now  be 
found,  but  from  other  maps  and  documents  of 

early  date  it  is  evident  it  was  as  follows  : 

First.— A  line  was  drawn  from  the  western  bend  uf 
the  Delaware,  near  the  mouth  of  "RoekRun,"  west 
to  the  line  of  Luzerne.  The  territory  north  of  this 
line  was  to  form  Buckingham  township. 

Second. — A  second  line  parallel  to  the  above  was 
drawn  from  the  Delaware  near  the  lower  end  of  Big 
Eddy  to  the  line  of  Luzerne,  being  about  eleven  and 
a  half  miles  south  of  the  line  of  Buckingham.  This 
was  to  form  the  southern  boundary  of  Damascus  and 
Mount  Pleasant. 

Third.— A  third  line  was  drawn  from  a  point  in  the 
south  line  of  Buckingham  eight  miles  cast  of  the  line 
of  Luzerne  (parallel  to  the  county  line),  southward  to 
Delaware  township  line.  This  third  line  was  to  be 
the  eastern  line  of  Mount  Pleasant  and  Canaan,  and 
the  western  line  of  Damascus  and  Palmyra. 

Fourth. — A  fourth  line  (following  the  "  Hilborn 
Road")  was  drawn  from  the  south  line  of  Damascus 
southward  to  the  northern  line  of  Delaware  township. 
This  was  to  form  tin-  eastern  boundary  of  Palmyra  and 
the  western  boundary  of  Lackawaxen  township. 

The  persons  appointed  by  the  court  to  run  the 
lines  were  none  of  them  experienced,  accurate 
surveyors,  and  their  lines  were  not  so  run  as  to 
conform  precisely  to  the  plan  given.  Mount 
Pleasant  was  run  out  by  Samuel  .Stanton, 'and 
was  probably  first  located.  Damascus  was  after- 
wards run  by  another  surveyor,  and  the  northern 
and  southern  lines  of  the  two  townships,  instead 
of  meeting  at  the  same  point,  were  so  run  that 
the  western  corners  of  Damascus  were  near  half 
a  mile  south  of  the  eastern  corners  of  Mount 
Pleasant.  The  south  line  of  Mount  Pleasant 
passed  a  very  little  north  of  the  late  residence 
of  Asa  Stanton,  and  the  four  townships  of 
Mount  Pleasant,  Canaan,  Palmyra  and  Da- 
mascus all  cornered  within  one  and  a  quarter 
miles  of  the  Bethany  public  square. 

Following  is  an  explanation  of  the  bounda- 
ries of  each  of  the  six  northern  townships, 
with  the  changes  made  in  them  before  1815  : 

Lackawaxen  was  bounded  north  by  Damas- 
cus, east  by  Delaware  River  and  Upper  Smith- 
field,  south  by  Delaware  township  and  west  by 
Palmyra. 

In  the  erection  of  Pike  County  in  1814,  all  of 
this  township,  except  about  six  thousand  acres  in 
the  northwest  part,  was    set  off  to  Pike  County. 


The  part  which  remained  in  Wayne  was  at- 
tached toDyberry. 

Buckingham  was  bounded  north  by  the  north- 
ern line  of  the  State,  east  by  the  Delaware 
River,  south  by  Damascus  and  Mount  Pleasant 
and  west  by  the  western  line  of  the  county. 

Its  territory  was  diminished,  in  1807  or  1808, 
by  the  addition  made  to  Mount  Pleasant ;  in 
1821,  by  the  erection  of  Scott;  and  in  1826,  by 

tl rectiou    of  Manchester.      Thus  depleted,  it 

is  left  with  an  area  of  only  about  thirty-eight 
square  miles. 

Damascus  was  bounded  north  by  Bucking- 
ham, east  by  Delaware  River,  south  by  Lack- 
awaxen and  Palmyra  and  west  by  Mount 
Pleasant.  Its  territory  was  diminished  nearly 
one-half  (from  its  western  portion)  by  part  being 
included  in  Dyberry,  erected  in  1803,  and  by 
Lebanon,  erected  in  1819. 

Mount  Pleasant  was  bounded  north  by  Buck- 
ingham, cast  by  Damascus,  south  by  Canaan 
and  west  by  the  western  line  of  the  county.  In 
L803  its  southeastern  part  was  detached  to  form 
part  of  Dyberry  then  erected;  and  in  1807,  or 
1808  its  southern  boundary  was  removed  near 
five  miles  farther  north,  and  at  the  same  time 
its  northern  boundary  was  also  removed  a 
like  distance  north,  thus  giving  to  it  the  same 
amount  of  territory  as  when  first  erected. 

(  'anaun  as  originally  erected  was  bounded 
north  by  Mount  Pleasant,  cast  by  Palmyra, 
south  by  Delaware  township  and  west  by  the 
western  line  of  the  county. 

In  1803  part  of  its  territory  in  its  north- 
eastern corner  was  made  part  of  Dyberry,  then 
erected;  and  in  1807  or  1808  all  that  part 
south  of  an  east  and  west  line,  crossing  the 
North  and  South  Road  at  Middle  Creek 
(Shaffer's),  was  detached  to  form  part  of  Salem, 
then  erected.  At  the  same  time  its  northern 
boundary  was  removed  about  five  miles  north  so 
as  to  be  on  a  line  with  the  northern  line  of 
Dyberry  township. 

Palmyra  when  first  erected  was  bounded 
north  by  Damascus,  east  by  the  Hilborn 
Road,  which  was  the  west  boundary  of  Lacka- 
waxen, south  by  township  of  Delaware  and 
west  by  Canaan.  The  erection  of  Dyberry  in 
1803,  took  five  miles  in  breadth  from  the  north- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


123 


era  end  of  Palmyra;  and  by  the  erection  of 
Pike  County,  in  1814,  all  that  part  of  the  town- 
ship cast  of  the  Wallenpaupack  was  included 
in  Pike,  and  became  Palmyra  in  Pike. 

Townships  Subsequently  Erected.— 
Dyberry  was  erected  at  September  court,  180:5, 
from  the  townships  of  Damascus,  Palmyra, 
Canaan  and  Mount  Pleasant. 

Its  northern  and  southern  boundaries  were 
parallel  east  and  west  lines,  one  of  which 
was  five  miles  west  of  the  south  line  of  Damas- 
cus, and  the  other  five  miles  south  of  the  Da- 
mascus line.  The  south  half  of  its  eastern 
boundary  was  the  "  Hilborn  Road,"  and  the 
other  half  was  a  line  bearing  north,  twelve  and 
a  half  degrees  west,  from  a  point  in  the  south 
line  of  Damascus,  about  half  a  mile  west  of  the 
''  Hilborn  Road,"  extended  to  a  point  five  miles 
north  of  the  south  line  of  Damascus,  and  its 
western  boundary  was  the  eastern  line  of  the 
large  tract  of  land  called"  Ells  Forest  Tract," 
and  an  extension  of  those  lines  northward  and 
southward  to  the  extent  of  the  township.  As 
thus  formed,  it  was  about  ten  miles  square. 

By  the  erection  of  Pike  County  in  1  Si  1  about 
nine  square  miles  of  the  northwestern  part 
of  Lackawaxen  township  was  left  in  Wayne 
County.  This  part  was  subsequently  added  to 
Dyberry  township.  Its  territory  lias  since  been 
greatly  diminished  by  the  erection  of  the  bor- 
ough of  Bethany  in  1821,  the  township  of 
Berlin  in  1826,  the  township  of  Clinton  in 
1834,  and  subsequent  additions  thereto;  and 
the  township  of  Texas  in  1837. 

Salem  township  was  erected  at  November 
court,  1807,  or  January  court,  1808.  (The 
court-record  not  found).  Its  original  bounda- 
ries included  that  part  of  Canaan  south  of  an 
east  and  west  line  crossing  the  old  North  and 
South  Road  at  Middle  Creek,  and  also  that 
part  of  Delaware  township  westward  of  a  line 
drawn  from  the  north  line  of  Delaware,  at  the 
Hilborn  Road,  to  the  south  line  of  Delaware  at 
the  old  road  leading  from  Salem  to  Coolbaugh's, 
on  the  Delaware  River.  By  the  erection  of  Pike 
County  all  that  part  of  Salem  lying  east  of  the 
Wallenpaupack  Creek  was  included  in  Pike. 
But  the  small  part  of  Delaware  township  which 
was  then  left  in  Wayne  was  added  to  Salem  in 


Wayne.  It  has  since  been  largely  reduced  in 
area  by  the  erection  of  Sterling  in  1815,  and 
other  townships  subsequently. 

Early  Finances  of  the  County. — A 
brief  glance  at  the  financial  condition  of  Wayne 
County  during  the  early  years  of  its  existence, 
and  the  difficulties  that  its  officials  had  to  con- 
tend with  to  keep  the  machinery  of  its  organ- 
ization in  motion,  is  in  order  before  a  view  of 
the  circumstances  leading  to  the  change  in  the 
location  of  the  county  seat  and  the  erection  of 
new  public  buildings. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  Wayne 
County,  as  originally  organized,  including,  in 
addition  to  its  present  territory,  all  of  Pike  and 
a  portion  of  Monroe,  had  a  population  only 
equal  to  that  of  an  average  township  of  to-day, 
and  the  region  now  Wayne  County  contained 
but  about  eight  hundred  people,  of  whom 
Buckingham  had  110;  Canaan,  183;  I>amas- 
cus,  145;  Mount  Pleasant,  188,  and  Palmyra, 
179.  Such  a  mere  handful  of  people,  scattered 
over  a  large  area  (if  rough  country,  in  which 
there  were  few  roads  for  reaching  the  markets 
with  the  little  produce  they  had  to  spare  from 
their  limited  tillable  acres,  found  the  burden  of 
taxation  entailed  upon  them  by  the  expenses  of 
the  new  county  a  heavy  one  to  bear.  The  first 
auditor's  report  was  presented  December  26, 
1799,  by  Jason  Torrey  and  John  II.  Seheuck. 
It  was  generally  complimentary  to  the  commis- 
sioners, and  the  few  errors  which  had  been 
committed  were  excused  in  view  of  the  crude 
state  of  public  business  in  the  county  and  the 
lack  of  experience  on  the  part  of  the  officers. 
The  commissioners  were  mildly  censured  for 
having  allowed  the  attorney-general  to  over- 
draw his  account  ;  but,  in  other  respects,  the 
board  was  praised  for  the  correctness  of  their 
accounts  and  the  economy  of  their  disburse- 
ments. The  report  was  accompanied  with  the 
apologetic  statement  that  the  auditors  "  having 
had  to  proceed  without  precedents,  and  the 
business  of  the  commissioners  being  equally 
new  to  them,  the  examining,  comparing  and 
reducing  the  accounts  to  a  settlement  was  ren- 
dered irksome,  and  could  not  be  effected  with 
that  facility  which,  under  other  circumstances, 
might  have  been  expected." 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  difficulty  of  collecting  taxes  is  well  illus- 
trated by  the  following  report  showing  the  first 
quota  levied  upon  each  township  and  the 
amounts  paid  into  the  county  treasury  : 


I 

ihabitants 

Tolal. 

Paid. 

Buckingham 

..$50.67 

$447.11 

$41.38 

Canaan 

..  48.39 

244.69 

44.77 

Palmyra 

..  91.21 

325.52 

84.78 

Lackawaxen 

..  24.02 

106.10 

31.86 

Damascus 

..   22.26 

302.35 

94.60 

Mount  Pleasant... 

..  59.81 

165.46 

76.48 

Upper  Smithfield 

..  73.83 

152.59 

32.71 

Middle  Smithfield 

..100.62 

171.03 

19.48 

Delaware 

..  84.92 

103.55 

32.52 

Total 

$555.73 

§2018.30  .*4".!».".S 

To  this  amount  paid  in,  $459.58,  was  added 
$210.62,  advanced  from  the  treasury,  making 
the  sum  of  $670.20  available  cash,  with  which 
the  pioneers  managed  to  cany  on  the  affairs  of 
the  county  for  a  period  of  eighteen  months. 
The  board,  however,  felt  warranted  by  the 
large  amount  upon  the  tax  collector's  duplicate 
still  unpaid,  in  incurring  some  liabilities,  and 
drew  orders  on  the  treasury  to  the  amount  of 
nearly  $750.  The  total  expenditures  of  the 
county  for  a  year  ami  a  half  were  $1415.09,  of 
which  one  item  was  $75.65  paid  as  premiums 
for  wolf  scalps. 

The  first  commissioners  were  Eliphalet  Kel- 
logg, Johannes  Van  Etten  and  John  Carson ; 
but  the  first  two  were  in  1800  superseded  by 
Asa  Stanton  and  Solomon  Westbrook,  who, 
with  Carson,  constituted  a  new  board,  and 
made  Eliphalet  Kellogg  their  clerk.  They 
received  more  severe  criticism  from  the  audit- 
ors than  had  their  predecessors.  Jason  Torrey 
had  been  re-appointed  auditor,  and,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  James  Eldred  and  Martin  Overfield, 
served  during  the  year  1800.  Their  report 
was  made  at  the  February  term  of  court,  1801, 
and  was  accompanied  by  a  long  letter  from  Mr. 
Torrey,  who  was  prevented  from  being  present 
by  an  accident  which  had  overtaken  one  of  his 
children.  He  very  pointedly  denounced  some 
of  the  commissioners'  proceedings,  which,  he 
charged,  were  irregular  and  unwarrantable. 
The  improprieties  with  which  they  were  charged 
were  letting  bridge  contracts  without  prescribing 
the  manner  in  which  the  work  should  be  done 


or  when  completed;  with  permitting  an  inse- 
cure and  unsafe  structure  to  be  put  up  across 
Middle  Creek  ;  with  paying  their  clerk  over 
two  hundred  dollars  per  year,  when  there  were 
competent  persons  in  the  county  who  would 
gladly  perform  the  services  for  less  than  half 
that  sum  ;  with  withholding  a  transcript  of  the 
county  tax  levy  from  the  treasurer;  with  al- 
lowing one  of  their  number  (Mr.  Carson)  to  go 
to  Philadelphia,  and  at  great  expense  advertise 
in  three  daily  papers  for  three  months  the  fact 
of  his  being  in  that  city  to  receive  taxes  on 
ii use- 1 led  lands,  and  receiving  a  considerable 
amount  without  accounting  for  the  same  to  the 
auditors;  with  subscribing  for  the  papers  al- 
luded to  and  charging  the  subscription  and  ad- 
vertising account  and  his  time  and  traveling 
expenses  to  the  delinquent  tax-payers ;  with 
withholding  needed  information  from  the  treas- 
urer, so  that  he  had  repeatedly  been  obliged  to 
refuse  money  offered  him  in  discharge  of  taxes, 
and  with  various  other  misdemeanors  of  lesser 
importance.  Before  the  report  was  tiled,  how- 
ever, Mr.  Torrey  appended  to  it  a  note  par- 
tially exonerating  Mi-.  Carson  and  the  clerk, 
Eliphalet  Kellogg,  from  the  charges  he  had 
made  in  his  letter. 

During  the  year  1800  the  receipts  from  actual 
residents  were  shown  by  the  auditor's  report  to 
have  been  $605.87,  including  $91.92  of  arrears 
from  the  preceding  year,  and  the  payments  on 
the  taxes  of  unseated  lands  added  $613.68  to 
that  amount,  making  a  total  of  $1219.55,  while 
the  expenditures  were  $1650.06.  The  auditor's 
report  for  1802  showed  a  balance  due  the  county, 
in  the  form  of  outstanding  taxes,  of  $3 141.91, 
and  this  amount, the  official  said,  would  be  much 
larger  if  they  had  any  means  of  ascertaining 
the  amount  paid  on  non-residents'  lands  for  the 
years  1  7!)!),  1800,  and  1801.  They  expressed  the 
belief  that  if  all  arrearages  were  collected  there 
would  be  a  sufficiency  of  funds  realized  to  free 
the  county  from  taxation  for  many  years  to  come. 
Year  by  year  the  aggregate  of  taxes  increased 
with  the  population,  but  expenses  also  grew, 
and  the  expenditures  were  in  excess  of  the  re- 
ceipts. In  1803  the  collectors  of  the  county 
paid  into  the  treasury  $676.30,  and  $4082.71 
was  received  from  taxes  on  unseated  lands,  but 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


125 


these  amounts  aggregated  $2861.51  Jess  than 
the  levy.  The  orders  drawn  on  the  treasury 
footed  up  $7069.35,  and  it  was  impossible  to 
redeem  them  all.  It  was  during  this  year  that 
the  county  settled  with  the  trustees  of  the  Beth- 
any tract,  and  drew  an  order  in  their  favor  of 
$1638.50.  A  considerable  amount  was  also 
paid  for  running  the  lines  of  Dyberry  township> 
erected  that  year. 

It  was  not  until  1805  that  the  actual  receipts 
were  in  excess  of  the  disbursements,  the  settle- 
ment by  the  auditors  in  that  year  showing  a 
balance  in  the  hands  of  Treasurer  Dimniick- 
Notwithstanding  this  improvement,  the  finances 
of  the  county  were  in  a  bad  way  and  the  ac- 
counts had  got  into  a  confusion  which  seemed 
almost  beyond  unraveling.  An  earnest  effort 
was  made  during  1807  and  1808  to  adjust  the 
affairs  of  the  county.  Early  in  1807  a  careful 
examination  of  the  accounts  revealed  the  fact 
that  there  was  no  money  in  the  treasury,  while 
its  liabilities,  in  the  shape  of  unpaid  orders, 
taxes  to  be  refunded,  etc.,  amounted  to  over 
$5000.  The  gratifying  discovery  was  made, 
however,  that  more  than  $16,000  was  clue  the 
treasury  from  owners  of  unseated  lands,  delin- 
quent collectors,  dilatory  sheriffs,  overpaid  com- 
missioners and  other  officers,  which,  if  collected, 
it  was  urged,  would  put  the  county  out  of  debt 
and  leave  a  considerable  balance  in  the  treasury. 

As  a  result  of  this  investigation  Sheriff  Ab- 
isha  Woodward  was  instructed  to  sell  such 
unseated  lands  as  were  in  arrears  fin-  taxes, 
which  he  did  from  time  to  time,  until  in  1809 
the  receipts  from  such  sales  had  exceeded  $9000. 

By  1811  the  inconvenience  and  loss  which 
had  been  experienced  by  Wayne  County  and  by 
individuals,  through  the  neglect  of  treasurers  to 
furnish  information  to  the  commissioners  in 
regard  to  their  finances,  led  to  the  passage  of  a 
resolution  requiring  that  official  to  report  the 
condition  of  the  treasury  on  the  first  day  of 
every  term  of  court.  Failure  to  do  so  and  the 
buying  up  of  county  orders  at  a  discount,  with 
public  funds,  were  declared  misdemeanors  in 
office. 

From  this  time  onward  the  financial  affairs 
of  the  county  steadily  improved  up  to  the  panic 
of  1837,  except  that  something  of  a  hardship 


was  experienced  in  1814  and  1815  by  reason  of 
the  severe  and,  as  generally  regarded,  unjust 
provisions  of  the  act  setting  off  Pike  county.  The 
financial  depression  of  1837  was  very  severely 
felt  in  Wayne  County.  Specie  payments  being 
suspended  by  the  State  banks,  the  collectors 
found  it  almost  impossible  to  receive  taxes,  ow- 
ing to  the  want  of  small  change,  aud  early  in 
the  year  the  county  commissioners,  to  obviate 
in  a  measure  that  difficulty,  procured  three 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  checks  of  the  denom- 
inations of  twenty-five,  fifty  and  seventy-five 
cents  and  one  dollar,  and  put  them  into  circula- 
tion. This  led  eventually  to  great  loss  and 
inconvenience,  for  many  individuals  engaged 
in  mercantile  and  other  departments  of  trade 
followed  their  example,  and  the  county  was 
flooded  with  this  cheap  currency,  much  of  which 
being  entirely  worthless,  caused  all  to  be  looked 
upon  with  suspicion,  and  thus  to  increase  the 
very  evil  which  it  was  designed  to  mitigate. 
That  issued  by  the  county,  however,  was  chiefly 
paid  to  the  officers  of  the  several  townships  to 
the  amount  of  the  appropriations  due  them  for 
school  purposes,  and  most  of  the  checks  came 
back  into  the  treasury  through  the  hands  of  the 
tax  collectors.1 

Removal  of  the  County-Seat  to  Hones- 
dale. — The  rapid  growth  of  Honesdale  fore- 
shadowed t he  ultimate  removal  of  the  seat  of 
justice  from  Bethany  to  that  place.  It  was 
looked  forward  to  for  several  years  prior  to 
1840  as  an  inevitable  result  of  the  increasing 
importance  of  the  town,  but  was  finally  effected 
by  a  sudden  movement.  During  the  legislative 
session  of  1840-1841  the  friends  of  the  mea- 
sure perfected  arrangements  with  trustworthy 
men  in  each  township,  who,  at  an  appointed 
time,  started  simultaneously  and  rapidly  circu- 
lated petitions  in  their  respective  districts  favor- 
ing the  passage  of  a  removal  act.  These,  being 
placed  in  the  hands  of  a  partisan  friend  of  the 
measure  in  Honesdale,  were  hurriedly  taken  to 
Harrisburg,  and  the  passage  of  the  act  was 
secured    before    many    of   its  enemies    in    the 


1  For  the  facts  presented  upon  (his  topic  the  author  is 
chiefly  indebted  to  the  brief  but  judiciously  written  sketch 
of  the  county  issued  by  Thomas  J.  Ham  in  1870. 


126 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


county  were  aware  of  the  movement.  The 
passage  of  the  act  was  largely  due  to  the  influ- 
ence of  Ebenezer  Kingsbury,  then  State  Senator. 
A  strong  attempt  was  made  to  kill  the  bill  be- 
fore it  was  approved  by  the  Governor,  but  it 
proved  unavailing. 

The  exact  site  of  the  seat  of  justice  in  Hones- 
dale  was  fixed  on  May  4,  1841,  where  the 
commissioners  appointed  by  the  Governor  met 
the  county  commissioners,  and  accepted  the 
present  site,  east  of  the  public  square,  as  a  joint 
gift  from  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company  and  the  Torrey  estate. 

The  court-house  was  erected  by  Charles 
Jameson  upon  contract,  and,  upon  its  comple- 
tion, the  Bethany  court-house,  together  with 
certain  real  estate  there,  were  sold  to  him  for 
five  hundred  and  ten  dollars.  The  new  build- 
ing was  formally  accepted  November  8,  1843. 
The  removal  of  the  records  from  Bethany  had 
been  effected  on  the  21st  of  August  preceding, 
and  the  first  court  was  held  in  Honesdale  Sep- 
tember 4,  1843. 

The  building  soon  proved  insufficient  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  county  business,  and  to 
afford  more  ample  quarters,  an  additional  struc- 
ture was  erected,  styled  the  "  fire-proof."  This 
was  a  brick  building,  in  which  were  located  the 
county  offices.  It  was  erected  in  1856  by 
Beers  &  Heath. 

The  present  jail  was  erected  in  1859  by 
Messrs^  Kelly  &  McAndrews,  and  has  since 
been  repaired. 

The  New  Court-Housb  and  the  COURT- 
HOUSE War. — Even  after  the  erection  of  the 
"fire-proof"  or  "county  offices"  building,  in 
1856,  the  court-house  was  noticeably  insufficient 
for  the  growing  demands  of  the  county.  The 
inadequacy  of  the  court-room  was  gradually 
becoming  apparent,  and  a  few  years  later  the 
court  began  to  call  the  attention  of  the  grand 
jury  to  the  need  of  more  suitable  accommoda- 
tions. This  body  at  length  responded  in  re- 
ports setting  forth  the  obvious  defects  of  the 
building,  and  with  accompanying  recommenda- 
tions, of  the  following  tenor  : 

AT  SEPTEMBER  SESSIONS,  1807. 

"In  regard  to  the  Court- House,  the  grand  jury  en- 
tirely coincide  with  the  Honorable  Court,  in  the  sug- 


gestions made  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  instant,  and 
they  believe  the  time  has  arrived  for  the  considera- 
tion of  the  subject  of  the  erection  of  a  more  substantial 
and  capacious  building  than  the  one  now  occupied. 
The  present  term  of  court  must  have  impressed  every 
intelligent  and  thoughtful  observer  that  the  court- 
room is  entirely  inadequate  to  the  wants  of  the  people 
and  the  business  of  the  county;  the  space  so  limited 
as  to  render  it  very  fatiguing  to  those  required  to  at- 
tend court,  either  as  witnesses  or  jurors,  and  the  con- 
sequent crowding  of  the  room,  and  rendering  the  air 
exceedingly  unpleasant,impure  and  unhealthy, and  the 
accommodations  of  the  bar  and  court  so  limited  that 
the  business  cannot  be  dispatched,  either  promptly  or 
pleasantly.  Impressed  with  these  views,  which  the 
jury  believe  to  be  correct,  and  so  evident  that  they 
need  no  argument  to  enforce,  they  consider  it  within 
their  appropriate  sphere  of  duty  to  recommend  that 
the  County  Commissioners  should  have  this  subject 
before  them  in  future  levying  of  taxes,  that  they  may, 
at  no  distant  day,  be  prepared  to  enter  upon  the  work 
of  erecting  such  a  building  as  is  required,  and  as  shall 
be  a  credit  to  the  enterprise  and  good  taste  of  the 
people  of  the  whole  county." 

AT  DECEMBER  SESSIONS,  1867. 

"They  would  cheerfully  adopt  the  recommenda- 
tions of  the  September  grand  jury,  in  relation  to  a 
new  court-house,  and  would  suggest  that  means  be 
derived  and  carried  into  execution  to  create  a  fund, 
with  which,  at  no  distant  day,  the  County  Commis- 
sioners may  enter  upon  the  work  of  erecting  a  suitable 
and  commodious  court-house,  which  will  meet  the 
wants  and  demands  of  our  rapidly  growing  county, 
and  of  necessity  increased  business." 

AT  FEBRUARY  SESSIONS,  1868. 

"  They  would  further  suggest,  that  means  be  derived 
and  carried  into  execution  to  create  a  fund,  with 
which,  at  no  distant  day,  the  County  Commissioners 
may  enter  upon  the  work  of  erecting  a  suitable  and 
commodious  court-house,  which  will  meet  the  wants 
of  our  rapidly  increasing  and  growing  county." 

The  matter  was  further  discussed  as  time 
went  on ;  but,  although  the  need  of  a  more 
commodious  court-house  was  generally  recog- 
nized, the  people  were  not  quite  ready  to  in- 
cur the  expense  of  its  erection.  At  December 
Sessions,  1871,  the  grand  jury,  in  reporting  on 
the  county  buildings,  said, — 

"They  would  not  recommend  the  rebuilding,  or 
changes  and  repairs,  to  any  great  extent,  of  the 
county  buildings,  until  a  future  time,  when  the 
necessities  would  be  greater,  and  the  resources  corre- 
spondingly larger  to  bear  the  burden  of  expenses." 

At  December  Sessions,  1873,  the  grand  jury 
said,  in  relation  to  the  county  buildings, — 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


127 


"  We  believe  them  all  that  is  necessary  for  the 
present,  and  we  recommend  thrtt  the  commissioners 
commence  no  new  work  unless  absolutely  necessary." 

At  Ma}'  Sessions,  1875,  the  recommendation 
for  the  erection  of  a  new  court-house  was  re- 
newed ;  the  grand  jury,  in  a  report  on  the 
county  buildings,  saying, — 

"  They  would  further  report  that  they  have  con- 
sidered the  question  of  a  new  court-house,  and  do 
recommend  that  such  a  building  be  erected  as  soon 
as  the  financial  condition  of  the  business  interests  will 
admit." 

In  November  following,  a  new  Board  of 
Commissioners  was  elected — viz:  Thomas  Brown 
of  Texas,  and  George  Foote  of  Salem,  Demo- 
crats;  and  Francis  A.  Oppelt,  of  Sterling,  Re- 
publican. During  the  canvass,  the  "court- 
house question  "  was  among  the  issues  discussed ; 
and,  as  the  industrial  depression  commencing 
in  1873  was  then  seriously  felt  in  the  county, 
the  prevailing  sentiment  was  adverse  to  the  im- 
mediate erection  of  a  new  building. 

At  February  Sessions,  1876,  the  grand  jury, 
in  reporting  on  the  county  buildings,  said, — 

"  They  would  further  report  that  they  have  con- 
sidered the  question  of  a  new  court-house,  and  do 
recommend  that  such  a  building  be  erected  as  soon  as 
the  financial  condition  of  the  business  interests  of  the 
county  will  admit  ;  that  the  present  building  is  in- 
adequate for  the  proper  accommodation  of  the 
county,  and  that  it  is  poorly  ventilated." 

The  court,  at  the  same  sessions,  supplemented 
this  with  the  following  recommendation  : 

"  In  view  of  the  crowded  state  of  the  court-room, 
for  the  past  year,  and  the  manifest  necessity  for  en- 
larged accommodations  for  the  people  of  the  county 
who  have  business  in  the  court,  as  lawyers,  jurors, 
parties  and  witnesses,  and  the  very  imperfect  ventila- 
tion of  the  court  room,  we  cordially  approve  of  the 
report  of  the  grand  jury  on  this  subject,  and  recom- 
mend to  the  County  Commissioners  to  carry  out  the 
same  by  at  once  maturing  plans  and  erecting  the 
foundations  of  the  new  building  the  coming  season. 
They  can  thus  distribute  the  expenses  through  the 
years  necessarily  required  for  the  erection  and  com- 
pletion of  a  new  building,  which  shall  meet  the  wants 
of  and  be  a  credit  to  the  county,  and  not  impose  un- 
necessary burdens  upon  the  taxpayers. 

"  C.  P.  Waller,  President  Judge. 
"  Otis  Avery,  )   .        .       T    , 
"H.  Wilson,  }  Associate  Judges." 

May  11,  1876,  the  commissioners  adopted  the 
following  resolution  : 


"  Whereas  :  The  erection  of  a  new  Court-House 
has  beeu  recommended  by  four  Grand  Juries  of  this 
county  and  their  recommendations  approved  by  the 
court,  and  has  also  been  recommended  and  earnestly 
iwged  by  large  numbers  of  the  citizens  of  the  county, 
including  many  of  the  heaviest  tax-payers;  and 

"  Whereas  :  No  opposition  has  been  developed  in 
any  tangible  form,  and  a  new  Court-House  is  urgently 
demanded  by  the  present  condition  of  the  county 
buildings,  and  by  the  growing  necessity  for  increased 
facilities  and  conveniences  in  the  conduct  of  judicial 
proceedings  and  the  business  of  the  several  county 
offices ;  and 

Whereas:  The  present  time  is  especially  favor- 
able for  such  an  undertaking,  both  from  the  low  price 
of  labor  and  material  and  the  desirability  of  giving 
additional  employment  to  labor  in  our  own  com- 
munity : — Therefore 

Resolved,  That  in  view  of  the  circumstances  herein 
referred  to,  it  has  become  the  bounden  duty  of  the 
Commissioners  to  proceed  at  once  to  take  the  neces- 
sary steps  for  the  construction  of  a  Court-House  suited 
to  the  wants  and  means  of  the  county. 

"  P.  A.  Oppelt,       ") 

"George  Foote,     '    Coin's." 
"Thomas  Brown,  ) 

Plans  were  accordingly  prepared,  and  early 
in  July  ground  was  broken  for  the  new  court- 
house. The  work  proceeded  under  the  im- 
mediate supervision  and  direction  of  Commis- 
sioner Brown,  who  was  an  experienced  practical 
builder;  and  at  the  close  of  the  season  the 
foundation  was  completed  and  a  portion  of  the 
brick  superstructure  laid.  The  amount  thus 
expended,  as  shown  by  the  financial  statement 
for  the  year,  was  $29,528.19,  and  the  expendi- 
tures were  approved  by  the  county  auditors  on 
their  examination  of  the  matter  in  the  following 
January. 

Meantime  the  public  mind  had  become  much 
agitated  on  the  subject.  The  most  exaggerated 
ideas  as  to  the  probable  cost  of  the  building 
gained  credence,  and  the  people  were,  very 
generally,  apprehensive  of  an  extravagant  and 
unnecessary  outlay.  Throughout  the  summer 
the  discontent  increased ;  and  when,  early  in 
September,  the  County  Conventions  of  the  two 
parties  met,  it  was  expected  that  they  would 
express  some  opinion  and  announce  some 
policy  on  the  subject.  The  opponents  of  the 
court-house  formed  a  majority  in  both  parties, 
and  could  easily  have  controlled  both  conven- 
tions had  they  taken   the  trouble  to  attend  the 


128 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


primary  meetings.  But,  with  the  political 
habit  of  mind  long  characteristic  of  the  American 
citizen,  they  took  it  for  granted  that  party 
action  would  follow  public  sentiment  without 
any  action  by  members  of  the  party,  and  that 
no  practical  measures  were  required  to  give 
effect  to  the  public  will.  Hence,  but  a  small 
proportion  of  either  party  attended  the  primaries, 
while  the  great  majority  of  both  remained  at 
home,  complaining  that  "  the  party  "  paid  no 
attention  to  public  opinion,  and  that  the  people 
had  no  voice  in  the  management  of  their  own 
affairs.  As  might  have  been  expected,  the 
conventions  took  no  action  on  the  court-house 
question,  but  gave  their  attention  solely  to  the 
business  of  looking  after  offices. 

The  county  tickets  being  thus  placed  in  the 
field,  with  no  official  declaration  by  the  con- 
ventions (in  the  question  paramount  to  all  others 
in  the  popular  mind,  attention  was  naturally 
directed  to  the  attitude  of  the  candidates  on  this 
subject.  Isaiah  Scudder,  of  Bethany,  and 
Charles  W:  Gilpin,  of  Sterling,  the  candidates 
for  Representatives,  and  Giles  Greene,  of  Salem, 
the  candidate  for  associate  judge,  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket,  were  known  as  "  anti-court-house 
men."  The  Democratic  party  being  in  a 
majority,  the  views  of  its  nominees  for  these 
offices  became  the  subject  of  more  anxious  in- 
quiry. For  some  time  these  candidates  main 
tained  in  public  a  non-committal  attitude. 
Finally,  however,  they  were  forced  into  posi- 
tive action  by  the  course  of  events. 

Among  prominent  Democrats  who  had  at- 
tended the  Democratic  County  Convention  as 
spectators  was  Dr.  Rodney  Harmes,  of  Pleasant 
Mount.  He  was  a  pronounced  "  anti-court- 
house man,"  and  strongly  urged  his  party  to 
take  a  decided  stand  on  the  court-house  question. 
Disgusted  with  the  course  of  the  convention,  he 
returned  home,  resolved  that  if  the  candidates 
failed  to  express  some  positive  convictions  dur- 
ing the  month  he  Mould  make  an  effort  to  se- 
cure more  direct  action  by  the  people.  The 
month  passed  with  the  candidates  acting  after 
the  manner  of  their  kind — hedging  with  a  view 
to  secure  the  support  of  each  element  of  the 
party  without  cutting  loose  from  the  other. 
Meantime  the  public  mind   was  in   a  most  in- 


flammable condition,  and  struggling  with  in- 
articulate anger  to  make  its  purpose  clear,  and 
to  indicate  a  distinct  line  of  action.  It  needed 
only  the  man  to  determine  how  and  when  to 
apply  the  torch  and  fire  the  popular  heart  with 
a  definite  aim.  While  the  situation  was  thus 
apparent  to  all,  it  fell  to  Dr.  Harmes  to  take 
the  initiative  in  giving  voice  to  the  popular 
feeling,  defining  the  popular  purpose,  and  direc- 
ting popular  action.  At  his  suggestion,  an 
"  Anti-Court-House  Convention"  was  held  in 
Pleasant  Mount,  September  27th,  at  which  res- 
olutions were  adopted  condemning  the  action 
of  the  officials  concerned  in  the  erection  of  the 
new  court-house,  and  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  canvass  the  county  in  behalf  of  the  move- 
ment, and  to  report  nominations  for  Representa- 
tives one  week  later.  At  the  second  meeting, 
October  4th,  William  M.  Nelson,  of  Equinunk, 
a  Democrat,  and  Butler  Hamlin,  of  Salem,  a 
Republican,  were  nominated  for  the  Legis- 
lature. Orrin  Lester,  chairman,  and  J.  F.  Bass, 
secretary,  were  declared  permanent  officers  of 
the  organization;  and  the  convention  adjourned 
for  one  week.  Mr.  Hamlin  declined  the 
nomination  for  Representative;  Frederick  W. 
Farnham,  of  Hawley,  was  subsequently  named 
to  fill  the  vacancy,  but  he,  too,  declined.  Mr. 
Nelsou  went  to  Honesdale,  and,  after  a  con- 
ference with  the  Democratic  candidates  and 
County  Committee,  William  A.  Smith,  one  of 
the  candidates  for  Representative,  withdrew 
from  the  ticket,  and  Mr.  Nelson  was  substituted. 
At  the  same  time  A.  R.  Howe,  the  other 
Democratic  candidate  for  Representative,  pub- 
lished a  letter  which  was  construed  as  an  anti- 
court-house  deliverance ;  and  a  week  later 
Michael  Brown,  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
associate  judge,  followed  with  a  letter  of  sim- 
ilar import.  The  latter,  however,  came  too 
late  to  be  effective.  Messrs.  Nelson  and  Howe 
were  the  successful  candidates  for  the  Legis- 
lature, while  Mr.  Greene,  the  Republican  can- 
didate, was  elected  associate  judge. 

Early  in  1877  the  commissioners  began 
preparations  to  resume  work  on  the  court-house. 
As  a  preliminary  step,  they  passed  a  resolution, 
January  16th,  to  submit  to  the  people  the 
question  of  an  increase  of  debt  under  the   act 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


129 


of  April  20,  1874.     The  valuation  of  property 

was  si, 777,726.  The  existing  debt  was 
$22,570.49.  The  increase  proposed  was 
$106,000,  being  six  per  rent,  of  the  valuation. 
The  increase  was  voted  on  at  the  township 
elections  in  February,  and  negatived  by  a  de- 
cisive majority — the  vote  in  its  favor  being 
1119,  to  3238  against  it. 

The  triennial  assessment  was  about  to  be  re- 
vised ;  and  after  the  vote  against  an  increase 
of  debt,  the  commissioners,  sitting  as  a  board 
of  revision,  decided  to  raise  the  valuation  suffi- 
ciently  to  enable  them  to  incur  the  indebtedness 
necessary  to  complete  the  court-house,  underthe 
act  of  1874,  without  the  sanction  of  a  popular 
vote.  They  accordingly  increased  the  aggre- 
gate valuation  to  $8,312,134.  The  revision 
which  resulted  in  this  increase  was  com- 
pleted March  20th;  and  the  period  fixed 
for  hearing  appeals  began  April  16th  and 
ended  May  4th.  March  21st  the  commis- 
sioners adopted  a  resolution  to  increase  the 
debt  of  the  county  to  an  amount  not  ex- 
ceeding one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  dol- 
lars— about  two  per  cent,  of  the  revised  valua- 
tion— to  be  secured  by  bonds;  with  a  provision 
for  levying  the  tax  required  for  payment  of  the 
interest  and  the  redemption  of  the  bonds. 

The  vote  on  the  increase  of  indebtedness  had 
shown  the  magnitude  of  the  opposition  to  the 
plans  of  tlie  commissioners;  and  the  "anti- 
court-house  party,"  having  thus  learned  its 
strength,  prepared  for  action  against  the  new 
project  of  bonding  the  county.  An  organiza- 
tion was  quickly  effected,  funds  were  subscribed, 
and  counsel  employed,  for  the  purpose  of  test- 
ing in  the  courts  the  right  of  the  commissioners 
to  proceed.  Hon.  E.  O.  Hamlin  and  George 
S.  Purdy  were  retained,  together  with  A. 
Ricketts,  of  Witkes-Barre,  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  equity  practitioners  in  the  State; 
and  May  9,  1877,  a  bill  in  equity  was  tiled  by 
William  Holbert  and  forty-six  others  as  plain- 
tiffs, in  behalf  of  the  citizens  and  tax-payers  of 
the  county,  against  the  commissioners. 

The  bill  set  forth  the  action  already  taken  by 
the  commissioners  in  relation  to  the  erection  of 
a  new  court-house;  the  debt  already  incurred, 
and  the  increase  proposed  ;   the  revision  of  the 


assessment  and  increase  of  valuation  ;  and  the 
intention  of  the  commissioners  to  destroy  the 
old  court-hopse.  it  averred  the  illegality  of 
these  proceedings,  and  prayed  for  an  injunction 
restraining  the  commissioners  from  proceeding 
further  with  the  erection  of  a  court-house  until 
they  were  lawfully  empowered  so  to  do;  from 
issuing  bonds,  increasing  the  county  indebted- 
ness, or  levying  a  tax  for  the  erection  of  public 
buildings ;  and  from  tearing  down  or  injuring 
the  existing  court-house. 

A  motion  for  a  preliminary  injunction  was 
argued  before  JudgeDreher,  May  14th  and  15th, 

the  counsel    for  the   CO lissioners    being   Wm. 

II.  Dimniiek,  (*.  S.  Minor,  (i.  G.  Waller,  H. 
M.  Seely  and  II.  Wilson. 

The  commissioners,  in  their  answer,  sei  forth 
the  three  successive  reports  of  grand  juries,  and 
the  recommendation  of  the  court,  as  their 
authority  for  the  erection  of  a  new  court-house; 
averred  that  their  expenditures  on  the  new 
building  had  been  duly  approved  by  the  county 
auditors;  that  the  assessors  had  returned  the 
taxable  property  far  below  its  value,  and  that 
the  valuation  had  been  revised,  raised  and  equal- 
ized, as  required  by  law  ;  admitted  their  inten- 
tion to  increase  the  county  indebtedness  to  an 
amount  not  exceeding  $160,000,  including  the 
debt  already  contracted,  and  to  remove  the  ex- 
isting court-house  whenever  it  became  necessary 
or  proper  so  to  do  ;  aud  denied  that  their  action 
in  the  premises  was  in  any  manner  unlawful. 

On  the  hearing,  the  plaintiffs  proposed  to  im- 
peach the  reports  of  the  grand  juries  by  the 
affidavits  of  various  grand  jurors  that  no  such 
reports  were  made  ;  that  they  were  not  agreed 
to  by  twelve  grand  jurors;  or  that  the  affiants 
had  no  recollection  of  a  vote  on  the  question. 

The  defeudants  produced  counter-affidavits 
by  other  grand  jurors ;  certified  copies  from 
the  records  of  the  Court  of  Quarter  Sessions, 
showing  that  the  reports  were  read  and  ordered 
by  the  court  to  be  published  in  the  county 
papers,  and  that  at  February  Sessions,  1868,  it 
was  ordered  that  a  copy  of  the  report  be  fur- 
nished to  the  commissioners;  and  the  affidavit 
of  William  H.  Ham,  then  clerk  of  the  court 
that  he  had  read  the  reports  aloud  in  open 
court,  in    presence  of  the  grand  jury,  by  direc- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


tion  of  the  court,  and  that  in  each  case  the 
president  judge  stated  to  the  grand  jury  that 
the  court  approved  their  recommendation,  and 
ordered  the  reports  to  be  filed  and  published  in 
the  county  papers. 

The  counsel  for  the  defense  objected  to  the 
admission  of  affidavits  by  grand  jurors  to  im- 
peach their  own  reports.  The  counsel  for  plain- 
tiffs, in  support  of  such  testimony,  cited  the  act 
of  15th  April,  1869,  providing  that  "  no  interest 
or  policy  of  law  shall  exclude  a  party  or  person 
from  being  a  witness  in  any  civil  proceeding," 
etc.,  and  argued  that  as  such  testimony  had 
previously  been  inadmissible  on  the  ground  of 
public  policy,  the  act  of  1869,  in  removing 
that  ground,  had  made  the  testimony  admissible. 

It  was  further  contended,  on  the  part  of  the 
plaintiffs,  that  the  record  showing  no  recommen- 
dation by  the  court  until  February,  1876,  there 
was  not  the  concurrent  action  of  (lie  grand 
juries  and  the  court  which  the  law  required  ; 
the  act  of  Assembly  providing  that  "  It  shall 
be  lawful  for  the  Commissioners  of  any  <  lounty, 
having  first  obtained  the  approbation  of  two 
successive  grand  juries,  anil  of  the  Court  of 
Quarter  Sessions  of  such  County,  to  cause  to 
be  erected,"  etc.  As  to  the  proposed  increase 
of  indebtedness  to  $100,000,  it  was  contended, 
first,  that  the  increase  of  valuation  was  unlaw- 
fully made  ;  and,  second,  that  even  if  lawful,  it 
was  not  fixed,  determined  and  adjusted  until 
the  final  revision  on  appeals  ;  hence,  that  "  the 
last  preceding  assessed  valuation,"  at  the  time 
of  the  vote  to  increase  the  debt,  was  that  fixed 
by  the  preceding  triennial  assessment,  $1,777,- 
72(3  ;  and  this  proposed  increase  of  debt  to 
$160,000  being  more  than  two  per  cent,  of  this 
valuation,  was  therefore  unlawful,  under  the 
provisions  of  the  Constitution  (Article IX,  Sec- 
tion 8). 

The  court,  in  deciding  the  case,  held,  (1) 
That  if  any  fraudulent  or  fictitious  report  had 
been  filed  in  the  Court  of  Quarter  Sessions,  it 
could  be  corrected  only  by  that  court,  and  not 
by  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  to  which  the 
application  for  an  injunction  was  made;  (2) 
That  there  was  no  evidence  of  such  fraud,  the 
reports  having  been  read  in  presence  of  the 
grand  jury,  and  directed  to  be  published.     "  If 


any  juror  did  not  agree  to  such  report,  it  was 
his  privilege  then  and  there  to  make  his  protest, 
when  all  the  jurors  could  have  been  heard, 
while  their  recollections  were  fresh,  and  the 
record  made  to  conform  to  the  facts;"  that  if 
the  record,  years  afterward,  could  thus  be  im- 
peached, "  there  would  be  no  safety  to  persons 
acting  upon  the  faith  of  such  records;  and  in- 
stead of  looking  among  the  records  of  the  Court 
for  the  proceedings  and  doings  of  the  grand 
jury,  the  County  Commissioners,  before  they 
would  be  warranted  in  proceeding  in  the  erec- 
tion of  new  public  buildings,  would  have  to 
interview  the  members  of  the  grand  jury  to 
ascertain  whether  the  record  is  correct;"  (.'5) 
That  the  "  interest  or  policy  of  law"  intended 
by  the  act  of  1869  did  not  include  the  ease  of 
a  grand  juror  testifying  in  relation  to  his  own 
finding  (citing  Tioga  v.  South  Creek,  25  P.  F 
Smith  t:',7);  (4)  That  the  court  was  not  lim- 
ited as  to  time  in  affirming  the  recommendation 
of  the  grand  jury,  and  that  the  law  did  not 
require  the  action  of  the  court  and  the  grand 
jury  to  be  contemporaneous ;  (5)  That  the  re- 
vision of  the  assessment  and  increase  of  valua- 
tion were  lawful  and  regularly  made,  and  that 
"the  Court  cannot  interfere  by  injunction  be- 
cause of  extravagant  or  unequal  valuation,  more 
especially  as  the  law  has  provided  a  specific 
remedy  by  appeal  ;  "  (li)  That  the  revision  of 
I  he  assessment  and  adjustment  of  the  valuation 
were  not  complete  until  the  final  action  of  the 
commissioners  on  appeals,  which  was  not  con- 
cluded until  May  4th,  but  that  a  loan  subse- 
quently made,  not  exceeding  two  per  cent,  of 
the  valuation  as  then  fixed,  would  not  be  in  ex- 
cess of  two  per  cent,  of  "  the  last  preceding  as- 
sessed valuation,"  within  the  meaning  of  the 
act  of  20th  April,  1874;  (7)  That  "if  the 
circumstances  under  which  the  Commissioners 
propose  to  remove  the  old  building  should 
arise,  they  certainly  will  have  the  right  to  re- 
move it." 

But  while  refusing  the  injunction,  for  the 
reasons  given,  Judge  Dreher  called  attention  to 
the  act  of  9th  April,  1868,  which  provides 
that  "When  two  successive  Grand  Juries  in  any 
county  of  this  Commonwealth  have  reported  in 
favor  of  the  erection  or  repair  of  public  build- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


131 


iugs,  which  report  has  been  approved  by  the 
Court  of  Quarter  Sessions,  and  the  funds  on 
hand  in  the  County  Treasury  shall  not  be  suffi- 
cient to  defray  the  necessary  expenses  of  the 
erection  and  repair  of  said  buildings,  it  shall  be 
lawful  for  the  County  Commissioners  to  borrow 
the  money  necessary,  and  issue  the  bonds  of  the 
county  therefor.  Provided,  That  before  such 
loan  is  contracted  the  Commissioners  shall  pre- 
sent a  statement  of  the  financial  condition  of  the 
county  to  the  Court  of  Quarter  Session.-  of  the 
county,  and  secure  the  approval  of  such  Court 
for  such  loan."     He  added, — 

"The  Commissioners  have  no  right  to  con- 
tract a  loan,  or  issue  bonds  therefor,  for  the 
purpose  ot  erecting  a  court-house,  or  any  public 
building,  until  they  have  secured  the  approval 
of  the  Court  of  Quarter  Sessions.  They  are 
therefore  as  effectually  restrained  from  con- 
tracting a  loan  or  issuing  bonds  for  erecting  a 
court-house,  until  they  get  the  approval  of  the 
Court  of  Quarter  Sessions,  as  it  would  be  possi- 
ble for  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  to  restrain 
them  by  injunction.  If  they  should  attempt  to 
contract  a  loan,  or  issue  bonds,  or  to  collect  any 
special  tax  to  pay  such  loan  or  bonds,  without 
the  approval  of  the  Quarter  Sessions,  the  Com- 
mon Pleas  would  enjoin  them. 

"The  matter  is  now  with  the  County  Com- 
missioners and  the  Judges  of  the  Court  of 
Quarter  Sessions,  to  determine  what  amount  of 
loan  may  be  contracted." 

May  21st  — before  Judge  Dreher's  decision 
was  announced — the  revised  valuation  having 
been  reduced  on  appeal  to  $7,561,956,  the 
commissioners  rescinded  the  resolution  of 
March  21st,  providing  for  an  increase  of 
indebtedness  to  $160,000,  and  substituted  a 
resolution  limiting  the  increase  to  an  aggregate 
of  $140,000.  A  few  days  later  Judge  Dreher's 
opinion  was  filed,  and  the  commissioners  there- 
upon decided  to  apply  to  the  Court  of  Quarter 
Sessions  for  the  approval  of  an  issue  of  bonds. 
Their  petition  for  this  purpose,  presented  June 
2d,  set  forth  the  indebtedness  already  incurred 
in  the  construction  of  the  court-house  at 
$37,502.87,  and  asked  the  approval  of  a  loan 
of  $125,000,  in  which  the  existing  indebtedness 
was    included.     June    8th,  Judge  Waller,  the 


president  judge,  filed  an  opinion,  limiting  the 
proposed  loan  to  $106,000,  and  approving  of 
the  issue  of  bonds  to  that  amount— $38,000  to 
liquidate  the  indebtedness  already  incurred,  and 
the  remaining  $68,000  to  be  approved  "when- 
ever the  ( lommissioners  shall  obtain  a  responsible 

contract   for  the  < ipletion  of  the  building  in 

a  proper  manner"  for  that  sum.  June  9th, 
however,  the  associate  judges,  Avery  and 
Greene,  filed  an  opinion,  refusing  to  approve 
the  issue  of  any  bonds  or  the  negotiation  of 
any  loan  for  completing  the  court-house. 

The  question  was  next  raised,  on  the  part  of 
the  commissioners,  whether  the  net  of  9th 
April,  1868,  was  not  repealed  by  the  act  of 
20th  April,  1874.  Though  the'  former  act  was 
cited  by  .Judge  Drehei  in  his  opinion,  the  ques- 
tion of  its  repeal  by  the  latter  act  had  not  been 
argued,  or  even  presented,  on  the  hearing  before 
him.  On  this  point  there  was  some  difference 
of  opinion  among  the  counsel  for  the  commis- 
sioners. The  bonds  had  already  been  printed 
and  prepared  for  issue,  under  the  resolution  of 
March  21st,  and  it  was  soon  understood  that 
they  had  been  or  were  about  to  be  placed  on 
the  market,  as  a  loan  authorized  by  the  act  of 
1874.  I'.  P.  Smith,  a  prominent  member  of 
the  bar,  decided  to  test  the  right  of  the  com- 
missioners to  contract  the  proposed  loan,  and 
June  30th  filed  a  bill  in  equity  in  behalf  of  two 
of  his  clients — John  Hennigan  and  August 
Hartung — -to  restrain  the  issue  of  bonds  and  the 
collection  of  the  tax  levied  for  payment  of  inter- 
est. The  commissioners,  in  their  answer,  admitted 
their  purpose  to  contract  a  loan  for  the  comple- 
tion of  the  court-house  and  to  meet  other  neces- 
sary expenses  of  the  county,  and  contended  that 
they  were  authorized  to  do  so,  without  the 
approval  of  the  court,  by  the  act  of  1874. 
July  3d  a  preliminary  injunction  was  granted 
against  the  issue  of  bonds  and  the  collection  of 
the  bond  tax,  without  the  approval  of  the  court 
and  July  19th  was  fixed  for  hearing  a  motion 
to  dissolve  the  injunction.  Instead  of  waiting 
to  argue  this  motion,  however,  the  commis- 
sioners appealed  from  the  decree.  The  case  was 
argued  before  the  Supreme  Court  at  Pittsburgh, 
in  October  following,  and  a  decision  was  ren- 
dered by  the  chief  justice  in  the  following  terms : 


L32 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


"Per  Curiam. — Decree  affirmed,  except  so  far  as 
it  restrains  the  Commissioners  from  levying  and  col- 
lecting county  taxes,  under  the  general  system  for 
levying  and  collecting  county  taxes,  for  the  purpose 
of  building  a  new  court-house." 

This   decided    that    the   commissioners  had 

authority  to  levy  the  necessary  tax  for  building 
the  court-house,  but  not  to  borrow  money  for 
that  purpose  without  the  approval  of  the  court. 
On  the  opening  of  the  political  canvass,  in 
the  fall  of  1877,  the  "Anti-Court-House  Party" 
was  strong  and  well  organized  throughout  the 
county.  It  held  a  convention  at  Bethany,  and 
placed  a  county  ticket  in  the  field  ;  Judge  Avery, 
whose  term  would  expire  in  the  following  Janu- 
ary,  being    nominated    for   associate   judge,  and 

Godfrey  Stevenson,  of  Mount  Pleasant,  for  treas- 
urer. Candidates  were  also  nominated  as  usual 
by  the  two  political  parties.  The  Anti-Court- 
House  ticket,  however,  was  elected  by  an  over- 
whelming majority. 

Meantime — in  September — the  old  court- 
house was  torn  down.  Arrangements  were 
subsequently  made,  by  which  the  courts  were 
held  in  Liberty  Hall  until  the  close  of  1878, 
and  in  Weaver's  Hall  from  that  time  until  the 
completion  of  the  new  court-house. 

November  7th,  Thomas  Brown,  one  of  the 
commissioners,  died. 

November  8th,  Commissioners  Oppelt  and 
Foote  adopted  a  resolution  levying  a  tax  of  ten 
mills  on  the  dollar,  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
ceeding with  the  erection  of  the  court-house, 
and  to  meet  ordinary  expenses. 

The  expenditures  on  the  building,  during 
the  vear  1S77,  as  shown  by  the  financial  state- 
ment, Were  $18,030.53. 

At  December  Term,  IS 7 7,  the  court  appointed 
Wm.  Holbert  commissioner,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Brown.  Mr.  Hol- 
bert,  having  been  the  leading  plaintiff  in  the 
original  bill  for  an  injunction,  was  an  undoubted 
"anti-court-house  man." 

In  January,  1878,  the  accounts  of  the  com- 
missioners and  treasurer  were  laid  before  the 
county  auditors  (P.  G.  Goodrich,  A.  K.  Peek, 
and  Eugene  Dorflinger)  for  settlement.  The 
auditors  refused  to  allow  the  commissioners 
credit  for  county  orders  drawn  to  meet  expenses 


connected  with  the  new  court-house  after  the 
refusal  of  the  court  to  approve  a  loan;  or  to 
allow  the  treasurer  credit  for  the  payment  of 
such  orders  after  Nov.  24,  1N77,  at  which  date 
an  "Anti-Court-House  Committee"  had  notified 
him  to  pay  no  more  of  them.  These  orders 
were  printed  in  blue  ink,  to  distinguish  them 
from  those  drawn  for  ordinary  expenses,  and 
were  known  as  "blue  checks."  The  commis- 
sioners and  treasurer  were  accordingly  sur- 
charged with  the  following  sums : 

Commissioner  Oppelt 14495.61 

Brown L970.85 

Foot.- 3335.61 

Treasurer  Paul  Swingle..! 1511.44 

The  commissioners  and  treasurer  at  once 
appealed  from  this  settlement  of  their  accounts. 
The  issues  formed  on  these  appeals  were  tried 
at  the  following  May  Term.  The  personal 
interests  of  Commissioners  Oppelt  and  Foote, 
as  appellants,  being  adverse  to  the  claim  of  the 
county  which  they  officially  represented,  an 
application  was  made  to  the  court  by  the 
"Anti-Court-House  Committee"  for  leave  to 
appear  in  person  and  by  their  attorneys,  Messrs. 
Hamlin  and  Purdy,  in  behalf  of  the  county; 
and  these  attorneys  also  asked  leave  to  appear 
for  the  county  under  an  authority  given  by 
Commissioner  Holbert.  Before  the  cases  were 
taken  up,  however,  an  arrangement  was  made 
by  which  C.  S.  Minor  was  employed  to  act  as 
attorney  for  the  county  in  the  proceedings,  and 
the  applications  on  the  part  of  Messrs.  Hamlin 
and  Purdy  were  withdrawn.  The  appeals  of 
the  commissioners  were  first  tried.  The  evi- 
dence offered  in  behalf  of  the  county  consisted 
of  that  portion  of  the  auditor's  report  relating 
to  the  matters  in  controversy,  the  assessment 
and  tax  levies  for  1877  and  1878,  and  the 
testimony  of  Auditor  Peck,  as  to  the  character 
id'  the  claims  which  had  been  disallowed,  and 
the  reasons  for  disallowance.  When  the  county 
closed,  the  defendants  demurred  to  the  evidence, 
and  after  argument  the  court  directed  judg- 
ment on  the  demurrer  for  the  defendants. 
The  appeal  of  the  treasurer  was  next  taken  up, 
and  as  the  question  on  which  it  turned  had  just 
I  been  decided   by  the  court  against   the  county, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


133 


the  jury,  under  the  direction  of  the  court, 
rendered  a  verdict  for  the  defendant. 

At  February  Sessions,  1878,  Commissioners 
Oppelt  and  Foote  presented  a  petition  asking 
for  the  approval  of  bonds  to  the  amount  of 
$100,000,  conditioned  on  making  a  contract,  to 
be  approved  by  the  court,  for  the  completion  of 
the  court-house,  at  a  total  cost  not  exceeding 
that  sum.  A  similar  petition  was  laid  before 
the  grand  jury,  with  the  request  that  they  take 
the  matter  into  consideration,  and  if  they 
thought  the  proposed  measure  advisable,  to 
recommend  it  to  the  court.  They  declined, 
however,  to  take  such  action  on  it.  Numerous 
remonstrances  were  presented  to  the  court 
against  the  proposed  issue  of  bonds,  and  again 
the  associate  judges  declined  to  approve  the 
measure.  At  May  Sessions  following,  Judge 
Waller  called  the  attention  of  the  grand  jury 
to  the  subject,  for  such  action  as  they  might 
think  proper  to  take.  They  made  a  report, 
recommending  the  issue  of  bonds  as  asked  for 
by  the  commissioners  in  February,  with  a  pro- 
viso that  the  tax  levy  for  the  year  should  not 
exceed  three  mills.  The  associate  judges,  how- 
ever, still  withheld  their  approval. 

In  view  of  the  continued  refusal  to  approve 
a  loan,  and  the  depressed  financial  condition  of 
the  county,  Commissioners  Oppelt  and  Foote, 
at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Dimmick,  their  coun- 
sel, May  14,  1878,  adopted  the  following  reso- 
lution : 

"Resolved,  That  the  resolution  of  November  8th, 
1877,  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  rescinded  ;  and  that 
a  tax  not  to  exceed  five  mills  on  the  dollar  of  valuation 
be  assessed  for  the  year  1878,  and  that  no  further  work 
be  done  on  the  court-house,  or  any  contract  entered 
into  relative  to  the  same  for  the  present  year  ;  and 
that  no  further  request  be  made  to  the  court  for  the 
approval  of  bonds  during  our  term  of  office." 

In  the  fall  of  1878  the  "Anti-Court-House 
Party"  was  again  in  the  field  with  a  county 
ticket;  William  Holbert  and  William  Hartwell 
being  its  nominees  for  commissioners,  and  N. 
F.  Underwood  and  A.  B.  Gammell  for  repre- 
sentatives. Mr.  Nelson,  who  had  served  a  term 
as  representative,  received  its  support  as  a  can- 
didate for  the  State  Senate.  These  candidates 
were  elected.     John  Riefier,  one  of  the  Repub- 


lican candidates,  was  chosen  as  the  third  com- 
missioner. 

At  February  Sessions,  1879,  the  grand  jury, 
in  reporting  on  the  county  buildings,  after  set- 
ting forth  the  inconveniences  connected  with 
the  county  offices,  continued  as  follows: 

"  In  view  of  the  admitted  want  of  a  proper  place 
in  which  to  hold  the  courts  of  the  county,  and  the 
insufficient  accommodations  for  l'rothouotary  and 
Treasurer,  the  grand  jury  would  recommend  the  Com- 
missioners (if  it  be  at  all  consistent  with  the  duty 
they  owe  to  the  people  of  the  county)  to  proceed  to 
finish  the  new  court  house,  so  far,  at  hast,  as  to  af- 
ford the  necessary  court  and  jury-rooms,  and  an  office 
for  the  Prothonotary's  use,  in  as  good  and  cheap  a 
manner  as  they  can." 

In  May  following  the  plans  of  the  new 
court-house  were  examined  by  the  commission- 
ers, various  changes  were  indicated,  and  reduced 
estimates  of  the  cost  were  made.  July  3d  tin; 
commissioners  advertised  for  proposals  to  com- 
plete the  building.  July  1  5th  they  made  a  con- 
tract with  A.  S.  Phillips  to  complete  the  erection 
of  the  court-house,  according  to  the  modified 
plans  decided  on,  for  $25,889.  This  included 
none  of  the  interior  fittings  or  furnishing.  A 
subsequent  agreement  provided  for  the  addition 
of  a  dome,  or  central  tower,  at  a  cost  of  three 
thousand  dollars;  and  a  further  contract  was 
made,  under  which  the  fitting  up  of  the  interior 
was  done  by  Mr.  Phillips.  The  date  fixed  for 
the  completion  of  the  building  was  April  20, 
1880. 

The  purpose  of  the  "  Auti-Court-House  Party  " 
had  been  to  prevent  the  completion  of  the  court- 
house, or  at  least  to  postpone  it  until  after  the 
close  of  Judge  Waller's  term.  The  party  accom- 
plished nothing,  however,  by  political  action, 
except  so  far  as  the  refusal  of  the  court  to 
approve  the  second  application  for  a  loan  may 
have  been  due  to  the  re-election  of  Judge  Avery 
in  1877;  for  work  on  the  building  was  sus- 
pended only  through  the  impossibility  of  ob- 
taining funds  with  which  to  continue  it.  The 
"  Anti-Court-House  "  members  of  the  Legislatu  re 
secured  the  passage  of  various  enactments  on 
the  subject,  but  none  of  these  were  of  the  least 
avail  in  arresting  operations.  The  "Anti-Court- 
House"  commissioners  were  elected  under 
pledges  against   completing  the  court-house — 


134 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


"Pay  as  you  go;  and  if  you  can't  pay,  don't 
go,"  being  the  motto  adopted;  and  up  to  the 
last  moment  the  executive  committee  of  the 
party  pronounced  against  a  resumption  of  the 
work.  The  commissioners,  however,  soon 
recognized  that  the  existing  conditions  rendered 
further  delay  highly  inexpedient,  and  took  the 
responsibility  of  proceeding  to  complete  the 
unfinished  building.  Their  action  in  the  pre- 
mises was  finally  approved  by  the  sober  second 
thought  of  the  great  body  of  the  tax-payers. 

The  building  was  substantially  completed  at 
the  time  fixed,  and  court  was  first  held  in  it  at 
May  Term,  1880.  The  commissioners  then 
presented  a  petition,  asking  that  the  grand  jury 
be  instructed  to  make  "a  full  and  impartial 
examination  of  the  work  and  materials,  and 
report  the  facts  fully  to  the  Court."  This  w;is 
accordingly  done,  and  a  report  was  made  by  the 
grand  jury,  setting  forth — 

"That  we  have  examined  the  contracts,  examined 

Commissioner  Hartwell  upon  his  oath  in  regard  to 
them,  looked  at  the  specifications,  ami  made  such 
general  examination  of  the  building  as  we  felt  war- 
ranted in  doing.  That  we  are  none  of  us  practical 
builders,  and  therefore  do  not  feel  justified  in  passing 
upon  matters  which  only  experts  can  intelligently 
decide.  That  for  these  reasons  it  would  not  lie  just  to 
the  Commissioners,  the  contractor,  or  the  people,  to 
take  the  responsibility  upon  ourselves  to  pass  judg- 
ment on  so  important  a  matter,  as  a  contract  is  now 
on  file  between  said  Commissioners  and  the  contractor, 
by  which  the  Commissioners  and  the  architect  are  to 
be  the  judges  to  decide  in  behalf  of  the  tax-payers 
whether  the  contractor  has  done  the  work  and  fur- 
nished the  materials  in  accordance  with  the  specifica- 
tions and  contract." 

During  the  two  years  preceding,  numerous 
suits  had  been  brought  and  judgments  recovered 
against  the  county  for  money  lent,  and  on  the 
"  blue  checks"  discredited  by  the  county  audi- 
tors in  their  report  for  1877.  Litigation  was 
not  to  end  even  with  the  completion  of  the 
court-house.  The  commissioners  and  Contractor 
Phillips  were  unable  to  effect  a  settlement,  and 
in  August,  1880,  the  latter  brought  suit  against 
the  county,  on  a  claim  of  $3000  for  building 
the  court-house  dome,  and  of  $2000  for  seats 
and  other  fixtures  erected  in  the  court-room. 
The  case  was  referred  to  arbitrators,  who, 
November    19th,   awarded    the    contractor    the 


sum  of  $1790.13.  He  appealed,  and  subse- 
quently obtained  a  change  of  venue  to  Monroe 
County.  There  he  recovered  a  verdict  of 
$4400,  which  was  afterward  reduced  to  $4000 
as  the  alternative  of  a  new  trial.  January  13th. 
1882,  the  matter  was  closed  by  the  payment  of 
$4413.30  in  full  satisfaction  of  debt,  interest 
and  costs. 

The  court-house,  as  finished,  is  a  fine  two- 
story  structure  of  brick,  with  granite  trimmings. 
The  ground  plan  is  in  the  form  of  an  H.  with 
the  wings  on  the  front  somewhat  longer  than 
those  on  the  rear.  The  county  offices,  arbitra- 
tion room,  president  judge's  chambers,  grand 
jury   room  and    law   library    arc    on  the   first 

ll ■;  the  court-room, jury-rooms, judges'  room, 

bar  office,  consultation  room,  and  ladies'  wait- 
ing-room on  the  second  floor.  The  entire 
building  is  heated  by  steam,  the  furnace  and 
boilers  being  in  the  rear  portion  of  the  base- 
ment. In  the  basement,  also,  are  rooms  for  the 
janitor  and  his  family.  The  outside  dimensions 
of  the  main  portion  of  the  building  are  fifty- 
eight  feet  by  one  hundred  and  nine;  of  the 
front  wings,  thirty-five  by  thirty-seven;  of  the 
rear  wings,  twenty-two  by  twenty-one;  giving 
a  front  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet, 
and  a  rear  of  one  hundred  and  two  feet.  A 
corridor  fourteen  feet  wide  extends  from  front 
to  rear,  with  an  expansion,  eighteen  feet  from 
the  front  entrance,  octagonal  in  form,  twenty- 
six  feet  in  diameter.  On  opposite  sides  of  this, 
two  stairways  lead  to  the  front  of  the  second 
floor  and  to  the  court-room  ;  and  from  a  private 
entrance  near  the  rear  of  the  corridor  a  stair- 
way leads  to  the  judges'  room,  bar  office  and 
rear  of  the  court-room.  The  length  of  the 
court-room  is  eighty-nine  feet,  and  its  width 
fifty-three.  The  bar,  bench,  clerk's  desk  and 
jury  boxes  occupy  thirty-two  feet  of  the  length. 
The  judges'  room  is  in  rear  of  the  bench;  the 
waiting-room  and  jury-rooms  are  in  the  front 
wings;  the  bar  office  and  consultation  room  are 
in  the  rear  wings.  The  bar  and  jury  boxes  are 
elevated  some  eight  inches  above  the  level  of 
the  floor,  and  the  tiers  of  seats  in  the  jury 
boxes  rise  from  front  to  rear.  The  seats  of  the 
audience  are  on  a  uniform  level.  This  is  a 
very  faulty  arrangement ;  since  a  row  of  chairs 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


1 1-!;") 


placed  across  the  froni  of  the  bar,  when  occu- 
pied, shuts  the  witness-stand  out  of  view  from 
at  least  one-half  of  the  benches.  The  acoustic 
properties  of  the  room,  also,  are  exceedingly 
had  ;  what  is  said  within  the  bar  and  on  the 
witness-stand  being  best  heard  in  the  most  dis- 
tant seats.  Various  plans  have  been  proposed, 
and  experiments  tried,  for  improving  the  room 
in  this  respect,  but  with  little  success.  The 
method  most  likely  to  be  attended  with  favora- 
ble results  is  a  reduction  of  the  bar  to  the  level 
of  the  Hoor,  and  the  elevation  of  the  seats 
toward  the  opposite  end  of  the  room. 

It  is  impossible  to  ascertain  the  exact  cost  of 
the  building,  with  the  fitting,  furnishing,  heating 
apparatus,  plumbing,  gas  fitting,  etc.,  etc. 
Samuel  B.  Brown,  the  commissioners'  clerk 
during  most  of  the  period  of  construction  and 
payment,  and  the  man  most  familiar  with  the 
subject,  estimates  the  aggregate  cost  at  about 
$130,000.  This  sum,  however,  does  not  include 
expenses  of  litigation,  costs  in  suits  against 
the  county,  interest  on  unpaid  claims,  political 
profits,  or  wear  and  tear  of  the  public  temper. 

THE    CIVIL    LIST. 

Following  appear  the  names  of  the  chief  offi- 
cials of  Wayne  County — so  far  as  it  is  possible 
to  ascertain  them — together  with  the  represent- 
atives in  the  National  and  State  Legislatures. 
(For  the  judiciary,  see  the  succeeding  chapter.) 

Congressmen. — For  the  district  of  which 
Wayne  has  been  a  part — varying  from  time  to 
time. 
Bucks,  MonUjoiiierii  ami  Xurt/iiim/itoit  (two  members). 

1792-97 Samuel  Si fcgrea ves. 

1797-1801 Robert  Brown. 

Bucks,  Montgomery,  Northampton,  Wayne  and  Luzerne 

(three  members). 

1803-1813 Robert  Brown.1 

Bucks,  Xorthiinijitou  ami   Wai/m: 

1813 Robert  Brown,  S.  D.  Ingham. 

1815 S.D.  Ingham.  J.  Ross. 

1817 Same.     Both  resigned  in  1818. 

1818-19 S.  Moore,  T.  J.  Rogers  (to  fill  vacancies). 

Bucks,  Northampton,  Wayne  and  Pike  (two  members). 

1821 S.  Moore,  T.  J.  Rogers. 

1S22 S.  D.  Ingham  (in  place  of  Moore,  resigned). 

i  Elected  five  terms— 1803,  1805,  1807,  1809  and  1811. 


1823 S.  D.  Ingham  (with  Rogers). 

1824 George  Wolf  (in  place  of  Rogers,  resigned). 

1826-27 Ingham  and  Wolf. 

1829 S.  A.  Smith,  P.  Ihrie,  Jr. 

1831 H.  King,  P.  Ihrie,  Jr. 

Northampton,  Wayne,  Pike  ami  Monroe  (one member). 
|  ( 'arbon  added  when  erected.  | 

is:;:: D.  1).  Wagoner. 

1841-43 John  Westbrook. 

1843-49 Richard  Brodhead. 

1849  53 M.  M.  Dimmick. 

1868-57 Asa  Packer. 

L857  61 W.  H.  Dimmick. 

1861-67 Philip  Johnston.2 

1867-71 1>.  M.  Van  Auken. 

1871-75 J.  B.  Storm. 

Bradford,  Susquehanna,   Wayne  and    Wyoming  (April 
28,  1873). 

1875-77 Joseph  Powell. 

1877-81 Edward  Overton. 

1881 C.  C.  Jadwin. 

1883 George  A.  Post. 

1885 F.  C.  Bunnell. 

State  Senators  (for  districts  including 
Wayne  County). — Previous  to  1836  Wayne 
was  in  districts  electing  two  Senators,  and  the 

names  of  those  elected  are  not  learned  with  cer- 
tainty. 

,  Wayne,  Pike 


1838,   1839, 


In  L836  the  District  was  made  of  '■"  < 

and   Monroe. 

1837. — E.  Kingsbury,  Jr.,  elected  foi 

1840  and  1841. 

1841.— Luther  Kidder,  elected  for  1842,  L843  and 
1844. 

In  1843  Xeir  District  of  Suxijii,  lionmi,   W'mjne  ami 

Wyoming. 

Asa  Dimock  was  on  unexpired  term. 

IStr,.— William  H.  Dimmick,  elected  for  1846,  1847 
and  1848. 

1848.— F.  B.   Streeter,  elected  for    1849,   1850  and 
1851. 

In  1850  New  District  of   Wayne,  Pike  ami  Monroe. 

No  election  for  1852. 

1852.— E.  W.  Hamlin,    elected   for   1853,    1854  and 
1855. 

1855.— I.   11.   Walton,    elected    for    1856,    1857    ami 
1 858. 

/;/  1857  New  District  of  Carbon,  Monroe,  Pike  and 
Wayne. 

1858.— Thomas   Craig,  Jr.,  elected  for  1859,  1860 
and  1861. 

1861.— Henry  S.  Mott,  elected  for  1802,  1863  and 
1864. 

2  He  died  in  January,  1867. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


In  L864  same  District  renewed. 

1864.— H.  I'..  Beardslee,  elected  for  1865, 1866  and 
1867. 

1867.— Charlton  Burnett,  elected  for  L868,  L869  and 
1870. 

L870.— Albert  G.  Brodhead,  elected  tor  1871,  1872 

and  1873. 

In  1871  New  District  of  Bradford,  Susquehanna,  Wayne 

and  Wyoming. 

1871.— Lafayette  Fitch,  elected  for  1872,  1873  and 

1874. 

In  1S74  New  District  nf  H'ai/iie  and  Xiist/iudtaniiti. 

1874.— W.  W.  Watson,  elected  for  1875  and  1876. 
1876.— Eugene  Bawley,  elected  for  1877  and  1878. 

1878.— William  M.  Nelson,  elected  for  1879,  1880, 
1SS1  and  1SS2. 

1882.— William  M.  Nelson,  elected  for  1883,  1884, 
1885  and  1886, 

Representatives  in  Legislature. — Prev- 
ious to  the  erection  of  Wayne  County,  (1798)  its 
territory  was  part  of  Northampton,  and  by  the 

last  preceding  apportionment,  Northampton  was 
entitled  to  four  members.  After  Wayne  was 
erected,  it  was  generally  understood  that  Wayne 
should  have  one  of  the  Representatives.  The 
following  were  elected  from  Wayne: 

1798, 1799  and  1800.-John  Coolbaugh,  of  Wayne, 

was  elected. 

1801-2.— Richard  Brodhead,  of  Wayne. 

1803.— John  Coolbaugh. 

1804-5.— The  people  of  Wayne  did  not  agree  on  a 
candidate,  and  all  four  members  were  from  North- 
ampton. 

1806.— John  Coolbaugh. 

1807. — No  member  from  Wayne,  the  people  being 
divided. 

1808,  1809,  1810,  1811,  1812  and  1813.— Daniel  W. 
Dingman. 

1814. — No  member  from  Wayne.  Pike  was  now 
erected,  and  Wayne  and  Tike  were  expected  to  have 
one  member. 

1815-16.— John  Brodhead,  of  Pike. 

1817,  1818,  1819,  1820  and  1821.— Isaac  Dimmiek. 
of  Wayne. 

1822-23.— N.  B.  Eldred,  of  Wayne. 

1824-25.— William  Overfield,  of  Pike. 

1826-27.— N.  B.  Eldred,  of  Wayne. 

1828-29.— William  Overfield,  of  Pike. 

1830-31.— Thomas  Fuller,  of  Wayne. 

1832-33.— John  Westbrook,  of  Pike. 

1834-35.— N.  A.  Woodward,  of  Wayne. 

(Wayne  and  Pike  were  made  a  district  alone,  with 
one  member). 

1836-37.— Oliver  S.  Dimmiek,  of  Pike. 

1838-39.— E.  W.  Hamlin,  of  Wayne. 


1840-41.— John  H.  Brodhead,  of  Pike. 

1842-43.— George  Bush,  of  Wayne. 

1844-45.— Richard  Eldred,  of  Pike. 

1846-47.— Pope  Bushnell,  of  Wayne. 

1848.— John  W.  George,  of  Pike. 

1849.— Thomas  E.  Grier,  of  Wayne. 

(Wayne  alone  was  made  a  district). 

1850. — Calvely    Freeman. 

1851.— Thomas  J.  Hubbell. 

1852. — Richard  Lancaster. 

1853.— F.  M.  Crane. 

1 854.— Otis  Avery. 

is;.;,  56.— Nathaniel  W.  Vail. 

1867-58.— H.L.  Stephens. 

1859.     H.  B.  Beardslee. 

I860.— A.  B.  Walker. 

1861.-F.  M.Crane. 

1863-64.— William  M.  Nelson. 

(Wayne  and  Pike  were  joined  in  a  district). 

1864-65.— William  M.  Nelson  (Wayne). 

1866-67.— Lafayette  Westbrook  (Pike). 

1868.— William  M.  Nelson  f Wayne. 

1869.— William  H.  Dimmiek  (Wayne). 

1870.— David  A.  Wells  (Pike). 

L871  and  1872.— J.  Howard  Beach  (Wayne). 

1873. — William  H.  Dimmiek,  Wayne.  (He  resigned 
and  Thomas  V.  Boyd  was  elected  to  the  vacancy.) 

I  An  apportionment  under  the  revised  Constitution 
gave  Wayne  two  members,  to  be  elected  for  two 
j  ears'  terms.  | 

1X74.— Thomas  Y.  Boyd  ami  W.  W.  Mumford. 

1876.— William  M.  Nelson  and  A.  B.  How,'. 

1878.— A.  B.  Gammell  and  N.  F.  Underw I. 

1880.— Philip  Ridley  and  James  Millliam. 

1882.— Philip  Ridley  and  C.  S.  Gardner. 

1884.— E.  B.  Hardenbergh  and  W.  B.  Guinnip. 

Sheriffs.- — Previous  to  1839,  in  accordance 
with  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution  of  1790, 
two  persons  were  to  be  elected  by  the  people, 
one  of  whom  was  to  be  appointed  and  commis- 
sioned by  the  Governor. 

Name  of   Candidate  Elected   tr/ia   Kcceieed    <  'ammixsian. 

1798 Richard  Brodhead. 

1801 Daniel  W.  Dingman. 

1X04  Abraham  Mulford. 

1807 vbisha  Woodward. 

1810 Matthew  Ridgway. 

1813 Silas  Kellogg. 

1816  Salmon  Jones. 

1819 Solomon  Moore. 

1822 Oliver  B.  Brush. 

1825 Joseph  Miller. 

1828 PaulS.  Preston. 

1831  Lucius  Collins. 

1X34 Joseph   Miller. 

1837 Lucius  Collins. 

1840 Richard  Lancaster. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


137 


1848 John  Mcintosh. 

L846 William  F.Wood. 

1849 Oliver  Stevenson. 

1852 Thomas  E.  Grier. 

1855 lames  B.  Eldred. 

L858 William  Turner. 

1861 Robert  S.  Dorin. 

1864 Jeremiah  F.  Barnes. 

1867 Robert  S.  Dorin. 

1870 lohn  R.Ross. 

1873 E.  Mallory  Spencer. 

1876 Perry  A.  Clark. 

1879 Joseph  Atkinson. 

Prothonotary,  Clerk  of  Courts,  Re- 
corded of  Deeds  and  Register  of  Wills. 
—Previous  to  1839  these  offices  were  part  of 
the  Governor's  patronage  and  were  sometimes 
all  given  to  one  person,  and  at  other  times 
divided  between  two  or  more  persons.  The 
limit  to  the  term  of  office  was  usually  stated  in 
the  commissions,  as  "until  this  appointment 
and  commission  shall  be  by  me,  or  other  lawful 
authority,  superseded  and  annulled." 

The  appointees  in  Wayne  <  Vmiitv  were  as  in 
the  following  statement  : 

John  Broadhead,  appointed  by  Governor  Mifflin, 
March,  1798,  to  all  the  offices  ;  reappointed  by  Gover- 
nor Mckean,  January,  L800,  to  all  the  offices. 

John  Coolbaugh,  appointed  by  Governor  Snyder, 
January,  L809,to  all  the  offices. 

Eliphalet  Kellogg,  appointed  by  Governor  Snyder, 
February,  1810,  to  all  I  he  offices. 

Sheldon  Norton,  appointed  by  Governor  Findlay, 
February,  1818,  prothonotary  and  clerk  of  court. 

John  K.  Woodward, appointed.by  Governor  Findlay, 
February,  1818,  register  and  recorder. 

Thomas  Meredith,  appointed  by  Governor  Heister, 
February,  1821,  to  all  the  offices. 

John  R.  Woodward,  appointed  by  Governor  Shultz, 
February,  1824,  prothonotary  and  clerk  of  court; 
died  April,  1825. 

James  Manning,  appointed  by  Governor  Shultz, 
February,  1824,  register  and  recorder. 

Solomon  Moore,  appointed  by  Governor  Shultz, 
May,  1825,  prothonotary  and  clerk  of  court;  reap- 
pointed by  Governor  Wolf,  January,  1830,  prothono- 
tary and  clerk  of  court ;  died  December,  1831. 

James  Manning,  appointed  by  Governor  Wolf, 
January,  1830,  register. 

Isaac  P.  Olmstead,  appointed  by  Governor  Wolf, 
January,  1830,  recorder. 

George  B.  Wescott,  appointed  by  Governor  Wolf, 
January,  1832,  prothonotary  and  clerk  ;  reappointed 
by  Governor  Wolf,  January,  1833,  prothonotary, 
clerk  and  register. 


Isaac  P.  Olmstead,  appointed  by  Governor  Wolf, 
January  1833,  recorder. 

Paul  S.  Preston,  appointed  by  Governor  Ritner,  Jan- 
uary 1836,  to  all  the  offices. 

Leonard  Graves,  appointed  by  Governor  Porter, 
January  1839,  prothonotary  and  clerk. 

John  Belknap,  appointed  by  Governor  Porter,  Jan- 
uary, 1839,  register  and  recorder. 

(Both  of  these  were  to  hold  their  offices  until  they 
were  filled  by  election.) 

Prothonotaries. — This  office  became  elect- 
ive in  1839;  one  person  to  be  prothonotary  and 
clerk  of  the  courts,  and  another  person  to  be 
register  and  recorder,  and  elected  for  three 
years.  The  subsequent  prothonotaries,  etc., 
were : 

Leonard  Graves,  elected  in  1839,  died  August,  1842; 
Abraham  Swart,  appointed  August  11,  1842,  to  lill 
vacancy,  re-elected  in  1842;  Philip  G.  Goodrich, 
elected  in  1845 ;  Rufus  M.  Grenell,  elected  in  L848; 
John  .Mcintosh,  elected  in  1851  and  1854;  William  F. 
Wood,  elected  in  1857;  John  K.  Jenkins,  elected  in 
I860;  Henry  W.  Brown,  elected  in  1863;  William  H. 
Ham,  elected  in  1866 ;  J.  J.  Curtis,  elected  in  1869 
and  1872;  Charles  J.  Menna,  elected  in  1875  and 
1878;  E.  R.Gaylord,  elected  in  1881  and  1884. 

COMMISSIONERS. 

1803 Joseph  Tanner. 

1804  Benj.S.Killam. 

1805 Samuel  Gunsalus. 

1806 |^niei1,,T"Cn  U««. 

t  Theodore  \V  oodbndge  ) 

1808 Moses  Thomas. 

1809 George  W.  Nyce. 

1813 Thomas  Spangenburg. 

1814 Walter  Kimble. 

1815 Benj.  King. 

1816 George  Rix. 

1817 David  Arnold. 

1827 Jesse  Dix. 

1828 George  Bush. 

1829 Jeremiah  Bennett. 

1831 , Jirah  Mumford. 

1836 Jacob  Faatz. 

1837 John  Mumford. 

1840 Amory  Prescott. 

1841 Richard  Eldred. 

1842 Phineas  Howe,  Jr. 

1843 Alva  W.  Norton. 

1844 Jonathan  Jones. 

1845 John  S.  Atkinson. 

1846 Hiram  Ledyard. 

1847 Charles  B.  Seaman. 

1847 John  B.  Cole. 

1848 Wareham   Day,  full  term. 

For  two  years,  John  B.  Cole. 


WAYNE,  DIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


1849.. 

Ephraim  Pullis. 

1831  ... 

Thomas  Lillibridge. 

1850.. 

Ira  B.Stone. 

1837.... 

Thomas  H.  Bans. 

1851.. 

William  Oliver. 

L840.... 

Jacob  L.  Keen. 

1852.. 

William  N.  Fisher. 

1843.... 

Maitland  A.  Bidwell. 

1853.. 

Ruben  R.  Purdy. 

1846.... 

185  1 

1849.... 

Horace  Buckland. 

1865.. 

Daniel  D.  Woodward. 

1852.... 

Ruel  Hoadley. 

L856. 

Ezekiel  G.  Wood. 

1855.... 

Elkanah  l'atmor. 

1857.. 

Squire  Whitaker. 

L858.... 

Maitland  A.  Bidwell. 

1868. 

1881.... 

George  Schlager. 

....Jacob  B.  Snyder,  unexpired  term. 

1859. 

William  Hartwell. 

1862  ... 

1860. 

1864.... 

lames  B.  Eld  red. 

1861. 

Riehard  Henwobd. 

1867.... 

Jacob  C.  Vetter. 

1862.. 

Patrick  Barrett. 

1868.... 

....James  B.  Eldred,  unexpired  term. 

1863.. 

Henry  Winter. 

L870.... 

James  B.  Eldred. 

1864.. 

1871.... 

Jacob  J.  <  (Inner. 

L865.. 

James  Drown. 

1872.... 

Elkanah  l'atmor. 

1866.. 

1S75.... 

1867.. 

Thomas  Ferguson. 

1878.... 

Elkanah  l'atmor. 

1868.. 

1881.... 

1869.. 

Thomas  Tvner. 

1884.... 

Elkauah   l'atmor. 

1870.. 

George  Hittinger. 

1871.. 

James  B.  Ehlred. 

1872.. 

L809.... 

Martin  Boesticld. 

1873.. 
1874.. 

Oliver  W.  Chapman. 

1813  ... 

1814..., 

Reuben   E.  Purdv. 

1875. 

.Thomas    Brown   (died   1877,  William 

1815.... 

Amos  Tyler. 

1816 

George  Foote,  Francis  A.  Oppelt. 

1817.... 

Rufus  Greenohl. 

1878.. 

John  Riefler,  William  Holl.ert, 

1S27.... 

Eldad  Atwater. 

William  Hartwell. 

1828.... 

Eliphalet  Kellogg. 

1881.. 

John  Williams,  George  W.  Kipp, 

1829.... 

Enos  Woodward. 

C.  T.  Tegler. 

1831.... 

David  S.  West. 

1884.. 

1  leorge  W.  Simons,  John  L.  Sherw 1, 

1836.... 

lames  Mumford. 

Henry  Iloff. 

1837.... 

John  Mcintosh. 

1840.... 

Registers  .\ni>  Recorders. —  rhe  office  of 

1841  ... 

Stephen  Price. 

register  and  recorder,  after   it  became    elective 

1842.... 

James  R.  Keen. 

in  1839, 

was  thus  filled  : 

1843.... 

Eil win  Foot. 

1839.. 

John  Bel  knap. 

1844.... 

1845... 

Oliver  Stephenson. 

1841. 

Thomas  R.  Mumford. 

1846  ... 

1845. 
1848. 
1851.. 
1854. 
1857. 

H.  B.  Beardslee. 

James  R.  Keen. 

Curtis  S.  Stoddard. 

Curtis  S.  Stoddard. 

William  G.  Arnold. 

1847.... 
1848.... 
1849.... 

185H  ... 

1851.... 

George  A.  Starkweather. 

William  N.  Fisher. 

Charles  B.  Seaman. 

Pope  Bushncll. 

18(30. 

William  G.  Arnold. 

1852.... 

Rufus M.  Grennell. 

1863. 

Michael  Regan. 

1853.... 

1866. 

Thomas  Hawkey. 

1854.... 

Daniel  W.  Church. 

1872. 
1875. 

A.  R.  Howe. 

Charles  Menner. 

1855  ... 

1856  ... 

Ephraim  W.  Hamlin. 

Amory  Prescott,  three  years. 

1857.... 

Silas  S.  Benedict. 

COKONEBS. 

1858.... 

Jackson  Woodward,  three  years. 

1S04. 

Jabez  Rock wel  1. 

Pope  Bushnell,  two  years. 

1813. 

Jonathan  Jennings. 

1859.... 

Michael  Regan,  three  vears. 

1816. 

Matthias  Keen. 

Henrv  W.  Brown,  two  years. 

1828. 

Benjamin  F.  Woodward. 

I860.... 

Robert  A.  Smith 

WAYNE  COUNTY. 


139 


1861 Isaac  N.  Chalker. 

18G2 Ephraim  B.  Kimble,  full  term. 

James  B.  Eldred,  one  year. 

1803 J.  N.  Wilson,  three  years. 

B.  H.  Holgate,  two  years. 

1864 Halloway  L.  Stephens. 

1865 Newman  D.  Purdy. 

1866 James  Van  Camp. 

1867 A.  B.  Gammell. 

1868 Henry  K.  Stone. 

1869 Anderson  M.  Lancaster. 

1870 Orrin  A.  Reed. 

1871 Horace  Buckland. 

1872 William  Weiss. 

1873 Andrew  J.  Price. 

1874 Elbert  R.  Jones. 

1875 Eugene  A.  Dorfiinger,  Albert 

R.  Peck,  Phineas  G.  Goodrich. 

1878 Phineas  G.  Goodrich,  Albert 

R.  Peck,  Hugh  A.  Lancaster. 

1881 John  Gilpin,  William 

Stephens,  John  J.  Whitakcr. 

1884  Dwight  R.  Atkinson,  Frank  P. 

Kimble,  George  E.  Moase. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Bench  and  Bar  of  Wayne  County— A  General  Sketch, 
with   Biographic. i 

The  Courts  and  President  Judges. — 
The  first  organization  of  the  courts  of  Wayne 
County  was  made  under  the  Constitution  of 
1790  ami  the  judiciary  act  of  April  1:5,  1791. 
The  Constitution  established  in  each  county  "a 
court  of  common  pleas,  orphans'  court,  register's 
court,  and  a  court  of  quarter  sessions  of  the 
peace,"  and  required  the  Governor  to  appoint, 
in  each  county,  not  less  than  three  nor  more 
than  four  judges.  It  also  required  a  division 
of  the  State  into  circuits,  and  the  appointment, 
by  the  Governor,  of  a  president  judge  of  the 
courts  in  each  circuit.  All  these  judges  were 
to  hold  office  during  good  behavior.  The 
judiciary  act  divided  the  State  into  five  "dis- 

1  Judge  Henry  Wilson  is,  in  a  comprehensive  sense,  the 
author  of  this  ample  and  admirable  chapter.  The  sketches 
of  Earl  Wheeler,  Wm.  II.  Dimmick  (the  elder),  Samuel  E. 
Dimmick  and  F.  M.  Crane,  analytical  as  well  as  biograph- 
ical in  character,  are  from  the  always  able  pen  of  one 
who  knew  them  all  intimately — Francis  B. 
Several  other  biographies  have  been  contributed  by 
writers. 


tricts  or  circuits,"  of  which  the  counties  of 
Berks,  Northampton,  Luzerne  and  Northum- 
berland formed  the  Third.  It  also  required  the 
Governor  to  appoint  "a  person  of  knowledge 
and  integrity,  skilled  in  the  laws,"  in  each 
district  or  circuit,  as  president  judge  of  the 
courts  therein,  and  "a  number  of  other  proper 
persons,  not  fewer  than  three,  nor  more  than 
four,"  as  judges  in  and  for  each  county  ;  and  it 
provided  that  "said  president  and  judges" 
should  "have  and  execute  all  and  singular  the 
powers,  jurisdictions  and  authorities  of  judges 
of  the  courts  of  common  pleas,  judges  of  the 
courts  id'  oyer  and  terminer  and  general  jail 
delivery,  judges  of  the  orphans'  courts,  and 
justices  of  the  courts  of  quarter  sessions  of  the 
peace,  agreeably  to  the  laws  and  constitution  of 
tliis  commonwealth." 

The  act  of  March  21,  1798,  erecting  the 
county  of  Wayne  out  of  part  of  Northampton, 
provided  that  the  new  county  should  have  "all 
and  singular  the  courts,  jurisdictions,  officers, 
rights  and  privileges  "  to  which  other  counties 
were  entitled  under  the  Constitution  and  laws  of 
the  commonwealth.  It  placed  the  county  in 
the  Third  Judicial  District,  made  the  president 
judge  of  that  district  the  president  of  its  courts, 
and  provided  that  the  courts  should  be  held  at 
the  house  occupied  by  George  Buchanan,  in 
Milford,  until  the  erection  of  a  court-house. 

Hon.  Jacob  Rush  was  then  president  judge 
of  the  Third  District,  having  been  appointed 
August  1.3,  1791.  He  never  sat,  however,  in 
Wayne,  but  for  eight  years  after  the  erection 
of  the  county  its  courts  were  held  by  the 
associate  judges. 

By  act  of  March  20,  1799,  a  Circuit  Court 
was  established,  to  be  held  in  each  county  except 
Philadelphia,  by  a  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  instead  of  the  courts  of  Nisi  Prius  then 
held  by  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court.  Be- 
sides its  original  jurisdiction,  the  Circuit  Court 
had  jurisdiction  of  causes,  civil  and  criminal, 
removed  to  it  from  the  County  Courts.  In 
March,  1809,  this  court  was  abolished. 

The  record  shows  that  the  first  court  in 
Wayne  County  was  held  September  10,  1798, 
at  the  house  of  George  Buchanan  (spelled  also, 
iu   the  record,  Buckhannan   and   Bowhannun), 


140 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


in  Mil  ford,  "  Before  Samuel  Preston,  John 
Ryerson,  Samuel  C.  Seely  and  John  Biddis, 
Esquires,  Justices  of  the  said  court."  The 
preamble  and  the  first,  second  aud  third  sections 
of  the  act  erecting  the  county  were  read  ;  also, 
the  commissions  of  the  judges,  respectively,  in 
the  order  above  named,  as  first,  second,  third 
and  fourth  associate  judges,  and  of  John  Brod- 
head  as  prothonotary  and  clerk  of  the  courts, 
recorder  of  deeds  and  register  of  wills.  Jabez 
Rockwell  was  appointed  "Oyer  of  the  Court;" 
four  attorneys  were  admitted  to  the  bar;  and 
rules  were  adopted  for  the  regulation  of  prac- 
tice. No  venire  having  been  issued,  there  was 
neither  grand  or  traverse  jury.  Some  business 
was  transacted  in  the  Quarter  Sessions.  Eight 
recognizances  for  appearance,  on  various  charges, 
had  been  returned,  one  of  which  was  forfeited 
and  the  others  renewed.  A  place  was  designated 
for  the  confinement  of  debtors  and  other  prison- 
ers. Fourteen  persons  were  recommended  to 
the  Governor  for  licenses  to  keep  public  houses, 
and  four  applications  therefor  were  rejected. 
A  draft  laying  out  the  northern  part  of  the 
county  into  six  townships  was  approved,  in 
compliance  with  "a  petition  subscribed  with 
twenty-five  signatures."  The  townships  were 
named  Buckingham,  Mount  Pleasant,  Damascus, 
Palmyra,  Canaan  and  Lackawaxen.  Commis- 
sioners were  appointed  to  run  and  mark  the 
lines,  and  constables  and  supervisors  of  the  new 
townships  were  appointed.  A  vacancy  in  the 
office  of  constable  of  Middle  Smithfield  was 
tilled.  An  order  was  made  directing  repairs  on 
the  bridge  at  Milford.  These  proceedings  com- 
pleted, the  court  adjourned  September  12th. 

Judge  Preston  was  a  Quaker.  On  the  other 
hand,  Judge  Seely  had  been  a  lieutenant  in  the 
Revolutionary  army  ;  and  his  judicial  commission 
was  followed,  March  24,  1798,  by  a  commission 
from  Governor  Mifflin  as  "  Brigadier  General  of 
the  brigade  composed  of  the  militia  of  the  county 
of  Wayne,"  for  the  term  of  seven  years.  Thus 
peace  and  war  were  represented  side  by  side  on 
the  bench  when  the  courts  of  Wayne  County 
were  first  opened. 

Daniel  Stroud,  the  first  attorney  admitted, 
seems  to  have  had  personal  as  well  as  profes- 
sional   reasons    for    attendance.       Among    the 


recognizances  returned  was  one  for  his  appear- 
ance to  answer  a  charge  of  assault  and  battery 
on  David  Litch.  At  the  next  term  an  in- 
dictment was  found  against  him;  he  pleaded' 
"guilty,  with  a  protestation,  etc.,"  and  was 
sentenced  to  pay  a  fine  of  one  cent  and  the  costs. 
This  was  the  first  penalty  ever  imposed  in  the 
criminal  courts  of  Wayne  County. 

The  bench,  also,  had  its  personal  difficulties.- 
The  first  writ  of  fieri  facias  issued  out  of  the 
newly-created  court  was  against  Samuel  C.  Seely, 
the  third  associate  judge,  December  27,  1798, 
for  a  debt  of  fifty-two  pounds. 

At  September  Term,  1799,  Samuel  Preston, 
the  first  associate  judge,  found  himself  in  hot 
water.  An  attempt  was  made  to  indict  him,  in 
which  the  prime  movers  were  Samuel  Staunton, 
of  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  Thomas  Shields,  of  Da- 
mascus. Their  hostility  grew  out  of  the  loca- 
tion of  a  road  in  those  townships.  .Indue 
Preston,  in  a  letter  to  Henry  Drinker,  thus 
describes  their  efforts,  and  the  method  by  which 
they  were  defeated, — 

"StauntoD  was  very  busy  for  two  days.  He  haunted 
the  Grand  Jury  incessantly,  importuning  them  to 
present  me  to  the  State's  attorney  for  a  Bill,  indicting 
me  for  living  with  a  woman  without  being  married, 
and  Cor  the  Orphans'  Court  to  appoint  trustees  to 
bind  out  my  children,  lest  I  might  use  them  ill  and 
they  become  a  public  charge.  Several  of  my  friends 
in  the  Grand  Jury  informed  me,  from  time  to  time,  of 
li is  pressing  solicitations,  and  that  it  bad  no  effect 
with  the  majority  of  them,  altho'  some  few  of  bis 
party,  that  I  could  name,  were  violently  warm  for  it. 
He  then  tried  to  have  me  indicted  for  writing  an  in- 
famous libel,  as  be  termed  it,  in  which  hq  was  much 
nearer  obtaining  a  presentment.  It  was  that,  in  a 
letter  which  I  had  written  on  electioneering  subjects, 
I  bad  (juoted  a  passage  from  '  Dallas'  Reports,'  which 
they  said  proved  McKean  had  condemned  John  Rob- 
erts contrary  to  law.  I  took  the  Book,  went  in  among 
the  Grand  Jury,  read  to  them  the  same  in  that  as  in 
the  letter,  then  told  them  they  must  first  indict  Dal- 
las for  publishing  and  McKean  for  recommending  its 
being  read,  before  they  did  me  ;  that  the  duty  of  my 
office  required  that  I  should  endeavor  to  disseminate 
among  them  a  knowledge  of  the  laws  and  Decisions 
of  Courts,  more  especially  such  as  were  there  recom- 
mended by  the  man  who,  for  his  virtue  and  wisdom, 
they  had  selected  for  Governor." 

The  charge  of  "  living  with  a  woman  without 
being  married  "  arose  from  the  fact  that  Judge 
Preston  and  wife  were  married  according  to  the 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


141 


ceremony — or,  rather,  lack  of  ceremony — prac- 
ticed by  the  Quakers.  The  judge's  brethren 
on  the  bench,  also,  seem  to  have  been  involved 
in  the  crusade  against  him,  for  he  adds, — 

"  It  was  a  Court  of  Qreat  Commotion.  There  was 
every  wrong  thing  tried  to  either  stigmatize  or  put 
me  off  the  Bench.  All  the  other  three  Judges  attend- 
ed for  that  purpose,  and  they  intended  to  have  had 
twenty-three  <  brand  Jurymen,  in  order  to  obtain  a  ma- 
jority of  twelve  against  me;  that  I  clearly  foresaw. 
Objected  to  S.  Staunton  ;  he  had  served  the  Court 
before.  John  Brink  and  C.  Jayne,  Esq.,  the  other 
trustees  [appointed  to  select  a  county  seat],  prayed  to 
have  him  dismissed  to  join  their  Board.  There  were 
twenty  left  to  serve  and  they  divided,  eleven  in  my 
favor  and  nine  against  me." 

Thus  the  judge  escaped  for  the  time. 

At  December  Term,  1 799,  Jonathan  Butler,  a 
justice  of  the  peace,  was  indicted  for  "an  assault 
and  battery  on  the  body  of  John  Biddis, 
Esquire,"  the  fourth  associate  judge,  but  was 
acquitted. 

At  September  Term,  1800,  the  difficulties  in 
which  Judge  Preston  had  become  involved 
culminated  in  two  indictments  against  him. 
The  first  charged  the  Quaker  judge  with  an 
assault  and  battery  on  Thomas  Shields.  He 
was  convicted  on  this,  but  at  the  next  term  a 
new  trial  was  ordered.  The  case  was  then 
removed  to  the  ( 'ircuit  ( lourt,  and  he  was  there 
convicted  of  an  assault,  and  fined  twenty  dollars. 
The  second  indictment  was  for  libels  published 
in  duly,  1799,  on  "Thomas  McKean,  Esquire, 
a  good,  peaceable  and  worthy  citizen  of  the 
commonwealth,  then  Chief  Justice,  and  now 
Governor  thereof."  In  politics,  Judge  Preston 
was  a  Federalist  and  McKean  a  Republican; 
and  the  alleged  libels  were  contained  iu  two 
letters  written  while  the  latter  was  a  candidate 
for  Governor.  The  first  letter  charged  that 
McKean  "was  born  in  Ireland,  and  is  now 
between  seventy  and  eighty  years  of  age,  infirm, 
and  addicted  to  liquor  to  great  excess."  The 
second  referred  to  the  case  of  John  Roberts 
(1  Dallas  39),  who  was  tried  for  treason  before 
Chief  Justice  McKean  in  September,  1778, 
convicted,  partly  on  his  own  confession,  and 
executed;  it  declared  the  admission  of  the 
prisoner's  confession  contrary  to  law;  and 
strongly  opposed  McKean's  election — "  For,  as 


David  said,  he  has  blood  in  his  shoes;" — 
"  Meaning,"  averred  the  indictment,  "  that  the 
said  Thomas  hail  taken  the  lite  of  a  man  un- 
justly." The  indictment,  in  this  case,  was 
signed  by  -Joseph  B.  McKean,  attorney-gen- 
eral, instead  of  by  the  deputy  for  the  county, 
as  was  customary.  At  December  Term,  1800, 
it  was  removed  to  the  ('ircuit  Court,  and  the 
defendant  was  held  in  five  hundred  dollars 
bail  to  appear  there — an  unusually  heavy  recog- 
nizance for  that  day,  and  probably  required 
because  the  offense  was  scandalum  magnatwn,. 
Nothing  more,  however,  appears  to  have  been 
done  in  the  case. 

At  December  Term,  1800,  "  Samuel  CSeely, 
Esq.,"  the  third  associate  judge,  was  indicted 
for  ":m  assault  and  battery  on  the  body  of 
Abraham  Mulford,  Esq.,"  a  justice  of  the 
peace;  and  an  indictment  was  found  against 
Judge  Seely  and  Jonathan  Butler  for  "  con- 
spiracy against  Hugh  Moss,  Esq.,"  an  attorney. 
The  latter  case  apparently  grew  out  of  an  in- 
dictment for  barratry  preferred  against  Mr. 
Ross  at  the  preceding  term,  but  returned 
ignoramus,  and  was  complicated  by  an  indict- 
ment against  Mr.  Boss  and  Abraham  <  'ole  for 
conspiracy  against  Jonathan  Butler,  preferred 
at  December  Term,  but  returned  ignoramus. 
Judge  Seely  was  also  indicted  at  February  Term, 
1801,  for  keeping  a  tippling-house.  At  May 
Term,  1801,  he  was  tried  on  the  indictment  for 
assault  and  battery,  and  acquitted.  At  the  same 
term  the  indictment  for  conspiracy  was  removed 
[o  the  Circuit  Court;  and  among  the  witnesses 
placed  under  recognizance  to  appear  and  testify 
against  Judge  Seely  were  his  associates  on  the 
bench,  Judges  Preston  and  Ryerson.  The 
final  result,  in  the  case  removed  to  the  Circuit 
Court,  does  not  appear.  On  the  indictment 
for  keeping  a  tippling-house,  nothing  was  done 
beyond  holding  the  defendant  to  bail  in  sixty 
dollars  for  his  appearance.  The  difficulty 
between  the  judge  and  the  attorney,  however, 
would  seem  to  have  been  amicably  settled  not 
long  afterward,  for  at  February  Term,  1803, 
Mr.  Ross  was  one  of  a  committee  that  examined 
Judge  Seely  as  an  applicant  for  admission  to 
practice  as  an  attorney,  and  reported  him  as 
duly  qualified,  and   May   13,  1803,  the  judge, 


142 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


having  resigned  his  commission,  was,  on  Mr. 
Ross'  motion,  admitted  to  the  bar. 

Even  George  Bowhanan,  the  man  in  whose 
house  the  courts  were  first  held,  did  not  escape 
trouble.  In  the  summer  of  1800  he  was 
charged  with  forgery,  and  held  to  bail  in  sixty 
dollars  for  his  appearance  at  the  September 
Sessions.  The  matter  ended,  however,  with  the 
failure  of  the  prosecutor,  John  Brink,  to  appear 
when  called. 

The  courts  were  held  in  Milfordat  September 
and  December  Terms,  1798,  and  February  Term, 
L799.  By  act  of  April  1,  1799,  the  place  for 
holding  them  was  fixed  at  Wilsonville,  until  a 
suitable  spoi  for  a  county-seat  should  be  selected, 
"  within  four  miles  of  the  Dyberry  Forks  of  the 
Laekawaxen  River,"  and  public  buildings 
erected.  Accordingly,  at  May  Term,  17W,  the 
courts  were  held  at  Wilsonville,  and  for  nearly 
three  years  they  remained  there.  By  act  of 
April  5,  1802, they  were  transferred  to  Milford, 
to  be  held  there  for  three  years  and  no  longer. 
At  Ma\  Term,  1802,  therefore,  the  courts  were 
again  held  at  Milford.  Upon  the  expiration  of 
the  three  years,  Bethany  had  been  finally  fixed 
on  as  the  county-seat  and  public  buildings 
erected.  The  first  court  was  held  there  May  0, 
ISO."),  and  the  court-room  not  being  quite  ready 
for  occupancy,  the  court  sat  for  that  day  in  a 
front  room  of  Major  Jason  Torrey's  residence, 

the  judges •upying  seats  placed  on  a  carpenter's 

work-bench.  Thus  "the  bench,"  on  that  occa- 
sion, had  a  literal  as  well  as  a  technical  meaning. 

Thus  far,  the  business  of  the  courts,  generally, 
was  such  as  required  a  conscientious  exercise  of 
common  sense,  rather  than  high  legal  attain- 
ments, on  the  part  of  the  judges.  The  term 
usually  occupied  from  two  to  four  days.  But 
few  civil  suits  were  brought;  the  criminal 
matters  were  seldom  of  a  serious  character,  the 
greater  number  of  indictments  being  for  intru- 
sion, forcible  entry  and  detainer,  assault  and 
battery,  petty  larceny,  and  keeping  tippling- 
houses;  and  the  more  important  suits  were 
generally  tried  in  the  Circuit  Court.  As  popu- 
lation increased,  however,  and  with  it  litigation, 
the  need  of  a  law  judge  in  the  county  courts 
became  more  and  more  apparent,  and  at  length 
measures  were  takeu  to  supply  the  want. 


By  act  of  February  24,  1806,  the  State  was 
divided  into  ten  judicial  districts;  Berks,  North- 
ampton and  Wayne  forming  the  Third.  This 
act  also  provided  for  reducing  the  number  of 
associate  judges  in  each  county  to  two,  by 
leaving  vacancies,  beyond  that  number,  unfilled. 

March  1,  1806,  Gov.  McKeau  commissioned 
lion.  John  Spayd  president  judge  of  the  Third 
District.  Judge  Spayd  presided  in  Wayne,  for 
the  first  time,  May  12,  1806,  and  for  the  last 
time,  at   December  Term,  1808. 

July  <>,  1809,  Gov.  Snyder  commissioned 
Hon.  Robert  Porter  president  judge  of  the 
Third  District.  Judge  Porter  presided  in  Wayne, 
for  the  first  time,  September  4,  1809,  and  for 
the  last  time,  at  Augusl  Term,  1812. 

By  act  of  March  24,  1812,  Bradford,  Tioga, 
Wayne  and  Susquehanna  Counties  were  erected 
into  the  Eleventh  Judicial  District,  and  the  Gov- 
ernor was  required  to  appoint  a  president  judge 
for  the  district,  the  appointment  to  take  effect 
after  the  second  Tuesday  of  the  following  Octo- 
ber. Gov.  Snyder,  October  16,  1812,  commis- 
sioned Hon.  John  B.  Gibson  president  judge 
of  the  district.  Judge  Gibson  presided  in 
Wayne,  for  the  first  time,  February  1,  1813, 
and  for  the  last  time,  at  January  Term,  1816. 
June  27,  1816,  he  resigned,  and  on  the  same 
day  was  commissioned  By  Gov.  Snyder  a  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court. 

Meantime,  by  act  of  March  12,  1813,  Lu- 
zerne was  added  to  the  Eleventh  District;  and 
by  act  of  March  26,  1814,  Pike  County  was 
erected  out  of  the  southern  portion  of  Wayne, 
and  placed  in  the  same  district. 

June  28,  1816,  Gov.  Snyder  commissioned 
Hon.  Thomas  Burnside  president  .judge  of  the 
Eleventh  District.  Judge  Burnside  presided  in 
Wayne,  for  the  first  time,  August  2(J,  1816,  and 
for  the  last  time,  at  January  Term,  1818.  July 
(i,  1818,  he  resigned.  More  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century  later — January  2,  184."> — he  was  com- 
missioned by  Gov.  Shunk  a  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court. 

By  act  of  February  25,  1818,  Susquehanna, 
Bradford  and  Tioga  ( bounties  were  erected  into  the 
Thirteenth  District,  from  and  after  the  first  Mon- 
day of  July  following.  This  left  the  Eleventh 
District  composed  of  Luzerne,  Wayne  and  Pike. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


143 


July  7,  1818,  Hon.  David  Scot!  was  com- 
missioned by  Governor  Findlay  president 
judge  of  the  Eleventh  District.  He  first  pre- 
sided in  Wayne  County  August  24,  1818. 

No  further  change  was  made  in  the  districl 
fur  eighteen  years,  nor  in  the  president  judge- 
ship for  nearly  twenty  years. 

By  act  of  April  1,  L836,  Monroe  County 
was  erected  out  of  portions  of  Northampton 
ami  Pike,  and  placed  in  the  Eleventh  Judicial 
District. 

Judge  Scott  presided  in  Wayne,  for  the  last 
time,  at  January  Term,  1838. 

By  the  revision  and  amendment  of  the  Con- 
stitution, completed  February  22,  1838,  and 
adopted  by  the  people  at  the  election  in  October 
following,  the  terms  of  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court  were  fixed  at  fifteen  years,  of  law  judges 
of  the  lower  courts  at  ten  years,  and  of  associate 
judges  at  five  years;  and  their  appointment 
required  confirmation  by  the  Senate. 

The  term  of  Judge  Scott,  by  the  provisions 
of  the  amended  Constitution  relating  to  judges 
then  in  commission,  would  expire  February 
27,  1839.  His  hearing  was  becoming  im- 
paired, and  he  decided  to  anticipate  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  by  resigning.  March  17, 
1838,  he  sent  his  resignation  to  Governor 
Ritner,  accompanied  with  a  request  that  the 
vacancy  should  lie  filled  by  the  appointment  of 
Hon.  Nathaniel  B.  Eld  red,  then  president  judge 
of  the  Eighteenth  District.  The  Governor 
promised  to  make  this  appointment,  if  Judge 
Eldred  would  resign  from  the  Eighteenth  early 
enough  to  he  commissioned  in  time  to  hold  the 
April  term  of  the  courts  in  the  Eleventh  Dis- 
trict, commencing  April  2d.  Receiving,  how- 
ever, neither  resignation  or  other  communica- 
tion on  the  subject  from  Judge  Eldred,  after 
waiting  until  April  7th,  the  Governor  on  that 
day  commissioned  lion.  William  Jessup,  of 
Susquehanna  County,  president  judge  of  the 
Eleventh  District.  Judge  Jessup  first  presided 
in  Wayne  County  April  Hi,  1838. 

By  act  of  April  12,  1840,  taking  effect  from 
and  after  the  1st  of  the  following  January, 
Luzerne  was  transferred  from  the  Eleventh  Dis- 
trict to  the  Thirteenth,  and  Susquehanna  from 
the  Thirteenth   to    the   Eleventh.     Hon.  John 


N.  Conyngham  then  presided  in  the  Thirteenth, 
and  by  this  transposition  the  residences  of 
Judges  Jessup  and  Conyngham  were  placed 
within  their  respective  districts. 

During  Judge  Jcssup's  term  the  county-seat 
was  removed  from  Bethany  to  Honesdale.  The 
act  for  this  purpose  was  approved  February 
15,  1841.  The  erection  of  public  buildings 
occupied  upward  of  two  years,  and  the  first 
court  was  held  in  Honesdale  September  4, 
1843. 

By  act  of  April  10,  1844,  Monroe  was 
detached  from  the  Eleventh,  and  united  with 
Carbon  and  Schuylkill  to  form  the  Twenty- 
first  District;  leaving  the  Eleventh  composed 
of  Susquehanna,  Wayne  ami  Pike. 

By  act  of  April  5,  1849,  Wayne,  Pike, 
Monroe  and  Carbon  were  elected  into  the 
Twenty-second  District,  and  the  Governor  was 
required  to  appoint  a  president  judge  for  the 
new  district.  Governor  Johnston  thereupon 
appointed  Hon.  Nathaniel  B.  Eldred  to  this 
position,  his  commission  bearing  date  April  6, 
1849. 

In  1850  a  Constitutional  amendment  was 
adopted,  making  the  judiciary  elective;  fixing 
the  term  of  president  judge  at  ten  years  from 
the  first  Monday  of  December  following  the 
election,  and  that  of  associate  judge  at  five 
years;  and  vacating  the  commissions  of  all 
judges  holding  by  appointment  on  the  first 
Monday  of  December,  1851. 

At  the  first  election,  held  in  October,  1851, 
Judge  Eldred  was  chosen  president  judge  of  the 
Twenty-second  District  without  opposition.  In 
April,  1853,  he  resigned,  to  accept  the  appoint- 
ment of  naval  officer  in  the  Philadelphia  cus- 
tom-house. 

A  succession  of  contests  for  the  judgeship 
followed,  carried  on  mainly  within  the  lines  of 
the  Democratic  party,  to  which  all  the  competi- 
tion belonged,  which  was  not  set  at  rest  until 
the  general  election  in  1S55. 

For  the  appointment  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused 
by  Judge  Eldred's  resignation,  the  most  promi- 
nent candidate  was  Win.  H.  Dimmick,  of 
Wayne.  Win.  Bigler  was  then  Governor.  In 
1846,  when  Mr.  Bigler  and  Mr.  Dimmick  were 
members  of  the  State  Senate,  Mr.  Bigler  was 


144 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  Democratic  caucus  nominee  fur  Speaker. 
Mr.  Dimmick  affected  to  support  him,  l>ut 
finally  united  with  other  disaffected   Democrats 

and  accomplished  hisdefeat.     This circumstai 

was  recalled  when,  seven  years  later,  Mr.  Dim- 
mick became  an  applicant  for  an  appointment 
in  the  gift  of  Mr,  Bigler.  A  brother  of  Mr. 
Dimmick,  also— Milo  M.  Dimmick,  of  Monroe 
— came  forward  as  a  candidate.  Giving  as  the 
reason  for  his  action  an  unwillingness  to  decide 
between  the  two  brothers,  the  Governor,  Aprii 
29,  1853,  appointed  his  personal  friend,  Georgi' 
K.  Barrett,  a  comparatively  young  lawyer  oi 
his  own  (Clearfield)  county.  The  appointment 
was  received  most  ungraciously,  the  prevailing 
sentiment  being  in  lavor  of  the  selection  of  a 
judge  from  among  the  bar  of  the  district  Per- 
sonally, however,  Judge  Barrett  made  a  very 
favorable  impression,  ami  during  the  year  laid 
the  foundation  of  a  popularity  that  bore  fruit 
later. 

As    the    election    approached,    the    opposition 

on  the  part    of  leading  Democrats  led  Judge 

Barrett  to  announce  his  purpose  not  to  he  a 
candidate.  At  the  County  Conventions  Wayne 
declared  for  Wm.  II.  Dimmick,  while  Pike, 
Monroe  and   Carbon   pronounced    in   favor  of 

Ids  brother,  Milo  M.  Dimmick.  There  was. 
however,  a  formidable  opposition  to  the  latter 
throughout  the  district,  and  his  opponents  in- 
troduced .lames  M.  Porter,  of  Easton,  as  a 
candidate.  September  '20th  the  "regular" 
Democratic  Judicial  Conference  met  at  Strouds- 
burg,  and  nominated  Milo  M.  Dimmick.  On 
the  same  day,  another  Judicial  Conference  was 
held  in  the  same  town,  by  representatives  of  the 
elements  in  Wayne,  Pike  and  Monroe,  hostile 
to  Mr.  Dimmick,  at  which  Mr.  Porter  was 
nominated.  At  the  -polls  Mr.  Dimmick  re- 
ceived a  majority  of  465  in  Carbon  and  185  in 
Monroe;  luit  the  scale  was  turned  in  favor  of 
his  competitor  by  a  majority  of  966  in  Wayne 
and  "2S  in  Pike,  giving  Mr.  Porter  the  election 
by  a  majority  of  844. 

In  the  spring  of  I  Sao,  an  attack  of  paralysis 
having  unfitted  him  for  the  further  discharge  of 
his  official  duties,  Judge  Porter  resigned.  To 
fill  the  vacancy,  Gov.  Pollock,  March  2-".,  1855, 
commissioned  Hon.  Thomas  8.  Bell,  of  Chester 


County,  formerly  a  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  Though  Judge  Hell  was  a  distinguished 
jurist,  and  Hon.  George  W.  Woodward,  then  a 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  a  leading 
Democrat,  vouched  for  his  fealty  to  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  his  appointment  was,  lor  local 
reasons,  quite  as  unacceptable  as  that  of  Judge 
Barrett  had  been. 

Early  in  August,  1855,  Judge  Barrett  an- 
nounced himself  as  a  candidate  for  the  judge- 
ship. In  the  Judicial  Conference  he  was 
nominated  by  the  votes  of  Wayne,  Monroe  and 
Carbon.  Judge  Pell  received  the  vote  of  Pike, 
and  was  soon  afterward  led  to  declare  himself 
an  independent  candidate.  He  received,  how- 
ever, hut  a  slender  support,  and  Judge  Barrett 
was  elected  by  a  majority  of  about  three  thou- 
sand. It  was  nineteen  years  before  another 
contest  for  the  office  took   place  at  the  polls. 

In  1865  Judge  Barrett  was  re-elected,  without 

opposition.  He  had,  however,  never  removed 
his  family  from  ( llearfield,  and,  though  claiming 
a  nominal  residence  in  Carbon  County,  to  meet 
the  requirements   of  the    law,  he   seldom   spent 

more  time  within  the  district  than  was  necessary 
for  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties.  This 
created  much  dissatisfaction,  and,  upon  receiving 
the  re-nomination  in  1865,  he  declared  his  in- 
tention of  complying  with  the  law  by  taking  up 
his  residence  in  the  district.  He  never  did  this, 
however;  and  his  attachment  to  his  home  in 
Clearfield  proved  so  strong  that,  rather  than 
abandon  it,  he  at  length  resigned  the  judgeship. 
This  occurred  early  in  1870,  and  lie  was  at  once 
re-commissioned  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by 
his  own  resignation,  until  the  election  of  his 
successor. 

In  September,  1870,  Samuel  S.  Dreher,  of 
Stroudshurg,  was  nominated  by  the  Democratic 
Judicial  Conference.  The  Republicans,  also, 
supported  him,  and  he  was  elected  without 
opposition. 

In  L873,  the  Constitutional  Convention  hav- 
ing adopted,  in  the  article  on  the  judiciary,  a 
provision  making  separate  judicial  districts  of 
counties  having  a  population  of  forty  thousand, 
and  the  population  of  Wayne  and  Pike  being 
somewhat  in  excess  of  this  number,  the  project 
of  erecting  these  two  counties  into  a  separate 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


145 


district  was  broached.  But  Judge  Dreher  was 
held  in  such  high  esteem,  and  the  uncertainty 
as  to  who  might  succeed  him  was  such,  that  this 
measure  at  first  received  little  support.  At  the 
December  Term  of  court  in  Wayne,  however, 
Judge  Dreher,  calling  the  members  of  the  bar 
informally  together,  assured  them  that  he  should 
not  view  it  as  in  any  sense  a  reflection  on  him- 
self should  they  desire  a  division  of  the  district, 
and  expressed  his  wish  that  they  should  feel  no 
constraint  on  the  subject,  so  far  as  it  might 
affect  him.  The  new  Constitution  was  soon 
afterward  adopted,  and  by  the  judicial  appor- 
tionment act  of  April  9,  1874,  Wayne  and  Pike 
were  erected  into  the  Twenty-second  District, 
and  Monroe  and  Carbon  into  the  Forty-third. 
Judge  Dreher  decided  to  remain  in  the  Forty- 
third,  and  accordingly  retained  the  president 
judgeship  of  that  district,  as  provided  by  the 
Constitution.  The  president  judgeship  of  the 
Twenty-second  District  should  then  have  been 
filled  by  appointment  until  the  beginning  of  the 
new  judicial  term,  which  the  new  Constitution 
had  fixed  at  ten  years  from  the  first  Monday  of 
January.  But  the  bar  was  divided  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  several  candidates  were  presented. 
Unwilling  to  make  a  selection  among  them, 
Governor  Hartranft  made  no  appointment,  and 
Judge  Dreher  continued  to  perform  the  duties 
of  the  office  until  the  close  of  the  judicial  year. 
In  1874  another  contest  for  the  judgeship 
arose,  which  was  conducted  mainly  on  party 
lines.  The  Democrats  of  the  district  were 
unable  to  unite  on  a  candidate;  Hon.  Wm.  H. 
Dimmick  (the  younger)  being  presented  by 
Wayne,  and  Hon.  Daniel  M.  Van  Auken  by 
Pike,  and  each  county  insisting  on  the  nomina- 
tion of  its  candidate.  During  the  deadlock 
between  the  two  counties,  Hon.  Frederick  M. 
Crane,  a  Democrat,  of  Wayne,  entered  the  field 
as  an  independent  candidate,  with  a  large  sup- 
port, chiefly  from  his  own  party.  Meantime 
the  Republicans  of  both  counties  nominated 
Charles  P.  Waller,  of  Wayne.  On  the  13th  of 
October,  just  three  weeks  previous  to  the  elec- 
tion, Mr.  Dimmick  withdrew,  and  the  Demo- 
cratic Judicial  Conference  thereupon  nominated 
Mr.  Van  Auken  as  the  candidate  of  the  party. 
The  contest  being  thus  between  three  candidates, 
17 


Mr.  Waller  received  a  plurality  of  the  votes 
cast,  and  was  duly  commissioned  for  the  ensu- 
ing term. 

The  vote  in  the  district  was  as  follows: 


Wayne . 
Pike  .... 


Waller. 

Crane. 

2377 

1770 

530 

204 

400 

710 

2581         2170         1240 

Judge  Waller  died  August  18,  1882.  August 
28, 1882,  Gov.  Hoyt  commissioned  Hon.  Henry 
M.  Seely  to  fill  the  vacancy ;  the  Republican 
members  of  the  bar  having  united  in  recom- 
mending him,  while  the  Democratic  members, 
for  the  most  part,  declined  to  act  in  the  matter. 
The  vacancy  having  occurred  within  three 
months  of  the  general  election  in  October  fol- 
lowing, Judge  Seely  was  commissioned  until  the 
first  Monday  of  January,  1884. 

In  1883  the  Republicans  of  the  district 
opened  the  canvass  by  nominating  Judge  Seely 
by  acclamation.  The  Democrats  again  encoun- 
tered the  difficulty  they  had  experienced  in  1874, 
Wayne  presenting  George  S.  Purdy,  and  Pike 
again  declaring  in  favor  of  Hon.  Daniel  M. 
Van  Auken.  The  result  was  a  split  in  the 
Judicial  Conference ;  both  candidates  remained 
in  the  field,  and  Judge  Seely  was  elected  by  a 
plurality  of  the  votes  cast. 

The  vote  in  the  district  was  as  follows : 

Seely.  Purdy.       Van  Auken. 

Wayne 2694    2820    124 

Pike 516     129    865 

3210   2949    989 

The  Associate  Judges. — March  22,  1798, 
Gov.  Mifflin  commissioned  Samuel  Preston 
"to  be  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  in  and  for  the  said  county 
of  Wayne;  hereby  giving  and  granting  unto 
you,  as  first  Associate  Judge,  full  right  and 
title  to  have  and  execute  all  and  singular  the 
powers,  jurisdictions  and  authorities,  and  to 
receive  and  enjoy  all  and  singular  the  lawful 
emoluments  of  a  Judge  of  the  said  court,"  etc. 
The  Governor  also  commissioned  John  Ryerson, 
Samuel  C.  Seely  and  John  Biddis,  on  the  same 
day  and  in  the  same  form,  except  that  their 
powers  were  given  and  granted  unto  them  as 


146 


WAYNE,  l'IKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


"  second,"  "  third  "  and  "  fourth  "  associate 
judges,  respectively,  in  the  order  named. 

The  commissions  of  their  successors,  for  forty 
year.-,  were  in  the  same  form,  except  that  the 
powers  of  each  were  given  and  granted  to  him 
"as  Associate  Judge,"  no  designation  as  to 
seniority  being  necessary.  Since  the  Constitu- 
tional revision  of  1838  the  incumbent  of  the 
office  has  been  commissioned  simply  "to  be 
Associate  Judge  "  of  the  court,  etc. 

March  30,  1803,  Judge  Ryerson  was  removed 
from  office  by  Gov.  McKean,  and  March  31, 

1803,  Richard  Brodhead  was  commissioned  in 
his  place. 

May  13,  1803,  Judge  Seely  resigned,  and  on 
the  same  day  was  admitted  to  practice  as  an 
attorney.  No  appointment  of  a  successor  was 
made. 

Some   time  subsequent    to  February   Term, 

1804,  Judge  Preston  resigned;  and  April  3, 
1804,  Gov.  McKeau  commissioned  John  Brink 
as  his  successor. 

Upon  the  retirement  of  Judge  Preston,  and 
the  appointment  of  Judge  Brink,  all  three  of 
the  associate  judges  were  residents  of  Milford 
or  its  vicinity. 

Judge  Preston,  after  leaving  the  bench,  sought 
to  become  a  member  of  the  bar,  but  was  less 
successful  than  his  late  associate,  Judge  Seely. 
May  8, 1805,  a  motion  for  his  admission  as  "an 
attorney  to  the  Barr"  was  made  by  George 
Griffin,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  ex- 
amine him.  The  next  day,  "on  report  of  said 
committee,  the  Court  delay  further  proceedings 
until  the  next  term."  So  far  as  the  record 
shows,  the  matter  ended  here. 

In  1806,  some  time  subsequent  to  February 
Term,  Judge  Biddis  died.  The  act  of  February 
24,  1806,  having  provided  for  reducing  the 
Dumber  of  associate  judges  to  two,  by  prohib- 
iting appointments  beyond  that  number,  his 
death  left  no  vacancy  to  be  filled. 

Judges  Brodhead  and  Brink  continued  in 
office  until  the  act  erecting  Pike  County  took 
effect,  October  1,  1814,  when,  as  they  resided  in 
Milford,  they  became  residents  of  the  new 
county.  They  occupied  the  bench  in  Wayne, 
for  the  last  time,  at  August  Term,  1814. 

October  14, 1814,  Gov.  Snyder  commissioned 


Samuel  Stanton,  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  Abisha 
Woodward,  of  Bethany,  associate  judges  of 
Wayne  ( ounty  ;  and  at  the  same  time  commis- 
sioned John  Coolbaugh,  of  Middle  Smithfield, 
and  Daniel  W.  Dingman,  of  Delaware,  associ- 
ate judges  of  Pike. 

October  18,  1815,  Judge  Stanton  resigned. 
November  17,  1815,  Governor  Snyder  commis- 
sioned Moses  Thomas,  of  Damascus,  as  his  suc- 
cessor. Judge  Thomas  remained  in  office  for 
nearly  twenty-five  years. 

November  27,  1829,  Judge  Woodward  died. 
December  7,  1829,  Governor  Shulze  commis- 
sioned Isaac  Dimmick,  of  Dyberry,  as  his 
successor, 

In  October,  1833,  Judge  Dimmick  resigned. 
( October  .'il ,  1833,  Governor  Wolf  commissioned 
James  Manning,  of  Bethany,  as  his  successor. 

By  the  classificaii f  associate  judges,  made 

by  the  act  of  June  20, 1839,  as  required  by  the 
amended  Constitution  of  1838,  the  term  of 
Judge  Thomas  expired  February  27,  1840,  and 
that  of  Judge  Manning,  February  27,  1842.. 
Governor  Porter  commissioned  Moses  Tyler,  of 
Damascus,  February  27,  1840,  and  Virgil 
Grennell,  of  Clinton,  February  27,  1842,  as 
the  successors  of  the  retiring  judges. 

March  11,  1845,  Governor  Shunk  commis- 
sioned ( >liver  Hamlin,  of  Honesdale,  to  succeed 
Judge  Tyler;  and  July  22,  1847,  he  re-com- 
missioned Judge  Grennell. 

In  February,  1848,  Judge  Grennell  resigned. 
February  9,  1848,  Governor  Shunk  commis- 
sioned James  Mumford,  of  Preston,  as  his 
successor. 

March  12, 1850,  Governor  Johnston  commis- 
sioned Paul  S.  Preston,  of  Buckingham,  a  son 
of  the  first  Judge  Preston,  to  succeed  Judge 
Hamlin,  whose  term  had  expired.  After  hold- 
ing' the  office  for  about  a  year,  Judge  Preston 
resigned.  March  18,  1851,  Governor  Johnston 
commissioned  John  Torrey,  of  Honesdale,  as 
Judge  Preston's  successor;  Judge  Torrey's  com- 
mission, by  the  Constitutional  amendment  of 
1850,  expiring  on  the  first  Monday  of  Decem- 
ber, 1851. 

The  first  election  under  the  Constitutional 
amendment  making  the  judiciary  elective  was 
held   in  October,  1851.     The  associate  judges 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


147 


then  chosen  were  Judge  Mumford  and  Thomas 
H.  R.  Tracy,  their  terms  commencing  on  the 
tii -t  Monday  of  December  following. 

May  5,  1856,  Judge  Tracy  died.  May  15, 
1856,  Governor  Pollock  commissioned  Francis 
B.  Peimiman,  of  Honesdale,  as  his  successor, 
until  the  first  Monday  of  December  following. 
The  term  of  Judge  Mumford  expiring  at  the 
same  time,  James  R.  Dickson,  of  Honesdale, 
and  Phineas  Howe,  of  Sterling,  were  chosen  at  the 
October  election,  in  1856,  for  the  ensuing  terms. 

In  the  autumn  of  1860,  Judge  Howe  resigned, 
his  resignation  taking  effect  December  1st.  Dr. 
Rodney  Harmes,  of  Mount  Pleasant,  was  ap- 
pointed his  successor,  and  commissioned  by 
Governor  Packer  until  the  first  Monday  of 
December,  1861.  The  term  of  Judge  Dickson 
expiring  at  the  same  time,  Butler  Hamlin,  of 
Salem,  and  Win.  R.  McLaury,  of  Texas,  were 
chosen  at  the  election  in  October,  1861,  for  the 
ensuing  terms. 

In  October,  1866,  Phineas  Arnold,  of  Promp- 
tou,  and  Isaiah  Snyder,  of  Honesdale,  were 
elected  for  the  terms  commencing  on  the  first 
Monday  of  December  following. 

In  October,  1871,  Judge  Arnold  was  re- 
elected. At  the  same  time  Friend  J>.  Moss,  of 
Salem,  was  elected,  but  he  declined  to  serve. 
Governor  Geary  thereupon  commissioned  Dr. 
Otis  Avery,  of  Honesdale,  as  his  successor,  until 
the  first  Monday  of  December,  1872. 

Judge  Arnold  died  January  19,  1872.  Jan. 
27,  1872,  Governor  Geary  commissioned  Fred- 
erick W.  Farnham,  of  White  Mills,  as  his 
successor,  until  the  first  Monday  of  the  follow- 
ing December. 

At  the  election  in  October,  1872,  Judge 
Avery  and  John  O'Neill,  of  Honesdale,  were 
chosen  for  the  ensuing  terms.  January  16, 1876, 
Judge  O'Neill  died.  January  27,  1876,  Gov- 
ernor Hartranft  appointed  Henry  Wilson,  of 
Honesdale,  as  his  successor,  and,  pursuant  to 
the  ('(institution  of  1873,  Judge  Wilson  was 
commissioned  until  the  first  Monday  of  January, 
1877. 

In  November,  1876,  Giles  Greene,  of  Salem, 
was  chosen  for  the  ensuing  term. 

In  November,  1  s 7 7 ,  Judge  Avery  was  re- 
elected. 


In  November,  1881,  Michael  Brown,  of 
Honesdale,  was  elected. 

In  November,  1882,  Lorenzo  Grand  is,  of 
Honesdale,  was  elected.  In  May,  1884,  in 
consequence  of  ill  health,  he  tendered  his  resig- 
nation, to  take  effect  June  1st.  June  18,  1884, 
Governor  Pattison  commissioned  Elisha  P. 
Strong,  of  Starucca,  his  successor,  until  the  first 
Monday  of  January,  1885.  At  the  election  in 
November,  1884,  Judge  Strong  was  chosen  for 
the  ensuing  term. 

TERMS  OF  <  !0UET. — Since  the  judicial  organ- 
ization of  the  county  frequent  changes  have 
been  made  in  the  limes  for  holding  the  courts, 
and  the  terms  have  been  fixed  in  every  month 
of  the  year  except  June  and  July. 

At  the  present  time  the  terms  commence  on 
the  first  Mondays  of  March,  May,  October  and 
December,  and  continue  for  two  weeks,  unless 
otherwise  ordered.  Since  the  beginning  of  the 
present  year  (18S6)  the  grand  jury  has  met  on 
the  Monday  next  preceding  the  term. 

The  second  Monday  of  each  month  in  which 
a  regular  term  does  not  occur  is  designated  as 
a  motion  day,  at  which  the  argument  list  is 
usually  taken  up,  motions  are  heard  and  other 
matters  requiring  action  by  the  court  at  that 
time  are  disposed  of. 

The  Bar. — Among  the  records  of  the  first 
court  held  in  Wayne  County,  the  beginning  of 
the  bar  is  thus  set  forth  : 

"September  10,  1798,  on  motion  of  Daniel 
Stroud,  Esq.,  stating  to  the  Court  that  he  had 
been  admitted  to  practice  as  an  attorney  of  the 
courts  in  Northampton,  and  such  being  known 
by  the  Court  here,  he  is  admitted  and  affirmed 
an  attorney  of  this  court." 

Mr.  Stroud  then  moved  the  admission  of  John 
Ross  and  William  A.  Patterson,  of  the  North- 
ampton bar.  Mr.  Ross  was  accordingly  "admit- 
ted and  affirmed,"  while  Mr.  Patterson  was 
"admitted  and  sworn."  Mr.  Patterson  then 
moved  the  admission  of  Job  S.  Halstead,  of  the 
Northampton  bar,  and  Mr.  Halstead  was  "ad- 
mitted and  sworn." 

At  December  Term,  1798,  five  attorneys  were 
admitted  to  practice,  and  at  February  Term, 
1799,  three.  Thenceforth  admissions  became 
less  frequent.      There   was  one    at   September 


WAYNE,  PIKK  -VXD  MONRO E  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Term,  1799,  and  one  at  December  Term  follow- 
ing. During  the  succeeding  three  years  there 
was  one  annually;  in  1803,  there  were  three;  in 

1804,  none;  in  1805,  one.  Some  degree  of 
caution  appears  to  have  been  exercised  in  the 
admission  of  applicants;  for  at  February  Term, 

1805,  Jesse  Brush,  as  the  record  shows,  was 
"admitted  on  motion  and  argument";  and  at 
May  Term  following,  the  application  of  Judge 
Preston  for  admission  as  an  attorney,  after  his 
resignation  from  the  bench,  was  unsuccessful, 
notwithstanding  the  precedent  in  the  admission 
of  Judge  Seely  two  years  earlier.  From  the 
beginning  of  1806  until  the  close  of  1811  there 
were  eight  admissions,  and  but  one  thereafter 
until  1816.  In  the  latter  year  there  were  three; 
in  1817,  four;  and  thenceforward  scarcely  a 
year  passed  without  the  admission  of  one  or 
more  attorneys. 

Dan  Dimmick  was  the  first  attorney  who 
made  his  home  in  the  new  county.  He  was  a 
native  of  Connecticut;  read  law  and  was  admit- 
ted to  practice  in  that  State;  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Wayne  in  1X02,  and  commenced 
practice  in  Milford. 

Most  of  those  admitted  prior  to  the  erection 
of  Pike  were  non-residents.  Whether  any  of 
them  had  pursued  their  studies  for  the  bar  within 
the  county  cannot  now  be  ascertained.  The 
early  records,  in  some  instances,  show  admission 
"on  examination  and  report  of  committee;" 
but  this  is  no  certain  indication  that  the  person 
admitted  was  a  resident  student,  since  attorneys 
from  other  States  were  subjected  to  some  form 
of  examination.  The  first  to  prepare  for  the 
bar  within  the  present  limits  of  Wayne  County 
was  Thomas  Fuller,  admitted  in  1826.  During 
the  next  fifteen  years  three  more — Wm.  H. 
Dimmick,  Charles  K.  Silkman  and  Milton 
Dimmick — studied  for  the  profession  in  Wayne, 
but  only  the  first-named  remained  to  practice. 

Though  the  requirements  for  admission  were 
nominally  sufficient,  it  is  impossible  to  say  how 
high,  during  this  period,  the  standard  was 
practically  maintained.  Enough  appears  of 
record,  however,  to  show  that  admission,  after 
the  prescribed  period  of  study;  was  not  always 
of  course.  Mr.  Silkman,  after  studying  from 
January,  1834,  to  April,  1836,  was  recommended 


by  the  examining  committee  —  consisting  of 
Amzi  Fuller,  George  W.  Woodward  and 
Ebenezer  Kingsbury  —  "to  pursue  a  further 
course  of  reading  previous  to  his  admission." 
On  his  next  application,  in  November,  1837, 
the  committee,  referring  to  their  previous  re- 
port, added:  "The  applicant  having  complied 
with  their  recommendation,  they  now  believe 
him  to  be  sufficiently  grounded  iu  the  principles 
of  the  law  to  entitle  him  to  admission,  and 
recommend  him  accordingly."  He  was  there- 
upon admitted,  November  21,  1837. 

With  the  removal  of  the  county-seat  to 
Honesdale  a  rapid  increase  in  the  number  of 
resident  students  began;  and  for  forty-five 
years  thereafter  the  admission  of  those  who  had 
studied  for  the  profession  within  the  county 
proceeded  at  an  average  rate  of  about  one  and 
a  quarter  annually. 

( )f  the  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  attorneys 
on  the  court  roll,  but  little  more  than  one-third 
ever  resided  within  the  present  limits  of  the 
county.  Of  the  non-residents,  some  half-score 
habitually  practiced  in  the  courts  of  Wayne  for 
a  decade  or  more  after  Pike  was  detached,  and 
a  few  for  a  longer  period;  others  attended 
irregularly ;  while  the  larger  number  appeared 
only  on  the  occasion  of  their  admission.  Of 
those  having  a  residence  in  the  county,  a  score, 
or  thereabouts,  failing  of  success  at  the  bar, 
found  other  employment,  or  were  so  largely 
engaged  in  other  pursuits  as  to  be  little  more 
than  nominally  members  of  the  profession.  A 
still  larger  number,  having  completed  their 
preparation  and  been  admitted,  went  elsewhere 
to  begin  professional  life,  or,  having  commenced 
practice,  sooner  or  later  found  the  prospect  of 
success  unsatisfactory  and  removed  from  the 
county.  Of  those  who  continued  to  follow  the 
profession  in  the  county,  eleven  died  while  in 
practice,  three  retired  after  long  terms  of  pro- 
fessional labor,  three  became  president  judges, 
and  twenty  are  still  at  the  bar,  more  or  less 
actively  engaged  in  practice. 

Non-Resident  Attorneys. — Among  the  lead- 
ing non-resident  attorneys,  whose  practice  ante- 
dated the  division  of  the  county,  were  Daniel 
Stroud,  Samuel  Sitgreaves,  George  Wolf,  John 
Ross  and  Hugh  Eoss,  of  Northampton;  Dan 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


149 


Dimmick  and  Edward  Mott,  of  Pike;  and 
Roswell  Wells  ami  Garrick  Mallery,  of  Lu- 
zerne. Among  those  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Wayne  within  a  decade  after  the  erection  of 
Pike,  were  Charles  Catlin,  of  Susquehanna, 
and  George  Dennison,  Oristus  Collins  and 
John  N.  Conyngham,  of  Luzerne.  Among 
those  of  a  later  day,  were  George  W.  Woodward, 
Hendrick  B.  Wright,  Luther  Kidder,  Warren 
J.Woodward  and  Henry  M.  Fuller,  of  Luzerne; 
and  Franklin  Lusk,  Joseph  T.  Richards  and 
Wm.  Jessup,  of  Susquehanna.  Of  these,  George 
Wolf  subsequently  became  Governor  of  the 
State;  Messrs.  Mallery,  Collins,  Conyngham, 
Kidder  and  Jessup,  president  judges;  George 
W.  Woodward  and  Warren  J.  Woodward, 
president  judges,  and  the  former  also  chief 
justice  and  the  latter  a  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court. 

Resident  Attorneys. — Milford  having  been 
designated  as  the  place  at  which  the  courts 
should  be  held,  pending  the  selection  of  a 
county-seat,  it  was  naturally  the  point  at  which 
the  bar  of  the  new  county  began  to  establish 
itself.  Neither  the  transfer  of  the  courts  to 
Wilsonville  nor  the  removal  of  the  seat  of 
justice  to  Bethany  made  any  immediate  change 
in  this  respect.  Not  one  of  the  attorneys  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  prior  to  the  erection  of  Pike 
County  made  his  residence  in  the  territory  now 
composing  Wayne.  Sanford  Clark,  admitted 
at  Milford  in  1799,  did,  indeed,  remove  to 
Mount  Pleasant  within  two  years  after  the 
county  was  divided;  but  on  changing  his  resi- 
dence he  abandoned  the  profession,  and  took  up 
the  occupations  of  inn-keeper  and  farmer.  His 
last  appearance  of  record  was  September  18, 
1816.  Hence,  though  a  resident  of  the  county 
and  an  attorney,  he  was  not  a  resident  attorney. 
It  was  not  until  eleven  years  after  the  first 
court  was  held  at  Bethany — and  two  years  after 
Milford  was  placed  in  another  county,  by  the 
erection  of  Pike — that  members  of  the  bar  began 
to  make  their  homes  within  the  present  limits 
of  Wayne,  for  the  purpose  of  practicing  law. 

The  pioneers  of  the  profession  in  the  territory 
now  composing  Wayne  County  were  Andrew 
M.  Dorrance,  Amzi  Fuller  and  Nathaniel  B. 
Eldred.     Messrs.    Dorrance    and    Fuller    were 


natives  of  Connecticut.  The  former  was  first 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  that  State;  the  latter 
studied  for  the  profession  in  Milford.  Mr. 
Dorrance  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Wayne 
County  in  April,  and  Mr.  Fuller  in  August, 
1816,  and  both  thereupon  commenced  practice 
in  Bethany.  In  the  spring  of  1818,  Mr.  Dor- 
rance died.  Mr.  Eldred  was  a  native  of  Orange 
County,  N.  Y.,  read  law  in  Milford  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Wayne  County  in 
January,  1817.  Soon  after  the  death  of  Mr. 
Dorrance  he  established  himself  in  Bethany. 
For  eight  years  thereafter  Messrs.  Fuller  and 
Eldred  were  the  only  practicing  attorneys  re- 
siding in  the  county.  In  August,  1826,  Thomas 
Fuller,  a  younger  brother  of  Amzi,  was  ad- 
mitted, and  opened  an  office  in  Bethany.  In 
1829,  George  B.  Wescott  and  John  D.  Taylor, 
of  the  Philadelphia  bar,  were  added  to  the  list 
of  resident  attorneys.  They  were  chiefly  em- 
ployed, however,  as  land  agents  for  Philadelphia 
owners.  About  the  year  1831,  Earl  Wheeler, 
of  the  Susquehanna  County  bar,  removed  to 
Bethany.  Some  two  years  later  Ebenezer 
Kingsbury,  of  Susquehanna  County, and  Charles 
K.  Robinson,  an  attorney  from  the  State  of 
New  Y'ork,  were  admitted  to  the  Wayne  County 
bar.  Mr.  Kingsbury  had  read  law  and  been 
admitted  to  practice  in  Susquehanna;  but  he 
came  to  Wayne  mainly  for  the  purpose  of 
taking  editorial  charge  of  the  Wayne  County 
Herald  and  Bethany  Inquirer,  the  Democratic 
organ  of  the  county,  published  at  Honesdale. 
In  1835,  Mr.  Eldred  was  appointed  president 
judge  of  the  Eighteenth  Judicial  District,  com- 
posed of  the  counties  of  Potter,  McKean, 
Warren  and  Jefferson.  In  1836,  Wm.  H. 
Dimmick,  who  had  come  from  Milford  and 
read  law  with  Judge  Eldred,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  and  commenced  practice  in  Bethany. 
In  the  same  year  Mr.  Wescott  died.  In  1837, 
Mr.  Taylor  removed  from  the  county.  In 
1838,  Mr.  Kingsbury  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  for  a  term  of  four  years.  In  1839,  John 
1.  Allen,  who  had  read  law  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  was  admitted  to  practice.  He  was  the 
last  attorney  who  took  up  his  residence  in  the 
county  prior  to  the  removal  of  the  county-seat 
to  Honesdale;    F.  M.  Crane,  though  admitted 


150 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


in  1840,  not  making  Wayne  County  his  home 
until  1844.  Mr.  Allen,  however,  soon  became 
interested  in  journalism  and  polities,  and  made 
the  practice  of  law  but  a  secondary  pursuit. 

Thus,  during  the  first  quarter  of  a  century 
beginning  witli  the  admission  of  Mr.  Dorrance, 
eleven  attorneys  commenced  practice  in  the 
county.  Four  of  them,  however,  —  Messrs. 
Wescott,  Taylor,  Kingsbury  and  Allen, — were 
engaged  mainly  in  other  avocations,  and  gave 
little  attention  to  professional  business.  At  the 
close  of  this  period  two  had  died,  one  had  re- 
moved from  the  county,  one  had  been  appointed 
to  the  bench  and  one  had  been  elected  State 
Senator;  leaving  in  active  practice  but  five, viz. : 
Arnzi  and  Thomas  Fuller,  Earl  Wheeler, 
Charles  K.  Robinson  and  Win.  H.  Dimmick. 
The  bar  had  grown  at  the  net  rate  of  one  in 
five  years.  Its  increase  in  numbers  during  the 
next  quarter  of  a  century  was  more  rapid.  Its 
elements,  however,  were  continually  shifting, 
as  a  large  proportion  of  those  who  commenced 
practice  sooner  or  later  removed  from  the 
county  or  turned  to  other  callings,  and  few  of 
those  who  pursued  their  legal  studies  in  the 
county  remained  long  after  admission.  During 
this  period  thirty-one  attorneys  commenced 
practice  in  the  county,  viz.:  F.  M.  Crane,  Ira 
Vadakin,  S.  G.  Throop,  Frederick  Saxton, 
Elias  Griswold,  Hiram  Blois,  C.  P.  Waller, 
R.  M.  Grenell,  J.  M.  Alexander,  C.  S.  Minor, 
Jacob  A.  Kanouse,  Joseph  D.  West,  H.  B 
Beardslee,  S.  PI  Dimmick,  John  W.  Myers, 
James  H.  Norton,  M.  C.  Tracy,  G.  G.  Waller, 
Wm.  Minor,  Jackson  Woodward,  Ebenezer 
Richardson,  Francis  Drake,  Henry  Peet, 
E.  O.  Hamlin,  George  W.  Allen,  H.  M.  Seely, 
Marshal  Wheeler,  C.  F.  Eldred,  W.  H.  Dim- 
mick, Thomas  Hawkey  and  George  F.  Bentley. 
Three  of  these  were  also  engaged  more  or  less 
in  journalism.  Mr.  Beardslee  for  fourteen 
years  published  the  Wayne  Comity  Herald, 
giving  little  attention  to  the  practice  of  law; 
and  Messrs.  Myers  and  Norton  were  for  shorter 
periods  connected  with  the  same  paper.  On  the 
semi-centennial  of  the  beginning  of  a  resident 
bar  but  eleven  of  the  thirty-one  remained  in 
practice,  viz  :  F.  M.  Crane,  C.  P.  Waller,  C.  S. 
Minor,  S.  E.  Dimmick,  G.  G.  Waller,  E.  Rich- 


ardson, H.  M.  Seely,  C.  F.  Eldred,  W.  H. 
Dimmick,  Thomas  Hawkey  and  G.  F.  Bentley. 
Messrs.  Woodward  and  Drake  were  dead ;  Mr. 
Beardslee  was  in  the  State  Senate,  and  absorbed 
in  politics;  Messrs.  Blois,  Throop,  Geo.  W. 
Allen  and  Marshall  Wheeler  had  given  up  the 
profession;  and  the  remainder  had  left  the 
county.  Of  the  bar  formed  during  the  first 
quarter  of  a  century,  none  remained  but  Judge 
Eldred  and  Earl  Wheeler, — the  former  of  whom 
had  wholly  and  the  latter  largely  retired  from 
active  professional  life. 

During  the  twenty  years  that  followed, 
twenty-five  attorneys  entered  upon  practice  in 
the  county,  viz. :  M.  Regan,  F.  A.  Dony,  M. 
M.  Thorp,  H.  F.  Power,  F.  B.  Brown,  G.  S. 
Purdy,  P.  P.  Smith,  W.  H.  Lee,  L.  G.  Dimock, 

E.  C.  Mumford,  H.  Wilson,  D.  H.  Brown,  H. 
Greene,  W.  Dickinson,  W.  J.  Tracy,  J.  B. 
Dimmick,  A.  T.  Searle,  F.  M.  Monaghau,  (). 
L.  Rowland,  J.  J.  O'Neill,  C.  A.  McCarty,  M. 
M.  Treadwell,  J.  J.  McCarty,  F.  P.  Kimble 
and  M.  E.  Simons.  Ten  of  these,  after  follow- 
ing the  profession  for  a  time,  dropped  from  the 
roll  of  resident  attorneys.  Messrs.  Regan,  F. 
B.  Brown,  D.  H.  Brown,  Dickinson,  Dimmick 
and  O'Neill  removed  from  the  county,  Mr. 
Dony  entered  the  ministry,  Messrs  Thorp  and 
Dimock  sought  other  pursuits,  and  Mr.  Power, 
having  given  up  the  profession  a  few  years 
after  his  admission,  died  in  1882.  May  3, 
1886,  R.  M.  Stocker  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
and  commenced  practice. 

Of  those  having  a  place,  either  transient  or 
permanent,  among  resident  attorneys,  the  fol- 
lowing, named  in  the  order  of  their  admission 
to  the  bar  of  the  county,  died  while  in  practice, 
viz.:  Andrew  M.  Dorrance,  Thomas  Fuller, 
George  B.  Wescott,  Ebenezer  Kingsbury,  Chas. 
K.  Robinson,  William  H.  Dimmick  (the  elder), 
Frederick  M.  Crane,  Samuel  E.  Dimmick, 
Jackson  Woodward,  Francis  Drake  and  George 

F.  Bentley.  John  I.  Allen,  George  W.  Allen 
and  H.  F.  Power  died  after  quitting  the  pro- 
fession. Amzi  Fuller,  Nathaniel  B.  Eldred 
and  Earl  Wheeler  retired  after  a  long  period  of 
professional  labor  and  died  a  few  years  later. 
Charles  P.  Waller  died  while  president  judge. 
Henry  M.  Seely  became  Judge  Waller's  succes- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


sor  ou  the  bench.  Edward  O.  Hamlin  retired 
from  active  professional  duties  in  June,  1885, 
in  consequence  of  impaired  health,  after  more 
than  thirty  years  of  labor  at  the  bar  and  on  the 
bench.  The  remainder  removed  from  the  county 
or  left  the  profession  for  other  employments, 
except  the  following,  named  in  the  order  of 
their  admission  to  the  bar  of  the  county,  who 
are  still  in  practice,  viz.:  Charles  S.  Minor, 
George  G.  Waller,  Ebenezer  Richardson,  Henry 
Wilson,  William  H.  Dimmick  (the  younger), 
George  S.  Purely,  Peter  P.  Smith,  William  II. 
Lee,  Elwiu  C.  Mumford,  Homer  Greene,  Wil- 
liam J.  Tracy,  Alonzo  T.  Searle,  Francis  M. 
Monaghan,  Orville  L.  Rowland,  Charles  A. 
McCarty,  M.  M.  Treadwell,  James  J.  Mc- 
Carty,  Frank  P.  Kimble,  Myron  E.  Simons 
and  Rhamanthus  M.  Stocker.  All  of  these 
reside  in  Houesdale,  except  Messrs.  Richardson 
and  Treadwell,  who  are  residents  of  Ilawlev. 

As  the  resident  bar  formed  in  Wayne,  after 
the  erection  of  Pike,  was  composed  at  the  outset 
of  two  young  men  but  recently  admitted  to 
practice,  much  of  the  legal  business  of  the 
county  naturally  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
older  and  more  experienced  law  vers  who  had 
practiced  at  its  bar  before  the  territory  was 
divided.  But  as  the  resident  attorneys  gained 
in  numbers,  in  experience  and  in  public  confi- 
dence, the  employment  of  non-residents  grad- 
ually fell  away,  and  it  became  comparatively 
rare  soon  after  Messrs.  Crane,  Minor,  theWallers 
and  S.  E.  Dimmick  came  to  the  bar.  Among 
the  last  non-resident  attorneys  to  cease  practice 
in  Wayne  were  Franklin  Lusk  and  Judge 
Jessup,  of  Susquehanna,  and  Judge  Collins  and 
Henry  M.  Fuller,  of  Luzerne.  In  practice  in 
Wayne,  Mr.  Lusk  had  usually  been  associated 
with  Mr.  Crane,  Judge  Collins  with  Charles  P. 
Waller,  and  Mr.  Fuller  with  Joseph  D.  West. 
As  late  as  September,  1854,  Judges  Collins  and 
Jessup  appeared,  associated  with  C.  P.  and  G. 
G.  Waller,  in  behalf  of  the  defense,  on  the  trial 
of  Timothy  Grady  for  arson. 

The  bar  of  the  county,  though  not  large,  has 
long  ranked  high  in  professional  ability.  It 
has  furnished  three  president  judges  and  an 
attorney-general  of  the  State.  Under  the 
rules   adopted   at   September  Term,   1798,  the 


preparation  for  the  bar  consisted  of  three  years' 
study  under  the  direction  of  an  attorney,  or  two 
years'  study  after  reaching  the  age  of  twenty- 
one — the  last  year  to  be  passed  in  the  office  of 
a  resident  attorney.  A  good  moral  character 
was  a  further  requisite ;  and  the  unanimous 
approval  of  the  examining  committee  was  nec- 
essary to  admission.  These  continued  the  re- 
quirements until  December  Term,  1876,  when 
the  period  of  study  was  raised  from  two  years 
to  three,  with  a  proviso  that  graduation  with 
the  degree  of  A.  B.,  from  any  institution  author- 
ized to  confer  such  degree,  should  be  deemed 
equivalent  to  one  year  of  study.  September 
10,  1883,  a  further  amendment  was  adopted, 
requiring  a  preliminary  examination,  previous 
to  registry  as  a  student,  "in  all  the  branches  of 
a  good  English  education,  English  composition, 
general  history  and  particularly  English  and 
American  history."  Both  preliminary  and  final 
examinations  are  made  by  a  standing  committee, 
now  consisting  of  the  three  oldest  members  of 
the  bar — Messrs.  Minor,  Waller  and  Wilson. 

Law  Students. — For  a  long  time  compara- 
tively few  of  those  who  had  prepared  for  the 
bar  in  Wayne  County  remained  to  practice  for 
any  considerable  period;  and  forty  years  after 
the  admission  of  the  first  resident  student,  those 
who  had  read  law  in  the  county  composed  but 
half  of  the  resident  bar.  Thereafter  the  pro- 
portion steadily  increased;  and  of  the  resident 
attorneys  in  practice  twenty  years  later,  three- 
fourths  had  studied  for  the  profession  iu  the 
county. 

For  twenty-five  years  after  the  admission  of 
the  first  resident  attorney  but  four  students 
prepared  for  the  bar  in  Wayne  County,  viz.: 
Thomas  Fuller,  Wm.  H.  Dimmick,  Charles  K. 
Silkmau  and  Milton  Dimmick.  Of  these, 
only  Thomas  Fuller  and  William  H.  Dimmick 
remained  to  practice ;  the  others  removed  from 
the  county.  During  the  next  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury twenty-eight  pursued  the  study  of  law  in 
the  county  and  were  admitted  to  the  bar,  viz.: 
Ira  Vadakin,  Hiram  Blois,  R.  M.  Grenell,  J. 
M.  Alexander,  Joseph  D.  West,  H.  B.  Beardslee, 
S.  E.  Dimmick,  John  W.  Myers,  Milton  C. 
Tracy,  William  Minor,  Jackson  Woodward,  E. 
Richardson,  Francis  Drake,  Henry  Peet,  E.  O. 


152 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Hamlin,  Ara  Bartlett,  Albert  Willis,  M.  J. 
Slocum,  George  W.  Edgett,  George  W.  Allen, 
Jason  Torrey,  Marshal  Wheeler,  Henry  Box, 
C.  F.  Eldred,  John  P.  Heath,  William  H.  Dim- 
mick (the  younger),  Thomas  Hawkey  and  Geo. 
F.  Bentley.  At  the  close  of  this  period  but  six 
of  the  number  remained  in  practice,  viz.:  S.  E. 
Dimmick,  E.  Richardson,  C.  F.  Eldred,  Wm. 
H.  Dimmick,  Thomas  Hawkey  and  George  F. 
Bentley.  Messrs.  Woodward  and  Drake  had 
died ;  Messrs.  Blois  and  Wheeler  had  given  up 
the  profession;  Mr.  Beardslee  was  devoted  to 
politics,  had  been  elected  to  the  State  Senate, 
and  was  but  nominally  a  member  of  the  bar; 
and  the  remainder  had  removed  from  the  county. 
Thomas  Fuller  and  Wm.  H.  Dimmick  (the 
elder),  previously  admitted,  had  died.  The 
years  following,  clown  to  May,  1886,  witnessed 
a  greater  proportionate  development  of  staying 
power  among  resident  students.  During  this 
period  twenty-seven  were  admitted,  viz.:  Geo. 
V.  Brower,  Michael  Regan,  F.  A.  Dony,  T.  F. 
Ham,  H.  H.  Ham,  H.  F.  Power,  F.  B.Brown, 
Wm.  W.  Johnson,  Geo.  S.  Purely,  Q.  A.  Gates, 
P.  P.  Smith,  Wm.  H.  Lee,  L.  G.  Dimock,  E. 
C.  Mumford,  D.  H.  Brown,  Homer  Greene, 
John  F.  Wood,  Wm.  J.  Tracy,  J.  B.  Dimmick, 
A.  T.  Searle,  F.  M.  Monaghan,  ().  L.  Rowland, 
James  J.  O'Neill,  Charles  A.  McCarty,  M.  M. 
Treadwell,  Frank  P.  Kimble  and  R.  M.  Stocker. 
In  May,  1886,  thirteen  of  the  number  remained 
in  practice,  viz.:  Messrs.  Purdy,  Smith,  Lee, 
Mumford,  Greene,  Tracy,  Searle,  Monaghan, 
Rowland,  McCarty,  Treadwell,  Kimble  aud 
Stocker ;  together  with  E.  Richardson  and 
Wm.  H.  Dimmick,  resident  students  previously 
admitted.  Messrs.  Dony,  Power,  F.  B.  Brown 
aud  Dimock  had  given  up  the  profession,  and 
the  remainder  had  removed  from  the  county. 
Of  those  previously  admitted,  S.  E.  Dimmick, 
Thomas  Hawkey  and  George  F.  Bentley  had 
died,  and  C.  F.  Eldred  had  removed  from  the  ! 
county. 

The  only  resident  attorneys  in  May,  1886,  ' 
whose  preparation  for  the  bar  was  not  made  in 
Wayne  County,  were  Messrs.  Minor,  Waller, 
Wilson,  J.  J.  McCarty  and  Simons;  and  of 
these,  Messrs.  McCarty  and  Simons  were  natives 
of  the  county. 


Commissions  of  President  Judges. 

Judges.  Commissioned  fruin 

Jacob  Rush Aug.  13,  1791 

John  Spayd March  1,  1806 

Robert  Porter July  6,  1809 

John  B.Gibson Oct.  16,  1812 

Thomas  Burnside Jan.  28,  1816 

David  Scott July  7,  1818 

William  Jessup April  7,  1838 

Nathaniel  B.  Eldred April  6,  1849 

Nathaniel  B.  Eldred  [elected]  1st   Monday 

of  December,  1851. 

George  R.  Barrett April  29,  1853 

George  R.  Barrett  [elected]   1st  Monday  of 

December,  1855. 
George  R.  Barrett  [re-elected]  1st  Monday  of 

December,  1865. 
James  M.  Porter,  1st  Monday  of  December, 

1853. 

Thos.  S.  Bell March  23,  1855 

Samuel  S.  Dreher,  1st  Monday  of  December, 

1870. 
Charles  P.  Waller,  1st  Monday  of  January, 

1875. 

Henry  M.  Seely Aug.  28,  1882 

Henry    M.  Seely   [elected]  1st    Monday   of 

January,  1884. 

Commissions  of  Associate  Judges. 

I'll--  Commissioned  from 

Samuel  Preston March  22,  1798 

John  Ryerson March  22,  1798 

Samuel  ( '.  Seely March  22,  179S 

John  Biddis March  22,  1798 

Richard  Brodhead March  31,  1803 

John  Brink April  3,  1804 

Samuel  Stanton Oct.  14,  1814 

Ahisha  Woodward Oct,  14,  1814 

Moses  Thomas Nov.  17,  1815 

Isaac  Dimmick Nov.  27,  1829 

Jas.  Manning Oct.  31,  1833 

Moses  Tyler Feb.  27,  1840 

Virgil  Grennell Feb.  27,  1842 

Virgil  Grennell  [re-commissioned]  July  22, 

1847. 

Oliver  Hamlin March  11,  1825 

James  Mumford Feb.  9,1848 

James    Mumford    [elected]   1st   Monday    of 

December,  1851. 
Thos.  H.  R.  Tracy,  1st  Monday  of  December, 

1851. 

Paul  S.Preston March  12,  1850 

John  Torrey March  18,  1851 

Francis  B.  Penniman May  15,  1856. 

Jas.  R.  Dickson,  1st  Monday  of  December, 

L856. 
Phineas   Howe,    1st  Monday   of  December 

1856. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Rodney  Harines,  1st  Monday  of  December, 
1860. 

Butler  Hamlin,  1st  Monday  of  December, 
18(51. 

Wm.  B.  McLaury,  1st  Monday  of  December, 
18(31. 

Phineas  Arnold,  1st  Monday  of  December, 
1866. 

Phineas  Arnold  [re-elected]  1st  Monday  of 
December,  1871. 

Isaiah  Snyder,  1st  Monday  of  December, 
L866. 

Otis  Avery,  1st  Monday  of  December,  1871 

Otis  Avery  [elected]  1st  Monday  of  Decem- 
ber, 1872. 

Otis  Avery  [re-elected]  1st  Monday  of  Jan- 
uary, 1878. 

Frederick  W.  Farnham Tan.  27,  1872. 

John  O'Neill,  1st  Monday  of  December, 
1872. 

Henry  Wilson Tan.  27,  1876. 

Giles  Greene,  1st  Monday  of  January,  1877. 

Michael  Brown,  1st  Monday  of  January, 
1882. 

Lorenzo  Grambs,  1st  Monday  of  January, 
1883. 

Elisha  P.  Strong ..June  18,  1884. 

Elisha  P.  Strong  [elected]  1st  Monday  of 
January,  1885. 

Roll  of  Attorneys. — Names  of  non-residents 
in  Roman  lower-case;  of  those  who  studied  in 
the  county,  but  commenced  practice  elsewhere 
(so  far  as  can  be  ascertained),  in  italics;  of  those 
who  gave  up  the  profession  or  removed  from 
the  county  after  commencing  practice  (as  nearly 
as  can  be  ascertained),  in  small  capitals;  of 
residents  who  died  while  in  practice,  retired 
after  passing  the  active  period  of  life,  or  still 
remain  at  the  bar,  in  CAPITALS. 

Attorneys.  Hut.:  of  Admission. 

David  Stroud September  10,  1798 

John  Boss September  10,  1798 

William  A.  Patterson September  10,  1798 

JobHalstead September  10,  1798 

Thomas  B.  Dick December  10,  1798 

Thomas  Anderson December  10,  1798 

Daniel  Grandien December  10,  1798 

Daniel  F.  Barney December  10,  1798 

Sanford  Clark December  10,  1798 

Robert  Trail February  11,  1799 

Hugh  Ross February  11,1799 

George  Wolf. February  11,  1799 

Nathan  Palmer September  10,  1799 

Roswell  Wells December  9,  1799 

Peter  Wicoff. September  10,  1800 

George  Griffin Mav  12,  1801 


Dan  Dimmick September  9,  1802 

Samuel  Sitgreaves 'May  9,  1803 

Robert  Wood May  12,  1803 

Samuel  C.  Seely May  13,  1803 

John  Ewing September  5,  1803 

Jesse  Brush February  11,  1805 

Elipbalet  Stickney February  12,  1806 

Daniel  Stannard December  2,  1806 

John  Cross December  9,  1808 

EdwardMott May  1, 1809 

John  L.  Haight December  3,  1810 

William  P.  Spering April  30,  1811 

Francis  I!.  Shaw September  3,  1811 

Garrick  Mallery December  2,  1811 

Mr.  Evans November  29,  1813 

ANDREW  M.  DORRANCK,  April  22,  1816 

Thomas  Meredith April  22,  1816 

AMZI  FULLER August  26,  1816 

NATHANIEL  B.  ELDRED  [pres't  judge], 

January  27,  L817. 

Charles  Catlin  January  28,  1817 

George  Denison August  26,  1817 

JosiahH.  Miner August  26,  1817 

Jesse  Olmstead April  28,  1818 

Oristus  Collins August  23,  1819 

Daniel  M.  Brodhead August  25,  1819 

Richard  Eldred August  25,  1819 

John  N.  Conyngham August  28,  1820 

John  M.  Read August  26,  1823 

OliverS.  Dimmick November  28,  1825 

Benjamin  A.  Bidlack June  24,  1826 

THOMAS  FELLER August  19,  1826 

William  Lewis January  23,  1827 

Thomas  Armstrong June  11,  1828 

GEORGE  B.  WESCOTT April  27,  1829 

John  I).  Taylor August  25,  1829 

George  W.  Woodward August  25, 1830 

John  J.  Wurtz August  25,  1831 

EARL  WHEELER 'November  9,  1831 

Thomas  P.  Phinney April  24,  1832 

CHARLES  K.  ROBINSON »  November 

Term,  1833. 
EBENEZER  KINGSBURY >  November 

Term,  1833. 

David  Wilmot August  18,  1834 

Lewis  Jones,  Jr January  20,  1835 

Henry  Pettibone August  17,  1885 

Hendrick  B.  Wright June  15,  1836 

WILLIAM  H.  DIMMICK June  19,  1836 

Stephen  Strong June  19,  1836 

Luther  Kidder August  15,  1836 

Alexander T.  McClintock,  November  20, 1837 

Charles  K.  SUkman November  21,  1837 

Albert  L.  Post January  22,  1839 

John  I.  Allen September  9,  1839 

Ralph  B.  Little September  9,  1839 

1  The  date  of  admission  is  not  shown  by  the  record  ;  the 
dnte  given  is  that  of  the  earliest  appearance  as  attorney. 


154 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Davis  Dimock,  Jr 

...September  9,  1839 

Lucien  F.  Barnes 

...September  4,  1856 

Crosby  W.  Ellis 

.September  12,  1839 

John  C.  Kunkle 

.September  14,  1857 

FREDERICK  M.CRANE,  January  25, 1840 

William  H.  Miller 

.September  14,  1857 

Milton  Dim  mick 

....January  30,  1840 

A.  Bushnell 

....December  9,  1857 

Dwight  N.  Lathrope  ... 

...September  7,  1840 

Max  Goepp 

.September  13,  1858 

Edmund  L.  Dana 

...September  1,  1841 

Mil  tun  ./.  Slocum 

May  3,  1859 

Joseph  T.  Richards 

..September  3,  1841 

George  IT.  Edgett 

May  3,  1859 

Robert  J.  Niven 

.November  29,  1841 

George  W.  Allen 

May  3,  1859 

H.  M.  Fuller 

....January  31,  1842 

HENRY  M.  SEELY  [p 

res't  judge],  Septem- 

IraVadakin 

....January  31,  1X42 

ber  13,  1859. 

Simeon  G.  Throop 

...September  1,  1842 

Alfred  Hand 

.... December  8,  1859 

Warren  J.  Woodward... 

August  30,  1842 

HENRY  WILSON 

...December  9,  1859 

Frederick  Saxton.... 

....December  5,  1842 

Jason  Torrey 

Februarys,  18G0 

Elias  Griswold 

..December  10,  1842 

Frederick  Fuller 

...September  8,  1860 

Franklin  Lusk 

Hiram  Blois 

...September  5,  1843 
..September  9, 1843 

Marshal  Wheeler... 
Henry  W.  Box 

..September  8,  1860 
..September  8,  1860 

Samuel  Hodgdon 

...December  4,  1843 

William  L.  Headlev 

...Septembers,  I860 

Harrison  Wright 

....January  29,  1844 

Charles  F.  Eldred... 

...December  5,1860 

CHARLES  P.  WALLER  [pres. judge],  Jan- 

John L.  Gore 

.September  12,  1861 

uary  29,  1844. 

P.  C.  Gritman 

...December  2,  1861 

May  2,  1844 

J.  Marion  Alexandei 

...December  2,  1844 

WILLIAM  H.  DIMMICK,  December  4, 1862 

CHARLES  S.  MINOR. 

....December  3,  1844 

IraC.  Mitchell 

....December  6, 1862 

John  15.  Lafarge 

....February  3,  1845 

Thomas  Hawkey 

May  4,  1804 

Jacob  A.  Kanoise 

....February  8,  1845 

M.  M.  Dimtuick 

...September  5,  1865 

Joseph  D.  West 

May  5,  1845 

GEORGE  F.  BENTLEY,  February  7,  1866 

..September  3,  1845 
...December  3,  1845 

Howkin  B.  Beardslei 

Michael  Regan,  Je... 

May  9,  1866 

SAMUEL  E.  DIMMICK May  6,  1846 

Garrick  M.  Harding 

....February  7,  1867 

John  W.  Myers 

May  6,  1846 

John  P.  O'Neill 

...September  3,  1867 

John  Brisbil) 

...September  7,  1840 

Mortimer  C.  Addoms.... 

.September  14,  1S07 

James  H.  Norton 

..September  9,  1840 

Francis  a.  Dony- 

....Februarys,  1869 

John  Shouse 

...December  0,  1847 

E.  P..  Sturges 

May  6,  1869 

....February  8,  1S48 

Henry  Welsh 

Rees  Davis 

.September  15,  1869 
...December  7,  1869 

Milton  C.  Tracy 

.September  11,  1848 

Edwin  B.  Eldred 

.September  11,  1848 

Thomas  F.Ham 

...December  8,  1869 

GEORGE  G.WALLER 

September  11,  1849 

Henry  11.  Ham 

...December  8,  1869 

William  Minor 

...December  3,  1849 

Moses  M.  Thorp 

May  <i,  1870 

Edward  G.  Mallery 

...December  3,  1849 

Charles  E.  Lathrope.... 

May  2,  1871 

Lyman  Hakes 

...December  6,  1849 

H.  Frank  Power 

..September  5,  1871 

John  C.  Fish 

..September  0,  1850 

Frank  B.  Brown 

..September  5,  1871 

EBENEZER   RICHAR 

DSON Decem- 

ber  •'{,  1850. 

Cornelius  W.  Bull 

...December  6,  1871 

JACKSON  WOODWARD December  7, 

William  H.  Davis 

...December  6,  1871 

1850. 

P.  R.  Weitzel 

July  18,  1872 

Mr.  Truesdale 

.... February  4,  1851 

Oliver  N.  Goldsmith 

May  7,  1873 

FRANCIS  DRAKE 

GEORGE  S  PURDY 

Henry  Peet 

....February  4,  1852 

Quiney  A.  Gates 

...December  2,  1873 

..September  7,  1852 
...September  7,  1852 

Mav5   1874 

William  Smith 

S.  L.  Tiffany 

May  0,  1*74 

EDWARD  O.HAMLD 

',  September  7,  1852 

PETER  P.  SMITH 

May  7,  1874 

WILLIAM  H.  LEE 

Martin  Canavan 

...Decembers,  1852 

Alexander  H.  Farnham. 

.December  14,  1874 

Ara  Bartlett 

May  3,  1S53 

J.  M.  C.Rauck 

....February  3,1875 

Horatio  W.  Nicholson... 

..September  7,  1853 

Charles  G.  Van  Fleet... 

May  13,  1875 

Albert  Willis 

.September  13,  1853 

Lafayette  G.  Dimock 

..December  6,  1875 

William  H.  Jessup 

.December  13,  185,3 

Emory  Robinson 

Line  5.  1876 

Alfred  Dart 

..September  5,  1854 

ELWINC.  MUMFORD 

...September  6, 1876 

James  M.  Porter,  Jr 

...September  4,  1856 

James  H.  Torrey 

..February  13,  1877 

WAYNE  COUNTY. 


155 


Joseph  H.  Gray April  2, 1877 

A.  Ricketts May  15,  1877 

D.  M.  Van  Auken September  3,  1877 

Samuel  W.Weiss ...September  4,  L877 

Thomas  F.  Wells February  7,  1878 

Cornelius  Smith May  6,  1878 

George  K.  Powell May  8,  1878 

Daniel  B.  Brown September  14,  1878 

HOMER  GREENE December  5,  1878 

John  F.  Wood December  13,  1878 

Wiiaktox  Dickinson December  14,  1878 

E.  W.  Simrell February  6,  1879 

WILLIAM  J.  TRACY May  7,  1879 

James  Edward  Burr May  13,  1879 

L.  P.  Hinds September  2,  1879 

John  D.  Biddis May  10,  1880 

J.  H.  Van  Etten May  10,  1880 

Harry  T.  Baker May  10,  1880 

L.  Lafflin  Kellogg August  17,  1880 

Timothy  F.  Bush August  24,  1880 

L.  A.  Watres September  15, 1880 

James  S.  Wilson December  6,  1880 

Edwin  F.  Uhl December  7,  1880 

M.  M.  Riley December  7.  1880 

William  H.  Armstrong December  9,  1880 

Abraham  S.  Knecht December  9,  1880 

Wilbur  F.  Lathrop February  5,  1881 

C.  T.  Alverson September  8,  1881 

A.  H.  McCollum October  25,  1881 

Frederick  L.  Hitchcock October  26,  1881 

W.  Scott  Brandt February  15,  1882 

J.  Benjamin  Dimmick October  2,  1883 

ALONZO  T.  SEARLE October  2,  1882 

FRANCIS  M.  MONAGH  AN,  October  2, 1882 
ORVILLE  L.ROWLAND,  December  4, 1882 

J.  H.  Campbell December  13,  1882 

James  J.  O'Neill May  7, 1883 

CHARLES  A.  McCARTY May  10,  1883 

George  A.  Post May  10,  1883 

Edwin  Young May  26,  1883 

M.  M.  TREADWELL December  5,  1883 

L.  Warren  Seely May  5,  1884 

Stanley  N.  Mitchell May  7,  1884 

JAMES  J.  McCARTY October  6.  1884 

William  J.  Welsh October  14,  1884 

E.  M.  Dunham June  13,  1885 

Samuel  W.  Edgar October  7,  1885 

FRANK  P.  KIMBLE March  3,  1SS6 

J.  B.  Williams March  12,  1886 

MYRON  E.  SIMONS March  13,  1886 

RHAMANTHUS   M..  STOCKER,   May  3, 

1886. 

The  Commonwealth's  Attorneys. — Down  to 
the  middle  of  the  present  century  the  prosecu- 
tions on  the  part  of  the  commonwealth  in  the 
county  courts  were  conducted  by  deputies  ap- 
pointed   by   the  attorney-general.       By  act  of 


May  3,  1850,  this  office  was  made  elective  un- 
der the  title  of  district  attorney,  and  the  term 
fixed  at  three  years,  commencing  the  first  Mon- 
day of  December.  By  the  Constitution  of  1873 
the  commencement  of  the  term  was  changed  to 
the  first  Monday  of  January  following  the 
election. 

No  record  appears  to  have  been  kept  in  the 
attorney-general's  office  of  the  appointments  of 
deputy  attorney-general  for  the  several  counties, 
and  in  only  a  few  instances  does  the  record  in 
Wayne  County  show  even  the  fact  of  a  deputa- 
tion being  filed.  Hence  it  has  been  found  im- 
possible to  ascertain  the  dates  of  these  appoint- 
ments for  the  county.  The  nearest  approach 
possible  has  been  made  by  a  careful  examina- 
tion of  the  indictments  during  the  fifty-two 
years  preceding  the  first  election  of  district  at- 
torney, the  signatures  to  these  showing  when 
each  attorney-general  began  the  discharge  of  his 
duties.  At  times  in  the  early  history  of  the 
courts  there  appears  to  have  been  no  deputy, 
and  the  indictments  were  signed  by  the  attorney- 
general  ;  but  whether  he  attended  in  person 
cannot  be  ascertained.  In  some  instances  an 
attorney  acted  as  deputy  under  a  temporary  ap- 
pointment by  the  court. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  persons  holding  the 
appointment  of  deputy  attorney-general  and  the 
office  of  district  attorney,  with  the  time  of  com- 
mencing the  performance  of  official  duties  : 

Deputy  Attorney- Generals. 

Name.  Duties  Began. 

Thomas  B.  Dick December  Term,  1798 

John  Ross September  Term,  1800 

Samuel  Sitgreaves December  Term,  1802 

Hugh  Ross May  Term,  1803 

John  Ross December  Term,  1805 

Edward  Mott September  Term,  1809 

Amzi  Fuller January  Term,  1820 

John  D.  Taylor August  Term,  1834 

Ebenezer  Kingsbury August  Term,  1835 

William  H.  Dimmick.... January  Term,  1838 
Charles  K.  Robinson. ..September  Term,  1840 

Ruius  M.  Grenell September  Term,  1845 

Charles  P.  Waller September  Term,  1848 

District  Attorneys. 
Name.  Duties  Began. 

Frederick  M.  Crane. ..1st  Monday  Dec,  1850 

Resigned  May  5,  1853 

Jackson   Woodward  appointed  May  5,  1853 


156 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Jackson  Woodward,  (elected) 

1st  Monday  Dec,  1853 

Henry  Peet 1st  Monday  December,  1856 

Jackson  Woodward. ...1st  Monday  Dec,  1859 
H.  B.  Beardslee 1st  Monday  Dec,  1862 

Resigned  Dec  7,  1863 
Jackson  Woodward  appointed  Dec.  7,  1863 
Wm,  H.Dimmick  (the younger,) 

1st  Monday  Dec,  1864 
Wm.   H.   Dimmick  (re-elected), 

1st  Monday  Dec.,  1867 

Resigned  Sept.  16,  1869 

H.   B.  Beardslee  appointed,  Sept.  16,  1869 

Charles  F.  Eldred 1st  Monday  Dec.  1870 

Resigned  Dec,  9,  1871 

Frank  B.  Brown appointed,  Dec.  9,  1871 

Frank  B.  Brown  (elected), 

1st  Monday  Dec,  1872 
Peter  P.  Smith,  1st  Monday  January,  1876 
ElwinC.  Mumford  1st  Monday  Jan'y,  1879 

Homer  Greene 1st  Monday  Jan'y,  1882 

F.  M.  Monaghan 1st  Monday  Jan'y,  1885 

BIOGKAPHICAX   SKETCHES. 
The  subjects  of  the  following  biographical 
notices  are  divided  into  four  classes,  viz.  : 

I.  Attorneys  of  the  county  who  have  become 
president  judges  of  its  courts. 

II.  Resident  attorneys  in  permanent  practice, 
including  those  who  followed  the  profession 
during  life  or  the  period  of  active  pro- 
fessional labor ;  including,  also,  Judge  Collins, 
who  was  reared  in  the  county,  and,  though  a 
non-resident,  practiced  in  its  courts  for  some 
thirty  years. 

III.  Attorneys  in  temporary  practice,  inclu- 
ding those  who,  after  entering  on  practice  in 
the  county,  gave  it  up  or  removed. 

IV.  Law  graduates,  including  those  who 
prepared  for  the  bar  in  the  county,  but,  after 
admission,  went  elsewhere  to  commence  practice. 

In  the  biographical  sketches,  descriptions  of 
personal  or  professional  characteristics  are  con- 
fined to  the  president  judges  and  resident  attor- 
neys who  have  been  for  more  than  ten  years  at 
the  bar. 

I.  President  Judges. 

Nathaniel  Daily  Eldred,  the  first  pres- 
ident judge  appointed  from  the  bar  of  Wayne 
County,  was  born  at  Dolsontown,  Orange  County, 
N.  Y.,  January  12,  1795.  His  early  education 
was  such  as  the  local  schools  afforded,  supple- 
mented by  a  diligent  reading  of  all  books  that 


fell  into  his  hands.  While  yet  a  boy  he  formed 
the  purpose  of  becoming  a  lawyer,  and  about 
the  year  1811  went  to  Milford,  then  the  county- 
seat  of  Wayne,  to  begin  the  work  of  prepara- 
tion. He  first  entered  the  office  of  Dan  Dim- 
mick, one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  the  county, 
and  subsequently  completed  his  studies  under 
the  direction  of  Edward  Mott,  deputy  attorney- 
general  for  the  county.  Before  his  course  of 
legal  study  was  finished  the  county  was  divided, 
and  Milford  became  the  county-seat  of  Pike. 
January  27,  1817,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  Wayne.  He  continued,  however,  to  reside 
at  Milford  until  after  the  death  of  Andrew  M. 
Dorrance,  the  senior  of  the  two  lawyers  then 
practicing  at  the  county-seat  of  Wayne,  in 
April,  1818.  Thereupon  he  took  up  his  resi- 
dence and  commenced  practice  in  Bethany, 
which  remained  his  home  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  next  half-century. 

In  thus  commencing  life,  Mr.  Eldred  was 
favored  with  no  advantages  except  those  be- 
stowed  by  nature.  Those,  however,  were  suffi- 
cient to  win  rapid  advancement,  especially  in  a 
community  which  recognized  no  conventional 
standards  or  artificial  distinctions.  His  mental 
constitution  was  a  rare  combination  of  sturdy 
personal  qualities,  quick  intelligence,  keen 
powers  of  observation,  generous  impulses,  rigid 
integrity  and  a  ready  adaptability  to  surround- 
ing conditions.  He  rapidly  gained  the  apprecia- 
tion and  confidence  of  the  people  of  the  county, 
both  as  a  lawyer  and  a  man;  and  in  1822, 
four  years  after  he  had  come  among  them  a 
stranger,  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature.  In 
the  following  year  he  was  re-elected. 

Under  the  system  of  rotation  in  the  district 
that  prevailed,  the  nominees  were  selected  from 
Pike  County  for  the  next  two  years.  When  it 
again  fell  to  Wayne  to  secure  the  candidate,  Mr. 
Eldred  was  re-elected  for  two  terms  more.  His 
fourth  year's  service  completed,  he  declined  a 
subsequent  nomination.  Later,  when  the 
system  of  public  improvements  constructed  by 
the  State  was  put  in  operation,  he  accepted  the 
position  of  canal  commissioner,  but  declined  a 
second  term.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
board  of  commissioners  appointed  by  the  State 
— Hon.  John  Ross  and  Hon.  David  Scott  being 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


157 


his  associates — to  treat  with  a  like  board  ap- 
pointed by  the  State  of  New  Jersey  in  relation 
to  the  navigation  and  control  of  the  Delaware 
River,  and  aided  materially  in  the  adjustment 
of  all  questions  connected  with  this  subject.  In 
1844  he  was  chosen  a  Presidential  elector,  and 
cast  his  vote  for  James  K.  Polk.  In  the  spring 
of  1853  he  received  from  President  Pierce  the 
appointment  of  naval  officer  at  the  Philadelphia 
custom-house,  a  position  which  he  held  for  four 
vears. 


McKean,  Warren  and  Jefferson  were  erected  into 
the  Eighteenth  Judicial  District,  from  and  after 
September  1,  1835,  and  the  Governor  was  re- 
quired to.  appoint  a  president  judge  for  the  dis- 
trict. When  the  time  for  making  the  appoint- 
ment arrived,  Governor  Wolf,  who  had  often 
met  Mr.  Eldred  at  the  bar,  and  recognized  his 
fitness  for  the  position,  commissioned  him  presi- 
dent judge  of  the  new  district.  In  1839  the 
death  of  Judge  Slupper  made  a  vacancy  on  the 
bench  of  the  Sixth   District,  composed  of  Erie, 


%^7)     <5f^^^^ 


But  it  was  in  the  field  of  his  profession, 
rather  than  in  politics,  that  his  chief  distinction 
was  won.  During  a  practice  of  nearly  twenty 
years,  in  competition  with  such  men  as  Amzi 
and  Thomas  Fuller,  George  Wolf,  Dan  Dim- 
mick,  Edward  Mott,  Garrick  Mallery,  Oristus 
Collins,  John  N.  Conyngham  and  other  noted 
practitioners  of  that  day,  he  rose  to  a  high  po- 
sition at  the  bar,  and  for  nearly  twenty  years 
more  he  held  a  seat  on  the  bench.  By  an  act 
April  8,  1833,  the  counties  of  Potter, 


Crawford  and  Venango  Counties,  and  Gov- 
ernor Porter  commissioned  Judge  Eldred  as 
president  judge  of  that  district.  In  1843, 
Judge  Blythe,  of  the  Twelfth  District,  composed 
of  Dauphin,  Lebanon  and  Schuylkill  Counties, 
resigned  to  accept  the  office  of  collector  of  cus- 
toms of  Philadelphia,  and  Governor  Porter 
thereupon  commissioned  Judge  Eldred  as  his 
successor. 

In  1849  the  counties  of  Wayne,  Pike,  Monroe 
and  Carbon  were  erected  into  the  Twenty-second 


158 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


District,  and  Judge  Kid  red  desiring  to  return 
to  his  old  home  in  Bethany,  Governor  Johnston 
commissioned  him  president  judge  of  the  dis- 
trict. In  1851,  the  judiciary  having  been  made 
elective  by  the  Constitutional  amendment 
adopted  the  preceding  year,  many  of  Judge 
Eldred's  friends  throughout  the  State  proposed 
his  nomination  for  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
He  declined,  however,  to  become  a  candidate, 
preferring  to  remain  on  the  bench  where  his 
home  was  situated  ;  and  the  desire  to  retain  him 
was  so  general  in  the  district  that  he  received 
the  support  of  both  parties,  aud  was  elected 
without  opposition.  In  April,  1853,  the  posi- 
tion of  naval  officer  at  Philadelphia  being 
tendered  him  by  President  Pierce,  he  decided 
to  accept  it,  and  resigned  the  judgeship.  This 
closed  his  judicial  labors,  and,  substantially,  his 
professional  career. 

On  (putting  the  position  of  naval  officer 
Judge  Kldred  returned  to  his  home  in  Bethany. 
The  remainder  of  his  life  was  passed  in  compara- 
tive retirement.  The  advancing  years  were  be- 
ginning to  make  their  approach  felt;  he  had 
begun  to  suffer  in  health;  and  though  frequently 
(•onsulted  in  important  cases,  he  declined  to  re- 
sume active  professional  employment.  The  dec- 
ade following  was  spent  mainly  amid  the  tran- 
quil pursuits  and  interests  of  rural  life,  and  he 
passed  the  limit  of  three-score  and  ten,  loved 
and  honored  by  all.  He  died  January  27, 1867, 
just  half  a  century  from  the  day  of  his  admis- 
sion to  the  Wayne  County  bar,  at  the  place 
which  had  witnessed  the  beginning  of  his  ca- 
reer, and  had  for  more  than  a  generation  been 
his  home. 

Judge  Kldred  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  Dan  Dimmick,  his 
earliest  preceptor  in  the  profession.  She  died  in 
1824.  His  second  wife,  who  survived  him,  was 
a  daughter  of  Dr.  Samuel  Dimmick,  of  Bloom- 
ingburgh,  Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.  He  left 
three  daughters  and  a  son.  The  latter,  Charles 
F.  Kldred,  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1861. 

In  casting  his  lot  among  the  people  of  Wayne 
County,  Judge  Kldred  identified  himself  with 
them  in  purpose  aud  action.  He  made  their 
general  interests  his  own,  and  strove   by  every 


means  in  his  power  to  promote  them.  In 
private  and  public  life  he  was  active  in  aiding 
the  progress  and  development  of  the  county, 
both  as  to  material  interests  and  educational  ad- 
vancement. By  nature,  and  by  habit  of  thought 
and  of  life,  he  was  essentially  a  man  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  no  man  in  Wayne  County  ever  had  a 
stronger  hold  on  the  popular  heart.  The  peo- 
ple of  the  county  appreciated  his  services,  and 
at  all  times  gave  him  an  unwavering  support. 
During  the  first  decade  of  his  residence  among 
them  the  only  office  in  their  gift  which  he 
would  consent  to  accept  was  bestowed  on  him 
again  and  again.  They  viewed  his  elevation  to 
the  bench  with  a  feeling  akin  to  personal  satis- 
faction and  pride.  When  his  lite  closed,  most 
of  the  generation  which  had  witnessed  his  suc- 
cess and  bis  usefulness  had  preceded  him  to  the 
grave ;  yet  his  fame,  though  it  had  become 
largely  a  tradition,  was  so  enduring  that  his 
death  was  felt  and  mourned  as  a  loss  of  no  com- 
mon magnitude. 

As  an  advocate  Judge  Kldred  was  clear  in 
argument,  earnest  and  persuasive,  resting  on  the 
broad  basis  of  equity,  appealing  largely  to  the 
natural  perception  of  right,  and  arousing  an 
aversion  to  every  form  of  meanness,  oppression 
and  wrong.  He  was  a  jurist  of  more  than 
ordinary  rank.  On  the  bench,  however,  he  was 
little  given  to  legal  subtleties  and  refinements, 
or  to  the  habit  of  measuring  questions  of  right 
by  narrow  technical  rules.  He  regarded  the 
judicial  function  as  designed  for  the  practical 
administration  of  justice,  and  his  decisions  aimed 
at  a  fair  and  equitable  adjustment  of  the  difficul- 
ties between  the  parties.  He  was  well  read  in  his 
profession,  and  possessed  a  legal  mind  of  a  high 
order;  but  a  controlling  sense  of  justice,  that  re- 
sponded instinctively  to  all  questions  respecting 
right  as  between  man  and  man,  predominated 
over  the  strictly  professional  view  of  a  case, 
and  his  conclusions,  even  when  not  in  strict 
conformity  with  technical  rules  and  precedents, 
rested  on  a  firm  and  obvious  basis  of  equity. 
The  essential  justice  of  his  purpose  was  so  ap- 
parent as  to  command  the  respect  of  the  bar, 
even  when  error  was  alleged  in  his  rulings  on 
questions  of  law.  The  people,  without  measur- 
ing   his  judicial    action  by    professional    tests, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


159 


accepted  its  results  as  in  the  main  just  and 
equitable;  they  recognized  his  strong  common 
sense  and  clear  judgment,  and  had  abiding  faith 
in  his  judicial  integrity.  They  gave  him  their 
confidence,  because  they  knew  him  to  be  up- 
right, impartial  and  devoted  to  the  adminis- 
tration of  justice  in  its  broadest  and  noblest 
sense. 

It  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  preserve  anec- 
dotes illustrating  some  of  Judge  Eldred's 
characteristics.  While  he  was  on  the  Dauphin 
County  bench  a  case  of  assault  and  battery  was 
tried  before  him.  The  evidence  showed  that 
while  the  defendant  and  his  wife  were  walking 
on  the  streets  in  Harrisburg,a  rowdy  used  some 
grossly  insulting  language  toward  the  wife, 
whereupon  the  husband  knocked  him  down. 
Judge  Eldred's  charge  to  the  jury  was  .substan- 
tially in  the  following  terms  :  "  Gentlemen  of 
the  jury,  the  defendant  is  indicted  for  an  assault 
and  battery  on  the  prosecutor.  You  have 
learned  from  the  evidence  the  character  of  the 
offence.  In  law,  any  rude,  angry  or  violent 
touching  of  the  person  of  another  is  an  assault 
and  battery,  and  is  not  justified  by  any  provoca- 
tion in  words  only.  But  if  I  was  walking  with 
my  wife  and  a  rowdy  insulted  her,  I'd  knock 
him  down  if  1  was  big  enough.  Swear  a  con- 
stable." The  verdict  may  be  readily  conjec- 
tured. 

Another  incident  is  related,  showing  his 
readiness  and  fertility  in  resources.  On  reach- 
ing the  county-seat  at  which  the  first  term  of 
court  was  to  be  held,  on  his  appointment  to  one 
of  the  western  districts,  his  commission  was  not 
to  be  found,  having  been  forgotten  on  leav- 
ing- home,  or  lost  on  the  way.  It  happened  that 
the  sheriff  of  the  county  had  just  been  com- 
missioned, and  was  to  begin  his  official  duties 
at  that  term  of  court.  Judge  Eldred  at  once 
decided  on  a  line  of  action.  Sending  for  the 
new  sheriff,  he  told  him  that  the  practice  of 
reading  commissions  in  court,  on  assuming 
office,  was  a  relic  of  the  ceremonial  established 
under  a  monarchy,  and  unsuited  to  the  simplic- 
ity of  republican  institutions,  and  that  he 
should  dispense  with  it  in  the  courts  of  his  dis- 
trict;  that  the  sheriff  and  himself  having  been 
duly  sworn,  nothing  further  was    required  of 


them,  and  they  should  enter  on  their  duties  in  a 
quiet,  unostentatious  manner.  Accordingly,  the 
new  judge  and  sheriff  went  into  court  together 
the  next  morning,  took  their  respective  places, 
and  proceeded  to  the  discharge  of  their  duties 
without  further  ceremony,  no  question  being 
raised  as  to  their  authority  in  the  premises. 

Charles  Phillips  Waller  was  born  at 
Wilkes  Barre,  Luzerne  County,  Pa.,  August  7, 
181!).  His  youth  was  passed  in  his  native 
town,  and,  after  a  preparatory  course  at  the 
Wilkes-Barre  Academy,  he  entered  Williams 
College,  Massachusetts.  He  completed  the 
second  year's  study  in  1838,  but,  in  consequence 
of  impaired  eyesight,  was  obliged  to  abandon 
the  course.  Having  recovered  in  some  degree 
from  this  difficulty,  he  sj.ent  portions  of  the 
following  three  years  in  teaching  at  Blooms- 
burg,  Columbia  County,  Pa.  He  finally  de- 
cided to  study  law,  and  in  the  summer  of  1841 
entered  the  office  of  Judge  Collins,  in  Wilkes- 
Barre.  In  1843,  at  the  August  Term  of  the 
courts,  having  passed  a  rigorous  examination 
with  much  credit,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Lu- 
zerne bar.  In  the  following  autumn  he  decided 
to  commence  practice  in  Honesdale,  which  had 
recently  become  the  seat  of  justice  of  Wayne 
County. 

His  professional  ability  commanded  speedy 
recognition.  His  genial  temperament  and 
marked  elevation  of  character,  combined  with  a 
deportment  distinguished  by  courtesy,  refine- 
ment and  dignity,  won  troops  of  friends  ;  while 
his  evident  mastery  of  his  profession,  his  un- 
tiring industry,  his  systematic  business  habits, 
his  thorough  preparation  of  causes  and  power 
as  au  advocate,  with  his  faithful  discharge  of 
all  professional  duties,  brought  a  large  client- 
age. For  about  twelve  years  he  continued  in 
the  active  practice  of  his  profession.  At  a  bar 
which  numbered  among  its  leaders  Earl 
Wheeler,  William  H.  and  Samuel  E.  Dimmick, 
Charles  S.  Minor  and  F.  M.  Crane,  and  with 
Oristus  Collins,  Henry  M.  Fuller,  William  Jes- 
sup,  Franklin  Lusk  and  other  prominent  attor- 
neys from  adjoining  counties,  as  frequent  con- 
testants, he  reached  the  front  rank.  While 
familiar  with  the  various  subjects  of  legal  enact- 
ment and  decision,  he  made  a  special  study  of  the 


160 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


important  questions  arising  from  unsettled  and 
conflicting  land  claims,  the  determination  of 
which,  for  many  years,  formed  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  business  of  the  courts.  He  made 
himself  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  somewhat 
complicated  system  of  land  titles  prevailing  in 
the  county,  and  took  a  leading  part,  as  counsel, 
in  the  litigation  connected  with  them.  In  deal- 
ing with  these  he  met  few  equals  and  no  supe- 
riors, and  became  recognized  as  one  of  the  first 
authorities  on  the  subject. 

In  1X48  he  was  appointed  deputy  attorney- 
general  for  the  county  by  Governor  Johnston, 
and  entered  upon  his  duties  at  September  Term. 
He  held  this  position  until  December  Term, 
1850.  By  act  of  May  3,  1850,  this  office  was 
made  elective,  under  the  title  of  district  attor- 
ney. The  county  being  largely  Democratic,  and 
Mr.  Waller  being  a  Whig,  he  declined  to  be- 
come a  candidate  for  election. 

The  close  attention  given  to  professional 
duties  at  length  undermined  his  health,  and  in 
1855  he  consulted  various  physicians,  among 
whom  was  Dr.  Willard  Parker,  of  New  York. 
Finding  him  in  a  state  of  great  exhaustion 
and  with  alarming  symptons  of  consumption, 
Dr.  Parker  directed  him  to  suspend  practice  and 
seek  the  benefit  of  an  out-door  life,  at  the 
same  time  giving  him  but  little  encouragement, 
and  warning  him  that  the  chances  were  a  hun- 
dred to  one  against  his  recovery.  Acting  on 
this  advice,  Mr.  Waller  purchased  a  farm  a  few 
miles  from  Honesdale,  and  passed  the  greater 
part  of  the  time  for  several  years  in  the  open 
air.  He  resolved  to  overcome  the  threatening 
malady,  and,  maintaining  the  contest  with  re- 
markable tenacity  and  power  of  will,  succeeded 
in  repelling  the  dread  enemy  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  He  had,  in  1850,  formed 
a  partnership  with  a  younger  brother,  George 
G.  Waller,  who,  after  his  enforced  retirement, 
successfully  conducted  the  large  practice  of  the 
firm.  The  elder  brother  subsequently  attended 
to  the  out-door  business,  doing  but  little 
office  work,  and  seldom  appearing  in  court 
except  on  the  trial  of  some  important  land 
suit. 

In  1862  the  Republicans  of  the  county  nomi- 
nated him  for  the  Legislature  ;   but  party  lines 


were  closely  drawn,  and  the  Democratic  major- 
ity proved  too  large  to  be  overcome. 

In  1874,  the  counties  of  Wayne  and  Pike 
having  been  erected  into  the  Twenty-second 
Judicial  District,  Mr.  Waller  yielded  to  the 
urgent  solicitations  of  the  Republicans  of  the 
district,  and  accepted  the  Republicau  nomina- 
tion for  the  office  of  president  judge.  The 
Democrats  failed  to  unite,  the  Hon.  F.  M. 
Crane  taking  the  field  as  an  independent  candi- 
date, while  the  Hon.  D.  M.  Van  Auken  re- 
ceived the  regular  party  nomination.  The  re- 
sult was  the  election  of  Mr.  Waller  by  a  plural- 
ity of  four  hundred  and  five,  in  a  district 
which,  at  the  State  election  two  years  previ- 
ously, had  given  a  Democratic  majority  of 
seventeen  hundred  and  ninety-nine. 

On  the  bench  Judge  Waller  displayed  the 
mental  characteristics  for  which  he  had  been 
eminent  at  the  bar.  He  thoroughly  understood 
every  feature  of  every  case  tried  before  him. 
He  possessed  a  matchless  grasp  of  the  facts, 
however  numerous  or  complicated,  with  an  un- 
erring perception  of  their  true  relation  to  the 
issue  in  the  case,  and  a  clear  apprehension  of 
the  principles  of  law  controlling  their  operation 
and  effect.  His  mastery  of  a  case  and  his  re- 
tention of  all  its  essential  points  were  often  ex- 
hibited in  a  marked  degree.  On  one  occasion, 
during  the  argument  of  an  important  case,  in 
which  the  testimony  was  very  voluminous,  the 
counsel,  in  reading  it,  inadvertently  made  a 
mistake,  which  the  judge  at  once  corrected 
from  memory.  On  every  subject  that  called  for 
judicial  action  he  had  clearly-defined  views  and 
positive  convictions,  and  he  always  had  the 
courage  of  his  convictions.  Decision  and 
promptness  were  among  his  prominent  quali- 
ties; he  was  a  stranger  to  hesitation  and  timid- 
ity ;  and  he  never  wavered  in  the  course  to 
which  his  convictions  impelled  him. 

Judge  Waller  remained  on  the  bench  until 
removed  by  death,  though  during  the  last  year 
of  his  life  his  failing  health  interfered  largely 
with  the  regular  performance  of  his  official 
duties.  Nevertheless,  he  bore  up  bravely  under 
increasing  weakness  and  was  frequently  found 
at  his  post  when  his  physical  condition  would 
have  justified  him  in   quitting  it.      To  a  bron- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Mil 


cliial  affection  of  longstanding,  chronic  gastritis 
was  finally  superadded.  I  lis  stomach  at  length 
failed  to  perform  its  functions  and  his  death  re- 
sulted from  inanition.  He  retained  his  facul- 
ties in  his  waking  hours,  and  it  was  during 
sleep  that  he  ceased  to  breathe.  His  death  took 
place  August  is,  L882. 

Aliniit  a  year  and  a  half  after  taking  up  his 
residence  at  Honesdale  (April  3,  L845)  Mr. 
Waller  was  married  to  Miss  Harriet  Ward 
Stone,  daughter  of  the  late  Henry  Ward  Stone. 
Mrs.  Waller  died  May  l>4,  1884.  Their  chil- 
dren— Lizzie  (wife  of  William  II.  Stanton)  and 
MissMaryS.  Waller,— survive  them  and  reside 
in  Honesdale. 

The  personal  characteristics  of  Judge  Waller 
are  thus  outlined  by  a  life-long  and  intimate 
friend  : 

"The  old  log  academy  at  Wilkes-Barre 
served  to  plant  the  seeds  of  culture  in  the  mind 
of  Judge  Waller,  and  induce  an  aspiration  after 
something  beyond  the  rudiments  of  knowledge. 
He  early  appeared  rapid  in  his  acquisition,  re- 
markably retentive  in  his  powers  of  mind,  keen 
in  his  perceptions,  and  sternly  logical  in  his 
methods  of  deduction.  He  had  a  temperament 
that  ease  him  an  impassioned  address,  an  im- 
agination enlivening  his  expression  even  in 
early  youth,  and  combined  therewith  a  judg- 
ment the  deliberate  and  careful  movements  of 
which  would  have  indicated  his  fitness  to  draw 
the  lines,  at. some  future  day,  between  the  conflict- 
ing claims  of  men.  He  knew  but  little  of  idleness 
or  waste  of  life  ;  and  in  the  application  of  excel- 
lent native  endowments  he  was  constantly  in 
the  pursuit  of  knowledge  ;  ever  grew  in  the 
breadth  of  his  views  of  life.  There  seems  to 
have  been  but  little  of  the  boy  in  him.  Manli- 
ness of  character  seemed  stamped  upon  every 
period  of  his  early  life,  and  personal  dignity  of 
bearing  all  remember  as  having  marked  his  re- 
lations to  men.  Yet,  with  singular  harmony, 
he  possessed  those  qualities  of  a  generous  and 
noble  nature,  that  prompt  sympathy  with  the 
condition  and  experience  of  all  others,  which 
relieved  the  dignity  of  all  hauteur  and  austerity, 
crowning  his  manliness  with  the  more  influen- 
tial traits  of  fellowship  in  the  ever-changing 
condition  of  those  around   him.     He  possessed 


a  depth  of  character  and  a  breadth  of  view,  a 
courtliness  of  true  nobility,  an  elevation  above 
suspecting  the  motives  of  others,  that  enabled 
him  to  adapt  himself  with  equal  tjrace  and 
power  of  influence  to  any  and  every  class  in 
society.  He  was  a  friend  to  every  man  and 
every  man  seemed  his  friend.  Perfectly  at 
home  in  the  society  of  children,  above  moodi- 
ness amid  the  invasion  of  unyielding  disease, 
possessing  a  temperament  the  vivacity  of  which 
rendered  the  suspicion  of  his  actual  age  abso- 
lutely beyond  a  possibility,  hi'  would  have  been 
considered,  while  upon  the  bench,  one  of  our 
younger  men,  wearing  the  ermine  with  singular 
grace,  an  expounder  of  the  law  hardly  suggest- 
ing by  his  youthful  appearance  the  names  of 
those  whose  judicial  career  has  been  associated 
with  advancing  years  and  hoary  hairs,  as  upon 
the  English  bench  ;  but  the  community  in 
which  he  administered,  and  whose  interests  he 
was  called  on  to  protect,  can  best  testify  to  his 
integrity,  his  wisdom   and    his   watchful    care." 

Henry  M.  Skki.y  is  the  second  son  of  Col- 
onel Richard  L.  and  Maria  Seely,  and  was  born 
in  Seelyville — about  a  mile  from  Honesdale — 
September  IS,  L835.  After  the  usual  prepara- 
tory course  he  entered  Yale  College,  and  was 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  May,  1857. 
He  soon  afterward  commenced  a  course  of  legal 
Study  in  Honesdale,  under  the  direction  of  F. 
M.  Crane,  and  in  the  following  year  attended 
the  Albany  Law  School  for  one  term.  He  com- 
pleted his  course  as  a  student  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  and  was  there  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
May,  185it.  In  September  following,  while  on 
a  visit  to  Honesdale,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Wayne  County.  He  had,  however,  com- 
menced practice  iu  New  York,  and  remained 
there  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion, 
iu  1861.  He  then  decided  to  make  Honesdale 
his  home,  and  removing  to  that  place  opened  an 
office.  In  due  time  his  abilities  commanded 
recognition,  and  his  professional  acquirements, 
the  fruit  of  close  study,  diligent  research  and 
deep  thought,  with  his  vigorous  and  well-disci- 
plined mental  powers,  gave  him  a  high  rank  in 
the  profession. 

In  the  summer  of  1882  the  death  of  Hon. 
Charles  P.  Waller,  president  judge  of  the  judi- 


102 


WAYNE,  PIKE  A.ND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


cial  district,  made  a  vacancy  on  the  bench. 
There  was  do  division  of  opinion  as  to  the 
choice  tit'  a  successor.  The  bar  of  the  district 
Looked  to  Mr.  Seely  as  the  man  by  whom  it 
should  be  tilled,  and  those  who  were  confessedly 
entitled  to  high  consideration,  had  they  become 
his  competitors,  were  foremost  in  asking  for  his 
appointment.  August  28th,  ten  days  after  the 
death  of  Judge  Waller,  he  was  commissioned 
as  president  judge  of  the  district,  and  the  va- 
cancy having  occurred  within  three  months  of 
the  genera]  election  in  1882,  his  commission  ex- 
tended until  the  first  Monday  of  January,  1884. 
On  the  opening  of  the  judicial  canvass,  in 
L883,  the  Republicans  of  the  district  nominated 
Judge  Seely  by  acclamation.  The  impression 
he  had  made  during  a  year  on  the  bench  was 
strikingly  shown  in  the  preamble  and  resolution 
accompanying  his  nomination  in  Wayne,  pre- 
sented by  William  II.  Lee,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  among  the  younger  members  of  the 
bar,  viz.  : 

"  Whereas,  The  people  properly  demand  that  a  can- 
didate for  the  judicial  office  shall  possess,  in  an  eminent 
degree,  certain  qualities  rightly  considered  indispen- 
sable to  the  due  performance  of  judicial  functions, 
among  which  are  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law, 

mature  judgment,  a  judicial  mind,  fitted  by  habit 
and  training  to  clearly  discern  and  correctly  apply 
the  principles  of  law  to  the  various  combinations  of 
tacts  arising  in  forensic  contests,  integrity  above  sus- 
picion, rigid  impartiality,  and  freedom  from  prejudice 
or  prepossession  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties; 

"And  whereas,  The  Hon.  Henry  M.  Seely,  now  the 
president  judge  of  this  judicial  district,  having  long 
been  recognized  by  the  bar,  the  bench  and  the  public, 
as  endowed  with  rare  intellectual  powers,  strength- 
ened, disciplined  and  ripened  by  a  collegiate  educa- 
tion, profound  study,  a  careful  legal  training  and 
intimate  association  with  the  foremost  legal  minds 
of  the  State,  and  bearing  a  character  above  reproach, 
is  pre-eminently  fitted  to  perform  the  duties  devolving 
on  a  presiding  judge, 

"Ami  whereas,  Judge  Seely,  by  the  judicious  and 
conscientious  discharge  of  these  duties  during  the 
past  year,  has  demonstrated  his  possession  of  all  the 
ipialities  essential  to  a  pure  and  enlightened  judi- 
ciary,— a  demonstration  emphasized  by  the  fact  that 
in  none  of  the  numerous  cases  tried  before  him,  in 
this  district  and  in  the  various  other  districts  in  which 
he  has  from  time  to  time  been  called  to  preside,  has 
a  writ  of  error  or  an  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court 
been  taken.     Therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  this  convention,  guided  by  the  es- 


tablished precedents  in  older  counties  of  the  com- 
monwealth, of  opposing  changes  in  the  judiciary,  and 

retaining  faithful  and  competent  judges  in  office, 
presents  with  just  pride  the  Hon.  Henry  M.  Seely  as 
a  candidate  for  president  judge,  whose  ability  as  a 
jurist  and  worth  as  a  man  have  been  adequately  tested 
and  amply  proved;  and  feeling,  in  common  with  all 
who  desire  to  maintain  the  high  Standard  of  the  judi- 
ciary, that  the  office  should  be  lifted   above  the  mire 

of  partisan  polities,  we  earnestly  appeal  to  the  citizens 
of  this  judicial  district,  irrespective  of  party  affilia- 
tions, to  give  him  their  support  at  the  polls.'' 

The  nomination  of  Judge  Seely  by  the  Re- 
publicans of  Pike  was  equally  enthusiastic. 
Though,  previous  to  his  appointment,  not  so 
well  known  in  that  county  as  in  Wayne,  he 
had,  during  the  short  period  for  which  he  had 
occupied  a  seat  on  the  bench,  won  a  degree  of 
respect  and  confidence  not  less  than  that  mani- 
fested at  his  own  home. 

The  Democrats  of  the  district  were  unable  to 
unite  on  a  candidate.  Wayne  presented  George 
S.  Purdy,  and  l'ikc  claimed  the  nomination  for 
Hon.  D.  M.  Van  Aukcn.  Both  candidates  re- 
mained in  the  field,  and  the  result  was  the  elec- 
tion of  Judge  Seely  by  a  handsome  plurality. 

With  unusual  mental  endowments,  broad  cul- 
ture and  weight  of  character,  Judge  Seely,  dur- 
ing the  three  and  a  half  years  that  he  has -\\- 

pied  a  seat  on  the  bench,  has  made  an  admirable 
record.  His  official  action  lias  been  marked  by 
an  evident  sense  of  responsibility  and  conscien- 
tious purpose.  It  has  been  in  the  highest  de- 
gree impartial,  free  from  personal  bias,  and 
unaffected  by  any  consideration  calculated  to 
warp  the  judgment,  or  by  any  influence  not 
legitimately  entitled  to  weight  in  the  determina- 
tion of  the  question  before  him.  His  analysis 
of  a  case  is  searching  and  accurate.  With  a 
profound  knowledge  of  law,  he  possesses  a 
strong  innate  sense  of  justice,  and,  in  a  huge 
degree,  those  peculiar  intellectual  qualities  that 
constitute  what  is  known  in  the  profession  as  a 
"legal"  or  "judicial "mind — a  mind  which 
seizes,  as  by  instinct,  on  the  essential  issues 
before  it,  and  applies  to  them,  with  rigorous 
precision,  the  legal  principles  by  which  they  are 
to  be  decided.  His  opinions  are  models  of  legal 
research  and  judicial  logic,  applied  to  a  compre- 
hensive view  of  the  essential  facts.  He  com- 
mands  the   respect   and   confidence  of  the   bar, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


not  only  of  Wayne  and  Pike,  but  of  the  other 
counties  in  which  he  has  from  time  to  time  been 
called  to  preside  ;  and  in  an  equal  degree  the 
confidence  of  the  people. 

//.  Attorneys  in  Permanent  Practice. 

ANDREW  M.DORRANCE1  was  the  first  attorney 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Wayne  County  after  the 
erection  of  Pike,  and  the  first  to  make  his  home 
and  commence  practice  within  the  present  coun- 
ty limits.  He  was  a  native  of  Connecticut  ; 
but  of  his  history,  before  coming  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, nothing  can  now  be  ascertained,  except 
that  lie  entered  Brown  University  in  1810,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Windham  County, 
Connecticut,  March  31,  1815.  The  manner  of 
his  admission  there  is  not  without  interest  to 
the  bar  of  the  present  day  ;  and  the  law  student 
win i  now  faces  three  examiners,  when  a  candi- 
date for  admission,  undergoes  an  ordeal  appa- 
rently less  severe  than  that  encountered  by  Mr. 
Dorrance,  who  seems  to  have  run  the  gauntlet 
of  seventeen.  The  recommendation  for  his  ad- 
mission was  in  the  following  language: 

"To  the  Hon.  Court  of  Common   Pleas,  now  in 
session  at   Windham,  within  and  for  the  county  o!  I 
Windnam : 

"The  subscribers,  practicing  at  Your  Honors  barr, 
beg  leave  to  represent  that  we  have  examined  Mr. 
Andrew  M.  Dorrenee  as  a  candidate  for  admission  to 
practice  as  an  Attorney  at  Law  at  Your  Honors  barr, 
and  timl  that  lie  is  a  young  gentleman  of  good  moral 
character,  that  lie  has  complied  with  the  rules  <>(  tin 
Barr,  and  is  in  all  respects  well  qualified.  Therefore 
we  recommend  him  to  Your  Honors  for  admission." 

This  was  signed  by  seventeen  attorneys — ap- 
parently the  entire  "Barr"  of  the  county — and 
on  its  presentation  Mr.  Dorrance  was  admitted 
to  practice. 

April  15,  1816,  Mr.  Dorrance  applied  for 
admission  to  the  bar  of  Pike  County.  A  com- 
mittee appointed  to  examine  him  reported  favor- 
ably the  next  day,  and  he  was  thereupon  admitted. 

April  22,  1816,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  Wayne  County,  and,  taking  up  his  residence 
at  Bethany,  commenced  practice.  He  died 
there  April  9,  1818,  unmarried. 


1  Though  the  name,  in  the  application  for  adi 
Windham,  Connecticut,  is  given  as  Dorrenee,  in  the  records 
of  Wayne  County  it  uniformly  appears  as  ]>t, mince :  hence 
the  latter  form  is  here  adopted. 


Amzi  FULLER,  who,  by  the  untimely  death 
of  Mr.  Dorrance,  became  in  1818  the  senior 
resident  attorney  of  Wayne  County,  was  born 
in  Kent,  Litchfield  County,  Connecticut,  Octo- 
ber 19,  1798.  He  was  educated  at  the  classical 
school  of  Daniel  Parker,  in  Sharon,  Conn.  In 
I  si  1  Major  Jason  Torrey,  whose  son  William 
was  attending  this  school,  wrote  to  Mr.  Parker, 
requesting  him  to  send  a  good  teacher  to  take 
charge  of  a  school  at  Bethany.  In  response  to 
this,  young  Fuller  came,  reaching  Bethany  May 
9,  1.S14.  He  made  an  en^a^ement  to  teach  for 
six  months,  but  a  severe  sickness  compelled  him 
to  leave  his  school  before  the  close  of  the  term. 
Early  in  1 81 5,  having  regained  his  health,  he 
decided  to  prepare  for  the  bar.  Bethany, 
though  for  some  ten  years  the  county-seat,  was 
still  without  a  lawyer;  Mr.  Fuller  therefore 
went  to  Milford,  and  entered  on  the  usual 
course  of  legal  study  in  the  office  of  Dan  Dim- 
mick,  maintaining  himself,  meantime,  by  writing 
in  the  county  offices.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Wayne  County  August  26,  1816,  and, 
forming  a  partnership-  with  Mr.  Dorrance,  com- 
menced practice.  Less  than  two  years  later 
Mr.  Dorrance  died,  and  Mr.  Fuller  succeeded 
to  the  practice  built  up  by  the  firm,  and  to  the 
small  library  which  had  been  acquired. 

Wayne  County  was  then  a  wild,  rugged  and 
sparsely  populated  region,  distant  from  lines  of 
travel,  and  traversed  by  few  business  thorough- 
fares. Lumber  was  the  main  staple  of  com- 
merce, and,  as  the  streams  by  which  it  was  sent 
to  market  were  small  and  difficult  of  naviga- 
tion, even  that  was  a  precarious  source  of  wealth, 
while  its  production  withdrew  attention  from 
agricultural  pursuits  and  left  the  general  face  of 
the  country  largely  unimproved. 

The  legal  business  of  the  county  was  small. 
The  courts  were  seldom  occupied  for  more  than 
a  week  in  disposing  of  the  causes,  botli  civil 
and    criminal,  that  came    before   them.     Hon. 

2  As  to  the   partnership  with  Mr.  Dorrance,  referred  to 

in  the  foregoing  sketch,  it  was  apparently  of  short  dura- 
tion, and  was  prohably  formed  not  long  before  the  death  of 
Mr.  Dorrance.  The  record  nowhere  shows  the  appearance 
of  Messrs.  Dorrance  and  Fuller  as  partners.  In  some  in- 
stances they  appear  associated  as  counsel,  much  oftener 
each  appears  alone,  and  in  many  cases  they  appear  on  op 
posite  sides.— H.  W. 


101 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Nathaniel  B.  Eldred  had  just  located  at  Beth- 
any, and  was  a  rising  barrister  of  tine  manners 
and  commanding  talents,  and  other  able  lawyers 
came  to  Bethany  from  the  adjoining  counties  to 
divide  a  practice  which  seemed  but  too  small 
for  the  resident  attorneys.  Mr.  Fuller's  de- 
pendence was  wholly  on  his  profession  ;  he  had 
no  adventitious  aids,  and  engaged  in  no  other 
business,  lie  gave  careful  study  to  the  few 
books  which  he  possessed,  and  devoted  his  ener- 
gies to  the  faithful  dispatch  of  the  business 
intrusted  to  him.  He  cultivated  the  strictest 
habits  of  integrity,  industry,  temperance  ami 
frugality,  and  rose  rapidly  to  public  confidence. 
The  increase  in  his  practice  allowed  him  to 
marry  and  establish  himself  and  family  in  ease 
and  comfort.  From  being  a  faithful  and  con- 
scientious reader  and  worker,  lie  grew  to  be  a 
sound,  honest  and  well-read  lawyer,  who  en- 
joyed unbounded  confidence,  and  in  whose  hands 
no  business  ever  suffered  from  lack  of  skill  and 
patience.  His  credit  was  unbounded  and  he 
left  it  whole  ;  it  is  said  of  him  that  he  rarely  re- 
mained a  fortnight  as  a  debtor.  To  stranger 
and  to  friend  alike  he  was  exact,  and  ever  scru- 
pulous in  his  every  dealing. 

These  qualities  eminently  fitted  him  for  of- 
fices of  public  trust,  but  he  was  not  an  aspirant 
for  political  favor.  He  held  but •  civil  of- 
fice, though  he  was  reappointed  to  it  for  several 
successive  terms.  It  was  that  of  deputy  attor- 
ney-general, and  he  was  retained  by  administra- 
tions of  varying  political  complexion  for  many 
years,  discharging  its  duties  with  the  same  zeal, 
punctuality  and  skill  that  marked  his  private 
transactions. 

During  his  residence  in  Bethany  Mr.  Fuller's 
house  was  ever  open  with  a  ready  and  au  ele- 
gant hospitality,  and  he  had  the  same  keen  ap- 
preciation of  the  duties  and  privileges  of  social 
life  that  he  manifested  in  his  professional  deal- 
ings. He  was  wide-awake  and  public-spirited, 
an  ardent  supporter  of  the  schools,  and  alive  to 
the  interests  of  morals  and  religion.  Whatever 
looked  to  the  advancement  of  (he  people  had 
his  hearty  co-operation.  He  loved  Wayne 
County,  not  only  because  it  was  the  scene  of  his 
early  professional  struggles  and  triumphs,  but 
because  he  felt  the  gratitude  of  noble  manhood. 


He  had  mixed  with  its  hardy,  enterprising  peo- 
ple, and  they  had  benefited  him  no  less  than  he 
had  them.  He  was  alive  to  the  obligation 
which  rested  upon  him  from  the  recognition  of 
those  qualities  that  had  given  him  success  and 
competence. 

Late  in  middle  life  Mr.  Fuller  decided  to  re- 
tire from  practice,  and,  in  1X11,  moved  to  the 
house  of  his  son,  Henry  M.  Fuller,  at  Wilkes- 
Barre,  where  he  became  an  active  and  valued 
citizen  until  his  death. 

He  died  while  on  a  visit  to  his  early  h in 

Connecticut,  September  2t'>,  1817,  in  the  house 
in  which  he   was  born. 

Mr.  Fuller,  after  his  removal  to  Wilkes- 
Darre,  was  not  engaged  in  general  practice, 
though  frequently  consulted  in  important  cases. 
During  the  later  years  of  his  life  three 
president  judges  resided  in  Wilkes-Barn — 
Hon.  John  N.  Couyngham,  of  the  Thir- 
teenth District;  Hon.  ( ieorgc  W.  Woodward, 
of  the  Fourth  ;  and  Hon.  Luther  Kidder,  of  the 
Twenty-first.  It  was  their  custom  to  meet  in 
Mr.  Fuller's  office  and  discuss  with  him  all  dif- 
ficult legal  questions  which  had  come  before 
them.  Judge  Couyngham,  in  speaking  of  this 
years  afterward,  said  that  Mr.  Fuller,  on  hear- 
ing the  facts,  in  every  instance  stated  the  prin- 
ciples of  law  governing  the  case  with  such  ac- 
curacy that  the  three  judges  never  failed  to 
concur  in  his  view. 

Oristus  Collins  was  born  in  Connecticut 
September  22,  1792.  His  father  was  Dr.  Lewis 
Collins,  one  of  the  pioneer  physicians  of  Wayne 
County.  Dr.  Collins  removed  to  the  county 
with  his  family  about  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century.  His  first  residence  was  in  that 
part  of  Canaan  since  erected  into  Salem, 
but  in  1803  he  made  a  permanent  home  within 
the  present  limits  of  Cherry  Ridge.  The  son, 
after  attending  the  local  schools,  went  abroad 
to  complete  his  education.  He  next  read  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Owego,  N.  Y. 
Soon  afterward  he  commenced  practice  in  Wilkes- 
Barre,  which  thereafter  remained  his  home  until 
advancing  years  unfitted  him  for  the  active 
duties  of  his  profession.  He  then  removed 
to  Rye,  Westchester  County,  N.  Y.,  and  there 
made  his   home  with   his  son,  Rev.  Charles  J. 


rAYNE  COUNTY. 


Collins.  He  died  January  29,  1884,  in  his 
ninety-second  year. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  Wayne  County  bar 
in  1819,  and  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  after- 
ward was  a  regular  attendant  on  its  courts,  ex- 
cept while  on  the  bench  in  another  county.  He 
was  one  of  the  most  prominent  among  the  at- 
torneys of  that  period  in  Northeastern  Penn- 
sylvania. 

In  1836  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Ritner 
president  judge  of  the  Second  Judicial  District, 
composed  of  Lancaster  County. 

<  )n  the  resignation  of  Judge  Scott,  of  the 
Eleventh  District,  in  March,  1838,  Judge  Eldred 
not  resigning  the  judgeship  in  the  Eighteenth 
District  to  become  his  successor,  as  had  been 
anticipated,  Governor  Ritner  proposed  to  Judge 
Collins  a  transfer  to  the  Eleventh  District,  in 
which  Luzerne  County  was  situated.  But  the 
bar  of  Lancaster  strongly  pressing  him  to  re- 
main, Judge  Collins  declined  the  transfer,  and 
wrote  the  Governor  recommending  the  appoint- 
ment of  William  Jessup,  of  Susquehanna  County, 

whereupon  the  Governor  at  one m missioned 

Mr.  Jessup. 

Near  the  close  of  the  same  year  Judge  <  lollins 
was  persuaded,  against  his  better  judgment,  to 
take  a  step  that  resulted  in  his  retirement  from 
the  bench. 

The  amended  Constitution,  completed  Feb- 
ruary 22,  18.38,  fixed  the  term  of  president 
judge  at  ten  years,  and  required  the  appointment 
to  be  made  "by  and  with  the  consent  of  the 
Senate."  It  further  provided  that  the  com- 
missions of  those  "  who  shall  not  have  held  their 
offices  for  ten  years  at  the  adoption  of  the 
amendments  to  the  Constitution  shall  expire  on 
the  27th  of  February  next  after  the  end  of  ten 
years  from  the  date  of  their  commissions."  It 
also  declared  that  "  the  alterations  and  amend- 
ments in  the  said  Constitution  shall  take  effect 
from  the  1st  day  of  January,  1839."  At  the 
election  held  October  9,  1838,  a  majority  of  one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  twelve  was  given  for 
the  amendments.  December  11,  1838,  the 
uumberof  votes  east  was  certified  by  the  Speaker 
of  the  Senate  to  the  Governor,  who,  on  the  same 
day,  issued  his  proclamation  declaring  that  the 
amendments  had  been  adopted. 


In  view  of  the  change  of  tenure,  several 
judges — among  them  Judge  Gibson,  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  and  Judge  Darlington,  of  ( Ihester 
County — resorted  to  the  expedient  of  resigning 
before  the  change  went  into  effect,  to  beat  once 
recommissioned,  and  their  terms  of  office  ex- 
tended as  provided  by  the  amendments.  The 
leading  members  of  the  Lancaster  bar  urged 
Judge  Collins  to  adopt  the  same  course,  but  he 
was  unwilling  to  do  so,  and  for  some  time  de- 
clined. The  project,  however,  being  seconded 
by  Governor  Ritner  and  other  officials,  he 
finally  yielded  a  reluctant  assent.  December 
2li,  1838,  he  resigned,  and  the  next  day  was  re- 
commissioned,  to  hold  the  office  during  good 
behavior,  as  provided  by  the  Constitution  of 
1790. 

The  State  election  of  L838  had  changed  the 
political  complexion  of  the  administration  ; 
David  It.  Porter,  a  Democrat,  having  been 
chosen  to  succeed  Governor  Ritner,  who,  like 
Judge  Collins,  was  a  Whig.  The  validity,  after 

January  1,  1839,  of  tin m missions  issued  to 

the  judges  who  had  resigned  was  disputed,  and 
writs  of  quo  wairanto  were  issued  out  of  the 
Supreme  Court  to  determine  the  question.  In 
the  ease  of  Judge  Darlington  the  court  was 
understood  to  have  reached  a  decision  sustain- 
ing his  commission,  which  was  to  be  announced 
on  the  following  Monday.  On  the  Sunday 
preceding,  however,  Judge  Darlington  died, 
making  an  adjudication  unnecessary.  The  case; 
against  Judge  Collins  was  then  proceeded  with, 
and  a  decision  in  his  favor  was  confidently  ex- 
pected. It  was  contended,  in  his  behalf,  that  as 
the  amendments  did  not  take  effect  until  Janu- 
ary, 1,  1889,  they  applied  to  all  commissions 
then  existing,  and  continued  them  in  force 
"until  the  27th  of  February  next  after  the  end 
often  years  "  from  their  date.  The  Supreme 
Court,  however  (Justice  Huston  dissenting),  de- 
cided against  him,  and  gave  judgment  of  ouster, 
holding  that  the  judicial  tenure  established  by 
the  (  ^institution  of  1  790  being  expressly  altered 
by  the  amendments,  all  commissions  held  there- 
under become  null  and  void  on  the  1st  of  Janu- 
ary, 1839,  except  so  far  as  they  were  extended 
by  the  amendments;  that  by  the  express  terms 
of  the  amended   Constitution    no  commissions 


166 


WAY'NE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


were  provided  for  or  continued  in  force  except 
those  existing  at  the  adoption  of  the  amendments; 
and  that  the  date  of  such  adoption  was  De- 
cember 11,  1838,  when  it  was  officially  certified 
and  proclaimed  ;  hence  that  the  commission  of 
Judge  Collins,  not  having  been  in  existence  at 
the  adoption  of  the  amendments,  was  not  con- 
tinued beyond  January  1,  L839,  when  the 
change  in  the  judicial  tenure  took  effect,  and  not 
having  been  issued  "  by  and  with  the  consent 
of  the  Senate,"  it  had  no  validity  under  the 
amended  Constitution.  (Com.  ex  rel.  v.  Collins, 
8  Watts,  331 ).  The  commission  of  Judge  Gib- 
son was  not  affected  by  this  construction,  since 
the  amendments  applied  in  express  terms  to 
"  commissions  of  the  .judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court  who  may  he  in  office  on  the  1st  day  of 
January,  18:!!)."  As  to  the  correctness  of  (he 
decision  against  Judge  Collins,  the  opinion  of 
the  liar  was  much  divided.  It  was  largely 
viewed  as  due  to  political  influences,  and  the 
division  of  opinion,  for  the  most  part,  followed 
party  lines. 

After  quitting  the  bench  Judge  Cillins  re- 
sumed practice.  For  some  fifteen  years  after- 
ward he  frequently  attended  the  courts  of 
Wayne  County,  his  hist  appearance  in  a  matter 
of  any  importance  being  on  the  trial  of  Timothy 
Grady,  for  arson,  in  September,  1854,  when  he 
was  associated  with  ( '.  1'.  &  G.  G.  Waller  in 
the  defense. 

Thomas  Fuller,  a  younger  brother  of 
Amzi  Fuller,  was  horn  in  Kent,  Litchfield 
County,  Conn.,  February  26,  1804.  He  re- 
ceived a  good  education,  and  about  the  year 
182.']  came  to  Bethany  for  the  purpose  of  teach- 
ing in  the  "Beechwoods  Academy."  While 
thus  engaged  he  also  commenced  reading  law, 
under  the  direction  of  his  brother.  Having 
completed  the  prescribed  course  of  study,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  August  19,  1826.  He 
opened  an  office  in  Bethany,  and  won  a  marked 
professional  success.  The  record  shows  nu- 
merous instances  in  which  the  brothers  were  en- 
gaged on  opposite  sides  ;  the  elder  being  dis- 
tinguished as  simply  "  Fuller,"  while  the 
younger  was  designated  as  "  T.  Fuller." 
Their  rivalry,  however,  if  such  it  may  be 
styled,  was  purely  professional. 


Thomas  Fuller  was  a  man  of  fine  abilities 
and  high  character,  and  made  a  most  favorable 
impression  on  all  with  whom  he  came  in  con 
tact.  Besides  pursuing  his  professional  duties, 
he  took  an  active  part  in  polities,  and  in  prin- 
ciple was  a  Whig.  Though  the  district  con- 
tained a  Democratic  majority  of  some  two 
thousand,  his  personal  popularity  was  such  that 
he  was  twice  elected  to  the  Legislature,  lirst  in 
1830,  and  again  in  1831. 

With  the  removal  of  the  county-seat,  he 
changed  his  residence  to  Honesdale,  and  built 
the  large  house  ou  the  corner  of  Second  and 
Tenth  Streets.  It  was  scarcely  completed,  how- 
ever, when  he  died,  and  it  was  subsequently  oc- 
cupied by  his  son,  William  J.  Fuller. 

Mr.  Fuller  was  married, September  10,  1829, 
to  Caroline  Nichols,  of  New  York.  She  died 
March  24,  1830.  October  31,  1831,  he  was 
married  to  Martha  Robins,  of  New  York.  He 
died  in  Honesdale,  December  16,  1843.  His 
widow  survived  him  until  October  17,1864. 
Their  children  were  William  J.  Fuller  and 
Mary  R.,  now  widow  of  the  late  Ralph  L. 
Briggs.  The  former  died  June  !),  1884.  The 
latter  still  resides  in  Honesdale. 

GEORGE  I!.  WeSCOTT  studied  law  with  Wil- 
liam Rawle,  in  Philadelphia,  and  was  there  ad- 
mitted to  practice.  He  subsequently  came  to 
Wayne  County  as  au  agent  for  Philadelphia 
owners  of  lands  in  the  county.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  Wayne  April  27,  1829, 
but  appears  to  have  given  little  attention  to 
practice.  In  1831  he  was  appointed  prothono- 
tary,  and  held  the  office  for  four  years.  He 
died  at  Bethany  November  28,  1836,  aged 
thirty-one  years. 

Earl  Wheeler. — This  veuerable  man,  the 
patriarch  for  many  years  of  the  Wayne  County 
bar,  died  at  the  residence  of  his  brother-in-law, 
the  late  Mr.  Hiram  K.  Mumford,  in  Dyberry 
township,  this  county,  December  30,  1873,  in 
the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age.  About  ten 
years  before  he  was  smitten  with  paralysis,  and 
was  soon  after  constrained  to  retire  from  profes- 
sional duties.  Then  commenced  a  very  gradual 
declension  of  his  physical  powers,  which  continued 
to  the  end.  His  meutal  faculties  af  times  suf- 
fered eclipse,  but  generally  his  mind  acted  with 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


L67 


remarkable  precision,  though  with  a  slowness 
which  was  one  <>t' its  characteristics,  even  iii  liis 
prime.  On  Christmas  he  was  quite  comfort- 
able, I  nit  a  day  or  two  after  a  change  came  over 
him,  and  he  faded  peacefully  away. 

lie  was  of  old  Massachusetts  stock,  being  of 
the  sixth  or  seventh  generation  of  his  family  in 
this  country.  Pie  was  horn  in  Montgomery, 
Hampden  County,  Mass.,  in  August,  1802.  His 
wife  was  Fanny  Freeman,  a  sister  of  Calvely 
Freeman,  late  of  Mount  Pleasant  township,  this 
county.  She  wasdescended  in  the  maternal  line 
from  Elder  William  Brewster,  of  the" May- 
flower "  company. 

While  Mr.  Wheeler  was  still  in  childhood 
his  parents  removed  to  Hancock,  Delaware 
County,  N.  Y.  They  both  died  there,  and  were 
buried  in  the  cemetery  on  the  Preston  estate. 
situated  in  Buckingham  township,  this  county. 

His  early  educational  advantages  were  not 
generous,  but,  through  great  perseverance,  be 
acquired  a  thorough  mastery  of  the  English 
language,  and  made  large  progress  in  the  higher 
mathematics,  in  mental  and  natural  philosophy 
and  in  general  literature.  As  lie  grew  up  he 
turned  his  attention  to  the  legal  profession,  and 
entered,  as  a  student,  the  office  of  the  famous 
Erastus  Root,  at  Delhi,  N.  Y.  After  a  time  he 
removed  to  Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  and  be- 
came a  student  under  Almon  H.  Reed,  at 
Montrose.  He  commenced  practice  at  Dundatf. 
From  thence  he  removed  to  Bethany,  in  this 
county,  where  he  remained  until  the  seat  of 
justice  was  transferred  to  Ilonesdalc,  when  he 
changed  his  residence  to  that   place. 

For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the  most 
prominent  and  successful  lawyers  at  the  Wayne 
County  bar.  If,  in  his  professional  career  he 
had  a  blemish,  it  consisted  in  the  indulgence  of 
the  phantasy  that  his  clients  were  always  in  the 
right.  It  added  to  his  efficiency,  if  it  did  at 
times  elicit,  a  smile  at  his  expense. 

Mr.  Wheeler  never  held  a  public  office. 
What  chance  of  preferment  he  had  (and  that 
was  not  insignificant)  he  sacrificed  by  a  change  in 
his  political  affiliations,  passing  from  a  large  ma- 
jority in  his  district  over  to  a  weak  minority,  be 
cause  of  strong  convictions  touching  the  matter  of 
slavery.    He  was  perfectly  aware  what  the  con- 


sequences  of  the  act  would  be  to  himself,  but 

he  did  not  hesitate.  As  he  was  made  up,  he 
could  not  falter  on  any  point  that  he  conceived 
involved  a  duty  to  be  performed.  His  new  as- 
sociates subsequently  nominated  him  for  repre- 
sentative in  Congress,  but  he  and  they  under- 
stood that  while  the  nomination  was  an  honor, 
it  was  a  barren  one,  the  other  side  having  an 
unusual  preponderance  of  the  voters.  Whether 
there  were  in  him  the  elements  of  decided 
success  in  public  life,  except  iii  Mich  bin's  as  in- 
volved the  pursuit  of  the  law,  is  a  point  cer- 
tainly open  to  question;  but  he  did  not  seek  the 
opportunity  to  solve  the  doubt,  and  the  oppor- 
tunity   did    not    come   to    him.      In    his  chosen 


EARL    WIIH  EL  Eli. 

sphere     his     career    was    not,    indeed,    brilliant, 
but  it  was  successful. 

lie  was  not  a  man  of  genius,  nor  yet  of  a 
high  order  of  talent.  There  was  no  glow  of 
imagination  and  no  warmth  of  enthusiasm  in 
his  nature.  He  was  methodical  and  plodding. 
Whatever  naked  common  sense,  with  industry 
and  tenacity,  might  aspire  to,  was  within  his 
reach  ;  wdiat  was  beyond  he  did  not  waste  him- 
self in  unavailing  efforts  to  attain.  He  was  a 
good  lawyer  and  a  judicious  counselor.  What 
the  books  contained  he  knew,  and  knew  well. 
In  the  application  of  principles  to  particular 
cases,  while  not  rapid,  he  was  exceedingly  cor- 
rect.    The  graces   of  eloquent  speech   were  not 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


his,  but  there  was  a  directness,  an  earnestness, 
a  depth  of  conviction  in  his  talk  that  was  most 
persuasive  and  convincing.  Clear,  patient,  la- 
borious, he  made  a  large  reputation,  and  for 
many  years  was  at  the  head  of  the  legal  profes- 
sion in  this  county. 

But  he  had  still  higher  claims  than  these 
upon  public  confidence  and  esteem.  He  was  a 
profoundly  truthful  ami  honest  man.  There 
was  no  alloy  of  falsehood,  deceit,  hypocrisy  or 
fraud  in  him.  [n  business,  in  politics,  in  reli- 
gion, in  social  and  domestic  life,  there  was  no 
guile  found  in  him.  Pie  wore  no  masks.  He 
said  precisely  what  he  meant,  and  squared  his 
actions  by  his  professions.  He  was  never  even 
suspected  of  an  untruth  or  a  dishonesty.  Am- 
bitious of  wealth,  he  coveted  no  man's  silver  or 
gold.  Emulous  of  honors,  he  refused  distinc- 
tions at  the  sacrifice  of  principle.  He  was  as  true 
to  his  conscience  as  the  needle  is  to  the  pole. 

In  private  life  his  nature  was  child-like, 
simple-hearted,  transparent.  His  domestic  vir- 
tues were  without  a  blemish.  There  was  no 
mixture  of  contradictions  in  his  composition. 
The  image  was  not  part  gold  and  part  clay.  H' 
there  was  lacking  that  stateliness  of  manners 
and  courtliness  of  phrase  which  are  prized  in 
fashiouable  circles,  there  was  a  depth  of  sincer- 
ity, of  generosity,  of  charitableness,  that  threw 
over  his  life  a  charm  of  greater  value  than  any 
meretricious  adornments. 

Resolute  in  following  his  judgment  when  it 
was  once  matured,  he  was  slow  and  cautious  in 
reaching  conclusions.  He  took  nothing  on 
trust;  yielded  nothing  to  authority.  He  chal- 
lenged everything.  He  demanded  proofs.  He 
judged  solely  by  what  he  knew.  This  in- 
stinct of  timidity,  of  doubt,  of  scrutiny,  rah 
into  every  department  of  his  life,  and  was  as 
observable  when  he  committed  himself  to  a 
wagon  or  a  bridge  as  to  a  new  point  in  law  or 
theology.  If  lie  rejected  what  other  men  re- 
ceived and  cherished,  he  did  not  do  so  cap- 
tiously, or  because  it  was  pleasant  for  him  to 
differ  from  other  people.  There  was  no  obtru- 
sion of  differences  in  his  intercourse. 

If  godliness  really  means  to  be  godlike — if  re- 
ligion consists  in  the  exemplification  of  Truth 
and  Justice,  Love  and  Mercy,  Purity  and  Rev- 


erence, not  for  their  uses,  as  profitable  to  one's 
self,  but  because  they  are  supremely  good  and 
beautiful  in  themselves — then  Mr.  Wheeler  was 
an  eminently  religious  man  and  has  undoubt- 
edly passed  to  the  glorification  of  the  just  made 
perfect  lie  left  behind  him  the  odorofawell- 
spent  life,  a  moral  character  without  a  blemish, 
and  a  cherished  recollection  of  true  manliness 
and  worth  in  the  hearts  of  thousands  who  sur- 
vive him. 

CHARLES  K.  BoBINSON  was  born  in  Wind- 
ham Centre,  N.  Y.,  in  1802.  lie  was  an  uncle 
of  ex-Governor  Lucius  Robinson,  of  New 
York.  He  studied  law  with  Erastus  Barnes  in 
New  York  City,  and  was  there  admitted  to  the 
bar.  He  subsequently  practiced  in  Kortright, 
Delaware  County,  X.  Y.,  and  there,  in  1826, 
was  married  to  Laura  .Stewart,  lie  came  to 
Honesdale  a  few  years  later.  The  date  of  his 
admission  to  the  bar  of  Wayne  is  not  shown 
by  the  record,  but  his  earliest  recorded  appear- 
ance as  an  attorney  was  at  November  term, 
1833.  In  1840  he  was  appointed  deputy  attor- 
ney-general, and  held  the  office  for  five  years. 
He  died  in  November,  1849. 

Ebenezer  Kingsbury  came  to  Wayne 
from  Susquehanna  County.  He  studied  law 
with  William  Jessup  in  Montrose,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  Susquehanna  September  2, 
1828.  The  date  of  his  admission  to  the  bar  of 
Wayne  is  not  shown  by  the  record,  but  his 
earliest  recorded  appearance  as  an  attorney  was 
at  November  Term,  1833.  He  came  to  Wayne 
County  to  take  editorial  charge  of  the  Wayne. 
( 'on nt y  Herald  ami  Bethany  Inquirer,  the  Dem- 
ocratic organ  of  the  county,  published  at  Hones- 
dale,  and  devoted  himself  mainly  to  politics. 
In  1835  he  was  appointed  deputy  attorney-gen- 
eral for  the  county,  and  held  the  office  until 
January,  1838.  In  1837  he  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate,  and  in  April,  1840,  was  chosen 
Speaker  for  the  remainder  of  the  year.  He 
died  about  the  middle  of  April,  1844. 

Hon.  William  H.  Dimmick  (1st). — Elder 
Thomas  Diminock,  the  earliest  American  an- 
cestor of  this  gentleman,  came  to  Dorchester, 
.Mass.,  before  1635,  possibly  in  the  company 
led  by  John  Winthrop,  Jr.,  in  1630.  He  was 
a  selectman  of  that  town.       May  25,  1636,  he 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


was  made  a  freeman  of  the  colony  of 
setts  Bay.  He  removed  to  Hingham  in  1038, 
to  Scituate  the  next  year,  and  to  Barnstable  in 
1640,  where  he  became  locally  prominent.  He 
was  a  son  of  Edward  Dimmock,  of  Barnstable, 
England,  the  family  having  been  conspicuous 
in  the  mother  country  for  five  hundred  years. 
His  wife  was  probably  Ann  Hammond,  widow 
of  William  Hammond,  ofWatertown,  Mass. 

The  name  is  Welch,  and  was  originally 
written  David  ap  Madoc — David,  son  of  Madoc. 
Then  it  took  the  form  of  Dai  mock,  Dai  being  a 
contraction  of  David.  Afterwards,  and  down 
to  the  present  time,  various  orthographical 
forms  were  and  are  employed,  as  Dymock,  Dim- 
mock,  Dimmuck,  Dimuck  and  Dimock.  In- 
deed, no  two  of  Mr.  Dimmick's  immediate  pro- 
genitors spelled  the  name  in  the  same  way. 
Diversities  in  spelling  proper  names  are  com- 
mon enough  in  all  old  books  and  documents, 
but  so  great  a  diversity  as  is  manifest  in  the 
spelling  of  this  name  is  quite  uncommon.  The 
existing  differences  do  not  seem  likely  to  be  ob- 
literated. Each  has  abundant  examples  to  sup- 
port it,  and  neither  party  is  inclined  to  yield. 
In  1703  a  man  of  this  name  was  a  member  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  from  Bucks 
County.  That  year  his  name  was  spelled  on 
the  official  minutes  Tobias  Dymmoke.  In  L705 
he  was  again  in  the  Legislature,  and  his  name 
was  then  officially  written  Tobias  Dymock. 
There  is  no  evidence  attainable  that  he  was 
closely  related  to  Thomas  Dimmock,  of  Barn- 
stable, Mass. 

Deacon  Shubal  Dimmuck  was  the  second  son 
and  third  child  of  Thomas  Dimmock,  and  was 
born  in  Barnstable  and  baptized  there  Septem- 
ber 15,  1644.  He  was  selectman  in  1685-86 
and  member  of  General  Court,  as  the  Colonial 
Legislature  was  designated,  at  different  sessions. 
About  1693  he  removed  to  Mansfield,  Conn., 
where  he  died,  October  29,  1732,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-one  years.  He  married 
Joanna  Bursley  in  April,  1663. 

His  son,  John  Dimuck,  was  born  in  Barnstable 
in  January,  1666,  and  lived  there  until  1709, 
when  he  removed  to  Falmouth.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Lumbert  in  November,  1689. 

Timothy   Dimock  was   the    fifth    child    and 

19 


second  sou  of  John  Dimuck.  He  was  born  in 
Barnstable  in  July,  1698,  and  finally  located  in 
Mansfield.  He  married  Ann  Bradford,  a  de- 
scendant of  Governor  Bradford,  of  the  "May- 
flower" company,  April  1  .r>,  1723. 

Deacon  Oliver  Dimock,  eighth  child  and  sixth 
son  of  Timothy  Dimock,  lived  in  Mansfield, 
about  half  a  mile  east  of  the  present  Mansfield 
depot.  He  was  a  deacon  of  the  North  Mans- 
field Church.  He  married  Sarah  Gurley, 
daughter  of  Samuel,  in  April,  1764.  She  died 
in  1799  and  he  February  10,  1823. 

Dan  Dimmick,  second  son  and  fifth  child  of 
(•liver  Dimock,  was  born  March  1,1775,  in 
Mansfield.  He  came  to  Pennsylvania  in  1800, 
and  studied  law  in  Milford,  and  followed  his 
profession  in  that  village  until  February,  1825, 
whin  he  died,  lie  married  Jane,  daughter  of 
.1.  J.  Aerts,  better  known  as  Dr.  Francis  Smith, 
of  Stroudsburg,  Pa.  Mr.  Aerts  was  born  in 
Brussels,  when  it  was  the  capital  of  the  Austrian 
Netherlands.  He  was  a  son  of  X.  15.  Aerts, 
Lord  of  Opdorp  and  Immerscele,  ami  was 
named  Joseph  us  Jacobus  Aerts.  In  1771  he 
started  for  America,  to  join  tin-  colonists  against 
Great  Britain,  and  to  facilitate  travel  through 
France,  took  the  name  of  Francis  Smith. 

William  H.  Dimmick,  seventh  child  and 
fifth  son  of  Dan,  was  horn  in  Milford,  January 
25,  1813.  He  was  educated  at  Wendham,  and 
at  an  early  age  entered  the  law-office  of  lion. 
X.  B.  Eldred,  at  Bethany,  Wayne  County,  Pa., 
and  in  1835  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  began 
practice  with  Mr.  Eldred,  whose  first  wife  was 
his  sister,  and  whose  second  wife  was  his  cousin. 
Soon  afterwards  Mr.  Eldred  was  appointed  to 
a  president  judgeship,  which  he  accepted,  leav- 
ing Mr.  Dimmick  to  profit  by  the  large  ami 
lucrative  practice  left  to  him.  In  1842  the 
county-seat  was  removed  from  Bethany  to 
Honesdale,  when,  in  common  with  other  mem- 
bers of  the  legal  profession,  he  removed  to  the 
latter  place,  and  at  once  was  conceded  high 
rank. 

In  1844  he  was  elected,  by  the  Democrats, 
State  Senator  from  the  district  composed  of  the 
counties  of  Susquehanna,  Wyoming  and  Wayne. 
He  speedily  acquired  influence  in  the  Senate 
through  his  industry  and   abilities.     The  point 


170 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


in  his  legislative  career,  however,  which  excited 
most  attention  and  comment  was  liis  refusal  to 
sustain  the  Democratic  caucus  nomination  of 
James  Buchanan  for  United  States  Senator,  who 
was  a  candidate  for  re-election.  The  Demo- 
crats had  a  majority  of  oidy  one  on  joint  ballot, 
so  that  the  selection  of  his  successor  was  vir- 
tually in  the  power  of  Mr.  Dimmick.  Simon 
Cameron,  up  to  that  occasion,  had  steadily  been 
a  Democrat,  and  even  then  avowed  himself  to 
be  such;  but  he  affirmed  that  Mr.  Buchanan 
was  not  sound  on  the  tariff  question,  and,  per- 


composed  of  the  counties  of  Wayne,  Pike, 
Monroe,  Carbon  and  Northampton.  In  1858 
he  was  again  elected  representative  from  the  same 
district.  This  must  be  said,  that  his  Congres- 
sional service  did  not  satisfy  the  expectation 
created  by  his  record  in  the  State  Senate.  But, 
then,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  his  health 
had  become  prematurely  broken,  and  the  final 
end  for  him  was  not  far  oft'. 

On  August  3,  1861,  he  died  at  his  residence 
in  Honesdale,  after  a  protracted  illness,  proxi- 
mately of  dropsy,  caused  remotely,  perhaps,  by 
what  was  known  at  the  time  as  the  National 
Hotel  poisoning.  That  was  his  conception  of 
his  malady.  He  believed  and  often  asserted 
that  the  poisoning  was  an  attempt  by  Southern 
radicals  to  remove  Mr.  Buchanan  from  the 
Presidency,  and  that  he  and  a  number  of  other 
persons  incidentally  became  victims  of  the 
criminal  endeavor,  while  the  President  fortu- 
nately escaped.  Of  course,  he  could  not  demon- 
strate the  accuracy  of  his  conception  of  the 
matter,  for  the  actual  facts  were  never  authori- 
tatively developed  ;  but  he  adhered  tenaciously 
to  the  last  to  that  idea. 

Mr.    Dimmick's    physical    frame    surpassed 
ordinary  dimensions,  massive  rather  than  corpu- 
lent.    His  head  was  large  and   his  countenance 
open  and  pleasant.     To    outward    appearances 
it  seemed,  when  he  came  to  the  bar,  likely  to 
endure  to  extreme  old  age.     But  those  bodily 
indications  were  unreal  and  deceptive.     In  the 
meridian  of  his  years,  he   withered   gradually 
and  passed  away.     He  never   mar- 
ried, but    left    the  handsome  com- 
petency   he    had    acquired    to    his 
youngest  sister. 

He  was  a  man  of  excellent  understanding. 
His  education,  while  not  liberal,  was  sufficient 
for  his  purposes.  He  was  proficient  in  his 
native  language,  using  it  ordinarily  with  con- 
siderable exactness  and  often  with  conspicuous 
force.  He  was  not  ignorant  of  general  English 
literature,  having  a  familiar  acquaintance  with 
many  authors  whose  works  have  attained  the 
rank  of  classics.  He  was  a  diligent  student 
along  the  line  of  his  profession,  well  grounded 
alike  in  elementary  principles,  in  statutory  en- 
tative  in  Congress  from  the  Thirteenth  District,  I  actments   and    in   the   decisions  of  the    higher 


haps,  on  some  other  points.  The  Whig  mem- 
bers of  the  Legislature  took  that  view  of  the 
contention,  or,  at  least,  professed  to  take  it.  Mr. 
Cameron  gave  them  in  writing  all  the  assur- 
ances they  desired,  and  they  gave  him  their 
votes  for  Senator.  The  vote  of  Mr.  Dimmick, 
superadded  thereto,  made  Mr.  Cameron  Sena- 
tor for  the  full  term  of  six  years,  and  soon 
he  commenced  a  long  career  at  Washington, 
which  was  certainly  conspicuous,  if  not  illus- 
trious. 

In  1856  Mr.  Dimmick  was  elected  rcpreseu- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


171 


tribunals.  He  had  a  blending  of  capacities 
which  made  him  strong  with  both  the  bench 
and  the  jury. 

During  his  life  an  impression  prevailed, 
somewhat  widely,  that  he  was  specially  absent- 
minded.  Stories  were  told  illustrating  his 
alleged  forgetfulness, — one  to  the  effect  that, 
having  occasion  while  at  a  hotel  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  to  send  out  a  garment  to  be  repaired, 
he  thoughtlessly  left  in  one  of  the  pockets  a 
large  sum  of  money,  the  discovery  whereof 
greatly  frightened  the  messenger,  who  saw  in  it 
an  artifice  to  accomplish  his  ruin.  Another, 
that  while  preparing  to  quit  a  Harrisburg 
hotel,  he  fastened  his  trunk,  leaving  two  or 
three  suits  of  clothes  in  a  wardrobe  in  the  room 
he  occupied,  and  was  oblivious  to  what  had 
heroine  of  them  until  they  were  forwarded  to 
him.  And  yet  a  third,  to  the  effect  that  he  was 
once  engaged  to  marry  a  lady  ;  that  the  day  of 
the  wedding  was  fixed  by  mutual  agreement  be- 
tween her  and  him  ;  and  that,  forgetting  the 
engagement,  he  failed  to  appear  at  the  appointed 
time.  These  and  other  reports  of  similar 
nature  were  told  in  a  tone  sometimes  of  banter 
and  sometimes  of  complaint.  But  how  much 
fiction  or  how  much  fact  entered  into  the  com- 
position of  them  was  never  apparent.  It  was, 
however,  palpable  that  he  did  not  forget  his 
own  business  welfare  or  the  rights  and  in- 
terests which  clients  committed  to  his  care. 
Therein  he  was  prompt,  intelligent  and  effi- 
cient. 

In  social  life  he  was  attractive  and  large- 
hearted,  full  of  kindly  and  generous  impulses, 
with  heart  ever  open  to  the  appeals  of  the  suf- 
fering and  needy,  and  hand  ever  ready  to  min- 
ister to  their  necessities.  There  was  no  trace  of 
malice  in  him,  even  towards  his  enemies,  and 
his  forgiveness  of  injuries  to  himself  was  swift 
and  certain.  His  friendships  once  established 
were  not  lightly  broken. 

He  had  scarcely  reached  the  summit  of  life 
and  the  best  and  fullest  development  of  his 
powers  when  the  summons  for  his  final  depart- 
ure came.  What  possibilities  lay  in  the  future 
may  readily  be  conjectured  ;  but  he  left  behind, 
in  the  recollection  of  friends  and  in  the  appre- 
ciation of  the  public,  enough  accomplished  to 


ensure  a  kindly  remembrance  on  the  part  of  the 
generation  to  which  he  belonged. 

Hon.  F.  M.  Crane. — For  many  years  this 
man  was  a  conspicuous,  unique  and  interest- 
ing figure  in  the  professional,  political  and  so- 
cial life  of  Honesdale  and  of  Wayne  County. 
Nature  was  not  kind  to  him  in  respect  to  form 
and  bearing.  Short,  thick,  dark-visaged,  hair 
long,  coarse  and  shaggy,  with  eyes  black,  pene- 
trating and  lustrous,  and  lips  that  smiled  dis- 
mally, if  at  all,  and  in  manner  to  leave  a  stran- 
ger in  doubt  whether  the  intent  behind  was 
hostile  or  friendly,  he  was  decidedly  repellent 
and  forbidding  in  appearance  and  bearing.  Yet, 
he  was  kind-hearted,  sympathetic,  generous, 
honest  and  truthful.  All  there  was  bad  in  him, 
was  the  appearance  nature  had  toned  upon  him, 
and  which  he  could  neither  east  oil',  nor  quite 
counterbalance  by  the  genuine  and  lovable  qual- 
ities abounding  in  him. 

He  had  excellent  intellectual  endowments  ; 
was  eminently  studious  and  reflective  in  his 
habits  ;  well-read  in  the  law,  and  capable  of 
instituting  aud  carrying  forward  the  closest 
scrutiny.  Perhaps  he  was  inclined  to  be  tech- 
nical, instead  of  resting  mainly  on  fundamental 
principles  and  the  applications  thereof  to  cases 
in  hand.  But  he  was  always  efficient,  and  often 
exceed  i  ugly  powerfu  1 . 

His  educational  advantages  were  not  liberal  ; 
only  such  as  the  common  schools  and  academies 
of  New  England  furnished  in  his  youthful 
days ;  but  by  industry  and  application  he  made 
up  for  the  deficiencies  to  which  he  was  subject, 
even  in  early  manhood  was  proficient  and  exact 
in  the  use  of  his  native  language. 

He  was  born  in  Salisbury,  Conn.,  May  12, 
1815,  and  was  nearly  sixty-two  years  old  when 
he  died. 

In  1834  he  went  from  Connecticut  to  Mid- 
dlebury,  Yt.  The  proclivity  to  politics  was  so 
strong  in  him  that  the  next  year  he  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  Democratic  State  Convention.  He 
had  then  scarcely  reached  his  majority ;  but, 
unquestionably,  he  served  with  zeal,  if  not  with 
the  knowledge  he  evinced  in  his  maturer  years. 

In  1836  he  came  to  Mount  Pleasant,  this 
county,  to  teach  a  school,  for  which  employment 
he  was   well    qualified.     He    was  not   content, 


172 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  felt  a  desire  to  go  West.  That  same  year 
he  journeyed  as  far  as  Cincinnati,  seeking  a 
place  to  locate  permanently,  but  did  not  find  it, 
and  retraced  his  way  as  far  as  Carbondale.  In 
CS:;7  he  again  went  to  Cincinnati,  but  returned 
as  far  as  Pittsburgh,  where  he  spent  the  autumn 
of  that  year.  Unsatisfied,  he  returned  to  Car- 
bondale, determined  to  remain,  and  became  a 
student-at-law,  in  the  office  of  Lewis  Jones,  Esq. 
In  1838  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Luzerne 
Cminty,  and  was  soon  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  promising  young  members  of  the  profes- 
sion. 

In  LS4(l  lie  entered  actively  into  the  Presi- 
dential canvass,  on  the  Democratic  side,  and 
soon  acquired  popularity  as  a  political  speaker. 
And  (his  leads  necessarily  to  statement  and 
comment  upon  the  sources  of  his  power  as  a 
speaker,  whether  at  the  bar  or  before  assemblies 
of  the  people.  He  was  certainly  not  an  orator. 
Neither  in  voice  nor  action  was  he  eloquent. 
But  he  was  exceedingly  effective.  He  did  not 
allow  himself  to  speak  until  lie  was  fully  pre- 
pared, and  then  only  iu  the  line  of  his  convic- 
tions. He  was  fluent,  earnest,  pointed,  impas- 
sioned. What  lie  lacked  in  grace  he  made  up 
by  intensity  of  matter  and   method. 

From  1840  up  to  his  decease  he  was  always 
active  in  politics,  but  was  not  personally  a 
favorite  with  the  masses.  He  did  not  know 
how  to  win  by  dissimulation. 

In  1843  he  was  appointed  post-master  at 
Carbondale,  which  office  he  resigned  in  1844, 
upon  his  removal  to  Honesdale.  At  once  lie 
took  high  rank  at  the  Wayne  County  bar,  and 
gained  an  enviable  reputation,  not  only  for 
learning  in  his  calling,  hut  for  professional  and 
personal  integrity,  which  was  never  sullied  by 
a  questionable  transaction. 

Nevertheless,  while  zealous  and  influential 
in  advancing  the  political  interests  of  friends, 
lie  largely  lacked  the  qualities  requisite  to  secure 
his  own  promotion.  He  could  neither  fawn 
nor  flatter.  He  was  as  decidedly  lacking  in 
self-assertion  as  he  was  in  personal  magnetism  ; 
but,  invited  to  accept  position,  no  matter  what, 
he  was  equal  to  almost  any  requirement  or  ob- 
ligation. 

In  1853  he  was  elected  to  the  popular  branch 


of  the  General  Assembly,  and  served  with  abil- 
ity. He  was  ready,  independent,  forcible.  He 
made  himself  conspicuous  and  powerful  in  op- 
posing the  enforced  break  in  the  gauge  of  rail- 
roads at  Erie  or  elsewhere.  This  break  was 
insisted  on,  because  changing  freight  from  one 
set  of  cars  to  another,  at  particular  points,  fur- 
nished employment  to  considerable  numbers  of 
laborers,  and  so  was  esteemed  a  local  benefit. 
Now,  it  seems  almost  impossible  to  comprehend 
that  views  so  narrow  and  unworthy  could  have 
been  seriously  entertained,  and  could  have 
found  prominent  and  efficient  advocates.  Put 
so  it  was.  Mr.  Crane's  hostility  to  the  scheme 
was  spontaneous  and  irresistible.  It  exposed 
him  to  the  senseless  imputation  of  being  subsi- 
dized by  railway  corporations,  but  after  his  ex- 
position of  the  matter  the  accusal  ion  was  inef- 
fectual. 

In  1801  he  was  again  elected  to  the  General 
Assembly  by  the  Republicans,  as  a  war  Dem- 
oerat.  His  speeches  in  the  canvass  were  among 
the  ablest  made  ill  Pennsylvania  during  the 
Rebellion. 

In  1874  an  extraordinary  complication  oc- 
curred, touching  the  president  judgeship  of 
Wayne  and  Pike  Counties,  and  at  the  solicita- 
tion of  hundreds  of  personal  and  party  friends, 
he  was  induced  to  let  his  name  go  to  the  people 
as  an  independent  Democratic  candidate  for  the 
position.  His  competitors  were  Charles  P. 
Waller,  of  Wayne  County,  as  the  Republican 
nominee,  and  D.  M.  Van  Auken,  of  Pike 
County,  as  the  regular  Democratic  candidate. 
The  contest  was  a  bitter  and  exciting  one.  Mr. 
Waller  received  2588  votes,'Mr.  Van  Auken 
1  l!">7  and  Mr.  Crane  2176  votes.  Consider- 
ing that  Mr.  Crane  did  not  have  the  support  of 
either  party  organization,  but  was  sustained  on- 
ly by  his  individual  merits,  the  result  was  de- 
cidedly complimentary  to  him. 

This  was  the  last  time  he  was  a  candidate  for 
public  office  ;  while  he  evinced  his  old-time  in- 
terest in  political  concerns,  and  acted  with  the 
Democrats,  it  was  manifest  he  regarded  his 
period  of  individual  activity  as  closed. 

In  social  life  he  remained  what  he  had  always 
been  to  his  intimate  friends.  What  an  amplitude 
of  sympathy,  generosity  and  good  fellowship  lay 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


173 


concealed  behind  the  reserve  which  was  habit- 
ual to  him  before  the  public  !  While  on  the 
Bfcreel  he  appeared  to  be  haughty,  taciturn  and 
unapproachable  ;  in  his  own  home,  or  in  the 
homes  of  his  familiars,  few  persons  contrived  to 
he  SO  winsome  and  agreeable. 

Mr.  Crane,  in  1844,  married  Miss  Olivia 
Sims,  of  Philadelphia.  The  union  was  a  happy 
one  but  was  childless.  A  few  years  before  he 
died  the  deep  shadow  of  insanity  fell  upon  his 
companion,  and  she  was  removed  to  the  Phila- 
delphia Asylum,  where  she  remains.  There 
was  a  touch  of  almost  infinite  care  and  tender- 
ness in  his  treatment  of  her  until  her  absolute 
seclusion  became  imperative,  and  then  a  deep, 
impenetrable  sorrow  settled  upon  bis  life.  His 
home  was,  indeed,  desolate;  with  no  child  to 
bear  him  company,  with  no  near  kindred,  ex- 
cept a  young  nephew,  whose  tenderness  was 
loyal  and  complete,  his  life  became  parched 
and  withered.  One  evening  a  friend  called  at 
his  dwelling  and  spent  an  hour  with  him. 
His  mind,  subdued  an',  mellowed  by  affliction, 
stored  inexhaustibly  by  reminiscence  ami  en- 
riched by  abundant  reading  and  cogitation, 
made  him  especially  attractive  ;  at  the  moment  of 
parting  he  grasped  his  neighbor's  hand,  tears 
came  into  his  eyes  and  be  seemed  the  embodi- 
ment of  desolation.  The  heartfelt  thanks  he 
expressed  for  the  recognition  accorded  has 
lasted  until  now  as  a  most  cherished  recollec- 
tion. 

On  Saturday,  the  6th  of  January,  1877,  he 
suffered  from  severe  pains  near  or  in  the  heart. 
He  had  before  experienced  like  attacks,  which  he 
attributed  to  indigestion,  so  that  he  felt  no 
alarm  at  that  illness.  On  Sunday  he  was  still 
unwell,  but  was  up  and  about  his  dwelling  and 
went  over  to  the  Allen  House.  On  Monday  his 
sufferings  increased  insomuch  that  he  went  to 
bed  and  sent  for  his  physician.  The  examina- 
tion convinced  the  doctor  that  there  was  serious 
trouble,  but  he  hoped  the  disease  might  yield  to 
treatment,  for  a  time  at  least.  During  the  day 
some  improvement  in  the  case  was  manifest,  but 
it  proved  to  be  temporary.  At  seven  o'clock 
in  the  evening  a  paroxysm  of  agony  seized  him. 
His  nephew  folded  him  in  his  arms  and  in  a 
few  moments  all  was  over.     Soon  the  traces  of 


agony  faded  from  his  countenance,  and  only  the 
repose  of  death  remained. 

Charles  Sherman  Minor,  son  of  Sher- 
man and  Jerusha  E.  Minor,  was  born  in 
Washington,  Connecticut,  January  11,  1817. 
He  soon  afterward  removed  to  Koxhurv,  ( !on- 
necticut.  He  there  fitted  for  college,  attending 
the  academy  in  that  place  for  six  months,  but 
for  the  most  part  pursuing  his  studies  alone. 
lie  entered  Yale  College  in  1837,  and  was 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  1841.  lie 
soon  afterward  went  to  Wellshoro', Tioga  ( lounty, 
Pa.,  and  for  two  years  taught  in  the  academy 
at  that  place,  meantime  studying  law  under  the 
direction  of  James  Lowrey.  He  then  attended 
the  New  Haven  Law  School  for  one  year  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New  Haven.  In 
1844  he  came  to  Iloncsdale,  and  December  :!, 
is  1 1,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Wayne  <  lounty. 
In  1845  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Earl 
Wheeler,  which  continued  for  one  year,  and 
thereafter  he  practiced  alone.  In  the  summer 
of  1862  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Curtin 
a  commissioner  to  make  the  first  draft  for 
troops  to  (ill  the  quota  of  the  State  for  service 
in  the  Union  army,  and  was  occupied  for  sev- 
eral months  with  the  duties  of  this  position. 
Soon  afterward  his  health  became  so  much 
impaired  that  he  was  obliged  to  suspend  all 
professional  labors  for  some  time.  In  the  fidl 
of  1863,  hoping  for  benefit  from  a  change  of 
climate,  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  Treasury 
Department  at  Washington.  He  was  soon 
afterward  sent  to  California  on  important 
business  of  the  department.  In  July,  1864, 
his  health  being  restored,  he  returned  to  Hones- 
dale  and  resumed  the  duties  of  his  profession. 
Since  1869  he  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  State 
Hospital  for  the  Insane. 

Mr.  Minor  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Miss  Harriet  I.  Bache,  of  Wellsboro', 
to  whom  he  was  married  May  lit,  1846.  She 
was  attacked  by  a  malignant  fever  a  few  mouths  ■ 
later,  and  died  October  19,  1846.  He,  also, 
was  attacked  by  the  same  malady,  but  recovered 
after  a  protracted  sickness.  March  30,  1848, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  P.  Brown,  of 
Utica,  N.  Y.  They  have  had  one  son — Charles 
Fletcher,    who   was  drowned    May    31,    1853, 


174 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


when  a  little  more  than  four  years  old — and  two 
daughters :  Harriet  E.  and  Catherine  B.,  both 
of  whom  reside  in  Honesdale. 

In  years  and  experience,  in  professional  ac- 
quirements, character  and  ability,  Mr.  Minor 
may  justly  be  regarded  as  the  Nestor  of  the 
Wayne  County  bar.  He  has  been  a  life-lung 
student,  and  his  professional  and  scholarly  at- 
tainments are  of  an  unusual  order.  His  argu- 
ments at  the  bar  are  characterized  by  a  lucid 
statement  and  an  effective  grouping  of  fads,  a 
breadth  of  view,  a  scope  of  thought,  a  mastery 
of  principles,  a  grasp  of  details,  a  logical  pre- 
cision and  force  of  reasoning  rarely  combined. 
In  his  view,  the  law  is  not  a  mere  system  of 
abstractions  or  artificial  theories,  nor  yel  a 
scheme  of  snares,  pitfalls  and  traps  for  the 
ignorant  and  unwary;  hut  is  essentially  a  science, 
the  perfection  of  human  reason,  designed  for 
the  government  of  mankind  on  the  highest 
attainable  plane  of  justice  and  equity.  As 
such  he  presents,  expounds  and  applies  it.  For 
the  practice  of  law  as  asystem  of  devices  to  perplex 
the  understanding, — to  make  the  worst1  appear 
the  Keiier  cause,  to  promote  the  success  of  wrong 
and  the  sacrifice  of  right, — he  has  no  tolerance. 

Hon.  8AMUBL  E.  DiMMICK. — Nature  was 
gracious  and  bountiful  to  him.  It  gave  him  a 
handsome  body,  a  full,  sonorous  and  mellow 
•voice,  easy  and  appropriate  gesticulation,  and  a 
general  contour  and  bearing  of  unusual  attrac- 
tiveness. These  accessories  were  of  high  value 
to  him  in  social  circles,  in  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession  and  before  assemblies  of  the 
people.  His  presence  and  action  largely  dis- 
armed criticism  and  gave  him  credit  and  author- 
ity beyond  the  measure  that  would  have  been 
conceded  to  him  strictly  on  the  score  of  intellectual 
capacities  and  acquirements.  He  did  not,  in- 
deed, belong  to  that  large  class  of  men  who 
float  easily  and  securely  in  professional  or  pub- 
lic life  mainly  by  reason  of  admirable  physical 
characteristics,  but  he  was  immeasurably  helped 
thereby,  obtaining  consideration  and  favor  that 
would  not  have  been  yielded  to  him  had  he 
been  of  contemptible  or  repulsive  bodily  appear- 
ance. On  the  street  young  men  would  stand,  as 
charmed,  and  watch  him  till  he  passed  out 
of  sight. 


Of  the  faculty  of  pure  reason,  as  exemplified 
by  Kant  or  Calhoun,  he  had  not  overmuch. 
His  comprehension  of  first  principles  and  power 
of  applying  them  to  specific  cases,  while  not 
conspicuously  lacking  to  ordinary  scrutiny,  upon 
definite  measurement  was  comparatively  mea- 
gre. Of  imagination,  and  particularly  in  such 
sub-divisions  thereof  as  wit  and  humor,  he  was 
manifestly  deficient.  In  understanding — that 
supremest  faculty  for  all  common  ends — he 
abounded.  What  special  mental  strength  he 
had  lav  therein.  This  vigorous  common  sense 
was  his  peculiar  equipment,  and  in  his  calling 
and  way  of  life  it  was  adequate  to  his  needs. 
If  his  preliminary  education  had  been  liberal, 
or  if  he  had  supplied  deficiencies  by  self-im- 
provement, he  would  have  been  strong  even 
among  strongest  men.  As  he  was,  he  com- 
manded an  enviable  position  at  the  bar. 

In  his  student  years,  as  in  the  earlier  period 
of  his  practice  in  the  courts,  his  application  was 
close  and  uniform,  and  he  became  well-grounded 
in  the  law,  and  especially  in  law  relating  to 
corporations.  He  was  a  wise  and  safe  counsel- 
or, and  all  the  more  hecause  he  had  a  completer 
comprehension  of  practical  business  affairs  than 
falls  to  the  lot  of  most  lawyers.  He  succeeded 
remarkably  well  as  an  advocate,  his  evident 
sincerity  of  purpose  and  intense  earnestness  of 
manner  producing  favorable  impressions  and 
contributed  powerfully  to  the  ends  he  desired 
to  attain.  In  the  examination  of  witnesses  it 
was  not  in  his  refined  nature  to  badger  or  bully. 
In  his  arguments  to  the  bench,  while  always 
clear  and  frequently  conclusive,  he  often  fell 
below  the  level  of  his  reputation.  Before  pro- 
miscuous assemblies  he  was  unquestionably  the 
most  popular  orator  of  his  era  in  the  county, 
delighting  even  when  he  failed  to  convince  and 
making  friends  for  himself  among  multitudes 
whom  he  did  not  draw  to  the  acceptance  of  the 
ideas  he  advocated.  Yet  his  range  of  studies, 
aside  from  the  law,  was  not  ample.  It  was  a 
wise  conclusion  to  which  he  came,  that  in  an 
age  where  knowledge  in  all  departments  had 
unprecedentedly  increased,  it  was  best  to  confine 
himself  pretty  closely  to  his  chosen  field  of 
investigation.  He  adjudged  it  better  to  be  a 
strong   lawyer   than  to  fritter   away  his    powers 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


175 


on  side  studies,  which  would,  indeed,  enrich  his 
elocution,  but  would  seldom  increase  his  effec- 
tiveness before  judicial  tribunals.  He  had  be- 
fore him  instances  in  which  men,  his  superiors 
in  native  capacities  and  in  educational  advan- 
tages, had  fallen  conspicuously  behind  him  be- 
cause their  best  and  longest  hours  had  been 
given  to  studies  apart  from  professional  obliga- 
tions and  requirements,  and  he  was  careful  to 
avoid  that  mistake.  He  remembered  the  in- 
junction of  Blackstone,  that  "the  law  is  a  jeal- 
ous mistress,"  and  he  did  not  toy  with  any 
others.  Hence  he  was  a  lawyer,  a  good  one, 
and  little  else.  But  this  concentration  of  his 
life  had  large  compensating  advantages.  It  left 
no  chance  to  fail,  as  many  versatile  men  do,  by 
spreading  over  too  broad  a  surface,  by  having  a 
superficial  acquaintance  with  many  topics,  ami 
a  thorough  and  remunerative  familiarity  with 
none;  who  could  nut  convert  their  multifarious 
information  into  a  barrel  of  flour  for  their  fam- 
ilies, if  they  had  most  pressing  need  of  such 
alchemy. 

Starting  in  life  a  Democrat,  according  to  the 
traditions  of  his  family,  he  early  imbibed  radi- 
cal views  against  the  institution  of  domestic 
slavery.  And  this  phase  of  his  development 
was  the  more  peculiar  in  that  it  seemed  to  be 
eccentric.  He  created,  concerning  himself,  at 
least,  a  current  suspicion  that  he  had  strong 
tendencies  towards  aristocracy.  He  made  no 
concealment  of  his  feeling  that  manual 
labor  was  menial  and  degrading,  and  that  he 
would  take  no  employment  that  was  not  ex- 
clusively intellectual.  But  he  had  an  instinc- 
tive hatred  of  oppression,  a  genuine  love  of  fair 
play,  and  a  ready  disposition  to  help  the  lowly 
and  friendless.  In  185(3  he  attached  himself  to 
the  Free-Soil  party,  led  by  Martin  Van  Buren, 
but  after  the  close  of  that  campaign  identified 
himself  with  the  Republicans,  and  became 
prominent  in  their  councils  and  movements. 

The  only  public  office  of  consequence  he  ever 
held  was  that  of  attorney-general,  to  which  he 
was  appointed  by  Governor  J.  F.  Hartranft, 
in  1873.  The  duties  thus  devolved  upon  him 
were  performed  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  execu- 
tive, and  in  a  manner  to  concentrate  upon  him 
the  respectful   attention   of  prominent  and  ob- 


servant people  in  all  parts  of  the  common- 
wealth. 

He  was,  indeed,  a  member  of  the  convention 
called  to  revise  the  State  Constitution  in  1872, 
but  he  did  not  participate  in  the  deliberations 
of  that  body,  his  appointment  as  attorney -gen- 
eral assigning  him  to  other  duties. 

There  was  fulness  in  his  social  nature.  He 
loved  his  family  and  friends  cordially  and  with 
all  his  heart.  He  had,  moreover,  great  kindli- 
ness for  many  beyond  those  close  circles.  As 
wealth  increased  in  his  possession,  it  did  not  con- 
tract his  attachments    nor   deaden  his  sensibili- 


ties, but  he  remained  approachable,  open-hand- 
ed, charitable. 

He  was  a  cousin  to  William  H.  Dimmick. 
His  father  was  Alpheus,  brother  to  Dan,  the 
father  of  William. 

Alpheus  was  born  in  Mansfield,  Conn.,  No- 
vember 22,  1787.  He  graduated  at  Yale  Col- 
lege in  1810,  and  in  1814  was  licensed  in  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  New  York  as  an 
attorney.  He  commenced  practice  soon  after 
at  Bloomingburg,  X.  Y.,  and  continued  to  re- 
side there  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Jan- 
uary 17,  1865.  He  married  Maria  Can,  of 
Frederick,  Md.,  November  5,  1818. 

Samuel   E.,   their   second   child  and  son,  was 


176 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  xMONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


born  at  Bloomingburg  December  24,1822.  He 
received  such  education  as  the  scant  schools  of 
his  native  town  proffered,  and  no  more.  In 
1843  he  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  crockery  store 
in  New  York,  and  served  for  the  space  of  one 
year.  In  1844  he  entered  the  office  of  his 
cousin,  William  H.  DinSmick,  as  a  student-at- 
law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Wayne  County 
bar  .May  li,  1846.  He  entered  at  once  into 
partnership  with  his  cousin,  and  continued 
therein  until  the  death  of  the  latter,  in  1861. 
January  28,  1855,  he  married  Miss  Lucretia 
M.  Benjamin,  daughter  of  the  late  Joseph  Ben- 
jamin, of  the  city  of  New  York. 

His  physical  constitution  was  not  robust,andhe 
was  averse  to  such  exercise  as  might  have  im- 
proved its  lone  Hence  office  life,  combined 
with  close  professional    labor,  proved   to  be  in- 

i lpatible   with   possession   by  him  of  sound 

health.  When  he  reached  the  meridian  of  his 
years  his  bodily  vitality  was  seriously  im- 
paired. In  this  Conjuncture  he  accepted  the  at- 
torney-generalship, and  at  a  time  when  there 

was  an  unusual  number  of  important    mon- 

wealth  cases  requiring  investigation  and  trial. 
Then,  too,  by  virtue  of  his  office,  lie  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Pardons,  and  many 
convicted  persons  were  pressing  cither  for  an 
amelioration  or  caneelment  of  the  sentences  un- 
der which  they  rested.  He  felt,  and  said,  that 
his  strength  was  not  adequate  to  the  burden  rest- 
ing on  him,  that  the  most  suitable  place  lor  him 
was  at  home;  hut  pride  and  ambition  conspired 
to  keep  him  from  following  the  dictates  of  his 
sober  judgment.  To  be  sure,  in  the  trial  of 
State  eases  at  Harrisburg  he  was  efficiently 
assisted  by  Hon.  Wayne  McVeagh,  but  even 
this  superior  help  left  him  more  to  do  than  his 
physical  strength  was  adequate  to  perform. 

Monday,  October  4, 1875,  he  left  home  to  at- 
tend a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Pardons  at  Har- 
risburg. The  condition  of  his  health  was  such 
as  to  excite  serious  apprehensions  on  the  part 
of  his  family  and  friends.  His  physician  ad- 
vised against  the  journey.  But  he  would  not 
yield.  His  wife  went  with  him,  to  care  for 
him  as  far  as  possible.  At  New  York  he 
parted  with  neighbors  who  had  made  the  trip  so 
far  in  his  company.     To   them   he   seemed  op- 


pressed by  a  sense  of  his  feeble  condition  and 
the  premonition  that  he  would  not  last  to 
return  alive.  He  remained  overnight  in 
New  York,  proceeded  next  day  to  Harrisburg, 
and  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Par- 
dons that  evening.  On  Wednesday  he  did 
not  leave  his  room.  The  next  three  nights 
he  -lip!  In  his  chair,  not  being  able  to  endure  a 
reclining  position.  Pneumonia  appeared.  His 
system  was  too  much  enfeebled  to  make  effect- 
ual resistance  to  its  progress.  On  Monday 
evening  he  received  visitors,  who  retired  at  an 
early  hour.  At  eleven  o'clock,  alone  with  his 
wife,  a  change  passed  over  him  and  in  a  few 
moments  he  was  dead. 

Thus  ceased  a  life,  mainly  uneventful,  but 
which  seemed  just  blossoming  to  an  abundant 
fruition. 

<  <  i  <  > i :< .  i :  (i.  WAIXEB,  son  of  Phineas  and 
Eliza  Waller,  and  a  younger  brother  of  Hon. 
Charles  I'.  Waller,  was  horn  in  Wilkes-Lane 
May  .">,  1821.  He  was  graduated  from  Wil- 
liams College  in  1844.  After  the  prescribed 
course  of  legal  study,  under  the  direction  of 
Judge  Collins,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Luzerne  County  in  1846.  After  practicing  for 
a  year  at  Bloomsburg,  Columbia  County,  be 
returned  to  Wilkes-Barre  and  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Judge  CoIHds.  In  the  fall  of  1849 
he  came  to  Honesdale,  temporarily,  to  assist  his 
brother  Charles,  who  was  beginning  to  suffer  in 
health.  The  next  year,  deciding  to  remain,  he 
entered  into  partnership  with  his  brother, — the 
firm-name  being  C.  P.  A-  G.  G.  Waller, — and 
has  since  continued  the  practice  of  law  in 
Honesdale. 

October  11,  1854,  Mr.  Waller  was  married 
to  Lizzie  J.,  daughter  of  Hon.  B.  S.  Bentley, 
of  Montrose.  They  have  had  two  sons,  who 
tlied  in  childhood;  adaughter,  Annie,  who  died 
in  May,  1S78,  at  the  age  of  fifteen;  and  a 
daughter,  Bessie,  born  September  24,  1868. 

Mr.  Waller  has  always  been  a  hard  worker 
in  his  profession.  In  quickness  of  perception, 
rapidity  of  thought,  promptness  of  decision  and 
power  of  close  and  continued  application  he 
has  few  equals.  His  cases  show  a  completeness 
of  preparation  that  overlooks  nothing;  while, 
at  the  same  time,  few  surpass  him  in  ready  and 


WAYNE  (Ol'XTV. 


177 


dextrous  management  when  an  emergency  de- 
mands action  without  due  preparation.  With 
unforeseen  difficulties  conic  swift  suggestions  of 
their  remedy,  and  instantly-devised  plans  for 
meeting  them.  As  an  advocate,  lie  is  earnest, 
forcible  and  effective.  His  statement  of  aca.se 
is  often,  of  itself,  an  argument,  giving  it  an 
aspect  of  justice  and  reason  well  calculated  to 
carry  conviction  to  the  minds  of  a  jury.  He 
has  the  power  of  terse  description,  sententious 
presentation,  apt  illustration  and  pithy  charac- 
terization—otherwise known  as  "the  art  of 
putting  things" — in  a  remarkable  degree.  To 
divest  a  thing  of  the  form  in  which  lie  has  put 
it  is  often  the  most  difficult  task  of  the  counsel 
who  follow  him.  His  discussion  of  evidence 
is  marked  by  a  marvelous  memory  of  its  de- 
tails ;  by  a  logical  keenness  and  discrimination 
that  bring  into  view  its  most  telling  features, 
while  masking  its  weak  points  ;  by  an  ingenious 
construction  of  ambiguous  testimony  that  devel- 
ops its  strongest  aspect ;  by  acute  suggestions 
as  to  circumstances  but  indistinctly  appearing, 
or  with  a  bearing  more  or  less  obscure;  by 
adroit  allusions  to  matters  lying  on  the  border 
line  of  proof ;  by  shrewd  and  pungent  criticism 
of  counter-testimony  ; — and  his  application  of 
tin'  law  is  close  and  pointed,  marked  by  compact 
argument  and  a  cogent  presentation  of  authori- 
ties. No  lawyer  is  less  technical,  but  none  has 
a  firmer  grasp  of  the  substance  of  a  cast1.  His 
practice  has  been  varied  and  extensive,  and  he 
has  been  engaged  in  most  of  the  important 
cases,  both  civil  and  criminal,  that  have  been 
tried  in  the  county  during  the  past  thirty-five 
years. 

Ebenezer  Richardson,  son  of  Ebeuezer 
and  Mary  Richardson,  was  born  at  Pittsfield, 
Berkshire  County,  Mass.,  May  16,  1816.  In 
April,  1828,  he  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Preston,  Chenango  County,  N.  Y.  He  was 
educated  at  Hastings'  High  School,  in  Norwich, 
Chenango  County.  March  26,  1840,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Holt,  of  Steuben  County, 
N.  Y.,  and  in  June,  1843,  he  removed  to 
Mount  Pleasant,  Wayne  County.  He  subse- 
quently read  law  under  the  direction  of  C.  P. 
Waller,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  December 
3,  1850.  He  opened  an  office  in  Hawley,  De- 
20 


cember  25th,  and   has  since  continued   in  prac- 
tice at   that  place.     He   is  chiefly  engaged  in 

office  business,  and  seldom  appears  in  court. 

Jackson  Woodward  was  ason  of  John  K. 
Woodward, a  younger  brother  of  Hon.  Warren  J. 
Woodward,  and  a  nephew  of  lion.  George  W. 
Woodward.  He  was  born  in  Bethany  about 
the  year  1822.  After  reaching  manhood  he 
was  largely  employed  in  the  various  county 
offices,  and  while  thus  engaged  he  studied  law 
under  the  direction  of  K.  M.  ( ircncll  and  F, 
M.  Crane.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  De- 
cember 7,  1850.  .May  5,  L853,  F.  M.  Crane, 
district  attorney,  resigned  that  office,  and  Mr. 
Woodward  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy. 
In  October  following  he  was  elected  for  the 
full  term  without  opposition,  and  in  1859  he 
was  again  elected.  He  died  at  Bethany,  March 
11,  1866. 

Francis  Drake  came  to  Wayne  County 
from  the  State  of  New  York.  June  1,  1848,  in 
connection  with  George  M.  Reynolds,  he  com- 
menced the  publication  of  a  newspaper  called 
the  National  Reformer,  supporting  Van  Buren, 
in  opposition  to  Cass,  the  regular  Democratic 
candidate  for  President.  The  enterprise  came 
to  an  end  soon  after  the  election,  and  early  in 
1849  Mr.  Reynolds  removed  the  printing  mate- 
rials to  Carbondale,  and  there  commenced  the 
publication  of  the  Lackawanna  Journal.  Mr. 
Drake  afterward  read  law  under  the  direction 
of  S.  G.  Throop,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
February  5,  1852.  His  practice  was  princi- 
pally before  justices.  In  1856  he  was  the 
Republican  candidate  for  district  attorney,  but 
was  defeated  by  Henry  Peet,  the  Democratic 
nominee.     He  died  in  the  autumn  of  1859. 

Edward  Oscar  Hamlin,  son  of  Hon.  Eph- 
raim  W.  Hamlin,  was  born  at  Bethany,  Wayne 
County,  June  12,  1828.  He  received  his  pre- 
paratory education  at  his  native  place,  under 
Rev.  Willard  Richardson  ;  entered  Hamilton 
College,  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  in  advance,  in  1848, 
and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  the 
class  of  '50.  He  commenced  reading  law  at 
Wilkes-Barrewith  Hon.  George  W.  Woodward, 
and  finished  the  course  of  study  at  Honesdale, 
under  the  direction  of  Earl  Wheeler.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  September  7,  1852.     After 


178 


WAYNE,  PIKK  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


practicing  for  two  years  in  Honesdale  he  de- 
cided to  go  West,  and  soon  afterward  settled  in 
Minnesota.  He  rapidly  rose  in  his  profession, 
and  a  vacancy  occurring  in  the  judgeship  of  the 

Fourth  Judicial  District,  he  was  appointed  to 
that  position  by  Governor  Sibley.  On  the  ex- 
piration of  his  commission  he  resumed  practice 
at  the  bar  in  St.  Cloud. 

While  a  resident  of  Minnesota,  Judge  Ham- 
lin held  a  high  position,  both  professionally 
and  socially.  Being  a  Democrat,  however,  and 
therefore  in  a  permanent  minority,  no  oppor- 
tunity was  presented  for  a  political  career  ;  yet 
he  was  a  leader  in  his  party,  and  his  ability  and 
integrity  were  recognized  on  ail  sides,  lie  was 
elected  the  first  mayor  of  the  city  of  St.  (  loud. 
On  retiring  from  the  bench  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Ramsay  a  member  of  the  Slate 
Normal  Board  of  Public  Instruction,  and  con- 
tinued to  fill  this  position  until  his  removal 
from  the  State.  He  was  also  appointed  by 
Governor  Ramsay  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Regents  of  the  State  University.  Soon  after 
the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion,  in  1861,  Gov- 
ernor Ramsay,  without  solicitation,  tendered 
him  a  commission  as  major  of  the  Seventh  Reg- 
iment Minnesota  Volunteers,  but  his  eyesight 
being  defective,  he  was  obliged  to  decline  it.  In 
the  same  year  he  received  the  Democratic  nom- 
ination for  Governor,  and  he  was  subsequently 
a  candidate  on  the  Democratic  ticket  for  Judge 
of  the  Supreme  Court.  Iu  1864  he  was  dele- 
gate to  the  Democratic  National  Convention. 
On  the  floor  of  the  Convention  he  denounced 
the  platform  adopted,  because  it  declared  the 
war  for  the  Union  a  failure ;  and  he  was  one 
of  the  four  delegates  who  voted  against  it  on 
that  ground.  In  1865,  though  a  resident  of 
Minnesota,  he  was  nominated  by  the  Democratic 
Convention  of  Wayne  County  for  president 
judge  of  the  Twenty-second  Judicial  District  ; 
in  the  Judicial  Conference,  however,  Judge 
Barrett  was  renominated. 

In  1873,  yielding  to  the  solicitations  of  his 
parents,  Judge  Hamlin  returned  to  Wayne 
County  and  opened  an  office  in  Honesdale.  In 
1874  he  was  elected  to  the  vestry  of  Grace 
Church,  iu  that  borough,  of  which  body  he  has 
since  continued  to  be  a  member  and  the  secre- 


tary. After  a  short  residence  at  the  county- 
seat  he  removed  to  Bethany,  which  has  since 
been  his  home.  He  continued  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  Houesdale  until  June, 
1885,  when  failing  health  compelled  him  to 
(piit  it. 

Judge  Hamlin  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Judge  Eldred, 
of  Bethany  ;  she  died  Sept.  27,  1868.  His  pres- 
ent wife  is  Ella  F.,  daughter  of  10.  B.  Strong, 
clerk  of  the  District  Court  of  Stearns  County, 
Minn,  lie  has  two  sons, —  Prank  P.,  a  lawyer 
at  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  ami  Warren  P..,  a  jeweler, 
of  Atkinson,  Neb. 

Judge  Hamlin's  mental  powers,  culture  and 
professional  attainments  arc  of  a  superior  order. 
His  arguments  at  the  bar  were  marked  by  wide 
research,  acute  logic,  clearness  of  statement  and 
accuracy  in  the  application  of  legal  principles, 
lie  was  among  the  most  eloquent  of  advocates 
before  a  jury,  presenting  a  case  in  the  light  of 
reason,  equity  and  fair  dealing  as  between  man 
and  man,  and  with  rare  force  of  argument  and 
demonstration.  His  arguments  were  naturally, 
in  a  large  measure,  a  reflection  of  the  earnest- 
ness, high  moral  tone,  noble  sentiment  and  de- 
votion to  principle,  which  arc  prominent  traits 
of  his  character.  Pie  commanded  the  respect  of 
the  bench,  the  bar  and  the  people  and  will  long 
be  remembered  as  one  whose  influence  was  ex- 
erted to  elevate  the  standard  of  the  profession 
in  every  aspect. 

Henry  Wilson, or  Judge  Wilson,  as  he  is 
familiarly  known,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Franklin,  Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  October  7, 
1834.  He  studied  law  with  D.  N.  Lathrope, 
at  Carbondale,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Luzerne  <  Jounty  in  1859.  During  his  novitiate, 
and  for  many  years  after  his  admission,  by 
close  study  and  the  exercise  of  a  phenomenal 
memory,  he  acquired  a  most  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  the  law,  both  scientific  and  prac- 
tical, which  enabled  him  in  after-life  to  readily 
perceive  the  legal  aspect  of  every  combination 
of  facts,  and  apply  the  governing  principles  of 
law  with  facility  and  accuracy.  His  studies 
were  not  confined  to  the  law,  but  being  by  na- 
ture a  student,  and  endowed  with  intellectual 
faculties  of  a  high  order,  he  acquired  an  unusual 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


179 


familiarity  with  history,  politics,  political  econ- 
omy, science  and  literature. 

In  1869  Hon.  C.  ('.  Jadwin,  who  had  known 
Judge  Wilson  from  boyhood,  after  several  un- 
successful attempts  to  secure  a  suitable  editor 
for  the  Honesdale  Citizen,  induced  him  to  as- 
sume an  experimental  charge  of  that  paper, 
which  soon  became  permanent,  and  he  there- 
upon  removed  to  Honesdale.  Forseveral  years 
he  paid  but  little  attention  to  professional  busi-  ' 


ism,  social  and  political,  while  numerous  other 
productions  exhibit  rare  powers  of  humor  and 
sarcasm.  Together  with  his  varied  abilities  as 
a  general  writer,  Judge  Wilson  possesses  what 
is  commonly  known  as  a  "  legal  mind,"  with  an 
unusual  fondness  for  professional  studies,  and 
when  his  legal  attainments  became  known  to 
his  friends  in  Wayne  County  he  was  urged  to 
resume  practice,  and  finally  decided  to  do  so. 
He  is  now  retained  in  almost  every  case  of  im- 


L<ilSi 


1 


ness,  devoting  his  time  chiefly  to  his  editorial 
duties,  discussing  the  current  public  questions 
with  such  masterly  ability  and  convincing  force 
that  the  Citizens  articles  were  largely  copied  in 
the  State  and  elsewhere.  There  may  be  found 
among  the  files  of  the  Citizen,  from  the  pen  of 
Judge  Wilson,  some  of  the  ablest  articles  extant 
on  the  subjects  of  political  economy  and  finance. 
There,  also,  from  the  same  trenchant  pen,  may 
be  found  some  of  the  most  caustic  and  complete 
exposures   of  the   arts  and  wiles   of  demagog- 


portance  tried  in  our  courts.  His  arguments 
on  questions  of  law  are  always  instructive,  co- 
gent and  logical,  and  so  strongly  fortified  by 
reference  to  the  authorities  and  principles  of 
law  applicable  to  the  subject  matter,  that  he  at 
once  challenges  the  attention  of  the  court  and 
retains  it  throughout.  He  is  distinguished  as 
being  one  of  the  very  few  lawyers  who  com- 
mand the  attention  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  His  presentation  of  points  of  law  is 
clear,  orderly  and  direct,  with  an  accuracy  in 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  use  of  language  and  pertinency  of  illustra- 
tion rarely  equaled.  He  never  advances  as  un- 
doubted law  anything  in  which  he  has  not  full 
faith,  and  which  he  cannot  fortify  with  author- 
ities or  analogous  principles;  and  while  possess- 
ing an  unusual  familiarity  with  precedents,  his 
habit  of  mind  leads  him  to  place  every  proposi- 
tion of  law  on  a  firm  basis  of  established  princi- 
ples, rather  than  on  the  chance  authority  of  an 
isolated  decision  or  ruling.  Herein,  too,  is  often 
exhibited  his  wonderful  power  of  memory  and 
accuracy  in  the  citation  of  authorities.  If  any 
of  his  propositions  are  questioned,  he  frequently 
calls  to  mind  and  cites  all  the  leading  cases  on 
the  subject,  giving  the  names  of  the  parties  and 
the  book  in  which  each  case  is  reported.  His 
abilities  as  a  lawyer  are  best  known  to  the 
members  of  the  bar,  and  where  his  opinion  has 
been  given  there  is,  if  not  a  general  acquies- 
cence amongst  them,  at  least  a  marked  hesitancy 
in  denying  the  correctness  of  his  views.  On 
questions  of  practice  and  pleading,  especially,  he 
is  regarded  by  common  consent  as  being,  next 
to  the  courts,  the  final  authority.  He  is  also 
distinguished  for  conciseness  and  accuracy  in 
the  preparation  of  legal  documents,  forms,  etc. 
In  recognition  of  this,  a  leading  law-blank 
publishing  house  of  Philadelphia  has  paid  him 
the  compliment  of  stealing  bodily,  and  publish- 
ing as  its  own,  a  comprehensive  form  of  lease, 
which  he  had  prepared,  after  much  study  and 
consideration,  for  the  use  of  the  bar  of  the 
county.  A  prominent  trait  of  his  char- 
acter is  his  uniform  kindness  and  wil- 
lingness to  assist  younger  attorneys  who  desire 
information  on  questions  of  law  or  pro- 
cedure. It  is  not  au  infrequent  occurrence  for 
other  attorneys,  after  an  unsuccessful  search 
through  the  books,  to  question  Judge  Wilson, 
and  be  referred  at  once  to  an  authority  in 
point. 

In  January,  187(5,  he  was  appointed  associate 
judge, — the  first  instance  in  the  history  of  the 
county  of  that  position  being  filled  by  a  member 
of  the  bar.  He  declined  the  nomination  in  the 
following  fall,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  his  profession.  While  he 
was  on  the  bench  the  court  decided  on  a  revision 
of  the  court  rules,  and  this  task  was  assigned  to 


Judge  Wilson.  To  the  rules  as  revised  he 
attached  a  table  of  the  decisions  in  which  they 
were  applied,  illustrated  or  construed,  a  work 
which,  at  the  time,  was  of  great  value,  as  the 
decisions  had  not  been  digested  for  twenty  years. 
In  an  appendix  he  added  a  list  of  the  special  acts 
of  Assembly  relative  to  Wayne  County,  together 
with  a  compendium  of  the  statutes  and  decisions 
relating  to  proceedings,  under  the  road  and 
bridge  laws,  which  has  given  much  assistance 
to  both  bench  and  bar. 

Another  conspicuous  trait  in  his  character  is 
his  absolute  disregard  of  adverse  opinions  or 
criticism  when  satisfied  that  he  is  in  the  right. 
Knowing  what  a  fickle  thing  public  opinion  is, 
he  never  courts  it,  but  often  combats  it  editori- 
ally when  it  is  based  on  erroneous  principles,  or 
is  being  manufactured  by  unscrupulous  men  for 
political  Or  selfish  purposes.  Modest,  courteous 
and  unassuming,  he  is  nevertheless  a  positive 
working  force,  both  in  journalism  and  at  the 
bar. 

WILLIAM  II.  Dimmick,  the  younger,  is  a  son 
of  Oliver  S.  Dimmick,  and  a  grandson  of  Dan 
Dimmick,  the  first  practicing  attorney  who 
made  a  permanent  home  within  the  original 
limits  of  Wayne  County.  He  was  born  in  Mil- 
ford,  Pike  County,  March  19,1841.  He  re- 
ceived a  liberal  education,  and  was  graduated 
from  the  Claverack  (N.  Y.)  Institute.  He 
commenced  his  studies  for  the  bar  in  the  office 
of  L.  F.  Barnes,  at  Milford,  but  soon  afterward 
removed  to  Ilonesdale  and  completed  his  prep- 
aration under  the  direction  of  William  H.  & 
S.  E.  Dimmick.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
December  4,  1862.  After  the  death  of  his  uncle, 
William  II.  Dimmick,  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Samuel  E.  Dimmick,  which  continued 
until  the  death  of  the  latter,  in  1875. 

Mr.  Dimmick  was  elected  district  attorney  in 
1864,  and  re-elected  in  1867.  In  1 869  he  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  in  1873  was 
again  elected.  In  1874  he  was  the  nominee  of 
the  Democratic  Convention  of  Wayne  County  for 
president  judge,  but  before  the  election  he  with- 
drew in  favor  of  Hon.  D.  M.  Van  Auken,  of 
Pike  County.  In  1878  he  was  the  Democratic 
nominee  of  the  district  for  Congress,  Colonel 
Overton,  of  Bradford   County,  being   his  Re- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


18] 


publican  opponent.  The  Greenback  party,  then 
at  its  highest  estate,  placed  a  candidate  in  the 
field.  The  triangular  contest  divided  both  the 
old  parties,  and  resulted  in  the  election  of 
Colonel  Overton  by  a  small  plurality. 

In  October,  18(J4,  Mr.  Dimmick  was  married 
to  Annie,  daughter  of  the  late  Zenas  Russell. 
They  have  two  children, — Lucy  and  Russell. 

In  personal  qualities,  Mr.  Dimmick  is  a  man 
of  genial  nature,  generous  impulses  and  peculiar 
tenacity  in  his  friendships.  In  mental  structure 
he  is  formed  much  on  the  model  of  "  Odysseus 
of  many  counsels  and  devices."  His  leading 
characteristics  are  force  of  character,  fertility  in 
resources  and  expedients,  a  keen  discernment  of 
human  nature,  an  instinctive  perception  of 
essential  conditions  and  existing  possibilities  in 
any  prospective  line  of  action,  with  rare  tact 
and  dexterity  in  devising  methods,  forming 
varied  combinations  and  adapting  means  to 
ends,  readiness  in  meeting  difficulties,  and  a 
confidence  that  never  fails  under  the  most 
threatening  aspect  of  affairs.  For  more  than 
twenty  years  he  has  heen  prominent  in  the 
politics  and  at  the  bar  of  the  county,  and  these 
qualities  have  been  conspicuously  displayed  in 
both  fields.  He  is  a  graceful,  eloquent  and 
persuasive  speaker,  and  his  oratory  is  alike 
effective  whether  addressed  to  a  popular  as- 
sembly or  to  a  jury.  He  has  been  engaged  in 
some  of  the  most  important  trials  that  have 
taken  place  in  the  county  since  his  admission  to 
the  bar.  Among  these  were  the  trials  of  Burke, 
Boyle  and  Jillard  for  murder,  while  he  was 
district  attorney  ;  of  Benjamin  K.  Bortree  for 
the  murder  of  Henry  W.  Shouse,  1880,  and  of 
the  two  men  giving  their  names  as  Thomas 
Lyons  and  Walter  Hagan,  for  a  buglary  com- 
mitted atEquinunk,  attended  with  the  shooting 
of  H.  N.  Farley,  in  1881.  He  is  also  employed 
as  attorney  for  the  Delaware  ami  Hudson  Canal 
Company,  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company  and 
the  Erie  and  Wyoming  Valley  Railroad  Com- 
pany. 

Georue  F.  Bentley  was  a  son  of  Hon.  B. 
S.  Bentley,  for  a  long  time  one  of  the  leaders  of 
the  Susquehanna  County  bar,  but  who  subse- 
quently removed  to  Williamsport,  Lycoming 
County,  Pa.     He  was  born   in   Montrose  June 


9,  1842.  He  passed  a  portion  of  his  youth  in 
Honesdale,  where  a  sister,  the  wife  of  G.  G. 
Waller,  resided,  and  during  this  period  he  at- 
tended the  Honesdale  Academy.  His  education 
was  completed  at  the  High  School  in  Aurora, 
N.  Y.  Early  in  1864  lie  commenced  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  C.  P.  &  G.  G.  Waller,  in 
Honesdale,  and  February  7,  1866,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  He  soon  afterward  formed  a  part- 
nership with  his  preceptors,  which  continued 
until  his  death,  October  4,  L881. 

In  Mr.  Bentley  was  developed  a  rare  combi- 
nation of  admirable  qualities.  Few  men  have 
possessed,  in  a  higher  degree,  the  elements  of 
character  that  win  friendship  and  command  es- 
teem, and  there  are  few  whose  death  lias  been 
felt  as  a  personal  bereavement  throughout  a 
wider  circle.  To  discern  the  true  nobleness  of 
his  nature,  indeed,  no  special  intimacy  or  close 
association  was  necessary  ;  it  was  manifest  to 
all, — it  was  unmistakable  and  unchanging, — 
and  his  daily  life  was  its  natural  outgrowth. 
In  whatever  field  of  action  he  appeared — in 
social  and  private  life,  in  the  church,  at  the  bar, 
and  in  matter-  that  engaged  public  interest — 
he  was  single-hearted  and  conscientious,  and 
made  the  visible  record  of  a  modest,  manly  ami 
honorable  character,  lie  was  an  earnest  friend, 
too  generous  to  cherish  enmity,  and  too  just  to 
entertain  envy  or  jealousy.  His  intelligence 
and  culture  were  recognized  as  more  than  ordi- 
nary. At  the  bar  he  displayed  marked  ability, 
and  was  rapidly  rising.  In  everything  in  which 
he  was  engaged,  whether  in  or  out  of  his  profes- 
sion, his  work  was  marked  by  accuracy  and 
thoroughness.  He  neglected  no  duty,  and  was 
faithful  to  every  trust.  He  interested  himself, 
especially,  in  every  worthy  pursuit,  having  in 
view  either  usefulness,  instruction  or  amusement, 
in  which  the  young  men  of  the  community 
were  engaged,  and  his  influence  was  seen  in  the 
high  standard  of  character  and  efficiency  main- 
tained in  the  various  associations  with  which  he 
was  connected.  Company  E,  Thirteenth  Regi- 
ment, N.  G.  P.,  of  which  he  was  the  first 
captain,  owed  its  existence  and  high  military 
standing  largely  to  his  efforts. 

In  April,  1865,  Mr.  Bentley  made  a  profes- 
sion of  religion,   and    united  with   the   Presby- 


1S13 


WAYNE,  PIKP  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


terian  Church  of  Honesdale.  His  life  bore 
constant  testimony  to  the  sincerity  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  was  superintendent  of  theSunday- 
school  for  several  years,  and-  at  all  times  inter- 
ested himself  largely  in  the  work  of  the  church 
and  the  Sunday-school. 

In  May,  1870,  lie  was  married  to  Miss  Lucy 
Tracy,  youngest  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  T. 
H.  R.  Tracy.  She,  with  three  children,  survives 
him. 

George  S.  Pubdy,  oldest  son  of  Abbott 
N.  and  Eliza  D.  Purdy,  was  born  in  Paupack, 
Wayne  County,  January  24,  1839.  He  obtained 
a  good  education,  largely  as  the  result  of  his 
own  energy,  studious  habits  and  efforts  for  self- 
improvement,  and  became  especially  proficient 
in  mathematics.  A  part  of  his  early  manhood 
was  passed  in  teaching,  and  for  some  time  he  was 

principal  of  the  graded   scl 1    in   Providence, 

Pa.  In  1866  lie  was  appointed  clerk  by  the 
commissioners  of  Wayne  County,  and  held  the 
position  tor  ten  years.  While  thus  employed 
he  read  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  May 
!»,  1S7.">.  In  September  following  he  was  mar- 
ried to    Agnes   ( '.   Addoms,  a    step-daughter   dI 

Judge  Avery,  of  Honesdale. 

In  1883  Mr.  Purdy  received  the  nomination 
of  the  Wayne  County  Democratic  Convention 
for  president  judge.  The  Democrats  of  Pike 
presented  Hon.  D.  M.  Van  Auken  as  their 
nominee,  and  the  conferees  who  represented  the 
two  counties  were  unable  to  agree.  Both  Dem- 
ocratic candidates  remained  in  the  field,  with 
Judge  Seely  as  the  Republican  candidate.  Mr. 
Purdy  received  a  majority  in  Wayne  County, 
hut  lack  of  time  prevented  an  adequate  canvass 
of  Pike  in  his  behalf,  and  the  bulk  of  the  party 
vote  in  that  county  was  given  to  Mr.  Van  Au- 
ken, resulting  in  the  election  of  Judge  Seely  by 
a  plurality  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-one.  The 
contest  had  been  bitter  and  acrimonious,  but  Mr. 
Purdy  met  the  result  with  such  admirable  tem- 
per as  to  command  the  respect  even  of  his  oppo- 
nents. 

Professionally,  Mr.  Purdy  is  favorably  known 
throughout  the  county.  lb:  is  methodical  in 
preparation,  energetic  and  wary  in  management, 
earnest,  comprehensive  and  strenuous  in  argu- 
ment.     He  investigates  with  peculiar  care  and 


diligence,  making  a  close  examination  of  the 
questions  presented,  and  reducing  the  results  to 
definite  conclusions  of  law  and  fact.  Among 
his  prominent  traits  are  coolness  and  self-posses- 
sion, with  a  steadiness  of  purpose  and  mental 
equipoise  not  easily  shaken.  He  has  taken  part 
in  the  trial  of  various  important  cases  and  has 
scored  some  notable  victories  at  the  liar. 

Peter  P.  Smith,  third  child  of  Owen  and 
Catherine  Smith,  was  born  in  Honesdale  June 
2,1851.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the 
local  schools.  His  legal  studies  were  pursued 
m  Honesdale  under  the  direction  of  Henry  Wil- 
son, and,  May  7,  1874,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar. 

A  difficult  and  discouraging  task  lies  before 
the  young  man  who,  in  the  place  where  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  have  been  passed,  enters  upon  a 
calling  in  which  a  large  measure  of  public  con- 
fidence in  his  professional  attainments,  expe- 
rience and  sound  judgment  is  an  essential  con- 
dition of  success.  Whatever  his  ability  or 
acquirements,  the  community  that  has  known 
him  chiefly  as  a  boy,  untried  in  the  duties  of 
life,  is  slow  to  realize  (hat  he  has  become  a  man, 
with  a  man's  capacities,  powers  and  purposes. 

Such  was  the  task  to  which  the  young  attor- 
ney addressed  himself,  in  the  present  instance, 
in  opening  an  office  in  Honesdale  upon  his  ad- 
mission to  practice.  Though  possessing  no  ad- 
ventitious aids,  the  struggle  on  which  he  entered 
was  by  no  means  an  unequal  one.  His  prepa- 
ration fitr  the  profession  had  been  careful  and 
systematic,  and  he  well  understood  that  the 
period  of  study,  so  far  from  closing  with  admis- 
sion to  the  bar,  was  little  more  thai:  the  begin- 
ning of  a  legal  education.  A  further  course  of 
study  was  marked  out  and  steadily  pursued. 

While  yet  a  student,  he  had  shown  unusual 
readiness,  capacity,  and  faculty  of  well -directed 
application,  and  with  the  continued  develop- 
ment of  his  powers  he  attracted  attention  as  a 
young  lawyer  of  superior  professional  acquire- 
ments. In  187o  he  was  elected  district  attorney, 
and  in  discharging  the  duties  of  this  office  he 
found  opportunities  which  his  preparation  en- 
abled him  to  improve.  Various  cases  of  pecu- 
liar difficulty  came  to  his  hands  as  public  prose- 
cutor.    One  of  these,  which    came    up    at    the 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


183 


first  term  of  court  after  entering  upon  the 
office,  gave  rise  to  much  comment  among  the 
profession.  It  was  a  prosecution  for  perjury, 
alleged  to  have  been  committed  by  the  defend- 
ant in  test i tying  in  an  action  brought  against 
himself  and  another  person  as  executors  de  son 
tort.  The  circumstances  were  such  thai  it  was  a 
matter  of  no  little  difficulty  to  draw  the  indict- 
ment properly.  No  precedent  was  to  be  found 
in  the  hooks,  and  the  young  district  attorney, 
in  framing  the  instrument,  had  no  resource  but 
in  the  application  of  the  general  principles  re 
lating  to  the  subject.  How  correctly  these  were 
applied  was  shown  in  the  sequel.  Messrs. Crane 
and  Seely,  in  behalf  of  the  defense,  assailed  the 
indictment  as  insufficient,  but  the  court  sustained 
it,  declaring  it  drawn  with  remarkable  clearness 
and  precision.  Later,  in  a  prosecution  lor  arson 
with  intent  to  defraud  insurance  companies,  the 
district  attorney  was  opposed  by  his  late  precep- 
tor, Judge  Wilson,  hut  al'teraclose  examination 
the  latter  was  obliged  to  pronounce  the  indict- 
ments sufficient. 

In  another  instance,  .Mr.  Minor,  the  oldest 
member  of  the  liar,  and  one  of  the  most  accu- 
rate of  pleaders,  was  employed  for  the  defense, 
and  after  the  trial  he  complimented  Mr.  Smith 
on  the  skill  exhibited  in  framing  the  indict- 
ment, adding  that  he  had  examined  it  very 
critically,  with  the  hope  of  finding  some  flaw 
in  it,  but  was  unable  to  detect  any.  During  his 
term  of  office  he  was  required  to  deal  with 
other  cases,  presenting  some  peculiar  difficulty, 
in  all  of  which  his  management  was  highly 
c  editable.  The  forms  of  various  indictments 
which  he  prepared  have  since  been  printed  by 
a  Philadelphia  law  publishing  house,  and  adopted 
by  the  profession  throughout  the  State.  Atthe 
close  of  his  official  term  lie  was  renominated  by 
acclamation,  but  declined,  in  order  to  givecloser 
attention  to  his  rapidly  increasing  private  prac- 
tice. 

By  this  time  his  abilities  had  bee i  widely 

recognized,  and  thenceforth  his  advancement  in 
the  profession  was  rapid  and  permanent.  His 
aid  was  sought  in  numerous  important  eases. 
In  the  celebrated  series  of  trials  known  as  the 
"  Hollisterville  Cases,"  in  1879,  he  was  em- 
ployed by  the  prosecution  and  showed  ability  of 


a  high  order  in  their  management.  On  the 
trial  of  Benjamin  K.  Bortree,  for  murder,  in 
December,  1880,  he  was  engaged  for  the  de- 
fense and  contributed  largely  to  the  result  of 
saving  the  defendant  from  the  highest  penalty 
of  the  law.  (  >n  the  (rial  of  .lames  1'.  Me- 
Oabe,  for  murder,  In  March,  L886,  he  took 
the  leading  part  in  conducting  the  prosecution. 
Although  the  case  was  wholly  one  of  circum- 
stantial evidence,  and  the  defense  was  conduct- 
ed with  rare  ability,  the  testimony  for  the  com- 
monwealth was  so  effectively  presented,  and  its 
bearing  argued  with  such  convincing  force,  that 
a  verdict  of  murder  in  the  first  degree  was 
speedily  reached. 

It  is  not  in  criminal  cases  alone  that  Mr. 
Smith's  professional  attainments  have  been  ex- 
hibited. His  practice  has  embraced  numerous 
and  important  cases  in  the  civil  courts,  besides 
:in  office  business  of  a  varied  and  extensive  charac- 
ter. In  this  field  he  has  shown  many  of  the 
highest  qualities,  both  as  a  lawyer  and  an  advo- 
cate, and  his  care,  industry  and  vigilance  in  re- 
search permit  nothing  essential  to  be  over- 
looked. He  possesses,  in  a  high  degree,  the 
characteristics  that  distinguish  the  leaders  of 
the  profession, — a  ready  grasp  of  the  most  com- 
plicated questions  of  both  law  and  fact;  an  in- 
stinctive perception  of  the  vital  points  in  con- 
troversy and  of  the  legal  principles  that  must 
govern  their  determination  ;  a  quick  perception 
of  the  true  bearing  of  every  point,  and  unerring 
judgment  in  discriminating  between  the  mate- 
rial and  the  immaterial  ;  patience  and  thorough- 
ness iu  preparation  ;  tact,  address  and  discretion 
in  the  presentation  of  cases  ;  and  logical  force, 
candor  and  earnestness  in  argument.  His  suc- 
cess at  the  liar  has  been  won  by  his  natural  en- 
dowments, supplemented  by  careful,  systematic 
and  thorough  professional  training.  His  suc- 
cess is  the  more  noteworthy  from  the  circum- 
stance that  he  is  the  only  man  at  the  bar  of 
the  county,  excepting  Judge  Seely,  who  has 
achieved  a  substantial  success  in  the  community 
in  which  he  was  born  and  reared.  He  has  at- 
tained a  professional  eminence  almost  without 
precedent  in  one  of  bis  years,  under  similar 
conditions. 

William  Henky  Lei:,  oldest  child  of  Sam- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


uel  and  Anna  M.  Lee,  was  born  January  1, 
184!),  in  Clinton,  Wayne  County.  His  educa- 
tion was  begun  in  the  local  schools,  followed  by 
a  thorough  course  of  study  at  the  Waymart 
Normal  School  and  the  Delaware  Literary  In- 
stitute, Franklin,  N.  Y.  On  his  graduation 
from  the  latter,  in  June,  1871, he  was  awarded 
second  honors.  At  intervals  during  bis  studies 
be  engaged  in  teaching.  In  March,  1866,  he 
received  from  Rev.  E.  O.  Ward,  county  school 
superintendent,  his  first  teacher's  certificate.  In 
1870  he  received  the  ''Regent's  Certificate," 
from  the  New  York  State  Board  of  Regents. 
In  1S71  he  received  a  county  professional  cer- 
tificate, and  in  1874  received  one  of  the  first 
permanent  certificates  granted  in  the  county. 
Resides  teaching  various   public  schools  in   the 

county,  he  taught  these! 1  at  Meredith  Square, 

Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  and  the  Normal 
School  at  Waymart,  Wayne  County.  He  com- 
menced his  legal  studies  in  1871  under  the  di- 
rection of  S.  E.  Dinimick.  In  the  spring  of 
1873  he  entered  the  office  of  Wallers  &  Lent- 
ley,  and  remained  there  until  admitted  to  the 
bar,  December  L0,  1874.  He  has  since  been 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Pike  and  Susquehanna 
Counties. 

In  187")  he  was  appointed  deputy  treasurer 
of  the  county,  and  held  the  position  for  three 
years.  For  the  past  seven  years  he'  has  been 
attorney  for  the  borough  of  Honesdale.  For 
several  years  he  has  been  successively  chosen 
judge  of  election. 

Since  his  admission  Mr.  Lee  has  been  active- 
ly engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He 
is  among  the  best  read  of  those  who  have  come 
to  the  bar  during  the  past  twelve  years,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  energetic  and  tireless  workers 
in  the  profession.  He  is  an  earnest  and  fluent 
speaker  and  a  close  reasoner,  and  his  presenta- 
tion of  both  law  and  fact  are  clear,  thorough 
and  effective. 

Elwin  C.  MuMFORD,  a  son  of  ex- Judge 
Mumford,was  born  atStarucca,  Wayne  County, 
August  8,  1851.  He  received  a  good  education, 
read  law  with  Wallers  &  Bentley  and  was  ad- 
mitted September  (i,  1876.  In  1878  he  was 
elected  district  attorney.  During  his  term  of 
office  the  trials  of  Mrs.  Van  Alstine  and  Benja- 


min K.  Bortree,  for  murder,  took  place,  and 
also  the  noted  "  Hollisterville  Cases."  In 
March,  1886,  he  defended  John  Howell,  who 
was  indicted  for  the  murder  of  his  four  chil- 
dren, the  result  being  an  acquittal  on  the 
ground  of  insanity.  Mr.  Mumford  is  attorney 
for  a  large  mercantile  agency,  and  gives  much 
attention  to  the  practical  application  of  legal 
methods  to  matters  growing  out  of  the  relation 
of  debtor  and  creditor.  In  this  tield  he  ranks 
as  one  of  the  most  alert  and  efficient  attorneys 
ai  the  bar. 

HOMER  GREENE  was  born  January  10,  1853, 
at  Number  1!),  in  Salem  (now  Ariel,  in  Lake), 
township,  Wayne  County,  Pa.  He  is  the  only 
son  of  Hon.  Giles  Greene,  of  that  place.  He 
was  graduated  from  Union  College  with  the 
class  of  1876,  receiving  the  degrees  of  A.B. 
and  C.E.  ;  and  from  the  Albany  Law  School 
with  the  class  of  1877,  receiving  the  degree  of 
LL.B.  He  was,  at  the  same  time,  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York 
State. 

In  the  summer  of  1877  he  came  to  Hones- 
dale  and  entered  upon  a  course  of  study  in  the 
office  of  H.  M.  Seelv,  Esq.,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Wayne  County  December  10,  1X7X. 

In  the  fall  of  1881  he  was  elected  district 
attorney  of  Wayne  County,  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and  held  that  office  for  one  term  of  three 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  resumed  the 
private  practice  of  the  law. 

Mr.  Greene  has  attained  considerable  emi- 
nence in  the  field  of  literature,  and  the  reader 
is  referred  to  that  portion  of  the  chapter  upon 
Honesdale,  which  is  devoted  to  the  press  and 
writers,  where  a  more  extended  sketch  of  him 
will  be  found. 

William  J.  Tracy  was  the  youngest  son 
of  Milton  C.  Tracy,  and  was  born  in  the  city  of 
New  York  February  16,  1859.  He  studied 
for  the  bar  at  Columbia  Law  School,  New 
York,  and  in  Honesdale,  under  the  direction  of 
F.  M.  Crane.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
May  7,  1879.  He  soon  afterward  formed  a 
partnership  with  Hon.  E.  O.  Hamlin.  In  18X2 
he  was  appointed  attorney  for  the  county  com- 
missioners, and  held  the  position  for  three 
years. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


185 


Alonzo  T.  Searle,  third  son  of  Rev.  R. 
T.  and  Emily  A.  Searle,  was  born  in  Berkshire 
County,  Mass.,  September  13,  IN."}?.  He  was 
graduated  from  Amherst  College  in  1877.  Af- 
ter reading  law  for  some  time  in  Williamsport, 
Pa.,  he  completed  the  course  of  study  in  Hones- 
dale,  under  the  direction  of  G.  G.  Waller,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  October  2,  1882.  After 
admission  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Waller,  the  firm-name  being  Waller  A  Sialic 

Frank  M.  Monaghan,  youngest  son  of 
Richard  and  Elizabeth  Monaghan,  was  born  in 
Honesdale  May  10,  1857.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  place,  and  for 
several  years  was  employed  as  a  teacher.  He 
read  law  under  the  direction  of  William  H. 
Dimmick,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  October 
2,  1882.  In  1884  he  was  elected  district  at- 
torney, without  opposition. 

Orvilee  L.  Rowland,  second  son  of  Hon. 
George  H.  and  Kate  A.  Rowland,  was  born  in 
Lackawaxen  township,  Pike  County,  Novem- 
ber 20,  1859.  His  education  was  acquired  in 
the  local  schools  and  at  Wyoming  Seminary. 
He  studied  law  under  the  direction  of  H.  M. 
Seely.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Albany 
Law  School  in  November,  1880,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  Wayne  County  December 
4,  1882. 

James  J.  McCakty  and  Charles  A.  Mc- 
Carty  aresons  of  James  and  Margaret  Me(  arty, 
of  Canaan,  Wayne  County,  and  are  natives  of 
that  township. 

James  was  born  December  18,  1855.  He  be- 
gan his  education  in  the  local  schools,  and  af- 
terward attended  the  Prompton  Normal  School. 
He  was  graduated  from  the  Law  School  of  the 
University  of  Michigan  March  26,  1884,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Wayne  County 
October  6,  1884. 

Charles  McCarty  was  born  February  2'2, 
1858.  His  education  began  in  the  local  schools, 
and  he  subsequently  attended  Wyoming  Semi- 
nary, at  Kingston,  Pa.  He  studied  law  under 
the  direction  of  George  G.  Waller,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  May  10,  1883.  He  com- 
menced practice  in  Honesdale,  and  on  the  ad- 
mission of  James,  the  brothers  formed  a  partner- 
ship. On  the  trial  of  James  P.  McCabe  for  the 
21 


murderof  Michael  Reilly,  at  March  Term,  1886, 
they  were  associated  with  Cornelius  Smith,  of 
Scranton,  the  elder  brother  opening  the  case  for 
the  defense  and  the  younger  making  the  open- 
ing argument. 

M.  M.  Treadwell,  son  of  Nathaniel  and 
Emeline  C.  Treadwell,  was  horn  at  Ipswich, 
Mass.,  September  17,  1842.  He  was  educated  in 
the  local  schools.  During  the  Rebellion  he  en- 
tered the  Union  army  ;  enlisting  in  June,  1861, 
in  the  Twelfth  Massachusetts  volunteers.  He 
served  first  as  commissary  sergeant,  and  sub- 
sequently as  quartermaster.  July  8,  1864,  he 
was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment,  its  term  of 
enlistment  having  expired.  In  November  fol- 
lowing he  returned  to  City  Point,  Ya.,  where 
he  was  employed  in  a  civil  capacity  at  army 
headquarters  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Some 
four  years  later  he  came  to  Wayne  County.  He 
read  law  under  the  direction  of  E.  Richardson, 
in  Hawley,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  Decem- 
ber 5,  1883.  He  has  since  been  engaged  in 
practice  in  Hawley. 

Frank  P.  Kimble,  second  son  of  Herman 
N.  Kimble,  was  born  in  Palmyra,  Pike  County, 
October  17,  1852.  He  received  a  liberal  edu- 
cation, and  was  graduated  from  the  State  Nor- 
mal School,  at  Mansfield,  in  1878.  He  read 
law  under  the  direction  of  C.  S.  Minor,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  March  3,  1886.  During  a 
part  of  his  term  of  study  he  was  employed  as 
deputy  prothonotary. 

Myron  E.  Simons,  youngest  son  of  John 
Simons,  was  born  in  Sterling,  Wayne  County, 
May  14,  1860.  He  read  law  with  Rlakesleecfe 
Davies,  iu  Montrose,  and  was  there  admitted  to 
practice.  He  came  to  Wayne  County  iu  Janu- 
ary, 1885,  and  received  the  appointment  of 
commissioners'  clerk,  which  he  still  holds.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Wayne  County 
March  13,  1886. 

Rhamanthtjs  M.  Stocker,  son  of  Albert 
Stocker,  was  born  in  Salem,  Wayne  County, 
October  5,  1848.  In  addition  to  the  education 
given  by  the  local  schools,  he  studied  for  some 
time  at  the  Honesdale  graded  school  and  at- 
tended Lafayette  College  for  a  year.  For  several 
years  he  was  engaged  in  teaching,  and  for  four 
years  was  principal  of  the  graded  school  in  Jer- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


myn,  Luzerne  (now  Lackawanna)  County.  In 
1881  he  was  elected  register  and  recorder.  He 
read  law  with  G.  G.  Waller,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  May  3,  1886. 

III.  Attorneys  in  Temporary  Practice. 
John  D.  Taylor,  like  Mr.  Wescott,  was 
first  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Philadelphia,  came 
to  Wayne  County  as  an  agent  for  Philadelphia 
land-owners,  and  made  professional  business 
secondary  to  his  employment  as  land  agent.  He 
did  not,  however,  prove  well  adapted  to  the 
latter  pursuit.  Though  a  good  surveyor,  under 
favorable  conditions,  and  familiar  with  the  use 
of  his  instruments  in  the  open  field,  he  became 
bewildered  among  the  forests,  hills  and  swamps 
of  Wayne  County,  and  finally  gave  up  the 
agency  to  Stephen  Torrey.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Wayne  Angus!  25,  1829.  In  1834 
he  was  appointed  deputy  attorney-general  for 
the  county,  and  held  the  office  for  about  a  year. 
In  1837  he  removed  to  what  was  then  the  far 
West,  and  subsequently  engaged  in  business  as  a 
broker  in  St.  Louis. 

John  I.  Allen  came  to  Wayne  County  from 
the  State  of  New  York.  He  studied  law  in 
Schoharie  County,  in  that  State,  and  was  there 
admitted  to  the  bar.  He  came  to  Wayne  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  county  in  183!). 
He  took  an  active  part  in  politics,  and  soon 
became  interested  in  journalism.  January  1 , 
1842,  he  became  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Wayne  Count//  Herald,  the  Democratic  organ  of 
the  county.  In  December,  1844,  he  gave  up 
the  editorial  charge  of  the  paper  to  John  W. 
Myers/though  still  remaining  proprietor,  and 
frequently  contributing  to  its  columns.  August 
5,  1845,  he  resumed  the  editorial  chair,  but  in 
December  following  sold  the  paper  to  William 
II.  Dimmick,  then  State  Senator.  In  1846  he 
went  to  Easton,  where  he  was  connected  with 
the  Easton  Sentinel  for  some  two  years.  He 
then  returned  to  Honesdale,  where  he  remained 
for  several  years.  In  1855  he  went  to  Carbon- 
dale,  and  took  charge  of  a  Democratic  news- 
paper, but  in  a  few  months  the  office  was  burned 
out.  He  again  returned  to  Honesdale,  where 
he  remained  until  his  death.  He  was  accidentally 
drowned  by  falling  from  the  tow-path  bridge,  at 


Honesdale,  into  the   Lackawaxen,  on   the  night 
of  June  5,  1859. 

Iea  Vadakix  came  from  Susquehanna 
County,  studied  law  with  Earl  Wheeler,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  January  31,  1842.  Mr. 
Wheeler  removing  to  Honesdale  on  the  transfer 
of  the  county-seat  to  that  place,  Mr.  Yadakin 
purchased  his  residence  in  Bethany  and  re- 
mained there  to  practice.  In  1852  he  purchased 
a  farm  in  Dybcrry,  ami  exchanged  professional 
pursuits  for  the  life  of  a  farmer.  A  few  years 
later  he  sold  this  property  and  removed  to  Sus- 
quehanna County. 

Simeon  Gager  Throop,  long  known  in 
Wayne  County  as  "  Squire  Throop,"  was  born 
at  Boswell,  Conn.,  January  4,  1790.  "When 
quite  young  he  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Hudson,  X.  Y.  He  read  law  in  the  office  of 
Hon.  Elisha  Williams,  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished old-time  lawyers  of  the  State  of  New- 
York.  After  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  re- 
moved to  Chenango  County,  N.  Y.,  and  en- 
gaged in  practice  with  considerable  success.  He 
also  entered  into  politics  with  great  zeal,  as  a 
supporter  of  Governor  Clinton,  and  in  1816 
was  elected  to  the  Legislature.  In  that  body 
he  proved  himself  an  able  debater,  and  gave 
evidence  of  marked  ability  in  dealing  with 
public  affairs.  He  shared  in  the  downfall  of 
the  Clinton  wing  of  his  party,  and  never  again 
became  a  candidate,  though  still  retaining  much 
political  influence  in  his  district.  He  came  to 
Honesdale  in  1842,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Wayne  County  bar  September  1st.  After  a  few 
years  of  practice  he  yielded  to  the  desire  of  the 
leading  business  men  of  the  place  and  accepted 
the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  He  held  this 
position  for  ten  years.  In  1866  he  removed  to 
Stroudsburg.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
that  county,  and  subsequently  became  one  of 
the  associate  judges.  He  died  at  Stroudsburg 
February  14,  1877.  His  last  words  were:  "I 
have  my  eye  on  the  gun — I  am  prepared  for 
the  discharge." 

Mr.  Throop  was  a  man  of  much  ability,  a 
good  speaker,  possessed  of  social  qualities  that 
made  him  highly  popular  and  with  a  vein 
of  quaint  humor  that  made  his  conversation 
very  entertaining.     In   habit  of  thought,  Ian- 


WAYN  B  COUNTY. 


187 


guageand  address  he  was  a  high-minded,  genial 
gentleman  of  the  old  school. 

Frederick  Saxton  came  from  Vermont, 
and  studied  law  at  Montrose,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Franklin  Lusk.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Wayne  County  December  5,  1  8  12. 
He  practiced  in  Mount  Pleasant  for  a  few  years. 
The  date  of  his  removal  cannot  be  ascertained, 
except  that  it  was  later  than  September,  1844  ; 
and  in  1849  he  was  practicing  law  in  Carbon- 
dale.  He  subsequently  returned  to  Wayne 
County,  but  *  1  ii I  not  resume  practice;  and  some 
of  his  later  years  were  passed  on  a  farm  in 
Damascus. 

Elias  (tRIswold  read  law  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  in  Utica,  N.  Y.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Wayne  County  December  10, 
1842.  After  remaining  some  three  years  in 
Honesdale,  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Central 
New  York. 

Hiram  Beois,  son  of  David  and  Abigail 
Blois,  is  a  native  of  Salisbury,  Litchfield 
County,  Conn.  He  is  the  oldest  living  member 
of  the  Wayne  County  bar;  as  old,  in  fact,  as 
the  courts  of  the  county, — having  been  born  on 
the  day  ou  which  they  were  first  opened  :  Sep- 
tember 10,  1798.  He  attended  the  schools  of 
his  native  town  uutil  he  was  sixteen  years  old. 
He  subsequently  studied  medicine  ;  and  remov- 
ing to  Wayne  County  in  1829, commenced  prac- 
tice in  Salem.  He  also  engaged  later  in  the 
practice  of  dentistry.  After  reaching  middle 
life  he  turned  his  attention  to  law.  He  studied 
with  Charles  K.  Robinson,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  September  9,  1843.  After  practicing 
in  Honesdale  until  1850,  he  gave  up  the  profes- 
sion and  returned  to  Salem,  where  he  still  lives. 

RUFUS  M.  Grenele  was  a  native  of  Clinton, 
Wayne  County.  He  was  a  younger  brother  of 
Hon.  Virgil  Grenell,  who,  at  the  time  of  his 
admission,  was  an  associate  judge.  He  read  law 
in  Honesdale  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  May 
2,  1844.  A  little  more  than  a  year  afterward 
he  was  appointed  deputy  attorney -general  for 
the  e&unty, commencing  his  duties  at  September 
Term,  1845.  He  held  this  position  for  three 
years.  In  1848  he  was  elected  prothcnotary, 
and  held  the  office  for  three  years.  Some  two 
or  three  years  later  he  left  the  county. 


John  Marios  Alexander  came  to  Wayne 
County  from  the  State  of  New  York.  He  read 
law  under  the  direction  of  Charles  K.  Robinson 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  December  2,  1844. 
He  practiced  in  Pleasant  Mount,  and  married 
Anna  T.,  daughter  of  Eldad  Atwater,  of  that 
village.  In  the  spring  of  1840  he  went  to 
Luzerne  County,  and  practiced  there  for  several 
years.  He  was  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Kansas,  but  subsequently  returned  East  and 
spent  sume  time  in  Vineland,  X.  J.  He  after- 
ward went  to  Florida,  where  his  family  now 
resides.  He  lias  twodaughters — Blanche,  born 
in  Pleasant  Mount  in  the  spring  of  1846,  and 
Lizzie,  born  during  his  residence  in  Kansas. 
The  latter,  with  her  husband,  George  Rhodes, 
resides  in  Florida. 

Jacob  A.  Kanotjse  read  law  in  the  State  of 
New  Jersey  and  was  first  admitted  to  practice  in 
that  State.  February  8,  1845,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Wayne  County.  He  opened  an 
office  in  Honesdale,  but  remained  only  a  few 
months.  He  subsequently  went  to  Texas,  and 
there  engaged  in  the  business  of  cattle  raising. 

Joseph  D.  West  came  to  Wayne  County 
from  New  York  about  the  year  1842.  He  be- 
gan to  read  law  with  Thomas  Fuller.  After  the 
death  of  Mr.  Fuller,  in  December,  1843,  he 
continued  his  studies  in  the  office  of  Ebenezer 
Kingsbury.  Mr.  Kingsbury  dying  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  Mr.  West  completed  his  prepara- 
tion for  the  bar  under  the  direction  of  Earl 
Wheeler,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  May  5, 
1845.  Soon  after  coming  to  Honesdale  he  was 
appointed  secretary  of  the  Wayne  County  Mu- 
tual Fire  Insurance  Company,  and  held  that 
position  until  the  company  closed  its  business. 
December  9,  1845,  he  was  married  to  Harriet, 
daughter  of  Isaac  P.  Foster,  of  Honesdale.  In 
1850  he  was  the  Whig  candidate  for  the  office 
of  district  attorney,  but  the  county  being 
strongly  Democratic,  F.  M.  Crane,  the  Demo- 
cratic nominee,  was  elected.  In  the  fall  of  1851 
he  removed  to  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Howkin  Bulkeley  Beakdslee  was  born 
in  Mount  Pleasant,  Wayne  County,  April  15, 
1821.  He  subsequently  removed  with  his  par- 
ents to  Indian  Orchard,  in  Texas  township.  In 
October,  1845,  he  was  elected  register  and  re- 


188 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


corder  of  the  county.  He  had  already  com- 
menced reading  law,  first  under  the  direction 
of  Mr.  Kingsbury  and  afterward  in  the  office 
of  Mr.  Wheeler,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
December  3,  1845.  He  practiced  little,  how- 
ever, and  his  attention  thereafter  was  given 
chiefly  to  politics  and  journalism.  About  August 
1,  1847,  he  became  the  owner  of  the  Wayne 
Count)/  Herald,  the  Democratic  organ  of  the 
county.  James  H.  Norton,  another  lawyer- 
journalist,  was  for  a  time  associated  with  him  in 
the  management  of  the  paper.  Early  in  1849 
Mr.  Beardslee  became  the  sole  editor  and  pub- 
lisher. In  1859  he  was  elected  to  the  House 
of  Representatives.  In  March,  1860,  Thomas 
J.  Ham  became  assistant  editor  of  the  Herald. 
In  September,  1861,  Mr.  Beardslee  sold  the 
newspaper  establishment  to  Mr.  Ham  and 
Charles  Menner,  and  for  a  time  retired  from 
the  journalistic  field.  In  1862  he  was  elected 
district  attorney.  In  186-']  he  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate,  and  resigned  the  former  office.  In 
May,  L869,  he  became  indirectly  interested  in 
the  publication  of  the  Wayne  County  Democrat, 
which  was  at  first  published  semi-weekly  and 
afterward  weekly.  September  16,  1869,  Hon. 
Wm.  H.  Dimniick,  district  attorney,  having 
been  nominated  for  representative,  resigned  the 
former  office  and  Mr.  Beardslee  was  appointed 
by  the  court  to  fill  the  vacancy.  He  held  the 
office  until  December,  1870.  In  1871  he  re- 
moved to  Wilkes-Barre  and  assumed  editorial 
charge  of  the  Luzerne  Union,  the  leading  Dem- 
ocratic organ  of  Luzerne  County.  In  1879  he 
retired  from  the  Union.  In  1882  he  commenced 
the  publication  of  the  Luzerne  County  Herald. 
He  died  of  consumption  March  11,  1886,  at 
the  old  family  homestead  at  Indian  Orchard,  to 
which  he  had  been  removed  a  short  time  pre- 
viously, in  the  hope  that  his  health  might  there 
improve. 

John  W.  Myers  came  to  Wayne  County 
from  the  State  of  New  York.  He  first  engaged 
in  the  newspaper  business,  and  in  December, 
1844,  succeeded  John  I.  Allen  in  the  editorial 
charge  of  the  Wayne  County  Hercdd,  tin-  Demo- 
cratic organ  of  the  county.  August  5,  1845, 
he.  retired  from  this  position  and  Mr.  Allen  re- 
sumed   the    editorial    chair.     Meantime,    Mr. 


Myers  had  commenced  the  study  of  law,  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  Allen,  and  May  6,  1846, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  At  December 
Term,  1847,  he  assisted,  in  behalf  of  the  com- 
monwealth, on  the  trial  of  Harris  Bell  for  the 
murder  of  Mrs.  Eliza  Williams,  Messrs. 
Wheeler  and  Minor  being  the  senior  counsel. 
He  left  the  county  soon  afterward  and  sailed 
for  the  East  Indies,  but  died  on  ship-board  and 
was  buried  in  the  Indian  Ocean. 

James  H.  Norton  read  law  in  Connecticut, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Litchfield 
County,  in  that  State,  April  15,  1846.  He 
soon  afterward  came  to  Honesdale,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  Wayne  County  September 
9;  1846.  In  1847  he  became  associated  with 
H.  B.  Beardslee  in  the  publication  of  the  Wayne 
County  Herald,  but  severed  his  connection  with 
that  paper  in  1849.  At  December  Term,  1847, 
and  February  Term,  1848,  he  acted  as  deputy 
attorney  general,  under  a  temporary  appoint- 
ment by  the  court,  Mr.  Grenell,  the  deputy, 
being  for  some  reason  unable  to  act.  He  removed 
from  the  county,  as  nearly  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained, about  the  year  1855. 

Milton  Crane  Tracy,  the  eldest  son  of 
Elias  B.  Tracy  and  Caroline  Crane,  his  wife, 
was  born  at  Salisbury,  Litchfield  County,  Conn., 
in  the  year  1822.  He  was  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Thomas  Tracy,  who,  settling  at  Norwich  in 
1660,  and  rearing  six  sons,  was  the  original 
head  of  a  family  which  rendered  good  service 
in  founding  and  establishing  the  colony  of  Con- 
necticut;  which,  at  a  later  period,  was  well  rep- 
resented in  the  Continental  army,  and  which, 
still  later,  had  one  of  its  members  in  the  first 
Senate  of  the  United  States. 

Elias  B.  Tracy  died  when  his  son  was  but 
ten  years  old,  and  the  latter,  two  years  after- 
wards, went  to  live  upon  a  farm  near  Lime 
Rock,  Conn.,  owned  by  a  distant  relative.  Here 
he  remained  until  nearly  eighteen,  working 
upon  the  farm  in  summer  and  in  winter  attend- 
ing the  common  school  in  the  neighborhood. 
His  progress  in  his  studies  was  so  rapid,  and 
his  love  of  books  so  marked,  as  to  attract  the  at- 
tention of  his  uncle,  Frederick  M.  Crane, 
through  whose  instrumentality,  in  the  winter  of 
1840,  Milton   entered  the  academy  at  Pough- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


keepsie,  N.  Y.  His  stay  there  was,  however, 
very  brief.  Beuson  J.  Lossing,  the  historian, 
visited  the  school  in  the  fall  of  1840,  and,  at 
his  wish,  Milton  removed  to  New  York  City 
to  accept  a  position  as  a  teacher  in  the  Mechanics' 
Institute  School,  an  academy  of  great  reputation 
and  high  grade,  of  which  Mr.  Lossing  was  a 
trustee. 

Mr.  Tracy  taught  in  this  institution  for  about 
three  years,  in  a  subordinate  capacity,  pursuing 
at  tlic  same  time,  outside  of  school  hours,  an 
advanced  course  of  study,  including  all  the 
branches  usually  comprised  in  the  classical  or 
mathematical  collegiate  curriculum  of  that  day. 
He  labored  under  the  great  disadvantage  of 
having  no  instructor,  but,  thanks  to  a  retentive 
memory  and  a  mind  naturally  quick  and  acute, 
joined  to  habits  of  the  closest  application,  he 
qualified  himself  so  thoroughly  that,  at  the  close 
of  the  period  named,  he  received  the  honorary 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts  upon  passing  an  ex- 
ceedingly creditable  examination. 

At  twenty-three  he  was  appointed  principal 
of  Mechanics'  Institute  and  held  the  position 
for  two  years,  leaving  the  city  in  18  Hi  and  re- 
moving to  Honesdale,  Pa.,  for  the  purpose  of 
studying  law  with  his  uncle,  F.  M.  Crane,  then 
in  active  practice  in  Wayne  County.  In 
September,  18-18,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Wayne  County  bar,  and  at  once  entered  into 
business  with  Mr.  Crane. 

In  the  spring  of  1849  it  became  necessary  for 
him  to  go  to  New  York  upon  some  matter  con- 
nected with  his  profession,  and  the  fact  of  his 
presence  in  the  city  being  known  at  Mechanics' 
Institute,  some  four  hundred  of  his  former 
pupils  presented  a  petition,  unknown  to  him, 
to  the  trustees  of  the  institute,  asking  that 
measures  be  taken  to  induce  Mr.  Tracy  to  re- 
sume his  old  position  as  principal. 

The  trustees  were  themselves  exceedingly 
anxious  to  have  him  return,  and  so  attractive 
an  offer  was  made  to  him  that  Mr.  Tracy  felt 
constrained  to  accept  it.  He  remained  in  charge 
of  the  institute  for  many  years,  and  although  a 
member  of  the  New  York  City  bar,  and  having 
a  law-office  there,  yet  the  cares  of  the  school  con- 
sumed the  greater  portion  of  his  time,  which 
was  also,  to  some  extent,  taken  up  with  the   la- 


bor of  writing,  preparing  and  compiling  a  series 
of  school-books,  that  for  an  extensive  period 
were  adopted  by  the  city  schools,  and  used 
therein.  In  1860  he  removed  from  New  York, 
to  take  charge  of  an  excellent  academy  at  Tar- 
rytown,  on  the  Hudson,  the  location  of  which 
was  afterward  changed  to  Sing  Sing,  a  few  miles 
further  up  the  river. 

In  1865  his  health  began  to  fail.  Overwork, 
care  and  the  strain  of  incessant  study  combined 
to  weaken  an  iron  constitution.  In  the  winter 
of  1866  he  went  to  Ripon,  Wis.,  thinking  that 
the  trip  would  be  of  benefit  to  him,  and  there, 
at  the  house  of  an  old  friend,  June  9,  1866,  he 
died.  His  mental  faculties  were  retained  clear 
and  bright  to  the  last  moment. 

Milton  C.  Tracy  was  a  sincere  Christian,  and 
greatly  attached  to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
which  he  was  a  member.  In  disposition  he  was 
kind,  generous  and  benevolent,  although  by 
nature  reserved,  quiet  and  perhaps  rather  cold 
and  stern  in  appearance.  He  was  charitable 
beyond  the  bounds  of  prudence,  and  while  a 
resident  of  New  York  was  identified  with  and 
an  active  member  of  various  societies  and  mis- 
sions for  the  relief  of  the  poor.  In  habits, 
character  and  speech  he  was  absolutely  pure  and 
correct.  His  greatest  passion  was  his  love  of 
books,  and  his  character  as  a  lawyer  was  much 
affected  by  this  trait.  He  loved  the  study,  but 
not  the  practice  of  the  law.  Nothing  was  more 
congenial  to  his  tastes  than  to  intently  and 
thoroughly  study  abstract  principles,  and  no- 
thing could  be  more  distasteful  than  the  peculiar 
annoyances  which  every  busy  lawyer  daily  meets 
with,  and  of  which  his  practice  had  its  full 
share. 

Mr.  Tracy  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
died  in  1863.     His  second  wife  survived  him. 

William  Minor  was  a  native  of  Peekskill, 
N.  Y.  After  graduating  from  Yale  College  he 
came  to  Honesdale,  and  read  law  under  the  di- 
rection of  his  cousin,  C.  S.  Minor.  He  was  for 
some  time  deputy  prothonotary  while  P.  S. 
Goodrich  held  that  office.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  December  3,  1 849,  and  for  about  a  year 
afterward  practiced  in  Honesdale.  His  health 
failing,  he  returned  to  Peekskill.  He  died 
there  December  28,  1853. 


190 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Henry  Peet  was  born  in  Bridgeport,  Conn., 
in  1827.  When  nineteen  years  old  he  went  to 
Cazenovia,  N.  Y.,  and  attended  the  academy  at 
that  place.  He  subsequently  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, and  came  to  Honesdale  for  that  purpose 
about  the  year  1848.  While  thus  engaged  he 
read  law  under  the  direction  of  Earl  Wheeler. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  February  4,  1852, 
and  commenced  practice  in  Honesdale.  In 
1856  he  was  elected  district  attorney,  but  in 
Is.")!),  beinga  candidate  for  re-election,  he  wasde- 
feated  by  Jackson  Woodward.  In  1863  he  re- 
moved to  Towanda,  Bradford  County,  where  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Paul  D.  Morrow, 
now  president  judge  of  the  judicial  district 
composed  of  Bradford  County.  He  died  Feb- 
ruary i:>,  L878. 

George  W.  Allen  was  a  son  of  John  I. 
Allen,  and  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York 
in  April,  1838.  He  learned  the  printing  busi- 
ness during  his  youth,  and  subsequently  studied 
law  witli  '  William  H.  &  S.  E.  Dimmick.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  May  3,  L859,  and  re- 
mained, for  a  time,  in  the  office  of  his  precep- 
tors. His  hearing  becoming  much  impaired, 
he  finally  gave  up  the  profession,  and  resumed 
work  in  a  printing-office.  He  left  Honesdale 
about  18G8,  going  first  to  Baltimore  and  subse- 
quently to  Newark.  He  returned  in  1873,  and 
died  in  Honesdale  October  10th  of  that  year. 

Marshal  Wheelek  was  a  son  of  Earl 
WTheeler.  He  studied  law  with  his  father,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  September  8,  1860. 
He  practiced  little,  however,  but  turned  his 
attention  to  civil  engineering  and  other  pur- 
suits. He  left  Wayne  County  about  the  year 
1872. 

Charles  F.  Eldred  was  a  son  of  Judge 
Eldred.  He  studied  law  partly  with  his  father, 
and  for  a  time  under  the  direction  of  his  broth- 
er-in-law, Judge  Hamlin,  in  Minnesota.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  December  5,  1860. 
During  the  Rebellion  he  served  in  a  regiment 
known  as  "Scott's  Nine  Hundred."  In  1870 
he  was  elected  district  attorney.  The  trial  of 
Laugendorfer  for  murder  took  place  during  his 
term  of  office.  He  removed  to  the  AVest  about 
1873. 

Thomas  Hawkey  read  law  with  C.  P.  & 


G.  G.  Waller,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  May 
4,  1864.  In  1866  he  was  elected  register  and 
recorder.  Soon  after  the  close  of  his  term  he 
removed  from  the  county.  He  died  at  Otisville, 
N.  Y.,  in  1870. 

Michael  Regan  was  a  native  of  Canaan, 
Wayne  County.  In  1863  he  was  elected  reg- 
ister and  recorder,  and  while  holding  that  office 
read  law  under  the  direction  of  F.  M.  Crane. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  May  9, 1866.  Some 
time  after  the  close  of  his  term  as  register  and 
recorder  he  removed  to  Luzerne  County.  When 
last  heard  from  he  was  practicing  law  in  the  city 
of  New  York. 

I'i;amis  AsiiniY  Doxy,  son  of  Henry  and 
Hannah  Dony,  was  born  at  Dundaff,  Susque- 
hannah  County,  Pa.,  May  3,  1841.  He  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Honesdale  about  the 
year  1843.  He  was  educated  at  the'  Staten 
Island  Institute  and  Wyoming  Seminary.  He 
read  law  at  Honesdale,  in  the  office  of  F.  M. 
(  'rani'  and  H.  M.  Seely,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  on  motion  of  Mr.  Crane,  February  3, 
1869.  Removing  then  to  Mauch  Chunk,  he 
practiced  there  for  four  years,  during  which 
period  he  was  master  in  Chancery  in  the  cele- 
brated  ease  of  Asa  Packer  vs.  Noble,  Hammett 
&Co.  In  1873  he  returned  to  Honesdale.  In 
1874  he  was  appointed  United  States  special 
agent,  to  investigate  and  perfect  the  title  to  the 
lands  belonging  to  the  Cherokee  Indians  in 
North  Carolina.  In  April,  1875,  he  entered 
the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Wyoming  Annual 
Conference. 

M.  M.  Thorp  was  a  native  of  Wayne  Coun- 
ty. He  read  law  with  D.  N.  Lathrope,  in  Car- 
bondale.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Wayne  County  May  6,  1870,  and  practiced  in 
Waymart  for  some  two  years  afterward.  In 
1872  he  received  the  Republican  nomination  for 
district  attorney,  but  declined  it,  and  soon 
afterward  removed  to  CarbondaJe.  He  there 
formed  a  partnership  with  C.  E.  Lathrope,  and 
remained  for  several  years.  He  finally  gave  up 
the  profession  aud  retired  to  a  farm  in  Canaan. 

H.  F.  Power  was  born  in  Honesdale  De- 
cember 5,  1849.  He  read  law  under  the  direc- 
tion of  William   H.   Dimmick,  and    was  ad- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


mitted  September  5,  1871.  He  gave  up  the 
profession  without  any  decided  effort  to  estab- 
lish himself  in  practice.  He  died  September 
19,  1882. 

Frank  B.  Brown,  sou  of  Peter  P.  Brown, 
was  born  in  Honesdale,  September  23,  1849. 
He  studied  law  under  the  direction  of  C.  F. 
Eldred,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  September 
5,  1871.  On  the  9th  of  December  following, 
Mr.  Eldred,  the  district  attorney,  having  re- 
signed that  office,  Mr.  Brown  was  appointed  to 
fill  the  vacancy.  In  1872  he  was  elected  to  the 
office,  and  held  it  for  three  years  following. 
During  his  incumbency  the  trial  of  Charles 
Regel  for  murder  took  place,  in  which  he  was 
assisted  by  Mr.  Eldred.  A  few  years  alter  the 
expiration  of  his  term  he  gave  up  the  profession 
and  removed  from  the  county. 

Lafayette  G.  Dimock,  a  son  of  Asa  W. 
Dimock,  was  born  at  Waymart,  Wayne  County. 
He  read  law  under  the  direction  of  C.  S.  Minor, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  December  6,1875. 
He  opened  an  office  in  Honesdale  and  also 
practiced  in  Waymart  for  a  time.  He  has  since 
retired  from  the  profession. 

Daniel  H.  Brown,  sec 1  son  of  Isaac  O. 

and  Charlotte  Brown,  was  born  in  Damascus, 
February  19,  1849.  He  was  will  educated, 
and  for  some  time  after  attaining  manhood  was 
engaged  in  teaching.  He  read  law  with  Hon. 
E.  O.  Hamlin,  and  was  admitted  September  14, 
1878.  In  January,  1884,  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  William  H.  Dimmick,  which  contin- 
ued two  years.  In  March,  1886,  he  removed 
to  Council  Grove,  Kansas. 

Wharton  Dickinson  was  admitted  Decem- 
ber 14,  1878,  on  a  certificate  of  previous  admis- 
sion to  the  bar  of  Luzerne  County.  He  opened 
an  office  in  Honesdale,  but  after  remaining  a 
year  or  upwards  removed  to  Scranton. 

Joseph  Benjamin  Dimmick,  second  son  of 
Hon.  Samuel  E.  and  Lucretia  B.  Dimmick,  was 
born  in  Honesdale  October  3,  1858.  He  was 
graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1881,  and 
studied  law  in  Honesdale  under  the  direction  of 
William  H.  Dimmick.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  October  2,  1882,  and  commenced  practice 
in  Honesdale.  In  November,  1883,  he  removed 
to  Scranton.     After  practicing  law  in  that  city 


until  November,  L885,  he  accepted  the  vice- 
presidency  of  the  Lackawanna  Valley  Bank. 
He  is  also  at  present  the  president  of  the  school 
board  of  the  city  of  Scranton. 

James  J.  O'Neill  is  a  son  of  Hugh  O'Neill, 
of  Carbondale,  and  a  cousin  of  Charles  B. 
O'Neill,  of  Honesdale.  He  studied  law  under 
the  direction  of  P.  P.  Smith,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  May  7, 1883.  After  remaining  in  Mr. 
Smith's  office  for  some  time  subsequent  to  his 
admission,  he  removed  to  Carbondale,  and  en- 
gaged in  practice  in  that  city. 

IV.     Law  Graduates. 

Charles  K.  Silkman  studied  successively 
with  Messrs.  Robinson,  Wheeler  and  Wescott, 
and  was  admitted  November  21,  1837.  No- 
thing is  known  of  his  subsequent  history. 

Milton  Dimmick  is  a  native  of  Milford, 
Pike  County.  He  studied  law  in  Bethany  with 
his  elder  brother,  William  II.  Dimmick,  and 
was  admitted  January  25,  1840.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Milford.  His  practice  in  Wayne 
County  was  confined  to  taking  charge  of  his 
brother's  business  while  the  latter  was  attend- 
ing to  his  duties  as  State  Senator,  to  which 
office  he  was  elected  in  1844. 

Ai;v  Bartlett  is  a  native  of  Prompton, 
Wayne  County.  He  was  educated  at  the  acad- 
emy in  Bethany,  and  subsequently  taught 
school.  He  read  law  with  R.  M.  Grenell  and 
F.  M.  Crane,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  May 
3,  1853.  He  married  Lucinda,  a  daughter  of 
Judge  Eldred,  and  removed  to  Kankakee,  111., 
where  he  commenced  practice.  President  Lin- 
coln subsequently  appointed  him  chief  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Dakota.  At  the  close 
of  his  term  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  resumed 
practice. 

Albert  Willis  came  to  Honesdale  from 
Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  and  engaged  in  teach- 
ing. He  read  law  under  the  direction  of  Earl 
Wheeler,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  Septem- 
ber 13,  1853.  He  soon  afterward  removed  to 
Tioga  County,  Pa. 

Milton  J.  Sloclm  is  a  native  of  Susque- 
hanna County.  He  studied  law  with  Earl 
Wheeler,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  May  3, 
1859.     He  returned  to  Susquehanna  County, 


192 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


retired  from  the  profession,  and  is  now  living 
in  California. 

George  W.  Edgett  is  a  native  of  Promp- 
ton,  Wayne  County.     He  read  law  with  C.   P. 

<&  G.  G.  Waller,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  May  3,  1859.  lie  soon  afterward  went  to 
Texas,  but  remained  only  a  short  time.  Pie 
subsequently  removed  to  Massachusetts. 

Jason  Torrey  is  the  youngest  of  three 
sons  of  Stephen  and  Mary  Torrey,  and  the  only 
our  who  survived  infancy.  He  was  born  in 
Honesdale,  May  31,  1839.  He  read  law  with 
C.  P.  &  G.  G.  Waller,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  liar  February  8,  1860.  He  never  engaged 
in  practice,  but  entered  the  service  of  the  Dela- 
ware ,v  Hudson  Canal  Co.,  and  was  employed 
mainly  in  connection  with  its  land  and  convey- 
ancing business.  He  died  at  Carbondale,  July 
20,  1868. 

Frederick  Fulleb  came  to  Honesdale 
and  entered  the  office  of  Earl  Wheeler,  May  1, 
1860.  He  had  previously  studied  ten  mouths 
in  Montrose,  under  the  direction  of  F.  B. 
Streeter,  ami  thirteen  months  in  Scranton,  in 
the  office  of  Sanderson  &  Willard.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  September  8,  1*60,  and 
soon  afterward  removed  from  the  county. 

Henry  W.  Box  was  born  in  England, 
but  came  to  Wayne  County  with  his  parents 
during  boyhood.  He  read  law  with  William 
II.  iV'  S.  E.  Dimuiiek,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  September  8,  1860.  He  subsequeutly 
removed  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  where  he  is  still  en- 
gaged in  practice. 

John  P.  Heath  is  a  native  of  Honesdale, 
and  son  of  the  late  Henry  Heath.  He  read 
law  under  the  direction  of  C.  P.  &  G.  G. 
Waller,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  May  9, 
1862.  He  removed  to  Hvde  Park,  Lacka- 
wanna County,  gave  up  the  profession  and  en- 
gaged in  teaching. 

George  V.  Brower  read  law  under  the 
direction  of  G.  G.  Waller,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  May  9,  1866.  He  subsequently  re- 
moved to  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged 
in  practice. 

Thomas  F.  Ham  and  Henry  H.  Ham  arc 
sons  of  John  C.  Ham,  of  Dyberry,  Wayne 
Couutv.     The   former   read    law   with  Wallers 


&  Bentley,  and  the  latter  with  S.  E.  Dim- 
mick.  Botli  were  admitted  to  the  bar  Decem- 
ber !),  1869,  and  soon  afterward  removed  to 
Wauseoh,  Ohio,  where  they  are  still  engaged 
in  practice.  The  former  married  a  daughter  of 
Isaiah  Scudder  of  Bethany. 

William  W.  Johnson  is  a  son  of  X.  B. 
Johnson,  a  resident  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
opposite  Laekawaxen.  He  read  law  with  Wal- 
lers &  Bentley,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
September  5,  1871.  He  soon  afterward  re- 
moved to  the  West. 

QucsrcT  A.  Gates,  a  son  of  Alpheus  W. 
Gates,  was  born  in  Scott,  Wayne  County, 
December  1!),  1847.  He  was  educated  at  the 
academy  in  Deposit,  Delaware  County,  N.  Y. 
He  read  law  with  Wallers  A:  Bentley,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  December  2,  1873. 
He  at  first  opened  an  office  in  Carbondale,  but 
in  the  spring  of  1874  removed  to  Wilkes- 
Barre,  where  he  has  since  continued  to  practice. 

John  F.  Wood  is  a  native  of  Pike  County. 
He  read  law  in  the  office  of  William  H.  Dim- 
mick,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  December 
13,  1878.  He  soon  afterward  removed  to  the 
West. 


CHAPTER   III. 

Medical  History— Sketches  of  Prominent  Physicians — Early 
Practice — Dentistry.1 

The  first  physician  who  settled  in  Wayne 
County  with  the  intention  of  making  it  his  per- 
manent residence  was  probably  Doctor  Lewis 
Collins,  of  Cherry  Ridge.  He  was  the  oldest 
son  of  Charles  and  Anna  Huntington  Collins, 
and  grandson  of  Rev.  Timothy  and  Elizabeth 
Hyde  (  'ollins,  of  Litchfield,  South  Farms,  Con- 
necticut. He  was  born  at  Litchfield  October 
29,  1753,  and  married,  for  his  first  wife,  June 
14,  1779,  Ruth,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Root, 
and  for  his  second  wife,  November  26,  1791, 
Louisa,  daughter  of  Oliver  and  Anna  Lyude 
Huntington,  of  Lebanon,  Conn.  That  Doctor 
Collins  pursued  his  medical  studies  with  Doctor 
Seth  Bird,  of  Litchfield,  and  that  he  wassome- 


1  This    chapter    was    chiefly  prepared  by  Dwight  Keed, 
M.D.,   of  Honesdale. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


what  learned  in  languages,  may  be  inferred  from 
the  following  certificate,  which  was  given  him 
by  Dr.  Bird  at  the  time  of  his  commencing  the 
practice  of  medicine,  and  which  is  yet  extant: 

"  To  whom  it  may  Concern:  These  may  certify  that 
the  subscriber,  having  been  personally  acquainted 
with  Dr.  Lewis  Collins,  of  Litchfield,  and  knowing  to 
his  having  closely  applied  himself  to  the  study  of 
Languages  and  Medicine  for  several  years  past  with 
judgment  and  good  proficiency  and  that  he  hath  been 
acquainted  with  the  most  difficult  cases  in  Practice, 
Wherein  he  hath  prescribed  and  administered  judi- 
ciously. Appearing  to  be  well  qualified  to  enter  on 
the  Practice  of  Physic  &  Surgery,  and  as  such  I  cor- 
dially recommend  him  to  any  People  where  he  may 
incline  to  settle. 

"Certified  per  Seth  Bird,  Physician. 

"Litchfield,  18th  May,  1776." 

Dr.  Collins  practiced  for  a  time  at  Saybrook, 

Conn.,  and  during  the  War  of  the  Revolution 
was  a  surgeon  in  the  Revolutionary  army. 
From  Saybrook  he  removed  to  Old  Guilford, 
where  he  remained  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion until  the  year  1800,  when  he,  with  his  family, 
emigrated  to  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  and  purchased 
anil  settled  on  what  was  then  known  as  the 
Jacob  Stanton  place,  at  Little  Meadows,  in 
Salem  township,  where  he  remained  until  LSI):], 
when,  wishing  to  locate  nearer  the  centre  of  his 
field  of  practice,  he  bought  and  moved  on  to 
the  Enos  Wroodward  farm,  since  known  as  the 
Collins  farm,  in  Cherry  Ridge.  Here  he  re- 
sided up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1818.  The 
doctor,  as  was  the  custom  in  those  days,  com- 
pounded the  medicine  he  used  and  carried  it 
about  with  him  in  his  saddle-bags.  His  field  of 
practice  was  large  and  the  journeys  to  visit 
his  patients  were  performed  on  horseback 
through  an  almost  wilderness  country  extending 
to  Paupack  settlement,  in  Pike  County,  Ster- 
ling, Salem,  Canaan,  Bethany,  Mount  Pleasant 
and  Damascus,  in  Wayne,  and  on  one  occasion 
he  was  called  and  traveled  as  far  away  as 
Owego,  N.  Y.,  and  several  times  to  Milford  to 
visit  the  sick.  Jabez  Bidwell,  of  Salem,  while 
chopping  fallow,  was  struck  on  the  head  by  a  fall- 
ing limb  of  a  tree,  which  fractured  his  skull, 
compressing  the  brain.  Doctor  Collins  was 
called  and  saw  at  once  the  necessity  of  perform- 
ing   the    operation    of  trepanning.     Not  being 


provided  with  a  trephine,  the  doctor  applied  to 
Robert  Bortree,  a  gunsmith  of  Sterling  and  a 
skillful  worker  of  steel,  who,  under  the  doc- 
tor's instructions,  worked  out  and  made  an  in- 
strument with  which  the  doctor  successfully 
performed  the  operation  on  Mr.  Bidwell,  who 
lived  many  years  after.  Dr.  Collins  was  one  of 
the  three  physicians — Doctors  Mahony  and 
Seely  being  the  other  two — who  made  the  post- 
mortem examination  of  the  remains  of  one 
Roswell,  who  was  poisoned  at  Bethany  by  Jones, 
and  for  which  Jones  was  hanged,  it  having 
been  found  that  Roswell  was  poisoned  with 
arsenic.  But  little  is  now  known  of  the  char- 
acteristics or  personal  appearance  of  DoctorCol- 
lins.  He  was  of  tall,  athletic  build,  sandy 
complexion  and  something  of  the  Roman  cast 
of  features,  lie  died  at  the  house  of  Simeon 
Anslev,  in  Paupack  settlement,  having  been 
taken  with  a  violent  fever  during  a  visit  to  one 
of  his  patients  at  that  place. 

Dr.  Thomas  J.  SEELY,  son  of  Col.  Sylvanus 
Seely,  was  born  at  Chatham,  X.  J.,  August  27, 
1786,  and  when  his  father  settled  in  Wayne 
County  was  a  boy  of  fourteen.  lie  commenced 
the  study  of  medicine  in  1804  with  his  brother, 
Dr.  John  W.  Seely,  who  was  then  practicing 
in  Greene  County,  Pa.  He  attended  lectures 
in  Philadelphia  in  1807,  and  located  at  a  place 
called  Yarrington,  not  far  from  his  brother. 
He  subsequently  settled  at  Greensburgh .  In 
1810  he  married  Hannah,  widow  of  Dr.  John 
Bell.  He  had  some  army  experience,  having 
served  both  as  a  surgeon  and  as  a  captain  of 
infantry  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  having  been 
present  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  where  the 
famous  Tecumseh  lost  his  life. 

In  1815  he  returned  with  his  family  to  Seely's 
Mills  and  moved  into  the  house  built  for  him, 
nosvand  for  many  years  known  as  the  Christian 
Eck  house.  Here  he  continued  to  reside,  with 
some  short  intervals  of  absence,  until  after  his 
father's  death,  combining  with  the  practice  of 
medicine,  not  a  very  secure  reliauce  for  income 
in  the  then  sparsely-settled  country,  such  other 
business  in  connection  with  his  father  as  came 
to  his  hand.  In  February,  1817,  he  appeared 
as  a  witness  in  the  inquest  upon  the  body  of 
Isaac  Rozel,   who  was  poisoned  by  Cornelius 


194 


WAVNK,   PIKE   AND   MONROE  ColWTIKS,   PENNSYLVANIA. 


Jones.  Jones  was  convicted  of  murder  and 
executed  November  15th,  that  year.  Dr.  Seely 
appears  to  have  allowed  his  eagerness  for  ana- 
tomical research  to  outrun  his  judgment,  since 
he  was  arrested  and  bound  over  for  disinterring 
the  body.  What  came  of  it  all  does  not  appear. 
After  his  father's  death  he  returned  to  Greeus- 
burgh  and  resumed  practice  there. 

Some  years  later  Dr.  Seely  suffered  a  severe 
injury  in  the  head  by  a  fall  from  his  horse.  He 
is  said  to  have  remarked  that  if  a  patient  of 
his  had  such  au  injury,  lie  should  expect  him 
to  lose  his  reason.  This  result  actually  ensued. 
When  his  wife  observed  the  first  symptoms  of 
mental  disorder  she  sent  for  a  council  of  phy- 
sicians, one  of  whom  afterwards  told  her  that 
they  consulted  Dr.  Seely  himself,  describing  the 
case  as  that  of  some  other  person.  His  daugh- 
ter relates  that  it  was  not  an  uncommon  occur- 
rence for  him  to  be  consulted  during  the  entire 
period  of  his  derangement,  his  mind  having 
always  been  clear  on  topics  of  medicine  and 
surgery. 

This  derangement  continued  to  nearly  the 
end  of  his  life.  He  spent  many  years  at  the 
home  of  his  sister,  Mrs.  Bruen,  in  Chatham,  and 
afterwards  lived  with  his  daughter  at  Evans- 
ville,  Indiana,  where  he  died  September  4, 1865. 
Shortly  before  his  death  his  long-beclouded 
reason  appeared  fully  restored,  and  he  passed 
the  last  few  weeks  in  the  full  possession  of  his 
faculties  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  firm  Chris- 
tian faith. 

His  eldest  daughter,  Cynthia  Dutton,  was 
married  to  Dr.  William  M.  Chartres,  a  distin- 
guished physician  of  Savannah,  Georgia,  and 
died  in  1860.  The  other  daughter,  Jane  Wil- 
liamson, now  lives  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana. 

Dr.  Seely  was  a  man  of  fine  presence,  great 
dignity  of  manner,  and  even  during  his  de- 
rangement conspicuously  gentle  and  courteous. 
Stories  told  of  him  by  members  of  his  family 
indicate  remarkable  skill  and  boldness  in  sur- 
gery. His  wife,  a  little  woman  of  steady  nerves, 
was  often  called  upon  to  assist  in  important 
operations,  and  elicited  high  praise  for  her  cool- 
ness and  resolution. 

Florence  Mahony,  M.D.,  was  cotempo- 
rary  with  Drs.  Collins  and  Seely  at  Bethany  in 


1815,  and  was  born  at  Providence,  Rhode 
Island,  in  1794,  of  parents  who  came  from 
Ireland.  He  had  the  advantages  which  the 
schools  of  New  England  at  that  day  could  give, 
and  graduated  at  one  of  the  Massachusetts  med- 
ical colleges.  He  located  at  Bethany  in  1814 
for  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

In  1816  he  married  Christina,  daughter  of 
Ephraim  Kimble  (and  sister  of  the  late  Asa 
Kimble,  near  Bethany),  at  "  the  Narrows,"  now 
Kimble's  Station,  Pike  County,  and  there  were 
born  to  them  Asa  and  Melcena,  in  1817  and 
1818,  respectively.  The  boy  lived  with  his 
uncle,  Asa  Kimble,  until  he  arrived  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years,  sharing  precisely  the  same 
advantages  as  his  cousins  in  that  highly-respected 
family.  At  this  time  he  removed  to  Wiscon- 
sin, where  he  prospered  for  a  time,  but  died  in 
1858,  leaving  a  sun,  Florence  C.  Mahony.  The 
daughter,  Melcena,  had  an  excellent  home  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Welden,and  married  Amos 
Townsend,  of  Montague,  Sussex  County,  New 
Jersey,  they  having  eight  children,  among 
whom  is  Florence  Mahony  Townsend,  to  whom 
we  arc  indebted  for  this  brief  sketch. 

After  the  death  of  his  wife  at  Bethany,  in 
1821,  Dr.  Mahony  removed  to  the  county  town 
of  Pike,  practicing  far  and  near,  frequently 
crossing  the  Delaware  River  into  Sussex  Coun- 
ty, New  Jersey,  and  was  very  successful  in  his 
profession.  It  is  said  of  him  that  he  was  a 
Free-Mason,  and  there  is  a  biographical  frag- 
ment of  him  related  by  J.  R.  Keen,  Esq.,  a 
gentleman  now  residing  in  Honesdale,  aged 
eighty-five  years,  who  says  :  "  When  my  father 
had  a  ball  enter  his  hip  by  the  accidental  dis- 
charge of  a  gun,  one  of  his  medical  colleagues 
was  called,  who  dressed  the  wound  ;  but  after 
a  week  or  two,  finding  it  very  offensive  and  in  a 
sloughing  condition,  the  patient  was  carried  to 
Bethany  and  was  examined  by  Dr.  Mahony, 
who  removed  from  the  wound  the  wadding  of 
the  gun,  and  with  his  finger  reached  the  lodging- 
place  of  the  ball,  and  by  the  aid  of  a  razor  in 
enlarging  the  opening  secured  the  bullet  with 
his  finger,  after  which  recovery  was  rapid."  Dr. 
Mahony  died  at  Milford,  in  1828,  universally 
regretted. 

Isaac  Koosa. — This  Nestor  of  the  profession 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


195 


was  born  iii  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  February 
4,  1801  ;  received  his  diploma  to  practice  medi- 
cine and  surgery  in  1820;  married  Miss  Mary, 
daughter  of  Eliphalet  Kellogg,  Esq.,  of  Beth- 
any, June  7,  1821,  and  died  July  31,  1837. 
Their  son — an  only  child — John  P.  Roosa 
is  a  retired  merchant  and  successful  financier 
residing  at  Monticcllo,  N.  Y.,  aged  sixty-one 
years,  having  been  born  in  Bethany  in  1824. 
The  arrival  of  Dr.  Roosa  in  the  county  seat  of 
Wayne  must  have  been  a  welcome  one  to  the 
people  there.  Previously  there  had  been  no 
regularly  educated  and  scientifically  trained  phy- 
sician and  surgeon  there,  and  advanced  methods 
of  treating  the  siek,improved  surgical  instruments 
and  apparatus  were  now  instituted  to  supply  the 
place  of  the  razor,  carpenter's  saw  and  black- 
smith's trephine.  Fresh  from  a  respectable  med- 
ical institution,  Dr.  Roosa  opened  a  large  and 
beautiful  office,  with  his  name  and  title  upon  a 
gilded  sign,  the  shelving  filled  witli  neatly- 
labeled  bottles  and  packages  of  medicine,  the 
counter  decorated  with  the  inevitable  mortar 
and  pestle,  scales,  weights,  etc.  A  spacious  re- 
ception room  was  attached,  where  the  patient 
could  consult  bis  physician  in  seclusion,  an  ana- 
tomical room  where  were  specimens  of  the  art 
of  the  anatomist  and  the  surgeon,  where  the 
medical  student  might  pursue  his  dissections 
unmolested,  and  from  which  the  curiosity  seeker 
was  usually  excluded,  and  if  occasionally  ad- 
mitted, it  was  considered  by  him  a  distinguished 
favor.  His  medical  libi'ary  was  ample  and 
furnished  with  the  then  standard  works  of  the 
profession,  such  as  "Good's  Study  of  Medi- 
cine,""  Thomas'  Practice,"  "Cooper's Surgery," 
"  Bell's  Anatomy,"  works  of  "  Bichat  "  and 
"  Richeraud "  upon  physiology,  each  book 
labeled  with  the  printed  name  of  the  owner, 
containing  thereon  the  Latin  maxim  "  Legere  et 
non  Intelligere  est  Xegligere." 

Dr.  Roosa  was  of  the  sanguine-nervous  tem- 
perament, an  accomplished  practitioner  of  medi- 
cine, a  skillful  surgeon,  ardently  attached  to  his 
profession,  quick  to  think  aud  act,  gifted  with 
a  brilliant  mind,  affable  and  courteous  to  all 
and  generous  to  a  fault 

In  prognosis,  when  asked  for  an  opinion  in  a 
giveu  case,  it  was  his  characteristic  to  answer 


positively  and  promjitiif,  according  to  his  actual 
conviction  :  as  "  Madam,  I  think  yourchild  will 
die  ! "  or  "  You  need  have  no  fears  as  to  the  re- 
sult; he  will  get  well  !  " 

With  the  masses  of  the  people  he  was  very 
popular,  particularly  with  the  farmers  ;  for  as 
a  veterinarian  he  was  quite  as  ready  to  act  for 
them  as  in  his  usual  professional  capacity,  and 
wherever  there  was  an  injury  or  case  iff  sick- 
ness, the  exclamation  was,  "  Send  for  '  Rose  ! '" 
the  familiar  name  by  which  he  was  known. 
Around  the  domestic  fireside  many  have  been 
the  almost  marvelous  tales  related  of  him,  and 
no  greater  evidence  of  the  estimation  in  which 
he  was  held  by  his  cotemporaries  can  be  men- 
tioned than  the  fact  that  there  are  nuw  residing 
in  this  county  men  from  sixty  t<>  sixty-five 
years  of  age  who  bear  tin1  name  of  [saac  Roosa. 

Du.  Edwin  Graves  was  bom  in  Oueonta, 
Otsego  County,  N.  Y.,  August  1(1,  1804,  of 
humble  but  respectable  parents,  who  soon  after 
removed  to  Delaware  County,  N.  Y.  In 
that  region  of  country,  eighty  years  since,  the 
benefits  of  education  were  not  so  widely  diffused 
as  at  present,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
indebted  chiefly  to  his  own  exertion  and  ener- 
getic perseverance  for  so  much  practical  educa- 
tion as  fitted  him  for  future  usefulness,  and  laid 
the  foundation  for  a  career  as  honorable  to  him- 
self as  beneficial  to  the  community.  Having 
prepared  himself,  he  entered  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Western  New 
York,  at  Fairfield,  in  Herkimer  County,  then 
under  the  superintendence  of  Drs.  MoNaughton, 
De  Le  Mater,  Beck  and  others  of  similar  repu- 
tation in  the  profession.  Here  his  studious 
habits  and  untiring  assiduity  soon  attracted  the 
notice  of  the  professors,  by  whom  every  facility 
was  afforded  the  young  man  for  a  thorough 
school  training  in  the  healing  art.  It  is  recol- 
lected that  at  one  time  early  in  his  attendance 
at  that  institution,  when  every  dollar  he  pos- 
sessed was  stolen,  such  was  the  interest  felt  by  the 
faculty  in  his  progress  that  he  was  not  permitted 
to  retire  from  his  studies,  but  his  expenses  were 
generously  defrayed  by  the  professors ;  nor  was 
it  till  after  he  had  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
his  profession  and  accumulated  means  that  a 
reimbursement  was  accepted. 


196 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AXD  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  date  of  his  diploma  is  January  *22, 1830. 
In  possession  of  all  the  academic  honors  of  that 
institution,  he  commenced  practice  in  Wehawken 
(now  Hancock),  Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  in 
the  same  year,  where,  stimulated  by  an  honorable 
ambition,  he  soon  won  for  himself  a  high  stand- 
ing, and  there,  as  here,  in  after-years,  none  were 
too  humble  to  command  his  services. 

In  1833  he  formed  a  matrimonial  alliance 
with  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Hon.  John 
H.  Gregory,  of  Colchester,  Delaware  County, 
N.  Y.  Although  they  had  other  children,  only 
two  are  now  living  (1885), — Elizabeth,  who 
married  Charles  Torrey,  of  Bethany,  and  Mary, 
wife  of  George  Searle,  of  Honesdale. 

After  ten  years  of  the  most  unremitting  dil- 
igence in  a  laborious  practice  he  left  a  commu- 
nity in  which  all  regretted  his  removal  and 
located  in  Bethany,  in  the  hope  of  partially  re- 
lieving himself  from  the  perils  and  hardships 
of  travel  in  a  rough  and  broken  country  trav- 
ersed by  rudely  constructed  thoroughfares  ami 
often  impassable  streams.  After  the  decease 
of  Dr.  Isaac  Roosa,  in  1837,  he  purchased  his 
stock,  fixtures  and  anatomical  preparations 
and  entered  the  vacant  office  of  that  gentleman, 
being  assisted  by  his  brother-in-law,  Dr.  Har- 
rison Gregory,  now  of  Deposit,  N.  Y.  They  found 
the  field  an  ample  one,  and  the  people  ready 
and  anxious  to  receive  them — the  time  was  op- 
portune. He  now  engaged  in  an  extensive  and 
lucrative  practice,  in  robust  health,  living  liter- 
ally in  his  saddle  day  and  night.  It  Mas 
characteristic  of  him  to  assist  the  poor  with  the 
same  cheerful  and  prompt  readiness  as  the  more 
fortunate  and  wealthy,  exhibiting  in  this  re- 
spect the  higher  and  more  liberal  traits  of  the 
professional  character,  which,  bestowing  the 
practical  blessings  of  skill  and  science  upon  the 
human  family,  forgets  the  limited  views  of 
self-aggrandizement.  It  was  yet  the  fashion  for 
the  physician  to  furnish  medicines  himself  for 
his  patient,  and  it  was  proverbial  among  the 
masses  that  his  professional  charges  to  all  were 
absurdly  light,  while  he  gave  gratuitously  of 
his  medicines  without  hope  or  expectation  of 
reward.  In  fact,  it  seems  as  if  his  overwhelm- 
ing business  prevented  him  from  registering  his 
charges.     His  qualifications  as   a  surgeon  and 


also  as  a  physician  were  unquestioned,  and 
devoting  himself  entirely  to  the  duties  of  a 
profession  at  all  times  laborious,  perhaps  no  one 
labored  with  an  energy  more  untiring,  and  with 
a  success  which  could  not  be  otherwise  than 
gratifying  to  an  honorable  ambition.  In  1841, 
when  the  county-seat  was  removed  from  Beth- 
any to  Honesdale,  Dr.  Graves  purchased  lots  on 
Main  Street,  in  the  latter  place,  built  an  elegant 
residence  and  office,  and  removed  thither,  Dr. 
Gregory  remaining  in  the  former  place.  Dur- 
ing his  short  life  in  Honesdale  Dr.  Graves  main- 
tained the  same  elevated  position  he  had  taken 
in  his  profession,  and  endeared  himself  to  the 
people,  proving  to  be  a  worthy  successor  of  Dr. 
Roosa. 

His  manner  and  personal  appearance  were 
calculated  to  inspire  the  sick  or  injured  with 
confidence  in  his  reliability.  In  stature  he  stood 
nearly  six  feet,  and  was  very  erect.  His  habits 
were  active,  temper  agreeable  and  equable, 
although  rather  warm  when  aroused.  He  pos- 
sessed a  serious  cast  of  countenance,  expressive 
of  activity  and  wakefulness,  but  was  animated 
and  cheerful  when  engaged  in  conversation. 
1 1  is  complexion  was  fair,  eyes  dark  blue,  hair 
dark  brown,  high  cheek-bones,  forehead  high, 
wide  and  full  of  intellectual  promise. 

"  '  Death,  that  loves  a  shining  mark,'  "  found 
him  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  he  loved.  Con- 
tracting a  violent  cold  in  the  inclement  winter 
weather,  and  continuing  his  exposure  and  exer- 
tion for  others  too  long,  to  the  neglect  of  him- 
self, pneumonia  supervened,  which  was  found 
to  be  remediless;  and  after  a  brief  and  dis- 
tressing illness  of  seven  days,  he  left  the  scene 
of  all  his  labors  and  anxieties  on  the  morning 
of  the  6th  day  of  January,  1849,  universally 
regretted,"  the  community  losing  a  councilor 
and  the  poor  a  friend.  His  wife  survived  him 
until  June  16,  1873,  and  died,  aged  sixty-four 
years. 

Up  to  the  year  1848,  the  period  of  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Erie  Railroad  to  Narrowsburg, 
a  student  in  medicine  in  this  county  was  com- 
pelled, in  the  face  of  stringent  laws  and  the 
insuperable  prejudice  against  dissections  of  the 
human  body,  to  obtain   his   material  by  stealth 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


197 


with  a  coroner's  jury  theoretically  by  his  side, 
and  the  verdict  "  guilty  "  staring  him  in  the 
face. 

A  medical  student's  life  was  not  as  luxurious 
then  as  now.  He  then  performed  more  menial 
duties.  The  care  of  the  office,  the  compound- 
ing of  the  medicine,  collecting  of  bills  and 
running  of  errands  were  some  of  them,  but  the 
greatest  difficulty  of  all  in  his  pursuit  after 
knowledge  was  that  disagreeable  and  loathsome 
of  all  necessities,  the  dissection  of  human  sub- 
jects ;  the  knowledge  of  anatomy  being  the  first 
step  in  his  medical  education,  the  foundation  of 
all  his  future  usefulness  must  be  had  at  all 
hazards,  and  in  no  other  way  can  it  be  obtained. 

In  obtaining  a  subject  for  dissection  strategy 
was  required,  and  many  were  (he  risks  taken  in 
accomplishing  this  end,  for  it  was  against  law  and 
popular  opinion  to  obtain  a  body,  and  after  its 
being  secured  few  can  imagine  the  danger  in- 
curred in  keeping  it  sufficiently  long  to  examine 
it,  such  was  the  watchfulness  of  these  prejudiced 
and  diligent  observers  of  the  "  Imps  of  Satan," 
as  the  medical  students  were  termed. 

There  are  now  living  those  who  remember 
the  daring  of  some  of  them  in  their  endeavors 
to  dig  up  a  body  in  the  distant  burying-grounds  ; 
and  engaged  in  these  enterprises  are  remembered 
the  names  of  Lillibridge,  Snyder,  Stearns,  Whit- 
ing, Fish,  Mumford,  Hayden,  Olmstead,  Reed 
and  others,  who  have  scaled  walls  and  jumped 
fences  in  their  pursuit  of  knowledge  under 
difficulties. 

In  1818,  when  Jones  was  executed,  an  attempt 
was  made  to  "  resurrect"  the  body  for  dissec- 
tion, but  the  self-constituted  police  were  on 
the  "  qui  vive,"  and  the  scheme  circumvented, 
but  at  the  execution  of  Marthers,  in  1829,  a 
more  successful  result  was  obtained.  Isaac 
Brink  was  detailed  for  guard  duty  at  the  grave, 
but  being  enticed  elsewhere  by  a  bottle  of  "  Old 
Rye,"  the  body  was  made  to  subserve  the  pur- 
poses of  science. 

In  the  year  1836  a  great  excitement  was 
created  at  Prompton,  which  extended  to  Hones- 
dale,  Bethany,  Canaan  and  the  whole  surround- 
ing country,  and  threatened  mob  violence  for  a 
time.  At  the  former  place  the  body  of  the 
esteemed  wife  of  Levi  Bronson,  Esq.,  was  dis- 


interred and  removed  to  Dr.  Snyder's  office,  in 
Honesdale.  Some  arrests  were  made ;  the  doctor 
and  his  associates  abandoned  the  partially  dis- 
sected woman,  and  the  mutilated  remains  being 
restored,  the  parties  were  not  further  prosecuted, 
but  by  reason  of  the  popular  feeling,  a  residence 
here  was  no  longer  agreeable,  and  a  change  of 
climate  considered  desirable  by  all  com  Lined, 
of  which  they  gladly  availed  themselves. 

When  Bell  was  executed,  in  1847,  his  body 
was  surrendered  to  the  students  of  Dr.  Graves, 
and  no  objection  was  made  by  the  people. 

Gratifying,  indeed,  it  is  to  know  at  the  pres- 
ent time  that  our  deceased  friends,  when  safely 
deposited  in  the  tomb,  are  free  from  the  danger 
of  molestation  by  medical  students,  as,  for  a  few 
dollars,  they  go  to  the  metropolitan  dissecting- 
rooms,  and  procure  in  a  legitimate  way  the  re- 
mains of  poor  mortality  which  they  need. 

No  man  in  the  county  was  better  known 
than  Ebenezer  T.  Losey,  M.D.,  and  none  knew 
but  to  respect  him.  His  name  was  a  household 
word,  for  he  was  truthful,  honest,  would  do  un- 
to others  what  he  would  have  others  do  unto 
him,  and  his  name  has  been  and  will  be  cher- 
ished in  scores  of  grateful  hearts, — those  to 
whom  he  was  endeared  as  the  faithful  friend 
and  beloved  physician.  About  1830  he  came 
to  this  county  from  Morristown,  N.  J.,  where 
he  studied  medicine  after  having  graduated  and 
received  his  diploma  in  New  York  City.  Sep- 
tember 21,  1831,  he  married  the  estimable 
daughter  of  a  prominent  citizen  of  Honesdale, 
viz.,  Miss  Lucy,  daughter  of  Joseph  B.  Walton, 
Esq.  Their  children  were  Emeline  W.,  Joseph 
W.,  Abbie  T.,  Cornelius,  Sarah  W.,  Ebenezer 
T.,  Daniel  W.,  Henry  B.  and  Lucy  M. 

In  the  early  years  of  his  professional  life  he 
was  cotemporary  with  Drs.  Roosa  and  Strong, 
and  later  with  Strong,  Graves,  Gregory,  Sanger, 
King,  the  Reeds  and  others.  His  kindness  and 
warm  sympathy,  extending  through  so  many 
years  of  active  practice,  are  interwoven  like  a 
thread  of  gold  in  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  some 
of  our  families,  for,  as  a  physician,  he  was 
trusted,  and  his  patients  always  felt  that  in  him 
they  had  a  careful,  courteous  and  considerate 
friend. 

He  was  not  eminent  in,  nor  did  he  profess  taste 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


or  desire  for,  surgery  ;  but  was  efficient  as  a  phy- 
sician, and  unexcelled  as  an  obstetrician.  In  the 
latter  branch  he  was  often  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources  in  important  cases,  and  was  always 
found  equal  to  the  emergency. 

In  appearance  he  was  of  full  size,  symmetrical 
build,  and  of  clerical  look,  as  he  was  dressed 
with  scrupulous  neatness,  and  wore  a  white 
neck-cloth.  He  possessed  a  pleasing  counte- 
nance, a  bearing  dignified  and  commanding,  yet, 
easy  and  natural  ;  was  cordial  in  his  greeting, 
always  genial,  kind-hearted  and  obliging,  espe- 
cially when  approached  by  men  younger  than 
himself  in  the  profession. 

The  writer  of  this  was  his  patient  during  a 
terrible  and  protracted  fever,  was  his  professional 
colleague  in  practice  for  several  years,  and  his 
medical  attendant  in  his  last  illness  ;  and  feels 
that  there  are  no  words  in  Dr.  Losey's  eulogy 
too  strongly  expressive  of  his  manly  virtues  in 
reference  to  his  life  and  character  ;  and  can  also 
testify  to  a  compliment  paid  him  by  the  late 
Dr.  Sanger,  upon  taking  leave  of  him,  when  he 
had  been  making  a  visit  to  his  hospital  at 
Black  well's  Island,  in  1856  :  "Remember  me 
to  Losey,"  he  said  ;  "  among  all  your  honorable 
men  he  heads  the  list." 

It  is  unmistakably  true  that  few  country 
practitioners  make  more  than  a  living  by  their 
practice  alone,  and  that  not  a  very  sumptuous 
one;  hence  medical  students  mistake  that  they 
do  not  learn  business  of  some  kind  as  an  ad- 
junct when  they  become  located.  Dr.  Losey 
acted  upon  this  view.  In  1832  he  had  a  drug- 
store, and  later  a  farm,  which  lie  successfully 
cultivated,  near  Honesdale.  He  died  in  Hones- 
dale  March  9, 1870,  after  having  passed  a  good, 
useful,  exemplary  life,  characterized  by  the  high- 
est sense  of  duty  ;  and  in  all  relations,  profes- 
sional and  social,  uprightness  and  purity  of  mo- 
tive were  the  qualities  which  governed  him. 
His  good  deeds  and  an  honorable  name  live 
after  him. 

Adonijah  Strong,  who  practiced  in  Wayne 
County  from  1829  until  his  death,  in  1879,  a 
period  of  fifty  years,  though  during  the  last  few 
years  he  retired  as  far  as  was  possible  from 
the  cares  of  his  profession,  was  a  native  of  Sal- 
isbury, Conn.,  born  October  8,  1800.     He  was 


of  a  distinguished  and  ancient  family,  a  direct 
descendant  of  Noah  Strong,  one  of  the  pilgrim 
band  of  the  "  Mayflower,"  who  landed  on  the 
shores  of  Massachusetts  in  1620.  His  father 
was  Martin  Strong,  who  for  many  years  was 
the  president  judge  of  the  Litchfield  <  'ounty 
courts. 

Adonijah  was  educated  with  a  view  to  the 
adoption  of  the  legal  profession,  and  graduated 
from  Yale  College  with  a  good  preparatory  dis- 
cipline. Among  his  father's  intimate  friends 
was  Benajah  Ticknor,  a  surgeon  in  the  United 
States  navy,  who  importuned  Judge  Strong  to 
educate  the  young  man  in  medicine  and  sur- 
gery, with  a  view  to  his  becoming  his  assistant 
in  the  government  service.  He  accordingly 
studied  with  Dr.  Luther  Ticknor,  a  brother  of 
Benajah,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  by  li- 
cense from  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society 
at  Litchfield,  August  18,  1824.  Shortly  after- 
wards he  formed  a  matrimonial  alliance  with 
Miss  Mary  A.  Myers,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Nathan  Myers,  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  to 
whom  he  was  married  on  the  26th  of  October 
in  the  same  year.  This  marriage  revolution- 
ized his  plans  for  the  future,  so  far  as  entering 
the  naval  service  was  concerned,  and  he  en- 
tered upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Poughkeepsie.  Through  the  influence  of  Hon. 
Pope  Bushnell,  of  Bethany,  he  removed  to 
that  place  in  1829,  himself  and  wife  liv- 
ing for  a  time  in  Mr.  Bushnell's  family. 
In  spite  of  considerable  professional  opposition, 
he  secured  a  lair  practice  ;  but  seeing  that  it 
might  be  improved,  he  removed  to  Honesdale 
in  1839.  On  locating  here  he  opened  a  drug 
store,  and  for  many  years  did  a  prosperous  bus- 
iness. His  practice  was  extensive,  but  as  he 
grew  older  he  relinquished  it  to  the  younger 
members  of  the  profession,  several  of  whom  had 
been  his  students.  In  his  younger  days  the 
doctor  took  quite  an  interest  in  politics,  being  a 
pronounced  and  leading  Democrat,  He  never 
held  office,  however.  He  united  with  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  was  elected  an  elder  in 
1850,  and  held  that  office  until  his  death.  Dr. 
Strong  was  of  a  reserved  and  retiring  disposi- 
tion, though  an  excellent  conversationalist  on 
subjects  both   within  and   foreign  to  his   pro- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


199 


fession.  He  was  of  erect  person  and  dignified 
appearance,  "  the  very  beau  ideal,"  says  a  friend, 
"  of  the  old  school  physician." 

Dr.  Luther  Appley  was  born  November 
15, 1790,  in  Canterbury,  Windom  ( !ounty,  Conn. 
His  father  being  a  tanner  and  currier,  he  learned 
the  trade  as  he  was  growing  up.  He  left  Con- 
necticut and  came  to  Hancock,  Delaware  County 
N.  Y.,  in  the  summer  of  1809.  He  followed  sur- 
veying part  of  the  time  ;  ran  the  line  between 
the  towns  of  Hancock  and  Colchester,  Delaware 
County,  N.  Y.;  taught  school  the  following 
winter  in  Shehocken,  now  called  Hancock.  In 
1810  lie  commenced  studying  medicine  with 
Dr.  Lewis  Allen,  at  Deposit,  Delaware  County, 
N.  Y\;  remained  with  him  one  year  ;  then  came 
to  Damascus,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  and  studied 
two  years  with  Dr.  Freeman  Allen  ;  was  licensed 
to  practice  as  physician  and  surgeon  by  a 
board  (if  physicians  and  surgeons  November 
24,  1821  ;  was  appointed  surgeon's  mate  in 
and  for  the  regiment  comprised  in  the  county  of 
Wayne,  by  Oliver  B.  Brush,  colonel,  Jacob 
Schenk,  lieutenant-colonel,  Pope  Busline],  ma- 
jor, and  received  commission  as  surgeon's  mate 
for  the  Seventieth  Regiment  of  the  Militia  of 
the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the  Sec- 
ond Brigade  of  the  Eighth  Division  composed 
of  the  militia  of  the  counties  of  Northumber- 
land, Union,  Columbia,  Luzerne,  Susquehanna 
and  Wayne,  from  Governor  Joseph  I  leister, 
dated  January  29,1822. 

"  Bethany,  Feb.  24,  1829. 
"  Dr.  Luther  Applet, 
"  Dear  Sir : 

"  You  are  hereby  appointed  surgeon  for  the  70th 
Regt.  Penn.  Militia. 

"  Yours  Respectfully, 

"  Nathaniel  B.  Eldred, 
"  Col.  70th  Regt.  Penn.  Militia." 

He  was  commissioned  surgeon  of  the  Seventieth 
Regiment,  comprised  in  the  county  of  Wayne, 
by  Andrew  Schulze,  Governor,  August  3, 
1829.  He  was  re-commissioned  surgeon  of  the 
Seventieth  Regiment,  comprised  in  the  county 
of  Wayne,  by  George  Wolf,  Governor,  No- 
vember 26,  1832.  He  was  a  member  of  St. 
Tammany  Lodge,  No.  83,  Ancient  York    Ma- 


For  his  first  wife  he  married  Phebe  Land, 
daughter  of  John  Land.  They  had  eight  chil- 
dren,— William  L.,  Maria  L.,  Abigail  R.,  The- 
odore, Theron,  Lilly  T.,  Luther  and  Mark. 
Theodore  died  in  childhood. 

His  second  wife  was  Mary  E.  Effinger,  a  lady 
of  a  prominent  and  wealthy  family  from  Phil- 
adelphia, who,  as  his  widow,  now  resides  in 
Honesdale.  Two  daughters  were  born  to  them, 
Agnes  Adelaide,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Ade- 
laide Josephine,  who  lived  to  maturity  and  was 
married  very  young  to  Luther  W.  Peck,  son 
of  Rev.  George  M.  Peck,  grandson  of  George 
Peck,  D.  D.,  of  Wilkes-Barre,  and  nephew  of 
Bishop  Peck.      Mrs.  Peek  is  deceased. 

He  moved  to  Philadelphia  in  1838,  where  he 
resided  and  practiced  medicine  and  surgery  un- 
til December,  1*42,  attending  lectures  at  Jeffer- 
son College  some  part  of  the  time  ;  returned  to 
Damascus,  Wayne  ( lounty,  Pa.,  December,  1842, 
and  immediately  commenced  practicing  medi- 
cine and  surgery,  and  continued  the  practice 
until  his  last  sickness.  I T is  death  occurred  Oc- 
tober 20,  1853. 

In  the  beginning  of  his  practice  his  ride  ex- 
tended from  Damascus  down  the  Delaware  River 
to  Lackawaxen,  Pike  County,  Pa.,  and  up  the 
Delaware  River  from  Damascus  to  She- 
hocken (now  called  Hancock),  in  Delaware 
County,  N.  Y'. ;  as  far  east  as  White  Lake, 
Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.,  and  west  to  Rileyville, 
Wayne  County,  Pa.  His  rule  was  to  visit  the 
sick  at  all  times  of  night  and  in  all  kinds  of 
weather,  whether  they  paid  or  not. 

Dr.  William  L.  Appley,  a  son  of  Dr.  Lu- 
ther Appley  and  his  wife  Phoebe,  was  born  at 
Milanville  on  the  26th  of  March,  1812.  He 
commenced  study  with  his  father  and  after- 
wards attended  lectures  at  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons  in  New  Y'ork  (sessions  of 
1833-34).  The  following  year,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three,  he  commenced  practice,  being  as- 
sociated with  his  father  until  1837.  He  was 
zealous  and  successful.  He  said  of  himself 
upon  one  occasion, — 

"  From  almost  life-long  connection  with  the  science 
of  medicine  and  some  of  its  eminent  votaries,  I  have 
endeavored  to  become  possessed  of  a  fund  of  practical 
ideas  and  to  have  these  based  on  a  fair  degree  of  com- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


mon  sense,  and  to  link  them  with  honesty  and  perse- 
verance ;  this  I  thought  would  not  fail  to  reward  me 
with  an  honorable  and  successful  future." 

In  1858  he  received  the  honorary  degree  of 
M.D.  from  the  New  York  State  Medical  Soci- 
ety, and  the  same  honor  was  conferred  upon  him 

by  the  Castleton  Medical  College,  in  Vera t. 

In  1867  he  was  elected  a  permanent  member 
of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society,  and  in 
1872  of  the  American  Medical  Association.  In 
1851,  while  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  he 
met  with  an  accident  by  which  he  lost  his  left 
leg  or  sustained  injuries  making  necessary  its 
amputation  below  the  knee.  In  L852  he  moved 
to  Cochecton,  N.  Y.,  and  during  his  residence 
there  was  twice  elected  president  of  the  Sullivan 
County  Medical  Society  and  also  chosen  the  first 
president  of  the  Tri-States  Medical  Society. 

As  a  surgeon,  he  had  a  wide  reputation  and 
he  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the  Erie  Railroad. 
During  thirty-two  years'  practice  he  performed 
more  than  five  hundred  operations  in  which  he 
had  to  administer  chloroform. 

He  was  married  three  times, — in  1835  to 
Julia  Keed,  in  1851  to  Harriet  Wheeler,  and  in 
1864  to  Mindle  Lakiu,  who  survives  him.  He 
died  January  6, 1877. 

Dr.  William  W.  Applby,  a  present  prac- 
titioner at  Cochecton,  X.  Y.,  and  having  much 
to  do  in  Wayne  County,  is  a  son  of  the  late  Dr. 
William  W.  Appley,  and  was  horn  in  Damas- 
cus township,  June  24,  1847.  Drs.  Theron 
and  Otto  Appley  are  practitioners  in  Damascus. 

Dr.  Urial  Wright  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Windsor,  Berkshire  County,  Massachusetts, 
May  15,  1790.  His  grandfather,  Asa  Wright, 
was  an  architect  and  planned  and  superin- 
tended the  building  of  Dartmouth  College, 
New  Hampshire.  His  father,  Asahel  Wright, 
subsequently  graduated  at  that  college,  and 
after  completing  a  medical  course,  was  appointed 
a  surgeon  iu  the  United  States  navy,  serving 
in  that  capacity  until  the  close  of  the  "War  of 
the  Revolution.  He  then  settled  in  Windsor 
and  raised  a  large  family.  There  were  eight 
sons,  seven  of  whom  became  professional  men, 
and  all  were  successful  in  life.  Five  chose  the 
medical  profession.  Worthington,  who  be- 
came   a    minister,    also    studied    mediciue   and 


practiced  for  a  time,  so  that  there  were,  at  one 
time,  the  father  and  six  sous  in  practice.  Urial 
was  the  fourth  son.  He  received  an  academic 
education,  and  studied  medicine  with  his  father 
two  years,  then  with  Dr.  Asa  Burbank,  of 
Lanesboro,  Mass.,  nine  months,  and  with  Noa- 
diah  Swift,  of  Bennington,  Vt.,  six  months. 
In  the  spring  of  1814  he  left  his  home  in  Mas- 
sachusetts to  commence  his  practice  in  the 
"Beech  Woods"  of  Northeastern  Pennsylvania, 
locating  at  Mount  Pleasant.  He  traveled  on 
horseback,  his  outfit  consisting  of  his  horse,  a 
valise,  a  pair  of  saddle-hags  and  twenty-five 
dollars  in  money.  His  attention  was  directed 
to  this  point  by  his  brother,  the  Rev.  Worth- 
ington Wright,  who  was  then  laboring  in 
Wayne  County  as  missionary  under  appoint- 
ment of  the  Connecticut  Home  Missionary  So- 
ciety, and  who  resided  in  Bethauy.  His  rides 
at  first  were  long,  over  bad  roads  or  no  roads, 
sometimes  being  only  a  bridle-path  marked  by 
"  blazed  "  trees,  and  his  practice  extended  from 
Scott  to  Canaan,  comprising  the  townships  of 
Mount  Pleasant,  Preston,  Clinton,  Canaan, 
Buckingham  and  Lebanon,  in  Wayne  County, 
and  Thompson,  Herrick  and  Clifford,  in  Sus- 
quehanna County ;  but  as  new  business  centres 
sprang  up,  it  became  less  extended  but  none  the 
less  extensive.  By  nature  Dr.  Wright  was 
equipped  for  pioneer  service.  He  possessed  a 
sound  mind  in  a  sound  body  ;  was  compactly 
and  stoutly  built,  with  an  iron  constitution  and 
robust  health.  Excepting  an  occasional  attack 
of  inflammatory  rheumatism,  he  was  never  ill 
until  his  last  sickness.  For  forty  years  he 
never  lost  a  meal  unless  he  was  where  it  could 
not  be  obtained.  In  1816  he  was  married  to 
Jerusha  Spencer,  a  daughter  of  Peter  Spencer, 
who  had  settled  in  Preston,  on  the  farm  now 
occupied  by  Nathan  A.  Monroe,  the  same  spring- 
that  he  came  to  Mount  Pleasant.  The  marriage 
was  a  happy  one,  his  wife  being  helpful  and 
his  home  pleasant.  They  had  a  patriarchal 
family  of  ten  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  five  are  still  living. 

Ilosmer,  the  oldest,  was  drowned  at  the  age 
of  twenty-five,being  then  postmaster  at  Pleasant 
Mount,  and  having  entered  into  a  business 
partnership  with  Henry  W.  Stone.     William, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


the  second  son,  is  living  in  Mount  Pleasant  and 
holds  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace ;  Eliza  J., 
wife  of  A.  D.  Higbie,  of  Newark,  N.  J.;  Cath- 
arine S.,  wife  of  Edward  M.  Atwater,  died  in 
1880  ;  Ellen  A.,  wife  of  Henry  H.  Rogers,  of 
Danvers,  Mass.;  Henry  C,  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg,  July  3,  186.3;  Charles  A.,  died 
in  1860;  John  S.,  of  Boston,  who  enlisted  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  war  for  the  Union,  and 
went  out  as  captain  of  Company  C,  Sixth  Penn- 
sylvania Reserves,  the  first  company  that  en- 
listed from  Wayne  County;  and  Julius  C,  of 
Scrauton,  who  served  three  years  in  the  war. 

In  1828  Dr.  Wright  was  appointed  surgeon's 
mate  by  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Seven- 
tieth Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Militia,  receiv- 
ing his  commission  from  Governor  Shultze. 
His  duties  consisted  mainly  in  granting  certifi- 
cates of  disability,  exempting  men  from  mili- 
tary duty  in  the  days  when  militia  trainings 
were  in  vogue.  He  had  been  in  practice  some 
thirty  years,  when,  in  1845,  the  degree  of  M.D. 
was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  Berkshire 
Medical  College,  of  Pittsfield,  Mass. 

Dr.  Wright's  life  was  not  marked  by  great 
achievements  or  remarkable  incidents.  He 
pursued  the  even  tenor  of  his  way,  practicing 
his  profession  with  remarkable  fidelity  and  suc- 
cess. He  possessed  a  receptive  mind  and  re- 
tentive memory,  acquiring  skill  by  long  and 
extensive  practice,  and  keeping  abreast  of  the 
times  in  the  progress  of  medical  science.  He 
was  peculiarly  successful  in  the  treatment  of 
fevers.  He  responded  alike  to  the  calls  of  the 
rich  and  poor,  and  performed  a  large  amount 
of  hard  labor,  for  which  he  received  no  compen- 
sation. He  commanded  the  respect  of  all,  while 
his  affability  and  kindness  endeared  him  to 
many,  and  he  was  ever  a  welcome  visitor  to  the 
sick.  Always  self-possessed,  he  was  calm  when 
others  were  alarmed  and  excited,  his  presence 
often  proving  a  benediction,  and  his  cheerful 
countenance  doing  good  like  a  medicine.  He 
was  a  man  of  sound  judgment  aud  excellent 
common-sense,  was  no  speech-maker  aud  what 
he  said  was  uttered  in  brief,  sententious  sen- 
tences. His  moral  character,  like  his  physical 
structure,  was  sound,  square  and  upright.  In 
1829  he  united  with  the  Congregational  Church, 
22 


and  in  1831,  when  the  form  of  government  was 
changed  to  Presbyterian,  he  was  chosen  one  of 
the  ruling  elders,  which  office  he  held  until  his 
death.  During  the  winter  of  1865—66  his 
health  began  to  fail,  and  the  following  May  he 
was  compelled  to  relinquish  practice  altogether, 
having  practiced  just  fifty-two  years.  He  died 
September  30,  1866,  of  dropsy  of  the  heart,  in 
the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  Erastus  Wright,  one  of  the  pioneer 
physicians  of  Wayne  County,  was  born  in 
Windsor,  Berkshire  County,  Mass.,  May  11, 
1 794.  When  quite  young  he  received  some 
medical  instruction  from  his  father,  who  was  a 
practicing  physician  in  the  town  of  Windsor  ; 
he  subsequently  renewed  the  study  of  medicine 
with  his  brother,  Dr.  Urial  Wright,  of  Mount 
Pleasant,  and  later  with  Dr.  Isaac  Roosa,  of 
Bethany;  he  graduated  at  Pittsfield  Medical 
College,  and  to  the  valuable  instruction  received 
from  Professor  Chester  Dewey  he  often  re- 
ferred ;  soon  after  graduating  he  located  in 
Salem,  where  he  practiced  medicine  with  almost 
uninterrupted  success  for  thirty-seven  years, 
aud  at  one  time,  for  a  period  of  two  or  three 
years,  he  was  the  only  physician  from  the  local- 
ity now  known  as  Greenville,  Lackawanna 
County,  to  Hawley,  on  the  east  and  west  turn- 
pike, as  well  as  from  Way  mart  to  Stoddarts- 
viile,  Stroudsburg,  etc.,  on  the  old  Belmont  and 
Easton  turnpike  ;  he  usually  rode  on  horse-back, 
with  medicine  in  saddle-bags  fastened  to  his 
saddle,  and  scarce  a  mountain-path  or  by-way 
for  more  than  a  score  of  miles  around  could  be 
found  with  which  he  was  not  familiar.  He  had 
thoroughly  studied  the  standard  works  of  that 
day,  which,  together  with  extensive  practice, 
gave  him  a  knowledge  in  the  diagnosis  of 
diseases,  aud  the  needed  treatment,  peculiarly 
his  own.  Some  characteristic  features  might  be 
named,  one  of  which  was  his  love  for  his 
chosen  profession,  that  he  persistently  held  to 
the  close  of  life ;  another  was  that  he  never 
prescribed  at  random,  ever  questioning  closely, 
not  hasty  in  giving  an  opinion,  but  when  once 
given  he  seldom  had  reason  to  change  it. 
Possessed  of  a  vigorous  constitution,  as  well  as 
a  benevolent  heart,  he  was  eminently  successful 
in  all    the  duties  of  his  profession,  anxious  to 


■>{)-2 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


relieve  suffering  if  possible  with  potent  reme- 
dies and  cheerful  words,  thus  securing  'the  es- 
teem and  confidence  of  many.  On  the  23d  of 
February,  1825,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lydia 
Muzzey,  daughter  of  John  Muzzey,  of  Brook- 
field,  Worcester  County,  Mass.,  and  his  charac- 
ter as  a  Christian,  moral  and  temperance  man 
and  uprightness  as  a  citizen,  he  was  often  heard 
to  say,  was  due  largely  to  her  godly  influence. 
They  had  two  daughters, — Mary  Lucy,  who 
married  Rev.  A.  R.  Raymond,  Presbyterian 
clergyman  of  Salem,  with  their  only  son 
now  residing  in  the  dwelling  formerly  occu- 
pied by  Dr.  Wright;  Frances  Amelia,  married 
Colonel  B.  T.  Cook,  of  Franklin,  Delaware 
County,  N.  Y.,  where  they  now  reside.  His 
beloved  wife  died  October  8,  I  849,  aged  fifty- 
two  years  ;  he  subsequently  married  Mrs.  Nancy 
Nicholson,  widow  of  the  late  Zenas  Nicholson, 
March  15,  1854;  she  still  lives  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-three  years.  Dr.  Wright  was  re- 
spected by  the  physicians  of  the  county,  and  in 
his  last  sickness,  many  of  them  manifested  pro- 
fessional kindness  and  interest.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  had  been  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  twenty-seven  years.  He  died 
rejoicing  February  21,  1860,  aged  sixty-six 
years. 

l)n.  William  W.  Sanger,  who  practiced  in 
Honesdale  from  1849  to  1853,  was  born  at  Can- 
terbury, Conn.,  August  10,  1816,  and  removed 
to  Wheeling,  Va.  (now  West  Virginia),  in  1836, 
where  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  in 
1842.  He  went  to  New  York  to  attend  lec- 
tures at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
in  1844,  and  graduated  from  that  institution 
with  credit  in  1847.  He  served  in  several 
official  positions  in  New  York,  and  then  was 
invited  to  supply  the  vacancy  in  Honesdale 
occasioned  by  the  death '  of  Dr.  Graves,  which 
he  accepted.  His  unusually  long  probationary 
period  as  student  in  the  great  metropolitan 
centre  of  medical  education  had  given  him 
adequate  preparation  to  perform  the  duties  of 
the  vocation  he  had  selected,  and  an  acquaint- 
ance with  the  eminent  of  the  profession  there, 
enabled  him  to  come  well  recommended. 

At  that  period  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
the   medical  centres   of  the   nation  was   under- 


going a  transition  state,  but  it  had  not  reached 
the  country  villages.  Those  marvelous  agents 
of  anaesthesia,  ether  and  chloroform,  had 
just  come  into  use  ;  new  discoveries  in  etiology 
and  treatment  of  disease  and  improvements 
in  the  science  of  medicine  had  occurred,  prom- 
ising much  and  predicting  a  glorious  future 
for  the  profession. 

The  physicians  who  were  then  in  practice  in 
Honesdale  had  become  old,  having  been  edu- 
cated when  almost  all  diseases  were  designated 
inflammatory, and  supposed  to  require  a  perturb- 
ing treatment  called  antiphlogistic,  the  lancet 
being  the  principal  remedy — blood-letting,  copi- 
ous, frequent  and  heroic.  Besides,  in  accordance 
with  the  humoral  pathology,  the  stomach  was 
foul,  and  required  an  emetic  to  cleanse  it ;  or 
the  same  condition  of  the  bowels  required  a 
cathartic.  <  )ften,  iu  the  same  patient  and  at  the 
same  time,  all  this  bristling  array  of  offensive 
weapons  was  used  in  succession.  There  was  a 
popular  faith,  too,  in  the  potency  of  drugs;  they 
were  fond  of  heroism  and  brave  doses,  and  por- 
tentous appearances  favored  the  idea  of  mag- 
nificent results.  These  physicians  were  now 
designated  as  those  of  the  "  Old  School "  (or  old 
fogies),  in  contradistinction  to  the  new  school, 
and  were  ultimately  obliged  to  consent  to  the 
social  requirements  of  the  age. 

Dr.  Sanger  was  of  the  new  school,  a  man  of 
science,  educated  power,  acquired  skill,  and 
acted  upon  the  principle  that  disease  is  not  an 
entity  to  be  attacked  and  driven  out  of  the 
system  by  violent  and  destructive  expedients, 
and  instead  of  venesections  and  emetico-cathar- 
tics,  he  had  his  fever  patients  sponged  with 
water  and  fed  with  gruel. 

At  the  advent  of  Dr.  Sanger  in  this  county 
there  had  never  been  a  medical  organization, 
and  he  found  the  physicians  engaged  in  rivalry, 
jealousy  and  competition,  instead  of  cultivating 
a  spirit  of  reciprocity  and  cherishing  amicable 
relations  with  each  other.  In  all  his  relations 
with  them,  however,  he  adhered  strictly  to  the 
code  of  ethics  adopted  by  the  National  Medical 
Association,  which  is  now  authority  in  our 
country,  thus  exemplifying  their  duty,  and 
exacted  from  them  a  like  treatment.  On  one 
occasion,  upon  enforcing  the  principle, a  serious 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


result  was  threatened.  One  of  his  surgical 
patients  became  fretful  and  restless  during  his 
temporary  absence,  and  friends  called  in  another 
surgeon,  who  commenced  removing  bandages, 
and  was  caught  in  the  act  by  the  doctor  upon 
his  unexpected  return,  who  exclaimed,  "  Sir  ! 
you  have  no  right  here ;  this  is  my  patient,  and 
you  have  no  business  to  even  look  at  him  in 
my  absence  !  "  at  the  same  time  with  his  strong 
right  arm  thrusting  the  intruder  aside.  A  suit 
for  assault  was  commenced,  but  good  counsels 
afterward  prevailing,  the  matter  was  quieted. 

There  were  two  conspicuous  elements  in  his 
nature,  viz.  :  humor  and  ridicule,  unsurpassed 
by  none  of  his  cotemporaries,  the  former  sub- 
serving a  practical  utility,  the  latter  a  sort  of 
harmless,  mirthful  spurt,  which,  when  re  versed, 
so  as  to  fall  upon  himself,  was  productive  of 
the  greatest  humility.  The  humorous  element 
in  his  address  was  his  greatest  strategy,  and 
with  this  he  dosed  his  patieuts  with  many  a  pill 
of  wisdom,  cunningly  sugar-coated.  He  ap- 
proached his  patient  with  a  cheerful  and  encour- 
aging demeanor,  thus  rendering  all  the  moral 
aid  to  be  derived  as  a  curative  agent. 

In  relation  to  fees,  the  old  school  practitioners, 
in  their  rivalry,  had  been  endeavoring  to  ascer- 
tain how  cheaply  they  could  conduct  a  given 
case  of  sickness,  and  charges  were  regulated 
with  reference  to  future  employment ;  hence  the 
tear  of  an  extortionate  bill.  For  a  visit  in  town 
was  charged  a  half-dollar ;  and  out  of  town  the 
same,  with  twenty-five  cents  added  for  every 
mile  of  travel  one  way,  including  medicines, 
for  a  distance  of  four  miles  one  dollar,  and  eight 
miles  two  dollars  was  charged.  They  rode  on 
horseback,  equipped  with  saddle-bags  filled 
with  medicines,  strapped  behind  the  rider  (John 
Gilpin  fashion),  the  outfit  containing  also  a 
turnkey  and  forceps  for  extracting  teeth,  the 
fee  for  which  was  one  shilling. 

On  Dr.  Sanger's  arrival  he  found  this  state 
of  things  existing  in  Wayne  County,  and  it  was 
the  subject  of  his  sharp  ridicule.  He  had  no 
objection  to  the  gratuitous  distribution  of  medi- 
cal services,  if  such  could  be  afforded  ;  but  he 
did  not  like  to  see  the  medical  fee  disgraced  by 
its  association  with  a  half-dollar ;  and  as  for 
giving  away  his  medicines,  a  physician  was  sim- 


ply foolish.  This  bold  innovator  doubled  the 
fees  at  once.  He  adopted  the  plan  of  writing 
his  prescriptions,  to  be  filled  by  the  druggist, 
and  the  medicines  to  be  paid  for  by  the  pa- 
tient ;  rode  in  his  carriage,  sometimes  with  one 
horse,  at  others  with  two,  accompanied  by  his 
groom.  He  asserted  that  he  knew  nothing 
about  teeth;  "pulling  teeth"  was  a  specialty 
belonging  to  another  profession. 

By  some  <>f  the  profession  and  laity  it  was  at 
first  predicted  that  the  people  would  not.  be  sub- 
missive to  such  extravagance  and  increased 
charges,  and  that  such  a  course  could  not  be 
maintained;  nevertheless,  the  people  admired 
his  dignity  of  bearing,  loved  his  jokes,  laughed 
at  his  ridicule,  and  the  doctor  was  always  popu- 
lar with  them,  and  had  no  idle  moments  to 
spare.  He  was  not  a  failure.  In  1853  he  was 
appointed  resident  physician  of  the  Almshouse 
Hospital,  Blackwell's  Island,  which  position 
he  filled  for  several  years.  While  there  the 
city  authorities  requested  him  to  investigate 
thoroughly,  and  report  freely,  the  facts  relating 
to  the  social  evil.  Two  years  of  assiduous 
effort  in  this  direction  resulted  in  the  publica- 
tion of  his  famous  book,  "The  History  of  Pros- 
titution." Dr.  Sanger  was  much  interested  in 
politics  and  was  a  member  of  the  Tammany 
Society,  of  New  York.  He  died  May  8,  1872. 
Hon.  Rodney  H.unrES,  licentiate  of  medi- 
cine, was  born  in  the  town  of  Neversink,  Sulli- 
van county,  N.  Y.,  on  April  1,  1813.  He 
was  on  his  paternal  side  of  German  descent. 
His  grandfather,  Jacob  Artman  Harmes,  was  a 
native  of  Brandenburg,  in  Prussia,  but  after 
reaching  his  majority  was,  with  a  boon  compan- 
ion, imprudent  enough  to  travel  into  the  do- 
mains of  the  Elector  of  Hesse  Cassel,  where  he 
and  his  companion  were  seized  and  put  on  board 
of  a  man-of-war,  transported  to  America,  and 
forced  into  the  Hessian  army  for  the  purpose 
of  aiding  England  to  conquer  her  rebellious 
colonies.  In  a  short  time  he  escaped  from  the 
Hessian  army,  became  a  soldier  in  the  American 
army  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
After  this  period  he  married  Miss  Margaret 
Lummox,  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Neversink, 
Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  very  ingenious 
smith,  and  couji   make  locks,  gun-locks,  cow- 


204 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.   PENNSYLVANIA. 


bells,  traps  and  all  edge-tools.  He  raised  a  large 
family,  comprising  three  sons  and  seven  daugh- 
ters, and  died  about  1821,  aged  nearly  eighty 
years.  His  oldest  sou,  Charles  Harmes,  was 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was 
a  large,  powerful  man,  and  worked  at  various 
occupations,  including  farming,  lumbering  and 
blacksmithing.  Although  his  education  was 
very  limited  in  Neversink,  his  native  town,  he 
was  elected  and  served  two  consecutive  terms  as 
justice  of  the  peace.      He   was  married  three 


stand  what  he  read.  He  then  became  fond  of 
reading,  but  owing  to  his  inability  to  obtain 
books,  and  to  the  frequent  changes  of  place  to 
which  he  was  subjected,  he  had  few  opportuni- 
ties to  gratify  his  inclination.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  years  he  bargained  with  an  uncle  to 
live  with  him  a  year,  to  receive  eight  dollars  a 
month  for  nine  months'  labor,  and  three  months' 
schooling.  His  uncle  was  a  blacksmith,  and 
kept  him  busy  with  the  bellows  and  sledge  dur- 
ing the  summer.     Wheu  the   winter   term  of 


tA^vdn&t/    '%C. 


J 


CLt/M£4 


times,  and  raised  a  family  of  twelve  children. 
He  moved  to  Illinois  when  advanced  in  life, and 
soon  after  died  there,  aged  over  eighty  years. 

Rodney  Harmes,  the  oldest  son  of  Charles 
Harmes,  from  the  time  of  his  mother's  death, 
which  occurred  when  he  was  between  eight  and 
nine  years  of  age,  never  had  a  permanent  home 
until  he  located  at  Pleasant  Mount,  Pa.  But 
little  reliance  could  be  placed  upon  the  schools 
where  he  spent  his  boyhood  days,  and  he  was 
ten  years  old  before  he  could  rfad  and  under- 


school  commenced  he  took  his  books  and  went 
to  school,  as  he  believed,  according  to  the  con- 
tract, with  the  intention  of  studying,  in  addition 
to  arithmetic  and  geography,  grammar,  the 
teacher  being  competent  to  instruct  in  that  art, 
an  acquirement  which  few  possessed  in  Sullivan 
County  at  that  time.  He  returned  to  his  uncle's 
home  in  the  evening,  and  found  his  prospects  for 
schooling  blasted.  His  uncle  claimed  that  he 
had  not  agreed  to  board  him  and  permit  him  to 
attend  school  at  that  busy  time  in    his  shop. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


The  nephew,  believing  it  to  be  the  wisest  course, 
continued,  and  completed  his  nine  months  of 
labor.  His  uncle  then  offered  to  fulfil  his  part 
of  the  contract  during  the  term  of  the  following 
summer  school.  His  nephew  chose  to  relieve 
him  from  that  expense,  believing,  ignorant  as 
he  was,  that  he  was  more  capable  of  teaching 
the  female  teachers  of  that  time  than  they  were 
of  teaching  him.  He  took  his  wages  and  went 
to  another  shop  and  worked  two  months,  for 
which  he  received  twenty-four  dollars.  In  the 
month  of  May,  1833,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  with 
a  very  limited  education  and  with  less  than  fifty 
dollars,  he  went  to  Ellenville,  Ulster  County, 
N.  Y.,  and  commenced  the  study  of  medicine, 
Dr.  Edwin  Eldridge,  who,  in  1834  and  1835, 
practiced  in  Mount  Pleasant,  being  his  pre- 
ceptor. 

Dr.  Eldridge  took  a  deep  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  his  student,  who  soon  became  useful 
in  his  office.  He  was  persuaded  by  his  precep- 
tor to  visit  patients  in  order  to  speedily  obtain, 
with  his  reading,  some  knowledge  of  pathology. 
He  remained  under  the  tuition  of  Dr.  Eldridge 
about  eight  months,  and  then  removed  to  Lib- 
erty, Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.,  and  entered  the 
office  of  Dr.  Blake  Wales,  studying  under  him 
eighteen  months.  During  a  part  of  this  time, 
however,  he  taught  school.  In  the  fall  of  1835 
he  went  to  Castleton,  Vermont,  and  attended 
lectures  at  the  Vermont  Academy  of  Medicine 
for  three  months. 

He  then  returned  to  Sullivan  County  and 
entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Daniel  M.  Angell,  at 
Monticello,  where  he  continued  his  studies  until 
the  fall  of  1 836,  and  then  taught  school  four 
months,  at  twelve  dollars  a  month.  At  this 
term  of  school  he  endeavored  to  teach  gram- 
mar, although  he  had  never  studied  it.  He 
then  returned  to  Monticello  for  the  purpose  of 
reviewing  his  studies.  But  his  preceptor  was 
taken  sick  and  he  was  compelled  to  have  him 
for  a  patient,  besides  taking  charge  of  other 
patients  and  riding  occasionally  to  visit  the  sick 
for  the  other  physician  in  the  village.  Finally, 
on  the  25th  day  of  July,  1837,  he  was  examined 
by  the  board  of  censors  of  the  Medical  Society 
of  Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.,  and  received  his  di- 
ploma of  licentiate  of  medicine. 


Soon  after  he  established  himself  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  at  Pleasant  Mount, 
Wayne  County,  Pa.,  where  he  has  remained 
engaged  in  his  professional  labors  half  a 
century.  During  most  of  this  time  his  rides 
have  frequently  extended  to  a  distance  of  from 
ten  to  fifteeu,  and  sometimes  twenty  miles,  lie 
usually  rode  on  horseback,  both  winter  and  sum- 
mer. As  student  and  licentiate  of  medicine,  he 
has  practiced  his  profession  fifty-two  years,  and 
still,  occasionally,  visits  patients  and  prescribes 
in  his  office.  Twice  he  ran  a  very  narrow  risk 
of  having  his  horse  slip  and  fall  on  the  ice,  and 
then  rise  up  when  his  left  foot  was  fast  in  the 
stirrup.  The  first  time  he  escaped  by  climbing 
up  the  stirrup  strap,  his  horse  remaining  quiet. 
The  next  time  his  horse  rose  up  and  ran,  drag- 
ging him  on  the  ice,  but  fortunately  his  foot 
loosened  before  he  received  any  injury. 

He  has  been  closely  identified  with  local  af- 
fairs in  his  township  and  county,  and  exerted 
a  wide  and  favorable  influence.  Probably  no 
man  in  the  county  is  more  generally  known. 
He  has  held  various  offices  of  trust  and  respon- 
sibility, always  performing  his  duties  in  a  prompt 
and  faithful  manner.  On  August  3,  1S42,  he 
was  elected  lieutenant-colonel  of  militia,  and  on 
June  13, 1845,  was  made  colonel  of  his  regiment. 

On  November  24,  1860,  he  was  appointed 
and  commissioned  associate  judge  of  Wayne 
County,  and  served  one  year.  He  has  been 
twice  married  :  first,  to  Mary  T.  Miller,  daugh- 
ter of  Jonathan  Miller,  Esq.,  to  whom  he  was 
united  September  2,  1838.  She  died  August 
20,  1848,  leaving  a  daughter  named  Catharine, 
born  February  8,  1845,  who  married  Adolf 
Charles  Lempke,  November  8,  1865.  He 
died  February  2,  1884,  leaving  two  sons, 
namely, — George,  born  September  20,  1866, 
and  Rodney,  born  July  10,  1868. 

For  his  second  wife  he  married  Emeline 
Eaton,  widow  of  Wellington  K.  Eaton,  and 
daughter  of  Andrew  Lester,  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Mount  Pleasant  township.  Of  this  marriage 
were  born  Rudolf  Harmes,  M.D.,  born  June 
30,  1851,  died  February  15,  1883;  and  Her- 
man Harmes,  his  only  surviving  son,  born 
February  9, 1863,  a  popular  teacher  and  studeut- 
at-law. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Like  most  of  the  old  practitioners  of  Wayne 
County,  Dr.  Harmes  has  failed  to  accumulate 
much  property,  but  owns  and  occupies  a  small 
farm  at  Pleasant  Mount,  where  he  is  passing 
the  remainder  of  what  has  been  an  active,  ear- 
nest, energetic  and  successful  life.  Had  he 
possessed  broader  opportunities,  his  natural 
ability  would  have  insured  him  success  in  any 
field  of  labor.  Such  men  deserve  great  credit 
for  accomplishing  what  they  do  in  the  face  of 
obstacles  which  cause  many  to  fall  by  the  way- 
side. 

Rudolf  Harmes,  M.D.,  son  of  Hon.  Rod- 
ney Harmes,  licentiate  of  medicine,  was  born 
at  Pleasant  Mount,  Wayne  County,  June  30, 
1851.  From  the  age  of  five  to  eighteen  his 
chief  delight  was  (like  that  of  his  grandfather, 
Andrew  Lester)  angling,  trapping  and  hunting, 
being,  at  the  age  of  ten,  a  good  marksman. 
His  progress  in  acquiring  an  education  at  the 
district  school  was  rather  tardy  ;  but  he  admired 
tales  of  hazardous  adventures  and  marvelous 
escapes,  and  indulged  in  reading  that  kind  of 
literature  many  hours,  and  occasionally  amused 
himself  by  looking  at  anatomical  plates  and 
learning  the  names  of  bones,  muscles  and  ar- 
teries, thereby  obtaining  knowledge  which  was 
eventually  of  much  benefit  to  him,  although,  at 
the  time,  he  was  of  the  firm  belief  that  he 
would  never  practice  medicine. 

In  the  fall  of  1869,  when  the  Pleasant 
Mount  Academy  went  into  operation,  he  com- 
menced studying  at  that  institution  with  the  de- 
termination of  becoming,  at  least,  an  ordinary 
English  scholar.  From  that  time  his  progress 
was  successful  and  speedy,  and  at  the  end  of  a 
few  months  he  was  qualified  as  a  teacher,  and 
the  following  winter  taught  school  for  a  term 
of  four  months,  but  became  dissatisfied  with 
teaching  as  an  occupation. 

He  next  applied  himself  to  dentistry,  an  art 
which  he  soon  learned,  and  which,  with  read- 
ing medicine,  occupied  his  time  for  a  few 
months.  For  the  purpose  of  obtaining  further 
improvement  in  knowledge,  he  again  returned 
to  his  studies  at  the  academy,  and  in  addition  to 
other  branches,  studied  Latin. 

In  the  fall  of  1872,  he  went  to  New  York, 
and  spent  the   winter  attending  lectures  at  the 


Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  and  the 
spring  following  returned  to  his  father's  home, 
with  the  full  determination  to  become  a  phy- 
sician and  surgeon. 

He  spent  the  summer  engaged  with  his  pro- 
fessio.nal  reading  and  assisting  his  father  in  at- 
tending patients,  and  the  following  fall — 1873 — 
returned  to  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College 
and  attended  lectures  during  the  winter,  at  the 
same  time  receiving  special  tuition  on  diseases 
of  the  heart  and  lungs  from  Dr.  Austin  Flint. 
At  the  college  commencement,  the  following 
spring,  he  received  his  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine,  and  returned  to  Pleasant  Mount  con- 
scious of  being  qualified  to  enter  upon  the 
duties  of  his  profession.  His  father  at  that 
time  had  a  large  practice,  and  was  desirous 
that  his  son  should  eventually  supersede  him. 

The  popularity  of  the  young  physician,  and 
the  confidence  which  the  people  had  in  his 
ability,  obtained  for  him  immediate  patronage, 
which  he  retained  during  one  year ;  but,  believ- 
ing that  he  could  find  a  more  desirable,  or,  at 
least,  a  more  lucrative  practice  elsewhere,  he 
moved  to  Becket,  Berkshire  County,  Mass., 
where,  on  the  28th  day  of  April,  1875,  he  was 
admitted  as  a  Fellow  of  the  Massachusetts  Medi- 
cal Society.  At  Becket  he  had,  during  a  few 
months,  a  liberal  patronage  and  satisfactory 
compensation  ;  but  in  the  fall  of  1876  the  manu- 
facturing establishments  in  that  part  of  the 
State  were  suspended,  laborers  were  discharged 
and  were  leaving  the  place,  and  he  found  his 
practice  too  unprofitable  to  remain  there. 

He  then  returned  to  Pleasant  Mount,  where 
he  found  his  father  still  the  chief  practitioner 
and  desirous  to  have  him  again  established  in 
the  place  of  his  nativity.  He  received  a  warm 
welcome  from  his  former  friends  and  patrons, 
and  immediately  engaged  in  an  extensive  and 
laborious  practice,  which  he  retained  until  the 
time  of  his  death. 

As  a  surgeon  he  was  confident  and  compe- 
tent, and  delighted  in  performing  operations 
which  required  good  eyes  and  a  steady  hand.  As 
an  accoucheur  he  was  not  outrivaled  by  any 
practitioner  in  his  county.  He  was  quite  a 
large  and  strong  man,  and  occasionally,  during 
the  season  of  haying,  would  go  into  his  father's 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


207 


field  and  use  a  scythe,  where  he  rarely  found 
his  equal.  At  boxing,  an  amusement  in  which 
he  sometimes  indulged,  strong  men  declared 
that  they  would  not  like  to  have  him  strike 
them  in  anger. 

On  June  19,  1877,  he  married  Kate  Atwater, 
daughter  of  Edward  M.  Atwater,  by  whom  he 
had  a  son,  named  Edward,  born  July  16,  1880, 
who  is  still  living  to  cheer  the  declining  years 
of  his  grandparents. 


gave  no  alarm,  excepting  to  his  father  and  his 
family  and  friends,  but,  on  the  15th  day  of  the 
month,  when  all  but  his  father  were  hopeful, 
suddenly  and  apparently  without  warning,  even 
to  himself,  he  ceased  breathing.  The  day  pre- 
vious to  his  death  he  had,  as  he  told  his  wile, 
a  slight  paralytic  attack  of  the  heart,  which 
soon  passed  off.  It  was  his  father's  opinion 
that  he  had  sub-acute  inflammation  of  the  stom- 
ach, but  that  the    real    cause  of  his  death   was 


)&>vynlj 


In  consecmence  of  au  injury  of  his  head,  re- 
ceived by  a  fall  when  he  was  a  boy,  he 
was  occasionally  a  sufferer  from  severe  head- 
ache, sometimes  attended  with  vomiting,  but 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  discontinue  visiting 
the  sick  until  compelled  by  sad  necessity.  But 
his  troubles  were  known  by  only  a  few,  for  he 
suffered  without  complaining.  His  final  sick- 
ness commenced  the  fore  part  of  February, 
1883.     The  attack   being   like  pi'evious  ones, 


paralysis  of  the  heart.  No  other  man  in  the 
northern  part  of  Wayne  County  ever  passed 
away  so  universally  beloved,  regretted  and 
mourned. 

Dr.  Dwight  Reed  was  born  in  Salisbury, 
Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  March  8,  1824.  He 
is  a  descendent  in  the  seventh  generation  of 
John  Reed,  who  emigrated  to  this  country  from 
Cornwall,  England,  at  the  restoration  of  the 
Stuarts.     He  was  a  junior  officer  in  the  army 


20H 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA 


of  Cromwell,  the  Protector,  aud  is  supposed  to 
have  left  his  native  shores  to  secure  greater  per- 
sonal freedom,  and  because  of  the  opposition  of 
an  older  brother  to  his  proposed  marriage.  He 
first  located  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  then  removed 
to  Rye,  New  York,  and  finally  settled  at  Nor- 
walk,  Conn.,  where  he  died  in  1730,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-seven  years,  leaving  de- 
scendants. The  intervening  generations,  in  the 
line  of  descent,  down  to  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  were  represented  by  Thomas,  John, 
Josiah  (1st),  Josiah  (2d)  aud  Charles  G.  Reed. 
Of  these,  Josiah  (1st)  was  the  great-grandfather 
of  Dr.  Reed,  aud  emigrated  from  Norwalk  to 
Salisbury,  Conn.,  where  he  became  the  progeni- 
tor of  the  Salisbury  branch  of  the  now  numer- 
ous Reed  family.  He  inherited  the  warlike 
instincts  of  his  ancestors  and  died  at  Tieonder 
oga  while  performing  active  service  in  the  French 
and  Indian  "War.  His  son  Josiah,  a  farmer, 
tanner  and  shoemaker  by  occupation,  succeeded 
him,  married  aud  had  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Charles  G.  Reed,  born  17!>7, 
was  the  father  of  Dr.  Reed.  The  latter  mar- 
ried Semanthe  E.  Bird,  a  descendant  of  Thos. 
Bird,  who  resided  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  1(344, 
and  daughter  of  Lieutenant  Isaac  Bird,  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolution,  and  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits  in  Connecticut.  In  1832  he  removed 
to  Bethany,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming  until  his  death.  He  had  six 
children — Dwight  Charles  Bird  (died)  ;  Egbert 
Garfield,  who  resides  iu  Honesdale  ;  William 
Henry,  a  graduated  physician  and  druggist  at 
Honesdale;  Loranie  Abigail  (died);  and  Ellen 
Salome,  wife  of  Rev.  Melville  Smith,  a  Meth- 
odist minister  in  Illinois. 

Dr.  Dwight  Reed  came  to  Wayne  County 
with  his  parents  in  1832,  when  eight  years  of 
age.  Soon  after  he  was  sent  to  Salisbury,  Conn., 
where  he  attended  the  district  school,  a  more  ad- 
vanced institution  in  that  old  settled  section  than 
any  in  the  pioneer  country  in  which  his  father 
had  located  in  Pennsylvania.  He  subsequently 
attended  the  Beech  Woods  Academy,  in  Bethany, 
where  he  completed  his  studies.  In  1844  he 
began  the  study  of  mediciue  with  Dr.  Adoni- 
jah  Strong,  of  Honesdale,  and  later  attended 
lectures  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Uni- 


versity of  the  City  of  New  York,  where  he  was 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine in  1848.  While  in  attendance  at  the  uni- 
versity he  was  under  the  private  instruction  of 
Dr.  William  Detmold,  an  eminent  surgeon  in 
New  York  City. 

After  receiving  his  degree,  Dr.  Reed  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Honesdale,  where,  in  connection  with  his 
brother,  Egbert  G.  Reed,  he  also  opened  a  drug- 
store in  the  old  Arcade  building.  In  1855  he 
disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  store  to  his 
brother  and  thereafter  confined  himself  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession  alone.  He  continued 
to  enjoy  a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  taking 
high  rank  as  a  surgeon  and  general  practitioner 
until  he  relaxed  his  energies  in  late  years 
and  limited  his  practice  to  certain  families 
and  cases,  acting  frequently,  however,  in  con- 
sultation with  other  physicians,  where  his  recog- 
nized ability  and  skill  are  deemed  necessary. 
In  surgery  he  has  always  advocated  the  largest 
possible  conservatism,  esteeming  that  surgeon 
deserving  of  greatest  commendation  who  saves 
a  limb  rather  than  seeks  after  the  establishment 
of  a  reputation  in  the  community  by  the  per- 
formance of  amputation.  In  the  practice  of 
medicine  he  has  not  that  confidence  in  the  cura- 
tive influence  of  drugs  that  would  be  expected 
in  a  physician,  but  relies,  more  upon  surround- 
ing his  patient  with  favorable  influences,  and 
trusting  to  the  vis  medieatrix  natura  than  to  the 
nimia  eura  mtdirina — believing  that  it  is  eas- 
ier to  prevent  disease  than  to  cure  it.  For  the 
former  he  would  depend  upon  the  proper  ob- 
servance of  the  laws  of  nature,  and  for  the 
latter  upon  her  medicines, — food, drink,  exercise, 
sleep,  air  and  warmth. 

As  a  man  Dr.  Reed  holds  a  high  place  in 
the  esteem  of  his  fellows,  and  his  integrity  aud 
uprightness  of  character  have  never  been  ques- 
tioned. While  sacredly  respecting  the  creeds 
aud  beliefs  of  others,  he  is  himself  non-religious, 
having  early  in  life  adopted  the  rationalistic 
hypothesis  of  life,  that  nature  or  the  universe  is 
all  that  exists  ;  that  it  is  self-existent,  or  un- 
created, and  contains  inherently  all  the  laws, 
forces  and  modes  of  action  which  produce  its 
varied    phenomena.       Being    asked    what    he 


M 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


2(1!) 


thought  of  the  Apostles'  Creed,  he  replied,  "  I 
have  adopted  one  less  dogmatical, — 

"I  believe  in  the  Darwinian  theory;  in  the 
Evolution  Hypothesis  ;  in  the  Undulation  of 
Light  and  the  Lumiuiferous  Ether — and  in 
the  Atomic  Constitution  of  Matter." 

"Now  then  about  Providence?''  "I  will 
answer  you  in  the  words  of  that  Priest  of 
Science,  John  W.  Draper,  my  revered  instruc- 
tor in  chemistry  :  'There  is  no  such  thing  as 
Providence,  for  nature  proceeds    under    irresis- 


Dr.  Charles  A.  DusiNBEKBE  was  born  at 
Warwick,  Orange  County,  New  York,  October 
20,  1823.  His  father,"  William  V.  Dusin- 
berre,  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  at  Corn- 
wall-on-Hudson,  and  married  Mary,  daughter 
of  Daniel  Jessup,  of  Florida,  Orange  County. 
His  grandfather,  Daniel  C.  Dusinberre,  was  an 
extensive  farmer  near  Edenville,  Orange  Coun- 
ty, and  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  that  section. 

Dr.  Dusinberre's  early  education  was  derived 
by  attendance  at    a  private    school  taught  by 


/^^^^  ^W  tDt^ffa) 


tible  laws.  The  vital  force  which  pervades 
the  world  is  what  the  illiterate  call  God.'  " 

In  politics  the  doctor  is  intensely  Republi- 
can ;  and  believes  the  republic  is  to  be  pre- 
served and  perpetuated  only  through  the  prin- 
ciples of  its  party. 

Dr.  Reed  married,  in  1852,  Caroline  W., 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Lydia  Bliss,  of 
Brattleboro,  Vt.  His  only  child  is  Ada  Car- 
rie, wrife  of  Louis  J.  Dorflinger,  of  Hones- 
dale. 


Rev.  Jonathan  Silliman,  of  Canterbury,  Orange 
County,  New  York,  in  which  he  received  care- 
ful instruction  in  the  English  branches  of 
study.  He  subsequently  served  as  a  clerk  in 
his  father's  store  for  several  years,  and  then 
began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  George 
C.  Blackmail,  of  Canterbury,  by  whose  advice 
his  attention  was  directed  to  the  profession. 
Dr.  Blackmau  was  a  prominent  physician  and 
surgeon,  and  subsequently  filled  the  chair  of 
surgery    at    the    Cincinnati    Medical     College. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


While  pursuing  his  medical  studies  with  Dr. 
Blackmail,  Dr.  Dusinberre  attended  lectures  at 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New 
York,  for  two  winters,  but  owing  to  his  father's 
failing  health  he  was  obliged  to  discontinue  his 
studies,  and  go  with  him  to  Key  West,  Florida, 
in  the  hope  that  the  change  would  prove  bene- 
ficial to  him.  Returning  in  the  spring  of  1845, 
he  taught  school  in  Orange  County  for  about 
two  years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1847  resumed  his 
attendance  upon  the  lectures  of  the  Medical 
College.  At  this  time  the  disease  commonly 
known  as  "  ship-fever,"  a  low  type  of  typhus 
fever,  was  prevailing  to  a  serious  extent  on 
Ward's  Island,  and  a  call  was  made  upon  the 
college  for  medical  assistance.  Among  the 
students  who  volunteered  to  go  to  the  succor  of 
the  afflicted  was  Dr.  Dusinberre,  who  soon  after 
was  stricken  down  with  fever  himself,  and  nar- 
rowly escaped  with  his  life.  After  his  recovery 
he  returned  to  Ward's  Island  and  resumed  his 
labors  and  practice  in  the  hospital  at  that 
place.  In  the  spring  of  1849  he  was  graduated 
as  Doctor  of  Medicine  at  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons,  and  April  24th  following 
was  appointed  to  the  position  of  temporary 
resident  physician  to  the  Nursery  Hospital,  on 
Randall's  Island,  taking  the  place  of  Dr.  Win- 
terbottom,  who  was  obliged  to  go  South  because 
of  impaired  health.  Before  receiving  this  ap- 
pointment Dr.  Dusinberre  was  compelled  to 
pass  examination  before  the  medical  board  of 
Blackwell's  Island,  his  commission,  upon  rec- 
ommendation of  the  board,  being  signed  by 
Mayor  W.  J.  Havemeyer.  He  continued  to 
occupy  that  responsible  place  until  the  appoint- 
ment of  Dr.  Henry  M.  Whittlesey  as  the  regu- 
lar incumbent,  and  on  July  1,  1849,  respond- 
ed to  the  call  for  assistants  at  the  almshouse  on 
Blackwell's  Island,  during  the  terrible  cholera 
scourge  of  1849.  In  December  of  that  year 
he  succeeded  his  old  preceptor,  Dr.  Blackmail, 
as  surgeon  on  the  ship  "Constellation,"  one  of  the 
Kermit  Line  of  emigrant  vessels,  plying  between 
New  York  and  Liverpool.  The  "Constellation" 
was  at  that  time  the  largest  packet-ship  run- 
ning between  those  points.  Not  finding  this 
position  congenial  to  his  tastes  and  aspirations, 
he  made  but  one  trip,  and   in  March,  1850,    lo- 


cated in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Perth 
Amboy,  New  Jersey.  Soon  after  he  removed 
to  Rossville,  Staten  Island,  where  he  practiced 
for  five  years.  In  the  fall  of  1855  he  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  New  York 
City,  and  remained  there  until  Juue,  1857.  On 
March  7,  1856,  while  in  practice  in  New  York, 
he  was  appointed  by  the  managers  of  the  North- 
western Dispensary  one  of  the  attendant  phy- 
sicians at  that  institution.  In  June,  1857,  he 
bought  the  practice  of  Dr.  N.  F.  Marsh,  of 
Honesdale,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  and  removed 
to  that  place,  where  he  has  continued  to  enjoy 
a  high  reputation  as  a  practitioner  of  medicine 
and  surgery  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, and  where  lie  is  held  in  great  respect  and 
esteem  by  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances.  He 
has  no  special  theories,  aside  from  the  general 
creeds  of  his  profession,  to  guide  him  in  his 
practice,  but  has  always  aimed  to  perform  his 
professional  work  in  a  conscientious  and  un- 
ostentatious manner.  For  many  years  he  has 
been  the  surgeon  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal  Company,  resident  at  Honesdale,  and 
held  the  position  of  pension  examiner  under  the 
government,  from  1865  until  displaced  by 
the  change  of  administration,  in  1885.  For 
nine  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  School 
Board  of  Honesdale,  for  six  years  president  of 
that  body.  In  June,  1852,  he  married  Eliza- 
beth S.,  daughter  of  Richard  Conner,  of  Staten 
Island,  an  old  family  there,  whose  ancestors  at 
one  time  owned  nearly  one-third  of  the  island. 
He  has  three  sons  living,  viz.:  Henry  W., 
editor  of  a  newspaper  at  Jonesboro,  Tenn.  ; 
Charles  C,  residing  in  Honesdale  ;  and  Richard, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  oranges  in 
Florida. 

Consider  King,  M.D.  (1797-1867),  came 
from  Greene  County,  N.  Y.,  about  1856  and 
settled  at  Honesdale,  where  he  practiced  his 
profession  successfully  for  some  ten  years.  He 
was  appointed  and  served  as  a  member  of  the 
first  board  of  examiners  for  examining  army 
recruits  at  the  beginning  of  the  late  Civil 
War  at  Honesdale,  and  died  some  two  years 
after  its  close. 

Dr.  William  F.  Denton,  who  practiced  in 
Honesdale   for  many  years,  was  born  at  War- 


WAYXK  COUNTY 


211 


wick,  in  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  on  December 
15,  1815.  When  about  twenty-one  years  of 
age  he  received  an  injury  which  confined  him 
for  some  time,  made  active  exercise  impractica 
ble  and  eventually  changed  the  whole  course  of 
his  life.  It  was  this  which  led  to  his  studying 
medicine.  He  began  reading  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Dr.  Coe  and  Dr.  Stanley,  of  ( >range 
County,  and  commenced  practice  at  Rockaway, 
L.  I.,  but  in  December,  1839,  he  came  to 
Honesdale,  where  the  remainder  of  his  life 
was  spent.  His  physical  constitution  was  nat- 
urally weak,  and  he  obtained  so  large  a  practice 
that  it  proved  a  sufficient  burden  to  break  down 
his  health,  so  that  he  died  a  young  man,  in  his 
forty-fourth  year,  on  November  19,  185!t.  He 
was  the  first  person  buried  in  Glen  Dyberry 
Cemetery,  Honesdale,  his  remains  being  interred 
upon  November  21st,  two  days  after  his  death. 
Dr.  Denton  had  married,  on  June  5, 1844,  Miss 
Mary  Schofield,  of  Honesdale,  who  still  sur- 
vives. They  were  the  parents  of  four  children, 
of  whom  Samuel,  the  eldest,  died  September  11, 
1866,  in  the  United  States  army  ;  Mary  Emma 
became  the  wife  of  William  Taylor,  of  San 
Francisco ;  Joseph  S.,  is  a  druggist  of  Baltimore; 
and  William  F.  died  in  childhood. 

A  friend  who  knew  him  well  says  of  Dr. 
Denton:  "As  a  physician  lie  studied  all  systems 
and  followed  none,  .  .  .  drew  his  remedies 
from  every  source  within  his  reach,  irrespective 
of  authority,  and  applied  them  with  a  judgment 
which  constituted  the  basis  of  his  success.  .  .  . 
In  social  life  he  was  genial  and  companionable, 
and,  when  aroused  from  his  habitually  medi- 
tative mood,  exhibited  a  remarkably  fine  flow 
of  spirits  and  manifested  a  hearty  appreciation 
of  congenial  qualities  in  others.  Busied  as  he 
was  in  his  professional  life,  he  still  found  time 
for  other  pursuits,  and  his  knowledge  extended 
over  a  wide  and  varied  range  of  subjects.  But 
it  was  as  a  man  that  he  achieved  his  great  suc- 
cess. The  nobility  of  his  soul  and  the  great- 
ness of  heart  he  lived  out  in  a  life  of  beautiful 
symmetry  and  proportion.  It  was  alike  mani- 
fest in  the  good  that  he  loved  and  the  wrong 
that  he  hated.  .  .  .  No  man  ever  faced  death 
with  more  calm  composure  or  more  quiet  resig- 
nation." 


J.  Hawley  OLMSTEAD  was  born  in  Bethany 
January,  1823,  and  was  the  son  of  Deacon  Os- 
born  Olmstead.  In  his  youth  he  is  remem- 
bered as  a  bright,  witty,  intelligent,  athletic 
boy,  the  admiration  of  his  fellows.  From  1832 
to  1844  he  had  the  advantages  of  an  education 
afforded  by  the  Beech  Woods  Academy,  of  his 
native  borough,  under  such  instructors  as  Ed- 
mund L.  Reed,  Benjamin  Dimock,  Rev.  H.  C. 
Nash,  Morley,  Wood  et  at.,  and  completed  his 
literary  studies  at  the  High  School  of  Rev.  Wil- 
lard  Richardson,  commencing  the  study  of  med- 
icine at  the  end  of  this  year  in  the  office  of  Dr. 
Edwin  Graves.  He  had  early  in  life  acquired 
a  musical  education,  both  vocal  and  instru- 
mental, and  up  to  tli is  time  such  was  hi>  social 
connection  in  his  native  place  that  at  all  such 
gatherings  his  presence  was  necessary. 

In  the  autumn  of  184(5  he  matriculated  at 
the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  attended  two  full 
courses  of  medical  lectures  there,  and  received 
the  degree  of  M.D.  in  March,  1848.  He  com- 
menced practice  immediately  with  his  former 
preceptor  in  Honesdale,  and  married  Miss 
Mary,  daughter  of  E.  Patmor,  Esq.,  in  1852. 

In  1856  he  was  appointed  post  surgeon  in 
the  United  States  Army  ;  was  stationed  in  Texas 
three  years,  and  upon  being  relieved,  entered  into 
co-partnership  with  his  brother,  Dr.  J.  C.  Olm- 
stead, of  Dundaff,  Pa.  His  health  failing,  he 
returned  to  the  old  family  homestead  at 
Bethany,  where  he  died  of  consumption  in 
June,  1861.  His  wife  survived  him  but  one 
year.  Their  only  child  and  daughter,  Mary, 
married  James  Babson. 

Dr.  George  B.  Curtis  was  born  in  Beth- 
any February  4,  1835,  and  died  in  Hawley 
June  9,  1884.  He  was  the  son  of  Rev.  H.  Cur- 
tis, a  clergyman  of  the  Baptist  Church  of  that 
place,  and  had  three  brothers  and  two  sisters. 
On  arriving  at  proper  age  he  was  sent  to  the 
schools  of  the  different  grades  in  his  native  vil- 
lage, completing  his  literary  course  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Northern  Pennsylvania. 

Having  decided  to  become  a  medical  man,  he 
commenced  his  studies  with  Dr.  King,  of 
Honesdale,  aud  after  complying  with  the  requi- 
sitions of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  at 


212 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Philadelphia,  graduated  at  that  institution  in 
March,  1858.  The  same  year  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  an  old  aud  respectable  practi- 
tioner of  Hawley,  Dr.  H.  L.  Stearns,  with 
whom  he  practiced  three  years,  then  followed 
his  profession  alone  until  the  time  of  his 
death. 

Dr.  Curtis  in  1862  married  Miss  Augusta 
Cook,  daughter  of  John  A.  Cook,  of  Ledge- 
dale.  They  had  three  sons  and  four  daughters, 
viz.:  John  H.,  Augustus  C,  Eugene,  Nellie, 
Harriet,  Margaret,  Julia.  The  eldest,  Dr.  John 
H.,  is  a  graduate  of  the  New  York  City  Uni- 
versity, and  promises  to  become  a  worthy  suc- 
cessor of  his  father. 

Dr.  Curtis  was  truly  one  of  the  respectable 
of  the  profession.  His  religious  faith  was  that 
of  his  esteemed  father,  and  of  his  character,  vir- 
tue was  the  foundation  and  ethics  the  test. 
Guilty  of  no  vicious  habit,  he  was  always  relia- 
ble, always  found  in  the  same  place,  gradually 
rising  in  the  estimation  of  his  professional  con- 
freres, the  respect  of  his  patients  and  confidence 
of  the  people.  In  the  practice  of  medicine  he 
was  faithful,  and  in  the  department  of  surgery 
he  performed  some  of  the  capital  operations 
successfully.  When  unemployed  lie  was  eco- 
nomical of  his  time,  his  leisure  hours  being 
spent  in  the  perusal  of  medical  journals,  and  he 
often  furnished  articles  for  them.  He  was  a 
respected  member  of  the  "  Tri-States  Medical 
Society,"  of  Port  Jervis,  N.  Y.,  and  at  his 
death  that  body  selected  Dr.  Dingman,  of  Haw- 
ley, his  colleague  and  fellow-townsman  to  deliver 
a  memorial  address,  in  which  Dr.  Curtis  is  de- 
scribed as  "  considerably  above  the  medium 
height,  of  rather  a  large  frame,  light  features, 
light  hair  aud  a  fair  complexion.  His  counte- 
nance wore  a  serious  aud  thoughtful  expression, 
but  was  often  lighted  up  with  smiles  during 
social  and  friendly  intercourse.  His  manner 
was  composed  and  quiet,  but  always  courteous, 
and  his  whole  deportment  that  of  a  refined  gen- 
tleman." 

Abram  Coolbaugh  Dingman,  M.D.,  was 
born  at  Dingman's  Ferry,  on  the  Delaware,  in 
Pike  County,  Pa.,  September  18,  1843.  His 
early  life  was  spent  on  the  home  farm,  where 
he  had  the  usual   opportunity  of  attending  the 


district  school,  but  later  was*,  close  student  at 
the  Deckertown  Academy,  N.  J.  Inclining  to 
the  profession  of  medicine  rather  than  a  busi- 
ness life,  in  1862  he  borrowed  some  medical 
works  from  Dr.  Gratton,  of  Monroe  County,  and 
during  his  leisure  hours  from  other  duties  ap- 
plied himself  to  study  and  reading,  which  he 
continued  more  or  less  without  a  tutor  for  over 
two  years. 

In  1865  he  began  reading  medicine  in  the 
office  of  Dr.  P.  F.  Fulmer,  of  Dingman's  Ferry, 
took  two  regular  courses  of  lectures  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  graduated  at 
that  institution  in  the  class  of  1867.  In  Au- 
gust following,  Dr.  Dingman  settled  at  Hawley, 
Wayne  County,  where  his  success  in  the  diag- 
nosis and  treatment  of  disease  was  soon  fully  es- 
tablished, and  where  his  field  of  practice  rap- 
idly widened.  He  has  continued  the  duties  of  his 
profession  at  Hawley  since,  a  period  of  nearly 
twenty  years,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  of  a  large 
circle  of  the  most  intelligent  and  thoughtful  peo- 
ple in  the  community.  He  established  a  drug-store 
at  Hawley  upon  settling  there,  which  he  has 
conducted  in  connection  with  his  other  business 
and  general  practice  of  medicine.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  board  of  pension  examiners 
for  Wayne  County  since  July,  1885,  and  of  the 
Tri-States  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  was  a 
charter  member,  since  1872. 

Since  his  residence  at  Hawley  Dr.  Dingman 
has  taken  a  zealous  interest  in  all  local  matters 
tending  to  the  growth  aud  proper  development 
of  the  place,  in  its  educational  work  and  civil 
government.  For  several  years  he  has  been  an 
influential  factor  in  the  political  field  of  Wayne; 
held  the  office  of  treasurer  of  Palmyra  township 
in  1881  aud  1882,  and  was  elected  burgess  of 
Hawley  in  February,  1885.  He  married,  in 
1876,  Josephine,  daughter  of  Joseph  A.  Dow, 
a  locomotive  engineer,  and  Mary  (Homans) 
Dow,  of  Windsor,  Broome  County,  N.  Y.  They 
have  one  child,  Nellie  Dingman,  aud  Mrs.  Ding- 
man has  an  only  sister,  Annie  Dow.  Her  pa- 
ternal grandfather  was  Rev.  Joseph  Dow,  who 
settled  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Wayne  County,  from 
New  England,  aud  who  died  in  Susquehanna 
County,  Pa.  Her  maternal  grandfather  was 
John  Homans,  a  lumberman,  of  Windsor,  aud 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


213 


her  great-grandfather  was  the  progenitor  of  the 
family  in  this  country  from  Holland. 

Andrew  Dingmau,  the  progenitor  of  the  Ding- 
mans  in  Pike  County,  was  born  at  Kinderhook, 
on  the  Hudson,  in  1711,  and  came  to  "Ding- 
man's  choice"  in  1735,  where  he  was  the 
pioneer  settler.  His  sou  Andrew  resided  on 
the  Jersey  side  of  the  Delaware,  but  subsequent- 
ly removed  to  Dingman's  Ferry,  where  his 
father  had  made  a  beginning.     He  was  captain 


man  (1775-1862),  only  son  of  Andrew,  inherited 
his  father's  estate  at  the  "  Ferry,"  and  carried  on 
the  lumber  business  and  merchandising  there 
during  a  large  part  of  his  active  life.  He  was 
a  leading  and  influential  man  socially  and 
politically,  and  a  Democrat  of  the  Andrew 
Jackson  type. 

He  was  the  first  elected  sheriff  of  Wayne 
County,  in  1801,  and  the  second  holding  the 
office,  and  served  in  the  State  Legislature  from 


~4,  4- 


c^frvV?/2^«* 


of  a  company  aud  served  in  the  struggle  for  the 
independence  of  the  colonies,  and  after  living 
to  see  the  country  again  engaged  in  a  war  with 
England  in  1812,  he  survived  many  years 
thereafter,  aud  died  in  1839,  at  the  age  of  eigh- 
ty-three years. 

His  wife  was  Jane  Westbrook,  who  bore  him 
two  children, — Daniel  W.  Dingman  and  Cor- 
nelia, who  became  the  wife  of  Daniel  Van  Et- 
ten,  who  resided  at  Connashaw,  where  the  Van 
Etten  family  homestead  was.     Daniel  W.  Diug- 


|  1808  to  1814,  during  which  time  Pike  County 
was  token  from  Wayne,  and  he  gave  the  new 
county  its  name,  from  General  Pike,  a  hero  of 
the  War  of  1812,  aud  he  also  gave  Dingman 
township  its  name.  He  was  associate  judge 
of  Pike  County  for  twenty-six  years  in  succes- 
sion, and  was  chosen  one  of  the  electors  in  the 
election  of  President  Monroe. 

His  wife,  Mary  Westbrook  (1777-1852),  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Westbrook,  of  Sussex 
County,  N.  J.,   bore   him  children  as  follows : 


214 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIKS.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Martin  W.;  Andrew  ;  Daniel  W.,  Jr.,  the  first 
Whig  prothonotary  of  Pike  County,  appointed 
by  Governor  Joseph  Ritner  ;  Cornelia,  wife  of 
Garret  Brodhead,  of  Dingman's  Ferry  ;  Mar- 
garet, wife  of  Abrani  Coolbaugh,  of  Shawnee, 
Monroe  County  ;  and  Jane,  wife  of  Franklin 
Brodhead.  Of  these  children,  only  Andrew 
and  Margaret  survive  in  1886,  the  latter  being 
eighty-five  years  of  age.  Andrew,  son  of  Daniel 
W.  Dingman,  was  born  on  the  homestead,  on 
Christmas  day,  1804,  where  he  has  followed 
farming  and  lumbering  most  of  his  active  life. 
He  now,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years,  is  hale 
and  hearty,  and  his  correct  habits  through  life, 
his  even  temperament  and  quiet  ways,  together 
with  his  integrity  in  all  the  relations  of  life's 
work,  have  gained  the  esteem  of  all  who  know 
him. 

His  wife,  Caroline  (1804-85),  was  a 
daughter  of  Jed ediah  Say  re,  a  large  real  estate 
owner  of  Deckertowu,  X.  J.,  and  her  mother 
was  Elizabeth  Reifsnyder,  of  the  same  place. 
Their  children  are  :  Mary,  wife  of  John  W. 
Kilsby,  a  farmer  at  Dingman's  Ferry;  Susan, 
wife  of  John  W.  Mclnnis,  of  Columbus,  <  )hio; 
E .  Sayre,  of  Scrantou  ;  Jane  resides  with  her 
brother  at  Hawley  ;  Margaret,  wife  of  John 
Lattimore,  of  Dingman's  Ferry  ;  Daniel  AY.,  of 
Flatbrookville,  Sussex  ( 'ounty,  N.  J.;  Alfred  S., 
ofMilford;  William  H.,  of  Columbus,  Ohio ; 
Dr.  A.  C,  subject  of  this  sketch  ;  and  Isaac,  of 
Dingman's  Ferry. 

Robert  W.  Brady,  M.D.,  physician  and 
surgeon,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  May  31  >, 
1842.  He  obtained  his  early  education  from 
■books  in  the  schools  at  Honesdale,  and  at  the 
Bethany  Academy.  Preparatory  to  the  study 
of  medicine,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  entered  the 
drug  store  of  Reed  Brothers,,  at  Honesdale,  as  a 
clerk,  where  he  remained  one  year,  and  after  a 
short  residence  in  Scrantou,  to  which  place  his 
parents  removed,  lie  returned  and  served  as  a 
drug  clerk  for  one  year  more  in  the  same  store, 
with  the  firm  of  Gilbert,  Palmer  &  Reed.  At 
about  the  age  of  nineteen  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine  with  the  late  eminent  physician, 
Dr.  Adonijah  Strong,  of  Honesdale,  attended 
two  courses  of  lectures  at  the  Albany  Medical 
•College,  from  which  institution  he  was  gradu- 


ated in  the  spring  of  1863.  The  late  Civil  War 
being  then  in  progress,  and  the  necessities  of 
the  hospitals  and  field  service  requiring  all  the 
medical  aid  at  the  command  of  the  government, 
Dr.  Brady  accepted  the  appointment  of  assistant 
surgeon  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-ninth  Regi- 
ment New  York  Volunteers,  Eighteenth  Army 
('dips,  under  General  Smith,  and  at  once  re- 
ported to  Fortress  Monroe  for  duty. 

He  followed  the  fortunes  of  war  as  a  field 
surgeon  with  his  army  corps  until  May,  1864, 
when  he  was  taken  prisoner  at  Drury's  Bluff, 
at  the  time  General  Butler  was  making  an  at- 
tempt to  capture  Richmond. 

As  a  prisoner  he  served  at  Castle  Thunder, 
a  rebel  prison  at  Richmond  for  Yankee  pris- 
oners, for  a  few  weeks,  and  was  transferred  to 
the  famous  "  Libby  Prison,"  where  he  remain- 
ed, in  common  with  others  enduring  everything 
incident  to  that  horribly  and  inhumanly  kept 
rebel  prison,  for  three  months.  Fortunately 
for  him,  he  was  exchanged  at  Aiken's  Land- 
ing, went  to  Annapolis,  and  was  given  a  fur- 
lough of  twenty  days,  which  he  spent  at  home 
in  recruiting  his  strength  and  with  his  friends. 
He  returned  to  duty  with  his  old  regiment,  in 
September,  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  where 
he  remained  all  winter,  and  until  the  surrender 
of  General  Lee  and  the  fall  of  Richmond,  and 
he  recites  marching  into  the  latter  city  on  the 
morning  of  April  3,  1805,  when  a  part  of  the 
city  and  its  three  bridges  crossing  the  James 
River  were  all  on  fire.  After  the  fill  of  Rich- 
mond, General  Gibbons  assigned  Dr.  Brady 
to  duty  on  his  staff  as  medical  purveyor  of  the 
Twenty-fourth  Army  Corps,  which  had  been 
formed  from  the  depleted  troops  of  the  Eigh- 
teenth and  Tenth  Army  Corps.  After  a  short 
service  in  this  position  he  was  mustered  out  of 
his  regiment,  and  commissioned  a  surgeon  of 
the  Ninety-sixth  Regiment  New  York  Volun- 
teers, with  the  rank  of  major,  and  served  the 
regiment  in  this  capacity,  doing  provost  duty 
through  Virginia  and  Tennessee,  until  Febru- 
ary 1866,  when  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  ser- 
\  iee  and  returned  to  Honesdale.  Iu  January, 
prior  to  the  close  of  his  services,  Dr.  Brady  had 
obtained  a  furlough,  and  at  Honesdale  married 
Miss    Esther,    a    daughter    of  William   (1815- 


Ah,  /B.7ffiU*<fc 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


215 


78),  and  Amelia  (1802-83)  (Schoonover)  Coon, 
of  Honesdale.  His  large  and  varied  ex- 
perience in  the  army  in  surgery  had  given  Dr. 
Brady  valuable  practical  ideas  of  that  branch 
of  his  profession,  as  well  as  having  made  him 
skilled  in  the  diagnosis  and  proper  treatment  of 
disease,  and  for  several  years  after  his  return 
he  gave  special  attention  to  surgery.  In  con- 
nection with  his  professional  duties  he  has  car- 
ried on  a  drug  business  in  Honesdale,  to  which 
he  gave  considerable  attention,  until  his  disposal 
of  it  to  his  brother,  John  Brady,  in  1885. 

Dr.  Brady,  for  the  purpose  of  further  prose- 
cuting his  medical  education,  and  of  visiting  the 
country  of  his  ancestors,  in  1878  visited  the 
Paris  Exposition,  and  extended  his  tour  to 
Vienna,  where  he  attended  the  lectures  for  sev- 
eral months  of  the  eminent  physicians  Bill- 
roth, Hebra  and  Sigisnmnd,  at  the  "  All- 
gemeine  Krankenhaus,"  said  to  be  the  largest 
universal  sick-house  in  the  world.  He  lends 
his  aid  to  the  various  local  institutions  of  the 
vicinity  needing  support,  and,  still  loyal  to  the 
"  boys  in  blue,"  and  the  cause  for  which  they 
fought,  is  a  member  and  Past  Commander  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Post  No.  198. 

In  1868,  Dr.  Brady  bought  the  north  one- 
half  of  the  R.  F.  Lord  property  on  Main  Street, 
Honesdale,  opposite  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal  Company's  office,  upon  which,  after  the 
destruction  by  fire  of  the  buildings  thereon,  a 
few  years  later,  he,  in  1872,  erected  a  three-story 
brick  block,  "  Brady's  Block,"  for  the  accom- 
modation of  three  stores. 

Mrs.  Brady's  mother,  Amelia,  was  one  of  the 
seventeen  children  of  William  Schoonover 
(1764-1X28),  whose  wife,  Susannah  (1772- 
1844),  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Spangenberg, 
Esq.,  who  settled  at  Bethany  in  1798.  William 
Schoonover  came  from  New  Jersey  and  settled 
on  the  creek  just  out  of  Honesdale,  a  notice  of 
which  is  given  elsewhere  in  this  history.  Julia, 
widow  of  the  late  William  SBerwood,  of  Clinton 
township,  is  the  youngest  of  these  children,  who 
grew  to  mature  years,  and  is  the  only  one  living. 

Mrs.  Brady's  only  sister,  Susan  (1842- 
82),  was  the  wife  of  J.  O.  Terrel,  a  merchant 
of  Honesdale. 

Dr.  Brady's  father,  William  Brady,  was  born 


in  Tyrol,  Austria,  November  12,  1811,  came  to 
New  York  about  1838,  and  married  Elizabeth 
Krahling,  (1817-82)  of  that  city.  They  re- 
moved to  Cochecton  about  1846,  and  the  year 
after  settled  in  Honesdale,  where  he  lias  con- 
tinuously followed  his  profession  as  a  music- 
teacher  aud  piauist,  with  the  exception  of  a 
short  residence  in  Scran  ton.  The  other  chil- 
dren of  William  and  Elizabeth  Brady  are 
Andrew,  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  j  William, 
died  at  the  age  of  eighteen;  Charles  R.  Brady, 
D.D.S.,  studied  dental  surgery  with  Dr.  Otis 
Avery,  of  Honesdale,  was  graduated  at  the 
Philadelphia  Dental  College,  and  is  practicing 
his  profession  successfully  at  Honesdale  ;  George, 
is  a  hotel-keeper  in  Oregon  ;  and  John  Brady, 
succeeded  to  the  drug  business  herein  men- 
tioned ;  and  a  daughter  died   in  infancy. 

Dr;.  Reed  Burns  was  born  in  Clifford  town- 
ship, Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  November  11, 
1845.  Both  his  paternal  and  maternal  grand- 
fathers were  early  settlers  in  that  county  and 
identified  with  its  pioneer  history  and  develop- 
ment, His  parents  were  Jonathan  (1809-81) 
and  Eliza  (Reed)  Rurns  (1811-79),  the  former 
an  industrious  and  successful  farmer.  The 
children  were  Alsina,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Henry*  Hadsall,  of  Clifford  ;  Byington  T., 
who  resides  in  the  same  township  ;  Granville  A., 
who  lives  at  Towanda,  Pa. ;  Reed  ;  Jayman  A., 
residing  near  Montrose,  Susquehanna  County  ; 
and  Edwin  W.,  engaged  in  farming  the  old 
homestead. 

Reed  Burns  was  reared  upon  the  paternal 
farm  in  Clifford,  and  experienced  the  usual  in- 
cidents of  hard  work  aud  limited  educational 
opportunities  peculiar  to  the  life. of  a  farmer's 
sou.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  commenced 
teaching  school  near  Carbondale,  Lackawanna 
County,  and  engaged  in  that  vocation,  at  inter- 
vals, for  three  years.  In  the  mean  time  he  spent 
a  term  in  attendance  at  Lyman  Richardson's 
school  iu  HarfUrd,  Susquehauna  County.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  entered  upon  the  study 
of  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Anthony  Dim- 
mick,  at  Audenreid,  Carbon  County,  near  which 
place  he  had  been  teaching,  and  remained  with 
him  during  the  greater  part  of  the  three  follow- 
ing  years.     During   the   winters   of  1865  and 


210 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


'66  aud  1866  and  '67  he  attended  two  courses 
of  lectures  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  in 
the  summer  of  1867  located  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession  at  Bethany,  Wayne  County,  Pa. 
After  six  years  of  successful  practice  at  that 
place  he  removed  to  Honesdale,  the  county-scat, 
where  he  has  since  enjoyed  a  large  and  remun- 
erative professional  career. 

Doctor    Burns    has  aimed   to   keep  himself 
thoroughly  informed  upon  the  changes  and  dis- 


to  know  what  is  the  disease  that  affects  a  patient 
before  applying  the  necessary  therapeutic  treat- 
ment. Aside  from  his  large  and  successful  prac- 
tice he  finds  leisure  to  further  continue  his  per- 
sonal education,  aiming  to  supply  by  later 
industry  and  study  the  deficiency  in  early  op- 
portunities and  early  means.  He  has  recently 
acquired  a  speaking  knowledge  of  the  German 
language  by  private  study  aud  practice  and  is 
directing  his  attention  to  the  acquisition  of 
other  useful  forms  of  knowledge. 


^^JL^C^c^^^^^t^^i^r^ 


coveries  which  are  constantly  occurring  in  his 
profession,  and  familiar  with  the  various  thera- 
peutic and  curative  agencies  that  are  being  in- 
troduced. He  has  devoted  special  study  in 
New  York  to  several  important  distinctive 
branches  of  rnedical  science,  including  the  treat- 
ment of  the  eye  and  ear,  in  which  he  has  met 
with  peculiar  success.  He  is  considered  by  his 
professional  associates  to  be  especially  apt  in 
diagnosing  the  pathology  of  a  case,  which  may 
be  termed  the  most  important  feature  of  med- 
ical practice,  inasmuch  as  it  is  highly  necessary 


He  is  held  in  general  respect  in  the  commu- 
nity in  which  he  dwells,  is  a  member  of  the 
School  Board  of  Honesdale  and  lately  officiated 
as  chief  burgess  of  that  borough.  He  is  also 
one  of  the  three  examiners  of  applicants  for 
pensions  in  behalf  of  the  government  in 
Wayne  County.  He  married,  March  31, 1869, 
Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Elias  O.  Ward, 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Bethany, 
and  has  had  three  children,  namely  :  Edward 
W.,  Emma  and  Alice  Reed  Burns. 

Dr.  Sanford  A.  Kelly  was  born  at  Her- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


217 


rick,  Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  June  14,  1854. 
His  parents  are  Thomas  and  Susan  (Berry) 
Kelly,  the  former  a  practicing  physician  at 
Dunning,  Lackawanna  County.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  Dr.  Berry,  practiced  his  profession 
at  South  Point,  New  York  and  Carhondale, 
Pa.,  for  over  forty  years.  His  four  brothers 
are  also  members  of  the  medical  profession,  and 
engaged  in  active  practice, — Leonard  at  <  )ly- 
phant,  Pa.,  Darwin  at  Mill  City,  Pa.,  William 


and  1876,  and  1876  and  1877,  he  attended  two 
courses  of  lectures  at  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  in  L876 
located  in  the  practice  of  bis  profession  at  Riley- 
ville,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1877  located  at  West  Nicholson,  Wyoming 
County,  where  he  remained  for  two  years.  He 
then  moved  to  Hot  Bottom,  Susquehanna  ( 'oun- 
ty,  where  he  practiced  until  1880,  when  lie 
again  established  himself  at  IJilevville  and   has 


at   Deposit,    New   York,   and   Carl    at   Lake 
Conio,  Wayne  County,  Pa. 

The  early  life  of  Dr.  San  ford  A.  Kelly  was 
passed  chiefly  at  Olyphant,  Lackawanna  Coun- 
ty, where  he  obtained  an  excellent  education  at 
the  graded  school  of  that  place.  At  the  early 
age  of  fourteen  years  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine  in  the  office  of  his  brother  Leonard, 
at  Olyphant,  and  also  assisted  him  in  the  drug 
store  which  he  owned  at  that  place.     In  1875 


since  pursued  the  practice  of  his  profession 
there.  He  erected  his  substantial  store  anr7 
residence  at  Rileyville  in  1883. 

Dr.  Kelly  enjoys  a  large  and  extensive  prat 
tice  in  the  northern  part  of  Wayne  County,  and 
his  ride  covers  a  large  area  of  country.  Coming 
from  a  family  of  physicians  on  both  sides,  as 
he  does,  he  has  inherited  a  certain  genius  and 
aptitude  for  his  profession  which  few  possess. 
This,  supplemented  by  a  thorough  training,  and 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  facility  that  follows  from  constant  practice, 
make  him  thoroughly  qualified  to  cope  with 
the  problems  of  disease  successfully.  He  has 
paid  special  attention  to  the  diseases  of  women, 
and  has  been  compelled,  in  order  to  accommo- 
date his  patients,  to  receive  many  of  them  as  in- 
mates of  his  hospitable  home.  In  addition  to 
his  other  professional  qualifications  it  may  be 
stated  that  he  is  a  regular  graduate  of  the  Col- 
lege of  Pharmacy,  Philadelphia. 

He  married,  April  4,  1878,  Ada  Shibley, 
daughter  of  Jerome  and  Amanda  Shibley,  of 
Wyoming  County,  and  has  two  children,  viz.: 
Carroll  and  Clyde  Kelly. 

Dr.  J.  M.  Bates,  who  was  a  son  of  J.  M. 
Bates,  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Strong  in 
1868,  and  shortly  thereafter  graduated  from  the 
Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College  of  New 
York.  Subsequently  he  located  in  South  Ca- 
naan, where  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  From  there  he  removed  to  Way- 
mart,  and  thence,  in  1878,  to  Wauseon,  Ohio, 
where  he  died  in  the  summer  of  1882. 

Dr.  Daxiel  W.  Perham,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  Mount  Pleasant,  a  sou  of  Sylvius  G.  and 
Lucinda  H.  Perhaui,  immediate  descendants  of 
very  early  settlers,  practiced  in  that  place  for  a 
short  time.  He  was  born  in  1852,  began  the 
study  of  medicine  in  the  office  of  his  uncle,  Dr. 
Warren  Schoonover,  of  New  York  City,  in  the 
spring  of  1874,  entered  Bellevue  Medical  Col- 
lege in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  and  grad- 
uated in  the  spring  of  1877.  On  receiying  his 
degree  he  returned  to  his  native  place  and  fol- 
lowed the  practice  of  medicine  for  a  few 
months,  but  returned  to  New  York,  and  in  June, 
1877,  was  appointed  district  physician  in  the 
Northeastern  Dispensary.  August,  1878,  he  be- 
came associated  with  Dr.  Alexander  Hidden,  of 
New  York  City,  as  assistant  in  general  practice, 
a  position  which  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death, 

n  April,  1882.  He  was  a  man  of  character  and 

physician  of  marked  ability — altogether  one 
of  the  most  promising  of  the  many  young  men 
who  have  gone  out  into  the  world  from  Wayne 
County,  aud  he  doubtless  would  have  achieved 
high  position  had  his  life  been  spared. 


DENTISTRY. 

Probably  no  profession  in  the  world  has  made 
such  rapid  strides  during  the  last  half-century 
as  has  that  of  dentistry.  Prior  to  that  period 
the  study  and  care  of  the  teeth  was  limited  to 
those  who  made  the  study  of  anatomy  and  phys- 
iology a  specialty,  and  to  the  members  of  the 
medical  profession,  very  much  as  blood-letting 
aud  tooth-drawing  were  once  included  among 
the  functions  of  a  barber.  Many  persons  are 
still  Hying  who  can  distinctly  remember  when 
the  scalpel  and  forceps  were  as  necessary 
instruments  in  a  barber-shop  as  a  pair  of  shears 
or  a  razor.  The  first  dental  college  in  the  world 
was  established  at  Baltimore  in  the  year  1839. 
Since  that  time  the  science  of  dentistry  has  de- 
veloped until  it  now  ranks  among  the  most  use- 
ful and  artistic  of  the  professions,  and  includes 
among  its  representatives  men  of  education,  cul- 
ture and  high  social  standing.  The  develop- 
ment of  the  science  has  been  rapid,  and  a  pro- 
fession that  is  the  offspring  of  the  nineteenth 
century  has  not  proven  tenacious  of  old  ideas 
nor  unfitted  itself  for  growth  and  improvement 
by  a  blind  devotion  to  the  errors  of  the  past,  so 
that  the  science  of  dentistry  as  it  exists  to-day 
is  the  exact  antipodes  of  that  which  received  the 
attention  of  its  professors  but  a  few  years  ago. 
The  most  rapid  improvement  has  been  made  in 
operative  dentistry,  in  which  there  has  been  al- 
most an  entire  revolution.  The  highest  point 
at  first  attainable  was  to  fill  such  teeth  as  were 
slightly  decayed,  whereas,  by  the  aid  of  the  va- 
rious improved  dental  instruments,  together  with 
medicinal  treatment  of  the  teeth,  the  profession 
is  not  only  enabled  to  preserve  teeth  slightly 
decayed,  but  to  restore  and  preserve  them  for 
many  years.  The  early  practice  advocated 
smooth-pointed  instruments  for  introducing  the 
filling,  and  non-cohesive  gold,  whereas  serrated 
instruments  and  cohesive  gold  are  now  recog- 
nized as  the  proper  thing. 

Artificial  teeth  were  in  use  as  early  as  Wash- 
ington's time,  and  he  himself  is  alleged  to  have 
worn  them ;  but  at  that  early  day  they  were 
either  carved  out  of  solid  pieces  of  ivory,  which 
involved  great  labor  and  expense,  or  were 
human  teeth  attached  to  gold  plates.  Aaron 
Burr  is  said  to  have  worn  such  teeth.  The  later 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


219 


improvements  made  in  this  direction,  and  their 
introduction  into  general  use,  have  added  largely 
to  both  the  attractions  and  difficulties  of  the 
profession,  and  drawn  to  it  many  possessed  of 
superior  mechanical  skill.  Formerly  the  plates 
in  which  the  teeth  are  set  were  made  only  of  gold 
and  silver  or  carved  out  of  ivory,  which  neces- 
sarily made  them  both  heavy  and  costly,  where- 
as now  plates  are  made  not  only  of  gold  and 
silver,  but  also  of  platinum,  rubber  and  cellu- 
loid.    Rubber  plates  were  not  introduced  until 


manor-house  of  the  Avery  family  is  still  owned 
by  its  representatives  in  Devonshire,  of  whom 
some  emigrated  to  this  country  among  the  ear- 
liest of  the  Puritans. 

John  Avery,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  born  at  Groton,  Conn.  He  early 
manifested  the  martial  spirit  of  his  ancestors, 
served  for  a  time  in  the  French  and  Indian 
War,  all  through  the  Revolutionary  War,  en- 
gaged in  the  occupation  of  a  teacher  after  the 
close  of  that  struggle,  and  lived  to  be  nearly 


about  1854,  and  celluloid  much  more  recently. 
The  filling  of  artificial  teeth  is  also  a  leading 
branch  of  the  science,  requiring  both  skill,  judg- 
ment and  delicacy  when  properly  done. 

The  county  of  Wayne  has  a  number  of  rep- 
resentative dentists,  who  attend  assiduously  to 
their  profession  and  reflect  credit  upon  it. 
Prominent  among  them  is  Dr.  Avery. 

Dr.  Otis  Avery,  of  Houesdale,  was  born 
in  Bridgewater,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  Au- 
gust 19,  1808.  The  family  of  which  he  is 
a   member  is  of  English   descent,  and  the  old 


one  hundred  years  of  age.  John,  his  sou,  was 
also  born  at  Groton.  He  was  a  silversmith 
and  watchmaker  by  trade  and  followed  that 
occupation  at  New  London,  Conn.  Thence  he 
emigrated  to  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  was  identified  with  the  earliest  settlement 
and  development  of  that  now  prosperous  sec- 
tion of  country.  He  married  Roxyhanna, 
daughter  of  William  Humphrey,  who  also 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  War  as  a  captain. 
Dr.  Avery  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  only  a 
common    English  education,  and  when  he  had 


220 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


reached  sufficient  age  became  apprentice  to  the 
trade  of  a  watchmaker  in  his  father's  shop  ; 
when  fifteen  years  of  age  he  left  the  paternal 
roof  and  worked  as  a  journeyman  at  his  trade 
in  Waterville,  X.  Y.,  for  a  short  time,  when 
he  again  worked  for  his  father  at  home.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  removed  to  Cochecton, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  served  as  a  clerk  in  the 
store  of  his  brother  John  for  a  time,  and  then 
opened  a  watch-repairing  establishment  of  his 
own.     About   1827    he    removed   to    Bethany, 

Wayne  County,  Pa.,   at  that  time   tin unty- 

seat,  where  he  also  established  a  shop.  From 
there  he  went  to  New  Berlin,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
located  and  pursued  his  usual  vocation.  At 
this  time  the  desire  seized  him  to  adopt  the  pro- 
fession of  dentistry  as  his  life-work,  and  he 
went  to  New  York  City  and  for  two  years  re- 
ceived theoretical  and  practical  instruction  in 
that  profession  in  the  office  of  Dr.  D.  C.  Am- 
bler, a  prominent  dentist  at  No.  10  Barclay 
Street.  On  December  6,  1833,  he  received  a 
certificate  of  qualification  from  Dr.  Ambler,  the 
only  mode  of  graduation  in  those  days,  and  at 
once  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
For  the  first  three  or  four  years  Dr.  Avery  pur- 
sued his  calling  over  the  large  extent  of  country 
lying  between  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  Honesdale,  Pa., 
there  being  but  one  dentist  (at  Binghamton)  iu 
all  that  section,  meeting  his  patients  by  appoint- 
ment at  various  places.  In  1839  he  located  at 
Bethany,  Wayne  County,  where  he  practiced 
his  profession  in  the  summer-time,  but,  through 
the  solicitation  of  his  old  preceptor,  Dr.  Ambler,  j 
he  practiced  in  the  winter  season  at  Columbia, 
South  Carolina.  This  plan  was  followed  for 
about  ten  years.  Subsequently  he  opened  an 
office  in  New  York  City  also,  hut  his  Wayne 
County  practice  demanding  so  much  of  his 
time,  he  gave  up  his  New  York  business  and  in 
1850  established  his  office  at  Honesdale,  where 
he  has  continued  since  to  enjoy  a  large 
and  remunerative  practice.  It  will  thus  be  seen 
that  Dr.  Avery  is  one  of  the  pioneer  dentists  of 
the  country.  The  skill  and  prominence  in  his 
profession  which  he  has  acquired  have  been  en- 
tirely the  result  of  self-education  and  patient 
investigation  and  research.  The  dentists  of  his 
time  had  no  dental  college  to  go  to,  no  journals 


issued  in  the  interest  of  their  profession,  were 
even  obliged  to  manufacture  their  own  instru- 
ments ami  to  improve  themselves  by  corre- 
spondence with  each  other.  Besides  pursuing 
his  profession  closely,  Dr.  Avery  has  also  in- 
terested himself  largely  in  mechanical  inven- 
tion and  research.  About  1850  he  invented  a 
sewing-machine,  which  he  had  patented  and 
sold  to  a  company.  As  the  agent  of  this  com- 
pany he  afterwards  visited  Furope  and  sold 
his  patent  to  parties  iu  London  and  to  the  Em- 
peror Louis  Napoleon  in  behalf  of  the  French 
government. 

Aside  from  his  profession,  Dr.  Avery  has  oc- 
cupied a  prominent  place  among  the  citizens  of 
Wayue  County,  and  has  held  various  offices  of 
trust  and  responsibility.  In  1855  he  was  elected 
on  an  independent  ticket  to  represent  Wayne 
County  in  the  State  Legislature  and  served  ac- 
ceptably for  one  term.  He  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Geary,  November  20, 1871,  associate 
judge  of  the  county,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused 
by  the  declination  of  F.  B.  Moss,  who  had 
been  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  in  Octo- 
ber, 1871.  Under  this  appointment  he  served 
for  a  year,  commencing  with  the  first  Monday 
of  December,  1871.  When  the  Democratic 
County  Convention  met,  in  September,  1872,  it 
nominated  Judge  Avery  for  the  seat  he  then  oc- 
cupied, and  two  days  later  the  Republican  Con- 
vention followed  by  nominating  him  for  the 
same  position.  The  Hon.  Phineas  Arnold, 
senior  associate  judge,  having  died  early  in  the 
year,  the  Republicans  also  nominated  the  Hon. 
Frederick  W.  Farnham,  who  had  been  appointed 
to  fill  the  vacancy,  and  John  O'Neill  was  nom- 
inated by  the  Democrats.  The  contest  was  thus 
triangular,  to  be  won  by  the  best  two  out  of 
three  candidates;  though,  as  both  parties  had 
nominated  Judge  Avery,  his  election  was  as- 
sured, and  the  real  struggle  was  between  Farn- 
ham and  O'Neill.  The  Greeley  movement  car- 
ried some  hundreds  of  Republicans  into  the 
Democratic  lines,  and  O'Neill  was  elected. 
Judge  Avery  being  duly  elected,  his  commis- 
sion, signed  by  Governor  Geary,  was  issued 
November  6,  1872,  for  five  years.  In  1877 
another  issue  arose  in  the  county,  in  relation  to 
a  new  court-house,  which    for  the  time  obliter- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


221 


rated  party  lines.  Judge  Avery  took  a  position 
hostile  to  the  measures  proposed  by  the  county 
commissioners  who  had  commenced  the  erection 
of  the  building.  An  Anti-Court-House  party 
was  organized,  which  nominated  Judge  Avery 
for  another  term  on  the  bench.  The  attitude 
of  the  two  political  parties  toward  him  had 
become  directly  the  reverse  of  that  held  in 
1872.  Then  both  parties  had  united  in  his 
support ;  in  this  campaign  both  sought  his  de- 
feat. Each  party  nominated  a  candidate,  and 
again  the  contest  was  triangular.  The  anti- 
court  house  movement,  however,  had  reduced 
both  political  organizations  to  skeletons,  and 
Judge  Avery  was  elected,  his  majority  over  both 
opponents  being  larger  than  his  majority  over 
either  of  his  competitors  in  1872.  This 
is  perhaps  the  only  instance  on  record  in  which 
a  candidate  has  received  a  greater  majority  when 
opposed  by  both  parties  than  when  supported 
by  both. 

He  was  duly  commissioned  by  Governor 
Hartranft  January  1,  1878.  Notwithstanding 
the  substantial  proofs  of  popular  regard  which 
he  had  received,  Judge  Avery  was  unwilling  to 
become  a  candidate  for  a  third  term,  but  de- 
termined on  retiring  from  the  bench,  and  Loren- 
zo Grambs  was  chosen  his  successor.  He 
has  always  been  conspicuous  for  independent 
thought,  positive  convictions,  unflinching  courage 
and  spotless  integrity  ;  and  these  characteristics 
were  abundantly  displayed  in  the  discharge  of 
his  official  duties.  He  was  not  content  to  accept 
the  current  tradition  relative  to  the  position  of 
a  lay  judge,  and  to  pose  as  a  mere  judicial  figure- 
head. On  the  contrary,  his  official  career  was 
marked  by  the  active,  intelligent  and  conscien- 
tious discharge  of  its  duties,  and  his  influence 
was  largely  felt  in  the  administration  of  justice. 
In  religious  affairs  he  was  formerly  identified 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but  is 
now  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Honesdale.  He  has  been  twice  married, — 
first,  April  19,  1829,  to  Louisa,  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Abigail  Hoel,  of  Bethany,  the 
former  an  early  settler  of  Wayne  County  She 
died  in  1853.  Of  the  six  children  resulting 
from  the  marriage,  four  are  now  living,  viz.  : 
Charles,  who  resides  in  Wayne  County  ;  Louisa, 


wife  of  John  F.  Brodhead,  of  Idaho  ;  Eliza, 
who  married  William  Brodhead,  and  also  re- 
sides in  Idaho  ;  and  Otis  E.,  an  assayer  and 
mining  expert,  operating  in  Mexico.  His 
present  wife,  whom  he  married  in  1855,  was 
Mary  Agnes,  widow  of  the  late  John  Addoms, 
of  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Richard  Clark, 
a  former  merchant  of  that  city,  and  a  descend- 
ant of  the  Swiss  Moravians,  who  left  their 
country  to  avoid  religious  persecution.  She 
had  three  children, — Mortimer  C.  Addoms,  a 
lawyer  in  New  York ;  Frederick  E.  Addoms, 
owner  of  a  large  cattle-ranch  at  Cheyenne,  Wy- 
oming Territory  ;  and  Agnes  O,  wife  of  George 
S.  Purdy,  a  lawyer  in  Honesdale. 


CHAPTER     IV. 

Internal  Improvements — The  First  Roads  in  the  County — 
Turnpikes— Post-Offices  and  Mail  Routes— The  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  Canal  Company — The  "Gravity" 
Railroad — First  Locomotive  in  America, — The  Pennsyl- 
vania Coal  Company — Outline  History  of  the  Erie  Rail- 
road and  "  Jefferson  "  Branch. 


Early  Roads. — The  first  passable  road,  by 
which  emigrants  from  the  Eastern  States,  or 
the  valley  of  the  Hudson,  could  travel  to  what 
first  formed  the  territory  of  Wayne  County 
extended  from  the  Hudson,  near  Esopus,  along 
the  valley  west  of  the  Shawangunk  Moun- 
tain to  the  Delaware  at  Port  Jervis,  and  down 
that  river  to  the  "  Old  Mine  Holes,"  below 
Bushkill  Creek.1 

The  first  road  opened  through  Wayne  County 
was  cut  out  in  1762  by  the  Connecticut  settlers 
going  to  Wyoming.  It  left  the  Minisink  road 
at  Milford  and  thence  passed  considerably 
south  of  the  Milford  and  Owego  turnpike,  by 
Lord's  Valley,  Blooming  Grove  Farm  and 
Bingham's,  in  Pike,  and  Salem,  in  Wayne, 
through  Cobb's  Gap  to  Wyoming. 

After  the  erection  of  Wayne  it  was  laid  out 
as  a  public  road  and  so  used  until  superseded 
by  turnpikes.  West  of  Bingham's  it  nearly 
followed  the  Indian  path  leading  from  Cochec- 
ton  to  Wyoming. 

The    next    important    road  was    what    was 


1  See  Chapter  II.  of  the  General  History. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


called  The  North  and  South  road,  extending  from 
near  Pocono  Point,  in  Monroe  County  (now 
Tannersville),  northward  through  the  western 
tier  of  townships  to  the  north  line  of  the  State. 
It  also  had  a  branch  road  extending  from  it 
westward  to  Tioga  Point.  In  March,  1788,  one 
thousand  pounds  was  appropriated  by  the  State 
to  aid  in  opening  these  roads. 

The  North  and  South  road  was  opened  by 
John,  Joseph  and  William  Hilborn  in  1788  and 
1789,  and  the  branch  road  by  Andrew  El- 
licott  in  1788,  and  called  Ellicott's  road. 

In  1789  Samuel  Preston,  of  Stockport,  be- 
gan opening  a  road  from  Stockport  to  Har- 
mony, on  the  Susquehanna,  as  a  portage  road. 
In  1791  the  State  appropriated  four  hundred 
pounds  towards  the  expense  of  opening  such 
Portage  road.  A  road  was  opened  at  private 
expense  in  1791  from  Bingham's,  by  Purdy's 
and  Schenck's,  to  the  North  and  South  road, 
near  Asa  Stanton's ;  also  a  road  extending  from 
the  North  and  South  road,  near  Belmont,  west- 
ward to  Great  Bend.  About  this  date  Samuel 
Preston  opened  a  branch  from  his  portage  road 
to  Mount  Pleasant  settlement,  near  the  route  of 
the  present  Stockport  road  from  Mount  Pleasant. 
That  same  act  of  1791  appropriated  four 
hundred  pounds  to  open  a  road  from  near 
Stroudsburg  north  to  the  Portage  road,  but  the 
route  was  so  erroneously  specified,  nothing  was 
done  that  year  upon  it.  In  the  following  year 
the  route  was  more  carefully  stated,  and  the 
road  located  to  run  from  Stroudsburg  north- 
ward across  Middle  Smithfield  and  Delaware 
townships,  along  the  line  between  Palmyra  and 
Lackawaxen  townships,  and  through  Damas- 
cus, crossing  the  Cochecton  turnpike  about  five 
and  a  half  miles  west  of  Cochecton  bridge,  and 
continuing  through  Union  settlement,  by  Equi- 
nuuk,  to  intersect  the  portage  road  at  Stock- 
port. It  was  mostly  cut  out  in  1792  by  the 
Hilborn  brothers,  and  was  called  the  Hilborn 
road.  In  April,  1793,  four  hundred  dollars 
more  was  appropriated  to  improve  this  road, 
which  was  expended  that  year. 

Very  soon  after  the  opening  of  the  Hilborn 
road  another  road  was  opened  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Lackawaxen  to  Mast  Hope  ;  thence  over 
the   hills  to   Milanville,  and  up  the  Delaware 


to   Rock   Run  ;  thence  over  the  hills  to  inter- 
sect the  Hilborn  road  near  the  Union  Farm. 

This  was  evidently  opened  (at  least  partly)  at 
State  expense,  but  the  appropriation  act  is  not 
found.  However,  in  April,  1838,  an  appropri- 
ation was  made  of  four  thousand  dollars,  as  for 
the  State  road,  for  the  part  of  it  north  of  the 
Narrowsburg  turnpike,  and  for  extending  it 
along  the  Delaware  Valley  to  the  State  line. 
Moses  Thomas,  George  Bush,  William  H. 
Dimmick,  Jacob  Killam  and  W.  M.  Preston 
were  made  commissioners  to  expend  the  money. 
They  opened  the  road  from  Little  Equinunk  to 
Equinuuk,  and  from  Stockport  to  the  State 
line,  besides  improving  other  parts  of  it. 

In  May,  1797,  the  people  of  Mount  Pleasant 
settlement  decided  to  try  to  raise  funds  by  sub- 
scription to  open  a  road  from  their  settlement  to 
Minisink  (Milford).  The  road  was  surveyed 
on  a  route  crossing  Johnson  Creek  below  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company's  "  Mil- 
ler reservoir,"  and  thence  passing  a  little  east 
of  Bethany  to  the  Dyberry  Valley,  near  the 
fair-grounds,  and  by  Indian  Orchard,  the  Nar- 
rows and  Shohola  Falls  to  Milford.  It  was 
opened  that  year.  After  Bethany  was  laid  out 
its  route  was  so  altered  as  to  pass  through  that 
town,  as  the  road  is  now  open  towards  Mount 
Pleasant. 

It  was  afterwards,  with  some  changes  of 
route,  made  a  public  road,  and  as  such  was  the 
principal  road  to  Milford  until  superseded  by 
turnpikes. 

In  1800  a  public  road  was  laid  out  from  the 
Delaware,  at  Cochecton,  to  the  Mount  Pleasant 
settlement,  following  near  the  present  line  of  the 
old  Cochecton  and  Great  Bend  turnpike.  It 
was  superseded  by  that  turnpike  in  1811. 

Public  roads  were  also  early  laid  out  and  opened 
from  Bethany,  by  Cherry  Ridge,  to  Salem ;  from 
Bethany,  by  Brink's  Mill  aud  Keen's  Pond,  to 
Canaan ;  besides  various  other  short  roads  in  dif- 
ferent settlements  in  the  county. 

They  were  nearly  all  superseded  by  the 
various  turnpikes  afterwards  constructed. 

Turnpikes  and  Plank-Roads. — The  Co- 
checton and  Great  Bend  Turnpike  Company 
was  incorporated  by  an  act  of  Assembly  dated 
March  29,  1804,  the  commissioners  being  Henry 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Drinker,  Edward  Tilghman,  Thomas  Harrison 
and  William  Poyntell,  of  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia;  John  Conklin,  Jason  Torrey  and  Samuel 
Stanton,  of  Wayne  County  ;  and  Asahel  Greg- 
ory, John  Tyler  and  Meuna  Dubois,  of  Luzerne 
County.  The  shares  were  ten  dollars  each,  and 
the  act  provided  that  four  hundred  shares  should 
be  subscribed  in  Philadelphia,  three  hundred  in 
Cochecton  and  three  hundred  at  Great  Bend. 
The  act  stipulated  that  the  company  "  shall 
cause  a  road  to  be  laid  out  from  Damascus  Mills 
to  the  top  of  Moosic  Mountain  aforesaid,  to  or 
near  the  twenty  mile-stone  in  the  north  line  of 
the  State.  Unless  such  places  where  the  nature 
of  the  ground  render  greater  width  expedient," 
the  width  was  to  be  twenty  feet.  The  turn- 
pike was  finished  in  1811.  The  travel  upon 
it  was  very  great,  as,  with  its  connections, 
it  was  the  principal  route  from  Newburg  to 
Western  New  York.  Daily  mail  coaches, 
drawn  by  four  horses,  were  run  upon  the  road 
for  years.  Numerous  taverns  were  built  along 
the  line.  The  construction  of  the  Erie  Canal 
lessened  the  travel  upon  this  turnpike,  but  it 
was  a  much-used  thoroughfare  until  the  Erie 
Railroad  was  built.  Then  through  travel  was 
almost  wholly  suspended. 

The  Bethaii}-  and  Dingman's  Choice  Turn- 
pike Company  was  incorporated  in  April,  1811, 
the  commissioners  named  in  the  act  being  Ed- 
ward Tilghman,  Thos.  Stewardson  aud  Win. 
Drinker,  of  Philadelphia  ;  Daniel  W.  Dingman, 
Dan  Dimmick,  Matthew  Ridgway,  Abisha 
Woodward,  Jason  Torrey,  Oliver  Granger  and 
the  Wayne  County  commissioners.  Two  hun- 
dred shares  were  to  be  subscribed  for  in  Phila- 
delphia, three  hundred  at  Dingman's  and  three 
hundred  at  Bethany.  The  State  contributed 
ten  thousand  dollars  towards  opening  the  road. 
This  turnpike  was  much  traveled  until  super- 
seded by  other  roads.  Daily  mail-coaches  were 
run  upon  it  and  it  afforded  a  convenient 
route  for  the  people  of  the  southern  part  of  the 
county  to  travel  upon  to  the  county-seat. 

The  Belmont  and  Eastou  Turnpike  Com- 
pany was  chartered  in  1812  to  make  a  road 
"  from  the  village  of  Belmont  in  a  southerly  direc- 
tion along  the  route  of  the  North  aud  South  state 
road  until  it  shall  intersect  Easton  aud  Wilkes- 


Barre  turnpike  in  Northampton  County."  The 
commissioners  were  Myers  Fisher,  John  Reed, 
Peter  S.  Duponceau,  Stephen  Girard,  Benj. 
Tilghman,  of  Philadelphia  ;  Conrad  Kreider, 
John  Ross,  George  Keller,  Samuel  Reese,  Adam 
Heckman,  Northampton  County  ;  Samuel  Stan- 
ton, Thomas  Meredith,  Asa  Stanton,  Joseph 
Woodbridge,  Wayne.  Shares  were  fifty  dollars 
each.  Four  hundred  were  to  be  taken  in  Phila- 
delphia and  the  same  number  in  Easton  and 
Belmont.  Like  the  other  early  turnpikes,  this 
had  for  a  number  of  years  an  immense  travel, 
but  it  was  after  a  time  diverted  to  other  roads 
and  to  railroads. 

The  Belmont  and  Oghquagah  Turnpike 
Company  was  chartered  February  26,  1817. 
The  commissioners  were  Thomas  Meredith, 
Ira  Mumford,  Jr.,  Sauford  Clark,  Joseph  Tan- 
ner, Benj.  King,  Asa  Stanton,  Thomas  Spang- 
enberg  and  Walter  Lyon.  The  road  was  built 
chiefly  through  the  exertions  of  T.  Meredith, 
Esq. 

On  February  24, 1 820,  the  Luzerne  and  Wayne 
Turnpike  Company  was  organized,  with  Benj. 
Slocum,  Philip  Swartz,  Comer  Philips  and  John 
Cobb,  of  Luzerne  ;  Seth  Goodrich,  Amos  Polly, 
Reuben  Purdy,  William  Woodbridge,  Peter 
Purdy  and  Simeon  Ansley,  of  Wayne  County, 
as  commissioners.  "  The  company  built  by  the 
shortest  and  most  practicable  route  from  near 
the  house  of  Philip  Swartz,  in  Providence  town- 
ship, Luzerne  County,  to  intersect  the  Milford 
and  Owego  turnpike  where  it  crosses  Wallen- 
paupack  Creek  in  Wayne  County,  passing 
through  the  townships  of  Blakeley,  Salem  and 
Palmyra." 

The  Houesdale  and  Clarksville  Turnpike 
Company  was  organized  April  2,  1830,  with 
Jason  Torrey,  Benj.  Jenkins,  Thomas  Clark, 
Leonard  Starkwether,  Sr.,  and  Nathaniel  El- 
dred  as  commissioners.  The  road  was  built 
from  Honesdale  to  the  Belmont  and  Easton,  or 
Milford  and  Owego,  turnpike  within  two  miles  of 
Clarksville,  Wayne  County.  Eight  hundred 
shares  at  twenty  dollars  each  were  subscribed  for. 

On  March  25,  1831,  the  Bethany  and 
Honesdale  Turnpike  Company  was  organized, 
with  Nathaniel  B.  Eldred,  James  Manning, 
Thomas      Spangenburg,     Randolph     Wilmot, 


224 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Charles  Forbes  and  Paul  S.  Preston  as  commis- 
sioners. 

The  Honesdale  and  Big  Eddy  Turnpike 
Company  was  organized  in  1831  to  build  a  road 
"  from  nearest  eligible  place  on  Bethany  and 
Dingman's  Choice  turnpike,  not  to  exceed  4 
miles  from  H'daleto  the  Narrows  of  Dela- 
ware River  at  Big  Eddy."  Moses  Thomas, 
Nathan  Skinner,  Lot  Jackson,  Charles  Forbes 
and  John  Torrey  were  the  commissioners. 

On  March  17,  1840,  the  Honesdale  and 
Cherry  Ridge  Turnpike  Company  was  char- 
tered, with  Wra.  R.  McLaury,  Thomas  11.  R. 
Tracy,  Lucius  Collins,  Aaron  Writer  and 
Thomas  J.  Hubbell  as  commissioners. 

The  Cherry  Ridge  and  East  Sterling  Turn- 
pike Company  was  chartered  May  7,  1841, 
with  Wm.  R.  McLaury,  Richard  Lancaster, 
Lucius  Collins,  Reuben  R.  Purdy  and  William 
Bortree  as  commissioners. 

April  30,  1850,  the  Honesdale  and  Mast- 
hope  Plank-Road  Company  was  chartered, 
with  Earl  Wheeler,  Amory  Prescott,  Wm.  H. 
Dimmick,  William  Turner,  John  F.  Roe, 
James  M.  Blackington,  Ephraim  W.  Hamlin, 
Oliver  D.  Dunhane,  Phineas  G.  Goodrich,  Al- 
lis  Whitney,  Charles  P.  Waller,  Elkanah  Pat- 
more,  Thomas  Hubbell,  Thomas  H.  R.  Tracy, 
Russel  F.  Lord,  Henry  W.  Stone,  Wm.  R.  Mc- 
Laury, Benj.  F.  Kimble,  Bulkley  Beardslee, 
Cornelius  Coryell,  Peter  Smith,  Benjamin 
Holbert,  Samuel  Kimble,  John  Kelly  and 
John  A.  Patmore,  of  Wayne  and  Pike  Coun- 
ties, as  commissioners. 

They  were  authorized  to  construct  a  plank- 
road  from  the  borough  of  Honesdale  down  Lack- 
awaxen  River  to  Indian  Orchard  settlement ; 
thence  by  nearest  and  best  route  to  the  New 
York  and  Erie  Railroad,  at  or  near  the  mouth 
of  Mast  Hope  Creek,  in  Pike  County.  Sixteen 
hundred  shares  at  twenty-five  dollars  each  were 
subscribed  for. 

The  Honesdale  and  Delaware  Plank-Road 
Company  was  chartered  May  3,  1850,  with 
William  R.  McLaury,  Amory  Prescott,  David 
Abel,  Cornelius  Coryell,  Charles  White,  C.  P. 
Waller,  Peter  Smith,  W.  H.  Dimmick,  T. 
H.  R.  Tracy,  E.  W.  Hamlin  and  Bulkley 
Beardslee   as    commissioners.     They   organized 


the  Honesdale  and  Delaware  Plank-Road  Com- 
pany, which  built  a  road  from  Honesdale  to 
Narrowsburg.  This,  prior  to  the  building  of 
the  branch  railroad  to  Honesdale,  was  one  of 
the  must  largely  traveled  roads  in  the  country, 
and  was  a  great  stage  route. 

The  formal  opening  of  this  road  occurred  on 
Friday,  September  19,  1851.  In  the  morning 
the  directors  and  a  number  of  other  citizens  of 
Honesdale  drove  over  to  Narrowsburg  to  meet 
the  delegations  from  that  place  and  New  York. 
A  large  party,  headed  by  the  German  band, 
started  thence  for  Honesdale,  which  they  reached 
in  an  hour  and  forty  minutes,  including  stop- 
pages. On  reaching  Honesdale  the  party  was 
saluted  by  the  firing  of  cannon,  which  was  kept 
up  most  of  the  day.  A  great  number  of  citi- 
zens were  assembled  in  front  of  the  Mansion 
House  to  greet  the  party,  and  they  had  a  joyous 
meeting.  In  a  few  minutes  a  large  number  of 
boat-builders  from  the  yards  of  Barnes  &  Har- 
lan, fresh  from  their  work,  and  equipped  with 
saws,  planes,  chisels,  hammers,  etc.,  each  with 
some  badge  or  token  of  his  occupation,  march- 
ing to  the  sound  of  martial  music,  appeared 
before  the  house  and  gave  three  cheers  for  the 
Honesdale  and  Delaware  Plank-road,  which 
were  responded  to  by  the  crowd  with  three 
cheers  for  the  boat-builders  of  Honesdale. 

At  three  o'clock  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
persons  sat  down  to  a  fine  dinner  served  by 
Landlord  Sherwood.  C.  C.  Murray,  president 
of  the  company,  presided.  S.  G.  Throop,  Esq., 
addressed  the  assemblage,  contrasting  the  time 
with  a  period  fifty  years  prior,  and  made  what 
the  newspaper — the  Democrat — characterized  as 
"an  exceedingly  happy  speech."  S.  E.  Dim- 
mick, Esq.,  gave  as  a  toast,  "  The  health  of  the 
New  York  stockholders,"  to  which  Mr.  Van 
Dyke,  of  New  York,  responded  and  proposed 
the  sentiment,  "  The  projectors  and  artificers  of 
the  Honesdale  and  Delaware  Plank-road  ;  the 
perseverance  and  energy  which  they  have  dis- 
played in  the  enterprise  entitle  them  to  the 
gratitude  of  the  whole  community,  for  they 
have  proved  themselves  public  benefactors." 

C.  P.  Waller,  Esq.,  secretary  of  the  company, 
being  called,  responded  to  this  sentiment  in 
behalf  of  the  board  of  directors.     He  concluded 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


•2\>-> 


with  tlie  playful  toast :  "  Our  New  York  stock- 
holders, may  they  continue  Stillwell  and  their 
Flowers  never  be  less. 

Rev.  H.  A.  Rowland,  John  Shouse,  Esq.,  of 
Pike  County,  George  G.  'Waller,  Esq.,  and 
others  then  made  brief  remarks,  appropriate  to 
the  occasion,  and  alluding  to  the  satisfactory 
finishing  of  the  work. 

In  the  fall  of  1845  Paul  S.  Preston,  Asa 
Kimble,  Alexander  Calder,  E.  W.  Hamlin,  T. 
H.  R.  Tracy,  Z.  H.  Russell,  Amory  Prescott, 
Israel  Chapman,  R.  L.  Seeley  and  Edward 
Murray  gave  notice  in  the  Democrat  that  books 
would  be  opened  at  the  house  of  A.  Calder,  in 
Equinunk,  and  A.  Field,  in  Honesdale,  for  the 
purpose  of  receiving  subscriptions  to  the  stock 
of  the  company  for  constructing  a  turnpike  from 
Honesdale  to  Equinunk.  The  measure  was 
practically  realized. 

Early  Mail  Arrangements  axd  First 
P<  >s t-<  )  ffk'ES. — There  were  no  post-offices  in  the 
vicinity  of  Wayne  County  when  the  county  was 
erected,  and  none  in  what  is  now  Wayne  County 
earlier  than  1811.  The  early  settlers  sent  and 
received  most  of  their  letters  by  acquaintances 
traveling  to  where  the  letters  were  desired  to 
go. 

In  1797  and  1798  residents  of  Mt.  Pleasant 
directed  their  correspondents  to  address  their 
letters  to  Beech  Woods,  Northampton  County, 
to  remain  in  Wilkes- Barre  post-office  until  called 
for. 

In  1802  a  mail-route  was  established  from 
Lancaster,  by  Reading,  Bethlehem  and  Strouds- 
burg,  to  Milford,  and  in  December,  1803,  ar- 
rangements were  entered  upon  to  have  a  "  post- 
carrier,"  at  private  expense,  to  convey  mail 
matter  from  Stroudsburg  to  Bethany  and  re- 
turn once  in  two  weeks.  This  arrangement 
went  into  effect  early  in  1804,  Jesse  Walker 
being  engaged  for  the  service. 

After  the  removal  of  the  courts  to  Bethany, 
as  there  had  previously  been  a  post-office  estab- 
lished at  Milford,  mails  for  Bethany  were  sent  to 
Milford  "  to  be  called  for." 

In  June,  1808,  an  agreement  was  entered  in- 
to by  some  of  the  principal  business  men  of 
Bethany  and  Milford  to  take  turns  in  carrying 
mail  matter    both    wavs    between    those  towns 


once  in  two  weeks,  gratuitously,  and  the  days 
were  designated  when  each  was  to  perform  the 
service. 

Much  pains  have  been  taken  to  obtain  ac- 
curate information  about  the  first  post-offices 
and  mail  accommodations  in  Wayne  County,  and 
it  is  believed  the  following  statement  is  correct, 
unless  in  the  matter  of  the  month  in  which  some 
post-offices  were  established. 

The  first  post-office  established  in  Wayne 
County  (then  including  Pike)  was  Milford,  es- 
tablished about  January  1,  1803. 

In  1810,  as  the  turnpikes  from  Newburgh  to 
Great  Bend  were  being  completed,  a  mail-route 
was  established  "  from  Danbury,  Conn.,  by 
Fish  kill  Landing  and  New  Burgh,  to  Chenango 
Point."  This  was  designed  to  follow  the 
turnpikes  named. 

In  February,  1811,  post-offices  were  estab- 
lished on  this  route,  at  Cochecton,  on  the  New 
York  side  of  the  Delaware,  and  at  Mt.  Pleasant, 
in  Wayne  County.  John  Granger  was  the  first 
postmaster  at  Mt.  Pleasant. 

The  transportation  of  the  mails  on  that  route 
began  early  in  1811.  A7erv  soon  after  this  an 
application  was  made  for  a  post-office  at  Bethany, 
and  mail  service  from  Mt.  Pleasant  by  Bethany 
to  Milford,  returning  by  Salem  and  Providence. 

Post-offices  were  established  in  May,  1811, 
at  Bethany,  with  Solomon  Moore,  postmaster ; 
Lackawack  (Paupuek  settlement)  John  Ansley, 
postmaster;  Salem,  Theodore  Woodbridge,  post- 
master. 

Iu  1813  a  post-office  was  established  at  the 
Narrows  of  Lackawaxen,  with  Wm.  Kimble 
postmaster. 

The  succeeding  offices  in  Wayne  County 
were : 

Sterling,  1810,  Phineas  Howe,  postmaster. 

Mount  Republic,  1819,  Alva  W.  Morton,  postmaster. 

Canaan,  1819,  Horace  Lee,  postmaster  (afterwards 
changed  to  Clarksville,  and  later  to  Waymart). 

Cherry  Ridge,  1S24,  Thomas  Lindsay,  postmaster. 

Palmyra,  1824,  Royal  Taft,  postmaster. 

Damascus,  1824,  William  H.  Clark,  postmaster. 

Indian  Orchard,  1828,  Cornelius  Coryell,  postmaster. 

Honesdale,  1828,  Charles  Forbes,  postmaster. 

Scott,  1829,  G.  Williams,  postmaster. 

South  Canaan,  about  1829,  John  H.  Beden,  post- 
master. 

Starrucea,  about  1830,  David  Spoor,  postmaster. 


220 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Tallmanville,  about  1830,  Elihu  Tallman,  post- 
master. 

Rileyville,  1832,  John  C.  Riley,  postmaster. 

East  Sterling,  1833,  William  Bortree,  postmaster. 

Brompton,  1834,  Edward  Jenkins,  postmaster. 

Priceville,  1837,  Stephen  Price,  postmaster. 

Big  Equinunk,  1837,  Francis  Walker,  postmaster. 

Eldred,  1837,  James  Smith,  postmaster. 

Paupack  Eddy  (now  Hawley),  1837,  James  S.  Bas- 
sett,  postmaster. 

Big  Eddy  (now  Narrowsburg,  N.  Y.),  1837,  John 
Pintler,  postmaster. 

Hill  Top,  1837,  John  Richards,  postmaster. 

Preston,  1838,  David  Underwood,  postmaster. 

Red  Rock,  1838,  William  Rockwell,  postmaster. 

Summitville,  1838,  Clark  Gardner,  postmaster. 

Purdyville  (discontinued  in  1847),  1839,  R.  R. 
Purdy,  postmaster. 

South  Sterling,  1839,  Richard  Gilpin,  postmaster. 

Ashland,  1844,  Isaac  Doughty,  postmaster. 

Galilee,  1848,  P.  P.  Brigham,  postmaster. 

Buck  Ridge,  1848,  William  Stevens,  postmaster. 

Hawley,  1849,  H.  B.  Hayes,  postmaster. 

Aldenville,  1850,  I.  T.  Alden,  postmaster. 

White  Mills,  1850,  A.  M.  Atkinson,  postmaster. 

Ariel,  1851,  W.  L.  Lesher,  postmaster. 

East  Hawley,  1852,  E.  Richardson,  postmaster. 

Rock  Lake,  1854,  Arthur  Conner,  postmaster. 

Stephenson's  Mills,  1854,  Oliver  Stephenson,  post- 


Dyberry,  1854,  E.  B.  Kimble,  postmaster. 

Hopedale,  1855,  Gottlieb  F.  Ochler,  postmaster. 

Berlin  Centre,  1855,  John  W.  Seaman,  postmaster. 

Hollisterville,  1856,  Alanson  Hollister,  postmaster. 

Middle  Valley,  1856,  Lyman  Loomis,  postmaster. 

Purdyville  (re-established),  1857,  Abbot  N.  Purdy, 
postmaster. 

Jericho  (now  Lake  Como),  1858,  G.  Wainwright, 
postmaster. 

Ledge  Dale,  1858,  Jesse  B.  Parker,  postmaster. 

Newfoundland,  1858,  George  Lancaster,  postmaster. 

Cascade,  1858,  G.  Stephenson,  postmaster. 

Tanner's  Falls,  1858,  H.  Richtmyre,  postmaster. 

Cold  Spring,  1858,  J.  R.  Mitchell,  postmaster. 

Milanville,  1861,  J.  Howard  Beach,  postmaster. 

Sand  Cut,  1861,  John  L.  Simons,  postmaster. 

Hemlock  Hollow,  1868,  A.  J.  Roloson,  postmaster. 

West  Damascus,  1869,  George  Welch,  postmaster. 

Arlington,  1870,  James  Osborn,  postmaster. 

White's  Valley,  1871,  Joseph  L.  Terrell,  postmaster. 

Shuman,  1872,  H.  Brunig,  postmaster. 

Hine's  Corners,  1873,  M.  F.  Hine,  postmaster. 

Scott  Centre,  1873,  A.  M.  Earley,  postmaster. 

Seelyville,  1873,  Gustav  Smith,  postmaster. 

Ball's  Eddy,  1873,  Joseph  B.  Stalker,  postmaster. 

Stanton  Hill  (now  Island  Pond),  1875,  S.  E.  Stan- 
ton, postmaster. 

Girdland,  1876,  John  R.  Budd,  postmaster. 

Haidee,  1876,  Mary  J.  Tallman,  postmaster. 


Autumn  Leaves,  1876,  George  H.  Belknap,  post- 
master. 

Li/.ard  Lake,  1877,  W.  Salsbury,  postmaster. 
Niagara,  1878,  Thomas  Alexander,  postmaster. 
Tyler  Hill,  1878,  David  Fortman,  postmaster. 
Carley  Brook,  1879,  Frederick  Brunig,  postmaster. 

After  the  cou.struction  of  the  leading  turnpike 
roads  the  mails  and  passengers  were  principally 
transported  by  post-coaches,  until  the  construc- 
tion of  the  railroads  in  the  vicinity  of  Wayne 
County,  when  they  were  very  generally  trans- 
ported on  such  railroads  to  the  offices  near 
them. 

Such  offices  as  were  not  convenient  to  rail- 
road routes  have  been  supplied  by  short  cross 
routes  either  in  wagons  or  on  horseback,  some 
daily  and  others  varying  in  frequency  down 
to  weekly  mails. 

The  Delawark  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company. — The  value  of  anthracite  as  a  heat- 
ing agent  was  first  successfully  demonstrated  by 
Judge  Jesse  Fell,  of  Wilkes-Barre,  in  1808,  but 
his  experiments  produced  not  the  wild  excite- 
ment they  would  had  the  future  of  anthracite 
been  foreseen,  and  awakened  only  a  mild  inter- 
est throughout  the  valley  and  induced  a  few 
individuals  to  look  with  more  favor  than  they 
had  previously  upon  the  "black  stuff"  that 
cropped  out  along  the  streams  and  littered  the 
soil.  No  coal  was  soldj  in  the  country  for  a 
number  of  years,  for  although  the  blacksmiths 
learned  to  use  it,  they  went  to  the  places  where 
it  was  exposed,  gathered  all  they  wanted  and 
carried  it  away  with  as  little  concern  as  one  now 
might  appropriate  dry  leaves  from  the  forest. 
Use  of  anthracite  was  stimulated  by  the  scarcity 
of  charcoal  during  and  after  the  War  of  1812. 

Colonel  Hollenback,  of  Wilkesbarre,  sent  two 
wagon-loads  of"  stone  coal,"  as  it  was  called,  to 
Philadelphia,  a  portion  of  which  was  bought 
by  William  Wurts,  a  merchant  of  that  city, 
who,  with  his  elder  brother,  Maurice,  was  quite 
favorably  impressed  with  the  novel  fuel.  The 
Wurts  brothers  seem  to  have  very  early  real- 
ized that  anthracite  must  in  time  become  an  im- 
portant article  of  commerce  and  determined  to 
place  themselves  in  a  position  to  profit  by  it, 
for  as  early  as  1812  we  find  these  city-born  and 
city-bred  merchants  toiliugly  and  patiently  ex- 
ploring   the  mountain  wilderness  of  Pennsyl- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


227 


vania  in  a  practical,  painstaking  search  for  the 
true  philosopher's  stoue.  Following  the  Le- 
high from  Mauch  Chunk  far  up  into  the  for- 
est to  its  very  head-waters  in  the  Pocono  marsh, 
only  to  be  baffled  in  their  search  for  a  new  and 
unclaimed  coal-field,  they  struck  at  length  into 
the  almost  equally  wild  and  sparsely  settled 
valley  in  which  the  Lackawanna  runs,  and 
without  any  previous  knowledge  of  the  region, 
traversed  it  for  months,  seeking  everywhere  for 
traces  of  the  buried  treasure.  If,  with  clear, 
prophetic  vision,  those  men  toiling  through 
heat  and  cold  in  the  dreary  forest  that  clothed 
mountain  and  valley,  braving  danger  and  pri- 
vation, could  have  seen  the  busy,  bustling  city 
of  Scranton  and  all  the  thriving  villages  of  the 
valley,  and  over  in  the  valley  of  the  Lacka- 
waxen  another  as  fair  as  the  land  can  boast,  all 
to  be  created  by  the  mighty  and  good  genii 
they  were  to  liberate,  they  could  not  have  la- 
bored more  zealously  and  effectively  than  they 
did. 

Somewhere  along  the  Lackawanna  one  of  the 
Wurtses  fell  in  with  a  nomadic  hunter,  David 
Nobles,  who,  to  avoid  imprisonment  for  debt, 
had  fled  from  Wayne  County  and  taken  refuge 
in  the  woods,  where  he  gained  a  precarious  liv- 
ing with  dog  and  rifle.  Mr.  Wurts  aided  him 
■with  money,  employed  him  to  hunt  for  him 
and  to  bring  knapsacks  of  provisions  from 
Canaan  township,  in  Wayne  County,  and  took 
upon  a  debt  a  small  tract  of  wild  land  which  he 
had  owned.  Apropos  of  this  transaction,  Hon. 
Paul  S.  Preston,  of  Stockport,  wrote  as  follows 
in  a  letter  to  the  Auburn  (N.  Y.)  Daily  Adver- 
tiser of  January  19,  1849: 

"  In  the  year  1814  I  heard  my  father  tell  Maurice 
Wurts,  in  Market  Street,  Philadelphia,  'Maurice, 
thee  must  hold  on  to  that  lot  on  the  Lackawanna 
that  you  took  for  a  debt  of  David  Nobles ;  it  will  be 
very  valuable  some  day,  as  it  has  stone-coal  on  it  and 
under  it. '  " 

After  buying  and  obtaining  the  refusal  of 
several  tracts  of  land  on  which  they  found 
"  black  stones,"  the  Wurtses  began  looking 
about  for  a  route  by  which  they  could  carry 
anthracite  to  the  market.  By  measuring  the 
distances  and  observing  the  depth  and  current 
of    the    streams    flowing    eastward    from    the  I 


Moosic  Mountains,  they  found  the  Wallenpau- 
pack  and  the  Lackawaxen  offered  the  best  en- 
couragement to  the  plan  of  reaching  Xew 
York.  It  was  the  intention  of  the  explorers  to 
make  the  greater  part  of  their  purchases  in  the 
vicinity  of  Providence  and  Capoose,  but  the 
lands  there  were  more  fertile  and  better  culti- 
vated than  those  farther  up  in  the  valley,  and 
their  owners  were  unwilling  to  part  with  them 
for  less  than  five  dollars  per  acre.  Hence  they 
sought  the  region  of  the  Ragged  Islands  and 
studied  upon  passing  the  mountains  by  Eixe's 
rather  than  Cobb's  Gap,  and  thus  it  became 
possible  for  Honesdale  to  be  developed  upon 
the  hazel  and  hemlock-covered  ground  at  Dy- 
berry  Forks.  Otherwise  that  locality  might 
have  remained  a  pathless  thicket  until  cleared 
for  simple  agricultural  purposes. 

Another  reason  which  influenced  the  projectors 
of  this  coal  enterprise  to  choose  the  more  north- 
ern outlet  was  the  superior  advantage  that  it 
possessed  over  the  southern  or  Cobb's  Gap 
route. 

By  1816  a  small  quantity  of  anthracite  had 
been  mined,  a  portion  of  which  the  Wurts 
brothers  attempted  to  place  in  a  reluctant  mar- 
ket. Their  friend,  David  Nobles,  was  engaged 
through  the  whole  summer  of  that  year  in 
clearing  Jones'  Creek,  a  small  westerly  affluent 
of  the  Wallenpaupack,  heading  about  eight 
miles  from  the  mines,  from  logs  and  driftwood. 
When  this  had  been  done  two  sled-loads  of  coal, 
which  had  been  drawn  over  the  mountains,  was 
loaded  upon  a  raft  and  with  much  difficulty 
floated  down  the  stream  a  short  distance,  when 
the  frail  craft  was  caught  upon  a  projecting 
rock,  whirled  round  in  the  rapid  current  and 
its  precious  cargo  wrecked.  It  had  been  the 
purpose  of  the  proprietor  to  steer  the  raft  down 
the  Wallenpaupack  and  the  Lackawaxen  to  the 
Delaware  and  thence  to  Philadelphia.  A  some- 
what different  and  more  successful  attempt  was 
made  a  little  later.  This  time  the  coal  was 
drawn  on  sledges  over  the  old  Connecticut 
road,  a  distance  of  twenty  miles,  to  the  Wal- 
lenpaupack, shipped  on  rafts  to  Wilsonville, 
thence  conveyed  in  wagons  to  Paupack  Eddy, 
and  there,  being  transferred  to  arks,  floated 
to    Philadelphia.       This    mode   of   transport^- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


tiou,  however,  was  altogether  too  laborious  and 
expensive  to  be  practicable.  Hence  the  efforts 
of  the  indomitable  pioneers  in  the  grand  drama 
of  progress  were  directed  solely  to  Rixe's  Gap 
and  the  Lackawaxen.  The  following  letter  to 
Col.  Sylvanus  Seely,  of  Seely's  Mills,  fixes  the 
date  when  the  final  direction  of  the  great  scheme 
was  determined : 

"  Philadelphia,  April  29,  1818. 
"  Col.  S.  Seely  : 

"  />r,ir  ,s)V.-  Feeling  interested  in  the  road  contem- 
plated to  be  cut  from  the  Luzerne  and  Wayne  County 
line  near  Rixe's  Gap  to  Kimball's  Eddy  '  (which  is 
three  miles  below  your  mill),  for  which  an  unsuc- 
cessful application  was  made  to  the  court,  perhaps  a 
year  ago,  and  was  to  be  renewed  last  Fall,  we  would 
take  it  a  particular  favor  if  you  would  inform  us,  per 
return  of  mail,  whether  the  court  has  granted  a  road 
to  be  opened  on  that  route,  and  if  so,  say  whether  it 
is  already  cut  or  not;  if  not  cut  out,  when  it  will  be, 
or  if  it  is  not  granted,  should  like  to  know  when  the  next 
court  will  set,  and  your  opinion  of  the  prospects  of 
obtaining  a  grant. 

"  Also  what  sum  you  suppose  would  be  sufficient  to 
open  it  so  as  to  make  it  a  good  sled  road.  If  my  im- 
pression is  correct,  yourself  and  others  computed  the 
distance  from  Kimball's  Eddy  to  Rixe's  Gap  at  six  or 
seven  miles,  as  the  road  would  run.  Please  say 
whether  this  is  correct. 

"  Please  also  to  inform  us  what  extent  of  time  the 
sledding  in  your  neighborhood  and  towards  Rixe's 
lasted  for  the  three  last  winters,  and  what  sum  you 
should  suppose  it  would  cost  per  ton  to  cart  the  dis- 
tance of  twelve  miles  on  such  a  road  as  that  would  be 
in  sledding  time. 

"  Please  also  to  state  how  the  freshes  have  been  on 
the  Lackawaxen  for  the  last  three  years ;  how  many 
days  in  the  year  you  suppose  the  water  would 
do  to  run,  and  how  many  inches  deep  you  usually 
run  lumber  down  that  stream,  and  also  what  length 
and  width. 

"  M.  and  W.  WURTS. 

"  P.  S. — We  would  thank  you  to  state  what  length, 
width  and  depth  can  run  the  Delaware,  and  what  it 
usually  costs  to  navigate  a  large  raft  from  Paupaek 
Eddy  to  Philadelphia. 

"  Your  immediate  answer  to  this  will  confer  a  very 
particular  favor  on  your  assured  friends. 

"  M.  axd  W.  W." 

The  Wurtses  began  operations  with  a  view  to 
using  this  Rixe's  Gap  road,  and  by  the  autumn 
of  1822,  in  spite  of  almost  insurmountable  ob- 
stacles, had   mined  nearly  a  thousand  tons  of 


'■At  the  southern  end  of  the  borough  of  Honesdale. 


coal ;  but  the  winter  was  mild,  the  snow  fall 
light,  and  they  succeeded  in  sledding  only  about 
one  hundred  tons  over  the  mountains.  The 
road  lay  through  Cherry  Ridge  township,  and 
the  coal  being  brought  over  it  to  White  Mills, 
was  there  loaded  on  pine  rafts  and  floated  to 
Philadelphia.  That  city,  however,  was  more 
readily  accessible  by  the  coal  companies  which 
had  been  fostered  into  some  degree  of  strength 
in  the  Lehigh  and  Schuylkill  regions,  and  the 
market  was  abandoned  by  the  Lackawanna 
mine-owners,  who  now  saw  that  they  must 
reach  New  York  if  they  would  profitably  dis- 
pose of  their  commodity,  and  thus  arose  the 
idea  which  a  few  years  later  had  tangible  form 
in  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal. 

In  the  meantime,  in  1822,  it  is  interesting  to 
note  that  Carbondale  had  received  its  name 
from  the  Wurtses,  before  the  spot  so  designated 
upbore  upon  its  rocky  soil  a  single  house  or 
cabin.  The  name  was  compounded  by  these 
gentlemen  in  Philadelphia,  who  marked  upon  a 
two-horse  lumber-wagon  in  which  they  sent  to 
the  scene  of  their  mining  operations  a  load  of 
tools,  powder  and  camp  paraphernalia,  the  le- 
gend "  Carbondale,  one  hundred  and  forty-three 
miles  from  Philadelphia,  on  the  Lackawanock 
River,  Luzerne  County,  Penna."  The  driver 
was  directed  to  the  site  of  the  future  town  by  D. 
Yarrington,  who  was  staying  at  the  Mountain 
House,  an  obscure  inn  on  the  Moosic,  in  Rixe's 
Gap,  and  happened  to  remember  that  he  had 
seen  some  strange  fellows,  accredited  with  vague 
notions  about  stone  coal,  digging  in  the  woods 
down  by  the  Lackawanna,  and  surmised  that 
the  supplies  and  camp  equipage  were  designed 
for  them. 

In  pursuance  of  their  scheme  of  ultimately 
reaching  the  New  York  market,  and  in  recogni- 
tion of  the  necessity,  as  a  preliminary  step,  of 
lessening  the  danger  and  uncertainty  of  sending 
coal  to  the  Delaware,  these  gentlemen  interested 
themselves  in  procuring  the  passage  of  an  act  by 
the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  "  authorizing 
Maurice  Wurts  to  improve  the  navigation  of 
the  river  Lackawaxen."  The  act  was  duly  ap- 
proved on  the  13th  of  March,  1823. 

Benjamin  Wright,  chief  engineer  of  the  Erie 
Canal,  was  engaged  by   Maurice  and   William 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


229 


Wurts,  in  May,  1823,  to  take  measures  to  have 
a  proper  survey  or  running  level  carried  over 
the  country  from  "  tide-water  of  the  Hudson 
River,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wallkill,  up  the 
valley  of  the  Rondoitt  and  thence  over  to  the 
Delaware  River,  and  thence  up  the  same  to  the 
confluence  of  the  Lackawaxen  to  a  point  as 
near  to  the  coal  mine  as  possible,"  in  order  to 
ascertain  the  practicability  of  constructing-  a 
canal  along  the  route  or  providing  a  system  of 
slack-water  navigation,  and  fur  the  purpose  of 
securing  a  basis  for  an  estimation  of  the  cost  of 
such  work.  As  Mr.  Wright  could  not  well  dis- 
engage himself  from  his  duties  in  connection 
with  Governor  Clinton's  favorite  enterprise,  he 
deputized  Colonel  J.  L.  Sullivan  and  John  B. 
Mills,  two  experienced  civil  engineers,  to  make 
the  survey.  During  the  summer  and  fall  of 
1823  the  surveys  were  made  under  the  immedi- 
ate supervision  of  the  coal-mine  proprietors,  and 
a  map  of  the  region  and  the  route  was  shortly 
afterwards  produced  to  assist  in  awakening  the 
interest  of  Philadelphia  and  New  York  capital- 
ists, who  had  no  other  knowledge  of  the  obscure 
coal-fields  than  they  could  gain  from  it. 

This  old  map  exhibited  the  main  coal  open- 
ing or  mine  as  being  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
one  miles  from  the  Hudson,  near  the  river 
Lackawaxen,  and  four  or  five  miles  from  Keen's 
Pond,  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  where  were 
sundry  tracts  of  land  containing  inexhaustible 
quantities  of  the  best  quality  of  stone  coal. 
Seven  localities  were  designated  where  coal  had 
been  discovered,  five  of  them  being  around  the 
log  cabin  in  Carbondale,  one  below  the  falls, 
near  Wagner's  Gap  (Archbald),  and  the  remain- 
ing one  on  the  farm  of  James  Anderson,  in 
Providence  township,  twelve  miles  below  Car- 
bondale. The  main  or  northern  mine  was 
within  the  present  limits  of  Carbondale,  on  the 
eastern  bank  of  the  Lackawauna.  Honesdale 
was  unmapped  because  not  in  existence,  and  the 
site  of  the  flourishing  city  of  Scranton  was  des- 
ignated simply  as  "  Slocum's."  On  the  map 
Rixe's  Gap  opened  immediately  east  of  Carbon- 
dale, and  through  it  flowed  the  waters  of  one  of 
the  feeders  of  Keen's  Pond,  "  lying  but  four  or 
five  miles  from  the  northern  mine,"  and  the  re- 
port of  Messrs.  Wright  and  Sullivan  continued  : 


"  The  distance  is  capable  of  a  good  road  or  rail- 
way and  probably  a  canal.  The  waters  of  the 
Lackawanock  (led  from  some  distance  above  the 
valley)  may  possibly  feed  such  a  one  ;  not  only 
connecting  the  mines  of  these  proprietors  but 
to  a  greater  extent  of  navigation,  as  may  be  ap- 
parent on  the  map."  Four  ponds  with  an  ag- 
gregate area  of  six  hundred  acres,  lying  east  of 
Rixe's  Gap,  in  Wayne  <  'ounty,  were  indicated 
upon  the  map  as  Savanna,  Keen's,  Stanton's 
and  Hoadley's.  It  was  the  original  plan  of  the 
Messrs.  Wurts  to  run  the  west  branch  of  the 
Lackawaxen  section  of  the  canal  as  tar  up  as 
Captain  Keen's  pond,  and  farther  still  if  it  was 
found  that  the  Lackawanock  could  be  used  as 
a  feeder.  It  was  even  originally  jiroposed  by 
these  gentlemen  to  make  Cobb's  Pond  (Paupack 
Pond  upon  their  map)  the  western  terminus  of 
the  canal.  This  body  of  water,  fed  so  copiously 
by  unseen  springs  as  to  give  an  outlet  equal  to 
the  canal  requirements  of  that  day,  lies  upon  the 
summit  of  the  Moosic  Mountain,  seven  miles, 
in  a  direct  line,  from  Scranton  (Slocum's  of  that 
day),  and  was  about  five  miles  distant  from  the 
Providence  mine.  The  plan  of  utilizing  it  was 
abandoned  because  the  coal  nearest  that  point 
was  considered  less  valuable  than  that  at  Car- 
bondale, and  because  the  proprietors  could  de- 
vise uo  feasible  way  of  ascending  and  descend- 
ing the  steep  mountain  with  canal-boats — that 
is,  no  way  which  would  not  have  incurred  an 
expense  fatal  to  their  project.  Railroads  were 
then  unknown  in  America,  and  the  Wurtses 
gave  consideration  only  to  the  canal  system  of 
communication. 

The  quantity  of  water  held  in  the  other 
ponds  named  was  calculated  as  sufficient  "  to 
fill  a  lock  one  hundred  and  eleven  times  a  day 
for  two  hundred  days."  The  report  says,  that 
while  "  the  head-waters  of  the  Vanorca  Branch 
of  the  Lackawaxen  all  concentrate  at  Captain 
Keen's  pond,  the  middle  creek  which  heads 
even  nearer  the  coal  mine  than  this  pond,  may 
possibly  afford  a  shorter  and  better  route  than 
the  West  Branch.  This  will  be  a  matter  of 
inquiry  before  the  work  commences." 

Whether  to  ascend  the  Lackawaxen  or  the 
Wallen  paupack  was  a  seriously  and  long-con- 
sidered problem.     "  The  Wallenpaupack,"  con- 


WAYNE.  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


tinues  the  report,  "  at  the  distance  of  three 
miles  has  high  falls  and  noble  water  privileges. 
Above  Wilsonville  the  stream  is  gentle  and 
deep  for  fourteen  miles,  through  a  rich  and 
well-cultivated  country.  Its  course  is  parallel 
to  the  range  of  mountains,  on  the  opposite  or 
west  side  of  which  the  coal  district  lies — the 
survey  was  carried  through  a  gap  to  the 
southernmost  or  third  mine,  but  is  a  point  yet 
to  be  settled,  whether  this  route  or  Rixe's  Gap 
will  best  command  this  part  of  the  coal  range. 
It  appears  to  me  very  probable  that,  on  an 
instrumental  examination,  it  will  be  found  that 
the  Lackawanock  may  be  led  to  feed  a  short 
canal,  from  the  mine  to  Keen's,  and  there  would 
be  water  enough  for  any  quantity  of  business, 
using  the  lift.''''  This  lift,  the  use  of  which  was 
contemplated,  was  invented  by  Benjamin  Dear- 
born, of  Boston,  and  had  never  been  built  upon 
a  large  scale,  but  was  intended  to  operate  on  the 
principle  of  a  huge  elevator,  with  weights  and 
pulleys,  to  move  canal-boats  up  or  down  the 
sides  of  hills  or  mountains  where  water  was  very 
scarce,  or  the  height  to  be  overcome  so  great 
as  to  make  lockage  impracticable.  Engineer 
Sullivan  was  the  agent  of  the  inventor,  and 
strongly  urged  the  adoption  of  the  lift  on  the 
ground  of  its  time  and  water-saving  advantages. 
The  proprietors  thought  seriously  of  adopting 
this  plan  for  the  conveyance  of  boats  over  the 
mountain,  between  Carbondale  and  the  Lacka- 
waxen  or  "Wallenpaupack,  before  a  railroad 
was  deemed  feasible,  or  even,  so  far  as  is  now 
known,  seriously  considered. 

Another  measure,  which  the  indefatigable 
pioneers  of  the  Lackawanna  coal  region  adopted 
to  further  their  great  project  was  the  publica- 
cation  of  detailed  estimates  of  the  cost  of  pro- 
ducing anthracite  coal,  and  placing  it  in  the  New 
York  market.  They  undertook  to  prove  to 
capitalists  that  coal  could  be  delivered  in  New 
York  at  $3.84|  per  ton.  Following  is  their 
presentation  of  the  matter : 

"  Quarrying,  now  25  cents  per  ton,  but 
as  the  excavation  will  become 
deeper  assume 37$ 

Hauling,  the  distance  from  four  to  five 
miles;  on  a  turnpike  road  a  five- 
horse  team  will  perform  two  trips 
with  a  load  of  3  tons  (according  to 


experience  in  Pennsylvania).     The 
daily  expense  of  the  team  will  be  as 
follows : 
Five    bushels  of  oats,  usual  price  25 

cents — say  37 J  cents . $1.87-} 

Sixteen  pounds  hay  for  each  horse  is  So 
pounds  per  day  for  team ;  the  usual 

price,  »5  to  $7  per  ton— say  $10 36 

Shoeing,  $1.00  per  month,  each  horse 
is  for  the  team,  $60  per  annum,  per 

day 20 

Driver,  per  day 75 

Loading 50 

The  team  will  labor  but  300  days  and  the 
keeping  for  65  days  must  be  assesssed 

on  the  working  days — each  day 48 

Thus  the  hauling  of  6  tons  will  be 4.16 J 

Per  ton 69i 

The  use  of  a  railway  will  diminish  the 
expenses  probably  one  half. 

Loading  coal  into  canal  boats .10 

The  length  of  the  canal  is  117  miles;  a 
boat  carrying  30  tons  will  go  to  the 
Hudson  and  return  to  the  mines  in 
in  days;  her  expenses  will  be  as 
lollows  : 

3  men,  10  days,  at  75  cts 22.50 

2  horses,  10  days,  at  5(1  cts 10.00 

Expense  of  keeping  horses  65  days,  to 
be  assessed  on  the  working  days  is 

T2  cents  per  day  or  per  trip 2.20 

Shoeing,  $1.00  per  month,  each  horse  is 

8  cents  per  day 80 

For  30  tons $35.00 

Per  ton $1.18 

"The  canal-boats  may  navigate  the 
Hudson.  A  steamboat  of  50  horse- 
power will  tow  10  of  them,  and  if 
double-manned,  will  perform  the  trip 
to  New  York  and  back  in  two  days  ; 
the  distance  100  miles. 

Estimate  of  her  Expenses. 
1  captain,  $30  per  mo.,  $1.16  per  day...  $2.32 

1  mate,  $25  per  mo.,  96  cts.  per  day  ....    1.92 

2  pilots,  $30  each,  $1.16  per  day 4.64 

2  engineers,  $30  each,  $1.16  per  day 4.64 

2  firemen,  $25  each,  96  cts.  per  day 3.84 

6  ord.  hands,  $12  each,  47  cts.  per  day     5.64 
1  steward,  $15  each,  58  cts.  per  day  ...     1.16 

1  cook,  $12  47  cts.  per  day 94 

Provisions,  2  days,  at  $6.00  per  day  ....  12.00 
Coal,  6  tons  per  trip,  $3.60 21.00 

For  300  tons $58.70 

Perton .19i 

Discharging  the  boats  per  ton .10 

Cost    of  coal   delivered  in  New  York, 

exclusive  of  tolls,  is $2-64J 

or  less  than  9i  cents  per  bushel. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


231 


Should  the  canal  be  made  upon  the 
Kingston  route  it  would  cost  $1,300,- 
000,  the  interest  on  which  is $78,000 

Boats. — The  working  clays  on  the  canal 
may  be  estimated  at  200  in  a  year  ; 
to  deliver  100,000  tons,  220  "boats 
would  be  necessary,  allowing  5  days 
to  the  Hudson,  1  day  to  New 
York,  1  day  to  discharge  and  (5  days 
to  return.  They  would  cost  $300 
each 66,000 

4  steamboats  of  50  horse-power  for  tow- 
ing on  the  Hudson  at  $25,000  each..  100,00(1 

Teams. — For  hauling  coal  there  would 
be  300  working  days;  the  340  canal 
horses  would  be  employed  200  days 
in  hauling,  in  addition  to  which  33 
five-horse  teams  would  be  necessary 
to  deliver  100,000  tons  of  coal  at  the 
landing. 

The  cost  would  be  305  horses  at  $50  to 

$70,  say  $100 $50,500 

101  wagons  at  $60  to  $70,  say  100 10,000 

101  sets  of  harness  at  $40 4,040 

Tools  for  the  mines..... 2,500 

$67,140 

$233,140 

Interest  on  this  sum $13,988 

To  renew  and  repair  this  stock,  an  an- 
nual fund  of  10  per  cent,  should  be 

allowed 23,314 

Coal  yard,  and  expense  of  management     3,000 
Agent  at  the  mine  and  his  assistant 2,000 


si  22,302 


Thus  to  pay  interest  on  the  canal  and  the 
capital  employed  in  bringing  one  hundred 
thousand  tous  to  market  and  to  apply  an  an- 
nual fund  for  keeping  up  the  stock  of  boats, 
horses  and  wagons,  aud  to  defray  the  expense 
of  coal  yard,  &c,  &c,  an  income  would  be  re- 
quired in  lieu  of  tolls  of  $122,302  or  $1.20  per 
ton,  which-  added  to  $2.64i  will  make  the  coal 
cost,  in  New  York,  $3. 84 J-  per  ton,  less  than  14 
cents  per  bushel. 

As  most  of  the  inhabitants  of  New  York 
burned  wood,  it  was  calculated  that  fifty-eight 
thousand  tons  of  coal  would  supply  the  city  for 
a  year,  but  the  mine  proprietors  entertained  a 
hope  that  cities  and  towns  along  the  Hudson 
and  elsewhere  might  make  the  annual  demand 
as  high  as  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  tous. 
The  Lehigh  region  was  supplying  Philadelphia 
with  anthracite  at  eight  dollars  per  ton,  but  it 


was  thought  that  the  proposed  canal  would  give 
the  Lackawanna  a  great  advantage  over  the 
Lehigh  region,  shipment  from  which  by  the 
river,  by  means  of  arks  which  could  not  be  re- 
turned to  the  mines,  was  both  uncertain  and 
costly. 

The  Wurts  brothers  also  gave  the  public,  in 
pamphlet  form,  estimates  of  the  cost  of  con- 
structing the  canal  by  sections.  The  Lacka- 
waxen  section  of  the  canal,  owing  to  the  nar- 
rowness of  the  valley  and  the  height  of  the 
river  banks,  it  was  thought,  would  be  the  most 
expensive  of  all,  and  it  was  estimated  to  cost 
$316,380.  The  cost  of  the  whole  canal  was  es- 
timated at  $1 ,300,000.  The  quantity  and  qual- 
ity of  the  coal  in  the  mines  was  favorably  ex- 
hibited as  being  "  worthy  of  the  company  pro- 
posed to  be  formed."  It  was  about  this  time 
that  Professor  Griscom,  of  New  York,  was  en- 
gaged to  visit  the  Lackawanna  mines,  and  he 
made  a  very  laudatory  report  upon  them. 

Maurice  and  William  Wurts  had  toiled  as 
intelligently  and  as  indefatigably  as  ever  did 
pioneers  in  an  enterprise  ahead  of  its  age.  They 
had  spent  ten  of  the  best  years  of  their  lives,  ex- 
pended a  vast  amount  of  energy  and  the  greater 
part  of  their  private  fortunes,  and  they  saw  that 
after  all  they  had  done  there  was  no  hope  of 
final  success,  except  through  the  co-operation 
of  a  larger  capital  aud  influence  than  they  had 
thus  far  been  able  to  command.  Hence  came 
the  suggestion  of  forming  what  is  now  the 
mighty  corporation  known  as  the  "  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  Company."  This  company 
received  the  initial  impetus  of  its  life  through 
official  action,  when  the  New  York  Legislature 
passed  the  incorporating  act,  April  23,  1823, 
but  it  did  not  come  into  fully  organized  being 
until  two  years  later.  The  commissioners  ap- 
pointed by  the  act  to  incorporate  the  "  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  Company "  were  G.  B. 
Vroom,  Philip  Hone,  Lynde  Catlin,  Jonathan 
Thompson,  Garret  B.  Abeel,  George  Janeway 
and  Elisha  Tibbits,  of  the  city  of  New  York  ; 
George  D.  Wickham  and  Hector  Craig,  of 
Orange  County ;  Abraham  Hasbrouck  and 
John  C.  Broadhead,  of  Ulster  County. 

The  Messrs.  Wurts  wrote  to  the  commis- 
sioners,— "  The  object  of  the  proprietors  of  the 


2:'.2 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


mines  is  to  consolidate  the  whole  concern  in  one 
company,  to  be  formed  and  organized  under  the 
New  York  Act,  and  to  transfer  to  that  com- 
pany, upon  such  terms  as  may  be  mutually 
agreed  upon,  the  rights,  privileges  and  immun- 
ities granted  by  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature 
to  Maurice  Wurts,  his  heirs  or  assigns,  and  the 
bodies  of  coal  belonging  to  the  company." 

The  original  act  incorporating  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  Company  authorized  the 
company  "  to  make  a  canal  between  tide-water, 
on  the  Hudson,  and  the  mouth  of  the  Lacka- 
waxen,  the  dividing  line  between  the  States  of 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania,"  and  fixed  eight 
cents  per  ton  per  mile  as  the  maximum  toll  for 
transporting  stone-coal  by  it.  Maurice  ^'urts, 
by  the  Pennsylvania  act  of  March  13,  1823, 
which  had  authorized  him  to  improve  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  river  Lackawaxen,  had  been  grant- 
ed the  privilege  "  to  levy  a  toll  on  all  commod- 
ities passing  down  that  river,  if  improved  by 
slack-water  navigation,  of  twelve  and  a  half 
cents  per  ton  per  lock." 

The  act  incorporating  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal  Company  further  provided, 
"  That  the  company  by  this  name  may  sue  and 
be  sued,  defend  and  be  defended,  in  law  and 
equity,  in  all  courts  whatsoever,  may  have  and 
use  a  common  seal,  such  as  they  shall  devise, 
and  the  same  may  alter  and  change  at  pleasure, 
and  may  make  and  establish  such  by-laws,  rules 
and  regulations  as  shall  from  time  to  time  ap- 
pear necessary  and  convenient  for  the  good  gov- 
ernment of  said  corporation  and  the  due  man- 
agement of  their  property  and  affairs." 

A  supplemental  act,  passed  by  the  New  York 
Legislature  April  7,  1824,  enlarged  the  capital 
of  the  corporation  from  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars  to  fifteen  hundred  thousand  dollars; 
and  a  second  supplement,  obtained  in  Novem- 
ber of  the  same  year,  permitted  the  company 
"  to  employ  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  in 
the  business  of  banking  and  to  establish  a  bank- 
ing-house in  the  State  of  New  York." 

The  projectors  of  the  canal  scheme  had  now 
a  strong  case  with  which  to  go  into  the  money 
market.  They  boldly  displayed  their  magnifi- 
cent scheme.  They  offered  rich  and  inex- 
haustible mines,  the  exclusive  command  of  the 


coal  trade  in  the  direction  of  New  York,  and  a 
bank  charter.  The  profits  on  coal,  they  ar- 
gued, would  be  immense  if  it  could  be  delivered 
in  New  York  for  less  than  four  dollars  per  ton 
after  paying  all  charges.  It  was  then  selling 
for  ten  or  twelve  dollars  per  chaldron.  In 
Europe,  as  they  represented,  every  canal  sup- 
ported by  the  coal  trade  had  yielded  an  abun- 
dant revenue,  and  their  stock  had  risen  a  hun- 
dred, and  in  some  cases  a  thousand  per  cent. 
The  canal  would  be  able  to  transport  three 
hundred  thousand  tons  per  annum  to  market 
when  in  complete  operation,  and  the  profits  of 
a  few  years  would  replace  the  capital  expended. 
Besides,  it  would  be  in  the  power  of  the  com- 
pany to  monopolize  the  lumber  trade  of  the 
Delaware  and  Lackawaxen  and  their  tributaries. 
They  would,  while  diverting  from  Philadel- 
phia a  rich  trade,  augment  the  tolls  of  the  canal, 
and  at  the  same  time  aid  in  the  commercial 
aggrandizement  of  New  York.  Such  were,  in 
brief,  the  arguments  sounded  persistently  and 
earnestly  before  the  capitalists  of  the  metropo- 
lis, and  backed  by  figures  and  practical  expla- 
nations. 

In  the  charter  of  the  company  it  had  been 
provided  that  "  when  two  thousand  shares  of 
stock  were  subscribed  and  five  dollars  per 
share  of  one  hundred  dollars  paid  in  to  the  com- 
missioners for  incidental  expenses,  then  such 
persons  subscribing  and  those  who  may  there- 
after subscribe  to  the  stock  of  the  company.  .  . 
shall  be  and  they  hereby  are  made  and  consti- 
tuted a  body  politic  and  corporate  by  the  name, 
style  and  title  of  '  The  President,  Managers  and 
Company  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company. ' " 

The  most  sanguiue  anticipations -of  the  pro- 
jectors were  soon  realized.  The  way  had  been 
carefully  prepared  and  so  great  a  furore  created 
in  favor  of  the  scheme  that  capital  came  to  its 
assistance  finally  with  a  rush.  The  whole  cap- 
ital stock  of  one  million  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars  was  quickly  subscribed  after  the  books 
were  opened,  in  January,  1825,  and  the  com- 
pany soon  afterward  became  legally  organized. 

The  date  which  is  memorable  as  that  of  the 
complete  organization  of  the  company  was 
March  8,  1825.    The  stockholders  then  held  in 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


New  York  their  first  meeting  and   elected  the 
following  officers  and  managers  : 

President,  Philip  Hone  ;  Treasurer,  Samuel  Flewel- 
ling ;  Managers,  John  Bolton,  Philip  Hone,  Garret 
B.  Abeel,  Samuel  Whittemore,  Hezekiah  B.  Pier- 
pout,  Rufus  L.  Lord,  Benjamin  W.  Eogers,  John 
Hunter,  Thomas  Tileston,  William  W.  Russell,  Wil- 
liam Calder,  Henry  Thomas,  William  H.  Ireland. 

Pennsylvania  jealousy  of  foreign  individuals 
and  corporations,  more  than  once  exhibited  to- 
wards this  company,  officially  and  unofficially, 
manifested  itself  even  before  the  organization 
was  perfected.  "On  the  4th  of  February,  1825, 
Mr.  Duncan,  chairman  of  the  committee  of  the 
Senate  of  Pennsylvania,  to  whom  was  referred 
the  resolutions  relative  to  foreign  corporations, 
made  his  report,  which  attracted  much  attention 
abroad.  He  argued  "  that  a  corporation  of  this 
State  has  not  the  power  to  hold  lands  in  mort- 
main without  the  license  of  this  commonwealth, 
and  that  lands  conveyed  to  trustees  named  in 
the  deeds  of  conveyance  in  trust,  and  for  the 
uses  of  the  company  as  declared  in  the  deeds, 
are  subject  to  forfeiture." 

This  report  was  significant  in  relation  to  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company,  and  it 
was  thought  advisable  to  procure  the  passage  of 
adeclaratory  special  act  in  their  favor.  This  work 
was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  new  character  in 
the  drama  of  progress.  John  Wurts,  was  sent 
to  Harrisburg  and  secured  the  passage  of  a  bill 
making  it  lawful  for  "  the  President,  Managers 
and  Company  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Ca- 
nal Company,  by  and  with  the  consent  of  Mau- 
rice Wurts,  his  heirs  or  assigns,  to  improve  the 
navigation  of  the  river  Lackawaxen,  and  of  any 
one  of  its  branches,  in  the  same  manner  author- 
ized and  provided  by  an  act  entitled  '  an  act  to 
improve  the  navigation  of  the  river  Lackawax- 
en,' passed  the  13th  day  of  March,  1823,  and 
that  the  said  company  shall  hold  and  enjoy  the 
same,  as  fully  and  effectually  as  the  said  Mau- 
rice Wurts,  his  heirs  or  assigns,  might  or  could 
do,  &c,  &c.,and  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  said 
company  to  purchase  and  hold  any  quantity  of 
lands,  situate  within  ten  miles  of  the  river  Lack- 
awanna, not  exceeding  five  thousand  acres." 

Thus  the  company  came  into  being  with  an 
unclouded  prospect  of  successorship  to  the  priv- 


ileges that  had  beeu  bestowed  upon  the  pioneer 
projector  of  the  mighty  work. 

Up  to  this  time  not  a  shovelful  of  earth  had 
been  turned  toward  making  the  canal  and  no 
definite  mode  of  crossing  the  mountain  barrier 
to  the  coal-mines  had  been  decided  upon.  The 
proposed  enterprise,  however,  had  become  some- 
thing more  than  a  fruitful  theme  for  discus- 
sion. 

After  organizing,  the  first  act  of  the  board 
of  managers  was  "  to  engage  the  services  of 
that  able  and  experienced  engineer,  Benjamin 
Wright,  Esq.,  and  as  his  assistant,  J.  B.  Jervis, 
Esq.,  who  had  been  trained  to  the  profession 
under  Judge  Wright,  and  whose  ample  knowl- 
edge of  its  duties  do  equal  credit  to  his  tutor 
and  to  his  own  talents." 

To  these  engineers  the  managers  submitted 
the  report  of  Colonel  Sullivan,  founded  upon 
the  survey  of  Mr.  Mills,  requesting  them  to 
examine  the  several  routes  prepared  for  the 
canal,  and  in  due  time  the  engineers  recom- 
mended the  construction  of  an  independent 
canal,  instead  of  a  canal  in  part  and  a  slack- 
water  navigation  in  the  Rondout,  Delaware  and 
Lackawaxen.  They  advised  that  the  locks 
should  be  constructed  of  stone  instead  of  wood, 
as  had  been  previously  suggested.  The  mana- 
gers in  their  first  annual  report  (for  the  year 
1825)  said,  "  This  more  perfect  navigation 
affording  greater  facilities  and  less  liability 
to  interruption  than  the  original  plan,  to- 
gether with  the  cost  of  the  more  permanent 
locks,  was  estimated  at  about  one  million  six 
hundred  thousand  dollars."  They  decided  on 
prosecuting  the  work  according  to  the  recom- 
mendations of  the  engineers,  and  adopted  the 
valley  of  the  Rondout  in  which  to  locate  the 
canal.  They  also  "  concluded  a  bargain  with 
the  members  of  the  Lackawaxen  Company  for 
the  purchase  of  their  coal-mines  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  the  rights  and  privileges  in  that  State 
for  the  sum  of  forty  thousand  dollars  in  cash 
and  a  deferred  stock  amounting  to  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars,"  and  thus  the  individual  in- 
terests of  Maurice,  William  and  John  Wurts 
were  merged  into  the  common  one  of  the  com- 
pany. 

Thirty-four  sections  of  the  canal  were  adver- 


234 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ti.sed  to  be  let  on  the  13th  of  July,  1825.  On 
that  day  the  president,  Philip  Hone,  attended 
by  a  large  concourse  of  citizens,  delivered  au 
appropriate  address  and  performed  the  ceremony 
of  opening  the  ground  on  the  summit  level, 
forty  miles  from  the  Hudson  River.  Contracts 
weie  at  the  same  time  made  for  all  the  sections 
prepared  for  letting,  and  while  the  con  tractors 
were  preparing  their  tools  and  collecting  their 
laborers,  the  engineers  continued  their  work  of 
locating  the  remainder  of  the  line.  At  several 
subsequent  periods  portions  of  the  work  were 
let  between  the  summit  and  the  Hudson  River, 
aud  on  the  6th  of  December,  1825,  the  remain- 
der of  the  line  was  placed  under  contract.  So 
the  great  work  was  begun  and  fairly  under  way 
as  the  first  quarter  of  the  century  came  to  a 
close.  No  company  or  corporation  on  the  con- 
tinent had,  under  similar  circumstances,  ever 
entered  upon  a  task  of  such  magnitude,  or  one 
requiring  so  much  capital,  deliberation  and  good 
management  to  insure  its  successful  completion. 

The  heavy  expenditures  for  cutting  tin- canal 
had  well-nigh  exhausted  the  funds  of  the  com- 
pany, but  the  State  of  New  York,  guided  by 
the  wise  policy  of  Governor  De  Witt  Clinton, 
passed  a  bill  giving  a  loan  of  the  credit  of  the 
State  for  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  This 
was  granted  on  the  ground  of  public  utility 
and  in  recognition  of  the  simple  merits  of  the 
company  and  was  a  very  encouraging  assurance 
of  the  faith  of  the  public  in  the  vast  enterprise. 
The  board  of  mauagers,  being  thus  relieved 
from  financial  embarrassment,  put  forth  their 
best  efforts  in  pushing  the  work  towards  com- 
pletion, and  under  these  auspicious  conditions 
the  canal  from  the  narrows  of  the  Lackawaxen 
to  the  forks  of  the  Dy  berry — the  site  of 
Honesdale — was  placed  under  contract. 

Instead  of  extending  the  canal  up  the  Lack- 
awaxen about  seven  miles  towards  the  base  of 
the  Moosic  Mountain  and  using  the  neighboring 
ponds  for  feeders,  as  had  been  proposed  by 
Wurts  after  the  preliminary  surveys,  it  was  de- 
cided, upon  the  fuller  knowledge  now  obtained 
of  the  highlands,  to  make  the  forks  the  western 
terminus  of  the  canal  and  to  unite  that  point 
with  the  mines  by  a  railroad  about  fifteen  miles 
in  length. 


"  The  construction  and  use  of  railroads  was 
new  in  our  country.  Only  one,  of  a  few 
miles'  length,  near  Boston,  had  been  tested  by  a 
winter's  cold  and  another  was  a  temporary  and 
imperfect  work."  ' 

In  England,  however,  a  railroad,  almost  ex- 
actly similar  to  that  first  constructed  over  the 
Moosic  Mountains  from  Honesdale  to  Carbon- 
dale,  had  been  built,  and  was  in  practically 
successful  operation  befoi-e  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal  Company  fully  decided  upon  the 
mode  of  crossing  the  highland  barrier.  This 
was  the  Hetton  Railroad,  extending  from  the 
town  of  Sunderland,  on  the  river  Weir,  to  the 
Hetton  collieries,  in  length  seven  miles  and  five 
furlongs.  It  overcame  an  elevation  of  eight 
hundred  and  twelve  feet,  or  almost  exactly  the 
same  that  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  "  gravity" 
does  at  present,  and  was  operated  by  fixed  en- 
gines upon  planes  and  also  by  means,  on  the 
levels,  of  locomotives,  a  single  one  of  which 
had  drawn  "  a  train  of  twenty-four  chalder  wag- 
ons containing  ninety  tons  of  coal  "  and  in  a  day 
six  hundred  tons,  "  going  nine  gaits,  equal  to 
thirty-five  miles,  forwards  and  returning."  The 
force  of  gravity  was  also  taken  advantage  of. 
A  profile  of  the  Hetton  Railroad  bears  a  strik- 
ing resemblance  to  that  of  the  Honesdale  and  Car- 
bondale  Railroad.  It  was  published  in  the  Frank- 
lin Journal  late  in  1825  and  in  a  Philadelphia 
daily  newspaper  in  January,  1826,  together  with 
a  view  of  the  locomotive  and  "  train  of  chalder 
wagons."  Did  it  not  suggest  to  the  managers  of 
the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Company  the  rail- 
road with  which  they  surmounted  the  Moosic, 
or  did  it  not  serve  to  decide  in  their  minds  the 
adoption  of  a  similar  device  ? 

However  this  may  have  been,  the  managers 
did  decide  definitely  upon  building  a  railroad  in 
the  summer  of  1826,  and  J.  B.  Jervis,  a  trusted 
engineer,  made  a  survey  for  it,  which,  after  be- 
ing closely  examined  by  civil  engineers — Benja- 
min Wright  and  Professor  Renwick — late  in 
October  was  accepted  by  the  company. 

The  canal  was  completed  in  October,  1828, 
and  the  first  small  canal-boat  made  its  slow  way 
to  the   Hudson   with   a  cargo    of  ten    tons    of 


o's  Report,  1828. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


235 


inferior  coal  in  that  month.  In  the  month  fol- 
lowing a  fleet  of  ten  boats  similarly  laden 
passed  in  solemn  procession  as  the  pioneers  of 
a  mighty  traffic. 

The  railroad  was  planned  to  transport  five 
hundred  and  forty  tons  of  coal  per  day,  or  one 
hundred  and  eight  thousand  tons  per  year,  of 
two  hundred  working  days,  and  it  was  expected 
that  the  new  mode  of  shipment  would  surpass 
any  sledge  or  wagon  method  upon  a  turnpike, 
however  good.  Prior  to  the  building  of  the 
railroad  twenty  or  thirty  teams  were  engaged 
in  conveying  coal  from  the  mines  to  the  canal 
in  loads  of  from  one  to  two  tons  each.  The  cost 
was  $2.20  per  ton  when  sledges  were  used  upon 
the  snow  and  $2.75  when  wagons  were  em- 
ployed. This  slow  and  tedious  means  of  trans- 
portation made  the  coal  cost  the  company  a 
total  of  §5.25  at  tide  water.  Only  seven  thou- 
sand tons  found  its  way  to  market  during  the 
year  1829 — considerably  loss  than  is  now  carried 
over  the  same  route  in  a  single  day. 

The  railroad,  which  was  commenced  in  1827, 
was  completed  in  the  summer  of  1829.  Over 
its  imperfect  track,  constructed  of  hemlock 
stringers  and  laid  with  strap-rails  (soon  to  be 
fully  described),  the  first  load  of  coal  passed  on 
October  9,  1829,  to  the  amazement  and  delight 
of  the  people  along  the  line.  It  was  drawn  on 
the  levels  by  horses  and  moved  on  the  planes  by 
gravity  and  the  power  of  stationary  engines. 
This  was  just  two  months  and  a  day  after  the 
trial  trip  at  Honesdale  of  the  "Stourbridge  Lion," 
the  first  locomotive  that  ever  turned  a  wheel 
in  America  (of  which  an  account  appears  later). 

Even  with  the  aid  of  the  railroad  worked  to 
its  utmost  capacity  the  company  was,  in  the  sec- 
ond year  of  its  operation  (1830),  only  able  to 
carry  forty-three  thousand  two  hundred  tons 
of  anthracite  over  the  mountain.  In  other 
winds,  the  entire  amount  of  coal  transported 
during  the  year  1830  was  less  than  can  now  be 
moved  in  four  days,  for  a  shipment  of  twelve 
thousand  tons  in  twenty-four  hours  is  not  beyond 
the  present  capacity  of  the  road. 

The  railroad,  as  originally  constructed,  was 
very  different  from  the  present  gravity  road, 
and,  although  it  connected  the  same  terminal 
points,  much   of  the  old   track  was  located  on 


lines  quite  widely  removed  from  the  line  now 
and  for  many  years  past  used.  As  a  matter  of 
gratification  to  those  most  intimately  interested 
in  the  history  and  workings  of  the  road,  and  to 
those  who  live  along  its  line,  as  well  as  for  the 
benefit  of  the  antiquarian,  we  preserve  a  min- 
utely circumstantial  account  of  the  road  as  first 
built. 

Starting  from  the  mouth  of  the  mine  at  Car- 
bondale,  the  railroad  commenced  with  a  short 
inclined  plane  300  feet  long,  ascending  30  feet 
(or  one  foot  in  10),  which  was  operated  by  horse- 
power. From  the  head  of  this  plane  the  grade 
was  near  the  natural  surface  of  the  ground  a 
distance  of  2000  feet  to  the  foot  of  Steam 
Plane  No.  1,  ascending  in  that  distance  45  feet 
(or  1  foot  in  44).  This  grade  was  so  heavy 
that  it  required  one  horse  to  each  car  carrying 
three  tons  of  coal.  The  foot  of  Plane  No.  1 
was  where  passengers  by  the  gravity  road  take 
the  cars  in  Carbondale,  and  was  at  an  elevation 
of  87  feet  above  the  canal  in  Honesdale,  and 
1057  above  the  tide  level. 

In  ascending  Plane  No.  1,  a  distance  of  2000 
feet,  the  grade  was  about  1  foot  in  12,  over- 
coming an  elevation  of  170  feet.  This  plane 
was  located  parallel  to  and  along  the  north- 
western side  of  the  turnpike  to  Honesdale. 

From  the  head  of  Plane  No.  1  the  track  was 
nearly  level  for  600  feet  to  the  foot  of  the  next 
plane.  Plane  No.  2  was  2600  feet  long,  as- 
cending 130  feet  (or  1  foot  in  20).  This  also 
was  parallel  to  and  along  the  western  side  of 
the  turnpike.  From  the  head  of  No.  2  the 
track  was  nearly  level  2600  feet.  This  level 
part  of  the  track  crossed  the  turnpike,  reaching 
the  foot  of  Plane  No.  3,  on  the  southeast  side  of 
the  turnpike,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  called  "  No. 
3  Hill,"  about  li  miles  from  the  foot  of  No.  1. 

Plane  No.  3  was  2550  feet  long,  ascending 
210  feet  (or  1  foot  in  12) ;  then  the  track  was 
near  level  400  feet  to  the  foot  of  Plane  No.  4, 
which  was  1800  feet  long  and  ascended  150 
feet  (or  1  foot  in  12). 

From  the  head  of  No.  4  the  track  was  nearly 
level  2000  feet  to  the  foot  of  No.  5,  at  Racket 
Brook,  some  fifty  rods  below  the  company's 
reservoir  dam.  Planes  3  and  4,  and  the  level 
between  4  and  5,  were  located  alon«-  the  south- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


eastern  side  of  the  turnpike,  and  as  nearly  paral- 
lel thereto  as  the  meanderings  of  the  turnpike 
would  admit  of. 

Plane  No.  5  was  2500  feet  long,  ascending 
208  feet  to  a  point  on  the  mountain,  about  a 
half-mile  from  the  turnpike  and  within  Wayne 
County.  The  head  of  this  plane  was  the  high- 
est point  reached,  being  1915  feet  above  tide, 
and  945  above  the  canal  in  Honesdale. 

From  the  head  of  No.  6  was  the  level 
called  "Summit  Level,"  9250  feet  long  (or  If 
miles),  extending  to  the  head  of  Plane  No.  6  on 
a  descending  grade  of  8  feet  to  a  mile;  and 
crossing  the  turnpike  about  f  of  a  mile  west  of 
the  present  "  light  track  "  summit. 

When  Horatio  Allen  ordered  for  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  Company  the  first  three  loco- 
motives ever  brought  to  America,  it  was  ex- 
pected that  one  of  them  would  be  used  on  this 
summit  level. 

"  Plane  No.  6  "  was  4300  feet  long,  descend- 
ing on  the  eastern  side  of  the  mountain  349 
feet  (or  1  in  12i).  A  few  hundred  feet  from 
the  head  of  this  plane  the  track  crossed  the 
Honesdale  turnpike. 

From  the  foot  of  No.  6  was  400  feet  of  track, 
nearly  level,  to  the  head  of  Plane  No.  7.  This 
plane  was  1500  feet  long,  and  descended  120  feet 
(or  1  in  1H)  to  the  level  at  Way  mart.  This 
point  is  452  feet  higher  than  the  canal  in  Hones- 
dale, and  1422  feet  above  tide  level. 

From  the  foot  of  No.  7  was  the  long  or  "  Six- 
mile  Level,"  descending  264  feet  (or  44  feet  in  a 
mile)  to  the  head  of  Plane  No.  8,  at  Prompton. 

The  route  of  the  present  track  for  loaded  cars, 
from  the  middle  of  Plane  No.  6  to  the  head  of 
No.  8,  at  Prompton,  is  very  nearly  on  the  same 
ground  as  the  original  road,  and,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  part  between  the  D.  Blandin 
place  and  the  canal  basin,  is  the  oidy  part  which 
is  on  the  original  route. 

The  head  of  Plane  No.  8  was  at  the  point 
where  passengers  going  toward  Honesdale  take 
or  leave  the  cars,  on  the  hill  in  Prompton. 

From  this  point  the  plane  extended  1444 
feet,  and  descended  70  feet  (or  1  in  20J)  to  the 
west  branch  of  the  Lackawaxen,  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  Prompton  flat. 

From  the  foot  of  Plane    8    was  the  "  Four- 


mile  Level, "  extending  to  the  canal  basin  in 
Honesdale,  and  descending  106  feet  (or  26J 
feet  per  mile). 

The  track  was  constructed  along,  and  near 
to,  the  northern  (or  left)  bank  of  the  west 
branch  of  the  Lackawaxen,  passing  through 
what  is  now  the  Seelyville  mill  pond,  along 
the  northern  side  of  and  very  near  to  Seely's 
saw-mill,  and  the  Foster's  tannery  buildings — 
and  close  along  the  river  side  of  the  turnpike 
across  the  Blandin  flat,  and  from  there  to  the 
basin  near  the  site  of  the  present  track. 

The  entire  length  of  the  railroad  from  the 
mines  at  Carbondale  to  the  basin  in  Honesdale 
was  sixteen  and  seven-eighths  miles.  At  the 
time  the  road  was  built  it  was  calculated  to  af- 
ford ample  facilities  for  transporting  one  hun- 
dred thousand  tons  of  coal  per  year,  that  quan- 
tity being  deemed  as  great  as  it  was  needful  to 
provide  for. 

A  plan  of  construction  was  adopted,  designed 
to  accomplish  the  object  sought,  with  as  little 
outlay  as  practicable.  As  at  least  nine-teuths 
of  the  entire  distance  was  through  unbroken 
forests,  where  timber  could  be  very  cheaply 
obtained,  all  heavy  embankments  for  grade 
were  dispensed  with,  and  as  far  as  practicable, 
without  too  short  curves,  heavy  excavations 
were  avoided.  When  the  grade  was  more  than 
four  feet  above  the  natural  surface,  trestle  work 
of  timber  was  generally  used,  and  in  some 
parts  where  the  grade  was  still  nearer  the  sur- 
face, wooden  posts  were  placed  upright  in  holes 
dug  in  the  earth  three  feet  or  more  in  depth, 
and  broken  stones  filled  in  around  the  posts — 
the  tops  of  the  posts  being  sawn  off  at  the 
proper  height  to  receive  the  cross-ties  upon 
which  the  rails  were  to  rest.  In  other  cases 
where  the  grade  was  near  the  surface,  the  cross- 
ties,  which  were  usually  ten  feet  distant  from 
each  other,  were  supported  by  stone  piers  under 
each  end. 

Upon  these  cross-ties  were  placed  wooden 
rails  of  hemlock  timber,  generally  six  inches  in 
thickness  and  twelve  inches  in  height,  and 
either  twenty  or  thirty  feet  long,  so  as  to  extend 
across  two  or  three  of  the  spaces  between  the 
cross-ties.  These  rails  were  made  fast  to  the 
cross-ties    by  wooden  keys,  or  wedges,  and  in 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


such  position  that  the  space  between  the  rails 
should  be  just  the  width  of  the  gauge  adopted, 
which  was  about  four  feet  three  iuches.  Upon 
the  top  and  at  the  inner  edges  of  these  rails, 
flat  bars  of  iron,  two  and  a  half  inches  wide 
and  half  an  inch  thick,  were  laid  and  made  fast 
by  large  screws  through  holes  for  that  purpose 
in  the  iron  bars.  After  a  little  experience  the 
hemlock  rail  was  found  to  be  too  soft  for  a  firm 
bed  for  the  iron  bars,  and  strips  of  beech  two 
inches  thick  and  three  to  four  inches  wide  were 
spiked  to  the  top  of  the  hemlock  rail,  and  the 
iron  bars  fastened  upon  those  beech  strips. 
After  a  very  little  time  the  use  of  screws  to  fas- 
ten the  iron  bars  was  discontinued,  and  iron 
spikes  used  instead. 

A  stationary  steam-engine  was  used  for  a 
motive-power  at  each  of  the  five  long  planes  on 
the  western  side  of  the  mountains,  which,  by 
means  of  a  long  chain  extending  the  entire 
length  of  the  plane,  drew  up  three  to  five  loaded 
cars,  and  at  the  same  time  letdown  a  like  num- 
ber of  empty  cars. 

The  three  planes  descending  toward  Hones- 
dale  were  worked  by  gravitation,  without  the 
use  of  steam, — by  having  the  descending  load- 
ed cars  draw  up  the  ascending  empty  cars  at- 
tached to  the  other  end  of  the  chain,  and  the 
velocity  of  their  motion  was  controlled  by  the 
use  of  friction  brakes  upon  the  shaft  of  a  large 
upright  fan-wheel. 

It  was  originally  expected  to  make  use  of 
locomotive  power  on  the  three  long  levels, 
known  as  "  Summit  Level,"  "Six-mile  Level" 
and  "Four-mile  Level,"  and  to  use  horses  on 
the  other  levels  between  the  planes. 

Three  locomotives  were  made  for  the  com- 
pany in  England  under  directions  of  Horatio 
Allen,  and  brought  to  New  York  to  be  so  used, 
but  on  the  trial  of  one  of  them,  the  track  was 
found  too  weak  to  admit  of  their  use  with  safe- 
ty ;  and  the  use  of  horses  was  thus  made  ne- 
cessary on  those  levels  also. 

On  the  Summit  Level  one  horse  could  not 
draw  more  than  two  loaded  cars  at  a  time. 

On  the  Six-mile  Level  (between  Waymart  and 
Prompton)  the  grade  was  such  that  loaded  cars 
desceuded  by  gravity,  and  cars  were  provided 
for  a  sufficient  number  of  horses  to   ride,   with 


each  train,  to  draw  the  empty  cars  back — one 
horse  being  thus  able  to  return  four  empty  cars. 
These  horses  became  so  accustomed  to  riding 
down  the  grade  that  when,  by  reason  of  ice  on 
the  rails,  the  cars  required  force  to  propel 
them,  some  of  the  horses  clearly  showed  an  un- 
willingness to  go  upon  the  track  and  draw  the 
cars  in  that  direction. 

Ou  the  Four-mile  Level  (between  Prompton 
and  the  canal  basin)  the  grade  was  such  that 
one  horse  could  draw  five  loaded  cars  down,  and 
the  same  Dumber  of  empty  ears  back. 

The  Four-mile  and  the  Six-mile  Levels  had 
such  a  branch  or  side-track  for  a  short  distance 
near  the  centre,  so  that  cars  moving  in  one  di- 
rection could  pass'  those  going  in  the  oppo- 
site direction,  and  at  these  branches  were  the 
boarding-houses  for  the  car-runners.  One  of 
these  boarding-houses  was  near  the  present 
residence  of  Jacob  L.  Keen,  and  was  kept 
by  Warren  Dimock,  and  the  other  was  oppo- 
site the  present  residence  of  Henry  L.  Phillips, 
and  was  kept    by  George  M.  Keen. 

A  very  few  years'  experience  with  the  use  of 
chains  for  conveying  the  loaded  cars  upon  the 
planes  convinced  the  managers  of  the  road  that 
some  material,  less  liable  to  break  than  the 
chains  then  in  use,  must  be  substituted  for 
them.  Each  train  of  loaded  cars  passing  over 
the  road  was  liable  to  be  wrecked  by  the  fail- 
ure of  any  one  of  some  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  links  composing  the  chains  upon  the 
several  plaues,  and  many  such  accidents  oc- 
curred. To  remedy  this,  heavy  hemp  ropes, 
the  strands  of  which  had  been  saturated  with 
tar,  were  introduced,  instead  of  the  chains,  and 
thereafter  such  accidents  were  very  infrequent. 
This  short  experience  also  demonstrated  that 
the  use  of  horses  to  draw  loaded  cars  up  so 
heavy  a  grade  as  that  of  the  short  section  ex- 
tending from  the  mine  to  "  Plane  No.  1"  was 
unnecessarily  expensive. 

To  remedy  this,  a  plane  to  be  operated  by 
water-power  was  constructed  in  1837,  fourteen 
huudred  feet  long,  and  ascending  from  the 
mouth  of  the  mine  nearly  eighty  feet,  and  from 
the  head  of  this  plane  a  new  track  fifteen  hun- 
dred feet  in  length,  to  the  foot  of  Plane  No.  1, 
was  laid  on  a  grade  descending   one  foot  in  two 


238 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


hundred  and  fifty.  This  improvement  reduced 
the  cost  of  transportation  on  that  short  section 
at  least  two  cents  per  ton. 

The  "Stourbridge  Lion" — The  First 
Locomotive  in  America. — The  first  locomo- 
tive that  ever  turned  a  wheel  in  America  was 
placed  upon  this  railroad  and  made  its  trial  trip 
on  August  8,  1829  (as  heretofore  mentioned). 
Horatio  Allen  (still  living — 1886 — and  a  resi- 
dent of  South  Orange,  New  Jersey,  aged  eighty- 
six  years)  was  directly  instrumental  in  causing 
the  locomotive  to  be  built  and  brought  to  the 
railroad  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Company, 
and  he  was  its  engineer  on  the  occasion  of  its 
trial  trip. 

Numerous  accounts  have  been  written  of  this 
locomotive  and  its  initial  trip,  all  differing  in 


tin-;  "  sToi-ur.i;iix:i:    i.imn. 


some  minor  detail,  but  agreeing  in  essentials. 
The  one  which  we  here  present  is  founded  in 
the  main  upon  an  article  which  appeared  in 
the  Honesdale  Citizen  in  1881,  and  was  writ- 
ten upon  information  received  from  Mr.  Allen, 
and  authoritatively  indorsed  by  hirn  when  com- 
pleted. The  article  alluded  to  states  that  Mr. 
Allen  "  was  a  civil  engineer  by  profession,  and 
had  been  engaged  in  the  survey  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  Canal — first  on  the  'sum- 
mit' division,  and  afterward  between  the  Dela- 
ware River  and  Honesdale.  Having  completed 
his  duties,  he  resigned  his  position  and  quitted 
the  theatre  of  the  company's  operations.  He 
had  heard  of  the  success  of  George  Stephenson 
with  the  locomotive,  and  was  convinced  that 
the  transportation   lines  of  the  future  would  be 


operated  with  the  new  motor.  He  accordingly 
decided  to  visit  England  and  master  the  methods 
there  employed  in  constructing  and  operating 
railways.  John  B.  Jervis,  chief  engineer  of 
the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company, 
learning  of  his  purpose,  commissioned  him  to 
purchase  in  England  the  iron  for  the  railroad 
between  Honesdale  and  Carbondale,  the  chains 
to  be  used  on  the  inclined  planes,  and  three 
locomotives  to  be  run  on  the  railroad  levels. 
The  rails  were  to  be  flat,  with  oblong,  counter- 
sunk spike-holes.  Their  manufacture  was  a 
new  industry.  Mr.  Allen  devised  a  mode  of 
making  the  rails,  but  most,  if  not  all,  of  the 
iron-workers  in  this  country  to  whom  he  sub- 
mitted his  plan  pronounced  it  impossible  of 
execution.  In  England,  fourteen  of  seventeen 
iron-masters  also  declared  it  imprac- 
ticable. He  finally  contracted  for 
the  manufacture  of  the  rails  at 
Merthyr-Tydvil,  in  South  Wales. 
When  offered  for  delivery,  however, 
they  were  in  an  unfinished  condi- 
tion, and  so  ill  adapted  to  the  pur- 
pose that  he  refused  to  receive  them, 
maintaining  that  they  were  not  in 
conformity  with  (he  contract.  The 
manufacturers,  on  the  other  hand, 
contended  for  a  different  construction 
of  the  contract,  and  declined  to  do 
anything  further  to  them.  Mr. 
Allen  thereupon  went  to  Wol- 
verhampton, in  England,  and  made  a  new 
contract  with  a  manufacturer  at  that  place. 
Here  he  presented  his  plan  of  manufacture;  it 
was  approved  and  adopted,  and  in  a  short  time 
the  rails  were  finished,  complete  in  every  par- 
ticular. In  due  time  they  were  shipped,  and 
formed  the  first  track  of  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Railroad.  The  English  manufacturers 
continued  to  use  Mr.  Allen's  method  of  manu- 
facture ;  and  though  the  inventor  might  have 
secured  all  its  advantages  by  taking  out  a  patent, 
he  was  content  to  give  it  to  the  world  without 
any  reward.  The  chains  for  the  railroad  planes 
were  made  in  Liverpool,  aud  after  being  tested 
under  Mr.  Allen's  supervision  were  sent  to 
Honesdale  and  put  into  use.  They  failed,  how- 
ever, to  answer  the  purpose  satisfactorily,  giv- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


ing  way  so  often  as  to  cause  considerable  dam- 
age, and  making  it  necessary  to  keep  portable 
forges  passing  along  the  line  of  the  road  to 
repair  the  broken  links.  They  were  finally 
superseded  by  Manilla  ropes,  and  the  latter  in 
turn  gave  place  to  the  wire  cables  now  in  use. 

"  It  was  in  the  autumn  of  1827  that  Mr. 
Allen  went  to  England.  The  leading  purpose 
of  his  visit  was  the  investigation  of  the  railway 
system  and  the  locomotive.  Various  experi- 
ments had  been  made  during  the  previous 
quarter  of  a  century,  resulting  in  the  gradual 
improvement  of  the  locomotive  and  track.  In 
1804  a  steam  carriage,  designed  by  Richard 
Trevethick,  was  tried  on  the  tramway  at  the 
Merthyr-Tydvil  iron-works,  five  miles  in  length. 
It  was  found  incapable,  however,  of  ascending 
anything  beyond  a  very  moderate  inclination. 
In  1811  a  locomotive  was  placed  on  the  Wylam 
colliery  tramway,  near  Newcastle,  which  suc- 
ceeded in  overcoming  a  somewhat  heavier  grade. 
Up  to  this  time  it  was  considered  necessary,  in 
ascending  an  inclination,  to  employ  a  cog-wheel 
on  the  locomotive,  working  in  a  toothed  rail 
on  the  road-bed,  to  secure  the  necessary  hold 
and  prevent  the  driving-wheels  from  slipping 
on  the  track  ;  but  the  increased  friction  coun- 
terbalanced all  the  supposed  advantages  of  this 
method.  The  experiment  of  constructing  an 
engine  with  levers  projecting  behind,  and  strik- 
ing the  ground  alternately,  like  a  pair  of  legs, 
was  then  tried,  but  proved  unsuccessful.  In 
1814  George  Stephenson,  who  was  then  em- 
ployed at  Killingworth  Colliery,  built  a  loco- 
motive which  ran  successfully  with  smooth  tires ; 
and  the  next  year  he  built  another,  to  which  he 
added  the  steam  blast,  thereby  greatly  increas- 
ing its  steam-making  power.  Other  improve- 
ments were  devised,  and  the  working  parts 
materially  simplified  during  the  year  following. 
A  few  years  later  he  constructed  a  railway, 
eight  miles  long,  for  the  Hetton  Colliery,  which 
was  opened  in  1822,  stationary  engines  being 
employed  at  the  heavy  grades,  and  locomotives 
on  the  remainder  of  the  road.  Immediately 
afterward,  Stephenson  commenced  the  construc- 
tion of  a  railway  for  the  transportation  of  coal 
from  Darlington,  in  Durham,  to  the  shippiug 
port  of  Stockton-upon-Tees,  a   distance  of  six- 


teen miles.  So  slight  was  public  confidence  in 
the  capabilities  of  the  locomotive  at  this  time 
that  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  the  act  of 
Parliament  authorizing  this  road  was  so  modi- 
fied as  to  permit  the  use  of  locomotives  through- 
out its  whole  length,  instead  of  stationary  en- 
gines, as  at  first  contemplated.  The  mad  was 
opened  September  25,  1825,  and  Stephenson's 
locomotives  were  found  to  surpass  all  expecta- 
tions. 

"Mr.  Allen  spent  several  weeks  on  the  Stock- 
ton and  Darlington  Railway,  examining  every 
point,  and  becoming  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  construction  of  the  locomotive.  The 
engines  there  used,  though  in  advance  of  any- 
thing previously  built,  were  still  very  imperfect. 
The  fire-box  consisted  of  a  cylinder  inside  the 
boiler,  with  a  Hue  passing  through  to  the  smoke- 
stack. Notwithstanding  Stephenson's  success, 
the  battle  in  behalf  of  the  steam  carriage  was 
by  no  means  won.  While  Mr.  Allen  was  in 
England,  the  Liverpool  and  Manchester  Rail- 
way was  in  process  of  construction,  and  whether 
it  should  be  operated  by  locomotives  or  station- 
ary engines  was  a  question  still  hotly  debated. 
The  most  eminent  engineers  pronounced  against 
the  locomotive,  and  a  committee  appointed  to 
consider  the  subject  reported  in  favor  of  station- 
ary engines.  It  was  resolved,  however,  to  make 
a  practical  test,  and  a  reward  was  offered  for  a 
steam  carriage  that  should  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  road.  Pending  this  controversy, 
Mr.  Allen  decided  on  locomotives  for  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  road,  and  three  were  built 
under  his  direction,  with  some  improvements 
on  existing  engines,  among  which  was  the  re- 
moval of  the  fire  box  from  the  boiler,  and  its 
location  underneath. 

"In  the  autumn  of  1828  Mr.  Allen  returned 
to  America.  .  Shortly  afterward  one  of  the 
locomotives  arrived.  This  was  set  up  in  New 
York,  its  body  resting  on  blocks  and  its  wheels 
clear ;  and  in  this  position  its  working  was  ex- 
hibited to  the  directors  of  the  company,  by  E. 
Dunscomb,  on  Water  Street.1     In  due  time  the 


'The  arrival  and  exhibition  of  the  locomotive  in  New 
York  was  thus  commented  upon  by  the  Morning  Courier 
and  New  York  Enquirer:  .  .  .  "We  yesterday  attended 
the  first  exhibition  of  a  locomotive  engine  called  '  The  Lion,' 


240 


WAYNE.  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COI'NTTES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


others  arrived.  In  the  following  summer,  the 
canal  being  opened,  and  the  railroad  to  Carbon- 
dale  in  operation,  one  of  the  locomotives  built 
at  Stourbridge,  England,  by  Foster,  Rastrick  & 
Co.,  and  named  the  "  Lion,"  was  forwarded  by 
boat  to  Honesdale.  On  its  arrival  it  was  placed 
on  the  railroad  track  alongside  the  canal,  and 
prepared  for  running,  under  the  direction  of 
Mr.  Allen.  It  was  a  large  and  cumbrous  affair, 
compared  with  the  engines  of  the  present  day 
of  the  same  power.  The  locomotive  and  tender 
were  both  four-wheeled,  with  spokes  and  felloes 
of  wood,  and  iron  tires  and  wheel  centres.  The 
locomotive  was  without  a  cab,  the  cylinders  were 
upright,  and  a  walking-beam  on  each  side  ap- 
plied the  motive-power  to  the  wheels.  The  first 
trip  was  made  August  8,  1829,  in  presence  of  a 
large  crowd,  which  had  assembled  to  witness  the 
novel  spectacle.  Predictions  of  failure  were  not 
wanting  ;  the  breaking  down  of  the  track,  which 
was  built  largely  on  trestles  or  piles,  was  es- 
pecially apprehended  ;  and  there  was  little  in- 
clination on  the  part  of  those  present  to  trust 
themselves  on  the  new  vehicle.  Mr.  Allen, 
declaring  that  if  there  was  any  danger  he  was 
ready  to  meet  it,  and  that  it  was  not  necessary 
to  sacrifice  any  other  life  than  his  own,  took  his 
place  alone,  and  set  in  motion  the  first  locomotive 
ever  run  in  the  western  hemisphere.  The  point  of 
departure,  as  testified  to  by  eye-witnesses  of  the 
trial  trip,  who  have  since  resided  in  Honesdale 


imported  by  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company, 
to  be  used  upon  their  railway.  On  Wednesday  the  engine 
just  imported  was  placed  upon  exhibition,  and  was  unan- 
imously attended  by  gentlemen  of  science  and  particular 
intelligence.  The  steam  was  raised  by  the  Lackawaxen 
(Lackawanna)  coal,  and  sustained  (although  there  was 
no  friction)  at  between  forty  and  fifty  pounds  to  the  inch. 
Pleased  as  we  were,  however,  with  the  engine,  we  were 
much  more  pleased  with  the  practical  demonstration  offered 
of  the  importance  and  usefulness  of  the  coal  which  the 
company  propose  to  bring  to  market.  It  is  now  reduced  to 
a  certainty  that  the  Lackawaxen  (Lackawanna)  coal  will 
generate  steam  in  sufficient  quantity  to  answer  all  the 
purposes  to  which  it  is  applied,  and  this  fact  is  not  only  of 
great  importance  to  the  company,  but  it  is  worth  millions 
to  our  State." 

The  Dundaff  Republican,  on  July  23,  1829,  announced 
the  arrival  in  Honesdale  of  "  The  Lion"  in  an  enthusiastic 
editorial,  saying  among  other  things  that  the  locomotive 
"  would  run  four  miles  an  hour  "  and  that  "  in  a  few  days 
the  whole  would  be  set  in  motion." 


and  maintained  an  acquaintance  with  the  place 
through  all  its  changes,  was  at  a  point  opposite 
the  old  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  building, 
and  near  the  '  Beers '  house.  The  track  con- 
sisted of  large  hemlock  timbers,  laid  on  cross- 
ties,  and  with  flat  iron  bars — subsequently 
known  as  the  '  strap  rail ' — spiked  next  the 
inner  edge.  The  reason  which  has  for  many 
years  been  accepted  for  the  subsequent  abandon- 
ment of  the  locomotive  is  that  this  track  was 
found  too  light  for  it  to  run  with  safety.  At 
the  time  of  the  trial  trip,  the  timbers  and  ties, 
though  securely  connected,  had  become  warped, 
and  in  some  places  raised  from  the  ground,  by 
exposure  to  the  sun,  and  the  track  presented  a 
surface  somewhat  irregular.  As  the  'Lion' 
passed  over  it,  the  weight  pressed  everything 
underneath  firmly  down  to  its  place  on  the  road- 
bed, with  no  little  creaking  and  groaning.  Be- 
yond this,  however,  Mr.  Allen  saw  uothing  to 
indicate  that  the  track  Mas  unequal  to  the  re- 
quirements of  the  locomotive.  The  '  Lion ' 
proved  to  be  all  that  the  engineer  had  expected. 
After  running  at  a  fair  rate  of  speed  as  far  as 
Seelyville — the  greater  portion  of  the  track  then 
being  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  Lackawaxen 
— the  engine  was  reversed,  and  the  '  Lion  '  re- 
turned to  the  dock  at  Honesdale,  having  met 
with  no  accident  and  encountered  no  difficulty. 
The  trial  trip  was  thus  "completed,  and  the 
locomotive  was  pronounced  a  success.1 


1 "  On  the  fith  of  October,  1829— less  than  sixty  daysafter 
the  trial  of  the  '  Stourbridge  Lion'  —  the  competitive  test 
of  locomotives  at  Liverpool  took  place,  four  locomotives 
being  entered  for  trial.  On  this  occasion,  the  '  Rocket ' 
built  by  George  Stephenson  and  his  son,  won  the  prize  ; 
attaining  an  average  speed  of  fourteen  miles  an  hour,  and 
a  maximum  speed  of  twenty-nine  miles  under  the  most  favor- 
able conditions.  Less  than  a  year  later— Sept.  15,  1830 — 
the  Liverpool  and  Manchester  Railway  was  opened  ;  and  on 
this  occasion  Stephenson's  '  Rocket  '  ran  fifteen  miles  at  the 
rate  of  thirly-six  miles  an  hour.  This  settled  the  railway 
question.  Notwithstanding  tt.e  cold  shoulder  given  to  the 
'  Stourbridge  Lion,'  it  was  obvious  that  the  locomotive 
was  to  become,  as  Mr.  Allen  had  foreseen,  the  railroad 
motor  of  the  future.  Experiments  in  this  country  rapidly 
followed.  Mr.  Allen,  after  leaving  Honesdale,  took  charge 
of  the  construction  of  the  South  Carolina  Railroad,  connec- 
ing  Charleston,  S.  C,  and  Augusta,  Ga.  Under  his  direc- 
tion a  locomotive  was  built  at  West  Point,  N.  Y.,  named 
the  '  Best  Friend  of  Charleston,'  and  placed  on  the  road 
Nov.  2,  1830     This  was  the  first  one  built,  and  the  second 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


"  Mr.  Allen  remained  in  Honesdale  for  three 
weeks  after  this  experimental  trip,  daring  which 
time  he  made  some  improvements  in  the  loco- 
motive, and  tested  them  on  the  track.  After  his 
departure,  however,  the  '  Lion '  was  for  some 
reason  abandoned.  Subsequently,  the  change 
in  the  road,  by  which  the  cars  were  made  to 
run  by  gravity,  rendered  the  locomotive  no 
longer  necessary  ;  and  in  the  course  of  time  the 
'  Lion  '  was  dismantled  and  reduced  to  the  state 
of  scrap  iron." 

During  the  trial,  or  just  after  it  had  been 
made,  a  small  cannon,  a  six-pounder,  which 
had  been  captured  from  the  British,  was  used 
to  voice  the  enthusiasm  of  the  crowd  more  em- 
phatically than  was  possible  by  other  means. 
Upon  its  second  discharge  it  shattered  the  arm 
of  Alvah  Adams,  who  was  one  of  the  gunners. 
This  accident,  so  far  as  is  now  known,  was  the 
only  one  of  the  day.1 

Some  details  of  the  construction  of  the  "  Lion" 
are  given,  not  as  of  any  particular  value,  but  as 
information  that  may  be  of  interest  to  the  cu- 
rious. 

The  boiler  of  the  locomotive  is  at  an  iron 
shop  in  Carboudale,  and  the  tires  of  the  wheels 
and  the  circles  for  stiffening  and  strengthening 
the  spokes  are  in  the  office  of  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal  Company,  in  Honesdale.  The 
tires  are  four  feet  in  diameter,  exclusive  of  the 
flanges,  which  project  three-quarters  of  an  inch 
on  all  sides.  The  breadth  of  the  tire  on  the 
inner  side,  next  to  the  felloes,  is  four   inches, 


one  placed  on  the  track,  on  this  continent.  The  South 
Carolina  Railroad,  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles  in 
length,  was  opened  in  1833.  It  was  then  the  longest  con- 
tinuous railroad  line  in  the  world  ;  and  it  is  described  by 
Mr.  Allen  as  the  first  one  ever  constructed  primarily  for 
passenger  travel — the  pre-existing  roads  having  been  built 
mainly  for  the  transportation  of  coal  and  merchandise. 
Railroads  were  at  the  same  time  projected  and  pushed 
forward  in  other  portions  of  the  country.  On  the  4th  of 
.July.  Is2s,  the  construction  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad  was  commenced  at  Baltimore.  In  May,  1830, 
fifteen  miles  of  the  road  were  opened  ;  but  i'.  was  nearly  a 
year  before  the  locomotive  superseded  horse-power  in  its 
operation." 

1  The  same  cannon  was  used  for  firing  a  salute  at  the  fun- 
eral of  Captain  Joseph  Loeven,  of  the  German  Artillery 
(and  of  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Twelfth  Regiment, 
P.  V.  A.),  in  1807,  and  bursting,  wounded  Benjamin  Looris 
and  Anthony  Bocs. 


and  on  the  other  side  (or  tread)  three  and  one- 
quarter  inches,  exclusive  of  the  flange,  which  is 
three-quarters  of  an  inch.  The  tire  is  formed 
of  two  plates  or  bands  of  wrought  iron,  welded 
together,  the  inner  one  being  one-half  inch 
thick,  the  outer  one  three-quarters  of  an  inch, 
making  the  entire  thickness  of  the  tire,  exclu- 
sive of  the  flange,  one  and  one-quarter  inches. 
The  tread  of  the  tire  is  flat,  not  conical  or  taper- 
ing, as  now  usually  made.  The  thickness  of  the 
felloes  was  not  more  than  three  and  one-half 
inches,  nor  less  than  three  inches.  Each  wheel 
had  an  iron  circular  plate  surrounding  the  hub, 
placed  on  each  side  of  the  spokes, — the  outer 
diameter  of  which  was  about  twenty-six  inches, 
the  breadth  of  each  plategenerally  two  and  one- 
quarter  inches,  but  wider  on  one  side,  to  receive 
the  crank  pin.  These  plates  were  connected  by 
cross-plates  five  inches  long,  placed  on  each  side 
of  each  spoke.  The  wooden  spokes  (twelve 
in  each  wheel )  were,  where  passing  through 
that  circle,  five  inches  wide  lengthwise 
of  the  hub,  and  two  and  one-eighth  inches  in 
thickness.  An  iron  half-inch  bolt  passed 
through  each  spoke  and  both  plates  of  the  circle. 

The  crank  pin,  or  journal,  was  attached  to 
this  stiffening  circle,  the  centre  of  such  crank 
pin  being  twelve  and  one-quarter  inches  from 
the  centre  of  the  hub,  making  the  sweep  of  the 
crank  twenty-four  and  one-half  inches  in  diam- 
eter. The  hubs,  felloes,  spokes  and  filling  be- 
tween the  spokes,  in  the  space  where  the  crank 
pin  was  attached,  were  all  of  oak  timber  of  best 
quality,  and  were  painted  a  bright  red. 

The  felloes  were  about  four  inches  wide,  and 
from  three  to  three  and  one-half  inches  in  thick- 
ness or  depth,  and  the  spokes  were  two  and 
one-eighth  inches  thick,  and  five  inches  wide 
where  the  driving  power  was  applied.  The 
diameter  of  the  hub  was  about  ten  inches,  and 
the  spokes  about  fifteen  inches  in  length. 

When  the  canal  and  railroad  were  both  in 
perfect  working  condition  the  company  had  by 
no  means  overcome  all  obstacles.  In  1 829  they 
had  to  encounter  an  adverse  feeling  caused  by 
the  acknowledged  inferior  quality  of  the  surface 
coal  they  had  sent  to  market.  This  brought 
the  Lackawanna  anthracite  into  ill  repute,  and 
rival  operators  were  not  slow  to  take  advantage 


242 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


of  the  situation  and  endeavor  to  crush  the  new 
rival  by  circulating  stories  that  the  whole  de- 
posit in  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Company's 
lauds  was  useless  as  a  fuel.  Much  was  said, 
too,  of  the  perishable  character  of  the  road  and 
canal,  and  the  early  bankruptcy  of  the  corpora- 
tion was  predicted.  The  company,  under  the 
pressure  of  these  combined  disadvantages,  did, 
in  fact,  become  seriously  embarrassed,  and  all 
hopes  of  declaring  dividends  were  abandoned 
for  a  time.  "  More  than  this,  the  cry  of  mo- 
nopoly was  arrayed  against  the  corporation  at  a 
time  when  the  shares,  first  costing  one  hundred 
dollars  each,  had  been  six  or  seven  years  on  the 
hands  of  the  stockholders  without  yielding  a 
single  dividend,  and  had  therefore  in  effect  cost 
about  one  hundred  and  forty  dollars  per  share, 
could  actually  be  bought  in  the  market  at  the 
time  for  about  forty-eight  to  fifty  dollars  per 
share,  or  half  what  it  had  originally  cost."  For 
a  time  apprehension  was  rife,  and  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  company  was  only  averted  through 
the  action  of  Philip  Hone.  With  Messrs. 
Wurts,  Holmes,  Talbot,  Tileston,  Post,  Hal- 
stead,  Calder,  Bryan,  Chancellor  Kent  and 
other  managers,  he  was  called  to  attend  an 
urgent  meeting,  to  be  held  one  Sunday,  at  the 
Old  City  Hotel,  in  New  York,  to  determine 
whether  the  company  should  be  dissolved  or 
continue  in  its  career.  After  mature  delibera- 
tion it  was  decided  that  on  the  following  morn- 
ing, no  matter  what  the  results  might  be,  the 
company  must  close  its  doors.  Mr.  Hone, 
after  the  adjournment  of  the  meetiug,  reflected 
upon  the  distress  which  the  failure  would  bring, 
resolved,  if  possible,  to  avert  it,  and  the  next 
morning  before  ten  o'clock  raised  the  whole  sum 
necessary  to  save  the  company  and  handed  it  to 
the  president  without  security. 

The  year  1831  did  not  open  very  auspiciously. 
The  credit  of  the  company  was  still  depressed 
and  the  sale  of  coal  was  insufficient  to  advance 
its  credit  or  sustain  its  expenses.  John  Bolton 
had  succeeded  Philip  Hone  as  president  and  in 
1831  he  gave  place  at  the  annual  election  to 
John  Wurts,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Philadel- 
phia and  member  of  Congress.  The  other  offi- 
cers chosen  at  that  time  were  :  Treasurer,  John 
H.  Williams ;   Managers,  Philip   Hone,  James 


Bryan,  William  Calder,  Thomas  Tileston,  Wil- 
liam M.  Halsted,  John  Hitchcock,  Samuel 
Reynolds,  William  Wheelwright,  William 
Worrell,  John  Wurts,  Allison  Post,  William 
Bradford,  James  Ruthven.  The  new  board  set 
about  the  work  of  restoring  the  credit  of  the 
company  and  rectifying  the  wrong  impression 
that  had  gone  abroad  about  its  coal.  The  stock- 
holders, at  a  meeting  March  23,  1831,  author- 
ized them  to  borrow  on  the  credit  of  the  com- 
pany and  a  pledge  of  its  property  a  sufficient 
sum  to  discharge  its  debts  and  prosecute  its 
business.  A  loan  of  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars  was  effected  from  the  State  of  New  York, 
which,  when  it  matured,  in  1849,  was  promptly 
paid,  and  this  freed  the  company,  for  the  time 
being,  of  embarrassment.  The  company  now 
began  in  a  systematic  way  to  educate  the  public 
in  the  matter  of  using  anthracite, and  their  efforts 
were  well  repaid,  for  they  succeeded  in  intro- 
ducing it  in  a  very  large  number  of  manufacto- 
ries. Its  use  in  generating  steam  on  land  pre- 
ceded, by  several  years,  its  general  introduction 
in  steamboats,  and  it  was  not  until  1835  that 
its  merits  were  fully  demonstrated  as  an  agent 
in  the  production  of  steam  for  navigation  pur- 
poses. In  that  year  a  new  steam  ferry-boat, 
built  for  the  purpose  and  fitted  up  with  Dr. 
Nott's  patent  tubular  boilers,  using  Lacka- 
wanna coal,  made  a  trip  of  fifty  miles  up  the 
Hudson  with  a  party  of  gentlemen  on  board, 
and  showed  speed  equal  to  that  of  any  boat  on 
the  river.  Dr.  Nott  had  been  engaged  for  sev- 
eral years,  under  the  direction  of  Maurice 
Wurts,  in  carrying  on  experiments  to  bring 
about  this  result.  Messrs.  H.  Nott  &  Co.  sub- 
sequently made  a  contract  with  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Company  to  run  a  passenger 
steamer  upon  the  North  River  with  no  fuel  but 
Lackawanna  coal,  and  they  were,  in  considera- 
tion for  the  benefits  so  accruing  to  the  company, 
made  the  owners  of  one  thousand  shares  of  its 
stock  at  par.  The  large  amount  of  coal  sold 
and  distributed  gratuitously  by  the  company  in 
1832  developed  the  fact  that  there  were  not 
enough  miners  in  the  country  to  mine  the  coal 
demanded,  and  many  were  brought  from  abroad. 
But  still, "  in  1835  miners  were  so  scarce  in  Car- 
bondale  that  they  were  able  to  make  their  own 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


243 


terms."  "  In  1836,"  says  the  managers'  re- 
port, "  to  guard  against  a  short  supply  of  coal 
and  other  evils  consequent  upon  a  general  want 
of  miners,  .  .  .  the  company  sent  out  an 
agent  to  secure  additional  ones,"  but  owing  to 
the  great  demand  in  England,  only  a  few  could 
be  induced  to  come  to  this  country. 

For  fifteen  years  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal  Company  struggled  against  almost  all 
conceivable  adverse  circumstances  and  did  not 
obtain  a  financial  success  until  1840.  Interest 
had  to  be  paid  upon  the  debt,  mine  roads  opened 
and  repaired,  the  railroad,  with  its  cumbersome 
machinery  and  antiquated  engines  kept  in  work- 
ing order,  and  the  damage  which  floods  wrought 
in  the  canal  made  good. 

But  three  great  causes  were  now  working  in 
favor  of  the  company,  viz. :  the  introduction  of 
coal  upon  steamboats,  the  demonstration  of  its 
practical  usefulness  in  the  manufacture  of  iron, 
and  the  diminution  of  the  Lehigh  Coal  and 
Navigation  Company's  supply  to  the  market, 
through  the  partial  obliteration  of  their  slack- 
water  navigation  by  floods. 

James  Archbald  figures  as  an  important  char- 
acter in  the  history  of  the  company's  progress. 
He  came  into  the  service  of  the  company  very 
soon  after  the  railroad  over  the  mountain  was 
begun,  and  in  1829  he  was  made  superinten- 
dent and  resident  engineer  by  J.  B.  Jervis.  He 
was  destined  to  work  very  material  changes  and 
improvements  in  the  road  and  to  place  it  prac- 
tically in  its  present  condition.  In  1836-37  he 
constructed  new  planes  at  Carbondale,  greatly 
facilitating  the  movement  of  coal-cars.  Prior  to 
that  time  the  track  between  the  planes  had  been 
level  and  the  cars  had  been  drawn  upon  it  by 
horses,  but  Mr.  Archbald  devised  the  plan  of 
giving  it  a  slight  descent  and  taking  advantage 
of  the  force  of  gravity  to  ruu  the  cars  from  one 
plane  to  another. 

In  1841  one  hundred  and  ninety-two  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  seven  tons  of  anthracite 
was  transported  over  the  company's  lines,  but 
that  amount  being  far  beyond  the  ordinary 
working  capacity  of  either  the  canal  or  railroad, 
the  managers  adopted  a  plan  for  enlarging  the 
former  and  making  important  improvements  in 
the  latter.     Instead  of  the  single  track,  with 


turnouts,  by  which  the  cars  could  pass  at  cer- 
tain points,  a  "  loaded  "  and  a  "  light,"  or  re- 
turn track,  entirely  independent  of  each  other, 
were  constructed,  the  location,  as  well  as  the  en- 
tire arrangement  of  the  road,  was  changed  and 
water-power  and  machinery  took  the  place  of 
horses,  which  were  found  too  slow  and  expen- 
sive. Engineer  Archbald,  in  his  report  to  John 
Wurts  in  1847,  says:  "After  careful  consider- 
ation and  examination  of  the  ground  over  which 
we  had  to  go,  in  order  to  be  fully  satisfied  of 
its  fitness  for  what  would  be  required,  I  pro- 
posed the  present  plan  of  road;  which,  though 
entirely  novel  in  its  arrangement  for  the  return 
of  empty  cars,  received  the  sanction  of  the 
Board  and  was  adopted."  These  improvements 
were  begun  in  1842  and  for  the  most  part  com- 
pleted in  1844,  though  minor  ones  have  been 
made  since,  altogether  increasing  the  carrying 
capacity  of  the  road  over  thirty-fold.  The  im- 
provements made  between  the  years  specified  cost 
$328,890.46.  Simultaneously  with  the  remod- 
eling of  the  road,  the  canal  was  deepened  one  foot, 
so  that  boats  of  forty  or  fifty  tons  could  as  readily 
pass  through  it  as  tweuty-five-ton  boats  could 
in  the  original  channel.  In  1852  the  second 
enlargement  was  completed  and  in  1866  it  was 
again  enlarged  for  boats  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  tons. 

It  was  while  the  work  upon  the  railroad  al- 
luded to  was  in  progress  that  the  company 
decided  to  extend  the  line  to  White  Oak  Run 
(now  Archbald),  and  this  was  the  signal  for  the 
outbreak  of  a  most  unreasonable  and  virulent 
hostility.  The  opposition  to  the  extension  of 
the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company's 
railroad  into  the  central  part  of  the  valley  was 
originally  based  largely  upon  an  unreasonable 
fear  of  monopoly,  but  the  war  which  ensued 
and  raged  with  the  utmost  fury  eventually  drew 
into  and  entangled  with  the  issue  the  conflicting 
interests  of  several  rival  corporations  and  am- 
bitious individuals,  and  involved  also  the  vexed 
and  rancorous  strife  for  the  carving  of  a  new 
county  from  the  northern  part  of  Luzerne.  Of 
this  contest  it  is  beyond  our  j>rovince  to  treat, 
for  it  belongs  rather  to  the  history  of  Luzerne 
and  Lackawanna  Counties  than  that  of  Wayne. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  asperities  of  that  long 


244 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  bitter  fend  have  been  softened  by  the  lapse  of 
years,  and  that  whatever  its  abiding  results,  they 
have  not  materially  affected  the  condition  of  the 
great  corporation  whose  history  is  here  outlined. 

In  the  mean  time  the  practical  work  of  the 
company  was  carried  calmly  and  successfully  on. 
Improvements  were  made  from  time  to  time,  as 
they  were  demanded,  and  in  the  years  1847-49 
especial  preparations  were  made  to  accommodate 
the  increased  traffic  caused  by  the  construction 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company's  gravity 
railroad  from  the  mines  to  Hawley,  by  which 
coal  was  first  shipped  in  1850. 

In  1846,  to  avoid  the  delay  formerly  exper- 
ienced in  crossing  the  Delaware  River  by  means 
of  a  dam,  the  company  commenced  the  erection 
of  two  wire  suspension  aqueducts,  which  were 
completed  in  1849,  and  opened  for  navigation 
in  May.  They  were  constructed  on  the  plan  of 
the  Pittsburgh  suspension  aqueduct,  the  first  of 
the  kind  in  the  world,  and  were  designed  by 
Mr.  John  A.  Roebliug,  the  engineer  of  the 
former,  acting  with  Mr.  R.  F.  Lord,  chief 
engineer  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson. 

The  trunks  which  held  the  water  were  com- 
posed of  timber  and  plank,  well  joined  and 
caulked,  and  suspended  from  two  wire  cables, 
one  on  each  side.  The  cables  rested  in  heavy 
cast-iron  saddles  surmounting  stone  towers  four 
by  six  feet  square,  and  rising  four  feet  above 
the  tow-path.  The  trunks  were  wide  enough 
for  two  boats  to  pass,  and  on  each  side  of  the 
channel  was  a  tow-path.  The  masonry  was  of 
the  most  durable  and  compact  graywacke, 
which  constitutes  the  principal  formation  of  the 
valley  of  the  Upper  Delaware,  and  was  so  con- 
structed as  to  insure  it  from  damage  by  the 
heavy  floods  and  ice  that  so  often  prove  destruc- 
tive at  this  point  in  the  river. 

The  cables  were  each  made  in  one  length 
from  abutment  to  abutment,  and  were  protected 
by  close  wire  wrapping  heavily  coated  with 
paint  and  varnish.  The  anchorage  of  each  was 
by  heavy  chains  secured  to  plates  of  cast-iron 
six  feet  square.  The  following  table,  exhibiting 
the  principal  dimensions  at  the  Delaware  aque- 
duct, will  be  of  interest  : 

Length  of  aqueduct  with  extensions        600  feet. 
Number  of  spans 4 


Length  of  span  varies  from  131  to..         142  feet. 

Width  of  trunk  at  water-line 19  feet. 

Depth  of  water 6  feet6in. 

Weight  of    water   between    abut- 
ments        1950  tons. 

Weight  of  water  in  one  span 4872  tons. 

Diameter  of  wire  cables 8J  inches. 

Number  of  wires  in  each  cable 2150 

Total  weight  of  cables  and  anchor- 
age  190,000  pounds. 

Ultimate  strength  of  each  cable....       1900  tons. 
Hydraulic     cement     masonry     in 

abutment,  piers  and  anchorage.  7688  cubic  yds. 
During  the  winter  the  general  enlargement 
of  the  canal  was  also  vigorously  prosecuted. 
Fifty-seven  of  the  enlarged  locks  were  made 
one  hundred  feet  long  between  quoins  and  given 
fifteen  feet  width  of  chamber,  while  during  the 
succeeding  winter  the  remaining  locks  were 
improved,  so  that  in  1880  the  canal  was  ade- 
quate for  the  passage  of  boats  loaded  with  oue 
hundred  and  thirty  to  one  hundred  and  forty 
tons  of  coal. 

By  the  provisions  of  the  act  incorporating  the 
company,  passed  March  1.3,  1823,  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania  reserved  the  right  after  the  ex- 
piration of  thirty  years  to  resume  the  rights, 
liberties  and  franchises,  on  certain  terms  and 
conditions  specified  in  the  eighteenth  section. 
The  subject  became  one  of  considerable  discus- 
sion in  the  Legislature  as  the  expiration  of  the 
period,  on  March  13,  1853,  approached,  and  on 
the  8th  of  January,  1852,  the  committee  of  the 
House  to  whom  the  matter  had  been  referred 
reported  that  if  the  State  did  exercise  its  right 
of  resumption,  it  must  pay  the  company  for  the 
Pennsylvania  section  of  the  canal  the  sum  of 
$1,246,437.63,  that  being  the  difference  between 
the  amount  of  tolls  received  and  the  cost  of 
construction  and  repairs.  In  this  conclusion 
the  board  of  managers  did  not  concur,  but  on 
the  contrary  they  argued  that  even  if  the  right 
of  resumption,  by  the  State,  did  exist,  the  amount 
paid  must  be  much  larger.  Finally,  on  the  30th 
of  April,  1852,  a  bill  was  passed  which  was  in 
effect  a  total  and  unconditional  surrender  by  the 
State  of  its  right  of  resumption,  if  any  such  she 
had,  and  a  perpetual  extension  of  the  franchises 
of  the  company. 

In  1854  the  company  was  deprived  of  the 
valuable  services,  of  Maurice  Wurts,  who   died 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


245 


on  the  29th  of  December  in  that  year,  at  Phila- 
delphia. He  had  been  identified  with  the 
company  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  with 
the  great  project  from  its  inception,  and  to  him 
more  than  to  any  other  one  man  its  wonderful 
success  was  due.  Wm.  Musgrave,  another  ef- 
ficient officer,  the  vice-president  of  the  company, 
died  in  April,  1856. 

John  Wurts,  after  twenty-seven  years  of  de- 
voted service,  resigned  his  office  as  president  on 
March  15,  1858,  and  his  resignation  was  ac- 
cepted by  the  board  with  the  greatest  reluctance. 
Thus  the  pioneers  and  projectors,  those  who  had 
borne  the  brunt  of  the  struggle  and  finally 
brought  the  company  to  a  solidly  established 
prosperity,  passed  from  the  field  of  action,  and 
the  work  was  taken  up  by  others.  Thus  far 
the  company  had  had  but  three  presidents, — 
Philip  Hone,  from  1825  to  1826  ;  John  Bolton, 
from  1826  to  1832  ;  and  John  Wurts,  from  1832 
to  1858.  George  T.  Olyphant  was  elected  as 
Mr.  Wurts'  successor  and  the  latter  gentleman 
retained  a  position  in  the  board  of  managers 
until  1861.  He  died  in  Rome,  Italy,  on  the 
23d  of  April  in  that  year.  The  other  officers 
elected  for  the  year  1858  were, — Vice-President, 
Robert  Soutter,  previously  chosen  in  1856; 
Treasurer,  Isaac  N.  Seymour  ;  Secretary,  James 
C.  Hartt ;  Managers,  John  Wurts,  Silas 
Holmes,  Wm.  S.  Herrimau,  Chas.  N.  Talbot, 
Lora  Nash,  Edward  J.  Wroolsey,  George  T. 
Olyphant,  Robert  Ray,  Daniel  Parish,  Samuel 
B.  Schietfeliu,  Abiel  A.  Low,  Robert  L.  Ken- 
nedy, John  David  Wolfe.  During  this  year 
the  company's  railroad  was  extended  from  Arch- 
bald,  seven  miles  down  the  valley,  at  an  expense 
of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  within 
the  next  two  years  was  extended  to  Scranton. 

A  great  lawsuit  between  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal  Company  and  the  Pennsylvania 
Coal  Company,  which  had  been  several  years  in 
progress,  and  in  which  the  former  sued  for  ad- 
ditional tolls,  was  concluded  in  1863.  The  de- 
cision rendered  awarded  the  Delaware  and  Hud- 
son Company  five  cents  additional  toll  for  every 
ton  of  coal  transported  on  the  canal  since  July 
28,  1853,  the  aggregate  of  the  amount,  with 
interest,  being  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars. 


R.  F.  Lord,  of  Honesdale,  resigned  his  posi- 
tion as  chief  engineer  of  the  company's  canal  on 
the  1st  of  January,  1864.  He  had  entered  the 
service  of  the  company  in  1826,  and  the  man- 
agers felt  it  to  be  a  pleasant  duty  to  bear 
testimony  to  the  zeal,  ability  and  faithfulness 
with  which  he  had  for  a  period  of  nearly 
forty  years  discharged  every  trust  committed  to 
him. 

Thomas  Dickson,  who  entered  the  employ  of 
the  company  as  superintendent  of  the  coal  de- 
partment in  1860,  was  made  general  superin- 
tendent in  1864,  vice-president  in  1865  and 
president  in  1869.  In  1866,  R.  Manville,  who 
had  for  a  long  period  been  a  trusted  employe 
of  the  company,  was  made  superintendent  of 
the  railroad  department,  a  position  which  he 
still  fills,  and  Coe  F.  Young  was  appointed 
to  the  position  of  canal  superintendent,  to  which 
Asher  M.  Atkinson  succeeded  when  Mr.  Young 
was  meritoriously  advanced  to  the  office  of 
general  manager  in  1869.  With  these  and 
other  efficient  officers  in  the  managing  and 
executive  departments,  the  company  not  only 
sustained  its  past  prosperity,  but  entered  suc- 
cessfully upon  new  and  broader  fields  of 
action. 

The  Albany  and  Susquehanna  Railroad  was 
acquired  by  perpetual  lease  of  the  property  and 
franchises  at  an  annual  rental  of  four  hundred 
and  ninety  thousand  dollars,  on  the  24th  of 
February,  1870,  and  the  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga 
Railroad,  with  its  branches,  on  the  1st  of  May, 
1871,  while  the  New  York  and  Canada  Rail- 
road was  built  soon  after.  President  Dickson, 
on  the  opening  of  that  great  branch  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  Canal  Company's  Railroad, 
in  November,  1875,  thus  summarized  the  pro- 
gress of  the  company's  business  : 

".  .  .  In  1830  the  total  product  (of  the  mines) 
was  forty-three  thousand  tons,  and  in  1860,  the 
year  of  my  entering  the  service  of  the  company,  the 
product  had  reached  five  hundred  and  forty-one 
thousand  tons  ;  the  present  year  it  will  be  three 
millions;  in  1860  the  company  had  a  produc- 
tive capacity  of  not  to  exceed  six  hundred  thou- 
sand tons  per  annum,  had  one  hundred  and 
eight  miles  of  canal  and  twenty-three  of  rail- 
road ;  its  productive  capacity  is  now  four  mil- 


2+6 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


lions  of  tons  per  annum,  and  in  addition  to  the 
canal,  it  owns  and  operates  seven  hundred  miles 
of  railway,  besides  some  two  hundred  miles  of 
underground  railway  in  their  mines,  and  while 
the  capital  stock  has  been  increased  from  time 
to  time,  until  now  it  reaches  twenty  millions, 
the  increase  of  product  and  of  the  business  has 
been  much  larger  in  proportion." 

The  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  company  was 
marked  by  the  erection,  in  New  York  City,  of 
a  massive  and  magnificent  fire-proof  building, 
situated  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Cortlandt 
and  New  Church  Streets.  The  foundation  was 
laid  in  1874,  and  the  edifice  known  as  the 
•"Coal  and  Iron  Exchange  Building"  com- 
pleted and  occupied  in  January,  1876. 

The  rebuilding  of  the  coal  road  by  James 
Archbald,  which  left  it  substantially  in  its 
present  condition,  with  a  carrying  capacity  of 
three  million  tons  per  annum,  has  heretofore 
been  spoken  of.  The  arrangement  of  planes 
and  "  levels,"  with  the  length  of  each,  the 
height  of  the  former  and  fall  of  the  latter, 
with  the  elevations  above  tide-water,  are  as 
follows : 


1,479 

1,648 

119.39 

1,435 

238 

105.95 

1,310 

556 

115.53 

1,320 

239 

131.02 

1,294 

209 

13(1.00 

1,253 

216 

110.19 

1,410 

1,S09 

101.61 

1,257 

4,895 

104.15 

1,369 

242 

1,320 

100 

1,342 

1,193 

1,463 

",2,194 

Si 

1194.14 

16.07  1178  07 

1284.02 

1.51  1282.51 

1398.04 

5.28  1392.76 

1523.78 

2.67  1521.11 

1651.11 

2.00  1649.11 

1759.30 

2.10  1757.20 

1858.51 

15.79  1843.02 

1947.17 

43.58  1903.79 

117.61  1786.18 

4.97  1781.21 

116.87  1064.34 

2.82  1661.51 

114.75  1540.77 

14.48  1535.29 

119.114  1415.65 

430.65  985.00 


029 
1,312 


14,238 
7,879 
6,673 

10,572 


194.50 
102  55 
1 74.05 
164.02 

185.70 


126.18 

66.45 
55.87 
89.72 
54.76 
9.71 


6,809      

1,760  137.72 

1,068      

2,630  234.43     

295      3.31 

1,565 133.95     

74,281      1020.30 

1,140  78.19     

14,214      171.59 

418  40.00     

22     8,800      81.30 

...      1,352  124.45      

23     9,329      

...      1,402  122,50 

24     4,790     

...      1,080  

25     8,248 

...      1,803  

26     552 


...       27     25,673 

28       ...  1,008     

...       28     2,137 

Pocket  640     


101.70 
161.20 
158.42 
71.75 
92.30 


77.89 
40.37 
68.82 
4.60 
206.26 
18.05 


1179.50 
1053.32 
1155.87 
1089.42 
1204.07 
1208.20 
1372.22 
1282.50 
1468.20 
1413.44 
1551.16 
1541.45 
1775.88 
1772.57 
1906.52 
886.22 
904.41 
792.82 
832.82 
751.52 
875.95 
798.06 
920.56 
880.19 
981.89 
913.07 
1074.27 
1069.67 
1228.09 
1021.83 
1093.40 
1074.75 


The  total  length  of  the  road  from  Scranton 
to  Houesdale  is  thirty-one  and  thirty-two  one- 
hundredths  miles,  and  the  total  length  of  the 
light  track  from  Honesdale  to  Olyphant  (foot 
of  G)  twenty-nine  and  ninety-four  one  hun- 
dredths miles,  making  the  total  of  the  main 
line  sixty-one  and  twenty-six  one-hundredths 
miles.  With  branches  the  total  length  of  track 
is  eighty-seven  miles. 

The  company  employ  in  the  operation  of  its 
"  gravity  "  railroad,  twenty-seven  double  en- 
gines, most  of  which  are  either  sixteen  or  eight- 
een by  thirty-six  inch  cylinders.  The  number 
of  boilers  is  one  hundred  and  seventy;  of  loco- 
motives five. 

The  shipments  of  coal  from  the  mines,  for 
each  year  from  the  time  the  canal  was  opened 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


247 


to  1885,  are  exhibited  in  the  following  table, 
which  is  also  suggestive  of  the  slow  but  con- 
stant and  comparatively  uniform  development 
of  the  company's  prosperity  : 


1829 

7,00(1 

1857 

....   480,677 

1830 

43,000 

1858 

....   348,789 

1831 

54,111") 

1859 

....   591,000 

1832 

84,600 

I860 

....   499,568 

1833 

...   111,777 

1861 

726,644 

1834 

4:i,7i«i 

1862 

....   644,100 

1835 

90,000 

...   103,861 

1863 

....   828  150 

183(1 

1864 

....   852,130 

1837 

...   115,387 

1865 

....   759,699 

78  207 

.  1,391,674 

1839 

...   122,3(10 

1867 

....  1,507,487 

...   148,470 
...   192,270 

1868 

....  1,091,870 

1841 

1869. 

1,626,391 

1842 

...   205,253 

1870 

2,318,073 

1843 

...   227,605 

1871 

....  2,011,333 

1844 

...   251,005 

1872 

2,930,767 

1845 

....   273,435 

1873 

....  2,752,596 

1840 

...   320,000 

1874 

....  2,300,417 

1847 

...   386,203 

1875 

3,053,817 

1848 

...   437,500 

1876 

1,997,545 

...   454,240 
...   432,330 

1877 

....  1,893,315 

1850 

187S 

....  2,045,041 

1852 

...   497,839 

1880 

....  3,047,594 

185:-; 

1881 

3,661,792 

1854 

...   438,407 

1882 

3,719,322 

1855 

1883 

4,097,218 

1856 

...   499,650 

1884 

3,986,377 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  managers,  officers 
and  department  superintendents  of  the  company 
from  1825  to  1885: 

Presidents:  1825, Philip  Hone;  1826,  John  Bolton  ; 
1832,  John  Wurts ;  1858,  George  T.  Olyphant;  1869, 
Thomas  Dickson  ;  1884,  Robert  M.  Olyphant. 

Vice-Presidents:  1845,  Isaac  L.  Piatt;  1849,  John 
Ewen;  1851,  William  Musgrave  ;  1857,  Robert  Sout- 
ter  ;  1866,  Thomas  Dickson  ;  1882,  Robert  M.  Oly- 
phant ;  1884,  Coe  F.  Young;  1885,  Le  Grand  B.Can- 
non. 

Assistant  Presidents:  1874,  Harwood  V.  Olyphant; 
1876,  Robert  M.  Olyphant. 

Managers:  1825,  Garrett  B.  Abeel;  1867,  John  J. 
Astor,  Jr.;  1867,  John  L.  Aspinwall ;  1825,  John 
Bolton;  1831,  James  Bryar  ;  1832,  William  Branford ; 
1834,  Joseph  Bayley;  1841,  Henry  Brevoort,  Jr.; 
1825,  Lynde  Catlin;  1826,  William  Calder;  1833, 
Edward  Colman  ;  1837,  Don  Alonzo  Cushman ;  1860, 
Le  Grand  B.  Cannon ;  1862,  John  J.  Crane  ;  1868, 
Thomas  Cornell ;  1835,  Robert  Dyson  ;  1866,  Thomas 
Dickson;  1834,  John  Ferguson;  1852,  Daniel  B. 
Fearing;  1866,  O.  De  F.  Grant;  1825,  Philip  Hone; 
1825,  John  Hunter;  1825,  Abraham  Hasbrouck  ;  1831, 


John  Hickok;  1831,  William  M.  Halstead ;  1838, 
William  C.  Hickok  ;  1841,  Silas  Holmes;  1842,  Irad 
Hawley;  1844,  William  S.  Herriman;  1845,  Cyrus 
Hickok;  1859,  James  M.  Halsted;  1868,  W.  J. 
Hoppin  ;  1826,  William  H.  Ireland;  1  858,  Robert  L 
Kennedy;  1825,  Rufus  L.  Lord;  1833,  William  & 
Lee;  1841,  Daniel  Lord,  Jr.  ;  1842,  Jacob  R.  Leroy; 
1857,  Abiel  A.  Low  ;  1873,  J.  Pierpont  Morgan  ;  1846, 
Howard  Mott ;  1848,  Lord  Nash;  1837,  Josepli  Otis; 
1852,  George  T.  Olyphant;  1873,  Robert  M.  Oly- 
phant; '  1825,  Hezekiah  Pierrepont;  1832,  Allison 
Post;  1834,  Isaac  L.  Piatt;  1855,  Daniel  Parish; 
1825,  William  W.  Russell  ;  1826,  Benjamin  W. 
Rogers;  1832,  Samuel  Reynolds;  1832,  James  Ruth- 
ven;  1840,  John  Rankin;  1853,  Robert  Ray;  1833, 
Philemon  Starr;  1834,  Joseph  Sands;  1841,  Aquilla 
G.  Stout;  1857,  Samuel  B.  Schieffelin ;  1859,  John 
Schenck ;  1870,  Isaac  N.  Seymour  ;  1825,  Jonathan 
Thompson;  1826,  Thomas  Tileston;  1826,  Henry 
Thomas;  1833,  Knowles  Taylor;  1845,  Charles  N. 
Talbot ;  1864,  James  R.  Taylor ;  1830,  Myndert  Van 
Schaick  ;  1825,  George  D.  Wickham  ;  1825,  Maurice 
Wurts;  1826,  Samuel  Whittemore;  1831,  John 
Wurts;  1831,  William  Worrell;  1831,  William 
Wheelwright;  1852,  Edward  J.  Woolsey  ;  1858,  John 
D.  Wolfe;  1873,  George  C.  Ward;  1842,  Henry 
Young. 

The  following  managers  have  beeu  elected 
since  the  foregoing  list  was  compiled  : 

1875,  Roberts.  Hone  and  James  Roosevelt;  1877, 
Levi  P.  Morton  ;  1880,  Adolphus  Hamilton  and  Abra- 
ham R.  Van  Nest ;  1881,  Hugh  J.  Jewett  and  David 
Dows:  1884,  Benjamin  H.  Bristow;  1885,  John  A. 
Stewart. 

Treasurers :  1825,  John  Bolton ;  1826,  Samuel 
Flewelling;  1832,  John  H.Williams;  1845,  Isaac  N. 
Seymour;  1869,  Charles  P.  Hartt;  1873,  James  C. 
Hartt. 

Assistant  Treasurer  :  1885,  Charles  A.  Walker. 

Secretaries  :  184^2,  Isaac  N.  Seymour;  1848,  Gilead 
A.Smith;  1855,  James  C.  Hartt;  1866,  Richard  H. 
Nodyne;  1871,  Daniel  Wilson;  1873,  George  L. 
Haight ;  1883,  F.  Murray  Olyphant. 

General  Sales  Agents:  1866,  James  C.  Hartt;  1873, 
Rodman  G.  Moulton  ;  1885,  James  C.  Hartt. 

General  Sales  Agent,  Western  and  Southern  Sales 
Department:  1869,  Joseph  J.  Albright. 

General  Managers:  1869,  Coe  F.  Young;  1885, 
Horace  G.  Young. 

Assistant  General  Manager:  1883,  Horace  G.Young. 

Coal  Department  Superintendents:  1866,  E.  W. 
Weston  ;  1874,  A.  H.  Vandling. 

Pennsylvania  Division  Superintendent:  1866,  R. 
Manville. 

Canal  Superintendents :  1866,  Coe  F.  Young  ;  1869, 
A.  M.  Atkinson  ;  1884,  L.  O.  Rose. 

1  Retired  in  1874  ;  was  re-elected  in  1883. 


24S 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Boadout  Department  Superintendents  :  1873,  A.  H. 
Vandling;  1874,  A.  Osterhoudt;  1877,  S.  S.  ~mith. 

General  Agent  Real  Estate  Department  :  1874,  E. 
W.  Weston. 

Superintendent  Albany  and  Susquehanna  and 
Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  Railroad  Department:  1873, 
H.  A.  Fonda. 

Chief  Engineer  Albany  and  Susquehanna  and 
Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  Railroad  Department :  1873, 
C.  W.  Wentz. 

President  and  Superintendent  New  York  and 
Canada  Railroad  Department :  1873,  Isaac  V.  Baker. 

On  January  1,  1875,  the  Northern  Railroad 
Department  was  created,  consisting  of  the  Al- 
bany and  Susquehanna  Railroad  and  branches, 
Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  Railroad  and  branches, 
and  the  completed  portion  of  the  New  York 
and  Canada  Railroad.  It  was  divided  into  two 
divisions,  viz.:  Saratoga  Division,  embracing  the 
Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  Railroad  and  branches, 
and  the  New  York  and  Canada  Railroad  and 
branches  ;  and  the  Susquehanna  Division,  em- 
bracing the  Albany  and  Susquehanna  Railroad 
and  branches. 

The  superintendents  placed  in  charge  were  as 
follows  : 

Saratoga  Division,  Theodore  Voorhees,  Troy,  N.  Y. ; 
Susquehanna  Division,  C.  D.  Hammond,  Albany, 
N.  Y. 

November  1,  188o,  both  divisions  were 
placed  under  the  charge  of  C.  D.  Hammond,  as 
superintendent  of  the  Northern  Railroad  De- 
partment. 

Chief  Engineers  Northern  Railroad  Department: 
1875,  C.  W.  Wentz ;  1885,  A.  J.  Swift. 

The  managers  and  officers  of  the  company  at 
present  are  as  follows  : 

Board  of  Managers. — Abiel  A.  Low,  James  if.  Hal- 
sted,  Le  Grand  B.  Cannon,  James  R.  Taylor,  John 
Jacob  Astor,  Thomas  Cornell,  Robert  S.  Hone,  James 
Roosevelt,  Abraham  R.  Van  Nest,  Hugh  J.  Jewett, 
David  Dows,  Robert  M.  Olyphant,  Benjamin  H. 
Bristow. 

President,  Robert  M.  Olyphant,  New  York  City ; 
Vice-President,  Le  Grand  B.  Cannon,  New  York 
City  ;  Treasurer  and  General  Sales  Agent,  James  C. 
Hartt,  New  York  City ;  Assistant  Treasurer,  Charles 
A.  Walker,  New  York  City  ;  Secretary,  F.  Murray 
Olyphant, New  York  City;  General  Manager,1  Horace 


1  Coe  F.  Young,  appointed  general  manager  in  1869, 
held  that  office  until  July,  1885,  when  he  resigned,  and 
his  son,  Horace  G.  Young,  appointed  assistant  general 
manager  in  1882,  was,  on  the  30th  of  September,  1886, 
promoted  to  fill  the  vacancy. 


G.  Young,  Albany,  N.  Y. ;  General  Agent  of  Real 
Estate  Department,  E.  W.  Weston,  Providence,  Pa.; 
Superintendent  of  Coal  Department,  A.  H.  Vand- 
ling, Providence,  Pa. ;  Superintendent  of  Pennsyl- 
vania Division,  R.  Man vi lie,  Carbondale,  Pa.  ;  Sales 
Agent  Southern  and  Western  Department,  Joseph  J. 
Albright,  Scranton,  Pa.;  Superintendent  Canal  De- 
partment, L.  0.  Rose,  Honesdale,  Pa.  ;  Superin- 
tendent Rondout  Department,  S.  S.  Smith,  Rondout, 
N.  Y. ;  General  Sales  Agent  Western  and  Southern 
Sales  Department,  Joseph  J.  Albright,  Scranton,  Pa. ; 
Superintendent  Northern  Railroad  Department,  C.  D. 
Hammond,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

The  result  of  the  business  of  the  company  for 
the  year  ending  December  31,  1884,  one  of 
general  depression,  was  as  follows  : 

Tons.  Tons. 

Coal     produced     at     the 

mines  of  the  company..      3,362,(179. Hi 
Transported  for  others...  623,097.04 

Total  tons 3,986,377.00 

The  gross  receipts  were...  $16,879,021.06 
Expenses 11,549,871.40 


Less   taxes,  interest   and 
rentals 


Leaving  net  earnings 

Or  a  fraction  over  6|  percent. 


$4,829,149.60 
3,341,055.53 
$1,488,094.07 


A  condensed  balance  sheet  for  the  same  year 
exhibited  the  following  figures  : 


Assets. 

Canal 

Railroad  and  equipment 

Real  estate 

Mine  improvements 

Mine  fixtures  and  equipment 

Boats,  barges  and  steamboats 

Coal-yards  and  fixtures 

Lackawanna  and  Susquehanna  Railroad 

Cherry    Valley,   Sharon    and    Albany 
Railroad 

New  York  and  Canada  Railroad 

Lackawanna  Palace  Car  Company 

Mechanicville  and  Fort  Edward  Rail- 
road  

Schenectady  and   Mechanicville   Rail- 
road  

Telegraph  lines 

Supplies  on  hand 

Coal  on  hand 

Advances  to  leased  lines 

Miscellaneous  assets,  viz. : 

Bonds 


■6,339,210.49 
6,468,683.96 
9,325,365.89 

2,388,709.02 
403,708.29 
617,889.09 
172,889.94 

1,022,938.15 

300,000.00 
3,597,074.48 

28,300.00 

51,927.88 

211,527.85 

14,734.80 

1,611,253.96 

892,804.36 
1,502,789.59 

148,608.59- 


<^^r> 


/>7^k: 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


249 


Stocks  as  follows  : 
Albany   and     Susque- 
hanna        Railroad, 

8540  shares $854,000.00 

Rensselaer   and  Sara- 
toga Railroad,    16,- 

077  shares 1,607,700.00 

Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal         Company 

6161  shares 616,100.00 

Sundry  stocks 145,650.84 

3,223,450.84 

Advances  on  coal 698,125.80 

Cash 1,122,648.20 

Bills  and  accounts  receivable 1,701,164.30 

$41,843,804.98 

Capital  stock $23,500,000.00 

Bonds : 

1891 $5,549,000.00 

1894 4,829,000.00 

1917 5,000,000.00 


15,378,000.00 


Interest  and  dividends  payable  Janu 

ary,  1885 

Depositors 

Dividends  and  interest  unclaimed 
Surplus  or  dividend  fund 


$41,843,804.98 
Coe  F.  Young,  for  many  years  the  general 
manager  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company,  is  a  descendant  of  an  old  English 
family,  of  Scotch  extraction,  whose  representa- 
tives emigrated  to  this  country  at  an  early 
period  in  its  history,  and  settled  in  Connec- 
ticut, where  they  became  identified  with  the 
pioneer  development  of  that  State.  There  was 
born  William  Young,  his  paternal  grandfather, 
who  left  his  native  State  and  early  established 
himself  in  Orange  County,  N.  Y.  His  sou, 
Isaac  Young,  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
was  a  man  of  excellent  judgment  and  great 
force  of  character,  and  not  only  engaged  in  till- 
ing the  soil,  but  drew  contracts  and  deeds,  and 
acted  as  the  adviser  and  business  confidant  of 
many  of  his  friends.  He  married  Sarah  Rob- 
bins,  a  native  of  Orange  County,  and  had  a 
family  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Coe  F. 
Young  was  the  sixth  and  only  surviving  mem- 
ber. 

The   latter   was   born    near    Mount    Hope, 
Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  May  15,  1824.     His 
25 


early  education  was  obtained  at  the  district 
schools  of  his  locality,  and  was  completed  at 
the  Kingston  (N.  Y.)  Academy,  and  the  semi- 
nary at  Amenia,  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y. 
When  only  thirteen  years  of  age  he  began  the 
performance  of  the  duties  of  life  by  driving  on 
the  tow-path  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal  Company,  as  so  many  of  our  successful 
and  prominent  men  have  clone.  Before  he  at- 
tained his  majority  he  served  as  a  clerk  in  the 
store  of  Thomas  W.  Cornell  &  Co.,  at  Eddy- 
ville,Ulster  County,  N.  Y.,  and  subsequently  with 
their  successor,  Martin  J.  Merchant.  Soon  af- 
ter, the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company 
began  enlarging  the  canal,  and  the  construction 
of  the  Erie  Railway  was  undertaken.  With 
the  ambition  of  youth,  and  the  energy  and  busi- 
ness sagacity  that  has  since  characterized  his 
life,  he  resolved  to  profit  by  the  opening  trade 
and  removed  to  Barry ville,  N.  Y.,  where,  in 
connection  with  Calvin  P.  Fuller,  he  estab- 
lished a  store,  the  firm  doing  business  under  the 
name  and  style  of  Fuller  &  Young.  In  the 
spring  of  1852  he  bought  of  Major  Cornell  a 
half-interest  in  the  canal  freight  line  between 
New  York  and  Northeastern  Pennsylvania.  The 
firm  of  Thomas  Cornell  &  Co.  was  organized, 
and  Mr.  Youug  removed  to  Honesdale,  Pa., 
where  he  has  since  resided.  After  five  years 
he  became,  by  purchase,  the  sole  proprietor  of 
the  line,  and  operated  it  alone  for  seven  years 
longer.  At  that  time  the  transportation  facili- 
ties of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Com- 
pany included  only  the  canal  and  gravity 
railroad,  and  the  mines  of  the  company  were 
only  being  moderately  worked.  On  January  1, 
1864,  at  the  solicitation  of  George  Talbot  Oly- 
phant,  president  of  the  company,  and  Thomas 
Dickson,  general  superintendent,  Mr.  Young 
entered  the  service  of  that  company  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  Canal  Department;  and  in  1865 
the  Rondout  and  Weehawken  Department  was 
placed  under  his  supervision.  In  1869  Mr. 
Olyphant  resigned  as  president  of  the  company 
and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Dickson.  Mr. 
Youug  was  then  made  general  superintendent, 
and,  after  three  years,  became  general  manager, 
a  position  in  which  he  served  until  the  death  of 
Mr.  Dickson,  in  July,  1884,  when  he  was  elected 


250 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


vice-president  and  general  manager  of  the  com- 
pany, Robert  Olyphant  being  then,  as  now,  the 
president.  This  responsible  executive  position 
was  occupied  by  liira  until  October  1,  18S5, 
when  he  resigned,  and  Le  Grand  B.  Can- 
non was  made  vice-president,  and  his  sou, 
Horace  G.  Young,  general  manager. 

Besides  his  connection  with  the  affairs  of  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company,  Mr. 
Young  has  sustained  a  very  intimate  relation 
to  the  general  development  and  improvement  of 
the  locality  in  which  he  so  early  made  his  home. 
In  1863  he  purchased  nearly  ten  thousand 
acres  of  land  a  few  miles  north  of  Honesdale, 
including  the  tannery  property  at  Tanner's 
Falls,  which  he  still  owns.  He  is  the  president 
of  the  Albany  and  Susquehanna  Railroad, 
having  succeeded  James  H.  Ramsay,  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Cherry  Valley  and  Susque- 
hanna Railroad,  and  of  the  Schenectady  and 
Waynesburg  road,  both  under  lease  to  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company.  He 
has  been  president  of  the  Honesdale  National 
Bank  for  several  years  past.  He  is  a  man  of 
strong  convictions,  positive  in  his  nature,  of 
rare  executive  ability  and  of  sterling  integrity. 
It  is  not  improper  to  say  that  the  rapid  devel- 
opment and  successful  manipulation  of  the 
affairs  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company,  in  this  section,  is  due  to  his  broad 
and  comprehensive  management,  and  is  the 
result  of  his  conscientious  and  intelligent  per- 
formance of  his  official  duties.  During  his 
management  the  productive  coal  capacity  of 
the  company  has  been  increased  from  eight 
hundred  thousand  tons  annually  to  four  and 
one-half  millions,  and  the  railway  appendages 
of  the  company  have  all  been  added.  By  close 
and  attentive  reading  and  study  he  has  acquired 
an  education  far  in  advance  of  what  his  school 
advantages  afforded,  and  has  become  a  thor- 
oughly self-educated  man.  He  entertains  liberal 
views  upon  religious  subjects,  but  supports  with 
a  free  hand  the  schools,  churches  and  other 
elevating  institutions  of  his  day,  and  is  held  in 
general  respect  and  esteem  by  a  large  circle  of 
friends.  He  married,  January  17,  184!),  Miss 
Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Peter  Cornell,  of  Ron- 
dout,  New  York,  and   has  four  children  living. 


Of  these,  Cornelia  Alice  is  the  wife  of  George 
W.  Barnes,  now  of  Colorado ;  Horace  G.,  by 
profession  a  civil  engineer  and  a  graduate  of  the 
Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute  of  Troy,  N.  Y., 
is  the  general  manager  of  the  company,  aud 
resides  at  Albany,  X.  Y.;  Edwin  is  a  graduate 
of  Yale  College,  and  of  the  Columbia  College 
Law  School,  New  York,  and  is  the  attorney  of 
the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company,  liv- 
ing at  Albany  ;  and  Mary  Augusta  is  the  wife 
of  Joseph  B.  Dickson,  of  New  York,  youngest 
son  of  the  late  President  Dickson. 

Horace  G.  Young,  above  mentioned,  was  ap- 
pointed general  manager  of  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal  Company  on  September  30, 1885. 
The  Honesdale  Citizen,  speaking  of  this  appoint- 
ment, editorially,  says, — 

"  While  there  is  a  cordial  recognition  of  the  new 
official's  experience  and  proved  ability  as  amply  vin- 
dicating this  appointment,  it  is  not  without  a  certain 
element  of  unexpectedness,  due  to  the  contrast  in 
years  between  the  appointee  and  his  predecessor.  To 
compare  a  civil  with  a  military  career,  it  is  much  like 
the  selection  of  the  youthful  Bonaparte  to  command 
the  army  of  Italy ;  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  predict 
that  a  further  parallel  will  be  found  in  successful  re- 
sults. The  new  general  manager  was  born  in  Hones- 
dale, January  26,  1854.  After  due  preparation  for 
college,  he  entered  the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Insti- 
tute, at  Troy,  N.  Y.  There  he  received  a  thorough 
scientific  course,  and  was  graduated  with  honor.  In 
1879  he  entered  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  service  as 
assistant  to  the  general  manager.  Here,  bringing  to  the 
task  the  scientific  acquirements  gained  at  the  Poly- 
technic, aud  with  the  valuable  counsel  of  the  general 
manager  in  their  application  to  the  work  in  hand,  he 
rapidly  mastered  the  complicated  details  of  railroad 
and  canal  operations.  In  July,  1882,  he  was  promoted 
to  the  position  of  assistant  general  manager,  and  took 
in  special  charge  the  Northern  Railroad  Department. 
This  embraced  the  Albany  and  Susquehanna  road, 
the  New  York  and  Canada,  the  Rensselaer  and  Sara- 
toga, the  Duanesburg  and  Schenectady,  the  Utica, 
Clinton  and  Binghamton,  and  the  Cherry  Valley 
Branch,  with  upward  of  six  hundred  miles  of  track  ; 
and  of  these  roads  he  was  practically  the  superin- 
tendent. In  this  position  he  proved  himself  a  thor- 
oughly practical  railroad  manager,  of  unusual  energy, 
judgment  and  administrative  ability.  His  success  in 
the  direction  of  this  department  was  fully  appreciated 
by  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  directory,  and  the  most 
conclusive  proof  of  a  practical  recognition  of  his  mer- 
its is  seen  in  his  appointment  to  the  position  so  long 
and  so  ably  filled  by  his  father.  This  confidence  in 
his  ability  rests  on  a  substantial  basis,  and  in  the  bril- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


251 


liant  career  on  which  he  has  entered   he  has  the  best 
wishes  of  a  host  of  friends." 

Jacob  B.  Fitch,  of  Hawley,  is  one  of  the 
oldest  employees  of  tiie  Delaware  ami  Hudson 
Canal  Company,  having  been  in  its  service  forty- 
one  years.  His  father,  Benjamin  Fitch,  a 
native  of  Connecticut,  served  as  lieutenant 
under  General  Brown,  in  the  War  of  1812,  and 
while  commanding  his  company  at  the  battle  of 
Bridgewater,  was  wounded  in  the  side  while 
bearing  aloft  the  cc-lors  of  the  regiment,  which 


requiring  many  weeks  to  perform.  He  returned 
finally  to  Sherburne,  N.Y.,  where  both  himself 
and  wife  are  buried.  She  died  in  1846,  leaving 
children, — Jacob  B.,  subject  of  this  sketch  ; 
Sarah  A.,  wife  of  Hollis  Rowland,  of  Sher- 
burne ;  Thaddeus  S.,  resided  in  Sherburne,  and 
came  to  Hawley,  Pa.,  in  1843,  with  his  older 
brother,  Jacob  B.,  and  now  resides  in  Honesdale ; 
and  Sanford  C.  Fitch,  of  Rockford,  111. 

At  the  time  of  the  death  of  his  father,  Jacob 
B.  Fitch  was  only  thirteen  years  of  age,  having 


.,''•' 


G';, 


jgm^' 


ultimately  caused  his  death  in  1832,  at  the  age 
of  forty-five  years.  After  peace  was  declared, 
he  went  to  Burlington,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y., 
where  he  married  Content  M.  Fox,  whose  par- 
ents had  removed  from  the  same  vicinity  in  New 
England  in  which  the  Fitches  resided.  After 
his  marriage  he  was  still  officially  connected 
with  the  army  in  Connecticut,  and  he  accom- 
panied the  army  afterwards  to  Council  Bluffs, 
Mo.,  with  his  family,  and  returned  the  entire 
way  with  a  team,  a  long  and  tedious  journey, 


been  born  November  22,  1818.  Being  the 
eldest  of  the  family,  and  very  little  means  of 
subsistence  being  left  at  his  father's  death,  much 
devolved  upon  the  mother  and  himself  by  way 
of  providing  for  the  support  of  the  family.  Al- 
though young  in  years,  he  possessed  a  resolute 
will  and  knew  that  industry  and  economy  must 
be  carefully  practiced  in  the  management  of 
their  affairs.  He  met  the  obstacles  incident  to 
straitened  circumstances  and  earned  by  his 
own  labor  the  money  to  support  the  family  for 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


many  years.  On  September  23,  1841,  he  mar- 
ried Lucy  (1821-68),  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Sibyl  (Curtis)  Aldrich,  of  Sherburne,  N.  Y., 
and  began  keeping  house,  taking  his  mother  to 
his  own  home.  Jacob  had  during  these  years 
learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and  joiner.  In 
1843  he  came  to  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  for  the 
purpose  of  working  at  his  trade;  but  finding  an 
opportunity  to  enter  the  employ  of  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  Company,  himself  and 
brother  engaged  with  that  company  and  began 
building  locks  and  doing  general  carpenter 
work.  After  two  years  he  was  made  foreman 
of  the  construction  and  repair  department  on  a 
part  of  the  Pennsylvania  Division  of  the  canal, 
and  from  1846  to  1849  he  was  at  Lackawaxen, 
engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  aqueducts  at 
that  place,  and  feeders  of  the  canal .  In  the  latter 
year  he  settled  with  his  family  at  Hawley  and 
continued  in  charge  of  the  same  work  for  the 
company  until  the  death  of  T.  H.  R.  Tracy, 
the  superintendent  of  the  Pennsylvania  Division 
of  the  canal,  in  1856,  when  Mr.  Fitch  was  se- 
lected to  fill  this  vacancy,  and  until  the  fell  of 
1884,  the  time  of  his  resignation  on  account  of 
ill  health,  a  period  of  forty-one  years  since  his 
first  engagement  with  the  company,  he  has  been 
a  trusted  and  efficient  employee  and  official  whose 
honor  and  integrity  in  all  his  business  relations 
are  beyond  reproach.  He  has  during  this  time 
erected  several  residences  for  the  company,  en- 
gaged in  lumbering,  and  he  erected  his  present 
residence,  on  the  southeastern  slope  of  the  Lacka- 
waxen, at  Hawley,  in  1850. 

Mr.  Pitch  has  spent  an  active  life  and  sought 
to  do  his  part  well.  His  opportunities  when  a 
boy  for  book  knowledge  were  very  limited  ;  yet, 
in  after-years,  he  largely  made  up  this  deficiency 
by  reading.  He  is  a  man  of  practical  ideas, 
good  judgment,  fine  physique  and  correct  habits, 
and  has  won  his  way  to  a  competence  by  his 
own  personal  efforts.  While  a  young  man  he 
was  fond  of  military  life.  He  enlisted  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  years  in  an  artillery  regiment;  served 
as  orderly-sergeant,  adjutant  and  subsequently 
as  colonel,  commanding  his  regiment  on  general 
training-days  during  the  old  militia  gatherings 
in  Chenango  County,  2s.  Y.  He  has  been  a 
member    of    the   society    of    the    Presbyterian 


Church  and  contributed  liberally  to  church  and 
kindred  interests. 

His  children  are  Lewis  B.,  a  member,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  Skaneateles  Paper 
Company,  at  Skaneateles,  N.  Y. ;  Sila  A.,  mar- 
ried, first,  B.  F.  Martin,  of  Livingston  County, 
X.  Y.,  and  after  his  death  became  the  wife  of 
Prof.  L.  A.  Freeman,  of  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  who 
is  now  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Shenan- 
doah, Pa. 

The  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company's 
Gkavity  Railroad  from  Dunmore,  in  Lacka- 
wanna County,  to  Hawley,  in  Wayne  (of  which 
town  it  was  the  creator,  just  as  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Company  was  the  cause  of  Hones- 
dale's  existence),  was  built  in  1849-50  and  has 
ever  since  been  in  active  operation  until  super- 
seded by  the  Erie  and  Wyoming  Railroad,  in 
the  fall  of  1885. 

The  company  absorbed  the  powers  and  privi- 
leges of  several  other  organizations  before  it 
secured  strength  enough  to  carry  out  the  pur- 
pose of  its  creation  and  become  a  powerful 
agent  in  the  marketing  of  Lackawanna  coal. 

Two  charters,  approved  by  the  Legislature 
April  16,  1838,  granted  the  authority  of  the 
State  to  the  organization  of  the  Washington 
Coal  Company  and  the  Pennsylvania  Coal 
Company.  The  former  was  composed  of  citi- 
zens of  Honesdale,  prominent  among  them  be- 
ing William  H.  Dimmick,  Esq.,  had  a  capital 
of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  was  em- 
powered to  hold  two  thousand  acres  of  land  in 
the  coal  basin.  The  other  company  had  au- 
thority of  similar  character  and  extent,  and 
actually  commenced  the  mining  of  coal,  though 
on  a  small  scale,  in  Pittston  township,  and 
planned  to  reach  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal  by  a  railroad  at  a  point  on  the  Lacka- 
waxen. Nothing  of  note  was  accomplished  for 
years,  and  the  charter  of  the  Washington  Coal 
Company,  after  lying  idle  for  nine  years,  was 
sold  to  William  and  Charles  Wurts  and  others, 
of  Philadelphia,  in  1847. 

In  1 846  the  movement  toward  connecting  the 
mines  in  the  vicinity  of  Scranton  with  the  canal, 
and  thus  seeking  the  Eastern  market,  brought 
about  the  incorporation  of  the  Luzerne  and 
Wayne  County  Railroad  Company,  vested  with 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


253 


power  to  build  a  railroad  from  the  Lackawanna 
to  the  Lackawaxen.  The  act  of  incorporation 
appointed  a  large  board  of  commissioners,  of 
whom  those  residing  in  Wayne  County  were 
Richard  Lancaster,  Russell  F.  Lord,  Zenas  H. 
Russell  and  T.  H.  R.  Tracy. 

Before  this  company  manifested  organic  life, 
however,  its  charter,  as  well  as  that  of  the 
"Washington  Coal  Company,  obtained  from  the 
Wurtses,  were,  under  an  act  of  April  1,  1849, 
merged  in  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company, 
which  afterwards  also  absorbed  the  rights  of  the 
Wyoming  Coal  Association,  chartered  February 
15",  1851. 

This  comptany  then  enlarged  its  possessions 
by  purchase  of  large  tracts  of  laud  in  certified 
Pittston  township,  on  the  Susquehanna,  and  in 
Providence  and  Dunmore,  on  the  Lackawanna, 
and  prepared  to  build  a  double-track  gravity 
railroad  from  Pittston  to  the  Lackawaxen,  by 
way  of  Cobb's  Gap,  forty-seven  miles  in 
length. 

Ground  was  broken  fortius  road  in  1847, 
but  not  much  practical  work  Mas  done  until 
18-48,  and  the  track  was  finished  in  May,  1850, 
substantially  as  it  has  since  been  operated,  the 
planes  and  levels  remaining  unchanged,  except 
in  some  unimportant  particulars. 

The  mouth  of  Middle  Creek  was  fixed  upon 
as  the  place  of  touching  the  canal  and  there 
the  thriving  village  of  Hawley  grew  up  as  a 
result  of  the  opening  of  this  new  route  from  the 
coal-fields,  and  in  time  the  same  enterprise  which 
gave  it  origin  linked  it  with  the  main  line  of 
that  great  trunk  railroad,  the  Erie,  and  still  fur- 
ther fostered  its  growth. 

The  railroad  traverses  the  Moosic  range  at 
one  of  its  most  rugged  and  picturesque  regions, 
and  has  been  noted  as  oue  of  the  most  remarka- 
bly attractive  passenger  routes  in  Pennsylvania 
or  the  Eastern  States.  Still,  it  is  as  a  coal-ship- 
ping road  that  ninety-nine  one-hundredths  of  its 
successful ness  has  been  attained,  and  as  a  suffi- 
cient proof  of  that,  stands  the  fact  that  it  has 
paid  for  years  dividends  of  twenty  per  cent, 
and  sometimes  even  thirty  per  cent,  upon  its 
stock. 

In  1850  it  was  estimated  that  the  road  car- 
ried   111,119  tons    of  coal,    and    in  1879,  the 


amount  was  computed  as  1,372,739  tons.  Mr. 
John  B.  Smith,  of  Dunmore,  has  been  engaged 
as  master  mechanic  and  general  superinten- 
dent of  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company's  Rail- 
road for  many  years,  and  to  him  is  due  in  a 
large  measure  the  practical  success  which  it  at- 
tained. 

The  road  was  abandoned  in  the  tall  of  1885, 
under  the  provisions  of  the  contract  for  the 
building  of  the  Erie  and  Wyoming  Valley 
Railroad — a  locomotive  road — now  in  opera- 
tion. 

The  Erie  Railroad,  although  not  actu- 
ally touching  with  its  main  line  the  soil  of 
Wayne  County,  skirts  a  long  distance  its  eastern 
border,  separated  from  it  only  by  the  narrow 
channel  of  the  Delaware,  and  affords  marked 
advantages  of  travel  and  transportation  to  its 
people.  An  outline  of  its  history  is  therefore 
here  given.  It  is  interesting  from  the  fact  of  its 
very  early  inception,  if  for  no  other  reason.  As 
early  as  1825  (the  Erie  Canal  having  been 
opened  in  1824)  the  New  York  Legislature  di- 
rected that  a  survey  for  a  "  State  road  "  should 
be  made  at  public  expense  through  the  south- 
ern tier  of  counties  from  the  Hudson  River  to 
Lake  Erie.  The  unfavorable  profile  exhibited 
by  the  survey,  which  was  duly  made,  the  dis- 
cordant views  and  interests,  resulted  in  the  aban- 
donment of  this  particular  project,  but  the  subject, 
in  a  general  way,  continued  to  occupy  the  atten- 
tion of  many  public-spirited  and  enterprising 
men. 

After  several  ineffective  efforts  had  been  made, 
the  New  York  and  Lake  Erie  Railroad  Com- 
pany was  incorporated  by  the  Legislature  on 
the  24th  of  April,  1832,  with  power  "to  con- 
struct a  railroad  from  the  city  of  New  York,  or 
some  point  near,  to  Lake  Erie,  to  transport  per- 
sons and  property  thereon  and  to  regulate  their 
own  charges  for  transportation."  Up  to  the 
time  of  the  incorporation  the  question  as  to 
whether  animal  or  locomotive  power  should  be 
used  on  the  contemplated  railroad  was  an  open 
question,  vigorously  argued  pro  and  con.  A 
road  for  locomotives,  it  was  commonly  conceded, 
must  cost  from  twelve  to  fourteen  thousand  dol- 
lars per  mile,  while  one  for  horses  could  be 
built  for  five  or  six  thousand   dollars   per   mile, 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  as  it  was  a  portion  of  the  latter  plan  to  al- 
low individuals  to  use  their  private  conveyances 
upon  the  road,  it  was  argued  that  the  company 
would  be  at  no  expense  for  engines,  carriages, 
etc.,  should  that  project  be  adopted.  Let  the 
reader  imagine  for  himself  what  the  Erie  Kail- 
road  would  be  as  a  toll  tramway  !  By  the  time 
that  the  company  was  incorporated,  however, 
something  approximating  to  the  modern  locomo- 
tive railroad  had  been  decided  upon. 

In  the  summer  of  1832  a  reconnoisance  or 
preliminary  examination  of  the  country  through 
which  it  was  proposed  to  build  the  road  was 
conducted  under  the  authority  of  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States,  by  Colonel  De  Witt 
Clinton,  Jr.,  and  it  resulted  in  presenting  strong 
inducements  for  obtaining  a  complete  and  ac- 
curate instrumental  survey.  In  1833  one  mil- 
lion dollars  was  subscribed  to  the  capital  stock, 
and  the  company  organized  in  August  of  that 
year  by  the  election  of  officers  and  directors.  A 
year  passed,  during  which  the  company  did  not 
receive  enough  from  its  stockholders  and  others 
to  make  a  survey,  aud  in  1834  the  aid  of  the 
State  was  invoked  and  the  Legislature  passed  a 
bill  appropriating  fifteen  thousand  dollars  for 
that  purpose.  Governor  Marcy  appointed 
Benjamin  Wright,  Esq.,  to  conduct  the  survey. 
During  the  year  he  and  his  assistants  made  a 
survey  of  the  whole  line,  four  hundred  and 
eighty-three  miles,  and  as  the  work  was  done 
under  the  authority  of  the  State  government, 
the  report,  estimates  and  maps  of  Judge  Wright 
were  deposited  by  him  with  the  secretary  of 
the  commonwealth.  Much  had  been  said  in 
the  Legislature  and  many  of  the  public  prints 
to  discourage  the  undertaking ;  but  the  results 
of  the  State  survey  were  so  favorable  as  to  dis- 
pel all  reasonable  doubts  as  to  the  feasibility 
of  the  improvement,  and  measures  were  taken 
to  advance  the  project.  Subscriptions  were 
stimulated  to  so  great  au  extent  that  the  capital 
stock  of  the  company  was  increased  to  the  hand- 
some amount  of  over  two  million  three  hundred 
and  sixty-two  thousand  dollars. 

In  183(5  the  entire  route  was  re-surveyed,  a 
portion  of  the  road  located  and  work  upon  it 
commenced,  but  the  financial  stringency  which 
began  to  be  felt  in  that  year,  and  intensified  in 


the  panic  of  1837,  compelled  a  suspension  of 
operations  until  1838.  In  that  year  the  Legis- 
lature granted  to  the  company,  in  aid  of  its  con- 
struction of  the  road,  a  loan  of  the  credit  of  the 
State  for  three  million  dollars.  At  the  session  of 
the  Legislature  in  1840  the  loan  bill  was  further 
amplified,  and  this,  together  with  the  collections 
on  the  stock  subscriptions,  enabled  the  company 
to  vigorously  prosecute  the  work.  The  first 
portion,  a  section  of  forty-six  miles,  from  Pier- 
mont  to  Goshen,  was  put  in  operation  on  the 
23d  of  September,  1841.  But  the  following 
year  complicated  embarrassments,  arising  from 
the  nature  and  amount  of  its  indebtedness,  made 
it  necessary  that  the  business  of  the  company 
should  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  assignees,  and 
it  was  not  until  May  14,  1845,  when  the  Leg- 
islature passed  an  act  releasing  the  State  claim, 
that  the  outlook  again  became  propitious.  Then 
the  directors  entered  with  a  new  feeling  of  con- 
fidence upon  the  work  of  resuscitating  the  pro- 
ject and  presented  a  plan  to  the  public  which 
placed  the  work  in  a  position  to  be  successfully 
completed.  In  response  to  their  appeal  for  as- 
sistance, the  merchants  and  business  men  of  New 
York  soon  subscribed  the  sum  of  three  millions 
dollars  to  the  capital  stock.  Work  was  re- 
commenced and  successive  portions  of  the  road 
were  put  in  operation  from  time  to  time.  The 
opening  of  the  main  line  as  far  as  Binghamton, 
N.  Y.,  occurred  December  27,  1848,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1851  (May  14th),  "  amid  the  firing  of 
cannon  that  reverberated  through  all  of  the 
southern  tier  of  counties,  and  the  shouts  of  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  the  inhabitants,  who  lined 
the  road  at  all  stations,"  the  entire  route  was 
formally  opened  to  travel  and  traffic.  Two 
trains  of  cars  passed  over  the  line  on  that  mem- 
orable occasion,  "  bearing  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  Daniel  Webster  aud  a  large  and 
noble  company  of  the  most  distinguished  citizens 
of  America  as  guests  of  the  gratified  and  justly 
proud  directors  of  the  road,  from  the  Hudson  to 
Lake  Erie."  1 

For  a  short  distance  along  the  Delaware,  in 
Pike  County,  the  main  line  of  the  Erie  is  upon 
Pennsylvania  soil.     For  the  right  of  building 


1  Lossing. 


WAYNE  COUNT  V. 


ii>:> 


and   maintaining  it  there  the  State  has  charged 
the  company  ten  thousand  dollars  a  year. 

A  trustworthy  newspaper  writer  has  given 
the  following  interesting  account  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  rails  for  the  Erie  Railroad 
were  procured  and  delivered  along  the  Dela- 
ware and  a  great  iron  company  thereby  built 
up  in  Scranton. 

"  When  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad  was 
originally  built,  rails  made  of  English  iron,  and  cost- 
ing the  company  eighty  dollars  a  bar,  were  used  from 
New  York  to  Otisville.  In  the  straitened  financial 
circumstances  of  the  company  in  that  day,  the  work 
must  have  stopped  if  opportunity  had  not  offered  for 
obtaining  iron  cheaper.  In  184f!  the  Lackawanna 
Iron  and  Coal  Company,  which  had  been  organized 
at  Harrison,  now  Scranton,  in  1843,  by  the  Scranton*, 
was  struggling  against  great  difficulties  for  success. 
In  the  first  year  named  the  Erie  Company  made  a 
contract  with  the  iron  company  for  twelve  thousand 
tons  of  iron  rail  for  the  Delaware  and  Susquehanna 
Divisions,  to  be  made  and  delivered  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Lackawaxen  River  during  the  years  1847-48.  The 
fulfillment  of  this  contract,  against  obstacles  that 
ordinary  men  would  have  failed  to  conquer,  gave  the 
iron  company  the  first  step  toward  that  great  emi- 
nence and  importance  it  now  boasts,  and  the  railroad 
company  was  saved  from  bankruptcy  and  ruin,  as  it 
was  enabled  to  open  its  road  to  Binghamtou  four 
days  ahead  of  the  time  required  by  law.  The  first 
fifteen  hundred  tons  of  the  iron  were  delivered  at 
Lackawaxen  in  the  early  part  of  1847.  It  was  carted 
in  wagons  to  Archbald,  Pa.,  and  thence  by  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  Canal  Company's  railroad  to 
Honesdale,  and  from  thence  to  Lackawaxen  by  canal. 
The  Erie  agents  there  took  charge  of  it  and  delivered 
it  by  canal  at  Port  Jervis,  and  it  was  laid  from  there 
to  Otisville.  Owing  to  the  delay  the  Erie  was  sub- 
jected to  in  gaining  entrance  into  Pennsylvania  at 
the  '  Glass-House  Rocks '  above  Port  Jervis,  speed  in 
delivery  of  the  iron  was  required.  An  arrangement 
was  made  with  the  iron  company  for  the  delivery  of 
the  balance  of  the  iron  at  different  points  along  the 
route.  Hundreds  of  teams  were  put  to  work,  and  the 
iron  was  carted  over  the  rough,  hilly  roads  of  Luzerne 
(now  Lackawanna)  and  Wayne  Counties  to  Nar- 
rowsburgh,  Cochecton,  Equinunk,  or  Lordville,  Stock- 
port, Summit,  and  Lanesboro'.  Thus  a  simultaneous 
laying  of  the  rails  took  place  along  the  required  dis- 
tance, and  the  railroad  company  was  saved  and  the 
iron  company  made." 

It  is  a  popular  misapprehension  that  the  Erie 
Company  originally  contemplated  building  their 
road  through  the  valley  of  the  Lackawaxen — 
that  the  valley  was  a  part  of  the  route  first  de- 


cided upon,  and  was  abandoned  because  of  the 
opposition  of  the  people.  Such  is  not  the  fact. 
The  charter  of  the  road  originally  provided  that 
the  road  should  be  built  wholly  in  New  York, 
and  no  amendment  was  made  to  the  charter  un- 
til it  was  found  necessary  to  build  a  portion  of 
the  line  along  the  Delaware  in  Pennsylvania. 
The  company  asked  permission  to  come  into  the 
State,  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature,  in  1845. 
But  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company 
thought  it  was  the  purpose  of  the  Erie  to  run  a 
branch  into  the  Lackawanna  Valley  and  compete 
with  it  in  the  coal  trade,  and  it  further  thought 
that  the  only  practicable  route  then  open  was 
through  Cobb's  Gap.  Under  inspiration  of 
these  views,  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  company, 
through  William  H.  Dimmick,  one  of  its  attor- 
neys, who  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  in 
1844,  defeated  the  railroad  company's  bill,  and 
the  managers  of  the  company  organized  the 
Washington  Coal  Company  (now  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Coal  Company)  and  secured  the  route 
through  Cobb's  Gap.  In  1846  the  Erie  re- 
newed its  application  to  the  Pennsylvania  Leg- 
islature. The  Delaware  and  Hudson  Company, 
having  secured  itself,  withdrew  opposition  and 
the    identical   bill  defeated  the  year  before  was 


Much  of  the  lukewarmness  of  the  people  of 
the  Lackawaxen,  and  nearly  all  of  the  opposition 
that  was  manifested  by  them  at  the  time  the 
Erie  sought  to  come  into  Pennsylvania,  grew 
out  of  the  fact  that  the  company  did  not  ask  to 
come  their  way.  They  thought  that  if  the  ap- 
plication was  defeated,  the  company  would  be 
compelled  to  seek  the  route  by  way  of  the  Lack- 
awaxen, and  that  the  Legislature  of  New  York 
would  at  length  give  way  on  that  point  rather 
than  defeat  the  enterprise. 

The  availability  of  the  route  was  afterwards 
thoroughly  considered  by  the  Erie  managers, 
and  was  twice  surveyed,  but  while  it  was  admit- 
ted that  it  would  shorten  the  route  by  about 
seventeen  miles,  the  consideration  that  the  road 
was  already  built  along  the  Upper  Delaware  and 
that  it  must  be  maintained,  overweighed  what- 
ever of  advantage  wag  promised  by  the  more 
direct  route  by  Honesdale  and  the  Lackawaxen 
or   Dyberry.     The    time    may  come,  howev*  r, 


250 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


when  the  Erie  Company  may  feel  constrained  to 
make  use  of  this  short  cut  across  the  corner  of 
Pennsylvania. 

HONESDALE    BRANCH    OF    THE  ERIE THE 

Jefferson  Railroad. — In  1851  a  number  of 
the  citizens  of  Honesdale,  being  desirous  of  ob- 
taining railroad  communication  with  the  outer 
world,  secured  a  charter  for  building  what  was 
with  a  purpose  vaguely  denominated  the  Jeffer- 
son Railroad.  The  authorizing  act  was  passed 
by  the  Legislature  April  28th,  and  appointed 
Earl  Wheeler,  Esq.,  Charles  S.  Minor,  Esq., 
Francis  B.  Penniman  and  Benjamin  B.  Smith 
as  commissioners  to  receive  subscriptions  and 
organize  a  company  to  be  called  the  Jefferson 
Railroad  Company,  under  the  general  railroad 
law.  This  chartered  organization  was  to  have 
the  right  to  build  a  railroad  from  any  point  on 
the  Delaware  River  in  Pike  County,  by  the 
best  route  through  that  county  and  the  county 
of  Wayne,  and  terminating  in  the  county  of 
Susquehanna  at  the  New  York  State  line.  Au 
effort  to  get  the  Erie  Railroad  Company  to 
build  the  whole  or  a  portion  of  the  line  failed  ; 
the  Jefferson  Railroad  Company  remained  prac- 
tically inert,  aud  nothing  was  accomplished  for 
more  than  ten  years.  The  commissioners  and 
the  Erie  Company,  however,  both  had  the  pro- 
posed line  surveyed. 

In  1862-03  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company 
built  along  the  Lackawaxen  from  Hawley  to 
the  Delaware,  connecting  with  the  Erie  at  Lack- 
awaxen Station,  and  leased  the  line  to  the  Erie 
Company. 

Ou  March  18,  1863,  a  supplement  to  its 
charter  was  passed,  giving  the  Jefferson  Com- 
pany the  right  to  build  a  "  branch  " — so-called 
— from  the  Moosic  summit  (in  Susquehanna 
County)  to  Carbondale.  Work  upon  the  line 
was  not  begun,  however,  until  1869,  though 
Charles  S.  Minor,  Esq.,  had  in  the  mean  time  se- 
cured the  right  of  way.  The  pseudo-branch  was 
finished  in  1870  by  the  Jefferson  Company — the 
Delaware  aud  Hudson  Canal  Company  furnish- 
ing the  money — and  shortly  after  its  completion 
the  line  was  leased  to  the  Erie,  under  a  lease 
which  is  still  in  effect. 

About  1864  the  Jefferson  Company  raised 
capital  aud  issued  bonds  for  building  along  the 


line  which  they  had  originally  contemplated, 
from  Honesdale  to  Hawley,  thus,  making,  with 
the  road  built  by  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Com- 
pany, a  continuous  line  from  Honesdale  to 
Lackawaxen,  and  placing  the  former  town  in 
direct  connection  with  the  Erie.  Members  of 
the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company,  in 
individual  capacity,  took  much  of  the  stock. 
Among  the  people  of  Honesdale  most  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  project  at  this  period 
aud  later,  were  Judge  C.  P.  Eldred,  Samuel  E. 
Dimmick  and  Zenas  H.  Russell. 

It  was  not  until  May  6,  1867,  that  actual 
work  was  begun  on  the  line,  but  it  was  then 
pushed  forward  witli  rapidity,  and  on  June  23, 
1808,  the  first  locomotive  run  over  the  line  and 
steamed  proudly  into  the  quiet  town,  where  the 
first  locomotive  in  America  made  its  trial  trip, 
thirty-nine  years  before.  On  July  10th,  fol- 
lowing, the  first  passenger  train  ran  into  Hones- 
dale. On  July  13th  passenger  trains  (mixed 
with  freight)  began  running  regularly,  aud  on 
November  23,  1868,  trains  composed  entirely 
of  passenger  cars  began  running,  and  have  since 
continued  uninterruptedly,  affording  the  people 
of  Honesdale  and  the  dwellers  throughout  the 
valley  of  the  Lackawaxen  excellent  facilities 
for  travel,  and  a  close  connection  with  the  Erie 
to  and  from  New  York  aud  other  points. 

The  road  upon  its  completion  was  leased  to 
and  has  since  been  operated  by  the  Erie  Com- 
pany. E.  B.  Hardenburgh  has  been  for  a  long 
period  the  efficient  conductor  upon  the  Hones- 
dale Branch. 

No  attempt  has  ever  been  made  to  connect, 
by  an  independent  line  over  the  Moosic  range, 
the  two  railroads  built  under  the  charter  of 
the  Jefferson  Company,  and  it  is  probable  that 
none  ever  will  be  made,  for  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal  Company's  Gravity  Railroad, 
from  Honesdale  to  Carbondale,  is  a  sufficient 
connecting  link. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


257 


CHAPTER    V. 

Agricultural  Societies — The  Farmers'  Institute.1 

The  Agricultural  Societies  of  Wayne 
County. — "  Furius  Cresinus,  an  emancipated 
Roman  slave,  having  obtained  from  his  small 
estate  much  larger  crops  than  his  more  wealthy 
neighbors  from  their  vast  domains,  they  became 
so  envious  that  they  charged  him  with  employ- 
ing enchantment  to  attract  to  his  grounds  the 
products  of  their  fields.  Having  been  sum- 
moned by  Spurius  Albinus,  and  being  fearful  of 
condemnation,  he  introduced  into  the  Forum,  as 
the  tribes  prepared  to  vote,  his  robust,  well-clad 
family,  his  agricultural  implements,  his  heavy 
mattocks,  his  ingeniously  constructed  plows,  his 
well-fed  oxen,  and  then  exclaimed:  'Behold, 
Roman  citizens,  my  magic  !  But  I  am  still 
unable  to  show  you,  or  to  bring  into  the 
market-place,  my  studies,  my  constant  vigilance 
and  my  unceasing  labors  ! '  Scarcely  had  he 
finished  when  he  was  absolved  by  public  ac- 
clamation." 

Not  less  true  is  it  now  than  when  the  elder 
Pliny  put  the  foregoing  historical  incident  upon 
record,  in  the  early  days  of  the  Christian  era, 
that  only  by  study,  vigilance  and  incessant  labor 
can  the  husbandman  hope  to  achieve  the  high- 
est degree  of  success  in  the  development  and 
cultivation  of  the  soil.  This  fact  is  so  patent, 
and  is  so  often  demonstrated,  that  there  is  no 
longer  any  danger  that  exceptional  prosperity 
will  be  attributed  to  witchcraft,  or  even  luck. 
The  best  methods,  the  best  seed,  the  best  blood, 
the  best  machinery,  the  best  exercise  of  brain 
and  muscle — all  these,  combined  with  the  best 
conditions  of  soil  and  climate,  can  only  be  ex- 
pected to  produce  the  best  results  and  insure  to 
the  modern  farmer,  as  to  the  ancient  Roman 
slave,  full  granaries,  thriving  cattle  and  a  well- 
fed  family. 

Out  of  this  knowledge  was  developed  the  Ag- 
ricultural Society  and  its  kindred  associations. 


'Nearly  the  whole  of  this  chapter  was  written  by 
Thomas  J.  Ham,  Esq.,  editor  of  the  Wayne  County  Iler,ildt 
and  for  many  years  secretary  of  the  society.  The  account 
of  the  Farmers'  Institute  was  furnished  by  Hon.  N.  F. 
Underwood,  of  Lake  Como. 


At  first  they  were  simple  conferences  between 
neighboring  tillers  of  the  soil  and  keepers  of 
flocks  and  herds,  in  which,  through  mutual  re- 
lations of  experience,  the  acquired  knowledge 
of  one  became  the  property  of  all,  whether  as  to 
the  avoidance  of  erroneous  or  the  adoption  ot 
correct  methods.  These  casual  and  informal 
gatherings  finally  became  regular  and  eventu- 
ally provided  for  their  perpetuation  by  organiz- 
ation under  forms  of  written  constitutions  and 
by-laws.  As  the  centuries  passed,  their  unques- 
tionable advantage  to  the  State  in  general  be- 
came so  apparent  as  to  lead  to  the  passage  ot 
laws  not  only  encouraging  and  fostering,  but  in 
many  cases  subsidizing  them  at  the  common 
expense. 

Our  own  county  has  always  pursued  a  wise 
and  liberal  policy  in  this  respect,  and  the  Key- 
stone stands  pre-eminent  among  the  States  for 
the  intelligent  and  practical  interest  she  has 
ever  taken  in  the  welfare  of  the  farmer  and  the 
promotion  of  his  interests.  To  what  extent  her 
beneficent  laws  in  this  direction  have  affected 
the  material  prosperity  of  AVayne  County,  and 
through  what  agencies  they  have  been  brought 
to  bear,  the  writer  has  accepted  the  task  ot 
showing  in  the  course  of  this  chapter. 

When  AVayne  County  was  set  off  from  North- 
ampton, in  1798,  it  was  for  the  most  part  a 
wilderness.  The  primeval  forest  covered  its 
hills  and  lined  the  streams  which  flowed  through 
its  valleys.  Even  as  late  as  1810,  when  the 
Legislature  was  asked  to  erect  from  its  territory 
the  county  of  Pike,  the  prayers  of  the  petitioners 
cited  as  a  reason  for  their  request  "  the  unin- 
habitable region  over  which  they  were  obliged 
to  travel"  to  reach  the  county-seat  at  Bethany. 
At  intervals  during  the  last  quarter  of  the 
eighteenth  century  isolated  families,  and,  in  rare 
instances,  little  colonies,  of  squatters  and  settlers 
had  quietly  crept  in  from  New  England,  New 
Jersey  and  the  southern  part  of  our  own  State, 
and  located  on  the  Delaware  and  its  tributaries, 
but  the  population  was  still  so  sparse  and 
scattered  as  to  leave  the  county  in  a  practically 
undeveloped  state.  The  opening  up  of  the 
lands  to  actual  settlement,  upon  easy  terms, 
through  purchases  from  the  State  Land  Office 
or  large  landholders,  the  location  of  the  seat  of 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


justice  within  four  miles  of  the  territorial  centre 
of  the  new  county,  and  finally  the  incursion  of 
a  band  of  sturdy,  industrious  and  exceptionally 
intelligent  pioneers,  naturally  began  to  bear 
good  and  tangible  fruit.  By  1810  the  Great 
Bend  and  Cochecton  and  Bethany  and  Ding- 
man's  Choice  turnpikes  were  built,  and  in  the 
following  year  the  Belmont  and  Easton  turn- 
pike was  chartered.  Before  that  time  the  road 
from  Mount  Pleasant  to  Stockport  was  finished, 
and  a  few  years  later  the  Belmont  and  Ogh- 
quaga  put  in  traveling  condition.  All  of  these 
highways  played  important  parts  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  county.  Some  of  them  were 
thoroughfares,  not  only  for  the  accommodation 
of  local  settlers,  but  for  the  use  of  through 
travelers  to  and  from  the  lake  country  and  the 
seaboard  cities.  They  were  the  veins  and  arteries 
of  the  new  country,  through  which  life  and 
business  pulsated,  and  by  which  energy  was 
taught  and  ambition  stimulated  among  our 
people.  Along  their  courses,  and  upon  laterals 
built  to  connect  with  them,  immigration  settled. 
Little  clearings  developed  into  fine  farms,  houses 
clustered  into  hamlets,  villages  of  considerable 
pretensions  sprang  into  existence.  For  many 
years,  however,  after  the  erection  of  the  county 
its  chief  industry  was  not  that  of  farming. 
Splendid  timber  of  nearly  every  variety  covered 
its  territory,  and  the  Delaware  River  furnished 
a  natural  thoroughfare  whereby  the  product  of 
the  forests  could  be  conveniently  and  profitably 
floated  to  market  either  sawed  or  in  the  log. 
Incidental  to  the  lumbering  trade,  or  perhaps 
more  properly  regarded  as  branches  of  it,  were 
various  manufacturing  enterprises.  Tanneries 
were  built  wherever  great  bodies  of  hemlock 
bark  could  be  easily  and  cheaply  obtained. 
Pot  and  pearl-ash  factories  were  started  in  the 
hardwood  regions.  Sugar-making  from  the 
maple  was  extensively  carried  on.  Glass  fac- 
tories created  a  considerable  demand  for  wood, 
and  at  later  dates  establishments  fur  the  manu- 
facture of  umbrella  and  parasol  handles,  clothes- 
pins, bed-frames,  etc.,  have  contributed  no 
small  share  to  the  extermination  of  our  timber 
as  well  as  to  the  employment  of  our  people.  It 
has  only  been  within  the  past  twenty  years  that 
our  county — as  a  whole — has  made  rapid  prog- 


ress in  agriculture.  During  that  period  her 
advance  has  been  as  phenomenal  as  her  previous 
progress  was  slow.  There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  while  the  gradual  abandonment  of  the 
lumbering  and  tanning  branches  of  business, 
from  exhaustion  of  raw  material,  has  so  released 
labor  and  turned  it  into  its  natural  channel — 
the  cultivation  of  the  broad  acres  which  under- 
laid the  forests — as  to  contribute  largely  to  this 
result ;  the  influence  of  the  several  agricultural 
societies  which  have  from  time  to  time  existed 
in  the  county,  has  also  been  potent  and  benefi- 
cent in  bringing  to  our  farmers  that  information 
as  to  the  proper  treatment  of  lands,  culture  of 
fruits,  care  of  stock,  etc.,  which  has  insured 
their  success  and  resulted  in  their  present  pros- 
perity. 

The  popular  impression  that  the  present 
Wayne  County  Agricultural  Society  is  the  only 
organization  of  its  kind  which  has  ever  existed 
within  her  borders  is  a  very  erroneous  one. 
Nearly  a  hundred  years  ago  a  quantity  of  ma- 
ple sugar,  made  in  what  is  now  Manchester 
township,  was  sent  by  Samuel  Preston  and  John 
Hilborn  to  Henry  Drinker,  at  Philadelphia. 
He  forwarded  a  box  of  it  to  George  Washing- 
ton, and  received  in  reply  a  letter  in  which  the 
President  wrote :  "  And  being  persuaded  that 
considerable  benefit  may  be  derived  to  our 
country  from  a  due  prosecution  of  this  promis- 
ing object  of  industry  (the  manufacture  of  maple 
sugar),  I  wish  every  success  to  its  cultivation 
which  the  persons  concerned  in  it  can  them- 
selves desire."  Mr.  Drinker,  who  was  a  large 
land-owner  in  this  county,  at  once  had  a  little 
book  printed  setting  forth  the  pleasures  and 
profits  of  the  sugar  industry,  and  shortly  after- 
ward set  about  organizing  a  society  which  was 
to  be  called  "  The  Union  Society,  for  promoting 
the  manufacture  of  sugar  from  the  maple  tree 
and  furthering  the  interests  of  agriculture  in- 
Pennsylvania."  The  society's  attention,  it  was 
further  set  forth,  should  be  "  primarily  and 
principally  confined  to  that  purpose  and  to  the 
manufacturing  of  pot  and  pearl  ashes."  This 
society  was  organized  in  Philadelphia  in  1792, 
and  had  among  its  trustees  and  shareholders 
not  only  Mr.  Drinker  and  other  large  land  spec- 
ulators, but  some  of  the  most  prominent  men  in 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


259 


the  country,  including  the  United  States  treas- 
urer, two  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  judges  of  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court  and  others  of 
equal  note.  Its  capital  stock  was  fifteen  hun- 
dred dollars,  which  was  expended  for  three 
thousand  acres  of  land  in  Manchester  township. 
Four  years  later  it  was  disbanded.  An  inven- 
tory of  its  effects  taken  at  that  time  will  give 
some  idea  of  the  extent  of  its  operations.  There 
were  on  hand  thirty-seven  potash  kettles  and 
twelve  hundred  sap  troughs.  Thirty-eight 
acres  of  land  had  been  cleared  and  three  houses 
and  a  saw-mill  built.  The  concern  was  solvent, 
but  had  not  been  sufficiently  profitable  to 
warrant  its  continuance,  and  its  personal  prop- 
erty was  sold  to  Mr.  Drinker  and  his  agent, 
Mr.  Preston.  Notwithstanding  the  clause  in 
its  title  pledging  the  association  to  a  furtherance 
of  the  interests  of  agriculture,  its  immediate  in- 
fluence upon  that  industry  was,  in  all  probabil- 
ity, not  very  apparent.  Still,  as  it  brought 
large  tracts  of  land  into  market,  which  have 
since  become  among  our  most  profitable  farms, 
it  doubtless  had  an  indirect  bearing  upon  hus- 
bandry sufficient,  at  least,  to  warrant  its  being 
mentioned  as  the  initial  society  of  its  kind  in 
the  county. 

As  has  been  said,  it  was  along  the  line  of  the 
principal  roads  constructed  through  the  county 
that  the  most  rapid  advancement  in  the  develop- 
ment of  farmlands  was  made  in  the  first  and 
second  decades  of  the  present  century.  In  1801 
there  were  thirty  houses  or  settlers'  cabins,  and 
fifty-four  taxables  in  Mount  Pleasant  township, 
which  then  included  parts  of  Dyberry,  Preston 
and  Clinton,  which  townships  have  also  been 
more  or  less  sub-divided  since  their  erection. 
In  1822,  owing  to  the  opening  of  the  thorough- 
fares before  referred  to,  the  number  of  taxables 
in  Mount  Pleasant,  shorn  as  it  had  been  in  the 
mean  time  of  more  than  half  of  its  territory,  was 
two  hundred  and  seventeen.  Increase  corre- 
sponding to  these  figures,  though  perhaps  not 
quite  so  rapid,  had  occurred  in  other  towns,  no- 
tably Canaan,  Salem,  Paupack  and  Damascus. 
These  inhabitants  occupied  good  farms  along 
the  turnpike  centering  at  Mount  Pleasant  village 
and   Belmont,  a  short  distance  west.     Bethany, 


the  county-seat,  had  become  quite  a  thriving 
place,  with  five  stores,  commodious  hotels  and  a 
printing  office.  Among  the  earliest  settlers  in 
the  village  was  Solomon  Moore,  a  young  man  of 
superior  education  and  exceptional  public  spirit. 
He  was  the  first  postmaster  and  one  of  the  first 
merchants  of  Bethany.  In  1819  he  was  elected 
sheriff  of  the  county  and  iu  1827  prothonotary, 
in  which  office  he  died  in  1831.  While  engaged 
in  his  store  and  discharging  his  duties  as  sheriff 
he  was  brought  into  contact  with  most  of  the 
farmers  of  the  county,  and  took  every  occasion 
to  impress  upon  them  the  advisability  of  organ- 
izing an  agricultural  society.  He  was  seconded 
in  this  movement  by  Jacob  S.  Davis,  then  com- 
missioners' clerk  and  deputy  treasurer,  and  who 
afterwards  became  treasurer  of  the  county.  Mr. 
Davis  came  to  Bethany  from  Paupack  settlement 
in  the  early  part  of  the  century.  He  was  an 
excellent  carpenter  and  worked  at  his  trade  for 
some  time,  but  the  superior  education  he  pos- 
sessed and  his  fine  social  qualities,  which  in- 
cluded a  good  knowledge  of  music,  soon  began 
to  assert  themselves  and  he  rapidly  worked  into 
public  prominence.  In  November,  1822,  he 
became  the  editor  and  co-publisher  of  the  AV- 
pvbUcan  Advocate,  in  which  connection  he  re- 
mained until  January,  1830,  when  the  name  of 
the  paper  was  changed  to  the  Bethany  Inquirer, 
with  his  former  partner,  William  Sasman,  as 
editor.  During  Mr.  Sasman's  management  of 
the  Inquirer,  Mr.  Davis  was  a  voluminous  con- 
tributor, his  writings  including  an  interesting, 
though  somewhat  imperfect,  "  History  of  Wayne 
County,"  which  ran  through  many  numbers, 
aud  was  designed  for  subsequent  publication  in 
book-form.  Notwithstanding  Mr.  Davis'  gen- 
eral popularity,  he  happened  to  have  a  wife  with 
Xantippe's  personal  characteristics,  and  about 
1814  or  1815  she  left  his  bed  and  board.  He 
tried  hard  to  induce  her  to  return,  among  other 
efforts  writing  her  an  affectionate  letter,  in  which 
he  promised  to  overlook  the  past,  and  pictured 
the  happiness  that  might  be  in  store  for  them. 
The  lady  with  whom  the  absconding  spouse  was 
living  testified  during  the  divorce  proceedings 
which  followed,  that  Mrs.  Davis,  on  receiving 
the  epistle,  inquired  as  to  the  indorsement  placed 
by  the    grand  jury  on    rejected  bills  of  indict- 


200 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONEOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


merit.  Being  told,  she  simply  wrote  "  ignoramus  " 
on  the  back  of  the  letter  and  returned  it  to  her 
husband,  whose  experience  in  the  county  offices 
had  made  him  very  familiar  with  technical  legal 
terms,  and  by  whom  the  hint  as  to  the  inadvisa- 
bility  of  pressing  his  suit  was  taken  without 
the  necessity  of  "  a  kick  "  to  give  it  emphasis. 
Other  prominent  advocates  of  the  agricultural 
society  scheme  were  Sheldon  Norton,  father  of 
E.  K.  Norton,  of  Clinton,  and  his  brother, 
Alvah  W.,  Judge  Samuel  Preston,  Major  Jason 
Torrey  and  Levi  C.  Judson,  father  of  the  author, 
E.  Z.  C.  Judson,  better  known  as  "  Ned  Bunt- 
line."  This  agitation  for  a  society  was  com- 
menced  in  1819,  but  took  no  practical  form 
uutil  after  the  passage  of  an  act  by  the  Legisla- 
ture on  the  20th  of  March,  1820,  which  pro- 
vided that  "  as  soon  as  the  board  of  commission- 
ers and  two-thirds  of  the  grand  jury  of  any 
county  in  the  commonwealth  shall  agree  in 
writing  under  their  respective  hands  that  a  so- 
ciety shall  be  established  within  the  same,  it 
shall  be  lawful  for  twenty  or  more  inhabitants 
of  any  such  county,  fifteen  of  whom  shall  be 
practical  and  actual  farmers,  to  sign  an  agree- 
ment promising  to  pay  to  the  treasurer  of  said 
society,  so  long  as  he  shall  remain  a  member 
thereof,  the  sum  of  one  dollar  each  or  more,  an- 
nually, for  the  purpose  of  paying  rewards  for 
promoting  or  increasing  the  culture  of  sugar 
from  the  maple  or  sugar  tree,  or  any  other  sub- 
stances, the  extraction  of  salts  from  ashes  of 
vegetables,  the  introductiou  of  any  new  grain, 
grass  or  root  into  cultivation,  the  raising  the 
greatest  quantity  of  grain,  grass  or  roots  on  any 
given  quantity  of  ground,  the  invention  of  any 
new  and  useful  utensils  in  husbandry,  the  raising 
and  manufacturing  of  wool,  hemp  and  flax  in 
greater  quantities  or  improving  the  value  thereof, 
the  introduction  of  mineral  or  other  measures, 
the  improvement  of  the  breed  of  horses,  black 
cattle,  sheep  or  hogs,  the  making  of  butter  or 
cheese  in  any  given  quantities,  or  any  improve- 
ment in  all  or  every  of  aforesaid  articles,  and 
cause  such  agreement  to  be  filed  in  the  office  of 
the  prothonotary,  whereupon  such  society  shall 
become  a  body  politic  and  corporate  in  deed 
and  in  law,  with  rights,  etc.,  and  be  entitled  to 
have  from    the   county  treasury  annually    the 


sum  of  fifty  dollars  for  every  member  which 
said  county  is  eutitled  to  elect  to  the  House  of 
Representatives." 

In  compliance  with  this  law  the  Wayne 
County  Agricultural  Society  reached  the  point 
of  actual  organization  at  Bethany,  on  the  17th 
of  November,  1821.  Its  original  members 
were, — 


Thomas  Schoonover. 
Elijah  Dix. 
Jason  Torrey. 
Solomon  Moore. 
Jonathan  Jennings. 
Homer  Brooks. 
Samuel  Preston. 
Benjamin  Wheeler. 
Amos  Polly. 
Oliver  Hamlin 
James  Manning. 
Isaai'  Dimmick. 
Jacob  S.  Davis. 


Abisha  Woodward. 
John  K.  Woodward. 
Daniel  Bunting. 
Levi  Green. 
David  Kennedy. 
John  Mumford. 
Sheldon  Norton. 
Alvah  W.  Norton. 
L.  C.  Judson. 
Pope  Bushnell. 
Bethuel  Jones. 
Amzi  Fuller. 
Eliphalet  Wood. 
Thomas  Spangenberg. 


The  first  officers  of  the  society  were  Solomon 
Moore,  president ;  Jacob  S.  Davis,  secretary  ; 
and  John  K.  Woodward,  treasurer.  All  of 
these  were  at  the  time  holding  important  county 
offices.  The  first  fair  was  held  in  Bethany,  on 
the  12th  of  November,  1822,  and  proved  to  be 
for  the  times  an  interesting  exhibition.  The 
quaint  little  county  town  was  full  of  people, 
and  the  taverns,  at  least,  did  a  thriving  busi- 
ness. There  was  no  charge  for  admission,  so 
there  was  no  prospect  of  an  overflowing  treas- 
ury, but  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  the  parties 
interested  in  the  enterprise  cared  little  for  that 
if  the  outcome  of  their  movement  should  be 
a  general  improvement  in  the  agricultural 
status  of  the  county.  The  total  expenditures, 
including  premiums,  were  one  hundred  and 
seventy-two  dollars.  These  were  provided  for 
by  the  regular  contributions  of  members,  sixty- 
four  dollars;  donations,  eight  dollars,  and 
county  appropriation,  one  hundred  dollars.  In 
order  to  raise  even  this  sum,  it  would  appear 
that  the  society  must  have  construed  the  law 
pretty  liberally.  By  the  act  of  March  20, 1822, 
the  House  of  Representatives  was  fixed  at  one 
hundred  members,  the  ratio  of  apportionment 
at  twenty-one  hundred  taxables,  and  North- 
ampton, Wayne  and   Pike  were  to  elect  three 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


261 


members,  the  return  judges  to  meet  at  Easton. 
As  the  entire  population  of  Wayne  County  in 
1822  was  but  little  over  forty-two  hundred,  it 
is  clear  that  she  could  not  fairly  be  regarded  as 
entitled  to  more  than  oue  of  the  three  members 
apportioned  to  the  district,  and  hence  to  but 
fifty  dollars  of  the  county  fund  ;  but  from  the 
fact  that  the  society  was  permitted  to  draw  one 
hundred  dollars  annually,  it  seems  evident  that 
population  rather  than  taxable  inhabitants  must 
have  been  made  the  basis  of  the  demand.  When 
the  question  of  the  election  of  officers  came  up 
in  1822,  Major  Jason  Torrey  was  occupying 
the  present  A.  B.  Gammell  property,  and  hav- 
ing recently  fenced  in  the  lot,  had  planted  it 
with  potatoes,  which,  though  themselves  grow- 
ing finely,  were  badly  hampered  by  a  luxurious 
growth  of  weeds.  His  name  was  suggested  for 
president,  but  the  brusque  (Quaker,  Sam.  Pres- 
ton, the  first  associate- judge  of  the  county,  pro- 
tested that  a  man  who  had  developed  such  a 
crop  of  weeds  as  that  ought  not  to  be  at  the 
head  of  an  agricultural  society,  and  Mr.  Moore 
was  re-elected. 

The  second  fair  of  the  society  was,  at  the 
urgent  request  of  the  Mount  Pleasant  members, 
held  at  the  public-house  of  Enoch  C.  St.  John 
(now  John  Reilly's  hotel),  in  that  township,  on 
Tuesday,  November  4,  1823.  The  domestic 
exhibits  were  made  in  the  school-house.  Con- 
sidering the  condition  of  the  county,  the  prem- 
ium list  was  comprehensive  and  the  prizes  ex- 
tremely liberal.     Its  first  item  reads  : 

"  For  the  best  stud  horse,  worth  at  a  fair  value 

not  less  thau  $250 $10.00" 

From  this  may  be  inferred  the  general  range 
of  premiums  for  live-stock.  There  was  no 
classification  of  pure  bloods  or  grades,  strains 
or  breeds  sixty  years  ago.  There  were  no 
prizes  for  heifers,  or  lambs  or  poultry.  En- 
couragement was  mainly  given  to  stallions, 
working  oxen  and  steers,  rams  and  breeding 
swine.  What  were  then  regarded  as  good 
yields  of  cereals  and  vegetables  may  readily  be 
gleaned  from  the  premiums  offered  for  excep- 
tional crops.  For  instance — "  For  the  best 
crop  of  Indian  corn  raised  on  an  acre,  not  less 
than  70  bushels,  $6  ;"  "  For  the  best  crop  of 


hay  on  an  acre,  not  less  than  three  tons,  $7  ;" 
"  For  the  best  half-acre  of  potatoes,  not  less 
than  two  hundred  bushels,  $5 ;"  "  For  the  best 
quarter  acre  of  turnips,  not  less  than  fifty 
bushels,  $4;"  "  For  the  best  tenth-acre  of  car- 
rots, not  less  than  fifty  bushels,  §4  ;"  and  so  on. 
Corresponding  prizes  were  offered  for  the  best 
acres  of  winter  and  summer  wheat,  rye  and 
oats,  quarter-acre  of  barley  and  half-acre  of 
flax.  The  list  of  premiums  under  the  head  of 
"  Domestic  Manufactures  "  is  decidedly  inter- 
esting as  showing  the  character  of  household 
work  the  matrons  and  misses  of  that  day  were 
engaged  in.  There  is  a  noticeable  absence  of 
rewards  for  crochet  work,  crazy  quilts,  em- 
broidery and  kindred  finery,  but  there  is,  in- 
stead, a  generous  recognition  of  the  more  sub- 
stantial and  useful  products  of  the  dainty  fin- 
gers of  our  grandmothers.  The  following  ex- 
amples are  from  the  list : 

For  the    greatest   quantity   of   grained   maple 

sugar  made  at  one  sugar-camp $4.00 

For  the  best  specimen  of  cheese,  not  less  than 

thirty  pounds 2.00 

For  the  best   and  most  butter   made   from   one 

cow  in  ten  successive  weeks 2.00 

For  the  best  ten  yards  of  woolen  fulled  cloth 
4-4  wide,  manufactured  by  one  family 
(dressing    excepted)   from   wool   raised  by 

the  claimant 5.00 

For  the  best  ten  yards  domestic  casimere  ....  4.00 
For  the  best  ten  yards  of  Hannel  7-8  wide  made 

from  claimant's  materials 3.0O- 

For  the  best  ten  yards  linen  sheeting  4-4  wide  .    3.00- 

For  the  best  ten  yards  of  linen  diaper 2.00 

For  the  best  two  pairs  of  woolen  stockings.  .  .  1.00 
For  the  best  three  sides  sole   and   three  sides 

upper  leather,  each 3.00 

For  the  best  pair  of  boots 2.0f> 

For  the  best  plow 5.00 

For  the  best  machine  for  the  dressing  of   flax 

without  rotting 5.00 

Twenty-five  dollars  were  set  apart  for  pre- 
miums for  articles  of  peculiar  merit,  to  be 
awarded  at  the  discretion  of  the  directors.  Ani- 
mals offered  for  premiums  were  required  to  be 
owned  or  raised  within  the  county,  and  com- 
petitors were  obliged  to  make  affidavit  of  their 
ownership  for  six  mouths  previous  to  the  fair, 
and  produce  proof  of  the  ages  of  their  respective 
animals.  No  animal  having  taken  one  premium 
was  eligible  to  another  at  any  subsequent  ex- 


-202 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


liibition,  "except  for  qualities  different  from 
those  for  which  the  former  prize  was  awarded." 
Competitors  for  premiums  ou  implements  of 
husbandry,  and  on  manufactures,  were  required 
to  prove,  on  oath,  the  facts  relating  to  the 
fabrication  of  the  articles  exhibited,  and  their 
property  in  the  same,  and  all  articles  of  domestic 
manufacture  (excepting  the  machine  for  dressing 
flax),  to  be  entitled  to  premiums,  must  have  been 
wholly  made  within  the  county.  The  directors 
of  the  society  were  evidently  not  wholly  devoid 
of  gallantry.  The  last  clause  of  its  rules  and 
regulations  runs  as  follows :  "  No  premium 
will  be  awarded  for  articles  that,  are  not  above 
mediocrity,  nor  to  others  than  members  of  the 
society,  who  shall  have  paid  all  arrearages, 
females  excepted." 

The  Mount  Pleasant  exhibition  was  hardly 
as  satisfactory  as  its  predecessor,  and  it  was  de- 
termined that  the  next  fair  should  be  held  at 
Bethany.  In  the  mean  time  it  appears  that  the 
quaint  objection  to  Major  Torrey's  presidency 
had  lost  its  force,  for  the  announcement  of  the 
"  Third  Annual  Agricultural  Fair,  Exhibition 
of  Domestic  Manufactures  and  Cattle-Show,  to 
be  held  in  the  Borough  of  Bethany,  on  Tuesday, 
the  2d  of  November,  1824,"  which  appeared  in 
the  Republican  Advocate,  February,  6,  1824,  is 
signed  by  Jason  Torrey,  president,  and  Sheldon 
Norton,  secretary.  John  K.  Woodward  was 
still  retained  as  treasurer. 

By  this  time  there  began  to  be  mutterings  of 
discontent  among  certain  property-holders  at 
the  increased  taxation  required  to  maintain  the 
society.  The  times  were  hard  and  every  addi- 
tional mill  was  regarded  as  a  burden.  There 
were  hints  that  the  requirements  of  the  law 
under  which  the  society  took  its  charter  had 
not  been  strictly  complied  with.  The  com- 
missioners were  reluctant  to  sign  checks  for  the 
annual  grant,  and  Major  Torrey  was  obliged  to 
advance  fifty  dollars  from  his  own  purse,  which 
amount  was  not  paid  him  by  the  county  for 
many  months  afterward.  The  remaining  fifty 
dollars  for  th%  year  1824  was  paid  to  Treasurer 
Woodward,  on  November  2d,  the  day  of  the  fair, 
upon  his  urgent  representation  that  the  amount 
was  needed  to  meet  the  pledges  of  the  society. 
The  only  change  made  in  the  officers  for  1825 


was  the  election  of  Amzi  Fuller  (commissioners' 
counsel)  to  the  position  of  treasurer,  in 
place  of  Mr.  Woodward.  His  duties  were  not 
arduous,  as  during  that  year  the  society  was 
disbanded.  The  payment  of  fifty  dollars  to  the 
new  treasurer  is  the  last  trace  of  its  existence 
that  can  be  found  on  the  records  or  evolved 
from  the  memory  of  "  the  oldest  inhabitant." 
The  money  was  doubtless  used  to  cancel  what- 
ever debts  the  association  may  have  had,  and 
the  well-intended  scheme  was  allowed  to  die  and 
remain  buried  for  nearly  a  generation.  The 
operation  of  the  act  under  which  it  was  organ- 
ized was  restricted  to  a  period  of  eight  years, 
and  its  provisions  were  repealed  by  limitation  in 
1828. 

For  the  following  nineteen  years,  or  at  least 
until  the  sumer  of  1847,  there  appears  to  have 
been  no  agitation  for  a  revival  of  an  agricul- 
tural society  within  the  county  limits.  In- 
terest in  husbandry  had  not  died  out, 
however,  with  the  demise  of  the  old  as- 
sociation, and  the  local  papers  maintained 
throughout  well-edited  farmers'  columns,  to 
which  Pope  Bushuell  and  other  prominent 
tillers  of  the  soil  contributed  timely  and  instruc- 
tive articles.  Meanwhile  the  county  continued 
to  increase  in  population  and  its  farm  lands  to 
augment  in  acreage  and  value.  The  completion 
of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company's 
works  brought  with  it  a  large  influx  of  people 
and  a  consequent  improvement  in  the  market 
for  the  products  of  the  soil.  A  new  demand 
sprung  up  for  better  stock,  more  prolific  seed, 
more  scientific  modes  of  culture,  and  finally  this 
sentiment  crystallized  into  a  call  for  a  meeting 
to  consider  the  propriety  of  organizing  a  new 
society.  It  was  held  at  the  court-house  in 
Honesdale,  on  Thursday,  September  9,  1847. 
It  was  court  week,  and  in  those  days  the  town 
was  overflowing  with  people  at  the  quarterly 
sessions  of  the  County  Courts,  so  that  a  well- 
attended  meeting  was  assured.  Farmers  from 
all  parts  of  the  county  were  present,  and  a  free 
interchange  of  views  as  to  the  expediency  of 
forming  such  an  association  was  had.  The  re- 
sult was  in  favor  of  the  movement,  and  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed,  with  Hon.  E.  W.  Ham- 
lin, of  Bethany,  as  chairman,  to  draft  a  consti- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


tutiou  and  by-laws  for  the  government  of  the 
society,  ami  to  present  them  to  an  adjourned 
meeting  to  be  held  at  the  court-house  during 
the  December  Term.  Mr.  Hamlin  declined  the 
position  assigned  him,  and  Pope  Bushnell,  of 
Dyberry,  was  substituted.  He  called  the  com- 
mittee together  at  the  Mansion  House  on  the 
6th  of  December,  and  submitted  the  plan  for 
the  organization  and  management  of  the  society, 
which  he  had  drawn  up.  It  was  adopted,  and 
a  general  meeting  of  the  friends  of  the  scheme 
was  held  at  the  court-house  on  the  following 
evening  (Tuesday,  December  7,  1.S47),  when  an 
organization  was  effected,  with  the  following 
board  of  officers  :  Richard  L.  Seely,  president; 
James  Manning  and  Moses  Tyler,  vice-presi- 
dents ;  Charles  P.  Waller,  corresponding  secre- 
tary ;  Samuel  E.  Dimmick,  recording  secretary; 
Stephen  D.  Ward,  treasurer  ;  E.  W.  Hamlin, 
Richard  Lancaster,  James  Mumford,  Paul  S. 
Preston,  Daniel  Blandin,  Lucius  Collins,  Zenas 
H.  Russell,  John  Mcintosh  and  James  R. 
Dickson,  managers.  It  is  interesting,  as  show- 
ing the  exceptionally  high  standing  of  the 
officers  thus  chosen,  to  note  that  Colonel  Seely 
and  Mr.  Russell  were,  respectively,  for  many 
years  presidents  of  the  Honesdale  Bank  ;  Messrs. 
Manning,  Tyler,  Preston,  Mumford  and  Dick- 
son, associate  judges ;  Mr.  Waller,  president 
judge  of  the  Wayne  and  Pike  District;  Mr. 
Dimmick,  attorney-general  of  the  State  ;  Messrs. 
Lancaster,  Preston,  Collins  and  Mcintosh, 
sheriffs ;  Mr.  W'ard,  cashier  of  the  Honesdale 
Bank  ;  and  Mr.  Blandin,  collector  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  Canal  Company. 

The  constitution  of  the  society  provided  that 
semi-annual  meetings  should  be  held  on  the 
first  Monday  in  May  and  the  third  Wednesday 
in  October,  at  the  last  of  which  dates  the  annual 
fair  should  be  held.  At  a  meeting  of  the  execu- 
tive committee,  held  on  the  9th  of  February, 
1848,  an  address  to  the  farmers  of  the  county 
was  agreed  upon,  to  be  published  in  connection 
with  the  announcement  of  the  first  fair,  the 
time  for  which  was  fixed  for  Wednesday,  Oc- 
tober 18th.  It  was  stated  in  the  advertisement, 
that  on  the  day  of  the  exhibition  the  society 
would  meet  at  the  court-house  at  two  p.m.,  at 
which   time  addresses  might  be  expected   and 


the  business  of  the  association  would  be  trans- 
acted. The  objects  of  the  society  were  set 
forth  in  rather  high-sounding  terms,  as  follows  : 

"The  advancement  of  agriculture,  the  me- 
chanic arts,  horticulture  and  domestic  and  rural 
economy  in  Wayne  County."  There  appears 
to  have  been  a  noticeable  backwardness  on  the 
part  of  farmers  to  take  hold  of  the  enterprise 
with  the  enthusiasm  which  the  executive  com- 
mittee anticipated,  and  their  disappointment 
found  expression  as  follows :     .     .     . 

"  It  is  not  an  organization  designed  tor  the  exclusive 
benefit  of  those  originally  associated  with  it ;  the  ob- 
ject, tar  beyond  this,  is  the  advancement  of  the  general 
good  of  our  county.  It  is  for  this  that  the  society  works, 
audit  is  not  presumed  that  any  individual  who  has 
or  who  may  become  a  member  is  prompted  in  doing 
so  by  a  desire  only  to  make  private  gain  out  of  it 
farther  than  a  realization  of  a  proportion  of  the 
benefit  accruing  to  the  community  of  which  he  is  a 
member.  From  the  apparent  backwardness  of  the 
great  mass  of  our  citizens  it  is  feared  mistaken  views 
are  entertained  in  reference  to  the  society.  We  can- 
not believe  it  is  from  a  want  of  a  proper  public  spirit. 
It  is  nut  the  individuals  in  most  cases  who  obtain  the 
premiums  for  the  best  horse,  or  cow,  or  crop  that  re- 
ceive the  greatest  benefits  from  the  operations  of  the 
society.  It  is  often  at  great  expense  that  animals  of 
superior  blood  are  introduced,  yet  the  community 
shares  the  advantage  ultimately.  He  who  produces 
a  superior  crop  by  a  successful  experiment  is  not 
more  the  gainer  for  the  small  premium  the  society 
offers  than  the  community  around  him,  who  thereby 
acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  process  without  the 
trouble  and  risk  of  making  the  experiment.  Imme- 
diate and  exclusive  personal  interest,  or  dollars  and 
cents  considerations,  are  not  in  accordance  with  the 
spirit  and  object  of  the  society." 

The  first  semi-annual  meeting  was  held  on  Mon- 
day evening,  May  8, 1 848.  The  board  of  managers 
then  submitted  a  statement  of  the  affairs  of  the 
society,  from  which  it  appeared  to  be  in  a  flour- 
ishing condition  and  with  sufficient  means  pro- 
vided to  insure  the  financial  success  of  the  first 
exhibition.  The  precise  figures  were :  Life 
members,  12;  yearly  members,  59, — total,  71. 
Amount  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the  society 
since  its  organization,  §174;  disbursements, 
$18.89  ;  balance  in  the  treasury,  $155.11.  The 
cost  of  membership  was  one  dollar  per  year. 
The  payment  of  ten  dollars  into  the  treasury 
secured  a  life  membership,  and  twenty-five  dol- 
lars   constituted    the   donor  a  "  patron  "  of  the 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


society.  The  Hon.  William  Jessup,  who  was 
then  the  presiding  judge  of  this  district,  deliv- 
ered an  address  to  the  assembled  farmers,  urg- 
ing the  practicability  and  importance  of  intro- 
ducing agricultural  science  into  common  schools 
as  a  regular  branch  of  instruction.  He  alluded 
to  the  wonderful  discoveries  which  had  lately 
been  made  in  other  departments  of  science,  and 
contended  that  the  improvements  in  agricultural 
knowledge  had  been  equally  surprising.  He 
regarded  farming  as  the  most  important  of  all 
human  pursuits,  as  upon  it  all  other  callings, 
and  eveu  the  existence  of  the  race,  depended. 
Hence  he  believed  that  the  youth  of  the  coun- 
try, the  great  majority  of  whom  must  necessa- 
rily be  engaged  through  life  iu  agriculture, 
should  be  as  thoroughly  educated  in  agricultur- 
al as  in  other  sciences. 

The  efforts  and  arguments  put  forth  by  the 
executive  committee  to  awaken  a  general  inter- 
est in  the  organization  met  with  a  fair  degree  of 
success.  The  first  fair  was  held  under  somewhat 
discouraging  circumstances,  yet  it  was  regarded 
as  an  entirely  satisfactory  exhibit.  The  day  was 
very  stormy  and  disagreeable,  notwithstanding 
which  the  attendance  of  farmers  from  all  parts 
of  the  county  was  epiite  as  large  as  had  been  an- 
ticipated. Citizens  of  all  pursuits  manifested 
great  interest  in  the  proceedings  of  the  day.  The 
meeting  at  the  court-house  was  highly  satisfac- 
tory. Rev.  Abel  Barker,  Pope  Bushuell  and 
C.  S.  Minor  were  the  speakers.  After  the  ad- 
dresses Judge  Dickson  moved  the  appointment 
of  a  committee  to  select  officers  for  the  ensuing 
year.  The  committee  reported  the  following, 
and  their  report  was  adopted  :  President,  Paul 
S.  Preston  ;  Vice-Presidents,  James  Mum  ford 
and  Ezekiel  G.  Wood  ;  Corresponding  Secre- 
tary, Charles  P.  Waller  ;  Recording  Secretary, 
Samuel  E.  Dimmick  ;  Treasurer,  S.  D.  Ward  ; 
Managers,  Zeuas  H.  Russell,  Alexander  Calder, 
George  Goodrich,  J.  P.  Darling,  Pope  Bushuell, 
Oliver  Stevenson  and  Daniel  M.  Eno.  Among 
the  prize-winners  at  this  fair  was  Hon.  Pope 
Bushnell,  of  Dyberry,  who  took  the  first  prem- 
ium on  spring  wheat,  his  yield  being  twenty- 
three  and  a  half  bushels  to  the  acre.  Iu  his 
statement  as  to  the  cultivation  of  the  crop,  Mr. 
Bushnell  gave  the  following  interesting  partic- 


ulars :  "  The  land  was  originally  timbered  with 
beech  and  maple,  which  was  full  of  brush.  Burnt 
in  the  spring  of  1818  and  corn  grown  that  year 
among  the  logs.  In  the  spring  of  1819  the  ground 
was  cleared  of  logs  and  sowed  with  spring  rye. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  it  was  harrowed  and 
sowed  with  winter  rye.  In  the  spring  of  1821 
a  plough  was  for  the  first  time  used  on  my  farm. 
The  laud  was  ploughed  and  planted  with  corn. 
Since  that  time  it  has  been  every  year  planted 
and  cropped  with  wheat  and  corn,  and  has  never 
failed  of  producing  a  good  crop."  At  a  meeting 
of  the  society  held  at  the  court-house  on  the  1 2th 
of  December  following,  Mr.  Bushnell  was  made 
its  president  in  place  of  Mr.  Preston,  who  de- 
clined the  honor  tendered  him.  Judge  Jessup 
delivered  an  interesting  address,  the  result  of 
which  was  the  adoption  of  measures  looking  to 
the  organization  of  farmers'  clubs  throughout 
the  county.  The  second  annual  fair,  held  on 
the  17th  of  October,  1849,  was  well  attended, 
despite  the  inevitable  storm  which  prevailed. 
The  show-grounds  for  live-stock,  around  the 
court-house,  were  at  an  early  hour  well  occupied 
by  a  creditable  display  of  animals  of  im- 
proved quality.  The  court-room  gave  satisfac- 
tory evidence  of  the  interest  awakened  among 
the  ladies  in  the  success  of  the  exhibition.  In 
the  artistic  department  Judge  Seely,  then  Mas- 
ter Heury  M.  Seely  ;  chief  clerk  of  the  Patent- 
Office,  Colonel  F.  A.  Seely,  then  Frank  Seely,  and 
others  who  have  since  filled  prominent  positions 
here  and  elsewhere,  were  among  the  successful 
competitors.  The  new  board  of  officers  elected 
were  E.  W.  Hamlin,  president;  Lucius  Collins 
and  P.  W.  Lerch,  vice-presidents;  Thomas  H.  R. 
Tracy,  W.  R.  McLaury,  John  Torrey,  Aaron 
Loomis,  Henry  Welch,  Amory  Prescott,  Oliver 
Stevenson,  Sylvester  E.  North  and  Thomas 
Clark,  managers.  The  old  secretaries  and  treas- 
urer were  retained.  The  exercises  in  the  court- 
room included  addresses  by  Messrs.  Bushnell 
and  Welch,  which  were  well  written  and  were 
listened  to  with  marked  attention. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  society  was  held  at 
the  treasurer's  office,  February  9,  18-50.  It  was 
addressed  by  Rev.  George  D.  Miles,  of  Wilkes- 
Barre,  Judge  N.  B.  Eldred,  Alexander  Calder 
and  Pope  Bushnell.    Mr.  Miles  dwelt  upon  the 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


2(15 


moral  influence  of  agriculture  on  society,  and 
showed  that  the  prosperity  of  communities  was 
in  direct  ratio  to  the  advancement  of  agriculture. 
Judge  Eldred  introduced  in  his  remarks  com- 
ments on  the  diligence  of  the  agriculturists  of 
Dauphin,  Cumberland  and  other  central  coun- 
ties, and  expressed  the  opinion  that  if  the  farm- 
ers of  Wayne  would  use  the  same  care,  their 
farms  would  produce  equal,  if  not  superior, 
crops.  Mr.  Calder  drew  a  comparison  between 
the  farmer  and  the  lumberman,  showing  the 
superior  independence  of  the  former.  Mr. 
Bushuell  contrasted  the  condition  of  the  Ameri- 
can farmer  with  the  husbandman  of  Europe. 
An  executive  committee  was  appointed,  with 
Judge  Tracy  as  chairman.  The  committee  met 
at  the  treasurer's  office  on  the  24th  of  Septem- 
ber, and  perfected  arrangements  for  the  third 
fair,  fixing  the  time  at  October  16,  1850.  The 
court-house  and  adjoining  yard  was  determined 
upon  as  the  place  for  the  exhibition,  and  it  was 
decided  that  an  admission  fee  of  "one shilling" 
should  be  charged  all  except  members  and 
ladies.  A  large  committee  was  appointed  to 
solicit  subscriptions  in  aid  of  the  society,  and  an 
auctioneer  selected  to  sell  all  articles  exhibited 
which  the  owners  were  willing  to  dispose  of. 
The  fair  was  held  at  the  appointed  time,  and 
was  somewhat  of  an  improvement  on  its  prede- 
cessors. Among  the  premiums  awarded  was 
one  for  a  set  of  artificial  teeth  to  Dr.  Otis 
Avery,  "  having  a  newly-invented  hinge  in  the 
room  of  the  awkward  fixture  heretofore  in  use, 
and  an  air  chamber  on  a  new  and  improved 
principle,  warranted  by  the  depositor."  Dr. 
Avery  also  received  favorable  notice  for  a 
sample  of  gold  foil  manufactured  by  himself. 
Addresses  were  delivered  by  Mr.  Hamlin,  the 
president,  and  Pope  Bushnell,  Esq.  The  follow- 
ing officers  were  chosen  for  the  ensuing  year  : 
President,  Hon.  N.  B.  Eldred  ;  Vice-Presidents, 
Virgil  Grenell,  Dr.  E.  T.  Losey  ;  Correspond- 
ing Secretary,  Pope  Bushnell  ;  Recording  Secre- 
tary, Oliver  Stevenson  ;  Treasurer,  S.  D.  Ward, 
with  a  full  board  of  managers.  Mr.  Hamlin's 
address  was  so  eloquent  and  instructive,  it  was 
requested  for  publication  by  a  committee  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  the  county,  and  it  appeared  in 
the  Wayne  County  Herald  of  October  31,1850. 
26 


On  the  21st  of  January,  1851,  the  Pennsyl- 
vania State  Agricultural  Society  was  organized 
at  Harrisburg.  A  convention  for  the  purpose 
was  held  in  that  city,  and  Hon.  George  W. 
Woodward,  a  native  of  this  county,  and  one  of 
the  most  prominent  citizens  of  the  State,  was 
made  its  chairman.  Delegates  were  present 
from  nearly  all  of  the  counties  of  the  common- 
wealth. A  constitution  was  adopted,  and  a 
memorial  to  the  Legislature  prepared,  asking 
for  a  charter.  On  the  appointment  of  the  per- 
manent officers  of  the  society,  Mr.  Woodward 
was  made  honorary  vice-president.  The  first 
member  of  the  organization  to  represent  our 
present  senatorial  district  was  the  Hon.  William 
Jessup,  of  Montrose,  formerly  our  president 
judge.  The  next  meeting  of  the  Wayne  County 
Society,  held  May  6,  1851,  was  an  important 
one.  Judge  N.  B.  Eldred  occupied  the  chair  and 
delivered  an  appropriate  address  in  exposition 
of  the  object  of  the  meeting,  stating  that  it  was 
for  the  purpose  of  taking  steps  to  secure  to  the 
society  the  benefits  of  the  law  passed  at  the  last 
session  of  the  Legislature  relative  to  County 
Agricultural  Associations.  By  this  law,  which 
is  still  iu  force,  county  societies  are  authorized 
to  receive  annually  from  the  county  commis- 
sioners a  sum  equal  to  the  yearly  contributions 
of  their  members,  not  to  exceed  one  hundred 
dollars.  Steps  were  also  taken  to  make  the 
society  an  auxiliary  to  the  State  organization. 
The  president  was  authorized  and  directed  to 
appoint  a  committee  of  one  in  each  township  in 
the  county  to  induce  farmers  and  others  to  be- 
come members  of  the  local  organization,  which 
he  proceeded  to  do  forthwith.  During  the 
evening  Hon.  George  W.  AVoodward  addressed 
the  meeting.  He  gave  an  interesting  account  of 
the  state  of  agriculture  in  Pennsylvania,  alluded 
to  the  efforts  of  great  minds  then  being  made  to 
strip  the  science  of  its  drudgery,  and  spoke  of  the 
great  good  to  be  derived  from  the  formation  of 
the  State  Agricultural  Society,  provided  county 
associations,  and  farmers  generally  acted  in  con- 
cert with  it.  After  the  address  Judges  Tracy, 
McLaury  and  Mumford  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  make  arrangements  for  constituting  the 
Wayne  County  Agricultural  and  Mechanic  Arts 
Society  an  auxiliary  to  the  State  Association. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


As  au  experiment,  and  to  satisfy  the  clamor 
of  a  number  of  farmers  who  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  Honesdale  was  being  unwarranta- 
bly favored,  the  next  exhibition  of  the  Wayne 
County  Society  was  held  at  Waymart,  ten  miles 
from  the  couuty-seat,  October  15,  1851.  The 
usual  premiums  were  awarded.  At  the  meet- 
ing of  the  executive  committee  the  constitu- 
tion was  so  amended  as  to  permit  the  annual 
fair  to  be  held  one  week  later  for  the  future. 
The  society  was  addressed  by  the  president, 
Hon.  N.  B.  Eldred,  and  Pope  Bushnell,  Esq. 
William  R.  Stone  was  chosen  president  for  the 
ensuing  year;  Gabriel  Howell  and  Henry 
Welch,  vice-presidents  ;  Samuel  E.  Dimmick, 
corresponding  secretary  ;  and  Jackson  Wood- 
ward, recording  secretary.  S.  D.  Ward  was  re- 
tained as  treasurer.  But  little  change  was  made 
in  the  board  of  managers.  The  attendance  at 
the  fair  was  rather  meagre,  and  the  executive 
board  determined  upon  Honesdale  as  the  place 
for  the  next  exhibition.  At  a  subsequent  meet- 
ing the  fair  was  fixed  for  Wednesday,  October 
20,  1852.  It  was  largely  attended,  and  the 
display  of  stock  and  other  articles  was  unusual- 
ly fine.  Among  the  premiums  awarded  was 
one  for  a  sewing-machine,  invented  and  exhib- 
ited by  Dr.  Otis  Avery,  which  was  described  in 
the  report  as  "  very  ingenious."  It  is  worthy 
of  remark  that  the  doctor  subsequently  sold  his 
invention,  and  on  the  12th  of  May,  1854,  sailed 
for  England  with  the  purchaser  and  his  finan- 
cial agent  (a  Mr.  North),  in  order  to  introduce 
the  machine  in  that  country  ;  the  impression 
prevailing  then  that  the  extended  preparations 
in  progress  for  a  general  European  war  would 
create  a  demand  for  soldiers'  clothing  and  bring 
the  invention  into  immediate  requisition.  Un- 
der the  provisions  of  the  new  law,  before  re- 
ferred to,  the  society  received  this  year  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-one  dollars  from  the  county 
treasury.  The  May  meetings  of  the  association 
having  been  discontinued,  the  date  for  the  next 
fair  was  fixed  at  this  time.  The  first  Wednes- 
day in  October,  1853  (the  5th),  was  decided  upon, 
ami  a  committee  was  appointed  to  procure  a 
tent  for  the  use  of  the  society,  the  accommoda- 
tions afforded  by  the  court-house  being  re- 
garded as  inadequate.     Oliver  Stevenson,  then 


sheriff,  was  chosen  president  for  the  ensuing 
year;  Russell  F.  Lord  and  Virgil  Grenell, 
vice-presidents;  Abraham  Swart,  correspond- 
ing secretary  ;  E.  B.  Burnham,  recording  secre- 
tary ;  and  S.  D.  Ward,  treasurer.  Abiratn 
Winton  was  continued  as  general  agent.  Mr. 
Swart  declined  the  office  tendered  him,  and 
Marshal  Wheeler  was  substituted  as  correspond- 
ing secretary.  His  report  of  the  fair  of  1853 
was  very  full  and  interesting,  bristling  with 
practical  hints  and  sensible  strictures  upon  the 
shortcomings  of  the  judges  in  the  several  de- 
partments. His  report  concludes  as  follows  : 
"  All  together  the  last  has  been  the  best  fair 
ever  held  in  the  County.  It  is,  however,  earn- 
estly hoped  that  next  October  will  beat  this. 
The  hints  given  to  certain  committees  have  all 
been  made  for  the  good  of  the  Society,  and  free 
from  any  ill  will.  Will  they  be  taken  and  acted 
upon  ?  If 'yes'  be  the  answer,  then  we  shall 
soon  have  fairs  in  this  County  not  to  be  equaled 
in  the  State." 

The  officers  selected  for  1854  were  C.  P. 
Waller,  president ;  Z.  H.  Russell  and  Virgil 
Grenell,  vice-presidents;  Marshall  Wheeler, 
corresponding  secretary;  and  E.  ().  Hamlin,  re- 
cording secretary.  During  the  December  Term 
of  court,  1853,  a  large  meeting,  called  under  the 
auspices  of  the  society,  was  held  at  the  court- 
house. It  was  addressed  by  Judges  James  M. 
Porter  and  William  Jessup. 

The  fair  of  1854  was  held  October  4th.  It 
was  a  very  satisfactory  exhibition,  and  the  at- 
tendance was  unusually  large.  At  one  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  the  regular  business  meeting  of 
the  society  was  held.  It  was  addressed  by  E. 
F.  Stewart,  Esq.,  of  Easton,  Pa.,  and  J.  W. 
Fowler,  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  Edward  O. 
Hamlin  was  appointed  a  committee  to  draw  up 
and  publish  an  address  to  the  citizens  of  Wayne 
County  on  the  importance  of  the  Agricultural 
Society  to  them,  and  William  H.  Dimmick  was 
invited  to  deliver  the  annual  address  in  1855. 
The  following  officers  were  chosen  for  the  com- 
ing year :  President,  Captain  Aaron  Flower ; 
Vice-Presidents,  Hon.  N.  B.  Eldred  and  Samuel 
Allen ;  Corresponding  Secretary,  E.  O.  Ham- 
lin ;  Treasurer  and  General  Agent,  Abiram 
Winton  ;  Managers,  George  G.  Waller,  W.  R. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


267 


Stone,  John  Carr,  Piatt  Darling  and  Gabriel 
Howell.  In  submitting  his  report  the  secretary, 
Hon.  E.  O.  Hamlin,  took  occasion  to  compli- 
ment Miles  L.  Tracy,  Thomas  J.  Ham,  William 
H.  Ham,  Jason  Torrey,  Robert  N.  Torrey  and 
William  Henry  Stone  for  services  both  on  the 
day  of  the  fair,  and  also  in  preparing  the  pro- 
ceedings for  publication. 

The  exhibition  for  1855  was  held  on  Wed- 
nesday, October  17th.  The  day  was  unusually 
fine  and  the  attendance  very  large.  Among 
the  more  notable  premiums  awarded  was  one  to 
Mrs.  Sarah  Benjamin,  aged  one  hundred  and 
ten  years,  for  the  best  specimen  of  tow  cloth 
and  yarn.  The  president,  Captain  Flower,  was 
unable  to  be  present,  and  Samuel  Allen,  one  of 
the  vice-presidents,  acted  in  his  place.  The 
following  officers  were  chosen  for  the  ensuing 
year :  President,  Thomas  H.  R.  Tracy  ;  Vice- 
President,  C.  P.  Waller  and  Gabriel  Howell ; 
Corresponding  Secretary,  Charles  Avery  ;  Re- 
cording Secretary,  Wm.  H.  Ham ;  Treasurer, 
Elkanah  Patmor ;  Managers,  G.  G.  Waller,  P. 
W.  Lerch,  Henry  Bishop,  Lucius  Collins  and 
Abiram  Wintou.  It  was  decided  that  the  fair 
for  1856  should  be  held  two  days  instead  of 
one  ;  but  it  so  fell  out  that  no  exhibition  was 
held  at  all.  One  of  the  provisions  of  the  by- 
laws of  the  society  was  that  the  sum  total  of 
the  premiums  offered  in  any  one  year  should 
not  exceed  three-fourths  of  the  money  in  the 
treasury.  When  the  time  arrived  for  advertis- 
ing the  premium  list  for  1856  the  treasurer  re- 
ported that  he  had  been  unable  to  secure  the 
balance  in  the  hands  of  his  predecessor,  and 
that  hence  there  was  nothing  in  the  exchequer 
available  for  the  purposes  of  the  society.  The 
new  board  of  officers  made  several  attempts  to 
secure  a  settlement  with  the  derelict  agent,  but 
without  success,  and  they  were  finally  obliged 
to  abaudou  the  idea  of  a  fair.  The  annual 
meeting  was  held,  however,  on  the  1 7th  of  Oc- 
tober at  the  office  of  the  president,  C.  P.  Wal- 
ler, and  committees  were  appointed  in  every 
township  and  borough  in  the  county  to  secure 
subscriptions  in  aid  of  the  society.  A  new  list 
of  officers  was  elected,  as  follows  :  President,  L. 
L.  Demiug ;  Vice-Presidents,  Myron  Jakway 
and  Jacob  L.  Keen  ;  Corresponding  Secretary, 


Charles  Avery ;  Recording  Secretary,  William 
H.  Ham ;  Managers,  P.  W.  Lerch,  Henry 
Bishop,  Lucius  Collins  and  Abiram  Winton. 
The  date  for  the  next  fair  was  fixed  for  the 
first  Wednesday  and  Thursday  in  October, 
1857. 

But  the  society  had  received  its  death-blow. 
When  the  subscription  committee  tried  to  re- 
awaken an  interest  in  the  association,  with  a  view 
to  a  resumption  of  the  annual  fairs,  they  were 
met  with  expressions  of  distrust  in  the  manage- 
ment and  a  general  fire  of  adverse  criticism 
which  soon  drove  them  from  the  field.  The 
extreme  stringency  of  the  money  market  also 
had  a  depressing  effect  upon  the  effort  to  raise 
funds  by  voluntary  subscriptions.  The  panic 
of  1857  was  one  of  the  most  disastrous  in  the 
history  of  the  country,  and  Wayne  County  suf- 
fered her  full  share  of  the  trouble.  The  reports 
of  the  agents  of  the  society  were  of  such  a  dis- 
couraging nature  as  to  completely  dishearten 
the  board  of  managers,  and  before  the  time  ap- 
pointed for  the  eighth  exhibition  the  project 
had  been  totally  abandoned.  While  the  society 
was  in  existence  it  accomplished  much  good  for 
the  stock-raisers  and  farmers  of  Wayne.  Its 
officers,  as  a  rule,  were  selected  from  among  the 
very  best  citizens  of  the  county.  It  awakened 
a  commendable  spirit  of  competition  among  our 
husbandmen,  and  the  strife  to  obtain  the  best 
seeds  and  the  purest  bloods  became  general.  Its 
collapse  just  in  the  period  of  its  greatest  use- 
fulness was  an  event  to  be  sincerely  deplored. 

Of  the  present  Agricultural  Society  of 
Wayne  County,  although  it  has  had  an  un- 
interrupted and  successful  history  of  a  quarter 
of  a  century,  neither  the  limits  of  this  article 
will  permit  nor  do  the  necessities  of  the  case 
require  so  detailed  an  account  as  has  been  given 
of  its  predecessors.  Its  inception  may  be  traced 
to  an  editorial  article  which  appeared  in  the 
Wayne  County  Herald  of  October  31,  1861,  in 
which,  after  dwelling  at  considerable  length 
upon  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  such  in- 
stitutions, the  writer  (who  was  afterwards  for 
twenty-two  years  secretary  of  the  society) 
says, — 

"...  We  suggest  that  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanic 
Arts  Association  of  this  County,  which,  forsome  reason 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


was  allowed  to  go  down  some  years  since,  be  revived, 
in  order  that  these  evidences  of  improvement  may  be 
brought  more  plainly  into  public  notice,  and  our 
agriculturists  stimulated  to  still  greater  efforts  to 
make  their  business  profitable.  Several  leading- 
farmers  with  whom  we  have  conversed  express  their 
readiness  to  take  hold  of  the  matter,  and  there  is  no 
reason  why  it  should  not  be  done  at  once.  Officers 
might  lie  elected  this  fall,  and  all  other  necessary  steps 
taken  to  insure  a  successful,  beneficial  and  creditable 
fair  next  year.  Let  us  hear  from  our  farmer  friends  in 
the  back  townships,  and  if  the  suggestion  meets  with 
general  approval,  we  are  ready  to  lend  our  influence 
to  get  the  institution  fairly  started  at  the  earliest 
possible  day." 

The  next  issue  of  the  paper  contained  a  for- 
mal call  for  a  meeting  of  those  favorable  to  the 
resuscitation  of  the  Wayne  County  Agricultural 
and  Mechanic  Arts  (Society,  at  the  court-house 
in  Houesdale,  on  Monday  evening,  December 
2,  1861,  when  such  measures  would  be  taken  to 
that  end  as  should  seem  advisable.  The  call 
was  signed  by  A.  Flower,  E.  R.  Jones,  E.  H. 
Clark,  Wm.  F.  Wood,  C.  P.  Haller,  H.  R. 
Stone,  Wm.  Hartwell  and  Thomas  Ham.  Of 
those  public-spirited  meu,  only  W.  F.  Wood 
and  E.  R.  Jones  are  now  living.  The  meeting 
was  held  pursuant  to  the  call  and  was  attended 
by  a  large  number  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the 
county.  Hon.  E.  W.  Hamlin,  of  Bethany,  was 
called  to  the  chair.  The  vice-presidents  were 
E.  R.  Jones  and  Chauncey  Denting,  and  C. 
P.  Tallman,  now  a  respected  octogenarian,  of 
Preston,  was  chosen  secretary.  Its  deliberation 
resulted  in  a  determination  to  organize  a  new 
society  rather  than  to  resuscitate  the  old  one,  and 
a  committee  of  five,  consisting  of  Samuel  Allen, 
C.  P.  Waller,  Ephraim  Pulis,  A.  Flower  and 
E.  W.  Hamlin,  was  appointed  to  draw  up  a 
constitution  and  by-laws  for  the  government  of 
the  proposed  association.  An  auxiliary  commit- 
tee of  one  was  selected  in  each  township,  to  co- 
operate with  the  central  committee  in  furthering 
the  success  of  the  movement. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1862,  the  committee 
(Wm.  H.  Ham  having  been  added  thereto)  met 
at  the  Allen  House,  and,  after  consultation,  ap- 
pointed Mr.  Ham  a  sub-committee  to  prepare  a 
charter  for  the  society.  On  the  15th  another 
meeting  was  held  at  the  Allen  House,  when 
the  committee  reported  a  constitution  drawn  up 


iu  full  and  signed  by  fifty-two  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  the  county  as  corporators.  It  was 
adopted  and  ordered  to  be  presented  to  the 
court  for  confirmation.  February  24,  1862,  the 
charter  having  been  granted,  the  corporators 
met  at  the  Allen  House  and  organized  the  first 
board  of  officers,  agreeably  to  its  provisions,  as 
follows:  President,  Hon.  E.  W.  Hamlin  ;  Vice- 
President,  P.  W.  Lerch ;  Secretary,  Wm.  H. 
Ham  ;  Treasurer,  S.  D.  Ward.  The  constitu- 
tion provided  for  a  managing  board  of  fifteen 
directors,  the  terms  of  five  of  whom  should  ex- 
pire every  year,  and  the  vacancies  thus  created 
be  filled  by  an  annual  election.  The  first 
board  of  directors  was  elected  and  classified  as 
follows  : 

For  one  year— S.  K.  Vail,  E.  H.  Clark,  A. 
K.  Hoxie,  E.  K.  Norton,  William  Hartwell. 

For  two  years — E.  W.  Hamlin,  Sam'l  Allen, 
E.  R.  Jones,  P.  W.  Lerch,  Orrin  Lester. 

For  three  years — A.  Flower,  C.  P.  Waller, 
Ephraim  Palis,  W.  H.  Ham,  A.  B.  Walker. 

The  stock  of  the  society  was  placed  at  rive 
dollars  per  share,  and  committees  were  appointed 
in  the  several  townships  to  secure  subscriptions 
for  the  same.  Subseiptently  Nelson  D.  Allen 
was  made  general  agent  of  the  society  for  the 
sale  of  its  stock,  and  a  large  proportion  of  the 
three  hundred  and  fifty  shares  disposed  of  dur- 
ing the  first  six  mouths  were  sold  by  him. 

March  13,  1862,  the  board  of  directors  met 
at  the  Allen  House  and  adopted  by-laws  for  the 
government  of  the  society.  At  this  meeting  a 
committee  was  appointed  to  locate  a  favorable 
site  for  exhibition  grounds,  and  receive  propos- 
als for  the  sale  or  rent  of  same.  The  work  im- 
posed upon  this  committee  proved  to  be  impor- 
tant and  arduous.  It  eventually  involved  not 
only  the  selection  of  suitable  grounds  for  the 
annual  fairs,  but  the  inclosing  of  the  same,  the 
construction  of  a  half-mile  track  for  trials  of 
speed,  the  erection  of  convenient  and  commodi- 
ous buildings  for  exhibition  purposes,  officers' 
rooms,  etc.  They  worked  with  a  will,  how- 
ever, and  by  the  time  fixed  for  the  first  exhibi- 
tion, had  everything  fairly  in  readiness.  The 
grounds  selected  comprise  twenty-two  acres  and 
eighteen  and  one-half  perches  of  level  bottom 
land,  situate  about  midway  between  Bethany 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


and  Honesdale,  on  the  Dingman's  Choice  turn- 
pike, and  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  corpora- 
tion limits  of  the  county  seat.  It  is  a  beautiful 
spot  in  the  summer  and  autumn.  On  either 
side  rise  high  hills  covered  with  dense  forests, 
which,  at  the  usual  season  for  the  holding  of 
the  exhibitions  present  a  combination  of  colors 
of  the  most  charming  description.  Skirting 
the  grounds  on  the  east  is  the  sparkling  Dy- 
berrv  Creek,  which,  joining  the  west  branch  at 
Honesdale,  forms  the  Lackawaxen.  Looking 
south,  the  graceful  spires  of  the  Honesdale 
churches  are  seen  towering  toward  the  sky.  ( )n 
the  north  the  roads  branch,  one  winding  up  the 
picturesque  valley  of  the  Dyberry,  and  the 
other  climbing  the  steep  hills  to  Bethany.  At 
their  junction,  on  an  elevated  plateau,  command- 
ing a  full  view  of  the  grounds,  is  situate  the 
hostelry  of  Martin  K.  Kimble,  which  was  the  life- 
Long  residence  of  his  fath  er,  the  original  owner  of 
the  tract,  and  one  of  the  sturdy  pioneers  of  Wayne. 
The  society  at  first  leased  the  grounds  for 
a  term  of  five  years,  at  a  rental  of  seventy-five 
dollars  per  year,  with  the  privilege  of  purchase 
at  any  date  within  that  period,  at  the  price  of 
eighty  dollars  per  acre.  Having  occupied  it 
under  the  lease  from  April,  1862,  to  April, 
1867,  the  society  bought  it  outright  on  the  17th 
of  April,  1867,  paying  to  Messrs.  E.  B.  and 
(i.  AY.  Kimble,  the  owners,  SI  769.25,  agreeably 
to  the  terms  of  the  contract.  The  fence  in- 
closing the  tract  was  built  under  contract  by 
William  F.  Wood,  and  cost  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars.  The  buildings,  sheds,  stalls,  etc., 
were  erected  at  various  times,  at  an  aggregate 
expense  of  about  three  thousand  dollars.  It 
was  the  intention  of  the  directors  to  procure  a 
tent  for  use  at  the  first  fair,  and  through  the 
agency  of  Judge  Dickson,  then  living  in  Phil- 
adelphia, a  large  second-hand  canvas  was  pur- 
chased of  the  old  circus  firm  of  Gardner  & 
Hemmings,  for  which  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-five dollars  was  paid,  but  which,  unfortu- 
nately, did  not  reach  Honesdale  until  after  the 
exhibition.  It  was  used  at  several  subsequent 
fair.-,  and  found  very  convenient,  but  finally  be- 
coming tattered  and  dilapidated  in  appearance, 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  junk  dealer.  The 
grounds  presented  an  animated  appearance  dur- 


ing the  summer  and  fall  of  1862.  There  was 
much  to  be  done  to  put  them  in  order,  and  many 
stockholders  of  the  society  and  friends  of  the 
movement  turned  in  with  a  will  to  do  it. 
"  Frolics  "  were  frequent,  the  refreshments  for 
which  were  generously  prepared  by  the  ladies, 
and  the  best  of  spirits  constantly  prevailed.  A 
grand  picnic  within  the  inclosure  wound  up  the 
series  of  gatherings  which  had  accomplished  so 
much.  It  was  a  most  enjoyable  party,  and  was 
regarded  as  a  happy  augury  for  the  future  of 
the  society. 

The  first  fair  was  held  on  Tuesday,  Wednes- 
day and  Thursday,  October  7,  8  and  9,  1862. 
Tlie  weather  throughout  was  delightful  and  the 
attendance  quite  as  large  as  could  have  been  ex- 
pected, taking  into  consideration  the  state  of  the 
country,  then  in  the  midst  of  civil  war.  The 
exhibition  itself  was  entirely  satisfactory.  A 
notable  incident  connected  witli  this  fair  is  wor- 
thy of  record  here.  As  the  date  fixed  for  the 
exhibition  approached,  it  was  discovered  that, 
owing  to  the  advance  in  the  market  value  of 
gold  and  silver  coin,  the  great  bulk  of  specie 
had  disappeared  from  circulation,  and  that,  even 
if  a  sufficient  amount  of  it  could  lie  obtained 
for  the  use  of  the  ticket-agents  in  making  change 
at  the  gates,  the  very  considerable  premium  at 
which  it  was  held  would  make  its  use  in  ex- 
change for  bills  an  expensive  luxury.  In  this 
emergency  the  secretary  bethought  him  of  a 
plan  to  meet  the  difficulty.  He  caused  a  large 
number  of  tickets  to  be  printed  "good  for  5 
cents,"  "good  for  10  cents,"  and  so  on.  These, 
signed  by  the  secretary,  were  used  freely  during 
the  fair,  and  found  to  be  a  great  convenience. 
These  cards  were  the  pioneer  "shin-plasters," 
which  subsequently  came  into  such  general  cir- 
culation during  and  subsequent  to  the  war.  Af- 
ter the  exhibition  the  society  had  several  hun- 
dreds of  dollars,  face  value,  of  them  printed  ou 
bank-note  paper,  and,  until  they  were  finally  all 
redeemed,  they  passed  current  among  the  mer- 
chants and  tradesmen  of  this  section. 

During  the  first  year  of  the  society's  existence 
the  extraordinary  outlays  required  for  buildings, 
track,  tent,  premiums,  etc.,  were  so  much  in  ex- 
cess of  the  income  from  sales  of  stock  and  re- 
ceipts at  the  annual  fairs,  it  was  found  necessary 


70 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


to  provide  the  needful  funds  by  loans.  These  were 
readily  obtained  from  the  bank  and  private  indi- 
viduals at  the  ordinary  rate  of  interest.  One  of 
the  first  to  accommodate  the  society  in  this  di- 
rection was  the  venerable  widow  of  Judge  Na- 
thaniel B.  Eldred,  of  Bethany,  who  furnished 
the  board  of  directors  with  one  thousand  dollars 
and  allowed  it  to  remain  in  their  hands  for  sev- 
eral years.  The  cash  required  for  the  purchase 
of  the  grounds  was  mainly  raised  by  subscrip- 
tion at  the  time.  Directors  E.  W.  Hamlin,  E. 
G.  Wood,  Richard  Henwood  and  C.  P.  Waller 
canvassed  Honesdale  for  that  purpose  and  secured 
eight  hundred  dollars  within  two  days.  Small- 
er amounts  were  obtained  in  the  same  manner 
in  outlying  townships.  The  soliciting  com- 
mittees were  named  on  the  14th  of  March,  1807, 
and  by  the  1st  of  April  the  required  cash  was 
in  the  treasurer's  hands.  At  this  time  it  first 
appears  to  have  occurred  to  the  managers  of  the 
society  that  they  were  entitled,  under  the  State 
law,  to  an  annual  appropriation  of  one  hundred 
dollars  from  the  county  treasury.  The  point 
being  suggested,  Mr.  Hamlin  was  appointed  a 
committee  to  look  into  the  matter.  He  reported 
at  a  subsequent  meeting  that  he  had  been  unable 
to  find  any  such  law  in  the  statutes  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  that,  in  answer  to  a  communication 
from  him  on  the  subject,  the  secretary  of  the 
Monroe  County  Agricultural  Society  had  writ- 
ten that  he  was  not  aware  of  the  existence  of 
such  a  provision  in  the  acts  of  the  commonwealth. 
The  law  was  afterward  found,  however,  and  a 
formal  demand  for  one  hundred  dollars  per  year 
for  the  seven  years'  existence  of  the  society  (in- 
cluding 1868)  made  upon  the  Board  of  County 
Commissioners.  By  agreement  a  case  stated  was 
submitted  to  the  court  as  to  the  county's  liabil- 
ity, and  a  decision  rendered,  Judge  George  R. 
Barrett  presiding,  in  favor  of  the  association. 
Under  it  the  society  received  seven  hundred  dol- 
lars from  the  county  treasury  in  1868,  and  has 
been  paid  one  hundred  dollars  per  year  from 
the  same  source  ever  since. 

In  March,  1867,  a  movement  was  inaugurated 
in  the  board  of  directors  which  finally  resulted 
in  securing  a  handsome  yearly  addition  to  the 
funds  of  the  organization.  A  committee  was 
appointed  to  draft  an   additional   section  to  the 


act  known  as  the  "  Susquehanna  Dog  Law,"  ex- 
tending the  provisions  of  the  same  to  the  couuty 
of  Wayne,  and  providing  that  the  surplus  funds 
accruing  from  its  enforcement  should  be  appro- 
priated for  the  benefit  of  the  Wayne  County 
Agricultural  Society.  This  amendment,  pre- 
pared by  the  late  Judge  Waller,  was,  largely 
through  the  influence  of  the  Hon.  J.  Howard 
Beach,  who  was  then  in  the  legislature,  and  had 
been  president  of  the  society,  passed,  and  received 
the  Governor's  signature.  It  was  not  until  1876, 
however,  that  the  society  received  any  direct 
benefit  from  the  act.  The  county  declining  to 
pay  over  the  surplus,  as  required  by  law,  on  the 
3d  of  January  of  that  year  Messrs.  Hamlin, 
Whitney  and  Secretary  Ham  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the  soci- 
ety in  the  premises.  As  a  result  of  their  inves- 
tigation of  the  condition  of  the  "  dog  fund," 
made  during  the  annual  settlement,  five  hundred 
dollars  were  checked  from  the  surplus  to  the 
benefit  of  the  association.  July  28,  1877, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  were  so 
paid;  December  3,  1867,  six  hundred  dollars; 
January  5,  1878,  six  hundred  dollars,  and  in 
January,  1879,  three  hundred  dollars.  The  law 
as  to  the  appropriation  of  the  surplus  was  then 
changed,  the  school  fund  becoming  the  benefi- 
ciary. The  tax  on  dogs  was,  however,  so  re- 
duced in  the  same  enactment  that  sufficient 
moneys  have  never  since  been  collected  to  dis- 
charge the  claims  for  sheep  damages,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  accumulation  of  a  surplus. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  annual  fairs  of  the 
society,  which  have  been  held  in  every  consecu- 
tive year  since  1862,  the  society  has,  from  time 
to  time,  opened  the  grounds  for  trials  of  speed, 
stock  sales  and  other  purposes  of  interest  to  the 
farming  and  stock-raising  community.  Many 
public  meetings  have  also  been  held  at  the  court- 
house in  Honesdale,  under  its  auspices,  and  farm- 
ers' clubs  organized  in  accordance  with  its  sugges- 
tions. It  was  the  custom,  for  several  years,  to 
provide  for  an  annual  address  on  some  agricul- 
tural topic,  to  be  delivered  on  the  fair  grounds 
during  the  exhibitions,  and  a  great  deal  of  prac- 
tical information  was  thus  imparted  to  the 
thousands  in  attendance.  Among  the  speakers 
on  these  occasions  have   been   Horace  Greeley, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Bayard  Taylor,  Hon.  George  R.  Barrett,  Wil- 
liam L.  Headley  and  others  of  note.  Most  of  the 
addresses  were  subsequently  printed,  either  in  the 
newspapers  or  in  pamphlet-form,  and  given 
an  extensive  circulation  throughout  the  county. 
In  the  malter  of  printing  the  society  has  ever 
pursued  a  liberal  policy,  issuing  a  pamphlet 
every  year,  and,  by  all  other  available  means, 
seeking  to  awaken  and  continue  the  interest  of 
the  people  in  its  success.  In  1870  a  somewhat 
extended  historical  sketch  of  the  county,  writ- 
ten by  the  secretary — Thomas  J.  Ham — was 
printed  in  connection  with  the  society  pamphlet 
and  distributed  gratuitously  to  every  farmer  in 
Wayne. 

The  annual  fairs  have  invariably  been  cred- 
itable, so  far  as  the  merits  of  articles  on  exhi- 
bition were  considered  ;  but  the  attendance  has 
fluctuated  greatly  on  account  of  stormy  weather 
and  other  unavoidable  circumstances.  Since 
its  organization  the  financial  transactions  of  the 
society  have  aggregated  about  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  per- 
sons who  have  been  directors  of  the  society 
since  its  organization,  in  the  order  of  their  elec- 
tion : 


S.  K.  Vail. 
E.  H.  Clark. 
A.  K.  Hoxie. 
E.  K.  Norton. 
Wm.  Hartwell. 
E.  W.  Hamlin.1 
Samuel  Allen.1 
E.  R.  Jones. 
P.  W.  Lereh. 
Orrin  Lester. 
Aaron  Flower. 
Chas.  P.  Waller.1 
Ephraim  Pulis. 
Wm.  H.  Ham. 
A.  B.  Walker. 
J.  Howard  Beach. 
S.  D.  Ward. 
N.  A.  Munroe. 
Virgil  Gavlord. 
E.  G.  Wood. 
John  McFarland. 
Isaac  N.  Chalker. 
Henry  Jennings. 


R.  P.  Patterson. 
Tims.  (  'harlesworth. 
W.  N.  Alberty. 
John  Male- 
Dr.  Jos.  Jones. 
Thos.  Y.  Boyd. 
Henry  Ball. 
J.  D.  Blake. 
Horace  Weston.1 
M.  B.  Allen. 
Jos.  Atkinson. 
George  Fitze. 
John  F.  Lee. 
Allis  Whitney. 
John  Jackson. 
Robert  N.  Torrey. 
George  E.  Moase. 
H.  H.  Webb. 
E.  B.  Gager. 
Augustus  Hartung.  - 
Wm.  Stephens. 
Perry  A.  Clark. 
W.  H.  Fitze. 


Richard  Webb. 
Richard  Henwood. 
Geo.  W.  Kimble. 
Ezekiel  Reed.1 
R.  R.  Bryant. 
Geo.  Sandercock.1 
G.  H.  Bunnell. 
J.  W.  Seaman. 
A.R.  Peck. 
Ensign  Egelston. 


L.  G.  Clearwater. 

D.  M.  Eno. 

J.  E.  Woodmansee. 
Henry  Hartung." 
Philip  R.  Murray. 
J.  J.  Fulkerson. 

E.  P.  Jones. 

E.  H.  Ledyard. 
S.  H.  Vail. 


The  following  table  shows  the  officers  of  the 
society,  chosen  at  the  annual  elections,  from  its 
organization  in  1862  to  this  date  (1886) : 

1862.— E.  W.  Hamlin,  president;  P.  W.  Lerch, 
vice-president;  W.  H.  Ham,  secretary  ;  S.  D.  Ward, 
treasurer. 

1863.— E.  AV.  Hamlin,  president;  P.  W.  Lerch, 
vice-president;  Isaac  F.  Ward,  secretary;  J.  Mcin- 
tosh, treasurer. 

1864.— E.  W.  Hamlin,  president;  0.  P.  Waller, 
vice-president;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary;  Thos.  J. 
Ham,  treasurer. 

1865.— E.  W.  Hamlin,  president;  C.  P.  Waller, 
vice-president;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary;  Thos.  J. 
Ham,  treasurer. 

1866. — C.  P.  Waller,  president ;  E.  R.  Jones,  vice- 
president  ;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary ;  Thos.  J.  Ham, 
treasurer. 

1867.— E.  W.  Hamlin,  president ;  E.  R.  Jones,  rice- 
president;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary;  Thos.  J.  Ham, 
treasurer. 

1868.— E  W.  Hamlin,  president;  E.  R.  Jones,  vice- 
president;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary ;  Thos.  J.  Ham, 
treasurer. 

1869.— E.  W.  Hamlin,  president;  E.  R.  Jones,  vice- 
president  ;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary  ;  Thos.  J.  Ham, 
treasurer. 

1870. — J.  H.  Beach,  president ;  E.  R.  Jones,  vice- 
president  ;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary  ;  Thos.  J.  Ham, 
treasurer. 

1871. — J.  H.  Beach,  president ;  E.  R.Jones,  vice- 
president;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary ;  Thos.  J.  Ham, 
treasurer. 

1872. — Dr.  Joseph  Jones,  president ;  E.  W.  Ham- 
lin, vice-president;  Thos.  J.Ham,  secretary;  Thos. 
J.  Ham,  treasurer. 

1873— E.  W.  Hamlin,  president;  W.  N.  Alberty, 
vice-president;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary;  F.  W. 
Grenell,  treasurer. 

1874.— E.  W.  Hamlin,  president ;  W.  N.  Alberty, 
vice-president ;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary ;  J.  K.  Jen- 
kins, treasurer. 

1875.— E.  W.  Hamlin,  president;  W.  N.  Alberty, 
vice-president;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary  ;  J.  K.  Jen- 
kins, treasurer. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


1876.— E.  W.Hamlin,  president;  W.  N.  Alberty, 
vice-president ;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary ;  James  B. 
Eldred,  treasurer. 

1877.— E.  W.  Hamlin,  president;  W.  N.  Alberty, 
vice-president ;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary  ;  James  B. 
Eldred,  treasurer. 

1878—  E.  W.  Hamlin,  president;  W.  N.  Alberty, 
vice-president ;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary ;  James  B. 
Eldred,  treasurer. 

1879.— E.  W.  Hamlin,  president;  W.  N.  Alberty, 
vice-president;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary;  James  B. 
Eldred,  treasurer. 

1880— J.  Howard  Beach,  president ;  \V.  N.  Alberty, 
vice-president;  Thus.  J.  Ham,  secretary;  James  B. 
Eldred,  treasurer. 

1881.— J.  Howard  Beach,  president ;  W.  N.  Alberty, 
vice-president ;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary ;  James  B. 
Eldred,  treasurer. 

1882.— J.  Howard  Beach,  president;  W.  N.  Alberty, 
vice-president;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary;  James  B. 
Eldred,  treasurer. 

1883.— J.  Howard  Beach,  president ;  W.  N.  Alberty, 
vice-president;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary;  James  B. 
Eldred,  treasurer. 

1884.— J.  Howard  Beach,  president;  W.  N.  Alberty, 
vice-president;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary  ;.  James  B. 
Eldred,  treasurer. 

1885.— J.  Howard  Beach,  president;  W.  N.  Alberty, 
vice-president;  Thos.  J.  Ham,  secretary;  James  B. 
Eldred,  treasurer. 

1886.— W.  N.  Alberty,  president ;  Geo.  E.  Moase, 
vice-president ;  N.  F.  Underwood,  secretary  ;  J.  M. 
Bauman,  treasurer. 

Many  of  those  who  have  faithfully  served 
the  society  in  the  capacity  of  directors  are  now 
in  their  graves.  The  association  sustained  an 
irreparable  loss  in  the  death  of  Samuel  Allen, 
whose  labors  in  its  behalf  were  untiring.  The 
minutes  of  the  organization  contain  many  de- 
served tributes  to  the  memory  of  Messrs.  Alien, 
Hamlin,  Waller  and  others  who  were  among 
its  founders  and  active  friends. 

The  society  has  a  present  membership  of  four 
hundred  and  fifty,  holding  eleven  hundred  and 
seventeen  shares  of  stock. 

In  the  opinion  of  the  writer,  the  beneficial 
influence  of  this  organization  cannot  be  over- 
estimated. It  is  not  too  much,  at  all  events,  to 
assume  that,  to  the  degree  to  which  Wayne 
County  farms  and  Wayne  County  stock  are  su- 
perior to  those  in  localities  with  equal  natural 
advantages,  but  remote  from  the  stimulating 
influence  of  competitive  exhibitions,  is  the 
Wayne    County    Agricultural    Society    to    be 


credited    for    the    present    prosperity    of    our 
farmers. 

The  following  statistics,  taken  from  the  cen- 
sus reports  of  1850  and  1880,  tell  their  own  story 
of  Wayne  County's  advancement  during  the 
intervening  period  of  thirty  years.  We  may 
add,  that  never  during  that  time  was  her  pro- 
gress in  the  agricultural  line  so  great  as  has  been 
the  case  since  1880.  This  assertion  will  be 
amply  corroborated  by  the  statistics  of  the 
enumeration  to  be  taken  two  years  hence, — 

Wayne.  1850.  1880. 

Improved  land  (acres) 59,569  173,285 

Number  of  farms 1,340  3,586 

Valueof  farms $2,188,166  $8,392,507 

Value  of  farm  implements  and 

machinery  $103,046  $332,298 

Number  of  horses 1,603  5,544 

Number  of  mules 2  96 

Number  of  milch  cows 3,963  14,199 

Number  of  working  oxen 2,276  1,572 

Number  of  other  cattle 5,339  19,294 

Number. of  sheep 10,963  19,543 

Number  of  swine 3,535  7,734 

Value  of  live-stock $381,536  $1,150,097 

Wheat  raised  during  year  (bush.)  6,177  7,114 

Rye  raised  during  year  (bush.)...  27,285  34,764 

Corn  raised  during  year  (bush.)..  50,577  171,664 

Oats  raised  during  year  (bush.)..  96,094  278,985 
Buckwheat    raised    during    year 

(bush.)  60,786  142,966 

Wool  (lbs.) 28,928  90,261 

Potatoes  (bush.) 130,338  310,792 

Butter  (lbs.) 391,814  1,423,753 

Hay  (tons) 25,380  64,616 

It  is  estimated  that  not  less  than  an  average 
of  five  thousand  head  of  cattle  have  been  driven 
out  of  Wayne  County  yearly  for  several  years 
past.  Correspondingly  large  shipments  are 
annually  made  to  the  city  markets  of  butter, 
eggs,  apples,  potatoes,  turnips,  honey  and  other 
farm  products. 

The  present  officers  of  the  Wayne  County 
Agricultural  Society  are:  President,  W.  N.  Al- 
berty ;  Vice-President,  George  E.  Moase  ;  Sec- 
retary, Hon.  N.  F.  Underwood ;  treasurer,  J.  M. 
Bauman.  Mr.  Underwood  has  also  for  some 
years  represented  the  society  in  the  State  Board 
of  Agriculture.  It  is  with  a  degree  of,  we 
hope,  pardonable  pride  that  we  reproduce  from 
the  minutes  of  the  last  meeting  for  the  election 
of  officers,  held  February  22,   1886,  the  fol- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


273 


lowing  resolutions.  Mr.  Beach  having  posi- 
tively declined  a  re-election  as  president,  and 
Mr.  Ham  having  announced  a  similar  deter- 
mination as  to  the  office  of  secretary,  on  motion 
of  Mr.  Woodmansee,  it  was 

"Resolved,  That  iu  consideration  of  the  efficient  and 
faithful  services  in  the  Chair  of  the  retiring  Presi- 
dent, J.  Howard  Beach,  extending  over  a  period  of 
many  years,  lie  is  entitled  to  the  sincere  thanks  of 
this  Board,  and  they  are  hereby  tendered,  and  this 
action  ordered  to  be  spread  upon  the  minutes  of  the 
Society." 

And  on  motion  of  Mr.  Beach  it  was  unani- 
mously declared  that, — 

"  Whereas,  Thomas  J.  Ham  has  served  the  Wayne 
County  Agricultural  Society  as  Secretary  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and  of  all  the 
stockholders  for  the  last  twenty-two  years,  therefore 
be  it 

"R&olved,  That  in  view  of  the  eminent  fitness  and 
ability  displayed  by  him  for  the  position  which  he 
has  so  long  filled,  and  the  faithful  manner  in  which 
he  has  performed  the  duties  of  his  office,  we  deeply 
regret  that  he  feels  constrained  through  personal  con- 
siderations and  the  press  of  other  duties  to  decline 
the  re-election  unanimously  tendered  him. 

"Resolved,  That  a  vote  of  thanks  lie  hereby  tendered 
Mr.  Ham,  and  that  this  action  of  the  Board  be  spread 
upon  the  minutes  of  this  Society  and  furnished  the 
County  papers  for  publication." 

It  remains  only  to  be  said,  in  conclusion,  that 
the  society  is  in  excellent  hands,  and  only  re- 
quires the  sincere  and  active  support  of  the 
formers  of  Wayne  to  insure  for  it  in  the  future 
as  successful  and  useful  a  career  as  it  has  had 
in  the  past. 

Wayne  County  Fakmeks'  Institute. — 
The  first  County  Farmers'  Institute  ever  held  in 
Wayne  County,  or,  as  is  believed,  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, was  held  at  Honesdale,  February  1 
and  2,  1883.  The  subject  of  holding  such 
institutes  had  been  agitated  to  some  extent  in  the 
State  Board  of  Agriculture  for  a  year  or  two 
previously,  and  while  some  of  the  members  of 
that  body  favored  the  idea,  it  was  not  thought 
best  by  the  majority  of  them  that  the  board 
should  undertake  anything  in  that  line.  N.  F. 
Underwood,  then  representing  the  Wayne 
County  Agricultural  Society  in  that  body, 
thinking  that  something  of  the  sort  might  be 
done,    and    some    good    accomplished    for    the 


farming  interests  of  the  county,  without  outside 
assistance,  conferred  with  a  number  of  the 
leading  and  public-spirited  farmers  of  various 
parts  of  the  county,  and  found  so  many 
ready  and  willing  to  give  the  project  their 
countenance  and  assistance,  that  it  was  agreed 
that  a  call  should  be  issued,  and  an  invitation 
extended  to  farmers  and  others  who  might  feel 
interested,  to  meet  at  the  date  above-named. 
Among  those  most  active  in  rendering  assist- 
ance  were  E.    K.  Norton,    of  Clinton  ;  Hon. 

A.  B.  Gammell,  of  Bethany  ;  T.  J.  Crocker,  of 
Damascus  ;  J.  E.  Woodmansee,  of  Buckingham  ; 
C.  E.  Kilpatrick,  of  Preston  ;  J.  T.  Stocker,  of 
Salem  ;  Hon.  E.  O.  Hamlin,  of  Bethany  ;  and 

B.  B.  Smith,  of  Honesdale.  The  county  papers 
rendered  valuable  assistance  by  printing  the  call 
for  the  meeting  gratuitously,  calling  attention 
to  the  s;ime  editorially  and  publishing  full  re- 
ports of  the  proceedings.  Among  the  papers 
read  were,  "  Fruit  Culture  in  Wayne  County," 
by  E.  K.  Norton  ;  "  Thoroughbred  Stock,"  by 
J.  E.  Woodmansee  ;  "  Dairy  Interests,"  by  C.  E. 
Kilpatrick  ;  "  Root  Crops,"  byA.B.  Gammell ; 
etc.  Spirited  discussions  followed  the  reading 
of  the  essays,  and  addresses  were  also  made  by 
Hon.  E.  O.  Hamlin  and  Professor  H.  B.  Lar- 
rabee.  County  Superintendent  Hon.  A.  B. 
Gammell  was  chosen  president,  and  R.  M. 
Stocker,  then  register  and  recorder  of  the 
county,  was  elected  secretary,  The  attendance 
was  much  better  than  had  been  anticipated, 
numbering  on  the  second  day  at  le^st  one  hun- 
dred, and  all  felt  that  the  meeting  was  an  un- 
qualified success. 

It  was  resolved  to  hold  a  similar  meeting  in 
1884,  and  a  committee  to  arrange  for  the  same 
was  elected,  as  follows:  N.  F.  Underwood, 
A.  B.  Gammell,  E.  K.  Norton,  J.  Howard 
Beach,  J.  T.  Stocker,  P.  W.  Collins  and  J.  E. 
Woodmansee. 

The  institute  of  1884  met  in  Honesdale,  in 
February.  E.  K.  Norton  was  elected  president 
and  B.  B.  Smith  and  J.  C.  Birdsall,  vice-presi- 
dents- C.  E.  Kilpatrick  was  chosen  secretary. 
Essays  were  read  as  follows  :  "  Fertilizers  and 
Their  Action,"  by  Professor  J.  M.  Dolph,  prin- 
cipal of  Honesdale  schools  ; "  Chemical  Constitu- 
ents of  Plants,"  by  Professor  Henry  A.  Smith, 


274 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


of  Honesdale ;  "  Best  Breeds  of  Sheep  for  Wayne 
County,"  by  J.  C.  Birdsall,  of  Seeleyville ; 
"The  Grazing  Lauds  of  Wayne  County,"  by  N. 
F.  Underwood  ;  "  Fruit  Culture,  Planting  and 
Varieties,"  by  T.  J.  Crocker ;  "  How  shall  we 
prevent  the  ravages  of  the  bot-fly  (Estrun 
Bovis)  ?  "  by  P.  G.  Goodrich,  of  Bethany.  These 
and  other  subjects  were  fully  discussed,  and  the 
question,  "  Can  a  farmer  run  in  debt  for  a 
farm  in  Wayne  County,  and  pay  for  it  out  of 
the  proceeds  of  the  same?  "  brought  out  a  great 
variety  of  opinions.  The  attendance  at  this 
meeting  was  good,  though  not  quite  equal  to 
that  of  1883.  Again  Wayne  County  took  the 
lead,  by  the  Farmers'  Institute  of  1884  naming 
the  first  Monday  in  May,  of  that  year,  to  be 
observed  as  "  Arbor  Day"  in  said  county.  This 
antedated  the  proclamation  of  Governor  Patti- 
son,  who  named  April  17,  1885,  as  Arbor  Day 
for  the  State,  by  one  year,  and  we  are  gratified 
to  be  able  to  state  that  it  was  quite  generally  ob- 
served in  the  county,  and  that  many  hundreds 
of  shade  and  ornamental  trees  are  now  growing 
which  were  plauted  on  that  day. 

It  was  decided  to  hold  another  institute  in 
1885,  and  a  committee  was  named  to  arrange 
for  it,  consisting  mostly  of  the  former  committee, 
with  Hon.  A.  B.  Gammell  as  chairman.  An 
effort  was  made  to  secure  some  outside  lecturers. 
Major  Alvord,  of  Houghton  Farm,  N.  Y.,  was 
applied  to  to  assist,  and  a  day  was  named  for  the 
meeting.  He  could  not  come  on  that  day,  and 
the  meeting  *vas  postponed  one  week,  or  until 
February  8th.  Again  he  was  unable  to  come,  and 
by  this  time  the  snow  had  become  deep,  and 
the  traveling  difficult,  many  of  the  roads  being- 
blockaded  with  drifts.  Quite  a  goodly  number, 
however,  managed  to  get  to  the  meeting,  and  as 
none  came  merely  out  of  curiosity,  the  meeting 
was  not  second  in  interest  to  those  previously 
held.  N.  F.  Underwood  was  chosen  chairman, 
and  D.  M.  Eno  and  A.  B.  Gammell,  vice- 
presidents.  Theodore  Day,  of  Dyberry,  read  an 
essay  on  "  The  Insect  Enemies  of  the  Apple- 
Tree."  William  Stephens,  of  Bethany,  explained 
his  method  of  rutabaga  culture.  The  subject 
of  public  roads  and  road-making  machinery 
was  considered  at  some  length,  and  this  dis- 
cussion  brought  forth  practical  and  profitable 


fruits  during  the  present  season,  by  leading  to 
the  introduction  through  the  county  of  quite  a 
number  of  improved  road-working  machines 
whereby  the  roads  have  been  greatly  improved, 
at  much  less  cost  than  by  the  old  methods. 
Judge  Henry  M.  Seely,  of  Honesdale,  delivered 
a  very  interesting  address  in  the  evening.  "  The 
Best  Breed  of  Cows  for  Wayne  County  "  was 
duly  considered,  and  brought  out  many  points 
of  interest.  Other  subjects  received  attention, 
and  again  the  first  Monday  in  May  was  ap- 
pointed as  "  Arbor  Day,"  the  date  named  by  the 
Governor  beiug  too  early  for  this  latitude.  A 
committee  was  again  named  for  an  institute 
in  1886.  The  Legislature  of  1885,  upon  re- 
commendation of  the  State  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture, appropriated  one  thousand  dollars  annually 
for  the  next  two  years  to  enable  the  State 
Board  to  send  competent  assistants  to  these  in- 
stitutes upon  application. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Educational    Matters   in    General— The    Law   of    1834— 
Teachers'   Institutes — County  Superintendents  ' 

The  first  movement  tending  to  the  popular- 
ization of  the  schools  was  made  in  1810,  under 
the  school  law  of  the  year  previous.  The  school 
law  of  1809  was  meagre  in  its  provisions 
and  secured  only  a  slight  advance  towards  the 
admirable,  but  by  no  means  perfect,  present 
system  of  education,  though  it  was  the  initial 
step  in  the  direction  of  making  the  schools 
common, — i.e.,  public,  free  to  all. 

Prior  to  that  time  but  a  few  schools  existed 
in  the  county.  At  the  beginning  of  the  cen- 
tury Wayne  County  consisted  of  six  sub-divi- 
sions, or  townships;  but  it  was  larger  then  than 
now,  and  the  whole  of  one  of  them  (Lacka- 
waxen)  and  a  considerable  portion  of  another 
(Palmyra)   were   included   in  territory  now  in 


1  This  chapter  is  in  some  measure  based  on  the  report 
of  County  Superintendent  D.  G.  Allen  for  1877,  but  is 
materially  enlarged  by  the  introduction  of  matter  princi- 
pally upon  the  County  Teachers'  Institutes,  obtained  from 
various  other  sources.  For  a  particular  account  of  the 
various  individual  schools  the  reader  is  referred  to  the 
several  local  chapters. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Pike  County.  It  is  probable  that  in  the  four 
townships  which  lay  wholly  within  the  present 
limits  of  Wayne  —  Buckingham,  Canaan, 
Damascus  and  Mount  Pleasant  —  and  the 
fifth,  Palmyra,  largely  within  those  limits, 
there  were  not  more  than  five  schools,  or 
one  to  each  township,  though  Canaan  is 
known  to  have  contained  more  than  one  in 
1802.  Mount  Pleasant  had  a  school  as  early 
as  1794,  Damascus  probably  much  earlier,  and 
Salem  certainly  not  long  after.  John  Tyler, 
who  taught  in  Mount  Pleasant  in  the  winter  of 
1799-1800,  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  male 
teacher  in  the  couuty  ;  and  Mr.  Woodbridge, 
author  of  the  old  geography,  who  taught  in 
Salem  in  1808  or  before,  was,  perhaps,  the  first 
educator  in  the  county  who  was  the  possessor  of 
marked  scholarship.  Schools  were  opened  in 
the  various  centres  of  settlement  as  fast  as  the 
number  of  families  became  sufficiently  large  to 
give  them  support,  and  by  1810  there  were  not 
far  from  a  score  of  very  humble  places  of  learn- 
ing in  the  couuty. 

The  schools  were  of  the  most  primitive  char- 
acter. Instruction  in  them  was  usually  limited 
to  "  the  three  R's :  Reading,  'Kiting  and  'Rithme- 
tic,"  and  the  latter  beyond  the  "  rule  of  three  " 
was  considered  a  wonderful  achievement.  The 
buildings  were  usually  rude  log  structures, 
though  at  least  one  framed  school-house  was 
erected  in  the  couuty  by  1804,  in  Mount  Pleas- 
ant. Many  years  later  than  that,  when  consid- 
erable progress  had  been  made,  the  average 
school-house  was  still  a  most  dismal  and  unin- 
viting building.  It  was  "  about  16  x  24  feet 
and  seven  feet  high,  without  paint  or  plaster, 
with  clap-boards  agape  to  catch  the  winds  of 
winter,  and  the  few  7x9  panes  that  were  left 
were  rattling  from  their  decayed  sash.  The  desks 
consisted  of  boards  pegged  up  against  the  side 
of  the  house  and  the  benches  were  made  of 
slabs,  having  the  exterior  or  round  portion  of 
the  log  down,  supported  by  four  straddling 
wooden  legs,  driven  into  auger-holes  and  stick- 
ing above  the  top  of  the  bench  like  hatchet- 
teeth.  These  benches  were  planed  on  the  top 
by  the  tardy  process  of  friction.  Their  height 
was  apparently  determined  without  any  refer- 
ence to  the   size  of  the  scholars   who    were    to 


occupy  them.  In  the  majority  of  cases  the 
scholars  reversed  the  ordinary  practice  of  stand- 
ing up  and  sitting  down.  They  literally  sat 
up  and  stood  down,  their  heads  being  higher 
while  sitting  than  standing." 

The  schools  were  all  supported  entirely  by 
private  subscription  until  the  law  of  1 801  *  be- 
came the  opening  wedge  which  gradually  made 
a  place  in  them  for  the  poor  at  public  expense, 
and  eventually  brought  about  the  system  of 
defraying  by  taxation  the  entire  expenses  of 
educating  all  children.  The  law  made  it  oblig- 
atory upon  the  county  commissioners  to  col- 
lect, through  the  assessors,  the  names  of  all  the 
children  whose  parents  were  too  poor  to  pay  for 
their  schooling.  Such  children  were  to  be  al- 
lowed to  attend  the  subscription  schools,  the 
teachers  were  to  make  out  their  bills  for  tuition, 
stationery,  etc.,  and  when  the  same  had  been 
approved  by  the  trustees  of  the  school  or  three 
respectable  citizens,  they  were  to  be  presented  to 
the  commissioners  and  sworn  to.  Orders  were 
then  drawn  on  the  county  treasurer  for  the 
amount  of  each.  Under  this  law  the  assessors 
in  Wayne  County  returned  twenty-seven  poor 
children  in  1810,  twenty-nine  in  1811  and  two 
hundred  and  thirty-five  in  1834,  which  was  the 
last  year  the  law  was  in  force.  The  first  money 
expended  under  the  law  was  in  1811,  when 
§34.67  was  drawn  by  Robert  Beardslee  and 
Hannah  Forbes.  The  entire  amount  drawn  in 
the  county  during  the  operation  of  the  law — 
that  is  about  twenty-four  years — was  not  far 
from  two  thousand  dollars.  The  law  created 
an  unpleasant  and  unrepublican  feeling  of  caste 
in  the  school  and  community.  Many  parents 
kept  their  children  from  school  rather  than  to 
have  their  names  entered  upon  the  "  poor  list," 
and  many  children  of  the  poor  refused  to  go  to 
school  because  of  the  taunts  which  were  flung 
at  them  on  the  ground  of  their  being  "  county 
scholars." 

This  condition  of  things  was  remedied  by  the 
law  of  1834,  which  created  the  common-school 
system  and  made  taxation  the  basis  of  its  sup- 
port. It  was  made  optional  for  a  township 
to  accept  or  reject  the  provisions  of  this  law  by 
a  vote  at  the  regular  election,  and  in  many  por- 
tions of  the  State   the  law   remained   therefore 


27(5 


.WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


inoperative  for  many  years,  but  to  the  credit  of 
Wayne  County,  the  law  was  at  once  adopted  in 
all  of  its  districts,  and  it  is  a  significant  fact  that 
to-day  its  educatioual  status  is  far  ahead  of  that 
of  some  counties  which  tardily  adopted  the  law 
of  1834. 

Under  the  requirements  of  the  law,  a  joint 
convention  of  the  county  commissioners  and 
one  delegate  from  each  school  district  was  called 
to  meet  at  Bethany  to  arrange  for  the  inaugura- 
tion of  the  new  system.  The  following  dele- 
gates responded :  Earl  Wheeler,  J.  Monroe, 
Paul  Preston,  George  Welch,  Samuel  Heddeu, 
Elisha  Lincoln,  Truman  Wheeler,  Rufus  Gre- 
nell,  Andrew  Davison,  David  Kimble,  Oliver 
Hamlin,  Edward  Bortree,  Charles  Forbes  and 
John  Ball.  Among  other  business,  these  com- 
missioners and  delegates  levied  a  county  tax 
for  school  purposes  of  $3000.  The  .State  ap- 
propriation was  $407.09,  making  a  total  of 
$3407.09. 

The  following  inspectors, — two  from  each 
township, — whose  duty  it  was  to  inspect  the 
schools  and  examine  the  teachers,  were  appointed 
under  the  provisions  of  the  law,  viz.:  Rev. 
Joel  Campbell,  John  Torrey,  Henry  Bartlett, 
George  Wurts,  Rev.  Henry  Curtiss,  Thomas 
Fuller,  Richard  L.  Seely,  John  Belknap,  James 
Mumford,  Jr.,  Peter  Sherman,  Warner  M.  Pres- 
ton, Alexander  Calder,  George  Kellam,  Jacob 
W.  Welch,  Luther  Appier,  George  S.  Young, 
John  Lincoln,  Joseph  Bass,  Charles  Wheeler, 
William  R.  Stone,  Sheldon  Norton,  David  S. 
West,  Isaac  Brown,  Andrew  Davison,  Enos 
Woodward,  Harvey  Purdy,  Jonathan  Richard- 
son, Phineas  Howe,  Jr.,  Erastus  Wright,  Phin- 
eas  G.  Goodrich,  Gershom  Williams,  Lemuel 
Mallery. 

The  term  of  service  of  these  inspectors  ex- 
pired the  following  year,  and  their  duties  then 
fell  upon  the  school  directors  elected  in  accord- 
ance with  the  law. 

In  1836  the  delegate  meeting  was  abandoned 
and  the  duties  of  the  delegates  were  thereafter, 
as  now,  discharged  by  the  directors,  in  whom 
was  thus  merged  the  powers  originally  possessed 
by  commissioners,  delegates  and  inspectors.  In 
1837  the  State  appropriation  was  increased  to 
$1372.     Thus  gradual  improvement  was  made 


in  the  support  of  the  educational  forces,  and 
the  schools  slowly  increased  in  the  measure  of 
their  effectiveness.  There  is  no  record  of  a 
building-tax  prior  to  1854,  and  we  are  informed 
that  until  then  school-houses  were  erected  by 
private  contribution. 

The  County  Sri'ERiNTEXDENTS. — The  year 
1854  marked  the  beginning  of  a  notable  era  of 
advancement.  Not  only  were  taxes  then  levied 
for  building  school-houses,  but  the  county  su- 
perintendency  was  created,  a  system  of  exam- 
ining and  granting  certificates  to  teachers  was 
founded,  and  the  cause  of  education  was  enhanced 
by  making  it  compulsory  that  schools  should 
be  kept  open  at  least  four  months  before  receiv- 
ing the  benefit  of  the  State  appropriation.  Be- 
sides these  measures  of  improvement,  Teachers' 
Institutes,  presently  to  be  treated  of  at  length, 
came  into  existence  and  materially  stimulated 
an  interest  in  the  best  educational  methods. 

The  first  person  on  whom  was  conferred  the 
honor  of  the  responsible  position  of  county  su- 
perintendent of  instruction  was  John  F.  Stod- 
dard, who  was  chosen  to  fill  the  office  in  1854. 
The  salary  was  at  that  time  only  five  hundred 
dollars  per  annum.  Professor  Stoddard,  who 
was  a  distinguished  educator,  and  exerted  a 
strong  influence  for  good  on  the  schools  of 
Wayne  County,  died  near  Newark,  N.  J.,  on 
August  (5,  1873. 

The  subsequent   holders  of  the  office  were, — 

1859.  S.  A.  Terrell.  1877.  D.  G.  Allen. 

1866.  E.  O.  Ward.  1878.  H.  B.  Larrabee. 

1869.  J.  E.  Hawker.  1884.  J.  H.  Kennedy. 

As  soon  as  teachers  were  subjected  to  a  uni- 
form examination  by  the  county  superintend- 
ent, the  necessity  of  training-schools  was  made 
evident,  and  to  meet  the  demand,  the  Wayne 
County  Normal  School  was  organized  in  1855, 
at  Prompton,  with  L.  H.  Gibson  as  principal. 
This  school  has  since  been  in  operation  nearly 
every  year,  under  Superintendent  S.  A.  Terrell, 
F.  P.  Kimble  and  others.  There  being  no  State 
Normal  School  in  the  district  including  Wayne 
(No.  4,  embracing  also  the  counties  of  North- 
ampton, Carbon,  Monroe,  Pike  and  Luzerne), 
the  community  has  had  to  look  to  the  higher 
schools  of  the  county  for  its  teachers.  The  Hol- 
listerville   Normal    School,  the  High  School  of 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Mount  Pleasant  and  the  graded  schools  of 
Honesdale  have  performed  good  service  in 
fitting  young  men  and  women  for  the  pro- 
fession. 

Institutes. — Teachers'  Institutes  had  then- 
real  inception  in  Wayne  County  in  a  meeting, 
or  "association,"  held  at  Bethany,  in  November, 
1853.  It  was  not  termed,  though  it  was,  in  fact, 
an  institute.  It  was  announced,  or  called,  by 
the  following,  which  appeared  in  the  Honesdale 
Democrat,  under  the  heading   of " Education," 


upon 


October  5,  1853 


who  were  named 


"  The  Trustees  of  the  University  of  Northern  Penn- 
sylvania, feeling  deeply  interested  in  the  advancement 
of  Common  School  as  well  as  Academic  education, 
and  believing  one  of  the  most  effectual  means  of  se- 
curing proper  attention  to  this  subject  is  the  establish- 
ment of  Teachers'  Associations  for  the  mutual  benefit 
and  encouragement  of  Teachers  themselves,  as  well  as 
for  awakening  in  the  minds  of  the  people  generally  a 
deeper  interest  in  respect  to  the  improvement  of  com- 
mon schools  and  a  higher  respect  for  the  teacher's 
profession,  propose  to  hold  such  an  association  in  the 
village  of  Bethany,  to  commence  on  the  1st  of  Novem- 
be  next  and  continue  three  days.  To  this  association 
they  would  invite  all  the  teachers  of  the  County  and 
of  the  adjacent  counties,  together  with  all  others  who 
may  feel  an  interest  in  its  proceedings.     .     .     . 

"  Lectures  will  be  delivered  on  various  literary  and 
scientific  subjects,  among  which  we  may  mention  the 
following: 

"  Dr.  John  B.  McMunn,  of  Middletown,  N.  Y.,  on 
English  Grammar. 

"  Charles  W.  Sanders,  A.M.,  of  New  York,  on  Read- 
ing and  Elocution. 

"  Mr.  Edward  Brooks,  on  Botany  and  Vocal  Music. 
"  D.  Jerome  Jones,  A.B.,  on  History. 
"  Prof.  Justin  R.  Loomis,  formerly    of  Waterville 
College,  on  Geology  and  Philosophy.     .     .     ■ 

"  There  will  also  be  lectures  on  Mathematics,  Nat- 
ural Philosophy  and  the  Art  of  Teaching.  Prof.  J. 
F.  Stoddard  will  devote  his  attention  to  the  interests 
of  the  Association,  and  will  lecture  on  such  subjects 
as  circumstances  may  require.  During  the  Session 
there  will  be  a  discussion  on  the  defects  of  the  present 
System  of  Education  and  the  best  means  of  improv- 
ing it.  The  establishment  of  a  County  Teachers'  As- 
sociation will  also  come  up  for  consideration. 

"  P.  G.  Goodrich,  Secretary. 
"  N.  B.  Eldeed,  Chairman. 
"  Bethany,  Oct.  5th,  1853." 

The  convention  was  carried  out  practically 
upon  the  programme  announced,  Professor  G. 
Stoeubly  and  Pope  Bushnell,  Esq.,  delivering 


addresses  in  addition  to  the 
in  advance. 

The  first  County  Teachers'  Institute,  denomin- 
ated as  such,  was  held  in  Honesdale  in  October, 
1S54,  by  County  Superintendent  John  F.  Stod- 
dard, who  was  assisted  in  making  preparations 
for  it  by  a  committee  consisting  of  William  H. 
Ham,  G.  A.  Fuller  and  Miles  L.  Tracy.  In- 
terest in  the  proposed  meeting  was  awakened  by 
the  following  announcement  published  several 
weeks  in  advance  in  the  local  newspapers  : 

"  In  view  of  advancing  the  cause  of  education,  the 
teachers,  school  directors  and  friends  of  education  of 
Wayne  and  the  surrounding  counties  are  cordially 
invited  to  attend  a  Teachers'  Institute  to  be  held  at  the 
court-house  in  the  village  of  Honesdale,  commencing 
on  Monday  at  ten  o'clock  A.M.,  October  23d,  and  to 
continue  until  Friday  afternoon  of  that  week. 

"The  object  ofthe  institute  is  to  bring  the  teachers  to- 
gether for  mutual  improvement  and  to  create  a  regular- 
ty  organized  Teachers'  Association  which'shall  enkindle 
more  of  a  spirit  of  brotherhood  among  the  teachers 
themselves  and  tend  to  their  advancement  in  science,, 
literature  and  the  art  of  teaching.  Efforts  will  be 
made  during  the  meeting  to  give  such  instruction  in 
the  branches  of  study  usually  taught  in  our  schools 
as  is  calculated  to  render  teachers  worthy  of  a  certifi- 
cate,  -nid  to  prepare  them  to  enter  the  school-room 
with  the  prospect  of  doing  their  patrons  more  efficient 
service  as  instructors. 

"A  general  demand  is  made  for  qualified  teachers. 
Several  applications  have  already  been  made  by  di- 
rectors of  the  county  for  teachers  whose  services  are 
worth  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  dollars  per  month. 
Many  of  the  school  directors  have  assured  me  that 
they  will  be  present  during  the  latter  part  of  the  week 
for  the  purpose  of  engaging  teachers  for  their  winter 
schools.  .  .  .  and  that  they  will  permit  all  teachers 
whose  schools  are  in  session  during  the  week  of  the 
institute  to  dismiss  them  to  attend  it,  without  los9 
of  time. 

"  The  recently  enacted  school  law,  which  imposes 
many  duties  upon  teachers,  directors,  etc.,  will  re- 
ceive such  attention  as  will  prove  advantageous  to 
patrons  and  taught. 

"  The  gentlemen  who  will  lecture  to  or  address  the 
institute,  so  far  as  we  are  able  to  announce  at  present, 
are  as  follows : 

"Rev.  E.  0.  Ward,  F.  B.  Penniman,  Dr.  C.  Cutter 
is  expected  to  be  present,  E.  Brooks,  C.  S.  Minor,  Esq. 
"Lectures  will  be  given  on  reading,  arithmetic, 
geography,  grammar,  the  art  of  teaching,  etc.  Topics 
pertaining  to  school  government,  school-houses, 
boarding  round,  etc.,  may  come  up  for  discussion,  iu 
which  it  is  hoped  all  members  of  the  Institute  will 
participate. 


27* 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


"  Teachers  will  be  subject  to  do  expense,  the  people 
of  Honesdale  having  generously  tendered  their  hos- 
pitality to  the  teachers  of  the  county,  pleased  to  as- 
sist in  elevating  the  standard  of  education.  Ladies 
will  be  accommodated  with  board  in  private  families 
in  preference  to  gentlemen  ;  still  we  hope  to  be  able  to 
accommodate  all,  as  the  provision  already  made  ap- 
pears ample.     .     . 

"  Wm.  H.  Ham,  ")       Committee 
"G.  A.  Fuller,  of 

"  M.  L  Teaoy,     )  Arrangements. 
"It   is   hoped   that   every   individual  designing  to 
teach  either  in  the  winter  or  summer  will  not  fail  to 
attend  this  Institute.     .     . 

"  Your  Obedient  Servant, 

"J.  F.  Stoddard, 

"  County  Supt." 

The  programme  was  carried  out  substantially 
as  announced,  and  the  institute  was  generally 
regarded  as  an  agreeable  success,  the  attendance 
of  teachers  and  others  interested  in  education 
being  very  large.  The  secretary,  William  H. 
Ham,  reported  that  eighty-two  teachers  were 
present.  As  these  instructors  of  thirty-odd 
years  ago  were  the  representative  ones  of  the 
county,  and  those  from  whom  many  of  the  men 
and  women  now  iu  middle  life  obtained  the 
rudiments  of  their  education,  we  present  the 
entire  list,  together  with  the  location  of  each 
individual, — 

Adelia  Justin,  Riley  ville ;  Mary  Beadle,  Mary  H. 
Robinson,  Joanna  C.  Palmer,  Maria  Henshaw,  Beth- 
any ;  Fannie  Blois,  Mary  J.  Swartz,  ( (live  Power, 
Mary  H.  Schoonover,  Isabel  Brown,  Clara  Hubbell, 
Honesdale;  Charlotte  Ellis,  Herrick  ;  Ellen  E.  Bush, 
Margaret  Baxter,  Ann  C.  Monroe,  Mary  A.  Brooking, 
Jane  T.  Brooking,  H.  Sulina  Bush,  Mary  Harrison, 
Ann  E.  McDermott,  Lucy  M.Gates,  Mount  Pleasant; 
Ann  M.  Dibble,  Texas ;  Alice  Morgan,  Rebecca  Cle- 
ment. Fannie  James,  Sarah  Jones,  Salem  ;  Delphine 
Adams,  Lebanon ;  Mary  M.  Keen,  Mary  E.  Rogers, 
Martha  Munson,  Way  mart ;  Geo.  B.  Curtis,  Eden  vale; 
Charles  Torrey,  James  Reed,  Bethany ;  W.  Van  Sickle, 
Jeremiah  Regan,  South  Canaan ;  William  Brown, 
William  Orchard,  William  Schoonover,  Honesdale ; 
P.  F.  Dix,  John  F.  Hyer,  George  W.  Hyer,  Rockdale ; 
Rebecca  L.  Writer,  Cherry  Ridge;  Eliza  Surrene, 
Scott;  Caroline  Brisack,  Manchester;  Caroline  Knight, 
Mary  E.  Knight,  E.  P.  Knight,  A.  Gardner,  Stockport ; 
Sylvina  Fletcher,  Margaret  J.  Tobin,  Emily  V.  Star- 
bird,  D.  Crosby,  Adeline  G.  Laking,  Preston  ;  Augusta 
Cook,  Ledgedale;  Ruth  E.  Terril,  Hill  Top;  Mary 
A.  Lord,  Susan  H.  Longstreet,  Hawley ;  Sarah  J. 
Lee,  Martha  Catterson,  Francis  A.  Bortree,  Mary  E. 
Catterson,  Sterling;     Julia  Curtis,  Edenvalc;  Sarah 


Collins,  Jonesville;  Harriet  Sterling,  Lauretta  Stearns, 
Harriet  Stearns,  Irene  J.  Stearns,  Eldred ;  Lucy 
Phelps,  Dyberry  ;  Angeline  Swingle,  Canaan  ;  Mar- 
tha A.  Writer,  Cherry  Ridge  ;  Jeremiah  Rogers,  Ca- 
naan ;  Oliver  M.  Fleming,  Paupack ;  William  C. 
Knight,  Stockport ;  Darwin  C.  Cook,  George  T. 
Cook,  Ledgedale;  Nelson  J.  Gates,  Mount  Pleasant; 
Giles  H.  Lyon,  Herrick;  Maurice  Bortree,  East  Ster- 
ling; J.  K.  Hotchkiss,  Susquehanna  Depot;  Paul 
McAvoy,  Jr.,  Henry  Connelly,  Samuel  Stanton,  Rock- 
dale. 

In  1855  three  institutes  were  held,  one  be- 
ginning March  7th  at  Pleasant  Mount,  one 
March  12th  at  Salem,  and  the  third  September 
11th  at  Way  mart.  The  latter  appears  to  have 
been  the  regular  County  Institute. 

There  was  a  Wayne  County  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation in  1861,  and  a  meeting  of  that  body  was 
held  in  the  academy  at  Promptou  on  October 
29th,  remaining  in  session  three  days.  There 
were  sixty  teachers  present.  The  officers  elected 
for  the  year  were :  President,  Rev.  E.  O. 
Ward ;  Vice-President,  Rev.  D.  Brundage ; 
Secretary,  W.  H.  Schoonover  ;  Treasurer,  James 
B.  Torrey  ;  Executive  Committee,  Charles  L. 
Wheeler,  C.  W.  Torrey,  J.  E.  Hawker,  Thomas 
Hawkey,  Stephen  Brundage,  Ellen  Tomlinson, 
H.  Moriah  Schoon,  Harriet  Stearns,  Harriet 
E.  Burns.  In  1862  the  session  of  this  associ- 
ation was  held  at  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Hawley.  In  1866,  upon  November 
12th,  what  was  denominated  as  the  "First 
Annual  Institute  "  convened  at  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Waymart.  It  remained  in  session 
four  days,  and  before  adjournment  a  "  Teachers' 
Association "  was  formed,  of  which  J.  E. 
Hawker  was  elected  president;  William  H.  Lee, 
secretary  ;  and  A.  W.  Sinnock,  treasurer. 

All  of  these  institutes  were  held  without  the 
aid  of  any  State  appropriation,  but  on  April  19, 
1867,  the  value  of  the  annual  meetings  of 
teachers  having  become  generally  recognized,  a 
legislative  act  was  passed  compelling  the  county 
school  superintendent  to  hold  one  each  year  and 
providing  for  the  appropriation  of  from  sixty 
dollars  to  two  hundred  dollars  for  the  support  of 
each  one.  Under  this  law  the  institutes  have 
flourished  and  become  from  year  to  year  a  more 
and  more  potent  factor  in  the  advancement  of 
the  common   schools.     The    institutes  of  1867, 


WAYNE  COrNTV. 


279 


1868  aud  1869  were  held  respectively  at 
Waymart,  Hawley  aud  Honesdale,  with  in- 
creasing interest  and  attendance.  Each  year 
the  instruction  by  lectures  and  other  means  has 
been  made  more  ample  and  practically  valuable, 
until  at  present  the  institute  is  in  effect  an  excel- 
lent normal  school. 

The  teachers  of  the  county  in  1874,  as  repre- 
sented at  the  institute  of  Xovember  16th-20th, 
of  that  year,  were  the  following  : 

L.  A.  Barnuni,  Honesdale  ;  Sheldon  Norton,  Alden- 
ville; E.  C.  Foster,  Honesdale;  F.  A.  Whitlock, 
Honesdale  ;  C.  M.  Bushnell,  Bethany  ;  North  F.  Oris, 
Beech  Pond  ;  W.  H.  Dee,  Honesdale  ;  F.  D.  Barry, 
South  Sterling  ;  D.  H.  Brown,  Waymart ;  J.  B.  Wil- 
liams, South  Sterling;  J.  W.  Nolen,  Cherry  Ridge; 
J.  E.  Tiffany,  Pleasant  Mount;  C.  D.  Brooks,  Beth- 
any; J.  G.  Morse,  Starrucca;  W.  B.  Guinup,  Nar- 
rowsburgh ;  Lewis  W.  Seely,  Honesdale ;  Ira  W. 
Swingle,  South  Canaan  ;  Joseph  Pritehard,  Pleasant 
Mount;  M.  E.  Bortree,  Sterling;  J.  W.  Bucking- 
ham, Waymart ;  Sidney  Mum  ford,  Pleasant  Mount; 
William  R.  Longstreet,  Prompton;  Marcus  Peak, 
Long  Eddy  ;  F.  A.  D<my,  Honesdale  ;  Frank  Tuthill, 
Waymart ;  G.  S.  Henshaw,  Bethany  ;  Stewart  ( ).  Lin- 
coln, Rileyville  ;  Charles  J.  Uban,  Ledgedale;  Irvin 
S.  White,  Honesdale;  Isaac  E.  Tibbetts,  Honesdale; 
W.  J.  Turner,  Lake  Como  ;  Michael  Brennan,  Pleas- 
ant Mount;  H.  E.  King,  Starrucca;  G.  M.Cooper, 
Waymart ;  Thomas  Pentecost,  Prompton  ;  J.  M.  Case, 
Hawley  ;  Eugene  Peck,  Pleasant  Mount ;  A.  D.  Stan- 
ley^ Prompton  ;  Samuel  K.  Dills,  Honesdale;  G.  M. 
Patterson,  Waymart ;  A.  R.  Wagner,  South  Canaan  ; 
W.  G.  Trim,  Seelyville  ;  Walter  Burrows,  Honesdale  ; 
E.  H.  Noel,  Dyberry ;  Simon  J.  Buckley,  Cherry 
Ridge;  James  A.  Kennedy, Stevenson's  Mill;  Charles 
Avery,  Bethany;  E.  K.  Curtis,  Aldenville ;  F.  E. 
Brooks,  Bethany  ;  S.  E.  Vastbinder,  Eldred  ;  F.  E. 
Bortree,  Ledgedale  ;  J.  E.  Eliot,  Hamlinton  ;  George 
H.  Spencer,  Honesdale  ;  Martin  Bolkcom,  Rileyville  ; 
A.  S.  Benedict,  Starrucca ;  N.  A.  Reynolds,  Starrucca  ; 
Charles  Utt,  Hemlock  Hollow  ;  Orson  Shafer,  Han- 
cock ;  A.  J.  Wilcox,  Waymart ;  J.  A.  McLaury,  El- 
dred ;  Ruth  E.  Terrel,  Honesdale  ;  Kate  McGrath, 
High  Lake ;  Addie  Stevenson,  Waymart ;  Kate  Cas- 
sidy,  Mount  Pleasant ;  Mrs.  Sarah  H.  Clark,  Pleasant 
Mount ;  Jessie  Cobb,  Hamlinton  ;  H.  Maud  Bushnel, 
Bethany  ;  Alice  Bortree,  Ledgedale  ;  Abbie  Beardslee, 
Honesdale;  Rose  Clineburgh,  Lake  Como;  Amanda 
Frailey,  Honesdale ;  Jennie  Wheeler,  Honesdale ; 
Jennie  Cooper,  Waymart ;  Chrissie  Varcoe,  Riley- 
ville ;  Eunice  A.  Comptou,  Honesdale  ;  Jennie  Un- 
derwood, Lake  Como  ;  Celia  Ledyard,  Pleasant 
Mount ;  Jennie  Sillyphant,  Honesdale  ;  Maria  Mc- 
Farland,  Hawley;  Lucy  E.  Abby,  Hamlinton  ;  Han- 
nah Marks,  Damascus  ;  Mary  Haggerty,  White's  Val- 


ley ;  Florence  L.  Jenkins,  Prompton  ;  Dora  Cady, 
Prompton;  Amanda  Compton,  Cherry  Ridge  ;  Minnie 
Matthews,  Cherry  Ridge;  Annie  Russell,  Honesdale; 
Edith  Hoyle,  Honesdale;  Sarah  A.  Woodbridge, 
Hamlinton  ;  Sate  E.  Jones,  Factory ville ;  Lannie  Lass- 
ley,  Narrowsburgh  ;  Emma  Hawley,  Equinunk  ;  Lil- 
lian Stevens,  Holsterville;  Mary  Church,  Bethany; 
Mary  E.  Farrell,  Sherman  ;  Frankie  Rockwell,  Beech 
Pond;  Selina  Sluman,  Honesdale;  Eliza  J.  Orr,  El- 
dred; Eda  M.  Brown,  Honesdale;  Libbie  Crocker, 
Bethany ;  Amelia  Best,  Dyberry ;  Lizzie  A.  Box, 
Bethany  ;  Ella  C.  Long,  Honesdale  ;  Victoria  Bortree, 
Sterling;  Emma  E.  Stevens,  Sterling;  Lillie  A. 
Woodley,  Honesdale ;  Mary  M.  Hurly,  Honesdale ; 
Mabel  Allen,  Eldred;  Mary  Bryant,  Dyberry;  Re- 
becca Mclntyre,  Eldred  ;  Nellie  Avery,  Damascus  ; 
Annie  M.  Miller,  Susquehanna  Depot;  Mary  C. 
Roche,  Waymart;  Helen  L.  Raymond,  Hamilton; 
Louisa  C.  Keen,  Honesdale;  Matilda  Murphy,  Hones- 
dale; Eliza  J.  Stanton, Waymart;  Mary  Pulis,  Dyberry ; 
Amelia  J.  Murphy,  Honesdale;  Olive  Allen,  White's 
Valley  ;  Mary  Bush,  Damascus  ;  Sadie  Longstreet, 
Prompton  ;  Mary  Simons,  Sterling ;  Cornelia  Benney, 
Honesdale;  Mrs.  A.  J.  Dennis,  Honesdale;  Lizzie 
J.  Stephens,  Honesdale;  Jennie  Darling,  Honesdale; 
Louise  Reynolds,  Honesdale  ;  Rena  Spencer,  Hones- 
dale ;  Bridget  E.  Flannigan,  Honesdale ;  Vickie 
Spencer,  Prompton  ;  Amanda  Thorp,  Waymart;  Josie 
Leonard,  Hamlinton  ;  Lillie  G.  Eno,  Seelyville  ;  Lucy 
M.  Belknap,  Rileyville;  Rose  Galvin,  Honesdale; 
Harriet  E.  Stearns,  Eldred  ;  Sarah  Simrell,  Hones- 
dale ;  Sarah  Case,  Hawley  ;  Sofie  E.  Brigham,  Da- 
mascus ;  Mary  E.  Avery,  Bethany  ;  Mary  A.  O'Neill, 
Pleasant  Mount ;  Isabella  Hawkens,  White's  Valley  ; 
Mary  Strongman,  Bethany  ;  Bridget  Kilpatrick,  Way- 
mart;  Allie  Ganimel,  Bethany;  Carrie  E.  Sears, 
Honesdale  ;  Susie  Compton,  Hawley  ;  Emma  Holbert, 
Equinunk  ;  Amanda  Miller,  Honesdale  ;  Jennie  Pen- 
warden,  Prompton  ;  Sarah  H.  Baker,  South  Canaan  ; 
Emma  Woolheater,  Equinunk  ;  Mary  Cumin,  Way- 
mart  ;  Anna  Gorr,  Beech  Pond ;  Ettie  Henshaw, 
Beech  Pond  ;  Ida  E.  Hawker,  Honesdale ;  Ella  Dills, 
Honesdale  ;  Ellen  J.  Reilly,  Waymart ;  Angie  Varcoe, 
Rileyville  ;  Rena  Hopkins,  Honesdale ;  Eliza  Murray, 
Hawley  ;  Anna  McHale,  Hawley  ;  Mary  Temperton, 
Starrucca;  Mary  A.  Neville,  Sterling;  Louie  Tyler, 
Callicoon;  Salina  Varcoe,  Cherry  Ridge;  Alice  Curran, 
Waymart;  Evelyn  Noble,  Eldred;  Delly  Cady, 
Prompton  ;  Mrs.  Fannie  Margisou,  Damascus  ;  Liz- 
zie S.  Mclntyre,  Eldred;  Ella  Scott,  Honesdale; 
Sarah  Hubbard,  Waymart ;  Bell  Starkweather,  Way- 
mart  ;  Lizzie  J.  Curtis,  Aldenville;  Agnes  Plumb, 
Prompton ;  D.  G.  Allen,  Prompton ;  F.  N.  Fraden- 
burgh,  Prompton ;  W.  W.  Woodruff,  Prompton  ;  R. 
Curry,  Prompton. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

War    of     the    Rebellion— Wayne    County    Troops— Inci- 
dents of  a  Local  Nature. 

The  first  great  popular  demonstration  in 
Honesdale,  after  the  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter, 
was  upon  April  20th,  in  a  mass-meeting  held 
at  Liberty  Hall,  in  pursuance  of  a  call  signed 
by  over  four  hundred  citizens  and  addressed  to 
"all  Union  and  Constitution-loving  men,  with- 
out regard  to  party,"  asking  them  to  take  ac- 
tion and  make  expression  upon  the  existing 
state  of  affairs  in  the  country. 

F.  M.  Crane,  Esq.,  was  president  of  the 
meeting,  R.  L.  Seely,  W.  R.  McLaury,  Win. 
Wefferlingand  E.  H.  Clark,  vice-presidents;  and 
E.  A.  Ludwig  and  E.  A.  Penniman,  editor  of 
the  Democrat,  secretaries.  Messrs.  Francis  B. 
Penniman,  C.  S.  Minor,  Esq.,  F.  M.  Crane, 
Esq.,  S.  E.  Dimmick,  Esq.,  and  others  made 
short  patriotic  speeches.  On  motion  of  Francis 
B.  Penniman,  the  chair  appointed  Messrs.  S.  E. 
Dimmick,  A.  Strong,  Henry  Peet,  Henry  Win- 
ter, William  Turner,  John  Hennegau,  John 
Kelly,  John  J.  Schenck,  E.  E.  Gilbert  and  G. 
G.  Spettigue  a  committee  to  report  resolutions 
and  business  for  the  consideration  of  the  meet- 
ing. Following  is  a  portion  of  the  preamble 
and  resolves  which  were  returned  by  them  and 
warmly  indorsed  by  the  assemblage  : 

"  Wliereas,  several  of  the  States  of  this  confederacy 
have  professed  to  Secede  from  the  Union,  and  actuated 
by  a  bitter  and  determined  hostility  to  the  Federal 
Government,  are  seeking  to  destroy  the  same,  and  by 
a  recent  and  unprovoked  attack  upon  Fort  Sumter 
have  insulted  our  glorious  flag,  and  involved  the  coun- 
try in  war  ; 

"  Therefore  Resolved,  That  the  people  of  the  loyal 
county  of  Wayne,  'without  distinction  of  party  and 
laying  aside  all  party  ties  and  obligations,'  are  ready 
to  stand  by  the  Union,  the  Constitution  and  the  en- 
forcement of  the  Laws. 

"Resolved,  That  in  the  present  extraordinary  emer- 
gency, which  threatens  the  very  existence  of  the  gov- 
ernment, it  is  the  imperative  duty  of  every  citizen, 
without  hesitation,  to  decide  in  favor  of  the  Federal 
Government  and  to  sustain  it  by  his  words,  his  exam- 
ple and  action. 

"  Resolved,  That  as  several  of  the  citizens  of  Wayne 
County  are  forming  themselves  into  military  compa- 
nies in  response  to  the  call  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States  for  volunteers,  and  may  be  called  upon 


to  do  actual  service  in  behalf  of  the  country,  and  as- 
many  of  them,  in  such  case,  will  leave  families  with- 
out a  protector  or  provider,  we  pledge  ourselves  to 
contribute  liberally  to  the  support  of  their  wives  and 
children." 
*  #  *  *  *  * 

The  remaining  resolutions  appointed  two 
committees  to  carry  out  certain  purposes  agreed 
upon,  as  the  encouragement  of  the  military  and 
volunteer  movements  and  the  care  of  enlisted 
men's  families.  These  were  constituted  as  fol- 
lows : 

Military  Committee. — Coe  F.  Young,  James  Brown, 
William  YVefl'erling,  John  Gerry,  Jr.,  Samuel  Allen 
ami  Henry  Peet. 

Finance  (or  Family  Aid)  Committee. — Z.  H.  Russell, 
William  Turner,  R.  Henvvood,  J.  Hennegan  and  Hen- 
ry Winter. 

This  committee  was  instructed  to  solicit  sub- 
scriptions to  be  used  for  the  benefit  of  the  fam- 
ilies "  of  such  citizens  of  Wayne-  County  as 
should  organize  into  volunteer  companies  and 
march  to  the  defense  of  the  country."  S.  D. 
Ward,  cashier  of  the  Honesdale  Bank,  was  ap- 
pointed treasurer  of  the  military  fund.  Over 
seventeen  hundred  dollars  was  immediately  sub- 
scribed. At  a  subsequent  meeting  the  finance 
committee  decided  to  give  to  each  married  man 
who  should  volunteer  the  sum  of  three  dollars 
per  week,  for  the  support  of  their  families, 
during  the  periods  of  their  enlistment. 

Upon  the  25th  of  April  the  followiug  editor- 
ial appeared  in  the  Democrat  (now  the  <  Itizen), 
and  did  much  toward  stirring  the  people  to 
action  in  organizing  troops : 

"  VOLUNTEERS. 

"  Our  country  demands  that  at  least  one  volunteer 
company  should  be  formed  in  every  township  and 
borough  of  this  county,  who  are  ready  to  march  to 
the  defense  of  its  constitution,  capitol  and  flag  in  this 
hour  of  peril. 

"Fellow-citizens,  will  you  pardon  us  for  urging 
upon  you  immediate  action?  Our  government  must 
be  protected — our  constitution  maintained — our  flag 
defended. 

"The  citizens  of  other  counties  of  our  good  old  com- 
monwealth are  marching  by  hundreds  and  thousands 
to  their  country's  defense.  Shall  old  Wayne  be  be- 
hind ?  Never !  Delay  not !  Act !  Organize !  Be 
ready,  so  that  when  old  Wayne  is  called  she  will  be 
ready  to  respond,  as  we  all  shall  wish  she  had  when 
the  peril  shall  be  over  and  the  victory  won. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


"  Fellow-citizens,  we  are  contending  for  the  Union 
our  fathers  gave,  for  the  constitution  they  framed, 
and  for  the  flag  they  bequeathed  to  us.  Shall  we 
permit  traitor  hands  to  destroy  the  one  and  traitor 
feet  to  trample  upon  the  other?  That  question  we 
shall  have  to  answer,  and  we  must  answer.  Shall  we 
answer  it  as  the  men  of  the  Revolution  did?  Shall 
we  be  true  to  the  past,  the  present  and  the  future? 
God  forbid  we  should  be  otherwise.  What  the  fathers 
of  our  land  gave  us,  let  us  transmit  to  all  who  shall 
come  after  us.  Right  proved  to  be  might  when  the 
foundations  of  our  government  were  laid,  and  it  will 
so  prove  in  this,  the  hour  of  her  peril,  if  we  but  do 
our  dusy. 

"And  what  man  will  not  do  it?  Has  Wayne  Coun- 
ty one  that  will  not?  God  forbid  that  a  traitor  should 
be  found  in  her  borders.  Again  permit  us  to  press 
on  your  attention  the  urgent  necessity  of  immediate 
action.  No  time  is  to  be  lost.  The  hour  is  upon  us. 
Shall  traitor  hands  seize  our  capitol,  and  as  the  chief 
of  them,  Davis,  declared,  carry  their  war  and  impose 
their  government  upon  the  States  of  the  North? 

"  A  large  subscription  of  money  has  been  made  to 
assist  and  provide  for  the  families  of  those  who  may 
volunteer  and  go  from  Wayne  County.  We  ask  all 
to  contribute  to  it,  as  we  know  all  will  desire  to.  We 
ask  you  to  do  so  liberally.  Ask  yourselves  what  value 
do  you  put  upon  your  country,  her  government  and  her 
glorious  Flag,  and  then  give  to  support  the  families  of 
those  who  are  righting  for  them  all.  Let  no  man  with- 
hold from  volunteering  lor  fear  his  family  may  surfer. 
They  will  be  taken  care  of.  To  this  we  feel  we  can 
safely  pledge  every  man  in  Wayne  County. 

"To  those  desiring  to  volunteer  residing  out  of  the 
borough  of  Honesdale,  in  sections  where  companies 
may  not  be  forming,  we  say  come  here — enroll  and 
help  organize  companies  and  drill. 

"  Fellow-citizens,  we  know  you  will  cordially  re- 
spond to  the  call  of  your  country  Let  every  man  re- 
member it  is  his  business  to  act.  Act  now ;  act  prompt- 
ly. Let  every  man  but  say  '  The  Union — it  must 
and  shall  be  preserved,'  and  it  will  be." 

Other  great  meetings  followed  that  of  April 
20th.  One  was  announced  to  be  held  in  the 
public  square  on  May  6th,  but  rain  prevented 
an  out-door  convocation,  and  the  gathering 
was  held  at  Liberty  Hall,  to  which  but  com- 
paratively few  of  the  great  number  who  had 
came  to  town,  from  all  parts  of  the  county, 
could  find  admittance.  The  hall  was  packed. 
F.  M.  Crane,  Esq.,  presided,  and  the  vice-presi- 
dents were  E.  W.  Hamlin,  of  Bethany;  R.  R. 
Purdy,  of  Paupack;  J.  R.  Dickson,  of  Clinton; 
W.  Starbird,  of  Buckingham  ;  C.  Freeman,  of 
Mount  Pleasant;  R.  L.  Seely,  W.  R.  McLaury, 


William  Wefferling,  of  Honesdale;  and  E.  H. 
Clark,  of  Cherry  Ridge.  The  principal  speaker 
on  this  occasion  was  Hon.  Hendrick  B.  Wright, 
of  WHkes-Barre,  who  was  received  with  tre- 
mendous enthusiasm,  and  made  a  strong  speech 
glowing  with  patriotic  fervor. 

The  ladies  here,  as  elsewhere  throughout  the 
North,  took  early  steps  toward  rendering  such 
aid  as  was  within  their  power  to  the  soldiers 
who  had  gone  and  were  about  to  go  to  the  field. 
The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  was  organized  at  a 
meeting  held  at  the  Allen  House  on  May  6, 
1861.  At  that  time  the  following  officers  were 
elected,  viz. : 

Moderatress,  Mrs.  C.  S.  Minor ;  Corresponding  Sec- 
retary, Mrs.  D.  P.  Kirtland  ;  Recording  Secretary  and 
Treasurer,  Miss  Caroline  Torrey.  Managers  :  Mrs.  W. 
T.  Estabropk,  Mrs.  J.  N.  Foster,  Presbyterian  ;  Mrs. 
R.  F.  Lord,  Miss  Russell  and  Miss  Mcintosh,  Episco- 
pal ;  Mrs.  A.  Flower,  Mrs.  M.  B.  Bennett,  Methodist ; 
Rev.  Mrs.  Grenell,  Mrs.  G.  Knapp,  Miss  Leonard, 
Baptist ;  Mrs.  Charles  Petersen,  Mrs.  F.  Schuler,  Luth- 
eran; Mrs.  J.  M.  Brown,  Miss  Murray,  Catholic. 

A  few  days  later  the  society  met  at  the  Pres- 
byterian session-rooms  and  began  to  make  up 
garments  for  the  soldiers. 

The  society  maintained  its  organization  dur- 
ing the  war  and  accomplished  an  immense 
amount  of  valuable  work,  which  was  appreci- 
ated by  the  soldiers  at  the  front. 

Monday,  May  20th,  was  the  day  of  the  de- 
parture of  the  Honesdale  Guards  for  the  field, 
and  it  is  one  of  the  most  memorable  ones,  lo- 
cally, in  the  war  period.  The  company  formed 
on  Front  Street,  accompanied  by  the  fire  com- 
panies, the  Union  and  the  Silver  Cornet  Bands, 
the  Washington  Guards,  under  Captain  Kubach, 
the  Jefferson  Rifles,  under  Captain  Teubner,  and 
Wayne  Artillery,  under  Captain  Loeven. 

During  the  parade  through  the  principal 
streets,  the  procession  was  followed  by  an  im- 
mense crowd.  All  along  the  route  the  soldiers 
were  greeted  with  cheers  and  the  waving  of 
flags  and  handkerchiefs.  They  took  the  cars 
for  Carbondale  at  the  head  of  the  plane,  and  as 
they  moved  off  the  artillery  fired  a  resounding 
salute.  They  were  accompanied  by  the  firemen, 
and  by  C.  S.  Minor,  Esq.,  F.  M.  Crane,  Esq., 
and   General  Lord.     At   Prompton,  Waymart 


2S2 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  Carbondale,  cannon  belched  forth  noisy 
welcome,  and  rousing  cheers  went  up  from 
great  throngs  which  had  gathered  from  the 
country  for  miles  back  from  the  railroad.  At 
Carbondale,  before  resuming  the  ride  to  Scran- 
t <  hi,  the  guards  and  their  friends  partook  of  a 
substantial  dinner,  provided  for  them  by  the 
people,  at  Burnham's.  The  company  arrived 
safely  at  Harrisburg,  and  on  May  28th  the 
men,  with  the  exception  of  nine  rejected  for 
various  causes,  were  sworn  into  the  service. 

The  Honesdale  Guards  became  Company  C 
of  the  Thirty-fifth  Regiment,  or  Sixth  Reserves, 
and  as  such  their  roster  appears  under  the  regi- 
mental history  in  this  chapter. 

On  the  8th  of  June,  1861,  occurred  an  in- 
teresting event,  in  the  raising  and  consecration 
of  a  banner  on  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Honesdale — a  gift  from  the  ladies'  society.  Coe 
F.  Young  presided  at  the  meeting,  and  the 
Revs.  Greuell  and  Dunning  and  Mr.  F.  B. 
Penniman  made  addresses. 

There  was  no  regimental  organization  in 
Wayne  County  and  not  more  than  two  compa- 
nies in  any  one  regiment.  About  ten  full  com- 
panies went  from  the  county  ;  there  were  de- 
tachments of  considerable  size  in  several  other 
companies  and  a  large  number  of  scattering 
men,  not  only  in  Pennsylvania,  but  in  New 
York  and  New  Jersey  regiments. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of 
troops,  as  compared  to  population  by  townships, 
that  had  gone  out  up  to  August  28,  1862,  not 
including  the  companies  of  Captains  Mumford, 
Buckingham  and  Tallmadge: 

Towushipa.  Troops.  Population  in  1860. 

Buckingham 28 1,415 

Bethany 16 235 

Berlin 34 1,789 

Clinton 25 1,200 

Canaan 23 971 

Cherry  Ridge 19 1,092 

Dyherry 47 1,120 

Damascus 57 2,399 

Honesdale 69 2,506 

Lebanon 17 670 

Mt.  Pleasant 28 2,378 

Manchester 75 988 

Oregon 28 865 

Paupack 14 580 

Palmyra 67 2,560 


Townships. 

Troops. 

Population  in 

Prompton 

Preston  

07 

290 

....  42 

1,574 

Sterling 

....   64 

1,301 

Salem 

....  95 

2,296 

South  Canaan 

...  4ii  

1,231 

Scott 

...  38  

872 

Texas 

....  '.hi 

3,201 

Wayne  borough  ' 
Total 

27 

540 

....965 

32,455 

The  following  table  gives'  the  number  of 
Wayne  County  men  in  service,  including  drafted 
men. 

The  whole  quota  of  Wayne  County  was 
1892. 

In  service  at  the  marshal's  report 950 

Discharged  disabled 45 

Died  in  service 32 

Entered  service  between  report  and  draft.  171 
Number  dratted  700 


Total. 


The  men  who  entered  service  between  the  re- 
port of  marshal  and  draft  were  thus  distributed  : 

In  Wayne  County  Cavalry  83 

Captain  Comfort,  Co.  I,  84th  Pa 54 

Captain  Cooley's  Co 1 

Captain  Schooley's  Battery 4 

Enlisted  under  Lieut  Thayer 10 

Enlisted  in  Pike  Co.  (Capt.  Mott) 6 

In  service,  omitted  by  marshal  and  dis- 
covered by  Commission 13 

Total 171 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  there  were  at 
least  three  hundred  Wayne  County  men  among 
the  troops  credited  to  New  York  and  New  Jer- 
sey and  some  iu  the  regular  army. 

The  people  of  Honesdale  (and  of  the  county 
as  well)  were  very  liberal  in  financial  "support 
of  the  war."  The  contributions  of  the  citizens 
of  the  borough  to  the  bounty  fund  alone 
amounted  to  over  twenty  thousand  dollars. 

The  subscriptions  made  to  the  county  bounty 
fund,  made  in  1862,  were  as  follows: 


Honesdale  Bank 
R.  F.  Lord 

..$5,000 

..     500 
..     500 
..       100 
..      100 

S.  E.Dimmick... 

Z.H.Russell 

R.  L.  Seely 

..  $100 

..      100 
..      100 

C.  F.  Young 

M.  L.  Tracy 

..     100 

'Stiu 

rucca. 

WAYNE  COUNTY. 


2S3 


F.  B.  Penniman  ... 

$100 

S.  D.  Ward 

$50 

Earl  Wheeler 

50 

R.  J.  Meuner&Co 

40 

Gilbert  Knapp 

50 

James  Matthews... 

HO 

G.  G.  Waller 

50 

U.  V.  Wheeler 

25 

C.  P.Waller 

50 

E.  F.  Torrey  

25 

D.  Reed 

50 

A.  Wheeler 

25 

J.  C.Gunn 

50 

J.  H.  Dunning 

25 

C.  King 

50 
50 

25 

S.  A.  Terrel 

25 

S.  Torrey 

50 

W.H.&  E.G.  Reed. 

25 

M.  B.  Bennett 

50 

R.  F.  Lord.Jr 

25 

H.  C.  Hand 

50 

Samuel  Levy 

30 

Frances  Shuller... 

50 

J.  M.  Brown 

50 

Hand  cS:  Kertland. 

50 

Wm.  WefferliDg..., 

50 

J.  K.  Jenkins 

50 

M.  &J.  O'Neill 

50 

W.  W.  Weston 

50 

John   Hennigan.... 

25 

Win.  Reed 

50 

P.  Shanley 

15 

H.  B.  Hamlin 

50 
50 

10 

J.  M.  Bauman  .... 

Margaret  Hughes .. 

10 

R.  Mauville 

50 

T.  O' Connell 

10 

50 

A.  Strong 

50 

Total  

$8090 

The  next  call  for  contributions  was  made  in 
July,  1863,  and  the  following  responses  were 
made : 


John  Torrey $180 

Coe  F.  Young 180 

Z.H.Russell 60 

Foster  Bros 60 

C.  P.  Waller 60 

Mrs.  A.   A.  Tracy..  60 

S.  E.  Dimmick 60 

R.  F.  Lord 60 

R.  L.  Seely 60 

F.  B.  Peuuiman 50 

R.  Manville 45 

Hand  &  Kirtland...  30 

J.  J.  Doherty 30 

W.  W.  Weston 30 

Wm.  Reed 30 

M.   L.  Tracy 30 

E.  F.  Torrey 25 

S.D.Ward 25 

A.  Strong 15 

The  last  contribution  was  made  in  February, 
18(i4,  for  the  purpose  of  filling  the  quota  of  the 
borough.     Those  who  responded  were, — 

J.  R.  Knapp $200 

F.  B.  Penniman 200 

Samuel  Allen 200 

Wm.  Riley 100 

Joseph  Zahn 100 

E.G.  Reed 100 

H.  H.  Roe 100 

JohnKraus 100 

W.  W.  Weston 100 


C  C.  Jadwin $15 

F.M.Crane 15 

M.  B.  Bennett 15 

A.  Cummings 15 

S.  A.  Terrel 15 

G.G.Waller 15 

James  Matthews....  15 

E.G.  Reed 15 

H.  A.  Woodhouse...  15 

Wm.  F.  Wood 15 

A.Wheeler 15 

Earl  Wheeler 12 

M.  F.  Van  Kirk....  10 

R.  S.  Dorin 6 

J.Scott 5 

J.  C.  Root 5 

C.  A.  Dusenberre...  3 

$1448 


John  Torrey 

...$500 

Coe  F.  Young ... 

...    300 

C.  P.  Waller 

...    200 

Z.  H.  Russell 

...    200 

W.  H.  Foster 

...    200 

E.  F.  Torrey 

...    200 

S.  E.  Dimmick... 

...    200 

H.  M.  Seely 

...    200 

Geo.  D.  Seely.... 

...    200 

Wm.  Weiss $100 

John  Owen 100 

R.  J.  Menner 100 

J.  M.  Bauman 100 

Henry  F.  Torrey....  100 

H.J.  Conger 100 

Miles  L.Tracy 150 

S.  0.  Terrel 100 

C.Petersen.. 100 

E.  A.  Penniman 100 

H.C.Hand 125 

William  Weaver...  .  100 

George  Foster 100 

C.  C.  Jadwin loo 

T.  S.  Fitch 100 

I.N.Foster 150 

H.B.Hamlin 100 

F.  Schuller 100 

S.  W.  Powell 100 

H.  A.  Woodhouse...  100 

Charles  Fodisch 100 

L.   O.    Grenell 50 

H.  W.  Kalish 62 

Earl  Wheeler 50 

Marshal  Wheeler....  50 

W.B.Holmes 50 

E.E.Eaton 50 

George  Birdsall 50 

R.  Manville 50 

M.H.Stanley 50 

M.  F.  Vankirk 75 

OS.  Dunning 50 

Isaac  Freeman 50 

S.  D   Ward 50 

J.  S.  Freeman 50 

E.  Eggleston 50 

Stephen  Miehle 50 

Hand  &  Kirtland....  50 

Frederick  Lohman..  10 

Frederick  Knor 15 

John  Erhart 10 

William  Schlund....  10 

John  P.  James 35 

E.  F.  Losey 10 

J.  H.  Sutton 10 

Wm.  H.  Cushman...  5 

T.S.Brown 5 

H.  W.  Bessoe 5 

C.  A.  Dusenberre....  50 

M.  B.  Peck 50 

M.  Wiser 25 

J.  Lercher 70 

W.  L.  Prudhoe 50 

A.  Craven 25 

J.  &  M.  Brown 200 

George  Eck 100 

E.  E.  Powers 100 

John  Brown 100 

Lorenzo  Grambs 100 


W.  H.  Dimmick $100 

Patrick  McKanna...  50 

G.  G.Waller 100 

C.  W.  Spencer 60 

S.  B.  Wood 50 

Patrick  Stanley 70 

H.  Grambs 50 

Wm.Wefferling 50 

Thomas  Coyne 50 

John  O'Neill 50 

J.  E.  Hawker 50 

Patrick  O'Brien 50 

W.H.Ham 50 

T.J.Ham 50 

John  Goldsmith 50 

John  Krug 75 

Thomas  Brown 50 

R.  H.  Tobin 50 

Henry  Rogers 50 

William  Turner 50 

Herman  Rogers 50 

P.  Kaschenback 50 

Martin  Hessler 75 

G.  N.  Ungemaugh...  40 

E.  Patmore 25 

Lewis  Bein 25 

Henry  Dux 25 

William  Shanley 25 

John  Drum 25 

James  Connelly 25 

Ed. Wood 25 

Conrad  Schilling 25 

H.  Dollmetsch 25 

J.  F.  Roe 50 

Rodney  Tillou 50 

U.  V.  Wheeler 50 

C.  C.  Lane 50 

JohnBall 75 

Charles  Nelson 50 

J.D.Hopkins 50 

L.  D.  Swenton 70 

Oliver  Rodgers 50 

C.  L.  Whitney 50 

C.  P.  Frace 50 

G.  W.  Hubbell 50 

G.  Knapp 50 

R.  S.  Dorin 20 

J.  C.  Gunn 20 

A.  G.  Forbes 25 

J.  O.  Terrel 25 

PeterRunk 40 

E.  T.  Beers 25 

David  Beers 25 

B.B.Smith 25 

J.  H.  Dunning 25 

A.  Wheeler 20 

J.  C.  Delezenne 25 

W.  H.  Haskins 25 

Henry  Green 25 


2S4 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


D.  Bonhorst  $25 

Julius  Bache 25 

F.  Samuel 35 

L.  Bauman 25 

F.  A.  Bour 25 


Jacob  Smith 25 

Theodore  Gray  26 

C.  Knehr 25 

V.Ross 20 

E.  Strose 20 

John  Meyer 10 

Jacob  Schrisler  10 

Thomas  Daley 10 

E.  Bohle 10 

Patrick  Coleman 20 

Joseph  Bloom 15 

F.J.Waller 10 

M.  "Wiseman 10 


John  Finnerty 

.    $10 

Martin  Maguire.... 

.     10 

A.  Blood 

..     10 

5 

A.  Scheul 

5 

A.  Metier 

..       5 

L.  Millhauser 

.      50 

Wm.  Linderman  .. 

..     50 

Wm.  Dony 

..      50 

..     50 

John  Kopp 

..       5 

John  Faunner 

..      25 

F.  Engelke 

..      50 

H.  Frank 

..     49 

A.  Leibig 

..      15 

RECAPITULATION. 


1803. 
1864. 


SSO'.III 

1,448 
10,835 


Total $20,373 

It  is  claimed  that  Manchester  township  was 
the  banner  township  of  the  State,  in  proportion 
to  its  population  in  sending  men  to  the  Union 
Army  during  the  Eebellion— the  population  in 
1860  was  shown  by  the  census  to  be  nine  hun- 
dred and  eighty-eight.  The  largest  vote  that 
was  ever  polled  in  Manchester  township 
prior  to  the  Rebellion  was  one  hundred  and 
ninety-four,  and  from  a  population  containing 
one  hundred  and  ninety-four  votes  there  went 
to  the  army  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  men 
(exclusive  of  reinlistments).  Of  that  number  just 
one  hundred  returned  and  the  names  of  the 
other  twenty-one  are  upon  the  granite  monu- 
ment which  was  erected  in  the  park  at  Hones- 
dale  to  the  memory  of  the  fallen  soldiers  of 
Wayne  County.  Of  the  men  that  returned, 
many  were  maimed  and  crippled — George 
White  and  Obadiah  Palmer  each  suffered  the 
loss  of  a  limb. 

The  turnout  from  some  families  was  remark- 
able. Samuel  Price  had  four  sons,  all  went, 
only  one  returned ;  Righteous  Reeves,  four 
sons,  all  went  and  the  father  too  ;  of  the  Teeples 
there  were  eight  adults,  six  went,  one  was 
killed  ;  J.  F.  Gilford  had  three  sons,  all  went, 
one  was  killed  ;  A.  B.  Hathaway  had  four  sons, 
three  went,  two  were  killed.    But  exceeding  all 


others  were  the  Lesters.  The  family  of  Daniel 
Lester  consisted  of  eleven  sons,  of  whom  two 
were  drafted  and  nine  entered  the  army  by  en- 
listment, and  the  old  father,  his  hair  well  inter- 
mingled with  gray  and  nearly  seventy  years  of 
age,  went  home  displeased  and  disappointed 
when  the  recruiting  officer  (Captain  Parker)  re- 
fused his  offer  to  enlist.  One  of  the  boys — 
Warner  Lester — was  in  the  New  York  Thirty- 
eighth  Regiment  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull 
Run  ;  six  other  resideuts  of  Manchester  town- 
ship were  in  that  battle.  At  that  early  period 
of  the  Rebellion  there  was  but  little  recruiting 
done  outside  the  Honesdale  company,  and  the 
seven  men  who  were  in  the  first  Bull  Run  fight 
went  down  the  river  as  raftsmen,  and  returning 
by  New  York,  enlisted  there.  The  explanation 
of  the  draft  in  Manchester  is  that  there  being 
no  recruiting  station  in  that  vicinity,  the  men 
went  to  other  places — two  went  to  Honesdale, 
some  were  in  the  New  York  Fiftieth,  New 
York  One  Hundred  and  Forty-third  and  New 
York  Fifty-sixth — and  not  taking  pains  to  be 
credited  to  Manchester,  left  the  town  liable  to 
draft. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  names  of  volunteers 
from  Manchester  township.  The  names  thus 
marked  (*)  are  of  those  killed. 


Paul  Price. 
Job  Price.* 
Henry  Price.* 
George  Price.* 
William  Jones. 
James  Jones. 
John  Jones.* 
Elbert  Jones.* 
Frederick  Jones. 
A.  C.  Hathaway. 
Jesse  Hathaway.* 
Aug.  B.  Hathaway.* 
Alva  Gifford. 
Charles  Gifford. 
William  Gifford.* 
Joshua  Pine. 
Thos.  McGrane. 
Michael  McGrane. 
Marvin  Lord. 
Henry  Lord. 
Jeffrey  Pendegrass. 
Lorenzo  Matthews. 
Warner  Lester. 
Charles  Lester. 
Alfred  Lester. 


Charles  Billings. 
Philo  Billings. 
John  Billings. 
Michael  Spratt. 
Nathaniel  Taylor. 
William  Taylor. 
George  Shopp. 
Morris  Eldred. 
John  Knine. 
A.  C.  Kellam. 
H.  P.  Kellam. 
Nathaniel  Kellam. 
David  L.  Kellam. 
Peter  Kellam. 
Sandwith  Kellam. 
James  P.  Cole. 
Jeremiah  Averey. 
William  Houghtalin. 
Zellar  Minard. 
Linus  Demauder. 
William  Gillow. 
George  Mogridge. 
Edwin  Mogridge. 
William  Mogridge. 
Charles  Beesmer. 


WAYNE  COUNTY 


2ft.-. 


Alston  Lester. 
Joseph  Lester. 
George  E.  Lester. 
Erastus  Lester. 
Benjamin  Lester. 
Nelson  Knapp.* 
Abram  S.  Knapp. 
Abner  Hill. 
Joel  Hill. 
James  Sherwood. 
Henry  Mcintosh. 
Paul  Mclntire. 
Daniel  Thomes. 
Samuel  Ha  .lord. 
Isaac  II.  Purdy. 
Lucien  Purdy.* 
Robert  B.  Chambers. 
Andrus  Lee. 
Nathaniel  Tyler. 
Martin  V.  Tyler* 
William  Tyler. 
William  B.  Tyler. 
George  Tyler. 
Oliver  Tyler. 
Theophilus  Todd. 
William  Layton. 
John  Layton. 
Joseph  Layton. 
Samuel  E.  Quick. 
Robert  Teeple.* 
Levy  Teeple. 
John  Teeple. 
Abram  Teeple. 
Depuy  Teeple. 
Christopher  Teeple. 
Charles  W.  Ferow. 


Orrin  Butts. 
John  D.  Palmer. 
John  D.  Palmer,  Jr. 
Richard  Palmer. 
Sullivan  Hawley. 
Edwin  Schemerhorn. 
John  Brown.* 
Lucien  Bailey.* 
George  Bailey.* 
John  D.  Bailey. 
Jabez  Bailey. 
Charles  Haines. 
Henry  Lynch.* 
Gilbert  Vanduzer. 
John  Schafier. 
Abram  Broat. 
John  Broat. 
Egbert  Gardner. 
Warren  Gardner.* 
Eliaa  C.  Clayton. 
Enoch  Mackey. 
Thomas  Hardy. 
James  Coddington. 
Ianthus  Bass. 
Francis  Flynn. 
William  Banoger. 
Philip  Loekwood. 
William  Henderson. 
Bona  Quillaiu. 
Jacob  Marsh. 
Frederick  Albert. 
John  Thomas. 
William  Mailer. 
Joshua  E.  Dart* 
David  Brazee.* 


Following  is  as  complete  a  list  as  can  be  ob- 
tained of  the  soldiers  from  Wayne  County — the 
full  companies  being  given  first  in  the  order  of 
the  regiment  numbers. 

Thirty-Second  Regiment  (Third  Re- 
serves).— The  Third  Reserve  Regiment  was  or- 
ganized from  companies  recruited  in  Berks 
County,  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia  and  Wayne 
County,  for  the  three  months'  service,  but  failed 
of  acceptance.  On  the  30th  of  May  these  com- 
panies rendezvoused  in  Philadelphia  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  camp  near  Easton,  where  a  regi- 
mental organization  was  effected  by  the  choice 
of  the  following  officers:  Horatio  G.  Sickle,  of 
Philadelphia,  colonel;  William  S.  Thompson, 
of  Bucks  County,  lieutenant-colonel ;  Richard 
H.  Woolworth,  of  Philadelphia,  major. 

On    July    22d    it    moved    to    Harrisburg, 


where,  on  the  27th,  it  was  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service,  and  assigned  to  the  Re- 
serve Corps,  as  the  Third  Regiment.  It  was 
ordered  to  Washington  and  remained  there  un- 
til August  2d,  when  it  was  ordered  to  Tenally- 
town.  General  MeCall,  the  commander  of  the 
Reserves,  had  directed  a  camp  to  be  formed 
there  for  all  the  Reserves.  In  the  organization 
of  the  corps,  the  Third  was  assigned  to  the 
Second  Brigade,  Brigadier-General  George  G. 
Meade.  On  the  9th  of  October  the  regiment 
moved  over  tin-  Potomac  and  encamped  near 
Langley.  On  March  10th  they  broke  camp 
and  marched  to  the  vicinity  of  Alexandria.  On 
April  10th  the  Third,  with  the  brigade,  was 
taken  to  Manassas  Junction,  and  remained  there 
until  the  18th,  when  it  marched  to  Cattell's  Sta- 
tion, arriving  opposite  Fredericksburg  May 
2d.  In  the  movement  across  the  river  and 
the  occupancy  of  Fredericksburg  and  the  ad- 
vance towards  Richmond  the  Third  partici- 
pated. The  Reserves  were  ordered  to  the  sup- 
port of  McClellan,  and  on  the  11th  arrived 
at  White  House.  On  the  13th  the  Third 
joined  the  division  at  Dispatch  Station.  The 
army  was  now  lying  in  front  of  Richmond. 
The  Reserves  were  the  first  to  feel  the  shock  of 
battle,  and  their  loss  in  killed,  wounded  and 
missing  was  one  hundred.  At  Gaines'  Mill  the 
regiment's  loss  in  killed,  wounded  and  missing 
was  eighty-six.  General  Meade  being  wound- 
ed, Colonel  Sickle  succeeded  to  the  command, 
Lieut.-Colonel  Thompson  commanding  the  regi- 
ment. In  the  battle  which  ensued  at  Malvern 
Hill  the  following  day  the  Third  was  held  iD 
reserve,  and  suffered  no  loss.  With  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  they  re-enforced  Pope  in  Vir- 
ginia. 

On  the  27th  they  marched  through  Warren- 
ton,  and  the  following  day  crossed  the  country 
toward  Manassas  Junction.  Late  in  the  afternoon 
it  was  ascertained  the  enemy  had  removed  from 
Manassas.  The  division  marched  to  the  left  on 
Sudly  Spring  road,  but  arrived  too  late  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  battle  fought  by  the  forces  of 
King  and  Stonewall  Jackson.  On  the  29th  the 
division  was  formed  and  moved  to  meet  the 
enemy.  In  the  engagement  the  Third  was  held 
as  a  reserve,  but  suffered  considerable  loss.     In 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  engagement  which  followed,  the  next  day, 
the  loss  of  the  Third  was  severe.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day  occurred  the  bloody  battle  of 
Chantilly,  resulting  in  a  loss  in  killed  and 
wounded  of  fifty-one  men.  On  the  26th 
of  October  the  Third,  with  the  division, 
marched  to  Warrenton,  and  remained  there 
until  the  17th  of  November,  when  it  re- 
moved to  Brooks  Station,  remaining  until 
December  8th,  when  they  joined  in  the 
movements  against  Fredericksburg.  In  the 
engagement  which  ensued  on  the  13th  the 
Third  suffered  a  loss  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  killed,  wounded  and  missing.  On 
the  8th  of  February  it  moved  to  the  defense  of 
Washington  and  was  attached  to  the  Twenty- 
second  Army  Corps.  Hereit  remained  with  the 
rest  of  the  Second  Brigade  until  January, 
1864,  when,  with  the  Fourth  Regiment,  both 
under  the  command  of  General  Sickle,  it  was 
ordered  to  duty  in  West  Virginia.  Upon  its 
return  from  the  campaign  in  West  Virginia  it 
proceeded  to  Philadelphia,  and  was  mustered 
out  of  service  on  the  17th  of  June,  1864. 

Company  B. 
(Mustered   in   June   5,  1861,  unless  otherwise  noted. 

Company  mustered    out  June  17,  1804.) 
William  D.  Curtis,  capt.,  resigned  July  16,  1862. 
George  C.  Davenport,  capt.,  pro.  to  1st  lieut. ;  to  capt.  ; 

trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  Aug.  5, 1863. 
Warren   G.  Moore,  capt.,  pro.  to    1st   sergt.  Aug.  19, 

1862 ;  to  capt.    Oct.    26,    1863  ;    must,  out   with 

company. 
Fr.  G.  Nicholson,  1st  lieut.,  pro.  to  1st  sergt.  Nov.  16, 

1862;  to  1st  lieut.  Aug.  19,  1S62  ;  must,  out  with 

company. 
J.  M.  Buckingham,  2d    lieut.,  resigned  Nov.  16,  1861. 
Lyman  W.  Hamlin,  2d  lieut.,  pro.  to    2d    lieut.  Nov. 

16,  1861 ;  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Nov.  11,  1862. 
George  M.  Rhone,  2d  lieut.,  must,  in    July  17,   1861; 

pro.  tosergt.-maj.  Aug.  1, 1862 ;  to  2d  lieut.  March 

1,  1863. 
Dudley    K.  Watrous,  1st  sergt.,  pro.  to  sergt.  Aug.  1, 

1862;  to  1st  sergt.  Nov.  1,  1862;  must,  out  with 

company. 
Lester  T.  Adams,  sergt.,  pro.   to  sergt.  Aug.  1,  1862  ; 

must,  out  with  company. 
John   Hetzel,  sergt.,  pro.  to   corp.   July  22, 1861  ;  to 

sergt.  Jan.  5,  1863  ;  must,  out  with  company. 
Adulphus  Monnia,  sergt.,  must,  in  June  28,  1861 ;  pro. 

to   corp.   Aug.   1,1862;    to  sergt.  Nov.  1, 1863  ; 

must,  out  with  company. 
Thomas  B.  Hamlin,  sergt.,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Sept. 

1,1861. 


James  W.  Currier,  sergt.,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  July 

2.'.,  1862. 
William  Biesecker,  sergt.,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Aug. 

1,  1862. 
Henry  C.  Tripp,  sergt,,  must,    in   July  22,  1861  ;  pro- 

to  corp.  Nov.  16,  1861 ;  to  sergt.  Jan.  18,  1862 ; 

trans,  to  54th  Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
Hobart  Nicholson,  sergt.,  pro.  to  sergt.  Nov.  16,  1861  ; 

killed  at  Antietam  Sept.  17,  1862. 
Charles  H.  Soper,  corp.,  pro.  to  corp.  July  22,  1861 ; 

trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  July  30,  1863. 
George    W.  Martin,  corp.,  must,    in   June  28,  1861  ; 

pro.  to   corp.  Jan  5,  1863;    must,  out  with  com- 
pany. 
Michael   Cobb,    corp.,  pro.     to   corp.  Jan   5,    1863; 

must,  out  with  company. 
John    Martz,  Corp.,  must,  in  June  13,  1861;  pro.  to 

corp.  Aug.  1, 1862;  trans,  to  54th  Regt.  P.  V.  July 

4, 1864 ;  veteran. 
Russell  P.  Abbey,  corp.,  must,  in  Sept.  19,  1S61  ;  pro. 

to  corp.  Nov.  1,  1863  ;  trans,  to  54th  Regt.  P.  V. 

July  4,  1804  ;  veteran. 
Gabriel  S.  Brown,  corp.,  killed  at  Gaines'  Mill    June 

27,  1862. 
Jesse  R.  Dickens,  corp.,  killed  at  Antietam  Sept.  17, 

1862. 
William  Green,  mus.,    pro.    to   muc.    Jan.    29,  1862; 

trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  July  30,  1863. 
William  L.  Marry,  mus.,  must,  in  Oct.  5, 1861  ;  disch. 

on  surg.  certif.  Oct.  10,  1862. 

Privates. 

Warner  J.  Ames,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Feb.  19,  1862. 
William    F.    Akers,  disch.  on   surg.  certif.  Sept.  10, 

1862  ;  must,  in  June  13,  1861 ;   disch.  on    surg. 

certif.  Feb.  10,  1802. 
Daniel  Andrews. 

Joseph  Barton,  must,  out  with  company. 
William  H.  Barhite,  must,  out  with  company. 
William  G.  Bortree,  must,  in  June  28, 1801  ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
John   W.    Burbank,  disch.   on   surg.  certif.   Jan.  18, 

1802. 
Eli  Bronson,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Aug.  23,  1862. 
David  Bishop,  must,  in  June  13, 1861  ;  disch.  on  surg. 

certif.  Nov.  20,  1802. 
Benjamin  Bennett,  must,  in  July  21,  1801  ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  October  14,  1862. 
Freeling  Brundage,  must,  in  July  29,  1861  ;  trans,  to 

Vet.  Res.  Corps  July  30,  1863. 
J.  M.  Buckingham,  must,  in  March  30, 1864;  trans,  to 

54th  Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
Justus  Bronson,  must,    in    March    30,  1804  ;  trans,  to 

54th  Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1804. 
Andrew  Brooks,  must,  in  Oct.  5,  1861  ;  trans,  to  54th 

Regt.  P.  V.,  July  4,  1864. 
Job  Buallison,  absent  at  must,  out. 
Oliver  L.  Bath,  must,  in  July  9,  1801 ;    killed    in   ac- 
tion June  30,  1862. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


287 


Hiram  Bidwell,  must,  in  June  13,  18G1  ;  died  Oct.  20, 

1862. 
John  Briscoe. 
Sidney  Cornell,   must,  in  Aug.  10,    1861  ;    disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Dec.  2(1,  1862. 
E.  D.  Cortright,   must,    in     .March   30,    1864;  trans. 

to  54th  Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
John  Campbell,  must,  in  July  9,  1861 ;  trans,  to  54th 

Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864  ;  veteran. 
William  Cogswell,  must,  in  July  17,  1861  ;  died  Aug. 

12,  1862. 
George  N.  Campfield,  must,  in  June  13,  1861. 
Nicholas   Danborn,  disch.   on    surg.  certif.  Jan.  31, 

1862. 
Richard  Dickens,  must,  in  July  17, 1861 ;  trans,  to  54th 

Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
James  Donelaon, must,  in  Sept.  13, 1862;  trans,  to  54th 

Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
Daniel   8.  Dickens,  killed  at  Gaines'  Mills  June  27, 

1862. 
George  P.  Eushiro,  killed   at  Gaines'  Mills  June  27, 

1862. 
George  S.  Frisbie,  must,  in  Sept.  19,  1861 ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  March  6,  1862. 
James  P.  Frisbie,  must,  in  March  80,  1864;  trans,  to 

54th  Regt.  P.  V.July  4,  1864. 
Thomas  Firth,  must,  in  June  13,  1861  ;  died  July  26, 

1862,  of  wounds  received  June  30,    1862;  buried 

Cypress  Hill  Cemetery,  L.  I. 
Daniel  Garman,  must,  out  with  company. 
Alfred  Gibbs,  must,  in  March  30,  1864 ;  trans,  to  54th 

Reg.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
Oliver  Gillett,  died  at  Washington  May  21,  1862;  bur- 
ied  in  Military  Asylum  Cemetery. 
J.  B.  Handenberger,  must,  in   June    28,  1861  ;  must. 

out  with  company. 
John  Hank,  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  July  30,  1863. 
Henry  Hinds,  must,  out  with  company. 
C.  W.  Hubbard,  must,  in  June  13,  1861 ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Robert  Hubler,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  April  6,  1862. 
Edward   Howe,  must,   in   March  30,    1864 ;  trans,  to 

54th  Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
James  H.  Howe,  must,  in  March   30,  1864 ;  trans,   to 

54th  Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
Joseph  F.  Hoover,  must,  in   July  29,  1861 ;  trans,   to 

54th  Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
William  J.  Hand,  must,  in  Aug.  10,  1861  ;  must,  out 

Aug.  18,  1864. 
Robert  D.  Jones,  must,  out  with  company. 
Jacob  Johnson,  must,  in   June  28,   1861;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Nov.  25,  1862. 
Porter  C.  Johnson,  must,  in  July  19,  1861  ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Sept.  25,  1862. 
John  S.  Kennedy,  died  July,  1862. 
William   H.    Leake,   pro.   to  chaplain  32d   Regt.  P. 

V.Aug.  1,  1861. 
Joseph   Loudon,  must,   in   July  20,  1S61  ;  trans,    to 

54th  Rest.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864  ;  veteran. 


Archibald  S.    Little,  must,   in   June  28,   1861  ;  died 

Dec.   19,   1862,  at  Richmond,  Va.,  of  wounds  re- 
ceived at  Fredericksburg,  Dee.  13,  1862. 
John  .Marsh,  absent,  siek,  at  must.  out. 
Edwin  A.  Marshall,  must,  out  with  company. 
Charles  E.  Mitchell,  must,  nut  with  company. 
William  ( i.  Moure,  must,  in  June  13,  1861  ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Anthony  Mover,  must,  out  with  company. 
Eugene    B.   Mitchell,   disch.  on  surg.   certif.   Dee.  29, 

1862. 
Michael     Mitchell,    diseh.    on    surg.    certif.    Feb.    3, 

1862. 
Edward  Machan,  must,  in  July  29,  1861  ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif. 
Quinters   Miller,  must,  in  July    29,    1861  ;  trans,  to 

54th  Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
Davis  Mitchell,  must,  in  Oct.  1,  1862;   trans,   to   54th 

Regt.  P.V.July  4,  1864. 
Frederick  Marshall,  died  Oct.  12,   L862. 
David   Miller,   must,    in   Feb.   3,  1864;  not  on  must. 

out  roll. 
James  P.  Perry,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Jan.  17,   1862. 
Daniel  N.  Peet,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  May  2.">,  1862. 
Henry  S.   Potter,   must,  in  Aug.  10,  1861 ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Dec.  22,  1862. 
John  Pinkerton,  trans,  to  54th  Regt.  P.   V.    July  4, 

1864  ;  veteran. 
Daniel  N.  Peet,  must,  in  March  39,  1864;  missing  in 

action  at  Cloyd  Mountain,  W.  Va.,  May  9,    1864. 
Emil  Pillard,  must,  in  June  28,  1861. 
James  E.   Riley,   must,   in   July  29,  1S61  ;   trans,    to 

Vet.  Res.  Corps  Nov.  1,  1863. 
M.  L.  Sheppard,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Feb.  3, 1863. 
William  Swingle,  must,  in  March  30,  1864  ;  trans,   to 

54th  Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
Sharp  L.  Swingle,  must,   in  Oct.  25,   1861;  trans,   to 

54th  Regt,  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
Archibald  H.  Stewart,  must,  in  July  20,  1861  ;  killed 

at  Fredericksburg   Dec.  13,  1862. 
Asa  Simmonson,  missing  in  action    at  Cloyd  Moun- 
tain, W.  Va.,  May  9,  1864;  veteran. 
Joshua  R.  Thomas,  must,  in   April  4,  1862;  trans,  to 

Vet,  Res.  Corps  July  1,  1863. 
Edward  Towusend,  must,  in  Sept.  19,  1861  ;  must,  out 

Sept.  30,  1864. 
Albert  Walter,  must,  out  with  company- 
Henry  Wortman,  must,  in  June  28,  1861;  must,  out 

with  company. 
George  Warner,  must,    in  July  17,   1861 ;  trans,   to 

33d  Regt.  P.  V. 
Joseph  <  i.  Wagner,  must,  in  March  31,  1864 ;  trans,  to 

54th  Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
Selden   A.  Woodruff,  must,  in  July  16,   1861  ;  trans. 

to  54th  Regt.  R.  V.  July  4,  1864. 
Friend  Watrous,  must,  in  Aug.  10,   1861 ;  trans,   to 

54th  Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864  ;  veteran. 
Albert  A.  Wright,  must,  in   June  13,  1862;  trans,  to 

54th  Regt.  P.  V.  July  4,  1864. 


288 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Henry  White,  must,  in  July  l<i,  1861 ;  died  at  Wash- 
ington Sept.  23,  1861;  buried  in  Military  Asylum 
Cemetery. 

Alfred  Williams,  must,  in  July  29,  1861;  died  Sept. 
26,  18(52,  of  wounds  received  at  Antietam,  Sept. 

17,  1862. 

Stephen  F.  Whipple,  must,  in  July  9,  1861. 

Eugene  H.   Wright,   must,   iu  June  13,  1861 ;  disch. 

on  surg.  certif.  Oct.  25,  1862. 
Elliot  Young,  must,  in  Aug.  10, 1861;  must,  out  Aug. 

18,  1864, 

George  Young,  must,  in  Aug.  10,  1861  ;  must,  out 
Aug.  18,  1864. 

TmitTY-FiFTH  Regiment  (Sixth  Reserve). 
— The  Thirty-fifth  Regiment,  otherwise  known 
as  the  Sixth  Pennsylvania  Reserve,  was  ren- 
dezvoused at  Camp  Cm-tin,  its  formation  being 
commenced  in  the  latter  part  of  April,  1861, 
and  its  organization  being  completed  on  the 
22d  of  June,  by  the  appointment  of  field  offi- 
cers, viz.  :  Colonel,  W.  Wallace Ricketts;  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel, William  M.  Penrose;  Major, 
Henry  J.  Madill. 

Being  armed  and  equipped  at  the  camp  of 
organization,  the  regiment  moved  thence,  on  the 
11th  of  July,  to  Greencastle,  Pa.,  where  it  oc- 
cupied a  camp  named  Camp  Biddle,  remaining 
there  until  the  22d,  when  it  was  moved  by  rail- 
way transportation,  via  Baltimore,  to  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  arriving  there  on  the  24th.  At 
its  camp,  east  of  the  Capitol,  it  was  mustered 
into  the  United  States  service  on  the  27th,  and 
was  then  marched  to  the  camp  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Reserves,  at  Tenallytown,  Aid.,  where  it 
was  assigned  to  duty  in  Colonel  John  S.  Mc- 
Calmont's  (Third)  brigade  of  the  Reserve  Di- 
vision, under  General  George  A.  McCall.  It 
remained  at  the  Tenallytown  camp  until  Ihe 
9th  of  October,  when,  with  the  other  regiments 
of  the  division,  it  crossed  the  Chain  Bridge  into 
Virginia,  and  encamped  near  Langley's,  at 
"  Camp  Pierpoint,"  where  it  remained  more 
than  five  months,  during  which  time  (Decem- 
ber 20th)  it  fought  its  first  battle  at  Dranes- 
ville,  on  which  occasion  the  Sixth  held  the 
centre  of  the  line,  and  behaved  with  the  utmost 
steadiness  and  gallantry.  On  the  10th  of 
March,  1862,  it  moved  with  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  remained  a  few  days  at  Hunter's 
Mills,  Ya. ;  then  moved  to  Alexandria,  Ya., 
where  it  remained  several  days  ;  then  moved  to 


Bailey's  Cross-Roads,  and  thence,  in  turn,  to 
Fairfax  Court-House,  Manassas  Junction,  Cat- 
lett's  Station  and  Falmouth,  where  it  arrived 
on  the  3d  of  May,  and  encamped  a  mile  north 
of  the  town. 

The  regiment  remained  encamped  on  the 
Rappahannock  about  six  weeks,  and  on  the  13th 
of  June  embarked  for  White  House,  on  the 
Pamunkey  River,  arriving  there  on  the  14th 
and  becoming  a  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, under  General  McClellan.  It  was  ad- 
vanced from  White  House  to  Tunstall's  Sta- 
tion, on  the  Y'ork  River  Railroad,  and  remained 
there  until  the  disastrous  battle  of  Gaines' 
Mill  compelled  the  retirement  of  the  Union 
troops  and  the  destruction  of  the  vast  quantity 
of  stores  which  had  been  accumulated  at  White 
House.  At  that  place,  on  the  28th  of  June,  the 
Sixth  embarked,  and,  proceeding  down  the 
York  River  to  Fortress  Monroe,  and  thence  up 
the  James  to  Harrison's  Landing,  reached  that 
place  on  the  1st  of  July.  On  the  4th  it  was 
transferred  to  Sinclair's  (First)  brigade  of  Sey- 
mour's (Reserve)  division  of  the  Fifth  Army 
Corps,  under  General  Fitz-John  Porter.  It 
remained  on  the  Peninsula,  but  without  being 
engaged  in  any  fighting  of  consequence,  until  the 
night  of  the  14th  of  August,  when  it  moved  by 
transport  down  the  James,  and  thence  up  the 
Potomac  River  to  Acquia  Creek,  arriving  there 
ou  the  morning  of  the  Kith,  and  proceeding 
without  delay  from  that  place,  by  rail,  to  its  old 
post  at  Falmouth.  On  the  21st  it  marched 
from  Falmouth  for  Kelly's  Ford,  on  the  Rap- 
pahannock, reaching  its  destination  at  dark  on 
the  22d.  Again,  on  the  23d,  it  moved  on  to 
Rappahannock  Station,  and  on  the  24th  en- 
camped near  the  Fauquier  White  Sulphur 
Springs,  on  the  Warrentou  road,  where  it  re- 
mained until  the  27th,  when  it  marched  with 
the  division,  and  at  night  bivouacked  at  New 
Baltimore.  The  next  day,  on  its  march,  it  be- 
came slightly  engaged  with  the  enemy  near 
Gainesville,  but  no  battle  resulted,  and  its 
night  bivouac  was  made  on  the  Alexandria 
turnpike. 

On  the  29th  and  30th  of  August  the  Sixth 
participated  gallantly  in  the  battles  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Groveton,  Va.,  and  the  old  Bull  Run 


WAYNE  COUNTY 


battle-ground,  charging  the  Confederate  posi- 
tion with  the  greatest  bravery,  driving  the 
enemy  and  holding  the  ground  gained.  The 
loss  of  the  regiment  was  thirty-six  killed  and 
wounded  and  eight  missing.  The  regimental 
colors  were  shot  from  the  staff  in  this  memora- 
ble charge. 

From  the  field  of  this  engagement  the  regi- 
ment marched  to  a  bivouac  at  Cut  Run,  where 
it  remained  on  picket  during  the  31st  and  until 
nearly  night  of  the  1st  of  September,  when  it 
took  up  the  line  of  march  for  Fairfax  Court- 
House.  On  the  following  day  it  moved  to 
Hunter's  ( Ihapel  and  afterwards  to  Munson's 
Hill.  On  the  (5th  of  September  it  moved  to 
the  Potomac,  which  it  crossed  by  the  Long 
Bridge,  and,  marching  through  Washington, 
proceeded,  by  way  of  various  towns  in  Mary- 
land, to  South  Mountain,  where  it  occupied 
the  right  of  the  Union  line  in  the  desperate 
battle  which  was  fought  along  its  declivity 
from  base  to  summit  on  the  14th  of  Sep- 
tember. 

"Night  was  fast  approaching,  and  the  battle  raged 
furiously  for  many  miles  to  the  left.  Companies  A 
and  B,  Captains  Ent  and  Roush,  were  ordered  nut  to 
seize  and  hold  the  knob  of  the  mountain  immediately 

in  front.     They   inarched   from  the  w 1,  passed  the 

enemy's  flank,  and  firing  into  it  one  volley,  made 
straight  for  the  mountain-top.  When  within  one 
hundred  yards  they  received  the  fire  of  the  enemy, 
protected  by  a  ledge  of  rocks  which  capped  the  sum- 
mit. Immediately,  Companies  C,  D  and  E  were  or- 
dered to  their  support,  and,  forming  to  the  left  of  the 
first  two,  the  line  advanced  at  a  charge.  The  num- 
bers of  the  enemy  were  largely  in  excess  of  those 
of  the  Sixth,  but  the  five  companies,  restrained  dur- 
ing the  early  part  of  the  battle,  dashed  like  a  steed 
released  from  his  curb  against  the  very  muzzles  of 
their  guns.  The  enemy,  staggered  by  the  impetuosity 
of  the  charge,  yielded  the  first  ledge  of  rocks,  and  re- 
treated to  the  second,  from  behind  which  he  delivered 
a  most  galling  fire,  causing  the  advance  to  reel  under 
the  shock  and  threatening  its  annihilation.  The  rebel 
line  to  the  left,  which  bad  been  passed  by  these  com- 
panies, had,  in  the  mean  time,  been  compelled  to 
yield  to  the  persistent  hammering  of  the  other  regi- 
ments of  the  Reserves.  The  cheers  of  the  brigade 
were  distinctly  heard  by  both,  when  the  rebels,  broken 
in  spirit  by  the  severity  of  their  losses  and  the  deter- 
mined front  presented  by  the  Reserves,  Med  down  the 
mountain-side.  These  five  companies  had  performed 
an  important  service,  and  driven  before  them  in  con- 
fusion the  Eighth  Alabama  Regiment.     The  loss  was 


twelve  men  killed,  two  officers  and  thirty-nine  men 
wounded."1 

From  the  scene  of  conflict  at  South  Moun- 
tain the  regiment  marched  to  the  field  of  An- 
tietam,  where  it  took  part  in  the  great  battle  on 
the  16th  and  17th  of  September,  in  which,  says 
Bates,  it  "sustained  an  aggregate  loss  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty-two."  After  the  battle  of 
Antietam  the  Sixth  Reserve  remained  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Potomac,  in  the  vicinity  ot 
Sharpsburg,  about  six  weeks,  and,  on  the  29th 
of  October,  crossed  the  river  at  Berlin  and 
marched  to  Warrenton,  Va.,  arriving  there 
November  6th.  On  the  11th  it  left  the  War- 
renton camp  and  moved,  by  way  of  Stafford 
Court-House,  to  Brooks'  Station,  on  the  Acquia 
Creek  Railroad,  where  it  remained  in  camp 
until  December  8th,  when  it  moved,  with  other 
regiments  of  the  division,  to  the  heights  north 
of  the  Rappahannock,  preparatory  to  crossing 
that  stream  fir  an  assault  on  the  strong  position 
of  the  enemy  at  Fredericksburg.  On  the 
morning  of  the  12th  the  regiment  crossed  the 
stream  on  a  pontoon  bridge,  about  three  miles 
below  the  town,  and  advanced  to  a  position 
which  it  held  through  the  day.  In  the  terrific 
battle  of  the  loth  it  became  furiously  engaged, 
driving  the  enemy  from  his  position  at  first,  but 
afterwards  being  compelled,  by  overpowering 
numbers,  to  yield  the  ground  thus  gained,  and 
to  fall  back  to  its  first  position.  The  strength 
of  the  regiment  on  entering  this  conflict  was 
about  three  hundred  men,  of  which  number  it 
sustained  a  loss  of  one  hundred  and  two  killed 
and  wounded  and  nineteen  missing. 

After  the  Fredericksburg  battle  the  regimeut 
encamped  at  Belle  Plain  and  thence  moved  to 
the  former  camp  at  Brooks'  Station,  where  it 
remained  until  the  first  part  of  February,  1863. 
On  the  7th  of  that  month  it  was  ordered  to 
Alexandria,  where  it  became  a  part  of  the 
Twenty-second  Corps.  Late  in  March  it  moved 
to  Fairfax  Station,  and  remained  there  until  the 
25th  of  June,  when,  with  the  other  troops  of 
the  command,  it  moved  across  the  Potomac,  and 
thence  northward  to  the  field  of  Gettysburg, 
reaching  that  historic  ground  on  the  2d  of  July, 
and   having,  in  the  mean  time,  been  transferred 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


back  to  the  Fifth  Army  Corps.  In  the  great 
conflict  of  Gettysburg  it  made  two  charges, 
liberating  a  large  number  of  Union  prisoners, 
recapturing  an  artillery  piece  and  several  cais- 
sons and  sustaining  a  loss  of  twenty-four  killed 
and  wounded.  After  the  battle  it  joined  in  the 
pursuit  of  the  enemy  as  tar  as  Falling  Waters, 
Va.,  and  afterwards  encamped  for  a  month  at 
Rappahannock  Station.  Thence  it  moved  to 
Culpepper  Court-House  and  encamped  near  that 
place  till  October  10th,  when  it  recrossed  the 
Rappahannock  and  fought  at  Bristoe  Station  on 
the  12th.  On  the  26th  of  November  it  was 
again  engaged  with  the  enemy  in  the  battle  at 
New  Hope  Church,  sustaining  a  small  loss  in 
killed  and  wounded.  On  the  5th  of  Decem- 
ber it  went  into  winter-quarters  at  Kettle 
Run. 

On  the  opening  of  the  campaign  of  1864  the 
Sixth  moved  from  its  winter  camp  on  the  29th 
of  April,  and  marched  to  Culpepper,  from 
which  point  it  moved  to  Germania  Ford,  and 
there  crossed  the  Rapidan  on  the  4th  of  May. 
On  the  5th  and  (1th  it  was  heavily  engaged  in 
the  Wilderness,  as  also  again  on  the  8th,  9th, 
10th  and  12th  in  front  of  Spottsylvania,  losing 
in  the  series  of  actions  seventy-seven  killed  and 
wounded  and  nine  missing.  On  the  22d  it  was 
again  engaged,  and  captured  ninety-two  men  of 
the  Confederate  corps  of  A.  P.  Hill. 

The  last  battle  of  the  Sixth  Reserve  was 
fought  at  Bethesda  Church,  Va.,  on  the  30th  of 
June.  It  entered  that  conflict  only  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  strong,  yet  sustained  and  re- 
pulsed a  furious  charge  of  the  enemy,  "captured 
one  hundred  and  two  prisoners,  and  buried 
seventy-two  dead  rebels  in  its  immediate  front." 

On  the  following  day  (its  term  of  service 
having  expired)  the  regiment  marched  to  the 
rear  and  was  moved  thence  to  Harrisburg 
where  it  was  mustered  out  of  service  in  June, 
1864. 

Field  and  Staff. 

Aaron  A.  Scudder,  q.m.,  must,  in  April  21,  1861 ;  pro. 
to  q.m.  April  5,   1862;  to  brev.  capt.  March  13, 

1 865 ;  captured  at  Brentsville,  Va-,  Feb.  14, 1864; 
disch.  March  12,  1865. 
John  S.  Stearnes,  eom.-sergt.,  must,  in  July  15,  1861 ; 
pro.  from  private  Co.  C  to  hosp.  steward  Dec.  24, 
1863;  must,  out  with  regiment  June  11,  1864. 


Company  C. 
(Mustered  in  May  13,  1861,  mustered   out  Juue  11, 

1864,  except  when  otherwise  noted.) 
John  S.  Wright,  capt,  disch.  Jan.  9,  1863,  for  wounds 

received  at  Antietam,  Sept.  17,  1862. 
William  Tamblyn,  capt.,  pro.  from  2d  lieut.  to  capt. 

May  18,  1863;  detached  for  duty  on  Gen.  Barnes' 

start' Aug.  21,  L861. 
Robt.  X.  Torrey,  1st  lieut.,  disch.  on  surg.  eertif.  April 

Ki,  1862. 
Wm.  H.  Goodman,  1st  lieut.,  pro.  from  sergt.  to  1st 

lieut.  April  16.  1862. 
John  E.  Lewis,  1st  lieut.,  pro.  from  sergt.  to  2d  lieut. 

May,  1863;    to   1st  lieut,   Aug.   27.    1863;    com. 

capt-   April    (i,   1863;    not   mustered;    must,    out 

with  company. 
Samuel  E.  Bryant,  1st  sergt.,  com.  2d  lieut.  April  6, 

1863  ;  not  mustered  ;  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V. 

May  31,  1864;  veteran. 
Wm.  H.  Hurlburt,  1st  sergt.,  died  Jan.  24,  1862. 
Julius  C.  Wright,  sergt.,  must,  out  with  company. 
George  D.  Arthur,  sergt.,  must,  out  with  company. 
Russell  Brink,  sergt.,  must,  in  July  15,  1861  ;  absent, 

in  hosp.,  at  must,  out, 
Milton  McFarland,  sergt.,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V. 

May  31,  1864. 
James  M.  Surrine,  Corp.,  must,  out  with  company. 
William  Kellon,  corp.,  must,  out  with  company. 
N.  W.  Elmendorf,  corp.,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V. 

May  31,  1864;   veteran. 
George   Ammerman,  corp.,  must,  in  July  15,   1861 ; 

trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V.  May  31,  1864  ;  veteran. 
Smith   A.  Barker,  corp.,  trans,  to   191st  Regt.  P.  V. 

May  31,  1864;  veteran. 
Isaac  H.  Ball,  corp.,  trans,  to  191st  Regt,  P.  V.  May 

31,  1864;  veteran. 
Nathan  Thorp,  corp.,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V.  May 

31,  1864;  veteran. 
Lucien  Goodenough,  corp.,  trans,  to  IT.  S.  Signal  Corps 

Aug.  28,  1863. 
Calvin  Pullis,  corp.,  died  Nov.  30,  1862. 

Privates. 
Lucius  K.  Avery,   must,  in  July  15,  1861  ;  wounded 

at  South  Mountain  ;  disch.  on  surg.  eertif.  Feb. 

7,  1863. 
Daniel  Avery,  killed  at  Mine  Run  Nov.  27,  1863. 
Emmett  Bishop,  must,  out  with  company. 
George  H.  Baillis,  absent  at  must,  out  of  company. 
M.  L.  Baillis,  must,  in   July  15,  1861  ;  wounded  at 

Fredericksburg  Dec.   13,   1862 ;    disch.  on  surg. 

eertif.  Feb.  7,  1863. 
Aaron    Bradshaw,  must,  in  July  15,  1861  ;  disch.  on 

surg.  eertif.  Oct.  6,  1861. 
Harvey  Bishop,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.V.May  31, 

1  864  ;  veteran. 
John  Baker,  killed  at  South  Mountain  Sept.  14, 1862. 
John  Belknap,  killed  at  South   Mountain  Sept.  14, 

1862. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Daniel  Burton,  wounded  at  Fredericksburg  Dec.  13, 

1862;  died  Feb.  15,  1863. 
Henry  Borcher,  must,  in  July  15,  1861 ;  killed  at  Bull 

Run  Aug.  30,  1862. 
James  Baker. 
Gideon  B.  Chase,  must,  in  July  15,  1861  ;  absent,  sick, 

at  must.  out. 
Charles  Colwell,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Dec.  27,  1862. 
Peter  Clien,  wounded  at  South  Mountain  Sept.  14, 

1862;  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Feb.  1,  1863. 
John  S.  Duvall,  must,  out  with  company. 
Collin    M.   Denn,  disch.  on   surg.   certif.    April   22, 

1862. 
Theodore  Day,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  May  10,  1862. 
Henry  Durshimer,  must,  in  July  15,  1861;  wounded 

at  Fredericksburg  Dec.  13,  1862;  disch.  on  surg. 

certif.  Jan.  29,  1863. 
A,  J.  Darling,   must,   in    July    15,    1861  ;    killed   at 

Spottsylvania  Court-House  May  12,  1864. 
Daniel  Darling,  killed  at  Dranesville  Dec.  20,  1861  ; 

bur.  in   Military  Asylum   Cem.  at  Washington, 

D.  C. 
William  Davidson,  killed  at  South  Mountain   Sept. 

14,  1862. 
Isaac  Forman,  must,  in  July  15,  1S61 ;  wounded  at 

Spottsylvania  Court-House  May  8,  1864 ;   must. 

out  June  11,  1864. 
William  T.  Fuller,  disch.    on   surg.  certif.  Jan.   29, 

1863. 
Earl  W.  Freeman,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V.  May  31, 

1864;  veteran. 
Hugh  Finegan,  must,  in  July  15,  1861  ;  trans,  to  191st 

Regt.  P.  V.  May  31,  1864;  veteran. 
George  Groner,  absent  at  must,  out  of  company. 
James  Gerety,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V.  May  31, 

1864;  veteran. 
Robert  A.  Greeley,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V.  May  31, 

1864;  veteran. 
Calvin  M.  Griffls,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V.  May  31, 

lsi  14  ;  veteran. 
John  H.  Groner,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Jan.  7,  1863. 
John  Hallett,  must,  out  with  company. 
Stephen  M.  Hays,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V.  May  31, 

1864 ;  veteran. 
William  Hulett,  must,  in  May  28,  1861. 
Howard  T.  Justin,  must,  in  July  15,  1861 ;  wounded 

at  Fredericksburg  Dec.  13,  1862  ;  absent,  in  hosp., 

at  must.  out. 
William  H.  Jayue,  wounded  at  Dranesville  Dec.  20, 

1861  ;  disch.  Sept.  1,  1861. 
Squire  W.  Jayne,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V.  May  31, 

1864  ;  veteran. 
Jacob  F.  Katz,  must,  out  with  company. 
Philander  Kimble,  must,  in  July  15,  1861  ;  captured 

at  Bethesda  Church  May  30,  1864;  disch.  April 

14,  1865. 
John  Karslake,  killed  at  Bull  Run  Aug.  30,  1862. 
Mortimer  E.  Lavo.  absent  at  must,  out  of  company. 
Nelson  Labar,  absent  at  must,  out  of  company. 


Halsey   Lathrop,   must,   in   July   15,   1861  ;  trans,  to 

191st  Regt.  P.  Y.  May  31,  1864;  veteran. 
H.  M.  Lawrence,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V.  May  31, 

1864;  veteran. 
Abram  Lane. 
Enoch  Maekey,  must,  in  July  13,1861  ;  trans,  to  l'.ilst 

Regt.  P.  Y.  May  31,  1864  ;   veteran. 
James   Melons,  trans,  to   191st  Regt.  P.  Y.  May  31, 

1864  ;  veteran. 
Frank  McFarland,  must,  in  July  15,  1861  ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Thomas  McKane,  must,  out  with  company. 
Michael  McFarley,  disch.  Nov.  22,  1863;  for  wounds 

received  at  Fredericksburg  Dec.  13,  1862. 
Samuel  Nolan,  must,  out  with  company. 
Augustus  Niles,  disch.  Feb.  24,  1863,  for  wounds  re- 
ceive! at  Bull  Run  Aug.  30,  1862. 
Johu  Nesle,  disch.  Jan.  5,  1863;  for  wounds  received 

at  South  Mountain  Sept.  14,  1862. 
Charles  Ncithart,  killed  at  Wilderness  May  6,  I  36  1. 
James  T.  Nelson,  died   at   Falmouth,  Va.  Aug.  30, 

1862. 
George  Porter,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V.  May  31, 

1864;  veteran. 
James  Rogers,  must,  in  July  15, 1861;  must,  out  with 

company. 
George  Rowley,  must,  in  July  15,  1861 ;  absent.  Bick, 

at  must.  out. 
David   Robinson,  must,  in  July  15,  1861 ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  July  2,  1862. 
Edmund  L.  Reimer,  must,  in  July  15,  1861  ;  killed  at 

South  Mountain  Sept.  14,  1862. 
Michael  Spratt,  must,  out  with  company. 
Nathan  B.  Sherwood,  absent  at  must.  out. 
Frank  Stanton,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Feb.  5,  1863. 
Alvin  Shaffer,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Sept.  22,  1862. 
A.  C.  Starbird,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  July  10,  1862. 
Henry  Sherwood,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  V.  May  31, 

1864;  veteran. 
James  Shannon,  trans,  to  191st  Regt.  P.  Y.  May  31, 

1X64;  veteran. 
George  J.  Shopp,  trans,  to  191st  Regt,  P.  Y.  May  31, 

18.64  ;  veteran. 
Frank  Stuart,  must,  in  July  15,  1861  ;  trans,  to  191st 

Regt.  P.  V.  May  31,  1864;  veteran. 
William  W.  Smith,  must,  in  Jan.  24,  1862;  trans,  to 

191st  Regt.  P.  Y.  May  31,  1864. 
John  S.  Stearnes,  must,  in  July  15, 1861 ;  pro.  to  com.- 

sergt.  Dec.  24,  1863. 
Oscar  F.  Sampson,  must,  in  Jan.  29,  1864;  trans,  to 

l'.ilst  Regt.  P.  V.  May  31,  1864. 
Archibald  D.Stark,  died  Oct.  10,  1862;  bur.  in  Cy- 
press Hill  Cem.,  L.  I.,  N.  Y. 
Sylvester  Thomas,  must,  out  with  company. 
John   Thorp,  trans,  to    191st  Regt.   P.  V.    May    31, 

1864;  veteran. 
Edward   Torpyn,    died    at   Annapolis,  Md.,   Sept.   5, 

1861. 
David  B.  Torrey,  killed  at  Wilderness  May  6,  1864. 


'-".12 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Thomas  Tully. 

Stephen   D.  Ward,  must,  in  July  15,  1861 ;  died  at 
Fail  lax  Seminary  March  18,  L864  ;  grave  1534. 

Foety-fiptb  Regiment,  Company  F. — 
A  portion  of  this  company  was  from  Equi- 
uuuk.  The  men  were  recruited  in  the  fall  of 
1861,  and  they  were  mustered  out  on  July  17, 
1864. 

Charles  E.  Parker,  capt.,  must,  in  Oct.  16,  1861  ;  res. 

March  24,  1862. 
Lafayette  \V.  Lord,  capt.,  must,  in  Sept.  2,  L861  ;  pro. 

from  1st  lieut.of  Co.  F  to  capt.  Co.  A  Dec.  17, 

1864  ;  trans,  to  Co.  F   March  24,  1865;   wounded 

a1  Petersburg  April  2,  1865  ,  must,  out  with  com- 
pany. 
George  S.  Redfiehl,  1st  lieut.,  must,  in  Sept.  21,  1861  ; 

res.  April  14, 1864. 
George  P.  Scudder,  1st  lieut.,  must,  in  Oct.  16,  L861  ; 

pro.  from  2d  to  1st  lieut.  April  21,  1862;  killed 

at  Cold  Harbor  June  .'!,  L864. 
J.  E.  W Imansee,  2d   lieut.,  must,  in   Oct.  17,  1861  ; 

pro.  to  2d  lieut.  April    21,    1862;    res.  Aug.   1, 

1862. 
Richard  Humphrey,  2d  lieut.,  must,  in  Oct.  1, 1861 ; 

pro.  from  Lstsergt.  to  2d  lieut.;  not  mustered; 

killed  at  Jackson,  Miss.,  July  11,  1863. 
Gilbert  Van  Dusen,  1st  Bergt.,  must,  in  Oct.  II,  1861  ; 

disch.   April   13,  1865,    lor   wounds   received  at 

Petersburg  June  30,  1864;  veteran. 
John  W.  Hughes,  sergt.,  must,  in  Sept.  3,  L861  ;  pro. 

fr Corp.  to  sergt,  June  1,  1865;  must,  out  with 

company;  veteran. 
George   1 'aimer,  sergt.,  must,   in  Oct.   16,1861;  pris- 
oner from  Sept.  30,  1864,  to  .March  25,  1  365  ;   pro. 

from  corp.  to  sergt.  June  1,  1865;  must,  out  with 

company  ;  veteran. 
•lac  oh    I.    Brazie,   sergt.,  must,   in    Sept.   3,   18(11; 

wounded  at   Wilderness   May  0,  1864;  prisoner 

from  Sept.  30,  18(34,  to  March  25,  1865  ;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  May  29,  1865  ;  veteran. 
Depuy  Teeple,  sergt.,  must,  in  Sept.  8, 1861 ;  wounded 

at  South  Mountain  Sept.  14,  1862;  disch.  March 

16,  1863. 
John    D.    Palmer,    corp.,    must,    in    Sept.    2,    1861; 

wounded  at   Wilderness  May  7,  1864  ;   must,  out 

with  company;  veteran. 
Charles  W.  Ferow,  corp.,  must,  in  March  28,  1864; 

pro.  to  corp.  March  1,  1865;  wounded  at  Peters- 
burg April  2,  1865  ;  must,  out  with  company. 
John  W.  Lewis,  corp.,  must,  in  September  30,  1861  ; 

trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  Jan.  15,  1S64. 
George  W.   Haynes,  corp.,  must,   in  Sept.  2,  1861; 

killed  at  Petersburg  July  30,  1864;   veteran. 
James  Cooley,  mus..  must,  in  Sept.  2.  lsi.il  ;  must,  out 

with  company;  veteran. 
James  H.  Guile,  mus.,  must,  in  Sept.  2,  18(11  ;  must. 

out  net.  2o.  1864,  expiration  of  term. 


Privates. 

A.    R.    Brown,  must,  in   Nov.  28,  1864;  substitute; 

must,  out  with  company. 
John  D.  Bailey,  must,  in  March  20,  1862 ;  must,  out 

March  19,  1865,  expiration  of  term. 
Reuben  Baily,  must,   in   Sept.  2,  1861 ;  died  July  27, 
1864,  of  wounds  received   July  26,  lsiH;  buried 

in   9th   Army   Corps  Cemetery,  Meade   Station, 

Va.  ;   veteran. 
George  W.  Bailey,  must,  in  Oct.  1,  1S61  ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Jan.  13,  1863. 
Lucian  B.  Bailey,  must,   in  Sept.  30, 1861 ;  died  De- 
cember   19,    1861;    buried    at   Fortress   Monroe, 

Va. 
James  Ciune,  must,  in  Sept.  16,  1861. 
Elias   Codington,  must,   in   Oct.  11,1861;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Feb.  23,  1863. 
Linus  Demander,  must  in  Sept.  3,1861;  must,  out 

Oct.  20,  1864,  expiration  of  term. 
Jasper    10.  Edwards,  must,   in   Sept.    27,1861;  must. 

out  Oct,  20,  1864,  expiration  of  term. 
Morris  Eldred,  must,  in  Sept.  2,  1861;  must,  out  Oct. 

20,  1864,  expiration  of  term. 
Francis  Flynn,  must,  in  (Jet.  1,  1861 ;  captured  Sept. 

30,  1864;  must,  out  April    7,  1865,  expiration  of 

term. 
William  Gillow,  must,  in   March  30,  1864;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Feb.  6,  1865. 
Nathan  D.  Guile,  must,  in  Sept.  2,  1861;  died  April 

12.  1864;  buried   in  U.  S.  Gen.  Hosp.  Cemetery, 

Annapolis,  Md. 
William   H.  Gifford,  must,  in  Sept.  2,  1861  ;  died  at 

Fortress  Monroe,  Va.,  Nov.  24,  1861. 
William  H.  Kaiu,  must,  in  July  29,  1864  ;  substitute  ; 

killed  at    Poplar  Spring   Church,  Va.,  Sept.  30, 

1864. 
Henry   Lord,    must,   in   Oct.     1,   18(11;    wounded    at 

Petersburg   July   20,   1864;    disch.    Dec,   1864; 

veteran. 
Alfred  Lester,  must,  in  Sept.  12,  1861  ;  wounded  at 

North   Anna  May  26,  1864;  must,  out  Oct.  20, 

1864,  expiration  of  term. 
Joseph  Lester,  must,  in  Sept.  2,  1861 ;  disch.  on  surg. 

certif.  Aug.  14,  1862. 
George   Modridge,  must,    in   March    28,  18(14  ;  must. 

out  with  company. 
Zillar  Minard,  must,  in  Sept.  16, 1861 ;  must,  out  Oct. 

20,  1864,  expiration  of  term. 
Obadiah  Palmer,  must,  in  Sept.  17,  1861 ;  wounded, 

with  loss  of  leg,  at   Antietam   Sept.    17,   1862; 

disch.  on  surg.  certif.  May  6,  1863. 
Lewis  N.  Purdy.must.  in  Oct.  25, 1861 ;  died  at  Otter 

Island,  S.  C,  Jan.  3,  1862. 
John  S.  Shaffer,  must,  in  Sept.  2,  1861  ;  wounded  at 

Petersburg  June   18,1864;  must,  out  with  com- 
pany ;  veteran. 
George  Schemerhorn,  must,  in  Oct,  1,  1861. 
Henry  H.  Stone,  must,  in  Sept.  2,  1861  ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


293 


Christopher  Teeple,  must,  iu  Sept.  17,1861 ;  wounded 
at  Blue  Springs,  Ky.,  Oct.  10,  1863,  and  at  Cold 
Harbor  June  7,  1864  ;  disch.  1864  ;  veteran. 

Levi  Teeple,  must,  in  March  28,  1864;  disch.  by  G.  0. 
May  19,  1865. 

Daniel  Thomas,  must,  in  Sept.  8,  1861  ;  disch.  on 
surg.  certif.  Sept.  16,  1862. 

Sylvester  Woodmansee,  must,  in  Sept.  5, 1861;  disch 
on  surg.  certif.  Aug.  14,  1862. 

Fifty-sixth  Regiment. — This  regiment 
was  organized  at  Camp  Curtin  in  the  fall  of 
1861.  The  men  composing  it  were  from  va- 
rious sections  of  the  State,  but  principally  from 
Philadelphia  and  the  counties  of  Wayne,  Indi- 
ana, Centre,  Luzerne,  Schuylkill  and  Susque- 
hanna. On  the  1st  of  September,  Sullivan  A. 
Meredith,  of  Philadelphia,  who  had  been  colo- 
nel of  the  Tenth  (three  months'  men),  was  ap- 
pointed colonel  l>y  Governor  Curtin.  Soon  af- 
ter J.  William  Hofmann  and  Thomas  S.  Mar- 
tin, of  Philadelphia,  were  appointed  lieutenant- 
colonel  and  major.  Subsequently  Major  Mar- 
tin was  appointed  lieutenant-colonel  of  the 
Eleventh  Regiment,  and  John  B.  Smith,  of 
Pittstou,  was  appointed  major.  The  regiment 
remained  in  Camp  Curtin  until  spring.  On 
March  8,  1862,  the  organization  still  being  in- 
complete, having  hut  eight  and  a  half  compa- 
nies, left  Harrisburg  for  Washington,  reaching 
there  on  the  9th  inst.,  remaining  at  Fort  Al- 
bany till  April  4th.  From  there  it  proceeded  to 
Budd's  Ferry,  on  the  Lower  Potomac,  and  was 
there  engaged  in  guarding  government  prop- 
erty. On  the  24th  it  embarked  for  Acquia 
Landing.  On  the  21st  of  May  the  regiment 
removed  to  Potomac  Creek,  to  guard  the  rail- 
road bridge.  On  the  27th  it  proceeded  to  Fred- 
ericksburg and  encamped  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Rappahannock,  it  was  occupied  iu  doing  guard 
duty  until  the  9th  of  August,  when  it  was  as- 
signed to  Doubleday's  brigade,  McDowell's 
corps.  On  the  28th,  in  an  engagement  with 
the  enemy,  near  Gainesville,  in  which  the  Fifty- 
sixth  was  engaged,  Captain  George  Corman,  of 
Company  F,  was  killed,  and  Colonel  Meredith 
was  severely  wounded.  Lieutenant-colonel 
Hofmann  immediately  assumed  command.  On 
the  following  morning  the  division  moved  to 
Manassas  Junction.  At  2  p.m.  the  division 
moved  back  to  within  a  mile  of  the  scene  of  the 


conflict.  Here  a  regiment  was  required  to  hold 
the  enemy  in  check,  while  the  troop  deployed  to 
the  left.  The  Fifty-sixth  was  ordered  forward. 
The  regiment  held  its  ground  until  ordered  to 
retire  Captain  Osboru  and  Lieutenant  Mum- 
ford  were  wounded  in  this  skirmish.  It  accom- 
panied the  division  in  the  campaign  in  Mary- 
laud  ;  was  in  the  battle  of  the  16th  and  17th  of 
September,  at  Antietam,  and  suffered  but  little 
loss.  ( In  issing  the  Potomac  with  the  brigade,  on 
the  30th  of  October,  it  was  ordered  to  Union  to  the 
support  of  Pleasanton's  cavalry,  and  on  the  2d 


of  November  was  ordered  to  drive  the 


enemy 


from  the  town.  In  this  engagement  the  regi- 
ment lost  five  killed  and  ten  wounded.  Prepa- 
rations were  now  being  made  for  the  Freder- 
icksburg campaign.  On  December  9th,  the 
command  was  at  Brooks'  Station;  on  the  12th 
crossed  the  Rappahannock;  on  the  loth  re- 
crossed  the  river  and  encamped  and  remained  un- 
til the  25th.  On  the  8th  of  January  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Hofmann  was  promoted  to  colonel,  Col- 
onel Meredith  to  brigadier-general,  ami  (  lap- 
tain  George  B.  Osborn,  captain  of  company  A, 
was  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel.  On  the  28th 
of  April  the  regiment  moved  on  the  Chancellors- 
ville  campaign.  On  the  29th  an  effort  was- 
made  to  lay  a  pontoon  bridge  across  the  river 
at  Pollock's  Mill.  The  enemy's  sharpshooters 
rendered  it  impracticable,  unless  driven  from 
their  position.  To  effect  this,  a  storming-party 
was  sent  across  in  boats,  and  the  Fifty-sixth  was 
deployed  as  skirmishers  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river.  In  this  demonstration  two  were  killed  and 
seven  wounded.  On  the  25th  of  June  the  march 
towards  Gettysburg  was  commenced,  and  the 
regiment  reached  Frederick  on  the  28th,  arriv- 
ing at  Emmettsburg  on  the  :30th.  The  brigade 
led  the  advanceof  the  First  Corps,  and  the  Fifty- 
sixth  was  second  in  the  brigade  column.  As  the 
head  of  the  column  arrived  at  the  front,  the 
regiment  was  the  first  to  get  iu  position,  and  as 
the  enemy,  at  the  moment  advancing,  was  with- 
in easy  musket-range,  it  was  immediately  or- 
dered to  fire,  which  opened  the  battle.  Briga- 
dier-General Cutler  then  in  command  of  the 
First  Division  of  the  First  Corps,  says,  in  a 
letter  dated  November  5,  1863,  to  Governor 
Curtin,    "  In  noticing  in  the  papers  to-day  an 


294 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


account  of  the  proposition  tor  a  National  Ceme- 
tery at  Gettysburg,  for  the  men  who  fell  there 
in  July  last,  I  am  reminded  that  I  have  ne- 
glected a  duty  which  I  owe  to  one  of  your  regi- 
ments—  the  Fifty-sixth  and  its  brave  com- 
mander, Colonel  J.  William  Hofmann.  That 
regiment  was  in  the  Second  Brigade  of  the  divis- 
ion, and  was  at  that  time  under  my  command. 
It  was  my  fortune  to  be  in  the  advance  on  the 
morning  of  July  1st.  When  we  came  upon  the 
ground  in  front  of  the  enemy,  Colonel  Hofmann's 
regiment  got  in  position  a  moment  sooner  than 
the  others,  the  enemy  advancing  in  line  of  bat- 
tle within  easy  range.  Being  a  few  paces  in 
the  rear  of  Colonel  Hofmann,  he  turned  to  me 
and  inquired,  '  Is  that  the  enemy  "? '  My  reply 
was,  '  Yes.'  Turning  to  his  men,  he  com- 
manded, '  Ready,  right  oblique,  aim,  fire  ! '  and 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  opened.  The 
battle  on  the  soil  of  Pennsylvania  was  opened 
by  her  own  sons,  and  it  is  just  that  it  should 
become  a  matter  of  history.  I  desire  to  say  to 
your  Excellency  that  the  Fifty-sixth  is  one  of 
the  very  best  regiments  in  the  service,  and  Col- 
onel Hofmann,  without  qualification,  one  of  the 
best  officers,  brave,  faithful  and  prompt,  and  I 
hope  you  will  cause  proper  measures  to  be  tak- 
en to  give  that  regiment  the  credit,  which  is  its 
due,  of  opening  that  memorable  battle.  Lieu- 
tenant Gordon,  of  Company  B,  and  seven  men 
were  killed  ;  Captains  Burrett  and  Flyn  and 
Lieutenant  Hubler  and  sixty-one  men  wounded. 
Seventy-eight  missing  was  the  loss  of  the  regi- 
ment at  Gettysburg.  In  an  engagement  on  the 
2d,  at  Culp  Hill,  the  regiment  lost  two  killed 
and  had  three  men  wounded.  During  the 
movement  on  Mine  Run  the  regiment  sustained 
a  loss  of  five  men  wounded.  On  the  6th  of 
February  the  regiment  under  command  of  Ma- 
jor Jack  participated  in  the  demonstration  at 
Raccoon  Ford.  On  the  10th  of  March  it  was 
granted  a  veteran  furlough.  Returning  on  the 
20th,  then  Same  the  memorable  Wilderness 
campaign.  In  the  engagement  at  Parker's 
Store,  May  4th,  the  regiment  sustained  heavy 
loss  in  killed,  wounded  and  missing.  It  fought 
determinedly  at  Laurel  Hill  in  connection  with 
the  Ninety-fifth  New  York.  From  the  11th  of 
May  the   regiment   shared   the   fortunes  of  the 


army  until  it  crossed  the  James  River,  on  the 
16th  of  June.  On  the  17th  it  faced  the  foe 
near  the  Black  Water  road,  and  in  this  assault 
Captain  Mumford  fell  at  the  head  of  his  regi- 
ment. The  regiment  participated  in  the  advance 
to  the  Hatcher's  Run,  on  October  27th,  and  to 
Hickford,  on  December  5th.  It  destroyed  sev- 
eral miles  of  the  Weldon  Railroad  on  the  8th. 
On  the  13th  the  regiment  encamped  at  Lee's 
Mills,  where  it  remained  until  February  4, 1865. 
In  the  mean  time  Colonel  Hofmann  had  been 
brevetted  brigadier-general,  and  Lieutenant- 
( 'olonel  ( )sborn  colonel.  ( )n  the  23d  of  Decem- 
ber Colonel  Osborn  was  discharged,  his  term  of 
service  having  expired.  Captain  Burritt  had 
been  discharged  on  November  21st,  on  account  of 
his  numerous  wounds,  and  Lieutenant  Healy,  on 
January  7th,  on  account  of  failing  health.  On 
December  26th,  Major  Jack  was  promoted  to 
Lieutenant-colonel,  and  Lieutenant  Henry  A. 
Laycock  to  major.  The  regiment  participated 
on  the  5th  and  6th  of  February  in  the  second 
engagement  at  Hatcher's  Run.  A  month  later 
General  Hofmann  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jack 
were  discharged,  their  terms  of  service  having 
expired.  Major  Laycock  and  Captain  Black 
were  promoted  to  colonel  and  lieutenant-colonel 
respectively,  Captain  Michaels  to  major.  The 
regiment  shared  the  perils  and  honors  of  the 
final  campaign,  which  brought  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia  to  surrender,  and  on  the 
1st  of  July  was  mustered  out  of  service  at  Phil- 
adelphia. 

Colonel  George  B.  Osborn  was  born 
March  22,  1836,  at  Windham,  Greene  County, 
N.  Y.,  and  was  the  son  of  ( iernsey  and  Ann 
Maria  (Hollister)  Osborn. 

Deacon  Nathan  Osborn,  born  July  13,  1763, 
at  Wratertown,  Conn.,  the  paternal  grandfather 
of  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  was  a  farmer,  and 
with  Rebecca,  his  wife,  born  February  8,  1764, 
at  the  same  place,  removed  to  Greene  County, 
N.  Y.,  in  the  year  1800.  He  served  in  the  War 
of  181 2-1 4,  and  rose  from  the  ranks  to  be  major 
of  his  regiment.  He  had  thirteen  children 
(eight  sons  and  five  daughters),  of  whom  Gern- 
sey  Osborn  was  born  at  Windham,  on  January 
22,  1806,  and  married  Ann  Maria  Hollister 
(born  at  Rensselaerville,  Albany  County,  N.  V., 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


295 


on  March  13, 1809),  in  the  town  of  Cairo,  Greene 
County,  N.  Y.,  on  January  22,  1828,  who  bore 
him  four  sons, — Bennet,  Lewis  A.,  George  B., 
and  Gernsey,  Jr.  On  the  maternal  side  the 
grandparents  of  Colonel  Osboru  were  Jessie 
Hollistor,  horn  at  Sharon,  Conn.,  and  Ann  Ma- 
ria, his  wife,  born  at  Salisbury,  Conn.  He  was 
a  farmer,  and  moved  from  Sharon  to  Renssel- 
aerville,  Albany  County,  X.  Y.,  about  the  year 
1805.     They  had  four  children, — one  son  and 


X.  Y.,  Kingston  Academy,  X.  Y.,  and  West 
Bloomfield,  X.  J.,  and  having  attained  his  four- 
teen tli  year,  began  to  learn  the  tanner's  trade  under 
his  father's  eyes,  succeeding  so  well  (and  ac- 
quiring the  reputation  for  energy  and  thorough- 
ness which  has  since  been  so  marked  a  part  of  his 
character)  as  to  be  made  the  foreman  of  the  tan- 
nery which  his  father  undertook  with  Major 
Strong,  at  Starrucca.  In  this  capacity  we 
find  him  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion 


<^». 


three  daughters, — of  whom  Ann  Maria  married 
Gernsey  Osboru,  as  above  stated. 

Gernsey  Osboru  was  engaged  in  the  tanning 
business  in  Greene,  Sullivan  and  Ulster  Coun- 
ties, X.  Y.,  until  1849,  when  he  removed  to 
Starrucca,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  where  he  was 
connected  with  E.  P.  Strong  (now  Judge  Strong) 
in  the  tanning  interest  until  1862,  when  he  sold 
out  and  removed  to  Xew  York,  where  he  now 
resides.  His  third  son,  George  B.,  received 
a  liberal  education  at  Xapanock,  Ulster  County, 


and  until  the  defeat  of  our  army  at  the  first  bat- 
tle of  Bull  Run,  upon  receipt  of  news  of  which 
disaster  he  and  his  brother-in-law,  Oliver 
Mumford,  commenced  at  once  to  recruit  a  com- 
pany, and  entered  the  service  on  August  2,  1861, 
being  assigned  as  Company  A,  of  the  Fifty-sixth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  (Colonel  S. 
A.  Meredith),  then  being  organized  in  Camp 
Curtin,  at  Harrisburg — George  B.  Osborn  with 
the  rank  of  captain,  and  Oliver  Mumford  as 
first  lieutenant.     Joining  the  Army  of  the   Po- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


totnac  the  regiment  was  put  in  the  First  Brigade 
of  the  First  Division  of  the  First  Army  Corps, 
which  now  bears  upon  its  tattered  flags  in  the 
State  Capitol  at  Harrisburg,  the  record  of  twenty- 
eight  battles. 

George  B.  Osborn  served  as  captain  of  Com- 
pany A  over  one  and  a  half  years,  and  was 
promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel  of  his  regiment, 
the  Fifty-sixth;  was  detailed  in  1863  to  act 
as  assistant  inspector-general  of  the  division  in 
which  was  his  regiment,  and  in  such  capacity 
served  on  the  staff  of  General  Cutler  until  he 
was  wounded,  and  then  on  the  staff  of  General 
Wadsworth  until  the  death  of  that  accomplished 
officer ;  also  on  the  staff  of  General  G.  K.  Warren, 
commanding  the  Fifth  Corps,  and  on  the  staff' 
of  General  S.  W.  Crawford,  commanding  the 
Third  Division  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  ser- 
vice, December  24,  1864. 

He  was  engaged  in  twenty-six  battles,  and 
was  made  brevet-colonel  United  State-  Volun- 
teers for  bravery  on  the  battle-field.  We  at- 
tach a  certain  interesting  letter  from  his  colonel 
and  old  commander,  General  Hofmann,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, in  further  tribute,  and  excerpt  a  few 
lines  from  other  letters  written  to  him.  General 
H.  A.  Morrow  says  :  "  I  have  known  you  for 
nearly  three  years,  and  know  you  to  be  a  sol- 
dier sans  peur  et  sans  reproche,  a  gentleman  of 
conciliating  and  engaging  manners,  and  a  pa- 
triot wholly  devoted  to  the  good  of  the  service. 
You  carry  into  your  retirement  the  respect,  con- 
fidence and  best  wishes  of  every  officer  in  this 
division,  and  to  those  of  us  who  have  kuown  you 
longest  and  best  you  are  endeared  by  many  as- 
sociations, the  memory  of  which  can  perish  only 
with  our  lives."  General  S.  AY.  Crawford 
says  :  "  I  desire  to  assure  yo\i  of  the  unqualified 
satisfaction  I  have  ever  had  with  you  as  an  of- 
ficer of  my  staff  and  a  soldier  of  my  command. 
Faithful  in  the  office,  fearless  and  devoted  in 
the  field,  you  have  served  the  country  and  the 
cause  with  an  unvavering  fidelity  to  the  end  of 
your  term,  and  you  leave  the  service  with  the 
esteem,  the  confidence  and  the  respect  of  your 
comrades,  whose  object,  I  trust,  will  be  to 
emulate  your  example."  General  J.  W.  Hof- 
mann writes  under  recent  date  as  follows  :  "  My 


Dear  Colonel,  I  take  great  pleasure  in  recalling 
your  services  in  the  field  during  the  war  fur  the 
preservation  of  the  Union,  and  bear  testimony 
to  the  courteous  and  gentlemanly  intercourse 
that  existed  between  you  and  those  serving  with 
you;  the  satisfactory  manner  in  which  you  dis- 
charged the  general  duties  that  devolved  upon 
you  as  a  line-officer,  field-officer  and  staff-offi- 
cer, and  your  gallant  conduct  on  the  many 
fields  of  battle,  conspicuous  among  this,  your 
cool,  self-possessed  conduct  on  the  memorable 
field  of  Gettysburg,  on  the  morning  of  .Inly  1st, 
when  we  first  discovered  the  enemy  in  front  of 
Seminary  Ridge.  The  close  official  and  pleas- 
ant personal  relations  that  existed  between 
Generals  Cutler,  Wadsworth,  Avers  and  others, 
upon  whose  staff  you  served,  justifies  me  in  say- 
•iug  their  verdict  coincides  with  my  own. 

"  I  recall  your  presence  in  the  long,  exhausting 
march  from  Fredericksburg  to  Cedar  Mountain, 
in  August,  1862;  in  the  actions  at  Sulphur 
Spring  and  Rappahannock;  in  the  battles  of 
Gainesville  and  Groveton  and  second  Bull  Run, 
August  28th,  29th  and  30th;  your  wounding  in 
the  latter  battle,  and  a  letter  received  from  your 
brother  under  date  of  September  17th,  inform- 
ing me  that  you  had  left  home  to  rejoin  the 
regiment,  against  the  judgment  of  the  surgeon  ; 
your  arrival  a  few  days  thereafter  and  resuming 
your  duties;  your  participation  in  the  action  at 
Union,  Va.,  November  2d  and  3d  ;  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Fredericksburg;  the  battle  of  Chancellors- 
ville;  the  decisive  battle  of  Gettysburg;  the 
march  into  Virginia  after  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac had  for  the  second  time  driven  its  adver- 
sary across  the  Potomac  River ;  my  detail  on 
special  duty  ;  your  assumption  of  the  duties  of 
commander  of  the  regiment  during  the  subse- 
quent operations  to  October,  and  your  detail  as 
a  staff-officer  on  the  staff  of  the  division  com- 
mander. I  recall  your  presence  as  such  in  the 
action  at  Mine  Run ;  in  the  movement  on  the 
Rapidan,  in  the  winter  of  1863-64  ;  through- 
out the  campaign  in  the  following  spring,  from 
the  Rapidan  down  to  the  James  River,  with  its 
almost  inseparable  battles  of  the  Wilderness, 
Alsop's  Farm,  Spottsydvania,  Xorth  Anna,  Tol- 
opotomoyandBethesda  Church,  unsurpassed  for 
gallantry  and  heroism,  and  the  sanguinary  sac- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


297 


rifices  entailed  upon  the  participants.  And 
again  in  the  assault  of  the  enemy's  works  be- 
low Petersburg,  June  18th,  when  Captain  Mum- 
ford  fell  while  gallantly  leading  the  regiment  in 
the  assault,  and  in  the  subsequent  operations  in- 
cidental to  the  siege  of  Petersburg.  I  testify  to 
all  this  with  great  pleasure.  Renewing  my  ac- 
knowledgments to  you  for  the  support  received 
from  you  on  all  occasions  when  you  were  under 
my  command,  and  for  the  courteous  manner  in 
which  you  discharged  the  delicate  duties  of  a 
staff-officer  while  serving  upon  the  staff  of  ray 
division  commanders,  I  am  very  truly  yours, 
J.  W.  Hofmaun,  brevet  brigadier-general 
United  States  Volunteers,  (late  colonel  Fifty- 
sixth  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Veteran  Volun- 
teeers).  To  Brevet-Colonel  George  B.  Osborn, 
United  States  Volunteers,  (late  lieutenant-col- 
onel Fifty-sixth  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Vet- 
eran Volunteers.") 

Returning  home  from  the  war  in  1865,  Col- 
onel Osborn  spent  a  year  in  the  oil  regions  near 
Marietta,  Ohio,  and  another  in  the  manufacture 
of  hoop-skirts  with  his  oldest  brother  in  New 
York  City,  following  that  by  selling  goods  for 
wholesale  jobbing  houses.  In  1870  he  removed 
from  New  York  to  Starrucra,  and  during  the 
next  three  years  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  with  his  brother  in  law,  W.  W.  Mum- 
ford,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  became 
partner  with  Major  E.  P.  Strong  in  the  lum- 
ber and  mercantile  business,  and  so  continued 
for  twelve  years. 

In  1886  he  erected  a  steam  factory  at  Star- 
rucca,  for  the  manufacture  of  umbrella  and  par- 
asol sticks,  chair  stuff,  etc.,  in  which  he  employs 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  hands  steadily,  and  is 
building  up  a  handsome  business  to  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  county. 

Colonel  Osborn  was  married  to  Miss  Matilda 
E.,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  James  Mumford  (a 
sketch  of  whom  is  contained  in  this  volume),  on 
August  2,  1859,  and  has  one  daughter  and  an 
adopted  son  (child  of  Daniel  and  Hattie  Cargill, 
both  deceased). 

Company  A. 
George   B.   Osborn,   capt.,  must,   in   Sept.    15,  1861  ; 
wounded  at   Bull   Run   Aug.  29,    18(i2 ;  pro.   to 
lieut-col.  March  1,   1863;  to  brev.-col.   Dec.   2, 
1804;  disch.  Dec.  25,  1S64. 
28 


Oliver  Mumford,  capt.,  must.  inOct.  2,  1S(>1  ;  wounded 

at  Bull  Run   Aug.   2!),   1862;  pro.  to  1st  lieut. ; 

to  capt.  March  1,1863;  killed  at  Petersburg,  Va., 

June  18,  1864. 
Charles  E.  Baker,  capt.,  must,  in  Oct.   2,  1861 ;  pro. 

from  priv.  to  1st  sergt. ;  to  lstlieut.  April  11, 1863  ; 

to  capt,  June  19,  1864;  must,  out  Dec.  3,  1864. 
Rums  W.  Raymond,  capt.,  must,  in  Oct.  2, 1861 ;  pro 

to  1st  lieut.  Dec.  30,  1864;  to  capt.  June  4,  1865- 

must.  out  with  company  July  1,  1865. 
Benjamin   C.   Stoddard,    1st   lieut.,   must,  in  Oct.  2, 

1S61  ;  pro.  from  2d  to   1st  lieut.  June  4,   1865 

to  capt.  Co.  K  June  17,  1865;  veteran. 
Eben'r  F.  Wheeler,   2d  lieut.,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861 

disch.  Dec.  18,  1862. 
Samuel  A.  McFall,  2d  lieut.,  must,  in  Oct.  23,  1861 

pro.  to  q.m.-sergt. ;  to  2d  lieut.  April  1,  1863 ;  to 

1st  lieut.  and  q.m.  June  4.  1864. 
Edson  Williams,  1st  sergt.,  must,  in  Feb.  12,1864; 

pro.  from  sergt.  to  1st  sergt.  April  1,  1865  ;  must. 

out  with  company  July  1,  1865;  veteran. 
Newell  F.  Reynolds,  1st  sergt.,  must,  in  Oct.  2, 1861 ; 

discharged  on  surg.  certif. 
Abner   B.   Palmer,   sergt.,   must,  in  Feb.    12,  1864; 

must,  out  with  company  July  1, 1865  ;  veteran. 
John  Knapp,  sergt.,  must,  in  Feb.   12,  1864  ;  pro.  to 

sergt.  March   1,  1865 ;  must,  out  with   company 

July  1,  1865;  veteran. 
Isaac  Trausue,  sergt.,   must,  in  Oct.  31,  1861  ;  disch. 

on   surg.    certif.  June   2,  1862;  re-enl.    Feb.    18, 

1864;  pro.  to  sergt.  April  1,  1865;  must,  out  with 

company  July  1,  1865. 
Henry  A.  Belknap,  sergt.,  must,   in   Oct.  29,  1861 

must,  out  Nov.  11,  1864,  cxp.  of  term. 
William  R.  Surrine,    sergt.,  must,  in  Oct,  2,  1861 

killed  at  Bull  Run  Aug.  30,  1862. 
Stephen    F.  Garlow,   sergt.,   must,   in   Oct.    2,  1861 

disch.  on  surg.  certif. 
Andrew  Archer,  sergt.,  mast,  in  Oct.  2,  1861. 
John  S.  Trausue,  sergt.,  must,  in  Oct.  14,  1861  ;  disch. 

for  wounds  received  at  South  Mountain  Sept.  14, 

1862. 
Porter  Avery,  corp.,  must,  in  Feb.  12,  1864;  pro.  to 

corp.  April   1,    1865 ;  must,   out   with   company 

July  1,  1865  ;  veteran. 
David  H.  Fink,  corp.,  must,  in  Oct.  19,  1864 ;  pro.  to 

corp.    April    1,  1865 ;    must,   out  with   company 

July  1,  1865. 
Henry  Brush,  corp.,  must,  in   Feb.  12,  1864  ;  pro.  to 

corp.  March  1,  1865;  must,  out  with  company 

July  1,  1865;  veteran. 
Henry   Day,   corp.,  must,   in  Feb.  12,  1864;  pro.  to 

corp.  May   1,   1864;    must,   out   with  company 

July  1,  1865;  veteran. 
Adelbert  Dix,  corp.,  must,  in  March  30,  1864  ;  pro.  to 

corp.    May  1,   1865 ;    must,  out  with    company 

July  1,  1865. 
Richard  J.  Carr,  corp.,  must,  in  Oct.  2,   1861 ;  disch. 

on  surg.  certif., 


29s 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Joseph   A.   Trausue,  Corp.,   must,  in   Oct.   31,1861; 

disch.  on  surg.  certif. 
C.  H.  Whittaker,  corp.,  must,  in  Oct.  22,  1861 ;  must. 

out  exp.  of  term. 
Wallace  Early,  corp.,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861 ;  must,  out 

exp.  of  term. 
Orrin  Wheeler,  mus.,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861 ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  May  7,  1862. 

Privates. 
Samuel  Ardany,  must,  in  Oct.  3,  1864;  drafted;  must. 

out  July  1,  1865. 
Abraham  Allen,  must,  in  Sept.  2,  1862;  disch.  by  G. 

0.  May  31,  1865. 
Rodman  H.  Burrows,  must,  in  March  30,  1864:  must. 

out  with  company  July  1,  1865. 
Joseph  Buchanan,  must,  in   Dec.  16,  1861 ;  must,  out 

with  company  July  1,  1865. 
Israel  Buchanan,  must,  in  March  30,  1864;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  June  13,  1865. 
Danford  Barman,  must,  in  March  30,  1864;  disch.  by 

G.  0.  June  17,  1865. 
William  Bressler,  must,  in  Oct.  4,   1861 ;  captured  at 

Bull  Run  Aug.  29,  1862. 
George  H.  Burman,   must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861 ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif. 
James  Black,  must,   in  Oct.  2,  1861  ;  disch.  on  surg. 

certif.  May  20,  1862. 
Amos  Bullard,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861  ;  disch.  on  surg. 

certif.  April  4,  1862. 
James  Buchanan,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861 ;  disch.  on 

surg.  ccrtf.  April  4,  1862. 
Hiram  Buchanan,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Feb.  1,  1862. 
David  Burman,  died  at  Camp  Curtin  Jan.  25,  L862. 
William  Brown. 
Henry  Buchanan,  must,   in  Nov.  10,  1861  ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif. 
Arthur  E.  Blayham,  must,  in  Feb.  24,  1862;  killed  at 

Bull  Run  Aug.  29,  1862. 
Albert  F.  Boardman,  must,  in  March  1,  1862;  not  on 

muster-out  roll. 
Joseph  Callahan,  must,  in  March   17,  1865  ;  drafted  ; 

must,  out  July  1,  1865. 
William  Cochran,  must,  in  March  17,  1865  ;  drafted  ; 

must,  out  July  1,  1865. 
John  Coil,  must,   in   Aug.  20,  1864;  disch.  by  G.  O. 

May  31,  1865. 
Thomas  Coil,  must,  in  Aug.  20,  1864;  disch.  by  G.  0. 

May  31,  1865. 
Charles  Coil,  must,  in  Aug.  29,  1864 ;  disch.  by  G.  O. 

May  31,  1865. 
Frederick  L.  Course,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861 ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif. 
Martin  Curly,  must,  in  Oct.  16,  1861  ;  must,  out  Nov. 

1,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Edgar  N.  Cobb,  not  on  muster-out  roll. 
George  Cook,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Feb.  1,  1862. 
W.  H.  Chamberlain,  disch.  on  surg.  certif. 
John  L.  Ca-sidy,  must,  in  Oct.  21,  1861. 


Isaiah  Dawson,  must,  in  Feb.  11,  1865;  substitute; 

must,  out  July  1,  1865. 
Andrew    Dunn,    must,    iu    Oct.    IS,    1861;    not   on 

muster-out  roll. 
Nelson  A.  Earley,  must,  in  Oct.  16,  1861;  must,  out 

Dec.  19,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Stephen   T.  Edict,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861  ;    killed  at 

Gainesville,  Va.,  Aug.  28,  1862. 
Robert  Evans,  must,  in  Feb.  9,  1862. 
Archibald  Foster,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861. 
George  V.  Gress,  must,  in  Mar.  30,  1864 ;   disch.  by 

G.  0.  June  12,  1865. 
D.  Gibson,   captured  ;    died  at  Andersonville,   Ga., 

Aug.  29,1864;  grave  7223. 
J.  Griffin,  captured;  died  at  Andersonville,  Ga.,  Oct 

10,  1764;  grave  10,615. 
Chester  W.  Gillett,  must,  in  Oct.  22,  1861  ;  disch.  for 

wounds  reed,  at  Gettysburg  July  1,  1863. 
Peter  Griffin,  must,  in  Oct.  19,  1861;    not  on  must.- 

out  roll. 
Hiram  Geer,  must,  iu  Feb.  17,  1862;  absent,  in  hos- 
pital at  must.  out. 
Win.  Garlow. 
Jacob  Housman,   must,  in   Aug.  5,  1864;  must,  out 

with  company  July  1,  1865. 
J.  A.  Hildebraud,  must,  in   Mar.  17,  1865;    drafted; 

must,  out  July  1, 1865. 
John  Harriger,  must,  iu  Mar.  15,  1865;  drafted;  ab- 
sent, sick,  at  must.  out. 
Isaac  Hine,  died  at  Camp  Curtin  Jan.  20, 1862. 
Isaac  B.  Hill,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Nov.  27,  1861. 
Pardon  Hill,  must,  in   Oct.  22,  1861;    disch.  on  surg. 

certif.  April  4,  1S62. 
Oscar  F.  Hoffman,  must,  in  Oct.   15,  1861 ;    killed  at 

Bull  Run,  Aug.  29, 1862. 
Bennett  Hufteln,  must,  in  Oct.  9,  1861 ;  not  on  musk- 
out  roll. 
George  Hulce,  must,  in  Feb.  11,1862;  diedatAcquia 

Landing,  Va.,  May  18,  1862. 
Calvin  Hatch,  must,  in  Oct.   2,   1861;    not   on  must- 
out  roll. 
W.  R.  Iddings,  must,  in  April  12,  1865;  absent,  sick, 

at  must.  out. 
C.  S.  Jones,  must,  in   Mar.   15,  1865;  drafted;  must. 

out  with  company  July  1,  1865. 
J.  C.  Johnson,  must,  in  Mar.  15,  1865  ;  drafted  ;  must, 

out  with  company  July  1,  1865. 
Levi  Kifer,  must,  in  Mar.   15,   1865;    drafted;  must. 

out  with  company  July  1,  1865. 
Ira  Knapp,  killed  at  Petersburg,  June  10,  1864 ;  vet. 
J.  W.  Kinsbury,  killed  at  Petersburg,  June  19,  1864. 
Thomas  Knapp,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861 ;  wounded  and 

captured  at  Bull  Run,  Aug.  29,  1862. 
John  Knapp,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861 ;  wounded  at  Bull 

Run,  Aug.  29,  1862. 
Charles  Karing,  must,  in  Oct.  2, 1861 ;  killed  in  action 

at  WeldonR,  R.,  1864. 
Elias  T.  Kingsbury,  must,  in  Oct.   22,  1861  ;    not  on 

must. -out  roll. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Henry  Kifer,  must,  in  Mar.  15,  1865. 

Wm.   Lee,  must,  in  Feb.  12,  1864;     must,  out  with 

company  July  1,  1865. 
J.  L.  Logue,  must,  in  Mar.  15,  1865  ;    drafted  ;  must. 

out  with  company  July  1,  1865. 
Eli   Lee,  must,  in  Mar.  30,  1864;    absent;   sick,  at 

must.  out. 
Zard  Lee,  must,  in  April  19,  1864  ;  died  at  Starrucca, 

Pa.,  July  8,  1865. 
Walter  8.  Lloyd,  must,  in  Oct.  12,  1861;    disch.  on 

surg.  eertif'.,  May  20,  1862. 
Lewis  Labar,   must,  in   Oct.  31,    1861 ;    dischar.  for 

wounds  reed,  at  Hull  Run,  Aug.  29,  1852. 
Edward  Lake,  must,  in  Nov.  11,  1861 ;  killed  at  Bull 

Run,  Aug.  29,  1862. 
Wm.    P.  Labar,   must,    in  Jan.   1,  1862;     disch.  for 

wounds  reed,  at  Gainesville,  Aug.  28,  1862. 
Wm.  W.  Labar,  not  on  must.-out  roll. 
Cyrus  Lanichan,  must,  in  Feb.  15,  1862;  noton  must.- 
out  roll. 
Wm.  C.  Mortimer,  must,  in  Mar.    15,1865;    drafted; 

must,  out  with  company  July  1,  1865. 
Perry  Meldbury,  must,   in    Dec.  5,  1861 ;   disch.  for 

wounds  reed,  at  2d  Bull  Run. 
Samuel  McMillen,  must,  in  Mar.  15,  1865  ;    drafted  ; 

must,  out  with  company  July  1,  1865. 
David  McLane,  must,   in   Mar.  15,    1865;     drafted; 

must,  out  with  company  July  1,  1865. 
Philip  McNelius,  must,  in   Mar.   30,  1864;    absent, 

sick,  at  must.  out. 
Win.  Mclntyre,  died  April  7,  1862;    buried   in  Mil. 

Asy.  Cem.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
James  Mclntyre,  must,  in  Mar.  1,  1862. 
John  Nye,  must,  in  Mar.  15,   1865;    drafted;    must. 

out  with  company  July  1,  1865. 
Chambers  Nail,  must,  in  Mar.  15,  1865;  drafted  ;  ab- 
sent, sick,  at  must.  out. 
D.  Palmer,  died  April  24,  1864  ;    buried  in  Mil.  Asy. 

Cem.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Lewis  Perkins,  must,  in  Oct.  22,  1861. 
Peter  G.  Putnam,  not  on  must.-out  roll. 
Levi  Potter,  must,  in  Jan.  23,  1862 ;  not  on  must.-out 

roll. 
Samuel  Royer,  must,  in  April  12,1865;  subst.;  must. 

out  with  company  July  1,  1865. 
Benjamin  J.  Read,  must,  in  Oct.  3,  1864;    drafted; 

must,  out  July  1,  1865. 
John  Rider,  must,  in   Mar.  15,  1865  ;    drafted ;    must. 

out  July  1,  1865. 
Samuel  Rider,  must,  in  Mar.  15,1865  ;  drafted;  must. 

out  July  1,  1865. 
Eri  Randolph,  must,  in  Mar.  15, 1865  ;  drafted ;  must. 

out  July  1, 1865. 
Daniel  Race,  must,  in  Mar.  15,  1865  ;  drafted  ;#must. 

out  July  1,  1865. 
Adam  Robbins,  must,  in  Mar.    15,    1865  ;    drafted  ; 

wounded  Mar.  31,  1865;  absent  at  must,  out. 
Daniel  Rider,  must,  in  Mar.  15, 1865  ;  drafted;  must, 

out  July  1,  1865. 


George  Raymond,  must,  in  Feb.  10,  1862;    disch.  on 

surg.  eertif. 
H.  J.  Robinson,  must,  in  Mar.  6,  1862  ;  disch.  on  surg. 

eertif.  May  6,  1862. 
Wm.  Stine,  must,  in  Jan.   27,  1864 ;   must,  out  with 

company  July  1,  1865;  vet. 
Henry  Shepherd,  must,  in  Mar.  17,1865;  drafted; 

must,  out  July  1,  L865. 
Jacob  Shank,  must,  in  Mar.  17,  1865  ;  drafted;  must, 

out  July  1,  1865. 
George  Schofield,  must,   in  April  12,  1865;    subst.; 

must,  out  with  company  Julyl,  1865. 
J.  L.  Stanton,  must,  in  Oct.  3,  1864;    drafted  ;    must. 

out  July  1,  1865. 
Benj.  E.  Saxbury,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861  ;    disch.,  date 

unknown. 
Paul  Simpson,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861 ;  not  on  must.- 
out  roll. 
Isaac  Storor,  must,  in  Oct.  22,  1861  ;    disch.  on  surg. 

eertif. 
Wm.  H.  Sillick,  must,  in  Oct,  22,  1861;  not  on  must.- 
out  roll. 
Ralph  Springstein,  must,  in  Nov.  6,  1861 ;    pris.  May 

6,  1861,  to  Feb.  24,  1865;  must,  out  Mar.  1,  1865. 
Alanson  C.  Surrine,  must,  in  Oct.  14,  1861  ;  disch.  on 

surg.  eertif.  May  6,   1862. 
James  Snediker,  must,   in   Nov.  11,1861;    disch.   on 

surg.  eertif.  Aug.  25,  1862. 
George  T.  Straus,  must,  in  Jan.  24,  1862;    disch.   for 

wounds  reed,  at  Bull  Run  Aug.  29,  1862. 
Milton  Sillick,  must,  in  Feb.  4,  1862 ;  disch.,  date  un- 
known. 
Samuel  S.  Taylor,  must,  in   Oct.   16,   1861  ;  pris.  May 

6,  1864,  to  Feb.  24,  1865;  must.  outFeb.  28, 1865. 
Gilbert  Thompson,  must,  in  Sept.  2,  1862  ;    disch.  by 

G.O.May  31,  L865. 
George  Taylor,  must,  iu  Oct,  2,  1861 ;    killed  at  Bull 

Run  Aug.  29,  1862. 
James  Taylor,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861 ;    died  at  Camp 

Curtin  Nov.  30,  1861. 
Arthur    Tompkins,  disch.  on  surg.  eertif.  Nov.   20, 

1861. 
George  W,  Tickner,  must,  in  Oct.  22,  1861;  captured 

at  Bull  Run  Aug.  29,  1862. 
Calvin  S.  Taylor,  must,  in  Oct.  21,  1861 ;    disch.  on 

surg.  eertif. 
Otis  Traverse. 
John  Varner,  must,  in  Mar.  17,  1865;  drafted;  must. 

out  July  1,  1865. 
C.  S.  Wright,  must,  in  Mar.  30,  1865  ;  must,  out  with 

company  July  1,  1865. 
Aaron  B.  White,  died  Sept.  8,  1862 ;  buried  at  Alex- 
andria, Va. ;  grave  241. 
John  H.  Worth,  died  Sept.  15,  1862 ;  buried  in  Mil. 

Asy.  Cem.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Albert  N.  Wood,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861  ;     killed   at 

Bull  Run  Aug.  29,  1862. 
Lumau    Washburu,    died   at    Camp   Curtin  Dee.  2, 

1861. 


300 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Orrin  P.  White,  must,  in  Oct.  2, 1861 ;  died  of  wounds 

reed,  at  2d  Bull  Run.  * 
George  N.  Wheeler,  must,  in  Oct.  2,  1861 ;  disch.  by 

S.  O.  May  19,  1862. 

E.  M.  Whittaker,must.  in  Jan.  1,1862;  disch.  Feb. 

25,  1865. 
Samuel  Whipple,  must,  in  Feb.  17,  1862  ;  captured 

at  Bull  Run  Aug.  29,  1862. 
George  R.  Wheeler,  must,  in  Oct.    1,  1861  ;    disch. 

on  surg.  cert  if. 
John  Young  (2d),  must,  in  Nov.  7,  1861 ;  absent,  on 

detached  duty,  at  must.  out. 
John  Young  (1st),  must,  in  Nov.  7,  1861 ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif. 

Sixty-seventh  Regiment. — Company  C 
of  this  regiment  was  from  Wayne  and  two 
other  companies  from  Monroe  County.  (See 
military  chapter  of  that  county  for  a  sketch  of 
the  regiment.) 

Company  O. 

(Mustered  out  July  14,  1865.) 

Hiram  T.  Stark,  capt.,  must,  in  Nov.  15,  1861 ;  pro. 
from  sergt.  to  1st  licut.  Feb.  15, 1865 ;  to  capt.  June 
24,1865;  must,  out  with  company;  veteran. 

Lyman  T.  Borcher,  1st  lieut.,  must,  in  Nov.  15,  1861; 
pro.  to  capt.  Co.  B  Dec.  26,  1862. 

Thomas  F.  Borcher,  1st  lieut.,  must,  in  Dec.  26, 1862; 
pro.  to  1st  lieut.  Jan.  30,  1863;  must,  out  Jan. 
4,  1865. 

Horace  P.  Warfield,  1st  lieut.,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861 ; 
pro.  from  1st  sergt.  to  2d  lieut.  April  4,  1865;  to 
1st  lieut.  June  24, 1865 ;  must,  out  with  company. 

Horace  O.  Thayer,  2d  lieut.,  must,  in  Nov.  15,  1861 ; 
pro.  from  sergt.  to  2d  lieut.  July  8,  1862 ;  must, 
out  March  12,  1865,  exp.  of  term. 

Thomas  Davey,  1st  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  24, 1861 ;  pro. 
to  1st  sergt.  July  1,  1865;  must,  out  with  com- 
pany; veteran. 

John  R.  Babcock,  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  24,  1861 ;  pro. 
to  sergt.  Feb.  18,  1865;  must,  out  with  company; 
veteran. 

Melville  D.  Barnes,  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  24, 1861 ;  pro. 
from  corp.  May  16,  1865 ;  must,  out  with  com- 
pany; veteran. 

F.  H.  P.  Cramplin,  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  12, 1861 ;  pro. 

from  corp.  May  16,  1865;  must,  out  with  com- 
pany ;  veteran. 
John  W.  Newton,  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861;  pro. 

from  corp.  July  2, 1865;  must,  out  with  company; 

veteran. 
William  H.  Van  Kirk,  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861 ; 

pro.   from  corp.  May  16,  1865 ;  must,  out   with 

company;  veteran. 
John  M.  Boyd,  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861 ;  must. 

Dec.  31,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Tunis   Hardenberg,   sergt.,  must,  in   Dec.  30,  1861; 

must,  out  Dec.  31,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 


Eliphalet  W.  Warfield,  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  30, 1861 ; 

disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Feb.  18,  1864. 
David  >S.  Charles,  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  24,1861;  trans. 

to  Co.  B  Mar.  4,  1864;  veteran. 
Graham  Watts,  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861 ;  pro.  to 

q.m. -sergt.  May  16,  1865;  veteran. 
Edwin  Solmon,  corp.,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861;  pro.  to 

corp.  May  16,  1865;   must,  out  with  company; 

veteran. 
George  S.  Chase,  corp.,  must,  in  Nov.  8,  1862;  pro.  to 

corp.  May  23,  1865 ;  must,  out   with  company ; 

veteran. 
Francis  Bates,  corp.,  must,  in  Dec.  24,  1861 ;  pro.  to 

corp.  May  23,  1865 ;  must,  out  with  company ; 

veteran. 
Henry  J.  Swift,  corp.,  must,  in  Mar.  8,  1862;  pro.  to 

corp.  June  23,1865;  must,  out  with  company; 

veteran. 
Charles  Hen  wood,  corp.,  must,  in  Dec.  24, 1861 ;  killed 

at  Cedar  Church,  Va.,  Oct.  19,  1864;  buried  in 

Nat.  Cem.,  Winchester,  lot  10  ;  veteran. 
William  T.  Hall,  corp.,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861 ;  died 

at  Annapolis,  Md.,  Nov.  2,  1862. 
Ezra  Clift,  corp.,  must,   in  Sept.  12,1862;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  June  20,  1865. 
Henry  James,  corp.,  must,  in  Sept.  23,1862;  disch. 

by  G.  O.  June  20,  1865. 
John  H.  McMillen,  corp.,  must,  in  Dec.  30,  1861 ; 

must,  out  Dec.  31,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
B.  W.  Warwick,  corp.,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861 ;  must. 

out  Dec.  31,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 

Privates. 
Nicholas  Andrews,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861 ;  killed  at 

Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  1,  1864. 
Nevil  Arthur,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861. 
Franklin   Arnold,  must,  in   Dec.  12,1861;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Feb.  17,  1864. 
David  W.  Bates,  must,  in  Dec.  30,  1861 ;  absent,  sick, 

at  must,  out;  veteran. 
William  H.  Bates,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861. 
Jacob  Beagle,  must,  in  Mar.  21,  1862 ;  disch.  on  surg. 

certif.  Jan.  29,  1864. 
Abram  H.  Barnes,  must,  in  Dec.  24,  1861 ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Feb.  15,  1863. 
Robert  Boyce,  must,  in  Nov.  25,  1861 ;  pris.  June  6 

to  14,1863;  must,  out  Dec.  24,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Oscar  Bates,  must,  in  Dec.  30,  1861 ;  trans,  to  U.  S. 

Signal  Corps  July  11,  1862. 
William  Crago,  must,  in  Dec.  12, 1861 ;  must,  out  with 

company;  veteran. 
George  Canfield,  must,  in  Nov.   14,  1861 ;  killed  at 

Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  1,  1864;  buried  in  Na- 

ty>nal  Cemetery,  sec.  A. 
O.  Chamberlain,  must,  in  Oct.  9, 1862;  killed  at  Win- 
chester, Va.,  June  16,1863;  buried  in  National 

Cemetery,  lot  17. 
Charles  W.  Canfield,  must,  in  Nov.  14,  1861 ;  died  at 

Annapolis,  Md.,  Sept.  11,  1862. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


John  S.  Clems,  must,  in  Sept.  12,  1862. 

Edw.  R.  Campfield,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1S61;  must,  out 

Dec.  31,  1S64,  exp.  of  term. 
Edward  Cross,  must,  in  Nov.  25,  18G1 ;  disch.  on  surg. 

certif.  Feb.  5,  1862. 
James  Flanigan,  must,  in   Dec.  24,  1861 ;  must,  out 

with  company ;  veteran. 
Michael  H.  Fletcher,  must,  in  Nov.  25,  1861 ;  died  at 

Annapolis,  Md.,  Nov.  25,  1862. 
Andrew  Faatz,  must,  in  Dec.  12,1861;  must,  out  Dec. 

31,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Erastus   R.  Foster,  must,  in  Sept.   8,  1862;  disch.  by 

G  O.  June  20,  1865. 
Lowell  Goodenough,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861. 
Charles  H.  Graham,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861 ;  must,  out 

Dec.  31,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Cartirge  Haggerty,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861. 
Frederick  Hitchcock,  must,  in   Dec.  30,1861;  must. 

out  Dec.  31,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
John  W.  Hayes,  must,  in  Sept.  8,  1862;  trans,  to  Vet 

Res.  Corps  April  1,  1865. 
James  A.  Hawkins,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861;  trans,  to 

Vet.  Res.  Corps  Oct,  29,  1863. 
James   Jackson,  must,  in   Dec.   12,  1861 ;   killed   at 

Wilderness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864. 
John  James,  must,  in  Dec.  30,  1861;  must,  out  Dec. 

31,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Frederick  James,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861;  must,  out 

Dec.  31,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
David  C.  Lathrop,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861 ;  died  at 

Annapolis,  Md.,  Aug.  25,  1863. 
Matthew  Maudsley,  must,  in  Sept.  8,  1862;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  June  20,  1865. 
James  McKeon,  must,  in  Dec.  30, 1861 ;  killed  at  Win- 
chester, Va.,  June  15,  1863. 
Addanega  C.  Niles,  must,  in  Sept.  8,  1862;  killed  at 

Winchester,  Va.,  Sept.  19,  1864. 
Miner  Olmstead,  must,  in   Dec.   12,  1861 ;  must,  out 

Dec.  31,  1864;  exp.  of  term. 
Newell  Phelps,  must,  in  Dec.  30,1861;  disch.  on  surg. 

cert.  May  15,  1862. 
John  Puderbaugh,  must,  in   Nov.  25,  1861 ;  disch.  on 

surg.  cert.  June  18,  1862. 
John  J.  Quick,  must,  in  Nov.  4,  1861. 
James  E.  Regean,  must,  in  Dec.  13,  1861;  must,  out 

with  company;  veteran. 
James  Spry,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861;  must,   out  with 

Co.;  vet. 
George  Scambler,  must,  in   Dec.   12,   1861;  killed  at 

Winchester,  Va.,  Sept.  19,  1864  ;  veteran. 
James  Simpson,  must,  in  December  12,  1861 ;  died 

May  15,  1864,  of  wounds   reed,  at  Wilderness, 

Va. 
Richardson   Simons,  must,  in  Dec.  31,    1861 ;  must. 

out  Dec.  2, 1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Walter  Spry,  must,  in  Sept.  8,  1862;  disch.  by  G.  O. 

June  29,  1865. 
Charles  K.  Spry,  must,  in  Sept,  26,  1864;  disch.  by  G. 

O.  June  20,  1865. 


JohnG.  Turtle,  must,   in  Dec.   12,  1861;    disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  March  13,-  1X64. 
Thomas   Vercoe,    must,   in   Dec.   13,    1861;  trans,  to 

Veteran  Res.  Corps. 
John  M.  Wheatcraft,  must,   in  Dec.  12,  1S61  ;  must. 

out  with  company  ;  veteran. 
Elias  Walters,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861. 
Lucian  S.  Warfield,  must,  in  Dec.  30,  1861. 
Alfred  Wood,  must,  in  Dec.  30,  1864  ;  disch.  on  surg. 

certif.  May  15,1862. 
Rufus  R.  Wiles,  must,  in  Sept.  8,  1862;  disch.  by  G. 

0.  June  20,  1865. 
Jacob  Young,  must,  in  Dec.  14,  1861  ;  must,  out  Dec. 

31,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 

Sevent  y-s  i  :  v  E  N  in  1 1  va  ;  i  M  e  n  t. — Portions  of 
Companies  G  ami  H  of  this  regiment  were  from. 
Wayne.  The  Seventy-seventh  was  rendezvoused 
;it  Camp  WilUins,  near  Pittsburgh,  where  it  was 
organized,  under  command  of  Colonel  Freder- 
ick S.  Stumbaugh,  in  October,  1861.  On  the 
18th  of  that  month  it  was  embarked  on  trans- 
port steamers,  and  proceeded  down  the  Ohio  to 
Louisville,  Ky.,  in  company  with  the  Seventy- 
eighth  and  Seventy-ninth  Regiments  of  the 
Pennsylvania  line,  these  three  regiments  form- 
ing a  brigade,  commanded  by  Brigadier-General 
James  S.  Negley,  of  Pittsburgh.  From  Louis- 
ville the  brigade  marched  south  along  the  line 
of  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  Railroad,  and 
remained  encamped  for  a  considerable  time  at  a 
camp  called  "  Camp  Negley,"  iu  honor  of  the 
brigade  commander.  While  here  the  Seventy- 
seventh  was  detached  from  the  brigade  and  as- 
signed to  the  Fifth  Brigade  of  the  division 
commanded  by  General  Alexander  McD.  Mc- 
Cook,  the  other  regiments  of  the  brigade  (com- 
manded by  Brigadier-General  Thomas  J. 
Wood)  being  the  Twenty-ninth  and  Thirtieth 
Indiana  and  the  Thirty-fourth  Illinois.  This 
brigade,  with  the  army  of  General  Buell, 
marched  southward  into  Tennessee,  and  arrived 
at  Nashville  on  the  2d  of  March,  1862.  Soon 
afterwards  the  Seventy-seventh,  with  the  other 
forces  of  General  Buell,  continued  the  south- 
ward march,  moving  towards  a  point  on  the 
Tennessee  River,  where  the  forces  of  General 
Grant  and  the  Confederate  army  under  General 
Albert  Sidney  Johnston  were  approaching  each 
other,  and  where,  on  Sunday,  the  6th  of  April, 
they  joined  in  the  great  battle  of  Shiloh,  or 
Pittsburgh    Landing.     On  the  evening  of  the 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


5th  (the  same  time  when  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac, under  General  McClellan,  arrived  in  front 
of  Yorktown)  the  advance  of  General  Buell's 
corps  reached  Savannah  (nine  miles  below 
Pittsburgh  Landing,  on  the  Tennessee),  and 
bivouacked  there  for  the  night.  On  the  fol- 
lowing morning  Buell  heard  the  roar  of  the 
distant  battle,  and  hurried  his  troops  forward 
witli  all  possible  speed.  The  division  of  Gen- 
eral William  Nelson  led  the  advance,  and 
pushed  on  without  halt  until  late  in  the  after- 
noon, when  it  reached  the  right  bank  of  the 
Tennessee,  opposite  the  place  where  General 
Grant's  hard-pressed  battalions  were  engaged 
in  the  desperate  fight,  contesting  every  inch  of 
ground,  yet  slowly  retiring  towards  the  river. 
When  the  succoring  division  came  up  opposite 
the  scene  of  conflict,  its  brave  yet  rough  old 
commander  sent  an  aide  across  to  report  to 
General  Grant,  with  this  message:  "Tell  him," 
said  he,  "that  General  Nelson  is  here  with  ten 
thousand  fighting  men  and  no  d — d  cowards!" 
this  last  remark  being  caused  by  the  sight  of  a 
large  number  of  fugitives  from  the  fight  skulk- 
ing behind  the  bluft'  bank  of  the  river.  "  Tell 
General  Nelson,"  said  General  Grant  to  the 
aide,  "  that  our  men  seem  to  be  doing  pretty 
well ;  but  we  shall  be  glad  to  see  him  over 
here."  The  division  was  promptly  crossed  and 
placed  in  position,  enabling  the  Union  forces  to 
hold  their  ground  firmly  against  the  last  des- 
perate assaults  of  the  Confederates.  During 
the  night  the  gunboats  in  the  river  kept  up  an 
incessant  cannonade,  throwing  their  huge  shells 
over  the  heads  of  the  men  of  Grant's  army  and 
into  the  Confederate  lines  beyond.  In  the  morn- 
ing of  the  7th  the  battle  was  renewed,  and  the  Con- 
federate forces  were  driven  back  at  all  points, 
though  they  held  their  ground  most  stubbornly 
and  fought  for  hours  with  the  greatest  despera- 
tion. Other  troops  of  Buell's  command  had 
arrived  in  the  mean  time,  and  among  them  the 
brigade  in  which  was  the  Seventy-seventh 
Pennsylvania,  which  came  up  by  steamboat 
from  Savannah.  At  about  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning  it  marched  upon  the  field,  and  was 
immediately  under  fire.  For  six  hours  after 
its  arrival  the  battle  raged  with  the  greatest 
fury.     The   regiment   repelled   a  desperate  as- 


sault of  cavalry,  and  was  in  the  front  line  in 
the  final  charge  which  drove  the  enemy  from 
the  field  and  ended  the  conflict. 

For  about  a  week  after  the  battle  the  regi- 
ment remained  on  the  field  near  Pittsburgh 
Landing,  then  moved  several  miles  to  a  new 
camp.  About  four  weeks  later  it  moved  with 
the  army  towards  the  enemy's  strong  position 
at  Corinth,  Miss.,  in  the  expectation  of  a  gen- 
eral attack  upon  the  works  at  that  place ;  but 
they  were  occupied  without  resistance,  the  Con- 
federates having  evacuated.  Upon  the  fall  of 
Corinth,  General  Buell's  army  marched  back  to 
Nashville  ;  the  Seventy-seventh,  with  its  bri- 
gade, passing  the  entire  summer  on  the  route, 
which  was  from  Corinth  up  the  valley  of  the 
Tennessee  to  Bridgeport,  Ala.,  thence  north- 
ward, by  way  of  Stevenson,  Cowan,  Decherd, 
Manchester  and  MurfreesboroUgh,  to  the  capi- 
tal. Here  it  had  a  little  rest,  being  ordered 
northward  on  the  rapid  march  with  Buell's 
forces  to  intercept  the  Confederate  General 
Bragg,  who  was  marching  on  Louisville,  Ky. 
Buell's  forces  arrived  on  the  26th  of  September, 
and  on  the  following  day  the  Seventy-seventh 
encamped  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city. 

On  the  arrival  of  General  Buell's  army  at 
Louisville,  General  Bragg  faced  his  forces 
southward,  and  marched  back  towards  Tennes- 
see. Buell  followed  witli  his  army,  leaving 
Louisville  on  the  1st  of  October.  The  Sev- 
enty-seventh, moving  with  the  left  wing,  passed 
through  Stanford  and  Nicholsville,  Ky.,  skir- 
mishing with  the  enemy  at  Claysville,  Law- 
renceburg  and  other  places,  but  not  being  pres- 
ent at  the  general  engagement  near  Perryville, 
October  8th.  It  reached  Nashville,  Tenn.,  iu 
the  last  part  of  October,  and  remained  there 
and  in  that  vicinity  for  two  mouths,  taking 
part  in  a  minor  engagement  at  Lavergne  on 
the  27th  of  November.  On  the  26th  of  De- 
cember it  moved  with  the  army  towards  Mur- 
freesborough, near  which  town  the  great  battle 
of  Stone  River  was  fought  on  the  31st  of  De- 
cember and  1st  and  2d  of  January.  The  Sev- 
enty-seventh was  on  the  left  of  the  division  of 
General  R.  W.  Johnson,  which  occupied  the 
extreme  right  of  the  army,  the  position  of  the 
regiment   being  partly  iu  a   cedar  thicket  and 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


partly  in  a  cotton-field,  with  the  enemy  near 
and  directly  in  front.  In  this  position  it  lay 
during  the  night  of  Tuesday,  December  30th. 
The  battle  was  opened  by  Hardee's  (left)  corps 
of  the  Confederate  army,  which  made  a  furious 
assault  soon  after  daylight  on  the  31st,  while 
the  battery  horses  of  Johnson's  division  were 
being  taken  to  water.  In  a  few  minutes  twen- 
ty-seven guns  out  of  Johnson's  five  batteries 
were  in  the  hands  of  the  Confederates,  and  the 
three  divisions  of  Johnson,  Davis  and  Sheridan 
(comprising  McCook's  army  corps)  were  in  re- 
treat in  some  disorder  across  the  cotton-field 
towards  the  shelter  of  a  cedar  wood  in  the  rear. 
The  Seventy -seventh,  with  some  other  troops, 
rallied,  made  a  counter-charge  and  recaptured 
the  guns  of  Edgerton's  battery,  which,  how- 
ever, were  soon  after  again  taken  by  the  en- 
emy, and  the  regiment,  compelled  to  relinquish 
its  temporary  advantage,  was  finally  driven 
across  the  field  and  through  the  woods  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  Nashville  and  Chattanooga 
Railroad,  where  the  troops  were  rallied  and  a 
new  liue  established  by  the  commanding  gen- 
eral, Rosecrans.  This  line,  strengthened  by 
slight  breast-works,  was  held  through  the  day 
against  repeated  attacks  by  the  enemy.  Several 
attacks  were  also  made  on  Thursday,  January 
1st,  and  the  artillery  fire  was  incessant  during 
that  day ;  but  no  very  decided  advantage  was 
gained  on  either  side.  The  forenoon  of  Friday 
passed  in  comparative  quiet ;  but  about  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  the  Confederates  at- 
tacked with  great  fury  on  the  left  of  Rosecrans' 
line,  gaining  an  advantage  at  first,  charging 
across  Stone  River,  and  causing  the  Union 
troops  to  recoil  at  that  point;  but  they  rallied 
at  once  and  drove  the  enemy  back  across 
the  stream.  From  that  time  the  conflict  raged 
until  after  dark,  resulting  in  the  complete  rout 
of  the  Confederates,  who  retreated  through  the 
town  of  Murfreesborough  and  along  the  turn- 
pike road  towards  Shelbyville. 

Through  the  entire  battle  of  Stone  River  the 
Seventy-seventh  behaved  with  great  gallantry 
and  steadiness,  for  which  it  was  highly  com- 
plimented by  General  Rosecrans.  Soon  after 
the  battle  it  encamped  near  Murfreesborough, 
where  it  remained  until  the  general  advance  of 


the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  June  24,  1863. 
In  the  advance  a  Confederate  division  (Cle- 
burne's) was  found  in  a  strong  position  at  Lib- 
erty Gap,  where  a  heavy  fight  resulted  on  the 
24th  and  25th,  ending  in  the  retreat  of  the 
enemy.  The  Seventy-seventh  was  one  of  the 
charging  regiments,  and  sustained  severe  loss  in 
the  engagement. 

The  enemy  retired  to  a  strongly-intrenched 
line  at  Tullahoma,  but  evacuated  it  on  the  ap- 
proach of  the  Union  army,  and  retreated  to 
Bridgeport,  Ala.,  and  thence  into  Northern 
Georgia.  The  Union  army  followed  in  pur- 
suit, the  Seventy-seventh  with  its  division  ar- 
riving at  Bridgeport,  on  the  Tennessee  River, 
on  the  31st  of  August.  Crossing  the  river,  it 
moved  to  Trenton,  Ga.,  thence  up  Lookout 
Valley  to  Valley  Head,  then  across  the  moun- 
tain to  Broomtown  Valley,  on  the  road  to 
Rome,  Ga. ;  but  before  reaching  the  latter  place 
the  progress  of  the  column  was  arrested  by  the 
intelligence  that  the  enemy  was  menacing  the 
left  of  General  Rosecrans'  army,  with  the  evi- 
dent intention  of  giving  battle  to  that  part  of 
the  line  (which  was  separated  from  the  extreme 
right  and  more  than  thirty  miles  from  it)  and 
of  making  a  desperate  attempt  to  re-occupy 
Chattanooga ;  and,  finally,  that  Longstreet's 
corps,  having  been  detached  from  the  Army  ot 
Northern  Virginia,  was  already  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Savannah  River,  and  moving  by 
rail,  with  all  possible  speed,  to  join  Bragg's 
army  at  Lafayette,  Ga.  Upon  receipt  of  this 
intelligence  the  Seventy-seventh,  with  its  divi- 
sion and  the  other  commands  of  the  Union 
army,  moved  rapidly  back  over  the  mountain 
and  down  the  valley  by  the  same  route  over 
which  the  advance  had  been  made,  and  again 
crossing  the  mountain  lower  down  towards  the 
Tennessee,  entered  the  valley  known  as  Mc- 
Lemore's  Cove  on  the  17th  of  September. 
After  some  fighting  at  that  place,  the  Seventy- 
seventh,  with  its  division,  moved  by  way  of 
Dug  Gap,  Pond  Spring  and  Gordon's  Mills, 
and  arrived  on  the  field  of  Chickamauga  on 
Saturday,  the  19th  of  September,  and  soon  af- 
terwards became  hotly  engaged  in  the  great 
battle  which  was  fought  there  on  that  and  the 
following  day  by  the  Union  army  under  Gen- 


304 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


eral  Rosecrans  and  the  Confederate  forces  under 
Bragg,  reinforced  by  Longstreet's  corps  from 
Virginia. 

Near  the  close  of  the  first  day's  fight  at 
Chickarnauga  the  regiment  charged,  with  its 
brigade  (Willich's),  and  gallantly  drove  the 
enemy  in  its  front,  but  in  the  exultation  of  the 
moment  advanced  too  far,  and  while  in  that  ex- 
posed position,  just  at  dark,  was  attacked  by  a 
heavy  body  of  the  enemy  (who  had  been  rein- 
forced at  that  point).  The  Seventy-seventh 
Pennsylvania  and  Seventy-ninth  Illinois,  being 
in  the  most  advanced  and  exposed  position, 
fought  desperately  against  overwhelming  odds  ; 
but  after  a  hand-to-hand  struggle  in  the  twilight 
gloom  they  were  overpowered,  and  seventy  en- 
listed men  of  the  Seventy-seventh  taken  pris- 
oners, as  were  also  several  of  the  company  offi- 
cers and  all  the  field  officers  of  the  regiment, 
who  remained  prisoners  till  May  1,  1864. 
Many  of  the  privates  of  the  regiment  who  were 
captured  in  this  fight  died  in  the  prison-pen  of 
Andersonville. 

The  remnant  of  the  regiment  (those  who  es- 
caped capture  in  the  evening  of  the  19th)  fought 
in  the  battle  of  the  second  day  at  Chickamauga 
under  command  of  Captain  Joseph  J.  Lawson, 
of  Company  C.  The  battle  resulted  in  defeat  to 
the  Union  army,  and  on  Saturday  night  (Sep- 
tember 20th)  the  Seventy-seventh,  with  the  other 
commands,  withdrew  from  the  field  of  disaster 
to  Rossville,  Ga.,  and  from  there,  on  Monday 
night  and  the  early  morning  of  Tuesday,  re- 
treated to  Chattanooga. 

After  Chickamauga  the  regiment  saw  no 
more  of  fighting  during  the  year  1863.  In 
October  it  moved  from  Chattanooga,  crossing 
the  Tennessee,  and  marching  by  the  "  Bob  White 
road  "  to  Jasper,  Tenn.,  where  it  arrived  on  the 
26th.  Thence,  crossing  the  Tennessee  to  Shell- 
mound,  it  moved  up  the  river  to  Whiteside's, 
Ga.,  where  it  remained  during  the  winter,  and 
where  a  considerable  number  of  the  men  re-en- 
listed as  veterans,  and  the  strength  of  the  com- 
mand was  largely  increased  by  recruits  from 
Pennsylvania. 

In  the  spring  and  summer  campaign  of  1864 
the  Seventy-seventh  fought  at  Tunnel  Hill  on 
the  7th  of  May,  at  Rocky  Face  Ridge  on  the 


8th,  in  several  minor  engagements  from  the  9th 
to  the  13th,  at  Resaca,  Dallas,  Ga.,  at  New 
Hope  Church,  at  Kingston,  Ga.,  at  Keuesaw 
Mountain  (where  it  lost  heavily  in  killed  and 
wounded),  and  at  Peach  Tree  Creek,  July  20th. 
It  also  fought  in  the  subsequent  actions  around 
Atlanta,  including  the  battles  of  Lovejoy's  Sta- 
tion and  Jonesborough. 

After  the  fall  of  Atlanta,  when  the  Confed- 
erate army  under  General  Hood  suddenly 
crossed  the  Chattahoochee  into  Alabama  and 
marched  towards  Nashville,  with  the  evident 
intention  of  assaulting  and  capturing  that  city, 
General  Sherman  detached  a  strong  force  from 
his  army  at  Atlanta,  and  placed  it  under  com- 
mand of  General  George  H.  Thomas,  with  or- 
ders to  march  in  pursuit  of  Hood,  give  him 
battle  and  thwart  his  designs.  The  force  was 
composed  of  the  Twenty-third  Corps  (General 
Schofield)  and  Stanley's  (Fourth)  Corps,  of 
which  latter  the  Seventy-seventh  was  a  part. 
The  regiment  arrived  on  the  3d  of  November 
at  Pulaski,  Tenn.  About  the  25th  it  moved 
to  Columbia,  where  the  enemy  was  found  in 
heavy  force  and  strongly  posted.  A  severe  en- 
gagement resulted,  in  which,  on  the  29th,  the 
Seventy-seventh  took  a  conspicuous  part.  Dur- 
ing the  following  night  the  regiment  moved  to 
Franklin,  Tenn.,  where  it  fought  bravely  in 
the  great  battle  of  the  30th,  being  at  one  time 
almost  entirely  surrounded  by  the  enemy,  but 
escaping  from  its  exposed  position  by  the  exer- 
cise of  the  highest  soldierly  qualities.  Again, 
in  the  great  and  decisive  battle  of  Nashville, 
the  Seventy-seventh  took  a  prominent  part  in 
charging  the  Confederate  works  on  the  15th  of 
December,  and  on  the  following  day  exhibited 
still  greater  gallantry  in  attacking  one  of  the 
enemy's  strongest  positions,  moving  forward 
under  a  most  destructive  fire  of  canister,  cap- 
turing a  battery  and  driving  the  Confederates 
in  its  front  in  utter  and  irretrievable  rout.  The 
loss  of  the  regiment  in  this  battle  was  heavy  in 
killed  and  wounded,  among  the  former  being 
Lieutenant  Alexander  T.  Baldwin,  Company  C. 

The  Confederate  army,  completely  defeated 
and  routed  at  Nashville,  fled  southward  into 
Alabama.  Among  the  Union  forces  which 
pursued  was  the  Seventy -seventh,  which  marched 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


rapidly  to  Huntsville,  Ala.,  but  there  abandoned 
the  pursuit  and  remained  through  the  succeed- 
ing winter.  About  the  middle  of  March,  1865, 
it  marched  to  East  Tennessee,  where  it  was 
joined  by  five  new  companies.  About  the  last 
of  April  the  regiment  returned  to  Nashville, 
where  it  was  assigned  to  the  First  Brigade, 
First  Division,  Fourth  Army  Corps.  In  June 
it  left  Nashville,  and  passing  down  the  Missis- 
sippi by  boat  to  New  Orleans,  went  into  camp 
at  Plaine  Chalmette  (General  Jackson's  old 
battle-ground  of  1815),  where  it  remained  nearly 
a  month  ;  then  embarked  and  proceeded  by  sea 
to  Indianola,  Texas,  arriving  there  on  the  27th 
of  July,  and  immediately  afterwards  marching 
to  Green  Lake.  Afterwards  it  moved  to  a  camp 
near  Victoria.  It  remained  iu  Texas  until  the 
early  part  of  December,  1865,  when  it  moved 
to  Indianola,  where  the  men  were  embarked, 
and  proceeded  by  sea  to  Philadelphia.  Arriv- 
ing there  on  the  16th  of  January,  1866,  they 
were  duly  disbanded,  and  returned  to  their 
homes  and  the  vocations  of  civil  life. 

FIELD    AND   STAFF. 

Stephen  N.  Bradford,  major. 

Company  G. 
Henry  Stern,  capt.,  must,  in  Oct.  11,  18(51 ;  pro.  from 

1st  lieut.  April  17,  1863  ;  resigned  Sept.  9,  1863. 
George  H.  Stevens,  sergt.,  must,  in  Oct.  11, 1861 ;  pro. 

to   sergt.   March  1,    1863 ;  captured   at   Chicka- 

mauga,  Ga.,  Sept.  19,  1863  ;  died   at  Anderson- 

ville  Oct.,  1861. 
Aaron  K.  Pruden,  corp.,  must,  in  Oct.  11,  1861  ;  died 

at  Stevenson,  Ala.,  July  14,  1862. 

Privates. 

Thomas  Borcher,  must,  in  Oct.  11,  1861  ;  disch.,  date 
unknown. 

Joseph  Bryant,  must,  in  Oct.  11, 1861 ;  must,  out  Oct. 
11,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 

Andrew  M.  Clark,  must,  in  Oct.  11,  1861  ;  disch.  on 
surg.  certif.  April  11,  1862. 

Edwin  B.  Cavil,  must,  in  Oct.  11,  1861  ;  disch.,  date 
unknown. 

Geo.  B.  Carr,  must,  in  Oct.  11,  1861  ;  disch.,  date  un- 
known. 

Silas  W.  Gerry. 

Jacob  Hauser,  must,  in  Oct.  11,  1861 ;  died  at  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  June  14,  1862. 

Ezekiel  Hoyt,  must,  in  Oct.  24,  1861. 

Andrew  Jordan. 

William  Jordan. 

Samuel  W.  Lovelass,  disch.,  date  unknown. 
29 


Thomas  Monk,  must,  in  October  11,  1861 ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  June  2,  1862. 
Charles  Monk,  must,  in  Oct.  11,  1861 ;  disch.  on  surg. 

certif.  July  21, 1862. 
John  J.  Monk,  must,  in  Nov.  13,  1861 ;  died  at  Shi- 

loh,  Tenn.,  May  10, 1862. 
Charles  N.  Miles,  must,  in  Oct.  11,  1861 ;  disch.,  date 

unknown. 
James  McKeeu,  must,  in  Oct.  11,   1861 ;  captured  at 

Chickamauga,  Ga.,  Sept.  19,  1863 ;  died  at  An- 

dersonville  Aug.  24,  1864;  grave  6702. 
John  Pierce,  must,  in  Oct.  11, 1861 ;  disch-,  date  un- 
known. 
William   Pierce,  must,  in  Oct.  11,  1861  ;  disch.,  date 

unknown. 
Charles  S.  Schultz,  must,  in  March  25,  1864;    absent, 

sick,  at  muster  out. 
John  Schoonover,  must,  in  Oct.  11,  1861 ;  disch., date 

unknown. 
Commodore  Thorpe,  must,  in  Nov.   13,   1861 ;  disch. 

on  surg.  certif.  June  14,  1862. 
Philo  A.  Wilmot,  must,  in  Oct.   11,  1861 ;  must,  out 

Oct.  18,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Butler  A.  Ward,  must,  in  Oct.  11,  1861. 
Richard   Ward,   must,   in   Oct.  11,  1861  ;  disch.   on 

surg.  certif.  Nov.  18,  1863. 

Company  H. 
John  Grison,  lieut.,  must,   in   Oct.   11,  1861  ;  pro.  to 

sergt.  May  1,   1865;  to   2d  lieut.   Sept.  1,  1865; 

must,  out  with  company  Dec.  6,  1865  ;  vet. 
Samuel    Burhight,   sergt.,  must,   in   Nov.   13,    1861 

wounded  at  Jonesboro',  Tenn.,  Sept.  1,  1864 ;  pro. 

to  corp.  March  1,1866;  to  sergt.   May  1,  1865; 

disck.  by  G.  0.  Oct.  18,  1865  ;  vet. 
Frank   Hollenback,   must,  in   Oct.    14,    1861 ;  disch. 

April  25,  1866,  to  date  Nov.  10,  1862. 
Privates. 
Joseph  Bennett,  must,  in  Oct.  14,  1861  ;  disch.  March 

21,  1866,  to  date  Nov.  15,  1862. 
Edward  Baily. 
Thomas  Clark. 
Martin  Denslow. 
Lewis  Denslow. 
Augustus  Fitzes. 
Arnold  Hendricks,    must,  iu  Oct.   14,    1861;    disch. 

April  14,  1866,  to  date  Nov.  10,  1862. 
John  C.  Pearce,  must,  in  Oct.  15,  1861 ;  disch.  April 

25, 1866,  to  date  Nov.  10,  1862. 
Andrew  Tuttle. 
Benjamin  Wooduey,  must,  in  Oct.   14,  1861 ;  disch. 

May  4,  1866,  to  date  Nov.  10,  1862. 

Eighty-fourth  Regiment  (Three  Years' 
Service.) — The  Eighty-fourth  Regiment  was  re- 
cruited under  the  direction  of  William  G. 
Murray,  in  the  counties  of  Blair,  Lycoming, 
Clearfield,  Dauphin,  Columbia,   Westmoreland 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  Wayne.  The  men  rendezvoused  at  Camp 
Crossman,  near  Huntingdon,  and  subsequently 
at  Camp  Curtin.  Recruiting  commenced  early 
in  August,  and  in  October  an  organization  was 
effected  by  the  choice  of  the  following  field 
officers  :  William  G.  Murray,  colonel ;  Thomas 
G.  MacDowell,  lieutenant-colonel ;  Walter  Bar- 
rett, major.  On  the  31st  of  December  the 
regiment  was  ordered  to  Hancock,  Maryland. 
Here  it  was  armed,  crossed  the  Potomac  and 
proceeded  to  Bath,  where  a  portion  of  the 
Thirty-ninth  Illinois,  with  a  section  of  artillery, 
Lieutenant  Muhlenberg,  was  posted  confronting 
theenemy.  Colonel  Murray,  assumed  command ; 
an  engagement  took  place  and  the  regiment  lost 
one  man.  The  Eighty-fourth  was  posted  suc- 
cessively during  the  winter  at  the  North  Branch 
Bridge,  at  the  South  Branch  Rridge,  and  at 
Paw  Paw  Point,  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad.  The  regiment  participated  in  the 
engagement  at  Winchester,  and  on  March  23d, 
while  charging  the  enemy  at  the  head  of  his 
men,  Colonel  Murray  was  struck  in  the  fore- 
head by  a  minnie  ball  and  instantly  killed.  (  hit 
of  two  hundred  and  sixty  of  the  Eighty-fourth 
who,  went  into  the  battle,  twenty-three  were 
killed  and  sixty-seven  wounded.  Colonel 
Murray,  Captain  Patrick  Gallagher  and  Lieu 
tenant  Charles  Reem  were  killed.  After  the- 
battle  the  Eighty-fourth,  under  command  of 
Major  Barrett,  was  assigned  to  provost  duty  iu 
the  town  of  Berryville  until  May  2d,  when 
it  joined  in  the  general  advance  up  the  valley 
and  proceeded  to  Fredericksburg. 

From  Port  Republic  the  division  marched  to 
Alexandria.  On  the  25th  of  June  Samuel  M. 
Bowman,  of  Columbia  County,  late  major  in 
the  Fourth  Illinois,  was  commissioned  colonel, 
Major  Barrett  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel 
and  Adjutant  Thomas  H.  Craig  to  major.  In 
July  the  regiment  joined  Pope's  army,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain  on 
the  9th  of  August.  On  the  14th  it  joined  in 
pursuit  of  the  enemy  to  the  Rapidan,  and 
particpated  in  the  movements  of  the  army 
until  the  regiment  arrived  within  the  de- 
fenses of  Washington,  and  at  that  time  had 
scarcely  seventy  men  in  its  ranks  fit  for  duty. 
In  consequence  of  its  severe  losses  it  was  ordered 


to  light  duty  at  Arlington  Heights,  where  it  re- 
mained until  the  Antietam  campaign.     In  the 
mean  time  it  had  been   recruited  up  to   its  full 
standard,  Colonel    Samuel    M.   Bowman   com- 
manding.    About  the  middle  of  October  it  re- 
joined the  army.     In  the  campaign   which  fol- 
lowed, it  continued  in  General  Whipple's  inde- 
pendent division.     Under  General  Hooker  the 
army  was  reorganized,  and  the   Eighty-fourth 
constituted  a  part  of  the  Second  Brigade  of  the 
Third  Division,  Colonel  Bowman  commanding. 
In    the  Chancellorsville  campaign,  in  the   en- 
gagement  on    the    3d  of  May,    this    regiment 
suffered   a  loss  of  two  hundred    and    nineteen 
killed,  wounded   and  missing.     Captain   Jacob 
Peterman  was  killed ;   Captain  C.  G.  Jackson, 
Lieutenants  William   Hays,   Albert  Stineman, 
John  R.  Ross,  Geo.  S.  Good  and  Assistant  Surgeon 
John    S.    Waggoner,  severely  wounded.     The 
regiment   participated  in   the  operations  of  the 
brigade  on  the  morning  of  the  4th,  when  Gen- 
eral Whipple  was   killed.     The  Eighty-fourth 
then  became  a  part  of  General  Carr's  brigade  of 
the  Second  Corps.    On  June  11th  Colonel  Bow- 
man was  ordered   to    special    duty,  and   never 
afterwards     rejoined     the    regiment.       Major 
Melton  ( )pp  had  been  promoted  to  lieutenant- 
colonel,  Captain    George  Zinn  to  major.     Upon 
the  return  of  the  army  to  Virginia  the  regiment 
was  engaged  at  Wapping  Heights  on  July  24th  ; 
Thoroughfare    Gap   on    the   10th    October;  at 
Freeman's    Ford    on    the    13th ;     at    Bristoe 
Station  on  the  14th,  and  again  on  the  19th  ;  at 
Kelly's   Ford    on    November   7th  ;    at  Jacob's 
Ford  on  November  27th ;  at  Locust  Grove  on 
the  28th  ;   at  Mine  Run  on  the  30th,  losing  four 
men  mortally  wounded,  five  slightly  wounded, 
five  missing,  and   one  officer,  Lieutenant  Good, 
captured.       The  regiment    participated   in    the 
Wilderness  campaign.    On  the  Oth   of  May  the 
fighing  proved  disastrous  to  the  Eighty-fourth. 
Colonel    Opp    received  a  wound   in  the   right 
lung,  proving  a  mortal   hurt;  the  loss  to   the 
regiment  being  severe.    It  participated  in  all  the 
engagements  iu  this  campaign   until  the  31st  of 
May.     On  June   14th  they  crossed   the  James 
River  and  engaged  in  operations  of  the  siege  of 
Petersburg.     On  the  27th  of  July  it  recrosscd 
the  James  and  had    part   in   the  engagement  at 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


307 


Deep  Bottom.  In  October  the  men  whose  term 
of  service  had  expired  were  mustered  out  and 
the  veterans  and  recruits  were  organized  in  a 
battalion  of  four  companies.  On  the  13th  of 
January  it  was  consolidated  with  the  Fifty- 
seventh  Pennsylvania  ;  upon  the  consolidation 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Zinn  became  colonel.  The 
Fifty-seventh  was  finally  mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice on  June  29,  1865. 

A  portion  of  Company  I  was  from   Wayne 
County.     The  names  of  the  men  follow  : 

Company  I. 

Officers: 

Captain,  John  R.  Ross. 
Second  Lieutenant,  Hiram   F.  Willis. 
Sergeants,  Justice  Lukens,  Cheater  T  .Jackson,  Dan- 
iel L.  Brown. 

Privates . 


Howard  D.  Avery. 
Jacob  N.  Bingham. 
Orren  D.  Bingham. 
Eliphalet  W.  Brush. 
Virgil  Bingham. 
Lot  J.  Branning. 
Truman  Bingham. 
William  Bone. 
Daniel  C.  Boyer. 
Samuel  H.  Byers. 
Demetrius  Barnhart. 
Wayne  Campbell. 
Leartus  Campbell. 
John  Clements. 
Judson  Davey. 
James  Davis. 
Frank  Dudenheffer. 
Daniel  Elmore. 
William  Frampton. 
John  W.  Frampton. 
Joseph  M.  Gavitt. 
John  T.  Guthrie. 
Charles  Gearhart.  • 
John  Hogeucamp. 
WillianiS.  Hoffman. 
Jacob  Keesler. 
Levi  Keesler. 
David  Lake. 
David  McGowen. 
James  Mosher. 
John  Mosher. 
Andrew  J.  Mosher. 
George  Marks. 
George  W.  Marks. 
Andrew  J.  Marks. 
John  L.  Markle. 


John  P.  Myers. 
Virgil  Mitchell. 
Amos  T.  Mitchell. 
Edwin  North. 
William  Olver. 
Levi  Ostrander. 
George  C.  Parsons. 
John  Poulter. 
George  Rogers. 
David  Sutliff. 
Joseph  S.  Sutliff. 
Jerome  S.  Kinner. 
Bradley  Sherwood. 
Jesse  Scott. 
William  Scott. 
George  Taylor. 
Samuel  C.  White. 
Arsannus  White. 
James  F.  Wright. 
Samuel  Williams. 
George  Welton. 
Henry  D.  Wood. 
Moses  A.  Wood. 
George  Wagoner. 
Walter  Barrett. 
John  R.  Gaston. 
[aaac  Frampton. 
John  Charles. 
James  Rue. 
Samuel  II.  Hulse. 
J.  Lukens. 
S.  Frampton. 
Ephraim  Haynes. 
Dennis  Magher. 
Samuel  IT.  Boyer. 
Malcom  Dodge. 


One  Hundred  and  Twelfth  Regiment 
(Second  Heavy  Artillery). — Two  batter- 
ies— C  and  E — of  this  regiment  were  chiefly 
from  Wayne.  The  One  Hundred  and  Twelfth 
Regiment  was  raised  under  authority  granted 
in  October,  1861,  by  the  War  Department  to 
Charles  Angeroth,  of  Philadelphia,  to  recruit  a 
battalion  (afterwards  extended  to  a  regiment) 
of  heavy  artillery.  Recruiting  was  commenced 
at  once,  and  proceeded  rapidly.  The  regiment 
was  organized  in  the  early  part  of  January, 
1862,  with  Col.  Charles  Angeroth,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  John  H.  Oberteuffer,  and  Major  Wm. 
Candidus  as  its  field  officers. 

On  the  25th  of  February  the  regiment  (ex- 
cepting Companies  D,  (i  and  IT,  which  had 
previously  been  placed  on  duty  at  Fort  Dela- 
ware, below  Philadelphia)  was  ordered  to  Wash- 
ington, and  upon  its  arrival  was  reported  to 
General  Abner  Doubleday,  by  whom  it  was  as- 
signed to  duty  in  the  fortifications  north  of  the 
city.  The  three  companies  from  Fort  Delaware 
rejoined  the  others  on  the  19th  of  March,  and 
for  more  than  two  years  from  that  time  the 
regiment  remained  in  the  Washington  defenses 
north  of  the  Potomac.  On  the  26th  of  March, 
1864,  it  was  transferred  to  the  Virginia  side, 
and  placed  to  garrison  Forts  Marcy  and  Ethan 
Allen,  near  the  Chain  Bridge.1 

On  the  opening  of  the  spring  campaign  of 
1864  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  the  front,  and 
accordingly  embarked  at  Washington  on  the 
27th  of  May,  and  proceeded  to  Port  Royal,  on 
the  Rappahannock  River,  where  it  arrived  on 
the  28th.  From  that  place  it  marched  across 
the  country,  and  joined  the  Eighteenth  Army 
Corps,  under  General  W.  F.  Smith,  at  Cold 
Harbor,  on  the  4th  of  June.  There  it  was 
formed  into  three  battalions  in  order  to  secure 
greater  facility  in  manoeuvring.  These  battal- 
ions, with  the  Eighty-ninth  New  York  Regi- 
ment, formed  the  Second  Brigade  in  the  Second 
Division  of  the  corps. 


1  At  that  time  the  regiment  had  increased  by  recruiting 
to  about  thirty-three  hundred  men,  and  a  new  regiment, 
designated  as  the  Second  Provisional  Artillery,  was  formed 
from  its  surplus  by  order  of  the  War  Department.  The 
new  regiment  was  organized  April  20,  18G4,  and  was  sent 
into  the  field  as  a  part  of  the  Ninth  Corps. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Moving  with  the  army  across  the  James 
River,  the  regiment  took  its  position  in  the 
lines  investing  the  city  of  Petersburg,  and  dur- 
ing the  months  of  June,  July  and  August  per- 
formed constant  and  severe  duty  in  the  trenches 
from  the  Appomattox  River  to  the  Jerusalem 
plank-road,  being  in  that  time  reduced  from  an 
effective  strength  of  eighteen  hundred  and 
thirty-six  to  less  than  nine  hundred.  This 
number  was  increased  early  in  September  by 
an  accession  to  its  ranks  of  about  four  hundred 
men,  the  remnant  of  the  Second  Provisional 
Artillery  Regiment,  which  had  originally  been 
formed  from  its  surplus  strength. 

On  the  20th  of  September  the  regiment 
moved  with  the  Army  of  the  James  across  the 
river,  and  took  part  in  the  operations  which  re- 
sulted in  the  capture  of  Fort  Harrison,  and  in 
which  the  First  and  Second  Battalions  sus- 
tained a  loss  of  over  two  hundred  in  killed, 
wounded  and  prisoners. 

The  regiment  remained  in  its  position  near 
Fort  Harrison  until  the  2d  of  December,  when 
it  was  ordered  to  Bermuda  Hundred,  its  term  of 
service  being  then  within  about  a  month  of  its 
close.  At  that  place  a  large  number  of  tin1  men 
re-enlisted  as  veterans ;  these,  with  the  recruits 
who  joined,  amounting  to  over  two  thousand 
men.  The  regiment,  however,  was  not  called 
on  to  do  much  more  fighting.  After  the  evac- 
uation of  Petersburg  by  the  enemy  it  was 
ordered  to  duty  in  that  city,  and  after  the  sur- 
render of  Lee's  army  the  several  companies  of 
the  Second  were  distributed  through  the  lower 
counties  of  Virginia  to  maintain  order,  and  re- 
mained on  this  duty  till  the  beginning  of  1866. 
On  the  29th  of  January  in  that  year  it  was 
mustered  out  of  service  at  City  Point,  Ya.,  and 
was  soon  after  transported  to  Philadelphia, 
where  its  men  were  discharged  on  the  16th  of 
February. 

Battery  A. 
Edwin  E.  Blake.  John  Brooks, 

E.  H.  Wright.  Warreu  Amos, 

A.M.Harding.  Jessup  Brooks. 

Battery  B. 

Enos  Potter,  David  T.  Abbey. 

Matthias  Haag.  Philemon  Gillett. 

Dwight  Chapman. 


Battery  C. 
(Battery  mustered  out  January  29,  1866.) 

Joseph  Locven,  capt.,  must,  in  Feb.  10,  1862;  disch. 
Oct.  3,  1862. 

C.  A.  Dunkelberg,  capt.,  must,  in  Dec.  1,1861;  pro.  from 
priv.  to  sergt,  Dec.  21,  1261  ;  to  1st  sergt. ;  com. 
1st  lieut.  Battery  E,  189th  Regt.  P.  V.,  April  30, 
ISC.  I;  not  must,;  to  1st  lieut.  Oct.  6,  1864;  to 
capt.  Jan.  26,  1865;  must,  out  with  battery;  vet- 
eran. 

Erhardt  Feidler,  1st  lieut.,  must,  in  Jan.  16,  1862 ; 
trans,  to  Battery  B. 

William  Haines,  1st  lieut.,  must,  in  Jan.  24,  1862; 
pro.  from  sergt.  to  2d  lieut.  Oct.  6,  1864  ;  to  1st 
lieut.  Nov.  26,  1864;  disch.  Aug.  6,  1865. 

Decatur  Holbert,  2d  lieut.,  must,  in  Feb.  10,  1862; 
disch.  Aug.  22,  1862. 

John  Rupert,  2d  lieut.,  must,  in  Jan.  18,  1862; 
pro.  to  corp.  Feb.  25,  1864;  to  sergt.  Sept.  1, 
L864;  to  1st  sergt.  Nov.  25,  1864;  to  2d 
lieut.  June  17,  1865;  must,  out  with  battery; 
veteran. 

Louis  Klein,  c|. in. -sergt,  must,  in  Dec.  26,  1861; 
disch.  Dec.  25,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 

Casper  Schuff,  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  26,  1861;  pro. 
to  sergt.  Dec.  25,  1864 ;  must,  out  with  battery ; 
veteran. 

Jacob  PfeifFer,  sergt.,  must,  in  Jan.  19,  1862;  pro. 
to  sergt.  Dec.  25,  1864  ;  must  out  with  battery  ; 
veteran. 

Frederick  Stolte,  sergt.,  must,  in  Jan.  19,  1862;  pro. 
to  sergt.  .Ian.  L»"',  1865. 

Joseph  Bishop,  sergt ;  must,  in  Dec.  14,  1861 ; 
pro.  to  corp.  Nov.  1,  1865 ;  to  sergt.  Nov.  16, 
1865;  must,  out  with  battery  Jan.    29,  1866. 

John  Balles,  sergt.,  must.  in.  Jan.  29,  1862;  disch. 
Jan.  28,  1865,    exp.  of  term. 

Milton  Lillie,  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  26,  1861 ;  disch. 
Dec.  25,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 

John  Schilling,  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  26,  1861. 

Thomas  Hibbert,  corp.,  must,  in  Sept.  24,  1863; 
pro.  to  corp.  May  30,  1865;  must,  out  with  bat- 
tery, Jan.  29,  1866. 

Martin  B.  Hunter,  corp.,  must,  in  Feb.  24,  1864  ; 
pro.  to  corp.  Jan.  29,  1865 ;  must,  out  with  bat- 
tery. 

John  Aekerman,  corp.,  must,  in  March  8,  1864  ; 
pro.  to  corp.  June  18,  1865;  must,  out  with 
battery. 

Charles  D.  Ball,  corp. 

John  Simper,  corp. ,  must,  in  Sept.  7,  1863;  pro.  to 
eorp.  July  1,  1865;  must,  out  with  battery. 

Jabez  Hide,  corp.,  must,  in  Dec.  31,  1861  :  disch. 
Dee.  :;it,  1864,    exp.  of  term. 

Samuel  F.  Cromwell,  corp.,  must,  in  Oct.  30,  1862; 
disch.  Oct,  29,  1865,    exp.  of  term. 

John  Ottens,  bugler,  must,  in  Dec.  15,  1861 ;  must, 
out  with  battery. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Private). 
Stephen    Bauer,  must,   in  Jan.  19,    1862;  must,  out 

with  battery. 
Thomas  Barnes. 
John  Benny,  must,  in  Feb.  27,  1864  ;  must,  out  with 

battery. 
George  W.  Bittinger. 

George  Bridenbacker,  must,  in  Jan.  14, 1862. 
Gilbert  Barnes. 

John  Blockberger,  must,  in  Jan.  14,  1862. 
John  Baldauff. 

William  Bloeser,  must,  in  Dec.  31,  1861;  not  on  mus- 
ter-out roll. 
Ephraim  Bidwell. 

Cornelius  K.  Correll,  must,  in  Jan.  24,  1862. 
Frederick  Cook,  must,  in  June  27,  1862. 
David  Compton,  must,  in  Jan.  24,  1862  ;  not  on  must. 

out  roll. 
James  Cavanaugh,    must,  in   Oct.  1862 ;  substitute ; 

not  on  must.-out  roll. 
James  Cully. 
Anthony    Davenport,  must,  in  Jan.  21,  1864  ;  must. 

out  with  battery. 
William  Doebelman,  must,  in  Jan.    14,  1862;disch. 

Jan.  13,  1865,    exp.  of  term. 
George  B.  Davis,  must,  in  Feb.  23,  1864 ;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  June  29,  1865. 
Irileb'k  Deeckman,  must,   in  Dec.  26,  1861  ;  not  on 

must.-out  roll. 
Martin  Foster,    must,  in    Feb.    27,  1864;    must,  out 

with  battery. 
Francis  Flatterbach. 
George  Fenimore,  must,  in  Feb.  17,  1864;  must,  out 

with  battery. 
Anthony  Ferris. 
John  L.  Funk,  must,  in  Feb.  26,  1864;  must,  out  with 

battery. 
Perry  H.  Fuller,  must,   in   Feb.  27,    1864;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  June  29,  1865. 
William  A.  Fenimore,  must,  in  February  15,  1864  ; 

trans,  to  V.  R.  C;  disch.  by  G.  O.  November  2, 

1865. 
Matthew  Griessen,   must,  in    Nov.    26,  1861  ;  not  on 

must.-out  roll. 
Bartholomew  Gredlein,  must,  in  Feb.  26, 1864  ;  must. 

out  with  battery. 
William  I.  GibbB,  must,  in  Jan.  24,  1862 ;  disch.  Jan. 

23,  1865 ;  exp.  of  term. 
Chauucey  Goodrich,  must,  in  Feb.  8,  1862 ;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  May  31,  1865. 
Henry  Greiner,   must,   in  Feb.  29,  1864  ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Nov.  11,  1865. 
Louis  Gelwicks,  must,  in  Oct.  20,  1862. 
Henry  Gerstenberg,  must,  in  Dec  26, 1861 ;   not  on 

muster-out  roll. 
John  Hesse,  must,  in    Dec.  5,  1861  ;    must,  out  with 

bat.  ;  vet. 
Casper  Herch,  must,  in  Dec.  6,  1861  ;  must,  out  with 

bat. ;  vet. 


Peter  Herdman,  must,   in    Dec.  12,  1861  ;  must,   out 

with  bat. ;  vet. 
Samuel  E.  Haines,  must,  in  Aug.  14,  1863;  must,  out 

with  bat. 
William  Haines. 
Charles  Holley,  must,  in  March  30,  1864;    must,  out 

with  bat. 
Ludwig  Herman. 
Charles  Howe,  must,  in  Jan.  14,  1862;  disch.  Jan.  14, 

1865,  exp.  of  term. 
A.  M.  Henshaw,  must,  in  Feb.  27,   1864 ;    disch.   by 

G.  O.  Dec.  28,  1865. 
John    P.   Heitman,  must,  in   Jan.  24,  1862;  not  on 

muster-out  roll. 
George  Holzknecht,  must,  in  Jan.  24,  1862;    not  on 

muster-out  roll. 
John  Hartwick,  must,  in  Feb.  27,  1864;  not  on  mus- 
ter-out roll. 
Henry   Hartwick,   must,  in    Feb.    27,  1864 ;    not  on 

muster-out  roll. 
Jacob  Hull,  must,  in   Feb.  29,  1864  ;    died  at   Phila., 

Pa.,  April  6,  1864. 
Edmuud  Inch,  must,  in  Feb.  29,  1864 ;  must,  out  with 

bat. 
William  H.  Kent,  must,  in  Feb.  29, 1864 ;  must,  out 

with  bat. 
Andrew  Kohlus,  must,   in  Feb.  27,  1864  ;  must,  out 

with  bat. 
Peter  Korbel,  must,  in  Jan.  29,  1862  ;  disch.  Jan.  28, 

1865,  exp.  of  term. 
Charles  Kaufman,  must,  in  July  28,  1864;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  June  29,  1865. 
Herman  Krone,  must,  in  Nov.  2,  1862  ;  disch.  Nov.  1, 

1865,  exp.  of  term. 
Ferdinand  Klein,  must,  in  Jan.  14, 1862;  not  on  mus- 
ter-out roll. 
Henry  Klein,  must,  in  Jan.  29,  1862  ;  not  on  muster- 
out  roll. 
Peter  Loeven,  must,  in  Dec.  31,  1861  ;  disch.  Dec.  30, 

1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Henry  Langguth. 
Thomas  Leonard,  must,  in   Sept.   5,  1864;  disch.   by 

G.  O.  June  29,  1865. 
Ernst   Lemnitzer,   must,   in   Feb.  7,  1862;  disch.    by 

G.O.June  29,  1865. 
John  F.  McLaughlin. 
William  Oestreicher,  must,  in  Nov.  26,  1861  ;  must. 

out  with  bat. 
William  Orth,  must,  in  Feb.  27,  1864;  disch.  by  G.  O. 

May  19,  1865. 
George  Ordnung,  must,  in   Feb.    27,    1864 ;    not   on 

muster-out  roll. 
Henry  J.  Pierce,  muat.  in  Jan.   15,  1862  ;  must,  out 

with  bat. ;  vet. 
Joseph    Proebstle,  must,  in    Dec.   31,  1861 ;    not   on 

muster-out  roll. 
Philip  Reinning,  must,  in  Jan.  29,  1862;  disch.  Jan. 

28,  1865,  exp.  of  term. 
Almon  Rhodes. 


310 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


John  Iiosshirt,  must,  in  Dec.  26,  1861. 
John  Killing. 

John  Reif,  must,  in  Dec.  26, 1861 ;  not  on  the  muster- 
out  roll. 
George  Reinning,  must,  in  Jan.  20,  1862;    not  on 

muster-out  roll. 
John  Roach,  must,  in  Feb.  2,  1864 ;  not  on  muster- 
out  roll. 
James  Stackhouse,  must,  in   Jan.  21,  1S64;  absent, 

sick,  at  must.  out. 
Henry  Shupper. 
Jacob  Schilling,  must,  in  Dec.  26,  1861 ;  disch.  Dec. 

25, 1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Nicholas  Shear. 
William  Snyder,  must,  iu  Jan.  14,  1862;  disch.   Jan. 

13,  1865,  exp.  of  term. 
Mark  Stevens. 
Nicholas   Schick,    must,   in  Dec.  26,  1861  ;  not    on 

muster-out  roll. 
Edward  Teaubuer. 
James  Yandemark,  must,  in  Jan.  21),  1862;  must,  out 

with  bat. 
George  W.  Vanosdoll. 
William  Van    Buskirk,  must,  in   March    22,    1864; 

must,  out  with  bat. 
John  Short. 
Calvin  Vaneberg,  must,  in  Jan.  24,  1862;  disch.  Jan. 

23,  1865,  exp.  of  term. 
Sofioski  Tyler. 
Charles  Vandemark,  must,  in    Dec.  26,  1861 ;  disch. 

by  G.  O.  July  1,  1865. 
Abram   Vandemark,   must,  in  Dec.  31,  1861 ;  not  on 

muster-out  roll. 
Frederick  Willie,  must,  in  Dec.  26,  1861  ;  disch.  Dec. 

25,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
George  M.  Wilson. 
Stephen  Wells,  must,   in  Jan.  24,1862;  disch.    Jan. 

23,  1865,  exp.  of  term. 
Henry  Williams. 
W.  H.  Wenmouth,  must,  in  Jan.  29,  1862  ;  disch.  Jan. 

28,  1865,  exp.  of  term. 
George  Whiteman,    must,  in   Oct.    30,  1862;  died  at 

Washington,  D.  C,  Nov.  11,  1865. 
John  Willie,  must,  in  Nov.  16,  1862. 
Peter  Wurm,  must,  in  Jan.  14,  1862  ;    died  at  Fort 

Jefferson,  Fla.,  Sept.  25,  1864. 
Leonard  Yeager,  must,  in  Feb.  17,  1864;  must,  out 

with  bat.  ;  vet. 

Battehy  E. 
John  Kellow,  sergt.,  must,  in  Dec.  24,1861  ;   Lstlieut. 

in    Bat,    B,    2d     Prov.     Art,,  from   April     28    to 

Aug.  26,  1864;  captured;  disch.  by  S.  0.  March 

12,  1865  ;  vet. 
Hugh  F.  Rutledge,  sergt.,  must,  in   Dec.  25,  1861 ; 

pro.  to  corp.  Jan.  1, 1862  ;  to  sergt.  Oct.  1, 1862; 

must,  out  with  battery  Jan.  29,  1866;  vet. 
Samuel  Griffith,  artificer,  must,  in  Nov.  26, 1861 ;  must, 

out  with  bat.  Jan.  29,  1866 ;  vet. 


James  M.  Austin,  wagoner,  must,  in  Nov.  14,  1861; 
must,  out  with  bat.  Jan.  29,  1866. 

Privates. 
Ransom    Barhight,  must,  in   Nov.  20,  1861 ;  died  at 

Fort   Saratoga,  D.  C,  Aug.  21,    1862;  buried    in 

Mil.  Asy.  Cem. 
Jonathan  Bond,  must,  in  Dec.  16, 1861 ;  not  on  niust.- 

out  roll. 
James  H.  Bryant. 
Richard   Barrett,   must,  in   Nov.   21,   1861 ;  absent, 

wounded,  at  must.  out. 
Andrew   Bubser,  must,  in   Aug.  2,  1862 ;    trans,  to 

Vet.  Res.  Corps  Dec.  29,  1863. 
John  A.  Cummiskey,  must,  in  Dec.  24,  1861 ;  died  at 

Philadelphia  May  6,  1865,  of  wounds  received  at 

Petersburg,  Va. ;  vet. 
Jacob  Conklyn,  must,  in  Dec.  14, 1861  ;  trans,  to  Vet. 

Res.  Corps  Dec.  29,  1863. 
John  Cole,  must,  in  Oct.  7,  1862 ;  disch.  Oct.  6,  1865, 

exp.  of  term. 
Daniel    Daniels,  must,   in   Aug.  21,  1862;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  June  24,  1865. 
George  F.  Davis,  must,  in  Dec.  21,  1863;  must,  out 

with  bat.  Jan.  29,  1866. 
Angus   Douglas,  must,   in  Sept.   17,   1862 ;  trans,  to 

Vet.  Res.  Cops  March  3,  1864. 
Emanuel  Fisher,  must,  iu  Dec.  24,  1861 ;  missing  at 

Chapin's  Farm,  Va.,  Sept.  29,  1864. 
Michael   Galvin,  must,  in   Dec.   10,  1861 ;  must,  out 

with  bat.  Dec.  29,  1866  ;   vet. 
Adam  Good,  must,  in  Sept.  6,  1862  ;  disch.  by  G.  O. 

June  24,  1865. 
William  Hassitt,  must,  iu  Nov.  29, 1861 ;  prisoner  from 

Dec.  14,  1864,  to  Feb.  27,  1865  ;  must,  out    with 

bat.  Jan.  29,  1866. 
William  Hambley,  must,  iu  Dec.  10,  1861. 
Bailey  Hendricks,  must,  in  Dec.  10, 1861 ;  disch.  Jan. 

17,  1865,  exp.  of  term. 
William  H.  Haskins,  must,  iu  Sept.  16,  1862;  disch. 

by  G.  O.  June  24,  1865. 
William    Hill,   must,   in   Feb.    27,  1864;  must,   out 

with  bat,  Jan.  29,  1866  ;  a  vet.  of  Mexican  War. 
Richard  W.  Kellow,  must,   in  Sept.   18,  1862  ;  disch. 

by  G.  O.  June  24,  1865. 
James  \V.  Kimble,  must,  in  Aug.  21,  1862;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  June  24,  1865. 
John  Loveless,    must,   in  Dec.  21,   1863;   must,  out 

with  bat,  Jan.  29,  1866. 
John  O'Leary,  must,  in  Dec.  16,  1861  ;  disch.  Dec.  16, 

1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Mathias  McEwen,  must,  in  Nov.  30,  1861. 
Charles  R.  Miles. 
David  Moylan,  must,  iu  Dec.  2,  1861 ;  must,  out  with 

bat.  Jan.  29,  1866  ;  vet. 
Samuel  Matthews,  must,  in  Dec.  24,  1861 ;  disch., Ian. 

19,  1865. 
William  H.  Newman,  must,  in  Dec.  10,  1861  ;  must. 

out  with  bat,  Jan.  29,  1866  ;  vet. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


311 


Henry  Nelmes,   must,    in    Dec.  16,  1861  ;  captured ; 

died  at  Salisbury,  N.  C,  Dec.  12,  1864. 
James  Newman,  must,   in    Dec.  3,  1861  ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Jan.  31,  1864. 
Nathaniel  W.  Porter,  must,  in  Dec.  16,  1861 ;  disch. 

Dec.  28,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Andrew  J.  Rutledge,  must,  in   Dec.  25,  1861  ;  pro.  to 

corp.  May  1,  1864;  to  sergt.  July  1,  1865  ;  must. 

out  with  bat.  Jan.  29,  1866. 
George  Rohring,  must,  in   Aug.   21,   1862 ;  killed   at 

Petersburg,  Va.,  Aug.  5.  LS64. 
Isaac  H.  Smith,  must,  in    Feb.   29,  1864  ;  must,  out 

with  bat.  Jan.  290  L866. 
Henry  D.  Smith,  must,  in  Nov.  26,  1861. 
Daniel  Schoonover. 
James  Shanley,  must,  in  Dec.  16,  1861  ;  diBch.  Dec. 

16,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Joseph  Schimmelfenge,  must,  in  Dec.  14,  1861 ;  must. 

out  with  bat.  Jan.  29,  1866. 
Hiram  Slack,  must,  in  Nov.  20,  1861. 
James  Tobin,  must,  in  Jan.  6,  1862  ;  died  at   Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  July  21st,  of  wounds  receivedat  Cold 

Harbor,  Va.,  June  5,  1864. 
Henry  Ward,  must,  in  Dec.  16, 1861 ;  disch.  Dec.  16, 

1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Jehiel  Justin. 
John  Johnson. 
Jonathan  M.  Jaycox. 
E.  W.  McFarland. 
Jonathan  M.  Jacob. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirty-seventh  Reg- 
iment.— Company  A,  of  this  regiment,  was  re- 
cruited principally,  and  K  partially,  in  Wayne 
County  ;  Companies  C,  D  and  H  in  Clinton  ; 
G  in  Butler,  and  Company  I  in  Bradford.  The 
men  rendezvoused  at  Camp  Curtin,and  on  Au- 
gust 25,  18G2,  a  regimental  organization  was 
effected.  The  field  officers  were  Henry  M. 
Bossert,  colonel  ;  Joseph  B.  Kiddoe,  lieutenant- 
colonel  ;  Charles  W.  Wingard,  major.  Soon 
after  its  organization  it  was  ordered  to  Wash- 
ington. On  the  31st  of  August  it  was  assigned  to 
General  Hancock's  brigade,  Seventh  Division, 
Sixth  Corps,  then  marching  through  Washing- 
ton, after  the  defeat  at  Bull  Run,  and  about  to 
enter  on  the  Maryland  campaign.  The  regi- 
ment participated  in  the  engagement  at  Cramp- 
ton's  Gap,  in  South  Mountain.  They  were  then 
ordered  to  Harper's  Ferry,  engaging  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Antietam.  It  was  then  ordered  to  do 
guard  duty  at  Camp  No.  4,  on  the  Potomac. 
When  Stuart  with  his  cavalry  made  his  raid  in- 
to Pennsylvania,  it  was  sent  with  the  brigade  in 


pursuit.  Near  the  close  of  October  it  was  or- 
dered to  Washington.  When  the  army  reached 
Fredericksburg  it  was  again  ordered  in  the  field, 
Colonel  Bossert  being  placed  in  command  of  a 
brigade  composed  of  his  own  regiment,  four 
regiments  from  New  Jersey  and  one  from  New 
York,  and  was  charged  with  the  guarding  of 
the  lauding  at  Acquia  Creek  and  the  railroad 
leading  to  Fredericksburg.  On  January  20, 
1863,  it  was  ordered  to  the  front.  On  March 
14th  Colonel  Bossert  was  honorably  discharged, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Kiddoe  promoted  to  succeed 
him.  It  afterwards  participated,  under  Hook- 
er, at  Chancellorsville.  About  the  middle  of 
May,  the  term  of  enlistment  being  about to  expire, 
it  was  ordered  to  Harrisburg,  and  was  mustered 
out  June  1st. 

Company  A. 

(Mustered  in  Aug.  20,  1862,  unless  otherwise  noted. 

Mustered  out  as  company  June  2,  1863.) 
J.  M.Buckingham,  capt.,  must,   in  Aug.  23,  1862; 

must,  out  with  company. 
George  H.  Teeter,  1st  lieut.,  must,  in  Aug.  24,  1862 ; 

must,  out  with  company. 
Paul  Swingle,  2d  lieut.,  must,  in  Aug.  24,  1862 ;  re- 
signed Dec.  17,  1862. 
William   H.  Bidwell,  2d  lieut.,   pro.  from  1st  sergt. 

Feb.  15,  1863  ;  must,  out  with  company. 
C.  H.  Mendenhall,  1st  sergt..    pro.  from  sergt.   Feb. 

14,  1863 ;  must,  out  with  company. 
Michael  Brunson,  sergt.,  must,  out  with  company. 
Henry  Vaughn,  sergt.,  pro.  from  priv.  Feb.  14,  1863; 

must,  out  with  company. 
Robert  W.  McStraw,  sergt,  pro.  from  corp.  Oct.  10, 

1862 ;  must,  out  with  company. 
William  Ammcrman,  sergt.,  pro.  from  corp.  Dec.  6, 

1862  ;  must,  out  with  company. 
John    W.  Cobb,  sergt.,  died   at   Washington,  D.  C, 

Dec.  5,  1862. 
Sylvester  A.  Adams,  corp.,  must,  out  with  company. 
Samuel  C.  Chumard,  corp.,  must,  out  with  company. 
James  L.  Brown,  corp.,  must,  out  with  company. 
Buell  D.  Pease,  corp.,  must,  out  with  company. 
Orsom  Graham,  corp.,  must,  out  with  company. 
John  A.  Watrous,  corp.,  must  out  with  company. 
Enoch   Cornell,   corp.,  pro.  to   corp.  Oct.   10,  1862 ; 

must,  out  with  company. 
Albert  Van  Gorder,  corp.,  pro.  to  corp.  Dec.  6,  1862  ; 

must,  out  with  company. 

Privates. 
Thad.  L.  Adams,  must,  out  with  company. 
Henry  N.  Adams,  must,  out  with  company. 
Warren  Ames,  must,  out  with  company. 
Thomas  J.  Buckland,  must,  out  with  company. 


312 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Daniel  Brunson,  must,  out  with  company. 

Leonard  Brunson,  must,  out  with  company. 

John  W.  Bidwell,  must,  out  with  company. 

David  S.  Bishop,  must,  out  with  company. 

George  W.  Bidwell,  must,  out  with  company. 

Ervin  Benjamin,  must,  out  with  company. 

Benj.  F.  Bidwell,   died   at  Washington,  D.  C,  April 

16,  1863 ;  buried  in  Mil.  Asyl.  Cem. 
Daniel  Curtis,  must,  out  with  company. 
Nathaniel  B.  Curtis,  must,  out  with  company. 
Horace  A.  Chapman,  must,  out  with  company. 
Lewis  L.  Craimer,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Dec.  3, 1862. 
David  C.  Conklin,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Feb.  3, 1863. 
Joseph  P.  Clark,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  April  3,  1863. 
Herman  Carr. 

Charles  Dickens,  must,  out  with  company. 
AVilliam  G.  Dickens,  must,  out  with  company. 
Vine  De  Ruy,  Jr.,  must,  in  Aug.  22,  1862;   must,  out 

with  company. 
Silas  E.  Elmendorf,  must,  out  with  company. 
Eichard  S.  Evans,  must,  out  with  company. 
Joshua  Euslin,  must,  out  with  company. 
Charles  Fowler,  must,  out  with  company. 
Chester  Goodrich,  must,  out  with  company. 
Sylvester  J.  Hinds,  must,  out  with  company. 
Thomas  Hibbard,  must,  out  with  company. 
William  Harris,  must,  out  with  company. 
Nathan  Hand,  died  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  April  6, 1863, 
Henry  Haffler. 

James  L.  Kennedy,  must,  out  with  company. 
Ebenezer  Kirkum,  must,  out  with  company. 
Thomas  Kennedy,  died  at  Washington  Dec.  5,  1862  ; 

buried  in  Military  Asylum  Cemetery,  D.  C. 
Benjamin  C.  Loudon,  must,  out  with  company. 
Francis  P.  Longstreet,  must,  out  with  company. 
Luther  C.  Loring,  must,  out  with  company. 
William  R.  Longstreet,  must,  out  with  company. 
Jesse  T.  Mann,  must,  out  with  company. 
Marvin  Morgan,  must,  out  with  company. 
Andrew  P.  Mann. 
Richard   E.  McMinn,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  April  3, 

1863. 
Joseph  Nash,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  March  12,  1863. 
Peter  F.  Osborn,  must,  out  with  company. 
Darius  Proper,  must,  out  with  company. 
Anthony  Potter. 

Andrew  J.Rollison,  must,  out  with  company. 
Layton  Smith,  must,  out  with  company. 
William  B.  Swingle,  must,  out  with  company. 
Oscar  S.  Sisco,  must,  out  with  company. 
John  T.  Snook,  must,  out  with  company. 
Thomas  A.  Simonson,  must,  out  with  company. 
Denis  Swingle,  must,  out  with  company. 
Milton  Shaffer,  must,  out  with  company. 
John  F.  Swingle,  must,  out  with  company. 
Eugene  Smith,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Jan.  14,  1863. 
William  S.  Shearer,  died  at  Belle  Plain,  Va  ,  March 

13,  1863. 
Stewart  Swingle. 


William  Upright,  died  at  Belle  Plain,  Va.,  March  11, 

1863. 
Robert  M.  Van  Gelder,  must,  out  with  company. 
George  W.  Walker,  must,  out  with  company. 
Byron  L.  Wilcox,  must,  out  with  company. 
Daniel  E.  Winfield,  must,  out  with  company. 
Denis  Wetherell,  absent,  sick,  at  muster  out. 
Charles  Winkman,  must,  out  with  company. 
James  Webber,  must,  out  with  company. 
Daniel  H.  Weigel,  must,  out  with  company. 
George  O.  Wise,  must,  out  with  company. 
Christ.  E.  Wilbur,  died  at  Washington  December  3, 

1862;  burial    record,   Dec.  17,   1862;  buried   in 

Military  Asylum  Cemetery,  D.  C. 

Company  K. 

(Company  must,  out  June  1,  1863.) 

Henry  S.  Tallmadge,  1st  lieut.,  must,  in  Aug.  28, 1862  ; 

must,  out  with  company. 
John  Q.   Humphrey,   2d  lieut.,  must,    in  Nov.   28 , 

1 862 ;  must,  out  with  company. 
Witson  Lord, 


Privates. 

James  Avery,  must,  in  Aug.  28, 1862 ;  must,  out  with 

company. 
William  Avery,  must,  in  Aug.  17,  1862. 
Thomas  A.  Bell,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862;  must,  out 

with  company. 
James  H.  Billings,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862;  must,  out 

with  company. 
David  Bracie,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862;  died  at  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  Jan.  10,  1863. 
Peter  Bunts,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862 ;  must,  out  with 

company. 
William  H.  Bariger,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862  ;  must. 

out  with  company. 
Robert  B.  Chambers,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862;  must. 

out  with  company. 
E.  P.  Christian,  must,  in  Aug.  28, 1862;  must,  out  with 

company. 
James   R.  Cole,  must,  in  Aug.  17,  1862  ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
James  Coddington,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862 ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Samuel  E.  Cobley,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862 ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
William  Ellsworth,  must,  in  Aug.  28, 1862 ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
David  Gillen,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862;  must,  out  with 

company. 
Eldad  Geer,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862 ;  must,  out  with 

company. 
Emmett  Gibson,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862  ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Frederick  Hall,    must,    in  Aug.    28,1862;  must,  out 

with  company. 
William  Hemstead,  must,  in  Aug.  2.S,  1862;  must,  out 

with  company. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


313 


Jesse   Hathaway,    must,   iu   Aug.    17,  1862;  died  at 

Hagerstown,  Oct.  21,  1862;  buried   in  National 

Cemetery,  Antietam,  Md.,  sec.  26,  lot  D,  grave 

382. 
Elias  Jones,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862 ;  must,  out  with 

company. 
Abram  S.  Knapp,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Valentine  Knight,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862 ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
David  C.   Kingsbury,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862;  must. 

out  with  company. 
George  Lester,  must,  in  Aug.  2S,  1S62;  absent,  sick. 

at  must.  out. 
Stephen  Lord,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862;  must,  out  with 

company. 
Alton  Lestet,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862;  must,  out  with 

company. 
Benjamin  Lester. 
Diouysius  Lord,  must,   in   Aug.  28,  1862 ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Charles    Lester,   must,  in   Aug.  28,  1862 ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
David  E.  Martin,  must,  in  Aug.  28,  1862;  wounded  at 

Chanceilorsville,    Va.,    May   4,    1863;    died    at 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  June  3,  1863. 
George   Mogridge,   must,   in   May  28,  1862 ;  absent, 

sick,  at  must.  out. 
Job  Price,  must,  in   May  28,   1862;  must,  out  with 

company. 
Thomas   Shimar. 
Joseph  R.  Treat,  must,  in  May  28,  1862  ;  absent,  in 

hospital,  at  must.  out. 
William  P.  Taylor,  must,  iu  May  28,  1863;  must,  out 

with  company. 
William   Tyler,   must,   in   May  28,  1862;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Harvey   Watson,  must,   in  May  28,  1862;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Edgar  Weed,  must,  in  May  28,  1862  ;  must,  out  with 

company. 
Samuel   Wainwright,  must,  in  May  28,1862;  must. 

out  with  company. 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-first  Regi- 
ment.— Seven  companies  of  this  regiment  were 
raised  in  Bradford  County,  two  in  Susquehanna 
and  one  in  Wayne  County.  On  August  29, 
1862,  the  regiment  organized  at  Camp  Curtin, 
with  the  following  officers  :  Henry  J.  Madin, 
colonel ;  Guy  H.  Watkins,  lieutenant-colonel ; 
Israel  P.  Spaulding,  major.  The  command  im- 
mediately moved  to  Washington.  About  the 
middle  of  September  the  regiment  was  assigned  to 
the  First  Brigade,  General  Robinson  command- 
ing. It  joined  the  army  in  its  movement  to 
Warrenton ;  also  with  Burnside  towards  Fred- 


ericksburg, and  participated  in  the  engagement 
at  the  lower  crossing  of  the  Rappahannock.  In 
the  Chanceilorsville  campaign  it  followed  with 
the  brigade  and  shared  in  its  perils,  and  in  the 
engagement  on  the  3d  of  May  it  sustained  a  loss 
of  two  hundred  and  thirty-four,  either  killed, 
wounded  or  missing.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wat- 
kins  was  severely  wounded  and  fell  into  the 
enemy's  hands. 

On  the  11th  of  June  the  regiment  started  on 
the  Gettysburg  campaign,  and  in  the  action  on 
July  1st  suffered  a  severe  loss,  probably  greater 
than  any  regiment  engaged.  At  the  morning 
call  one  hundred  and  ninety-eight  answered  ;  of 
the  number,  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  were 
either  killed,  wounded  or  missing.  The  regi- 
ment participated  in  the  fall  campaign,  and  was 
engaged  at  Kelly  Ford,  Locust  Grove  and  Mine 
Bun,  losing  a  number  of  men,  Lieutenant  James 
Vanauken  being  among  the  killed.  On  the  3d 
of  May  the  regiment  entered  on  the  spring  cam- 
paign, as  a  part  of  the  Fourth  Division  of  the 
Second  Corps,  and  in  the  engagements  at  Plank- 
Road  and  Po  River,  from  the  5th  to  the  18th, 
the  losses  were  nine  killed,  ninety-eight  wound- 
ed and  twenty  nine  missing.  In  the  general 
movement  on  the  18th  at  Petersburg  the  regi- 
ment was  engaged  ;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wat- 
kins  was  killed,  and  nine  men  wounded.  The 
regiment,  uuder  the  command  of  Major  Tyler, 
participated  in  the  operations  upon  the  Weldon 
Railroad,  in  the  advance  toward  Richmond,  the 
battle  of  Sailor's  Creek,  Major  Horton  now 
being  its  commander,  and  on  the  28th  of  May, 
18(35,  was  mustered  out  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

Company  G. 
(Mustered  in  August  25, 1862,  except  when  otherwise 

noted.     Company  mustered  out  May  28,  1865.) 
James  L.  Mumford,  capt.,  must,  in  Aug.   26,  1862  ; 

killed  at  Chanceilorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863. 
Joseph    Atkinson,   capt.,   must,    in    Aug.    26,    1862 ; 

wounded  at  Chanceilorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863  ; 

pro.  from  1st  lieut.  Dec.  5,  1863  ;  disch.  on  surg. 

certif.  Jan.  11,  1865. 
William   T.  Lobb,  capt.,  must,   in  Aug.    26,   1862 ; 

pro.  from  sergt.  to  1st  lieut.  Sept.  27,  1864;  to 

capt.  February  18,  1865  ;  wounded  at  Tolopoto- 

moy,  Va.,  May  31, 1864 ;  must,  out  with  company. 
Chas.  M.    Ball,  2d    lieut.,  must,    in    Aug.  26,   1862; 

com.  1st  lieut.  May  5,  1863;    not  must. ;    disch. 

Dec.  9th,  for  wounds  received  at  Chanceilorsville, 

Va.,  May  3,  1863. 


314 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


J.  T.  R.  Seagraves,  1st  sergt,  wounded  at  Chaneel- 
lorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863;  pro.  to  1st  sergt 
May  1,  1864;  com.  1st  Iieut.  Jan.  8,  1865;  must. 
out  with  company. 

James  N.  Terwilliger,  sergt.,  wounded  al  Gettys- 
burg, Pa.,  duly  2,  1863;  pro.  to  sergt.  May  1, 
1864;  musfcoul  with  company. 

James  N.  Thorp,  sergt.,  pro.  to  sergt.  Feb.  1,  1864; 
wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863, 
and  at  Wilderness  May  5,  1864;  absent,  in  hos- 
pital, at  muster  out. 

Joseph  E.  Williams,  sergt.,  pro.  to  Corp.  Feb.  1, 
1864;  to  sergt.  May  1,  1804;  must,  out  with 
company. 

William  Muir,  sergt.,  com.  2d  lieut.  Dee.  9,  1863; 
not  must.;  diseh.  March  26,  1864,  for  wounds 
received  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  6,  1863. 

Richard  F.  Taggart,  sergt.,  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps 
Sept.  7,  1863. 

David  B.  Atkinson,  sergt.,  wounded  at  Chancellors- 
ville, Va.,  May  3,  1863,  and  at  Petersburg  June 
18,  1S64;  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  Jan.  1,  1865. 

Charles  Williams,  Corp.,  pro.  to  Corp.  Feb.  1,  1S64; 
wounded  Feb.  5,  I860;  must,  out  with  com- 
pany. 

Franklin  A.  Dix,  corp.,  wounded  at  Gettysburg 
July  2,  1863  ;  must,  out  with  company. 

George  E.  Weaver,  corp.,  pro.  to  corp.  Feb.  1,  1864; 
wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864  ;  must. 
out  with  company. 

Hugh  Brady,  Corp.,  pro.  to  corp.  May  1,  1864  ;  must, 
out  with  company. 

Levi  Thayer,  corp.,  pro.  to  corp.  Oct.  1,  1864;  must. 
out  with  company. 

Edward  Wells,  Corp.,  wounded  at  Chancellorsville, 
Va.,  .May  3,  1863;  pro.  to  corp.  Oct.  1,  1864; 
must,  out  with  company. 

Thomas  Marshall,  corp.,  pro.  to  corp.  Oct.  1,1864; 
must,  out  with  compauy. 

Robert  C.  Clark,  corp.,  wounded  at  Chancellorsville, 
Va.,  May  ::,  1863  ;  must,  out  with  company. 

Theodore  Fuller,  corp.,  wounded  at  Chancellorsville, 
Va.,  May  3,  1863  ;  diseh.  by  S.  O.  Oct.  9,  1863. 

George  H.  Tryon,  corp.,  wounded  at  Gettysburg 
July  2,  1863;  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps' April 
28,  1864. 

Daniel  Ballard,  cor)).,  wounded  at  Chancellorsville, 
Va.,  May  3,  1863,  and  at  Petersburg  June  18, 
1864;  trans,  to  36th  Co.,  2d  Battalion,  Vet.  Res. 
Corps,  Dec.,  1864  ;  diseh.  by  G.  O.  June  29,  1865. 

William  Kellam,  Corp.,  killed  at  Chancellorsville, 
Va.,  May  3,  1862. 

James  E.  Bagley,  corp.,  killed  at  Poplar  Grove 
Church  Oct.  2,  1864. 

John  Ogden,  corp.,  killed  at  Boydton  Plank-Road, 
Va.,  Oct.  27,  1864. 

David  J.  Richmond,  musician,  must,  out  with  com- 
pany. 

Frederick  Salmon,  musician,  must,  out  with  company. 


Privates. 
George  8.  Barnes,  wounded  at  Spottsylvania  Court- 
House,  Va.,  May  12,  1864;  must,  out  with  com- 
pany. 
George  E.  Babcock,  must,  out  with  company. 
Edward    F.    Boswell,    wounded    at    Wilderness,    Va., 

May  5,  1864;  must,  out  with  company. 
Thomas   Bates,  wounded  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  2, 

1863;  diseh.  on  surg.  certif.  Feb.  1,  1864. 
Nathaniel  Belknap,  diseh.  by  G.  O.  May  15,  1865. 
Lucius  ('.   Barnes,  wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  Va., 

May  3,  1863  ;  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  April  28, 

1864. 
Alonzo  Benjamin,  killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  2, 

1863. 
Elory  Bunnell,  killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  2, 1863. 
John  Bullard,  died  May  12th,  of  wounds  ftceived  at 

Wilderness,  Va.,May,  1864. 
Samuel   M.  Bates,  trans,  to  Co.   C,  57th  Regt.  P.  V., 

May  28,  1865. 
John   ('air,  captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  2, 

1864  ;    must,  out  with  company. 
William  L.  Cole,  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  March  7, 

1864. 
Robert  A.  Couch,  trans,  to  Co.  C,  57th  Regt,  P.  V. 
Michael  Daly,  wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5, 

1864  ;  absent,  in  hospital,  at  must.  out. 
.lames  Dekin,  diseh.  on  surg.  certif.  July,  1863. 
Malcolm  Hodge,  diseh.  on  surg.  certif.  Jan.  17,  1863. 
George  M.  Day,  wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  Va., 

May  3,    1863;  trans,   to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  March 

6,  1864. 
Ezra  Dexter,  killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  2,  1863. 
Jonathan  E.  Elmer,  killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July 

2,  1863. 
Anson  R.  Fuller,  wounded  and  captured  at  Chancel- 
lorsville, Va.,  May  3,  1863;  must,  out  with  com-. 

pany. 
Edw.  F.   Farnham,   killed  at  Chancellorsville,   Va., 

May  3,  1863. 
Daniel  C.  Frier,  died  May  19th,  of  wounds  received 

at  Chancellorsville,  Va,,  May  3,  1863. 
Leroy  D.  Goodwin,  missing  in  action  at  Auburn,  Va., 

Oct.  13,  1863. 
William  H.  Heath,  must,  out  with  company. 
William  Harvey,  wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  Va., 

May  3,  1863,  and  at  Wilderness  May  6,   1864; 

absent,  in  hospital,  at  must,  out, 
Henry  B.  Hall,  must,  out  with  company. 
Isaac  M.  Haycock  must,  out  with  company. 
Francis  E.  Holley,  missing  in  action  at  Gettysburg, 

Pa.,  July  2,  1863. 
Bruce  Jones,  diseh.  Dec.  17, 1863,  for  wounds  received 

in  action. 
Robert  King,  diseh.  on  surg.  certif.  Jan.  9,  1863. 
James  Lindsay,  absent  on  detached  service  at  must,  out 
William  C.  McCrary,  wounded  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,. 

July  2,  1863  ;  trans,  to  Co.  A,  6th  Regt.  Vet.  Res. 

Corps,  Jan.  22, 1864  ;  diseh.  by  G.  0.  July  6,  1865. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


315 


Henry  W.  MeKaue,  died  May  7th,  of  wounds  received 

at  Chaneellorsville,  May  3,  1868. 
Arthur  O'Hara,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Oct.  1,  1862. 
James  Ogden,  missing  Nov.  6,  1862. 
William  Pope,  wounded  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  1, 

1864;  must,  out  with  company. 
Richard  T.  Pierce,  disch.  Sept.  6,  1864,  for  wounds  re- 
ceived in  action. 
M.  C.  Rosencrantz,  wounded  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July 

2,  18(33;  mast,  out  with  company. 
Martin  Reynolds,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Dec.  11,  1802. 
Frederick   M.   Reeves,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.   Dec.  2, 

1862. 
David  Radeliff,  trans,  to  57th  Regt.  P.  V. 
Henry  Row,  trans,  to  Co.  D.,  57th  Regt.  P.  V. 
Oliver  Skinner,  trans,  to   Randolph's   Battery,  R.  I. 

Art.,  .Ian.,  1863. 
David  Shannon,  must,  out  with  company. 
Henry  Smith,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Jan.  5,  1863. 
Lafayette  Smith,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  April  6,  1803. 
John  H.  Smith,  wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  6, 

1864;  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Feb.  18,  1865. 
Linus   F.  Sutton,   disch.   on   surg.  certif.   March   17, 

1865. 
William   Stone,    wounded    at  Chaneellorsville,   Va., 

May  3,   1803,  and   at   Wilderness  May   6,   1864; 

trans,  to  Co.  P.,  18th  Regt.  Vet.  Res.  Corps,  Dec, 

1804;  disch.  by  G.  O.  June  27,  1865. 
Gilbert  B.  Stewart,  pro.  to  principal  musician   Dec. 

31,  1804. 
William   K.  Segraves,  wounded   at  Gettysburg,  Pa., 

July  2,  1863  ;  trans,  to  U.  S.  Navy  May,  1864. 
William  Short,  died   December  20,   1802,   buried  in 

Military  Asylum  Cemetery,  Washington,  D.  C. 
J.  H.   Schoomaker,  killed  at  Chaneellorsville,  Va., 

May  3,  1863. 
Charles  E.  Smith,  trans,  to  57th  Regt.  P.  V. 
Joseph  Stalker,  trans,  to  57th  Regt.  P.  V. 
Richard    R.    Tamblyn,   wounded    at    Spottsylvania 

Court-House,  Va.,  May  12,  18(34 ;  must,  out  with 

company. 
Sobiskie  Tyler,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Dec.  21,  1862. 
William   Tamblyn,   killed   at    Fredericksburg,   Va., 

Dec.  13,  1862. 
Charles  H.  Williams,  must,  out  with  company. 
Austin    Welton,  wouuded   at   Austin,  Va.,  Oct.   13, 

1863;  disch.  by  G.  O.  May  16,  1865. 
Euos  Williams,  disch.  by  G.  6.  June  5,  1865. 
Francis  Wells,  must,  out  with  company. 
Mieajah  Wise,  must,  out  with  company. 
John  B.  Walker,  prisoner  from  May  28,  1864,  to  May 

11,  lso.->;  disch.  by  G.  O.  May  26th,  to  date  May 

10,  1805. 
Thomas  Walton,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Aug.,  1863. 
Albert  Wagner,  disch.  Feb.  17,  1864,  for  wounds  re- 
ceived in  action. 
Henry  B.  Wilber,  trans,  to  Co.  H.,  24th   Regt.  Vet. 

Res.  Corps,  March  0,  1864;  disch.  by  G.  O.  July 

25,  1865. 


Noah  White,  wounded  at  Chaneellorsville,  Va.,  May 

::,  1863. 
Grin  Wilcox,  killed  at  Chaneellorsville,  Va.,  May  3, 

1863. 
Manford  Whitaker,  killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  2, 

L868. 
Nicholas   Wander,  killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  2, 

1863. 
Delos    Woodward,    killed    at    Chaneellorsville,    Va., 

May  3,  1863. 
George  S.  Wells,  trans,  to  57th  Regt.  P.  V. 
Henry  Wilber,  trans,  to  57th  Regt.  P.  V. 

One  Hundred  and  Sixty-second  Regi- 
ment. (Seventeenth  Cavalry.)  The  One 
Hundred  and  Sixty-second  Regiment  of  the 
Pennsylvania  line — otherwise  the  Seventeenth 
Cavalry — included  in  its  organization  one  com- 
pany (M)  of  men  raised  principally  in  Wayne 
County,  and  having  for  its  first  commanding 
officer  Captain  Coe  Durland,  afterwards  lien- 
tenant-colonel.  The  colonel  was  Josiafa  II.  Kel- 
logg, previously  a  captain  in  the  First  United 
States  Cavalry. 

The  regiment  was  recruited  in  the  summer 
and  autumn  of  1862.  On  the  25th  of  Novem- 
ber it  left  its  rendezvous,  near  Harrisburg,  and 
moved  to  Washington.  December  22d  it  went 
to  Occoquan,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  three 
companies  remained  some  days,  frequently  skir- 
mishing with  the  enemy.  <  )n  the  5th  of  Janu- 
ary, 18(3-'},  the  detachment  rejoined  the  regiment 
at  Stafford  Court-House,  and  the  Seventeenth 
was  made  a  part  of  the  Second  Brigade  of  the 
First  Cavalry  Division.  In  the  Chaneellorsville 
campaign  Companies  C  and  I  were  on  escort 
duty  with  General  Meade,  and  during  the  battle 
were  engaged  in  the  transmission  of  orders.  In 
June,  1863,  the  regiment,  with  other  troops,  un- 
der Buford  and  Gregg,  operated  along  the  Rap- 
pahannock, and  frequently  skirmished  with  the 
enemy.  In  the  Gettysburg  campaign  the  di- 
vision of  which  the  Seventeenth  was  a  part  was 
under  the  command  of  General  Buford,  and  at 
the  commencement  of  the  battle  held  the  enemy 
at  bay  during  four  hours,  till  the  arrival  of  the 
First  Corps.  It  was  afterwards  efficient  in  pre- 
venting the  attacks  of  flanking  columns  of  the 
enemy.  In  the  fall  campaign  of  1863  the  Sev- 
enteenth, with  the  other  cavalry,  was  very  act- 
ive and  efficient  in  thwarting  the  movements  of 
the  wily  rebel  chief. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


During  the  winter  of  1863-64  the  regiment 
was  engaged  in  picket  duty,  and  in  February  of 
that  year  a  detachment  went,  under  Captain 
Spera,  with  General  Kilpatrick  in  his  raid  on 
Richmond. 

In  the  brilliant  cavalry  operations  under 
General  Sheridan  during  the  summer  and  au- 
tumn of  1864  the  Seventeenth  bore  an  active 
part,  and  was  often  in  action,  but  space  will  not 
permit  a  detailed  mention  of  the  engagements 
in  which  it  participated.  Captain  Spera,  of 
Company  C,  who  had  on  many  occasions  shown 
himself  a  brave  and  efficient  officer,  was,  on  the 
10th  of  August,  1864,  promoted  to  the  office  of 
major.  He  had  the  honor  to  accompany  Gen- 
eral Sheridan  on  his  famous  "  ride,"  as  the  fol- 
lowing account  will  show : 

"...  General  Sheridan  then  ordered  Major  Spera 
to  take  twenty  men,  with  the  best  horses,  from  the 
escort  and  follow  him,  as  he  was  going  to  move  lively 
to  the  front,  the  remainder  of  the  escort  being  di- 
rected to  report  to  General  Forsythe  and  Colonels 
Thorn  and  Alexander,  to  do  what  they  could  in 
stemming  the  tide  of  fugitives.  On  the  way  up  the 
pike  towards  Newtown  the  crowds  of  men  and  wag- 
ons thickened  until  the  multitude  became  almost  a 
jam,  so  much  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  keep  the 
pike,  and  General  Sheridan  struck  off  to  the  left  of 
the  road,  dashing  through  fields  and  over  fences 
and  ditches.  He  spoke  to  few,  occasionally  crying 
out,  '  Face  the  other  way,  boys ! '  A  chaplain  was 
met,  mounted  on  a  mule,  who  seemed  importunate 
to  speak  with  the  general,  and  beckoned  him  to  stop, 
but  the  general  told  him  to  face  about  and  ride  along 
if  he  had  anything  to  say.  But  the  mule-mounted 
chaplain  was  soon  left  behind,  with  his  story  untold. 
On  arriving  upon  the  field  the  general  struck  to  the 
right  of  the  road,  where  were  Generals  Wright, 
Getty  and  members  of  his  own  staff,  one  of  whom 
remarked,  'General,  I  suppose  Jubal  Early  intends 
driving  you  out  of  the  valley.'  '  What ! '  exclaimed 
Sheridan,  '  drive  me  out  of  the  valley  !  Three  corps 
of  infantry  and  all  my  cavalry  ?  I'll  lick  him  before 
night.'  With  a  lion  heart  he  set  to  work  disposing 
his  forces,  and  by  nightfall  he  had  redeemed  his 
promise." 

In  the  winter  of  1864-65  the  regiment  had  its 
quarters  near  AVinchester,  and  was  employed 
in  picket  and  scout  duty.  On  the  24th  of 
February,  General  Sheridan  commenced  the 
campaign  of  1865,  which  terminated  with  the 
surrender  of  General  Lee  at  Appomattox.  Dur- 
ing this  campaign  the   Seventeenth   sustained, 


to  the  last,  its  well-earned  reputation.  Gen- 
eral Devin  said,  in  his  farewell  order  to  the 
Seventeenth :  "  In  five  successive  campaigns, 
and  in  over  threescore  engagements,  you  have 
nobly  sustained  your  part.  Of  the  many  gal- 
lant regiments  from  your  State,  none  has  a 
brighter  record,  none  has  more  freely  shed  its 
blood  on  every  battle-field  from  Gettysburg 
to  Appomattox." 

Company  M. 
(Mustered  in  September  22,   1862,    unless   otherwise 

noted.    Company  mustered  out  June  16,  1865.) 
Coe  Durland,  capt,  must,  in  Sept.  27,  1862 ;  pro.  from 

1st  lieut.  Oct.  23, 1862  ;  to  maj.  Nov.  20,  1862. 
Chas.  C.  Brown,  capt.,  must,  in  Oct.  23, 1862  ;  pro.  from 

1st  lieut.  Nov.  20, 1862;  disch.on  surg.  certif.  Feb. 

18, 1869. 
James  Ham,  capt.  must,  in  Oct.  23,  1862 ;  pro.  from  2d 

to  1st  lieut.  Nov.  20, 1862 ;  to  capt.  May  9,  1863 ; 

died  April  4th  of  wounds  received  at  Five  Forks, 

Va.,  April  1,  1865. 
Frederick  J.  Skeels,  capt.,  pro.  from  sergt.  to  1st  sergt. 

Nov.  3,  1863;  to  2d  lieut.  July  22,  1864 ;  to  capt. 

June  9,  1865 ;  diseh.  by  G.  O.  June  20,  1865. 
Wm.  C.  Freeman,  1st  lieut.,  pro.   from   q.m. -sergt.  to 

1st  sergt.  Aug.  1,  1863 ;  to  1st  lieut.  Nov.  1,  1863; 

disch.  by  G.  O.  June  20,  1865. 
James  Brannon,  2d  lieut,  pro.  from  1st  sergt.  Nov.  21, 

1862;  com.  1st  lieut.   Feb.  21,  1865;  not  must.; 

diseh.  on  surg.  certif.  Aug.  19,  1863. 
James  B.  Wood,  2d  lieut.,  pro.  from  1st  sergt. ;  disch. 

on  surg.  certif.  Oct.  6,  1863. 
James  Keen,    2d  lieut.,    must,  in  Oct.   8,  1862  ;  pro. 

from  sergt.-maj.  June  10,  1865;  must,  out  with 

Co.  K,  2d  Regt.  Pro.  Cav.  Aug.  2,  1865. 
Lafayette  Bolkorn,-  1st  sergt.,  pro.  from  1st   sergt.  to 

q.m.-sergt.    Nov.  6,    1864;  to  1st  lieut.  July  1, 

1864;  pris.  from  Sept.  24,  1864,  to  Feb.  28,  1865  ; 

disch.  by  G.  O.  June  9,  1865. 
Erhard  Miller,    q.m.-sergt.,    pro.    to    corp.  May  29, 

1863;    to    sergt.    Aug.    24,  1862;  to     q.m.-sergt. 

July  1,  1864;  must,  out  with  company. 
Nicholas  Miller,  com. -sergt.,    pro.  to  corp.  March  8 

1863  ;  to  sergt.  Nov.  3,   1863  ;  to  com.-sergt.  July 

1,  1864  ;  must,  out  with  company. 
William   H.  Watson,  sergt.,  pro.   to  corp.  Aug.   24, 

1862  ;  to  sergt.  July   1,  1864  ;  pris.   from  Oct.  11, 

1864,  to  April  20,  1865  ;  must,  out  with  company. 
Franklin  P.  Cooper,  sergt.,  pro.  to   corp.    Aug.    30, 

1862  ;  to  sergt.  Feb.  1,  1863  ;  must,  out  with  com- 
pany. 
Peter  C.  Johnson,  sergt.,  pro.  to  corp.  Nov.  3,  1862  ;  to 

sergt.  Nov.  15, 1864;  must,  out  with  company. 
George  T.  Spettigue,  sergt.,  pro.  to  corp.  July  1, 1864;  to 

sergt.  Nov.  15,  1864  ;  must,  out  with  company. 
Ovid  H.  Coleman,  sergt.,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Feb.  1, 

1863. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


317 


N.  S.  Schoonover,  sergt.,  wounded  at  Raccoon   Ford, 

Va.,  Sept.  16,  1861 ;  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
Henry  W.  McMullin,  sergt,,   must,  in  Oct.  20,  1862  ; 

disch.  by  G.  O.  June  20,  1865. 
Chaun.  P.  Andreas,  sergt.  pro.  to  Corp.  May  21, 1863;  to 

sergt.  Aug.  24,   1863  ;  killed  at  Shepherdstown, 

W.  Va.,  Aug.  25,  1864. 
Edmund  M.  Clark,  sergt.,  died  at  Acquia  Creek,  Va., 

March  22,  1863. 
John  G.  Griggs,  sergt.,   pro.  to  corp.    May  29,  1863; 

died  at  Fort  Ethan  Allen,  Va.,  Sept.  9,  1863. 
John    L.    Cotton,  corp.,  pro.  to  corp.  Nov.  1,  1862 ; 

1863  ;  must,  out  with  company. 
Joseph  L.  Stanton,  corp.,  pro.  to  corp.  November  1, 

1863  ;  must,  out  with  company. 
Charles  J.    Fox,  corp.,  pro.  to  corp.   Nov.  15,  1864; 

must,  out  with  company, 
Edwin  E.  Belknap,  corp.,  pro.  to  corp.  Nov.  15,  1864 ; 

must,  out  with  company. 
Henry  C.  Goodrich,  corp.,  pro.  to  corp.  Nov.  15, 1864  ; 

must,  out  with  company. 
George  C.  Brown,  corp.,  pris.  from  Sept.  24,  1864,  to 

March  20,  1865  ;  disch.  by  G.  O.  June  12,  1865. 
Horace  Jenkins,  corp.,  pro.  to  corp.  July  1,  1864;  pris. 

from  Sept.  24,  1864,  to  March  20,  1865  ;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  June  9,  1865. 
Henry  A.  Lampson,  corp.,  pro.  to  corp.  Nov.  15, 1862  ; 

mis.  from  Sept.  24, 1864,  to  Feb.  25, 1865;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  June  22,  1865. 
John  W.  Headley,  Corp.,  disch.  on  sing,   certif.  Feb. 

17,  1863. 
Bruce  R.  Woodward,   Corp.,    disch.  on    surg.   certif. 

Feb.  17,  1863. 
Henry  J.  Tarble,  corp.,   pro.  to  corp.  Aug.   24,   1863 ; 

to  hospital  steward  Oct.  4,  1863. 
Alvin  E.  Gleason,  corp.,  must,  in  Oct.  20,  1862  ;  kill- 
ed near  White  House,  Va.,  June  20,  1864. 
James  Northcott,  corp.,  died  Oct,  17th  of  wounds  re- 
ceived at  Newton,  Va.,  October  11,  1864. 
Ebenezer  Losey,   bugler,  must,  out  with  company. 
John  T.  Fox,   bugler,  must,  out  with  company. 
Gabriel    S.  McKinney,  blacksmith,    must,  out  with 

company. 
Jacob  Leybold,  blacksmith,  must,  out  with  company. 
William  Senthen,  saddler,  must,  in  March  17,  1864; 

must,  out  with  Co.  M,  2d  Regt.  Pro.    Cav.,  Aug. 

7,  1865. 
Franklin  Brown,  saddler. 

Privates. 

Nicholas  Amos,  must,   in  March  4,   1864 ;  must,  out 

with  Co.  M.,  2d  regt.  Pro.  Cav.,  Aug.   2,  1865. 
George  Bennett,  must,  out  with  company. 
Gordon  D.  Babcock,  must,  in  Sept.  5,  1864 ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Adam  Bloom,  must,  in  Sept.  17,  1864  ;  must,  out  with 

company. 
George  W.  Bartle,  must,  in  Sept.    16,  1864  ;  must,  out 

with  company. 


Charles  H.  Bartleson,  prisoner  from  September  24, 

1864,  to  March  2,  1865  ;  disch.  by  G.  O.  June  5, 

1S65. 
Andrew  Baker,  must,  in  Sept.  17,  1864;  wounded  at 

Five  Forks,  Va.,  April  1,  1865 ;  disch.  by  G.  O. 

June  28,  1865. 
Alva  Bryant,  must,  in  Oct.   20,  1862 ;  trans,  to  Vet. 

Res.  Corps  December  2,  1864;  disch.  by  G.  O. 

June  28,  1865. 
James  E.  Bull,  must,  in  Oct.  20,  1862;  must,  out  with 

Co.  M,  2d  Regt.  Prov.  Cav.,  Aug.  7,  1865. 
John  A.  Bennett,  must,  in  Oct.  20,   1862  ;  must,  out 

with  Co.  M,  2d  Regt.  Prov.  Cav.  Aug.  7,  1865. 
John  Bedell,  must,  in  Oct,   20,  1S62 ;  must,  out  with 

Co.  M,  2nd  Regt.  Prov.  Cav.,  April  7,  1865. 
John  E.  Blandin,  must,  in  Feb.  29,   1864;  must,  out 

with  Co.  M,  2nd  Regt.  Prov.  Cav.  April  7,  1865. 
John  S.  Branning. 

George  H.  Chapman,  must,  out  with  company. 
Peter  R.  Collum,  must,  out  with  company. 
John  E.  Cook,  must,  out  with  company. 
Jerome  Curtis,  must,  out  with  company. 
George  Case,  must,  out  with  company. 
Thomas  Cornell,  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  March  15, 

1865. 
Edgar  A.  Cobb,  trans,  to  U.  S.  army  Nov.  5, 1862. 
Orson  Case,  must,  in  Oct.  20,  1862. 
Franklin  Dunshee,  must  out  with  company. 
Martin  V.  B.  Dann,  must,  out  with  company. 
I  David  Denslow,  must,  in  Sept.  5,  1864 ;  must,  out 

with  company  ;  died  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  June  23, 

1865  ;  grave  3254. 
William  Davis,  must,  out  with  company. 
John  Dewa,  must,  in  Sept.  24,  1864;  must,  out  with 

company. 
Daniel  W.  Darling,  disch.  by  G.  O.  June  20,  1865. 
John  P.  Dean,  must,  in  March  30,  1864. 
William  Elliott,  must,  out  with  company. 
George  V.  Elliot,  must,  out  with  company. 
Martin  V.  Elliot,  must,  in  Sept.  17,  1864 ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Washington  Fitz,  must,  out  with  company. 
David  Gaylord,  trans,  to  U.  S.  army  Nov.  5,  1862. 
John  Griswold,  must,    in  March  30,  1864;  must,  out 

with  Co.  M,  2d  Regt  Pro.  Cav.,  August  7, 1866. 
Abraham  Graham,  must,  in  Oct.  20,  1862;  died  at 

City  Point,  Va.,  July  25, 1864;  buried  in  Cavalry 

Corps  Cemetery. 
Adam   Hard  wick,   prisoner   from   Sept.  24,   1864,  to 

April  20,  1865  ;  must,  out  with  company. 
Robert  A.  Headly,  disch.  by  G.  O.  May  23,  1865. 
James  B.  Headly,  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  ;  disch. 

by  G.  O.  June  26,  1865. 
Jacob  D.  Hoover,  must,  in   April  7,   1864 ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Nov.  11,  1864. 
Andrew  C.  Hedglin,  must,  in  Oct.  20, 1862  ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Nov.  29,  1864. 
Peter  C.  Hunter,  disch.  on  surg.  certif. 
George  M.  Hunter,  trans,  to  U.  S.  army  Nov.  5,1862. 


HIS 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Francis  D.  June,  must,  out  with  company. 

William  E.  Justice,  must,  in  Aug.  29,  1864  ;  must  out 

with  company. 
William  E.  Justice, diaoh.  onsurg.  certif.  Jan.  5,  1864. 
Erastus  C.   Jordan,  killed  at  Newtown,  Yu.,  Oct,  11, 

18(i4;  buried  in  National  Cemetery,  Winchester  ; 

lot  18. 
Hubert  Klink,  must,  out  with  company. 
James  H.   Kimble,  absent,  on  detached  service    at 

muster  out. 
James  Kelly,  traus.  to  U.  S.  army  Nov.  5,  1862. 
Isaac  Kip,  must,  in  Oct.  3, 1862 ;  trans,  to  U.  S.  army 

Nov.  5,  1862. 
Tyler  Kimble,  trans,    to  Vet.  Res.  Corps   Nov.   20, 

1863  ;  disch.  by  G.  0.  Sept.  22,  1865. 
Henry  M.  Lavo,  must,  out  with  company. 
Samuel  Lanharr,  must,  in  Sept.  19,  1864;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Andrew  J.  Lenox,  must,  in   October  19,  1862;  trans. 

to  U.  S.  army  Nov.  5,  1862. 
Jacob  Miller,  must,  out  with  company. 
Andrew  Maines,  must,   in  Sept.  29,   18G2  ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Munson  J.  Mitchell,  must,  in  Oct.  1'!.  1862  ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Hezekiah  Myers,  must,  in  Sept.  16,  18ii4;    must,  out 

with  company. 
John  Maley,  must,  in  Sept.  5,  1864;  must,   out  with 

company. 
Ansel  Merrill,  must,  in  Oct,  20,  1862 ;   disch.  on  surg. 

certif.  Jan.  1,  18(13. 
Daniel  Malony,  died  at  Washington,  D.  O,  of  wounds 

received  near    Spottsylvania  Court-House,  Va., 

May   27,    1864  ;    buried   in   National  Cemetery, 

Arlington. 
William  E.  Martin,  died  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  July  21, 

1863  ;  grave  881. 
Edward  H.  McCartin,  must,  in  Sept.  17,  1864;  must, 

out  with  company. 
John  McGraw,  must,  in  Oct.  12,  1864  ;  must,  out  with 

Co.  M,  2d  Regt.  Pro.  Cav.,  Aug.  7, 1865. 
Matthew  McKenna,  must,  in  Aug.  29, 1864  ;  not   on 

muster-out  roll. 
Joseph  Newhart,  must,  in  Sept.  5,  1864;  must,  out 

with  company. 
James  M.  Nash,  must,  in  Sept.  16,  1864 ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  Dec.  24,  1864. 
Verdine  E.  Odell,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  March  17, 

1864. 
William  H.Osborne,  must,  in   Nov.  28,  1863;  pris. 

from  May  31,  1864,  to  April  30,  1S65  ;  must,  out 

with  Co.  M,  2d  Regt.  Prov.  Cav.,  Aug.  7,  1865. 
Charles  Pethick,  must,  in  Oct.  8,  1862 ;  trans,  to  Co. 

C,  19th    Regt.   Vet.    Res.    Corps,  July   1,  1863  ; 

disch.  by  G.  O.  July  13,  1865. 
Joseph  Rook,  must,  in  Sept.  17,  1864  ;  must,  out  with 

company. 
Huble  Rounds,  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  ;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  July  8,  1865. 


John  Ryan,  must,  in  March  9,  18(14;  disch.  on  surg. 

certif.  Oct,  27,  18(34. 
Almon  Rhodes,  trans,  to  U.  S.  army  Nov.  5, 1862. 
Warren   Ricks,  died  at  Winchester,  Va.,  Oct.  18th  ; 

burial  record  Oct.  11,  1864,  of  wounds  received  at 

Newtown  Oct.  11,  1SC4;  buried  in  National  Ceme- 
tery ;  lot  18. 
Simpson  Smith,  must,  out  with  company. 
Lucian  E.  Stanton,  must,  out  with  company. 
George  Simpson,  must,  out  with  company. 
Charles  M.  Schrader,  must,  in  Sept.  17,1864;  must. 

out  with  company. 
Daniel  Statler,  must,  in  Sept.  16,  1864  ;  must,  out  with 

company. 
Adam  W.  Shirey,  must,  in  Sept,  19,  1864;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Jacob  Shrader,  must,  in  Sept.  17,  1864  ;  must,  out  with 

company. 
Jonathan  Shapley,  pris.  from  Sept.  24, 1864,  to  March 

10,  1865 ;  disch.  by  G.  O.  June  9,  1865. 
William  Shatzer,   must,   in  Sept.  16,1864;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  June  20,  1865. 
Charles  Seely,  must,  in  Oct.  20, 1862  ;  must    out  with 

Co.  M,  2d  Regt.  Pro.  Cav.,  Aug.  7,  1865. 
James  L.  Shelters,  must,  in  Oct,  20, 18(12;  must,  out 

with  Co.  M,  2d  Regt.  Pro.  Cav.,  Aug.  7,  1865. 
Francis  Seely,  must,  in  Oct.  20,  1862  ;  must,  out  with 

Co.  M,  2d  Regt.  Pro.  Cav.  Aug.  7,  1865. 
Earl  Sherwood,   must,  in   March  30,  1864;  disch.  by 

G.  O.  June  14,  1865. 
David  Seybold,  died  at  Frederick,  Md.,  July  18, 1863  ; 

buried  in  National  Cemetery,  Antietam  ;  section 

26,   lot  E,  grave  510. 
Smith  Strong,  must,  in   Sept-  5,   1864;  captured  at 

Newtown,  Va.,  Oct.  11,  1864  ;  died  at  Richmond 

Jan.  9,  1865. 
Martin  Thompson,  must,  in  Sept.  19,  1865  ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Patrick  Tighe,  trans,  to  U.  S.  army  Nov.  5,  1862. 
Everal  E.  Tennant,  must,    in   March  30,  1864;  disch. 

by  G.O.  June  19,  1865. 
John  Taylor,  must,  in  March  30, 1864 ;  must,  out  with 

Co.  M,  2d  Regt.  Pro.Cav.,  Aug.  7,  1865. 
James  M.  Turner,  must,  in  Oct.  11,  1864;  must,  out 

with  Co.  M,  2d  Regt.  Pro.  Cav.,  Aug.  7,  18(15. 
Richard  Uglon,  must,  out  with  company. 
Isaac  F.  Valentine,  must,  in  Sept.  17,  1864 ;  must,  out 

with  company. 
Gilbert  B.  Valentine,  must,  in  Sept.  24,  1864;  must. 

out  with  company. 
John  T.  Valentine,  must,  out  with  company. 
George  Vanosdel,  disch.  by  G.  O.  June  8,  1865. 
L.  W.  Van  Deusen,  must,  in  Oct.  20,  1862  ;  disch.  on 

surg.  certif.  April  1,  1863. 
David   Van    Kleek,   disch.    onsurg.  certif.  Feb.    17, 

1865. 
Thomas  L.  Woodward,  must,  out  with  company. 
William  Waltman,  must,  iu  Sept,  6,  1864;  must,  out 

with  company. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


James  White,  must,  in  Sept.  5,  1864;    must,  out  with 

company. 
William  0.   Walker,  must,   in  Oct.  3,  1802  ;   absent, 

sick,  at  muster  out. 
William  J.  Wilson,  must,    in   March   4,   18(34  ;  disch. 

July  29th,  to  date  July  16,  1865. 
Edward  Wright,  must,  in  April  9,  1864. 
Nathan  S.    Young,    absent,  on  detached  service,   at 

muster  out. 

One  Hundred  and  Seventy-Ninth  Reg- 
iment.— The  troops  comprising  this  regiment 
(nine  months'  service,  drafted  militia)  were  from 
the  counties  of  Berks,  Lancaster,  Pike  and 
Wayne.  They  were  organized  in  companies 
at  periods  ranging  from  October  23,  1862,  to 
the  6th  of  December.  On  December  8th  an 
organization  was  effected,  with  the  following 
field  officers  :  William  H.  Blair,  colonel  ;  Dan- 
iel M.  Yost,  lieutenant-colcnel  ;  William  H. 
Yerkes,  major.  Soon  after  the  organization  it 
proceeded  to  Fortress  Monroe,  and  thence  to 
Yorktown.  It  did  little  else  than  garrison  duty 
until  the  last  of  July,  when  it  joined  the  move- 
ment with  General  Dix  up  the  Peninsula. 
Upon  its  return  to  camp  it  was  ascertained  Lee 
had  invaded  Pennsylvania,  and,  though  its  term 
of  service  was  about  to  expire,  by  the  unani- 
mous vote  of  the  men,  their  further  services  were 
tendered  to  Governor  Curtin  as  long  as  it  should 
be  needed  for  the  defense  of  the  State.  The  of- 
fer was  accepted,  but  by  the  time  the  regiment 
had  reached  Washington  the  rebel  army  had 
retreated  to  Virginia.  It  was  accordingly  or- 
dered to  Harrisburg,  and  was  mustered  out  on 
July  27th. 

Company   D. 

Captain,  Holloway  L.  Stevens. 

First  Lieutenant,  Frank  W.  Gager. 

Second  Lieutenant,  Horatio  D.  Bennett  (resigned), 
and  Thomas  M.  Corrigan  promoted  to  second  lieu- 
tenant. 

Sergeants,  Jacob  Rosenkranse,  Henry  Ball,  William 
Kerr,  Elber  W.  Howe,  Alva  Bennett,  William  Jones. 

Corporals,  John  McGraw,  Frederick  M.  Gaylord, 
Norman  E.  Spencer,  Joseph  B.  Masters,  Arad  Lakin, 
Charles  F.  Purdy,  Samuel  Hacker,  Horace  Butler. 

Musicians,  David  Edwards,  Almerou  R.  Howe. 
Privates. 
Lorenzo  Ames.  Justice  Brunson. 

Edward  Ammerman.  William  Bigart. 

Philip  Bartow.  Ferd.  Bartholomew. 

Henry  Bartow.  Maldon  Bennett. 

Conrad  Buntry.  Solomon  Bishop. 


Horace  Blandin.  Robert  Kelley. 

Alfred  Chatman.  Squire  Kimble. 

Asa  Cramer.  Abraham   Knapp. 

Stephen  G.  Costin.  John  Kerneghan. 

Cornelius  Connor.  George  W.  Leonard. 

Patrick  Carleu.  Francis  Miller. 

Patrick  Clark.  George  E.  Miller. 

Henry  Dix.  Butler  E.  Mitchell. 

Hiram  Dibble.  Headley  Myers. 

David  S.  Doyle.  Newton  Moore. 

L.  F.  Deming.  John  McGrath. 

Enos  Enslin.  Bernard  Nevin. 

William  Edwards.  John  Osborne. 

William  Furgeson.  Jacob  Perry. 
Thomas  Furgeson,  Jr.         Enos  Potter. 

Harvey  Fields.  Malvin  Peck. 

Philip  Frederick.  David  Patterson. 

Peter  C.  Fisk.  Daniel  Sampson. 

Solon  Fletcher.  Leonard  Shaffer. 

John  Frivoley.  John  11.  Smith. 

George  Freeman.  William  Simmons. 

Samuel  Goodman.  Samuel  Stanton. 

Elbert  Goodrich.  Thomas  Swartz. 

Rufus  Griswold.  H.  C.  Snedeker. 

Hershel  Hull.  S.  L.  Spangenberg. 

Darius  Howell.  Frederick  Stinard  . 

John  W.  Howell.  Clay  Spangenberg. 

Thaddeus  Howell.  Merntt  Turner. 

Elisha  K.  Howell.  Joseph  Tonis. 

Charles  Harris.  Ira  Utt, 

Samuel  Harrier.  A.  E.  Wheeler. 

Edward  Haling.  Herman  J.  Wheeler. 

John  Jay.  Vitalis  Wandler. 

Byron  E.  Jones.  Michael  Welsh. 
Thomas  C.  Woodward. 

Company  E. 
Company  E  of  this  regiment,  composed  en- 
tirely of  Wayne  County  men,  was  mustered 
into  service  at  Philadelphia,  November  4,  1862, 
and  served  ten  months,  doing  guard  and  provost 
duty  in  Philadelphia  city  and  county,  princi- 
pally at  the  Chestnut  Hill  Hospital.  The  roll 
does  not  appear  in  Bates'  "  Pennsylvania  Vol- 
unteers," but,  as  here  presented,  is  taken  from 
the  Houesdale  Citizen,  of  February  9,  1882: 

Captain,  George  W.  Hubbell. 
First  Lieutenant,  Charles  D.  Mahone. 
Second  Lieutenant,  William  Bayley. 
First  Sergeant,  Andrew  J.  Shields. 
Second  Sergeant,  M.  D.  L.  Keen. 
Third  Sergeant,  Alexander  Correll. 
Fourth  Sergeant,  George  M.  Keen. 
Fifth  Sergeant,  Darius  W.  Wilcox. 

Corporals,    Emmett    Bennett,    James  H.    Robins, 
William    H.    Jones,  Dwight  Chapman,   Hamlet   H. 


320 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Tyler,   Levi  Spangenberg,  Walter  W.  Walford,  An- 
drew J.  Wells. 

Privates. 


George  B.  Appleman. 
John  Andrews. 
Milton  Armstrong. 
George  M.  Arnold. 
John  M.  Bayley. 
Elmer  J.  Blandin. 
Jacob  Bryant. 
Reuben  T.  Brainard. 
Roswell  Brooks. 
Oscar  W.  Brooks. 
Albert  J.  Bate. 
Harvey  Bronson. 
Henry  Boults. 
Orrin  Barnard. 
William  Cruse. 
Moses  Cole. 
John  Carbine. 
John  Corliss. 
George  W.  Carlton. 
Jackson  Chadwick. 
Nicholas  Conklin. 
Wm.  W.  Conklin. 
Wm.  Coleman. 
Minor  M.  Dimmick. 
Adiah  Drake. 
Wm.  H.  Drake. 
Elihu  M.  Dwight. 
James  Dobsou. 
Joseph  Detrick. 
Francis  Drake. 
Peter  Eckerson. 
Philemon  Gillett. 
Emory  Gilpin. 
Ezra  Gillett. 
Erastus  Hedgelon. 


Wells  S.  Hubbard. 
George  Huested. 
George  W.  Hall. 
Christian  Halker. 
Francis  Kidson. 
Wm.  Lancaster. 
Thos.  J.  McConnon. 
James  Musgrove. 
John  Maines. 
Henry  Moules. 
C.  W.  Monniugton. 
Joshua  Neville. 
Wm.  Ogden. 
James  N.  Pulis. 
Ludlow  B.  Rockwell. 
Hiram  J.  Rockwell. 
Barney  Roarke. 
Alvadore  N.  Rust. 
Wm.  Smith. 
Elliot  Skeeles. 
Milo  E.  Swingle. 
John  Smith. 
Homer  B.  Spoftbrd. 
Asa  S.  Swingle. 
Charles  K.  Spry. 
Thomas  M.  Steward. 
Chas.  P.  Sloan. 
William  J.  Terwiliger. 
James  H.  Wood. 
Joseph  Wartous. 
William  J.  Wilson. 
William  Wetherill. 
Charles  F.  White. 
Joseph  F.  White. 
John  Whitworth. 


Scattering  Men  in  Pennsylvania  Regi- 
ments. 

First  Pennsylvania  Artillery  (Forty-third 

Regiment). 

Company   A. 

Byron  Steenback. 

Company  I. 

Jonathan  H.  Bigelow. 

Fifty-second  Regiment. 

Company  C. 

C.    A.    Beehn. 

Company  H. 

Henry  Griner.  Stephen  Bidwell. 

Abram  Griner.  Leonard  Torpin. 

Howard  M.  Bunting.  Martin  Groner. 

Richard  M.  Clift. 


Company  K. 
Oliver  Sears.  Reuben  Sears. 

Josiah  Sears. 

Fifty-third  Regiment. 
Company  D. 
Samuel  Henderson.  Nelson  Dowe. 

Seventy-sixth  Regiment. 
Company  E. 
O.  W.  Chapman.  Lewis  K.  Cole. 

John  Jay.  Adonijah  B.  Drake. 

J.  H.  Buckland.  John  F.  Bass. 

Company  F. 
David  E.  Wilcox.  Abel  S.  Chittenden. 

Stephen  Clemo.  John  M.  Ray. 

Joseph  Monroe.  Alonzo  O.  Mumford. 

Company  I. 
George  Frace. 
One    Hundred    and    Eighteenth    Regiment. 
Company  T. 
Charles  Avery.  Thomas  Bryant. 

Howard  M.  Bunting.  Jacob  Keifer. 

George  Gay. 
Fourth  Cavalry. 
Charles  O.  Ellis.  Hiram  Sutliff. 

Reuben  Wood.  Albert  Miles. 

John  White.  Michael  Hickey. 

Ninth  Cavalry. 
Willard  E.  Greeley  (band). 

Company  H. 

Henry  Hendricks. 

Thirteenth  Cavalry. 

Company  L. 

Sergeants,  Isadore  Kastner,  Robert   Tennant,  Geo. 

Wooir,   John    Uban,   Orrin    Butts,  Wm.  Brotzman, 

Chauncey  Bidwell,   Samuel    Cross,    L.    D.   Gimblet, 

Hiram  Ehrgood,  Wm.  Eckard. 

Corporals,  T.  T.  Dickerson,  Andrew  Stevens,  Elias 

Pickering,   Henry   Simpson,  Wm.  Surplice,    Henry 

Weed,  Wm.  Wickham,  Charles  Waltz,  John  Simpson, 

Philander  Hines,  Daniel  Bortree,  Horace  T.  Case. 

Eighteenth  Cavalry. 

Company  A. 

Elisha  Gray.  Morton  Brandamore. 

James  Fox. 

One    Hundred    and    Fifty-second  Regiment. 

(Third  Pennsylvania  Artillery). 

Company  A. 

Daniel  Leonard.  Charles  Niles. 

James  A.  Minor.  Warren  Rockwell. 

Silas  E.  Buckland.  Dwight  Buckland. 

Company  C, 

E.  A.  Bigelow. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Company  D. 
Daniel  Curtis.  I.  Wright  Swingle. 

Company  F. 
D.  R.  P.  Smith.  Tracy  Smith. 

Lewis  Griffin.  Walter  H.  Walford. 

Dennis  Gallagher.  Henry  W.  Adams. 

Charles  Hulse.  John  Rosenbaum. 

-Walter  Evans. 

<  bmpany  G. 

Darien  Blackmor.  John  H.  Groner. 

Jacob  Martin.  Lewis  Kelly. 

Lewis  Quick.  Francis  F.  Beard. 

George  F.  Hendricks.  Newell  F.  Deming. 

John  B.  Allen.  Daniel  P.  Lamberton. 

Company  M. 
Charles  Lloyd.  J.  M.  Rockefeller. 

Company  — . 
Wm.  Howell.  Arnold  Lloyd. 

Henry  Thurston.  William  McCully. 

Two  Hundred  and  Third  Regiment. 

Company  K. 
George  Pierce.  Martin  H.  Pierce. 

MEN    IX    NEW    YORK    REGIMENTS. 

Twenty-fourth  New  York. 
William  Cole. 

Twenty-fifth  New  York   Cavalry, 
Company  C. 
Horatio  Hadsell.' 

First  New  York  Engineers, 

Company  A. 

Alvin  Lester.  Charles  Bessemer. 

Company  C. 
Andrew  Jaycox.  Chester  Dillon. 

Company  I. 

Abraham  Teeple.  Theophilus  Todd. 

Alvia  Gifford.  Wm.  Mogridge. 

Jeremiah  Young.  Frederick  Reeves. 

Alson  Lester. 

New  York  Excelsior  Regiment. 
John  Plaskett. 

Fifteenth  New  York  Regiment   (Engineers). 

(Mustered  in  Sept.  16,  1864;      mustered    out    June 
13,  1865.) 

Sergts.  C.  H.  Mills  (pro.  to  corp.  Feb.  1,  1865, 
to  sergt.  May  31,  1865)  ;  William  D.  Curtis,  W.  H. 
Bidwell. 


Reuben  T.  Ames. 
James  A.  Bigart. 
George  Bidwell. 
John  Dils. 
George  Frisbie. 
Elbert  Goodrich. 
James  Hazen. 
John  Killam. 
Edward  W.  Moore. 
John  Mitchell. 

Almond 


Butler  Mitchell. 
Henry  Masters. 
J.  Wesley  Pierson. 
Levi  Powell. 
James  A.  Powell. 
Albert  Shaffer. 
Abel  Swingle. 
Ezra  Swingle. 
Albert  Sheldon. 
Thomas  Watson. 
Wheeler. 


Company  H. 
James  H.  Powell. 


Company  K. 


Samuel  Found. 


J.  S.  Martin. 


Company   L. 
Wesley  N.  Pierson.  Albert  Sheldon. 

George  Forest,  Sylvester  Swingle 

Henry  Masters.  Thomas  Sharp. 


Company  M. 


George  E.  Lester. 
Andrew  Jackson. 
Benjamin  Lester. 
R.  T.  Ames. 
Thomas  ( ;.  Watson. 
E.  W.  Moore. 
Charles  H.  Mills. 
A.  R.  Swingle. 
Wm.  D.  Curtis. 
T.  F.  Wise. 
George  Forrest. 
John  Mitchell. 
W.  N.  Pierson. 
R.  T.  Ames. 
Charles  H.  Mills. 
Adam 


John  Dills. 
Henry  Masters. 
Ezra  Swingle. 
Abram  Swingle. 
Thomas  Watson. 
Albert  Goodrich. 
George  M.  Bidwell. 
Tip.  Bidwell. 
Thomas  W.  Sharp. 
John  Bigart. 
Edward  Moore. 
John  Kellam. 
Urbin  Megargel. 
Oakley  Megargel. 
Sylvester  Swingle. 
Powell. 


Battery  L 
Daniel  Wetherill. 
Geo.  M.  Bidwell. 
Amos  K.  Brooks. 
John  M.  Bidwell. 
Stephen  H.  Coston 


Samuel  W.  Upright. 
E.  A.  Smith. 
L.  T.  Smith. 
James  Miner. 


Battery  M. 


Jacob  Perrv. 


Hiram  L.  Stone. 


Fiftieth  Regimext  New  York  Volun- 
teers (Stuart's  Exgixeers),  Company  F. — 
This  company  enlisted  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war  and  was  largely  made  up  of  Wayne  County 
men,  whose  names  and  places  of  residence  fol- 
low,— 

Captain,  Porteus  C.  Gilbert,  Honesdale. 

Orderly-Sergeant,  Charles  H.  Peiltz,  Honesdale. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Sergeants,  Samuel  R.  Blois,  Salem  ;  William  D. 
Brooks,  Bethany. 

Corporals,  Chester  B.Wilbur,  Salem  ;  Joseph  W. 
Buck-land,  Salem;  Stuart  O.  Lincoln,  Rileyville; 
Henry  Mcintosh,  Equinunk;  Robert  Pettie,  Hones- 
dale;  Daniel  Carpenter,  Starrucca. 

Privates. 

Thomas  Benney ;  Harvey  Bishop,  Honesdale  ;  Geo. 
W.  Bittenger;  Charles  Bersimer;    Isaac  Broadshaw, 
Jr.,  Honesdale;  James  Bass;  George  Buckland  ;  Jas. 
F.  Comfort,  Tanner's  Falls ;  Philip  M.  Comfort,  Tan- 
ner's  Falls;  Peter  Cauley,  Tanner's  Falls;  Michael 
Costello,  Honesdale;  David  Cassidy,  Mt.  Pleasant; 
Samuel    Cliff,  Mt.  Pleasant;  Michael   Connelly,  Mt, 
Pleasant;  William  Cory,  Salem ;  Theophilus  L.  Car- 
penter,  Starrucca ;    Isaac    Crago,    Salem  ;    John   A. 
Dodge,   Damascus  ;    James   F.    Davall,    Equinunk ; 
William  Fisher,  Bethany;  William  Fox,  Honesdale; 
Alvah  Gifford  ;  George  H.  Goodsell,  Preston ;  Abner 
G.  Hill,  Equinunk;  William    H.   Holdren,   Hawley; 
Winans  Holdren,  Hawley;   William  Haines:  Abram 
Hunt,   Preston;    Havilah  Justin,  Rileyville ;    Edgar 
Layman,  Rileyville:  Alson  Lester;  Stuart O.  Lincoln, 
Rileyville;  George  Lamonte,  Mt.  Pleasant;  Herman 
Ludwig;   Duncan  McArthur,  Damascus  ;  Owen  Mc- 
Intire,   Honesdale;    Samuel   G.   Mapes,  Honesdale; 
James  W.  Mains,  Mt.  Pleasant;    Thomas    Murray' 
Rileyville;    Edgar  Mead,  Bethany ;    Oliver  Osborn| 
Honesdale;    Thomas   J.    Pearce,   Waymart;    David 
Pearce,  Waymart ;  George    R.  Penny,  Mt.  Pleasant; 
W.  H.  Pollock,  Damascus ;    Jefferson  Rodney,  Pau- 
pack;  Abram  Rollison,  Paupack ;  Lyman  M.  Rollison, 
Paupack;  Frank  Robinson,  Rileyville:  James  Sher- 
wood, Equinunk;  James  Smith,  Mt.  Pleasant;  Sam- 
uel C.  Smith,  Tanner's  Falls  ;  Mark  Stephens;  John 
S.  Tuttle,  Bethany  ;  Alexander  Travis,  Paupack ;  Ed- 
ward Teubner;  Lyman  Woodruff,  Paupack;  Geonre 
W.VanOsdal. 

Fifty-second  New  York  Engineers. 
First  Lieutenant,  Henry  Mcintosh. 
A.  G.  Hill.  James  Sherwood. 

Joel  Hill.  Ianthus  Bass. 

Fifty-fourth  New  York  Regiment. 
Sullivan  Hawley.  Thomas  Hardy. 

William  Mogridge.  Peter  ( Isborn. 

Edwin  Mogridge. 

Fifty-sixth  New  York  Regiment. 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  Rockwell  Tyler,  of  Damascus. 
'  'ompany  E. 
Nicholas  O.  Major. 

Company  F. 

Frank  G.  Alberty. 

Company  G. 

Peter  Stewart. 


Company 

Captain,  John 

Ed.  A.  Hollenbeck. 

John  H.  Couklin. 

Samuel  Divine. 

Lewis  Roberts. 

Jacob  Hunt. 

Samuel  Conklin. 

Wm.  H.  Prosser. 
Thos.  H.  Parsons. 
Geo.  S.  Parsons. 
Amos  J.  Bush. 
Francis  L.  Bush. 
Arthur  Frame. 
John  McArthur. 


H. 

I.  Ross. 

L.  N.  Mosher. 

Gideon  Tyler. 

Nicholas  Conklin 

Amasa  Conklin. 

Amos  Turner. 

Frank  Brush. 

Hiram  G.  Major. 
Benjamin  Boults. 
Cornelius  Lee. 
John  Bond. 
Joel  Hill. 
Wm.  Conklin. 


Company  L. 
Captain,  Henry  P.  Kellam. 

John  K.  Brown. 
William  H.  Wilcox. 
Tracy  Southworth. 

John  Conklin. 
Nathaniel  Taylor. 
Nathaniel  Tyler. 
A.  C.  Kellam. 
William  Mahlor. 
Nelson  Conklin. 
Amos  Turner. 
Andrew  P.  Brown. 
R.  P.  Kirby. 
Stephen  Jones. 
Levi  Jones. 
Frederick  Alberts. 


John  S.  Billings. 
Wm.  D.  Kellam. 
David  L.  Kellam. 

Joseph   L.iyton. 
Chas    L.  Billings. 
Jacob  March. 
Charles  C.  Williams 
Ellis  Jones. 
Howard  Conkling. 
William  Mogridge. 
Amos  Tyler. 
Ira  Valentine. 
<  reorge  1\.  Tyler. 
Oliver  D.  Tyler. 
Martin  V.  Tyler. 


One  Hundred  and  Forty-third  New  York. 
Lieutenant,  A.  C.  Kellam. 


PhiloC.  Billings. 
James  Brown. 
Jeremiah  Creamer. 
George  II.  Conklin. 
.  Nelson  P.  Knapp. 
Sandwith  D.  Kellam. 
William  Knapp. 
George  W.  Osterhout. 
William  Robinson. 
William  Tyler. 
Nathan  W.  Thomas. 


Paul  P.  Price. 
Cyrenus  Dodge. 
William  Conklin. 
Henry  P.  Kellam. 
H.  C.  Porter. 
Paul  Merrell. 
Weston  D.  Skinner. 
Harrison  Conklin. 
Robert  Merrell. 
John  II.  Barrett. 
John  Todd. 


Peter  Kellam. 

ne  Hundred   and  Forty-fourth  New  York. 

(Ellsworth  Avengers). 

Company  A. 


James  W.  Garlow. 
William  Garlow. 
Elias  Garlow. 
Gilbert  Spencer. 
Aaron  Travis. 
George  Wheeler. 


Nelson  Mayo. 
David  Faucher. 
Stephen  Thomas. 
Asbury  Cook. 
Aaron  Anderson. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Company   < '. 

Alexander  A.  Ayres.  Daniel  T.  Spragne. 

Company  F. 

John  H.  Reside. 

Com/, any  E. 

Captain,  William  Plaskett,   (pro.  to  major). 

Jasper  Lord. 

Valentine  Knight. 


Samuel  E.  Quick,  Jr. 
Paul  P.  Knight. 
James  Mack. 
Job  Price. 
George  E.  White. 
George  W.  Wood. 
A.  C.  Hathaway. 
Henry  Knight. 
Alson  Lester. 
Charles  Bessemer. 
William  Jansen. 


Henry  Price. 

Charies  H.  Cole. 
Albert  Cole. 
John  P.  Cole. 
John  B.  Cole. 
David  Cole. 
Charles  Cole. 
Benjamin  Jones. 
Heury  Plaskett. 


Men  in  New  Jersey  Regiments. 

Fourth    New  Jersey  Light    Artillery,  Bat- 
tery D. 
Corporals,  Alfred    Kimble,    Thomas    Whittaker, 
John  Ammerman,  Frank  Wilcox. 

Lewis  Coryell.  John  Bassett. 

George  Gill.  Fred  Neubauer. 

Ninth  New  Jersey  Infantry. 

Eli  Burritt.  John  Burritt. 

Third  New  Jersey  Cavalry,  Company  F. 

Harry  Karslake.  Frederick  Zahn. 

John  Williams. 

United  States  Regulars. 
Twelfth  Regiment. 
Lieutenant  James  H.  Lord  and  John  Meneser  were 
in  the  Twelfth  United  States  Infantry. 

Fifth  United  States  Artillery. 
Solomon   W.   Sampson,    enl.    Sept.   5,  1861 ;  pro.   to 
corp.  and  gunner  Nov.  1,  1861 ;  disch.  March  18, 
1863,  on  serg.  certif. 

Havens.  Robert  Thomas. 

Havens.  Aruzi  Bryant. 

FOURTEENTH    REGIMENT. 

There  were  about  fifty  men  in  the  Fourteenth 
Regulars,  from  Wayne  County,  during  the  Re- 


bellion.    The  following  t 
have  been  able  to  obtain 

Franklin  A.  Engle. 
Thomas  B.  Engle. 
William  H.  Swartz. 
John  Barnes. 
Andrew  Swingle. 
George  Compton. 
Elijah  Shaffer. 


all   the  names   we 


Isaac  Newton. 
Jonathan  Emery. 
James  Helmes. 
John  Isby. 
W.  Cordner. 
J.  Flanigan. 
R.  Stanton. 


Artemus  Swingle. 
Sylvester  Wheeler. 


W.  Simpson. 

Cornelius  F.  Bate. 
A.  L.  Bryant. 
John  IS.  Kauff'man. 
Charles  Kautl'raan. 
Anthony  Loftus. 
Ellis  Roberts. 
Win,  Truscott. 


Prescott  R.  Gorman. 
James  Wallace. 
Robert  McClain. 
William  Rolston. 
Ezariah  Chapman. 
Elbert  Polley. 
Thirteeenth  Independent  United  States 
Artillery. 
Company  B. 
John  W.  Taylor.  John  W.  Thomas. 

John  A.  Leonard.  Chas.  M.  Surme. 

Navy. — Wayne  County's  representatives  in 
the  United  States  Navy,  during  the  Rebellion, 
were  : 

Honesdale — Lieut.  Com.,  C.  W.  Tracy  ;  Engineer, 
Wm.  Skelton ;  Quartermasters,  Robert  A.  Barclay,, 
J.  W.  Kessler  and  Alexander  Barnet. 

Prompton — Warren  D.  Keen.  Henry  White. 

The  only  representative  from  Wayne  County 
in  the  United  States  colored  troops,  during  the 
Rebellion,  was  William   Adams,  of  Dyberry. 

Militia  of  1862. 
Twenty-fourth  Regiment. 
(Organized   September  20, 1862  ;  discharged  Septem- 
ber 22,  1862.) 
Field  and  staff. 
Colonel  Russell  T.  Lord.  Jr. 
Company  A. 
Captain,  Samuel  Allen. 
First  Lieutenant,  William  Matthews. 
Second  Lieutenant,  Henry  H.  Roe. 
First  Sergeant,  Charles  D.  Mahone. 
Sergeants,  David  W.  Robertson,  Jacob  S.   Miller, 
Marshal  Wheeler,  Oscar  Hole. 

Corporals,  Charles  W.  Torrey,  William  Bayley, 
Stephen  G.  Cory,  Frank  A.  Seely,  Gilbert  E.  Cooper, 
Stephen  C.  Brush,  Thomas  Charlesworth,  Frederick 
Miller. 

Privates. 


Geo.  W.  Adams. 
Wm.  Breede. 
John  Bassett. 
William  D.  Brandon. 
Wm.  F.  Birdsall. 
John  R.  Blowens. 
Wm.  H.  Bryant. 
Peter  J.  Coie. 
Lewis  Cole. 
N.  Colberth. 
William  A.  Case. 
William  Connolly. 
Nathaniel  Dennis. 


J.  E.  Dart. 
Abram  Dutcher. 
L.  C.  Fuller. 
Martin  Foster. 
L.  N.  Goodenough. 
George  Giller. 
Polhemus  Hoagland. 
Thomas  W.  Hambly. 
A.  B.  Lacey. 
A.  J.  Miller. 
George  W.  Miller. 
D.  H.  Mumford. 
James  Miles. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


John  S.  Pullis. 
Henry  Peet, 
Herman  Rodgers. 
Andrew  Rodgers. 
Peter  Runk. 
James  J.  Rude. 
Ludlow  B.  Rockwell. 
John  B.  Rockhouse. 


Michael  Stager. 
Samuel  C.  Stanton. 
Lewis  Taylor. 
Coridon  L.  Whitney. 
Henry  C.  Welch. 
John  Whitaker. 
Daniel  Wonacott. 
Herman  J.  Wheeler. 


Company  C. 

Captain,  Miles  L.  Tracy. 

First  Lieutenant,  James  R.  Knapp. 

Second  Lieutenant,  William  H.  Reed. 

First  Sergeant,  John  Edgett. 

Sergeants,  Hiram  J.  Conger,  Andrew  J.  Shields, 
Sidney  J.  Foss,  Henry  M.  Seely. 

Corporals,  B.  S.  Watrous,  Isaac  G.  Rulis,  Richard  H. 
Tobin,  Perry  H.  Fuller,  Thomas  H.  Dickson,  William 
H.  Ham,  William  H.  Dimmick,  Henry  Atherton. 

Musician,  Thomas  H.  R.  Tracy. 


Privc 
Frederick  E.  Adams. 
Percy  Bentley. 
Elmer  Blandin. 
Alfred  Brown. 
Robert  W.  Brady. 
Janson  Brundag. 
George  Bunnell. 
Edward  G.  Baker. 
James  Carney. 
George  M.  Cole. 
Lewis  Coryell. 
Edwin  D.  Coston. 
Andrew  J.  Carroll. 
Frank  W.  Dony. 
Frank  A.  Dony. 
Newell  F.  Deming. 
Samuel  K.  Dodge. 
John  S.  Eno. 
George  Foster. 
Herman  H.  Fisher. 
George  Frace. 
Benjamin  F.  Frailer. 
Lewis  Glasser. 
John  Goldsmith. 
George  W.  Hall. 
John  P.  James. 
Harry  Karslake. 
Frederick  J.  Keen. 
Albert  Kimble. 
Jacob  S.  Lowden. 
David  Lewi. 
Valencount  S.  Lillie. 
Horace  Meuner. 
Thomas  Monk. 


Isaac  Male. 
James  M.  Nichols. 
John  Owen. 
Edward  A.  Penniman. 
James  H.  Pinckney. 
Seih  W.  Powell. 
George  S.  Payne. 
Philip  Robinson. 
Albert  Russell. 
Charles  Speicher. 
David  Swinton. 
William  H.  Stone. 
Frederick  Shopland. 
William  Simpson. 
William  B.  Stevens. 
Abram  G.  Sherwood. 
Levi  Sherwood. 
Thos.B.Sandercock. 
Abram  Samuel. 
Daniel  Schoonover. 
Thomas  Scully. 
Frederick  Saunders. 
Otto  Taubuer. 
Charles  R.  Texido. 
Oscar  Terrell. 
Jason  Torrey. 
Henry  F.  Torrey. 
Frederick  White. 
Isaac  F.  Ward. 
William  Wilbur. 
John  W.  Welch,  Jr. 
Cran.  J.  White. 
Henry  Williams. 
George  M.  Wood. 


Company  K. 
Captain,  Lewis  B.  Fitch. 
First   Lieutenant,    William    E.    Nichols. 


Second  Lieutenant,  George  A.  Clearwater. 

Sergeants,  Charles   V.  Taft,  Thomas    Whittaker, 
Peter  Bishop,  Oscar  Truman. 

Corporals,  Ralph  Wilburn,  M.  W.  Simons,  Milton 
Turner,  Herschel  Hull. 

Musicians,  James  H.  Williams,  Howard  M.  Thorp. 
Privates. 


Thomas  W.  Kellam. 
William  M.  Ludd. 
Matthew  Louery. 
John  Lillie. 
William  Meixel. 
David  Martin. 
James  McMuller. 
John  Nunian. 
Ezra  B.  Pellett. 
Wallace  W.  Pellett. 
William  T.  Rockwell. 
Charles  Richardson. 
John  P.  Roberts. 
William  Rouback. 
Charles  Schartz. 
Isaac  Slenker. 
Thomas  Tighe. 
Henry  H.  Tyler. 
Rush  K.  Warner. 
Marcus  Williams, 
of  the  Twentv-fourth  Mil- 


Henry  Armkest. 
Jackson  Armkest. 
James  W.  Artman. 
Patrick  M.  Barrett. 
Cornelius  Bingham. 
Henry  Ball. 
Milles  Boder. 
Dighton  Daniels. 
Edmund  Daniels. 
David  H.  Decker. 
Aaron  J.  Darrah. 
James  Duncan. 
Nelson  Easterline. 
Harry  Freethy. 
James  F.  Finerty. 
William  Finerty. 
Patrick  Fahy. 
John  D.  Gosh. 
Adam  Hurling. 
Ransom  B.  Holmes. 
[Companies  A,  C  and  K 
itia  served  eight  days.] 

Militia  of  1863. 
Thirty-fifth  Pennsylvania  Regiment. 
Adjutant     of    the    regiment,   Henry   H.   Roe,    of 
Honesdale. 

Company  B. 
Captain.  Wm.  Matthews. 
First   Lieutenant,     John   Edgett. 
Second  Lieutenant,  Henry  M.  Seely- 
Sergeants,   George    C.    Palmer,    Charles    Torrey, 
Wm.  Brady,  Horace  Weston,  Alex.  Barnet. 

Corporals,    Eli  Burritt,  Robert  N.  Webb,  Josephus 
K.  Turner,  Richard  Hambley,  Earl  W.  Parsons,  Hor- 
ace T.  Menner,  Adelbert  S.  Rowley,  Lewis  Coryell. 
Musician,  T.  H.  R.  Tracy. 

Privates. 

George  M.  Cole. 
Wm.  H.  Coyne. 
George  Dony. 
Joseph  Fox. 


John  Bassett. 
Ulysses  T.  Beers. 
Leroy  W.  Belknap. 
Theodore  W.  Bennett, 
George  W.  Brown. 
John  J.  Brown. 
Julius  Bussa. 
John  G.  Betts. 
Andrew  Boy  son. 
Wm.  A.  Case. 
O.  H.  Cannon. 
John  Carr. 
Hugh  Connor. 


(leorge  Gill. 
John  Gill. 
Lewis  Glasser. 
Linus  N.  Goodnough. 
Horace  M.  Greeley. 
Jeremiah  W.   Gibson. 
T.  W.  Hambley. 
Patrick  Hanley. 
Francis  Hawkey. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


325 


Isaac  H.  Heemans. 
Polhemus  Hoagland. 
Einmett  Hurd. 
Erwiu  Jones. 
Henry  Karslake. 
Alfred  Kimble. 
Friend  Lasher. 
Elias  Levy. 
Valencourt  S.  Lillie. 
Michael  Manger. 
James  W.  Manning. 
George  Nelson. 
E.  H.  Palmer. 
Wm,  Randolph. 
Albert  L.  Rowley. 
[This  company  served  thirty 


Frederick  Saunders. 
Lewis  Schuetz. 
Albert  Shaffer. 
John  Shapland. 
AVm.  H.  Stanton. 
Wm.  B.  Stevens. 
Win.  H.  Stone. 
Otto  N.  Teaubner. 
Thos.  F.  Torrey. 
Robert  Tralles. 
Isaac  F.  Ward. 
H.  C.  Welch. 
John  W.  Welch. 
Charles  Webber. 
John  H.  Wood, 
■six  days.] 


Twenty-eighth  Regiment,  Company  B. 
Second  Lieutenant,  Henry  F.  Atherton. 
Privates. 

Henry  F.  Torry.  George  Foster. 

[These  men  served  thirty-nine  days.] 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Leading  and  Characteristic  Industries— The  Tanning  Inter- 
est—Lumbering— The  First  Raft  Sent  Down  the  Dela- 
ware— Bee-Keeping. 

Agriculture  is,  of  course,  the  leading  indus- 
try of  Wayne  County,  and  it  is  treated  of  to  some 
extent  elsewhere.  The  peculiar  and  prominent 
industries  next  in  importance  may  be  said  to  be 
lumbering,  tanning  and  bee-keeping.  The  tan- 
nery interest  has  been  a  very  large  one  and  is 
still  of  considerable  importance.  It  is  also  one 
of  the  oldest  industries  carried  on  in  the  region. 

Previous  to  1830  there  were  but  three  tanner- 
ies in  Wayne  County.  One  of  these  was  located 
in  Canaan  township  and  managed  by  Samuel 
Rodgers ;  another  was  situated  in  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, and  owned  by  Asa  Smith  ;  the  remaining 
one  was  located  in  Bethany,  under  the  supervis- 
ion of  Deacon  Olmstead.  The  business  of  these 
tanneries  was  of  a  purely  local  nature,  both  the 
raw  material  being  procured  and  the  finished 
leather  disposed  of  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 
In  1826  Major  Jason  Torrey  visited  Montrose 
for  the  purpose  of  attending  to  some  business 
relating  to  the  Milford  and  Owego  turnpike. 
While  there  he  was  favorably  impressed  with 
the  prospects  of  a  town  to  be  built  at  the  west- 
ern terminus  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Ca- 


nal. By  explaining  to  Isaac  P.  Foster,  a  di- 
rector of  the  Milford  and  Owego  turnpike,  the 
probable  business  opportunities  of  this  prospect- 
ive town,  he  induced  Foster  to  go  there  and 
commence  business  in  company  with  himself. 
The  following  year  Foster  came  to  Dyberry 
Forks,  erected  a  shanty  and  opened  a  store.  This 
store  was  located  on  the  "  point "  opposite  the 
head  of  Third  Street.  At  that  time  Samuel 
Kimble  had  cleared  a  small  space  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  present  site  of  the  National  Hotel,  on  Sec- 
ond Strest,  where  he  and  his  family  lived  in  a 
log  house.  With  this  single  exception,  all  the 
laud  below  the  West  Branch,  comprising  what 
is  now  the  larger  portion  of  the  borough  of 
Honesdale,  was  a  wilderness.  Above  the  Lack- 
awaxen  Major  Torrey  endeavored  to  effect 
a  clearing.  With  this  object  in  view,  a  gang  of 
men,  under  the  superintendence  of  Jonathan 
Bidwell,  were  employed  by  him  to  cut  down  the 
forest.  At  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  store 
there  was  only  one  building  in  the  immediate 
vicinity.  This  was  a  large,  barn-like  structure, 
also  situated  on  the  "  point,"  built  and  used  as 
a  boarding-house  for  the  wood-cutters.  Mr. 
Torrey's  residence  was  in  Bethany.  While  pur- 
suing his  business  at  Dyberry  Forks  he  occupied 
oue  corner  of  this  building  for  an  office.  This 
building  was  afterwards  converted  into  a  house 
for  public  worship,  and  was  known  as  the  "  Old 
Tabernacle."  The  celebrated  Lorenzo  Dow, 
during  a  visit  to  Honesdale,  occupied  its  pulpit. 
In  a  district  so  sparsely  populated  the  sale  of 
"  store-goods  "  was  exceedingly  limited.  This 
fact  led  Mr.  Foster  to  the  conclusion  that  some 
other  business  was  necessary  for  his  financial  suc- 
cess. Having  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
leather  in  Montrose  previous  to  his  removal  to 
Wayne  County,  he  naturally  looked  around  for 
a  favorable  location  for  a  tannery.  A  suitable 
site  one  mile  farther  up  the  West  Branch  was 
selected,  and,  in  company  with  Ezra  Hand,  D. 
P.  Kirtlaud  and  John  F.  Roe,  he  at  once  com- 
menced the  erection  of  the  necessary  buildings. 
The  required  machinery  was  also  procured,  aud 
in  1830  the  tannery  went  into  active  operation. 
For  many  years  this  was  the  leading  and  most 
flourishing  leather  establishment  in  this  portion 
of  the  country.    By  means  of  the  Delaware  and 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Hudson  Canal,  Smith  American  and  other  hides 
were  brought  to  the  tannery  and  finished  leath- 
er taken  to  the  New  York  markets.  The  entire 
region  was  covered  with  hemlock  timber,  the 
bark  of  which  could  be  procured  at  a  very 
little  expense.  This  rendered  tanning  a  very 
profitable  enterprise.  During  the  sleighing  sea- 
son, when  the  price  of  leather  was  high  and  the 
canal  frozen  over,  both  leather  and  hides  were 
transferred  to  and  from  New  York  on  sleds. 
Mr.  Foster,  seeing  that  the  enterprise  was  a  suc- 
cess, purchased  the  interests  of  his  several  part- 
ners and  conducted  the  business  himself,  in  con- 
nection with  his  store,  which  he  removed  to  a 
more  convenient  location.  He  subsequently  as- 
sociated with  him  his  sons,  who,  after  his  with- 
drawal, succeeded  him. 

In  1871  Wayne  County  ranked  first  of  all 
the  counties  of  the  United  States  in  the  value  of 
her  leather  manufacturing  interest.  For  many 
years  it  had  the  largest  tannery  in  the  world 
within  its  boundaries. 

In  1870  the  aggregate  business  of  the  several 
tanneries  in  the  county  was  estimated  at  three 
million  dollars. 

The  following  is  a  statement  of  their  transac- 
tions for  the  year  1869,  which  was  not  consid- 
ered a  peculiarly  favorable  one,  as  several 
tanneries  were  burned  and  others  were  undergo- 
ing repairs  : 

E.  Beach  &  Son,  Damascus $]  1.6,829 

L.  H.  AMen,  Clinton  181,478 

E.  P.  Strung,  Wayne  (Starrucca)...    210,310 
Young  &  Cornell,  Dyberry   1 98,1 1 1 2 

A.  E.  Babcock,  Preston  141,253 

Burgmuller  &  Co.,  Scott 99,022 

J.  T.  &  W.  Cromwell,  Palmyra 119,339 

S.  N.  Darby,  Damascus    49,683 

H.  Drake  &  Sons,  Berlin 94,.">44 

Jones  &  Wales,  Buckingham 119,910 

Foster  Bros.  &  Co.,  Texas  50,794 

B.  G.  Morss,  Sterling 22:j,419 

H.  K.  Nichols  &  Co.,  Mt.  Pleasant .  49,241 
L.    A.    Robertson    it    Co.,  Cherry 

Ridge 285,721 

Weston,  Rockwell  &  Co.,  Manchester  144,419 

Brunig  &  Bro.,  Texas 39,148 

F.  H.  Rockwell,  Oregon r,^,:;4;, 

L.  B.  Richtmyer,  Manchester 115,761 

Samuel  Saunders,  Texas 11,553 

Total $2,312,781 


During  the  i't^w  succeeding  years  the  tanning 
industry  assumed  even  larger  proportions,  until 
the  failure  of  bark  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
the  extra  expense  incident  to  obtaining  it  from  a 
distance,  rendered  the  manufacture  of  leather 
more  profitable  in  other  locations,  where  bark 
was  easily  obtained.  From  that  time  to  the 
present  the  tanning  industry  has  steadily  de- 
clined and  in  1884  there  were  five  tanneries  in 
the  county.  These  employed  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  persons,  to  whom  they  paid  fifty-one 
thousand  four  hundred  and  ninety  dollars.  The 
value  of  the  product  has  decreased  from  three 
million  dollars  in  1870  to  four  hundred  and 
seventy  thousand  dollars  in  1884.  And  at  the 
present  date  all  but  two  or  three  of  the  tanner- 
ies are  abandoned.  Large  fortunes  were  accum- 
ulated by  all  engaged  extensively  in  the  busi- 
ness. When  the  removal  of  the  tanneries  was 
necessary,  many  tanning  firms  from  this  county 
opened  tanneries  in  other  counties,  where  they 
still  conduct  the  leather  business. 

The  lumber  interest  in  Wayne  County  fol- 
lowed closely  in  the  footsteps  of  the  leather 
manufacture.  Although  a  leading  branch  of 
industry  in  all  well-timbered  districts  and  the 
principal  support  of  many  persons,  yet  in  places 
like  Wayne  County,  where  the  bark  is  desired 
and  used,  the  lumber  interest  is  much  more 
quickly  and  largely  developed.  For  the  suc- 
cessful operation  of  the  tanneries,  large  quanti- 
ties of  bark  were  required.  This  could  only  be 
obtained  by  felling  numerous  trees.  The  utili- 
zation of  these  trees  cut  down  for  their  bark  re- 
turned a  good  profit.  The  conversion  of  so 
many  trees  into  boards  and  other  timber  rend- 
ered saw-mills  a  necessity  and  very  soon  many 
were  erected. 

For  three-quarters  of  a  century  after  the  first 
settlements  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware  River 
were  effected  by  white  men,  heavy  forests  cov- 
ered the  entire  territory  comprising  what  is  now 
Wayne  County.  At  the  beginning  of  the  pres- 
ent century  patches  of  clearing  began  to  be  in- 
terspersed here  and  there  with  the  dense  woods. 
The  different  shades  of  the  foliage  of  the  trees 
clearly  demonstrated  the  fact  that  some  were  de- 
ciduous aud  others  evergreen.  The  woods  were 
composed    of  tall,   straight    trees    of    different 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


327 


varieties,not  arranged  promiscuous] y, but  grouped 
iu  parcels  of  various  sizes  containing  sonic  par- 
ticular species.  In  some  places  underbrush 
was  thickly  grown,  making  it  almost  impene- 
trable, while  elsewhere  for  many  acres  the 
woods  were  entirely  destitute  of  undergrowth. 

Iu  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county  the 
growth  of  vegetation  was  distinct  and  regularly 
arranged.  Several  species  of  shrubs  predomi- 
nated. The  trees  grew  in  small  groves,  consist- 
ing principally  of  chestnut,  oak,  hemlock  and 
pine.  "  Open  Woods"  was  the  name  given  to 
this  district,  and  in  contradistinction  the  other 
part  of  the  couuty  was  called  "  Beech  Woods." 

The  forest  for  many  years  was  the  greatest 
source  of  wealth  to  the  county.  White  and 
yellow  pine,  oak,  chestnut  and  hemlock  were  pro- 
cured from  the  open  woods ;  the  "  Beech  Woods  " 
furnished  cherry,  whitewood,  white  pine,  bass- 
wood,  black  and  white  ash,  curled  and  spotted 
maple,  hemlock  and  beech. 

The  first  timber  raft  sent  down  the  Delaware 
was  unquestionably  set  afloat  by  Daniel  Skinner, 
of  Damascus,  in  the  year  17H4.  He  conceived 
the  idea  of  lashing  together  a  number  of  the 
splendid  pine  trees  for  which  that  region  was 
famous,  and  floating  them  to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  felt  assured  they  would  find  a  ready 
market  for  use  as  masts  of  vessels.  He  imme- 
diately set  about  putting  his  idea  to  a  practical 
test,  and  at  length,  after  much  labor  succeeded 
in  starting  his  venture  down  the  river,  he, 
with  an  assistant  following  in  a  canoe,  for  the 
purpose  of  piloting  the  craft  through  in  safety. 
The  enterprise  proved  a  failure.  After  floating 
some  distance  in  safety,  the  raft  ran  upon  an 
island,  and  all  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Skinner  and 
his  assistant  to  dislodge  it  proved  unavailing; 
they  were  finally  obliged  to  abandon  it  and 
return  to  their  homes.  Not  easily  discouraged, 
however,  Mr.  Skinner  soon  made  another  and 
mure  successful  venture.  Having  constructed 
his  raft  upon  better  principles  and  rigged  it 
with  oars,  he  again  cast  off  his  lines  and  swung 
out  into  the  stream,  taking  to  himself  the 
responsible  position  of  steersmau,  and  employ- 
ing a  neighbor,  named  Josiah  Parkes'  to  man- 


'. Josiah  Parkes  took  out  a  win-rant  iu  his  own  nauie  for 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  Stockport  flats,   which  he 


age  the  forward  oar.  After  trifling  mishaps 
the  pioneer  craft  reached  Philadelphia  and  was 
advantageously  disposed  of,  its  navigators  re- 
turning to  their  homes  in  triumph.  Mr.  Skiu- 
uer  was  immediately  dubbed  "  Lord  High  Ad- 
miral of  the  Delaware,"  and  his  companion 
"Boatswain  Parkes,"  by  which  titles  they  were 
ever  after  recognized.  .losiali  Parkes  was  the 
grandfather  of  "Big  Billy"  Parkes,  known  to 
raftsmen  of  recent  times  as  a  man  of  uncommon 
strength,  as  he  was  of  unusual  size.  Josiah 
Parkes'  title  of  "  Boatswain  "  or  "  Bo'son 
Parkes"  was  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  he 
served  in  that  capacity  on  board  of  Admiral 
ATernon's  fleet  at  the  taking  of  Havana.  His 
brother  was  also  on  board  the  same  fleet,  and 
went  to  England  with  it  on  its  return  there  and 
became  a  very  distinguished  man,  being  pro- 
moted to  an  Admiralty  in  the  British  navy. 

Since  the  first  raft  was  safely  floated  to  Phil- 
adelphia by  Mr.  Skinner  to  1870,  it  is  esti-  S^^ 
mated  that  at  least  two  billion  feet  of  lumber 
have  been  navigated  to  market.  Most  of  this 
commanded  what  was  considered  a  good  price 
at  the  time  when  it  was  sold,  but  which  is 
scarcely  ten  per  cent,  of  the  present  value.  So 
it  can  easily  be  seen  that  the  county  would  be 
much  wealthier  with  its  standing  growth  of 
timber  than  it  became  by  disposing  of  the  lum- 
ber years  ago. 

Seventy-five  years  ago  the  principal  export 
timber  was  pine.  About  one-fourth  as  much 
hemlock  as  pine  was  marketed  at  that  date. 
Considerable  change,  however,  has  taken  place 
since  that  time,  and  within  the  past  fifteen  years 
ninety  per  cent,  of  the  lumber  manufactured  or 
shipped  to  market  in  the  log  is  hemlock. 

The  introduction  and  use  of  circular  saw- 
mills in  the  forests  of  the  county  gave  a  won- 
derful impetus  to  the  lumber  trade.  Mr. 
Murray  erected  the  first  circular  saw-mill  about 
thirty-five  years  ago.  It  was  situated  at  Ket- 
schall,  and  operated  by  John  J.  Merrill,  of 
Beech  Pond.  The  next  one  was  erected  in 
Lebanon  township  by  Mr.  Treat.  Others  fol- 
lowed rapidly,  until  in  187U  there  were  fifty  in 


sold  to  Colonel  Hooper,  of  Trenton,  for  a  barrel  of  rum. 
Stockport,  formerly  called  Tockpollock,  was  years  ago  the 
headquarters  of  the  lumbermen  on  the  Delaware. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  county,  some  of  which  were  run  by  steam- 
power. 

In  1870  there  were  consumed  in  sawed  tim- 
ber, square  timber,  piling  and  logs,  at  home 
and  by  export,  101,250,000  feet  of  logs  of  the 
several  varieties.  Ninety  per  cent,  of  this  total 
was  hemlock,  which,  at  the  average  price  of 
eleven  dollars  per  thousand  feet,  brought  to  the 
county  an  aggregate  sum  of  §1,115,000,  out  of 
which,  however,  a  large  amount  must  be  de- 
ducted for  expenses.  From  1860  to  1876 
there  were  aunually  felled  in  the  forests  of 
Wayne  County  100,000,000  feet  of  timber. 
From  that  time  to  the  present  the  amount  of 
timber  cut  has  steadily  declined.  As  the  scar- 
city of  the  timber  became  greater  the  value  of 
the  lumber  increased.  There  were  in  1884 
twenty-seven  saw-mills  in  the  county,  operating 
on  an  average  one  hundred  and  seventy  days 
annually.  For  the  operation  of  these  mills  one 
hundred  and  forty -eight  persons  were  employed, 
who  received  as  wages  §68,117.  The  number 
of  feet  of  timber  decreased  from  101,250,000 
feet  cut  in  1870  to  12,600,000  feet  in  1884. 

In  May,  1886,  the  last  merchantable  tree  in 
the  hemlock  forests,  that  for  more  than  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  supplied  the  mills  on  Dyberry 
Creek,  was  felled.  The  name  of  William 
Kimble  is  necessarily  connected  with  the  de- 
struction of  this  forest.  His  lather  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  in  this  region,  and  he  at  an 
early  age  became  acquainted  with  a  woodman's 
life.  In  1860  he  drove  the  first  log  cut  in  this 
region.  Since  that  time  he  has  not  missed  a 
day's  log-driving  on  this  creek,  and  doubtless 
with  feelings  of  regret  piloted  to  its  destina- 
tion the  last  log  that  will  ever  be  run  on  this 
stream  to  Dyberry  mills. 

The  destruction  of  the  hemlock  woods  in  this 
county  has  materially  affected  the  water  supply, 
many  large  streams  having  become  almost  dry 
within  the  past  decade. 

There  is  now  one  planing-mill  in  the  county. 
This  mill  gives  employment  to  seven  men,  who 
for  their  labor  receive  annually  three  thousand 
six  hundred  dollars.  The  mill  consumes  nine 
hundred  and  sixty-nine  thousand  feet  of  timber. 
The  product  is  valued  at  five  thousand  one  hun- 
dred dollars. 


The  manufacture  of  textile  fabrics  has  be- 
come an  industry  of  considerable  importauce  in 
Wayne  County.  The  favorable  conditions  for 
manufacturing  afforded  by  an  excellent  water- 
power  promise  to  replace  the  saw-mills  with 
manufactories  of  this  nature.  There  are  now 
in  the  county  five  establishments  manufactur- 
ing textile  fabrics  ;  two  manufacture  silk  goods, 
two  woolen  goods  and  one  yarn.  The  two  silk- 
goods  establishments  employ  three  hundred  and 
fifty  persons,  to  whom  they  pay  an  annual  sum 
, >f  si ;<  ),000.  The  value  of  the  product  of  these 
mills  is  §250,000.  The  woolen  goods  manu- 
factories employ  fifty  persons,  to  whom  the 
annual  sum  of  §11,800  is  paid.  The  value  of 
their  products  is  §52,000.  The  yarn-mill  em- 
ploys but  seven  persons.  The  product  of  this 
mill  is  valued  at  §2100. 

There  are  eighteen  grist-mills  in  the  county. 
These  mills  employ  twenty-eight  men  and  pay 
them  the  annual  sum  of  §9231.  The  daily  con- 
sumption of  these  mills  is  5051  bushels.  They 
annually  mill  6976  bushels  of  wheat  and  399,- 
098  bushels  of  other  grain  ;  3140  barrels  of 
flour  are  annually  manufactured  by  these 
mills. 

The  three  iron  foundries  of  the  county  em- 
ploy twenty-three  men,  to  whom  the  annual 
sum  of  §9100  is  paid.  The  daily  capacity  of 
these  foundries  is  three  tons. 

According  to  the  industrial  statistics  of  1884 
for  Pennsylvania,  there  are  sixty-five  manufac- 
tories in  Wayne  County.  These  factories  em- 
ploy 1244  persons,  to  whom  they  annually  pay 
§394,703.  In  addition  to  these  there  are  many 
minor  industries  not  mentioned. 

Bee-keeping  has  within  a  few  years  grown  to 
be  an  extensive  and  profitable  industry,  as  is 
evideuced  by  the  single  fact  that  one  mau  has 
in  a  certain  season  shipped  as  much  as  thirty- 
five  tons  of  honey  from  the  county.  This  man 
was  Sidney  Coons.  It  would  perhaps  be  fairer 
to  say  that  his  large  shipment  represented  the 
production  of  the  bee  colonies  owned  by  his 
sons  as  well  as  his  own. 

We  have  no  record  as  to  when  the  honey  bee 
was  first  introduced  into  Wayne  County  or  by 
whom.  According  to  all  accounts,  there  were  no 
honey  bees  in  North  America  in  advance  of  the 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


white  men  ;  they  were  first  imported  from  Europe 
and  became  the  forerunner  of  the  white  men,  and 
the  red  men  called  them  the  "  white  man's  fly." 
They  probably  have  been  kept  in  a  domesticated 
state  from  the  time  the  first  settlements  were 
made  in  the  county.  They  were  kept  in  conical 
straw  and  log  hives  and  later  in  the  box  hive 
and  the  honey  obtained  was  known  as  box  or 
cap  honey.  To  obtain  the  honey  from  the  in- 
terior of  the  hive  the  keepers  resorted  to  the 
sulphur  pit. 

In  the  year  1854  W.  L.  Hazen,  of  Bethany, 
took  quite  an  interest  in  the  bee  business.  He 
made  some  improvements  in  bee-hives  and  pro- 
duced a  large  quantity  of  box  honey.  In  the 
year  1878  he  built  a  boat  and  shipped  his  honey 
to  Philadelphia.  For  four  years,  he  shipped 
from  one  to  three  thousand  pounds  in  that  way. 
George  W.  Leonard  commenced  keeping  bees 
in  the  movable  comb-hive  in  1867,  and  intro- 
duced all  the  modern  improvements.  He  ob- 
tained the  Italian  bees  in  1873  and  in  a  few 
years  increased  his  stock  to  one  hundred  colo- 
nies. He  had  from  that  time  up  to  1885  kept 
from  one  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  colonies  or 
hives.  From  1875  to  the  present  time  he  has 
averaged  five  thousand  pounds  of  honey  a  year. 
He  says  there  are  five  hundred  colonies  kept  in 
movable  comb  hives  south  of  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Railroad  and  about  the  same  number 
kept  in  the  box  hive. 

Number  of  colonies  south  of  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Railroad : 

Geo.  W.  Leonard,  Lake 200 

Chas.  Mills,  Lake 14 

George  Tisdell,  Lake IS 

George  Ramble,  Lake  7 

Leroy  Pelton,  Salem 100 

Mr.  Mitchel,  Salem 74 

George  Myers,  Salem 30 

Robert  Bonear,  Cherry  Ridge   40 

There  are  others  that  have  two  or  three 
swarms  each. 

Sidney  Coons  &  Sons  are  the  largest  bee- 
keepers in  Wayne  County.  They  made  thirty- 
five  tons  of  honey  in  1885.  Alvin  Purdy  and 
John  Bunnel,  of  Texas,  had  their  bees  all  de- 
stroyed by  a  contagious  disease  called  "  foul 
brood."  It  extended  westward  through  Dy- 
berry  and  Damascus,  producing  great  havoc. 


The  principal  honey  and  pollen  producers  or 
flowers,  in  rotation,  as  they  bloom,  are  the  alder 
and  willow  the  first  of  the  season,  which  pro- 
duce pollen  only.  Next  is  soft  maple,  which 
usually  blooms  the  25th  of  April  and  produces 
both  pollen  and  honey.  Then  comes  the  hard 
maple,  which  produces  both  pollen  and  honey, 
but  not  so  abundantly  as  the  soft  maple.  The 
wild  cherry  and  fruit  blossoms  yield  pollen  and 
honey.  Next  comes  the  dandelion,  which  yields 
pollen  and  honey.  The  wild  gooseberry  yields 
abundantly,  but  is  not  very  plenty.  Then  comes 
the  sorrel,  which  yields  both  pollen  and  honey. 
On  the  25th  of  May  the  raspberry  begins  to 
bloom  and  the  flow  of  honey  is  so  great  in  the 
vicinity  of  large  bark  peelings  and  briar 
patches  that  tons  of  it  go  to  waste  for  the  want 
of  bees  to  gather  it.  For  several  weeks  the  bees 
are  allowed  to  partake  of  this  flower.  It  is 
secreted  at  all  hours  and  in  all  kinds  of  weather 
and  is  the  most  reliable  honey  producer  in  the 
county.  Next  comes  sumach,  which  yields 
honey  and  large  quantities  of  pollen.  Then 
comes  silk  or  milk  weed,  which  yields  honey 
abundantly. 

Next  is  basswood,  which  yields  abundantly 
in  favorable  weather,  and  lasts  until  about  the 
20th  of  July,  which  ends  the  season  for  white 
honey  in  Wayne  County.  Then  comes  a  scar- 
city of  honey  material  for  about  three  weeks. 

Next  in  order  bloom  the  dark  honey  produc- 
ing plants.  Buckwheat  is  the  first  and  yields 
a  dark,  pungent  honey.  Then  comes  the  golden 
rod,  which  begins  to  bloom  the  15th  of  August, 
and  yields  honey  until  the  close  of  the  season, 
along  with  fire  weeds  and  the  aster.  In  dry 
seasons  in  October  the  aphis  make  their  ap- 
pearance on  the  leaves  of  the  beech  and  alder, 
and  exude  a  saccharine  substance  which  is  col- 
lected by  the  bees.  As  winter  food  for  the  bees 
it  proves  unwholesome.  The  atmospheric 
changes  have  much  to  do  with  the  flow  of  honey. 
The  plants  secrete  the  most  honey  in  warm, 
showery  weather  and  a  humid  atmosphere. 

Sidney  Coons,  residing  near  Honesdale,  in 
Texas  township,  has  done  as  much,  if  not  more, 
than  any  other  man  in  Pennsylvania  to  bring 
bee-culture  to  a  great  state  of  perfection.  He 
has  given  this  subject  such  attention  by  reading 


WAYNE,  PIKE,   AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


authentic  works,  and  by  studying  the  nature 
and  habits  of  the  different  varieties  of  the 
honey  bee,  as  to  multiply  five-tbld  the  results 
of  the  busy  lire's  labor,  over  its  most  successful 
work  of  a  quarter-century  ago,  and  now  real- 
izes on  an  average  from  each  swarm,  one  hun- 
dred pounds  of  section  honey  annually,  above 
the  amount  required  to  keep  them,  as  compared 
with  twenty  pounds  when  he  first  began  bee- 
culture. 

Both  himself  and  sons  are  large  dealers  in 
bees  and  honey,  the  latter  of  which  they  ship 
by  car-loads  to  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 
Altogether  the  father  and  four  sons  own  now 
one  thousand  swarms,  comprised  of  the  "  pure 
Italian,"  "  pure  black,"  a  native  of  this  coun- 
try, and  the  "hybrid,"  a  cross  between  the 
others.  He  bought  his  first  swarm  of  Ital- 
ian bees  in  North  Carolina  many  years  ago, 
but  the  majority  of  his  stock  are  the  "native 
blacks."  Mis  taste  for  the  apiary  was  early 
cultivated  at  home,  when  he  was  accustomed  to 
see  his  father  work  among  his  bees,  but  it  was 
not  until  1857,  when  he  settled  in  Wayne 
County,  at  Riley ville,  that  he  began  to  follow 
bee-culture  as  a  business. 

He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Broome,  Scho- 
harie County,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  21,  1821,  reared  on 
the  home  farm  at  that  place,  and  attended  the 
district  school.  By  the  death  of  his  father 
when  Sidney  was  twenty  years  of  age,  the  re- 
lief of  an  encumbered  property  and  the  care  of 
the  family  devolved  upon  him.  After  four 
years  he  sold  out  the  farm  and  settled  at  <  ones- 
ville,  in  the  same  county,  where  he  remained 
until  his  removal  to  Lebanon  township,  Wayne 
County.  For  twenty  years  .Mr.  Coons  was  en- 
gaged in  lumbering  and  farming,  in  Lebanon, 
but  in  1S83  he  retired  largely  from  both,  and  re- 
moved to  his  present  place,  where  his  time  is 
mostly  taken  up  with  the  care  of  no  less  than  a 
hundred  swarms  of  bees. 

He  is  the  inventor  of  different  kinds  of  hives 
now  in  use,  which  are  a  great  improvement  over 
the  old-fashioned  ones,  being  so  arranged  that 
the  honey  can  be  removed  without  disturbing 
the  bees.  He  married,  in  1847,  Mary  Jane, 
daughter  of  Martin  B.  and  Wealthy  (Tupper) 
Thomas,   who  was  born   June  23,  1822.     Her 


parents  were  natives  of  Salisbury,  Conn.,  and 
settled  in  Schoharie  County,  N.  Y.,  where  they 
died.  She  had  two  brothers, — Jeremiah  and 
Erasmus  D.,  now  deceased, — and  has  two  sisters. 
— Sarah,  wife  of  Ira  I  tesilva,  of  Gilboa,  and  Per- 
sis  Thomas,  of  the  same  place. 

Their  children  are  Theodore  E.  Coons,  a 
bee-keeper  at  Tanner's  Falls;  Rolland  L. 
Coons,  a  bee-keeper  and  farmer  in  Damascus 
township  ;  Clarence  D.  Coons,  a  large  farmer 
and  bee-keeper  near  Equinunk ;  and  Fletcher 
S.  (  'ooiis,  a  bee-keeper  and  farmer  of  Mount 
Pleasant  township. 

His  father  Abraham  Coons  (1795-1841), 
married  Almina  (1805-57),  daughter  of  Picket 
Wood,  of  Schoharie  County,  N.  Y.  She  died 
in  Saratoga,  N.  Y.  His  grandfather,  Jacob 
Coons,  of  German  origin,  resided  in  Middle- 
lung,  N.  Y.  ;  afterward  removed  to  Ohio,  thence 
to  Illinois,  where  he  died  at  his  son's  residence 
at  the  great  age  of  one  hundred  years.  His 
family  mostly  went  with  him. 

Sidney  Coon's  brothers  anil  sisters  are  Al- 
bert, died  in  Illinois;  Ambrose,  died  in  Ohio; 
Addison,  resides  at  Bloomington,  111.;  Eme- 
line,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  ;  Harriet,  the 
wife  of  Daniel  Black,  of  Cohoes,  N.  Y.  ;  and 
Adeline,  wife  of  Rodney  Wilcox,  who  resides  at 
the  same  place. 


CHA  PTER  IX. 

Description  —  Topography  —  Geological    Notes  —  Soils  — 
Streams,  Lakes  and  Fish. 

Wa  yxe  County  forms  the  extreme  northeast 
corner  of  Pennsylvania.  From  the  New  York 
State  line  its  eastern  boundary  is  the  Delaware 
River  down  to  Narrowsburg,  or  Big  Eddy,  a 
distance  of  forty-five  miles.  Thence  the  boun- 
dary line  between  Wayne  and  Pike  runs  south 
thirty-one  and  three-quarters,  west  ten  miles 
twenty-three  poles,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Wal- 
lenpaupack,  and  thence  up  that  stream  and  its 
south  branch  to  where  it  is  crossed  by  the  old 
North  and  South  turnpike,  a  distance  of  about 
forty  miles;  thence  seven  miles,  ninety-two 
poles  west  to  Lehigh  Creek;  thence  up  that 
stream  six  miles ;  and  thence  due  north   along 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Lackawanna  and  Susquehanna  Counties  to  the 
New  York  State  line,  a  distance  of  forty-eight 
miles  and  two  hundred  and  seventy-four  poles; 
and  thence  along  the  State  line  due  east  a  dis- 
tance of  six  and  three-eighths  miles  to  the  Del- 
aware. 

Its  area,  according  to  figures  based  upon  the 
best  surveys,  is  462,615  acres,  or  722.8  square 
miles. 

The  surface  of  the  county  throughout  the 
greater  portion  of  its  area  is  exceedingly  ir- 
regular. Viewed  from  the  highest  land, — the 
Moosic  Mountain  range,  which  extends  along 
the  western  line, — the  succession  of  hills,  as  far 
as  the  eye  can  reach,  appears  not  unlike  the 
billows  of  the  ocean  ;  but  if  one  were  to  leave 
this  mountain  stand-point  and  travel  across  the 
county  iu  almost  any  direction,  he  would 
find  the  surface  resembling  a  "  chop  sea."  The 
level  stretches  are  few  and  far  between.  This 
quality  or  condition  of  the  country  makes  the 
prospect  a  very  pleasing  one  in  almost  any  por- 
tion of  Wayne.  As  the  scene  is  almost  every- 
where diversified  with  the  sharp  contrast  of 
highly  cultivated  fields  and  lands  almost  as 
wild  as  the}'  were  before  the  white  man  came, 
varied  by  long,  sweeping  slopes  and  abrupt  de- 
clivities, and  the  whole  well  watered  by  beauti- 
ful streams  and  dotted  with  lakes,  innumerable 
beautiful  landscapes  are  afforded.  There  is 
scarcely  any  portion  of  Pennsylvania  in  which 
the  pastoral  and  the  picturesque  are  so  inti- 
mately commingled  as  in  Wayne  County. 

The  greatest  elevation  in  the  county  is  the 
Moosic  range,  heretofore  alluded  to.  This  va- 
ries in  height  (above  tide-water)  from  two  thou- 
sand to  two  thousand  two  hundred  feet.  At  a 
point  near  the  junction  of  the  Wayne  County 
line  with  the  east  and  west  Hue  dividing  Sus- 
quehanna and  Lackawanna  Counties  it  is  not 
over  nineteen  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  but 
farther  north,  to  beyond  Mount  Pleasant,  the 
altitude  varies  from  two  thousand  and  fifty  to 
two  thousand  one  hundred  feet.  Still  farther 
north  the  height  increases  until  it  culminates  in 
Ararat  peak,  which  is  two  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  above  tide-water,  and  the 
second  highest  elevation  iu  the  northeastern  part 
of  the  State. 


The  least  elevation  above  tide-water  in  the 
county  is  in  Damascus  township,  at  the  level  of 
the  Delaware,  where  the  height  is  but  765  feet. 
The  elevation  of  Hawley  is  860  feet;  of  Hones- 
dale,  983  feet;  of  Prorapton,  1089  feet;  of 
Waymart,  141.">.14  feet;  of  the  Moosic  sum- 
mit (where  crossed  by  the  gravity  railroad), 
11)47.17  feet. 

Outline  of  Geology — Soils. — From  a 
brief  account  of  the  geology  of  the  county, 
written  by  Professor  I.  C.  White  (the  author  of 
that  volume  of  the  State  Report  treating  of 
Susquehanna  and  Wayne  Counties)  we  condense 
the  following  : 

"The  rocks  of  the  county  belong  principally  to 
one  system,  viz.:  what  the  geologists  have  termed 
the  Catskill,  since  these  same  strata  make  up 
the  great  bulk  of  the  Catskill  Mountains  in 
New  York  State.  The  main  characteristic  of 
the  system  is  the  abundance  of  red  materia/,  in 
the  shape  of  red  shale  and  red  sandstone,  the 
red  color  being  always  due  to  per-oxide  of  iron 
disseminated  through  the  rocks,  or  shale  as  the 
case  may  be.  Inter-stratified  with  the  red  shales 
are  found  frequent  layers  of  gray  or  greenish 
current  bedded  sandstones,  often  finely  laminated 
and  forming  excellent  flagging  material.  The 
base  of  this  system  is  seen  only  in  Susquehanna 
County, and  in  that  only  along  the  Susquehanna 
River  and  the  lower  portions  of  the  streams 
which  flow  into  it,  where  one  hundred  to  two 
hundred  feet  of  Chemung  rocks   may  be   seen. 

"No  valuable  minerals  or  metals  willever  be 
found  in  these  rocks,  and  the  pretended  discov- 
ery of  gold  and  silver  by  the  '  practical  miners  ' 
in  several  portions  of  the  district  is  only  a  pre- 
tence by  which  impostors  have  managed  to  se- 
cure free  board  and  pocket  money  at  the  expense 
of  their  deluded  victims.  The  only  mineral 
in  quantities  of  any  value  in  the  county  is  the 
coal  found  in  the  edge  of  Clinton. 

"  With  the  exception  of  a  few  acres  in  eastern 
Clinton,  there  are  not  and  could  not  be  any 
workable  coal-beds  in  any  portion  of  the  county. 
The  reason  is  that  from  the  Carbondale  region 
the  rocks  that  hold  the  coal  rise  toward  the  east, 
north  and  west  at  a  very  rapid  rate,  varying 
from  five  hundred  to  one  thousand  feet  to  the 
mile  for  about  three  miles,  so   that  this    shoots 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


all  the  coal-beds  far  above  the  tops  of  the 
highest  hills  and  mountains,  and  when  such 
peaks  as  Elk  Mountain,  Ararat  and  Sugar  Loaf 
would  have  to  be  a  thousand  feet  higher  than 
now  to  catch  any  valuable  beds  of  coal  in  their 
summits,  it  can  very  readily  be  seen  by  any 
one  that  there  is  no  prospect  for  new  coal  dis- 
coveries in  Wayne,  since  the  summits  of  these 
mountains  are  even  now  nearly  one  thousand 
feet  higher  than  the  general  level.  It  is  possi- 
ble and  extremely  probable  that  the  greater  por- 
tion of  the  county  was  once  covered  with  the 
same  coal-beds  that  occur  in  the  vicinity  of 
Scrauton  and  Carbondale,  but  have  been  worn 
away  and  lost  through  the  tremendous  erosion 
of  the  Glacial  epoch,  and  that  of  all  previous 
and  subsequent  ages.  The  Scrauton  Valley 
coals  were  saved  from  this  wasting  process  be- 
.  cause  they  were  folded  downward  far  below  the 
general  level  in  the  shape  of  an  inverted  arch, 
and  have  thus  escaped  destruction  in  part, 

"  The  Bradford  and  Oil  Creek  oil  horizons  un- 
derlyallof  Wayne  County,  but  it  is  extremely 
doubtful  whether  any  number  of  drillings 
would  reveal  the  oil  itself.  The  few  that  have 
been  made  resulted  in  failure." 

Of  the  soils  of  the  county  Mr.  White  gives 
the  following  account,  with  some  practical  sug- 
gestions concerning  their  improvement,  and  for 
the  dissemination  of  this  knowledge  we  can 
better  afford  space  than  we  can  for  a  long  tech- 
nical description  of  the  geology  of  the  country  : 

"  The  soils  of  the  county,"  says  he,  "  have 
been  largely  derived  from  the  decomposition  of 
rocks  in  situ,  since  the  hill-slopes  are  generally 
so  steep  that  the  Drift  is  seldom  found  remain- 
ing on  them  except  in  scattered  patches.  The 
Cat  skill  system  furnishes  almost  all  of  the  sur- 
face rocks  in  this  district,  and  the  soils  have 
been  largely  derived  either  from  their  gradual 
decay  or  trituration  by  glacial  action. 

"  The  red  slates  of  the  ( 'atskilt  have  proba- 
bly contributed  more  to  the  formation  of  the 
soil  than  any  other  part  of  it,  and  it  is  the  uni- 
versal testimony  of  the  farmers  that  the 'red 
shale  soils '  are  generally  stronger  and  richer 
than  any  others.  The  amount  of  alkalies  in  the 
shale  doubtless  accounts  for  the  fertility  of  its 
soil,  since  the  quantity  of  lime  and  phosphoric 


acid  is  not  sufficient  to  have  any  marked  influ- 
ence for  good.  But  while  the  red  shale  soils  are 
usually  the  best  in  the  district,  it  is  equally  true 
that  only  in  isolated  patches  and  in  favorable 
localities  are  there  any  really  first-class  soils 
within  the  county.  The  great  body  of  the  sur- 
face is  covered  by  a  thin  sandy  soil  of  very 
little  natural  fertility,  and  except  in  the  vicinity 
of  swamps,  where  a  great  thickness  of  decayed 
vegetable  material  has  accumulated,  and  along- 
some  of  the  larger  streams,  where  the  Drift  de- 
posits are  extensive,  there  is  not  much  land 
within  the  district  that  will  produce  abundant 
crops  until  it  has  been  fertilized  artificially. 
The  hill-slopes  are  steep  and  the  surface  gener- 
ally rugged.  Excellent  crops  of  grass  grow  on 
almost  any  of  the  soils. 

"The  great  need  of  the  soils  is  lime,  and  the 
more  sandy  soils  are  furnishing  it.  There  are  no 
pure  limestone  strata  in  the  Catskill  series,  but 
there  are  a  great  many  layers  of  impure  calca- 
reous conglomerate  or  breccia  interstratified  with 
the  shales  and  sandstone  of  this  series.  Huge 
fragments  of  this  kind  of  rock  lie  scattered 
about  over  a  large  portion  of  the  district,  black- 
ened by  exposure  to  the  air. 

"  These  '  Nigger-heads '  contain  from  ten  to 
sixty-five  per  cent,  of  lime,  and  might  often  be 
burned  to  great  advantage  for  lime  manure. 
Many  of  the  farmers  have  noticed  the  fact  that 
the  grass  grows  greener  and  richer  near  them, 
their  lime  being  dissolved  out  by  every  shower 
to  enrich  the  surrounding  soil.  But  very  few 
farmers  have  the  least  idea  that  these  rocks 
contain  enough  lime  to  be  of  any  service  for 
burning.  Mr.  Scheuk,  of  Cherry  Ridge,  is  per- 
haps the  only  resident  of  the  district  who  has 
tried  a  kiln,  and  he  reports  that  the  good  effect 
upon  his  crops  has  been  more  marked  than  when 
he  used  the  best  stable  manure. 

"  These  boulders  are  so  thickly  strewn  over 
some  portions  of  Wayne  County  as  to  be  a  se- 
rious nuisance.  Two  birds  could  be  killed 
with  one  stone — the  land  cleaned  and  the  soil 
manured — by  breaking  up  and  burning  them 
into  lime.  Even  those  of  them  least  rich  in 
lime  might  be  turned  to  account,  if  farmers  in 
clearing  their  lands  would  only  build  and  burn 
their  log- heaps  over  and  around  these  rocks.  By 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


this  means  they  would  get  such  a  roasting  that 
the  smaller  ones  would  slack  down,  while  a 
large  coating  of  lime  would  fall  away  from  the 
larger  ones  after  every  such  operation." 

Streams,  Lakes  and  Ponds. — The  drain- 
age of  the  whole  county  may  be,  in  general 
terms,  described  as  eastern, —  that  is,  into  the 
Delaware, — for  the  territory  lies  wholly  on  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  great  water-shed,  which  is 
divided  by  the  Moosic.  This  water-shed  is, 
however,  split  into  northern  and  southern 
slopes,  and  so  it  happens  that  very  few  of  the 
streams  have  an  actual  eastward  course.  The 
subordinate  divide  or  ridge  from  which  these 
minor  slopes  descend  curves  toward  the  south- 
east, running  in  a  direction  rudely  parallel 
with  the  course  of  the  Delaware,  and,  six  to  ten 
miles  west  of  it,  finally  terminates  in  a  nar- 
row ridge  at  the  river,  near  Lackawaxen. 

The  streams  which  flow  from  the  northern 
and  eastern  slopes  of  this  subordinate  water- 
shed are  small.  Beginning  at  the  north,  they 
are  Strawder's,  Chehocton,  Rig  Equinunk,  Lit- 
tle Equinunk,  Hollister's,  <  'asbe's  and  Calkin's 
Creeks.  Mast  Hope  Creek  drains  a  portion  of 
Berlin  township  through  a  corner  of  Pike 
County  into  the  Delaware. 

The  Lackawaxen,  the  main  stream  of  the 
county;  drains  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Moosic 
water-shed,  and  the  southern  and  western  slopes 
of  the  curving  subordinate  divide,  of  which 
mention  has  been  made.  Its  drainage  basin 
constitutes  about  two  thirds  of  the  area 
of  Wayne  County.  It  has  been  extremely 
useful  as  an  outlet  for  lumber  and  other  pro- 
ducts, and  by  its  banks  have  been  built  a  canal 
and  railroad  which  have  superseded  it  as  car- 
riers. It  is  not  ouly  the  most  important  but 
the  most  historic  stream    in  the  county.1     Long 


1  The  Lackawaxen  is  very  frequently  mentioned  in  this 
work,  especially  in  the  general  history  and  Chapter  IV.  of 
Wayne  County  (on  Internal  Improvements).  Hon.  George 
H.  Rowland,  who  lives  upon  the  banks  of  the  stream,  has 
summed  up  as  follows  the  legislative  enactments  concern- 
ing it : 

''In  1771  the  Lechawaxen  (as  it  was  then  called)  was 
declared  a  public  highway  by  the  General  Assembly  up  to 
the  falls  thereof  (wherever  that  might  have  been) ;  I  think 
it  must  have  had  reference  to  the  falls  near  Hawley.  In 
1791  the  General  Assembly  appropriated  two  hundred  and 


a  public  highway,  it  has  recently  been  by  law 
released  from  serving  in  that  capacity  and  it  is 
probable  that  in  a  few  years  its  waters  will  be 
largely  used  as  a  motive-power  for  great  manu- 
factories. 

The  principal  affluents  of  the  Lackawaxen 
are  the  Dyherry,  which  empties  into  it  at  Hones- 
dale  ;  the  Middle  Branch,  which  comes  in  at 
Hawley  ;  and  the  Wallenpaupaek,  which  flows 
from  the  southwest,  and  reaching  it  just  below 
MiddleCreek,  pours  a  considerable  torrent  into  it 
over  the  cliffs  of  Paupack  Falls.  This  is  the  most 
picturesque  stream  of  the  county,  and  has  many 
falls  and  dashing  rapids,  varied  by  darkling, 
quiet  pools.  It  flows  a  tortuous  course,  often 
between  precipitous  banks,  along  a  rock-fretted 
channel,  and  again  placidly  through  broad  but- 
ton) lands. 

The  hikes  of  Wayne  County  form  one  of  its 
most  remarkable  physical  features  and  chief 
beauties.  There  are  no  less  than  seventy-six 
lakes  and  ponds  within  the  limits  of  the  county, 
some  clustered  about  the  heads  of  the  streams 
and  others  having  no  visible  inlet — in  fact, 
immense  springs.     These  lakelets   vary  in  size 


fifty  pounds  for  the  improvement  of  the  navigation  of  the 
Lechawaxen,  and  authorized  the  Governor  to  appoint  com- 
missioners to  contract  with  parties  to  do  the  work. 

"  Again,  by  act  of  February  1,  1808,  the  Lackawaxen  (in 
this  act  it  is  first  spelled  as  we  now  spell  it)  is  declared  a 
public  highway  from  the  falls  thereof  to  Dybery  Forks  and 
thence  up  the  Dybery  and  West  Branch  to  the  great  falls  of 
its  respective  branches. 

"  By  act  of  March  26,  1814,  the  west  branch  of  the 
Lackawaxen  from  Colonel  Seely's  mills  to  Silas  Kellogg's, 
in  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  was  declared  a  public  highway. 

"  By  act  of  the  13th  of  March,  1823,  Maurice  Wurts  was 
authorized  to  built  a  slack-water  navigation  from  Wagner's 
Gap,  in  the  county  of  Luzerne,  to  Iiix,  Gap  in  the  county 
of  Wayne,  and  thence  to  mouth  of  Lackawaxen,  in  such 
a  manner  that  boats  and  rafts  might  descend  at  least  one 
day  in  seven,  unless  impeded  by  ice  or  high  water,  with 
channel  not  less  than  twenty  feet  in  width,  and  boats  of 
not  less  than  ten  tons'  burden. 

"  In  1825  an  act  was  passed  authorizing  the  above  corpora- 
tion to  connect  with  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company,  that  had  been  incorporated  by  the  State  of  New 
York. 

"  By  act  of  1826  the  slack-water  navigation  was  changed 
to  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Campany,  and  the 
Company  authorized,  if  they  preferred  it,  to  build  a  canal 
and  to  take  water  from  the  Lackawaxen  and  other  streams, 
but  required  to  discharge  it  into  the  Delaware  River  at  or 
near  the  mouth  of  .he  Lackawaxen  River. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


from  one  to  ODe  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  Prof. 
White  says:  "  Many  of  them  are  surrounded 
by  dry  banks  of  gravel  extending  down  to  the 
water's  edge,  with  no  streams  draining  into  them 
and  only  a  narrow  channel  cut  down  through 
the  gravel  heap  for  the  outlet.  Of  course  such 
ponds  can  only  be  fed  by  springs  rising  from 
the  bottom.  Others  again  have  small  feeding 
streams,  and  are  often  surrounded  by  a  great 
expanse  of  swamp  or  marshy  lands,  thus  indi- 
cating the  probable  greater  expanse  of  the  water 
in  the  past. 

"  The  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company 
has  taken  advantage  of  these  ancient  drained 
lake  basins  to  secure  a  constant  supply  of  water 
for  their  canal  from  Honesdale  to  the  Delaware 
River,  during  the  dry  seasons  of  summer  and 
fall.  By  throwing  high  dams  across  the  narrow 
outlets  of  several  lakelets  tributary  to  the  Lack- 
awaxen,  the  surplus,  rainfall  of  winter  and 
spring  is  caught  and  stored  up  to  be  grad- 
ually let  out  through  wickets  in  the  dams  when 
needed  in  the  summer." 

These  lakes  and  ponds  are  most  numerous  in 
Preston  township,  where  there  are  no  less  than 
eighteen.  The  following  interesting  facts  con- 
cerning the  location,  depth  and  height  above 
tide  of  these  lakes  is  given  by  Hon.  N.  F.  Un- 
derwood, a  resident  of  the  township  : 

Como  Lake  (147.",  feet  A.  T.)  at  village  of  Lake 
Como;  depth,  24  feet;  has  two  considerable  inlets; 
outlet  into  Equinunk  waters. 

Tapper  Twin,  one-half  mile  north  of  Como  ;  no  in- 
let ;  outlet  into  Lower  Twin  ;  depth,  68  feet. 

Lower  Twin,  one-fourth  mile  southeast  of  Upper 
Twin  ;  outlet  into  Equinunk  ;  depth,  62  feet. 

Lax/,  rn  Spruce,  one  mile  south  of  Como;  no  inlet ; 
outlet  into  Como;  area,  30  to  35  acres ;  marshy  on 
side  next  to  Como  Lake,  with  large  swamp  extending 
to  within  one-fourth  mile  of  the  latter. 

Sly,  one-fourth  mile  southeast  of  Spruce  ;  no  inlet ; 
outlet  into  Equinunk  ;  depth,  59  feet  ;  area,  60  to  70 
acres. 

Long,  one  and  a  half  miles  south-southwest  from 
Como  ;  no  inlet ;  outlet  into  Equinunk  ;  depth,  52 
feet. 

Seven-Mile,  one  mile  south-southwest  from  Como; 
one  considerable  inlet;  outletinto  Equinunk  ;  depth, 
22  feet ;  area,  about  75  acres. 

Ooxtown  (A.  T.  1950  feet),  one  and  a  half  miles 
northwest  from  Preston  Centre;  no  inlet  ;  outlet  into 
Starrucca  Creek  ;  depth,  47  feet ;  area,  80  to  90  acres. 


Westt  rn  Spruce  (A.  T.  1.960  feet), one-half niileaouth- 
I  west  from  Preston  Centre;  small  inlet;    outlet   into 

Starrucca  Creek;  depth,  21  feet;  area,   about  75  acres. 

Both  this  and  Coxtown  have  comparatively  low  sur- 
j  roundings. 

The  shallow  ones  have  comparatively  level 
j  floors,  sometimes  exhibiting  only  a  foot  or  two 
of  variation  in  two  hundred  or  three  hundred 
yards.  The  water  in  the  deeper  ones  is  very 
clear,  while  in  the  shallow  ones  it  is  colored 
like  swamp  water,  their  bottoms  consisting  of 
soft,  vegetable  mud  to  an  unknown  depth. 
Without  doubt  the  filling-up  process  now 
going  on  in  them  has  converted  many  former 
lakes  into  the  present  swamps,  and  greatly  re- 
duced the  size  of  others. 

Those  not  previously   mentioned   in  Preston 


Big  Hickory  Pond  1950 

Little  Hickory  Pond 2000 

Bone 2 1 

Independent  Pond 1950 

Pointed  Pond 1975 

Five-Mile  Pond 1975 

Belmont  Lake, 1950 

Chehocton  Pond 1775 

Beaver  Pond — 

In  the  other  townships  of  Wayne  County  are 
the  following  : 

Blevntiun.  Keet. 

Four-Mile  Pond,  Scott  — 

Island  "  "       1800 

Lizard  Lake,  Buckingham 1250 

Preston  Lake,  "  — 

Dillon's      "  "  - 

Adams        "  "  1300 

Carr's  "  "  1425 

High  "  "  - 

Belmont     "     Mt.  Pleasant  1950 

Bigelow      "  "  — 

Mud  Pond  "  — 

Rock  Lake  "  KiOO 

Miller's  Pond  "  — 

Upper  Woods  Pond,  Lebanon 1500 

Lower       "  "  "        1450 

Duck  Harbor      "  "         1350 

Rose  "  "         — 

Niles  "  "         — 

Cline  "      Damascus   — 

Galilee  "  "  — 

Swag  "  •'  

Laurel  Lake  "  1265 

Gorharn  Pond         "  — 

Spruce  "    Oregon     — 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


:;:;:> 


Elevation,  Feet. 

Lovelace       Pond,   Oregon    — 

Mud  "  "       — 

Lower  Wilcox    "  "       — 

Upper       "  "  "       — 

Day  "  "         — 

Cranmer  "  in  Dyberry  tp — 

First  Pond  (Glass  Factory)  "        1460 

Second  "  "        1475 

Third    "  '•         — 

Jenning's  Pond  "        — 

White  Oak"    in  Clinton  tp 1375 

Elk  "  "  — 

Mud  "  '■  _ 

Martwick's  "  "  — 

Perron's       "  "  — 

Stanton         "    in  Canaan  tp 140(1 

Keen's         "  "  1820 

Hoadley's    "  "  — 

Curbs'  "     in  S.  Canaan  tp — 

Kizer's         "  "  — 

Cadjaw        "     in  Cherry  Ridge  tp 1295 

Clark's        "  "  1395 

Sand  "  "  1350 

Bunnell's    "     in  Texas  tp 1100 

Dorfliuger's  Pond      "  1250 

Beech  "  in  Berlin  tp 1320 

Williams'         "  "  li'S."> 

Ridge  "     in  Palmyra  tp 1800 

SwampBrook"  "  ,1100 

Purdy's  "     in  Paupack  tp 1350 

Long  "  "  1400 

Jones'  "     in  Salem  tp 1425 

Marsh  "  "  1400 

Bidvvell  "  "  14:H(t 

Fish. — What  has  been  said  of  the  lake-  and 
streams  of  the  county  leads,  naturally,  to  a  few 
remarks  upon  the  fish  which  are  so  plentiful  in 
them.  First  of  all  is  that  aristocrat  of  the 
water, — the  handsomest  and  gamest  of  all  the 
species,  —  the  trout.  Formerly,  they  were 
very  numerous.  Thirty  or  forty  years  ago  a 
man  was  not  thought  much  of  an  angler  who 
could  not  go  out  and  fill  his  creel — or,  more 
probably,  as  creels  were  not  then  much  used, 
get  a  string  so  long  that  it  dragged  the  ground — 
in  a  few  hours.  In  1840.  they  abounded  in  the 
Wallenpaupaek,  Middle  Creek,  Dyberry  and 
Lackawaxen,  ranging  from  nine  to  sixteen  inches 
in  length  ;  but  a  few  years  later  the  liquor  from 
the  tanneries  and  the  saw-dust  from  the  mills 
so  polluted  the  water,  and  the  pickerel  became 
so  numerous,  that  the  trout  vanished  from  all 
of  these  streams,  excepting  their  head- waters. 


Many  of  the  small  streams  have  yet  a  few  trout. 
The  Wanguni,  Five-Mile,  the  head-waters  of 
the  Dyberry  and  the  creeks  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county  are  now  the  principal  trout- 
producing  streams  ;  hut  they  are  fast  diminish- 
ing, even  in  these  waters,  and  unless  they  are 
restocked  will  soon  entirely  disappear. 

The  most  common  among  the  highly-prized 
fish  at  present  are  the  black  bass  and  pickerel, 
both  strangers  to  the  waters  of  the  county  until 
brought  in  by  enthusiastic  fishermen. 

The  black  bass  were  first  introduced  in  1868 
by  A.  W.  McGown.  The  pickerel  were  brought 
to  the  county  about  1836,  when  the  principal 
ponds  in  the  county  were  stocked.  Sand  Pond 
was  stocked  in  1836  by  Aaron  Curtis  and  his 
father,  of  Canaan  township.  It  was  stocked 
with  bass  in  1868  by  A.  W.  McGown.  It  also 
has  perch,  catfish  and  eels.  They  are  the  native 
fish,  and  excepting  the  eels,  are  in  all  of  the 
principal  ponds  in  the  county.  These  are  not 
in  the  lakes  that  empty  into  the  Paupack,  as 
they  cannot  ascend  the  falls;  the  young  fry  are 
below  the  falls  in  countless  numbers,   but   none 

above. 

Elk  Pond  was  stocked  with  bass  iu  1868  by 
A.  W.  McGown.  It  also  has  pickerel  and 
perch  in  its  waters.  Upper  Woods  has  bass, 
pickerel  and  perch.  It  was  stocked  with  bass 
in  1868  by  A.  W.  McGown.  In  1840  trout 
were  quite  plenty  in  it.  Mr.  P.  G.  Goodrich 
says  that  he  caught  one  there  that  weighed  three 
pounds  and  six  ounces,  but  the  pickerel  soon  ex- 
terminated them.  White  Oak  Pond  has  bass, 
pickerel,  perch  and  trout  in  its  waters.  This  is  the 
only  pond  in  the  county  that  has  trout  in  it,  and 
their  time  is  short,  as  it  has  been  stocked  with 
bass  and  pickerel  within  the  last  few  years. 
Keen's  Pond  has  bass,  pickerel  and  perch,  the 
bass  running  in  from  Elk  Pond.  Beech  Pond 
contains  bass,  pickerel  and  perch.  Mr.  Merrill 
said  the  bass  were  put  in  the  summer  of  1885. 
The  pickerel  were  introduced  many  years  ago. 
Jones'  Pond  was  stocked  witli  pickerel,  in 
1836,  by  a  number  of  the  old  settlers  who  re- 
sided near  the  pond.  It  was  stocked  with  bass, 
in  1875,  by  James  A.  Bigart. 

It  was  stocked  with  land-locked  salmon,  in 
1877,  by   S.  L.   Dart.     He   also  put   in   five 


:;:;i; 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


hundred  lake  trout  the  same  year.  He  says 
there  has  never  been  one  caught  or  seen  since,  to 
his  knowledge.  It  is  the  opinion  of  some  that 
they  are  in  the  deep  water  and  have  never  been 
fished  for  properly,  but  they  probably  were 
destroyed  in  a  short  time  by  the  pickerel,  as 
they  were  very  plenty  in  the  pond  at  that  time. 
In  seems  incredible  that  they  could  remain 
there  these  eight  years  and  not  one  of  them  be 
seen  or  caught.  Biddell  Pond  contains  bass, 
pickerel  and  perch.  Trout  were  quite  plenty 
in  it  about  1836,  but  it  was  stocked  with 
pickerel  at  that  time  by  some  of  the  old  settlers, 
and  the  trout  could  not  hold  their  own  against 
the  pickerel,  and  were  exterminated.  Bass  were 
put  in  this  pond  about  1875  by  A.  W.  Mc- 
Gown.  Stanton  Pond  is  well  supplied  with 
pickerel  and  perch,  ami  so  also  are  many  of  the 
lesser  ponds  of  the  county. ' 

A  special  law  enacted  in  1870  protects  the 
black  bass  of  Wayne  County  from  the  angler 
except  during  specified  seasons.  It  provides 
that : 

"From  aud  after  the  passage  of  this  act  it 
shall  not  be  lawful  for  any  person  or  persons  to 
take,  catch  or  kill,  by  any  means  or  device 
whatsoever,  fish  commonly  known  by  the  name 
of  black  bass  in  any  of  the  waters,  lakes,  ponds 
or  creeks  of  Wayne  County  during  the  months 
of  March,  April,  May  aud  June  in  each  and 
every  year  ;  nor  shall  it  be  lawful  for  any  per- 
son or  persons  to  fish  in  said  waters  at  any  time 
with  any  kind  of  nets,  seines,  baskets  or  bags, 
nor  to  use  in  any  way  what  is  commonly  known 
as  '  Cocculus  Iudicus  '  or  any  other  vegetable  or 
mineral  substance  in  said  waters,  for  the  purpose 
of  stupefying  or  poisoning  fish  in  order  to  catch 
or  destroy  them." 

It  was  provided  "  that  any  person  offending 
against  this  law  should,  upon  conviction,  be  liable 
to  a  fine  of  not  less  than  twenty-five  dollars,  nor 

1  The  facts  concerning  fish  were  supplied  by  li.  C.  Leon- 
ard, of  Middle  Valley.  It  is  a  fact  not  well  known,  even 
in  Wayne  County,  where  he  resides,  that  Mr.  Leonard  is  the 
champion  fly-caster  iu  the  United  States  He  was  a  winner 
at.  the  tournaments  in  New  York  in  ISSli,  1883,  1884  and 
1885,  in  the  hitter  year  casting  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  feet  (with  a  salmon  rod)  and  ninety-two  feet  single- 
handed.  Iu  previous  years  lie  made  nearly  as  good  re- 
cords. 


more  than  fifty  dollars,  with  costs  of  prosecu- 
tion for  every  such  offense,  one-half  of  said  tine 
to  go  to  the  prosecutor  and  the  other  half  to  be 
paid  to  the  treasurer  of  the  township  in  which 
such  offense  shall  have  been  committed,  for 
school  purposes  only  ;  and  in  default  of  the 
payment  of  said  fine,  undergo  an  imprisonment 
in  the  county  jail  of  said  county  for  a  term  of 
twenty  days.  Provided  the  prosecution  shall 
be  commenced  within  sixty  days  after  the  of- 
fense is  committed." 


CHAPTER    X. 

the  borough  of  honesdale. 

Title  of  the  Site  of  Honesdale — The 
"  Indian  Orchard  "  and  Schoonover 
Tracts. — Honesdale  is  built  upon  portions  of 
two  tracts  of  land,  which  were  known  as  the 
Indian  Orchard  and  Schoonover  patents,  the 
former  passing  from  the  proprietaries  of  Penn- 
sylvania to  Colonel  Jonas  Seely  in  1765  and 
the  latter.from  the  State  to  William  Schoonover 
iu  1803.  The  former,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Heading,  Berks  County,  and  an  officer  in  the 
provincial  service  during  the  French  and  In- 
dian War  (sometimes  called  in  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania Teedyuscuug's  War),  on  being  relieved 
of  his  command  near  the  close  of  the  struggle, 
petitioned  the  proprietaries  for  a  large  tract  of 
land,  pledging  its  early  settlement  as  an  induce- 
ment for  the  issuance  of  the  grant.  His  ap- 
plication was  favorably  receivethjbut  it  was  not 
until  the  30th  day  of  July,  17!*o,  that  a  war- 
rant was  issued  to  him,  or  rather  to  the  survey- 
or-general, James  Scull,  giving  him  authority 
to  survey  the  lands  for  Seely.  The  conditions, 
briefly  stated,  were  that  ten  thousand  acres  of 
land  were  to  be  surveyed  to  and  for  Jonas 
Seely,  iu  one  or  two  tracts,  on  or  near  the  north 
branch  of  the  "  Lackawaksin  "  ('reek,  in  North- 
ampton County,  "  beginning  about  a  mile  above 
the  forks  of  that  creek  and  going  on  or  near  to 
a  Tract  there  of  eight  hundred  acres,"  which 
had  been  surveyed  for  the  proprietaries'  use ; 
that  there  should  be  surveyed  aud  set  off  for 
the    proprietaries    ten   acres  for  every  hundred 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


:J37 


acres  of  the  tract,  "  at  least  of  equal  value  and 
Goodness  with  the  Rest;"  that  the  grantee 
should  pay  for  every  hundred  acres  thereof  five 
pounds  "  sterling  money  of  Great  Britain,"  one- 
half  within  six  months  and  the  other  within 
eighteen  months  after  the  return  of  the  survey; 
that  the  grantee  should  settle  the  tract  within 
three  years  ensuing  after  the  date  of  the  war- 
rant, unless  there  should  be  "  rupture  or  war 
with  or  interruption  by  the  Indians,"  in  which 
case  the  condition  should  he  complied  with  in  a 
reasonable  time  not  exceeding  three  years  after 
the  termination,  and  it  was  further  provided  and 
agreed  if  the  latter  stipulation  should  not  be 
fully  complied  with,  the  residue  of  the  lands  not 
settled  should  revert  to  the  proprietaries  and 
remain  "  for. their  use  as  fully  and  effectually 
as  if  the  warrant  had  not  been  granted." 

It  was  not  until  February,  1769,  that  .lames 
Scull  made  return  of  the  survey  executed  under 
the  authority  of  the  warrant  just  synopsized. 
In  his  return  all  the  land  surrounding  the  tract 
was  described  as  "  vacant,"  with  the  exception 
of  the  proprietaries'  manor,  which  adjoined  it 
upon  the  east.  The  northwestern  corner  of  the 
tract  was  a  birch  tree  on  the  hillside  a  little 
south  of  the  old  burial-place  in  the  present  bor- 
ough of  Ilonesdalc,  and  the  northern  boundary 
extended  from  this  point  in  a  northeasterly  di- 
rection for  a  distance  of  a  little  more  than  four 
miles,  into  what  is  now  Berlin  township.  The 
bulk  of  the  tract  as  surveyed  lay  in  the  form  of 
a  square,  with  its  southern  limit  a  little  below- 
Indian  Orchard,  aud  the  remainder  was  includ- 
ed in  a  strip  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  broad 
and  nearly  three  miles  long,  extending  down  the 
Lackawaxen  on  each  side  of  the  stream  to  a 
point  some  distance  below  White  Mills.  The 
tract  was  returned  as  comprising  eight  thousand 
three  hundred  and  seventy-three  and  one-half 
acres,  with  an  allowance  of  six  per  cent,  for 
roads.  The  name  of  the  tract,  "  Indian  <  )rchard," 
by  which  it  was  known  in  all  subsequent  con- 
veyances, was  given  to  it  owing  to  the  fact  that 
within  its  bounds  was  included  the  famous  ap- 
ple orchard  below  Honesdale  on  the  Lackawax- 
en, originally  planted  by  the  Indians. 

The  obligation  which  Colonel  Seely  entered 
iuto  to  cause  the  settlement  of  the  tract  by  thirty 


families  was  not  fulfilled,  nor  does  it  appear 
even  to  have  been  undertaken,  and  yet  the  tract 
did  not  revert  to  the  proprietaries.  Ill  fortune 
overtook  the  enterprising  first  owner  of  the  site 
of  Honesdale  and  of  the  Indian  Orchard  tract, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  part  with  it.  In  March, 
1  77!),  he  conveyed  the  tract,  reserving  one  thou- 
sand acres  at  the  north  end,  to  Colonel  Mark 
Bird  and  dames  Wilson  (a  lawyer  of  Philadel- 
phia and  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence)  in  fee  as  tenants  in  common. 
Colonel  Bird,  who  was  a  conspicuous  character 
in  Pennsylvania  during  the  Revolutionary  pe- 
riod, soon  after  released  and  conveyed  his  share 
to  Wilson,  who,  eventually,  also  secured  the 
thousand  acres  reserved  by  Colonel  Seely.  Mr. 
Wilson  not  long  afterwards  paid  into  the  receiv- 
er-general's office  U^t>7  •">*.  If/.,  the  amount  of 
the  purchase,  and  on  the  16th  of  November, 
1781,  a  patent  for  the  tract  was  issued  to  him 
under  the  seal  and  authority  of  the  Supreme  Ex- 
ecutive Council  of  the  province,  being  signed  by 
William  Moore,  president  of  that  body,  and  at- 
tested by  T.  Matlack,  secretary. 

<  )thcr  creditors  of  <  lolonel  Seely  had,  howev- 
er, in  the  mean  time  taken  measures  to  secure 
their  claims  against  him,  and  having  obtained 
judgments,  had  entered  them  of  record  in  North- 
ampton County,  of  which  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind  the  territory  of  Wayne  was  then  a  part. 
In  March,  1790,  the  Indian  Orchard  tract  was 
sold  by  Sheriff  George  Groff,  of  Northampton 
County,  as  the  property  of  Jonas  Seely,  on  an 
execution  issued  at  the  instance  of  Isaac  Levan, 
in  the  interest  of  the  estate  of  Governor  James 
Hamilton,  deceased,  and  William  More  Smith, 
an  attorney  of  Montgomery  County,  became  the 
purchaser.  But  Wilson  was  not  disposed  to  lose 
his  title  without  a  struggle,  and  on  the  18th  of 
March,  1790,  when  the  sheriff  was  about  to  ac- 
knowledge in  open  court  the  deed  to  Smith, 
Joseph  Thomas,  Wilson's  attorney,  arose  and 
asked  for  a  rule  to  show  cause  why,  upon  James 
Wilson's  paying  to  the  representatives  of  Ham- 
ilton's estate  his  contributory  part  of  Colonel 
Seely's  debt  to  said  Hamilton,  a  deed  should  not 
be  made  by  the  sheriff  to  the  said  Wilson,  as 
the  best  and  highest  bidder.  The  court  ruled 
that  Mr.  Thomas  "  take  nothing  by  his  motion," 


338 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and,  consequently,  the  29th  of  April  the  deed 
was  acknowledged  to  Smith,  in  whom  the  title 
to  the  tract  was  invested  for  about  a  year. 

William  Hamilton,  of  Bush  Hill,"  Philadel- 
phia (nephew  of  .Tames),  received  a  deed  for  the 
property  from  Smith  on  the  14th  of  April, 
1791,  the  consideration  being  nine  hundred  and 
five  dollars  lawful  money  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
held  it  until  his  death,  in  1813,  after  which  Ja- 
son Torrey  became  the  agent  for  the  lands  in 
Wayne  County  belonging  to  his  estate. 


A — The  Schoonovee  Tract.    B — The  Indian  Or- 
chard Tract.    C — The  United  Tracts. 

Sunn  after  William  Hamilton  became  pos- 
sessed of  the  property  clearings  began  to  be 
made  upon  some  of  the  adjoining  tracts,  and 
settlers  encroached  upon  his  domain.  After 
the  erection  of  Wayne  County,  in  1798,  and 
especially  after  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  justice 
to  Bethany,  this  tract  of  laud  lying,  as  it  did, 
near  the  county-seat,  and  along  the  main  road 
to  it  from  the  south,  naturally  appreciated  con- 
siderably in  value.    At  this  time  the  better  por- 


tions of  it  were  in  possession  of  half  a  dozen  in- 
dividuals, either  as  squatters  or  under  contracts 
with  James  Bell,  Mr.  Hamilton's  agent  and  at- 
torney. Three  years  later  Bell's  authority  was 
revoked,  and  it  became  necessary  tor  the  parties 
holding  under  him  to  deal  directly  with  the 
owner,  which  they  did.  On  the  1st  of  .March, 
1810,  deeds  were  acknowledged  by  William 
Hamilton  for  portions  of  the  Indian  Orchard 
tract,  to  Benjamin  Kimble,  Walker  Kimble, 
Stephen  Kimble,  Dan  Dimmick,  Jonathan 
Brink  and  Mordecai  Roberts. 

He,  to  the  last  named  man,  transferred  the 
site  of  Honesdale,  or  rather  its  southern  half,  as 
a  portion  of  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty-two  acres  and  fifty  perches,  the  con- 
sideration for  which  was  the  modest,  though 
then  sufficient,  sum  of  $229.08.  The  lot  was 
described  in  the  Aw\  as  "  All  that  certain  tract 
or  piece  of  land  situate  on  the  waters  of  Lacka- 
waxen  creak,  Wayne  County, State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, bounded  as  follows:  Beginning  at  a 
Hemlock  tree,  the  original  northwest  corner  of 
the  old  Indian  Orchard  tract  ;  thence  north  six- 
ty-six and  a  half  east  one  hundred  and  nineteen 
perches,  to  a  heap  of  stones;  thence  south 
twenty-three  and  a  half  east  eighty-two  and 
three-quarters  perches  to  a  stone;  thence  north 
sixty-six  and  a  half  east  seventy-five  and  a  half 
perches  to  a  post ;  thence  south  twenty-three 
and  a  half  east  thirty-eight,  twenty-four  perches 
to  a  stone;  thence  by  Stephen  Kimble's  land 
south  sixty-five  and  a  half  west  seventy-six 
perches  to  a  stone;  thence  south  twenty-three 
and  a  half  east  eighty-three  and  three-quarters 
perches  to  a  post  ;  thence  by  the  said  Stephen 
Kimble's  land  south  sixty-six  and  a  half  west 
seventy-eight  perches  to  the  place  of  beginning, 
containing  152  acres,  58|  perches,  with  the 
usual  allowance  of  six  per  cent,  for  roads,  being 
a  part  of  a  large  tract  of  land  known  by  the 
name  of  Indian  ( )rchard." 

Mordecai  Roberts,  a  farmer,  between  the 
"  Narrows  "  and  the  mouth  of  the  Lacka waxen, 
held  the  land  for  twelve  years  (doing  nothing,  in 
the  mean  time,  towards  its  improvement,  except 
cutting  oft"  some  of  the  heaviest  timber)  and 
then  sold  it  to  his  son,  Mordecai  Roberts,  Jr., 
of  Dyberry  township,  for  the  nominal  sum  of 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


339 


one  hundred  dollars.  He,  in  turn,  sold  the 
trad  to  Samuel  Kimble,  on  June  30,  1823,  the 
consideration  being  sixteen  hundred  dollars. 

Mr.  Kimble  bought  the  property  with  a  view 
of  clearing  it  up  and  engaging  in  farming,  and 
at  once  set  to  work  chopping,  to  accomplish  that 
intention.  His  purchase  included  all  of  the  land 
embraced  in  the  present  borough  limits,  below, 
or  south  of,  a  line  drawn  east  and  west  through 
the  public  square  and  extended  a  short  distance 
on  each  side  of  the  borough  lines. 

In  1825  he  had  partially  cleared  a  few  acres 
and  erected  a  small  plank  house  at  a  point  on 
Second  Street,  as  the  town  is  now  laid  out,  and 
here  was  residing,  in  the  first  house  erected  upon 
the  site  of  the  now  thriving  and  beautiful  town, 
when  the  operations  of  the  Delaware  and  Hud- 
son Canal  Company  were  begun.  The  project- 
ors of  that  great  enterprise  were  sufficiently  far- 
sighted  to  anticipate  that  a  town  would  be  built 
up  here,  at  the  western  terminus  of  their  canal 
and  the  eastern  terminus  of  their  contemplated 
railroad  over  the  mountains,  and  they  were,  as 
a  matter  of  course,  anxious  to  obtain  possession 
of  Kimble's  land.  It  being  represented  to  him 
by  the  company's  agents  that  the  canal  basin 
would  be  located  beyond  the  limits  of  his  pur- 
chase, and  that  the  passage  of  the  canal  through 
his  farm  would  be  very  detrimental  to  his  in- 
terests, and  also  being  advised  by  some  of  his 
friends  to  sell,  he  finally,  on  the  19th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1827, conveyed  to  Maurice  Wurts,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, all  of  his  land  lying  west  of  the  Lacka- 
waxen,  comprising  "one  hundred  and  seven  acres, 
fifty-nine  perches  strict  measure,"  Kimblereserv- 
ingthe  right  to  maintain  a  dam  across  the  river. 
The  consideration  was  one  thousand  dollars  in 
cash,  a  sum  which  seemed  so  small  when  active 
operations  had  been  begun  on  the  lands  he  dis- 
posed of  and  their  true  value  was  foreshown,  that 
Kimble  bitterly  repented  the  transaction.  On 
the  15th  of  October,  1827,  Maurice  Wurts  sold 
the  parcel  of  land  to  "the  President,  Managers 
and  Company  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal  Company,"  for  the  sum  of  four  thousand 
dollars.  By  them  it  was  laid  out  in  building- 
lots  (except  such  portions  as  they  reserved  for 
their  own  use),  and  from  that  company  all  ti- 
tles to  lots  in  Honesdale,  south  of  the  line  here- 


tofore referred  to,  have  been  accordingly  de- 
rived. 

The  chain  of  title  to  that  portion  of  the  town 
north  of  the  centre  of  the  public  square  remains 
to  be  described.  It  is  much  simpler  than  that 
pertaining  to  the  southern  part. 

The  Sehoonover  tract  of  over  four  hundred 
acres  was  surveyed  on  a  warrant  dated  the  12th 
of  March,  1803,  to  William  Sehoonover,  and  a 
patent  for  it  was  issued  to  him  on  the  27th  of 
January,  1804,  in  which  it  was  called  "  Mon- 
mouth" and  described  as  containing  four  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  acres  and  thirty-nine  perches. 

He  was  from  New  Jersey  and  had  settled  on 
the  Dyberry  Hats,  about  a  mile  above  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Dyberry  Creek  and  the  West 
Branch,  in  1791  or  the  following  year.  His 
occupancy  of  the  place  was  undisturbed  for 
about  ten  years,  but  finally  other  persons  who 
had  obtained  warrants  from  the  commonwealth 
began  to  make  their  surveys  and  attempted  to 
effect  his  removal  on  the  claim  that  he  was  in- 
fringing on  their  territory. 

.Jason  Torrey,  who  was  then  doing  an  im- 
mense amount  of  surveying,  soon  discovered 
that  Mr.  Schoonover's  settlement  far  antedated 
the  titles  of  the  rival  claimants,  and  advised 
him  to  take  out  a  warrant  and  have  the  bound- 
aries of  his  land  definitely  fixed  and  the  title 
secured. 

This,  after  considerable  persuasion,  he  author- 
ized the  surveyor  to  do  for  him.  The  consid- 
eration for  this  service  on  the  part  of  Torrey 
was  agreed  upon  in  advance,  and  was  to  be  one- 
haif  of  the  tract  secured.  After  it  had  been 
accomplished  and  the  patent  secured  the  ques- 
tion came  up  as  to  the  division  of  the  land. 
Sehoonover  naturally  desired  to  retain  that  por- 
tion of  the  patent  on  which  his  clearing  and 
house  stood,  and  it  was  decided  that  Torrey 
should  have  the  lower  or  southern  portion,  but 
as  this  part  was  poorer  land  than  the  northern, 
some  of  it  being  rocky  and  some  of  it  marshy, 
the  line  was  so  run  as  to  allow  him  about  forty 
acres  more  than  half.  The  deed  for  this  por- 
tion of  the  laud  was  executed  by  William 
Sehoonover  and  Susannah,  his  wife,  on  the  23d 
of  April,  the  professional  services  of  the  grantee 
being  rated  as  consideration  for  the   land  to  the 


340 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


amount  of  five  hundred  dollars.  This  deed  de- 
scribed the  possession  as  "  a  certain  tract,  or  par- 
cel of  land  .  .  .  containing  two  hundred  and 
fifty-nine  acres  and  twenty-nine  perches  and  al- 
lowance of  six  per  cent,  for  roads,  being  part  of 
an  entire  original  tract  of  four  hundred  and 
thirty-nine  acres  and  thirty-nine  perches  and 
allowance,  surveyed  on  a  warrant  to  William 
Schoonover,"  etc.  This  included  all  of  the 
lands  now  within  the  borough  limits  north  of 
a  line  drawn  from  east  to  west  through  the  mid- 
dle of  the  public  square. 

Torrey,  who  was  then  living  at  Bethany,  made 
no  attempt  to  improve  the  tract  for  over  twenty 
years,  but  endeavored  several  times  to  sell  it, 
particularly  in  1817  to  Benjamin  Jenkins,  who 
preferred  to  locate  where  Prompton  now  is  and 
pay  a  greater  price  than  was  asked  for  the 
Honesdale  property.  '  Thus  Torrey  remained 
in  possession  until  the  locality  was  selected  as 
the  terminus  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal,  and  he  then  platted  the  northern  portion  of 
the  village  and  placed  his  lots  in  the  market, 
ultimately  realizing  from  their  sale  a  handsome 
profit.2 

Beginning  of  the  Town. — As  soon  as  it 
became  apparent  that  the  "  Forks  of  Dyberry  " 
was  to  be  the  terminus  of  the  canal,  operations 
were  begun  for  the  building  of  a  town.  It  ap- 
pears that  for  a  time  it  was  Jason  Torrey's 
expectation  that  the  head  of  the  canal  would 
be  located  upon  his  land,  and  that  he  and  tin- 
company  should  co-operate  in  laving  out  the 
town.  Indeed,  a  contract  to  that  effect  was 
entered  into  between  Mr.  Bolton,  the  president 
of  the  company,  and  himself,  which  only 
needed  ratification  by  the  board  of  directors. 
They  failed  to  approve  it.  The  head  of  the 
canal  was  fixed  on  the  lauds  south  of  Mr.  Tor- 
rey's,  which,  as  heretofore  stated,  had  been 
bought  by  Mr.  Wurts  and  conveyed  to  the 
company,  and  hence  each  of  the  parties  began 
separate  improvements,  and  two  distinct  hamlets 


1  Memoir  of  Major  Jason  Torrey,  by  Rev.  David  Torrey, 
U.D.,  p.  100. 

2  The  deed  history  of  Honesdale  as  here  given  is  chiefly 
derived  from  a  series  of  articles  by  Thomas  J.  Ham,  Esq, 
which  appeared  in  his  newspaper,  the  Wayne  County  Her- 
ald, in  1880. 


came  into  existence,  which  were  not  merged  for 
many  years. 

To  Mr.  Torrey  belongs  the  honor  of  making 
the  fust  break  in  the  wild,  almost  impenetrable 
rhododendron  and  cypress  thicket  which  clothed 
the  site  of  the  now  thriving  borough.  The 
Kimble  house,  to  be  sure,  was  in  existence,  but 
that  was  not  erected  with  a  view  toward  fur- 
ther improvement.  There  was  none  other 
nearer  than  Schoonover's,  when  Stephen  Tor- 
rey, acting  for  his  father,  superintended  the 
erection  of  a  boarding-house  in  the  fall  of  182b" 
for  the  prospective  laborers  who  were  to  be  on 
the  ground  the  next  season.  This  building,  on 
the  point  between  the  West  Branch  and  the 
Dyberry  and  about  a  hundred  feet  from  each, 
in  after-years  came  to  be  known  as  the  "  Taber- 
nacle," from  the  fact  that  religious  services  were 
held  within  it.  It  was  kept  as  a  boarding-house 
by  William  R,  McLaury,  who  was  thus  the 
first  person  to  commence  housekeeping  in  Hones- 
dale. (He  died  at  his  residence,  near  the  bo- 
rough, on  March  !i,  1881.) 

The  next  season  (1827)  vigorous  operations 
were  commenced  in  the  way  of  clearing,  north 
of  the  creek,  and  Jason  Torrey  surveyed  and 
laid  out  his  portion  of  the  town.  Half  a  mile 
up  the  West  I '.ranch  his  son  Stephen  constructed 
a  dam  and  built  a  saw-mill,  which  was  in  ope- 
ration early  in  1S2S,  and  sawed  the  lumber  for 
many  of  the  first  houses  in  the  new  settlement. 
The  Forbes  House,  now  the  Wayne  County 
House,  was  erected  and  taken  possession  of  by 
Charles  Forbes,  and  the  Foster  House  was  built 
across  the  street.  I.  I'.  Foster  ami  Jason  Tor- 
rey opened  the  first  store  in  May,  1827,  and 
were  succeeded  by  Foster  and  John  F.  Roe  in 
March  of  the  following  year. 

The  engineers  of  the  canal  company  surveyed 
and  laid  out  the  portion  of  the  town  south  of 
Mr.  Torrey's  land  about  the  same  time  that  he 
was  engaged  in  platting  the  northern  part. 

From  this  time  on  improvements  were  car- 
ried forward  with  something  like  a  rush,  for 
gangs  of  men  were  'set  at  work  by  the  canal 
company,  and  tradesmen  and  citizens  began  to 
flock  to  the  place.  Speaking  of  a  period  a  little 
later,  the  Rev.  Henry  A.  Bow  land  thus  pictures 
the  prosperity  which  the  great  work  of  internal 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


:;il 


improvement   brought  to  the  locality  and  sur- 
rounding country, — ' 

"The  work  was  completed;  coal  began  to  float 
down  the  canal  towards  the  sea-coast  and  a  tide  of 
immigration  to  set  back  through  the  same  channel  into 
this  almost  wilderness.  Laborers,  mechanics  and 
merchants  flocked  in  and  established  themselves 
along  the  line  of  the  public  work;  and  when  those 
who  had  gained  something  from  their  industry  pre- 
ferred a  different  life,  they  purchased  wild  lands,  sub- 
dued them  by  the  plow  and  devoted  themselves  to 
agricultural  pursuits."  ' 

The  settlement  was  named  Ilonesdalc  in 
honor  of  Philip  Hone,  first  president  of  the 
canal  company,  one  of  the  chief  promoters  of 
the  enterprise  and  " the  courtliest  mayor  New 
York  ever  saw." 

As  has  been  before  said,  several  years  elapsed 
before  the  two  settlements,  planted  respectively 
on  the  lands  of  Jason  Torrey  and  of  the  com- 
pany, grew  together.  They  were  commonly 
termed  the  "upper  town"  and  the  "lowei 
town."  The  first  step  toward  filling  in  the  gap 
which  separated  them  was  the  erection  of  Cor- 
nelius Hendricks'  residence  (where  S.  (i.  Cory 
now  lives),  on  Third  Street,  thai  being  the  first 
house  north  of  Ninth  Street  and  below  the  West 
Branch.  This  was  in  1833.  There  were  then 
twenty  houses,  including  the  "  Tabernacle," 
north  of  the  stream  mentioned.  About  this 
time  the  first  edifice  of  the  Episcopal  *  Ihurch 
was  erected  on  the  site  of  the  present  one  by 
Charles  Jameson.  Prior  to  that  time  (he  so- 
ciety worshipped  in  the  upper  story  id' the  build- 
ing still  standing  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Main  ami  Sixth  Streets.  The  post-office  was 
then  in  the  building  now  occupied  by  John 
Rehbein,  and  the  postmaster  was  Thomas  T. 
Hayes,  who,  although  he  had  office  under  Jack- 
son, was  a  stanch  Whig.  A  mail  was  brought 
daily  from  Rileyville  by  a  two-horse  wagon,  and 
tri-weekly  from  Carbondale. 

The  merchants  of  that  time  (1833)  were:  — 
above  the  bridge,  or  in  the  "  uppertown,"  Edward 
Mills,  Thomas  T.  Hayes,  Hand,  Kirtland,  Roe 
&Co.;  and  below  the  bridge  were  Hastings 
Frisbie  (where  the  Stanton  building  now  is), 
Z.  H.  Russell,  Daniel   B.  Wilcox,   Delezene  & 

1  Uev.  Henry  A    llowlaml  in  Thanksgiving  sermon,  1801. 


Beach,  St.  John  &  Perkins,  F.  R.  Marshall, 
Calvin  Earl  and  Edward  Murray,  the  last  three 
being  located  along  the  tow-path  of  the  canal. 

The  Early  Residents. — The  beginning  of 
the  town  has  already  been  outlined,  some  of  the 
early  settlers  being  incidentally  mentioned,  and 
the  following  list  is,  therefore,  in  some  measure, 
a  recapitulation,  though  most  of  the  names 
have  not  heretofore  been  given.  The  list  shows 
the  order  in  which  taxable  residents  arrived, 
from  1827  to  1831,  inclusive,— 

1827.— Daniel  Blandin,  Charles  Forbes,  Stephen  W. 
i  lenung. 

1828.— Alanson  Blood,  Jacob  B.  Bidwell,  James  L. 
Blackington,  John  Capron,  Isaac  1*.  Foster,  Leonard 
Graves,  Thomas  T.  Hayes,  Edward  Mills,  Hiram 
Plum,  John  F.  Roe,  Zenas  Russell,  Russell  Spencer, 
Timothy  N.  Vail,  Russell  Whitney. 

1829.— Horace  Baldwin,  Simeon  S.  Chamberlain, 
Calvin  Karle,  Nathaniel  B.  Eldred,  Henry  Hering- 
ton,  Stephen  Kelly,  Martin  Kellogg,  Solomon  Z. 
Lord,  Ebenezer  T.  Losey,  William  Moak,  John  Os- 
borne, Benjamin  Rouse,  Mary  Stewart  (widow),  Abra- 
ham J.  Strvker,  Stephen  Torrey,  Daniel  B.  Wilcox, 
Joseph  B.  Walton. 

1880. — Nelson  Blood,  Levi  Bronson,  Augustus 
Brown,  Alonzo  Bentley,  Mortimer  Chamberlain,  Cal- 
vin Earle,  Hastings  Frisby,  Ezra  Hurlburt,  Howell 
W.  Hollister,  Charles  Jamison,  Albert  Jamison,  Elias 
J.  Kent,  Jabez  Lovejoy,  David  M.  Mapes,  Alexander 
Murray,  Edward  Murray,  Henry  Merwin,  Elkauah 
Patmor,  William  C.  Rose,  Thomas  L.  Reese,  Benoni 
I!.  Salmon,  Christopher  It.  Smith,  Manus  Thompson, 
John  Torrey,  Abiram  Winton,  Hoel  Wakefield,  Al- 
vah  Wheeler. 

1831.  — Nathaniel  Bartlett,  Russell  Blowers,  Abel 
Barnes,  John  Bolts,  William  J.  Cressy,  John  Callo- 
way, William  Chamberlain,  William  W.  Culver, 
Henry  H.  Farnum,  Jacob  W.  Griswold,  Ezra  Hand, 
James  Hughes,  Jonas  Hanscomb,  Samuel  Kellogg, 
Brooks  Levo,  Russell  F.  Lord,  James  Morris,  Chris- 
topher L.  Morris,  James  .Manning,  John  Maron, 
Seneca  Mayhew,  Jacob  Moore,  Levi  T.  Prescott, 
Jeremiah  Piatt,  William  Parminter, Charles  K.  Rob- 
inson,  Julius  Richards,  George  Stratton,  Abram  A. 
Stryker,  George  N.  Styles,  Silas  Stephens,  John 
Tyler,  Phineas  L.  Tyler,  Thomas  H.  R.Tracy,  John 
B.  Jervis. 

Others  speedily  followed,  and   in    1833  the 

prominent  residents  of  the  infant  town  were 
as  billows  : 

Rev.  James  Campbell.  R.  F.  Lord. 

Rev.  James  H.  Tyng.  S.  Z.  Lord. 

E.  Patmore.  Z.  H.  Russell. 

D.  Tarbox.  A.  H.  Farnham. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


A.  W.  Brown. 

F.  W.  Farnham 

J.  M.  Blackington. 

A.  Wheeler. 

R.  Taylor. 

.1.1).  Delezene. 

E.  Mills. 

.1.  H.  Perkins. 

C.  Forbes. 

('.  Karl. 

E.  Hnrlburt. 

P.  L.  Tyler. 

S.  W.  Genung. 

E.  .1.   Kent. 

A.  Blood. 

Dr.  E.  F.  Losey 

Thos.  Ham. 

R,  Spencer. 

S.  Stevens. 

L).  Beers. 

J.  F.  Roe. 

Jason  Torrey. 

J.  P.  Foster. 

John  Torrey. 

S.  Brush. 

A.  Winton. 

1).  B.  Wilcox. 

E.  Hand. 

G.  Farnham. 

I>.  1'.   Kirtland. 

J.  Sanders. 

Win.  Orchard. 

B.  D.  Beach. 

S.  North. 

D.  B.  St.  John. 

I.  T.  Haves. 

E.  R,  Marshall. 

I.  N.  Hayes. 

E.  Murray. 

H.  B.  Hayes. 

G.  Stratton. 

C.  Hendrict. 

J.  Calloway. 

A.J.  Strvker. 

J.  B.  Walton. 

H.  Frisbie. 

M.  A.  Bidwell. 

J.  Morris. 

0.   limes. 

1).  Cory. 

Dr.  .1.  Snyder. 

W.Moak. 

H.  Plum. 

('.  F.  Clark. 

S.  S.  Chamberlain. 

J.  Kelly. 

T.  \V.  Vail. 

(.'.  K.  Robinson. 

T.  L.  Reese. 

( '.  Jameson. 

Dr.  B.  H.  Throop. 

J.  Hanscum. 

T.  H.  R.  Tracy. 

B.  B.  Salmon. 

Isaac  P.  Foster,  who  is  set  down  in  the  tore- 
going  list  as  arriving  in  1828,  really  became  a 
resident  in  the  preceding  year,  hut  was  not  upon 
the  tax-list  until  the  year  mentioned. 

He  was  destined  to  become  one  of  the  most 
active  business  men  of  the  town.  He  was 
one  of  the  proprietors  (in  company  with  Jason 
Torrey)  of  the  first  store,  and,  with  John  F. 
Roe,  opened  the  second,  as  heretofore  stated. 
In  later  years,  with  Roe,  D.  P.  Kirtland  and 
Ezra  Hand,  he  was  a  pioneer  in  the  tanning 
industry,  which  became  an  immense  one  in 
Wayue  County.1  He  soon  became  the  sole 
proprietor  of  the  first  tannery  and  carried  it  on 
for  many  years,  as  he  also  did  his  mercantile 
house.  He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  <  'lunch  and  one  of  its  most 
zealous  and  exemplary  adherents,  but  was 
forced,  when  the  slavery  question  assumed 
definite  form,  to  retire  from  his  office  as  ruling 


'See  Chapter  VIII. 


elder,  because  he  wasan  Abolitionist.  He  lived 
to  see  the  entire  membership  of  the  church, 
with,  perhaps,  two  or  three  exceptions,  adopt 
and  uphold  his  views  in  regard  to  the  wrong  of 
slavery.  He  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the 
first  temperance  society  in  Wayne  County.  He 
was  an  agitator  on  all  moral  topics,  and  his  zeal 
in  championing  his  convictions,  however  un- 
popular, was  fully  equaled  by  his  benevolence. 
Deacon  Foster,  as  he  was  commonly  called, 
was  born  in  Quogue,  in  the  town  of  Southamp- 
ton, Long  Island,  Match  28,  1788.  He  went  to 
New  York  in  1810,  in  quest  of  employment, 
and  to  Montrose  in  the  same  year.  There  he 
remained  until  he  came  to  the  "  Forks  of  Dy- 
berry,"  in  1827.  In  1812  he  married  Miss 
Mary  Howell,  who  bore  him  sixteen  children, 
among  whom  was  I.  N.  Foster,  the  well-known 
merchant  of  Honesdale.  Deacon  Foster  died 
in  the  borough  on  November  18,  1876,  in  his 
eighty-ninth  year,  full  of  years  and  full  of 
honor. 

Stephen  \V.  Genung  also  came  to  the  settle- 
ment in  1827,  and  was  the  first  blacksmith 
here.  With  his  brothers,  Ira  and  Lamock,  he 
had  settled  in  what  is  now  Berlin  township 
prior  to  1822,  and  had  owned  a  saw-mill  at 
Genungtown.  He  spent  all  of  the  remainder  of 
his  days  in  Honesdale,  and  was  a  much  re- 
spected citizen.  He  and  his  eldest  son,  Ezra, 
laid  out  an  addition  to  the  town  upon  the  beau- 
tiful, gently-sloping  hill,  to  the  southwest.  His 
other  sons  were  Elisha,  Merwin  and  Amzi. 
George  Genung,  station  agent  of  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Railroad,  is  a  son  of  Ezra. 

Alanson  Blood,  who  is  mentioned  as  arriv- 
ing in  1828,  began  business  as  a  cabinet-maker 
with  his  brother  Nelson,  who  died  and  was 
buried  at  sea  in  1837,  while  on  a  voyage  from 
New  ( trleans  to  New  York.  In  1829  he  built 
the  dwelling-house  on  Upper  Frout  Street, 
which  he  ever  after  occupied.  He  was  born  in 
Burlington,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y.,  March  26, 
1806.  October  9,  1830,  he  married  Chloe 
Stone,  who  was  born  in  Milford,  Otsego  County, 
N.  Y.,  and  died  here  June  10,  1882.  He  died 
September  12,  1885,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his 
age.  His  residence  here  extended  over  the  long 
period  of  fifty-seven  years. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


343 


"Mr.  Blood  was  a  person  of  excellent  sense,  a 
skillful  and  reliable  workman,  and  thoroughly 
upright  in  all  affairs.  His  success,  measured 
simply  by  financial  accumulations,  was  not  large. 
and,  primarily,  because  honest  himself,  he  could 
not  believe  that  all  other  men  were  not  so.  Hut 
he  liuilt  up  a  character  which  steadily  com- 
manded universal  indence  ami  esteem. 

"  Long  before  his  wife  died  he  was  touched  by 
paralysis,  and  thereupon  commenced  a  certain 
decay  of  his  mental  as  well  as  his  physicial 
powers.  He  could  not  realize  that  the  partner 
of  his  life  was  dead.  He  imagined  that  her 
absence  was  caused  by  a  visit  to  distant  relatives, 
and  that  she  would  come  hack  again  to  hear  him 
company  as  in  former  years.  At  length  he 
failed  to  recognize  even  his  children  and  grand- 
children, hut  still  the  consciousness  that  his  wife 
was  absent,  and  the  expectation  that  she  would 
soon  return,  remained  as  a  comforting  halluci- 
nation. That  indistinct  and  wavering  recollec 
tion  of  his  beloved  wife  was  the  last  trace  of 
memory  in  him."  The  late  Mrs.  Baker  was  a 
daughter.  Two  daughters  are  living, — Mrs.  E. 
A.  Penniman  and  .Miss  Mary  Blood. 

John  F.  Hoe  came  from  Long  Island  in  1828 
and  kept  store  with  I.  P.  Foster  in  the  old 
Tabernacle  building,  which  stood  near  the  forks 
of  the  river.  He  kept  store  in  the  Tabernacle 
about  a  year  and  then  moved  to  a  building  now 
used  as  a  dwelling,  on  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Park  Streets,  just  opposite  the  Wayne  County 
House.  In  1833  he  built  the  house  and  store 
where  he  now  lives.  He  gave  up  active  busi- 
ness in  1878,  but  is  still  living — the  oldest  resi- 
dent of  the  borough.  About  ten  years  after 
coming  here  he  married  Ruth  Saver,  of  Mon- 
trose. He  has  a  son,  Henry,  and  two  daughters 
—  Mrs.  \V.  W.  Weston  and  Mrs.  H.  M.  Atherton. 

Zenas  11.  Kussell  was  another  arrival  of  1828. 
He  came  from  Madison  ( Jounty,  X.  Y.,  where 
he  was  born  July  2,  1806.  Very  soon  after  his 
arrival  he  opened  a  store,  and  he  continued  in 
the  mercantile  business  for  many  years.  On 
the  incorporation  of  the  borough  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Council,  anil  he  served  in  that 
capacity  about  half  of  the  time  until  his  death. 
He  was  very  active  in  bringing  about  public 
improvements.     He  was  elected  a  director  of 


the  Honesdale  Rank  in  1836,  vice-president  in 
1 856  and  president  in  1863.  Mr.  Kussell  was 
married,  September  17,  1830,  to  Lucy  Ann, 
daughter  of  Charles  Forbes,  the  pioneer  pro- 
prietor of  the  Wayne  County  House.  He  died 
May  15,  1878.  His  wife  is  still  living.  They 
had  three  children — Henry  Z.,  Mrs.  Robert  J. 
Menner  and  Mrs.  Win.  H.  Dimmick. 

Stephen  Brush  came,  in  1828,  from  Fairfield 
<  'ounty,  ( 'onn.,  and  resided  here  until  his  death, 
in  January,  I860,  aged  sixty-eight  years.  He 
united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  1829 
and  was  chosen  ruling  elder  the  following 
year. 

John  Kelly,  a  native  of  Ireland,  arrived  in 
1828  and  went  immediately  into  the  service  of 
the  Delaware  and  Hudson  (anal  Company,  in 
whose  employ  he  remained  for  thirty-two  years. 
He  was  afterwards  a  contractor  on  the  Hones- 
dale  Branch  of  the  Erie  Railroad.  He  was 
much  interested  in  local  affairs  and  served  some 
time  in  the  Council.  He  died  March  28,  1880, 
aged  eighty-two  years.  He  had  three  daughters, 
the  wives  of  Michael,  Edward  and  the  late 
James  Brown. 

Thomas  11.  H.  Tracy,  who  came  here  in 
1829,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  and  while  yet 
in  his  childhood  moved,  with  his  parents,  to 
Columbus,  Chenango  County,  New  York.  His 
father  was  a  farmer  and  blacksmith,  dividing 
his  time  between  his  agricultural  labors  and 
those  at  the  anvil,  and  his  mother  a  true  wo- 
man, performing  the  duties  of  her  daily  life 
with  fidelity  and  affection.  His  youth  was 
passed  on  the  farm  and  in  his  father's  shop, 
and  his  education  limited  to  such  rudimentary 
instruction  as  was  afforded  by  the  common 
schools  of  that  day.  His  prompt,  liberal  and 
earnest  public  spirit  placed  his  sound  judgment 
and  excellent  business  sense  at  interest  for  the 
benefit  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and  much  that 
tended  to  the  prosperity  of  the  town  was  born 
of  his  forethought  and  enterprise.  Soon  after 
coming  to  Honesdale  he  was  appointed  super- 
intendent of  the  Pennsylvania  Section  of  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal,  a  post  which  he 
occupied  until  his  death,  which  occurred  May 
4,  1856.  Throughout  his  entire  administration 
he  so  combined  justice  to  the  company  and  gen- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


erosity  towards  its  employees  that  he  constantly 
enjoyed  the  confidence  and  respect  of  both.    He 

was  identified  with   the  -porate  existence  of 

the  borough  almost  from  the  beginning,  and 
was  for  many  years  its  chief  burgess,  and  an 
active  partisan  of  whatever  should  promote  its 
prosperity.  In  1856  be  was  chosen  one  of  the 
associate  judges  of  the  county,  and  the  discharge 
of  his  duties  un  the  bench  was  marked  by  the 
same  earnest  appreciation  of  responsibility  and 
desire  to  do  equal  justice  to  all,  that  marked 
his  life  as  a  private  citizen.  He  had  a  son. 
Miles  L.  Tracy,  who  i-  deceased.  The  wife  of 
Judge  Henry  M.  Seely  is  a  daughter. 

Rnssell  F.  Lord  was  one  of  the  early  comers 
and  one  of  the  original  engineers  and  managers 
of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company. 
His  brother,  Solomon  Z.,  long  in  the  employ  of 
the  company  at  Hawley,  was  cotemporary  in 
arrival. 

Charles  P.  Clark  was  among  the  early  arri- 
vals and  one  of  the  first  school-teachers  of  the 
settlement. 

Edward  Murray,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers, 
was  born  in  the  county  of  Fermanagh,  Ireland, 
in  1788.       He  emigrated    to  America   in    early 

manhood  in  1809  ;  re-visited  his  native  < ntrv 

in  1819,  and  remained  there  one  year,  return- 
ing to  his  adopted  country  in  LS2().  He  came 
to  Honesdale  when  the  town  was  in  its  infancy. 
He  helped  to  complete  the  Delaware  ami  Hud- 
son ( 'anal,  and  immediately  upon  its  completion 
commenced  boating,  and  thus  was  one  of  its 
pioneer  boatmen.  He  sold  various  kinds  of 
goods  along  the  canal,  hence  the  title  "  Captain." 
He  maintained  a  good  standing  in  business  for 
thirty  years. 

In  1846  his  chief  clerk,  Mr.  Henigan,  in- 
ventoried his  property  and  pronounced  it  worth 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  regard- 
less of  cash  on  hand,  the  amount  of  which  was 
not  known.  He  had  many  reverses,  mostly 
caused  by  fires,  which  induced  him  to  sell  most 
of  his  real  estate  in  Honesdale.  Mr.  Murray, 
to  say  the  least,  was  a  remarkable  man.  Al- 
though not  educated,  his  good  judgment  and 
business  tact  enabled  him  to  transact  and  carry 
on  his  large  business  enterprises  successfully.  He 
always  subscribed  to  public  enterprises,  and  was 


especially  very  liberal  in  hiscontributions  for  reli- 
gious purposes,  no  matter  what  profession  or  sect. 
He  bought  and  paid  for  the  land  upon  which 
now  stands  the  Irish  Catholic  Church,  and  the 
old  grave-yard  in  Honesdale. 

In  his  later  years  he  removed  to  his  farm  in 
Cherry  Ridge,  and  there  he  died  duly  J,  1868. 
He  was  twice  married,  both  of  his  wives  being 
daughters  of  Martin  O'Reilly,  of  Cochecton. 
The  second,  Mary,  is  still  living.  Mr.  Murray 
was  the  father  of  four  children,  one  of  whom  is 
Philip  It.  Murray,  county  treasurer. 

Joseph  I!.  Walton  came  to  Honesdale  in 
the  fall  of  1829  and  took  charge  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  office  as  collector.  He  was 
prominently  identified  with  the  Episcopal 
Church  from  its  organization,  in  1832,  until  his 
death,  in  1848.  He  was  born  in  Ira,  Rutland 
County,  \'t.,  in  1785,  but  removed  to  Cherry 
Valley,  X.  Y.,  when  a  child  and  subsequently 
to  ( Jooperstown,  where  he  served  as  sheriff. 

William  W .  Parmenter,  of  Poundstock, 
Cornwall  <  lounty,  England,  came  to  the  village 
in  1831,  and  lived  here  until  1854,  when  he 
removed  to  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1882. 

Ezra  Hand,  long  prominently  identified 
with  the  business  interests  of  the  borough,  came 
in  1832.  lie  resided  here  until  his  death,  in 
1ST").  His  widow  still  survives,  as  docs  also  a 
son,  H.  C.  Hand,  who  is  connected  with  the 
Savings  Hank. 

William  Turner,  who,  as  a  boy,  drove  the 
horses  which  first  brought  the  directors  of  the 
Canal  Company  by  boat  to  Honesdale,  came  to 
the  place  and  entered  upon  the  business  of  build- 
ing boats  with  James  Pinckney  in  1832,  He 
afterwards  started^  boat-yard  at  Leonard's  mill, 
and  some  years  after  Mr.  Pinckney's  death 
married  his  widow.  He  was  elected  sheriff  in 
1858.     His  death  occurred  in  1884. 

Elkanah  Patmore,  who  came  from  <  >r- 
ange  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1830,  was  the  first 
wagon-maker  in  the  town  and  carried  on  that 
business  for  many  years.  He  held  the  office  of 
coroner  for  a  long  period  and  was  also  a  justice 
of  the  peace. 

David  Cory  and  his  .son,  Stephen  G.,  were 
among  the  early  comers  and  the  latter  worked 
for  a  time  for  Mr.  Patmore.     Stephen  G.  Cory 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


:-U5 


came  to  this  county  in  1822  and  lived  with  an 
uncle  in  what  is  now  Texas  township,  until  the 
settlement  of  Honesdale  was  begun.  After 
learning  the  wagon-making  trade  of  Patmore, 
he  carried  on  the  business  for  himself  and  built 
the  shop  at  the  corner  of  Second  and  Twelfth 
Streets,  which  he  carried  on  until  about  1870, 
since  which  time  it  has  been  leased.  He  is  still 
living.  His  father  remained  a  resident  of 
Honesdale  until  his  death,  in  1864. 

John  D.  Delezene  and  his  son,  Joseph  C. 
(who  is  still  living  and  one  of  the  oldest  resi- 
dents of  the  borough),  came  from  New  York 
City  in  1833.  The  former  was  the  first  merchant 
who  ever  started  a  dry-goods  store  above 
Chatham  Street,  in  the  metropolis,  opening  at 
Grand  and  Allen  Streets  in  an  attic,  in  1821  or 
1822.  Shortly  after  coming  to  Honesdale  he 
bought  out  the  house  of  Hand,  Kirtland,  Roe 
&  Co.,  at  the  site  of  the  Herald  office,  and 
began  a  partnership  with  Benjamin  B.  Beach. 
Jn  later  years  he  became  a  cartman  and  was 
killed  by  a  runaway  in  1851.  His  age  was 
fifty-eight  years.  Joseph  C.  Delezene  has  been 
engaged  in  merchandizing  and  other  lines  of 
business  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in 
the  borough. 

David  Beers,  commonly  called  "General" 
Beers,  came  in  1833.  He  was  born  in  Morris 
County,  N.  J.,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of 
1812.  He  died  in  December,  1879.  Mrs. 
S.  G.  Cory  and  Mrs.  Bassett  were  daughters  of 
"  General "  Beers. 

David  Tarbox,  who  was  among  the  early  set- 
tlers, was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace. 

Gilbert  Knapp,  who  came  in  1834,  from 
Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.,  to  Seelyville,  and 
a  few  years  later  to  Honesdale,  opened  the  first 
hardware  store  here  in  1847,  and  carried  it  on 
with  A.  II.  Bowers,  A.  H.  Neal,  O.  N.  Spet- 
tigue  and  several  other  partners  until  he  sold  to 
his  son  Charles,  in  1884. 

Moses  B.  Bennett,  a  native  of  Bernardstown, 
Mass.,  came  to  the  borough  in  1834  from  Port 
Jervis,  X.  Y.  He  was  born  in  1810  and  died 
March  2,  1879.  Two  sons  now  reside  in 
Honesdale. 

Whitman  Brown,  a  native  of  Rhode  Island, 
who  came  in  1835  and  was  for  thirty  years  an 


employe,  in  a  trusted  position,  of  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  Company,  was  killed  on 
one  of  the  planes  of  the  Gravity  Railroad  in 
1865. 

Samuel  Dean,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
and  had  led  an  eventful  life,  died  here  in  1870, 
in  his  eighty-seventh  year.  He  was  a  seaman 
in  the  United  States  service  in  1812,  and  in  1815 
was  one  of  the  crew  of  the  "  Northumberland," 
selected  by  the  British  to  transfer  Napoleon  to 
St.  Helena. 

Stephen  D.  Ward  came  to  the  borough  in 
1839,  entered  at  that  time  the  Honesdale  Bank 
as  a  clerk  and  became  cashier  in  1842,  which 
position  he  held  until  his  death,  in  1874. 

B.  B.  Smith,  of  whom  an  extended  biography 
appears  in  the  department  upon  educational 
history,  came  also  in  1839. 

William  Reed,  who  was  born  in  Salisbury, 
Conn.,  July  5,  1802,  came  to  Bethany  in  1832 
and  to  Honesdale  in  1840.  He  was  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  with  John  F.  Roe 
until  1870,  and  died  in  1879. 

Edmund  Power,  a  comparatively  early  comer, 
was  a  native  of  Grinstead,  England,  born 
September  12,  1785.  He  died  in  Decem- 
ber, 1858.  His  son,  of  the  same  name,  has 
long  been  a  merchant  of  the  borough. 

Cornelius  Hornbeck,  who  was  long  active  in 
business  affairs,  came  to  Honesdale  in  1841,  as 
did  also  Isaiah  Snyder  and  his  brother  Asa. 
They  engaged  in  merchandizing  and  the  former 
carried  on  a  store  here  until  recent  years.  He 
was  elected  associate  judge  in  1866.  He  died 
in  Harrisburg  in  1886,  aged  sixty-five  years. 

Henry  Ward  Stone,  another  prominent  mer- 
chant, came  to  the  borough  in  1846  from  Mount 
Pleasant,  whither  he  had  come  in  1818  from 
Guilford,  Conn.,  where  he  was  born  in  1791. 
He  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  his  store  un- 
til 1850,  when  he  purchased  a  tannery  at  Beech 
Pond,  which,  with  different  partners,  he  carried 
on  until  1867,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interest 
aud  retired  from  business,  from  that  time  until 
his  death,  in  1881,  living  at  the  home  of  his 
son-in-law,  Judge  C.  P.  Waller.  Mrs.  H.  C. 
Hand  and  Mrs.  E.  F.  Torrey  were  his  daughters 
by  his  wife,  Catharine  W.  Niven,  of  Newburgh, 
N.  Y.,  whom  he  married  in  1823. 


3  46 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Many  other  prominent  old-time  residents  of 
the  borough  will  be  found  mentioned,  and,  in 
some  cases,  the  subjects  of  extended  notices  in 
other  chapters  of  this  work  and  other  depart- 
ment of  this  chapter. 

Washington'  Irving  and  Irving  Cliff. 
— The  rugged  and  picturesque  cliff  rising  three 
hundred  and  eighteen  feet  above  the  waters  of 
the  Lackawaxcn,  and  forming  the  boldest  and 
most  beautiful  object  in  the  landscape  of  the  re- 
gion, was  named  in  honor  of  Washington  Irv- 
ing, and  will  serve  for  all  time  as  a  reminder 
of  the  gentle  and  graceful  man  of  letters,  who 
"needs  no  monument"  save  his  works.  Irving 
visited  Honesdale  in  the  summer  of  1841 '  (not 
in  1844),  in  company  with  the  directors  of  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company,  among 
whom  were  his  especial  friends,  Philip  Hone 
and  Mr.  Brevoort. 

It  is  not  probable  that  the  great  author  was 
here  on  July  4,  1841,  as  has  been  asserted  by 
some,  but  that  the  time  of  his  visit  was  later  in 
that  month,  for  he  wrote  a  letter  from  Hones- 
dale  under  date  of  August  1,  1841,  which  ap- 
pears in  the  collection  of  his  miscellaneous 
writings,  and  is  reproduced  in  these  pages.  Fur- 
ther than  this,  the  best  account  of  Irving's  visit, 
and  the  only  circumstantial  one,  from  Rev.  Wil- 
lard  Richardson,  does  not  mention  an  exact 
date,  (as  would  undoubtedly  have  been  the  case 
had  the  day  been  the  anniversary  of  independ- 
ence,) and  does  not  speak  of  any  large  or  public 
celebration,  but  of  an  informal  visit  to  the  cliff' 
and  "  Ladywood  Lane  "  by  a  few  gentlemen, — 
those  named,  besides  the  author  of  Knicker- 
bocker, being  Messrs.  Hone,  Brevoort  and  Rich- 
ardson. 

The  account  of  Irving's  visit  and  of  the  ap- 
plication of  his  name  to  the  cliff,  furnished  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Richardson,  who,  in  1841,  had  a  school 
in  Honesdale,  is  as  follows : 

"  I wou>  not  there,  in  1844,  but  was  at  the  time  of  his 
visit  in  1841,  in  company  with  the  directors  of  the 
Del.  &  Hud.  Canal  Co.,  and  took  him  in  a  buggy 
around  Honesdale  and  up  to  Bethany. 


■It  has  been  averred  and  pertmneinusly  argued  by  Dr. 
H.  Hollister  that  the  visit  was  upon  the  4th  of  July,  1844, 
but  that  1S41  was  the  year  of  the  visit  has  been  fully 
proven. 


"  The  next  day  he  and  Philip  Hone  and  Mr.  Bre- 
voort visited  my  school  and  addressed  the  young  ladies 
and  gentlemen. 

"We  then  strolled  across  the  Dyberry,  to  a  shady 
avenue  named  'Ladywood  Lane'  by  Mr.  Irving. 

"  We  had  a  lively  time,  and  much  pleasantry  about 
Mr.  Irving  having  climbed  those  rugged  rocks  the  day 
before.2  We  came  to  a  spring,  and  as  I  had  a  cup,  a 
toast  was  called  for.     I  gave — 

"'Ladywood  Lane— christened  by  the  author  of 
Knickerbocker,  who  will  be  remembered  as  long  as 
an  American  lives,  or  a  Dutchman  smokes  his  pipe 
or  drinks  his  beer.' 

"  The  cup  was  then  handed  to  Mr.  Irving,  who 
gave — 

'• '  Honesdale — a  memento  of  an  enterprising  man 
of  an  enterprising  age.' 

"The  cup  was  then  passed  to  Mr.  Hone,  who 
gave — 

'"Irving's  Cliff— the  dignified  and  sleepless 
guardian  of  Honesdale,  made  famous  by  the  weary 
footsteps  of  one  who  has  charmed  the  world  with  his 
writings.' 

"The  cup  was  then  handed  to  Mr.  Brevoort,  who 
gave— 

"  '  [eving's  Cliff  and  Living — the  dignity  of  the 
one  and  the  fame  of  the  other  destined  to  last  until 
rocks  shall  melt  and  authors  be  no  more.'  " 

The  road  christened  by  Mr.  Irving  as  "  La- 
dywood Lane  "  is  the  old  abandoned  turnpike 
which  passed  along  the  east  side  of  Dyberry 
Creek  and  through  what  is  dow  Glen  Dyberry 
Cemetery,  and  the  spring  referred  to  was  the 
"rock  spring"  in  the  cemetery,  which  still 
pours  forth  its  refreshing  waters. 

Irving's  letter  from  Honesdale  heretofore  al- 
luded to  reads  as  follows  : 

"Honesdale,  August  1,  1841. 
"  My  Dear  Sister  : 

"  I  write  from  among  the  mountains  in  the  upper 
part  of  Pennsylvania,  from  a  pretty  village  which  has 
recently  sprung  into  existence  as  the  deposit  of  a 
great  coal  region, land  which  is  called  after  our  friend, 
Philip  Hone,  who  was  extremely  efficient  in  directing 
enterprise  into  this  quarter-  I  came  here  along  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal,  which  extends  from  the 
Hudson  River,  near  the  Catskill  Mountains,  upward 
of  a  hundred  miles  into  the  interior,  traversing  some 
of  the  most  beautiful  parts  (as  to  scenery)  of  the  State 
of  New  York  and  penetrating  the  State  of  Pennsylva- 


2  In  view  of  Irving's  ascent  of  the  cliff  the  "  day  before," 
the  pleasant  occurrences  of  which  Mr.  Richardson  writes,  it 
may  be  inferred  that  the  cliff  was  then  named.  Some  writ- 
ers upon  this  much-disputed  topic  say  that  the  name  was 
conferred  by  James  M.  Porter  upon  that  occasion. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


347 


niaj  I  accompanied  the  directors  of  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  in  their  annual  visit  of  examina- 
tion. Among  the  directors  are  Philip  Hone  and  my 
friend  Brevoort.  I  do  not  know  when  I  have  made 
a  more  gratifying  excursion  with  respect  to  natural 
scenery,  or  more  interesting  from  the  stupendous 
works  of  art.  The  canal  is  laid  a  great  part  of  the 
way  along  romantic  valleys,  watered  by  the  Rondout, 
the  Lackawaxen,  &c.  For  many  miles  it  is  built  up 
along  the  face  of  perpendicular  precipices  rising  into 
stupendous  cliffs  with  overhanging  forests,  or  jutting 
out  into  vast  promontories,  while  on  the  other  side  you 
look  down  upon  the  Delaware,  foaming  and  roaring 
below  you  at  the  foot  of  an  immense  wall  or  embank- 
ment which  supports  the  canal.  Altogether  it  is  one 
of  the  most  daring  undertakings  I  have  ever  witnessed, 
to  carry  an  artificial  river  over  rocky  mountains,  and 
up  the  most  savage  and  almost  impracticable  denies  ; 
|ahd  all  this,  too,  has  been  achieved  by  the  funds  of 
an  association  composed  of  a  handful  of  individuals. 
For  upward  of  ninety  miles  I  went  through  a  constant 
succession  of  scenery  that  would  have  been  famous 
had  it  existed  in  any  part  of  Europe ;  (the  Catskill 
Mountains  to  the  north,  the  Shawangunk  Mountains 
to  the  south,  and  between  them  lovely  valleys,  with 
the  most  luxuriant  woodlands  and  picturesque 
streams.  All  this  is  a  region  about  which  I  had 
heard  nothing — a  region  entirely  unknown  to  fame  ; 
but  so  it  is  in  our  country.  We  have  some  main 
routes  for  the  fashionable  traveler,  along  which  be  is 
hurried  in  steamboats  and  railroad  cars;  while  on 
every  side  extend  regions  of  beauty,  about  which  he 
hears  and  knows  nothing.  Some  of  the  most  en- 
chanting scenes  I  have  beheld  since  my  return  to 
the  United  States  have  been  in  out-of-the-way  places 
into  which  I  have  been  accidentally  led. 

"  Washington   Ikvinc;." 

Incorporation — Civil  List  of  the  Bor- 
ough.— The  village  of  Honesdale  was  incorpor- 
ated as  a  borough  under  an  act  passed  January 
28,  1831,  the  first  section  of  which  read  as  fol- 
lows: 

"Sec.  1.  That  the  village  of  Honesdalc,  in 
the  county  of  Wayne,  shall  be  and  the  same  is 
hereby  erected  into  a  borough,  which  shall  be 
called  the  Borough  of  Honesdale,  and  shall  be 
bounded  and  limited  as  follows,  to  wit :  Begin- 
ning at  the  most  southern  corner  of  the  first 
lock  upon  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal, 
below  the  basin  at  the  head  of  the  canal;  thence 
by  a  course  south  sixty -seven  degrees  west 
twenty-four  rods  to  the  western  line  of  the  In- 
dian Orchard  Tract;  thence  by  the  said  line 
and  an  extension  thereof  north  twenty-three 
degrees  three  hundred  and  forty-six  rods  to  the 


line  of  the  farm  late  Levi  Sehoonover's ;  thence 
by  the  last-named  line  north  sixty-seven  de- 
grees east  one  hundred  and  five  rods  to  Dyberry 
Creek ;  and  thence  southward  by  Dyberry 
Creek  to  its  junction  with  the  West  Branch  of 
the  Lackawaxen  River  and  by  the  Lackawaxen 
to  the  place  of  beginning." 

Section  2  provided  that  the  "  inhabitants  of 
the  borough,  entitled  to  vote  for  members  of 
the  General  Assembly,  having  resided  in  the 
borough  at  least  six  months  immediately  pre- 
ceding the  election,  and  within  that  time  paid  a 
borough  tax  (if  such  tax  shall  have  been  assessed), 
shall  have  power,  on  the  second  Friday  of  May 
next,  to  meet  at  the  house  of  Charles  Forbes, 
inn-keeper,  in  the  said  borough,  and  annually 
thereafter,  at  such  convenient  place  in  the  said 
borough  as  shall  have  been  fixed  upon  by  the 
by-laws  of  the  corporation  for  that  purpose,  and 
then  and  there,  between  the  hours  of  one  and 
six  in  the  afternoon,  elect  by  ballot  one  respect- 
able citizen  residing  therein,  who  shall  be  styled 
the  chief  burgess,  one  other  citizen  who  shall 
be  styled  the  assistant  burgess,  and  five  citizens 
to  be  a  Town  Council ;  and  shall  also  elect,  as 
aforesaid,  one  citizen  as  high  constable,"  etc.1 

Tin'  election  was  duly  held  Friday,  May  13th, 
at  the  hotel  of  Charles  Forbes,  and  resulted  in 
the  choice  of  David  Tarbox  as  chief  burgess, 
D.  B.  Wilcox  as  assistant  burgess,  Thomas  T. 
Hays,  Russel  Spencer,  T.  M.  Vail,  Alanson 
Blood  and  Flam  Woodward  members  of  the 
Town  Council,  and  Isaac  P.  Foster  high  con- 
stable. 

Upon  the  Kith  of  May,  the  day  being  the 
first  Monday  after  the  election,  the  Council  held 
their  initial  meeting  at  th«  house  of  David 
Tarbox,  elected  as  their  president  Thomas  T. 
Hays,  and  made  the  following  appointments  of 
minor  officers,  viz. :  Town  Clerk,  John  F.  Roe ; 


'The  act  from  which  the  foregoing  is  taken  constituted 
in  its  entirety  the  borough  charter.  It  has  been,  from  time 
to  time,  supplemented  by  other  acts,  viz. :  Act  of  April 
15,  1835  (P.  L.  371);  of  March  7,  1840  (P.  L.  77);  of 
June  13,  1840  (P.  L.  6011)  ;  of  April  8,  1848  (P.  L.  385) ; 
of  April  21,  1852  (P.  L.  384) ;  of  May  7,  1855  (P.  L.  471) ; 
of  February  12,  1862  (P.  L.  20)  ;  of  March  22,  1866  (P.  L. 
290);  of  March  9,  1867  (P.  L.  377);  of  April  12,  1869  (P. 
L.  875);  of  March  27,  1872  (P.  L.  589),  anil  by  some 
others. 


34S 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Treasurer.  Zenas  H.  Russel ;  Street  Supervisor, 
Charles  Forbes ;  Clerk  of  the  Market,  Alonzo 
Bentley ;  Collector,  Leonard  Graves.  The  first 
fathers  of  the  new  borough,  upon  the  conclu- 
sion of  their  brief  primal  meeting,  adjourned  to 
meet  at  the  house  of  A.  G.  Waldrou  on  the 
30th  of  May. 

The  second  meeting  was  more  extended  aud 
more  important  than  the  first.  The  Council 
passed  several  ordinances,  called  in  its  records 
"acts,"  and  transacted  some  other  business.  It 
is  probable  that  this  session  nearly  exhausted 
the  zeal  of  the  body,  for  no  record  of  further 
proceedings,  except  of  two  meetings  of  unim- 
portant character,  appears  until  1832,  when  the 
annual  election  was  held. 

The  Council  was  extremely  economical.  The 
first  ordinance  engrossed  upon  the  record,  en- 
titled "  An  Act  for  the  compensation  of  the  Bor- 
ough officers  "  provided  "  That  the  compensa- 
tion of  the  several  officers  erected  by  virtue  of 
an  act  entitled  '  an  act  to  erect  the  village  of 
Honesdale.  .  .  into  a  Borough,'  shall  be  six 
cents  for  every  day  necessarily  spent  in  the  execu- 
tion of  the  duties  of  their  respective  ojfic'es." 

"  An  Act  to  prohibit  horse-racing  "  was  the 
title  of  the  second  ordinance  passed.  It  read  as 
follows  :  "  Be  it  ordained  .  .  .  that  from 
and  after  the  fifteenth  day  of  June  next  all  rac- 
ing, running,  pacing  or  trotting  of  horses,  mares 
or  geldings,  for  money,  goods  or  chattels,  shall 
be  and  are  hereby  declared  to  be  common  nui- 
sances and  offenses  against  the  Borough  of 
Honesdale,  and  the  authors,  parties,  contrivers 
and  abettors  thereof  shall '  of  twenty  dollars  for 
each  and  every  such  offense." 

"An  ordinance  prohibiting  puppet  shows" 
was  the  title  of  the  third  enactment.  It  de- 
creed "  That  from  and  after  the  fifteenth  day 
of  June  next  all  puppet  shows,  jugglery,  slight 
of  hand  performances,  rope  or  wire  dancing, 
Balancing  or  other  Mountebank  feats  and  such 
performances  and  exhibitions  are  hereby  for- 
bidden and  prohibited  in  this  Borough." 

It  was  to  be  the  duty  of  the  high  constable 
"  to  make  diligent  enquiry  after  such  exhibit- 


'  The  words  '•  be  tiued  the 
by  error  of  the  clerk. 


probably    olllilled 


ors,"  who,  upon  a  warrant  issued  for  the  pur- 
pose, should  be  brought  before  the  chief  bur- 
gess, and,  upon  conviction,  be  fined  ten  dollars 
for  each  and  every  offence. 

Other  ordinances  prohibited  the  running  at 
large  of  swine,  exhibitions  of  fire  works,— "rock- 
ets, fire  balls,  crackers," — etc. 

The  third  and  final  meeting  of  the  year  was 
held  at  David  Tarbox's  house  on  June  20, 
1831.  Ordinances  were  passed  prohibiting 
the  burning  of  shavings,  straw,  etc.,  in  the 
streets,  and  prohibiting  horses  and  cattle  from 
running  at  large.  It  was  resolved  at  this  meet- 
ing, "  That  a  letter  be  addressed  to  Mr.  John 
Torrey  by  the  president,  requesting  Mr.  Torrey, 
in  his  travels  to  Easton,  Philadelphia,  etc.  (as 
we  have  understood  he  is  going  to  those  places 
soon),  to  obtain  such  information  as  he  can, 
conveniently,  respecting  the  arranging  and  lay- 
ing out  of  streets,  the  proportions  of  the  side- 
walks with  the  breadth  of  the  streets  and  such 
other  information  with  regard  to  the  regulations 
of  Boroughs,  as  he  shall  deem  necessary." 
Herein  appears  the  earliest  official  action  tend- 
ing toward  the  beautifying  of  the  town— a  work 
which  has  ever  since  been  well  carried  on. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  in  this  connection,  that 
in  1847  the  borough  authorities  ordered  that 
"two  or  three  hundred  shade-trees  should  be 
set  out,  with  proper  protection,  in  the  public 
square  and  burying-ground." 

In  1S5:!  the  borough  had  so  far  progresed 
towards  its  present  condition  of  embowered 
beauty  that  it  had  by  actual  count  (made  by 
some  painstaking  person)  in  its  streets  and  park 
fourteen  hundred  and  ninety-one  shade-trees,  of 
which  three  hundred  and  fourteen  were  upon 
Third  Street.  Commenting  upon  this  fact  in 
his  paper  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago, 
Francis  B.  Penniman  said, — 

"  We  watch  the  growth  of  these  trees  from  year  to 
year,  not  only  with  pleasure,  but  with  pride,  for  they 
are  destined  to  be  as  well  one  of  the  chief  ornaments 
of  the  town  as  a  source  of  comfort  and  delight." 

CIVIL    LIST. 

1831. — Chief  Burgess,  David  Tarbox  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  D.  B.  Willcox;  Council,  Thomas  T.  Hays, 
Russel  Spencer,  T.  M.  Vail,  Alanson  Blood,  Elam 
Woodward ;  High  Constable,  I.  P.  Foster. 

1832. — Chief  Burgess,  David  Tarbox;  AssistantBur- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


349 


gess,  J.  B.  Walton  ;  Council,  Leonard  Graves,  Jabez 
Lovejoy,  Charles  Jameson,  A.  H.  Farnham,  D.  B. 
Willcox  ;  High  Constable,  Stephen  Brush. 

1833. — Chief  Burgess,  Jason  Torrey ;  Assistant  Bur- 
gess, J.  B.  Walton ;  Council,  D.  B.  Willcox,  A.  H. 
Farnham,  Abiram  Winton,  Charles  Forbes,  David 
Tarbox;  High  Constable,  William  Moak. 

1834.— Chief  Burgess,  J.  B.  Walton  ;  Assistant  Bur- 
gess, Charles  Forbes;  Council,  John  Torrey,  Isaac  D. 
Foster,  Z.  H.  Russell,  George  Stratton,  Thomas  S. 
Rees ;  High  Constable,  A.  B.  Brown. 

1830.— Chief  Burgess,  J.  B.  Walton  ;  Assistant  Bur- 
gess, Thomas  T.  Hays  ;  Council,  Abiram  Winton,  Da- 
vid St.  John,  T.  H.  R.  Tracy,  D.  P.  Fuller,  E.  Kings- 
berry,  Jr.  ;   High  Constable,  Jonas  Hanscom. 

183(5. — Chief  Burgess,  J.  B.  Walton  ;  Assistant  Bur- 
gess, Charles  Forbes ;  Council,  T.  H.  R.  Tracy,  J.  M. 
Blackington,  Stephen  North,  Jr.,  Hasting  Frisbie, 
John  F.  Roe  ;  High  Constable,  William  Moak. 

1837.— Chief  Burgess,  Charles  Forbes  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  E.  Kingsbury,  Jr.;  Council,  J.  B.  Walton, 
D.  P.  Fuller,  David  Tarbox,  Elkanah  Patmore,  Ed- 
ward Mills;  High  Constable,  William  Moak. 

1838.— Chief  Burgess,  Charles  Forbes  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  John  D.  Delezene ;  Council,  James  M. 
Blackington,  M.  A.  Bidwell,  N.  M.  Bartlett,  J.  F. 
Snyder,  Elkanah  Patmore  ;  High  Constable,  P.  Kar- 
low. 

1839. — Chief  Burgess,  John  D.  Delezene  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  A.  Prescott ;  Council,  Elkanah  Patmore, 
John  Neal,  Ezra  Hurlburt,  Aaron  Greene,  Charles 
Jameson  ;   High  Constable,  James  Morris. 

1840.— Chief  Burgess,  J.  B.  Walton  ;  Assistaut  Bur- 
gess, David  Tarbox  ;  Council,  John  Neal,  T.  H.  R. 
Tracy,  D.  H.  Gibbs,  Horace  Baldwin,  Thomas  I.  Hub- 
bell  ;  High  Constable  (no  record). 

1841. — Chief  Burgess  (no  record)  ;  Assistant  Bur- 
gess (no  record)  ;  Council,  Charles  Jameson,  D.  0. 
Skinner,  Charles  R.  Robinson,  John  F.  Roe,  I.  W. 
Arnold;  High  Constable  (no  record), 

1842. — Chief  Burgess,  A.  H.  Farnham  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Elkanah  Patmore  ;  Council,  Thomas  I.  Hub- 
bell,  Ezra  Hurlburt,  Thomas  H.  Tracy,  John  Kelly, 
Charles  Jameson. 

1843. — Same  as  preceding  year. 

1X44. — Chief  Burgess  (no  record);  Assistant  Bur- 
gess (no  record) ;  Council,  J.  B.  Walton,  O.  Hamlin, 
James  A.  Hendrick,  Elias  Stanton,  W.  H.  Dimmick  ; 
High  Constable  (no  record). 

1845. — Same  as  preceding  year. 

184(J. — Same. 

1847.— Chief  Burgess,  A.  H.  Russell ;  Assistant  Bur- 
gess, J.  W.  Arnold  ;  Council,  William  Turner,  John 
F.  Lord,  Stephen  Torrey, Samuel  E.  Dimmick;  High 
Constable,  E.  Tryon. 

1848.— Chief  Burgess,  A.  H.  Russell;  Assistant 
Burgess,  S.  D.  Ward;  Council,  same  as  preceding 
year. 

1849. — Chief   Burgess,   A.    H.   Russell;    Assistant 


Burgess,  S.  D.  Ward ;  Council,  William  Turner, 
Thomas  Ham,  John  F.  Lord,  Stephen  Torrey,  Samuel 
E.  Dimmick ;  High  Constable,  E.  Tryon. 

1850.— Chief  Burgess,  T.  H.  R.  Tracy;  Assistant 
Burgess,  R.  M.  Grenell ;  Council,  Z.  H.  Russell,  Ezra 
Hurlburt,  John  Kelly,  Wm.  Turner,  Stephen  Torreyl 
High  Constable,  E.  Tryon. 

1851.— Chief  Burgess,  T.  H.  R.  Tracy  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Alliz  Whitney  ;  Council,  William  Turner, 
Zeuas  H.  Russell,  Stephen  I).  Ward,  Samuel  E.  Dim- 
mick, James  R.  Dickson  ;  High  Constable,  William 
H.  Dimmick. 

1852.— Chief  Burgess,  William  II.  Dimmick;  As- 
sistaut Burgess,  Myron  Jakway  ;  Council,  William 
Turner,  Samuel  E.  Dimmick,  James  R.  Dickson,  Zenas 
H.  Russell,  Stephen  D.  Ward  ;  High  Constable,  E. 
Tryon. 

1853.— Chief  Burgess,  Simeon  G.  Throop;  Assist- 
ant Burgess,  Ezra  Hurlburt;  Council,  John  Kelly, 
E.  B.  Burnham,  John  Y.  Sherwood,  Henry  Dart, 
Isaiah  Snyder  ;  High  Constable,  Joseph  Garry. 

1854.— Chief  Burgess,  Earl  Wheeler;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Coe  F.  Young  ;  Council,  William  Turner, 
Zenas  H.  Russell,  Stephen  Torrey,  Samuel  Allen.  Sam- 
uel E.  Dimmick;  High  Constable,  Joseph  Garry. 

1855. — Chief  Burgess,  F.  B.  Penniman  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  H.  B.  Beardslee;  Council,  Zenas  H.  Russell, 
William  Turner,  Stephen  Torrey,  Samuel  Allen, 
Samuel  E.  Dimmick ;  High  Constable,  Stephen  G. 
Cory. 

185(5. — Chief  Burgess,  Coe  F.  Young;  Assistant 
Burgess,  James  R.  Dickson  ;  Council,  William  Tur- 
ner, Zenas  H.  Russell,  Samuel  Allen,  Stephen  Torrey, 
Samuel  E.  Dimmick;  High  Constable,  John  Gray. 

1857. — All  same  as  the  preceding  year. 

1858. — All  same  except  Thomas  Ham,  Assistant 
Burgess,  in  place  of  Dickson. 

1859. — Chief  Burgess  (no  record) ;  Assistant  Burgess 
(no  record);  Council,  Zenas  H.  Russell,  Samuel  Al- 
len, Charles  P.  Waller,  Stephen  Torrey,  Samuel  E. 
Dimmick  ;  High  Constable,  Benjamin  Sherwood. 

1860. — Chief  Burgess,  Coe  F.  Young;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Charles  Petersen  ;  Council,  Zenas  H.  Rus- 
sell, M.  B.  Bennett,  William  W.  Weston,  Charles  P. 
Waller,  Samuel  E.  Dimmick;  High  Constable,  Ben- 
jamin Sherwood. 

1861. — Chief  Burgess,  Coe  F.  Young;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Stephen  G.  Cory  ;  Council,  Zenas  H.  Rus- 
sell, M.  B.  Bennett,  Edwin  F.  Torrey,  Charles  P.  Wal- 
ler, Samuel  E.  Dimmick;  High  Constable,  Benjamin 
Sherwood. 

1862.— Chief  Burgess,  Coe  F.  Young;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Charles  Petersen  ;  Council,  Samuel  E.  Dim- 
mick, Zenas  H.  Russell,  M.  B.  Bennett,  John  O'Neill, 
Edwin  F.  Torrey  ;  High  Constable,  Benjamin  Sher- 
wood. 

1863.— Chief  Burgess,  Charles  P.  Waller;  Assistant 
Burgess,  John  F.  Lord ;  Council,  H.  B.  Beardslee, 
James   Brown,   William   Matthews,  Henry   F.    Roe, 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


William  H.  Ham;  High  Constable,  Benjamin   Sher- 
wood. 

1864. — Chief  Burgess,  Elias  Stanton  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  H.  B.  Hamlin  ;  Council,  Zenas  H.  Russell, 
Gilbert  Knap]),  J.  M.  Bauman,  Elias  T.  Beers,  W. 
W.  Weston  ;  High  Constable,  Benjamin  Sherwood. 

1865.— Chief  Burgess,  Coe  F.  Young;  Assistant 
Burgess,  John  K.  Jenkins  ;  Council,  Gilbert  Knapp, 
B.  B.  Smith,  Martin  Bowman,  Egbert  G.  Reed,  W. 
W.  Weston .;   High  Constable,  John  Gray. 

1866.— Chief  Burgess,  Miles  L.  Tracy;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Henry  H.  Roe;  Council,  B.  B.  Smith,  W. 
W.  Weston,  J.  M.  Bauman,  Egbert  G.  Reed,  Gilbert 
Knapp  ;  High  Constable,  Benjamin  Sherwood. 

1867. — Chief  Burgess,  Miles  L.  Tracy;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Abraham  Samuels  ;  Council,  Isaac  N.  Fos- 
ter, Horace  A.  Woodhouse,  B.  B.  Smith,  Stephen  U. 
Cory,  Egbert  G.  Reed;  High  Constable,  Henry  Car- 
man. 

1868—  Chief  Burgess,  Charles  P.  Waller ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Robert  J.  Meuner  ;  Council,  Isaac  N.  Foster, 
Gilbert  Knapp,  B.  B.  Smith,  Samuel  Allen,  Edwin  F. 
Torrey  ;  High  Constable,  Henry  B.  Hall. 

1869.— Chief  Burgess,  Stephen  G.  Cory;  Assistant 
Burgess,  L.  Grambs ;  Council,  Gilbert  Knapp,  Wil- 
liam Weiss,  W.  W!  Weston,  John  O'Neill,  Charles 
Tompkins  ;  High  Constable,  Henry  B.  Hall. 

1870. — Chief  Burgess,  Miles  L.  Tracy;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Isaac  N.  Foster;  Council,  John  O'Neill, 
William  Wefferling,  John  Brown,  Thomas  Charles- 
worth,  William  B.  Holmes  ;  High  Constable,  Henry 
B.  Hall. 

1871.— Chief  Burgess,  Miles  L.  Tracy  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Henry  Grambs;  Council,  John  O'Neill, 
William  Wefferling,  John  Brown,  Isaac  N.  Foster, 
Ensign  Egleston  ;  High  Constable,  Henry  Gray. 

1872. — Chief  Burgess,  John  K.  Jenkins  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Michael  Brown ;  Council,  John  O'Neill, 
William  Wefferling,  William  H.  Ham,  Robert  N. 
Torrey,  Isaac  N.  Foster;  High  Constable,  E.  Pat- 
more. 

1873. — Chief  Burgess,  John  K.  Jenkins ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  J.  M.  Bauman ;  Council,  Asher  M.  Atkin- 
son, John  O'Neill,  William  Wefferling,  Edwin  F. 
Torrey,  George  S.  Purdy  ;  High  Constable,  Henry 
( tray. 

1874. — Chief  Burgess,  James  R.  Knapp  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  J.  M.  Bauman  ;  Council,  Asher  M.  Atkin- 
son, William  Wefferling,  Charles  Tompkins,  Lorenzo 
Grambs,  Samuel  B.Haley;  High  Constable,  Henry 
Gray. 

1875. — Chief  Burgess,  Henry  J.  Tarble  ;  Assistant 

Burgess, ;    Council,  Asher  M.   Atkinson, 

Samuel  B.  Haley, William  Wefferling,  Lorenzo  Grambs, 
Charles  Tompkins. 

1876. — Chief  Burgess,  Charles  Petersen  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Coe  Durland  ;  Council,  L.  Grambs,  Samuel 
B.  Haley,  J.  M.  Bauman,  Asher  M.  Atkinson,  Wil- 
liam Wefferling;  High  Constable,  Henry  Gray. 


1877.— Chief  Burgess,  Samuel  B.  Haley ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  George  M.  Genung ;  Council,  Charles  Peter- 
sen, J.  M.  Bauman,  John  F.  Clark,  Robert  N.  Torrey, 
Asher  M.  Atkinson. 

1878. — Chief  Burgess,  James  N.  Kesler  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  E.  H.  Clark,  Jr. ;  Council,  Robert  N.  Torrey, 
M.  B.  Bennett,  John  F.  Clark,  Isaac  N.  Foster,  John 
Brown  ;  High  Constable,  E.  B.  Wood. 

1879. — Chief  Burgess,  Samuel  B.Haley;  Assistant 
Burgess,  William  Linderman  ;  Council,  H.  T.  Men- 
ner,  John  Brown,  Isaac  N.  Foster,  Thomas  Finerty, 
J.  M.  Bauman  ;  High  Constable,  William  H.  Prag- 
nall. 

1880.— Chief  Burgess,  Samuel  B.  Haley;  Assistant 
Burgess,  Henry  Grambs  ;  Council,  Isaac  N.  Foster, 
John  Brown,  Henry  Ball,  H.  T.  Menner,  Thomas 
Finerty  ;  High  Constable,  William  H.  Pragnall. 

1881. — Chief  Burgess,  Lorenzo  Grambs;  Assistant 
Burgess,  E.  H.  Clark ;  Council,  same  ;  High  Consta- 
ble, same. 

1882.— Chief  Burgess,  Frank  Herzog  ;  Assistant 
Burgess,  James  H.  Pinckney  ;  Council,  same  ;  High 
Constable,  same. 

1883.— Chief  Burgess,  Thomas  Charlesworth  ;  As- 
sistant  Burgess,  ;    Council;  same;    High 

constable,  same. 

1884. — Chief  Burgess,  Reed  Burns;  Assistant  Bur- 
gess,    ;   Council,   same ;    High   Constable, 

same. 

1885. — Chief  Burgess,  William  Muir;  Assistant 
Burgess,  John  M.  Lyon  ;  Council,  M.  B.  Allen,  C.  L. 
Whitney,  John  F.  Clark,  Jacob  F.  Katz,  S.  J.  Fos- 
ter ;  High  Constable,  William  H.  Pragnall. 

Other  officers  have  been  appointed  or  elected 
by  the  Council ;  chief  among  them  are  the  clerks 
and  treasurers,  who  in  succession  have  been  as 
follows  : 

TREASURERS. 


1831.  Zenas  H.  Russell. 

1832.  Thos.  T.  Hayes. 
1833-34.  Same. 

1835.  David  St.  John. 

1836.  John  F.  Roe. 

1837.  Edward  Mills. 
1838-39.  Elk.  Patmore. 
1840-41.  Steph.  D.  Ward. 
1842-43.  Horace  Tracy. 
1844-17.  O.  Hamlin. 
1848-50.  Steph.  Torrey. 
1851-52.  S.  D.  Ward. 

TOWN 

1831.  John  F.  Roe. 
1832-34.  Edw.  Mills. 
1835-37.  E.     Kingsbury, 
Jr. 

1838.  M.  A.  Bidwell. 

1839.  Charles  Jameson. 


185,3.  Henry  Dart. 
1854-63.  Z.  H.  Russell. 

1863.  Wm.  Mathews. 

1864.  Zenas  H.  Russell. 
1865-68.  B.  B.  Smith. 
1869.  Wm.  Wreiss. 
1870-74.  W.   Wefferling. 
1875-76.  L.  Grambs. 
1877.  Chas.  Petersen. 
1878-84.  John   Brown. 
1885.  S.  J.  Foster. 

LERKS. 

1840.  Thos.  J.  Hubbell. 

1841.  Z.  W.  Arnold. 
1842-43.  T.J.  Hubbell. 
1844-47.  W.  H.  Dimmick. 
1848-49.  S.  E.  Dimmick. 
1850.  R.  M.  Greuell. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


351 


18.31-63.  S.  E.  Dimmick.1       1871.  Isaac  N.  Foster. 

1863.  Win.  H.  Ham.  1872.  Wm.  H.  Ham. 

1864.  W.  W.  Weston.  1873.  George  8.  Purdy. 
1865-67.  E.  G.  Reed.             1874-76.  S.  B.  Haley. 
1S68.  Edw.  F.  Torrey.            1877-78.  R.  N.Torrey. 
186'.).  W.  W.  Weston.            1879-84.  H.  T.  Menner. 
1870.  W.  B.  Holmes.              1885.  M.  B.  Allen. 

Fire  Department  and  Fires. — The  first 
fire  in  Honesdaleof  which  there  is  any  record, 
and  certainly  the  first  of  any  consequence,  oc- 
curred in  the  summer  of  1840.  It  was  quite  a 
disastrous  fire — the  more  so  from  the  fact  that 
the  people  were  destitute  of  any  apparatus  for 
fighting  the  flames,  and  without  organization 
other  than  possibly  a  "  bucket  brigade."  The 
loss  occasioned  by  the  lack  of  proper  utensils 
led  the  citizens  to  consider  their  situation,  and 
they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  town  should 
possess  a  fire-engine  with  which  to  meet  future 
emergencies.  A  petition  was  consequently 
drawn  up  and  presented  to  the  Council,  setting 
forth  this  view.  The  first  names  upon  this 
petition  were  those  of  John  F.  Roe  and  Alanson 
Blood,  and  it  contained  many  more  signatures 
of  the  then  prominent  property-holders  and 
active  citizens.  The  Council  appointed  T.  H. 
R.  Tracy  and  T.  J.  Hubbell  a  committee  to  act 
in  the  matter,  but  they  were  unwilling  to  do  so 
until  they  had  tested  the  spirit  of  the  people. 
They  recommended  that  a  memorial,  authorizing 
the  purchase  of  an  engine  and  other  apparatus, 
be  circulated  among  the  citizens  for  the  recep- 
tion of  their  signatures,  which  was  accordingly 
done.  It  was  duly  signed  by  two  hundred  and 
nine  out  of  the  two  hundred  and  forty-four 
tax-payers  of  the  borough.  Now  the  pas- 
sage of  a  law  authorizing  the  Council  to  borrow 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  was  found  necessary, 
and  was  secured.  The  preliminary  steps  hav- 
ing been  thus  taken,  Joseph  Neal,  cashier  of 
the  Honesdale  Bank,  and  Mr.  Tracy  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  make  the  purchase,;  but 
they  failed  to  do  so,  perhaps  because  they  could 
not  borrow  the  money  needed  on  the  credit  of 
the  borough.  The  matter  was  dropped  and  it 
was    not   until    October,    1842,    that    John  D. 


1  Mr.  Dimmick  was  town  clerk  or  secretary  of  the  Coun- 
cil from  May  10,  1844,  to  May  4,  1863,  except  one  year, 
1853,  when  E.  B.  Burnhnm  was  elected,  and  he  then 
served  in  Burnham's  place. 


Delezene  was  appointed  to  go  to  New  York  and 
make  the  long  delayed  purchase.  On  November 
22d  he  reported  that  he  had  bought  a  machine 
for  seven  hundred  dollars.  The  hand-engine 
"  Deluge  "  was  duly  received  by  a  fire  company 
of  the  same  name,  which  had  in  the  mean  time 
been  organized,  and  of  which  John  D.  Delezene 
was  the  foreman.  It  had  to  be  repainted,  and 
the  company  thought  it  necessary  to  procure 
resplendently  decorated  buckets  and  provide 
themselves  with  uniforms  before  they  made  a 
public  demonstration,  and  so  it  was  not  until 
some  time  in  1843  that  the  little  hand-engine  was 
dragged  out  of  its  house  and  through  the  streets 
before  an  admiring  populace,  by  a  long  line  of 
red-shirted  firemen.  It  was  not  king  before 
the  "Deluge"  came  to  share  the  glory  of  the 
"  Rescue." 

Such  was  the  beginning  of  the  Honesdale 
Fire  Department.  Eventually  other  and  larger 
hand-engines  were  procured,  and  it  was  many 
years  before  they  were  superseded  by  the 
steamers. 

The  frequent  occurrence  of  fires  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1853  led  the  citizens  to  take  measures 
for  protection,  through  the  better  organization 
of  the  Fire  Department.  At  a  meeting  held 
July  1 1  th,  there  were  present  Colonel  R.  L.  Seely, 
Stephen  C.  Cory,  H.  B.  Beardslee,  S.  F.  Dim- 
mick, C.  P.  Waller,  S.  E.  Dimmick,  F.  B.  Pen- 
niman,  Rev.  Mr.  Rowland,  F.  M.  Crane,  Esq., 
William  Turner  and  many  others.  It  was  re- 
solved "  that  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed, 
with  William  Turner  as  chairman,  to  form  a 
Fire  Company  to  take  charge  of  one  of  the 
engines,  and  that  a  like  committee,  with  S.  ( i. 
Corey  as  chairman,  be  appointed  to  form 
another,  to  take  charge  of  the  second  engine, 
and  that  it  be  recommended  to  the  Town 
Council  to  give  the  control  of  the  engines  and 
directions  thereof  at  fires  to  said  companies, 
when  so  formed,  subject  to  such  regulations  as 
the  companies  may  adopt  under  the  approval  of 
the  Council." 

A.  Farnham  was  appointed  as  chairman  of  a 
committee  to  organize  a  hook-and-ladder  com- 
pany, and  others  were  appointed  to  solicit  citi- 
zens to  become  active  or  honorary  members  of 
the  fire  organization,  those   choosing   to  belong 


352 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


to  the  latter  class  to  pay  the  sura  of  two  dollars 
each  per  annum  towards  its  support.  The  de- 
partment was  organized  on  this  basis. 

In  is 7 5  was  purchased  the  first  of  the  two 
steamers,  a  Silsby,  for  which  the  sum  of  four 
thousand  seven  hundred  dollars  was  paid. 
This  was  placed  in  custody  of  the  Protection 
Fire  Company,  which  then  disposed  of  its 
hand  engine. 

Fires  have  been  of  quite  frequent  occurrence 
in  the  borough,  and  several  of  them  have  been 
verv  destructive.  The  first  of  which  we  have 
any  details  happened  one  night  early  in  De- 
cember, 1 844,  and  was  the  largest  which  had 
occurred  up  to  that  time.  It  originated  iu  the 
store  of  Mr.  A.  .1.  Thorp,  whose  entire  stock  of 
goods  was  destroyed.  The  building  belonging 
to  Messrs.  Dimmick  &  Cummings  was  totally 
destroyed,  as  were  also  others  owned  by  N.  M. 
Bartlett  (occupied  as  a  store  by  R.  H.  More), 
E.  Rogers  and  George  Brown.  A  blacksmith- 
shop  and  lime-house  adjoining  one  of  these 
were  torn  down  to  keep  the  fire  from  communi- 
cating with  a  large  building  owned  by  J.  P>. 
Delezene  and  occupied  as  a  store  and  dwelling 
by  Messrs.  I.  &  O.  Snyder,  which  at  one  time 
was  in  great  hazard.  A  supply  of  water  being 
obtained,  it  was  put  entirely  out  of  danger,  but  the 
Messrs.  Snyder  suffered  severely,  probably  to 
the  amount  of  one  thousand  dollars,  by  the  re- 
moval of  their  goods  into  the  street. 

A  card  published  iu  the  Democrat  after  this 
fire  shows  more  completely  who  were  the 
sufferers  and  affords  grounds  for  the  inference 
that  they  did  not  suffer  very  badly  ;  for  few  of 
the  signers  were  mentioned  in  the  newspaper 
account  of  the  fire: 

"  We,  the  undersigned  sufferers  by  the  late  fire  in 
this  Borough,  avail  ourselvesof  the  earliest  opportunity 
of  communicating  our  expressions  of  gratitude  to  all 
persons  present,  for  their  timely  exertions  to  rescue 
and  preserve  property ;  and  also  to  the  '  Rescue 
Fire  Company  '  we  return  many  thanks  for  their  im- 
portant services. 
"Honesdale,  December  9,  1S44. 
"  R.  H.  More.  U.  V.  Wheeler. 

E.  Rodgers.  Bennett  &  Cummings. 

I.  &  O.  Snyder.  Bennett  &  Sutton. 

A.  J.  Thorp.  John  J.  Allen. 

W.  H.  Richmond.  Wm.  H.  Dimmick. 

N.  M.  Bartlett.  M.  &  H.  O'Neill. 


R.  M.  Bartlett. 
S.  V.  Stiers. 


John  Connolly. 
George  Brown." 


During  the  night  of  Friday,  April  25,  1851, 
one  of  the  most  destructive  fires  that  ever  oc- 
curred in  the  town  broke  out  in  the  building 
owned  by  Edward  Murray,  and  situated  on  the 
west  side  of  Front,  just  south  of  the  intersec- 
tion of  Eighth  Street.  At  this  time  the  fire  ap- 
paratus of  the  town  consisted  of  one  hand-en- 
gine, and  the  effective  service  that  it  might  do 
under  favorable  conditions  was  limited  by  dis 
organized  effort.  How  the  fire  originated  was 
never  known.  About  half- past  ten  o'clock  at 
night  flames  were  discovered  bursting  from  the 
roof  of  the  building,  and  before  the  alarm  had 
been  communicated  to  a  large  part  of  the  cit- 
izens, a  most  destructive  conflagration  had 
gained  headway.  It  happened,  too,  that  at 
this  time  some  repairs  which  the  canal  basin 
was  undergoing  were  incomplete,  and  when  the 
engine  was  brought  to  the  scene,  nearly  half  an 
hour  was  consumed  in  waiting  for  a  water  sup- 
ply. Meanwhile  the  flames  were  spreading  in 
every  direction,  and  the  few  lines  of  buckets 
which  the  more  self-possessed  citizens  estab- 
lished were  insufficient,  even  to  save  the  goods 
and  merchandise  piled  up  in  the  streets.  Men, 
women  and  children  ran  frantically  hither  and 
thither,  watching  the  flames  lick  up  fully  one- 
third  of  the  mercantile  establishments  of  the 
town,  and  cover  the  heart  of  the  town  with 
blackened  ruins. 

The  engine  at  last  got  water,  was  manned 
by  scores  of  eager  citizens,  and  the  stream  direct- 
ed against  the  southern  advance  of  the  flames, 
held  them  in  check,  and  saved  further  destruc- 
tion. 

Some  sixty-four  persons  suffered  losses  by 
the  fire,  and  the  amount  reached  over  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  only 
about  fifty-five  thousand  dollars  id' which  was 
covered  by  insurance.  To  the  northward,  the 
flames  communicated  only  to  an  adjoining  build- 
ing ;  but  they  crossed  Front  Street,  and  swept 
southward,  on  both  sides  of  the  avenue,  to  raid- 
way  between  Sixth  and  Seventh  Streets.  On 
the  south  side  of  Eighth  Street,  between  Front 
and  Second,  everything  was  destroyed ;  and 
on   both  sides  of  Seventh,  between  Front  and 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Second,  all  was  burned  except  a  dwelling-house 
belonging  to  Isaiah  Snyder,  on  the  southeast 
corner.  Most  of  the  property  destroyed  was 
only  partially  covered  by  insurance,  if  covered 
at  all.  The  losses  were  as  follows :  A.  Strong, 
$2500;  Fox  &  Van  Osdale;  Edward  Mur- 
ray, $3000;  J.  &T.  Grady,  $2500;  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  Company,  warehouse,  $6000; 
M.  Mores,  $1200;  S.  Z.  Lord,  $2000;  J.  D. 
Delezene,  $3000;  A.  Cummings,  $1200;  Wil- 
liam Weiss,  §500;  Bowers  <&  Co.,  $6500; 
Isaiah  Snyder,  $3500  on  building,  $14,000  on 
stock ;  Isaiah  Snyder,  two  shops  and  ware- 
house, $500;  Reuben  Berry,  $200;  William 
Shend,  $200;  John  Goldsmith,  $200;  Peter 
Miller,  shops,  $1000;  Francis  Con  ley,  $400; 
Lord  &  Dimmick,  building,  $1400  ;  Hornbeck 
&  Keator,  $4000  ;  Asa  Snyder,  building,  $1000  ; 
Thomas  Cornell,  Empire  Block,  $6000;  Wil- 
bur &  Patmore,  $0500,  including  loss  of  packet 
"  Fashion"  and  line-boat  "  Daniel  "Webster  ;" 
I.  P.  Foster  &  Sons,  $2500  •  West  &  Plumb, 
$1000;  Knight  &  Van  Kirk,  $600;  John 
Hazen,  $400;  Johnson  &  Chittenden,  $5000; 
Thomas  E.  Rogers,  $1500;  G.  W.  Delezene, 
$1400;  G.  W.  Deverill,  $400;  Mr.  Center, 
$150;  Mr.  Potter,  $150  ;  .Masonic  Lodge  room, 

;  C.    H.    Rogers,    $500  ;  Canal    Basin 

bridge,  $300;  S.  G.  Tliroop,  $500;  Richard 
Henwood,  $3000;  Dr.  Roskopf,  $500;  Mr. 
Brown,  $200  ;  M.  B.  Bennett,  $1200;  Bennett 
&  Moore,  $4500;  G.  P.  Heap,  $1200;  Mr. 
Wonthall,  $2000;  W.  H.  &  S.  E.  Dimmick, 
building,  $1200;  Mrs.  Harrison,  $1200;  Mrs. 
Powell,  $1200;  Philip  Slochbour,  $3000; 
Mrs.  Stunner,  $1600;  M.  Levy,  $2000  ;  Thom- 
as Cornell,  $2000;  Mrs.  Murray,  $600;  Stone 
&  Graves,  $1000;  Malone's  smithy,  $300; 
McLaughlin,  wagon-shop,  $300;  S.  G.  Throop, 
law-office,  $150;  Mrs.  Wilcox,  J.  B.  Dennison, 
A.  &  E.  Reed,  Barnes  &  Harlen,  Charles  Schhv 
ger,  Mrs.  Loomis  and  many  others,  suffered 
damage  by  having  their  property  wet  or  stolen. 
At  five  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  December 
26,  1852,  a  fire  broke  out  in  the  second  story 
of  Mr.  Isaiah  Snyder's  store  on  Front  Street. 
The  flames  made  rapid  progress  and  soon 
reached  the  store  of  Messrs.  Strong  &  Stilson, 
adjoining.     Two  fire-engines  were  brought  into 


service  and  were  worked  with  great  efficiency, 
while  the  forcing  pump  of  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Company  was  also  brought  into  re- 
quisition. The  flames  were  speedily  brought 
under  control  and  prevented  from  entering 
Edward  Murray's  block,  immediately  con- 
tiguous, though  the  stores  mentioned  were 
entirely  consumed.  The  building  in  which 
they  were  kept  was  the  property  of  Dr.  A. 
Strong,  aud  was  valued  at  about  two  thousand 
one  hundred  dollars.  Mr.  Snyder's  loss  was 
about  seven  thousand  dollars  over  and  above 
insurance,  which  was  ten  thousand  dollars,  and 
Messrs.  Strong  &  Stilson's  absolute  loss  was 
about  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  The  origin  ot 
this  fire  was  a  mystery. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  July  12,  1S53,  a  fire 
occurred  on  Sixth  Street,  which  consumed  a 
cabinet-shop,  a  blacksmith-shop,  a  large  stable 
for  the  accommodation  of  canal  horses,  building 
known  as  Military  Hall  and  an  extensive 
bakery.  The  cabinet-shop  belonged  to  C.  P.  & 
G.  G.  Waller,  and  was  occupied  by  two  Ger- 
mans. All  of  the  other  buildings  belonged  to 
Mr.  George  Briteubacher,  whose  loss  was  from 
four  thousand  dollars  to  five  thousand  dollars. 
The  fire  was  supposed  to  be  the  work  of  an  in- 
cendiary, and  an  arrest  was  soon  after  made 
upon  the  charge  of  arson,  but  the  person  so 
charged  was  not  convicted. 

The  stables  on  Second  Street,  in  the  rear  of 
the  Mansion  House,  were  burned  on  Friday 
morning,  September  22,  1853.  The  fire  caught 
accidentally  in  the  livery  stable  of  Allis  Whit- 
ney, and  six  horses  belonging  to  him  were 
burned  to  death.  He  had  no  insurance  and 
suffered  a  loss  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  From 
Whitney's  stables  the  fire  spread  to  the  hotel 
and  stage  stables,  but  from  these  all  of  the 
property  was  removed. 

An  incendiary  fire  occurred  at  five  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  Monday,  December  18,  1853, 
in  the  store  and  stable  of  Hannigan  &  White, 
on  Front  Street,  which  entirely  destroyed  the 
building,  and  also  the  dwelling,  store  and  stable 
of  George  Whitney,  occupied  by  Thomas  Coyne, 
the  buildings  owned  by  James  Moylan,  and 
occupied  by  several  tenants,  and  badly  damaged 
the  property  of  Frederick  R.  Marshall.     The 


354 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


total  loss  was  about  ten  thousand  dollars,  one- 
half  of  which  was  sustained  by  Hannigau  <£ 
White,  who  lost  not  only  their  buildings  and 
stock  of  merchandise,  but  four  valuable  horses, 
harness,  hay,  grain,  etc.  There  was  no  doubt 
that  this  fire  was  the  work  of  an  incendiary. 
Two  unsuccessful  attempts  to  burn  other  build- 
ings were  made  by  the  miscreants  the  same 
morning. 

The  house  and  stable  of  Mrs.  Hughes  and 
the  German  hotel  and  bakery  kept  by  William 
Wefferling  were  burned  on  Sunday  night,  Sep- 
tember 23,  1854,  causing  a  total  loss  of  more 
than  five  thousand  dollars.  Only  a  i'ew  days 
later,  September  30th,  a  fire  occurred  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  town,  which  was  known  to  be 
of  incendiary  origin,  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
watchman  having  seen  two  men  run  from  the 
building  just  as  the  fire  broke  out.  The  fire  was 
first  seen  in  a  barn  owned  by  William  Finnerty 
from  which  it  spread  in  several  directions,  de- 
stroying various  dwellings  and  other  buildings. 
The  Council  offered  a  reward  of  one  thousand 
dollars  for  the  detection  of  the  incendiaries. 

A  fire  which  broke  out  in  the  stable  of  Mr. 
Schrifer,  on  Front  Street,  April  11, 1855,  spread 
quickly  beyond  control,  both  north  and  south, 
there  being  no  water  in  the  canal  basin,  and  de- 
stroyed Francis  Von  Beck's  store  and  stable, 
the  former  occupied  by  Mr.  Schrifer  as  a 
grocery;  M.  A.  Bidwell's  building,  in  which 
were  two  stores  occupied  by  John  Hannegan 
and  Mrs.  A.  Miller,  and  some  dwellings ;  M.  & 
J.  O'Neil's  store  and  stable;  E.  M.  Genung's 
blacksmith-shop,  and  the  building  owned  by 
John  Kelly  and  James  Baker,  in  which  were 
the  stores  of  J.  &  M.  Brown  and  William  Hol- 
land, and  a  number  of  families  residing  in  the 
upper  rooms.  The  aggregate  damage  was  not 
less  than  ten  thousand  dollars,  almost  entirely 
covered  by  insurance.  The  fire  was  universally 
believed  to  be  the  work  of  an  incendiary. 

Another  disastrous  fire  broke  out  in  a  large 
building  known  as  Cornell's  Hall,  located  on 
Front  Street,  near  the  canal  basin,  on  the  even- 
ing of  December  3,  1855.  The  flames  were 
first  discovered  in  a  long  passage  about  six  feet 
wide  that  ran  between  two  stores  and  correspond- 
ed to   the  entrance  to  the  hall,  and   almost  as 


soon  as  the  alarm  was  given  the  fire  burst  out 
and  spread  in  every  direction.  The  firemen 
were  on  hand  promptly,  but  their  labors  were 
directed  chiefly  at  saving  buildings  to  which  the 
flames  had  not  already  communicated.  The 
damage  done  amounted  to  about  thirty  thousand 
dollars  ami  the  principal  public  hall  of  the 
town  was  destroyed.  This  was  owned  by  T. 
Cornell  &  Co.,  and  the  building  which  contained 
it  had  been  completed  only  three  years  before, 
at  a  cost  of  seventy-five  hundred  dollars  ;  it 
was  insured  for  five  thousand  dollars.  Among 
the  other  sufferers  were  P.  W.  Sloehbouer, 
$2000,  $500  insurance;  Judah  Levi,  $5000, 
uninsured;  John  Grady,  $5000,  insured;  T. 
Cornell  &  Co.,  warehouse,  .§40(t;  Hard,  Gil- 
bert &  Palmer,  hides,  $5000  ;  S.  G.  Throop, 
$1000;  Patrick  Burns,  $100;  Miss  Langes, 
$900,  insured  ;  G.  L.  Cooper,  $1600,  insured. 
Several  other  properties  were  injured. 

( )n  Wednesday  following  the  fire  Timothy 
Grady,  Michael  Grady  and  Patrick  McCasey 
were  arrested  on  the  charge  of  incendiarism  and 
held  in  three  thousand  dollars  bail  each  to  an- 
swer for  setting  fire  to  Cornell's  Hall. 

About  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  August 
12,  185(3,  a  fire  broke  out  in  Russell's  Hall, 
and  spread  rapidly  in  both  directions.  The 
building  and  contents  were  destroyed.  The 
building  was  the  property  of  Z.  H.  Russell  and 
cost  two  thousand  dollars,  about  half  of  which 
was  covered  by  insurance.  The  upper  floor  con- 
tained the  lodge-rooms  of  two  orders  of  Odd- 
Fellows,  and  each  lost  two  hundred  dollars.  J. 
H.  Dunny,  the  Mansion  House,  Mr.  Peterson, 
Thomas  Hocker,  G.  W.  Deverell  and  Hand  & 
Kirtland  were  all  losers,  but  had  some  insur- 
ance. 

On  Tuesday  evening,  May  16,  1871,  at  about 
a  quarter  of  eight  o'clock,  as  the  row  of  build- 
ings from  Reed's  Arcade  on  the  south  to  the 
lateral  basin  of  the  canal  on  the  north  were,  as 
usual,  thronged  with  customers,  fire  was  dis- 
covered in  the  rear  of  the  second  story  of  Aaron 
Cummings'  building.  It  spread  rapidly  and, 
although  the  engines  were  soon  on  the  ground, 
caused  a  damage  of  over  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  The  sufferers  were  Judge  Isaiah  Snyder 
(the  best  and  largest  store  in  town),  on  building 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


and  goods,  to  theaniount  of  $48,000;  R.  J.Menner 
&Co  ,011  stock,  $8000;  MissLavinaDimnrick,on 
building,  $2000;  A.  Cummings,  on  building 
ami  goods,  $500();  Knopp  &  Jenkins,  on  build- 
ing and  stock,  !?14,00U  ;  Gilbert  Knapp,  $8000; 
W.  W.  Weston  &  Co.,  $10,000  ;  W.  W.  Wes- 
ton, personally,  $10,000;  F.  H.  Rockwell,  on 
household  furniture,  $2000  ;  Salmon  &  Dele- 
zenne,  $1500  ;  Freeman,  Barents  &  Co.,  $1750, 
and  numerous  others  in  smaller  amounts. 

On  December  12,  1871,  occurred  another  fire 
which  destroyed  the  Commercial  Block,  a  hand- 
some brick  structure,  erected  two  years  before 
by  W.  B.  Holmes,  upon  the  east  side  of  Main 
Street,  nearly  opposite  the  Delaware  and  Hud- 
son Company's  offices.  The  origin  of  the  fire 
was  unknown.  Mr.  Holmes'  loss  was  approxi- 
mately twenty-one  thousand  dollars,  one-third 
of  which  was  upon  the  building  and  two-thirds 
upon  his  stock  of  groceries.  J.  M.  Bauman, 
who  owned  one-half  of  the  block,  lost  about 
seven  thousand  dollars,  and  Hartley  &  Rogers, 
who  kept  a  hardware-store  in  that  portion  of 
the  block,  suffered  to  the  extent  of  twelve  thou- 
sand dollars  or  thereabouts,  which  was  nearly 
covered  by  insurance.  Durland  <fc  Torrey  were 
heavy  sufferers  from  damage  by  fire,  water  and 
removal.  Dr.  Brady's  drug-store  was  also  con- 
sumed, and  a  number  of  other  business  men  ex- 
perienced minor  losses,  the  aggregate  probably 
reaching  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  damage 
to  Jadwin  &  Terrill's  building,  and  the  loss 
entailed  by  their  forced  removal,  amounted  to 
twenty-five  hundred  dollars. 

A  most  destructive  blaze  swept  a  portion  of 
the  business  district  on  the  8th  of  January,  1875, 
when  fifteen  buildings  were  left  in  ruins,  twenty 
business  firms  or  individuals  burned  out,  and 
nearly  or  quite  two  hundred  thousand  dollars 
damage  caused.  This  time  the  fire  had  its 
origin  in  what  was  known  as  the  "Old  Throop 
Building,"  owned  by  S.  G.  Throop,  of  Strouds- 
burg,  and  occupied  by  William  Seeman,  jeweler. 
It  had  evidently  been  communicated  to  the 
floor  by  a  defective  stove,  and  although  it  had 
assumed  an  apparently  small  headway  when 
discovered  at  half-past  two  in  the  morning,  by 
people  returning  from  an  entertainment  at  the 
Casino  Club-rooms,  it  was  not  so  easily  put  out 


as  they  thought  it  could  be,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
got  beyond  control  and  very  quickly  wrapped 
the  whole  building  in  flames.  The  building 
stood  on  the  east  side  of  Main  Street,  adjoining 
the  lateral  canal  ba^in,  and  nearly  opposite  the 
Herald  office.  The  fire  spread  from  it  through 
the  entire  block,  burning  everything  as  far  south 
as  Sixth  Street.  The  fire  companies  were 
promptly  on  hand,  but  were  greatly  crippled 
by  lack  of  water.  The  principal  losses  (most 
of  them  wholly  or  partly  insured)  were  as  fol- 
lows :  S.  G.  Throop,  building,  $1500;  Mrs. 
John  Sheffler,  millinery,  etc.,  $1200 ;  William 
Seeman,  jewelry,  etc.,  $10,500  ;  W.  J.  Katz  & 
Co.,  merchandise,  $9000;  F.  Dittrich,  building, 
$8000,  hats,  caps  and  furs,  $3000,  furniture, 
$1600;  Hartuug  &  Morrish,  meat  market, 
$1000;  Isaiah  Snyder,  building,  $12,000, 
Mu.k,  $38,000;  M.  B.  Bennett,  building, 
occupied  by  Baker  &  Bennett,  $3000;  J. 
Bloomingdale,  dry -goods,  $3000;  Freeman 
Bros.,  building,  occupied  by  Freeman,  Barents 
&  Co.,  $2500;  Freeman,  Barents  &  Co.,  cloth- 
ing, trunks,  etc.,  $8000;  William  Weiss, 
groceries,  building,  $4000,  stock  $3500,  furni- 
ture, etc.,  $3000  ;  Mrs.  Powell,  building,  occu- 
pied by  S.  Levi,  $2500  ;  S.  Levi,  clothing,  etc., 
$4000;  Mrs.  Edward  Taeubner,  Casino  build- 
ing, $4000  ;  Casino  Club,  $1000  ;  Isaac 
Schloauker,  clothing,  $1000;  Samuel  Bros., 
clothing,  building,  $3000,  stock,  $7000  ;  Mrs. 
Frankel,  furniture,  etc.,  $2000;  Isaac  R. 
Schenck,  groceries,  building,  $2000,  stock, 
$4000;  James  Matthews,  harness,  building, 
$3000,  stock,  $2000;  Thomas  Coyne,  estate, 
brick  hotel,  $15,000,  stock  and  furniture,  $3000. 
There  were  many  others  who  suffered  smaller 
losses,  quite  a  number  of  them  being  owners  of 
property  upon  the  west  side  of  the  street,  where 
the  buildings  were  in  some  cases  badly  scorched, 
glass  broken,  etc. 

The  Snyder  building,  on  Front  Street,  oppo- 
site Jadwiu's  drug-store,  owned  by  Mrs.  Julia 
Snyder,  formerly  of  the  borough,  but  more  re- 
cently of  Harrisburg,  was  burned  on  the  even- 
ing of  September  1,  1882.  Bunnell  &  Dem- 
ing,  who  had  the  store  on  the  ground-floor  of 
the  building,  and  also  storage-rooms  above,  lost 
a  large  proportion   of  their  stock,   which   was 


356 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


valued  at  about  twenty  thousand  dollars,  on 
which  there  was  nine  thousand  dollars  insur- 
ance. The  Grand  Army  Post,  which  had 
rooms  in  the  building,  lost  everything  in  them. 
The  fire  originated  from  the  explosion  of  a 
lamp.  It  was  at  least  the  third  fire  on  this 
site. 

Several  fires,  less  destructive  than  these,  have 
occurred  in  the  borough,  and  on  March  11, 
1885,  there  was  another  of  extensive  character, 
which,  originating  in  a  saloon  north  of  the  Fos- 
ter Block,  on  Front  Street,  swept  away  several 
stores  and  caused  large  losses. 

The  Post-Office.  —  The  post-office  in 
Honesdale  was  established  in  1828,  previous  to 
which  time  the  few  early  settlers  of  the  village 
received  their  mail  at  Bethany. 

Following  is  the  succession  of  postmasters, 
with  approximate  dates  of  appointment : 

Charles  Forbes April,  1828 

Thomas  T.  Hayes February,  1833 

Jos.  B.  Walton June,  1838 

Wra.  F.  Rogers June,  1841 

T.  H.  R.  Tracy October,  1842 

John  A.  Gustin June,  1849 

John  Y.  Sherwood ;....May,  1853 

H.  B.  Beardslee December,  1858 

Isaiah  Snyder August,  1859 

Marshall  Wheeler January,  1861 

Ralph  L.  Briggs May,  1861 

Robert  A.  Smith January,  1862 

F.  B.  Penniman,  Jr February,  1870 

Robert  A.  Smith September,  1870 

H.  J.  Tarbell March  2,  1883 

BANKING. 
The  Honesdale  Bank. — The  Honesdale 
Bank  was  incorporated  by  an  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  Pennsylvania,  passed  March  18, 1836. 
The  act  provided  that  the  amount  of  the  <"i|>i- 
tal  stock  should  be  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars, in  shares  of  fifty  dollars  each,  to  be  dis- 
posed of  by  auction,  at  not  less  than  par,  to  the 
highest  bidder,  but  no  purchaser  to  be 
allowed  to  take  more  than  twenty  shares,  or 
one  thousand  dollars,  on  one  bid  ;  the  entire 
capital  to  be  paid  in  before  commencing  busi- 
ness and  the  bank  to  pay  to  the  State  a  bonus 
of  five  thousand  dollars,  and  at  least  eight  per 
cent,  on  all  dividends  declared. 

The  number  of  directors  was  fixed  at  thir- 
teen.     The  records  of  the   bank  show  that  it 


was  organized  for  business  in  November,  1836, 
by  the  election  of  Richard  L.  Seely,  Isaac  P. 
Foster,  Zenas  H.  Russell,  Joseph  B.  Walton, 
John  Torrey,  A.  D.  Williams,  Thomas  T. 
Hayes,  Ephraim  W.  Hamlin,  Edward  Mills, 
Daniel  P.  Kirtland,  Alexander  H.  Farnham, 
Joseph  Benjamin  and  John  Roosa  as  directors. 

These  gentlemen  were  all  annually  re-elected 
and  continued  to  serve  as  directors  until  No- 
vember, 1844,  with  the  following  exceptions  : 

At  the  election  in  November,  1838,  Thomas 
Fuller  was  elected  in  the  place  of  John  Roosa, 
and,  as  E.  W.  Hamlin  had  been  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  and  was  thereby  ineligible  as  a  di- 
rector, Butler  Hamlin  was  elected  in  his  stead  ; 
but,  in  November,  1840,  E.  W.  Hamlin  was 
again  elected  in  place  of  Butler  Hamlin.  Upon 
the  organization  of  the  board  Richard  L.  Seely 
was  chosen  president,  and  John  Neal,  of  the 
Moyamensing  Bank,  Philadelphia,  was  appoint- 
ed cashier.  The  first  meeting  of  the  board  of 
directors,  after  being  fully  organized,  was 
December  24,  1836,  and  Thursday  morning  of 
each  week  was  designated  as  the  time  for  sub- 
sequent regular  meetings  ;  and  Ebenezer  Kings- 
bury was  appointed  notary.  January  17,  1839, 
Stephen  D.  Ward  was  appointed  clerk.  Octo- 
ber 31,  1842,  John  Neal  resigned  as  cashier 
and  Stephen  D.  Ward  was  appointed  in  his 
stead. 

On  the  8th  of  April,  1843,  an  act  of  the 
Legislature  was  passed,  rendering  directors  (ex- 
cept the  president)  who  had  served  four  years 
successively  ineligible  to  a  re-election  until  after 
being  "  out  "  one  year. 

The  precise  object  of  the  law  does  not  ap- 
pear, but  the  rigidity  with  which  it  was  ob- 
served indicates  the  very  high  regard  that  was 
felt  toward  the  "  combined  wisdom  at  Harris- 
burg,"  even  in  those  days. 

The  records  of  the  bank  do  not  show  that  any 
election  for  directors  was  held  in  November,  1843, 
but  it  was  allowed  to  go  by  default  and  the  old 
board  continued  to  serve.  In  November,  1844, 
however,  that  the  majesty  of  the  law  might  be 
vindicated  (and  a  legislative  committee  avoided), 
a  new  board  was  duly  elected,  consisting  of 
Richard  L.  Seely,  Ezra  Hand,  Stephen  Torrey, 
Albert    H.    Russell,  Gaylord    Russell,  Josiah 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


357 


Foster,  Butler  Hamlin,  Anizi  Fuller,  Henry 
M.  Fuller,  William  H.  Foster,  N.  B.  El- 
dred,  Joseph  B.  Walton,  Jr.,  and  J.  C.  Gunn. 

These  gentlemen  immediately  qualified,  and, 
at  their  first  meeting,  adopted  a  resolution  re- 
questing the  members  of  the  old  board  to  meet 
with  them  regularly  to  advise  in  relation  to  the 
business  of  the  bank,  aud  that  the  president 
and  cashier  be  a  committee  to  make  discounts. 

The  year  of  "outing"  having  expired,  in 
November,  1845,  a  new  board  was  elected,  as 
follows :  Richard  L.  Seely,  Zenas  H.  Russell, 
Isaac  P.  Foster,  E.  W.  Hamlin,  John  Torrey, 
Daniel  P.  Kirtland,  Ezra  Hand,  Joseph  B. 
Walton,  George  F.  Knapp,  Jeremiah  C.  Gunn, 
Amzi  Fuller,  Daniel  Blandiu  and  Jos.  Benjamin. 

November,  1846,  the  above  were  all  re-elect- 
ed, and  in  March,  1847,  the  legislative  restriction 
as  to  the  re-election  of  old  directors  was  repealed 
so  far  as  related  to  the  Honesdale  Bank. 

November  26,  1846,  Ezra  Hand  tendered 
his  resignation  as  director,  which  was  accepted, 
and  T.  H.  R.  Tracy  was  chosen  by  the  board 
to  fill  the  vacancy. 

November,  1847,  the  above  directors  were 
re-elected,  with  the  exception  of  Henry  M. 
Fuller  in  place  of  Amzi  Fuller,  deceased,  and 
Ezra  Hand  in  place  of  Daniel  Blandin. 

November,  1848,  the  old  board  were  all 
re-elected,  and  also  in  November,  1849,  with 
the  exception  that  James  Archibald  was  chosen 
in  place  of  Joseph  B.  Walton,  deceased. 

Aj>ril  5,  1849,  the  Legislature  passed  an 
act  extending  the  charter  fifteen  years  from  the 
expiration  of  the  present  charter,  and  requiring 
the  bank  to  pay  a  further  bonus  of  two  per  cent, 
(two  thousand  dollars)  to  the  State  treasurer, 
and  not  to  become  a  law  until  accepted  by  the 
stockholders. 

December  27,  1849,  the  stockholders  re- 
solved to  accept  the  charter. 

January  17,  1850,  apian  and  specifications 
for  a  new  banking-house  and  cashier's  residence 
were  reported,  and  the  proposition  of  Colonel 
Richard  L.  Seely  to  erect  it  for  six  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars  was  accepted.  Messrs.  Z. 
H.  Russell,  Isaac  P.  Foster,  Thomas  H.  R. 
Tracy  and  the  cashier  were  appointed  a  build- 
ing committee. 


November  18,  1850,  the  old  board  were 
all  re-elected.  January  2,  1851,  the  board 
held  their  first  meeting  in  the  new  banking- 
house. 

This  was  the  same  one  now  occupied  ;  prior 
to  this  they  had  occupied  the  building  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  Dr.  Charles  Brady,  and 
the  banking-room  was  the  small  front-room  of 
that  building. 

November  17,  1851,  the  following  were 
elected  directors  for  the  ensuing  year:  R.  L. 
Seely,  Isaac  P.  Foster,  Zenas  H.  Russell,  John 
Torrey,  Daniel  Blandin,  D.  P.  Kirtland,  Ezra 
Hand,  W.  H.  Foster,  Gaylord  Russell,  Butler 
Handin,  George  F.  Knapp,  Joseph  Benjamin 
and  Jeremiah  C.  Gunn. 

At  the  election  November  1 3, 1 852,  R.  L.  Seely, 
I.  P.  Foster,  John  Torrey,  Z.  H.  Russell,  D.  P. 
Kirtland,  J.  Benjamin,  J.  C.  Gunn,  Thomas 
Sweet,  R.  F.  Lord,  Daniel  Blandin,  Nicholas 
Overfield,  Edward  O.  Hamlin  and  Henry  M. 
Fuller  were  elected  directors.  November  21, 
1853,  the  old  board  were  re-elected,  and  Novem- 
ber 20,1854,  they  were  all  re-elected,  with  the 
following  exceptions  :  Samuel  E.  Dimmick  in 
place  of  Joseph  Benjamin,  William  H.  Foster 
in  place  of  Nicholas  Warfield,  Stephen  Torrey 
in  place  of  Henry  M.  Fuller  aud  Ephraim  \V. 
Hamlin  iu  place  of  Edward  O.  Hamlin. 

For  the  past  three  years  Ephraim  W.  Ham- 
lin, having  been  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  had 
been  ineligible  as  a  director. 

March  16,  1855,  an  act  was  passed  author- 
izing (by  a  vote  of  the  stockholders)  an  increase 
of  capital  to  §200,000,  subject  to  a  bonus  to  the 
State  of  $2000,  aud  at  a  stockholders'  meeting 
April  5,  1855,  it  was  resolved  to  so  increase  the 
capital ;  but  at  a  subsequent  meeting,  held  May 
1, 1855,  it  was  "  resolved  to  increase  the  capital 
only  $50,000  at  this  time." 

November  19,  1855,  the  old  board  were 
re-elected  for  the  ensuiug  year,  and  November 
17, 1856,  the  old  board  were  all  re-elected,  with 
the  exception  of  Gaylord  Russell  in  place  of 
Stephen  Torrey. 

September  26,  1857,  the  board  was  advised 
that  the  Philadelphia  banks  had  all  suspended 
specie  payments,  involving  the  suspension  of  the 
other  banks  in  the  State,  and   unanimously  re- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


solved  not  to  suspend  as  long  as  the  New  York 
City  banks  did  not  suspend. 

They  were  enabled  to  do  this  from  the  fact 
that  their  principal  reserve  balance  was  kept  in 
New  York,  and  their  Philadelphia  account  was 
comparatively  small,  while  nearly  all  of  the 
banks  of  this  State  kept  their  balances  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  of  course  were  obliged  to  suspend 
with  Philadelphia. 

October  13  and  14,  1857,  the  New  York  City 
banks  were  obliged  to  suspend,  but  the  records 
of  the  bank  do  not  show  that  any  further  action 
was  taken  by  the  boards  in  regard  to  the  matter, 
or  that  any  demand  was  made  upon  them  for 
specie  that  was  not  honored,  and  if  they  did  not 
formally  suspend  after  the  suspension  of  the 
New  York  banks,  it  was  simply  because  no 
demand  was  made  to  afford  any  occasion  for 
suspension.  At  the  elections  held  November 
16,  1857,  and  November  15,  1858,  the  old 
board  were  re-elected. 

November  21,  1859,  the  following  persons 
were  elected  directors  for  the  ensuing  year, 
viz. :  R.  L.  Seeley,  Z.  H.  Russell,  John  Torrey, 
D.  P.  Kirtland,  R.  F.  Lord,  J.  P.  Foster, 
J.  C.  Gunn,  S.  E.  Dimmick,  E.  AY.  Hamlin, 
W.  H.  Foster,  Daniel  Blandin,  Franklin  A. 
Seely    and   Gaylord    Russell.     November    19, 

1860,  and  November  18,  1861,  all  of  the  above 
were  re-elected. 

The  Bank's  War  Record. — The  threatening 
clouds  which  had  been  gathering  in  darkness 
and  power  in  our  horizon  at  length  burst  with 
fury  over   Fort  Sumter   on  the  12th  of  April, 

1861,  and  the  surrender  of  the  garrison  on  the 
13th  of  April  excited  a  strong  patriotic  feeling 
throughout  the  North,  with  a  determination  to 
put  down  the  Rebellion. 

The  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  being  then 
in  session,  on  the  13th  of  April  passed  a  war  bill, 
appropriating  half  a  million  of  dollars  for  the 
purpose  of  equipping  the  militia  of  the  State,  and 
the  Governor  soon  after  called  for  volunteers. 

April  20,  1861,  a  public  meeting  of  the 
citizens  of  Honesdale  was  held  at  Liberty  Hall, 
in  response  to  this  call,  and  a  finance  commit- 
tee was  appointed,  of  which  S.  D.  Ward  was 
made  treasurer,  to  receive  and  disburse  funds 
contributed  for  the  support  of  the  families  of 


those  who  should  volunteer.  At  the  next  meet- 
ing of  the  board  after  the  citizens'  meeting,  the 
following  appears  upou  the  records  of  the  bank  : 

"April  25,  1861,  it  was  unanimously  resolved  that 
the  Honesdale  Bank  hereby  subscribe  one  thousand 
dollars  to  the  fund  now  being  raised  in  Wayne  County 
for  assistance  to  the  families  of  those  of  our  fellow- 
citizens  who  shall  volunteer  from  this  county  for 
their  country's  defense, — the  amount  to  be  paid  to 
S.  D.  Ward,  treasurer  of  the  Finance  Committee,  ap- 
pointed at  a  public  meeting  held  on  the  20th  inst.'' 

June  20,  1861,  an  application  was  laid  before 
the  board  from  the  State  treasurer,  requesting 
a  subscription  to  the  State  War  Loan,  and  on 
motion, — 

"  Resolved,  That  the  cashier  be  and  is  hereby  in- 
structed to  take  five  thousand  dollars  of  said  loan." 

August  7,  1862,  the  board  met  to  consider 
the  proposition  of  advancing  funds,  not  exceed- 
ing ten  thousand  dollars,  to  pay  a  bounty  of 
fifty  dollars  to  each  person  who  should  volun- 
teer to  make  up  the  quota  of  Wayne  County  in  the 
twenty-one  regiments  of  volunteers  required  of 
Pennsylvania,  under  the  recent  call  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  as  specified  in 
the  proclamation  of  the  Governor  of  the  State, 
and  as  the  county  commissioners  of  Wayne 
County  proposed  to  issue  to  those  who  would 
advance  the  funds  for  that  purpose  bonds  or 
certificates  of  indebtedness  bearing  six  per  cent. 
interest,  in  the  name  of  the  county,  subject, 
however,  to  the  same  being  legalized  by  the 
Legislature,  it  was  ou  motion  unanimously 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Honesdale  Bank  hereby  agrees 
to  subscribe  and  pay  to  the  Treasurer  appointed  by 
the  Commissioners  to  receipt  and  pay  out  said  fund, 
an  amount  which  shall  be  equal  to  what  all  of  the 
citizens  of  Wayne  County  shall,  in  their  individual 
capacity,  subscribe  and  pay  to  said  Treasurer  towards 
said  fund." 

August  13,  1863,  the  cashier  was  authorized 
to  forward  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  to 
the  committee  of  the  banks  of  Philadelphia  for 
the  purpose  of  paying  the  miljtia  of  the  State, 
called  out  by  the  Governor  to  repel  invasion. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  the  bank  was  a 
liberal  subscriber  to  all  of  the  government  loans 
from  the  time  the  first  loan  was  offered  to  the 
public  to  the  final  closing  out  of  the  "  four 
per  cents.,"  and  for  the  placing  of  these  bonds 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


359 


(the  four  per  cent.)  in  the  hands  of  the  people  it 
was  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
a  government  agent. 

Colonel  Richard  Lewis  Seely,  one  of 
the  organizers  and  the  first  president  of  the  Hi  >nes- 
dale  Bank,  was  a  son  of  Dr.  John  W.  Seely  and 
grandson  of  Colonel  Sylvauus  Seely  (of  whom 
notice  appears  elsewhere^  He  was  born  in  Greene 
County,  Pennsylvania,  December  23,  1796. 
About  180.°,  his  father  and  family  removed  to 
Holland,  near  Warren,  Trumbull  Co.,  O.  When 
a  young  man  he  was  commissioned  colonel  in 
the  Ohio  militia,  and  so  received  the  title  by 
which  he  was  so  well  known  through  his  life. 

In    June,    1X24,    he    first   came    to    Wayne 


County,  Pennsylvania,  to  look  after  property 
of  his  recently  deceased  grandfather,  and  in 
August,  1825,  he  came  again  to  Wayne  County 
and  settled  upon  that  property,  at  what  was 
then  known  as  "  Seely 's  Mills,"  now  Seelyville. 
He  was  married,  August  17,  1828,  to  Maria, 
daughter  of  Major  Jason  Torrey,  of  whom  a 
sketch  has  been  already  given. 

He  was  a  man  of  great  energy  of  character 
and  public  spirit.  He  exerted  himself  to  the 
utmost  to  foster  such  enterprises  as  would 
tend  to  develop  the  resources  and  promote  the 
prosperity  and  growth  of  the  community.  (This 
will  appear  from  the  history  of  Seelyville,  as 
found  in  this  volume.)  Without  ability  to 
interest  himself  financially  in  the  construction 
of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal,  which  so 
greatly  served  in  an  early  day  to  open  up  this 


region,  his  willing  heart,  ready  hand  and  per- 
sonal influence  did  much  to  facilitate  the  pro- 
gress of  this  work.  He  was  prominent  in  the 
movement  which  resulted  in  the  chartering  of 
the  Honesdalo  Bank  in  1836,  and  as  president 
of  that  bank,  from  its  organization  until  his 
death,  contributed  largely  toward  fixing  the 
safe,  conservative,  financial  policy  which  carried 
it  safely  through  all  business  crises,  and  gave  it 
an  established  and  almost  national  reputation. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  the  organization  of 
the  Honesdale  Academy  (chartered  in  1838), 
tlie  property  of  which  was  subsequently  donated 
to  the  borough  for  public  school  purposes. 

March  7,  1832,  he  was  commissioned  justice 
of  the  peace  by  Governor  Wolf,  and  continued 
in  that  office  for  several  years.  He  united  with 
the  Presbyterian  Church  October  11,  1829,  and 
was  chosen  ruling  elder  in  that  church  October 
15,  1842,  which  office  he  held  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life. 

In  the  spring  of  1S47  he  removed  from  See- 
lyville to  the  borough  of  Honesdale,  where  he 
continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  Dec.  8,  1863. 

December  8,  I863,the  bank  sustained  a  great 
loss  in  the  death  of  Colonel  Richard  L.  Seely, 
who  had  been  its  only  president. since  its  organi- 
zation, in  1836,  and  on  the  31st  of  December, 
1863,  ZenasH.  Russell  was  unanimously  elected 
president,  and  John  Torrey  was  unanimously 
elected  vice-president  in  place  of  Mr.  Russell. 

March  17,  1864,  the  cashier  laid  before  the 
board  the  voluntary  resignation  of  Horace  C. 
Hand,  teller  of  the  bank  (after  a  service  as 
clerk  and  teller  of  nearly  sixteen  years),  to  take 
effect  March  31st,  to  enable  him  to  enter  into 
active  business. 

The  Honesdale  National  Bank. — On 
the  10th  of  November,  1864,  pursuant  to  pre- 
vious legal  notice,  the  stockholders  of  the  Hones- 
dale Bank  convened  at  the  banking-house  to 
consider  whether  it  was  advisable  to  convert  the 
Honesdale  Bank  into  a  National  Banking 
Association  under  the  general  bankiug  laws  of 
the  United  States.  It  was  unanimously  resolved 
to  make  the  change,  and  on  the  1st  day  of  De- 
cember, 1864,  the  stockholders  aud  directors  of 
the  Honesdale  Bank  unanimously  adopted  the 
articles  of  association  and  organization  certificate 


WAYNE,  PIKE,  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


of  "  The  Honesdale  National  Bank,"  with  a 
capital  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars, with  authority  to  increase  the  same  to  not 
exceeding  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  under 
the  provision  of  the  lOthSection  of  the  National 
Bank  Act. 

The  articles  of  association  also  provided  that 
the  following  persons,  directors  of  the  Honesdale 
Bank,  should  be  the  directors  of  "  The  Hones- 
dale National  Bank  :  " 


to  commence  business,  was  received,  bearing 
date  December  24, 1864,  and  it  was  unanimously 
resolved  by  the  board  that  "  as  Monday  will  be 
observed  as  a  legal  holiday,  the  Honesdale 
National  Bank  will  commence  business  on 
Tuesday,  January  3,  1865." 

On  the  10th  of  January,  1865,  an  election  for 
directors  of  the  Honesdale  National  Bank  was 
held,  at  which  all  of  the  old  directors  were  elected 
except  Daniel  Blandin,  who   was   succeeded  by 


tfSS^HJplgfc- 


Zenas  H.  Russell,  John  Torrey,  Isaac  P.  Foster, 
Jeremiah  C.  Gunn,  Ephraim  W.Hamlin,  Win.  H. 
Foster,  Daniel  P.  Kirtland,  Daniel  Blandin,  Samuel 
E.  Dimmick,  Franklin  A.  Seely,  Henry  M.  Seely. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Honesdale  Bank,  held  December  29,  1864,  the 
certificate  of  the  Comptroller  of  the  Currency,  | 
authorizing  "  The  Honesdale  National   Bank 


i  Benjamin,  and  at  a  meeting  of  the  new 
board,  held  January  12,  1865,  it  was  unani- 
mously resolved  to  increase  the  capital  stock  of 
said  bank  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars  to  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and 
that  a  stock  dividend  of  thirty-three  and  one- 
third  per  cent.,  or  fifty  thousand  dollars  of  said 
increase,  be  made  to  the  present  stockholders. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


361 


July  6,  1865,  Coe  F.  Young  and  Edwin  F. 
Torrey  were  appointed  directors  to  fill  the 
vacancies  occasioned  by  the  resignation  of  Jos. 
Benjamin  and  Franklin  A.  Seely. 

January  9,  1866,  the  following  persons  were 
elected  directors  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

Zeuas  H.  Russell,  John  Torrey,  Isaac  P. 
Foster,  Jeremiah  C.  Gunu,  Ephraim  W.  Ham- 
lin, Daniel  P.  Kirtland,  Wm.  H.  Foster,  Henry 
M.  Seely,  Samuel  E.  Dimmick,  Coe  F.  Young, 
Edwin  F.  Torrey,  and  were  continued  by  re- 
election as  directors  during  the  year  1874,  when 
a  vacancy  was  occasioned  by  the  death  of  Daniel 
P.  Kirtland,  which  was  filled  on  August  6, 
1874,  by  the  appointment  of  Henry  Z.  Russell. 

January  14,  1875,  the  old  board  was  re- 
elected, with  Henry  Z.  Russell  in  place  of  D. 
P.  Kirtland. 

On  the  14th  of  October,  1875,  another  vacancy 
was  occasioned  in  the  board  by  the  death  of  the 
Hon.  Samuel  E.  Dimmick,  in  Harrisburg, 
while  attending  to  his  duties  as  attorney-gen- 
eral of  Pennsylvania. 

This  vacancy  was  not  filled  until  the  annual 
election,  January  11,  1876,  when  the  other 
members  of  the  board  were  re-elected,  and  Mr. 
Elias  Stanton  in  place  of  Hon.  Sam'l  E.  Dimjuiek. 

November  18,  1876,  another  vacancy  oc- 
curred in  the  death  of  Isaac  P.  Foster,  who  had 
been  connected  with  the  bank  ever  since  its  or- 
ganization, and  which  vacancy,  instead  of  filling, 
the  stockholders,  at  their  annual  meeting,  Jan- 
uary 9,  1877,  so  amended  the  by-lawas  to  make 
the  board  of  directors  consist  of  ten  stockholders 
instead  of  eleven,  and  at  the  annual  election, 
held  that  day  the  ten  surviving  directors  were 
re-elected. 

January  10, 1878,  the  old  board  were  re-elect- 
ed, but  as  Zenits  H.  Russell,  on  account  of 
failing  health,  and  John  Torrey,  on  account  of 
impaired  hearing,  both  declined  re-election  to 
the  office  of  president  and  vice-president  re- 
spectively, on  motion,  Coe  F.  Young  was 
unanimously  elected  president  and  Henry  M. 
Seely  vice-president. 

May  11,  1878,  another  vacancy  in  the  board 
was  occasioned  by  the  death  of  Zeuas  H.  Rus- 
sell, who  had  been  connected  with  the  manage- 
ment as  a  director  since  its  first  organization,  in 


November,  1836,  as  its  first  vice-president  from 
July  17,  1856,  to  December  -11 ,  1863,  when  he 
was  elected  president  to  fill  the  vacancy  occa- 
sioned by  the  death  of  Colonel  Richard  L. 
Seely,  and  which  lie  held  without  interruption 
until  he  retired  on  account  of  failing  health, 
January  10,  1878,  only  four  months  and  a  day 
before  his  death. 

This  vacancy  was  not  filled  until  the  annual 
election,  January  14,  1879,  when  the  old  board 
were  re-elected  and  Robert  J.  Menner  vice 
Zeuas  H.  Russell  (deceased). 

January  13,  1880,  old  board  all  re-elected, 
but  on  March  8,  1880,  another  vacancy  was 
occasioned  by  the  death  of  William  H.  Foster, 
which  was  filled  on  the  25th  of  March  by  the 
election  of  Horace  G.  Young.  January  11, 
1881,  the  old  board  was  all  re-elected,  and 
Horace  G.  Young  vice  William  H.  Foster 
(deceased).  January  10,  1882,  the  old  board 
was  all  re-elected,  viz :  C.  F.  Young,  John 
Torrey,  E.  W.  Hamlin,  J.  C.  Gunn,  Henry  M. 
Seely,  E.  F.  Torrey,  H.  Z.  Russell,  Elias  Stan- 
ton, Robert  J.  Menner  and  Horace  G.  Young. 
January  9,  1883,  and  January  8,  1884,  the  old 
board  was  all  re-elected  except  that  in  the  latter 
year  Hon.  Henry  M.  Seely,  having  been  elected 
president  judge  of  this  judicial  district,  declined 
re-election  as  vice-president  and  also  declined  to 
qualify  as  a  director. 

January  10,  1884,  on  motion,  Henry  Z.  Rus- 
sell was  unanimously  elected  vice-president  in 
place  of  Hon.  Henry  M.  Seely,  and  February 
7,  1884,  Edward  O.  Hamlin  was  unanimously 
appointed  a  director  in  place  of  Judge  Seely. 

On  April  3,  1884,  another  vacancy  in  the 
board  was  occasioned  by  the  death  of  Hon.  E. 
W.  Hamlin,  the  last  but  one  of  the  directors 
who  have  been  connected  with  the  management 
of  the  bank  since  its  first  organization,  in  De- 
cember, 1836. 

July  10,  1884,  the  cashier  presented  to  the 
board  the  following  statement : 

"  The  dividend  declared  to-day  is  the  fortieth  semi- 
annual dividend  of  five  per  cent.,  declared  by  the 
Honesdale  National  Bank. 

"  Our  charter  expires  by  limitation  December  1, 
1884.  During  our  existence  as  a  National  Bank  we 
have  earned  and  paid  to  our  stockholders,  including 
the  dividend  of  to-day $600,000.00 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


We  have  now  on  hand  of  surplus  and 
profits 135,(550.4!) 

Net  earnings  as  National  Bank 8735,650.49 

During  the  same   time   we  have    paid 
State  and  National  taxes  amounting  to.  102,864. 1  •". 

Making  gross  earnings  after  payment  of 
all  expenses $838,514.62" 

On  motion,  Messrs.  John  Torrey,  Henry  C. 
Russell  and  E.  F.  Torrey  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  take  such  steps  as  are  necessary 
for  the  extension  of  our  charter.  October  2, 
1884,  the  committee  reported,  through  E.  F. 
Torrey,  that  they  had  forwarded  to  the  Comptrol- 
ler of  the  Currency,  under  date  of  October  1st,  the 
application  of  stockholders  representing  four 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  ten  shares  of  the 
Honesdale  National  Bank,  that  the  sixth  article 
of  the  articles  of  association  of  said  National 
Banking  Association  be  so  amended  as  to  read 
as  follows  : 

"  This  association  shall  continue  until  close 
of  business,  December  1,  a.d.  1904,  unless 
sooner  placed  in  voluntary  liquidation  by  the 
act  of  its  shareholders  owning  at  least  two- 
thirds  of  its  stock,  or  otherwise  dissolved  by 
authority  of  law,"  which  action  was  on  motion 
approved,  and  the  committee  discharged. 

December  4,  1884,  the  cashier  presented  to 
the  board  the  renewal  certificate  of  the  Comp- 
troller of  the  Currency  extending  the  charter 
for  twenty  years,  or  until  December  1,  a.d. 
1904. 

January  13,  1885,  at  the  annual  meeting  of 
stockholders  held  for  the  election  of  direct- 
ors, the  by-laws  were  so  amended  as  to 
make  the  board  of  directors  consist  of  nine 
stockholders  instead  of  ten,  leaving  the  vacancy 
occasioned  by  the  death  of  Hon.  E.  W.  Ham- 
lin unfilled  and  re-electing  the  surviving  direc- 
tors, so  that  the  directors  and  executive  officers 
of  the  bank  to-day  are  as  follows  : 

Directors. 

John  Torrey since  November,  1836 

Jeremiah  C.  Gunn "  "  1844 

Coe  F.  Young "  July  6,  1865 

Edwin  F.  Torrey "  "         1865 

Henry  Z.  Russell "        August  6,  1874 

Elias  Stanton "     January  11, 1876 

Robert  J.  Menner "     January  14, 1879 


Horace  G.  Young since  March  25,  1880 

Edward  O.  Hamlin "     February  7,  1884 

Coe  F.  Young,  president;  Henry  Z.  Russell, 
vice-president;  Edwin  F.  Torrey,  cashier;  Samuel 
J.  Foster,  teller ;  Grant  W.  Lane,  clerk. 

The  Wayne  County  Savings  Bank  was 
organized  November  1,  1871,  under  a  charter 
granted  by  the  State  Legislature,  with  an  au- 
thorized capital  of  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars, of  which  fifty  thousand  dollars  was  paid 
in.  At  the  first  election  of  directors  and  offi- 
cers the  following  were  chosen,  to  wit :  Wm. 
W.  Weston,  Wm.  H.  Dimmick,  Isaac  N.  Fos- 
ter, Richard  Henwood,  Wm.  Wefferling,  Robt. 
J.  Menner,  Lorenzo  Grambs,  Wm.  H.  Ham 
and  Gilbert  Knapp.  President,  Wm.  W.  Wes- 
ton ;  Vice-President,  Wm.  H.  Dimmick  ;  Cash- 
ier, Horace  C.  Hand. 

The  present  board  of  directors  is  as  fol- 
lows :  Wm.  AY.  Weston,  Isaac  N.  Foster,  Lo- 
renzo Grambs,  George  G.  Waller,  Wm.  Weffer- 
ling, H.  J.  Conger,  J.  Howard  Beach.  Presi- 
dent, Wm.  W.  Weston  ;  Vice-President,  Isaac 
N.  Foster;  Cashier,  H.  C.  Hand  ;  First  Teller, 
H.  S.  Salmon  ;  Second  Teller,  Wm.  J.  Ward. 
The  last  annual  statement  furnished  to  the  audi- 
tor-general, shows  the  deposits  to  be  $722,943, 
and  the  total  assets  $816,265.  The  building  in 
which  the  bank  is  located  was  built  especially 
for  it,  and  was  first  occupied  November  1, 1875. 
The  success  of  this  financial  institution  has 
been  almost  wholly  due  to  the  energy  and 
sound  business  judgment  of  Mr.  Weston,  its 
first  and  present  president, 

William  W.  Weston  is  a  son  of  the  Rev. 
Horace  Weston,  born  at  Simesbury,  Hartford 
County,  Connecticut,  in  1792,  and  who  re- 
moved to  Ulster  County,  New  York,  in  1814. 
He  early  became  a  minister  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  was  the  pioneer  preacher 
of  that  denomination  in  the  western  part  of 
Ulster,  and  in  Sullivan  County,  extending  from 
Ellenville  to  Monticello.  The  distance  cov- 
ered by  his  ministrations  comprised  about  fiftv 
miles,  and  his  labors  were  arduous  and  trying. 
Owing  to  the  severity  of  his  ministerial  tasks 
his  health  finally  gave  way,  and  he  was  com- 
pelled to  locate,  which  he  did,  at  Ellenville, 
Ulster  County,  New  York,  about  1826.  In 
1829,  as  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Com- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


363 


pany  was  about  beginning  operations,  he  began 
the  manufacture  of  stone-ware  at  Ellenville, 
and  engaged  in  that  secular  occupation  until 
his  death,  in  1848,  although  he  performed  min- 
isterial functions  at  irregular  periods  until  the 
close  of  his  life. 

He  supplied  stone-ware  along  the  entire 
length  of  the  canal  as  tar  as  Scranton,  and  as 
Eastern  Pennsylvania  was  then  rapidly  devel- 
oping under  the  operations  of  the  Delaware  and 


children,  seven  are  still  living,  including  Caro- 
line, wife  of  Rev.  ¥m.  G.  Wiggins,  of  Pater- 
son;William  W.,  Daniel,  who  resides  in  Hones- 
dale,  Minerva,  wife  of  H.  Y.  Lazar,  of  Chicago 
Elnora,  wife  of  George  H.  Dutcher,  Ellenville 
Marilla,  wife  of  N.  T.  Childs,  of  Binghamton 
New  York;  and  Loren,  who  also  resides  in  Chi- 
cago. 

William  W.  Weston  was  born  at  Ellenville, 
New  York,  November  7,   1828.     He  received 


Hudson  Canal  Company,  he  finally  decided  to 
locate  at  Honesdale,  Wayne  County,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1848  purchased  land  with  a  view  to 
establishing  a  branch  factory  at  that  place.  But 
"  man  proposes  but  God  disposes,"  and  the  exe- 
cution of  his  plan  was  prevented  by  his  death 
from  fever,  in  July  of  that  year.  His  wife  was 
the  daughter  of  Daniel  Briggs,  of  Wawarsing, 
Ulster  County,  New  York,  one  of  the  early 
settlers    from   Wrestchester  County.      Of  eight 


only  a  common-school  education,  and  at  fifteen 
years  of  age  entered  the  employ  of  his  father  in 
the  manufacture  and  sale  of  stone-ware.  Upon 
the  death  of  the  latter,  in  1848,  jmrsuant  to  the 
plan  and  advice  ©f  his  father,  he  commenced 
the  erection,  at  Honesdale,  of  the  factory  con- 
templated. The  building  was  finished  in  the 
fall  and  winter,  and  in  the  spring  of  1849  he 
began  to  manufacture  at  that  place.  He  took 
charge  of  the  new  factory  himself,  while  his 


364 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


brother  looked  after  the  Ellenville  plant.  In 
1854  he  placed  his  brother  Horace  in  charge  of 
the  works  at  Honesdale,  and  he  himself  em- 
barked in  mercantile  pursuits,  dealing  in  heavy 
goods,  such  as  flour,  grain  and  provisions,  and, 
in  connection  with  C.  W.  Requa  and  Smith 
Requa,  under  the  firm-name  of  Requas  &  Wes- 
ton, operated  a  line  of  canal-boats  from  Albany, 
New  York,  in  connection  with  a  store  at  Ellen- 
ville and  one  at  Honesdale. 

This  plan  of  operations  continued  until  the 
spring  of  1857,  when  the  building  of  the  Erie 
Railroad  made  a  change  necessary,  and  the  firm 
dissolved,  the  Requas  taking  the  canal  business 
and  the  Ellenville  store,  and  Mr.  Weston  the 
Honesdale  business.  Since  that  time  he  has 
carried  on  the  mercantile  business  alone,  with 
the  exception  of  five  years,  during  which  period 
his  brother  Loren  was  associated  with  him. 

In  1867,  in  connection  with  Hoyt  Brothers, 
of  New  York,  and  F.  H.  Rockwell,  of  Hones- 
dale, he  operated  a  tannery  at  Little  Equinunk 
for  seven  years,  the  firm  being  known  as  Wes- 
ton, Rockwell  &  Co.  He  subsequently  dis- 
posed of  his  interest  to  Hoyt  Brothers,  of  New 
York.  In  1873  he,  with  others,  organized 
the  Honesdale  Glass  Company,  which  has  since 
been  in  successful  operation,  with  Mr.  Weston 
as  vice-president  and  manager.  In  addition  to 
these  enterprises  he  has  been  active  in  other  di- 
rections, and  closely  identified  with  all  move- 
ments tending  to  develop  the  interests  of  the 
community  in  which  he  resides.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Wayne  County  Savings 
Bank  in  1871,  and  has  since  been  president  of 
that  institution.  He  has  taken  an  active  inter- 
est in  church  work,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Honesdale  Presbyterian  Church.  His  first 
wife,  whom  he  married  October  1,  1857,  was 
Anna  E.,  daughter  of  Deacon  Isaac  P.  Foster, 
of  Honesdale,  who  passed  away  September  1 5, 
1876. 

His  present  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Weston, 
is  a  daughter  of  John  F.  Roe,  an  old  resident  of 
Honesdale.  His  children  born  of  the  first 
marriage  were  Nellie,  (who  died  in  infancy,) 
Bessie  B.,  Harriet  Rowland  (wife  of  H.  S. 
Battin,  of  Chicago),  William  Foster,  Charles 
Wesley  and  George  Childs  Weston. 


Inventions. — That  the  borough  has  not 
been  lacking  in  inventive  ability  is  readily  ap- 
preciated when  one  takes  into  consideration  that 
here  was  first  worked  out  the  problem  of  the 
sewing-machine  and  here  lived  a  man  who  later 
achieved  a  great  success  in  the  same  line  ot 
mechansm,  and  whose  name  was  given  to  one 
of  the  many  machines  now  in  use — the  Secor. 

More  than  fifty  years  ago,  in  the  mind  of  Dr. 
Otis  Avery,  originated  the  first  plan  for  con- 
structing a  sewing-machine  for  the  relief  of  bur- 
dened seamstresses.  After  years  of  vigilant  at- 
tention and  almost  constant  toil  he  accomplished 
the  solution  of  the  problem  which  he  had  im- 
posed upon  himself.  His  machine  made  a 
much  stronger  seam  than  any  of  the  later  ones, 
and  the  examiners  at  the  World's  Fair,  in  1853, 
awarded  him  the  highest  premium  for  the  best 
seam.  So  much  tact  and  skill  were  demanded, 
however,  for  the  working  of  his  machine  that 
it  failed  to  meet  the  popular  demand. 

The  Avery  machine,  patented  in  1852,  was 
thus  spoken  of  by  the  New  York  Tribune  in 
December  of  that  year, — 

"  Dr.  Avery's  machine  was  first  exhibited  here  at 
the  recent  fair  of  the  American  Institute.  It  is  com- 
pletely original,  its  features  and  arrangements  not  be- 
ing borrowed  from  those  of  other  inventors.  It  oper- 
ates with  two  needles  and  two  threads,  which  it  inter- 
locks in  something  like  a  tambour  stitch.  We  have 
examined  its  work  with  great  care  and  have  cut  every 
other  stitch  on  one  side  of  the  [cloth  and  still  have 
found  the  seam  quite  as  strong  as  any  other  having 
none  of  the  defects  of  the  ordinary  tambour  stitch. 
It  uses  more  thread  than  either  of  the  other  American 
machines,  but  less  than  the  French,  In  respect  to 
the  rapidity  of  the  work,  we  think  there  is  no  great 
difference.  The  great  advantage  of  Avery's  machine 
are  its  more  simple  mechanism  and  its  greater  cheap- 
ness. For  household  use  these  are  of  great  import- 
ance." 

The  Avery  machine  sold  for  twenty-five  dol- 
lars ;  the  others  at  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  dollars,  that  of  the  Wilson  be- 
ing the  former  and  the  Singer  the  latter 
amount. 

The  doctor's  machine  was  introduced  byr  him 
in  England  in  1854,  and  also  sold  to  Louis 
Napoleon. 

A  company  was  formed  in  New  York  for 
manufacturing  this  invention,  but  lacking  suf- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


ficient  enterprise  and  strong  rivals  being  in  the 
field,  its  wares  were  superseded  by  others  more 
ably  pushed  upon  the  market. 

At  the  time  Dr.  Avery  was  laboring  to  per- 
fect his  machine  so  as  to  bring  it  into  use,  a  lad 
by  the  name  of  Jerome  B.  Seeor  was  living  in 
Honesdale,  whose  father  was  a  gun-smith.  He 
exhibited  a  high  degree  of  mechanical  ingenuity, 
which  was  encouraged  by  his  father,  and  in  time 
he  became  the  deviser  of  several  useful  appli- 
ances and  mechanisms.  He  was  called  to  the 
work  of  improving  the  Singer  sewing-machine, 
which  he  did  so  effectually  that  the  company 
manufacturing  and  controlling  its  sale  became 
the  wealthiest  in  the  United  States. 

While  thus  engaged  Mr.  Secor  was  impressed 
with  the  idea  that,  by  proceeding  on  his  own 
foundation,  he  could  elaborate  a  machine  that 
would  surpass  in  utility  either  of  those  in  use, 
and  acting  upon  this  thought,  he  eventually 
brought  out  the  familiarly  known  Secor  sewing- 
machine. 

In  Juue,  185(3,  Marshall  Wheeler  invented 
au  automatic  governor  for  marine  steam-en- 
gines, that  was  regarded  as  a  very  valuable  de- 
vice by  the  best  authorities  of  the  country.  It 
consisted  of  some  simple  mechanism  to  regulate 
the  opening  and  closing  of  the  throttle  valve  by 
means  of  steam  pressure. 

Hiram  Plum,  in  1858,  invented  a  machine 
for  turning  tool  handles. 

manufactures. 
Wood's  Planixg-Mill — The  Old  Axe 
Factory. — The  ground  ou  which  is  located 
Wood's  planing-mill  is  one  of  the  oldest  manu- 
facturing sites  in  Honesdale.  In  1832  Cornelius 
Hendricks  bought  ten  acres  of  land,  including 
this  site,  and  also  secured  the  right  to  the  water- 
power  of  the  Lackawaxen,  and  established  there 
an  axe  and  scythe  factory.  After  a  few  years 
the  property  was  sold  by  the  sheriff  and  bid  in 
by  S.  G.  Cory  for  thirty-two  hundred  dollars, 
for  Daniel  Hendricks,  an  Eastern  gentleman,  for 
whom  the  manufactory  was  carried  on  by  James 
Hendricks  and  one  Cottrell.  Again  the  estab- 
lishment was  sold  to  David  Beers,  S.  G.  Cory 
and  I.  J.  Bassett,  who  fitted  up  the  works  for 
wood-turning,  and   rented  them   to  Ten  Eyck 


Depui.  This  was  in  1857,  and  a  year  later 
we  find  Eliphalet  Wood  associated  with  Mr. 
Depui  and  carrying  on  the  first  planing-mill  in 
Wayne  County.  In  1857  Mr.  Wood  assumed 
the  sole  ownership  of  the  mill,  and  when  he 
died,  in  1860,  it  was  sold  to  E.  T.  Beers,  Wil- 
liam Reed  and  David  Beers,  who  carried  it  on 
under  the  firm-name  of  Beers,  Reed  &  Co.  In 
1864  B.  L.  Wood  bought  out  Mr.  Beers,  but 
the  style  of  the  firm  was  not  changed.  In  1874 
Wood  and  Beers  bought  out  Reed,  and  the 
business  was  then  conducted  by  them  until 
1880,  when  Wood  became  the  sole  proprietor. 
Up  to  that  time  water-power  had  been  used, 
but  Mr.  Wood  introduced  steam.  Mr.  Wood 
carries  ou  a  saw-mill,  planing-mill  and  sash 
and  blind  factory.  He  sends  much  lumber  to 
the  Stephensons,  the  car  builders  in  New  York. 

Honesdale  Flouring-Mili.. — This  estab- 
lishment dates  from  1838.  It  was  built  bv 
J.  C.  Gunn  &  Co.,  the  unnamed  partners  being 
Richard  L.  Seely  and  John  Torrey.  The  mill 
was  finished,  and  the  first  wheat  received  for 
grinding  in  November,  1839.  Mr.  Gunn  was 
the  practical  miller,  anil  the  control  of  building 
and  operating  the  mill  devolved  upon  him.  He 
made  it  a  success  from  the  start,  and  maintained 
the  reputation  of  the  establishment  steadily  from 
year  to  year.  In  1849  he  withdrew  from  the 
firm,  and  as  Mr.  Seely  had  previously  retired, 
John  Torrey  remained  the  sole  proprietor.  Mr. 
Torrey  leased  the  mill  successively  to  various 
parties,  and  finally,  in  1876,  to  Peter  J.  Cole, 
who  has  since  operated  it  and  made  many  im- 
provements. It  is  now  supplied  with  the  best 
improved  milling  machinery,  and  is  second  to 
no  establishment  of  its  kind  in  Northeastern 
Pennsylvania. 

J.  C.  Guxx,  who  may  justly  be  considered 
the  founder  of  the  above  industry,  is  descend- 
ed from  a  family  of  English  extraction, 
which  early  emigrated  to  this  country  and  es- 
tablished themselves  in  Connecticut.  Simeon 
Gunn,  the  father  of  J.  C.  Gunn,  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation  and  removed  from  Bedford, 
Conn.,  where  he  was  born,  to  Lee,  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  passed  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
He  married  Rhoda  Ann  Burton,  daughter  of 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Jeremiah  Burton,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who 
performed  active  service  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  who  also  located  in  Oneida  County, 
N.  Y.  Their  children  were  Jeremiah  C.  (our 
subject),  Phebe  (who  married  William  Burton 
and  resides  in  Iowa),  George  (who  died  at  Fox 
Lake,  Wis.,  November  26,  1879)  and  Eunice 
A.  (wife  of  Frederick  Farnham,  of  White 
Mills,  Wrayne  County). 

J.  C.  Gunu  was  born  in  Woodbury,  Conn., 
July  31,  1804.  His  boyhood  was  passed  upon 
his  father's  farm  in  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  acquired  an  ordinary  English 
education  at  the  district  schools  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. At  an  early  age  lie  developed  a  taste 
for  the  milling  business,  and  set  himself  to  work 
to  acquire  a  kuowledge  of  the  mechanical  con- 
struction and  operation  of  a  mill.  He  subse- 
quently operated  a  mill  at  Bowmanville,  Canada, 
and  at  various  other  places,  and  in  1834  re- 
moved to  Utica,  N.  Y.,  where  he  had  charge  of 
the  City  Mills,  owned  by  Rutgers  B.  Miller, 
for  four  years. 

In  the  fall  of  1838  he  was  solicited  by  Rich- 
ard L.  Seely  and  others  of  Houesdale  to  erect 
a  mill  at  that  place,  and  at  once  went  to  work 
to  break  the  ground  and  prepare  the  way  for 
millwrights,  who  arrived  from  Vermont  in 
May,  1839.  The  mill  was  completed  and  set 
in  operation  in  November  of  that  year,  and 
was  owned  by  Richard  L.  Seely,  John  Torrey 
and  J.  C.  Guun,  who  did  business  as  Gunn  &  Co. 

Colonel  Seely  subsequently  withdrew  from 
the  concern,  but  the  remaining  members  of  the 
firm  continued  to  operate  the  mill  until  1849. 
After  that  time  the  old  concern  was  dissolved, 
and  Mr.  Gunn  devoted  his  attention  to  private 
business.  He  has  proven  successful  in  all  of 
Jiis  ventures,  and  has  acquired  a  comfortable  es- 
tate by  the  exercise  of  that  persistency  of  pur- 
pose, energy  and  integrity  of  character  which  is 
the  only  basis  upon  which  a  substantial  and 
lasting  success  can  be  established. 

Mr.  Gunn  has  been  a  director  of  the  Hones- 
dale  National  Bank  since  1844,  and  has  always 
taken  great  interest  in  that  institution.  Ever 
since  he  located  in  Honesdale  he  has  been  a 
consistent  member  of  Grace  Episcopal  Church, 
-was  a  member  of  the  building  committee  on  the 


erection  of  the  present  church  edifice,  in  1853, 
to  which  he  subscribed  liberally,  and  for  thirty- 
eight  years  has  represented  the  church  in  the 
Diocesan  Conventions  of.  Pennsylvania,  which 
met  at  various  places.  He  was  a  warm  sup- 
porter of  the  war  for  the  preservation  of  the 
Union,  assisted  actively  in  the  enrollment  and 
fitting  out  of  the  various  companies  raised  in 
Wayne  County,  and  accompanied  the  first  com- 
pany to  Harrisburg.  He  spent  three  days  upon 
the  battle-field  at  Gettysburg,  picking  up  and  car- 
ing for  the  (lead  and  wounded  and  assisting  in 
alleviating  the  sufferings  of  those  who  fell  in 
their  country's  cause.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  himself  and  his  wife  were  among  the  most 
active  of  those  through  whose  patriotism  and 
energy  the  beautiful  monument,  which  now 
stands  in  the  public  park,  was  erected  to  the 
memory  of  those  who  had  proven  in  their  deaths 
the  truth  and  beauty  of  that  saying  of  Horace, 
dulce  et  decore  est  pro  pakria  mori, — it  is  a  sweet 
and  becoming  thing  to  die  for  one's  country. 

Mr.  Gunn  married,  February  25, 1835,  Ach- 
sah  Melissa,  daughter  of  Rev.  Whiting  Gris- 
wold,  who  died  while  pastor  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian Church  at  Hartwicke,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y. 
His  widow,  whose  maiden-name  was  Achsah 
Tyler,  of  Harford,  Susquehanna  County,  Pa., 
subsequently  became  the  wife  of  Major  Jason 
Torrey,  of  Wayne  County,  and  the  mother  of  two 
sons — James,  a  young  man  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary promise,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
and  Rev.  David  Torrey,  D.D.,  a  well-known 
native  of  Wayne  County,  resident  at  Casenovia, 
N.  Y. 

Peter  J.  Cole,  the  present  proprietor  of 
the  Honesdale  Mills,  is  a  grandson  of  Peter 
Cole,  a  native  of  Sussex  County,  N.  J.,  where 
the  Cole  family  has  been  prominently  repre- 
sented since  an  early  period.  In  1813  he  re- 
moved to  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  where  he  took 
up  government  lands,  to  which  he  subsequently 
added  by  purchase,  until  he  had  acquired  about 
one  hundred  and  thirty  acres.  He  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  the  county  and  a  man  of  indus- 
trious habits  and  good  character.  He  married 
a  lady  by  the  name  of  Schoonover,  and  had  two 
children, — Josiah,  an  only  son,  and  a  daughter, 
who    married    Charles    Kimble,    formerly    of 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Wayne  County,  and  who  removed  to  Michigan 
in  1836,  where  her  descendants  still  reside. 

Josiah  Cole  was  sixteen  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  his  father's  settlement  in  Wayne 
County,  and  was  a  valuable  aid  to  him  in  his 
pioneer  enterprises.  Upon  the  death  of  his 
father  he  succeeded  to  the  ancestral  glebes  and 
spent  his  life  in  agricultural  labor.  He  was  an 
influential  and  useful  man  and  occupied  various 
township  offices  in    Texas   township,  where  the 


I  in  Texas  township,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1827.  He  was  reared  upon  the 
farm,  attending  the  district  schools  during  the 
winter  season,  and  subsequently  completed  his 
education  at  the  University  of  Northern  Penn- 
sylvania, Bethany,  Wayne  County.  From  1844 
until  1853  he  taught  district  school  in  the  win- 
ter. After  his  marriage  (in  March,  1852)  the 
family  tract  was  divided  between  his  brother 
and  himself,  and   he   engaged    in  farming  until 


family  seat  was  established.  He  married  Char- 
lotte Brown  and  had  four  children, — Eliza  A., 
who  became  the  wife  of  Reynolds  Cole,  for- 
merly of  Sussex,  but  later  of  Wayne  County,  a 
civil  engineer  on  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal ;  Eleanor  S.,  who  married  Charles  H. 
Peck,  of  Preston  township  ;  Peter  J.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  and  Lewis  K.,  who  was 
wounded  at  Fort  Fisher  during  the  late  war 
and  died  in  Wilmington  Hospital. 

Peter  J.  Cole  was  born  on  the  old  homestead, 


1864,  when  he  removed  to  Honesdale,  the 
county-seat,  and  operated  the  large  flouring- 
mill  at  that  place  for  Edwin  F.  Torrey.  He 
continued  in  this  relation  until  1876,  when  he 
bought  the  stock  and  good- will  of  the  concern, 
and  has  since  operated  the  mill  on  his  own  ac- 
count. It  is  calculated  to  do  both  merchant 
and  custom-work,  and,  under  Mr.  Cole's  man- 
agement, has  enjoyed  a  wide  reputation.  The 
latter  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  successful 
business  men   of  Honesdale,  and  is  a   man  of 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


character  and  influence.  He  has  long  been  an 
active  and  useful  member  of  the  Honesdale 
Baptist  Church,  assisted  in  the  erection  of  the 
present  house  of  worship,  and  lias  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  trustees  and  a  deacon  of  the 
church  for  many  years.  His  first  wife,  whom  he 
married  in  March,  1852,  was  Mary  E.,  daughter 
of  Rev.  C.  C.  Williams,  at  that  time  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  Church  of  Honesdale,  of  whom  was 
born  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Herbert  E.  Gager,  of 
Lebanon  township.  His  first  wife  died  Janu- 
ary 9,  1853.  On  November  9th  of  the  same 
year  he  married  Rebecca,  daughter  of  John  H. 
Brown,  of  Darby  township,  Delaware  County, 
Pa.,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  all  of  whom 
are  living, — viz.,  Frank  E.,  who  is  with  Bab- 
bitt &  Co.,  soap  manufacturers,  of  New  York ; 
Henry  W.,  engaged  in  the  milling  business 
with  his  father ;  Anna  A.,  Nettie  J.  and  Bertha 
A.  Cole,  residing  at  home. 

The  Honesdale  Iron  Works  were  started 
in  1841  by  Gilbert  Knapp  as  a  foundry  and 
machine-shop.  He  took  into  partnership  his 
brother-in-law,  Andrew  J.  Bowers,  and  after 
a  short  time  sold  his  own  interest  to  Zara  Ar- 
nold. The  works  were  burned,  but  subsequent- 
ly rebuilt,  and  in  1847  passed  into  possession  of 
Knapp,  Bowers  A:  Neal.  James  F.  Knapp  af- 
terwards bought  the  property,  and  took  into 
partnership  Thomas  Charlesworth,  the  firm- 
name  being  Knapp  &  Charlesworth.  They 
carried  on  the  works  up  to  1876,  when  they 
failed  and  Gilbert  Knapp  again  became  their 
proprietor  and  operated  them  until  1883,  when 
he  sold  out  to  M.  B.  Allen,  the  present  owner. 

William  Skelton  carried  on  a  machine-shop 
and  foundry  for  a  short  time  subsequent  to 
1860. 

M.  F.  Van  Kirk's  Stick  Factory,  in 
which  are  manufactured  umbrella  and  parasol 
sticks,  cigar  boxes,  etc.,  has  been  carried  on  by 
him  since  1856.  The  business  has  been  in  ex- 
istence in  Honesdale  since  1832,  its  pioneer 
having  been  L.  T.  Presscott,  who  was  followed 
by  Captain  Emory  Presscott  and  one  Phillips, 
who  brought  it  down  to  Van  Kirk's  time. 

Breweries. — Krantz's,  or  the  "  upper  brew- 
ery" was  started  in  1853  by  George  Burkhart. 
After  passing  through   the  hands  of  numerous 


persons  it  became,  in  1868,  the  property  of 
August  Hartung  and  Peter  Krantz.  Up  to 
this  time  the  brewery  had  been  a  small  affair, 
but  the  new  proprietors  made  extensive  im- 
provements in  1869,  1872  and  1874.  The  part- 
nership was  dissolved  January  1,  1883,  Mr. 
Hartung  becoming  sole  proprietor. 

A  year  later  Peter  Krantz  bought  the  stock, 
and  renting  the  buildings,  operated  the  brewery 
on  his  own  account.  He  produces  about  five 
thousand  barrels  of  beer  per  annum  and  also 
brews  ale  in  considerable  quantity.  The  brew- 
ery is  run  by  steam-power  and  contains  all  of 
the  best  modern  appliances  and  apparatus. 

John  Guckenberger's  brewery,  known  as  the 
"lower  brewery,"  was  bought  by  him  in  1883. 
It  was  started  in  1857  by  John  Heinicke  and 
eight  or  ten  years  later  sold  to  Jacob  Lauer, 
who  carried  it  on  for  many  years  and  erected 
the  present  brick  structure.  Mr.  Guckenberger 
has  made  many  improvements  since  taking  pos- 
session of  the  property  and  now,  with  steam- 
power  applied  in  the  most  improved  ways,  the 
brewery  has  an  output  of  five  thousand  barrels 
of  beer  and  two  thousand  of  ale  per  year. 

Diim.axi),  Torrey  &  Co.'s  Boot  and  Shoe 
FACTORY  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  and 
prosperous  manufacturing  establishments  of  the 
borough.  It  was  started  in  1868  by  Colonel 
Coe  F.  Durland  and  Robert  N.  Torrey,  over 
the  present  stores  of  W.  B.  Holmes  and  \V.  H. 
Krantz.  In  1872  Andrew  Thompson  became 
a  partner,  and  the  firm  moved  into  its  present 
quarters,  a  building  erected  by  Mr.  Torrey,  at 
the  coiner  of  Front  and  Tenth  Streets.  This 
building  is  three  stories  in  height,  and  fifty  by 
ninety  feet.  The  specialties  of  manufacture  are 
men's,  boys'  and  youths'  kip  and  calf  boots, 
and  women's,  misses'  and  children's  oil  grain 
calf  and  kip  shoes.  The  firm  also  carries  a  line 
of  fine  goods  for  the  jobbing  trade.  About 
seventy-five  hands  are  employed,  and  the  value 
of  the  manufacture  is  not  far  from  three  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  per  year.  The  goods 
find  a  market  all  the  way  from  New  York  to 
Oregon. 

Glass-Cutting  ;. — An  interesting  industry 
is  the  manufacture  of  rich  cut-glass,  which  has 
been  carried  on  by  T.  B.   Clarke,  of  Meriden, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


36i» 


Conn.,  since  March,  1884.  He  employs  about 
forty  men.  The  process  is  exactly  like  that  in 
vogue  at  Dorflinger's  White  Mills  Works,  of 
which  a  full  description  appears  in  the  chapter 
upon  Texas  township. 

Glass  decorating  is  carried  on  here  also  by 
N.  A.  Ray  &  Co.,  who  established  themselves 
in  this  business  in  1885. 

Furniture  was  first  made  in  the  borough  in 
1829  by  Alanson  Blood,  an  old-time  "  cabinet- 


His  successor  was  Lorenzo  Grambs  (of  whom 
we  give  a  sketch).  Mr.  Grambs,  or  Judge 
<  irambs,  as  he  is  now  commonly  known,  came 
to  Houesdale  in  1851,  and  worked  a  few  months 
for  Conger,  and  the  latter  then  retiring,  Grambs 
started  in  business  for  himself  where  Menner's 
store  now  is.  He  began  in  a  small  way,  and 
gradually  worked  up  to  the  management  of  a 
large  and  lucrative  business.  From  1860  to 
1879  he  manufactured   and  dealt  heavily,  em- 


~7~ 


^^>  -*-*— -r^&isi) 


maker,"  of  whom  mention  is  made  elsewhere. 
He  continued  at  his  trade  until  recent  years. 
John  Brown  engaged  in  the  business  in  1850, 
and  removed  into  the  building  now  occupied 
by  him,  in  1869.  John  Loercher  and  Moore 
&  Rittenhaus  have  also  been  engaged  in  this 
trade. 

Manufacture  of  Cigars  and  T<  >ba<  ;c<  ». — 
The  pioneer  in  this  line  of  manufacture  was 
John  N.  Conger,  who  began  some  time  between 
1835  and  1840. 


ploying  fifteen  or  twenty  men  in  the  former  line. 
Quite  recently  he  retired,  placing  his  business 
in  the  hands  of  his  sons. 

His  son  George,  in  company  with  A.  Eber- 
hardt,  established  the  cigar  manufactory  now 
successfully  carried  on  by  the  latter  alone. 

Lorenzo  Grambs  was  born  at  Fischbach, 
Bavaria,  January  28,  1825.  His  parents  were 
John  and  Margaretta  Grambs,  who  emigrated 
to  this  country  in  1839,  with  their  three  sons, — 
Frederick,  who  subsecpiently  died  in  California  ; 


370 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Lorenzo,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  and  George, 
who  resides  in  Scranton,  Pa.  The  father  was 
by  trade  an  architect,  and  soon  after  landing  in 
this  country  located  at  Rondout,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  followed  his  vocation.  In  1 840  he  resided 
in  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  and  later  in  Rochester 
and  New  York  City.  In  1848  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.,  which  he 
tilled  for  a  number  of  years,  anil  finally  removed 
to  Honesdale,  Wayne  County  Pa.,  where  he 
diedinl879. 

Lorenzo  Grambs  was  fourteen  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  the  family  emigration  to  this  country. 
He  had  already  received  an  excellent  common- 
school  education  in  his  native  land,  and  being 
in  poor  circumstances  at  the  time  of  his  arrival 
in  America,  he  was  obliged  to  enter  upon  the 
performance  of  the  ordinary  duties  of  life  at 
once.  His  first  month's  work  was  in  driving 
on  the  tow-path  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal  Company,  between  Rondout  and  Hones- 
dale.  In  1840  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  shoemaker,  but  not  finding  the  occupa- 
tion congenial,  continued  at  it  only  one  year. 
He  then  went  to  Rochester,  where  he  labored  at 
brick-laying  and  masonry,  and  then  to  New 
York  City,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  a 
cigar-maker,  and  worked  as  a  journeyman  for 
three  years.  In  1846  he  was  married,  and 
established  business  for  himself  in  Delancey 
Street,  New  York.  Here  he  remained  until 
1849,  when,  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  gold- 
fever  that  year,  he  sailed  for  California  around 
Cape  Horn.  By  an  accident  on  ship-board  his 
leg  was  broken,  and  he  was  confined  two 
months  in  California,  but  later  proceeded  to  the 
gold-mines,  where  he  worked  until  1851.  Hav- 
ing acquired  about  two  thousand  dollars'  worth 
of  gold-dust,  he  located  in  Honesdale,  Pa.,  on 
May  1,  1851,  and  for  a  year  worked  at  his 
trade  as  a  journeyman  for  John  N.  Conger,  of 
that  place.  He  then  started  in  business  for 
himself,  and  has  since  successfully  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  cigars  and  the  sale  of 
tobacco  and  cigars  at  that  place.  The  firm,  as 
at  present  constituted,  consists  of  Judge  Grambs 
and  his  son  Edward  G.,  and  is  known  as  L. 
Grambs  &  Co. 

During  the  period   that  Judge  Grambs  has 


resided  in  Honesdale  he  has  been  closely  iden- 
tified with  the  growth  of  the  place,  and  held 
various  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility. 
On  August  5,  1859,  he  was  commissioned,  by 
the  Governor,  inspector  of  the  Second  Brigade, 
Tenth  Division  Uniformed  Militia  of  Susque- 
hanna and  Wayne  Counties,  with  the  rank  of 
major.  In  18G2  he  was  elected  treasurer  of 
Wayne  County,  and  filled  that  office  for  two 
years.  He  has  also  served  as  chief  burgess  of 
Honesdale,  as  a  member  of  the  Town  Council 
and  treasurer  of  the  borough.  He  was  elected 
in  1882  associate  judge  of  Wrayne  County,  and 
duly  commissioned  by  Governor  Hoyt  on 
December  13th  of  that  year,  for  five  years  from 
January,  1883.  He  also  resigned,  however,  in 
June,  1884,  and  was  succeeded  by  Judge  Strong, 
of  Starrucca.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Wayne  County  Savings  Bank  in  1871,  and 
has  since  served  on  the  board  of  directors  of 
that  institution.  He  has  also  been  prominently 
connected  with  the  cause  of  Odd-Fellowship  in 
Wayne  County,  and  is  a  past-officer  of  that 
order.  In  1873  he  visited  the  old  country 
accompanied  by  Thomas  J.  Ham,  of  the  Hones- 
dale Herald.  He  has  always  been  interested  in 
church-work,  and  for  twenty  years  was  con- 
nected with  the  German  Lutheran  denomina- 
tion of  Christians,  but  is  at  present  a  regular 
attendant  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Judge  Grambs  was  married,  June  30,  1846, 
in  New  York  City,  to  Kunigunda  Rech, 
daughter  of  Adam  Rech,  a  native  of  Unterlang- 
enstadt,  Bavaria,  and  has  had  a  family  of  eigh- 
teen children,  of  whom  twelve  are  now  living, 
viz.  :  Sophie  D.,  Bertha  M.  (who  married 
William  H.  Krantz,  of  Honesdale),  George  J. 
(who  lives  at  Honey  Brook,  Pa.),  Henry  W. 
(who  resides  in  Dakota),  Tilly  M.,  William  J. 
(connected  with  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey),  Edward  G.  (of  L.  Grambs  &  Co.), 
Lorenzo  O.,  Frank  G.,  August  B.  (in  his 
father's  store),  B.  Louis  and  Albert  A.  Grambs. 

Boat  Building  in  Honesdale  and 
Wayne  County.1 — Although  the  grass  grows 
luxuriantly  in  most  of  the  boat-yards  on  the 
line  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Corn- 


By  William  H.  Ham. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


pany,  the  time  was  when  they  were  the  busiest 
spots  in  our  county.  Owing  to  the  practice  of 
the  company  latterly  to  build  their  owu  boats  at 
Rondout,  N.  Y.,  the  ship-caulkers'  occupation 
hereabouts  is  nearly  gone,  and  from  being  as  at 
present,  a  lost  industry,  it  will  soon  become  a 
lost  art.  The  building  of  the  canal  (1825  to 
1828)  called  for  a  large  number  of  laborers  and 
mechanics,  and  its  effect  in  stimulating  all 
branches  of  business,  directly  and  indirectly, 
extended  far  beyond  the  strip  of  canal  from 
Honesdale  to  Pike  County  on  the  line  of  the 
Lackawaxen. 

Its  western  terminus  being  located,  a  town 
necessarily  grew  up  about  it,  which  was  ap- 
propriately named  in  honor  of  the  president  of 
the  corporation  to  which  it  owed  its  existence, 
and  we  understand  that  a  mutual  admiration 
between  Philip  Hone  and  his  namesake,  Hones- 
dale,  was  ever  kept  up. 

The  canal  was  first  opened  in  1828,  and  was 
intended  to  hold  four  and  one-half  feet  in  depth 
of  water ;  but,  owing  to  the  nature  of  the  ground 
in  many  places  and  weakness  of  the  banks  in 
others,  it  was  found  impossible  to  realize  these 
expectations,  and  consequently  the  few  boats 
used  that  year  in  bringing  up  supplies  of  iron, 
engines  and  the  like,  and  to  carry  back  coal, 
were  with  great  difficulty  poled,  pushed  and 
pulled  up  and  down  with  cargoes  of  from  ten 
to  twenty  tons  each.  The  one  hundred  and 
eight  locks  on  the  line  of  the  canal  were  made 
at  first  seventy-five  feet  long  and  nine  feet  wide. 
As  the  canal  was  soon  strengthened  and  deep- 
ened to  five  and  a  half  feet,  boats  were  built 
carrying  fifty  tons.  During  the  years  1848 
to  1853  the  locks  were  enlarged  to  one  hundred 
feet  in  length  and  fifteen  feet  in  width  and  the 
depth  of  water  made  six  feet,  admitting  boats 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  burden. 

The  number  of  boats  required  to  do  the  trans- 
portation upon  the  canal  grew  rapidly  as  the 
mining  facilities  increased.  In  1829  a  dozen  of 
the  little  tubs  were  sufficient  to  carry  off  the 
seven  thousand  tons  of  coal  delivered  at  Hones- 
dale,  but  the  next  year  six  times  the  number 
were  in  use,  and  in  1833  three  hundred  boats 
worked  hard  to  get  away  with  one  hundred 
and  eleven  thousand  tons.    In  1834,  owing,  per- 


haps, to  the  business  check  given  by  the  cholera 
in  1832  to  all  industries,  the  transportation 
dropped  down  to  forty-three  thousand  tons,  the 
same  amount  as  in  1830.  The  lost  ground  was 
more  than  recovered,  however,  by  1837,  when 
the  financial  panic  sent  the  figures  down  to 
seventy-eight  thousand  tons  in  1838.  Since 
then  the  tonnage  has  mounted  steadily  upwards, 
the  production  of  the  Lackawanna  coal  being 
in  1840  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  thousand 
tons ;  in  1845,  two  hundred  and  seventy-three 
thousand  tons  ;  1850,  four  hundred  and  thirty- 
two  thousand  tons;  and  1855,  five  hundred  and 
sixty-five  thousand  tons.  From  1855  to  1860 
was  another  depressed  period,  and  the  produc- 
tion remained  about  stationary,  1860  showing 
but  five  hundred  thousand  tons.  In  1850  the 
Pennsylvania  Coal  Company  began  transporting 
their  coal  from  the  mines  at  Pittston  to  Haw- 
ley,  where  their  own  boats  received  it  and  carried 
it  down  the  canal  to  tide- water,  averaging  year  by 
year  about  the  same  number  of  tons  as  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson.  Since  1860  the  business  has 
steadily  grown  until  the  gross  tonnage  often 
crowds  closely  upon  two  millions  of  tons. 

The  small  or  fifty-ton  boats  generally  were 
built  for  from  four  hundred  to  five  hundred 
dollars  each.  The  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
ton  scows,  or  "  lemon  squeezers,"  built  in  two 
parts  and  hinged  in  the  middle,  were  worth 
about  one  thousand  dollars,  while  the  boats  of 
the  same  capacity,  which  were  decked  over  so 
as  to  go  upon  the  Hudson  River,  brought  from 
fourteen  hundred  up  to  eighteen  hundred  dollars, 
as  the  price  of  gold  fluctuated  up  and  down 
from  1862  to  1870. 

The  boat-builders  of  the  early  days  had  no 
easy  life  of  it.  They  worked  from  sunrise  to 
sunset  up  to  1848,  when  the  ten-hour  system 
was  adopted,  and  often  the  emergencies  of  the 
business  would  require,  during  the  repairing 
season,  the  use  of  lanterns  before  day  and  after 
nightfall.  Your  boatman  having  two  horses  to 
feed,  wages  running  on  and  his  larder  to  supply, 
wants  to  keep  his  boat  in  motion  every  possible 
moment ;  consequently,  he  is  always  in  a  hurry 
to  have  his  repairs  completed.  In  former  times, 
and,  indeed,  down  to  within  ten  years  past,  the 
boat-builders   were  pretty  sure  of  steady  work 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


at  good  wages,  building  new  boats  in  the  win- 
ter and  repairing  old  ones  in  the  summer,  but 
of  late,  as  stated,  the  new  work  being  done  at 
Rondout,  the  workmen  have  nothing  to  do  win- 
ters and  consequently  drift  off  into  other  occu- 
pations, where  they  remain. 

When  the  canal  was  young,  saw-mills  were 
few  and  far  between  and  were  generally  such 
little,  short-waisted  concerns,  that  the  builders 
preferred  sending  out  into  the  woods  hereabouts 
for  long  oak  logs,  which  were  brought  into  the 
boat-yards,  raised  by  a  windlass  upon  high 
benches  or  "  horses"  and  then  sawn  into  the  re- 
quired planks  by  two  men  with  a  whip-saw, 
one  standing  upon  the  log  and  the  other  upon 
the  ground.  The  limbs  of  the  oaks  furnished 
the  "knees"  or  "crooks"  and  the  little  saw- 
mills furnished  the  scantling. 

The  frame  or  skeleton  was  erected  on  the 
keel  and  the  planking  spiked  on;  then  came  the 
bracing,  knee-fitting,  bolting,  caulking,  cabin  and 
paint,  and  the  vessel  was  launched  upon  sliding 
ways  into  the  canal,  the  occasion  generally  draw- 
ing a  crowd  of  people  to  witness  the  event. 

Good  boat-yard  sites  are  not  common,  as 
there  must  be  a  space  fairly  level  upon  which 
to  build  new  boats.  Near  enough  to  the  canal 
for  launching,  and  connected  with  it,  must  be  a 
place  where  a  dry-dock  can  be  built  so  as  to  be 
filled  with  water  from  the  canal,  allowing  a 
boat  to  float  into  it  when  full  and  also  permit- 
ting, when  the  gates  are  closed,  the  egress  of 
the  water  under  or  away  from  the  canal,  leav- 
ing the  boat  high  and  dry  upon  the  stocks, 
where  the  workmen  can  get  at  it  for  repairs. 
AVhen  the  business  was  flourishing  such  sites 
were  held  at  high  prices  ;  now  they  are  but  a 
burden  and  a  care. 

A  boat-yard  "  gang"  was  generally  limited 
to  about  the  number  that  could  find  steady  work 
at  repairing  during  the  summer.  In  the  winter 
months  they  built  as  many  new  boats  as  they 
could,  or  were  able  to  contract  for,  which  num- 
ber was  generally  from  three  to  six. 

Ship-building  and  boat-building  requires  the 
same  kind  of  skill ;  in  fact,  the  sharper  turns  and 
bends  upon  the  latter  are  more  difficult  to  man- 
age than  the  long  lines  of  the  ship.  Naturally, 
when  the  canal  was  first  opened  and  boats  were 


required,  the  ship-carpenters  from  New  York 
and  other  seaports  sought  opportunities  upon  it, 
and  in  general  they  became  the  first  owners  of 
the  boat-yards.  The  first  that  came  to  Hones- 
dale  was  a  man  by  the  name  of  Rowland.  He 
was  followed  in  1830  by  a  Mr.  Silkworth,  who 
built  boats,  and  Mr.  James  Pinkuey,  who  re- 
paired them,  but  who  afterward  purchased  Mr. 
Silkworth's  interest  and  continued  the  whole 
business  for  many  years.  His  dry-dock  was 
located  on  the  same  spot  now  occupied  by  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  dry-dock,  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  basin.  There  being  but  little  room 
for  building  at  that  point,  the  new  boats  were 
put  up  at  the  lower  end  of  Main  Street  and 
were  launched  into  the  river.  Mr.  Pinkney 
also  had  a  dry-dock  at  Leonardsville,  a  mile  be- 
low Honesdale.  The  late  Thomas  Ham  enter- 
ed Mr.  Pinkney's  employ  in  1833,  and  the  late 
William  Turner  a  few  years  later.  Mr.  Pink- 
ney losing  his  health  in  1841,  his  business  was 
conducted  by  Mr.  Ham  in  one  of  the  yards  and 
by  Mr.  Turner  in  the  other.  In  1842  Mr. 
Horace  Tracy  took  the  "  basin"  dock,  and  Mr. 
Turner  acted  as  his  foreman  until  1848,  when 
the  dock  was  leased  to  him  until  about  1870. 
Mr.  Turner's  foreman  for  many  years  was  Mr. 
William  Pragnell,  whose  father  built  some  of 
the  first  boats  used  on  the  canal  in  Rondout,  in 
1828  or  1829.  Mr.  Pragnell  leased  the  new 
dock  opposite  Fourth  Street  when  that  point 
was  made  the  lower  end  of  the  basin,  but  when 
the  lock  and  dock  was  changed  to  its  present 
site  it  was  leased  to  Hoyt  &  Bishop,  after- 
ward to  Bishop  &  Haley,  and  latterly  to  S.  B. 
Haley.  In  1843,  Thomas  Ham  built  a  way- 
dock,  or  slides,  in  the  Lackawaxen,  near  the 
Guard  Lock,  some  of  the  old  timbers  being  yet 
discernible,  where  he  continued  the  business 
until  1862,  when  he  sold  the  property  to  Wil- 
liam H.  Ham,  his  son,  who  also  became  the 
purchaser  of  the  flat  adjoining  and  upon  which 
he  built  the  dry-dock  opposite  Kimble's  mill. 
Up  to  1863  all  the  work,  such  as  getting  planks 
to  proper  width  and  thickness,  planing  the 
edges  to  proper  bevel,  dressing  knees,  drilling 
iron  and  the  like,  had  been  done  by  hand.  The 
high  price  and  scarcity  of  labor,  however,  and 
the  greatly  increased  demand  for  boats  during 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


373 


the  war,  induced  Mr.  W.  H.  Ham  to  avail  him- 
self of  the  water-power  upon  the  premises. 

He  put  up  a  mill  alongside  the  grist-mill, 
twenty-four  by  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet, 
running  a  railroad  from  the  yard  through  its 
centre,  and,  with  the  aid  of  heavy  planers,  saws, 
drills  and  the  like,  was  enabled  to  turn  out 
greatly  increased  quantities  of  work,  reaching 
in  1868-139  sixty-odd  boats  for  the  year,  suf- 
ficient in  number  to  nearly  fill  the  present  basin, 
and  which,  if  placed  in  line,  would  extend  more 
than  a  mile  in  length.  Since  then  the  same,  or 
a  similar  system  has  been  adopted  in  the  com- 
pany's yard,  at  Rondout,  where  they  now  turn 
out  about  forty  boats  per  year,  being  about 
equal  to  the  present  requirements  of  their  busi- 
ness. 

Mr.  Andrew  Coar  now  occupies  the  dry-dock, 
but  the  flat  that  once  was  covered  with  boats  in 
process  of  erection  has  been  used  for  years  as  a 
base-ball  ground. 

Mr.  Christopher  C.  Lam,  who  graduated 
from  Mr.  Turner's  yard,  purchased  the  dock  at 
Leonardsville  and  for  many  years  carried  on  a 
successful  business  in  building  and  repairing, 
but  he,  like  the  rest,  has  grown  weary  watch- 
ing his  lonely  dock,  and  has  moved  himself 
and  family  into  more  cheerful  quarters  in 
Honesdale. 

The  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company  had  the 
most  of  their  boats  built  off  from  the  line  of  the 
canal,  mostly  on  the  Susquehanna  at  Lewis- 
burgh  and  Northumberland,  but  they  have  gen- 
erally managed  to  keep  Mr.  Levi  Barker  pretty 
steadily  employed  for  the  past  thirty  years  on 
their  docks  at  Hawley.  Mr.  Jno.  Baisden,  a 
couple  of  miles  below  Hawley,  has  also  contrib- 
uted a  fair  share  of  the  boats  to  the  canal. 

It  may  well  be  believed  that  the  building  of 
three  thousand  boats  in  the  past  forty  years  at 
a  cost  of  nearly  five  millions  of  dollars,  the 
lumber  for  which  was  largely  taken  from 
Wayne  and  Pike  Counties,  added  much  to  the 
prosperity  of  this  section,  as  it  necessitated  quite 
au  army  of  mechanics,  woodsmen,  sawyers, 
teamsters,  blacksmiths,  wagon-makers,  harness- 
makers,  boarding-house-keepers,  tailors,  mer- 
chant? and  the  like  to  do  the  work.  The  in- 
dustry may  return  to  us  some  day,  for  the  con- 


ditions for  building  boats  are,  as  ever,  better 
here  than  elsewhere  upon  the  line  of  the  canal. 
The  lumber,  the  mills,  the  docks  are  still  here, 
and  the  boats,  when  built,  are  close  by  the  cargo 
they  are  to  take  away. 

Thomas  Ham,  who  was  long  and  prominent- 
ly identified  with  this  business,  was  born  at 
Limsworthy,  Kilkhampton  parish,  Cornwall, 
England,  on  the  25th  day  of  December  (Christ- 
mas day),  1805,  and  died  at  his  farm  residence 
at  Seelyville,  near  Honesdale,  February  21, 
1886.  His  parents,  William  and  Ann  Ham, 
were  respectable  farmers,  the  maiden-name  of 
his  mother  being  Ann  Barrett.  Other  fami- 
lies with  which  he  was  closely  allied  by 
blood  and  marriage  were  Greenway,  Rogers, 
Lyle,  Yeo  and  others  of  local  prominence,  the 
record  of  whose  long  and  honorable  residence  in 
Cornwall  is  written  on  hundreds  of  tombstones 
in  Kilkhampton  and  Launcells. 

At  an  early  age  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
apprenticed  to  learn  the  business  of  carpenter 
and  cooper  with  a  relative,  Mr.  Philip  Green- 
way,  of  Kilkhampton.  He  patiently  served  a 
term  of  seven  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time, 
being  a  thoroughly  competent  workman,  he 
purchased  the  business  at  Butsper,  then  carried 
on  by  the  late  John  Upright,  who  died  some 
years  since  at  Bethany,  in  this  county.  On  the 
5th  of  May,  1830,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Bellamy,  daughter  of  Humphrey 
and  Grace  Bellamy,  of  Jacobstown  parish.  The 
ceremony  was  performed  in  the  beautiful  church 
in  Kilkhampton,  where  he  had  been  christened, 
and  the  baptism  of  the  young  pair's  first  child, 
the  late  Mrs.  John  E.  Dudley,  born  June  26, 
1831,  was  solemnized  at  the  font  of  Launcells 
Church,  in  the  adjoining  parish. 

About  this  time  an  emigration  fever  broke 
out  in  Cornwall,  and  many  of  Mr.  Hani's 
friends  and  acquaintances  left  their  homes  to 
seek  their  fortunes  in  America.  Several  of  them 
located  in  and  near  Honesdale.  In  June,  1832, 
Mr.  Ham  joined  the  tide,  sailing  in  a  packet 
ship  from  Plymouth  with  his  wife  and  child, 
and  accompanied  by  several  members  of  his 
wife's  family.  Landing  in  New  York  in  Au- 
gust, in  the  very  height  of  the  cholera  epidemic  I 
of  that  year,  they   hastened   into  the   country, 


374 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


reaching  Honesdale  via  the  Hudson  River  to 
Rondout  and  thence  up  the  Delaware  and  Hud- 
son Canal.  Soon  after  his  arrival  Mr.  Ham 
was  employed  by  Bentley,  Humphreys  &  Ber- 
ger,  building  contractors,  to  erect  a  mill  for 
Nathan  Skinner,  at  Cocheeton  Falls,  on  the 
Delaware,  a  short  distance  below  Miknville. 
He  spent  the  winter  of  1832-33  in  that  work, 
returning-  to  Honesdale  in  the  spring  of  1833, 
where  lie  first  found  employment  in  the  turning 
factory  of  the  late  Amory  Prescott,  and  soon 
afterward  as  a  carpenter  on  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Railroad,  under  the  late  Judge  Phineas 
Arnold  and  his  brother  David.  He  remained 
in  the  company's  employ  for  three  years.  In 
the  mean  time  Messrs.  Pinckney  &  Rowland  had 
established  boat-yards  and  dry-docks  in  Hones- 
dale,  and  in  1836,  after  having  had  a  little  ex- 
perience in  the  yards  of  Silkworth  A-  Bloomer, 
he  accepted  a  situation  under  Mr.  James  Pinck- 
ney, a  thoroughly  competent  ship-carpenter. 
About  1842  Mr.  Ham  and  the  late  William 
Turner  commenced  building  boats  fur  Mr. 
Pinckney  by  contract,  which  association  was 
kept  up  until  some  time  in  1843,  when  Mr. 
Ham  rented  what  was  known  as  the  Leonards- 
ville  Dock,  now  owned  by  C.  C.Lane.  Two 
years  later  he  built  a  dock  for  himself  on  the 
bank  of  the  Lackawaxen,  directly  opposite  the 
foot  of  Main  Street,  and  for  many  years  carried 
on  a  large  and  fairly  remunerative  business,  be- 
ing finally  succeeded,  in  1862,  by  his  son,  W. 
H.  Ham.  About  1855,  in  company  with  Mr. 
Turner,  he  bought  the  well-known  Kimble 
Mill  property,  including  all  of  the  land  lying 
between  the  plank-road  and  the  river  and  canal, 
from  the  covered  bridge  to  a  point  some  distance 
below  the  mill.  The  mill  was  thoroughly  over- 
hauled and  fitted  up  with  improved  machinery, 
and  under  the  charge  of  Hon.  Thos.  E.  Grier, 
now  of  Pittston,  did  for  some  years  a  very 
profitable  business.  Mr.  Ham  ami  Mr.  Turner 
were  both  individually  largely  engaged  in  boat- 
building and  repairing  during  this  time,  and  in 
1856  they  opened  a  wholesale  and  retail  Hour, 
provision  and  grocery-store  on  lower  Main 
Street,  which  was  a  fairly  successful  venture. 
This  branch  of  his  business  having  been  aban- 
doned in   1859,  Mr.  Ham  devoted  himself  to, 


and  for  the  most  part  has  lived  on,  his  farm 
situate  near  Seelyville  and  purchased  by  him 
shortly  after  he  arrived  iu  this  country.  LTp  to 
1864,  however,  with  the  exception  of  two  or 
three  years,  his  residence  was  continuously  in 
Honesdale.  In  1834,  while  working  for  the 
company,  he  purchased  a  lot  on  Fourth  Street, 
and  as  indicative  of  his  natural  energy  of  char- 
acter and  versatility  in  mechanical  gifts,  it  may 
lie  recalled  that  he  dug  the  cellar  for  his  house 
with  his  own  hands,  hewed  the  timber  for  the 
frame,  made  the  lath  and  shingles  and  built  and 
plastered  the  dwelling  from  cellar  to  garret.  In 
that  house  his  sons  William  H.  and  Thomas  J. 
were  born.  He  subsequently  sold  the  place  to 
Thomas  Kellow  and  bought  himself  a  lot  adjoin- 
ing that  occupied  by  Mr.  Pinckney,  near  the 
covered  bridge,  where  he  erected  the  cottage 
which  was  the  home  of  the  family  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  aud  where  his 
younger  sons, — (  lharles  W.  (who  died  in  child- 
hood), Robert  W.  (of  the  firm  of  G.  White  ct 
Co.)  and  Frank  A. — were  born,  and  where  his 
wife  died,  universally  beloved  and  mourned,  on 
the  loth  day  of  March,  1867. 

In  politics  Mr.  Ham  was  an  active  and  un- 
compromising Democrat.  He  never  had  a  desire 
for  office,  but  took  the  keenest  personal  interest 
in  the  promotion  of  his  friends.  From  time  to 
time  he  filled  some  important  local  positions, 
such  as  member  of  the  Town  Council,  burgess, 
etc.,  always  discharging  the  duties  faithfully  and 
satisfactorily.  He  was  repeatedly  elected  a  dele- 
gate to  county  conventions,  and  in  all  ways  open 
tohitu  sought  to  advance  the  interests  of  the  party 
to  which  he  had  allied  himself. 

Mr.  Ham's  continuous  residence  in  Hones- 
dale for  fifty-three  years  justly  entitles  him  to  a 
place  in  these  records,  not  only  as  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  borough,  but  as  one  whose  active 
and  honorable  business  career,  covering  nearly 
the  whole  period  of  the  town's  existence,  could 
not  fail  to  leave  a  beneficial  impress  upon  the 
material  interests  of  its  people. 


Charles  Forbes  (who  was  the  father  of  Mrs. 
Zenas  H.  Russell)  had  the  honor  of  being  the 
first  keeper  of  a  public-house  in  Honesdale.  He 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


375 


came  to  the  infant  village  in  1827  with  his 
family,  and  became  landlord  of  what  is  now  the 
Wayne  County  House,  and  remained  in  that 
capacity  until  a  short  time  previous  to  1840. 
His  successor  was  Henry  Wright,  but  he  was 
superseded  in  1841  by  Aaron  Green.  C.  M. 
Wise  was  landlord  in  1842,  and  N.  Hill  in 
1844.  In  the  following  year  Henry  Dart  took 
the  house  and  he  carried  it  on  in  an  admirable 
manner  for  quite  a  term  of  years.  Others  who 
presided  over  the  fortunes   of  the   hotel   were 

Foster  &  Seely, Hazelton,   D.  ( >.  Jones, 

William  H.  Cushman,  Messrs.  Eldrcd,  Skeels, 
Braman,  Henry  Brown  and  E.  Reed.  John 
Brown  became  the  owner  of  the  property  in 
1859.  Messrs.  E.  Reed  and  Henry  Ball  became 
the  landlords  in  1865,  and  the  latter  has  for 
several  years  conducted  the  old  hotel  alone  in 
a  manner  which  extensive  patronage  indicates 
is  approved. 

The  Mansion  House,  which  stood  where 
Petersen's  store  now  is,  was  the  second  hotel. 
It  had  various  landlords,  among  them  Thomas 
L.  Reese  and  Major  Eliakim  Field,  who  was  a 
very  popular  Boniface  and  widely  known. 
David  Abel  purchased  the  property  of  Field  in 
July,  1846,  and  not  long  afterwards  the  house 
was  destroyed  by  fire. 

The  Union  Hotel  for  many  years  occupied 
the  site  of  Liberty  Hall  building.  It  was 
called,  for  a  number  of  years,  the  Jakway 
House,  after  its  landlord,  Myron  Jakway. 
Among  its  earlier  hosts  were  A.  J.  Stryker, 
Henry  Green,  Mr.  Crawford  and  Jerome  15. 
Case;  and,  after  Jakway's  time,  which  expired 
in  1858  or  1859,  William  J.  Fuller  was  for  a 
short  time  landlord.  Miles  L.  Tracy  became 
the  owner  of  the  property  about  that  time,  and 
erected  upon  the  advantageous  site  Liberty 
Hall. 

The  Sliter  House  occupies  an  old  hotel 
site.  The  original  house  upon  that  ground  was 
a  small  tavern,  built  by  Captain  Hiram  Plum 
about  1835.  Its  best  known  early  landlord 
was  Augustus  Sacket,  by  whose  name  the  house 
was  generally  known.  Others  in  succession 
were  Mr.  Murray,  Joseph  Barton,  of  Way- 
mart,  and  Patrick  Burns.  Thomas  Coyne  fin- 
ally became  the  owner  and  landlord,  and  was 


succeeded  by  his  son  Michael,  who  erected  the 
present  brick  building  in  1876.  W.  J. 
Sliter,  whose  name  the  house  now  bears,  became 
proprietor  in  1883. 

The  Kiple  House,  once  well  known,  but 
now  a  thing  of  the  past,  was  built  by  Robert  W. 
Kiple  in  1862.  It  was,  several  years  since, 
bought  by  M.  B.  Allen  and  eon  verted  into 
stores. 

The  Allen  EOUSE,  the  chief  place  of  enter- 
tainment for  the  "  wayfarer  and  the  stranger," 
in  the  borough,  was  built  by  the  late  popular 
Samuel  Allen — a  prince  of  landlords — in  1857, 
and  opened  withagreat  reception  in  June,  1858. 
The  building  is  substantial,  spaeious  ami  con- 
veniently arranged.  In  1862  Mr.  Allen  asso- 
ciated with  himself  in  the  management  of  the 
house  his  son,  M.  B.  Allen,  who  afterwards 
took  the  house  under  a  lease.  Samuel  Allen, 
however,  was  again  the  landlord  from  1873 
until  his  death,  in  1875,  after  which  M.  B. 
and  W.  R.  Allen  became  joint  managers  of  the 
house.  In  1878  M.  15.  Allen  bought  the  entire 
property.  He  has  since  been  the  landlord 
and  a  popular  and  progressive  one,  too.  He 
built  an  addition  to  the  house  in  1881,  and  has 
introduced  many  improvements. 

Tin;  National  House  was  built  in  1868 
by  William  Weaver,  who  was  its  landlord 
until  his  death,  in  1873.  It  was  then  kept  for 
a  time  by  his  widow,  and  latterly  has  been  car- 
ried on  by  his  sons,  John  H.  and  Otto  Weaver. 

[rving  Cliff  Hotel. — The  eligibility  of 
Irving  Cliff  as  a  site  for  a  summer  hotel  had 
entered  many  minds  in  the  past  few  years,  and 
often  been  casually  spoken  of,  but  it  remained 
for  William  H.  Dimmick,  Esq.,  to  carry  into 
practical  execution  the  project  which  others  had 
only  dreamed  of.  The  large,  handsome,  sub- 
stantial structure  which,  from  its  vantage- 
ground,  over  three  hundred  feet  of  sheer  ascent 
above  the  waters  of  the  Lackawaxen,  now  over- 
looks the  beautiful  borough  and  a  vast  expanse 
of  the  fields  and  "hills  of  Wayne,"  is  the  re- 
sult, for  the  most  part,  of  his  enterprise  and 
energy.  The  huge  building  was  commenced  iu 
August,  1884,  and  completed  almost  exactly  a 
year  later.  In  April,  1885,  a  stock  company 
was  organized  to  assume  ownership  of  the  pro])- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


erty.  This  company,  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  the  State,  consists  of  George  G.  Waller 
(president),  Elias  Stanton,  William  W.  Weston, 
Robert  J.  Menner,  August  Hartung,  William 
H.  Dimmick,  William  G.  Schenck  (New  York 
City),  H.  Z.  Russell  (treasurer),  and  Homer 
Greene  (secretary.)  The  Irving  Cliff  Hotel  and 
lands  adjacent  is  now  in  the  control  of  this  cor- 
poration, which  will,  doubtless,  after  overcom- 
ing some  difficulties,  put  the  house  into  the  suc- 
cessful operation  which  its  excellent  situation 
and  ample  accommodations  warrant  the  antici- 
pation of. 

Gas  Works. — The  Honesdale  Gas  Com- 
pany was  chartered  May  17,  1854,  the  corpora- 
tors being  Richard  L.  Seely,  Henry  Dart,  E. 
W.  Hamlin,  F.  M.  Crane,  F.  B.  Penniman,  H. 
B.  Beardslee,  R.  M.  Grenell,  T.  H.  R.  Tracy, 
R.  F.  Lord,  James  R.  Dickson,  Win.  H.  Dim- 
mick, Isaiah  Snyder,  William  Crane  and  H.  B. 
Hamlin.  'At  a  meeting  on  June  26th,  at  Jak- 
way's  Hotel,  F.  M.  Crane,  Esq.,  was  elected 
president ;  James  R.  Dickson,  treasurer ;  and 
F.  B.  Penniman,  secretary.  The  stock  of  the 
company,  amounting  to  thirty  thousand  dollars, 
was  taken  by  R.  F.  Lord,  T.  H.  R,  Tracy,  F. 
M.  Crane,  W.  H.  Dimmick,  S.  E.  Dimmick, 
Charles  P.  Waller,  G.  G.  Waller,  Coe  F. 
Young,  Richard  L.  Seely,  John  Torrey,  James 
R.  Dickson  and  Francis  B.  Penniman.  On 
the  12th  of  May,  1855,  the  company  concluded 
a  contract  with  S.  R.  Dickson  &  Co.,  of  Schuyl- 
kill County,  for  the  construction  of  gas  works 
at  a  cost  of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  to  be  com- 
pleted by  December.  The  contract  was  sub- 
stantially carried  out,  and  the  company  oper- 
ated the  works  until  1881,  when  they  were 
leased  to  A.  O.  Granger  &  Co.,  of  Philadelphia, 
who  have  since  supplied  what  is  termed  water 
gas. 

Private  gas  works  were  built  by  John  Torrey 
before  the  public  works  were  commenced,  and 
he  successfully  lighted  his  house  and  office  for 
about  three  years,  but  the  works  were  burned 
in  L858. 

Water  Supply. — Honesdale's  water  supply 
is  from  the  Glass- Factory  Pond  and  the  First  and 
Second  Ponds  in  Dyberry.  The  first  movement 
towards  the  introduction  of  water  was  made  in 


1850,  when  an  act  was  passed  incorporating  a 
company  for  that  purpose,  consisting  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  the  place.  The  movement 
was  not  at  once  successful,  but  finally  the 
project  was  realized  and  a  supply  of  good,  pure 
water  brought  into  town.  The  pipe  system 
has  been  gradually  extended  until  it  ramifies 
pretty  thoroughly  through  the  thickly-settled 
part  of  the  borough.  The  stock  of  the  com- 
pany is  now  almost  entirely  owned  in  Wilkes- 
Barre  by  one  or  two  individuals. 

The  Teleuraph  was  first  introduced  to 
Honesdale,  in  1842,  by  Ezra  Cornell,  who  ran 
a  single  line  of  wire  from  Montrose  to  Carbon- 
dale,  thence  to  this  borough  and  on  to  Nar- 
rowsburg. 

In  18(31  Honesdale  was  put  in  telegraphic 
communication  with  Scranton  via  Carbondale. 

In  18(32  Charles  Petersen  ran  the  first  wire 
owned  by  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company — an  experimental  line  from  Hones- 
dale to  Lackawaxen — obtaining  permission  from 
the  superintendent,  R.  F.  Lord.  It  proved 
successful,  and  its  great  value  being  immediately 
recognized,  it  was  quickly  extended  to  Rondout, 
on  the  Hudson,  and  then  west  to  Carbondale. 
Mr.  Petersen  has  been  superintendent  of  the 
company's  lines  ever  since. 

THE    PRESS. 

WITH    SOME    ACCOVNT    OF  WRITERS  IN    HONESDALE    AND    ELSE- 
WHERE    IN     THE   C'Ol'NTY. 

Damascus,  the  scene  of  the  earliest  organized 
settlement  in  Wayne  County,  was  also  the  lo- 
cality in  which  the  first  printing-press  was  set 
up,  but  there  is  no  logical  connection  between 
these  facts.  Probably  no  particular  reason  other 
than  its  easy  accessibility  influenced  the  proprie- 
tor of  the  pioneer  printing-press  to  locate  it  in 
Damascus.  He  was  one  Daniel  A.  Wilson,  who 
came  from  Dutchess  County,  N:  Y.,  as  early  as 
the  spring  of  1811.  Doubtless  he  intended  to 
publish  a  newspaper,  but  he  did  not  do  so  and 
his  intention  is  only  attested  by  traditional  in- 
formation that  he  issued  a  prospectus  for  one 
and  printed  a  half-sheet  specimen  to  accompany 
it,  in  1811.  It  was  to  be  called  The  Organ  of 
the  Woods,  had  it  ever  become  an  entity,  and 
the  fact  that  it  did  not  is  undoubtedly  to  be  at- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


377 


tributed  to  lack  of  sufficient  patronage  by  the 
few  scattered  and  poor  settlers  of  the  region. 

Wilson's  printing-office  was  near  the  ferry, 
where  is  now  the  Cochecton  bridge.  It  was 
primitive  and  meagrely  supplied  with  type  and 
the  appliances  of  the  art,  and  still  the  proprie- 
tor was  able  to  secure  and  execute  some  work, 
for  it  is  known  that  in  October,  1811,  he  was 
employed  by  the  county  officers  to  print  for 
them  two  hundred  and  fifty  treasurers'  deeds, 
fifty  blank  bonds  and  five  hundred  jurors' sum- 
mons. His  press  was  of  the  kind  known  t<> 
old  printers  as  the  "  Ramage,"  one  of  the  best 
of  the  early  varieties  of  hand-presses.  It  had 
two  wooden  posts  about  two  or  two  and  a  half 
feet  apart,  connected  near  the  top  by  a  strong 
wooden  beam,  to  which  was  secured  the  iron  nut 
(or  cylinder  screw)  for  the  thread  of  a  strong 
iron  screw  to  work  in  perpendicularly.  The 
lower  end  of  this  screw  was  attached  to  the 
"  platen,"  which  presses  the  paper  upon  the  type 
when  printing,  and  the  swinging  of  the  hand- 
lever,  attached  to  the  screw  thus  raised  or 
dropped  the  platen  at  pleasure.  Ink  was  ap- 
plied to  the  type  by  hand,  with  buckskin  balls 
stuffed  with  wool  and  secured  to  wooden 
handles. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  winter  of  1811-12 
Wilson  engaged  David  Wilder,  of  Bethany,  to 
transport  the  press  and  the  type  and  appurte- 
nances of  the  office  to  the  county-seat.  Asa 
Stanton,  then  a  boy  and  living  with  his  parents 
in  Bethany, assisted  in  the  removal  and  informed 
Mr.  John  Torrey  that  the  whole  establishment 
was  transported  from  Damascus  to  its  new  loca- 
tion on  pack-horses. 

■  It  is  clearly  ascertained  that  in  March,  1812, 
the  printing  establishment  of  Mr.  Wilson  was 
in  Bethany,  with  Increase  Hinshaw  as  printer, 
and  occupied  a  small  building  erected  for  a 
shoe-shop,  which  stood  where  the  Dr.  Roosa 
building  now  stands.  Soon  after  its  removal 
to  Bethany  it  became  the  property  of  Jason 
Torrey  and  Solomon  Moore,  who  were  mer- 
chants. On  the  14th  of  March,  1814,  Torrey 
&  Moore  dissolved  partnership,  and  in  their 
agreement  of  dissolution  it  was  stipulated  that 
the  "  printing-office  "  should  be  taken  by  Mr. 
Moore. 


The  first  newspaper  in  Wayne  County — The 
Wayne  County  Mirror — was  issued  here  in 
Bethany,  the  then  busy,  flourishing  county-seat, 
on  the  7th  of  March,  1818.  The  printing  es- 
tablishment about  the  first  of  the  year  had 
passed  into  the  ownership  of  James  Manning. 
He  associated  with  himself  a  partner,  for  the 
paper  appeared  as  owned  and  edited  by  Man- 
ning &  Leonard  Loomis,  and  was  printed  by 
Increase  Hinshaw,  in  their  employ.  The  Mirror 
was  printed  on  good  paper  and  was  made  up  of 
four  columns  to  the  page  without  head  or  col- 
umn rules.  It  was  a  folio,  about  one-quarter 
the  size  of  the  present  Wayne  County  Herald, 
but  its  price  was  fully  as  large  as  that  of  the 
more  ample  publications  of  to-day  —  "$2.00 
per  annum,  exclusive  of  postage,  payable  in 
advance."  The  first  issue  set  forth,  in  addition 
to  the  foregoing,  the  following  information  for 
patrons  : 

"Advertisements  not  exceeding  one  square  inserted 
three  times  for  a  dollar;  every  after  continuation 
twenty-five  cents ;  larger  ones  in  proportion. 

"  No  paper  will  be  discontinued  until  arrearages  are 
paid  up. 

"  Letters  to  the  editors  must  be  post  paid." 

Mr.  Loomis  withdrew  before  the  close  of  the 
first  volume,  and  the  paper  was  continued  by 
J.  Manning.  The  length  of  time  he  continued 
its  publication  is  not  ascertained,  but  it  evidently 
did  not  continue  longer  than  the  year  1821  ; 
for  in  the  summer  of  1822  the  citizens  of 
Bethany  decided  to  try  again  to  publish  and 
maintain  a  weekly  paper  in  Bethany.  An  as- 
sociation was  formed  for  the  purpose,  and  John 
K.  Woodward,  Ephraim  Torrey,  Jr.,  and  Jacob 
S.  Davis,  were  made  a  committee,  or  managers 
of  the  association,  to  edit  and  arrange  for  the 
publication  of  such  a  paper,  to  be  called  the 
Republican  Advocate. 

The  old  press  and  types  were  procured  from 
J.  Manning,  and  William  Sasman,  a  young, 
thoroughly-trained  printer,  who  had  recently 
completed  his  apprenticeship  in  Philadelphia, 
and  whose  parents  had  removed  from  Philadel- 
phia, and  then  resided  in  Dyberry,  was  engaged 
to  do  the  printing.  The  Advocate  was  a  folio 
sheet  (four  pages),  the  printed  surface  on  each 
page  being  ten  and  one-half  by    seventeen  and 


378 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


one-half  inches  The  first  number  was  issued 
on  the  first  Friday  in  December,  1822, 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year  Jacob  S.  Davis 
purchased  the  press  and  types,  and  he  and  W. 
Sasman  continued  the  publication  of  the  Re- 
publican Advocate.  For  how  many  years  it 
was  thus  continued  has  not  been  ascertained  ; 
but  the  printing-office  having  been  removed  to 
a  room  in  Mr.  Davis'  house,  and  a  large  ad- 
dition made  to  the  assortment  of  type,  Davis 
&  Sasman  continued  to  do  "job  printing" 
until  November,  1829.  On  the  29th  of  No- 
vember, 1829  (which,  if  the  Advocate  was  thus 
long  continued,  was  the  close  of  its  seventh 
volume),  Mr.  Davis  sold  out  the  printing  es- 
tablishment and  all  its  appurtenances  to  Mr. 
Sasman  for  six  hundred  dollars. 

Mr.  Sasman  immediately  made  arrangements 
for  the  publication,  in  Bethany,  of  a  weekly 
paper  to  be  called  the  Wayne  Inquirer.  The 
first  number  was  issued  on  the  12th  of  January, 
1830,  the  size  of  tin'  printed  page  being  ten 
and  one-half  by  seventeen  inches.  In  the  sec- 
ond volume  the  size  was  increased  toeleven  and 
one-half  by  seventeen  inches.  The  Enquirer 
was  thus  published  by  Mr.  Sasman  a  little  more 
than  three  years,  or  until  about  March,  1833, 
when  Sasman  sold  out  the  Enquirer  to  Peter 
C.  Ward  and  Asa  G.  Dimock,  who  had  a  few 
mouths  previously  commenced  the  publication 
in  Honesdale  of  the  Wayne  County  Herald, 
soon  to  bespoken  of  at  length. 

The  old  ' ■  llamage  press"  subsequently  lie- 
came  the  property  of  Paul  S.  Preston,  but  the 
time  when  he  purchased  it  is  not  ascertained.  In 
September,  1834,  it  was  in  Bethany,  and  Earl 
Wheeler  then  proposed  to  publish  a  weekly 
newspaper  there,  the  first  number  of  which  was 
to  be  issued  in  the  last  week  in  September.  In 
politics  his  paper  was  to  "  oppose  executive 
usurpation."  He  did  not  obtain  sufficient  as- 
surances of  support  to  warrant  its  publication. 

The  Wayne  County  Herald  came  into  ex- 
istence in  1832,  and  it  is  therefore  the  oldest 
newspaper  in  the  county.  The  frequent  changes 
in  its  name,  style,  ownership  and  editorship 
and  its  vicissitudes  of  fortune  during  the  early 
period  of  its  career  make  a  marked  contrast 
with  the  long  continued  proprietorship  and  even 


prosperity  and  unwavering  policy  of  its  later 
years. 

In  the  summer  of  1832,  as  will  appear  by  a 
glance  at  the  foregoing  matter  of  this  chapter, 
the  only  newspaper  published  in  the  county 
was  the  Wayne  Inquirer,  a  Democratic  journal, 
printed  at  Bethany,  by  Wm.  Sasman.  During 
that  summer  Peter  C.  Ward,  formerly  of  New 
Milford,  Susquehanna  County,  but  then  a  resi- 
dent of  Honesdale,  arranged  with  Asa  G. 
Dimock,  of  Montrose,  a  practical  printer,  to  be- 
come a  partner  with  him  in  the  enterprise  of 
publishing  at  Honesdale  a  weekly  newspaper 
to  be  independent  in  politics. 

They  procured  a  new  press  and  type,  and 
under  the  firm-name  of  Ward  &  Dimock,  upon 
the  -5th  of  October,  1832,  issued  the  first 
number  of  a  paper  called  the  Wayne  County 
Herald. 

The  office  of  publication  was  in  the  south 
part  of  the  building  next  north  of  John  F. 
Roe's  store.  Early  in  1833  they  purchased  from 
Sasman  the  Inquirer,  and  merging  it  with,  the 
paper  they  had  established,  called  it  The  Wayne 
County  Herald  and  Bethany  Inquirer,  which,  as 
the  county  was  strongly  Democratic,  they  made 
an  organ  of  the  party. 

In  March,  1833,  Mr.  Dimock  purchased  the 
interest  of  Mr.  Ward  and  took,  as  a  new  partner, 
Leonard  Graves,  of  Honesdale,  and,  under  the 
firm-name  of  Graves  &  Dimock,  they  •ontinued 
the  publication  of  the  Herald  until  the  close  of 
1833. 

During  the  autumn  of  that  year  E.  Kings- 
bury, Jr.,  of  Montrose,  purchased  the  paper, 
and,  in  connection  with  Isaac  Fuller,  a  practical 
printer,  also  of  Montrose,  after  procuring  a  new 
press  and  type,  issued  it  under  the  firm-name  of 
Kingsbury  &  Fuller.  They  published  their 
first  paper  on  January  3,  1834,  as  Vol.  I.  No.  1, 
thus  beginning  a  new  series  of  volumes,  but  the 
name  of  the  paper  was  continued  as  formerly, 
viz.:  The  Wayne  County  Herald  and  Bethany 
Inquirer.  They  occupied  the  same  office  as 
Ward  &  Dimock.  The  size  of  their  printed 
page  was  thirteen  and  one-half  by  eighteen 
inches.  Mr.  Fuller  states  that  it  proved  a  very 
unprofitable  enterprise  to  him,  and  at  the  end 
of  their  first  volume,  January,  1835,  he  retired. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


37» 


and  the  entire  establishment  was  left  under  the 
charge  of  Mr.  Kingsbury,  and  he  (Mr.  Fuller) 
is  unable  to  give  with  accuracy  any  of  its  sub- 
sequent history.  E.  Kingsbury,  Jr.,  continued 
the  publication  from  January,  1835,  as  editor 
and  proprietor,  until  early  in  1838,  with  the 
title  of  the  paper  and  the  size  of  the  printed 
page  unchanged. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  1836,  Mr.  Kingsbury 
contracted  for  the  purchase  of  the  lot  on  Main 
Street,  next  south  of  the  store  late  ffm.  Reed's, 
and  erected  thereon  a  small  building  two  stories 
high,  the  lower  Moor  of  which  was  Ids  business 
office,  and  the  second  floor  used  as  a  printing 
office  for  the  Herald.  This  building,  long 
known  as  the  "  Herald  Office  Building,"  was 
lately  occupied  by  H.  Metzger  as  a  drinking 
saloon,  and  was  destroyed  by  the  large  fire  in 
the  spring  of  1885,  which  originated  in  it. 

In  the  early  mouths  of  1838  the  name  of 
Warren  J.  Woodward  appeared  as  that  of 
editor,  but  the  name  of  the  proprietor  or  pub- 
lisher was  not  given.  This  was  soon  followed 
by  another  and  more  extensive  change,  where- 
by on  May  1,  1838,  a  second  new  series  was 
commenced,  and  the  name  of  John  H.  Steek  & 
Co.  is  given  as  publishers,  but  the  name  of  the 
editor  is  not  given.  Probably  Mr.  Kingsbury 
was  the"  Co.,"  of  the  firm  of  John  II.  Steek  & 
Co." 

In  October,  1838,  Mr.  Kingsbury  was  elected 
to  the  Senate  for  a  term  of  four  years,  and  in 
November  he  gave  uotice  that  "  he  had  placed 
his  unfinished  business  in  the  hands  of  Thos.  J. 
Hubbell,  who  would  have  charge  of  the  same 
during  his  absence  in  Harrisburg." 

Early  in  1840  the  name  of  Thos.  J.  Hubbell 
appeared  as  editor  of  the  Herald,  but  no  name 
was  given  of  either  publisher  or  proprietor. 
The  title  of  the  paper  and  the  size  of  page  re- 
mained unchanged,  but  the  style  of  type  for 
printing  the  title  was  altered.  On  the  22d  of 
September,  1840,  a  third  "new  series"  was 
commenced,  with  Thos.  J.  Hubbell  editor  and 
publisher.  The  size  of  the  printed  page  was 
enlarged  to  fifteen  and  one-half  by  nineteen  and 
one-half  inches,  a  new  and  larger  type  intro- 
duced, and  the  words  and  Bethany  Inquirer  in 
the  title  printed  in  very  prominent,  heavy-faced 


black  letters.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1842,  a 
fourth  new  series  was  commenced,  with  John  I. 
Allen  as  editor  and  proprietor.  The  size  of 
the  paper  remained  the  same  as  under  Mr. 
Hubbell's  enlargement,  but  the  title-page  was 
changed  by  leaving  out  the  words  and  Bethany 
Inquirer.  Thus  with  the  first  number  of  the 
tenth  year  of  the  publication  of  the  Herald  it 
commenced  its  fifth  series  of  volumes.  Mr. 
Allen  continued  as  editor  and  publisher  through 
1844.  In  December,  1844,  he  relinquished 
the  editorial  charge  to  John  W.  Myers,  but  re- 
tained the  proprietorship  of  the  paper.  Articles 
subsequently  inserted  as  editorials,  which  were 
written  by  him,  had  the  signature  of  "  A."  ap- 
pended to  them.  Mr.  Myers  soon  after  had 
the  aid  of  Charles  E.  Wright  as  associate  editor 
and  printer,  and  they  continued  in  charge  until 
the  end  of  July,  1845. 

On  the  5th  of  August,  1845,  the  Herald 
again  appeared  under  the  editorship  of  John  I. 
Allen,  witli  a  card  from  Messrs.  Myers  & 
Wright,  stating  that  circumstances  render  it 
necessary  for  them  to  resign  the  editorial  charge 
of  the  paper.  Mr.  Wright  continued  as  printer 
under  Mr.  Allen. 

In  December,  1845,  another  change  occurred. 
Mr.  Allen  came  out  witli  a  long  valedictory, 
announcing  the  termination  of  his  connection 
with  the  Herald,  both  as  editor  ami  proprietor. 
In  a  subsequent  card  he  stated  that  he  sold  out 
the  press,  type  and  material  to  William  H. 
Dimmick,  and  the  Herald  building  and  lot  to 
Charles  E.  Wright.  The  paper  was  thereafter 
issued  with  the  name  of  C.  E.  Wright  as  editor 
and  publisher  until  about  the  1st  of  August, 
1847. 

In  the  papers  of  May  and  June,  1847,  is  the 
business  card  of  "  James  Norton,  attorney-at- 
law,  office  in  the  Herald  office." 

About  the  1st  of  August,  1847,  H.  B. 
Beardslee  became  the  owner  of  the  entire  con- 
cern, including  press,  type,  materials,  office  and 
lot.  For  a  short  time  thereafter  the  Herald 
was  published  anonymously,  or  without  in- 
formation to  its  readers  as  to  the  name  of  either 
editor,  publisher  or  proprietor.  Soon  thereafter 
the  names  of  Beardslee  &  Norton  were  given  as 
editors,  but  no  publishers  were  named. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AXD  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


In  the  issue  of  the  loth  of  March,  1848,  the 
names  of  Beardslee  &  Norton  were  given  as 
publishers.  For  how  long  a  period  Mr.  Nor- 
ton was  thus  associated  in  the  editorship  has 
not  been  ascertained,  but  in  the  early  part  of 
1849  the  name  of  H.  B.  Beardslee  alone  is 
given  as  the  editor.  From  such  copies  of  the 
Herald  as  have  been  accessible  it  is  inferred 
that  Mr.  Beardslee  was  the  sole  editor,  publisher 
and  proprietor  from  this  date  until  1860. 

In  March,  1860,  the  name  of  Thomas  J. 
Ham  is  given  as  assistant  editor,  and  H.  B. 
Beardslee,  publisher.  In  1860  Mr.  Beardslee 
enlarged  the  paper,  making  printed  surface  of 
each  page  fifteen  and  a  half  by  twenty-two 
inches. 

In  September,  1861,  Charles  Menner  and 
Thomas  J.  Ham  became  the  proprietors  and 
publishers,  and  under  the  partnership  name  of 
Menner  &  Ham  edited  and  published  the  Her- 
ald four  years.  They  enlarged  the  paper  to 
seventeen  and  a  half  by  twenty-four  inches  of 
printed  surface  on  a  page. 

In  September,  1865,  Mr.  Ham  purchased  the 
interest  of  his  partner,  and  has  since  that  date 
published  the  paper  as  sole  editor  and  proprie- 
tor. May  14,  1868,  he  further  enlarged  the 
sheet,  making  the  printed  surface  on  each  page 
nineteen  by  twenty-five  and  a  half  inches — 
being  just  double  the  size  as  issued  in  1834. 
Mr.  Ham  has  now  been  connected  with  the 
paper  as  editor  and  proprietor  about  twenty-five 
years  consecutively. 

We  follow  the  account  of  the  Herald  with 
biographical  sketches  of  the  late  H.  B.  Beardslee 
and  Thomas  J.  Ham,  its  best  known  editors. 

Howkin  B.  Beardslee  was  born  in  Mount 
Pleasant  township  May  28,  1820.  His  father, 
Bulkley  Beardslee,  was  a  New  England  man 
of  remarkable  force  of  character,  who  came  to 
Wayne  County  in  its  early  days,  and  soon 
became  one  of  its  leading  citizens.  He  married 
Lucretia,  daughter  of  Walter  Kimble,  ;i  sturdy 
pioneer,  and  shortly  after  the  birth  of  Howkin, 
having  bought  the  property  of  his  father-in- 
law,  removed  to  Indian  Orchard,  where  for 
forty  years  or  more  he  carried  on  an  extensive 
business  in  lumbering  and  farming,  in  the 
mean  time  filling  several  local  offices  of  import- 


ance, among  them  that  of  county  commissioner. 
Howkin  proved  to  be  a  bright  boy,  and  was 
given  such  educational  advantages  as  the  county 
at  that  time  afforded.  At  a  suitable  age  he 
entered  the  law-office  of  Charles  K.  Robinson, 
and  in  due  time  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Soon  afterward  he  was  elected  district  attorney, 
then  register  and  recorder,  and  it  was  while 
serving  in  the  latter  capacity — in  1847 — that,  in 
company  with  J.  H.  Norton,  he  purchased  the 
Wayne  County  Herald.  He  subsequently 
bought  Mr.  Norton's  interest  in  the  paper,  and 
continued  its  editor  until  September,  1861, 
when  he  sold  the  establishment  to  Menner  & 
Ham. 

While  proprietor  of  the  party  organ  Mr. 
Beardslee  was  a  political  power  in  the  county, 
and  he  was  entitled  i'airly  to  all  the  influence 
and  esteem  he  gathered  up.  The  elements  of 
his  power  were  not  obscure.  True,  he  was  not 
an  orator.  Before  assemblies  of  the  people  he 
was  not  specially  effective.  There  was  no 
charm  of  manner  nor  brilliancy  of  rhetoric  in 
his  speeches.  He  was  not  an  elegant  writer. 
What  he  accomplished  was  in  virtue  of  his 
character,  which  eminently  fitted  him  to  guide 
and  control.  Both  his  intellectual  and  moral 
perceptions  were  clear.  He  had  strong  convic- 
tions, and  never  hesitated  to  pursue  the  course 
his  convictions  pointed  out  as  right  and 
proper.  He  did  not  ask  what  other  people 
thought,  or  what  inconveniences  particular 
lines  of  policy  might  involve.  He  was  ready 
to  make  almost  any  sacrifice  rather  than  yield 
or  evade  a  point  he  conceived  to  be  funda- 
mental. Of  course,  such  attributes  made  him 
obnoxious  to  opposing  partisans,  while  they 
made  him  deservedly  strong  with  his  associates 
and  followers.  They  felt  he  was  not  actuated 
by  mercenary  motives;  that  his  judgments,  per- 
haps instinctive  rather  than  the  product  of 
elaborate  cogitation,  were  just  and  safe,  meas- 
ured from  the  stand-point  he  occupied  ;  and, 
consequently,  that  his  leadership,  instead  of 
being  degrading,  was  essentially  elevating. 

This  quality  of  chieftainship  that  was  in 
him  was  inexplicable  to  men  of  lower  organi- 
zation than  that  which  made  him  conspicuous. 
Despising  moral  elevation,  particularly  in  poli- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


:j.si 


tics,  they  had  no  accurate  rule  by  which  to 
measure  him,  and  hence  rated  him  much  below 
his  actual  merits.  This  blunder  was  inevitable 
to  men  who  rate  expediency  as  the  wisest  guide 
of  conduct.  To  them  his  power  and  influence 
were  inexplicable ;  but  his  potentiality  was 
none  the  less  real.  In  both  branches  of  the 
Legislature,  in  competition  with  men  possessed 
of  more  brilliant  mental  gifts,  he  readily  ac- 
quired and  steadily  held  the  same  ascendency  he 
maintained  at  home. 

He  was  almost  continuously  a  member  and 
frequently  chairman  of  the  Democratic  County 
Committee,  and  was  sent  to  nearly  all  of  the 
conventions  and  conferences,  State  and  district, 
in  which  Wayne  was  entitled  to  representation. 
Twice  he  received  the  county  indorsement  for 
Congress,  but  failing  to  secure  the  conference 
ratification,  was  never  elected  to  that  body. 
He  received,  however,  many  substantial  proofs 
of  the  confidence  of  his  party  in  his  integrity 
and  ability  and  its  appreciation  of  his  services. 
He  acted  as  deputy  for  Treasurers  Chase  and 
Seaman,  and  was  appointed  postmaster  at 
Honesdale  by  President  Buchanan.  In  1859 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature.  In 
1863  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  in 
1869  was  appointed  district  attorney  to  fill  the 
vacancy  created  by  the  resignation  of  Hon.  W. 
H.  Dimmick. 

One  result  of  these  activities  was  that  the 
legal  profession  became  distasteful  to  him,  and 
he  ceased  to  pursue  it.  He  gave  himself  up  to 
journalism  as  a  life-work.  But  therein  he  was 
kept  at  disadvantage  by  the  serious  impairment 
of  a  physical  constitution  at  best  not  robust ;  but 
nevertheless  executed  a  large  amount  of  work. 

In  1871  he  removed  to  Wilkes-Barre,  hav- 
ing purchased  an  interest  in  the  Luzerne  Union. 
In  1883  he  dissolved  that  connection,  and 
started  the  Luzerne  County  Herald.  His 
health  was  not  adequate  to  the  burdens  he 
carried.  Domestic  bereavements  followed.  In 
January,  1886,  he  was  constrained  to  relinquish 
business.  In  February  he  came  over  to  his  old 
home  at  Indian  Orchard,  where  he  expired  on 
March  11th.  He  was  buried,  near  his  parents, 
in  the  rural  cemetery  which  is  a  conspicuous 
feature  of  that  vicinage. 


Thomas  J.  Ham  was  the  third  child  of 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Bellamy  Ham  (of  whom 
see  sketch  elsewhere),  and  was  born  in  Hones- 
dale,  February  20,  1837.  His  elementary  ed- 
ucation was  received  in  the  district  schools 
taught  by  the  late  Benjamin  W.  Dennis  and 
William  G.  Arnold,  after  which  he  was  sent  to 
the  Honesdale  Academy,  and  subsequently  to 
the  Wyoming  Seminary  at  Kingston,  Pa.  Being 
a  pupil  at  the  academy  when  the  late  B.  B. 
Smith  relinquished  its  management,  he  accepted 
a  position  in  the  new  book-store  of  the  latter, 
and  for  some  time,  in  connection  with  his  du- 
ties as  clerk,  pursued  his  studies  under  the  di- 
rection of  that  thorough  educator.  When  fif- 
teen years  of  age  he  spent  one  winter  as  teacher 
of  a  district  school  at  Beach  Pond,  after  which 
he  re-entered  the  academy,  where  he  remained 
for  about  one  year,  his  hours  out  of  school 
being  spent  as  a  clerk  in  the  Honesdale  post- 
office.  In  1853  he  entered  Wyoming  Seminary, 
and  while  in  that  institution  defrayed  a  consid- 
erable proportion  of  his  expenses  by  acting  as 
private  secretary  to  the  principal,  Rev.  Dr. 
Reuben  Nelson,  and  teaching  the  writing  class- 
es. In  June,  1855,  the  second  commencement 
honor  was  accorded  him — that  of  writing  the 
colloquy  for  the  annual  exercises.  In  1856  he 
was  given  charge  of  the  mercantile  business  of 
his  father  and  partner,  in  which  position  he  re- 
mained for  three  years.  During  this  period  he 
spent  his  spare  moments  in  writing  for  newspa- 
pers and  periodicals,  including  the  Wayne 
County  Herald,  and  in  1860,  on  the  election  of 
Hon.  H.  B.  Beardslee  to  the  Legislature,  he 
accepted  an  engagement  as  assistant  editor  of 
that  journal,  at  the  same  time  filling  a  clerkship 
in  the  Honesdale  post-office  under  the  late  Hon. 
Isaiah  Snyder.  In  1861,  with  the  change  of 
administration  on  the  accession  of  President 
Lincoln,  he  visited  Prince  Edward's  Island  with 
a  view  to  locating  there  in  the  practice  of  jour- 
nalism, but  returned  in  the  fall,  and  in  Septem- 
ber, in  company  with  Charles  Menner,  who 
had  been  for  many  years  foreman  of  the  office, 
purchased  of  the  late  Hon.  H.  B.  Beardslee  the 
Herald  printing  establishment.  In  1865  he 
bought  Mr.  Menner's  interest,  and  since  that 
date  has    been  sole  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


paper.  Mr.  Ham  is  a  writer  of  unusual  talent, 
versatility  and  range  of  attainments,  bringing 
to  his  profession  a  mind  broadened  and  enriched 
by  extensive  travel  both  in  Europe  and  Amer- 
ica. In  the  various  fields  that  engage  the  at- 
tention of  the  journalist  he  has  won  distinction 
and  success,  and  under  his  management  the 
Herald  has  held  high  rank,  both  as  a  local  jour- 
nal and  political  organ.  His  ability  is  widely 
known    in   the  newspaper    world,  and    he  has 


Mr.  Ham  has  ever  been  an  ardent  Democrat, 
and  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  has  been 
almost  continuously  a  memberof  the  Democratic 
Executive  Committee  of  the  county,  besides  be- 
ing frequently  a  delegate  to  the  county  conven- 
tions, district  conferences  and  State  conventions 
of  the  party.  He  held  the  office  of  bank  as- 
sessor for  the  Senatorial  district  for  three  succes- 
ive  terms  immediately  preceding  the  change  in 
the  law  for  the  collection  of  the  tax  on  banks. 


had  frequent  opportunities  of  forming  a  con- 
nection with  the  editorial  staff  of  some  of  the 
leading  metropolitan  publications,  but  has  uni- 
formly declined  them,  though  acting  as  an  oc- 
casional contributor.  He  was  the  pioneer  in 
the  field  of  historical  research  in  Wayne 
County,  and  in  1870  published  an  outline  of 
local  history  of  much  interest  and  value,  a  sum- 
mary of  which  was  embodied  in  Dr.  Egle's 
"  History  of  Pennsylvania,"  published  in  1876. 


In  1874  he  was  nominated  for  the  Legisla- 
ture in  the  Wayne  and  Pike  District.  Local 
dissensions  between  the  Democracy  of  the  two 
counties,  however,  originating  in  1871,  and  fol- 
lowed in  1873  by  an  almost  fatal  difference, 
broke  out  in  open  rupture  soon  after  his  nomi- 
nation. A  portion  of  the  Democracy  of  Pike 
placed  E.  B.  Eldred,  of  that  county,  in  nomi- 
nation as  an  opposing  candidate,  and  this  di- 
vision of  the  party  vote  proved  fatal  to  Demo- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


cratic  success,  Thomas  Y.  Boyd,  of  Wayne, 
the  Republican  candidate,  being  elected  by  a 
small  plurality.  With  these  exceptions,  and 
occasional  local  preferment,  he  has  never  held 
nor  sought  political  office. 

For  twenty-two  consecutive  years,  Mr.  Ham 
has  been  secretary  of  the  Wayne  County  Agri- 
cultural Society,  and  for  nine  years  lias  also 
been  its  treasurer.  In  these  positions  he  has 
shown  an  efficiency  that  has  contributed  much 
to  its  success. 

March  5,  1863,  Mr.  Ham  was  married  to 
Laura  E.,  daughter  of  the  late  Zachariah  Pad- 
dock, D.D.  Eugene  P.,  aged  twenty-one,  and 
William  W.,  aged  fourteen,  are  the  surviving 
children  of  this  union.  A  daughter,  Lizzie, 
died  in  1871,  in  the  fourth  year  of  her  age. 

Appended  are  two  specimens  of  Mr.  Ham's 
verse, — 

THE   FAITHFUL   HEART. 

An  eagle,  soaring  to  the  sky, 

Feels  in  his  breast  the  archer's  dart; 

He  flutters,  wounded,  down  to  die: 
So  sinks  my  heart ! 

The  thrush,  forsaken  by  his  mate, 

Shrinks  from  the  gleesome  flock  apart, 

And  silently  bewails  his  fate  : 
So  pines  my  heart! 

The  timid  deer  stops  in  the  chase  : 
He  bleeds  from  ev'ry  cruel  smart ; 

No  more  for  him  the  wild-wood  race : 
So  bleeds  my  heart ! 

The  famished  camel  sees,  at  last, 

Oases  green  or  Arab  mart ; 
Yet  sinks  he  'neath  the  Simoon's  blast : 

So  longs  my  heart ! 

The  faithful  bound  falls  on  the  sands  ; 

His  blow  defies  the  healer's  art : 
He  crawls  and  licks  the  smiter's  hands : 

Thus  true  my  heart ! 

Let  eagles  die,  and  throstles  mourn  ; 

The  deer  no  more  from  hunters  start : 
Oh  !  perish  all ;  but  do  not  scorn 

My  faithful  heart ! 

NOTHING   IN   VAIN. 

I  stood  amid  a  throng.     There  came 
A  wrinkled  crone  adown  the  street; 

Unknown  to  me  the  poor  thing's  name, 
Or  whither  bent  her  ill-shod  feet. 


I  only  saw  her  weary  form, 

Her  down-cast  eyes,  her  furrowed  cheek  ; 
Her  shoulders,  bent  by  many  a  storm, 

Her  trembling  footsteps,  slow  and  weak: 

I  noted  how  the  well-dressed  crowd 
Withdrew  their  skirts  to  pass  her  by  ; 

I  caught  the  insults  of  the  proud  ; 
I  heard  the  poor  old  mother's  sigh. 

Then  hot  within  my  heart  I  felt 

The  fires  of  scorn  and  anger  glow : 
Why  thus,  thought  I,  has  Fortune  dealt  ? 

Why  should  the  saints  be  martyred  so? 

I  had  no  gift  of  gold  to  dole — 

A  hard  and  pinching  life  I  live — 
And  so  I  gave  the  poor  old  soul 

A  smile — the  best  I  had  to  give. 

'Twas  little,  and  it  cost  me  naught : 
Think  you  the  smallest  gifts  are  vain  ? 

I  know  that  simple  impulse  brought 
The  richest  blessings  in  its  train. 

For,  though  the  gray-haired  mother  took 

No  seeming  notice  of  my  eye, 
A  low  "  (toil  bless  you  for  the  look  I  " 

She  whispered,  as  she  passed  me  by. 

And  since  that  day  'tis  mine  to  know — 
Through  something  sacred  in  me  stirred — 

That  the  Eternal  Book  will  show 

The  martyr's  grateful  prayer  was  heard. 

Reverting  from  the  present,  whither  we  have 
followed  the  Herald,  to  the  cotemporaries  of 
its  youth,  we  find  them  upon  the  Whig  side  of 
politics.  An  abortive  attempt  was  made  to 
start  a  Whig  journal  in  May,  1836,  when  a 
prospectus  was  issued  by  E.  C.  McCray,  of 
Doylestown,  to  publish  the  Wayne  Telegraph, 
in  Bethany.  It  was  to  advocate  the  election  of 
Harrison  and  Granger  for  President  and  Vice- 
President.  A  sufficient  number  of  subscribers 
was  not  secured  to  encourage  him  to  commence 
its  publication. 

In  the  summer  or  autumn  of  1837,  as  the 
Herald,  which  was  conducted  wholly  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  Democratic  party,  was  the  only 
paper  published  in  the  county,  Paul  S.  Preston 
decided  to  have  a  paper  published  in  Bethany 
which  should  sustain  the  policy  of  the  Whig 
party.  He  either  had  previously  procured,  or 
then  procured,  a  supply  of  suitable  type,  and 
arranged  with  Richard  Nugent,  an  experienced 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


printer,  who,  with  Richard  Mogridge,' (a  nephew 
of  Mrs.  Preston),  were  to  publish  a  paper  en- 
titled The  Wayne  County  Free  Press  and  Beth- 
any and  Honesdale  Advertiser.  The  first 
number  was  issued  on  the  2d  of  January, 
1838. 

The  size  of  the  printed  page  of  the  Free 
Press  when  its  publication  was  commenced  was 
only  twelve  and  one-half  by  eighteen  inches, 
being  as  large  as  could  be  printed  on  the  old 
Ramage  press.  In  July,  1838,  Mr.  Preston 
procured  a  new  press,  and  the  size  of  the  page 
was  then  increased  to  fifteen  by  nineteen  and 
one-half  inches. 

Mr.  Nugent  continued  in  charge  of  the  paper 
to  the  end  of  the  second  volume,  January,  1840, 
when  he  went  to  Stroudsburg.  The  Free  Press 
was  then  published  by  William  F.  Rogers,  with 
P.  G.  Goodrich  to  assist  in  the  editorial  depart- 
ment. 

In  April,  1840,  the  publication  office  of  this 
paper  was  removed  to  Honesdale,  and  located 
in  the  old  hotel  building  where  Liberty  Hall 
now  stands. 

During  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1840  it 
was  active  and  efficient  in  the  support  of  Gen- 
eral Harrison,  who  was  elected. 

In  the  formation  of  President  Harrison's 
Cabinet,  Francis  Granger  was  made  Postmaster- 
General  ;  and  in  June,  1841,  he  appointed  Mr. 
Rogers  postmaster  of  Honesdale,  and  the 
emoluments  of  that  office  together  with  those  of 
the  newspaper  enabled  him  to  continue  the 
publication  of  the  Free  Press. 

President  Harrison  died  a  few  weeks  after 
his  inauguration,  and  Vice-President  Tyler 
succeeded  him  as  President.  Mr.  Tyler  soon 
thereafter  affiliated  with  the  Democrats,  and 
changed  his  entire  Cabinet,  giving  the  office  of 
Postmaster-General  to  Charles  A.  Wicklitfe, 
who,  in  October,  1842,  removed  Mr.  Rogers 
from  his  office  of  postmaster,  and  appointed  a 
Democrat  in  his  stead.  The  publication  of  the 
Free  Press  thereafter  ceased. 

The  Beechwoodsman  was  the  successor  of 
the  Free  Press.  In  November,  1842,  Edwaid 
L.    Wolf,    of    Easton,    a    sou   of  ex-Governor 


Mogridge  died  in  Philadelphia,  March  21,  1858. 


Wolf,  arranged  to  join  Mr.  Rogers,  and  they 
issued  a  prospectus  for  publishing,  in  Hones- 
dale, a  paper  to  be  called  The  Beechwoodsman, 
to  be  independent  in  politics.  Under  the  name 
of  Rogers  &  Wolf  they  commenced  its  publi- 
cation on  January  1,  1843,  and  so  continued  it 
until  the  spring  of  1844,  when  Mr.  Rogers 
withdrew,  and  Mr.  Wolf  alone  continued  its 
publication  a  few  months  longer,  and  it  was 
then  suspended.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  late 
war  Mr.  Rogers  raised  the  Twenty-fifth  Regi- 
ment of  New  York  Volunteers,  marched  to  the 
front  from  Buffalo,  and  afterward  became 
brigadier-general  of  volunteers.  He  still  re- 
sides in  Buffalo. 

This  paper  was  published  from  the  same 
office  that  had  been  occupied  by  the  Free  Press. 

Mr.  Preston  furnished  the  press  and  types 
for  both  the  Free  Press  and  Beechwoodsman  as 
long  as  they  were  published ;  and  without 
doubt  he  made  greater  effort  and  expended  more 
of  capital  to  sustain  a  Whig  paper  in  this  county 
than  any  other  citizen  of  Wayne  County. 

The  Honesdale  Democrat,  which  by  process 
of  evolution  became  the  Citizen  of  the  present, 
was  issued  first  in  1844  as  a  Democrat-Whig 
journal.  After  the  nomination  of  Clay  and 
Frelinghuysen  by  the  Whig  Convention,  in 
1844,  as  their  candidates  for  President  and  Vice- 
President,  it  was  deemed  advisable  by  some  of 
the  active  Whigs  of  Wayne  County  to  have  an 
arrangement  made  by  which  articles  in  the  in- 
terest of  their  candidate  could  be  placed  before  the 
people,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  make 
arrangements  for  that  purpose. 

The  Herald  was  then  published  by  John  I. 
Allen  as  the  Democratic  paper.  The  committee 
entered  into  negotiation  with  Mr.  Allen  for  the 
use,  each  week,  for  six  months,  of  not  exceeding 
two  columns  of  his  paper,  in  which  he  should 
print  such  articles  as  the  Whig  Committee  should 
furnish,  but  none  of  these  articles  to  be  abusive 
in  style.  The  sum  to  be  paid  to  Mr.  Allen  was 
agreed  upon,  and  the  committee  supposed  the 
contract  satisfactory  on  both  sides.  But  when 
the  terms  of  the  contract  were  written  out  to  be 
signed  by  the  parties,  Mr.  Allen  insisted  on 
being  allowed  to  use  his  discretion  as  to  the 
printing,    in    his   paper,    of    the   articles   thus 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


furnished  to  him.  This  resulted  iu  the  entire 
failure  of  the  proposed  arrangement,  and  the 
committee  recommended  that  an  etfort  be  made 
immediately  to  have  a  Whig  paper  started. 

Mr.  Francis  B.  Penniman,  then  of  Bingham- 
ton,  N.  Y.,  was  recommended  to  them  as  a  suit- 
able person  to  conduct  such  a  paper,  and  a 
messenger  was  at  once  sent  to  Binghamton  to 
lay  the  matter  before  him  and  request  him  to 
come  to  Honesdale  and  see  what  could  be  done. 
His  visit  to  Honesdale  resulted  in  his  conclud- 
ing to  issue  a  prospectus  immediately,  for  the 
publication,  in  Honesdale,  of  the  Honesdale 
Democrat,  to  commence  in  September. 

To  indemnify  him  against  loss  for  the  first 
year,  conditional  subscriptions  were  made  by 
sundry  of  the  patrons,  amounting,  in  the  aggre- 
gate, to  several  hundred  dollars,  and  Mr.  Pres- 
ton agreed  that  for  that  year  his  press  and  type 
might  be  used  for  the  printing  without  charge 

The  room  used  for  the  printing  was  the 
lower  floor  of  R.  H.  Dunning's  building,  on 
Main  Street,  third  door  above  the  Honesdale 
National  Bank,  and  second  door  below  what  is 
now  C.  A.  Cortright's  store. 

The  first  number  of  the  paper  was  issued  on 
the  17th  of  September,  1844,  the  printed  sur- 
face of  each  page  being  fifteen  by  twenty  and  a 
half  inches.  It  contained  a  brief  but  character- 
istic declaration  of  the  editor's  views  in  the  fol- 
lowing 

" SALUTATORY. 

"  Custom  has  made  it  necessary  for  an  editor,  at 
the  commencement  of  his  labors,  to  state  what  prin- 
ciples he  will  advocate,  and  what  measures  uphold. 
I  shall  do  so  briefly. 

"lam  a  Democratic  Whig  in  thought,  feeling  and 
purpose.  The  distinctive  measures  of  the  Whig  party 
are,  in  my  opinion,  essential  not  only  to  the  pros- 
perity of  the  country  but  the  perpetuity,  of  its  institu- 
tions. So  believing,  I  shall  use  all  fair  and  honorable 
means  to  commend  them  to  the  acceptance  of  my 
readers. 

"  I  shall  aim  to  make  the  Democrat  a  useful  family 
paper — a  welcome  visitor  to  all  circles. 

"A  stranger  to  all  but  a  few  of  the  inhabitants  of 
this  county,  it  does  not  become  me  to  say  more  of 
myself.  The  public  will  make  its  own  judgment  of 
my  course  as  an  editor,  as  time  shall  afford  oppor- 
tunity. 

"  F.  B.  Penximax. 

"Sept.  17,  1844." 
36 


After  the  close  of  the  first  year  Mr.  F.  B. 
Penniman  continued  to  edit  and  publish  the 
Democrat  on  his  own  responsibility  until  the 
close  of  the  thirteenth  volume,  and  he  had  the 
credit,  among  his  Whig  contemporaries,  of  mak- 
ing it  as  respectable  and  efficient  as  any  coun- 
try paper  in  the  State,  and,  in  fact,  in  giving  it 
a  prominence  and  weight  in  moulding  public 
opinion  and  affairs  such  as  is  seldom  equllled  by  a 
journal  outside  of  a  State  metropolis  or  political 
centre.  The  editor  exercised  the  same  ready,  wide 
knowledge,  the  same  devotion  to  principle  and 
the  same  clear,  incisive  quality  in  writing  which 
years  afterwards  became  better  known  when  he 
was  the  editor  of  the  Pittshmr/h  (rnzctte,  and  a 
man  of  marked  force  in  State  and  national 
politics. 

In  1856  Mr.  Penniman  purchased  the  build- 
ing in  which  his  paper  was  printed,  and  it  re- 
mained the  publishing  office  of  the  paper  until 
the  removal  into  the  office  now  occupied  as  the 
( Uizen  office. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  fourteenth  vol- 
ume, on  the  2d  of  September,  1857,  his  sou,  Ed- 
ward A.  Penniman,  who  had,  in  his  father's 
office,  been  obtaining  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  art  of  printing,  was  admitted  as  a  partner  in 
the  business,  and  the  fourteenth  volume  was 
published  by  F.  B.  Penniman  &  Son. 

At  the  close  of  the  fourteenth  volume,  on 
25th  August,  1858,  E.  A.  Penniman  purchased 
his  father's  interest  in  the  concern  and  became 
sole  proprietor,  editor  and  publisher,  and  so 
continued,  with  no  change  in  the  name  or  size 
of  the  paper,  until  January,  1864.  On  the  18th 
of  January,  1864,  he  changed  the  name  of  the 
paper  to  The  Republic,  and  enlarged  it  by  in- 
creasing the  length  of  each  column  one  inch, 
making  the  printed  surface  of  each  page  fifteen 
by  eleven  and  one-half  inches,  and  it  so  con- 
tinued to  June,  1 868. 

To  this  date  all  the  printing  had  been  done 
on  the  press  purchased  by  Paul  S.  Preston, 
thirty  years  previously,  for  use  in  Bethany. 

In  June,  1868,  a  large  addition  was  made  to 
the  capital  invested,  in  office  material  for  print- 
ing, and  a  new,  larger  and  greatly-improved 
power  press  was  procured,  and  a  larger  assort- 
ment and  greatly-increased   stock  of  type  and 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


other  material  purchased.  On  the  18th  of  that 
mouth  the  name  of  the  paper  was  again  changed 
to  the  Wayne  Citizen,  and  the  size  of  the  sheet 
increased  to  twenty-eight  by  forty-two  inches, 
and  the  printed  page  to  nineteen  and  one- 
quarter  by  twenty-five  and  three-quarters  inches, 
which  are  its  present  dimensions. 

When  C.  C.  Jadwin  and  S.  A.  Terrel  erected 
their  brick  stores  on  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Eighth  Streets,  in    1868,   an   arrangement  was 


While  undergoing  several  changes  of  name 
the  paper  has  remained  entirely  unchanged  in 
political  tone,  espousing  Republicanism  as  a 
natural  progression  from  Whig  principles. 

Francis  Blair  Penniman,  the  founder,  and 
for  many  years  the  editor,  of  the  Democrat  (now 
the  Citizen),  is  a  representative  of  the  seventh 
generation  of  a  family  which  settled  in  New 
England  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago. 
His  paternal  ancestor,  James   Penniman,  born 


S^yiuyT^a^L: 


made  with  them  to  furnish  large  and  convenient 
rooms  on  their  second  floor  for  the  publication 
of  the  Citizen,  and  on  the  1st  of  May,  1869,  the 
publishers  removed  into  the  rooms  thus  pro- 
vided. 

On  the  12th  of  June,  1873,  the  name  of  the 
paper  was  ouce  more  changed  to  the  Honesdah 
Citizen,  and  it  has  since  been  edited  and  pub- 
lished under  that  title  by  Henry  Wilson  and  E. 
A.  Penniman. 


in  England  in  the  year  1600,  arrived,  with  his 
wife,  Lydia,  in  Boston,  in  1628.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  men  of  the  colony,  not  merely  in  the 
chronological  sense,  but  in  steady  independence 
of  thought  and  principle,  in  power  of  action  and 
in  worth  and  prominence  of  character,  for  he 
was  one  of  the  fifty  men  proscribed  by  the  Gen- 
eral Court,  May  17,  1637,  in  what  is  known  his- 
torically as  the  Antinomian  controversy, — one  of 
the  fifty  men    whom   Bancroft   characterizes  as 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


:;s7 


"  the  first  apostles  on  this  continent  of  the  right 
qf  private  judgment  in  matters  of  religion," — 
and  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Braintree 
and  the  town  of  Mendou.1 


'Of  the  first  generation  of  Mr,  Penniruan's  ancestors 
in  America  was  James  .Penniman,  who  was  born  in 
England  in  1600,  and  settled,  with  his  wife,  Lydia, 
in  Boston,  in  1028.  Admitted  a  freeman  March 
0,  1031.  He  was  one  of  the  fifty  men  proscribed 
by  the  General  Court,  May  17,  1037,  in  the  Antino- 
mian  controversy,  led  by  Anne  Hutchinson,  of  which  Ban- 
croft gives  a  full  account  in  the  first  volume  of  his  his- 
tory. (He  says  those  fifty  men  were  the  first  apostles  on 
this  continent  of  the  right  of  private  judgment  in  mat- 
ters of  religion.)  Soon  after  that  proscription  ho,  William 
Cheesebrooke,  Alexander  Winchester  and  Richard  Wright 
made  a  bargain  with  the  General  Court,  whereby  they  sur- 
rendered their  lands  in  Boston  for  the  right  to  lay  out  a 
new  plantation,  ten  miles  square,  between  Dorchester  and 
Plymouth,  to  be  known  as  Braintree.  From  this  town 
were  afterwards  set  off  the  towns  of  Quincy,  Holbrook  and 
Randolph.  James  settled  in  the  part  now  known  as 
Quincy,  and  at  his  death  left  three  tracts  of  land,  one  of 
which  passed  to  John  Adams,  the  year  of  his  marriage, 
and  in  the  old  house,  still  standing,  was  born  his  son, 
John  Q.  Adams.  May  10,  1643,  he  was  appointed  justice 
of  the  peace  for  Braintree.  "Colonial  Records,"  vol.  iv., 
Part  I.,  p.  455,  states  that  he,  with  Gregory  Belcher,  Theo- 
dore Mekins,  Robert  Twelves  and  Peter  Bracked  were  the 
men  to  whom  permission  was  given  to  lay  out  the  town  of 
Mendon.  He  died  December  26,  1004.  Will  dated  De- 
cember 18,  1004,  and  probated  January  1,  1665. 

Second  Generation. — Deacon  Joseph  Penniman,  fourth 
child  of  James  and  Lydia,  born  in  Braintree  August  1, 
1639.  Married,  in  1604,  Waiting  Robinson,  daughter  of 
William  Robinson,  of  Dorchester.  She  died  August  20, 
1690,  and,  May  10,  1693,  he  married  Widow  Sarah  Stone, 
daughter  of  Deacon  Samuel  Bass,  of  Braintree.  He  died 
November  5,  1705,  while  his  wife,  Sarah,  survived  to  be 
one  hundred  years  old. 

Third  Generation. — Moses  Penniman,  fourth  child  of 
Joseph  and  Waiting,  born  iu  Braintree  February  14,  1077. 

Married  Mary .    His  will  dated  July  19,  1718,   proved 

August  28,  1718,  and  provides  for  son  Moses  to  be  brought 
up  at  college. 

Fourth  Generation.— Moses  Penniman,  sixth  child  of 
Moses  and  Mary,  born  in  Braintree  June  1,  1715.  He 
was  married,  April  17, 1737,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Cutler,  of  Christ's 
Chutch,  Boston,  to  Rebecca  Edmunds. 

Fifth  Generation.— William  Penniman,  fifth  child  of 
Moses  and  Rebecca,  born  in  Braintree  July  10,  1743.  He 
was  married,  June  12,  1769,  by  Rev.  William  Walter,  of 
Christ's  Church,  Boston,  to  Catharine  Hivell.  He  died  in 
North  Adams,  Mass.,  1809. 

Sixth  Generation.  —William  Penniman,  third  child  of 
William  and  Catharine,  born  in  Braintree  April  12, 1771. 
Married,  December  6,  1801,  Arethusa  Parmenter,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Newton  Parmenter,  of  Chester,  Mass.  She 
died  August  17,  1837.     He  died  January  10,  1856. 

Seventh  Generation. — Francis  B.  Penniman. 


On  his  mother's  side,  Mr.  Penniman  is  de- 
scended from  Robert  Parmenter  who  was  horn 
in  England  in  1626,  and  immigrating  to  Amer- 
ica, settled  in  Braintree  in  1648,  and  was  ad- 
mitted a  freeman  May  2,  1650. 2 

His  parents  were  William  Penniman  (of  the 
sixth  generation  from  James)  and  Arethusa 
Parmenter,  his  wife  (of  the  sixth  generation 
from  Robert  Parmenter).  They  were  .married 
December  6,  1801,  and  resided  at  Utica,  X.  Y., 
where  our  subject,  their  fourth  son,  \v;is  bora 
November  13,  1812. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  Francis  B.  Pen- 
niman were  spent  in  his  native  town,  and  in 
1826,  when  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  he  en- 
tered a  printing-office  (Hastings  it  Tracy's)  and 
began  in  the  humblest  way  the  career  he  was  to 
follow,  actively  and  long  and  effectively.  In 
1834  he  removed  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  was 


2  On  his  mother's  side  Francis  1 
as  follows : 

First  Generation.  —Robert  Parmenter,  born  in  England 
in  1626.  Admitted  a  freeman  May  2,  1650,  after  settle- 
ment in  Braintree,  which  was  in  1648.  He  married  Leah 
Sanders,  daughter  of  Martin  Sanders,  of  Braintree.  He 
died  June  27,  1095,  aged  seventy-four  years,  and  she  March 
24,  1700,  aged  eighty-six  years. 

Smmd  Generation. — Deacon  Joseph  Parmenter,  first  child 
of  Robert  and  Leah,  born  in  Braintree,  October  22,  1058. 
Married  Mary  Marsh,  November  17,  1075.  He  fell  dead 
in  the  pulpit,  during  Sunday  service,  February  20,  1737, 
aged  eighty-two  years. 

Third  Generation. — Benjamin  Parmenter,  fourth  child  of 
Joseph  and  Mary,  born  in  Braintree,  September  !i,  losi. 
He  married  Hannah  Newtown,  daughter  of  Ephraim  New- 
town, of  Milton,  Mass. 

Fourth  Generation.—  Benjamin  Parmenter,  son  of  Benja- 
min and  Hannah,  born  in  Braintree,  December  10,  1712. 
Married,  May  25,  1747,  Hannah  Bigelow,  of  Weston, 
Mass. 

Fifth  Generation. — John  Newton  Parmenter,  son  of  the 
last  Benjamin  and  Hannah,  born  in  Newport,  R.  I.,  in 
1742.  Married,  first,  October  25,  1704,  Lydia  Baldwin, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  Baldwin,  of  Winchen- 
den,  Mass.  She  was  born  January  10,  1740,  died  Novem- 
ber 29,  1773.  Second  marriage,  September  27,  1774,  Han- 
nah Abbot,  of  Chester,  She  died  March  2,  1802.  Third 
marriage,  February  19,  1806,  Dolly  Blair,  of  Blandford. 
He  died  December  6,  1828. 

Sixth  Generation. — Arethusa  Parmenter,  daughter  of 
John  X.  and  Hannah  Abbot,  his  second  wife,  aud  Win. 
Penniman,  the  second.  She  was  born  February  13,  1778  ; 
married  December  6,  1801  ;  died,  August  17,  1837. 

Seventh  Generation. —  Francis  B.  Penniman,  fourth  son  of 
Arethusa  Parmenter  and  William  Penniman,  her  husband. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


engaged  for  a  number  of  years  mainly  in  book 
and  job  printing.  The  Oberlin  Evangelist, 
(organ  of  the  Oberlin  Institute),  the  Ohio  Ob- 
server (organ  of  the  Presbyterian  Synod  of  the 
Western  Reserve)  and  The  Agitator  (one  of  the 
earliest  anti-slavery  newspapers),  were,  how- 
ever, for  a  considerable  period,  issued  simul- 
taneously from  his  presses. 

In  1844  he  came  to  Honesdale  and,  as  we 
have  already  seen,  established  the  Democrat, 
which  was  an  advocate  of  Whig  doctrines  and 
principles,  and  was  ultimately  rechristened  the 
Citizen.  Mr.  Penniman  soon  became  an  active 
and  aggressive  force  in  politics  and  although 
only  the  editor  of  a  small  weekly  paper  in  an 
unimportant  town,  his  ability  and  zeal  won 
recognition  and  commanded  respect  in  far 
wider  circles  than  those  which  limit  the  in- 
fluence of  the  majority  of  men  similarly  sit- 
uated. He  became  a  factor  successively  in 
county,  Congressional  and  State  affairs,  merely 
through  the  natural  expansion  of  the  circle  of 
his  public  accpiaintance  and  a  constantly  in- 
creasing knowledge  of  his  convictions,  com- 
prehensive grasp  of  leading  public  questions, 
and  his  general  intellectual  strength.  To  the 
influence  he  exerted  through  his  journal — and 
many  of  its  issues  during  the  momentous  years 
preceding  and  during  the  great  Civil  War  con- 
tained editorials  no  whit  below  those  of  the 
metropolitan  press,  in  form  or  thought — he 
added  that  of  a  popular  public  speaker,  and 
one  who,  unlike  many,  hail  thoughts  to  pro- 
mulgate as  well  as  words  to  utter.  Notwith- 
standing his  intimacy  with  politics  and  politi- 
cians, his  constant  activity,  the  power  he  ex- 
erted through  his  journal  and  from  the  plat- 
form, he  never  held,  and  probably  never  de- 
sired to  hold,  political  office,  unless  that  of  the 
associate  judgeship  of  Wayne  County,  to  which 
he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Pollock,  on  May 
15,  1856,  might,  by  a  stretch  of  propriety,  so  be 
denominated.  But  he  was  frequently  called 
upon  to  fill  positions  of  trust  and  honor,  some 
of  them  involving  difficult  and  delicate  duties. 
Thus  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Johnson, 
in  January,  1851,  a  member  of  the  committee 
for  Pennsylvania,  to  facilitate  the  International 
Exhibition  at  London  ;  was  appointed  by  Gov- 


ernor Curtin,  on  March  6,  1862,  a  trustee  of 
the  State  Lunatic  Hospital,  at  Harrisburg,  and 
reappointed  by  Governor  Curtin  in  1865,  and 
by  Governor  Geary  in  1868  ;  upon  the  crea- 
tion of  the  Board  of  Public  Charities,  was  made 
a  member  thereof,  in  December,  1869,  and  held 
various  other  similar  stations.  He  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  Whig  National  Convention  in  1852, 
and  to  the  first  Republican  National  Conven- 
tion in  1856.  He  was  on  the  Republican 
Electoral  Ticket  in  1860,  and  helped  to  cast 
the  vote  of  Pennsylvania  for  Abraham  Lin- 
coln. 

Just  after  the  close  of  the  war,  in  1865,  he 
entered  upon  a  period  of  greater  activity,  and  a 
work  involving  more  labor  and  responsibility, 
than  he  had  before  experienced.  He  then  be- 
came one  of  the  owners  and  the  editor-in-chief 
of  the  Pittsburgh  Gazette,  which,  under  his  able 
management,  absorbed  the  rival  Commercial  and 
achieved  a  higher  reputation  than  it  had  ever 
before  or  has  ever  since  enjoyed.  While  pre- 
siding over  the  editorial  interests  of  the  Ga- 
zette he  was  unquestionably  one  of  the  leading 
forces  in  the  politics  of  Pennsylvania.  He  per- 
formed a  tremendous  work,  journalistically  and 
as  a  platform  speaker,  and  under  the  strain, 
too  great  to  be  borne  by  any  man,  his  health 
became  so  impaired  that  he  found  it  necessary 
to  relinquish  all  employments  in  which  he  was 
engaged.  This  he  did  in  October,  1870,  and 
since  then  he  has  lived  in  Honesdale,  in  com- 
fortable retirement,  relieved  hj  occasional  exer- 
cise of  pen  and  voice,  as  inclination  suggests. 

When  Mr.  Penniman  retired  from  the  Pitts- 
burgh Gazette,  it  was  written  of  him  in  that 
journal  : 

"Among  the  eminent  journalists  of  this  State  none 
have  been  more  deservedly  prominent  for  intellectual 
power  or  dignified  courtesy,  and  none  more  dis- 
tinguished for  the  range  and  compass  of  subjects 
with  which  he  was  conversant,  and  the  fullness  and 
accuracy  with  which  he  discussed  them." 

A  competent  critic  at  that  juncture  wrote  of 
him  : 

"  When  writing  he  concentrated  his  whole  mind  on 
his  subject,  and  in  his  treatment  of  it  explored  its 
profoundest  depths,  with  every  possible  aspect  avail- 
able and  familiar  to  him.  He  was  always  ready  to 
discuss  all  topics  with  the  pen  of  a  master." 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


3S9 


Both  as  writer  and  speaker  Mr.  Pennitnau 
seems  to  possess  that  peculiar  facility  and 
felicity  of  expressing  his  thoughts  which  is 
happily  characterized  in  the  homely  colloquial 
saying,  "  he  can  say  anything  that  he  wants  to," 
— whether  treating  of  the  simplest  facts  or  dis- 
coursing in  realms  of  abstract  thought,  either 
with  tongue  or  pen  his  command  of  language — 
of  exactly  the  right  language — is  really  phenom- 
enal. And  he  has  usually  had  things  to  say 
which  were  worthy  of  going  forth  on  the  wings 
of  the  best  words. 

Mr  Penniman  was  married  early  in  life- 
May  11,  1835— to  Jane  W.  Broad  well,  daugh- 
ter of  Ara  Broadwell,  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  who  is 
still  living.  Their  children  are  Edward  A. 
(one  of  the  owners  and'editors  of  the  Honesdale 
Citizen),  Francis  B.  Penniman,  Jr.,  and  Mary 
(wife  of  W.  K.  Dimock). 

The  next  in  order  of  succession  of  the  papers 
started  in  Honesdale  was  the  Tribune,  a  small, 
four-page  weekly,  each  page  being  about  eight 
by  ten  inches.  It  was  edited  by  Peter  H. 
Miller  (colored),  and  the  first  number  issued  on 
14th  February,  1847.  Its  publication  was  con- 
tinued but  a  short  time.  Peter  H.  Miller  af- 
terwards went  to  Port  Jervis,  and  in  January, 
■  1850,  started  the  Port  Jervis  Express,  a  small 
sheet,  which  was  the  first  newspaper  published 
in  that  town. 

In  April,  1848,  George  M.  Reynolds  and 
Francis  Drake  issued  a  prospectus  for  publish- 
ing in  Honesdale  a  paper  to  be  called  The  Weekly 
Gutter  and  Wayne  County  Reformer.  The  first 
number  was  issued  on  June  1,  1848,  and  entitled 
The  National  Reformer.  In  politics  it  advo- 
cated the  election  of  Van  Buren  for  President 
in  opposition  to  Cass,  the  regular  Democratic 
nominee,  and  in  opposition  to  General  Taylor, 
the  Whig  nominee.  They  had  their  own  type, 
etc.,  but  the  press-work  was  done  in  the  office  of 
the  Democrat.  It  was  published  until  after  the 
Presidential  election,  and  discontinued  in  De- 
cember, 1848. 

Mr.  Reynolds  removed  the  type  and  other 
materials  to  Carbondale  and  started  a  Whig 
paper,  then  called  the  Lackawanna  Jour na 7,  tin- 
first  number  of  which  was  issued  on  the  19th  of 
January,  1849.     Mr.  Drake  died  in  Honesdale 


in  1849  or  1850.  Mr.  Reynolds  removed 
West,  and  died  in  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  in  1880. 

The  New  Dawn  was  a  weekly  newspaper 
started  in  Honesdale  in  1852  and  was  edited 
and  published  by  M.  H.  Cobb.  The  first  num- 
ber was  issued  December  1,  1852.  Mr.  Cobb 
had  his  own  type,  etc.,  but  the  press-work  was 
done  in  the  office  of  the  Herald. 

When  started  it  claimed  to  be  independent, 
or  neutral,  in  politics,  and  was  so  conducted 
until  after  the  Democratic  nominations  were 
made  for  the  election  in  1853.  It  then  became 
the  advocate  of  the  election  of  James  M.  Porter 
as  president  judge,  in  opposition  to  M.  M.  Dim- 
mick,  the  regular  candidate  of  the  Democrats. 
It  was  during  that  campaign  a  spirited  paper 
and  efficient  as  a  party  organ.  Soon  after  the 
election  (at  the  close  of  its  first  volume)  it  was 
discontinued,  and  Mr.  Cobb  removed  the  type 
to  Wellsboro',  in  Tioga  County,  and  started  the 
Tioga  Agitator. 

In  February,  1859,  a  German  paper  was 
started  in  Honesdale,  entitled  the  Honesdale 
Wochcnbtatt.  It  was  edited  by  Carl  Schmidt, 
and  the  first  number  was  issued  on  the  26th  of 
February,  1859.  The  size  of  the  sheet  was 
twenty-eight  by  thirty-eight  inches. 

The  fourteenth  number  of  the  paper  stated 
that  the  late  editor  (C.  Schmidt)  had  run  away, 
and  that  his  real  name  was  Christian  Nonnen- 
macher. 

L.  Grambs,  C.  Petersen,  F.  Schuller,  J.  Ap- 
pert  and  W.  Seaman  were  made  a  committee  to 
arrange  for  continuing  the  publication.  Charles 
K.  Beardslee,  of  Texas,  was  put  in  charge  as 
editor  and  publisher.  No.  26  contained  his 
valedictory. 

Charles  Kolbe  then  became  its  manager,  and 
it  was  continued  under  his  supervision  a  little 
more  than  a  year.  The  eighty-sixth  number 
informed  its  readers  that  as  the  paper  had  suf- 
fered greatly  from  the  neglect  of  Mr.  Kolbe,  it 
would  thereafter  appear  under  the  management 
of  Morris  M.  Wiseman.  It  was  continued 
under  his  charge  to  number  103. 

After  this  it  was  edited  and  managed  by  A. 
Ludwig  for  a  few  months,  and  then,  for  want 
of  support,  in  1861,  publication  was  finally  sus- 
pended, and  Mr.  Ludwig  removed  to  Scranton 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


to  conduct  a  German  paper  there.  The  paper 
was  printed  by  or  under  the  supervision  of 
Charles  R.  Beardslee.  In  September,  1863,  the 
press  and  other  printing  materials  were  removed 
by  Mr.  Beardslee  to  Hawley  to  be  used  in  start- 
ing the  Hawley  Free  Press. 

In  March,  1866,  the  press  and  types,  which 
had  been  returned  to  Hawley  to  publish  the 
Hawley  Free  Press,  were  removed  to  Honesdale 
and  again  put  to  use  there  in  starting  the 
Eleventh  District  Monitor.  It  was  edited  and 
published  by  F.  A.  Dony  and  J.  H.  Dony,  and 
in  politics  claimed  to  be  Democratic.  The  first 
number  was  issued  March  24,  1866,  and  it  was 
continued  until  December  13,  1867.  It  was 
folio  in  form,  each  page  being  sixteen  by  twenty- 
one  inches.  F.  A.  Dony  is  now  a  preacher  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  J.  H. 
Dony  a  clerk  in  the  War  Department  in  Wash- 
ton. 

The  Semi- Weekly  Democrat  was  started  in 
Honesdale  by  Leroy  Bonesteel  in  1869.  The 
first  number  was  published  on  May  28th,  and  it 
was  thus  continued  until  22d  October,  1869. 
It  was  a  four-page  paper,  each  page  measuring 
thirteen  by  twenty  inches.  In  October,  1869, 
directly  after  election,  it  was  changed  to  a  weekly 
publication,  and  its  size  enlarged  to  twenty  by 
twenty-six  inches  per  page,  being  just  double  its 
previous  size. 

Mr.  Bonesteel  continued  as  its  manager  until 
December  20,  1870,  when  he  sold  out  to  A.  P. 
Childs.  It  was  continued  under  Mr.  Childs' 
management  until  April  28,  1871,  when  Rich- 
ard Sandy  became  associated  with  him,  and 
under  their  joint  names  it  was  published  until 
25th  of  August,  1871,  when  Mr.  Childs  with- 
drew. From  that  date  to  the  end  of  1871  it 
seems  to  have  been  published  anonymously. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1872,  the  name  of 
Mr.  Sandy  again  appeared  at  its  head,  and  was 
thus  continued  to  May  3,  1872,  when  its  last 
number  was  issued. 

The  Honesdale  Morning  Chronicle  was  the 
first,  last  and  only  venture  in  the  way  of  a 
daily  newspaper  ever  attempted  in  Honesdale. 
E.  H.  Mott,  now  of  the  New  York  Sun  and  the 
taleuted  teller  of  its  widely-quoted  and  pictur- 
esque Pike  County  lies,  was  the  editor  and  pro- 


prietor. The  size  of  each  printed  page  was 
nine  and  one-half  by  twelve  inches.  The  type- 
setting and  press-work  were  done  in  the  Herald 
office,  the  first  number  being  issued  September 
5,  1876,  and  the  last  December  20th  of  the  same 
year,  making  just  one  hundred  numbers.  No- 
vember 6th  the  name  of  the  paper  was  abbrevia- 
ted to  the  Morning  Chronicle.  It  was  a  newsy 
and  sprightly  journal,  but  its  owner  was  com- 
pelled to  abandon  its  publication  owing  to  a 
lack  of  support  and  encouragement  by  the  citi- 
zens of  Honesdale. 

The  Wayne  Independent. — In  the  au- 
tumn of  1877  very  many  of  the  citizens  of 
Wayne  County  were  greatly  dissatisfied  with 
the  decision  of  the  county  commissioners  to 
proceed  at  once  to  the  erection  of  a  new  court- 
house, especially  upon  so  large  and  expensive 
a  plan  as  they  had  adopted.  The  people  thus 
dissatisfied,  which  comprised  nearly  all  of  the 
people  of  Wayne  County,  outside  of  the  bor- 
ough of  Honesdale,  and  many  within  the  bor- 
ough, after  consultation  on  the  subject,  decided 
to  oppose  and,  if  practicable,  prevent,  the  erec- 
tion of  so  costly  a  building,  unless  the  matter 
was  first  submitted  to,  and  approved  by,  a  vote 
of  the  people;  and  to  enable  them  more  easily 
to  keep  informed  of  the  state  of  the  case,  and  to 
encourage  them  to  persevere  in  their  opposition, 
it  was  concluded  to  issue  a  weekly  newspaper, 
that  should  give  voice  to  the  people  in  this  and 
in  other  matters  pertaining  to  the  general  wel- 
fare of  the  county,  wherein  the  farmers  and 
others  dwelling  in  the  rural  districts  might  be 
heard  in  relation  to  all  matters  affecting  their 
interests  as  members  of  the  body  politic  of 
Wayne  County,  with  especial  reference  to  the 
appropriation  of  the  moneys  drawn  from  them 
by  taxation.  To  this  end  arrangements  were 
made  with  B.  F.  Haines,  who  was  then  pub- 
lishing the  Herald  at  Hancock,  N.  Y.,  to  re- 
move to  Honesdale,  and  publish  a  paper  to  be 
called  The  Wayne  Independent.  Rooms  for  a 
printing-office  were  engaged  in  the  brick  store 
building  of  J.  M.  Bauman,  and  the  first 'num- 
ber of  the  paper  was  issued  on  the  7th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1878,  as  a  seven-column  folio,  each  page 
being  fifteen  and  one-half  by  twenty-one  and 
one-half  inches. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Its  office  of  publication  was  soon  afterward 
removed  to  the  building  erected  by  A.  B.  Mil- 
ler for  a  hotel,  and  in  1882  the  office  was  again 
removed  to  the  Peterson  &  Smith  building, 
where  it  now  remains. 

Miles  Beardsley,  of  Cold  Spring,  N.  Y.,  be- 
came associated  with  Mr.  Haines  in  February, 
1879,  and  so  continued  until  January,  1881, 
when  he  left,  and  the  entire  management  has 
since  devolved  upon   Mr.  Haines.     After  the 


English  ancestry.  His  earliest  paternal  an- 
cestor to  emigrate  to  this  side  of  the  Atlantic 
settled  at  Salem,  Mass.,  in  the  seventeenth 
century. 

About  the  same  time  his  first  maternal 
ancestor  in  this  country,  a  sea-captain,  settled 
on  Gardiner's  Island,  near  New  York.  About 
1735  several  of  the  descendants  of  these  early 
families  removed  to  Orange  County,  N.  Y., 
where  they  were  among  the  pioneers  of  that  now 


TVa^y-'  9?  yVWo^e^ 


first  volume  the  paper  was  enlarged  to  an  eight- 
column  folio,  and  in  1882  it  was  again  enlarged 
to  a  nine-column  folio.  The  paper  has  been 
progressive  in  every  way  since  its  first  estab- 
lishment in  the  county,  and  has  so  faithfully 
and  ably  represented  the  cause  of  the  people 
that  it  has  constantly  increased  in  circulation 
and  public  favor.  It  now  has  a  circulation  of 
two  thousand  four  hundred  copies  weekly. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Haines,  the  editor  of 
the  Wayne  Independent,  is  descended   from  an 


populous  and  interesting  section  of  country. 
Among  these  early  settlers  were  the  ancestors 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  His  father,  R.  R. 
Haines,  was  a  Quaker,  and  a  hard-working  and 
industrious  farmer,  a  great  reader,  intelligent, 
pious,  gentle  in  disposition,  but  possessed  of 
great  firmness  of  character.  He  married,  in 
April,  1844,  Mary  F.  Goldsmith,  of  Colden- 
ham,  N.  Y.,  and  immediately  removed  to  Mary- 
laud,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Montgomery 
County,   in   that   State,    twenty    miles    up    the 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Potomac  River,  from  Washington,  D.  C.  His 
wife,  who  accompanied  him,  was  an  intelligent 
Christian  woman,  possessing  an  exceedingly 
cheerful  disposition,  and  a  heart  filled  with 
kindliness  and  affection.  Her  presence  in  the 
home  ever  cast  a  bright  halo  around  it,  and  no 
matter  how  dark  the  cloud  was  that  hovered 
over  the  family,  she  always  saw  the  sun  shining 
behind  it,  exposing  to  view  the  silver  lining  of 
hope  and  bright  anticipation.  There  were  born 
to  her  two  children, — a  daughter,  Susie  A. 
Haines,  and  Benjamin  F.  Haines,  to  whom  this 
sketch  is  inscribed. 

The  elder  Haines  continued  to  engage  in 
agricultural  pursuits  in  Maryland  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  late  Civil  War,  at  which 
time  the  strong  feelings  incited  by  the  conflict 
compelled  him  to  leave  the  scene  of  violence 
and  disorder.  During  the  summer  of  1861  the 
Union  troops  entered  the  neighborhood,  and  in 
November  of  that  year  General  Banks,  with 
forty  thousand  men,  encamped  between  the 
Potomac  River  and  Mr.  Haines'  farm.  After 
remaining  about  two  weeks  the  army  moved  up 
the  river  on  the  Maryland  side,  leaving  the 
neighborhood  behind  exposed  to  the  incursions 
of  the  Virginia  guerrillas.  Mr.  Haines,  being 
a  pronounced  anti-slavery  man,  and  known  to 
entertain  strong  Union  sentiments,  thereupon 
disposed  of  his  horses,  cattle  and  grain  to 
General  Banks'  quartermasters,  and  packing 
his  most  valuable  goods  in  boxes,  aided  by  two 
friendly  neighbors,  started  on  the  night  of  De- 
cember 12,  1861,  on  his  journey  northward, 
in  two  wagons,  one  conveying  his  household 
.goods  and  the  other  his  family.  After  thirty 
miles  of  travel  by  this  method  a  station  on  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  was  reached, 
whence  the  family  left  fortheNorthin  safety,  and 
there  spent  the  remaining  years  of  the  war.  In 
May,  1866,  the  father  died,  and  was  buried  in 
the  Goodwill  Church  Cemetery,  Orange  County, 
N.  Y.,  three  miles  from  the  place  where  he  was 
born.  Not  wishing  to  return  to  Maryland,  the 
members  of  the  family  disposed  of  the  farm 
there  after  the  close  of  the  war,  and  remained  in 
the  North. 

Benjamin  F.  Haines,  as  has  been  intimated, 
was  born  in  Darnestown,  Montgomery  County, 


Md.,  October  2,  1849.  He  was  early  inured 
to  a  life  of  labor  and  hard  work,  and  from  the 
time  he  was  able  to  handle  a  hoe  was  com- 
pelled to  labor  industriously  on  the  paternal 
farm.  His  early  schooling  advantages  were  ex- 
ceedingly limited,  but  careful  educational  train- 
ing at  home,  supplemented  by  attendance  at  a 
private  school,  taught  by  a  Massachusetts  lady, 
named  Merriam,  in  connection  with  the  planta- 
tion of  John  L.  Dufief,  a  wealthy  planter  of  his 
neighborhood,  put  him  in  possession  of  the 
fundamental  principles  of  a  sound  English 
education  prior  to  the  removal  of  his  father  to 
the  North.  In  the  autumn  of  1866  he  entered 
the  academy  at  Montgomery,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1868 
was  graduated  from  that  institution,  passing  an 
examination  by  and  receiving  a  diploma  from 
the  regents  of  the  Albany  University.  After 
teaching  school  a  short  time  in  the  town  of 
Hamptonburg,  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  he  was 
tendered  and  accepted  a  situation  as  purser  on  a 
passenger  and  freighting  steamer,  the  "  Isaac 
P.  Smith,"  running  between  Savannah,  Ga., 
and  Jacksonville,  Fla.  In  1870  the  steamer 
was  taken  off  the  route,  and  the  owner  secured 
places  for  nearly  all  the  members  of  the  crew, 
the  position  of  assistant  purser  on  a  transat- 
lantic steamer  being  offered  to  Mr.  Haines. 
But,  owing  to  the  solicitation  of  his  mother,  he 
determined  to  abandon  a  sea-faring  life,  and  re- 
turning home,  decided  to  adopt  the  profession  of 
journalism  as  his  life-work.  He  served  a  three 
years'  apprenticeship  at  the  printer's  trade  in 
the  Republican  and  Standard  office,  at  Montgom- 
ery, N.  Y.,  and  in  1874,  having  contributed 
articles  to  various  journals,  in  the  mean  time  be- 
came editor  of  the  Hancock  (X.  Y.)  Herald, 
at  that  time  owned  by  an  association.  After 
successfully  managing  the  paper  for  a  year  he 
became  its  owner  by  purchase,  and  continued 
its  publication  until  January,  1878.  At  that 
time,  being  urged  by  many  prominent  citizens 
of  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  among  them  being  Hon, 
W.  M.  Nelson  and  George  S.  Purdy,  Esq.,  to 
establish  a  paper  at  Honesdale,  the  county-seat, 
in  opposition  to  the  project  of  building  a  new 
court-house  at  that  place,  he  removed  there, 
and  in  the  middle  of  January,  1878,  he  issued 
the  prospectus  of  the   new  paper,  and   on   the 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


393 


morning  of  February  7,  1878,  just  at  the  break 
of  day,  the  force,  editor  and  all,  having  worked 
all  night,  the  first  copy  of  the  Wayne  Independ- 
ent was  given  to  the  world.  It  was  a  small, 
seven-column  quarto,  but  what  it  lacked  in  size 
it  made  up  in  force,  piquancy  and  enthusiasm. 
The  paper  began  with  a  subscription  list  of  nine 
hundred,  and  its  career  has  since  been  marked 
by  a  healthy,  steady  growth.  In  1879  it  was 
increased  iu  size  to  eight  columns,  and  in  1884 
to  a  nine-column  quarto,  its  present  size.  The 
circulation  in  1886  is  a  little  over  twenty-four 
hundred  copies. 

Besides  doing  the  entire  work  of  his  own 
paper,  he  is  a  regular  contributor  to  the  columns 
of  the  New  York  Herald  and  Philadelphia 
Times. 

Mr.  Haines  is  still  the  owner  and  editor  of 
the  Independent,  and  one  of  the  representative 
newspaper  men  of  Northeastern  Pennsylvania. 
He  wields  a  graceful  and  facile  pen,  making  his 
points  with  force  and  precision,  and  managing 
the  executive  or  business  part  of  his  paper  with 
rare  skill.  He  lays  no  claim  to  brilliant  endow- 
ments, gifted  literary  talents  or  superior  abilities 
in  any  direction,  but  has  achieved  his  present 
place  in  life  by  persistent  labor  and  close  appli- 
cation. He  rejoices  in  his  early  home-training, 
and  in  the  fact  that  his  success  is  due  to  the 
rigid  industry  to  which  he  was  early  inured, 
and  to  the  guidance  of  scrupulously  devout  and 
thoroughly  practical  Christian  parents.  He 
has  not  abandoned  the  industrious  habits  of 
earlier  years,  but  may  be  found  in  his  office, 
surrounded  by  his  assistants,  early  and  late. 
He  is  a  man  of  abstemious  habits,  regular  and 
systematic  in  all  that  he  does,  of  strict  integrity 
and  of  wide  influence  in  the  place  in  which  he 
has  established  his  home. 

May  25,  1875,  Mr.  Haines  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mrs.  Dr.  James  Low,  nee  Margaret 
Eager  Millspaugh,  of  Montgomery,  N.  Y.,  a 
woman  of  superior  qualities,  a  most  careful 
housekeeper  and  admirable  home-maker.  The 
economy  and  systematic  routine  of  her  manage- 
ment are  the  foundations  on  which  the  beauty 
and  serenity  of  her  home  rest,  and  in  it  the 
simplest  and  most  spontaneous  hospitality 
dwells. 


Various  Writers  of  Poetry  and  Fic- 
tion.— Wayne  County  has  been  prolific  of 
writers  out  of  all  proportion  to  population, 
educational  advantages  and  literary  stimulus  or 
"  literary  atmosphere."  They  have,  as  a  rule, 
been  writers  of  poetry  of  the  minor  class,  and 
several  of  them  have  displayed  a  very  high 
order  of  merit.  One  of  these  writers  (Emma 
May  Buckingham)  says, — 

"AUTHORS   OF   OLD  WAYNE. 

"  There  is  something  in  the  sterile  soil  of  old  Wayne 
which  favors  the  growth  of  talent  and  literary  cul- 
ture, judging  from  the  number  of  authors  who  have 
been  raised  in  this  county. 

'"Stella,  of  Lackawanna,'  nee  Harriet  Hollister, 
now  the  widow  of  the  late  L.  Watres,  of  Scranton, 
was  born  and  educated  iu  Hollisterville.  She  ranks 
high  as  a  poetess,  and  is  a  contributor  to  several 
newspapers  and  periodicals.  (She  was  born  January 
27,  1821,  in  Salem,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Alanson 
Hollister.) 

"  Dr.  H.  Hollister,  her  brother,  and  author  of  the 
history  of  Luzerne  and  Lackawanna  Counties,  is  a 
native  of  Wayne.  David  W.  Belisle,  of  Camden, 
N.  J.,  and  editor  of  the  Saturday  Evening  Express,  also 
author  of 'The  Parterre,'  a  volume  of  poems,  a  novel 
and  'The  History  of  Independence  Hall  anil  Its 
Signers,'  published  in  Philadelphia  in  1859,  and 
other  works  written  conjointly  with  his  gifted  wife 
(nee  Orvilla  Gleasou,  of  Wayne  County),  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Paupack  township,  this  county. 

"  Hon.  Truman  H.  Purdy,  of  Sunbury,  Pa.,  a  law- 
yer of  note  and  ex-member  of  the  State  Legislature, 
the  author  of  a  two-hundred  page  poem,  entitled 
'  Doubter,'  and  many  short  poems,  is  a  native  of  Pau- 
pack, Wayne  County.  Mr.  Purdy  was  educated  at 
Lewisburgh,  Pa.  This  University  conferred  upon  him 
the  title  of  A.M.  Mrs.  Harriet  Purdy  Cochrane,  of  925 
Melon  Street,  Philadelphia,  nee  Harriet  Purdy,  was 
raised  and  educated  in  Purdytown,  Paupack  township, 
and  is  one  of  Wayne  County's  most  gifted  children. 
She  is  the  author  of  a  beautifully  written  book  en- 
titled '  Drift  from  the  Shore  of  the  Hereafter,'  a  work 
issued  in  pamphlet  form  by  Anvil  &  Co.,  Philadel- 
phia, in  1883,  who  writes  under  the  nom  de  plume  of 
'Amaranth.'  Alma  Calder  (now  Mrs.  Johnson,  of 
New  York  City),  of  Equinunk.  Alma  Calder  is  a 
talented  as  well  as  popular  writer,  and  indisputably 
one  of  the  authors  of  the  'Saxe  Holm  Stories.'  She 
is  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Alexander  Calder." 

Besides  the  writers  mentioned  iu  the  forego- 
ing remarks,  there  are  quite  a  number  of  others. 
Mary  Ashby  Townsend  has  sung  sweetly  of  the 
"  Hills  of  Wayne,"  and  written  a  most  plaintive 
lyric,   entitled   "A   Woman's  Wish,"   both   of 


:?H4 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MON1I0E  COrXTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


which  we  reproduce.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
nothing  of  interest  can  be  learned  of  this  writer, 
for  a  few  facts  concerning  one  who  can  write 
such  meritorious  verse  as  "  The  Hills  of  Wayne  " 
should  be  preserved  among  the  people  of  the 
county  she  has  expressed  such  love  for. 

Most  widely  and  well  known  among  the  wri- 
ters who  are  natives  of  Wayne  County  is  Homer 
Greene,  Esq.,  the  author  of  "  What  my  Lover 
Said,"  "  My  Daughter  Louise,"  "  Kitty,"  and 
many  other  poems,  and  of  the  very  realistic  and 
touching  story  of  "  Dick,  the  Door  Boy," — an 
episode  of  life  in  the  anthracite  coal  region — the 
prize  story  of  the  Scran  ton  Truth,  published  in 
its  issue  of  Christmas,  1884.  This  is  the  chief 
example  of  Mr.  Greene's  ability  in  prose  com- 
position, and  notable  as  its  merits  are,  it  cannot 
be  regarded  as  testifying  so  strongly  to  his 
genius  as  do  his  poems.  These  have  already 
won  for  him  no  small  measure  of  fame,  and 
must  constantly  bring  more,  for  no  fugitive 
poems  have  more  constantly  occupied  the  news- 
paper corners,  and  appealed  stronger  either  to 
the  popular  heart  or  critical  brain  than  have 
"  What  my  Lover  Said  "  and  two  or  three 
others  of  his  productions.  They  are  chaste  and 
dainty  in  diction,  delicate  and  subtle— the  very 
essence  of  poetry.  We  reproduce  them  further 
on  in  these  pages,  anil  give  here  a  brief  bio- 
graphical sketch  of  the  author. 

Homer  Greene  was  born  at  No.  19,  in  Sa- 
lem township  (now  Ariel,  in  Lake  township), 
Wayne  County,  January  10, 1853.  He  attended 
the  district  school  until  thirteen  years  of  age, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1867  went  to  Poughkeep- 
sie,  N.  Y.,  to  attend  the  Riverview  Military 
Academy,  and  remained  there  two  years,  hold- 
ing a  position  both  years  in  the  "  honor  grade  " 
among  the  first  three.  In  the  summer  of  18(59, 
he  entered' the  corps  of  civil  and  mining  engi- 
neers of  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company,  with 
headquarters  at  Pittston,  Pa.  He  remained 
there  until  the  winter  of  1871-72,  doing  land 
surveying,  railroad  engineering,  mining  engi- 
neering and  drafting. 

In  the  spring  of  1872  he  entered  the  engi- 
neering class  of  '74  at  Union  College,  Schenec- 
tady, N.  Y.,  and  was  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  C.E.  in  the  springof  1874,  and  immediately 


entered  the  class  of  '76  for  the  purpose  of  com- 
pleting a  four  years'  course  in  the  Scientific 
Department;  was  graduated  in  June,  1876, 
with  the  degree  of  A.B.  At  graduation  he  took 
the  first  Blatchford  prize  medal  for  oratory,  the 
first  <  'larke  prize,  the  first  president's  prize  and 
the  second  Ingham  prize  for  essays  on  literary 
subjects.  In  the  fall  of  LS76  he  went  on  the 
"stump"  in  Wayne  County  for  the  Republi- 
can Presidential  ticket. 

In  November,  1876,  he  entered  the  Albany 
Law  School  and  was  graduated  therefrom  with 
the  degree  of  LL.B.  in  1877,  and  admitted  to 
practice  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of 
New  York.  In  the  fail  of  1877  he  began  a 
course  of  study  under  H.  M.  Seely,  Esq.,  at 
Honesdale,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the 
court  of  Wayne  County  at  December  Term, 
1879,  In  1881  he  was  elected  district  attorney 
on  the  Republican  ticket  by  a  majority  of  sev- 
enty-eight, the  Democratic  majority  for  State 
officers  the  same  year  being  over  five  hundred, 
and  all  other  Republican  candidates  for  county 
offices  being  defeated. 

His  first  literary  effort  was  a  story  entitled 
"  The  Mad  Skater  "  published  in  Mayne  Reid's 
magazine  Onward  for  June,  1869.  While 
at  college  he  was  correspondent  for  the  New 
York  Evening  Post,  Alfa  mi/  Evening  Journal, 
Albany  Argus  and  Troy  Whig.  He  has  con- 
tributed in  poetry  and  prose  to  the  New  York 
Evening  Post,  Christian  Union,  The  Continent, 
Lippineotfs  Magazine  and  The  Critic. 

Mr.  Greene  was  married  September  20,  1883, 
to  Matilda  E.  Gilbert,  who  died  August  22, 1 884. 
On  the  30th  of  June,  1886,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Catharine  F.  Gaines,  of  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Emma  May  Buckingham  was  born  in 
Paupack,  Wayne  County,  Pa.  She  early 
evinced  a  desire  for  an  education,  studied  faith- 
fully at  home  and  in  the  district  school,  and, 
after  teaching  a  select  school  in  Salem  (now  Lake 
township)  for  a  year,  entered  Wyoming  Semi- 
nary in  1855.  She  graduated  at  the  close  of 
her  second  year. 

Another  year  was  occupied  in  study  in  Fair 
Haven  Seminary,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  in  art 
studies,  which  were  continued  a  year  longer  in 
Wyoming  Seminary,  at  Kingston,  Pa. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


:;'.i;, 


In  1860  she  accepted  a  situation  in  the  Ha- 
zelton  (Pa.)  graded  school,  where  she  remained 
seven  years,  when  ill  health  induced  her  to  re- 
sign her  position.  She  subsequently  taught  in 
the  city  of  Scranton,  in  Westbrook  Academy, 
Connecticut,  and  also  in  the  Honesdale  graded 
school — three  years  each  in  the  last  two  places. 

While  teaching  in  Honesdale  she  completed 
her  first  book,  entitled  "  A  Self-Made  Woman  ; 
or,  Mary  Idyl's  Trials  and  Triumphs,"  a  work 
of  three  hundred  and  forty-three  pages,  which 
was  published  by  the  firm  of  S.  R.  Wells,  now 
Fowler  A;  Wells,  of  753  Broadway,  New  York. 
The  first  edition  was  issued  during  the  winter 
of  1874,  and  before  the  close  of  that  year  it 
reached  its  third  editiou,  and  a  seventh  edition 
will  soon  be  printed.  The  book  was  very  fa- 
vorably received,  both  by  the  press  and  public. 

In  1877  her  second  book,  a  poetical  romance 
entitled  "  Pearl :  a  Centennial  Poem,"  was  issued 
by  the  same  publishers.  It  was  very  favorably 
received,  and  a  third  edition  is  already  needed. 
The  notices  of  the  press  were  kind  and  compli- 
mentary without  an  exception.  A  miscellaneous 
collection  of  poems,  for  a  companion  volume  to 
"  Pearl,"  was  published  by  S.  R.  Wells  &  Co. 
in  1878.  It  is  named  after  its  leading  poem 
"  The  Silver  Chalice,"  and  contains  eighty 
pages.  It  also  received  a  very  wide,  as  well  as 
flattering,  notice  from  the  press  throughout  the 
United  States,  and  has  reached  its  third  edition. 

Miss  Buckingham's  fourth  book,  a  seaside 
story,  "  Parson  Thome's  Trial,"  was  published 
in  1880  by  George  W.  Carleton  &  Co.,  of 
Madison  Square,  New  York.  This  work  con- 
tains three  hundred  and  sixty-four  pages.  It 
is  the  authoress'  favorite  of  all  her  printed  com- 
positions, and,  like  her  other  works,  although 
wearing  the  garb  of  fiction  (as  far  as  names  of 
characters  and  places  are  concerned),  is  drawn 
mainly  from  real  life  and  actual  circumstances. 
This  book  was  popular  from  the  first.  The 
notices  and  reviews  from  the  American  press,  as 
well  as  the  press  of  Great  Britain, — for"  Parson 
Thome's  Trial  "  was  published  also  by  S.  Lowe 
&  Co.,  in  London,  England, — were  exceedingly 
favorable.  This  book  has  also  reached  several 
editions.  We  copy  the  following  extracts  from 
the  National  Press. — Ed. 


A  temperance  poem  entitled  "Am  I  My 
Brother's  Keeper?  "  will  soon  be  issued  in  pam- 
phlet form  for  the  benefit  of  the  Wayne  County 
temperance  work,  and  the  author  is  at  present 
engaged  on  a  new  work  entitled  "  Lilian  :  A 
Sequel  to  '  A  Self-Made  Woman.'  " 

Emma  May  Buckingham  is  a  contributor  to 
the  I'amxylvania  School  Journal,  the  New  York 
Phrenological  Journal,  The  Wayne  Independent, 
as  well  as  many  popular  magazines  and  period- 
icals. She  has  won  a  reputation  as  an  essayist 
on  .esthetic  educational  matters,  moral  culture 
and  temperance  reform. 

The  subject  of  the  above  sketch  resides  with 
her  widowed  mother  in  Hamliiiton,  Wayne 
County,  Pa.  Her  ambition  is  to  do  better 
work  in  the  future,  to  win  a  reputation  as  an 
American  writer  of  both  prose  and  poetry. 

Other  than  these  writers  of  whom  more  or 
less  extended  mention  has  been  made,  there  are 
several  others,  who,  if  not  natives  of  Wayne 
County,  have  been  of  its  people  and  well  known 
among  them. 

L.  Carroll  Judson,  author  of  "Lives  of  the 
Signers  of  the  Declaration  "  and  "  the  Moral 
Probe,"  was  an  early  settler  in  Bethany,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  principal  of  the  academy 
there.  His  son,  the  well  known  Col.  E.  Z.  C. 
Judson,  the  well-known  story  writer,  spent  his 
youth  in  Bethany. 

Belinda  Cramer  was  for  several  years  a  fre- 
quent contributor  of  verse  to  the  local  papers 
and  sometimes  to  the  metropolitan  press  and 
magazines. 

"  Lucy  Linden,"  or  Mrs.  Dr.  W.  W.  Sanger, 
for  a  number  of  years  a  resident  of  Honesdale, 
was  a  prolific  ami  meritorious  writer  of  both 
prose  and  verse. 

Rev.  Henry  A.  Rowland,  long  time  pastor  of 
the  Honesdale  Presbyterian  Church,  was  the 
author  of  two  popular  religious  works,  "  Light 
in  a  Dark  Alley  "  and  "  The  Way  of  Peace." 

Harrison  Gray  Otis,  Jr.,  of  Boston  (a  grand- 
son of  James  Otis,  of  Revolutionary  fame),  who 
long  made  his  summer  home  in  a  rambling  old 
house,  still  standing,  in  Bethany,  was  a  very 
frequent  contributor  to  the  Wayne  County  Her- 
ald, under  the  nom  de plume  of  "Sito," — a  re- 
I  version  of  Otis. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Marshall  Wheeler  (now  of  Warren,  Pa.), 
while  in  Wayne  County,  wrote  "  The  Lost 
Hunter  Found,"  and  "My  Ada." 

M.  H.  Cobb,  now  of  the  Philadelphia  Mint, 
and  formerly  editor  of  the  New  Dawn,  at 
Honesdale,  wrote  considerably  in  verse  while 
here,  and  so  also  did  D.  W.  Belisle,  now  of  the 
Camden  (N.  J.)  Democrat,  and  so  also  did  J. 
Willis  Westlake  (now  a  professor  in  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Millersville)  when  he  lived 
a  few  years  ago  at  Seelyville. 

Appended  are  poems  by  Homer  Greene,  Mary 
Ashby  Townsend  and  Harriet  Watres  (ne'e 
Hollister)  or  "  Stella  of  Lackawanna."  Of 
Mr.  Ham's  verse  two  examples  have  already 
been  given. 


WHAT    .MY     IAIVHH    SAIH. 


By  the  merest  chance,  in  the  twilight  gloom, 

In  the  orchard  path  he  met  me  ; 
In  the  tall,  wet  grass,  with  its  faint  perfume, 
And  I  tried  to  pass,  but  he  made  no  room, 

Oh  I  tried,  but  he  would  not  let  me. 
So  I  stood  and  blushed  till  the  grass  grew  red, 

With  my  face  bent  down  above  it, 
While  he  took  my  hand  as  he  whispering  said — 
(How  the  clover  lifted  each  pink,  sweet  head, 
To  listen  to  all  that  my  lover  said ; 

Oh,  the  clover  in  bloom,  I  love  it!) 

In  the  high,  wet  grass  went  the  path  to  hide, 

And  the  low,  wet  leaves  hung  over  ; 
But  I  could  not  pass  upon  either  side, 
For  I  found  myself,  when  I  vainly  tried, 

In  the  arms  of  my  steadfast  lover. 
And  he  held  me  there  and  he  raised  my  head, 

While  he  closed  the  path  before  me. 
And  he  looked  down  into  my  eyes  and  said — 
(How  the  leaves  bent  down  from  the  boughs  o"er 

head, 
To  listen  to  all  that  my  lover  said. 

Oh,  the  leaves  hanging  lowly  o'er  me!) 

Had  he  moved  aside  but  a  little  way, 

I  could  surely  then  have  passed  him  ; 
And  he  knew  I  never  could  wish  to  stay, 
And  would  not  have  heard  what  he  had  to  say, 

Could  I  only  aside  have  cast  him. 
It  was  almost  dark,  and  the  moments  sped, 

And  the  searching  night-wind  found  us, 
But  he  drew  me  nearer  and  softly  said — 
(How  the  pure,  sweet  wind  grew  still,  instead, 
To  listen  to  all  that  my  lover  said  ; 

Oh,  the  whispering  wind  around  us  !) 


I  am  sure  he  knew  when  he  held  me  fast, 

That  I  must  be  all  unwilling  ; 
For  I  tried  to  go,  and  I  would  have  passed, 
As  the  night  was  come  with  its  dew,  at  last, 

And  the  sky  with  its  stars  was  filling. 
But  he  clasped  me  close  when  I  would  have  fled, 

And  he  made  me  hear  his  story, 
And  his  soul  came  out  from  his  lips  and  said — 
(How  the  stars  crept  out  where  the  white  moon  led, 
To  listen  to  all  that  my  lover  said  ; 

Oh,  the  moon  and  the  stars  in  glory  !) 

I  know  that  the  grass  and  the  leaves  will  not  tell. 

And  I'm  sure  that  the  wind,  precious  rover, 
Will  carry  my  secret  so  safely  and  well 

That  no  being  shall  ever  discover 
One  word  of  the  many  that  rapidly  fell 

From  the  soul-speaking  lips  of  my  lover; 

And  the  moon  and  the  stars  that  looked  over 
Shall  never  reveal  what  a  fairy-like  spell 
They  wove  round  about  us  that  night  in  the  dell, 

In  the  path  through  the  dew-laden  clover, 
Nor  echo  the  whispers  that  made  my  heart  swell 

As  they  fell  from  the  lips  of  my  lover. 

MY    DAUGHTER    LOUISE. 

In  the  light  of  the  moon,  by  the  side  of  the  water, 

My  seat  on  the  sand  and  her  seat  on  my  knees, 
We  watch  the  bright  billows  do  I  and  my  daughter, 

My  sweet  little  daughter  Louise. 
We  wonder  what  city  the  pathway  of  glory, 

That  broadens  away  to  the  limitless  west, 
Leads  up  to — she  minds  her  of  some  pretty  story 

And  says:  "To  the  city  that  mortals  love  best." 
Then  I  say  :  "  It  must  lead  to  the  far-away  city, 

The  beautiful  City  of  Rest." 

In  the  light  of  the  moon,  by  the  side  of  the  water, 

Stand  two  in  the  shadow  of  whispering  trees, 
And  one  loves  my  daughter,  my  beautiful  daughter, 

My  womanly  daughter  Louise. 
She  steps  to  the  boat  with  a  touch  of  his  fingers, 

And  out  on  the  diamonded  pathway  they  move; 
The  shallop  is  lost  in  the  distance,  it  lingers, 

It  waits,  but  I  know  that  its  coming  will  prove 
That  it  went  to  the  walls  of  the  wonderful  city, 

The  magical  City  of  Love. 

In  the  light  of  the  moon,  by  the  side  of  the  water, 

1  wait  for  ber  coming  from  over  the  seas ; 
I  wait  but  to  welcome  the  dust  of  my  daughter, 

To  weep  for  my  daughter  Louise. 
The  path,  as  of  old,  reaching  out  in  its  splendor, 

Gleams  bright,  like  a  way  that  an  angel  has  trod : 
I  kiss  the  cold  burden  its  billows  surrender, 

Sweet  clay  to  lie  under  the  pitiful  sod ; 
But  she  rests,  at  the  end  of  the  path,  in  the  city, 

Whose  "  builder  and  maker  is  God." 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


I  could  not  call  her  by  the  name 

Her  Quaker  mother  gave  her; 
Unwilling  were  my  lips  to  frame, 
For  one  like  her,  a  wonl  so  tame, 

With  neither  salt  nor  savor. 
But,  somehow,  as  I  dreamed  of  her, 

Neglecting  Kent  and  Chitty, 
To  mind  and  heart  would  still  recur 

One  name,  and  that  was — Kitty. 

A  name  some  flitting  fancy  wrought, 

I  know  not  why  nor  wherefore, 
It  came  to  dwell  with  me  unsought, 
Yet  ever  to  my  mind  it  brought 

One  face  and  form,  and  therefore 
On  many  a  marge  of  legal  brief, 

In  many  a  careless  ditty, 
On  tinted  sheet  and  printed  leaf, 

I  scrawled  the  name  of — Kitty. 

I  wrote  to  her  one  day,  but  why 

I  do  not  now  remember; 
I  know  I  dared  address  her,  "  My 
Dear  Kitty,"  and  in  swift  reply, 

All  in  the  glad  September, 
Came  friendly  note,  and,  at  the  close, 

Than  written  word  more  witty, 
A  pictured  kitten  in  repose, 

The  sign  and  seal  of — Kitty. 

This  name  I  gave  her  to  her  face. 

Her  lips  did  not  reprove  me; 
It  fitted  her  with  dainty  grace. 
And — strange  the  name  should  win  the  r 

Thenceforth  she  learned  to  love  me. 
And  sweet  the  joy  I  find  in  this, 

While  all  the  world  I  pity, 
That  none  with  me  may  share  the  bliss 

Of  calling  her  my — Kitty. 

THE   HILLS   OP   WAYNE. 


Ye  hills  of  Wayne!  ye  hills  of  Wayne! 
In  dreams  I  see  your  slopes  again — 
In  dreams  my  childish  feet  explore 
Your  daisied  dells,  beloved  of  yore, 
In  dreams  with  eager  feet  I  press 
Far  up  your  heights  of  loveliness, 
And  stand  a  glad-eyed  girl  again 
Upon  the  happy  hills  of  Wayne  ! 

I  see  once  more  the  glad  sunrise 
Break  on  the  world's  awakening  eyes, 
I  see  once  more  the  tender  corn 
Shake  out  its  banners  to  the  morn. 
I  see  the  sleepy  valleys  kissed 


And  robbed  of  all  their  robes  of  mist, 
And  laughing  day  is  queen  again 
Of  all  the  verdant  hills  of  Wayne. 

I  bind  about  my  childish  brow 

The  bloomy  thorn  tree's  scented  snow. 

I  see,  upon  the  fading  flowers, 

The  fatal  fingers  of  the  hours. 

I  see  the  distant  village  spire 

Catch  on  its  tips  a  spark  of  lire, 

As  in  my  dreams  the  sun  again 

(iocs  down  behind  the  hills  of  Wayne. 

The  cow-boy's  coaxing  call  across 

The  meadow  comes,  ''Co-boss!  Co-boss  !" 

And  milky-oilored  cattle  lift 

Their  hoofs  among  the  daisy  drift. 

The  day  is  over  all  too  soon, 

And  up  the  sky  the  haunted  moon 

Glides  with  its  ghost,  and  bends  again 

Above  the  wooded  hills  of  Wayne. 

Ah  !  I  have  laughed  in  many  a  land 
And  I  have  sighed  on  many  a  strand, 
And  lonely  beach,  where  written  be 
The  solemn  scriptures  of  iln  sea. 
And  I  have  climbed  the  grandest  heights 
The  moon  of  midnight  ever  lights, 
But  memory  turned  from  all  again 
To  kneel  upon  the  hills  of  Wayne. 

Ye  hills  of  Wayne  !  ye  hills  of  Wayne  ! 
Ye  woods,  ye  vales,  ye  fields  of  grain  ! 
Ye  scented  morns,  ye  Muc-eyed  noons! 
Ye  ever  unforgotteu  moons  ! 
No  matter  where  my  latest  breath 
Shall  freeze  beneath  the  kiss  of  death, 
May  some  one  bear  me  back  again 
To  sleep  among  the  hills  of  Wayne  ! 

A    WOMAN'S   WISH. 


Would  I  were  lying  in  a  field  of  clover, 
Of  clover  cool  and  soft,  and  soft  and  sweet, 

With  dusky  clouds  in  deep  skies  hanging  over, 
And  scented  silence  at  my  head  and  feet. 

Just  for  one  hour  to  slip  the  leash  of  Worry, 
In  eager  haste  from  Thought's  impatient  neck, 

And  watch  it  coursing,  in  its  heedless  hurry 
Disdaining  Wisdom's  call  or  Duty's  beck. 

Ah!  it  were  sweet,  where  clover  clumps  are  meeting 
And  daisies  hiding,  so  to  hide  and  rest ; 

No  sound  except  my  own  heart's  sturdy  beating, 
Rocking  itself  to  sleep  within  my  breast. 

Just  to  lie  there,  filled  with  the  deeper  breathing 
That  comes  of  listening  to  a  wild  bird's  song! 

Our  souls  require  at  times  this  full  unsheathing — 
All  swords  will  rust  if  scabbard-kept  too  long! 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


And  I  am  tired — so  tired  of  rigid  duty, 
So  tired  of  all  my  tired  hands  find  to  do ! 

I  yearn,  I  faint  for  some  of  life's  free  beauty, 

Its   loose   beads  with   no   straight   string  running 
through  ! 

Ay,  laugh,  if  laugh  you  will  at  my  crude  speech  ; 

But  women  sometimes  die  of  such  a  greed, 
Die  for  the  small  joys  held  beyond  their  reach, 

And  the  assurance  they  have  all  they  need. 


'Mid  the  heart-breaks  of  life  conic  and  see,  come  and 
see 

What  the  world  holds  for  me. 

Modest-roofed  and  low-walled  is  the  nest  where  I  hide, 
From  the  roughness  outside. 

Suing  the  doer  softly  shut,  that  no  treacherous  feet 
Tread  this  restful  retreat. 

Push  the  bolt,  lest  a  breath  from  the  simoon  of  sin 
Flutter  stealthily  in. 

Draw  the  blinds,  that  we  see  not  the  Bhipwrecka  that 
float 

The  bold  sea-main  ;— or  note, 

How  great  gales  rend  the  sails,  and  the  rocks  cringe 
with  fear — 

(July  warm  winds  breathe  here. 

Could  the  sunshine  of  morn  touch  with  heaven's  own 
kiss 

Fairer  harbor  than  this  ? 

Hark !  the  legions  that  wait  on  the  mandates  of  hate, 
Pause  and  press  at  the  gate. 

But  so  homely  a  threshold,  so  humble  a  nest, 
They  but  scorn  to  molest. 

Marvel  not  that  I  love  these  low  walls;  incomplete, 
With  a  world  at  my  feet 

Were  life's  gifts,  if  no  sheltering  wall  'twixt  my  soul, 
And  the  breakers'  wild  roll. 


Over  the  dust  of  a  century's  dead, 
Hushed  be  our  laughter,  and  mufHed  our  tread ; 
Voice  no  loud  anthem  ;  we  stand  where  they  stood- 
Kinsmen,  that  hallowed  the  turf  with  their  blood  : 
Soft  as  the  strains  of  a  lute  o'er  the  sea, 
Let  the  deep  chords  of  our  symphonies  be : 
Noiseless  the  foot-fall,  and  low-bowed  the  head, 
Over  the  dust  of  a  century's  dead. 


Who  has  not  shuddered,  with  cheek  ashen  pale, 
At  the  appalling  and  soul-thrilling  tale, 
Traced  o'er  the  page  of  a  weird  long-ago, 
With  the  deep  pathos  of  measureless  woe? 
Who  never  traversed — though  seas  roll  between — 
Cool-breathing  wildwood,  and  shadowed  ravine, 
Where  rang  the  war-whoop,  and  bended  the  bow, 
Of  a  red-handed  and  treacherous  foe  ? 

Curls  the  blue  smoke  from  a  home  so  apart, 
That  never  quickened  a  throb  of  the  heart, 
O'er  the  dire  story  of  rapine  and  wrung. 
Blighting  our  beautiful  Valley  so  long? 
Stretches  a  solitude — gloom-girt  and  far — 
Where  glows  a  sunbeam,  or  glitters  a  star, 
That  never  caught  from  the  night-wailing  blast 
Hints  of  our  tragic  and  terrible  past'.' 

As  clears  the  mist  from  the  forehead  of  night, 

Brightened  the  sky ;  see!  what  sparkle,  what  light, 

Over  the  green  slope  of  meadow  and  hill. 

Where  the  wild  roses  are  nodding  at  will : 

Over  the  river  that  moaned  in  its  flow 

Twice  fifty  perilous  summers  ago, 

When,  by  its  tide,  in  the  sunset's  low  fires, 

Fell,  with  slow  torture,  our  fiend-hunted  sires. 

Down  the  far  centuries — winding  their  way 
'Mong  the  gray  vapors  of  time — shall  the  clay, 
Tenderly  wrapped  at  the  granite's  pure  feet, 
Be  all  forgot  in  life's  hurry  and  heat  '.' 
No,  sob  the  waves  from  the  muse-haunted  shore ; 
No,  sigh  the  forests,  with  arms  drooping  lower; 
Nor  may  the  years — swift  as  eagles  above — 
Purge  the  red  stain  from  the  Valley  we  love. 

Over  a  century's  historic  dust, 
This  be  our  legacy,  this  our  proud  trust — 
That  no  invading  and  arrogant  tread 
Press  the  dear  turf  folded  over  our  dead  : 
And  the  sweet  tide  of  each  incoming  spring 
To  our  fair  homes  no  disloyalty  bring: 
This  be  our  legacy,  this  our  proud  trust, 
Over  a  century's  love-hallowed  dust. 


A  song  was  mine  in  other  days, 

With  rose-buds  in  my  button-hole, 
And  eyes  with  passion  all  ablaze, 

And  love-fires  raging  in  my  soul  ;— 
All  for  a  girl  with  ruby  lips, 

And  cheeks  with  dimples  always  coming;- 
But  not  the  same — oh,  no — that  now 

You  hear  me  humming. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Tune  shaped  itself,  I  could  but  sing, 

Kegardless  quite  of  rule  or  rote  ; 
For  youth  was  such  a  glorious  thing, 

And  love  had  birth  in  every  note; 
And  all  the  grand-spread  world  was  mine, 

With  airy  schemes  and  castles  plenty  ; 
And  then  f  knew  it  all.  you  see, 

What  fools  at  twenty  ! 

My  tune  is  changed  ;  pray  look  at  me  ! 

No  more  the  splendor  of  cravat ; 
Or  foot  that  minced  so  daintily, 

Or  hair  pomatumed,  and  all  thai  : 
But  stout  and  stoic,  with  my  locks 

By  snows  of  many  winters  grizzled  : 
And  if  I  breathe  a  song  at  all, 

'Tis,  somehow,  whistled. 

And  yet  not  in  the  merry  mood 

Of  those  old,  sentimental  days, 
When  Hope-birds  chirped  in  every  wood. 

And  set  my  foolish  heart  ablaze: 
But  at  the  rise  and  fall  of  stocks, 

And  general  craze  of  half  our  species 
O'er  some  new  quagmire,  said  to  teem 

With  golden  fishes. 

I  fought  the  world;  the  world  struck  back, 

And  laid  me  prostrate  on  the  field, 
With  all  my  music  hushed :  alack  ! 

What  may  the  weaker  do  but  yield? 
My  notes  are  promises  to  pay  : 

And  I  am  out  of  tune  completely  ; 
Who  would  imagine  that  my  voice 

Once  piped  so  sweetly'.' 

With  rosebuds  in  my  button-hole! 

It  seems  a  hundred  years,  or  more, 
Since  passion  all  my  senses  stole, 

And  1  crooned  love-songs  o'er  and  o'er; 
All  for  a  girl  with  dimpled  cheek, 

Just  born  for  my  entire  enslaving : 
Ha!  ha!  no  witchery  like  that 

Now  sets  me  raving. 

RELIGIOUS    DENOMINATIONS. 

The  First  Presbytekian  Chuecb  (Hones- 
dale,  Pa.) — That  portion  of  the  commonwealth  of 

Pennsylvania  now  known  as  Wayne  County 
began  to  be  settled  during  the  latter  half  of  the 
last  century.  The  emigrants  were  of  all  races, 
and  from  different  sections  of  the  country. 
Those  from  New  England,  New  York  and  New 
Jersey  predominated.  In  the  year  1800  the 
territory  now  called  Wayne  County,  so  named 
in  honor  of  General  Anthony  Wayne,  contained 
about  eight  hundred  inhabitants. 


The  earliest  efforts  to  make  provision  for  the 
religious  wants  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  county 
were  made  by  the  Baptists.  In  the  spring  of 
1791  Mr.  Samuel  Stanton  came  from  Preston, 
Conn.,  and  located  as  the  first  settler  in  what  is 
now  called  the  town  of  Mount  Pleasant.  He 
and  his  wife  were  free  communion  Baptists. 
Others  of  the  same  faith  joined  them  from  time 
to  time,  chiefly  from  New  England.  In  the 
spring  of  17!).']  the  public  worship  of  God  was 
commenced  in  this  settlement.  Having  no 
minister  of  the  gospel  to  preach  for  them,  they 
lead  and  listened  to  printed  discourses.  In 
July,  L795,  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Stanton,  Rev. 
David  Jayne,  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  denomi- 
nation, born  in  Goshen,  N.  Y.,  in  1750,  visited 
the  place  and  preached  to  the  people.  This  was 
probably  the  first  sermon  ever  preached  in  what 
is  now  known  as  Wayne  County.  On  the  28th 
of  June,  1796, a  free  Communion  Baptist  Church 
was  organized,  consisting  of  six  members.  In 
1800  Rev.  Ephaphras  Thompson  became  resi- 
dent pastor  of  this  church.  This  county  was, 
from  time  to  time,  visited  by  ministers  of  the 
Congregational  and  Presbyterian  order.  In 
1  7! >7  Rev.  Daniel  Thatcher,a  missionary  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
visited  this  region.  He  administered  (lie  sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  Supper  July  9th  of  that 
year,  to  the  members  of  the  church  of  Mount 
Pleasant.  In  the  spring  of  1812  Rev.  Worth- 
ington  Wright,  a  missionary  from  Connecticut, 
came  to  Wayne  County  and  spent  the  summer 
preaching  at  its  different  settlements.  In  the 
autumn  he  accepted  a  call  to  settle  in  the  county. 
On  the  26th  of  May,  1813,  he  was  installed 
over  the  Congregational  Church  in  Salem  and 
Palmyra.  His  congregation  consisted  of  sub- 
scribers residing  in  Salem,  Palmyra,  Canaan 
and  Dyberry.  His  residence  was  at  Bethany. 
In  1815,  having  lost  his  wife  and  his  health 
having  partially  failed,  he  asked  a  dismission 
and  left  the  county. 

On  the  26th  of  January,  1814,  a  Congrega- 
tional Church  was  organized  in  Mount  Pleasant 
by  Rev.  Worthington  Wright  and  Rev.  Ebe- 
nezer  Kingsbury,  both  of  whom  were  mission- 
aries sent  out  by  the  Connecticut  Missionary 
I  Society.    It  was  organized  with  seventeen  mem- 


400 


WAVNE,  ITKE  AX1>  MONROE  COUXTIE8,  PENNSYLVANIA- 


bers.  In  1831  this  church  changed  its  form  of 
government  and  became  Presbyterian,  which 
form  it  still  retains.  Its  first  pastor,  after  it 
became  Presbyterian  in  form,  was  Rev.  Henry 
A.  Boyce,  installed  July  8,  1835.  In  the  years 
1823  and  1825  Maurice  Warts  obtained  acts  of 
incorporation  and  succeeded  in  forming  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  ( lompany.  When 
it  became  known  that  the  valley  in  which 
Honesdale  stands  would  be  the  termination  of 
the  canal  and  of  the  railroad  to  the  Lackawanna 
coal-fields,  population  began  to  conic  in.  The 
people  who  had  gathered  here  soon  began  to  feel 
the  need  of-  religious  instruction  and  religious 
institutions.  The  record  of  the  earliest  effort  to 
supply  this  want  this  church  has  still  in  its 
possession.  It  consists  of  a  subscription  paper 
drawn  up  by  Edward  Mills,  to  which  are  ap- 
pended the  names  and  subscriptions  of  various 
individuals  who  resided  in  Honesdale  and  its 
vicinity.     It  is  as  follows  : 

"The  subscribers,  inhabitants  of  Honesdale  and 
vicinity,  being  desirous  of  obtaining  and  enjoying  a 

preached  gospel    in  the  neighborh 1,  and  believing 

it  to  be  a  means  well  calculated  to  promote  social  and 
individual  happiness,  and,  at  the  same  time,  of  adding 
greatly  to  the  respectability  of  the  place,  do  agree  to 
pay  the  amounts  respectively  affixed  to  our  names  to 
Joseph  L.  Kellogg,  Edward  Mills,  Isaac  P.  Foster, 
Committee  of  the  Presbyterian  Society  in  this  place, 
for  the  purpose  of  employing  Rev.  Joel  Campbell  to 
labor  one-halt' of  the  time,  for  the  term  of  one  year, 
commencing  the  1st  day  of  January,  1829,  and  ending 
the  1st  day  of  January,  1830,  or  for  such  portion  of 
the  time  during  the  year  as  there  may  be  funds  sub- 
scribed, provided  an  arrangement  can  be  made  with 
Mr.  Campbell  to  perform  the  above-named  labor  ;  if 
not,  then  to  be  applied  as  compensation  to  such  other 
evangelical  gospel  minister  as  the  Committee  shall 
employ. 

"  (Dated)  Honesdale,  Dee.  23rd,  1828." 

This  paper  is  signed  by  the  following  individ- 
uals, subscribing  various  sums :  Alanson  Blood, 
Edward  Mills,  Elam  Woodward,  Albert  Jones, 
David  St.  John,  Chas.  P.  Clark,  Preserved 
Hind,  David  P.  Stark,  Levi  Schoonover,  Jos- 
eph Skinner,  Benjamin  Staysa,  Timothy  C. 
Staysa,  Orrin  Hind,  Christopher  Beardsleo, 
Thomas  Young,  Geo.  W.  Dickenson,  Joseph  L. 
Kellogg,  Samuel  H.  Benedict,  Isaac  P.  Foster, 
Leonard  Graves,  J.  B.  Jervis,  Charles  Forbes, 


William  C.  Rose,  Revillo  C.  Hatch,  Timothy 
B.  Jervis,  Charles  Bartlett,  John  McMillan, 
Ira  Tripp,  Russel  Spenser,  Timothy  N.  Vail, 
Alvah  Adams,  Stephen  Torrey,  Thomas  T. 
Hayes,  William  Schoonover,  Z.  H.  Russell, 
Joseph  Spangenburg,  John  Malony,  Jeremiah, 
Howell,*  'harlesW. Smith, ( 'has.  McStraw, Ham- 
ilton Bonner,  Rich.  L.  Seely,  Amos  Y.  Thomas, 
JohnCapron,  Russel  F.  Lord,  Asa  Tony,  Alonzo 
Bentlev,  John  Young,  Stephen  Kimble,  Joab 
\V.  Griswold,  Horace  Baldwin,  Josiah  Lam- 
phier,  Stephen  Brush,  Nelson  Blood,  Allen  G. 
Plum,  Alvah  Wheeler,  Samuel  Smith,  Benja- 
min Garrett,  Charles  Comstock,  Maurice  Wurts, 
J.  B.  Mills,  Sidney  T.  Robinson. 

With  the  funds  obtained  by  this  subscription 
the  services  of  Rev.  Joel  Campbell  were  secured 
for  half  the  time.  He  came  down  from  Beth- 
any during  the  year  1829  and  preached  every 
Sabbath  afternoon  for  the  inhabitants  of  Hones- 
dale and  vicinity.  During  the  forenoon  of  the 
Sabbath  a  meeting  was  held  and  printed  ser- 
mons read.  On  the  11th  of  February,  1829, 
this  church  was  organized  in  the  boarding- 
house,  which  was  afterwards  enlarged  and 
known  as  the  Tabernacle.  The  following  clergy- 
men were  present  at  the  organization :  Rev. 
Joel  Campbell,  of  Bethany;  Rev.  Thomas 
Grear,  of  Milford ;  Rev.  Burr  Baldwin,  of 
Montrose;  Rev.  James  Adams,  of  Dundaff j 
Rev.  Adam  Miller,  of  Harford.  Rev.  Mr. 
Grear  opened  the  meeting  with  prayer  and  de- 
livered a  discourse  from  2  Corinthians  5:  20, — 
"  Now  then  we  are  ambassadors  for  Christ ;  as 
though  God  did  beseech  you  by  us  ;  we  pray 
you,  in  Christ's  stead,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God." 
After  the  sermon  Rev.  Joel  Campbell  pro- 
ceeded to  organize  the  church.  The  following 
persons  produced  certificates  from  their  respect- 
ive churches  :  Isaac  P.  Foster  and  Mary  Foster, 
from  the  church  of  Montrose ;  Horace  Baldwin 
and  Olive  P.  Baldwin,  from  the  church  of 
Dundaff ;  Stephen  Torrey  and  Rebecca  Schoon- 
over, from  the  church  of  Bethany ;  Lucy 
Forbes,  from  the  church  of  New  Bedford,  Mass.; 
Charles  P.  Clark,  from  the  church  of  Canter- 
bury, Conn. ;  Joseph  L.  Kellogg,  from  the 
Central  Presbyterian  Church,  New  York  City. 
These  nine  individuals   were  organized   into  a 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Hil 


Church  of  Christ,  designated  "  The  First  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Honesdale."  The  meeting 
was  closed  with  singing,  and  prayer  by  Rev. 
Adam  Miller.  At  the  first  communion  after  the 
organization  of  the  church  Maurice  Wurts, 
John  Littlejohu  and  John  B.  Mills  were  re- 
ceived into  membership  on  profession  of  their 
faith.  Religious  services  were  at  first  held  in  a 
small  school-house,  located  a  little  back  of  John 
Browu's  residence.  This  school-house  was  built 
in  1828.  Afterwards  an  upper  room  in  the 
store-house  of  Messrs.  Russell  &  Wilcox  was 
fitted  up  and  for  a  time  used  for  divine  service. 
This  building  then  stood  by  the  canal,  near  the 
basin  bridge.  It  was  afterward  removed  and 
used  for  dwelling  purposes.  The  building  on 
the  point,  which  had  been  erected  in  1826,  and 
occupied  as  a  dwelling  and  boarding-house, 
having  been  vacated,  it  was  arranged  for  relig- 
ious services.  It  was  originally  built  sixteen 
by  forty-eight  feet,  with  a  single  roof.  Early  in 
1830  it  was  enlarged  by  an  addition  of  exactly 
the  same  dimensions  as  that  of  the  original 
building.  When  thus  enlarged,  and  furnished 
with  pulpit  and  seats,  it  was  known  as  the  Tab- 
ernacle, and  was  used  for  religious  purposes  till 
the  summer  of  1837.  It  was  in  this  building, 
when  used  for  boarding  purposes,  that  the  first 
sermon  ever  delivered  in  Honesdale  was 
preached,  by  Rev.  Gideon  N.  Judd,  D.D. 

This  church  obtained  its  charter  June  28, 
1830.  The  contract  for  the  erection  of  the 
building  that  gave  place  to  the  present  church 
edifice  is  dated  March  3,  1836.  It  was  built  in 
the  summer  of  1836  and  was  dedicated  to  the 
service  of  God  July  20,  1837.  Its  size  origi- 
nally was  forty-five  by  sixty  feet.  In  1848,  the 
edifice  having  become  too  strait  for  the  congre- 
gation, it  was  enlarged.  The  edifice,  in  its  in- 
creased dimensions  (forty-five  by  eighty-two 
feet),  was  inclosed  in  the  autumn  of  this  year 
and,  enlarged  and  beautified,  was  opened  for 
worship  in  July  of  the  following  year. 

The  present  commodious  brick  edifice,  sixty- 
five  by  eighty-six  feet,  was  dedicated  June  25, 
1868. 

The  first  pastor  of  the  church  was  Rev.  Joel 
Campbell.  He  was  installed  September  16, 
1830,  and   remained  pastor  till   September  27, 


1835.  During  a  portion  of  the  interval  elaps- 
ing between  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Campbell  and 
the  next  regularly  installed  pastor,  Rev.  Wat- 
ters  Warren  preached  as  stated  supply- 
Rev.  Joshua  Bascome  Graves  was  called  to 
the  pastorate  November  28,  1837.  He  was  in- 
stalled January  30,  1838,  and  remained  pastor 
till  September  29,  1842. 

Rev.  Henry  A.  Rowland,  D.D.,  was  called  to 


THE    FIRST   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

the  pastorate  March  23, 1843.  He  was  installed 
June  15,  1843. 

The  pastoral  relation  between  Rev.  Dr.  Row- 
land and  the  church  was  dissolved  December 
20,1855.  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  Jr.,  was 
called  to  the  pastorate  March  18,  1856;  was 
installed  in  June,  1856,  and  remained  pastor 
till  June  29,  1859.  The  pulpit  services  were 
conducted  by  various  supplies  till  1861,  when 
Rev.  Charles  Seely  Dunning  assumed  the  duties 
of  the  pastorate.  He  was  installed  June  25, 
1861,  and  remained  pastor  of  the  church  for 
nineteen  years. 

Rev.  H.  C.  Westwood,  D.D.,  was  installed  in 
July,  1881,  and  dismissed  by  Presbytery  in  the 
autumn  of  1883.  The  present  pastor,  Rev.  H. 
H.  Swift,  came  to  the  church  in  April,  1884. 

The  following  individuals   have   been  ruling 


402 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


elders  of  the  church :  Isaac  P.  Foster,  Horace 
Baldwin,  Joseph  L.  Kellogg,  Stephen  Torrey, 
Stephen  Brush,  Solomon  Z.  Lord,  James  S. 
Bassett,  Ebenezer  Kingsbury,  Richard  L.  Seely, 
Horace  Tracy,  William  Reed,  John  P.  Darling, 
Stephen  D.  Ward,  Adonijah  Strong,  M.D., 
Miles  L.  Tracy,  Henry  M.  Seely,  Stephen  G. 
Cory,  William  B.  Holmes,  Horace  ('.  Hand, 
John  Ball  and  Andrew  Thompson. 

The  Sabbath-school  had  its  origin  in  a  meet- 
ing held  in  the  school-house  April  11,  1828. 
The  inhabitants  of  Houesdale  met  to  consider 
the  propriety  of  establishing  a  Sabbath-school. 
Mr.  Isaac  P.  Foster  was  appointed  chairman  of 
the  meeting  and  Mr.  Amzi  L.  Woodard  secre- 
tary. It  was  voted  unanimously  to  organize 
such  a  school.  The  following  persons  were  ap- 
pointed to  draft  a  constitution  :  Messrs.  .Stephen 
W.  Genuug,  Stephen  Torrey  and  Joseph  L. 
Kellogg.  The  committee  reported  a  constitution, 
which  was  adopted,  and  the  school  was  organized 
April  13,  1828.  The  following  individuals 
have  been  superintendents  :  Joseph  L.  Kellogg, 
Stephen  Torrey,  Ebeuezer  Kingsbury,  Horace 
Baldwin,  Willard  Davis,  Solomon  Z.  Lord, 
Benjamin  C.  Baldwin,  Stephen  D.  Ward,  Geo. 
G.  Waller,  Henry  M.  Seely,  W.  B.  Holmes,  G. 
F.  Bentley  and  Andrew  Thompson. 

In  addition  to  this  central  school,  there  were 
organized  and  sustained,  by  the  members  of  this 
church,  other  schools  in  adjoining  settlements. 

At  Prom  ptou  (where  there  is  now  a  Presby- 
terian Church),  Indian  Orchard,  Berlin,  Seely- 
ville  (where  is  now  one  of  the  most  flourishing 
schools  in  the  county),  White  Mills,  Long 
Ridge,  Cherry  Ridge,  the  Glass-Factory,  north- 
west of  Bethany,  and  at  other  destitute  places 
Sabbath-schools  were,  at  different  periods,  sus- 
tained, and  in  some  of  these  places  for  a  course 
of  years.  The  mission  school  of  this  village 
was  organized  May  29,  1859,  by  Isaiah  Snyder, 
and  has  done  a  noble  work.  This  school  was 
but  recently  disbanded.  During  the  fifty- 
seven  years  of  its  existence  this  church  has  had 
a  membership  of  ten  hundred  and  twenty  in 
number.  It  has  now  enrolled  thiee  hundred  and 
fifty-seven  members.  The  church  has  bad  its 
periods  of  internal  strife,  earnest  and  trying,  of 
conflicting  opinions,  aggravated  and  intense,  its 


periods  of  deep  perplexity  and  darkness,  and 
yet,  on  the  whole,  has  an  honored  history.  The 
earliest  church  organization  in  this  place,  it  has 
been  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  truth  in  this  com- 
munity. In  the  Bible  Home  and  foreign  mis- 
sionary causes  and  Sabbath-school  agencies  it 
has  borne  an  honorable  part,  having  contributed 
to  home  and  foreign  missions  alone  during  the 
past  ten  years  nearly  fifteen  thousand  dollars. 
The  church  has  always  liberally  responded  to 
all  just  claims  upon  her,  and  has  nobly  done 
her  part  of  the  work  of  the  church  at  large. 
Earnest  men  and  devoted  women  have  never 
been  wanting  from  the  earliest  history  of  the 
church  to  the  present  time.  Frequent  and 
powerful  revivals  have  marked  its  history,  giving 
a  new  impulse  to  the  spiritual  life,  and  aug- 
menting the  number  of  its  membership.  It  has 
given  three  men  to  the  Christian  ministry, — 
Chauucey  Burr  Goodrich,  David  Torrey,  D.D., 
and  Stephen  Torrey,  ordained  as  an  evangelist 
November  9,1885,  on  his  seventy -seventh  birth- 
day. 

The  property  of  the  First  Presbyterian  So- 
ciety, including  the  church,  chapel  and  parson- 
age, situated  north  of  the  Public  Square  and 
extending  from  Second  to  Third  Streets,  is  prob- 
ably worth  sixty  thousand  dollars. 

Rev.  Henry  A.  Rowlaxd,  D.D. — During 
the  twelve  years  and  a  half  intervening  between 
May  7,  1843,  and  December  16,  1855,  there 
did  not  exist  in  Honesdale,  or  elsewhere  in 
Wayne  County,  a  larger  or  more  attractive  per- 
sonality than  this  gentleman.  Of  a  large  frame 
and  uncommonly  fine  bodily  appearance,  with 
lustrous  blue  eyes  which  seemed  to  reflect  the 
depths  of  the  soul  behind  them,  a  massive 
head,  and  lips  overflowing  with  joyance,  he 
was  always  and  everywhere  a  notable  personage. 
In  him  blended  two  eminent  lines  of  ancestry. 
His  father,  Henry  Augustus  Rowland,  a  grad- 
uate of  Dartmouth  College,  and  his  grandfather, 
David  S.  Rowland,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College, 
were  successively  ministers  of  the  First  Congre- 
gational Church  of  Windsor,  Conn.,  where  lie 
was  born  November  19,  1804.  By  his  mother's 
side  he  was  connected  with  the  celebrated  divine 
and  metaphysician,  Jonathan  Edwards.  He 
was  also  descended  from   Rev.  John   Warham, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


403 


the  first  minister  of  Windsor,  Conn.,  who  had 
been  "  a  famous  minister  in  Exeter,  the  capital 
of  the  county  of  Devon,"  in  England,  and  was 
"  one  of  the  principal  fathers  and  pillars  of  the 
churches  of  Connecticut." 

Windsor  is  the  oldest  town  in  Connecticut, 
having  been  first  settled  in  1635  from  Dorches- 
ter, in  Massachusetts.  As  early  as  1633  the 
Plymouth  people  came  up  the  river  and  estab- 
lished there  a  trading-house  or  factory.  Re- 
ports  of  the  fertility  of  the  soil  in  the  Connec- 
ticut Valley,  aud  of  the  adaptation  of  the 
country  to  plantation  and  trade,  attracted  settlers 
across  the  wilderness.  In  September,  1636, 
the  Rev.  John  Wrarham,  who  had  been  pastor 
of  the  church  in  Dorchester  for  six  years,  re- 
moved to  Windsor,  most  of  his  parishioners 
having  preceded  him. 

The  Rev.  Henry  A.  Rowland,  of  whom  we  are 
here  principally  concerned,  entered  Yale  College 
in  September,  1819,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years, 
and  graduated  in  1823,  the  youngest  of  a  class 
of  seventy-two  members.  January  7,  1821, 
in  his  sophomore  year,  he  made  a  public  pro- 
fession of  religion  and  joined  the  College 
Church.  In  1824  he  entered  the  Theological 
Seminary  at  Andover,  Mass.  In  1827  he  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  the  Hampden  Congrega- 
tional Association  of  Massachusetts.  In  1830 
he  was  chosen  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Fayetteville,  N.  C,  and  November  24th  of 
that  year  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of 
New  Yrork.  Early  in  1834  he  was  invited  to 
the  pastorate  of  the  Pearl  Street  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  city  of  New  Y"ork,  and  was  in- 
stalled April  17th  of  that  year.  January  7, 
1843,  he  resigned  this  charge  and  accepted  a 
call  from  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Hones- 
dale,  over  which  he  was  installed  May  7,  1843. 
This  relation  continued  until  December  16,1855, 
when  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  Park  Street 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Newark,  N.  J.  In  1859 
his  health  became  seriously  impaired,  and  he  went 
to  Boston,  Mass.,  for  relaxation,  and  there  he 
died  on  the  4th  day  of  September  of  that  year. 
He  was  buried  at  Newark  some  days  later. 

While  Dr.  Rowland  resided  in  Honesdale, 
he  published  a  number  of  books,  entitled  to 
wit :  "  On  the  Common  Maxims  of  Infidelity," 


"  The  Path  of  Life,"  "  Light  in  a  Dark  Alley  " 
and  "  The  Way  of  Peace."  These  volumes 
were  received  with  much  acceptance  by  the  re- 
ligious public,  and  one  of  them  certainly  was 
adopted  by  the  American  Tract  Society,  and 
ran  through  many  editions. 

His  pulpit  discourses  appealed  eminently  to 
the  reason,  but  were  not  formal  or  scholastic. 
In  construction  they  were  simple,  bold,  forcible 
and  impressive.  Sometimes,  perhaps,  the  minor 
graces  of  style  were  sacrificed  to  energy  of  ex- 
pression or  the  supposed  aptness  of  an  illustra- 
tion. 

As  a  newspaper  correspondent  he  was  excep- 
tionally successful.  If  there  was  a  humorous 
or  picturesque  aspect  to  any  matter  or  thing  he 
had  under  treatment,  he  was  sure  to  find  it  and 
portray  it  with  the  finest  possible  effect.  The 
touch  of  his  satire  was  delicate  and  most  effec- 
tual. 

The  social  qualities  had  large  development 
in  him.  He  was  fond  of  innocent  fun  and 
frolic;  nor  did  these  attributes,  as  he  exercised 
them,  militate  against  the  soberer  ministrations 
of  the  clerical  profession.  He  did  not  wear  a 
mask  in  matters  pertaining  to  religion  or  to 
any  other  topic,  but  was  always  natural,  easy, 
open  and  graceful,  and,  hence,  was  always  ac- 
ceptable to  those  with  whom  he  mingled  in 
society. 

The  love  of  nature  was  strong  in  him,  and 
his  favorite  pastimes  closely  associated  him  with 
his  horse  and  his  fishing-rod  and  fly.  Once  in 
the  woods,  or  along  the  margin  of  a  trout 
stream,  or  on  the  spacious  bosom  of  a  lake, 
what  an  exuberance  of  joy  aud  delight  there 
was  in  him  !  The  memory  of  such  times,  run- 
ning back  through  more  than  forty  years,  are 
to  the  writer  hereof  among  his  most  charming 
reminiscences. 

Nor  was  his  joy  and  rejoicing  of  a  selfish 
type.  He  certainly  wanted  happiness  for  him- 
self, as  altogether  desirable ;  but  he  had  a  de- 
light superior  to  all  personal  gratification,  and 
this  consisted  in  making  other  people  happy, 
unceasingly  at  his  own  pecuniary  cost.  His 
beneficences,  executed  with  infinite  grace  and 
tenderness,  have  been  recalled  to  my  recollec- 
tion by  needy  recipients,  with  evident  emotion, 


404 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


forty  years  after  the  benefactions  were  deliv- 
ered. 

When  Dr.  Rowland  went  from  Honesdale 
he  left  a  void  as  palpable  as  if  half  the  borough 
territory  had  fallen  in. 

Rev.  Henry  Dunning  was  born  in  Wall- 
kill,  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  January  31, 1828. 
At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  hopefully  converted 
to  God,  and  soon  after  professsed  his  faith  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  entered  Williams 
College  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1848.  He  entered  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary  in  1849,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1852.  He  commenced  his 
ministerial  labors  as  the  stated  supply  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Binghamton,  N.  Y., 
and  after  a  year  of  this  service  he  accepted  a 
position  as  instructor  in  Hebrew  at  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  which  he  continued  to 
occupy  until  the  spring  of  1857,  when  he  was 
married  to  the  only  daughter  of  Rev.  Henry 
White,  D.D. 

In  the  following  April  he  began  preaching 
in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Franklin, 
Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  continued 
to  labor  for  three  years.  He  was  regularly  or- 
dained November  4,  1858.  He  was  called  to 
the  church  of  Honcsdale,  Pa.,  in  1861,  where 
he  labored  as  pastor  for  nineteen  years,  when 
his  health  failed,  and  he  felt  obliged  to  resign 
his  charge.  In  1881,  his  health  being  im- 
proved, he  took  charge  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Kingston,  Pa.,  as  stated  supply,  and 
continued  to  labor  successfully  in  this  position 
for  three  years,  when  failing  health  again  com- 
pelled him  to  cease  pulpit  work.  He  had  just 
settled  in  a  new  home  in  Metuchen,  N.  J., 
when  the  call  cam;  to  him  to  "come  up  higher." 
He  died  June  1,  1885,  and  his  remains,  being 
brought  to  Honesdale,  were  interred  upon  the 
3d,  in  Glen  Dyberry  Cemetery. 

From  a  paper  prepared  by  a  committee  of 
the  Lackawanna  Presbytery  we  quote  the  fol- 
lowing concerning  this  well-known  minister  : 

"  Dr.  Dunning  was  a  successful  pastor.  He  would 
have  been  a  success  in  any  work  to  which  he  elected 
to  give  his  powers;  but  his  tastes  and  his  culture 
fitted  him  especially  for  a  professor's  chair.  He  was 
always  a  wise  counselor  in  ecclesiastical  courts.  His 
judgment  on   any  subject  to   which    he  had  given 


attention  had  weight  with  his  brethren  of  the  Pres- 
bytery, but  he  had  no  love  for  Presbyterial  discussions 
and  only  took  part  in  them  under  pressure.  The 
magnetism  of  this  dear  brother  who  now  rests  from 
his  labors,  that  was  felt  by  all  that  came  close  to  him, 
was  not  in  his  attainments  as  a  scholar  and  his  elo- 
quence as  a  preacher ;  rather  was  it  in  the  breadth  and 
variety  of  his  culture.  It  was  in  the  simplicity, 
modesty  and  unselfishness  of  his  character,  and  his 
broad,  catholic  spirit  that  embraced  the  world.  While 
the  beloved  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  ot 
Honesdale,  he  was  recognized  by  good  men  in  all 
societies  and  in  every  walk  of  life  as  a  man  of  God. 
This  was  apparent  at  his  funeral,  when  for  the  time 
being  all  denominational  lines  were  effaced.  Jews 
and  Gentiles  closed  their  shops.  The  Catholic  priest 
of  the  village  sat  with  the  brethren  of  the  Lacka- 
wanna Presbytery  in  the  pulpit  during  the  funeral 
services  in  the  church,  and  stood  with  them  at  the 
grave  where  our  brother  will  rest  until  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  great  day." 

Rev.  W.  H.  Swift  was  born  in  Geneva, 
N.Y.,  Feb.  2, 1848.  About  thirty  years  ago  his 
parents  moved  to  Port  Jervis,  Orange  County, 
N.  Y.,  and  three  years  later  removed  to  Union- 
ville,  in  the  same  county,  where  Mr.  Swift's 
boyhood  days  were  passed.  He  entered  Am- 
herst College,  Amherst,  Mass.,  in  the  fall  of 
1866,  and  was  graduated  in  1870,  and  immed- 
iately entered  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1873.  In  1874  he 
was  ordained  and  installed  the  first  pastor  of 
Memorial  Presbyterian  Church,  at  Wilkes- 
Barre,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  for  ten  years, 
when  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Honesdale.  His  parents 
were  New  England  people,  and  his  wife,  Lizzie 
J.  Watson,  whom  he  married  in  1873,  was  from 
New  York.  He  is  a  man  of  ability  and 
thorough  convictions,  and  expresses  himself 
with  all  the  positiveness  and  convincing  force 
of  one  who  believes  in  the  soundness  of  his 
positions. 

Grace  Episcopal  Church. —  The  first 
meeting  with  reference  to  the  organization  of 
an  Episcopal  Church  in  Honesdale  was  held 
at  the  house  of  Mr.  Charles  Forbes,  February 
13,  1832.  The  first  clergyman  who  officiated 
was  the  Rev.  James  H.  Tyng  (brother  of  the 
late  Dr.  S.  H.  Tyng),  who  severed  his  connec- 
tion with  the  parish  January  20,  1834.  The 
parish  was  admitted  into  union  with  the  Dio- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


405. 


cesan  Convention  May  18,  1833,  under  the 
name  of  "  Dyberry"  Parish,  embracing  "Grace 
Church,"  Honesdale,  and  "  Truth  Church," 
Bethany.  By  the  authority  of  the  courts  of 
Wayne  County,  from  and  after  December  13, 
1853,  this  parish  is  known  by  the  name,  style 
and  title  of  the  "  Rector,  Church  Wardens  and 
Vestry  of  Grace  Church,  Honesdale,"  the  titles 
Dyberry  Parish  and  Truth  Church,  Bethany, 
being  dropped,  the  latter  congregation  having 
become  extinct  in  1840.  The  first  church 
building  was  consecrated  October  31,  1834,  by 
tlic  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Onderdonk. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  present  church  was 


GRACE    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

laid  by  the  Right  Rev.  Alonzo  Potter,  bishop 
of  the  Diocese  of  Pennsylvania,  June  23,  1853 
(Rev.  Richard  B.  Duane,  rector);  the  new 
church  building  was  consecrated  by  Bishop 
Potter,  August  2,  1854.  On  that  occasion 
morning  prayer  was  read  by  the  Rev.  S.  F. 
Riley,  rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Nativity, 
Philadelphia,  and  Rev.  J.  L.  Maxwell,  rector 
of  St.  Paul's  Church,  Trenton,  X.  J.,  Rev.  Dr. 
Winslow,  of  Staten  Island,  assisting  in  the 
lessons.  After  the  consecration  the  society 
voluntarily  voted  an  increase  in  the  salary  of 
the  pastor,  Rev.  Richard   B.  Duane.     In  the 


evening  a  sermon  was  delivered  by  Rev.  F.  S. 
Wiley,  the  former  rector. 

The  building  was  designed  by  Henry 
Dudley,  of  the  firm  of  Hills  A:  Dudley,  New 
York,  and  the  builder  was  Henry  Heath,  of 
Honesdale.  The  dimensions  of  the  structure 
are :  Outside,  fifty  by  eighty-nine  feet ;  inside, 
forty-two  by  eighty-four  feet.  The  Sunday- 
school  and  lecture-room,  in  the  basement,  are 
forty-two  by  thirty-four  feet.  The  windows 
were  furnished  by  Doremus,  of  Orange,  N.  J., 
and  the  bell  (an  "F"),  weighing  one  thousand 
five  hundred  pounds,  was  from  the  foundry  of 
Junes  &  Hitchcock,  Troy.  The  stone  spire  of 
the  church  was  designed  by  Mr.  Dudley  in 
keeping  with  the  architecture  of  the  edifice,  and 
was  built  by  the  family  of  Zenas  H.  Russell, 
in  the  year  1879,  as  a  memorial.  The  edifice 
cost,  exclusive  of  the  spire,  but  including  furn- 
ishings, about  fourteen  thousand  dollars. 

The  church  building  being  damaged  by  fire 
March  20,  1883,  and  subsequently  repaired  and 
improved,  at  a  cost  of  about  seven  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars,  was  reopened  November 
21,  1883,  communion  being  celebrated  and  a 
sermon  delivered  by  Rev.  F.  D.  Hoskins,  a 
former  rector,  then  of  Swedesboro',  N.  J.  The 
Northeastern  Convocation  of  the  Diocese  of 
Central  Pennsylvania  was  in  session  in  Hones- 
dale at  the  time,  and  a  number  of  clergymen 
were  in  attendance,  among  them  being  the 
following  : 

Rev.  Henry  L.  Jones,  Rev.  C.  H.  Kidder,  Wilkes- 
Barre;  Rev.  J.  P.  B.  Pendleton,  Rev.  J.  P.  Cameron, 
Rev.  William  Kennedy,  Scranton  ;  Rev.  E.  A.  Enos, 
Towanda ;  Rev.  W.  H.  Piatt,  Oarbondale ;  Rev.  Mr. 
Koehler,  missionary  to  deaf  mutes;  Rev.  F.  I).  Hos- 
kins, Swedesboro',  N.  J. ;  Rev.  J.  W.  Paige,  Sharon 
Springs,  N.  Y. ;  Rev.  William  McGlatthery,  Norris- 
town;  Rev.  E.  P.  Brown,  Troy. 

The  rectory  adjoining  the  church  was  finished 
in  1875. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  rectors  of  the 
parish  : 

Rev.  James  H.  Tyng 1832  to  1834 

Rev.  Thomas  West 1834  to  1835 

Rev.  Jno.  Alborger 1835 

Rev.  John  L.  McKim 1836  to  1838 

Rev.  Walter  E.  Franklin.. 1838  to  1842 


41 10 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Rev.  O.  E.  Shannon 1842  to  1848 

Rev.  W.  T.  Smithett 1848  to  1849 

Rev.  F.  S.  Wiley 1849  to  1850 

Rev.  Richard  B.  Duane...l850  to  1858 

Rev.  Uriah  Scott 1858  to  1861 

Rev.  S.  B.  Dalrymple 18<31,  died  Oct.  27,  1863 

Rev.  F.  D.  Hoskins 1864  to  1866 

Rev.  G.  C.  Bird 1866  to  1870 

Rev.  O.  W.  Landreth 1871  to  1873 

Rev.  Albert  C.  Abrams....l874,  died  May  20,  1875 

Rev.  E.  P.Miller 1875  to  1879 

Rev.  T.  F.  Caskey 1879  to  1881 

Rev.  Henry  C.  Swentzel...l882  to  1885 

Rev.  George  C.  Hall 1886,  present  rector 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church. — The  his- 
tory of  the  initiatory  of  "  Methodism"  in  Hones- 


METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

dale  is  the  old  story  of  the  ubiquitous  "  circuit- 
rider,"  holding  occasional  meetings  in  a  "pri- 
vate dwelling,"  a  public  hall — any  place  that 
could  be  secured — organizing  a  class,  attach- 
ing the  same  to  the  "  circuit,"  which  class  be- 
comes the  nucleus  of  a  church  of  recognized 
influence. 

Such  was  its  history  prior  to  1834,  at  which 
time  the  corner-stone  of  the  first  house  of  wor- 
ship erected  by  the  "  Methodists  "  was  laid,  on 
a  site  presented  by  Jason  Torrey.  This  edifice 
was  unpretentious,  but  served  its  purpose  well. 
The   community  it  accommodated  was  a  mere 


village  of  a  few  houses,  with  its  promising 
future. 

The  characteristic  vigorousness  of  "  Method- 
ism "  of  that  date  distinguished  it  here,  and  its 
growth  fully  kept  pace  with  the  development 
of  the  thriving  borough. 

During  the  year  1845  the  "meeting-house" 
was  enlarged  one-half  its  original  dimensions. 
Its  history  for  the  succeeding  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury was  characteristic  of  the  spirit  and  record  of 
universal  "  Methodism  "  of  the  same  period — 
vigorous,  fruitful,  advancing. 

It  now  became  apparent  that  the  necessity  was 
upon  the  society  to  change  the  site  to  a  location 
better  accommodating  the  community,  now 
grown  to  a  borough  of  some  thousands  of  people, 
and  also  erect  a  house  more  commodious  and  in 
keeping  with  private  tastes  and  public  improve- 
ments. 

Consequently  a  large  lot,  corner  of  Second 
and  Eleventh  Streets,  on  which  was  a  commodi- 
ous dwelling,  was  purchased,  and,  in  the  spring 
of  1872,  work  preparatory  to  building  thereon 
was  begun. 

July  4,  1872,  the  corner-stone  of  the  present 
beautiful  edifice  was  laid,  with  appropriate  ser- 
vice, Rev.  J.  M.  Reed,  D.D.,  one  of  the  mission- 
ary secretaries  of  New  York,  delivering  the 
address. 

The  building  is  a  fine  brick  structure,  trimmed 
with  stone,  and  in  its  exterior  attractive,  an 
ornament  to  the  town  which  is  distinguished 
for  its  pleasant  physical  features  and  artificial 
adornments.  Its  interior  is  most  commodious 
for  all  manner  of  church-work.  The  first  floor 
is  partitioned  into  class-rooms,  pastor's  study, 
ladies'  parlor,  primary  Sunday-school  class- 
room, general  chapel  (which  makes  a  dining- 
room  of  unsurpassed  convenience  and  pleasant- 
ness) and  kitchen,  furnished  with  stoves  and 
table  crockery.  The  second  floor  is  an  inviting 
auditorium,  of  seating  capacity  for  six  hundred 
comfortably,  and,  with  added  seats,  many 
more. 

A  large  and  pleasant  parsonage,  supplied  with 
water  and  gas,  stands  on  the  same  lot. 

The  history  of  the  society  for  the  ten  years 
immediately  following  the  conclusion  to  build  is 
the  record  of  a  most  crushing  financial  struggle, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


407 


caused  mainly  by  the  universal  depression  of  the 
finances  of  the  country  during  these  years.  The 
church  is  valued  at  some  fifty  thousand  dollars 
and  the  parsonage  at  some  four  thousand  dol- 
lars, with  a  prospect  that  at  no  very  remote 
date  the  entire  indebtedness  will  be  canceled. 

The  enterprise  was  inaugurated  during  the 
pastorate  of  Rev.  J.  O.  Woodruff,  and  completed 
during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  H.  M.  Crydenwise. 
Its  present  membership  numbers  three  hundred 
and  fifty ;  its  Sunday-school  nearly  four  hun- 
dred. 

The  records  of  the  beginnings  of  "  Method 
ism"  in  Houesdale  contain  the  names  of  such 
men  as  Father  Genung,  Mary  Stewart,  Derial 
Gibbs,  John  Griffin,  Thomas  Pope,  William 
Parmenter,  Thomas  Hawkey,  David  Tarbox, 
Henry  Heath,  Thomas  Kellow,  Richard  Spry, 
O.  Hamlin,  James  Birdsall,  Sr.,  Richard  Dony, 
R.  Webb,  R.  Henwood  and  others,  to  whom  the 
succeeding  generations  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude. 

The  long  list  of  praiseworthy  pastors  reads 
very  nearly  in  the  order  as  follows :  Agard, 
Conover,  Rowe,  Mumford,  Blackwell,  White, 
Reddy,  Owens,  Barker,  Cook,  Mitchell,  Harvey, 
Wyatt,  Gidings,  Olmsted,  Tryou,  Mead,  Pad- 
dock, Cole,  W.  J.  Judd,  Woodruff,  Crydenwise, 
Van  Cleft,  Harroun,  Richardson  and  the  present 
incumbent,  W.  L.  Thorpe. 

The  present  board  of  trustees  are  John  Bone, 
John  Blake,  D.  L.  Kennedy,  B.  F.  Haines,  J. 
C.  Birdsall,  Thomas  Crossley,  P.  S.  Barnes,  E. 
H.  Clark,  W.  P.  Sehenck.  Present  Sunday- 
school  superintendent,  J.  R.  Brown. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church. — The  first 
traces  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  Wayne  County 
are  found  in  the  forests  of  the  northern  town- 
ships. Some  half-dozen  of  the  early  pioneers 
in  Mount  Pleasant  were  Catholics  and  the  sec- 
ular department  of  our  history  records  the 
names  of  these  enterprising  farmers  and  their 
earlier  followers. 

The  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  brought  a 
few  Irish  families  to  Houesdale  in  1820,  but 
up  to  the  enlargement  of  the  canal  their  num- 
ber was  inconsiderable.  These  were  dependent 
on  the  zeal  of  priests  residing  at  such  remote 
places  as  Troy,  Utica  and  Buffalo  for  the  minis- 
trations of  religion.     On  horseback,  their  chapel 


packed  into  capacious  saddle-bags,  these  de- 
voted men  started  out  from  their  homes  in 
search  of  the  scattered  children  of  their  church. 
Along  bridle-roads  through  unknown  forests, 
lodging  in  the  primitive  log  cabin  or  railroad 
shanty,  sharing  the  coarse  food  and  rough  beds 
of  the  sons  of  toil  they  came  to  console  the  Irish 
exiles  and  preserve  the  faith  of  their  children. 

The  writer  of  this  sketch  long  enjoyed  the 
friendship  of  two  of  these  devoted  fathers.  One 
of  them,  Father  Shanahan  died  a  dozen  years 
ago  at  St.  Peter's  Church,  in  New  York  City, 
where  his  name  will  long  be  in  benediction. 
He  was  a  man  of  profound  and  varied  learning, 
who,  despite  his  missionary  work,  found  leisure 
to  utilize  a  large  and  valuable  library,  which  he 
bequeathed  to  his  namesake,  the  Bishop  of 
Harrisburg. 

His  home  was  at  Troy,  on  the  Hudson,  whence 
he  made  long  and  tiresome  excursions,  as  early 
as  1830,  through  Otsego  to  Cooperstown, 
down  the  valley  of  the  Susquehanna,  along 
Sullivan  County  among  the  scattered  Catho- 
lics in  the  adjoining  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
through  Orange  County  and  along  the  west 
shore  of  the  Hudson  back  to  Troy.  The  regis- 
try of  the  baptisms  and  marriages  he  performed 
is  preserved  at  St.  Peter's  Church,  in  Troy, 
erected  by  him,  and  which  was  long  the  only 
church  there. 

The  other  early  missionary  referred  to  was 
Father  Walter  Quarters,  who  subsequently  erect- 
ed the  first  church  in  Jersey  City,  and  after- 
wards the  first  cathedral  at  Chicago,  of  which 
his  brother  William  was  first  bishop.  He  sub- 
sequently, on  his  brother's  death,  in  1848, 
returned  to  the  diocese  of  New  York,  where  he 
erected  the  first  church  at  Yorkville,  where  he 
died  full  of  years  and  the  garnered  fruits  of  a 
zealous  life. 

His  first  field  of  labor  was  at  Utica,  then  an 
obscure  village  in  the  interior  of  New  York, 
from  which  he  penetrated  Northern  and  West- 
ern New  York  and  along  the  southern  tier 
of  counties,  searching  out  also  the  Catholic 
settlers  in  the  adjoining  State.  St.  John's 
Church  at  Utica,  built  by  him,  preserves  the 
record  of  his  functions  in  this  county. 

Subsequently    Buffalo    became    a    centre    of 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


missionary  labor  and  the  priest  from  there 
visited  this  county  about  1835,  and  the  record 
of  his  ministry  is  to  be  sought  at  the  Church  of 
St.  Louis. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  church  at  these 
great  centres  in  New  York  compelled  the  pas- 
tors to  remain  at  home,  so  that  between  1835 
and  1840  the  county  was  indebted  to  missionary 
zeal  from  Philadelphia,  Easton  and  Friends- 
ville,  in  Susquehanna  County,  at  which  places 
must  be  sought  the  record  of  the  baptisms  and 
marriages  performed  by  the  visiting  mission- 
aries. 


ST.    JOHNS    ROMAN    CATHOLIC    CHURCH. 


In  1842  the  mining  interests  of  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  Company  had  attracted 
•quite  a  number  of  industrious  Catholics  to  Car- 
bondale,  and  the  tanneries  in  Wayne  County 
had  become  each  a  centre  of  profitable  industry, 
.-and  aggregated  a  considerable  number  of  Catho 
lies.  These  induced  the  bishop  of  Philadel- 
phia to  send  them  a  resident  pastor,  with  Car- 
bondale  for  a  centre,  and  assigning  one  Sunday 
in  the  month  to  Honesdale  and  the  other 
Catholic  settlements  in  Wayne  County. 

Rev.  Henry  Fitzsimmons  of  Carbondale  was 
the  first  pastor  of  the  Catholics  of  Wayne 
•County,  and  on  his  appointment,  in  1842,  he 


erected  the  first  church  at  Honesdale,  which  was 
subsequently  extended  on  both  ends  to  meet  the 
wants  of  the  growing  Catholic  population. 

Three  years  later  (1845)  Honesdale  was 
erected  into  a  separate  parish,  and  Rev.  P. 
Prendergast  was  appointed  its  first  pastor.  Up 
to  this  time  the  marriage  register  was  kept  at 
Carbondale,  whilst  the  baptisms  were  recorded 
at  Honesdale,  but  after  the  advent  of  the  resi- 
dent pastor  both  were  kept  at  Honesdale. 
Father  Prendergast,  for  reasons  we  shall  specify 
further  on,  stayed  less  than  two  years,  and  was 
sucseeded  by  Rev.  James  Malony  in  the  memor- 
able year  of  1847,  the  famine  year,  when  that 
immense  influx  of  able-bodied  men  and  women 
sought  every  field  of  remunerative  labor,  and 
the  industries  of  Wayne  County  attracted  their 
own  share  of  it.  The  Erie  Railroad,  where 
work  had  been  suspended,  recovered  from  its 
torpor;  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Com- 
pany enlarged  their  water  highway  threefold ; 
the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company  was  projected, 
with  Hawley  for  the  centre  of  its  enterprise ; 
the  tanneries  were  greatly  extended,  and  agri- 
culture promoted,  and  as  a  consequence  the 
labors  of  Father  Malony  were  made  correspond- 
ingly oppressive.  He  enlarged  the  church  at 
Honesdale  and  erected  the  steeple.  It  was  he 
who  built  the  present  church  at  Hawley  in 
1850,  and  in  addition  to  his  pastoral  labors  at 
Honesdale,  and  from  Deposit  to  Port  Jervisalong 
the  line  of  the  two  States,  he  responded  promptly 
to  the  calls  of  the  sick  and  the  dying.  Some, 
idea  may  be  formed  of  his  labors  from  the 
register  of  St.  John's  Church,  which  records 
two  hundred  and  ninety-three  baptisms  for  the 
year  1851.  Early  the  next  year  his  exhausted 
frame  yielded  to  an  attack  of  malignant  typhoid, 
and  in  April,  1852,  he  was  called  to  receive  the 
rewards  of  a  short  but  faithful  ministry. 

On  the  death  of  Father  Malony,  Dr.  O'Hara, 
now  bishop  of  Scrantou,  was  put  in  charge  of 
Honesdale,  and  was  assisted  by  Father  Kenny  ; 
and  German  Catholics  beginning  to  settle  here, 
Father  EtthofFer  made  them  an  occasional  visit, 
as  did  Father  Sharle,  from  Pottsville. 

Towards  the  fall  of  1852  Rev.  James  Power 
was  put  in  charge,  and  soon  after  Rev.  Father 
Whitty  was  sent    to   assist  him,    especially  in 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


409 


caring  for  Hawley  and  the  Rock  Lake  districts, 
which  by  this  time  had  grown  into  permanent 
importance. 

The  next  year  Father  Whitty  was  put  in 
charge  of  Scranton,  just  emerging  into  notice, 
whilst  Father  Daniel  Kelly  replaced  him  as 
assistant  priest  at  St.  John's,  Honesdale.  In 
the  summer  of  1854  Rock  Lake  and  the  tan- 
ning villages  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county 
were  set  aside  from  Honesdale,  and  Father 
Shields  was  placed  in  the  new  charge.  He 
stayed  but  a  few  mouths,  when  it  reverted 
to  Honesdale  until  the  appointment  of  Rev. 
Father  Delanave  to  that  mission.  He  being  an 
Italian  and  unable  to  speak  the  English  lan- 
guage intelligibly,  of  course,  accomplished  noth- 
ing, and  was  relieved  of  the  charge  by  Bishop 
Wood  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  visitation,  in 
the  summer  of  1864,  when  Rev.  Thomas  Bre- 
hony  was  sent  to  replace  him.  Delanave  per- 
sisted in  hanging  around  the  settlements  for  a 
a  long  time,  to  the  no  small  embarrassment  of 
the  new  incumbent.  But  Father  Brehony  was 
possessed  of  more  than  an  ordinary  amount  of 
patience,  and  despite  the  obstacles  he  encoun- 
tered, he  set  to  work  to  improve  and  advance 
the  spiritual  and  material  interests  of  his  first 
charge,  for  hitherto  he  had  been  only  assistant 
priest.  How  he  succeeded  the  two  commodious 
and  tasty  churches  of  the  district  attest.  These 
he  relinquished  in  the  fall  of  1870,  and  trans- 
ferred, free  of  debt  and  well  furnished,  to  his 
successor,  the  present  incumbent,  Rev.  John 
Judge,  of  Rock  Lake,  on  his  assignment  to  a 
new  charge  in  Susquehanna  County.  Hawley 
continued  in  charge  of  St.  John's,  Honesdale, 
over  a  year  after  the  separation  of  Rock  Lake. 
But  the  enlargement  of  the  Delaware  and  Hud- 
son Canal  and  the  increased  shipments  of  coal 
by  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company  had  pro- 
portionately increased  the  number  of  laborers, 
so  that  in  the  summer  of  1855  it  was  found 
necessary  to  release  Honesdale  of  its  care,  and 
make  it  the  centre  of  a  new  district,  having  all 
Pike  County  and  Paupack,  in  Wayne,  for  its 
limits. 

Rev.  Michael  Filon  was  transferred  from 
Lancaster  County  and  placed  in  charge  of  the 
new  parish.     He  was  untiring  in  his  efforts  to 


elevate  the  morale  of  his  populous  charge,  and 
was  more  than  ordinarily  successful. 

On  the  opening  of  the  Honesdale  Branch  of 
the  Erie  Railroad  he  erected  the  little  church 
at  Lacka waxen,  which  then  gave  promise  of  an 
importance  it  has  not  realized. 

In  the  summer  of  1864  he  was  transferred 
to  Philadelphia,  and  Hawley  reverted  to  the 
care  of  Honesdale  until  a  Father  McCollum 
was  sent  there.  He  was  dismissed  in  1869, 
when  Hawley  again  became  dependent  on 
Honesdale  until  the  appointment,  in  the  fall  of 
1870,  of  the  present  incumbent,  Rev.  J.  P. 
O'Mally,  who  has  already  erected  neat  frame 
churches  at  Ledgedale,  Milford  and  "  White 
Mills,"  where  the  Dorflinger  Glass  Works 
founded  a  flourishing  village  in  1863,  which 
has  grown  and  continues  to  grow  in  population 
and  prosperity,  affording  a  hope  that  it  will 
tic  long  become  the  centre  of  religious  activi- 
ties. Honesdale  remained  in  charge  of  Rev. 
James  Powers  until  1855,  and  he  was  succeeded 
in  the  four  following  uneventful  years  by  Rev. 
J.  Ahem,  removed  early  in  1857,  when  Rev. 
P.  J.  O'Brien  was  appointed  pastor.  He  re- 
mained until  April,  1859,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Wilmington,  Delaware,  and  the  present 
incumbent,  Rev.  J.  J.  Doherty,  was  transferred 
from  Towanda  Parish  to  St.  John's,  Honesdale. 

Up  to  this  the  successive  incumbents  at 
Houesdale  stayed  too  short  a  time  to  effect  any 
appreciable  elevation  of  the  religious  tone  of 
the  laboring  people,  who,  after  haviug  completed 
the  construction  of  the  canal,  settled  down  there 
to  operate  it.  Canal  towns  are  proverbially 
centres  of  dissipation.  There  bad  whiskey  cir- 
culates, and  officers  of  the  law  are  intimidated 
by  the  political  power  of  its  vendors  from  any 
effort  towards  its  restraint.  Homeless  men  and 
vagrants  resort  to  canal  towns  for  congenial 
companionship  and  idle  occupation.  Dancing- 
houses,  too,  abound  there,  and  the  lively  tunes 
of  burst  bag  pipes  enhance  the  attraction  of  the 
"  bar,"  and  the  saloon-keepers  grow  defiant  of 
decency,  ready  to  resent  all  secular  or  religious 
interference.  The  works  at  Honesdale  were, 
besides,  unfavorable  to  the  active  restraints  of 
religion. 

One  after  another,  the  pastors  appointed    to 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Honesdale  found  it  a  very  pleasant  parish — to 
leave,  and  they  were  but  too  glad  to  enjoy  that 
pleasure  just  as  soon  as  they  could  do  so  with- 
out exposing  themselves  to  the  imputation  of 
cowardice  or  indecent  haste. 

The  Catholic  Church,  as  we  observed  else- 
where, was  a  stranger  in  the  land,  and  it  had 
been  preceded  by  a  very  bad  reputation;  and 
the  new-comers  were  naturally  regarded  as  ex- 
ponents and  representatives  of  its  creed  and 
culture.  And  here  were  men  born  and  reared 
in  the  church  utterly  defiant  of  the  decencies  of 
civil  and  social  life  and  the  restraints  of  law, 
desecrating  the  Sunday  in  debauch,  drunkenness 
and  public  riot;  their  haunts  echoing  yells  and 
profanities;  their  leaders  growing  rich,  some 
on  their  recklessness  and  intemperance,  whilst 
others  drove  a  profitable  "  brokerage  "  in  their 
votes,  and  others  again  openly  impeached  the 
pastors  or  sent  around  the  whisper  that  priests 
were  not  above  paltry  embezzlement,  and  whilst 
souls  might  be  safely  enough  entrusted  to  their 
charge,  they  ought  not  be  implicitly  trusted 
with  "  higher  goods." 

No  oue  can  be  surprised  that  a  church  so 
ignobly  represented  was  without  honor  in  the 
community,  that  the  traditional  hostility  to  its 
creed  and  its  clergy  was  intensified  one  hundred 
fold,  and  that  Honesdale  became  prominent 
amongst  the  other  communities  of  Eastern 
Pennsylvania  for  its  antipathy  to  the  Catholic 
Church. 

Other  towns  viewed  it  with  jealousy  or  fear  ; 
at  Honesdale  it  was  below  contempt.  Its  place 
of  worship  was  relegated  to  Texas,  its  people  to 
Shanty  Hill,  where  its  pastors  were  ignobly 
lodged  in  a  cabin,  and  came  and  went  away  un- 
honored  and  unknown  to  the  rest  of  the  com- 
munity. 

It  must  not  be  inferred  from  this  that  there 
were  no  true  representatives  of  the  church  at 
Honesdale,  for  there  were  hundreds.  The 
great  bulk  of  the  settlers  were  orderly,  but 
some  one  has  remarked  that  "  a  hornet  will 
agitate  a  whole  camp-meeting  ;  "  so  a  few  tur- 
bulent, riotous  meu  will  bring  reproach  ou  an 
entire  community  of  upright,  virtuous  people. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  go  back  eons  of  ages 
to   discover  the  troglodyte  man  :  he  is  cotem- 


porary  with  all  the  ages  and  numerous  as 
ever  to-day. 

Wherever  vegetation  exists,  there  weeds  will 
spring  up  spontaneously,  and  all  they  ask  is  to 
be  let  alone  ;  so,  in  all  communities  of  meu  vices 
will  pullulate,  and  all  they  ask  is  "to  be  let 
alone/'  The  rapid  chauges  of  pastors  at  Hones- 
dale gave  the  vicious  element  all  the  immunity 
from  repression  it  required,  until  it  became 
openly  defiant  when  first  subjected  to  restraint, 
and  howled  like  famished  wolves  around  the 
pastor  who  first  effectually  resisted  the  spoliation 
of  the  fold. 

In  1859  the  present  incumbent,  John  J. 
Doherty  was  transferred  from  Towanda  to 
Honesdale,  and  it  became  apparent  at  once  that 
he  came  to  stay. 

He  purchased  his  own  residence  in  the  centre 
of  the  town;  he  supplied  his  own  horses,  car- 
riages and  the  other  comforts  and  conveniences 
of  the  affluent  without  any  appeal  to  his  people 
and  it  was  evident  their  penury  would  not  re- 
pel, nor  the  slander  and  contumely  of  their 
leaders  intimidate  him. 

We  dare  not  indulge  in  eulogy,  and  we  trust 
it  maybe  long  before  an  "obituary"  may  record 
the  trials  and  triumphs  of  the  last  quarter  of  a 
century  of  Father  Doherty's  pastorship  at 
Honesdale;  but  we  may,  without  impertinence, 
recall  an  interview  with  him  shortly  after  his 
settlement  here. 

It  had  reference  to  a  flagrant  social  grievance 
that  we — there  were  three  of  us,  all  living  yet 
— thought  we  could  readily  redress. 

His  reply  was  substantially  this, — "Gentle- 
men, I  am  a  young  man,  but  I  have  been  taught 
by  sad  experience  the  futility  of  attempting  to 
force  social  or  moral  reforms  on  any  people. 
There  are  few  men  wholly  free  from  illusions, 
and  their  cure  is  not  to  be  effected  by  abusing 
them,  but  by  disabusing  them.  This  will 
take  time  and  much  patience." 

This  gives  a  clue  to  his  methods,  and  ex- 
plains his  wonderful  success  in  suppressing  vice, 
and  gradually  ridding  the  community,  to  a  great 
extent,  of  the  human  vermin  that  infested  in- 
dustrious communities,  as  pickpockets  do  crowds 
to  despoil  the  incautious  or  confiding. 

We  never  heard    him  indulge    in  rant  or  in- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


vective,  much  less  did  lie  ever,  under  any  pro- 
vocation, descend  to  vituperation.  He  un- 
masked vice  whilst  ignoring  its  presence, 
and  thus  cured  its  victims  without  subjecting 
them  to  the  pain  of  moral  cautery. 

He  persuaded  men  of  the  profitableness  of 
right  living  and  compared  self-indulgence  to 
"  scratching  the  itch."  The  man  who  would 
enjoy  this  life,  to  say  nothing  of  the  future, 
must  accustom  himself  to  the  discipline  of  self- 
restraint.  He  often  urged  men  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  God's  gifts  to  exhibit  gratitude  to  the 
Giver,  by  at  least  forbearing  to  abuse  them  to 
His  dishonor.  After  years  of  such  practical 
preaching,  emphasized  by  example,  it  would  be 
strange  if  men  failed  to  be  disabused  of  low 
views  of  life  and  the  delusions  of  pleasure,  and 
if  in  time  they  were  not  led  to  prefer  "the 
straight  lines  of  duty  to  the  curved  lines  of 
beauty." 

We  close  this  hasty  epitome  of  the  Catholic 
Church  in  Wayne  County  with  a  brief  summary 
of  the  result  of  Father  Doherty's  labors  in  the 
last  quarter  of  a  century,  leaving  details  of  re- 
mote results  to  future  historians.  The  church, 
as  a  church,  has  emerged  from  obscurity  into 
recognized  pre-eminence  as  a  restraining  and 
elevating  moral  power.  The  people  are  sober, 
frugal,  industrious,  self-disciplined,  respectable 
and  respected;  the  youth  are  educated  and 
contribute  a  respectable  quota  to  professional 
careers,  law,  medicine  aud  divinity.  The 
Catholic  Church  is  architecturally  unsurpassed 
in  this  end  of  the  State,  and  its  massive  stone 
walls  and  rich  stained-glass  window-  attest  the 
munificence  of  the  pastor  who  designed  and  car- 
ried on  the  work  during  three  years  at 
his  own  expense,  before  appealing  for  a  dollar 
to  the  people.  The  interior  decorations  corre- 
spond with  the  magnitude  and  solidity  of  the 
exterior,  and  the  choir,  composed  of  amateur 
members,  frequently  attracts  all  the  lovers  of 
music  to  its  rendering  of  the  most  elaborate 
compositions  of  the  great  masters. 

The  Catholic  population  attending  St.  John's 
Church,  at  Honesdale,  has  varied  but  slightly 
in  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  may  be  set  down 
in  round  numbers  at  two  thousand. 

The    neighboring    settlements  dependent  on 


Honesdale  for  religious  service  have  greatly 
decreased,  and  some  have  entirely  disappeared 
in  that  time.  Twenty-five  years  ago  the  tan- 
neries at  Cherry  Ridge,  at  Smith  Hill  and  Al- 
denville  had,  in  the  aggregate,  over  one  hundred 
families,  but  all  are  long  since  abandoned,  from 
the  exhaustion  of  the  hemlock  bark  within  ac- 
cessible distances;  and  the  one  yet  operated,  at 
the  falls  of  Dyberry,  will  have  exhausted  its 
bark  within  a  year,  and  will  then  also  be 
abandoned,  whilst  the  number  of  Catholics 
settled  on  farms  is  gradually  diminishing. 
Twenty -five  years  ago  they  numbered  about 
seventy  families  within  a  radius  of  eight  miles 
from  Honesdale;  to-day  they  do  nut  exceed  fifty- 
six  families,  and  several  of  these  very  poor.  It 
is  also  evident  that  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
the  more  opulent  farmers  do  not  take  kindly 
to  agriculture,  but  as  they  grow  up  they  seek 
more  congenial  and  remunerative  occupations  in 
towns. 

At  Honesdale  itself  the  Catholic  population 
is  about  stationary  ;  for  though  the  Irish  are 
no  less  prolific  there  than  elsewhere,  their  chil- 
dren, as  they  grow  up,  are  forced  to  migrate  in 
search  of  a  career,  and  very  few  content  them- 
selves with  the  precarious  pursuits  of  their 
parents.  But  we  are  not  called  upon  to  prophesy, 
so  we  leave  the  future  of  the  church  in  Wayne 
County  to  future  historians. 

John  Julius  DOHEKTY,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  at  "Dungrood  Castle,"  a 
small  freehold  property  his  father,  Julius  Do- 
herty,  had  inherited  in  Yale  Sharlow,  in  the 
County  Tipperary,  Ireland,  on  November  20, 
1820. 

His  father's  youth  was  mainly  spent  with 
his  mother's  family  in  England,  whither  she 
removed  on  her  husband's  death,  and  where  he 
acquired  a  taste  for  scientific  agriculture  and 
landscape  gardening,  rare  at  that  day.  On  his 
return  to  Ireland  he  followed  that  occupation 
for  a  living,  his  patrimony  being  too  small  to 
maintain  him  and  his  family,  which  rapidly 
increased  in  numbers.  His  career  involved  oc- 
casional removal,  and  a  residence  more  or  less 
protracted,  according  to  the  magnitude  of  the 
improvements  be  was  engaged  to  oversee. 

He  was  always  accompanied   by  his   family, 


41: 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


who  were  thus  brought  into  familiar  relations 
with  families  of  the  lauded  gentry  by  whom  he 
was  employed,  and  who  made  it  as  pleasant  as 
they  could  for  the  stranger  during  his  stay. 
This  imparted  a  cosmopolitan  character  to  the 
subject  of  our  sketch  very  uncommon  with  his 
countrymen.  Wherever  his  father  resided  he 
punctually  attended  the  best  classical  and  math- 
ematical schools,  and  his  father  declined  engage- 
ments wherever  such  schools  were  not  accessible, 


be  familiarly  called,  to  distinguish  him  from 
other  Johns,  profited  by  his  opportunities,  and 
how  readily  he  entered  into  the  self-reliant 
spirit  of  our  country,  is  evinced  by  the  fact  that 
in  the  winter  of  183(3,  whilst  a  lad,  racy  of  the 
soil,  he  engaged  with  Mr.  Adams,  chairman  of 
the  district,  to  teach  the  public  school  at 
Adamsville,  now  a  station  on  the  Albany  and 
Susquehanna  Kailroad,  ten  miles  from  Albany, 
before  lie  had  quite  reached  his  sixteenth  year. 


and  he  preferred  engagements  on  estates  in 
Kerry  to  much  more  lucrative  ones  elsewhere, 
because  of  superior  opportunities  for  higher 
education.  Hence  he  remembers  schools  and 
schoolmates  in  the  city  of  Limerick,  soon  after 
at  Lestowell,  then  at  Tralee,  then  after  three 
years'  absence  at  Lestowell  again,  and  then  after 
two  years  back  again  to  Limerick  before  coming 
to  America  in  the  summer  of  1836. 

How  abundantly  John  Julius,  as  he  used   to 


The  following  year,  1837,  he  was  offered  better 
pay,  and  took  charge  of  the  somewhat  aristo- 
cratic school  at  Coeymau's,  making  his  home  at 
the  opulent  mansion  of  Colonel  Abraham  Ver- 
planck,  whose  family  occupy  high  social  posi- 
tion in  the  State. 

In  that  year  he  was  entered  as  a  law  student 
at  Albany,  and  the  next  year  (1838)  he  took  the 
moreconvenient  school  at  Watervliet,  making  his 
home  at  Colonel  Lansing's  hospitable  mansion. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


At  the  close  of  that  year  he  had  his  name 
transferred  from  Albany  to  the  New  York  bar, 
on  being  engaged  at  Elmwood  Hill  Academy,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  city,  to  teach  the  Greek 
language  and  book-keeping. 

This  was  a  somewhat  famous  school  at  that 
day,  especially  for  Southern  students.  The 
principal,  Professor  Russell,  was  an  intimate 
friend  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  T.  Stewart,  who 
almost  invariably  visited  there  Sunday  even- 
ings. 

The  next  June,  at  the  opening  of  the  vaca- 
tion, he  was  seized  with  typhus  fever,  through 
which  he  was  watched  with  a  father's  care  by 
Dr.  William  O'Donnell,  subsequently  coro- 
ner of  the  city,  whose  son,  John  O'Don- 
nell, has  achieved  prominence  in  the  State. 
On  his  recovery  he  communicated  to  Bishop 
Hughes,  just  invested  with  the  administration 
of  the  diocese,  his  desire  to  embrace  the  eccle- 
siastical state,  and  was  immediately  seut  by  him 
to  Mount  St.  Mary's  College,  Maryland. 

But  partially  restored  to  health,  it  taxed  all  his 
remaining  strength  to  reach  the  college  at  the 
opening  of  studies,  where  he  arrived  on  August 
14,  1839.  The  bracing  mountain  air,  pure 
water  and  varied  recreations  restored  him  to 
health,  but  he  never  recovered  to  the  one 
hundred  and  sixty-four  pounds  scale  he  turned 
before  the  attack  of  typhus  fever. 

At  that  institution  he  was  classed  or  associa- 
ted with  several  young  men  who  have  since 
made  their  mark  in  secular  aud  ecclesiasti- 
cal careers.  Amongst  the  latter  we  may  name 
Bishop  McFarland,  of  Hartford ;  Bishop 
Loughlin,  of  Brooklyn ;  Archbishop  Elder, 
of  Cincinnati;  Bishop  Cowray,  of  Albany; 
and  a  host  of  others  equally  eminent  in  the 
American  Church.  College  life  is  uneventful 
except  for  the  students,  so  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  passed  his  days  and  years  in  the  studies 
appertaining  to  his  chosen  career,  whilst  at  the 
same  time  teaching  Greek,  Latin,  history  or 
mathematics,  as  the  faculty  of  the  college  as- 
signed him,  thereby  incurring  no  obligation  to 
any  particular  diocese,  and  retaining  the  right 
to  select  his  field  of  future  labor. 

In  1843  the  late  Cardinal  McCloskey  was 
relieved  of  the  presidency  of  St.   John's  Col-  I 


lege,  at  Fordham,  and  another  old  student  of 
the  Mountain  was  appointed  to  preside,  and  at 
his  request  Bishop  Hughes  called  upon  the  old 
college  for  a  contingent  to  sustain  the  new  fac- 
ulty, and  amongst  them  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

The  mortality  amongst  his  cotemporaries 
at  St.  John's  College  has  been  very  great,  for 
he  remembers  but  three  who  survive,  and  these 
are  Father  Harrigan,  of  Binghamton ;  Rev. 
George  McClosky,  of  Louisville ;  and  Monsig- 
nor  Quinn,  of  New  York. 

In  1844  the  bishop  of  Cincinnati  called  him 
to  orders,  and  in  April  he  was  ordained  "  dea- 
con," and  the  next  month  priest,  and  attached 
to  the  Cathedral,  then  the  only  English-speak- 
ing Catholic  Church  in  the  city.  Besides  him- 
self there  were  only  two  other  priests,  Rev. 
Fathers  Collins  and  Purcell,  to  serve  it,  and 
these  had  not  seldom  to  ride  sixty  miles  into 
the  country  on  horseback,  to  attend  the  dying 
members  of  the  church. 

The  restraints  of  city  life  soon  began  to  tell 
unfavorably  on  his  health,  and  through  the 
medium  of  his  friend,  Father  Edward,  to  whom 
the  bishop  would  refuse  nothing,  he  procured  a 
chauge  to  the  country.  This  was  faciliated 
with  the  bishop  in  view  of  the  return  of  Father 
Wood,  subsequently  archbishop  of  Philadel- 
phia, who  had  recently  been  ordained  priest  at 
Rome. 

Father  Doherty  was  released  from  city  work, 
which  was  always  uncongenial,  and  Massillon, 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  was  named  as 
his  field  of  labor. 

It  was  a  desolate  field — no  church,  no  house, 
no  money,  nothing  but  a  portable  chapel  and  a 
pair  of  saddle-bags,  but  no  horse  nor  saddle — 
yetby  August  15th,  four  months  after  his  arrival, 
he  had  erected  a  solid  stone  church,  with  a  par- 
sonage under  the  same  roof,  which  Bishop  Pur- 
cell dedicated  on  that  festival,  and  the  same 
day  transferred  Father  Doherty  to  Canton, 
made  vacant  by  the  return  of  the  incumbent  to 
Europe. 

Within  five  miles  was  a  French  colony,  in 
charge  of  Father  De  Goesbriand,  now  bishop 
of  Burlington,  Vt.,  where  were  many  English- 
speaking  people  ;    many,  too,  were  scattered  in 


414 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  Western  Reserve  ;  indeed  his  field  extended 
twenty-five  miles  in  a  radius  from  Canton,  and 
southward  over  fifty  miles.  It  comprises  to- 
day ten  parishes  and  as  many  pastors. 

There  was  a  strong  mutual  attachment  be- 
tween the  people  of  Canton  and  their  young 
pastor,  which  was  growing  year  after  year  as  he 
made  their  church  respected  by  his  personal 
and  intellectual  eminence.  In  1848,  however, 
on  the  division  of  the  diocese  of  Cincinnati,  he 
found  himself  remanded  to  the  new  diocese  of 
Cleveland,  and,  in  common  with  others  of  the 
English-speaking  clergy  of  the  diocese,  he 
sought  and  obtained  a  canonical  exeat. 

He  has  often  since  questioned  the  inadequacy 
of  the  cause  that  impelled  that  course,  since  it 
unmoored  him,  and  for  awhile  set  him  adrift 
amid  unforeseen  perils.  But  youth  and  inex- 
perience are  usually  self-reliant,  and  priests,  as 
other  men.  must  pay  the  price  for  wisdom.  A 
public  meeting  convened  at  the  court-house, 
Congressman  Starkweather,  chairman,  and 
Judge  Lynch,  secretary — conveyed  to  him  com- 
plimentary resolutions  and  expressions  of  re- 
gret. Under  obligations  to  no  diocese,  he 
could  lawfully  choose  his  field  of  labor, 
Bishop  Fitzpatrick  had  just  bought  a  Uni- 
tarian Church  in  Purchase  Street,  Boston,  and 
at  once  tendered  the  rectorship  of  it  to  Father 
Doherty,  through  a  mutual  friend,  before  he 
had  yet  fully  withdrawn  from  Canton. 

It  was  accepted  and  on  its  dedication  to  St. 
Vincent  he  assumed  the  charge,  in  which  lie 
was  assisted  gratuitously  by  Father  Shaw,  re- 
cently converted  at  Rome  and  ordained  by 
Bishop  Fitzpatrick. 

He  resided  at  the  bishop's  house,  and  of  his 
cotemporaries  there  survives  to-day  one — the 
present  Archbishop  Williams.  The  others 
were  Hardy,  Manahan  and  O'Brien.  A.  Bran- 
son was  always  a  Friday  guest  at  the  bishop's 
hospitable  board,  where  all  were  amused  and 
instructed  by  the  logical  sparring  of  the  learned 
bishop  and  his  illustrious  convert.  Whilst 
the  novelty  lasted  the  new  life  was  not  irksome, 
but  soon  the  old  repugnance  to  the  city  re- 
turned upon  him,  and  he  began  to  long  for  the 
green  fields  and  the  soft  roads  and  shady  lanes 
of  the  country.     The  sights  and  scenes  in  cellar 


and  garret  filled   him   with   disgust  and  chafed 
upon  his  temper. 

He  availed  himself  of  every  opportunity  to 
leave  the  city,  and  made  missionary  excursions 
as  far  as  Xew  Hampshire. 

He  it  was  who  bought  the  commodious  site 
of  the  Augustiuian  Church,  at  Lawrence, 
whither,  on  learning  his  discontent  with  city 
life,  the  bishop  wished  to  transfer  him. 

Indeed,  the  Catholic  Almanac  of  1849  locates 
hira  at  Lawrence. 

And  there  he  would  have  located,  but  that 
the  aged  missionary,  Father  French,  brother  to 
Bishop  French,  was  the  incumbent  there  ;  and, 
although  feeble,  he  felt  himself  competent  to 
discharge  its  duties,  and  Father  Doherty  de- 
clined to  intrude  on  the  venerable  father  or 
trespass  on  what  he  regarded  his  rights. 

So,  although  the  Catholic  Almanac  so  re- 
ported in  1840,  he  never  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment. The  next  year,  appreciating  his  prefer- 
ence for  country  life,  the  bishop  reluctantly 
acquiesced  in  his  wish  for  a  change  from  the 
city,  and  Father  George  Reardou  was  trans- 
ferred to  Cambridge  from  Worcester,  whence 
he  attended  Saxonville,  Framingham,  Spring- 
field, Palmer  and  Ware,  and  Father  Doherty 
was  sent  to  succeed  him. 

In  one  sense  the  change  was  gratifying. 
The  country  was  pleasant  and  the  educated 
people  whom  he  met  during  his  short  stay 
social  and  liberal.  The  location  was  central, 
and  he  had  often  for  guests  the  genial  Bishop 
Fitzpatrick  and  his  successor,  the  present  arch- 
bishop of  Boston  (then  Father  Williams, 
whose  friendship  he  continues  to  enjoy),  Dr. 
Manahan,  the  ponderous  O.  A.  Brownson. 
Bishop  Hughes  made  his  house  a  stage  ou  the 
way  to  Montreal,  and  Thomas  Darcy  Magee 
came  there  to  reconcile  a  slight  misunderstand- 
ing ;  and  Dr.  Early,  the  president  of  the  Wor- 
cester College,  and  subsequently  of  Georgetown, 
frequently  assisted  him  on  Sunday. 

But  he  encountered  a  formidable  foe  and  his 
special  aversion,  the  whiskey  interest,  which,  as 
he  is  accustomed  to  say,  "  fattens  on  famine  and 
the  moral  carrion  it  generates." 

He  was  full  of  fight  and  inexperience,  and, 
by  what  he  himself  to-day  doubtless  would  re- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


415 


gard  intemperate  invective,  provoked  a  des- 
perate resistance,  which  soon  defiantly  turned 
upon  him  to  overwhelm  him  with  obloquy. 

It  would  greatly  exceed  the  limits  of  this 
sketch  to  detail  this  brief  episode  in  Father 
Doherty's  career.  During  the  whole  of  the 
year  1851  he  was  harassed  with  prosecutions, 
which  were  peculiarly  annoying  by  the  mode 
of  procedure,  which  was  by  "  primary  attach- 
ment ;"  and,  besides,  every  attorney  of  the  court 
was  e.v-ojficio  a  magistrate,  which  afforded  all 
the  opportunity  mercenary  or  malignant  people 
could  require  to  drag  their  victims  into  court. 
Mr.  George  Roberts,  of  the  Boston  Daily  IHmes, 
in  the  leading  editorial  of  Wednesday  morning, 
June  25th  of  that  year,  thus  records  their  com- 
plete defeat, — "  We  must  honestly  confess  that 
we  see  in  the  allegations  against  Rev.  Mr. 
Doherty  nothing  which  he  has  not  triumphantly 
refuted." 

It  was  then  they  transferred  their  assaults  to 
the  newspapers.  He  declined  that  interminable 
extra-judicial  tribunal  of  ribaldry  and  rant, 
and,  consulting  his  own  and  others'  peace  in- 
dispensable to  religion,  he  acquiesced  in  his 
friends'  advice  and  transferred  his  services  to 
Philadelphia,  where  his  old  friend,  Father 
Newman,  of  Pittsburgh,  had  just  been  conse- 
crated bishop. 

He  was  immediately  appointed  to  Chambers- 
burg  Parish,  vacated  by  the  transfer  of  Dr. 
Leitner  to  Columbia,  and  entered  upon  his 
duties  June  24,  1852.  It  then  embraced  <  ai- 
lisle,  Waynesboro'  and  Concord,  but  not  one 
vendor  of  liquor  within  its  limits.  He  found 
the  people  and  the  climate  of  Chambersburg 
congenial. 

Here  he  speedily  recovered  the  elasticity  of 
spirit, somewhat  impaired  by  his  brief,  but  severe, 
struggle,  and  soon  forgot  assaults  and  assailants 
in  the  tranquil  pursuit  of  his  ministry.  His 
literary  taste  found  field  for  cultivation. 

He  became  an  active  member  of  the  Young 
Men's  Literary  Society,  which  then  embraced 
such  men  as  Judge  Nill,  Alexander  MeClure, 
William  B.  McClelland,  G.  Sharp,  G.  Brewer 
and  several  others  who  have  since  made  their 
impress  on  political  and  literary  life  in  the 
State.     Whilst   there  he   built  the    neat    brick 


church  at  Concord,  and  had  it  dedicated  to  our 
"  Lady  of  Refuge,"  by  Bishop  Newman  (who 
was  attended  by  Doctor  Hayden,  of  Bedford, 
and  Father  Myers,  of  Baltimore),  on  the  15th 
of  August,  1853.  Ten  years  after  leaving 
Chambersburg,  Father  Doherty  revisited  it  as 
the  guest  of  Colonel  Hoskinson,  and  received 
an  ovation  from  all  its  ministers,  and  literary 
people  crowded  the  church  to  hear  and  see  him, 
and  called  upon  him  at  the  house  of  his  host. 
In  June,  1855,  the  parish  of  Towanda  becom- 
ing vacant,  the  bishop  tendered  it  to  Father 
Doherty,  and,  although  growing  yearly  more 
attached  to  the  place  and  people,  he  accepted  it, 
and  immediately  entered  upon  his  duties  there. 
He  found  Towanda  a  vast  parish  ;  and  it  is  to- 
day, although  dismembered,  and  two  others 
formed  from  it. 

Yet,  during  four  years  he  toiled  there  unre- 
mittingly, not  seldom  riding  fifty  miles  a  day 
on  horseback  and  never  did  he  take  a  day's  va- 
cation. Neither  did  he  ever  utter  a  word  of 
complaint  to  his  friend.  On  the  contrary,  in 
1859,  when  a  vacancy  occurred  at  Honesdale, 
Bishop  Newman  thus  writes  to  Father  Doherty 
from  Heading: 

"  Altho'  when  I  visited  you  lately,  you  ex- 
pressed  a  willingness  to  remain  at  Towanda, 
yet  I  deem  it  proper  to  offer  you  Honesdale. 
It  is  the  best  at  present  in  my  gift,  and  much 
easier  than  your  present  parish.  If  you  accept, 
please  inform  me  promptly,  for  I  am  anxious  to 
fill  it." 

The  intimation  of  his  friend's  wish  was 
enough,  and  Father  Doherty,  although  endeared 
to  the  place  and  people  by  many  ties,  proceeded 
to  settle  up  his  affairs,  and  within  two  weeks,  in 
July,  1859,  assumed  the  pastorship  of  Honesdale 
and  its  missions. 

Hitherto  his  stay  was  too  brief  to  make  any 
perceptible  impression  on  the  community.  His 
youth  and  secluded  habits,  if  nothing  else,  kept 
him  an  unknown  factor;  on  his  arrival  at 
Honesdale,  in  his  thirty-eighth  year,  he  retained 
the  boyish  look  of  twenty  years.  Here  he  set- 
tled down  to  his  life-work  about  the  age  that 
most  men  develop  into  usefulness  and  success. 

By  that  time  they  get  chastened  by  disap- 
pointments and  mature  into  a  noble    manhood, 


416 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


if  the  material  be  there.  He  found  vices  and 
vicious  practices  entrenched  in  the  habits  of 
people,  but  he  had  learned  the  folly  of  firing 
the  corn-crib  to  exterminate  the  rats,  so  he  set 
himself  to  stay  the  sin  and  spare  the  sinner, 
with  what  success  may  be  seen  in  the  history 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  to  which  we  refer  our 
readers. 

The  Baptist  Church. — Prior  to  1842  a 
number  of  persons  in  Honesdale  had  become 
converts  to  the  Baptist  faith,  but  they  had  for 
the  most  part  joined  the  Bethany  Church,  and 
none  had  been  organized  in  Honesdale.  In 
the  spring  of  1842  Elders  Lewis  Raymond,  H. 
Curtis  and  D.  F.  Leach  made  an  effort  to  bring 
into  existence  a  local  church,  and  for  that  pur- 
pose a  council  was  convened  at  the  call  of  the 
Bethany  Church,  which  duly  assembled  at 
Bethany  on  April  10th,  delegates  being  present 
from  Damascus,  Clinton,  Mount  Pleasant, 
Cooperstown,  N.  Y.,  and  Ten-Mile  River.  The 
church  was  organized  by  this  council,  with  the 
following  constituent  members,  viz. :  Franklin 
Davall,  Harry  Wheeler  and  wife,  Charlotte 
Wheeler,  Harlan  D.  Fuller  and  wife,  Sarah  B. 
Fuller,  John  Garrett,  Jr.,  and  wife,  Patience 
Garrett,  John  Chope,  Hezekiah  Mattesson,  John 
Shopland,  Albert  H.  Russell,  John  Gray, 
Richard  L.  Ward,  Runnells  Cole,  Asa  Cran- 
dall,  D.  P.  Bunnell,  Susan  Stryker,  Laura 
Robinson,  Parthenia  Bunnell,  Sarah  Murray, 
Elizabeth  Jackett,  Clarissa  McMullen,  Eliza  A. 
Cole,  Eleanor  Cole,  Harriet  Bunnell,  Almira 
Burnett,  all  from  the  church  at  Bethany ;  Parks 
Baird  and  his  wife,  Sarah  Ann  Baird,  from  the 
church  at  Damascus  ;  and  Phrebe  Davall,  from 
the  church  at  Mount  Pleasant.  Sarah  Harris 
was  admitted  by  letter  on  April  14th,  and  was 
the  first  person  so  received. 

It  was  not  until  the  next  year  (1843)  that  the 
society  secured  a  settled  pastor,  the  Rev.  D.  L. 
McGear.  The  first  trustees  elected  were  D.  Bun- 
nell, R.  L.  Ward,  E.  Mapes,  F.  Davall  and  H. 
Wheeler.  The  first  clerk  was  H.  A.  Mattesson, 
and  the  treasurer  Franklin  Davall. 

For  the  first  three  years  the  society  worshipped 
in  the  old  Tabernacle  and  in  other  places,  but 
as  early  as  June  17, 1843,  it  was  decided  to  pro- 
cure a  lot  on  which  to  build  a  church.     On  De- 


cember 29th  following  the  trustees  were  author- 
ized to  purchase  the  lot  opposite  Stephen  Cory's 
shop,  on  Second  Street.  The  church,  still  in 
use,  was  finished  in  July,  1845,  and  dedicated 
upon  the  30th  of  the  month.  About  the  same 
time  a  Sunday-school  was  organized. 

Following  is  the  succession  of  pastors  who 
have  served  this  church  : 

1843 D.  L.  McGear. 

1843 D.  D.  Gray. 

1846 G.  S.  Bailey. 

1846 A.  G.  Smith. 

1847 T.  O.  Judd. 

1850 C.  C.  Williams. 

1853 Zelotes  Grenell. 

1856 Joseph  N.Fohvell. 

1858 L.  O.  Grenell. 

1866 Samuel  H.  Mead. 

1867 H.  B.  Gamer. 

1871 Walter  Gallant, 

1875 James  A.  Mets. 

1882 A.  H.  Bliss. 

The  deacons,  in  the  order  of  their  succession, 
have  been  as  follows  : 

1843 S.  L.  Deming. 

1843 J.  A.  Patmor. 

1S45 H.  A.  Mattesson. 

18^5-55  F.  Davall. 

1855-60 Eliphalet  Wood. 

I860...-. Joseph  A.  Hubbard. 

V.  Grenell. 

1863-65 Peter  J.  Cole. 

1865-67 H.  W.  Kaliseh. 

1882 Peter  J.  Cole. 

William  H.Haskin. 

Francis  West. 

The  present  trustees  are  B.  L.  Wood,  P.  J. 
Cole,  William  A.  Gaylord,  William  H.  Haskin 
and  B.  F.  Fraley. 

St.  John  German  Lutheran  Church. — 
The  congregation  was  organized  in  1845  and  im- 
mediately proceeded  to  erect  a  small  house  of 
worship,  which  was  superseded  in  1849  bv  the 
larger  edifice  still  in  use.  The  church  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition  and  has  a  membership  of 
two  hundred  and  twenty-five.  Connected  with 
the  society  is  a  parochial  school,  which  is  at- 
tended by  about  seventy  pupils.  The  school 
building  is  in  the  rear  of  the  church.  The 
society  also  owns  a  parsonage  on  Second  Street, 
and  a  lot  fifty  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

The  first  pastor  of  this  church  was  the  Rev. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


417 


C.  Sans,  who  served  from  1845  to  1847.  Since 
the  expiration  of  his  pastorate  the  succession  of 
ministers  has  been  as  follows  : 

G.  Zeumer 1847-49 

J.Goetz 1849-59 

F.  A.  Bauer 1859-66 

J.  Heller 1866-68 

F.  F.  Wilken 1868-72 

O.  Telle 1872-78 

F.A.  Herzberger 1878-80 

G.  F.  Woeruer 1880-84 

Th.  Heischmann 1884-85 

Eobert  Conrad 18S5- 

The  German  Catholic  Congregation, 
of  Honesdale,  was  organized  about  1853,  when 
Father  Caspar  Muller  became  its  pastor.  From 
1858  to  1863  the  Rev.  P.  C.  Nagel,  of  Wilkes- 
Barre,  attended  to  its  spiritual  wants.  Under 
his  supervision  the  church  was  built  at  the 
present  site,  corner  Fifth  and  Second  Streets,  and 
dedicated  in  1800,  after  the  old  edifice  on  Sev- 
enth Street  had  been  destroyed  by  fire.  He  also 
bought  about  two  acres  of  land  for  a  cemetery, 
from  Mr.  Schoonover. 

Rev.  Francis  Buthe  was  assigned  to  the  rec- 
torship in  the  spring  of  1863,  and  remained  at 
the  head  of  the  congregation  until  the  time  of 
his  death,  in  1878,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
the  present  pastor,  Rev.  William  Dassel. 

Rev.  F.  Buthe  introduced  the  Sisters  of  Chris- 
tian Charity  to  teach  the  children  of  the  paro- 
chial school.  A  handsome  school  building  was 
erected  through  his  exertions,  the  upper  floor  of 
which  was  occupied  by  the  Sisters  as  a  dwell- 
ing. 

Since  then  the  congregation  has  acquired  the 
property  adjoining  as  a  residence  for  the  teach- 
ers. There  has  been  also  an  addition  of  thirty 
feet  made  to  the  church,  which  has  been  frescoed 
and  otherwise  beautified  at  a  considerable  out- 
lay. 

The  Hebeew  Congregation. —  In  the 
spring  of  1849,  William  Weiss,  the  first  pioneer 
Jew,  publicly  known  as  such,  settled  in  Hones- 
dale,  where  he  still  resides. 

Two  months  later  a  family,  Waller  by  name, 
bought  property  in  the  upper  part  of  the  town, 
where  they  lived  until  some  years  ago,  when  they 
followed  their  children  to  California  and  there 
the  aged  couple  died. 


That  same  summer  Michael  and  Lewis  Mil- 
hauser,  John  Goldsmith,  Julius  Bach  and  J. 
Tanhauser,  Jacob  Libsez  and  J.  Wiseman  immi- 
grated. 

In  September  of  that  year  they  associated 
themselves  into  a  congregation  numbering  nine 
men,  and  held  their  first  public  prayer-meeting 
at  the  home  of  Mr.  Waller,  who  furnished  the 
room  for  the  purpose.  The  following  year  came 
Samuel  Frankel,  who  was  ever  a  leading  member 
of  the  congregation  "  House  of  Israel,"  until 
hisdeath,  in  1881.  With  Mr.  Frankel  and  family 
came  his  three  brothers-in-law,  familiarly  known 
to  this  day  as  the  three  old  bachelors,  the  Sam- 
uel Brothers. 

Shortly  after  Abe  Bernstein  came  ;  also  three 
cousins,  Levy  by  name,  having  settled  here,  two 
daughters  of  Jacob  Levy  married  two  brothers 
by  the  name  of  Freeman,  who,  with  their  fami- 
lies, still  reside  here,  the  old  folks  having  passed 
away.  That  year  the  congregation  bought  a 
plot  of  ground  for  a  burial-place,  near  what 
now  constitutes  Gleu  Dyberry  Cemetery,  the 
first  burial  being  that  of  a  child  of  S.  Levy. 
Since  then  many  of  the  old  settlers  rest  there  in 
family  lots,  'neath  the  shade  of  trees  planted  by 
the  hand  of  pioneer  Weiss,  and  under  modest 
tomb-stones  with  Hebrew  and  English  inscrip- 
tions. 

Soon  after  the  congregation  rented  and  fur- 
nished a  large  room  fora  synagogue,  and  engaged 
Rev.  Mr.  Kuttner  as  the  minister  and  parochial 
teacher. 

With  the  minister  came  the  desire  for  building 
a  house  of  worship.  Although  the  Jewish  fami- 
lies were  few  and  in  moderate  circumstances, 
some  very  poor,  each  one  pledged  himself  to 
furnish  not  less  than  fifty  dollars  apiece  either 
of  his  own  means  or  to  raise  the  sum  by  sub- 
scription. The  Rev.  Mr.  Kuttuer's  earnest 
efforts  were  crowned  with  success. 

The  Delaware  and  Hudson  Company,  through 
the  intercession  of  the  lateR.  F.  Lord,  liberally 
donated  a  building  lot  for  the  purpose.  Mr. 
Lord  not  only  subscribed  from  his  private 
means  for  the  building,  but  when  shown  the 
plan  for  the  church  without  a  tower,  a  church- 
bell  not  being  customary,  and  the  congregation 
unable  to  furnish  further  funds,  Mr.  Lord  pre- 


41 S 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


vailed  on  the  committee  and  offered  a  ten-dollar 
bill  additionally  in  the  name  of  his  good  wife, 
if  they  add  the  tower,  which  they  eventually 
did.  The  citizens  of  the  different  Christian 
denominations  aided  liberally,  and  the  few  Jews 
soon  built  and  consecrated  the  little  church  to 
the  worship  of  God  and  the  instruction  of  their 
children.  Since  that  time  the  Revs.  Kuttner, 
Heilbronn,  Bergman,  Gabriel,  Landau,  Fass 
(who  died  here),  Kaiser  and  Bloch  have  suc- 
cessively officiated  as  rabbi  of  the  limited  num- 
ber of  Jewish  families  who  have  come  and  gone 
during  these  years,  and  at  present  the  con- 
gregation, consisting  of  less  than  a  score  of 
families,  is  under  the  guidance  of  the  Rev. 
J.  Kahn.  Of  the  earlier  settlers,  William 
Weiss,  Samuel  Brothers,  Lewis  Milhauser,  the 
Freeman  Brothers  and  the  Katz  Brothers  are 
still  resident.  The  congregation  above  men- 
tioned is  the  German-Jewish  congregation  gen- 
erally known  as  the  "  Beth-Israel." 

During  the  past  few  years  a  number  of  Polish 
and  Russian  Jews  have  settled  in  Texas  town- 
ship, across  the  river  from  Honesdale.  Although 
in  reduced  circumstances,  they  soon  formed  a 
congregation  and  fitted  up  a  place  of  worship 
and  school  for  themselves. 

EDUCATION. 

The  Early  Schools.1—  The  first  school- 
house  in  Honesdale  was  located  ,i  short  distance 
east  of  the  corner  of  High  and  North  Third 
Streets.  It  was  afterwards  used  for  stable  pur- 
poses and  has  long  since  been  demolished.  The 
work  of  education  was  opened  by  Lewis  Pes- 
tana,  in  the  spring  of  1828.  He  was  succeeded 
in  the  fall  by  Charles  P.  Clark,  who  continued 
to  teach  during  the  winter.  About  the  same 
time  M.  A.  Whitney  opened  a  school  in  the 
"  Lower  Village." 

The  next  school  was  in  the  "  Upper  Village," 
and  was  conducted  by  Miss  Vary  Ann  Garrett. 
Meanwhile  Mr.  Clark  had  been  succeeded  by 
Mr.  Wells,  and  he,  in  turn,  by  M.  A.  Bidwell, 
who  had  charge  of  the  school  for  several  years. 
The  other  private  schools  of  the  town  will  he 
mentioned  further  on. 


i  The   history  of  the  Honesdale  schools  was  principally 
prepared  by  Edgar  Jadwin. 


The  act  "  To  establish  a  General  System  of 
Education  by  Common  Schools,"  which  became 
a  law  April  1,  1834,  was  promptly  adopted  by 
the  people  of  Honesdale. 

It  provided  for  the  election  of  six  school 
directors,  who  were  to  hire  teachers  and  super- 
intend other  matters  relating  to  the  schools 
In  1836  they  were  authorized  to  levy  taxes  for 
educational  purposes.  The  first  board  of  direc- 
tors for  the  Honesdale  School  District  held  its 
first  meeting  July  18,  1835,  and  proceeded  at 
once  to  make  arrangements  for  opening  a  public 
school.  They  rented  the  Honesdale  Academy 
from  its  board  of  trustees  and  retained  control 
of  it  for  three  years. 

A  list  of  the  directors  and  of  the  teachers  in 
the  public  schools  from  that  time  to  the  present, 
complete  so  far  as  the  records  show,  is  appended 
to  this  sketch.  The  board  would  occasionally 
delegate  one  of  its  members  to  hire  a  teacher. 
When  that  was  done  and  the  name  of  the  teacher 
was  not  afterwards  recorded,  which  fortunately 
was  rarely  the  case,  a  vacancy  must  necessarily 
occur  iu  the  list. 

In  1836  two  additional  schools  were  estab- 
lished, one  in  the  "Upper"  and  the  other  in 
the  "  Lower  Village."  For  several  years  after 
the  introduction  of  the  common-school  system 
teachers  were  required  to  provide  school-houses 
at  their  own  expense. 

The  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company 
deeded  the  lot  on  Second  Street  below  Sixth 
(where  the  Lower  School-house  now  stands)  to 
the  school  directors  in  1838  for  a  consideration 
of  one  dollar,  and  what  was  long  known  as  the 
'•Old  Red  School- House  "  was  erected  there. 
This  was  insufficient  to  meet  the  wants  of  the 
Lower  Village  as  the  town  grew,  and  in  1849 
was  replaced  by  the  present  building. 

The  first  school  in  the  Upper  Village  owned 
by  the  board  was  located  on  the  west  side  of 
Main  Street,  a  little  south  of  Thirteenth. 

In  18  17  the  hoard  bought  a  lot  on  the  north 
side  of  Thirteenth  Street,  about  midway  between 
Main  and  East  Streets,  and  moved  the  building 
there.  They  rented  a  room  of  E.  Fields,  in 
1840,  for  the  school  in  the  Centre  Village. 

In  the  fall  of  the  following  year  they  rented 
the  basement  of  the  old   Methodist  Episcopal 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


419 


Church  for  the  same  purpose,  with  the  privilege 
of  holding  it  for  eight  years. 

Four  years  later  they  bought  from  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  Canal  Company  a  part  of  lot 
No.  20,  bounded  westerly  by  Third  Street, 
northerly  by  lot  No.  21,  easterly  by  the  west 
bank  of  the Lacka waxen  River,  southerly  by  the 
southerly  half  of  lot  No.  20,  and  had  a  school- 
house  erected  on  it  immediately.  This  was 
used  continuously  until  1861,  when  both  the 
house  and  lot  were  sold,  one-half  to  S.  E.  Dim- 
mick  and  the  other  to  the  Wayne  County  com- 
missioners. At  the  same  time  the  Upper  School- 
house  was  sold  to  John  Thomas. 

The  board  divided  the  Honesdale  School 
District  into  three  sub-districts  in  LS42,  as 
follows  :  First  or  North  District,  all  above  the 
Lackawaxen  Bridge  ;  Second  or  Middle  Dis- 
trict, between  the  Lackawaxen  Bridge  and 
Canal  Bridge  on  the  lateral  basin  ;  Third  or 
South  District,  all  below  the  Canal  Bridge  on 
the  lateral  basin. 

An  extra  public  school,  called  School  No.  4, 
was  held  in  Captain  Murray's  building  for  part 
of  the  time  from  1850  to  1854,  both  inclusive. 

A  petition  from  the  teachers  in  1856,  request- 
ing that  every  Saturday  be  given  to  them  as  a 
holiday,  was  not  granted  then,  as  it  was  deemed 
inexpedient  by  the  board.  It  must,  however, 
have  been  granted  soon  after,  for  the  records  of 
a  few  years  later  show  that  there  was  then  no 
school  on  that  day. 

The  course  of  study  followed  in  the  schools 
up  to  1861,  excepting,  of  course,  the  Honesdale 
Acadamy,  varied  with  the  attainments  of  the 
teacher,  but  the  standard  studies  were  reading, 
spelling,  writing,  arithmetic,  elocution,  elements 
of  English  grammar,  with  occasionally  geog- 
raphy, history  and  higher  mathematics. 

The  old  academy  building,  which  was  built 
in  1833,  was  rented  in  1835  to  the  school  board, 
who  used  it  as  a  district  school-house  for  three 
years.  The  need  of  an  institution  which  would 
furnish  a  higher  education  than  the  district 
schools  gave  had  begun  to  be  felt,  and  the 
Honesdale  Academy,  of  which  an  account  ap- 
pears at  the  close  of  the  public  school  history, 
was  opened. 

The  academy  being  discontinued  in  1861,  the 


building  was  sold  at  sheriff's  sale,  and  bid  in  by 
the  school  board. 

The  Honesdale  Graded  School  was  organized 
and  commenced  May  8,  1861,  with  Professor 
C.  B.  Shaw  as  principal.  During  the  summer 
the  building  was  repaired  and  the  basement 
fitted  up  for  use. 

The  Lower  School  was  re-opened  in  1864  as  a 
branch  of  the  graded  school,  and  continued 
almost  uninterruptedly  until  1879,  since  which 
time  it  has  been  closed. 

In  1867  the  rear  addition  was  built  and  the 
academic  department  reseated. 

Professor  Leroy  R.  Fowler,  L.  II.  Barnum, 
John  M.  Dolph  ami  <  icorge  W.  Twitrnyer  have 
successively  occupied   the  position  of  principal. 

Professor  L.  H.  Barnum  re-graded  the  school 
throughout  in  1873.  With  the  exception  of  an 
additional  grade  in  the  primary  department, 
three  years  later,  the  system  then  adopted  has 
remained  unchanged. 

The  Franklin  Lyceum  Association  presented 
their  entire  collection  of  twenty-eight  hundred 
books,  together  with  their  furniture,  to  the 
|  school  district,  in  1878,  on  condition  that  the 
district  assume  their  debts,  which  amounted  to 
about  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars. 
The  interior  of  the  school  building  was  further 
altered  to  provide  a  room  for  the  library.  In 
accordance  with  the  State  law  the  secretary  of 
the  school  board  is  librarian,  and  the  principal 
of  the  school  acting  librarian. 

Since  the  transfer  of  the  library  to  the  district 
many  new  books  have  been  added  to  it  by  gift 
and  purchase.  It  is  open  weekly,  and  every 
resident  of  the  district  is  allowed  the  use  of  the 
books  gratis. 

The  school  building  was  furnished  with  steam- 
heating  apparatus  in  the  summer  of  1880. 

In  1885  it  was  again  renovated,  and  the 
rooms  of  the  first,  second,  third,  fourth,  fifth, 
sixth  and  seventh  grades  reseated. 

At  present  the  school  is  in  a  most  prosperous 
condition,  under  the  management  of  Professor 
George  W.  Twitrnyer. 

[We  may  remark  here  that  Professor  Twit- 
rnyer was  born  at  Zion,  Centre  County,  Pa., 
June  9,  1849.  He  obtained  his  education 
at    the     public     schools     of    Centre     County 


420 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  the  Central  Normal  School.  He  com- 
menced to  teach  school  before  he  was  nineteen 
years  old,  and  has  taught  ever  since.  He  was 
princial  of  the  McEwenville  Academy  two 
years,  and  organized  and  graded  the  public 
schools  of  Watsontown,  Pa.,  where  he  remained 
four  years,  during  which  time  lie  received  the 
degree  of  A.M.  from  Franklin  and  Marshall 
College.  He  accepted  the  position  of  principal 
of  Honesdale  Graded  School  August  1,  1884, 
and  has  managed  the  school  from  that  time 
until  now  with  marked  ability.] 

In  addition  to  the  circulating  library,  the 
school  is  provided  with  a  large  reference  library, 
a  geological  collection  and  valuable  collections 
of  philosophical  and  chemical  apparatus. 

A  student,  in  order  to  graduate,  must  attain 
an  average  grade  of  seventy-five  outof  a  possible 
hundred  in  reading,  drawing,  writing,  spelling, 
arithmetic,  geography,  English  grammar,  phy- 
siology, geology,  physics,  astronomy,  chemistry, 
English  literature,  rhetoric,  algebra,  geometry, 
(six  books),  plane  trigonometry,  book-keeping, 
botany,  United  States  history  and  general  his- 
tory. The  study  of  Latin  is  elective.  Those 
who  take  it  can  go  through  Allen  &  Green- 
ough's  Latin  grammar,  and  read  Leighton's 
Latin  lessons,  four  books  of  Caesar's  De  Bello 
Gallico,  six  books  of  Virgil's  JEneid  and  three 
orations  of  Cicero.  Scholars  in  the  primary 
department  receive  a  daily  calisthenic  drill  in  a 
room  fitted  up  for  that  purpose. 

The  graduates  of  the  school  have  recently 
formed  an  Alumni  Association,  numbering 
over  sixty  members. 

Besides  the  schools  already  mentioned,  there 
have  been  others  in  Honesdale  which  were 
established  from  time  to  time  as  there  was  de- 
mand for  them. 

In  1833  Mrs.  M.  A.  Bidwell  and  Elizabeth 
Waldron  taught  in  the  Old  Tabernacle  at  the 
junction  of  the  West  Branch  and  the  Dyberry. 
Caroline  Waldron  also  taught  a  select  school. 

The  Honesdale  Female  Seminary  was  founded 
in  1838,  and  continued  for  a  short  time.  Its 
teachers  were  Miss  Clara  Tyler  and  Mrs.  Horace 
Tracy. 

Rev.  David  Torrey  conducted  a  college  pre- 
paratory school  in  1848-49. 


A  select  school  was  kept  for  many  years  in 
the  house  on  the  south  side  of  Tenth  Street,  be- 
tween Third  Street  and  the  river,  now  occupied 
by  F.  C.  Keen. 

The  Misses  Lane,  Miss  Ann  Rodgers,  Miss 
Mary  Williams,  Miss  Bonner,  Miss  Snyder, 
and  Miss  Jeanette  Stone  were  teachers  in  it  at 
different  times. 

Miss  Waterbury,  Mrs.  Tracy,  Miss  Mennen- 
hall,  and  the  Misses  Lanterman  taught  in  a 
building  on  the  east  side  of  Second  Street,  be- 
tween Eighth  and  Ninth,  where  H.  T.  Whit- 
ney's house  now  is. 

Among  others  who  have  presided  over  select 
schools  in  Honesdale  were  Miss  Estella  G. 
Cook,  Mrs.  C.  Deming,  Mrs.  A.  J.  Dennis, 
Miss  Fanny  Dusinberre,  Mrs.  J.  M.  Edgett,  F. 
P.  Galpin,  Miss  Gustin,  Miss  Lizzie  Hart, 
J.  E.  Hawker,  W.  H.  Hodgson,  W.  E.  Hur- 
ley, Louisa  C.  Keen,  Miss  Abbie  Losey,  Prof. 
Ludwig,  Miss  Mary  Marsh,  C.  B.  Shaw  and 
Miss  Tomlinson. 

In  1870  a  school  building  was  erected  on 
the  southeast  corner  of  Thirteenth  and  East 
Streets,  and  a  private  school  kept  there  from 
1870-75  inclusive,  the  teachers  being  Miss  Nel- 
lie Sanderson,  Miss  Annie  C.  McFadden  and 
Miss  Kate  M.  Hand.  The  school  was  reopened 
in  1882,  with  Miss  Munro  as  teacher.  She  was 
followed  by  Miss  Mills,  who  also  taught  for 
one  year. 

The  use  of  the  Lower  School-house  was  grant- 
ed in  1862  to  Rev.  J.  J.  Doherty,  who  had  a 
school  conducted  there  for  some  time.  He  was 
again  allowed  the  use  of  it  in  1875  for  a  night- 
school. 

A  school  was  conducted  for  many  years  in 
the  Jewish  synagogue  by  the  rabbi,  but  it  is 
closed  at  present. 

Besides  the  graded  school,  there  are  now  in 
successful  operation  in  Honesdale  a  kindergar- 
ten under  the  charge  of  Miss  Lottie  E.  Peter- 
sen, a  parochial  school  under  the  control  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church  and  another  under 
the  control  of  the  German  Catholic  Church. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  directors  of  the 
Honesdale  School  District  from  1835  to  1885, 
inclusive,  with  the  dates  of  the  commencement 
and  expiration  of  their  terms  of  office  : 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


421 


July  18,  1835.— M.  A.  Bid  well,  Charles  Forbes,  H. 
Fribie,  I.  D.  Taylor,  T.  N.  Vaill,  P.  Wentz. 

August  8,  1835.— E.  Kingsbury,*  vice  I.  D.  Tay- 
lor. 

March  28,  1836.— N.  M.  Bartlett,  Stephen  North, 
Jr.,  J.  F.  Roe,  vice  H.  Fribie,  E.  Kingsbury,  P. 
Wentz. 

June  1,  1837.— A.  H.  Farnhain,  John  Torrey,  J.B. 
Walton,  vice  N.  M.  Bartlett,  Charles  Forbes,  T.  N. 
Vaill. 

May  11,  1838. — Aaron  Greene,  C.  K.  Robinson,  vice 
M.  A.  Bidwell,  J.  F.  Roe. ' 

September  12,  1838.— J.  F.  Roe,*  lice  S.  North,  Jr. 

June  20,  1839. — No  directors  elected  at  spring  elec- 
tion ;  J.  F.  Roe,f*  A.  H.  Famb.am.-f-* 

May  19,  1840.— H.  Baldwin,  J.  S.  Bassett,  M.  A. 
Bidwell,  Oliver  Hamlin,  A.  Strong,  vice  A.  H.  Farn- 
ham,  Aaron  Greene,  J.  F.  Roe,  John  Torrey,  J.  B. 
Walton. 

November  1,  1840. — Z.  W.  Arnold,*  vice  M.  A. 
Bidwell. 

May  19,  1841.— J.  S.  Bassett,  f  C.  K.  Robinson,  f 
Z.  W.  Arnold,  f 

May  19,  1842.— J.  C.  Delezenne,  H.  Tracy,  vice  H. 
Baldwin,  A.  Strong,  Z.  W.  Arnold,  f 

May  14,  1843.— A.  H.  Farnham,  J.  F.  Roe,  vice  O. 
Hamlin,  H.  Tracy. 

May  15,  1844. — Ezra  Hand,  Charles  Jameson, 
Abram  Swart,  vice  J.  S.  Bassett,  J.  C.  Delezenne, 
C.  K.  Robinson,  J.  F.  Roe.f 

May  28,  1845.— B.  W.  Dennis,  vice  Charles  Jame- 
son, Z.  W.  Arnold.f 

June  24,  1846.— A.  H.  Farnham,-]-  A.  Swart.f 

May  26,  1847.— R.  M.  Grenell,  William  Orchard, 
vice  Ezra  Hand,  J.  F.  Roe,  P.  G.  Goodrich*  vice  A. 
H.  Farnham. 

May  12,  1848.— B.  W.  Dennis,f  J.  F.  Roe,  vice  P. 
G.  Goodrich,  W.  F.  Wood,  vice  Z.  W.  Arnold,  J. 
Woodward,*  vice  J.  F.  Roe. 

March  31,  1849.— Ezra  Hurlburt,*  A.  G.  Plum  * 
vice  A.  Swart,  J.  Woodward. 

June  4,  1849.— Henry  Dart,  vice  A.  G.  Plum,  Ezra 
Hurlburt.f 

June  7,  1850.— A.  G.  Plum,  E.  L.  Wolf,  vice  R.  M. 
Grenell,  William  Orchard. 

June  9,  1851.— A.  Strong,  vice  B.  W.  Dennis,  W.  F. 
Wood.f 

June  6,  1852.— B.  W.  Dennis,  vice  Henry  Dart, 
Ezra  Hurlburt.f 

February,  1853.— M.  A.  Bidwell,*  vice  B.  W.  Den- 
nis. 

June  10,  1853.— M.  A.  Bidwell,f  George  F.  Knapp, 
vice  A.  G.  Plum,  E.  L.  Woli'.f 

1854.— E.  T.  Beers,  J.  R.  Dickson,  vice  A.  Strong, 
W.  F.  Wood,  M.  A.  Bidwell.f 

1855.— C.  S.  Minor,  J.  B.  Moore,  B.  B.  Smith,  vice 
J.  R.  Dickson,  E.  Hurlburt,  E.  L.  Wolf. 

June  11,  1855.— Henry  Peet  *  vice  B.  B.  Smith. 


1856.— Henry  Peet,  G.  G.  Waller,  vice  M.  A.  Bid- 
well,  G.  F.  Knapp. 

February  25,  1857.— W.  H.  Foster,*  vice  Henry 
Peet. 

May  1,  1857.— S.  E.  Dimmick*  vice  W.  H.  Foster. 

May  30,  1857.— E.  T.  Beers,  t  W.  H.  Foster,!  Henry 
Heath,  vice  S.  E.  Dimmick. 

June  9,  1858.— W.  G.  Arnold,  W.  H.  Ham,  vice  C. 
S.  Minor,  J.  B.  Moore. 

June  1,  1859. — No  directors  elected  at  spring  elec- 
tion. J.  D.  De  Witt*  vice  E.  T.  Beers,  G.  G.  Wal- 
ler.*! 

May  30,  I860.— E.  T.  Beers,  R.  L.  Briggs,  L.  D. 
Tryon,  vice  J.  D.  De  Witt,  W.  H.  Foster,  G.  G.  Wal- 
ler, Henry  Heath. t 

1861.— F.  M.  Crane,  vice  L.  D.  Tryon,  W.  H.  Fes- 
ter, E.  Patmor,  vice  W.  G.  Arnold,  W.  H.  Ham,  S.  A. 
Terrel,*  vice  F.  M.  Crane. 

May  21,  1862.— John  Torrey,  William  Weiss,  vice 
E.  T.  Beers,  S.  A.  Terrel. 

May  2,  1863.— S.  E.  Dimmick,*  vice  R.  L.  Briggs. 

June  10,  1863.— Charles  Menner,  William  Weffer- 
ling,  vice  R.  L.  Briggs,  Henry  Heath. 

June  14,  1864.— Aaron  Cummings,  J.  C.  Delezenne, 
vice  W.  H.  Foster,  E.  Patmor. 

June  6,  1865.— H.  B.  Hamlin,  vice  John  Torrey, 
William  Weiss.f 

June  6,  1866.— Charles  Menner.fS.  A.  Terrel,  vice 
William  Weffcrling. 

June  4,  1867. — Aaron  Cummings,t  C.  A.  Dusin- 
berre,  vice  J.  C.  Delezenne. 

June  3,  186S.— Rufus  Cushman,  H.  A.  Woodhouse, 
vice  H.  B.  Hamlin,  William  Weiss. 

June  9,  1869.— Charles  Menner,*f  S.  A.  Terrel.*f 

June  7, 1870.— Aaron  Cummings,t  Charles  Menner,f 
S.  A.  Terrel,  C.  A.  Dusinberre,t  S.  A.  Terrel,+  vice 
Aaron  Cummings,  C.  A.  Dusinberre. 

January  2, 1871.— W.  H.  Foster,*  vice  Charles  Men- 
June  5,  1871.— Rufus  Cushman,t  W.  H.  Foster,! 
C.  W.  Spencer,  vice  H.  A.  Woodhouse. 

1872. — Aaron  Cummings,t  O.  C.  Jadwin,  vice  W. 
H.  Foster. 

June  11,  1872.— Henry  Wilson*  we  Rufus  Cush- 
man. 

June  3,  1873.— J.  C.  Delezenne,  vice  S.  A.  Terrel, 
C.  A.  Dusinberre,!  William  Weiss,  vice  H.  Wilson. 

1874.— Thomas  Charlesworth,  W.  H.  Ham,  vice 
C.  W.  Spencer,  William  Weiss. 

April  8, 1875.— C.  W.  Spencer,*  vice  W.  H.  Ham. 

1875.— Aaron  Cummings,t  C.  C.  Jadwin.f  C.  W. 
Speneer.f 

October  4,  1875.— William  Muir,*  vice  J.  C.  Dele- 
zenne. 

June  6,  1876.— William  Muir,f  C.  W.  Spencer,f 
vice  C.  A.  Dusinberre,  B.  L.  Wood,  vice  C.  W.  Spen- 
cer. 

October  30,  1876.— Isaac  Ball,*  vice  Aaron   Cum- 


422 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


June  5,  1877.— Isaac  Ball,f  William  Weiss,  vice 
Thomas  Charlesworth,  B.  L.  Wood.f 

1878.— W.  B.  Holmes,  vice  Isaac  Ball,  C.  C.  Jad- 
win.f 

1879.— William  Muir,f  C.  W.  Spencer.f 

1880.— H.  J.  Tarble,  M.  L.  Tracy,  vice  William 
Weiss,  B.  L.  Wood. 

1881.— H.  J:  Conger,  S.  B.  Haley,  vice  W.  B. 
Holmes,  C.  C.  Jadwin. 

1882.— Wflliam  Muir,t  C.  W.  Spencer.f 

1883.— H.  J.  Tarble.f  M.  L.  Tracy  .f 

January  14,  1884.— C.  C.  Jadwin*  vice  M.  L. 
Tracy. 

1884.— H.  J.  Conger.f  vice  C.  C.  Jadwin,  S.  B. 
Haley,f  C.  C.  Jadwin, t  vice  H.  J.  Conger. 

1885. — Reed  Burns,  Thomas  Crossley,  vice  William 
Muir,  C.  W.  Spencer. 

[Those  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*)  were  appointed 
by  the  board.  Those  marked  with  a  dagger  (f )  were 
re-elected.  When  not  otherwise  stated,  directors  as- 
sumed the  duties  of  their  office  on  the  first  Monday 
in  June.] 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  of  the 
Honesdale  School  Board  from  1835  to  1885, 
inclusive : 

1835.— Charles  Forbes,  president;  M.  A.  Bidwell, 
secretary. 

1836.— Charles  Forbes,  president;  M.  A.  Bidwell, 
secretary. 

1837.— Stephen  North,  Jr.,  president;  J.  B.  Walton, 
secretary ;  J.  F.  Roe,  treasurer. 

1838.— J.  B.  Walton,  president ;  C.  K.  Robinson, 
secretary  ;  A.  H.  Farnham,  treasurer. 

1839.— J.  B.  Walton,  president;  C.  K.  Robinson, 
secretary  ;  A.  H.  Farnham,  treasurer. 

1840. — A.  Strong,  president;  C.  K.  Robinson,  secre- 
tary ;  H.  Baldwin,  treasurer. 

1841. — Horace  Baldwin,  president ;  C.  K.  Robinson, 
secretary;  Oliver  Hamlin,  treasurer. 

1842. — H.  Tracy,  president ;  J.  C.  Delezenne,  secre- 
tary ;  Oliver  Hamlin,  treasurer. 

January,  1843. — J.  S.  Bassett,  president. 

1843. — A.  H.  Farnham,  president;  J.  C.  Delezenne, 
secretary ;  J.  S.  Bassett,  treasurer. 

1844. — A.  H.  Farnham,  president ;  Abram  Swart, 
secretary;  Oliver  Hamlin,  treasurer. 

1845. — A.  H.  Farnham,  president;  Abram  Swart, 
secretary;  Oliver  Hamlin,  treasurer. 

1846.— A.  H.  Farnham,  president;  Abram  Swart, 
secretary ;  J.  F.  Roe,  treasurer. 

1847.— A.  H.  Farnham,  president;  Abram  Swart, 
secretary ;  J.  F.  Roe,  treasurer. 

1847-— Z.  W.  Arnold,  president. 

1848.— B.  W.  Dennis,  president;  Abram  Swart, 
secretary ;  It.  M.  Grenell,  treasurer. 

1849.— B.  W.  Dennis,  president ;  W.  F.  Wood,  sec- 
retary ;  R.  M.  Grenell,  treasurer. 


1850.— W.  F.  Wood,  president ;  E.  L.  Wolf,  secre- 
tary ;  Ezra  Hurlburt,  treasurer. 

1851.— W.  F.  Wood,  president ;  E.  L.  Wolf,  secre- 
tary ;  Ezra  Hurlburt,  treasurer. 

1852.— W.  F.  Wood,  president;   E.  L.  Wolf,  secre- 
tary ;  Ezra  Hurlburt,  treasurer. 

1853.— W.  F.  Wood,  president ;   E.  L.  Wolf,  secre- 
tary ;  Ezra  Hurlburt,  treasurer. 

1854.— M.  A.  Bidwell,  president;  E.  L.  Wolf,  secre- 
tary ;  Ezra  Hurlburt,  treasurer. 

1854. — George  F.  Knapp,  secretary. 

1855.— M.  A.  Bidwell,  president;  C.  S.  Minor,  sec- 
retary ;  G.  F.  Knapp,  treasurer. 

1856. — Henry  Peet,  president;  C.  S.  Minor,  secre- 
tary; G.  G.  Waller,  treasurer. 

1856.— J.  B.  Moore,  president. 

1857. — J  B.  Moore,  president;  C.  S.  Minor,  secre- 
tary ;  G.  G.  Waller,  treasurer. 

1858.— W.  H.  Foster,  president;    W.  G.  Arnold 
secretary  ;  G.  G.  Waller,  treasurer. 

1859.— W.   H.   Foster,  president;    WT.  G.  Arnold, 
secretary ;  Henry  Heath,  treasurer. 

I860.— L.  D.  Tryon,  president;  W.  G.  Arnold,  sec 
retary  ;  Henry  Heath,  treasurer. 

1861. — E.  T.  Beers,  president;  R.  L.  Briggs,  secre 
tary  ;  Henry  Heath,  treasurer. 

1862  — W.  H.  Foster,  president ;  R.  L.  Briggs,  sec 
retary ;  Henry  Heath,  treasurer. 

1863. — Wm.  Weiss,  president;  Chas.  Menner,  sec 
retary  ;  H.  C.  Hand,  treasurer. 

1864. — Wm.  Weiss,  president;  Chas.  Menner, secre 
tary ;  J.  C.  Delezenne,  treasurer. 

1865. — Wm.  Weiss,  president ;  Chas.  Menner,  secre- 
tary; J.  C.  Delezenne,  treasurer. 

1866. — Wm.  Weiss,  president;  Chas.  Menner,  si 
tary ;  J.  C.  Delezenne,  treasurer. 

1867. — Wm.  Weiss,  president ;  Chas.  Menner,  secre- 
tary ;  S.  A.  Terrel,  treasurer. 

1868.— C.  A.  Dusinberre,  president;  Chas.  Menner, 
secretary  ;  S.  A.  Terrel,  treasurer. 

1869. — C.  A.  Dusinberre,  president ;  Chas.  Menner 
secretary ;  S.  A.  Terrel,  treasurer. 

1870. — C.  A.  Dusinberre,  president;  Chas.  Menner 
secretary  ;  S.  A.  Terrel,  treasurer. 

1870. — Aaron  Cummings,  secretary. 

1871.— Aaron   Cummings,  president;  Rufus  Cush- 
man,  secretary  ;  S.  A.  Terrel,  treasurer. 

1872.- — C.  A.  Dusinberre,  president;  C.  W.  Spencer, 
secretary ;  S.  A.  Terrel,  treasurer. 

1873. — C.  A.  Dusinberre,  president;  C.  W.  Spencer, 
secretary ;  Wm.  Weiss,  treasurer. 

1874. — C.  A.  Dusinberre,  president;  W.  H.Ham, 
secretary  ;  Aaron  Cummings,  treasurer. 

1875.— C.  A.  Dusinberre,  president ;  C.  W.  Spencer, 
secretary;  Aaron  Cummings,  treasurer. 

1876. — O.  C.  Jadwin,  president:  C.  W.  Spencer, sec- 
retary ;  Aaron  Cummings,  treasurer. 

1876.— B.  L.  Wood,  treasurer. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


1877.— C.  C.  Jadwin,  president;  C.  W.  Spencer, 
secretary;  B.  L.  Wood,  treasurer. 

1878.— C.  C.  Jadwin,  president;  C.  W.  Spencer, 
secretary;  B.  L.  Wood,  treasurer. 

1879. — C.  C.  Jadwin,  president;  C.  W.  Spencer, 
secretary ;  B.  L.  Wood,  treasurer. 

1880. — Wm.  Muir,  president ;  C.  W.  Spencer,  secre- 
tary ;  W.  B.  Holmes,  treasurer. 

1881.— Wm.  Muir,  president;  C  W.  Spencer,  secre- 
tary ;  M.  L.  Tracy,  treasurer. 

1882.— Wm.  Muir,  president;  C.  W.  Spencer,  secre- 
tary ;  M.  L.  Tracy,  treasurer. 

1883. — Wm.  Muir,  president;  C.  W.  Spencer,  secre- 
tary ;  M.  L.  Tracy,  treasurer. 

1883.— S.  B.  Haley,  treasurer. 

1884.— Wm.  Muir,  president;  C.  W.  Spencer,  secre- 
tary ;  S.  B.  Haley,  treasurer. 

1885. — Reed  Burns,  president ;  Thomas  Crossley, 
secretary ;  H.  J.  Conger,  treasurer. 

The  treasurer  was  not  always  a  director. 

The  following  is  an  alphabetical  list  of  the 
teachers  in  the  public  schools  of  Honesdale 
from  1835  to  the  establishment  of  the  Graded 
School  in  1861,  with  the  schools  and  years  in 
which  they  taught : 

No.  Name.  Teas. 

2.  Adams,  A.  A 18G0 

2.  Adams,  Thaddeus 1854-55 

2.  Allen,  Mr 1855 

2.  Arnold,  Miss 1847 

1.  Arnold,  W.  G 1842-43 

3.  Baker,  G.  R 1840-47 

2.  Beakes,  H.  J 1848-49 

3.  Beardslee,  A 1853 

1.  Beers,  Simeon 1846 

1.  Blackington,  Miss 1849 

4.  Bloiss,  Miss 1854 

3.  Bidwell,  M.  A 1854 

2.  Box,  Henry 1858-59 

3.  Brooking,  Mary  J 1857-58 

2.  Brooking,  Mary  J 1858 

2.  Brown,  Mr 1855 

1.  Bush,  Miss  H.  C 1856,  '57,  '58 

3.  Church,  D.  W 1845 

1.  Cobb,  Mr 1851-52 

2.  Condit,  Mrs 1800 

3.  Cook,  A.  G 1845 

2.  Cook,  A.  G 1846 

2.  Corbyn,  Miss  A.  L 1843-44 

1.  Corbyn,  Miss  A.  L 1844-45 

2.  Corey,  Mrs 1859 

2.  Cummings,  Miss 1844 

3.  Curtis,  Mr 1854 

1.  Darby,  Edward ' 1850-51 

2.  Darling,  Maria 1843 

2.  Davis,  Willard 1840-41 


3.  Dennis,  B.  W 1845,  '40,  '47,  '48,  '49, 

'50,  '51,  '52 

2.  Durand,  Mr 1855 

2.  Edgett,  G.  W 1857-58 

1.  Elderkin,  Mrs 1847 

2.  Fairchild,  J.  N 1853,  '54.  '55,  '56 

1.  Farrow,  Miss 1839,  '40,  '41 

1.  Genung,  A.  W 1841^2 

4.  (iiddings,  Mr 1852 

3.  Goodrich,  C.  B 1838,  '39,  '40,  '41,  '42 

3.  Goodrich,  U.  B 1842-13 

2.  Grant,  F.  C 1849 

1.  Ham,  W.  H 1854 

2.  Hamlin,  Harriet 1843 

2.  Hamlin,  Henrietta 1848 

1.  Hamlin,  L.  W 1858^59 

3.  Harris,  Samuel 1857 

2.  Hawker,  J.  E 1800-01 

(?)  Hawley,  Mrs.  M.  A 1830 

1.  Heath,  J.  P 1800-01 

1.  Eoolihan,  J.  S 1854,  '55,  '50,  '59 

(?)  Kellogg,  Miss  A 1836 

1.  Ketchum,  Harriet 1843 

1.  Leighton,  E 1S43-44 

2.  Lewis,  Louisa  M 1842, '43, '44 

2.  Longstreet,  Miss 1846-47 

4.  Losey,  Jos.  W 1854 

1.  Losey,  Miss 1859 

2.  McKeen,  C.  T 1844 

2.  Miller,  W.  H 1841-42 

1.  Mumford,  Miss 1840 

2.  Mumford,  Oliver 1850-57 

2.  Myers,  J.  W 1845 

1.  Niles,  Miss  L.  B 1847-48 

2.  Palmer,  Miss 1848 

2.  Pearson,  Charles 1838-39 

4.  Pease,  H.  H 1850-51 

1.  Peet,  Henry 1849, '50, '51 

3.  Pritchard,  Mr 1854, '55, '56 

1.  Spaulding,  Abigail 1836-37 

2.  Stearns,  Irene  1 1857 

3.  Stearns,  Miss  L 1856 

3.  Stillson,  A.  J 1849 

1.  Stillson,  A.  J. 1850 

3.  Swart,  Mary  J 1857 

2.  Swartz,  Miss 1856 

3.  Turner,  J.  C 1854-55 

3.  Turner,  J.  C 1860-01 

3.  Turner,  Ruth  E 1800 

1.  Welsh,  George 1854-55 

(?)  Wentworth,  Mrs.  P.  A 1830 

2.  Williams,  1) 1835-36 

2.  Willis,  Albert 1849, '50, '51, '52, '53 

1.  Willis,  Spencer 1852-53 

The  following  is  an  alphabetical  list  of  the 
teachers  in  the  Honesdale  Graded  School  from 
1861  to  1885,  inclusive,  with  the  years  in 
which  they  taught : 


424 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Alden,  W.  W 1883, '84, '85 

Allen,  Olive 1877,  78,  '79 

Atkinson,  Melissa 1868 

Avery,  Eunice.. .1878,  '79,  '80,  '81,  '82,  '83,  '84 

Avery,  Thomas  J 1883,  '84,  '85 

Ball,  Sadie 1885 

Barnum.  L.  H...1872,  '73,  '74,  '75,  76,  77,  78 

Belden,  Miss 1867 

Belding,  E.  J 1862,  '63 

Birdsall,  G.  H 1863 

Brown,  Maggie 1S77,  78,  79 

Brownscombe,  Jennie 1868 

Buckingham,  Emma  M 1871,  72,  73 

Bullard,  L.  E 1869,70,71 

Bush,  Miss  H.C 1861,  '62,  '63 

Butler,  Wm.  F...1879,  '80,  '81,  '82,  '83,  '84,  '85 

Butterfield,  Miss  H.  A 1861,  '62,  '63 

Cady,  Dora 1880,  '81,  '82,  '83 

Case,  E.  J 1864,  '65,  '66 

Church,  Mary 1870,  '82,  '83,  84,  '85 

Cole,  Sarah  A 1865 

Collins,  S.  A 1863,  '64,  '6.", 

Cook,  Estella  G 1877,  78,  79,  '80,  '81 

Coyle,Mannie 1877,  78,  79 

Crago,  Lizzie 18S5 

Cummings,  M.  H 1870,71 

Darling,  Jennie 1871,  72,  73,  74,  75;  76 

Dennis,  Mrs.  A.  J 1873,  74.  75,  76,  77 

Dolph,  John  M..1878,  79,  '80,  '81,  '82,  '83,  '84 

Drummond,  A.  M 1866,  '67 

Eno,  Lillie  G 1884, '85 

Fowler,  L.  R 1867,  '68,  '69,  70,  71,  72 

Galvin,  Rose 1874,  75,  76,  77 

Gilpin,  Elsie  J 1881,  '82,  '83,  '84,  '85 

Grenell,  Lizzie  J 1867,  '68 

Gustin,  Emma 1862 

Hand,  Charles  W 1878,  79 

Hand,  Kate 1875,  76,  77 

Hillis,  Susie 1877,  78 

Hodgson,  W.  H 1866,  '67 

Hollister,  Miss  F.  E 1863,  '64 

Hoyt,  Mary  A 1868,  '69 

Jay,  Mary 1879,  '80,  'SI,  '82,  '83 

Keen,  Louisa  C 1864,  '65,  'm,  '67,  :(ji>,  '69 

70,  71,  72,  73,  74,  75,  76 
77,  78,  79,  '80,  '81  '83,  '84 

Keeney,  Agnes 1877,  78 

Kepler,  Julia 1881,  '82 

Kiefer,J.  D 1885 

Langley,  Mary 1868,  '69,  70 

Lawrence,  Georgia 1867,  '68,  '69,  70 

Longstreet,  Sadie 1874,  75,  76 

Marsh,  Mary  M 1863,  '64,  '65,  '66,  '67 

Matthews,  M.  B 1867,  '68,  '69,  70 

Matthews,  Minnie 1873,  74,  75,  76 

Mclntire,  Libbie 1883 

Miller,  Helen 1878,  79,  '80,  '81 

Miller,  Julia 1885 


Monaghan,  F.  M 1879,  '80 

Mott,  Mary 1871,  72 

Mudgely,  Mary 1872 

Mumford,  C.  G 1865 

Palmer,  Isabella  E 1866 

Parmenter,  M.  S 1868 

Parsons,  W.  H 1863,  '64 

Parsons,  Edwards 1862,  '63,  '64 

Patmor,  EmmaM 1861, '62,  71,  72,  73 

Purdy,  Maria  L 1869,  70,  71 

Reury,  Jennie 1881,  '82 

Reynolds,  Louisa 1873,  74,  75 

"Robertson,  Jennie 1884 

Rood,  John  S 1879,  '80 

Schoonover,  Wm 1861,  '62 

Scott,  Ella 1876,  77 

Scott,  Sarah  E 1870,  71 

Shaw,  C.  B 1861,  '62, '63,  '64,  '65,  '66 

Shaw,  Mrs.  C.  B 1863,  '64,  '65 

Spencer,  Rena 1876,  77,  78,  79,  '80,  '81 

'82,  '83,  '84,  '85 

Stanton,  Lizzie  J 1874,  75 

Stevens,  Miss  L.  J 1873,  74,  75,  76,  77, 

78,  79 

Stoddard,  Lizzie  M 1867,  '68 

Sutton,  Clara  T 1875,  76,  77,  78,  79,  '80 

'81,  '82,  '83,  '85 

Terrell,  Ruth  E 1867,  '68,  '69,  70,  71 

72,  73 

Thorp,  Amanda 1877,  78 

Tomlinson,  Miss 1865,  '66,  '67,  '68 

Tryon,  Mary  E 1866,  '67 

Turner,  F.  E 1869,  70,  71 

Twitmyer,  Geo.  W 1884,  '85 

Weiss,  Minnie 1883, '84, '85 

Willsea,  Mrs.  S.  A 1870,  71,  72,  73 

Wing,  H.  S 1871,  72,  73 

Woodmansie,  Elma 1881,  '82 

Yonker,  Hannah 1884,  '85 

The  Ronesdaee  A<  adem  y. — This,  the  most 
important  educational  institution  which  the  town 
ever  possessed,  besides  the  graded  schools,  was 
organized  in  1833,  and  the  old  academy  build- 
ing was  erected  in  that  year,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  school  building.  The  original  board 
of  trustees  in  1833  was  composed  of  J.  B.  Wal- 
ton, J.  Neal,  A.  H.  Farnum,  J.  D.  Delezenne 
and  S.  W.  Genung.  No  effort  appears  to  have 
been  made  to  conduct  an  academy  here  until 
1838,  the  building  being  rented  by  the  trustees 
to  the  school  board  from  1835  to  that  time  and 
used  by  them  as  a  district  school-house.  In 
1838  the  trust  eeg,  however,  opened  an  academy, 
with  Henry  Seymour,  A.B.,  a  graduate  of  Am- 
herst College,  as  principal.     He  was  followed 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


by  Professors  Morse,  Willard  Richardson,  B.  B. 

Smith,  C.  N.  Todd  and  John  Proctor,  John 
Proctor,  J.  H.  Sinclair,  May  &  Lott,  Lott,  Ter- 
rell &  Briggs  and  Briggs  alone. 

In  1853  the  old  building  was  removed  to  the 
east  side  of  Third  Street,  between  Tenth  and 
Eleventh.  It  has  since  been  used  as  a  residence, 
and  is  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  George  Bent  ley. 
The  same  year  the  main  part  of  the  present 
building  was  erected,  F.  B.  Penniman  and 
Charles  C.  Waller  raising  the  money  for  the 
enterprise.  When  completed  there  was  a  debt 
of  about  two  thousand  dollars  hanging  over  the 
new  building,  toward  the  cancellation  of  which 
the  following  subscriptions  were  made:  John 
Torrey,  $400;  Russel  F.  Lord,  §300 ;  T.H.R. 
Tracy,  $250;  Richard  L.  Seely,  $250;  James 
R.  Dickson,  $250;  S.  D.  Ward,  $50  ;  S.  E. 
Dimmick,  $50,  and  others  stood  ready  to  con- 
tribute the  residue. 

The  May  term,  1853,  was  opened  in  the  new 
building,  ('.  N.  Todd  and  John  Proctor  being 
the  associate  principals,  with  a  corps  of  assist- 
ants, including  Mrs.  C.  F.  Tracy,  Miss  Abbie 
R.  Knight,  Miss  C.  L.  Scott  and  Mr.  Godfrey 
Stoeubly.  The  trustees  at  this  period  were  R. 
L.  Seely,  T.  H.  R.  Tracy,  S.  D.  Ward,  S.  E. 
Dimmick,  James  R.  Dickson  and  F.  B.  Pen- 
niman. 

The  academy  was  conducted  epiite  successfully, 
under  the  various  principals  heretofore  named, 
until  1861,  when  it  was  discontinued,  and  the 
building  was  sold  to  the  school  directors  for 
twenty-three  hundred  dollars. 

As  a  matter  of  interest  to  many  readers,  we 
give  a  partial  list  of  the  pupils  of  the  old  acad- 
emy during  the  years  1844-45-46,  when  B.  B. 
Smith  was  principal.  The  names  were  selected 
from  his  books  and  are  chiefly  those  of  resident 
pupils, — 


Joseph  Gust  in. 
Warren  Seely. 
Franklin  A.  Seely. 
Thomas  Swingle. 
Miles  Swingle. 
David  H  Winton. 
Edward  McLaury. 
James  W.  Baker. 
Anson  Wheeler. 
William  H   Ham. 
41 


George  W.  Allen. 
Fred.  W.  Kirtland. 
Win.  H.  Hurlburt. 
Enos  Williams. 
James  W.  Williams. 
James  R.  Knapp. 
Walter  W.  Weston. 
Samuel  Fields. 
John  Bassett. 
Hornback  Bassett. 


John  Edgett. 
Joseph  W.  Losey. 
Henry  Conks  in. 
ThmiKis  Farnham. 
E.  A.  Penniman. 
Charles  Wright. 
Charles  Skinner. 
John  Patmore. 
Theodore  Patmore. 
Edward  Kingsbury. 
Edward  Murray. 
Emeline  Losey. 
Elvira  Munson. 
Mary  P.  Hand. 
Martha  A.  Harrison. 
Mary  A.  Brown. 
Frances  Rowland. 
Eliza  Wheeler. 
Mary  Wheeler. 
Betsey  A.  Ham. 
Russell  Clark. 
Henry  H.  Rue. 
Judson  S.  Wickham. 
Annie  E.  Foster. 
Helen  Graves. 
Clinton  Graves. 
Eliza  Kirtland. 
Eliza  Wilcox. 
Frances  Wilcox. 
Amanda  Plum. 
Caroline  Hurlburt. 
Sarah  Mcintosh. 
Susan  Mcintosh. 
Julia  Preseott. 
Mary  Preseott. 
Mariette  Blandin. 
Elizabeth  Patmore. 
Henry  Sehofield. 
Thomas  Orchard. 
Eliza  J.  Gustin. 
Geo.  W.  Delezenne. 
Horace  C.  Hand. 
Enoch  Tuthill. 
Meeds  Tuthill. 
Oliver  D.  Gustin. 
Alfred  Hand. 
Seth  W.  Powell. 


Edwin  F.  Torrey. 
Wellington  W.  Blood. 
Carlos  Robinson. 
George  Harrison. 
Jeremiah  Hawker. 
Isaae  1'arminter. 
Simeon  Beers. 
Corydon  L.  Whitney. 
Lueena  C.  Reed. 
Julia  Strong. 
Mary  Strong. 
Helen  Mason. 
Jane  Hamlin. 
Henrietta  Hamlin. 
Louise  Avery. 
Alfred  Pascoe. 
Hobart  Hamlin. 
Edmund  M.  Clark. 
Charles  C.  Brown. 
Abram  Swarts. 
Geo.  W.  Hurlburt. 
Samuel  R.  Blois. 
Martin  Avery. 
Charles  Webber. 
Lorin  P.  Smith. 
Ellen  Foster. 
Chas.  H.  Panni titer. 
Stephen  Kimble. 
Isaac  Wheeler. 
William  Matthews. 
Mary  Jane  Ward. 
George  Foster. 
Anna  Rowland. 
Mary  Roe. 
Abigail  Roe. 
Helen  I.  Blood. 
Mary  Fuller. 
Win,  J.  Fuller. 
Saiah  Winton. 
Mary  Cooper. 
Henry  M.  Seely. 
Albert  Blandin. 
Thomas  J.  Ham. 
Baldwin  Losey. 
Jane  Swarts. 
Emmons  Blandin. 
Joseph  Eade. 


The  late  Benjamin  B.  Smith,  the  longest 
serving,  ablest  and  best-known  principal  the 
academy  ever  had,  was  a  descendant  of  an  old 
Connecticut  family  long  settled  at  or  near 
Litchfield,  where  his  father,  Sylvester  Smith, 
was  born.  In  early  life  the  latter  took  up 
his  residence  at  Whitestowu,  Oneida  County, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  for  a  time,  and  then 
removed    to    Franklin,    Susquehanna    County, 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Pa.,  where  he  married  Polly  Bates,  of  Great 
Bend,  and  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days. 
He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  wild  sectiou 
in  which  he  located,  and  led  a  life  of  busy  in- 
dustry in  clearing  up  and  developing  the  land 
which  he  was  about  to  reclaim  from  nature, 
and  devote  to  the  uses  of  agriculture  and 
husbandry. 

Amid  such  surroundings  Benjamin  B.  Smith 
was  born  in  August,  1815.     He  was  early  sub- 


not  remain  long  enough  to  cover  the  entire 
curriculum,  but  afterwards,  upon  examination 
and  in  consideration  of  his  actual  proficiency  in 
learning,  he  was  granted  his  degree  as  though 
lie  had  taken  the  regular  course.  About  this 
period  he  engaged  in  teaching  at  Dundaff,  Sus- 
quehanna County,  for  several  years.  In  1839 
he  came  to  Honesdale  as  a  student  in  tho  acad- 
emy, and  in  1841  became  principal  of  the 
institution,  in  which  position  he  continued  for 


£*  9m 


&*2J^2&tf 


jected  to  severe  toil  upon  his  father's  farm,  and 
his  educational  advantages  were  decidedly 
limited.  Being  fond  of  study  and  anxious  to 
acquire  a  thorough  education,  he  finally  entered 
the  academy  at  Harford,  Susquehanna  County, 
where  he  received  excellent  academic  instruc- 
tion, and  soon  after  engaged  in  the  occupation 
of  a  teacher  in  the  district  schools  of  the 
county.  By  still  closer  study  and  industrious 
preparation,  he  fitted  himself  for  admission  to 
Union   College,   Schenectady,  N.  Y.     He   did 


ten  years,  with  marked  success,  and  with  the 
earnest  appreciation  of  the  friends  of  the 
school. 

In  1851  he  deemed  it  advisable  to  withdraw 
from  the  academy,  and  to  adopt  another  voca- 
tion. He  purchased  a  book-store  in  Honesdale, 
and  thenceforward  until  his  death,  October  28, 
1885,  his  store  was  recognized  as  one  of  the 
successful  permanent  establishments  of  the 
place.  During  all  this  time,  however,  he  was 
unceasingly    active    in    other   directions.       He 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


427 


maintained  his  familiar  acquaintance  with 
mathematics  and  classical  literature,  and  acted 
as  the  private  instructor  and  tutor  of  many  of 
the  young  men  of  Honesdale.  He  purchased  a 
farm  near  Honesdale,  and  labored  considerably 
upon  that.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  the 
temperance  cause,  and  his  voice  was  frequently 
heard  upon  the  rostrum  in  favor  of  the  aboli- 
tion of  all  privileges  for  the  manufacture  or 
sale  of  alcoholic  beverages.  As  early  as  1853 
he  adopted  radical  views  in  relation  to  the 
doctrine  of  human  slavery,  and  though  opposed 
by  the  majority  of  his  friends  at  that  period,  he 
helped  to  organize  an  anti-slavery  party,  and 
zealously  propagated  their  views  until  their 
final  triumph,  in  1863.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Honesdale  Presbyterian  Church,  and  took 
a  deep  interest  in  church-work.  Later  on  his 
investigations  into  the  mysteries  of  science  led 
him  to  see  an  apparent  contradiction  between 
nature  as  it  existed  and  as  the  dogmas  of  the 
church  declared  it  had  been  created,  and  he  fell 
into  some  disfavor  with  the  more  zealous  and 
narrow-minded  of  his  brethren  ;  but  never  did 
he  abandon  his  faith  in  God,  his  belief  in  the 
life  beyond  the  grave,  in  the  certainty  of  the 
doctrine  of  rewards  and  punishments  after 
death,  nor  in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  good 
over  evil. 

Probably  the  strongest  characteristic  of  Mr. 
Smith's  nature  might  be  described  as  earnest 
and  fearless  seeking  after  truth,  great  inde- 
pendence of  thought  and  investigation  and 
an  inflexible  determination  to  indorse  and  be 
faithful  to  the  doctrines  and  creeds  which  he 
believed  to  be  true.  His  integrity  as  a  man 
was  never  questioned.  Devoted  to  his  family 
and  friends,  faithful  in  the  performance  of  all 
good  works,  honest  in  thought  and  action,  he 
leaves  behind  him  that  greatest  of  all  riches,  a 
good  name,  and  a  memory  which  those  who  are 
nearest  to  him  may  hold  in  reverence. 

Mr.  Smith  married,  December  9,  1841, 
Betsey  Hannah  Brush,  daughter  of  Deacon 
Stephen  Brush,  of  Honesdale.  Of  his  three 
children,  but  two  attained  to  years  of  maturity, 
viz. :  Carrie  A.  and  Henry  A.,  a  teacher  by 
occupation,  who  died,  September  29,  1885, 
while  principal  of  the  academy  at  Whitney's 


Point,  New  York.  The  latter  married  Jennie 
C.  Reury,  of  Honesdale,  who,  with  their  only 
child,  Bessie  H.  Smith,  reside  in  Honesdale. 

societies. 

Honesdale  Lodge,  No.  218,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons. — The  Grand  Lodge  of 
Pennsylvania,  assembled  at  Philadelphia,  Sep- 
tember 4,  1843,  granted  a  warrant  to  hold  a 
Masonic  lodge  in  the  borough  of  Honesdale, 
Wayne  County,  Pa.,  to  be  called  Honesdale 
Lodge,  No.  218,  and  appointed  John  I.  Allen 
Worshipful  Master;  Daniel  O.  Skinner,  Senior 
Warden  ;  Richard  Lancaster,  Junior  Warden  ; 
Joseph  B.  Walton,  Treasurer;  Jeremiah  C. 
Gunn,  Secretary — and  the  said  lodge  was  duly 
constituted,  and  the  above-named  officers  in- 
stalled, by  Daniel  Burrell,  Worshipful  Master 
of  the  Milford  Lodge,  by  virtue  of  a  dispensa- 
tion from  the  Grand  Master. 

At  first  there  was  no  suitable  place  for  a 
lodge- room,  and  the  meetings  were  held  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  town,  until  Mr.  Zara  W.  Ar- 
nold erected  a  building  near  the  bank,  the 
upper  part  of  which  was  fitted  up  for  Ma- 
sonic purposes,  where  the  meetings  were  held 
for  a  number  of  years,  after  which  John  A. 
Patmor  erected  a  large  building,  called  Empire 
Block,  and  the  upper  story  of  said  building  was 
fitted  up  for  lodge-rooms,  and,  when  finished, 
the  lodge  was  removed  to  that  place,  and  the 
hall  properly  dedicated  with  the  pleasing  reflec- 
tion that,  in  view  of  the  ample  and  commodious 
accommodations,  added  to  the  tasteful  and  sym- 
bolic arrangements,  it  was  considered  a  perma- 
nent location.  But,  unfortunately,  the  lodge 
had  not  been  settled  to  exceed  two  years,  when, 
on  the  night  of  April  25,  1851,  a  destructive 
fire  broke  out  in  a  building  near  by,  which 
raged  with  such  fury  that  all  access  to  the 
lodge-room  was  cut  off ;  consequently,  the  char- 
ter, regalia,  furniture  and,  worst  of  all,  the  rec- 
ords of  the  lodge  (including  the  records  of 
Freedom  Lodge,  No.  147,  organized  at  Beth- 
any in  the  year  1816),  were  consumed,  so  that 
there  was  not  the  least  vestige  remaining. 
There  being  no  insurance,  it  was  a  total  loss, 
and  the  lodge  was  left  without  a  warrant 
and     in     a     penniless     condition.       Meetings 


42S 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUJNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


were  held  from  time  to  time  for  the  pur- 
pose of  consulting  as  to  the  best  means  to 
be  taken  for  reinstating  the  lodge.  In 
the  mean  time  a  statement  was  forwarded  to  the 
Grand  Lodge,  which  not  only  renewed  the  char- 
ter without  fee,  but  donated  considerable  aid  be- 
sides. This  action  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  together 
with  contributions  received  from  various  lodges 
and  brethren,  enabled  the  lodge  to  resume  work 
under  the  old  warrant,  reissued  by  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Pennsylvania,  under  date  of  June  4, 
1851,  and  on  the  date  of  October  2,  1851,  the 
lodge  commenced  to  hold  regular  meetings  in 
Odd-Fellows'  Hall  until  permanent  quarters 
could  be  procured.  August  26,  1852,  a  suit- 
able hall  was  leased  of  James  H.  Sutton,  the 
lodge  having  this  place  until  July  1-1,  1859, 
when  more  roomy  and  convenient  apartments 
were  rented  from  Charles  Petersen.  Early  in 
1869  the  lodge  removed  its  hall  from  the  Peter- 
sen building  to  what  has  since  been  known  as 
Masonic  Hall,— a  fine  brick  structure,  with 
mansard  roof, — having  been  constructed  and 
arranged  specially  for  Masonic  purposes 
throughout  the  entire  third  story.  In  its  mem- 
bership and  general  personnel Honesdale  Lodge, 
No.  218,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  presents  a 
long  list  of  the  solid  yeomanry  of  the  county  of 
Wayne,  aud  under  the  sods  of  the  hills  and  val- 
leys sleep  numbers  of  those  early  members  of 
the  mystic  shrine,  who,  in  the  early  days  of 
thicket  and  forest,  rode  many  miles  through 
unbroken  woods  to  attend  lodge-meetings. 
Among  the  number  of  those  who  have  held  im- 
portant positions  in  the  lodge  the  greatest  num- 
ber of  years  may  be  mentioned  the  names  of 
Charles  Menner  and  Dr.  James  W.  Kesler,  the 
former  having  occupied  the  secretary's  chair 
from  1855  to  1865  ;  the  last-named  the  same 
position  from  1870  until  the  present  time. 

Anthony  Wayne  Chapter,  No.  204, 
H.  R.  A.,  was  instituted  May  7,  1866,  with 
Thomas  E.  Grier,  Robert  J.  Menner,  William 
Turner,  William  H.  Dimmick,  Gilbert  White 
and  Jacob  K.  Palmer  as  charter  members.  Of 
these,  only  two — Messrs.  Menner  and  White — 
remain  among  the  present  members.  The  succes- 
sion of  officers,  from  and  including  the  first,  with 
the  dates  of  their  election,  have  been  as  follows  : 


M.  E.  High  Priests.— Thomas  E.  Grier,  May  7, 
1866;  Robert  J.  Menner,  December  17,  1867;  Wil- 
liam Turner,  December  26,  1866;  Henry  J.  Tarble, 
December  1,  1868,  re-elected  December  21,  1869 ; 
Samuel  B.  Haley,  December  13,  1870;  Charles  0. 
Brown,  November  28,  1871 ;  Henry  J.  Tarble,  Febru- 
ary 18,  1873,  re-elected  December  9,  1873,  and  No- 
vember 24,  1874;  Horace  T.  Menner,  December  14, 
1875,  re-elected  December  5,  1876;  Gilbert  White, 
January  22,  1884 ;  J.  Oscar  Terrel,  December  2, 
1884. 

Kings.— Robert  J.  Menner,  May  7,  1866,  re- 
elected December  26, 1866  ;  Henry  J.  Tarble,  Decem- 
ber 17,  1867  ;  C.  C.  Brown,  December  1, 1868;  Robert  A. 
Smith,  December  21,  1869  ;  Win.  H.  Stanton,  Decem- 
ber 13,  1870;  Robert  A.  Smith,  November  28,  1871, 
re-elected  February  18,  1873,  December  9,  1873,  No- 
vember 24,  1874,  December  14, 1875,  and  December  5, 
1876  ;  J.  O.  Terrel,  January  22,  1884;  H.  G.  Keeler, 
December  2,  1884. 

Scribes.— William  Turner,  May  7,  1863;  Henry  J. 
Tarble,  December  26,  1866 ;  Gilbert  White,  Decem- 
ber 17,  1867  ;  William  H.Stanton,  December  1,  1868; 
Samuel  B.  Haley,  December  21,  1869;  C.  C.  Brown, 
December  13,  1870  ;  Horace  T.  Menner,  November 
28,  1871,  re-elected  February  18,  1873,  and  Decem- 
ber 9,  1873  ;  Samuel  K.  Dodge,  November  24,  1*74, 
re-elected  December  14,  1875 ;  Gilbert  White,  De- 
cember 5,  1876 ;  John  Bone,  January  22,  1884,— re- 
elected December  2,  1884. 

Tret  is  a, rers. — Charles  Petersen,  December  26,  1866, 
re-elected  repeatedly  to  December  5,  1876  ;  Henry  J. 
Tarble,  January  22,  1884,  re-elected  December  2, 
1884. 

Secretaries. — Charles  Menner,  December  26,  1866; 
J.  O.  Terrel,  December  17,  1867  ;  J.  M.  Wood,  De- 
cember 1,  1868;  William  Turner,  December  21,  1869; 
Rufus  Cushman,  December  13,  1870;  Charles  Menner, 
November  28,  1871,  and  re-elected  five  terms,  the  last 
being  December  5,  1876  ;  Samuel  K.  Dodge,  January 
_"_',  L884,  and  re-elected  December  1,  1884. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  members  who  have 
been  exalted  to  the  chapter,  those  who  have 
ceased  to  be  members,  either  by  death,  with- 
drawal or  otherwise,  being  designated  by  a  *  : 

Chas.  C.  Brown*  (May  John  McFarland.* 

8,  1866).  John  J.  Spencer* 

George  W.  Farrer.*  Frederick  Schlund.* 

Charles  Petersen.  Russell  F.  Lord,  Jr.* 

Dwight  Reed.*  Jacob  Samuels. 

Thomas  Brown.*  Rev.  F.  Wm.  Heller* 

Charles  Menner.*  Horace  T.  Whitney. 

Robert  W.  Kiple.*  Henry  H.  Roe. 

Abram  Samuels.  Henry  Ball. 

Robert  A.  Smith.  Horace  T.  Menner. 

Joseph  Zahn.  Samuel  B.  Haley. 

John  Bone.  P.  C.  Johnson.* 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Rufus  Cushman* 
J.  Oscar  Terrel. 
Wm.  S.  Birdsall. 
Henry  W.  Brown.* 
Henry  J.  Tarble. 
Aaron  B.  Lacy.* 
John  M.  Wood* 
W.  N.Alberty. 
Joseph  R.  Mitchell.* 
Jacob  Lauer.* 
Daniel  W.  Church.* 
C.  A.  Dusinberre. 
James  Keen.* 
Samuel  Allen.* 
Fr'klin  H.  Rockwell.* 
Wm.  H.  Stanton. 


Otto  Foedisch.* 
James  Bush,* 
Almeron  R.  Howe.* 
John  W.  Brown. 
Samuel  K.  Dodge. 
Wm.  Bone. 
Wyman  Kimble. 
George  Foote.* 
Charles  M.  Betz. 
Oscar  T.  Chambers. 
Elbert  P.  Jones. 
Harry  B.  Synar. 
Robert  A.  Ferber. 
George  W.  Burnside. 
H.  G.  Reefer. 


The  stated  meetings  of  the  chapter  are  held 
on  Tuesday  evening  of  every  month  succeeding 
the  full  moon. 

Freedom  Lodge,  No.  88,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was 
instituted  August  28,  1856.  The  first  officers 
were  Henry  Kuttner,  N.  G.;  John  Bone,  V.  G.; 
James  Fox,  Sec;  William  Weiss,  Treas.  The 
lodge  had  then  about  ten  members.  October 
1,  1885,  it  had  fifty  members,  and  the  cash  on 
hand  was  $1382.08,  and  that  invested  $1000— 
making  $2382.08.  The  present  officers  are 
Joseph  Williams,  N.  G. ;  Alfred  Willmarth, 
V.  G.;  George  L.  Eck,  Treas.;  Otto  Teaubner, 
Sec. 

Lackawaxen  Encampment,  No.  30,  I.  O. 

0.  F.,  was  instituted  September  29,  1873,  with 
the  following  officers :  John  Gerry,  C.  P.;  Wil- 
liam Weaver,  S.  W.;  George  Bond,  J.  W.;  F.  A. 
Brown,  Scribe ;  John  Loercher,  Treas.  The 
present  officers  are  F.  S.  Martin,  C.  P.;  William 
Varcoe,  H.  P.;  John  Meyer,  S.  W.;  T.  Schil- 
ling, J.  W.;  John  Loercher,  Treas.;  George  L. 
Eck,  Scribe  and  D.  D.  G.  P. 

Irving  Lodge,  No.  491,  K.  of  P.,  was  or- 
ganized October  31,  1883,  with  a  membership 
of  forty-eight,  of  which  number  forty-two  re- 
ceived the  Knight's  rank,  two  received  rank  of 
Esquire  and  four  received  rank  of  Page.  The 
officers  elected  for  the  first  term  were  W.  E. 
Greeley,  C.  C.;  Thomas  J.  Ham,  V.  O;  C.  W. 
Spencer,  P.;  C.  E.  Foster,  M.  at  A.;  C.  M. 
Betz,  M.  of  Ex.;  E.  H.  Clark,  M.  of  F.;  T.  E. 
Calloway,    K.    of  R.    and    S.;    C.    E.  Knapp, 

1.  G.;  F.  W.  Jenkins,  O.  G.;  S.  F.  Cory. 
There  have  been  nineteen  additional   members 


initiated  into  the  lodge  since  the  night  of  organ- 
i  ization,  eighteen  of  whom  received  the  rank  of 
Knight  and  one  the  rank  of  Esquire,  making  a 
total  membership  at  present  of  sixty-seven.  The 
following  officers  were  serving  in  November, 
1885 :  C.  M.  Betz,  P.  O;  S.  B.  Haley,  C.  C.;: 
R.  W.  Ham,  V.  C;  P.  E.  Lowe,  P.;  J.  L.  Kopp, 
M.  at  A.;  T.  E.  Calloway,  M.  of  F.;  C.  F. 
Meyer,  M.  of  E.;  S.  B.  Brown,  K.  of  R.  and  S.; 
Harvey  Welch,  O.  G.  The  representative  to 
Grand  Lodge  and  District  Deputy  is  Thomas  J. 
Ham.  The  lodge  has  not  been  called  upon  for 
sick  benefits  since  its  organization.  Lodge  meets 
every  Wednesday  evening. 

Out.  J.  P.  Ham  Post,  No.  108,  G.  A.  R., 
Department  of  Pennsylvania,  named  after  Cap- 
tain James  P.  Ham,  of  Company  M,  Seven- 
teenth Cavalry,  who  was  killed  in  the  service, 
was  organized  November,  1880,  Dr.  R.  W. 
Brady  being  made  Commander  (formerly  sur- 
geon during  the  war);  Capt  William  T.  Lobb, 
Chaplain;  W.  E.  Greely,  Senior  Vice-Com- 
mander; Charles  E.  Baker,  Junior  Arice-Com- 
mander;  Legrand  Wright  was  made  Adjutant  ; 
Lieut.  R.  W.  Torry,  who  served  with  much 
credit  as  quartermaster  of  the  One  Hundred 
ami  Forty-first  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volun- 
teers, was  made  Quartermaster  of  the  Post, 
with  H.  T.  Prouty  as  his  Sergeant ;  Joseph  E. 
Williams,  Officer  of  the  Day  ;  J.  E.  Ball,  Of- 
ficer of  the  Guard.  There  were  twenty-eight 
charter  members  ;  among  them  was  Col.  Coe 
Durland,  who  went  to  war  as  captain  Company 
M,  Seventeenth  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Cav- 
alry, and  was  made  colonel  of  the  regiment  for 
meritorious  conduct;  discharged  at  close  of  the 
war  with  rank  of  brigadier-general. 

In  1881,  J.  W.  Kressler  was  elected  Com- 
mander of  Post ;  Charles  Finch,  Senior  Vice  ; 
Joseph  Fox,  Junior  Vice ;  H.  B.  Hall,  Chap- 
lain ;  J.  E.  Williams,  Officer  of  Day ;  John 
Ballis,  Officer  of  Guard  ;  W.  E.  Greely,  Adju- 
tant ;  Hon.  Henry  Wilson,  Quartermaster, 
with  Tray  Justin  as  Sergeant. 

December  1,  1882,  Isaac  H.  Ball,  lieutenant 
Company  C,  Sixth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers 
(Reserves),  was  made  Commander ;  James  E. 
Williams,  Senior  Vice-Commander;  Thomas 
Medland,    Junior    Vice-Commander;    Joseph 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Fox,  Officer  of  Day  ;  William  T.  Lobb,  Chap- 
lain j  Charles  Myres,  Quartermaster;  R.  W. 
Brady,  Sergeant;  H.  B.  Hall,  Officer  of  Guard; 
Charles  E.  Baker  was  appointed  Adjutant. 

December,  1883,  Charles  W.  Tracy,  who  was 
educated  at  West  Point  and  rose  to  the  position 
of  lieutenant-commander  in  the  United  States 
navy,  was  made  Commander  of  Post  198  ;  J. 
E.  Williams,  Senior  Vice-Commander ;  John 
Ballis,  Junior  Vice-Commander;  Charles  F. 
Myres,  Quartermaster;  J.  W.  Kressler,  Sur- 
geon ;  W.  T.  Lobb,  Chaplain  ;  W.  E.  Greely, 
Officer  of  Day;  John  E.  Cook,  Officer  of 
Guard  ;  Comrade  Katz  was  made  Quartermas- 
ter-Sergeant ;  Graham  Watts,  Adjutant. 

December,  1884,  Captain  Charles  E.  Baker 
was  made  Commander ;  John  Ballis,  Senior 
Vice-Commander;  Samuel  Found,  Junior  Vice- 
Commander  ;  Charles  Myres,  Quartermaster ; 
Captain  W.  T.  Lobb,  Cha"plain ;  W.  E.  Greely, 
( >mcer  of  Day  ;  John  Cook,  Officer  of  Guard  ; 
H.  B.  Hall,  Adjutant.  Post  numbers  eighty- 
two  members.  Many  of  our  comrades  have 
been  laid  away  to  rest  since  our  organization 
began.  '  One  that  we  shall  all  remember  as  a 
comrade,  though  not  a  member  of  our  Post,  has 
fought  his  last  battle.  The  Post  has  had  con- 
tributions, by  an  appreciative  community,  of 
money  that  has  been  used  for  the  relief  of  suf- 
fering and  indigent  comrades.  Among  the 
members  of  the  Post  are  some  who  are  not 
short  in  this  world's  goods,  and  who  contribute 
largely  when  it  is  required.  AmoDg  the  num- 
ber are  Comrades  Henry  Tarble,  Coe  Durland, 
R.  W.  Brady,  J.  W.  Kressler,  Charles  Myres, 
Commander  Katz  and  William  Mure,  who  is 
ever  ready  with  his  influence  and  money  to  fur- 
nish any  needed  amount. 

Company  E,  Thirteenth  Recimext, 
Third  Brigade,  Natioxae  Guards  of 
Pennsylvania,  was  organized  August  23, 
1878,  with  George  F.  Bentley,  captain  ;  D.  R. 
Atkinson,  first  lieutenant;  H.G.Young,  second 
lieutenant;  W.  H.  Stanton,  first  sergeant; 
Charles  W.  Hand,  second  sergeant  ;  W.  E. 
Greeley,  third  sergeant;  X.  B.  Shuman,  fourth 
sergeant;  William  Bone,  fifth  sergeant. 

Corporals :  Andy  Schooumaker,  Graham 
Watts,  J.  A.  Krapt,  L.  V.  Hunt,  S.  J.  Foster, 


W.  L.  Dunn,  George  J.  Grambs  and  I.  S.  White. 
Privates :  Calvin  Brown,  Lewis  F.  Bishop, 
Joseph  A.  Bodie,  Judson  W.  Bunnell,  William 
H.  Brown,  C.  D.  Brooks,  Levi  L.  Demming, 
Henry  T.  Dolmetsch,  Jr.,  S.  O.  Downes,  Wil- 
liam H.  Foster,  William  M.  Foster,  Clarence 

E.  Foster,  Homer  Greene,  W.  C.  D.  Genung, 
Henry  Giehl,  F.  A.  Galpin,  William  Haley, 
Edward  M.  Heroy,  F.  W.  Jenkins,  George  R. 
Lasher,  Luke  S.  Levy,  William  R.  Longstreet, 
Frank  M.  Mahone,  F.  W.  Mayhew,  F.  McMul- 
len,  Jno.  Miller,  Joseph  Oldorf  (musician),  W. 
J.  Pragnell,  August  J.  Rehbein,  R.  D.  Reed, 
H.  Z.  Russell,  D.  J.  Richmond,  C.  E.  Salmon, 
H.  S.  Salmon,  Jacob  W.  Schubel,  C.  W.  Sut- 
ton, Frank  Salmon,  L.  D.  Spragle,  Isaac  E. 
Tibbetts,  William  J.  Tracy,  George  H.  Whit- 
ney, George  E.  White,  William   D.  Wood,   L. 

F.  Wefferling,  Jno.  F.  Wood,  William  J.  Ward. 
In    1879   the    following  persons  joined  the 

company  :  Charles  W.  Babbetts,  Dr.  William 
H.  Cummings,  A.  C.  Lindsay,  William  T. 
Moore,  Charles  Mahone,  W.  H.  Perham,  C. 
H.  Rockwell,  Jno.  H.  Torrey,  Frank  E. 
White.  In  1880:  Stephen  A.  Addyman,  M. 
A.  Ball,  W.  T.  Butler,  Jno.  D.  Blake,  Charles 
H.  Finch,  R.  W.  Murphy,  H.  N.  Miller,  F. 
W.  Renwarden,  Alden  Rounds,  C.  L.  Raimer, 
C.  E.  Seely,  F.  M.  Sherrerd,  John  O.  South- 
ard, J.  V.  Starnes,  H.  B.  Welch.  In  1881  : 
N.  C.  Kirk,  E.  J.  Pethic,  William  A.  Quinney. 
In  1882  :  J.  A.  Burket,  R.  C.  Bodie,  George  S. 
Baker,  G.  S.  Barnes,  Jacob  Fass,  J.  W.  Kim- 
ble, Allen  Lawrence,  Ed.  Mahone,  Wal- 
lace McMullen,  James  O.  Reid,  F.  J.  Tolley. 
In  1883:  Egin  Henry.  In  1884:  Jno.  W. 
Broad,  H.  H.  Budd,  A.  Britenbaker,  G.  C. 
Conzelman,  Jno.  B.  Dennis,  W.  G.  Faatz,  W. 
M.  Gardner,  E.  D.  Goodenough,  Thomas  W. 
Hawker,  Jno.  M.  Hayward,  Frank  O.  Hauke, 
J.  L.  Kopp,  J.  Kauskey,  H.  J.  Keenan,  G. 
W.  Lane,  O.  L.  Rowland,  W.  W.  Roscoe,  G. 
P.  Rogers,  S.  S.  Sprukes,  R.  M.  Stocker,  Jno. 
F.  Shimer,  Grant  S.  Tallman.  In  1885:  B. 
C.  Bryant,  W.  G  Ball,  H.  L.  Eade,  W.  J. 
Gregory,  George  C.  Justice,  J.  M.  Krug,  F.  P. 
Kimble,  James  Kanskey,  H.  B.  Reed,  A.  V. 
Seaman,  M.  E.  Simons,  F.  Kroll,  F.  Zauner. 
The  present  officers  (1885)  are  :  Henry  Wilson, 


THIS   MONUMENT  IS   ERECTED    BY    MRS.  DR.  MARY    E.  APPLEY, 
WIFE  OF  THE   EMINENT   PHYSICIAN, 

DR.   LUTHER   APPLEY, 

IN   MEMORY   OF   HERSELF   AND   LOVED  ONES, 
HONESDALE,  PENNA- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


431 


captain  ;  George  H.  Whitney,  first  lieutenant; 
L.  D.  Spragle,  second  lieutenant;  Sergeants, 
Deniing,  Sherrard,  Ward,  Mahone,  Quinney  ; 
Corporals,  Tracy,  McMullen,  Blake,  Rowland, 
Baker,  Broad,  Gardner,  Stocker.  The  com- 
pany has  attended  seven  encampments — the 
first  camp  was  a  regimental  eucampme'nt,  at 
Long  Branch,  August,  1879;  second,  division 
encampment,  at  Philadelphia,  August,  1880; 
third,  encampment  at  Wilkesharre,  August, 
1881,  being  a  brigade  encampment.  Shortly 
after  coming  home  from  his  encampment  Cap- 
tain Bentley  died.  He  was  a  good  disciplinarian 
and  commanded  the  respect  and  willing  obe- 
dience of  his  company.  He  was  proud  of  his 
company  and  they  reciprocated  in  their  admir- 
ation for  their  captain.  After  Captain  Bent- 
ley's  death,  Lieut.  Atkinson  was  made  captain, 
and  William  H.  Stanton,  first  lieutenant ;  W. 
E.  Greey,  second  lieutenant;  Graham  Watts, 
orderly  sergeant.  The  fourth  encampment  was 
a  division  encampment  at  Williamsport,  1882, 
company  under  command  of  Lieutenant  Stanton, 
who  was  always  careful  for  the  comfort  of  his 
men ;  fifth,  Lewistown,  brigade  encampment, 
1883;  Captain  Atkinson  resigned  in  1884.  He 
is  a  crack  shot,  being  one  of  the  American  team 
that  shot  against  the  British  team,  at  Creed- 
moor,  September  15,  1882  ;  his  score  was  one 
hundred  and  fifty-six  out  of  a  possible  two  hun- 
dred and  ten,  he  being  fourth  of  the  American 
team.  The  term  of  five  years  having  expired, 
numbers  did  not  re-enlist  and  the  company  be- 
gan to  go  down  till  February,  1884,  when  en- 
listments began  again.  In  searching  for  a  cap- 
tain, Henry  Wilson,  the  efficient  editor  of  the 
Honesdale  Citizen,  and  a  veteran  of  the  late  War 
of  the  Rebellion,  was  chosen,  and  under  his 
careful  management  the  company  is  again  in 
good  condition.  The  sixth  encampment  was  a 
division  encampment  at  Gettysburg.  The  boys 
took  pleasure  in  searching  out  the  points  of  in- 
terest on  this  historic  ground, — Gulp's  Hill,  the 
National  Cemetery,  Little  Round  Top,  Semi- 
nary Ridge.  The  cupola  of  the  seminary,  to 
which  some  of  us  ascended  and  overlooked  the 
field  as  it  presented  itself  to  the  eye  of  General 
Lee,  will  never  be  forgotten  by  the  boys.  The 
seventh  was  a  brigade  encampment  at  Mount 


Gretna  Park,  near  Lebanon,  Pa.  The  com- 
pany first  had  the  hall  over  the  foundry  for  an 
armory;  it  now  occupies  Liberty  Hall  for  that 
purpose.  Dr.  Cummings  became  brigade-sur- 
geon, with  the  rank  of  major.  Colonel  H.  M. 
Boies  commanded  the  Thirteenth  Regiment  at 
its  first  organization  ;  it  is  now  commanded  by 
Colonel  F.  L.  Hitchcock,  a  veteran  of  the  late 
war.  The  company  attended  the  Bi-Centen- 
nial  at  Philadelphia  in  1882;  also  the  inaugu- 
rations of  Presidents  Garfield  and  Cleveland. 
Generals  Sherniau  and  Sheridan  have  expressed 
their  admiration  for  the  Pennsylvania  militia, 
and  at  the  inaugurations  above  referred  to  they 
marched  in  heavy  marching  order  and  were 
considered  to  be  an  excellent  body  of  troops  by 
those  well  capable  of  judging. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

In  the  early  history  of  Honesdale,  interments- 
were  made  on  the  banks  of  the  Dy berry,  near 
its  junction  with  the  Lackawaxen.  Afterwards 
Jason  Torrey  gave  the  plot  of  laud  now  known 
as  the  old  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  burying- 
ground  to  the  "  Burgess,  Assistant  Burgess  and 
Town  Council  of  the  borough  of  Honesdale,  their 
successors  and  assigns  forever,"  for  burial  pur- 
poses. The  first  interment  took  place  Septem- 
ber 11,  1830,  the  remains  being  those  of  Ernes- 
line,  the  first  wife  of  the  late  Dr.  Ebenezer  T. 
Losey.  Soon  after,  the  bodies  that  had  been 
buried  near  "  the  point "  were  removed  to  the 
new  cemetery.  The  deed  for  the  above  land 
was  dated  Bethany,  April  26,  1834,  and  was 
witnessed  by  Richard  L.  Seely.  It  was  entered 
of  record  July  23,  1839.  The  consideration  was 
one  dollar. 

Glen  Dyberry  Cemetery. — This  burial- 
place,  lying  between  the  banks  of  the  placid, 
tree-embowered  Dyberry  and  the  rugged,  wooded 
hill  eastward  from  the  stream,  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  to  be  found  in  the  country.  Its 
situation  is  peculiar.  It  is  within  two  scpiares- 
of  the  principal  street  of  the  borough,  and  yet 
is  completely  hidden  from  that  street  and  from 
the  town  by  the  peculiar  ridge  (shaped  like  an 
inverted  canoe),  extending  along  the  Dyberry, 
and  by  the  dense  growth  of  native  trees.  The 
grounds  are   tastefully  laid   out,  enriched   with 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


evergreens  and  deciduous  trees  and  shrubs, 
through  which  shady  walks  and  drives  wind  in 
all  directions  about  the  well-turfed,  carefully- 
kept  plots,  each  sacred  to  some  home  circle. 

The  entrance  to  the  cemetery  is  by  a  bridge 
.over  the  Dyberry.  The  stream  forms  a  gentle 
but  everlasting  line  of  demarkation  between  the 
little  cities  of  the  living  and  the  dead,  and  its 
dark  waters  flow  on  peacefully  as  the  waters  of 
Lethe. 

The  cemetery  was  originated  by  a  company 
organized  under  the  provisions  of  a  State  char- 
ter, granted  January  2(1,  1854.  The  act  named 
.as  incorporators  Russell  F.  Lord,  Thomas  H. 
R.  Tracy,  Samuel  E.  Dimmick,  John  Torrey, 
Stephen  Torrey,  Richard  L.  Seely,  James  R. 
Dickson,  Francis  B.  Penniman,  Zenas  H.  Rus- 
sell, John  F.  Lord,  Amory  Prescott,  Richard 
Henwood,  James  M.  Brookfield,  Eliphalet 
Wood,  M.  A.  Bidwell,  Rufus  M.  Grenell,  Sol- 
omon West,  Charles  Tehlager,  George  Bretten- 
bacher,  Oliver  Hamlin,  Charles  P.  Waller,  Wil- 
liam R.  McLaury,  Germain  L.  Keator,  Henry 
Dart,  Samuel  Allen,  H.  B.  Beardslee,  Stephen 
D.  Ward,  William  Turner  and  Coe  F.  Young. 

The  organization  was  duly  perfected  and 
named  the  Honesdale  Cemetery  Company.  At 
a  meeting  of  the  incorporators  held  on  Febmary 
11,  1854,  Thomas  H.  R.  Tracy  was  chosen 
chairman  and  F.  B.  Penniman  secretary  ;  Messrs. 
C.  P.  Waller,  Richard  L.  Seely,  Samuel  E. 
Dimmick,  Samuel  Allen  and  Coe  F.  Young 
Mere  appointed  a  committee  to  draft  by-laws. 

For  some  time  the  company  remained  in  a 
condition  of  partial  activity  and  transacted  no 
business  which  was  deemed  worthy  of  mention 
in  its  minute-book.  In  the  winter  of  1858-59, 
however,  its  affairs  were  energetically  pushed, 
and  by  February  18, 1859,  forty  shares  of  stock 
had  been  subscribed,  at  one  hundred  dollars 
each,  by  the  following  persons: 

R.  F.  Lord,  4  ;  John  Torrey,  4;  R.  L.  Seely,  4;  Z. 
H.Russell,  2;  Stephen  Torrey,  William  F.Wood, 
Coe  F.  Young,  J.  K.  Patmor,  Isaiah  Foster,  I.  P. 
Foster,  William  H.  Foster,  F.  B.  Penniman,  W.  W. 
Weston,  M.  L.Tracy,  W.  J.  Fuller.  .Tames  R.  Dick- 
son, William  R.  McLaury,  E.  F.  Torrey,  D.  P.  Kirt- 
land,  Ezra  Hand,  B.  B.  Smith,  William  Reed,  M.  B. 
Bennett,  Eliphalet  Wood,  C  P.  Waller,  John  Mcin- 
tosh, F.  M.  Crane,  S.  D.  Ward,  C.  Hornbeck,  R.  Hen- 
-ivood,  each  one  share. 


On  March  5,  1859,  at  a  meeting  held  at  F. 
B.  Peuuiman's  office,  Z.  H.  Russell  presiding, 
Messrs.  Waller,  McLaury,  Smith,  Ward  and 
W.  H.  Foster  were  appointed  a  committee  to 
examine  various  tracts  of  land,  with  reference 
to  their  availability  for  cemetery  purposes.  This 
committee  reported,  at  a  meeting  held  on  the 
2d  of  the  following  May,  that  parcels  of  land 
were  offered  by  H.  B.  Beardslee  (forty  acres  for 
$2000),  D.  Schoonover  (fifteen  acres,  at  $150 
per  acre),  G.  Russell  (quantity  not  stated,  at 
§100  per  acre),  Gilbert  and  Patmor  (indefinite 
quantity,  at  $200  to  $300  per  acre),  John  Tor- 
rey (eighteen  acres  at  $2400).  At  a  subsequent 
meeting  it  was  decided  to  test  the  choice  of  the 
members  in  regard  to  location  of  the  cemetery. 
This  was  done  by  ballot,  and  the  Torrey  tract 
received  a  majority  of  three  votes  overall  of  the 
other  proposed  sites.  Mr.  Torrey  having  in  the 
mean  time  abated  his  price  for  the  land  four 
hundred  dollars,  it  was  agreed  that  it  should  be 
purchased  for  two  thousand  dollars. 

At  the  meeting  of  May  2,  1859,  Russell  F. 
Lord  had  been  elected  president  and  R.  L.  See- 
ly, Eliphalet  Wood,  William  H.  Foster,  Zenas 
H.  Russell,  William  R.  McLaury  and  F.  B. 
Penniman  managers.  Under  these  officers  the 
purchase  of  the  land  was  confirmed  and  steps 
were  immediately  taken  for  laying  out  the 
cemetery,  inclosing  it  with  a  wall,  except  along 
the  Dyberry,  building  a  bridge  over  that  stream, 
making  various  improvements  and  generally 
beautifying  the  grounds.  Much  of  this  work 
was  carried  on  under  the  immediate  supervision 
of  F.  B.  Penniman  and  Stephen  Torrey. 

The  first  grave  was  opened  in  the  new  ceme- 
tery for  the  reception  of  the  body  of  Dr.  Wil- 
liam F.  Denton,  who  was  buried  November 
21,  1859. 

On  the  evening  of  Friday,  November  25, 
1859,  services  inaugurating  the  opening  of 
Glen  Dyberry  Cemetery  were  held  at  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  Rev.  Dr.  Scott,  of  that  church, 
Rev.  Uriah  Scott,  of  the  Episcopal,  and  Rev. 
Mr.  Grenell,  of  the  Baptist  Church,  making 
addresses,  and  Mr.  F.  B.  Penniman  appearing 
on  behalf  of  the  board  of  managers  and  deliver- 
ing an  informal  address. 

The   first   public    sale  of  lots   was   held    on 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


433 


Saturday,  November  26th,  when  forty-nine  lots 
were  sold.  Russell  F.  Lord  obtained  the  first 
choice,  bidding  fifty  dollars  for  the  privilege. 

In  Glen  Dyberry  are  buried  the  following 
soldiers,  the  greater  number  of  whom,  as  will 
be  noted,  were  engaged  in  the  War  for  the 
Union,  1861-65  : 

David  Beers,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812. 

Joseph  D.  Simpson,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812. 

Banajah  Haskins,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812. 

Corporal  Joseph  Sehofield,  Duncan's  United  States 
Artillery,  Mexican  War. 

Captain  James  Ham,  Company  M,  Seventeenth 
Pennsylvania  Cavalry. 

Captain  Charles  C.  Brown,  Company  M,  Seven- 
teenth Pennsylvania  Cavalry. 

Sergeant  William  H.  Hurlburt,  Company  C,  Sixth 
Pennsylvania  Reserves. 

Sergeant  Edmund  M.  Clark,  Company  M,  Seven- 
teenth Pennsylvania  Cavalry. 

Sergeant  William  T.  Hall,  Company  C,  Sixty- 
seventh  Pennsylvania. 

Serge-ant  William  H.  Van  Kirk,  Company  ( ',  Sixty- 
seventh  Pennsylvania. 

Corporal  James  Northcott,  Company  M,  Seven- 
teenth Pennsylvania  Cavalry. 

Dr.  J.  M.  Starnes,  assistant  surgeon,  Eleventh 
Missouri  Cavalry. 

Thomas  Benncy,  Battery  (',  Second  Pennsylvania 
Heavy  Artillery. 

John  Benney,  Battery  C,  Second  Pennsylvania 
Heavy  Artillery. 

Martin  tinnier,  Company  H,  Fiftv-second  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Thomas  J.  Firth,  Company  B,  Third  Pennsylvania 
Reserves. 

L.  B.  Sherwood,  Company  I,  Eighty-fourth  Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers. 

Frederick  Zahn,  Company  F,  Third  New  Jersey 
Cavalry. 

Albert  L.  Rowley,  Company  L,  Fifteenth  New 
York  Heavy  Artillery. 

George  M.  Cole,  Company  B,  Thirty-fifth  Pennsyl- 
vania Militia  of  1863. 

Andrew  J.  Dennis,  Company  K,  Eleventh  United 
States  Infantry. 

William  W.  Valentine,  Eighth  Pennsylvania 
Militia  of  1862. 

Robert  Barclay,  of  the  United  States  Navy. 

John  B.  Lisk,  Company  G,  Third  New  York  Ar- 
tillery. 

John  Sehofield,  United  States  Volunteers. 

H.  T.  Justin,  Company  C,  Sixth  Pennsylvania 
Reserves. 

David  J.   Richmond,  Company  G,  One  Hundred 
and  Forty-first  Pennsylvania. 
42 


A.  R.  Howe,  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and 
Seventy-ninth  Pennsylvania. 

George  Britenbaker,  Battery  C,  Second  Pennsyl- 
vania Heavy  Artillery. 

Riveudale  Cemetery.— This  burial-ground, 
opened  in  1885,  lies  immediately  north  of  Glen 
Dyberry,  and  may  in  time  rival  its  beauty. 
It  is  the  property  of  a  corporation.  Joseph 
Nochals,  who  formerly  owned  the  land,  made 
some  improvements  upon  it  with  a  view  of 
establishing  a  burial-ground,  but  sold  it  to  W. 
A.  Gaylord  and  Henry  J.  Tarble  in  1883.  At 
the  May  Term  of  court,  1885,  a  charter  was 
granted  to  the  Riverdale  Cemetery  Company, 
which  consisted  of  H.  J.  Tarble,  president ;  P. 
J.  Cole,  treasurer;  F.  P.  Kimble,  secretary  ; 
J.  J.  Curtis  and  \V.  A.  Gaylord.  To  this 
company  Messrs.  Tarble  and  Gaylord  deeded 
the  property  on  May  16, 1885,  the  consideration 
being  five  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars.  The  capital  stock  is  divided  into  one 
hundred  and  twenty  shares  at  fifty  dollars  each. 
The  grounds  have  been  laid  out  by  Mr.  Robin- 
son, of  New  York,  former  overseer  of  Green- 
wood Cemetery,  and  it  is  the  intention  to  im- 
prove them  as  rapidly  as  possible  and  to  sell 
plots. 

The  German  Lutherans,  the  German  Catho- 
lics and  the  English  Catholics  also  have  bury- 
ing-grounds. 

In  the  German  Catholic  Cemetery  are  buried 
Captain  James  Loeven,  William  Blesser,  John 
G.  Holzknecht,  Frederick  Stolte  and  Nicholas 
Shearer  (all  of  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and 
Twelfth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers)  Alexander 
Maier  and  Frederick  Krong. 

In  the  German  Lutheran  Cemetery  are  the 
graves  of  Caspar  Havrich,  of  Company  C,  One 
Hundred  and  Twelfth  Regiment  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  and  Henry  Languth. 

In  the  old  Catholic  burying-grounds  lie  the 
remains  of  John  Baker,  of  Company  C,  Sixth 
Reserves. 

Soldiers'  Monument. — The  most  conspicu- 
ous object  in  the  beautiful  little  park  or  public 
square  is  a  monument  reared  to  perpetuate  the 
names  of  Wayne  County  men  who  fell  in  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion.  Measures  were  taken 
toward  the  rearing  of  this  monument  before  the 


434 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


war  was  really  ended,  and  it  was  one  of  the  first 
erected  in  the  State.  A  meeting  to  organize 
the  Monument  Association  was  held  June  1, 
1865.  The  president  was  Coe  F.  Young; 
the  Vice-Presidents,  Otis  Avery  and  Z.  H.  Rus- 
sell ;  and  the  Secretaries,  J.  C.  Delezenne  and  E. 
F.  Torrey.  F.  B.  Penniman  read  articles  of 
association  agreed  upon  by  the  Ladies'  Aid 
Society  and  addresses  were  delivered  by  Rev. 
J.  J.  Doherty,  F.  D.  Haskius,  C.  S.  Minor, 
Esq.,  L.  F.  Borcher  and  G.  G.  Waller,  Esq. 
The  society  was  then  organized  by  the  election 
of  the  following  officers  :  President,  Mrs.  John 
Torrey  ;  Secretary,  Mrs.  Sophia  Russell ;  Treas- 
urer, Mrs.  S.  D.  Ward  ;  Managers,  Mrs.  J.  C. 
Gunn,  Mrs.  Ezra Hurlburt,  Mrs.  John  R.  Watts, 
Mis.  Kussell  F.  Lord,  Mrs.  S.  E.  Dimmiek, 
Mrs.  Richard  Heuwood,  Mrs.  James  Birdsall, 
Mrs.  Samuel  Allen,  Mrs.  L.  O.  Grenell,  Mrs. 
William  Seaman,  Mrs.  F.  B.  Penniman,  Mrs. 
L.  Soergel,  Mrs.  C.  F.  Young,  Mrs.  C.  S 
Minor,  Mrs.  Stephen  Torrey,  Mrs.  Aaron  Cuni- 
mings,  Mrs.  J.  C.  Delezenne,  Mrs.  Patrick 
McSone. 

The  society  of  which  these  ladies  were  repre- 
sentative members  carried  on  the  movement  for 
the  erection  of  a  soldiers'  monument  indefat- 
igably,  and  raised  money  by  various  means — by 
subscription,  by  the  holding  of  fairs  and  festi- 
vals and  by  the  sale  of  the  products  of  their 
unwearying  fingers.  A  very  large  number 
were  interested  and  active  supporters  of  the 
project,  but  there  were  three  who,  by  common 
consent,  are  awarded  especial  credit  for  the  work 
that  was  accomplished.  They  were  Mrs.  F.  B. 
Penniman,  Mrs.  J.  C.  Gunn  and  Mrs.  J.  C. 
Delezenne. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  monument  was  to 
have  been  laid  September  4,  1866,  but  as  the 
Council  did  not  decide  upoh  the  location,  it  was 
deferred  until  July  4,  1867.  On  that  occasion 
the  late  Mrs.  Ezra  Hurlburt,  whose  son  died  in 
the  service,  was  awarded  the  honor  of  breaking 
the  ground.  The  contract  for  the  monument 
was  entered  into  with  Joseph  B.  Leach,  of 
Brooklyn,  in  August,  1868. 

The  dedication  of  the  monument  took  place 
September  9,  18611,  Governor  John  W.  Geary 
being  the  speaker.  Rev.  C.  S.  Dunning  presided 


over  the  meeting,  which  was  very  large.  The 
dedication  service  was  very  impressive.  A 
great  throng  of  people  were  in  the  streets  and 
the  public  square  and  a  procession  paraded  in 
the  afternoon. 

The  monument  thus  secured  by  the  patient 
work  of  the  ladies  (at  a  cost  of  over  five  thou- 
sand dollars)  and  dedicated  in  the  presence  of  a 
great  assemblage  by  the  Governor  of  the  State, 
is  of  Quincy  granite,  is  pedestal  in  form  and 
surmounted  by  an  excellent  bronze  figure,  life- 
size,  of  a  soldier  at  parade  rest.  The  height  is 
about  fourteen  feet.  The  inscription  and  names 
of  the  fallen  soldiers  are  as  follows  : 
1869. 

THIS    MONUMENT    WAS    ERECTED 

BY    THE 

LADIES'    MONUMENTAL    ASSOCIATION 

OF    WAYNE   COUNTY 

TO   THE    MEMORY   OF   OUR   DEAD   WHO    FELL, 

"  That   Government  of  the  people,  hy  the  people, 
and  for  the  people,  should  not  perish  from  the  earth." 

Capt.  James  L.  Mumford. 


J.  H.  Bryant. 
H.C.  Palis. 
G.  Srambler. 
J.  J.  Thorp. 
R.  Barhight. 

C.  Thorp. 
J.  Markle. 
W.  Rix. 
E.  Jordan. 

D.  Seibold. 
J.  G.  Griggs. 
A.  Graham. 
D.  Palmer. 
G.  Palmer. 

A.  F.  Elmendorf. 
S.  E.  Elmendorf. 

0.  K.  Stears. 
S.  F.  Davall. 
J.  E.  Chubb. 

1.  Thomas. 
J.  Wallace. 

C.  N.  Bagley. 

D.  Howell. 
O.  Wolf. 

S.  Gilcrist. 
S.  H.  Cross. 
J.  H.  Simpson. 
T.  Noddin. 
W.  E.  Martin. 
R.  Martin. 


H.  McKane. 
M.  Rollison. 
A.  Rollison. 
W.  Holdron. 
J.  L.  Reed. 
G.  Compton. 
N.  Warder. 

D.  Freer. 
W.  Kellum. 
N.  G.  Hand. 
J.  Johnson. 
T.  Bourke. 
N.  Foy. 

R.  Kirtz. 
M.  Devitt. 
L.  Cole. 

E.  Haven. 

J.  D.  Simpson. 
P.  Ennis. 
J.  Kraughan. 
J.  McLaughlin. 
J.  C.  Anthony. 
D.  Wall. 
H.  Buchanan. 
I.  Knapp. 
Z.  N.  Lee. 
W.  Brotzman. 
H.  Case. 
H.  Kinney. 
C  H.  Munroe. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


G.  H.  Hoover. 

G.  H.  Palmer. 

A.  K.  Pruden. 

E.  S.  Huiteln. 

J.  Shiever. 

N.  J.  Simpson. 

N.  Thorp. 

J.  H.  Wilds. 

B.  Pell. 

G.  W.  Simpson. 

W.  Hunter. 

D.  Woodward. 

G.  Pell. 

A.  C.  Starbird. 

A.  Benjamin. 

D.  Darling. 

J.  Simpson. 

J.  W.  Smith. 

W.  W.  Valentine. 

A.  J.  Darling. 

O.  Gillett. 

J.  H.  Worth. 

E.  Taeubner. 

J.  Hull. 

S.  Bidwell. 

W.  Short. 

C.  Neihart. 

C.  M.  Griffis. 

H.  Bidwell. 

J.  Ogden. 

F.  Wilcox. 

P.  P.  Knight. 

F.  Bidwell. 

J.  Ogden. 

A.  S.  Ludwig. 

W.  Randall. 

E.  Bidwell. 

J.  Nnrthcott. 

F.  Metzger. 

R.  Humphrey. 

S.  Peet. 

S.  Hines. 

E.  E.  Fisher. 

D.  Martin. 

W.  Brooks. 

J.  Keifer. 

G.  Metz. 

J.  O'Niel. 

O.  Brooks. 

J.  H.Belknap. 

H.  Nelmes. 

M.  Kingsbury. 

J.  Mann. 

O.  Chamberlain. 

W.  F.  Hurlburt. 

A.  B.  Hall. 

G.  Hathrill. 

T.  C.  Brigham. 

D.  Burton. 

T.  Coddington. 

T.  Bryant. 

V.  D.  Brigham. 

D.  S.  Charles. 

A.  Martin. 

W.  Tamblyn. 

H.  B.  Wood. 

W.  Carney. 

J.  W.  Waller. 

D.  C.  Lathrop. 

W.  E.  Dodge. 

<  r.  Frace. 

J.  Elmer. 

M.  Stevens. 

J.  Lukens. 

G.  M.  Cole. 

H.  C.  Wright. 

G.  H.  Stevens. 

D.  L.  Brown. 

H.  Price. 

F.  0.  R.  Benjamin. 

I).  Maloney. 

G.  D.  Parsons. 

J.  Broun. 

I.  J.  Bradshaw. 

E.  W.  De  Reamer. 

C.  T.  Jackson. 

W.  H.  Giffurd. 

G.  M.  Grotevant. 

S.  Strong. 

J.  A.  Dodge. 

L.  Bailey. 

D.  Howell. 

T.  Clark. 

J.  W.  Frampton. 

L.  N.  Purdy. 

E.  G.  Belknap. 

T.  J.  Firth. 

1.  Frampton. 

C.  Haines. 

G.W.  Warner. 

A.  Little. 

G.  Parsons. 

H.  West. 

E.  W.  Freeman. 

F.  Marshall. 

H.  Conklin. 

H.  Lynch. 

J.  B.  Hauser. 

N.  G.  Hurd. 

J.  Cole. 

G.J.  Price. 

A.  L.  Chittenden. 

H.  Nye. 

J.  M.  Gavett. 

J.  Hathaway. 

J.  B.  Muzzy. 

W.  Surplice. 

J.  R,  Garton. 

A.  B.  Hathaway. 

0.  Wilcox. 

J.  E.  Dart. 

J.  J.  Rude. 

Capt.  Jami 

;s  Ham. 

W.  T.  Hall. 

A.  D.  Stark. 

E.  M  Clark. 

J.  Tobin. 

G.  Oitnung. 

J.McKeon. 

F.  Zahn. 

E.  Dexter. 

J.  E.  Bagley. 

E.  J.Bunnell. 

Capt.  Oliver 

MUMI'ORR 

E.  YV.  Farniiani. 

H.  J.  Borchers. 

Lieut.  H.  F.  Willis. 

Lieut.  A.  E.  King. 

C.  Henwood. 

D.  Avery. 

D.  Lake. 

G.  G.  Andrews. 

J.  Baker. 

A.  E.  Gleason. 

D.  McGowan. 

A.  J.  Swingle. 

J.  B.  Karslake. 

A.  Niles. 

W.  C.  Bently. 

J.  J.  Cummiskey. 

D.  B.  Torrey. 

W.  J.  Thomas. 

W.  S.  Hoffman. 

L.  Spangenberg. 

T.  Beuney. 

J.  Best. 

J.  Jackson. 

J.  J.  Monk. 

A.Broat. 

J.  D.  Hamlin. 

G.  W.  Welton. 

C.  P.  Andreas. 

M.  V.  Tyler. 

E.  Torpyn. 

M.  Wood. 

A.  L.  Rowley. 

B.  Lord. 

I.  Crago. 

J.  Markle. 

D.  Carpenter. 

J.  Jones. 

R.  Clift. 

B.  Sherwood. 

H.  A.  Thurston. 

E.  Jones. 

W.Cory. 

W.  Rhodes. 

B.  S.  Menvin. 

J.  Price. 

J.  Bronson. 

J.  Brigham. 

N.  J.  Van  ( )rden. 

N.  Tyler,  Jr. 

J.  E.  Taylor. 

P.  G.  Griffin. 

J.  W.  Cobb. 

J.  Hauser. 

G.  A.  Tavlor. 

H.  Shaffer. 

J.  M.  Easby. 

S.  D.  Ward. 

H.  Whittaker. 

S.  H.  Thomas. 

J.  N.  Stevens. 

G.  W.  Haynes. 

D.  Reynolds. 

S.  Dobson. 

J.  C.  Rockwell. 

G.  D.  Slocum. 

E.  Lake. 

H.  T.  Angel. 

F.  Baird. 

G.  Seely. 

0.  S.  Hoffman. 

E.  0.  Polly. 

N.  Wilbur. 

J.  T.  Whittaker. 

T.  Newman. 

H.  Nicholson. 

A.  H.  Stewart. 

T.  Sterling. 

W.  Surrine. 

D.  Dickius. 

L.  Crone. 

R.  Whitney. 

S.  H.  Thomas. 

C.  Dickins. 

A.  Jordan. 

H.  Keersey. 

W.  C.  Thomas. 

G.  W.  Dickins. 

J.  Elmore. 

C.  H.  Cole. 

I.  Hill. 

J.  Dickins. 

M.  L.  Denslow. 

J.  Hardwick. 

S.  W.  Jayne. 

T.  Kennedy. 

D.  A.  Denslow. 

436 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


R.  Harford. 
A.  Colbath. 
E.  S.  Bayley. 
H.  J.  Wheeler. 
R.Buunell. 
J.  Emery. 
L.  Slote. 
L.  Burleigh. 
A.  Mattison. 
D.  Mattison. 
G.  W.  Marks. 

A.  J.  Marks. 
D.  Sutliff. 
M.  Hickney. 
W.  Cole. 

J.  G.  Boss. 

D.  Dibble. 

B.  Boults. 
J.  Bray. 
O.  Tyler. 

W.  H.  Wilcox. 

C.  Lees. 

J.  S.  Sutlitt'. 
J.  F.  Wright. 

E.  O.  Haines. 
A.  Huffman. 
J.  S.  Marricle. 
J.  G.  Ross. 

D.  Brazee. 
N.  P.  Knapp. 
N.  T.   Andrews. 


J.  F.  Jackson. 
O.  L.  Bath. 
G.  S.  Brown. 
G.  P.  Enslin. 
J.  S.  Kennedy. 
E.  Lake. 
A.  Clock. 
W.  Upright. 
J.  F.  Barnes. 
D.  Swingle. 

A.  London. 
T.  Woodward. 
J.  Helmes. 

B.  Curtis. 
EL  Brigham. 
G.  Foler. 

J.  A.  Adams. 

D.  Catterson. 
P.  Swartz. 

L.  Apjilemau. 
J.  Cauth. 
S.  Shearer. 

E.  Cramer. 
L.  Jordan. 
J.  Rollison. 

C.  A.  Weed. 
H.  Harrison. 
G.  W.  Brown. 
J.  Tobee. 

J.  Adams. 

J.  H.  Schoonmaker. 


Memorial  Fountain. — The  fountain  in 
the  public  square  is  a  memorial  of  the  national 
centennial,  and,  like  the  soldiers'  monument,  is 
the  result  of  woman's  work.  On  the  4th  of 
July,  1876,  a  society,  which  had  been  organized 
for  the  purpose  of  establishing  this  memorial, 
inaugurated  the  movement  by  securing  sub- 
scriptions to  a  fund  for  the  building  of  the 
fountain  and  gave  an  entertainment  for  the 
benefit  of  the  same.  Mrs.  H.  M.  Seely  was 
president,  Mrs.  Robert  J.  Menner  secretary  and 
Miss  Carrie  Petersen  treasurer,  while  other 
active  members  of  the  society  were  Mrs.  Wil- 
liam H.  Dimmick,  Mrs.  J.  J.  Curtis,  Mrs.  Ben- 
nett, Mrs.  Dunning  and  Miss  Anna  Wilbur. 
The  work  of  raising  funds  was  carried  on  as 
fast  as  possible,  but  with  many  disadvantages, 
and  the  fountain  was  finally  finished  and  for- 
mally delivered  to  the  Town  Council  on  July  4, 
1879.     It  cost  about  eleven  hundred  dollars. 

The  Celebration  of  the  National 
Centennial. — The  one  hundredth  anniver- 
sary  of   American  independence  was  fittingly 


observed  in  Honesdale.  The  celebration  prop- 
erly began  on  Suuday  evening,  July  2,  1876, 
by  a  union  service  of  the  Baptist,  Presbyterian, 
Methodist  and  Episcopal  congregations  in  the 
park,  the  large  audience  using  the  platform  and 
seats  erected  for  the  4th.  Revs.  J.  A.  Mete, 
A.  J.  Van  Cleft,  E.  P.  Miller  and  C.  S.  Dun- 
ning conducted  the  services,  the  latter  gentle- 
man preaching  the  sermon,  taking  for  his  text 
Psalm  147  and  20th  verse:  "He  hath  not 
dealt  so  with  any  nation."  It  was  a  most 
learned,  patriotic  and  able  discourse,  and  was 
listened  to  with  marked  attention  and  deep  in- 
terest by  the  large  numbers  in  attendance.  The 
entire  congregation  united  in  singing  "  Corona- 
tion," "  Hold  the  Fort  "  and  "  America,"  with 
deep  feeling  and  emotion. 

On  the  3d  preparations  were  elaborately 
made  for  the  observance  of  the  following  day. 
Public  and  private  buildings,  stores  and  resi- 
dences were  decorated  with  evergreens  and 
bunting,  and  in  the  evening  the  citizens  gener- 
ally prepared  for  illuminating  their  residences 
and  places  of  business.  At  nine  in  the  evening 
a  torch-light  procession  began  its  march  through 
the  streets,  and  the  night,  or  the  greater  portion 
of  it,  was  given  up  to  various  enthusiastic  dem- 
onstrations. 

The  morning  of  the  4th  was  announced  by 
the  firiug  of  the  old  cannon  upon  Irving  Cliff, 
and  at  eight  o'clock  the  national  colors  were 
flung  to  the  breeze  from  a  lofty  staff,  raised  the 
day  before  on  the  same  height.  About  the 
middle  of  the  forenoon  a  procession  began  to 
march  the  streets.  It  consisted  of  various  civic 
and  military  organizations,  a  body  of  soldiers  of 
the  late  war,  several  allegorical  representations, 
bands  of  music,  etc.,  the  whole  under  the  mar- 
shalship  of  Colonel  Coe  Durland. 

At  the  court-house  the  procession  broke  ranks, 
and  the  exercises  of  the  day  were  then  com- 
menced in  the  park.  The  American  Hymn 
was  first  sung,  and  prayer  was  then  offered  by 
Presiding  Elder  L.  W.  Peck.  Hon.  E.  6. 
Hamlin  read  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
and  H.  M.  Seely,  Esq.,  delivered  the  oration. 
Rev.  C.  S.  Dunning  pronounced  the  benedic- 
tion and  the  great  audience  slowly  dispersed. 
A  free  dinner  was  provided  in  the  court-house, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


and,  although  "  a  whole  ox  and  four  sheep  had 
been  roasted,  four  thousand  clams  baked"  and 
an  immense  quantity  of  other  food  prepared,  the 
banquet  proved  insufficient  to  meet  the  demand. 
The  ladies  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  <  >f  the  Fountain  Memorial  Society  also  served 
dinners  and  supplied  immense  crowds.  The 
remainder  of  the  day  and  the  evening  were  oc- 
cupied with  various  celebrations  and  festivities, 
and  it  was   late   in  the  night  when  the  crowd, 


Jeremiah  the  emigrant ;  2d,  Robert;  3d,  Robert; 
4th,  John  ;  5th,  Henry  B.  Jadwin,  father  of 
C.  C.  Jadwin.  The  first  four  generations  were 
planters  ;  and  Henry  B.  was  the  first  that  chose 
a  different  occupation.  He  left  his  native  State 
and  located  in  Canaan,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  in 
the  year  1830.  In  1832  he  married  Alice  G. 
Plumb,  of  that  place,  a  daughter  of  Ezra 
and  Hannah  Plumb,  from  Litchfield  County, 
Conn.      Mr.    Jadwin    moved    to     Carbondale 


estimated  to  be  the   largest   ever  assembled    in 
the  borough,  was  wholly  dispersed. 

Cornelius  C.  Jadwix  is  a  descendant  of 
Jeremiah  Jadwin,  who  came  to  America  about 
the  year  1683  and  located  on  the  peninsula 
formed  by  the  Chesapeake  and  Delaware  Bays. 
Jeremiah  was  accompanied  to  the  colonies  by 
his  brothers  Joseph  and  John.  Joseph  settled 
in  New  York,  and  John  settled  in  Virginia. 
The  line  of  descent  from  Jeremiah  Jadwin  to 
the  subject  of  this  sketch   is  as  follows  :    1st, 


where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying 
in  1876,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  Of  his 
eight  children,  six  are  now  living, — Orlando  H., 
the  oldest  son,  is  a  wholesale  druggist  in  New 
York  City  ;  Cornelius  C.  is  a  druggist  at  Hones- 
dale,  Pa.  ;  Henry  B.,  Charles  P.,  John  S.  and 
Thomas  S.  are  druggists  living  in  Lackawanna 
County,  Pa. 

Cornelius  C.  Jadwin  was  born  at  Carbondale, 
Luzerne  (now  Lackawanna)  County,  Pa.,  March 
27,1835.     He  attended  the  public  schools  of 


438 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  place  until  he  was  twelve  years  of  age,  when 
his  father  took  him  from  school  to  assist  him  at 
his  trade.  He  worked  with  his  father  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age.  During  these  six  years  of 
labor  he  spent  his  spare  moments  in  close  study, 
overcoming  obstacles  which  would  have  crushed 
a  boy  of  less  natural  ability  and  force  of  char- 
acter. At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  was  elected  a 
teacher  in  the  Carbondale  schools.  He  was  the 
two  hundred  and  eighty-seventh  person  ex- 
amined in  Luzerne  County,  under  the  new 
public-school  law,  by  the  first  county  superin- 
tendent of  that  county,  and  obtained  the  seventh 
first-class  certificate  granted  by  him.  He  taught 
school  four  years,  during  which  time  he  and  his 
brothers,  Orlando  H.  and  Henry  B.,  purchased 
a  book-store  in  Carbondale,  and  added  a  drug 
department,  which  business  was  conducted  under 
the  name  and  supervision  of  O.  H.  Jadwin ; 
here  Cornelius  C.  took  his  first  lessons  in  theo- 
retical and  practical  pharmacy.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-three  he  left  the  avocation  of  teaching, 
and  having  sold  his  interest  in  the  drug  and 
book  business  to  his  brother,  O.  H.  Jadwin,  lie 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal  Company  as  a  civil  engineer,  first  carry- 
ing the  axe  and  chain.  At  the  end  of  three 
months  he  was  promoted  to  the  head  of  a  party, 
and  remained  in  the  employ  of  the  company 
until  he  took  a  position  as  mining  engineer 
with  Jones  &  Co.,  at  Olyphant,  Pa.  During 
this  time  he  purchased  a  half-interest  in  a  con- 
tract for  furnishing  coal  to  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal  Company,  from  a  mine  in  Arch- 
ibald. A  general  strike  took  place,  and  fearing 
that  his  venture  would  not  terminate  profitably, 
he  sold  his  interest  and  returned  to  Carbondale 
and  took  charge  of  his  brother's  (O.  H.  Jad- 
win) drug-store.  May  8,  1862,  he  and  O.  H. 
Jadwin  bought  the  drug  business  of  Purdon  & 
Seely,  at  Honesdale,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  and 
commenced  business  under  the  firm-name  of 
Jadwin  &  Bro.  This  store  was  under  the  sole 
supervision  of  C.  C.  Jadwin,  and  continued  as  a 
partnership  business  until  November  1883, 
when  C.  C.  Jadwin  purchased  his  brother's  in- 
terest and  became  sole  proprietor.  In  1869  Mr. 
Jadwin  and  S.  A.  Terrel  built  the  block,  on  the 
corner  of  Eighth   and   Main  Streets,   known  as 


the  Masonic  Hall  building,  now  occupied  by 
them.  In  1866  Mr.  Jadwin  became  associated 
with  J.  M.  Crarv,  of  Liberty,  N.  Y.,  now  of 
Hackensack,  N.  J.,  in  the  compounding  and 
sale  of  Jadwin's  Subduing  Liniment.  Since  that 
time  they  have  compounded  and  sold  several 
other  medical  preparations,  which,  like  the 
liniment,  have  become  celebrated. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Jadwin  is  a  consistent  Re- 
publican, and  since  1865  he  has  been  very 
active  and  influential  in  the  management  of  the 
affairs  of  the  party  in  Wayne  County,  having 
acted  for  several  years  as  chairman  of  the 
County  Committee,  and  having  been  delegate  to 
the  County  Conventions,  and  also  representative 
or  Senatorial  delegate  to  State  Conventions. 
Since  1872  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  local 
Board  of  Education  nearly  the  whole  time,  and 
for  several  years  was  president  of  that  body. 
In  1880-he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Convention  of  the  Republican  party  at  Chicago, 
and  the  same  fall  was  elected  to  represent  the 
district  composed  of  Bradford,  Susquehanna, 
Wyoming  and  Wayne  Counties  in  the  Forty- 
seventh  Congress.  In  Wayne  County  he  ran 
eight  hundred  and  twenty-eight  votes  ahead  of 
Garfield  for  President,  receiving  eighteeen  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  twenty-three  votes  in 
th»  district,  against  thirteen  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  two  for  Robert  A.  Packer,  Democrat, 
nine  hundred  and  sixty-six  for  J.  Burrows, 
Greenback  candidate,  and  two  hundred  and 
sixteen  for  L.  Smith,  Prohibitionist. 

He  made  a  consistent  and  honorable  record 
in  Congress,  familiarizing  himself  promptly  and 
thoroughly  with  the  processes  of  legislation, 
zealously  guarding  the  interests  of  his  constitu- 
ents, writing  and  replying  to  about  seven  thou- 
sand letters  during  his  term.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  committee  on  the  revision  of  the  laws 
and  on  war  claims.  In  1882,  by  virtue  of  the 
traditionary  custom  of  his  party,  a  renomina- 
tion  to  Congress  was  due  to  Mr.  Jadwin,  but 
through  the  machinations  and  devices  of  ambi- 
tious members  of  the  party,  who  lulled  his 
suspicious  by  assurances  of  fidelity  and  the 
certainty  of  his  renomination,  he  was  defeated, 
and  Colonel  Edward  Overton,  of  Bradford 
County,  was  nominated.     Mr.  Jadwin's  Wayne 


WAYNE  C(  IUNTT. 


439 


County  friends  bolted  this  nomination  and  re- 
convened their  County  Convention,  and  put  him 
in  nomination  as  an  Independent  candidate. 
The  result  was  that  Mr.  Jadwin  received  9101 
votes,  Colonel  Overton  5675  and  George  A. 
Post,  of  Susquehanna  County,  the  Democratic 
candidate,  11,555  votes  and  was  elected.  Jad- 
win received  more  votes  than  Overton  in  Brad- 
ford and  four  times  as  many  as  he  did  in 
Wyoming,  and  Overton  only  had  one  hundred 
and  twenty  votes  in  Wayne  County,  where  Mr. 
Jadwin  ran  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  two 
votes  ahead  of  his  ticket.  This  was  considered 
by  all  his  friends  a  sufficient  vindication  of  his 
record  and  a  well-deserved  rebuke  to  the  unfair 
methods  by  which  he  had  been  deprived  of  the 
nomination. 

In  1867  Mr.  Jadwin  originated  the  scheme 
and  raised  the  subscription  for  the  publication 
of  the  Honesdale  Citizen  and  was  chosen  as  one 
of  the  five  managers  of  the  paper,  and  remained 
in  charge  until  it  passed  under  the  full  control 
of  the  present  editors.  He  married  Lottie  E., 
eldest  daughter  of  Ezekiel  G.  Wood,  of  Seely- 
ville,  April  7,  1864.  He  has  one  sou,  Edgar 
Jadwin,  who,  having  received  his  appointment 
and  passed  examination  in  June,  1886,  is  now 
a  cadet  at  West  Point,  and  three  daughters, — 
Louise,  Grace  and  Sophie  Jadwin. 

Charles  Petersex,  son  of  Iven  and 
Johanna  D.  (Kloker)  Petersen,  was  born  at 
Copenhagen,  Denmark,  November  15,  1826. 
Having  received  a  good  common-school  educa- 
tion, at  the'age  of  fourteen  he  was  entered  as 
an  apprentice  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  watch- 
maker, with  his  father.  After  the  death  of  the 
latter,  November  10,  1843,  he  completed  his 
apprenticeship  with  a  man  named  Steinmetz, 
in  Copenhagen,  and  in  1848  left  that  place  and 
worked  at  his  trade  in  Berlin,  Prague  (in  Bo- 
hemia) and  Vienna.  He  participated  in  the 
Revolution  of  1849,  at  Vienna,  and  when  the 
government  troops  took  possession  of  the  city, 
left  for  Switzerland,  where,  for  two  years, 
he  was  a  pupil  of  the  celebrated  Jules  Jurgen- 
son.  While  there,  through  the  instrumentality 
of  his  former  preceptor,  Mr.  Steinmetz,  he 
was  granted  a  stipendium  by  the  Danish 
government  to  enable  him  more  closely  to  study 


the  principles  of  watch-making,  in  the  general 
interests  of  the  trade. 

In  I  851  he  resolved  to  seek  the  shores  of  the 
New  World,  and  arrived  in  New  York  the 
same  year,  bearing  letters  of  introduction  to 
several  of  the  large  wholesale  houses  of  that 
city.  He  at  ouce  received  offers  of  employment 
from  several  establishments,  but  fearing  that 
he  would  not  learn  to  speak  the  English  lan- 
guage as  quickly  in  the  city  as  in  the  country, 
he  accepted  an  offer  from  Moses  CummingSj  of 
Honesdale,  Pa.,  extended  through  Nichols, 
Goodwin  &  Co.,  and  arrived  in  that  place  in 
the  fall  of  1851.  Six  months  later,  in  1  852,  he 
proposed  either  to  buy  Mr.  Cummings  out  ot- 
to start  business  for  himself!  His  proposition 
was  accepted,  and  he  became  the  owner  of  the 
stock,  good-will  and  fixtures  of  the  establish- 
ment, by  the  payment  of  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars.  For  a  few  months  his  brother 
Herman  was  in  partnership  with  him,  the  firm 
being  known  as  Petersen  &  Brother,  but  he 
subsequently  became  the  sole  owner,  and  has 
since  carried  on  the  watch-making  and  jewelry 
business  on  an  extensive  scale,  on  his  own  ac- 
count. He  erected  his  present  commodious 
store  in  1856. 

In  1858  Mr.  Petersen  became  identified  with 
a  movement  for  re-building  the  old  Cornell 
telegraph  line,  which  sixteen  years  before  had 
been  operated  between  Carbondale,  via  Hones- 
dale, to  Narrowsburg  and  New  York,  and  in 
1862,  by  permission  of  Chief  Engineer  R.  F. 
Lord,  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Com- 
pany, he  built  the  first  line  that  company  owned 
along  the  canal  between  Honesdale  and  Ron- 
dout.  He  afterwards  extended  the  lines  along 
their  railroads,  and  has  ever  since  held  the  po- 
sition of  superintendent  of  the  Telegraph  De- 
partment of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company,  in  the  Canal  Department,  and  on  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  Division  of  their  rail- 
way system. 

The  Honesdale  Bell  Telephone  Company  was 
organized  in  August,  1882,  under  license  of  the 
American  Bell  Telephone  Company,  of  Boston, 
Mass.,  the  stockholders  being  J.  Merrihew, 
of  Philadelphia,  H.  L.  Storke,  of  New  York, 
Richard  O'Brien,  of  Scranton,  and   Mr.  Peter- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


sen.  As  superintendent  of  the  company,  the 
latter  at  once  began  the  erection  of  the  lines. 
In  March,  1883,  the  plant  was  transferred  to 
the  Hudson  River  Telephone  Company,  and  is 
now  in  successful  operation,  with  fifty-four 
subscribers,  under  the  management  of  Mr. 
Petersen  as  superintendent. 

In  addition  to  his   close  connection  with   the 
business  interests  of  Northeastern  Pennsylvania, 


many  years  of  Grace  Episcopal  Church,  and  is 
held  in  general  respect  for  his  integrity  and  up- 
rightness of  character.  He  married,  at  Chaux 
de  Fonde,  Switzerland,  June  11,  1851,  Char- 
lottie  A.  C.  Roth,  the  offspring  of  the  marriage 
being  Carrie  L.  A.  Petersen,  Lottie  E.  A.  Pe- 
tersen and  Ida  Maria  Petersen,  deceased.  Of 
the  four  brothers  of  Mr.  Petersen,  two,  Herman 
A.  and  Alexis,  came  to  this  country,  and  car- 


<ty£<&&pt 


Mr.  Petersen  has  also  occupied  a  prominent 
place  in  official  and  social  life  in  Honesdale, 
where  he  has  so  long  resided.  He  served  one 
term  as  chief  burgess  of  the  town,  and  has  fre- 
quently been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Council- 
men.  He  has  been  connected  with  the  Masonic 
order  since  1854,  as  a  member  of  Honesdale 
Lodge,  No.  218,  and  from  December,  1866, 
acted  as  treasurer  for  eleven  years  of  Anthony 
Wayne  Chapter,  No.  204,  Royal  Arch  Masons, 
of  Honesdale.     He  has  been   a  vestryman  for 


ried  on  a  successful  jewelry  business  at  Scranton, 
Pa.,  until  their  respective  deaths. 

Jairus  H.  Dunning  was  born  at  Danbury, 
Fairfield  Co.,  Conn.,  April  28, 1809.  His  grand- 
father, Gideon  Dunning,  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  at  Brookfield,  in  that  State.  Two  other 
brandies  of  the  family  settled,  one  in  New  York 
State,  the  other  in  New  Jersey.  His  parents  were 
Levi  and  Hannah  (Hoyt)  Dunning,  the  former  of 
whom  was  by  occupation  a  farmer,  and  died  May 
24,  1856,  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  enjoyed  the  bene- 
fit of  a  simple  English  education,  and  when 
about  sixteen  years  of  age  became  apprenticed 
to  White  &  Keeler,  of  Danbury  Centre,  Conn., 
to  learn  the  trade  of  a  hat  finisher.  This  firm 
was  soon  after  succeeded  by  Star  Nichols,  with 
whom  Mr.  Dunning  remained  until  about  his 
twentieth  year,  when  he  became  a  journeyman, 
and  subsequently  worked  at  his  trade  in  various 
places,    chiefly    in    Danbmy   and    WTatertown, 


present  site  of  the  skating-rink.  This  business 
connection  continued  until  1847,  when  an 
equitable  division  of  property 'was  made,  and 
Rhesa  Dunning  withdraw  from  the  firm. 
Jairus  H.  Dunning  succeeded  to  the  affairs  of 
the  firm,  and  engaged  in  hat-finishing  and 
store-keeping  until  about  1870,  when  he  retired 
from  active  business.  In  1864  he  began  a 
series  of  journeys  to  the  Far  West,  purchasing 
furs  and  robes  on  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri 


Coun.  In  October,  1832,  he  engaged  in  the 
finishing  and  sale  of  hats  on  his  own  account 
at  Monticello,  Sullivan  County,  New  York,  and 
in  April,  1834,  removed  to  Honesdale,  Pa., 
where,  in  connection  with  his  brother,  Rhesa, 
he  organized  on  May  15,  1834,  the  firm  of  J. 
&  R.  H.  Dunning.  The  concern  erected  a 
small  shop  on  the  river  for  the  manufacture  of 
hats,  at  Honesdale,  and  in  connection  therewith 
established  a  store  for  the  sale  of  their  goods,  in 
what  was    known    as    "  Slab    Castle,"    on    the 


Rivers,  and  after  having  them  finished,  selling 
them  at  his  Honesdale  store.  His  principal 
business  at  the  close  of  his  commercial  transac- 
tions was  the  sale  and  manufacture  of  hats, 
caps,  furs  and  robes. 

At  the  time  of  the  writing  of  this  sketch 
(1885)  Mr.  Dunning  is  one  of  the  oldest 
residents  of  Honesdale.  For  more  than  half  a 
century  he  has  steadily  followed  his  pursuits, 
not  aspiring  to  public  place  or  position,  but  so 
regulating  his  life  and  conduct  as  to  command 


442 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  respect  and  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of 
friends.  Soon  after  his  settlement  in  Honesdale 
he  united  with* Grace  Episcopal  Church,  and 
afterwards  filled  the  offices  of  vestryman  and 
warden,  and  for  nearly  thirty  years  was  super- 
intendent of  the  Sabbath-school.  He  has 
always  felt  a  deep  interest  in  all  movements 
calculated  to  develop  and  improve  the  commun- 
itv  with  which  he  so  early  identified  himself, 
and  has  been  one  of  the  most  useful  and  valua- 


family  witli  him,  and  resided  for  the  remainder 
of  his  life  in  the  town  of  Homer,  in  that  county. 
He  was  an  industrious  and  hard-working  man, 
and  reared  a  large  family  of  children,  of  whom 
three  only  are  now  living,  viz. :  Jacob  (who 
lives  at  Homer,  N.  Y.),  Elizabeth  (widow  of 
Abraham  Neff,  of  Springfield,  Wis.)  and  David 
(to  whom  this  sketch  is  chiefly  dedicated). 

The  latter  was  raised  upon  his  father's  farm, 
and  received  only  the  meagre  education  generally 


o<^Ci/i>z^c£z>      SLf^>. 


ble  citizens.  His  first  wife  was  Sarah  Bronson, 
whom  he  married  in  1832.  He  was  united  to 
his  present  wife,  Mrs.  Jenett  P.  Judd,  on  Nov. 
22,  1865. 

David  Kenner,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best- 
known  residents  ofWayue  County,  was  horn  at 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  January  24,1812.  His  par- 
ents were  Joseph*  and  Rachel  (Hollenbeck) 
Kenner,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of 
Kinderhook,  X.  Y.,  and  by  occupation  a 
farmer.  In  1816  Joseph  Kenner  removed  from 
Albany  to  Cortland  County,  N.  Y.,  taking*  his 


attainable  by  a  farmer's  son  at  that  early  period. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  purchased  his  time 
from  his  father,  as  was  the  wont  in  those  days, 
and  entered  the  employ  of  William  Walter,  a 
farmer  in  his  neighborhood,  for  whom  he  had 
winked  more  or  less  for  several  years  previously. 
He  subsequently  worked  on  the  farm  of  Dr. 
Jones,  in  the  same  locality,  and  upon  attaining 
his  majority  went  to  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
clerked  for  Elihu  Walter,  then  doing  business 
as  a  tallow-chandler.  At  the  expiration  of  a 
year  lie  entered    the  hardware  store  of  Elam 


WAYNE   COUNTY. 


443 


Lyons  &  Sous,  of  the  same  city,  where  he 
remained  about  a  year.  Soon  after  he  removed 
to  Wilkes- Barre,  Pa.,  where  he  drove  the  stage 
between  that  place  and  Tunkhannock,  for  Miller 
Horton.  In  August,  1 834,  he  married  Emma, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Weddeman,  of  Providence 
Luzerne  County,  and  again  resumed  stage- 
driving,  this  time  between  Providence  and 
Mil  ford,  a  distance  of  some  sixty-three  miles. 
In  the  summer  of  1835  he  bought  grain  for 
Daniel  Searles,  of  Montrose,  and  in  the  win- 
ter the  same  year  engaged  in  lumbering,  at 
Lennox,  Susquehanna  County,  for  William 
Hartley.  In  the  spring  of  1836  he  removed  to 
Carbondale,  Pa.,  where  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company, 
and  where  he  remained  for  four  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1840  he  settled  at  Honesdale,  Pa., 
where  he  was  furnished  two  canal-boats  by  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company,  which 
he  ran  himself  for  one  year  between  Honesdale 
and  Rondout,  N.  Y.  He  afterwards  kept  the 
boats  running,  but  himself  worked  the  borough 
road  of  Honesdale.  For  a  number  of  years  prior 
to  the  building  and  corporation  of  the  Erie  Rail- 
way Mr.  Kenner  operated  a  freight  line  be- 
tween Honesdale  and  New  York,  having  a 
number  of  teams  on  the  road,  and,  after  the 
completion  of  the  road  to  Goshen,  N.  Y.,  he 
operated  the  same  line  between  that  point  and 
Honesdale.  In  this  connection  he  often  pur- 
chased goods  for  others,  acting  as  agent,  and 
collecting  money  frequently.  In  1843  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  Cherry 
Ridge  township,  of  Asher  Woodward,  John 
Harvey  and  the  widow  Pern,  and  located 
thereon.  There  he  continued  to  reside  for 
thirty-three  years,  during  which  period  he  not 
only  engaged  in  farming,  but,  with  a  certain 
restless  activity  which  has  characterized  his 
entire  life,  occupied  himself  with  other  aifairs. 
When  the  Erie  Railroad  was  being  built,  in 
1847,  he  furnished  beef  to  the  company  for  their 
employes  from  a  point  below  Xarrowsburg  to 
Calicorn.  He  also  furnished  food  supplies  to 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  at  Haw- 
ley,  in  1848  and  1849.  He  dealt  largely  in 
pork,  as  the  partner  and  agent  of  farmers  in  his 
old  home  in  Cortland  County,  and  bought  and 


sold  stock  and  horses  in  large  numbers,  as  well 
as  buying  wool  for  Birdsall  Brothers,  woolen 
manufacturers,  of  Seelyville,  dining  the  late 
Civil  War. 

In  the  spring  of  1876  Mr.  Kenner  took  up 
his  residence  in  Honesdale,  where  he  now  lives. 
He  sold  his  farm  in  1878  to  John  and  William 
Blake,  the  later  of  whom  now  occupies  it.  Hi& 
chief  occupation  in  1885  is  investing  money 
and  looking  after  his  other  varied  interests. 
He  has  never  aspired  to  public  office,  but  has 
filled  various  township  offices,  and  for  three 
years  served  as  collector  of  Cherry  Ridge 
township.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Honesdale  since  about 
1860,  and  associated  in  its  erection,  but  is  liber- 
ally inclined  toward  other  denominations,  and 
is  a  contributor  to  the  support  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Society  of  that  place.  He  contributes 
freely,  yet  not  ostentatiously,  to  the  poor  and 
distressed,  and  is  a  supporter  of  all  worthy 
agencies  for  the  development  of  the  community. 
His  life  has  been  an  active,  energetic  and  suc- 
cessful one,  and  illustrates  in  a  forcible  degree 
the  possibilities  of  advancement  in  our  Ameri- 
can society  to  those  who,  though  of  humble 
origin,  are  endowed  by  nature  with  the  energy 
and  capabilities  necessary  for  success. 

Mr.  Kenner's  first  wife  died  December  26, 
1883.  He  was  united  to  his  present  wife,  Miss 
Ellen,  daughter  of  William  and  Henrietta 
(Kizer)  Spangenberg,  of  Lake  township,  on 
January  1,  1885. 


CHAPTER     XI 


DAMASCUS    TOWNSHIP. 


The  peaceful  hills  of  Damascus  township 
slope  gently  to  the  southeast,  furrowed  by  many 
a  shining  brooklet  that  empties  its  clear  waters 
into  the  Delaware,  which  river  forms  the  eastern 
boundary  of  the  township.  Manchester  lies  to 
the  north,  Berlin  south,  and  westward  are  Leb- 
anon, Oregon  and  Berlin,  all  of  them  born  of 
its  ample  area.  At  the  village  of  Damascus, 
Cash's  Creek,  one  of  the  principal  streams, 
empties    into  the  Delaware,  while   three    miles 


444 


WAYNE.  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


below,  at  Milanville,  Calkins'  Creek  makes  its 
debouche.  Hollister's  Creek  drains  the  north- 
eastern portion  of  the  township,  and  the  lesser 
streams  are  tributaries  to  one  of  these  three 
affluents. 

The  natural  ponds  are  Duck  Harbor,  which 
is  partly  in  Lebanon,  Laurel  Lake,  Cline, 
§wago,  Gorham  and  a  number  of  smaller  ponds. 
Most  of  the  land  is  rolling,  arable  and  with 
.soil  of  good  quality,  and  as  there  are  few  very 
high  hills,  it  is  easily  cultivated.  The  least 
productive  portions  are  a  portion  of  a  hill  iu  the 
northeastern  end,  called  Conklin  Hill,  and  a 
strip  commencing  below  Milanville,  and 
stretching  southward  to  Big  Eddy,  on  the 
Delaware. 

At  the  time  of  its  establishment,  when  Wayne 
County  was  set  off  from  Northampton,  in  1798, 
Damascus  included  all  the  territory  now  em- 
braced in  the  townships  of  Lebanon,  Oregon 
and  parts  of  both  Dyberry  and  Berlin.  It  was 
then  the  largest  township  erected,  and,  in  spite 
of  subsequent  excisions,  remains  so  to-day. 

As  it  is  territorially  the  most  important,  so  its 
history  is  more  interesting  than  that  of  sister 
townships,  since  along  its  eastern  limits  were 
made  the  first  settlements  in  the  county,  and  its 
pioneers  were  the  vanguard  of  the  Connecticut 
civilization,  which,  while  acting  as  a  menace  to 
the  tranquil  rule  of  the  proprietary  government, 
and  entailing  animosities  that  were  not  unat- 
tended with  bitterness,  cruelty  and  hardship, 
was  an  important  factor  in  opening  up  the  rich 
and  fertile  fields  of  Northeastern  Pennsylvania. 
A  broad  and  comprehensive  view  of  the  early 
■events  and  theirsynchronological  relation  to  the 
settlement  of  adjacent  regions  has  been  given 
iu  the  preceding  chapters,  where  also  some  of 
the  detailed  history  prior  to  the  erection  of 
Wayne  County  has  been  necessarily  referred 
to.  In  the  present  chapter,  which  is  designed 
to  be  more  specific,  a  grave  obstacle  to  connected 
narration  is  met  in  the  obscurity  of  many  early 
dates,  of  which  there  remains  no  record.  The 
actors  in  the  early  scenes  have  been  dead  many 
years,  and  left  behind  them  only  foggy  tradition 
find  fragmentary  family  records  that  are  limited 
and  contradictory.  So  far  as  possible,  personal 
recollection  has  been  supplemented  by  corrob- 


orative evidence  from  public  records,  but  in 
spite  of  much  labor,  few  of  the  family  histories 
are  as  complete  as  the  writer  desired  to  have 
them. 

Although  there  is  no  authentic  account  of  any 
settlement  at  Cushutunk  before  that  of  the  Del- 
aware Company,  in  1757,  a  traditiou  among  the 
descendants  of  Moses  Thomas  has  it  that  he  lo- 
cated on  the  Thomas  farm  as  early  as  1750, 
and  was  engaged  as  an  Indian  trader.  Thomas 
was  an  Englishman  of  pluck  and  enterprise, 
and  afterwards  became  one  of  the  leading  spir- 
its of  the  settlement.  From  what  little  is  shown 
of  his  character  by  his  after-history,  he  seems  to 
have  been  possessed  of  those  qualities  of  hardi- 
hood and  adventure  that  might  have  prompted 
him  to  seek  this  remote  outpost  of  colonial  civ- 
ilization independently  ;  it  is  quite  probable  he 
was  in  Cushutunk  as  early,  if  not  earlier,  than 
the  settlers  of  whom  there  is  more  definite  rec- 
ord. A  manuscript  written  by  Nathan  Skin- 
ner, giving  a  history  of  the  Skinner  family,  con- 
tains the  most  that  is  known  concerning  the  de- 
tailed history  of  the  settlement.  From  this  it 
appears  that  Daniel  Skinner,  the  father  of  the 
author,  was  boru  at  Preston,  Windham  County, 
Conn.,  and  was  one  of  eight  brothers  and  sisters, 
children  of  Joseph  Skinner.  These  were  Benj- 
amin, Timothy,  John,  Abner,  Haggai,  Calvin, 
Joseph,  Martha  and  Hulda.  The  manuscript 
then  goes  on  to  say  :  "  At  exactly  what  time 
Daniel  Skinner  came  to  Damascus  we  are  at 
present  unable  to  say,  but  we  find  from  a  cer- 
tain writing  that  he  was  at  the  place  where 
George  Bush  afterward  resided,  then  called  the 
'  Ackhake  place,'  on  the  4th  of  September,  1755. 
His  father  was  one  of  the  twelve  hundred  Yan- 
kees that  made  the  great  Indian  purchase  ot 
July  11th,  1754,  and  under  this  purchase  and 
another  under  a  section  of  the  colony  of  East 
New  Jersey,  the  Skinner  family  came  into  the 
country  to  seek  their  fortunes  and  make  settle- 
ments. 

"  Daniel  bought  of  his  father  twenty-five 
acres  of  the  Ackhake  place,  for  which  he  paid 
five  pounds,  current  money  of  the  Province  of 
New  York,  September  11th,  1755.  He  also 
assisted  in  laying  out  a  town,  the  centre  of 
which  was  about  six  miles  from  the   river,  near 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


445 


where  John  Barnes  now  lives  on  the  Cochecton 
and  Great  Bend  turnpike,  and  in  selecting  a  lo- 
cation tor  a  meeting-house,  and  a  lot  for  the 
minister,  William  Rice  was,  I  presume,  the  sur- 
veyor. After  this  Daniel  Skinner  made  his 
home  principally  at  the  Ackhake  place  until 
after  his  father  was  killed. l 

"  Buckskin  shirts  and  checked  Manuel  shirts 
were  altogether  the  fashion  in  these  days,  and, 
as  the  skins  could  be  had  very  cheap  from  the 
Indians  where  he  resided,  and  the  flannel  of  the 
Yankees  where  he  came  from,  he  became  a  ped- 
dler of  these  articles  throughout  the  settled  parts 
of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  and  formed  an 
acquaintance  with  most  of  the  inhabitants  of 
both  States. 

"  After  his  father  was  killed,  and  his  step-moth- 
er had  returned  to  her  residence  in  Connecticut, 
which  was,  I  presume,  about  the  year  1759,  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  Newton,  Sussex  County, 
New  Jersey.  This  appears  from  an  old  deed  of 
Timothy  Wrints,  of  Canterbury,  to  Daniel  Skin- 
ner, of  Newton,  Sussex  County,  New  Jersey,  for 
half  a  right  in  the  Delaware  Purchase,  for  which 
he  paid  four  pounds  sterling.  This  is  dated 
January  2,  1 760.  On  the  20th  of  February, 
in  the  same  year,  he  paid  Alpheus  Gustin,  one 
of  the  proprietors,  five  pounds  for  one-fourth  of 
a  right  in  the  Delaware  purchase,  lying  on  both 
sides  nf  the  river,  '  one  hundred  acres  thereof 
being  in  the  middle  township.'  On  the  26th  of 
the  following  July  he  paid  forty  pounds  to  Ben- 
jamin Skinner,  of  Newton,  Sussex  County,  New 
Jersey,  for  a  half-right  in  the  Susquehanna  pur- 
chase, which  right  Benjamin  bought  of  Joseph 
Skinner,  one  of  the  proprietors. 


'The  reasons  for  the  murder  of  Joseph  Skinner  are  not 
apparent.  The  Connecticut  title  came  from  the  Iroquois, 
while  the  New  York  proprietors  had  bought  of  the  natives 
of  the  region.  Shortly  after  Mr.  Skinner  brought  his  fam- 
ily to  Cushutunk,  accompanied  by  others  of  the  settlers, 
he  went  to  the  confederated  tribes  to  make  some  amicable 
adjustment  of  the  differences,  and  on  his  way  back  was 
killed  by  some  unknown  person.  As  he  did  not  return  to 
the  settlement  his  wife,  concluding  that  he  had  been  mur- 
dered, went  back  to  her  old  home  in  Preston.  Subsequent- 
ly his  body  was  found,  where  he  had  been  shot  on  the 
banks  of  a  small  stream,  just  above  the  residence  of  Hon. 
James  C.  Curtis,  and  was  identified  by  a  prayer-book,  on 
the  fly-leaf  of  which  his  name  was  written. 


"  This  year  (176'0)  he  became  a  sailor,  and 
made  a  voyage  to  several  of  the  West  India  is- 
lands; on  his  return,  March  1st,  1761,  he  mar- 
ried u  widow  by  the  name  of  Richardson,  who 
had  one  daughter,  Phcebe,  by  her  first  husband, 
and  at  tins  time  about  seven  years  old.  He  then 
moved  to  a  place  called  Munbroekeu  Stude,  and 
after  remaining  there  about  eight  months,  went 
to  New  Windsor.  Early  in  the  spring  of  176S 
we  find  him  on  the  same  Ackhake  place  where 
his  father  had  settled.  It  was  this  year  that  he 
made  his  first  experiments  in  rafting.  While  he 
had  been  a  sailor  he  learned  the  value  of  pine 
for  masts  and  spars,  and  about  this  time  con- 
ceived the  plan  of  running  some  spars  down  the 
Delaware  to  Philadelphia.  He  had  a  quantity 
of  excellent  timber  on  his  place,  and  he  got  out 
and  put  into  the  river  a  number  of  sticks  suit- 
able for  ship-masts.  These  he  put  adrift,  follow- 
ing them  with  a  canoe,  but  they  soon  ran  aground 
on  some  rocky  islands  in  the  channel,  and  he 
had  to  abandon  this  method  and  return  home. 
Notwithstanding  his  failure  he  persevered,  and 
with  much  labor  got  into  the  river  six  large 
masts  of  equal  length,  through  the  ends  of 
which  he  cut  a  mortise  about  four  inches  square,, 
into  which  was  fitted  what  was  termed  a  spindle 
of  white  oak.  In  the  ends  of  these,  pins  were 
driven,  to  keep  them  from  slipping,  and  the 
timber  thus  fastened  together  he  called  a  raft. 
To  each  end  of  it  he  pinned  a  small  log,  cross- 
wise, and  into  the  middle  of  this  drove  a  per- 
pendicular pin  about  ten  inches  long,  on  which 
the  oars  were  hung,  and  being  thus  rigged,  he 
hired  a  very  tall  Dutchman  to  go  with  him  a& 
fore-hand.  He  arrived  safely  at  Philadelphia 
with  this  raft,  and  sold  it  to  the  mast-makers 
with  good  profit.  This  was  the  first  raft  ever 
navigated  on  the  waters  of  the  Delaware  River, 
and  was  about  the  year  1764.  Shortly  after- 
ward he  made  a  larger  raft,  on  which  Josiah 
Parks  went  as  fore-hand,  and  in  consequence  of 
the  success  that  attended  both  ventures,  others 
soon  embarked  in  the  same  business,  and,  after 
a  time,  rafting  became  general  from  the  Cook 
House  (Deposit)  to  Philadelphia.  Daniel  Skin- 
ner, having  constructed  the  first  raft,  was  styled 
'Lord  High  Admiral' of  all  of  the  raftsmen 
on  the  Delaware,  and  Josiah  Parks  was  named 


-146 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  .MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


*  boatswain. '  These  honorary  titles  they  re- 
tained during  their  lives." 

Even  in  this  sparse  settlement,  numbering 
scarce  a  score  of  souls,  we  find  that  jealousy  and 
greed  played  their  parts,  and  came  near  driving 
the  pioneer  raftsman  and  his  family  from  the 
river.  The  manuscript  relates  that  in  the  spring 
of  1767,  Nathaniel  Evans,  Abraham  Ross  and 
Phineas Clark  lived  in  a  house  on  the  site  of  that 
which  Judge  Tyler  afterward  built  for  his  son, 
and  Skinner  lived  on  the  flat  about  eighty  rods 
from  where  George  Bush  now  lives.  Evans, 
Ross  and  Clark  conspired  to  unite  and  drive 
Skinner  out  of  the  country,  so  they  could  have 
the  whole  flat  to  themselves,  and  the  right  of 
cutting  and  rafting  the  timber  that  grew  upon 
it.  Skinner  had  his  brother  Haggai  living  with 
him,  and  as  both  were  resolute  men  who  would 
not  give  up  their  rights  without  a  struggle,  anx- 
ious as  they  were  for  a  monopoly  of  the  flat,  the 
conspirators  feared  to  put  their  plans  into  exe- 
cution. The  feeling  against  Skinner  and  his 
family  was  shared  by  the  wives  of  his  rivals, 
and,  from  subsequent  events,  it  seems  that  the 
women  were  the  strongest  advocates  of  summa- 
ry ejection  vis  et  arma.  They  dared  attempt 
what  their  spouses  lacked  courage  to  venture, 
and,  taking  advantage  of  a  time  when  the  men 
had  all  gone  rafting,  indulged  in  a  purely  fem- 
inine struggle,  of  which  the  family  chronicler 
has  given  an  account  not  only  quaint  and  amus- 
ing, but  virile  with  a  touch  of  human  nature  that 
is  internal  evidence  of  its  fidelity  to  the  eventful 
life  of  the  early  days. 

"  It  was  one  pleasant  afternoon  in  May,"  he 
records,  "  when  all  nature  was  bright  and 
smiling,  that  an  attempt  at  disposession  was 
made  by  these  ladies,  whom  I  shall  designate 
by  the  titles  by  which  they  were  known  in  after- 
years.  Aunt  Sarah  was  Nat  Evans'  wife;  Aunt 
Hulda  that  of  Abraham  Ross;  and  Mrs.  Clark 
the  wife  of  Phineas  Clark.  These  notable  and 
economical  wives,  lamenting  the  want  of  cour- 
age in  their  husbands,  held  a  consultation  to 
consider  how  they  might  drive  Skinner  from 
the  country,  and  have  the  whole  flat  and  the 
privilege  of  rafting  the  lofty  pines  thereon  to 
themselves,  and  thus  it  came  about  that  Aunt 
Hulda  said  to   her  companions,  '  If  tin1  Skin- 


ners can  be  driven  off,  we  can  move  into  their 
house ;  Ross  and  Evans  will  help  Clark,  and 
they  will  soon  put  up  a  house  for  you  at  the 
end  of  the  flat.' 

"  '  Yes,'  said  Mrs.  Clark,  '  All  very  good, 
but  here  we  are  fretting  about  the  inactivity  of 
our  husbands,  when  we  have  the  power  to  put 
ourselves  in  possession  without  their  assistance. 
We  are  all  stout  women,  and  Skiuner's  wife, 
you  know,  is  a  little  bit  of  a  thing,  and  Phcebe 
but  a  child.  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  they  are 
both  very  cowardly,  and  all  we  have  to  do  is  to 
put  their  things  out  and  ours  in.  If  they 
resist,  I  will  hold  Mrs.  Skinner.  Once  in,  we 
will  have  full  possession.' 

"  The  business  was  accomplished  in  their 
own  estimation,  and  accordingly,  without  further 
delay,  they  went  to  work  to  put  the  scheme  into 
execution.  When  they  came  to  the  house  they 
found  Phoebe  with  the  three  children, — Reuben, 
about  five  ;  Daniel,  three  ;  and  Lillie,  an  infant 
of  two  months  old.  Mrs.  Skinner  had  gone  a 
short  distance  on  some  errand.  Finding  the 
premises  in  this  favorable  condition,  they  antic- 
ipated no  resistance  and  fancied  themselves  al- 
ready in  possession  of  the  coveted  acquisition. 
But  alas !  how  deceptive  are  human  efforts, 
founded  on  our  own  calculations.  They  did 
nut  know  that  they  were  fishing  for  a  tartar. 
('  Why  do  the  heathen  rage  and  the  people 
imagine  vain  things?' — Psalm  ii.  1.  'Because 
the  people's  hearts  are  waxed  gross  and  their 
ears  are  dull  of  hearing  and  their  eyes  have  they 
closed,  lest  at  any  time  they  should  see  with 
their  eyes  and  hear  with  their  ears  and  under- 
stand with  their  hearts' — Mat.  xiii.  15.)  Be- 
fore I  can  convey  any  adequate  idea  of  this 
affair,  it  is  necessary  to  describe  the  character  of 
those  who  are  about  to  engage  in  one  of  the 
greatest  conflicts  ever  recorded. 

"  Aunt  Hulda  and  Aunt  Sarah  were  sisters 
of  Uncle  Moses  Thomas,  who  was  killed  at  the 
famous  battle  of  Lackawaxen,  and  daughters  of 
Moses  Thomas,  who  was  killed  by  the  Indians 
at  Cochecton,  in  November,  1762.  At  this 
time  Aunt  Hulda  lived  in  the  block-house 
with  her  father  and  mother.  Her  father  went 
out  to  look  for  the  Indians  at  the  same  time 
the  Indians  were  looking  for  him,  and  they  shot 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


447 


him  and  another  man  by  the  name  of  Willis,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  brook,  so  that  Aunt  Hulda 
and  a  sister  then  about  seven  years  old,  who,  in 
process  of  time  became  Aunt  Hannah,  had  to 
supply  the  places  of  two  men  and  hold  their 
muskets  in  the  loop-holes  to  defend  the  fort. 
It  was  thus  they  became  warriors  ;'  Aunt  Sarah 
and  Mrs.  Clark  were  stout  women  and  both 
noted  for  their  Amazonian  character.  But, 
■  the  battle  is  not  to  the  strong,  nor  the  race  to 
the  swift.'  Skiuner's  wife  was  a  small  women, 
very  quick  in  motion,  sprightly  and  determined. 
When  her  temper  was  up  she  feared  nothing. 
Her  mother  died  when  she  was  a  child,  and 
being  very  poor,  she  was  brought  up  in  the 
family  of  a  physician.     Her  father  went  into 


1  From  the  account  given  by  Quinlan  in  "  Tom  Quick," 
there  seem  to  have  been  but  three  men  in  the  neighbor- 
hood at  this  time.  The?  were  Moses  Thomas  (1st),  llilkiah 
Willis  and  a  man  named  Witters,  to  whose  care  a  large 
number  of  women  and  children  had  been  committed.  The 
hlock-house,  which  stood  but  a  few  feet  from  the  river,  was 
well  supplied  with  arms  and  ammunition,  and  had  it  been 
slocked  with  provision,  a  small  garrison  could  have  bidden 
defiance  to  the  savages.  There  had  been  some  reports  of 
hostile  Indians,  but  it  was  not  supposed  they  were  near, 
and  in  the  morning  Willis  directed  his  two  sons  to  go  to 
his  farm  and  winnow  some  buckwheat  which  had  been 
thrashed  the  day  before.  The  lads  complied  rather  un- 
willingly, and  soon  returned  and  reported  I  he  approach  of 
the  savages.  Supposing  it  was  only  a  ruse  lo  avoid  the 
task  to  which  they  had  been  sel,  Willis  and  his  companions 
at  first  paid  little  attention  to  their  story  ;  but  the  boys 
were  so  vehement  in  their  protestations,  that  at  last  the 
three  men  went  out  to  reconnoiter,  while  the  women  and 
children  retreated  to  the  block-house.  Thomas  and  his 
two  companions  proceeded  rather  incautiously  down  the 
river  about  half  a  mile,  when  they  came  upon  the  Indians, 
who  were  in  a  turnip  patch.  As  the  scouts  came  over  a 
slight  rise  above  the  patch,  the  marauders  caught  sight  of 
them  and  immediately  fired.  Thomas  was  killed  instantly 
aud  Willis  fell  badly  wounded.  Witters  escaped  and  fled 
to  the  block-house,  where  the  women  had  fled  in  great  ex- 
citement on  hearing  the  firing.  Witters  knew  that  the 
fate  of  the  women  and  children  depended  upon  his  sagacity 
and  courage,  and  realized  that  it  would  be  impossible  for 
him  to  cope  with  the  foe  unless  he  could  keep  them  at  bay 
until  assistance  arrived.  He  at  once  dispatched  Moses 
Thomas  (2d),  then  but  a  little  lad,  to  warn  the  settlers 
above  the  block-house  of  the  impending  danger  and  ask 
their  immediate  aid.  The  boy,  fleet  of  foot,  reached  his 
destination  in  safety,  but  found  that  the  alarm  had  pre- 
ceded him.  The  settlers  had  heard  the  guns  of  the  In- 
dians and  sought  safety  in  the  woods,  making  the  best  ot 
their  way  toward  Esopus.  Meanwhile,  Witters  rallied  the 
women,  and  when  the  Indians  came  to  the  block-house,  a 


the  army  against  the  French,  and  was  killed  at 
Cape  Breton  in  May,  1745.  She  remained 
with  the  doctor  until  she  was  between  fourteen 
and  fifteen  years  old,  and  was  always  so  em- 
ployed as  to  keep  her  faculties,  both  corporeal 
and  mental,  in  active  operation,  so  that  she  was 
prepared  to  take  her  own  part.  She  was  said 
to  be  very  beautiful,  and  in  consequence  had 
many  admirers.  She  finally  married  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Richardson,  and  bare  him  a  daugh- 
ter called  Phtebe.  About  1755  Richardson 
went  into  the  army  and  was  killed  at  Brad- 
dock's  defeat.  After  this  his  widow  lived  with 
a  married  sister  until  March  11,  1761,  when  she 
became  tlie  wife  of  Daniel  Skinner. 

"  Now  that  I   have  described  the  champions 
whose  process  decided  the  fate  of  St.  Tammany 


musket  protruded  from  every  loop-hole,  while  the  single 
brave  man  in  the  little  stockade  gave  orders  in  a  loud 
military  tone  to  an  imaginary  force  of  soldiery.  He  gave 
orders  to  shoot  every  Indian  that  approached  the  fort,  and 
by  his  capital  mimicry  awed  the  savages  into  the  belief 
that  the  garrison  was  a  strong  one,  and  intended  to  defend 
the  block-house  to  the  last  extremity.  The  Indians  cowered 
under  the  cover  of  a  green  bank,  aud  challenged  the  gar- 
rison to  come  out  and  fight  in  open  field,  but  received  in 
reply  only  scornful  laughter  and  an  occasional  telling  shot 
from  Witter's  unfailing  rifle.  Thus  the  deception  was 
kept  up  until  near  evening,  the  Indians  having  determined 
upon  a  regular  siege.  A  new  source  of  uneasiness  then 
presented  itself  to  the  gallant  Witters.  A  quantity  of  hay 
had  been  carelessly  left  quite  near  the  block-house,  and  he 
became  convinced  that  the  savages  would  take  advantage 
of  the  darkness  to  fire  it,  and  burnout  what  they  supposed 
to  be  a  strong  force.  In  this  he  was  not  mistaken,  for 
about  dusk  he  noticed  an  Indian  stealthily  crawling 
toward  the  hay.  Witters  gave  a  signal,  which  he  had  pre- 
viously arranged  with  the  women,  and  every  gun  in  the 
block- house  sent  a  broadside,  and  the  brave  sprang  to  his 
feet  with  a  yell  of  pain  and  fell  dead.  This  so  intimidated 
the  besiegers  that  they  recovered  tlyB  body  of  their  com- 
panion, and  after  hastily  interring  it,  retreated  toward 
Calkins'  Creek.  Elias  Thomas  (2d),  and  Jacob  Denny, 
two  lads  under  eleven  years  of  age,  had  been  sent  to  Mini- 
sink  to  ask  aid,  and  a  party  of  soldiers  was  sent  to  the 
rescue.  When  they  arrived  at  the  blockhouse,  it  was 
found  that  the  canoes  which  had  brought  them  would  not 
accommodate  all  the  rescued  party  and  that  one  must  be 
left  behind.  Among  the  party  was  a  women  who  had  an 
idiot  child,  and  the  soldiers  decided  that  the  girl  should  be 
the  one  to  remain.  In  vain  did  the  poor  mother  plead  to 
be  left  with  her  unfortunate  child.  She  was  not  allowed 
this  consolation,  but  was  forced  into  the  canoe,  where  she 
hid  her  face  in  her  hands  to  screen  the  sight  of  the  deserted 
one  and  drown  its  inarticulate  cries  of  woe  with  her  own 


448 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Flats,  we  will  return  to  the  field  of  battle. 
Phcebe  was  about  thirteen  years  old  at  this  time, 
a  stout  girl,  possessed  of  some  of  her  mother's 
spunk.  As  the  besiegers  advanced,  Aunt  Hul- 
da  carried  out  some  of  the  things ;  Phoebe  car- 
ried them  back.  Aunt  Hulda  throws  out 
others,  and  when  Phoebe  attempts  to  restore 
them  to  their  places,  Mrs.  Clark  attempts  to 
hold  her,  but  Phoebe,  by  a  trip  of  the  foot 
which  she  had  learned  of  the  Yankee  boys, 
brought  her  heavily  to  the  floor,  catching  her 
by  the  hair,  commenced  to  wring  her  neck,  as 
she  has  seen  them  do  that  of  a  fowl  This 
treatment,  together  with  the  fall,  so  far  disabled 
Mrs.  Clark  that  she  seemed  quite  lifeless.  At 
this^stage  of  the  proceedings  Mrs.  Skinner  ar- 
rived, and  seeing  Phoebe  thus  engaged,  ran  to 
take  her  off  her  prostrate  adversary ;  but  Aunt 
liulda,  supposing  Mrs.  Skinner  intended  to 
fight,  knocked  her  down  with  a  stone,  cutting 
a  free-flowing  gash  in  her  head,  and  then, 
catching  her  by  the  hair,  called  upon  Aunt 
Sarah  for  help.  Phcebe,  who  had  by  this  time 
rendered  her  opponent  harmless,  sprang  to  her 
mother's  assistance,  and  was  immediately  at- 
tacked by  Aunt  Sarah. 

"  Now  the  battle  commenced  in  earnest,  each 
having  a  single  opponent.  I  shall  not  tell  of 
their  many  collisions  ;  suffice  it  that  the  belliger- 
ents were  soon  without  c^aps  or  hair.  There  is 
no  knowing  how  long  this  fight  would  have 
continued,  nor  what  would  have  been  the  result 
of  it,  had  it  not  so  happened  that  where  Skin- 
ner's wife  was  engaged  there  was  a  small  pail 
of  ashes,  which  she  thought  might  staunch  her 
bleeding  head.  She  grasped  a  handful  for  this 
purpose,  but,  instead  of  applying  it  to  her  head, 
she  crammed  it  into  the  mouth  and  eyes  of  Aunt 
Hulda,  and,  perceiving  the  effect,  she  instantly 
repeateol  the  dose.  Now,  as  her  mouth  and  eyes 
were  well  charged  with  this  substance,  Aunt 
Hulda  could  neither  see  nor  scold,  and  was,  of 
course,  entirely  unqualified  to  continue  the  con- 
flict. As  soon  as  possible  she  made  her  escape 
in  search  of  water,  leaving  Mrs.  Skinner  to 
turn  her  attention  to  Phcebe  and  Sarah,  who 
were  both  exhausted  by  this  time  and  had  come 
to  an  armistice  till  they  could  get  their  breaths. 
Mrs.  Clark,  too,  had   recovered   and  came   for- 


ward suing  for  peace.  Shortly  afterward  Aunt 
Hulda  returned  from  the  river,  where  she  had 
been  to  wash  the  ashes  out  of  her  eyes,  and  all 
sat.  down  to  talk  over  the  matter  and  arrange 
the  preliminaries  of  peace.  Each  lamented  that 
she  had  lost  her  cap  and  hair,  and  each  consoled 
herself  that  the  others  had  equally  lost.  Greed 
and  revenge  were  both  cooled  down  and  reason 
ouce  more  assumed  dominion,  each  party  hav- 
ing found  by  experience  that  there  was  no 
pleasure  in  having  the  hair  pulled,  and  that 
they  who  pull  hair  must  expect  to  have  hair 
pulled  in  return.  ('  With  what  measure  ye  mete 
it  shall  be  measured  unto  you  again.' — Matt, 
vii.  2.  '  He  that  leadeth  into  captivity  shall  go 
into  captivity.' — Rev.  xiii.  10.  '  For  all  that 
take  the  sword  shall  perish  by  the  sworol.' — 
Mat.  xx vi.  52).  Under  these  considerations 
none  were  anxious  to  renew  the  fight.  All  were 
losing  precious  blood  from  the  ends  of  their 
nasal  organs,  and  the  wound  on  Mrs.  Skinner's 
head  was  still  bleeding  profusely.  What  a  sub- 
ject for  a  painter  !  Five  respectable  ladies,  all 
without  caps,  bald-headed,  their  clothes  in  tat- 
ters and  covered  with  blood  and  dust  !  Thus 
they  sat  for  a  few  minutes,  gazing  ruefully  upon 
themselves  and  on  one  another,  and  then,  with 
one  accord,  they  went  to  the  river  and  applied 
the  waters  of  the  Delaware,  not  to  wash  away 
their  sins  after  repentance,  but  to  remove  the 
grime  from  their  faces  and  stanch  the  crimson 
rivulets  that  still  trickled  from  their  cuts  and 
wounds.  While  thus  employed,  the  besieging 
ladies  explained  their  object  in  the  attack,  their 
prospects  and  motives  haol  it  succeeded,  and,  ac- 
knowledging their  wrong,  prayed  for  forgive- 
ness and  promised  reformation.  On  this  Mrs. 
Skinner  sent  Phoebe,  who  had  suffered  least  by 
the  conflict,  to  the  house  with  orders  to  put  on 
the  tea-kettle,  bake  a  Johnny-cake,  boil  some 
potatoes,  roast  some  drieol  eels  and  cut  up  some 
jerk.  This  she  accomplished  in  due  season  and 
the  meal  was  placed  upon  the  table,  around 
which  these  ladies  seated  themselves  and  partook 
of  the  dainties  with  cheerfulness  and  harmony. 
The  attacking  party  exonerated  themselves  as 
best  they  could,  throwing  the  blame  on  their 
neighbors,  A.  B.  and  C,  ami  entered  into  a 
covenant  of  friendship  that  was  never  afterward 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


449 


violated.  Aunt  Sarah  and  Mrs.  Skinner  lived 
within  half  a  mile  of  each  other  for  many  years 
and  always  in  perpetual  harmony." 

From  a  document  still  on  file  in  Northamp- 
ton County,  it  appears  that  a  warrant  was  is- 
sued by  William  Allen,  dated  June  4,  1761,  di- 
recting the  sheriff  to  arrest  Daniel  Skinner, 
Timothy  Skinner,  Simeon  Calkins,  John  Smith, 
Jedidiah  Willis,  James  Adams,  Irion  Adams 
and  others  for  intruding  upon  the  Indian  lands 
about  Cochecton  without  leave.  This,  I  imagine, 
was  the  reason  that  prevented  Skinner  from 
moving  to  Cochecton  immediately  after  he  was 
married.  On  Christmas  day,  1771,  many  of 
the  inhabitants  collected  at  the  house  of  Nich- 
olas Conklin,  where  they  met  a  number  of  In- 
dians, among  whom  was  a  Tuscarora  chief, 
called  Captain  John.  This  Indian  had  become 
troublesome  in  consequence  of  drinking  too 
much  rum,  and  was  flourishing  a  knife,  with 
which  he  had  already  gashed  the  arm  of  one 
man.  Daniel  Skinner  and  his  brother,  Haggai, 
were  present,  and,  turning  to  the  latter,  Captain 
John  ordered  him  to  give  him  another  drink. 
This  he  refused  to  do,  and  Daniel  Skinner  told 
the  Indian  he  had  already  had  too  much.  At 
this  the  Indian  stepped  forward  to  Skinner  and 
struck  at  him.  Skinner,  warding  off  the  blow 
with  one  hand,  knocked  down  his  assailant  with 
the  other,  and,  after  having  secured  the  knife, 
held  him  until  a  cope  was  procured,  and  he  was 
tied  so  as  to  prevent  further  mischief.  This 
soon  sobered  him,  and  when  he  was  liberated 
he  was  very  friendly,  expressing  his  gratitude 
to  Skinner  for  preventing  him  from  doing  any 
more  mischief  and  offering  to  pay  for  what  he 
had  done.  He  laid  all  the  trouble  to  the  rum 
he  had  been  foolishly  drinking,  and,  taking- 
Skinner  by  the  hand,  told  him  he  would  always 
respect  him  and  remember  him  as  a  special 
friend,  because  he  had  refused  to  give  him  rum. 
Thus  the  affray  was  ended  ;  pale  face  and  red 
man  were  on  amicable  terms  and  it  was  supposed 
by  all  present  that  such  was  to  be  the  end  of 
the  affair.  Such  would  have  been  the  case  had 
there  been  none  of  those  littlcd -so  tiled  animals 
in  the  neighborhood, 

"  Who  pine  to  hear  the  voice  of  truth  proclaim 
A  neighbor's  virtue,  or  another's  fame." 
43 


Whenever  the  transaction  was  afterwards 
mentioned,  Skinner  was  applauded,  especially 
by  the  Indians,  who  always  spoke  in  his  praise 
and  said  lie  was  the  greatest  and  best  man 
in  Cochecton.  Sometime  in  May,  1 77 12,  how- 
ever, he  received  the  following  in  a  letter  from 
James  Welsh,  in  Upper  Smithfield  : 

"  Easton,  17  April,  1772. 
"Mr.  James  Welsh: 

"Inclosed  you  will  receive  a  Warreut  against  Dan- 
iel and  Hagga  Skinner  For  beating  and  wounding 
several  Indian  Cheats  of  the  Oneida,  Tuskarora  and 
Mohiekan  Indians,  which  in  its  consequences  may 
involve  the  provence  in  a  bloody  ware  with  those  In- 
dians unless  the  aforesaid  Daniel  and  Hagga  Skinner 
are  brought  to  eondine  punishment :  according  to 
law:  You  are  commanded  to  precede  to  Coshethton 
taking  witli  you  a  sufficient  strength  and  bring  them 
before  me  to  answer  for  their  miss  conduct  and  irreg- 
ular proceedings  And  this  you  are  by  no  means  to 
neglect  or  Fail  at  your  peril  And  I  do  Further  re- 
quire that  you  will  execute  the  said  Warrent  within 
the  space  of'Forteen  days  From  the  time  you  receive 
it  and  make  returns  of  your  doing  therein  after  its 
execution  to  me  without  delay  it  being  by  the  express 
orders  of  the  Governor  and  Council. 
"  Your  humble  Sert. 

"  Lewis  Gordon. 
"Mr.  .lames  Welsh,  constable  in  Upper  Smithfield." 

This  same  letter  directed  him  to  bring  Nat. 
Evans1  without  fail.  This  was  a  difficult  task, 
as  there  was  no  authority  within  forty  or  fifty 
miles,  and  Skinner  knew  that  Evans,  having 
been  the  cause  of  the  trouble,  would  not  go  wil- 
lingly. Now,  Evans,  having  discovered  what 
he  supposed  to  be  a  valuable  mine,  Skinner 
agreed  with  a  blacksmith  by  the  name  of  Cooley 
to  try  Evans'  ore.  According  to  the  plan,  Evans 
was  to  fetch  his  ore  in  the  night  and  work  the 
bellows,  while  Cooley  attended  to  the  fire,  in 
order  to  get  a  sufficient  heat  to  do  the  melting. 
This  was  carried  out,  and  while  they  were  thus 
employed,  Skinner  and  his  brother,  Haggai, 
rushed  in  upon  Evans,  and,  with  the  assistance 
of  Cooley,  bound  him,  put  him  into  a  canoe  and 
started  down  the  river  in  search  of  a  justice 
of  the  peace.    The  next  day  they  found  Abraham 


Nathaniel  Evans  was  a  mischief-making  fellow  and  a 
to  the  residents  of  the  valley.  .  .  .  He  un- 
doubtedly made  himself  so  obnoxious  that  Cochecton  was 
not  a  pleasant  locality  to  him,  and  left.''  —  Quinlan. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Van  Auken,    before    whom  Evans    made  this 
deposition : 
"  Sussex  |  Eastern  ) 
County  j    Jersey  J 

"  This  Deposition  of  Nathaniel  Evons  taken  before 
me  Abraham  Vanauken  one  of  his  Majesties  Jus- 
tices of  peace  for  the  province  and  County  aforesaid 
This  deponent  being  duly  sworn  on  the  holy  Evan- 
gelest  of  Almighty  God  saith  that  near  the  last  of 
February  1772  one  Joseph  Ross  and  Aaron  Thomas 
both  of  Shochorton1  did  imploy  him  to  carry  a  letter 
to  the  Tuskarores  Cheiff  Capt.  John  in  order  to  rais 
an  insurrection  on  some  or  all  the  inhabitnts  of 
Shochorton  and  said  Indians :  which  said  letter  the 
said  Nathaniel  Evons  did  also  at  the  request  of  the 
Indians  carry  to  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  and 
did  also  receive  a  letter  From  the  Secretary  of  Penn- 
sylvania directed  in  answer  to  said  Indians  Which 
letter  the  said  Evons  did  direct  to  Capt.  John  and 
further  this  deponent  saith  not.  Given  under  my  hand 
and  seal  21st  May  1772. 

"Abraham  Vaxaiken." 

After  obtaining  this  deposition  they  let  Evans 
go,  and  proceeded  to  Easton,  having  previously 
obtained  the  following  letter  of  recommenda- 
tion : 
"  To  All  Whom  it  May  Qmeerne: 

"Knew  ye  that  Daniel  Skinner  whome  is  com- 
plained of  For  abusing  the  Indians  did  settle  with 
said  Indians  last  winter  before  that  any  complaint 
was  made  to  the  Cheat's  as  can  be  easily  proved  by 
the  Indians  themselves  and  others  and  the  Indians  is 
free  and  willing  that  he  should  stay  and  improve  his 
land  as  he  has  done  before  and  it  is  something  likely 
it  was  out  of  some  ill  will  that  the  Complaint  was 
made  against  Daniel  Skinner  and  his  brother  Hagga 
as  consequently  it  will  appear  and  as  fur  the  quarrel 
that  hapened  on  Christmas  day  the  said  Skinners  were 
peacable  together  and  some  other  people  at  Nicholas 
Conklin's  when  the  Indians  themselves  was  something 
in  liquor  and  began  with  said  Skinner  for  to  give 
them  some  Rum  and  said  Skinner  would  not  and  the 
Indian  was  out  of  humor  and  struck  said  Skinner  and 
the  said  Skinner  struck  said  Indian  back  again  and  it 
came  to  some  head  the  Indian  stabed  one  man  and  after 
the  Indian  came  to  himself  he  acknowledged  he  was 
in  the  wrong  and  said  he  would  make  satisfaction  For 
the  damage  he  had  done  and  would  not  have  ben  any 
more  noise  about  it  if  it  had  not  ben  for  Nathaniel 
Evons  as  the  Indians  say  This  we  can  attest  to 
Coshethton  May  10  1772.  "  Nicholas  Conklin 
"  John  Lassley 
"Elizabeth  Coxkux 
"  William  Conklin." 


1  Both    of   these   men    lived   at  Cochecton.     The   name 
Shochorton  has  not  been  met  with  elsewhere. 


"  To  oil  irhome  it  .Vni/  Coiicearne  : 

"  Whereas  we  the  subscribers  are  informed  That 
Nathaniel  Evons  has  entred  a  Complaint  to  Governor 
Pen  against  Daniel  Skinner  For  his  abusing  some 
(Indians). 

"  This  is  to  certify  that  we  know  of  no  abuse  given 
by  said  Daniel  Skinner  to  the  Indians  at  any  time 
And  we  further  certify  that  Daniel  Skinner  as  far  as 
we  know  him  to  be  an  Honest  industrious  and  peaca- 
ble man  both  to  his  neighbors  and  the  Indians  This 
we  the  subscriber  do  Certify  to  the  Gentlemen  it  may 
concern. 
"Minesink  May. 5th  1772. 

"  Abraham  Westbrook  Lanes  Westbrook 

Abraham  Skinner  Martines  Westbrook 

Garret  Decker  Antony  Daykau 

Benjamin  Depui  Yohanas  Decker 

Thomas  Hoyter  Abr'm  Vanauken,  Esq 

Isaac  Vantoyle  Neamiah  Paterson 

Johan  Mideaugh  Nicholas  Conklin 

Samuel  Gunsales  Phineous  Cleark 

Abraham  Vanauken  Ruben  Cooley 

Lemuel  Westbrook  Robert  Land." 

"  When  Skinner  arrived  at  Easton  and  pre- 
sented himself  and  his  papers  to  the  proper 
authorities,  he  found  no  one  to  prosecute  the 
complaint,  and,  of  course,  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. He  returned  to  pursue  his  business 
as  before,  but  soon  discovered  that  his  family 
would  not  be  safe  at  Cochecton,  and,  being  dis- 
couraged in  many  efforts  to  obtain  a  permanent 
title,  he  concluded  to  quit  the  country  and  try 
his  fortune  in  some  other  place.  His  brothers, 
Timothy  and  Abncr,  had  purchased  land  from 
Henry  Wisner,  of  Goshen,  called  the  Shungank 
Kill  Meadows,  their  titles  dating  from  Decem- 
ber 13, 1767,  and  during  the  six  years  they  had 
lived  there,  the  title  had  not  been  disputed.  As 
Wisner  had  in  the  same  tract  about  seven  hun- 
dred acres  unsold,  he  (Skinner)  purchased  it  for 
£300  lawful  money  of  New  York.  This  deed 
is  dated  June  15,  1773,  at  which  time  Skinner's 
family  were  living  on  the  premises  of  his  broth- 
er Timothy,  having  moved  from  Cochecton 
some  time  in  the  latter  part  of  November,  1772. 
The  cause  of  his  leaving  Cochecton  was  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  About  the  year  1770  he  concluded  to  take 
a  title  from  Pennsylvania,  and  accordingly  got 
a  survey  of  oue  hundred  aud  forty  acres  of 
land,  and  petitioned  to  the  Governor  to  give 
him  a  grant  for  the  same.     This  was   opposed 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


451 


by  James  Hayes,  who  was  what  was  then  called 
a  '  land  jobber,' — that  is  one  whose  business  it 
istofindatractofland  and  make  out  a  description 
stating  where  the  vacant  land  could  be  found  ; 
this  was  called  locating.  Skinner  having  had  his 
land  surveyed  under  the  Yankee  title,  it  was 
not  difficult  for  Hayes  to  locate  it,  and  as  there 
were  many  who  wanted  the  same  location,  it 
would  sell  for  a  large  sum.  Under  these  con- 
siderations. Hayes  opposed  the  grantto Skinner, 
and  in  order  to  sustain  his  position,  made  some 
false  statements  relating  to  Skinner's  character. 
The  Governor  and  Council  inquired  into  these, 
and  ascertaining  their  falsity,  gave  Skinner  a 
patent  dated  May  3,  1775. 

"  While  he  had  lived  in  Shawangunk  his 
daughter  Phoebe  became  the  wife  of  Garshim 
Smith,  and  immediately  after  receiving  the 
patent,  accompanied  by  Smith  and  his  wife, 
Skinner  returned  to  Cochecton.  Smith  was  a 
carpenter,  and  went  with  him  to  build  the  house. 
Skinner  united  with  Bezaleel  Tyler  and  bought 
the  Hollister  place.  They  built  a  saw-mill  on 
Hollister  Creek,  and  he  put  up  his  new  house, 
into  which  he  calculated  to  move  his  family 
about  the  1st  of  May,  1777,  or  as  soon  as  his 
wife  should  be  sufficiently  recovered  to  bear  the 
fatigue  of  the  journey,  she  having  been  put  to 
bed  on  the  4th  of  April.  About  this  time  the 
Committee  of  Safety,  pursuant  to  complaint 
made  by  the  people  that  had  moved  from  Co- 
checton, sent  their  mandate  to  a  number  of  the 
inhabitants  to  appear  and  show  cause  why  they 
should  not  be  imprisoned.  .  .  .  This 
was  sometime  in  April,  1777,  and  among  those 
who  were  summoned  were  Francis  Little,  Robert 
Land  and  Bryant  Kane.1  Kane,  anticipating 
that  he  would  sent  to  jail,  kept  out  of  the  way, 
but  Little    and   his  family  and    Land    and   his 


1  A  short  time  before  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution, 
Bryant  Kane  made  a  contract  for  a  farm  on  the  east  bank 
of  the  Delaware,  near  the  Cochecton  Falls — the  same 
premises  afterward  occupied  by  Charles  Young.  Above 
him  wa3  the  house  of  Nicholas  Conklin,  and  Robert  Land 
lived  opposite.  Land  and  Kane  were  both  Tories.  When 
summoned,  Kane  sought  safety  among  the  Indians,  and 
afterward  participated  in  their  atrocities.  Quintan  thinks 
he  was  the  same  person  ns  the  Carney  Kane  mentioned  in 
Stone's  "Life  of  Brant." 


wife  appeared  to  answer.  Nicholas  Conklin 
was  called  as  a  witness  against  Land.  Mrs. 
Laud  shook  her  fist  in  his  face,  and  called  him 
a  number  of  opprobrious  epithets,  but  notwith- 
standing her  tirade,  Land  was  condemned  to 
prison,  but  he  eluded  the  vigilance  of  his  captors 
and  made  his  escape.  Mrs.  Land  learned  that 
a  scouting-party  was  to  come  up  the  river 
shortly,  and  hurried  home,  took  her  infant, 
then  about  three  months  old,  and  with  her 
eldest  son,  then  about  nineteen,  drove  their 
cattle  into  the  woods  to  keep  them  out 
of  the  way  of  the  scouts,  and  did  not 
return  until  the  next  day.  During  the 
night  Kane's  family  was  killed  and  that  ot 
Land  visited  by  the  Indians,  who  came  up  while 
all  the  occupants  were  asleep.  At  Land's 
house  were  two  young  women, — Phrebe,  about 
thirteen,  ami  Rebecca,  about  fifteen, — and  two 
boys, — Robert  and  Abel,  the  latter  about  seven- 
teen. The  Indians  came  to  the  house  about 
daylight,  and  going  to  the  bed  where  the  girls  f 
were  sleeping,  waked  them  by  tickling  the  soles 
of  their  feet  with  the  point  of  a  spear.  Captain 
John,  a  chief  of  the  Tuscaroras,  who  has  before 
been  referred  to,  was  in  the  habit  of  visiting 
their  house,  and  was  quite  friendly.  The 
youngest  girl,  supposing  he  was  their  visitor, 
held  out  her  hand  and  said,  '  How  do  you  do, 
Captain  John.'  The  Indian  asked  her  if  she 
knew  Captain  John,  and  she  told  him  she  did, 
but  that  now  she  saw  she  was  mistaken.  He 
said  they  were  Mohawks,  and  that  they  had 
come  to  drive  the  people  from  the  country,  but 
that  she  might  put  on  her  clothes  and  go  as 
soon  as  possible  and  warn  the  people,  that  they 
might  not  all  be  killed.  Accordingly,  she  crossed 
the  river  and  went  first  to  Bryant  Kane's  and 
found  them  all  dead  except  one  little  girl,  who, 
still  living,  was  wallowing  in  her  blood  in  a 
clump  of  bushes  where  she  had  been  scalped. 
Seeing  this,  she  ran  up  the  river  to  Mitchell's 
and  gave  the  alarm,  and  then  returned  home. 
Meanwhile  the  Indians  had  bound  her  brother 
Abel  and  taken  him  with  them,  without  doing 
any  other  mischief.  They  went  up  Calkins' 
Creek  and  were  there  met  by  a  party  of  Co- 
checton Indians,  who  were  friends  of  the  whites 
and  also  to  the  cause  of  liberty.     These  used  all 


452 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MOXKOE  ('( HT.NTI  ES,   PENNSYLVANIA. 


their  endeavors  to  bring  Abel  back  with  them, 
but  not  succeeding,  they  left  him  after  inquiring 
what  had  been  done,  and  being  told  that  the 
Indians  had  a  woman,  some  children  and  a 
very  tall  man. 

"The  friendly  Indians  at  once  hastened  to  the 
river  to  confirm  this  report,  and  arrived  at 
Land's  house  just  as  Mrs.  Land  and  her  son 
John  returned.  The  latter,  with  the  friendly 
Indians  and  what  whites  and  other  Indians  lie 
could  muster,  started  in  immediate  pursuit,  and 
overtook  the  maurauders  at  Ough  Quagua, 
where  both  sides  formed  in  battle  array.  A 
talk  was  called  for,  and  by  mutual  consent  the 
gun-muzzles  were  dropped.  After  considerable 
wrangling,  it  was  agreed  that  Abel  should  go 
back,  but  that  he  should  first  run  the  gauntlet. 
This  he  did  with  a  speed  that  astonished  every 
one  present.  He  did  not  receive  more  than 
half  a  dozen  blows,  and  none  of  them  were 
severe.  The  pursuing  party  then  returned  t<> 
Cochecton.  As  soon  as  the  Skinners  heard  of 
the  murder  of  Kane's  family,  and  the  capture  of 
Abel  Land,  they  crossed  the  river,  and  took 
refuge  in  the  woods,  where  they  were  afterwards 
joined  by  the  wife  and  children  of  Nathaniel 
Evans.  All  of  them  remained  here  until  matters 
became  more  settled. 

"  About  this  time  some  of  the  inhabitants 
left  the  country  and  a  few  remained.  Joseph 
Ross  was  commissioned  by  Colonel  Hooper  to 
take  charge  of  the  Indians,  whose  chief  was 
called  Minnotto,  and  these,  together  with  the 
whites, concluded  that,  as  the  affairs  of  the  Gov- 
ernment then  existed,  there  could  be  no 
place  of  greater  safety  for  them  than  at  Cochec- 
ton. They  made  an  agreement  of  mutual  pro- 
tection, the  Indians  agreeing  to  watch  the  move- 
ments of  unfriendly  tribes,  in  consideration  for 
which  the  whites  were  to  assist  the  Indians  in 
case  of  an  attack  on  them.  Relying  on  the  se- 
curity of  this  arrangement,  the  whites  went  on 
with  their  farming,  feeling  safe  in  their  remote- 
ness from  the  seat  of  war  and  their  poverty. 
But  as  their  crops  matured,  the  delusion  was 
dispelled,  and  they  found  that  they  became 
'  dangerous  to  the  cause  of  liberty.'  Robert 
Land,  who  had  been  a  colonial  justice  of  the 
peace,  had  escaped,  as  has  been  before  narrated. 


Francis  Little  was  set  at  liberty  on  parole. 
Solomon  Decker,  John  Lassley,  Grashon  Smith 
and  Daniel  Skinner  had  fled  for  safety  to  a 
more  settled  part  of  the  country.  The  crops 
they  had  left  behind  them  were  growing  and 
bid  fair  for  a  beautiful  harvest,  There  was  at 
this  time  living  in  a  place  called  New  Tain- 
many,  one  of  the  old  settlers  at  Cochecton, 
named  Bezaleel  Tyler,  called  Captain  Mush  by 
the  Indians.  This  man  assumed  to  himself  the 
title  of  captain,  and  having  extensive  connec- 
tions all  like  him  in  indigent  circumstances,  to 
whom  the  stock  of  provisions  accumulating 
about  Cochecton  would  be  a  great  acquisition, 
he  found  no  difficulty  in  persuading  them  to 
join  his  command.  These,  together  with  others, 
had  the  sanction  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  at 
Paupack,  from  whence  they  marched  for  Co- 
checton on  an  old  Indian  path,  until  they  came 
to  the  mouth  of  Ten-Mile  River,  where  it  does 
not  appear  they  did  any  mischief.  From  that 
point  they  murdered,  burned  and  plundered  all 
that  came  in  their  way  without  opposition, 
until  they  came  in  sight  of  Big  Island,  where 
they  discovered  a  party  retreating  before  them, 
from  which  one  man  on  horseback  rode  directly 
towards  them,  calling  to  them  not  to  shoot,  as 
he  was  one  of  the  Minnotto's  men.  His  name 
was  Handy,1  and  he  was  well  known  to  most  of 
the  company,  and  especially  to  Captain  Mush, 
who  shot  him  down  as  soon  as  he  was  within 
range,  took  his  horse  and  left  him  where  he  fell. 
With  the  horse  he  overtook  Nathan  Mitch- 
ell, in  the  Benekill,  a  little  above  the  lower 
point  of  Big  Island,  and  made  him  a  prisoner. 
He  was  in  full  Indian  dress.2     The  rest  of  the 


1  Handy  lived  in  Cochecton  before  the  war  ;  he  had  been 
disappointed  in  a  love-affair,  and  to  prevent  a  repetition  of 
his  sorrows,  had  emasculated  himself.  He  was  a  poor  out- 
cast, and  half-witted,  and  spent  most  of  his  time  riding 
about  and  imagining  he  was  a  man  of  some  consequence. 
Quintan,  in  his  "History  of  Sullivan  County,"  states  that 
Handy  was  riding  a  stolen  horse,  the  property  of  a  Whig 
of  Mamakating,  at  the  time  he  was  killed,  and  that  the 
animal  was  recognized  by  some  one  of  the  company,  and 
his  fate  was  sealed. 

,J  Mitchell  had  remained  at  Cochecton  because  his  wife 
would  not  go  away  without  her  father,  whose  friendship 
for  the  revolting  colonies  was  suspected.  Mitchell  was 
disguised  as  an  Indian,  to  escape  being  fired  upon  by  the 
savages  lurking  about,  the  bush. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


453 


company  continued  to  retreat  across  the  island 
and  then  across  the  river  to  Skinner's  Flat,  from 
the  upper  end  of  which  they  passed  to  Ross' 
and  made  a  stand.  Tyler's  company  pursued 
as  far  as  Skinner's  house,  and  then  making  a 
stand,  sent  forward  a  small  party  to  ascertain 
how  many  Indians  there  were  at  Ross'.  The 
latter  called  over  to  the  Indians,  and  in  reply 
received  a  message  to  the  effect  that  there  were 
enough  to  give  Captain  Mush  a  good  reception. 
When  this  was  reported,  it  was  concluded  that 
it  would  not  be  safe  to  advance  any  farther,  so 
after  plundering  Skinner's  house,  and  hiding 
what  they  could  not  conveniently  carry  away, 
the  scouts  set  fire  to  it  and  retreated  to  the 
river. 

"  When  they  came  to  Big  Eddy,  they  dis- 
covered John  Land  and  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Davis  coming  up  the  river  in  a  canoe.  They 
had  been'  to  Ten-Mile  River  to  mill.  Captain 
Tyler  and  most  of  his  company  being  well  ac- 
quainted with  these  men,  called  to  them,  saying 
that  they  wanted  to  inquire  about  the  capture 
and  recapture  of  Laud's  brother  Abel.  They 
declared  most  solemnly  that  they  would  do  no 
harm  ;  but  Davis  was  suspicious  of  their  inten- 
tion and  at  first  declined  going  over.  There 
were  in  the  company  a  number  of  young  men 
who  had  been  mates  with  Land,  and  who,  as 
he  supposed,  were  on  friendly  terms  with  him, 
knowing  no  reason  why  they  should  be  other- 
wise. He  had  not  seen  them  for  a  long  time 
and  was  anxious  to  talk  over  the  affairs  of  their 
former  friendship.  Among  them  were  John 
Conkling,  William  Tyler  and  Joseph  Thomas, 
most  of  them  about  his  own  age.  Captain 
Tyler,  Moses  Thomas  and  most  of  the  others 
had  belonged  to  the  same  neighborhood,  and  so, 
after  considerable  persuasion  on  the  part  of 
Land,  Davis  consented  and  they  went  over  to 
the  company.  As  soon  as  they  were  on  shore 
they  were  seized,  and  their  hands  were  tied  be- 
hind their  backs.  They  remonstrated,  and  re- 
minded them  of  the  treachery,  and  of  the  prom- 
ises they  were  breaking.  John  Conklin  an- 
swered by  saying  that  "  There  was  policy  in 
war,"  and  Moses  Thomas  by  cocking  his  gun 
and  putting  it  to  John  Land's  breast,  and  say- 
ing that  he  would  shoot  him  if  he  could  obtain 


the  leave.  Land  was  very  stubborn,  but  Davis 
was  humble,  and  plead  earnestly  that  he  might 
be  permitted  to  see  his  wife  and  little  buy  once 
more,  stating  that  their  whole  dependence  was 
on  him,  and  that  the  grist  in  the  canoe  was  all 
they  had ;  that  if  they  took  this,  and  carried 
him  to  jail,  his  family  would  inevitably  perish, 
all  of  which  they  well  knew,  fur  they  were  well 
acquainted  with  both  him  and  his  circumstances. 
Notwithstanding  the  prize  was  small,  yet  it 
was  too  valuable  to  them  to  part  with  for  pity 
or  humanity's  sake  ;  so  they  put  one  of  their 
company  on  board  of  the  canoe  to  take  it  to 
Minisiuk  and  drove  their  prisoners  before  them. 
When  they  arrived  at  Minisink  they  held  a 
council  in  order  to  abuse  their  prisoners,  com- 
mencing with  John  Land,  because  he  was  the 
youngest,  and  his  feelings  were  most  easily  ex- 
cited. They  demanded  of  him  how  many  wo- 
men and  children  he  had  murdered,  and  when 
to  this  he  gave  no  answer,  they  put  a  rope 
around  his  neck,  threw  it  over  a  limb,  and 
hauled  him  up.  After  he  had  hung  a  few  min- 
utes, they  let  him  down  and  asked  the  same 
question.  He  then  said  that  he  had  never 
killed,  nor  never  had  a  desire  to  kill  or  hurt, 
women  or  children,  and,  as  they  well  knew,  the 
implied  accusations  were  false  and  malicious. 
This  provoked  them,  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected, and  they  immediately  jerked  him  up 
again.  This  would  have  been  his  last  time, 
had  not  some  of  his  old  play-fellows  wanted  to 
tantalize  him  a  little  more.  They  continued 
alternately  to  hang  him  and  abuse  him  until 
their  exertions  had  exhausted  their  strength, 
and  there  were  none  willing  to  pull  the  rope 
again.  They- then  left  him  to  anticipate  what 
might  follow  in  the  morning,  and  he,  with  the 
others  was  taken  to  the  log  jail  and  shackled 
and  handcuffed  for  safe  keepiug.  This  ended 
( laptain  Mush's  first  scout  at  Cochecton." 

As  may  be  seen  from  the  above  narrative, 
there  was  much  bitter  dissension  to  divide  the 
few  settlers  that  remained  at  the  Cushutunk 
settlement  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  By 
reason  of  its  peculiarly  isolated  and  exposed 
position  on  the  route  generally  pursued  by  the 
hostile  tribes  in  their  incursions  into  New  York 
State,  and  its  contiguity  to  the  war-path  that  led 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


to  the  most  restless  Indian  camps,  it  could  hardly 
have  escaped  disastrous  visitations;  but  the  hard- 
ships of  both  Whig  and  Tory  were  much  increased 
by  the  excesses  of  each, — acts  that  added  to  the 
intensity  and  hatred  of  the  time,  and  gave  rise 
to  mutual  charges  and  recriminations  and  polit- 
ical antipathies  that  have  come  down  to  the 
present.  The  exodus  that  marked  the  begin- 
ning of  the  war  removed  not  only  the  Whigs, 
but  a  number  of  the  British  sympathizers,  who 
abandoned  their  property  and  went  within  the 
King's  lines,  where  some  of  them  found  per- 
manent homes.  The  Whigs  took  their  families 
to  places  of  safety  and  then  returned,  either  as 
scouts  or  to  gather  the  crops  that  stood  unhar- 
vested.  They  found  that  the  few  who  had  re- 
mained, and  who  had  professed  neutrality,  had 
destroyed  or  appropriated  their  property.  They, 
doubtless,  practiced  some  cruelties  in  return,  and 
a  vengeful  spirit  was  engendered  which  dis- 
criminated but  little  between  friend  and  foe. 

Skinner  and  the  few  neighbors  who  remained 
to  brave  the  dangers  of  the  dark  days  relied  on 
the  alliance  they  had  formed  with  the  friendly 
Indians  for  protection  against  marauding  bands, 
but  did  not  expect  to  suffer  at  the  hands  of  their 
fellow-pioneers.  Though  there  was  no  suspi- 
cion that  he  was  in  any  way  disloyal,  his  prop- 
erty was  burned  and  pillaged,  so  that  it  is  not 
surprising  that  there  is  a  trace  of  bitterness  in 
his  narrative,  as  given  above.  As  is  always  the 
case  in  border  warfare,  many  deeds,  prompted 
by  personal  hate  or  private  grievance,  were 
committed  in  the  name  of  patriotism  ;  and  such 
may  have  been  the  murder  of  one  Cooley,  who 
was  executed  by  Captain  Tyler's  company. 
Unknown  to  all,  he  had  come  up  the  river  to 
Cushutunk  early  in  the  war,  and  asked  permis- 
sion to  remain  with  several  individuals.  As 
he  told  rather  an  unsatisfactory  story,  he  was 
refused  a  welcome  and  wandered  on  until  he 
came  to  a  deserted  cabin  near  Little  Equinuuk, 
where  he  found  an  asylum.  Here  he  led  a 
harmless  life  amid  the  solitudes,  supplying  his 
simple  wants  from  wood  and  stream.  History 
does  not  record  whom  he  had  offended,  and  tra- 
dition is  misty  as  to  the  manner  in  which  he 
unconsciously  provoked  his  death,  but  certain 
it  is  that  he  had  been  guilty  of  no  crime  for 


which  he  was  dragged  from  his  humble  retreat 
and  brought  before  the  scouts.  A  brief  consul- 
tation decided  that  he  should  die  then  and 
there.  In  vain  did  a  few  contend  that  it  was 
wrong  to  kill  him  without  a  formal  conviction 
by  a  competent  tribunal ;  vain  were  his 
frantic  appeals  for  life  ;  deaf  were  the  ears  that 
heard  his  prayers  and  blind  the  eyes  that  saw  his 
tears.  Begging  piteously  for  a  moment's 
grace,  he  was  shot  even  where  he  knelt,  and  his 
blood  mingled  with  the  stream.  The  minority 
of  the  company  declared  openly  that  it  seemed 
to  them  a  deed  of  murder,  and  that  if  such 
were  the  work  necessary  they  would  cease  to  be 
scouts.  Thus  red  with  blood  and  torch  was  the 
history  of  Cushutunk  during  the  Revolution. 

But  at  last  the  clouds  broke ;  the  war  was 
over  and  spectral  memories  stalked  back 
into  the  dark  past,  as  there  dawned  the  bright 
prospect  of  peace  and  security.  Once  more  the 
farmer  was  safe  at  the  furrow,  and  the  wood- 
man's axe  swung  free  among  the  pines,  where 
the  scalping-knife  was  no  longer  to  be  feared. 
The  people  were  still  poor,  but  they  went  to 
work  with  a  will  to  retrieve  their  ill-fortunes 
of  preceding  years.  Lumbering  was  the 
most  promising  source  of  gain,  and  many  en- 
gaged in  it  at  the  expense  of  agriculture,  be- 
cause of  its  returns  in  ready  money.  Though 
the  ventures  were  generally  successful,  some- 
times the  rafts  were  wrecked  on  their  way 
down  the  river,  or  the  floods  did  not  come  at 
the  usual  time,  and,  as  the  people  were  poor, 
any  contingency  that  prevented  returns  from 
their  industry  at  the  usual  time  caused  general 
suffering.  The  milling  was  done  at  Minisink, 
and  when  a  freshet  of  long  duration  prevented 
them  from  obtaining  flour  and  meal  there  was 
much  of  kindness  and  good-  will.  Says  one  author,1 
"  Without  hesitation  they  divided  their  hist 
crust  with  the  starving  and  trusted  in  Provi- 
dence for  the  next.  So  great  was  the  scarcity 
of  food  at  times,  that  women  and  children,  after 
traveling  for  miles  through  the  forest  to  pro- 
cure food,  upon  receiving  a  few  ears  of  corn, 
would  gnaw  the  raw  kernels  from  the  cobs  like 
famished  animals.    An  old  gentleman,  who  had 


1  Quinlan,  in  bis  "  Sullivan  County." 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


455 


been  a  witness  of  these  scenes,  while  relating 
them  wept  like  a  sorrow-stricken  woman." 

The  homes  of  the  pioneers  were  of  the  rudest 
construction,  as  appears  from  the  following 
from  Mr.  Skinner :  "  My  father's  house  at 
Cushutuuk — or  rather  the  place  where  we  stay- 
ed, for  it  consisted  of  a  few  logs  thrown  to- 
gether and  covered  with  bark — was  for  several 
years  the  principal  stopping-place.  There  were 
but  few  houses  in  Cochecton  where  a  traveler 
could  be  lodged  on  a  somewhat  primitive  floor. 
Some  remained  with  us  two  or  three  days, 
others  as  many  weeks.  In  those  days  there 
was  no  way  to  get  to  Cochecton  except  by 
pushing  a  canoe  thirty-five  or  forty  miles  up 
the  river,  or  by  traveling  the  same  distance  on 
an  Indian  path,  where  a  carriage  could  not  be 
drawn.  Yet  many  found  the  way  to  Cochec- 
ton by  the  power  of  feet  and  legs  or  the  strength 
of  hands  and  arms." 

The  progenitor  of  the  Skinner  family  was 
Joseph  Skinner,  who  came  from  Connecticut  in 
1755.  He  had  eight  sous,  viz. :  Daniel,  Ben- 
jamin, Timothy,  John,  Abner,  Haggai,  Calvin 
and  Joseph;  and  two  daughters,  Martha  and 
Huldah.  Daniel  Skinner  settled  at  Ackhake,  or 
St.  Tammany,  and  had  six  children,  viz. :  Reu- 
ben, Daniel,  Jr.,  Joseph,  William  II.,  Nathan 
and  Lillie.  Reuben,  the  first  son,  married  Polly 
Chase,  the  widow  of  Joshua  Clark,  of  Long 
Island,  aud  settled  on  his  father's  place.  He  or- 
ganized the  first  Masonic  lodge  in  the  county, 
and  named  it  St.  Tammany's  Lodge.  In  1801 
he  was  assessed  as  owning  two  houses,  twenty 
acres  of  improved  land  and  a  slave  valued  at 
fifty  dollars.  He  was  also  a  merchant,  inn- 
keeper and  justice  of  the  peace,  and  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  span  of  horses  and  two  cows,  his 
entire  taxable  valuation  being  five  hundred  and 
fifty-two  dollars.  His  children  were  Daniel  O. 
Skinner,  formerly  a  resident  of  Honesdale; 
Anna,  the  wife  of  George  Bush  ;  Hulda,  the 
wife  of  Jacob  P.  Y'erkes;  and  Nancy,  who 
married  George  Kinney. 

Daniel  Skinner,  Jr.,  married  Hannah  Bur- 
leigh, of  Wayne  County.  His  only  child  was 
Ira  D.  Skinner,  who  also  left  one  son.  Joseph, 
the  third  son  of  Joseph  Skinner,  married  Mercy 
Delop,  of  Litchfield  County,  Connecticut,  and 


their  children  were  Courtland,  Daniel  K.,  Sarah, 
Susan  (the  wife  of  Horace  Belknap),  Polly  (the 
wife  of  Jacob  Mitchell)  and  Matilda  (who  first 
married  Charles  Young,  and  afterwards  became 
the  wife  of  Nathan  Y'erkes). 

William  H,the  fourth  son  of  Joseph  Skinner, 
married  for  his  first  wife  Elizabeth  Gray,  of 
Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  and  of  this  union  there 
were  born  John,  Elijah,  Milton,  Martha  (the 
wife  of  Calvin  Tibbets),  Dulcinna(the  wife  of 
William  Kcllum)  and  Ardacea  (who  married  a 
Thompson).  William  H.  Skinner's  second  wife 
was  a  widow,  Fannie  Thompson,  and  by  this 
marriage  were  born  David,  Henry,  William 
H.,  Jr.,  Elizabeth  (the  wife  of  Samuel  Haydn), 
Kate  and  Annie. 

Nathan  Skinner,  the  writer  of  the  history 
which  has  been  quoted,  married  Sarah  Calkins, 
and  his  children  were  Col.  Calvin  Skinner  (to 
whom  the  writer  is  indebted  for  many  of  the 
following  notes  on  the  early  settlers),  Albro, 
Oliver  I.,  Charles  O,  Heli,  Serenna  (the  wife 
of  Oliver  Calkins,  Jr.),  Amanda  (the  wife  of 
Jesse  D.  Thomas),  Olive  (the  wife  of  John 
Tyler)  and  Zilla  (who  married  William 
Stephens). 

Lillie  Skinner,  Joseph  Skinner's  first  daugh- 
ter, married  John  Land  ;  Marcey,  the  second 
daughter,  became  the  wife  of  Reuben  Hancket ; 
and  Sarah,  the  youngest,  married  John  Conk- 
lin. 

One  of  the  early  settlers  whose  descendants 
became  prominent  in  the  annals  of  the  township 
was  Bezaleel  Tyler,  who  came  from  Connecti- 
cut with  the  Skinners  and  Calkinses,  and  settled 
above  Cochecton.  He  was  a  brother-in-law  of 
Simeon  and  John  Calkins,  and  had  twenty-one 
children,  all  of  whom  arrived  at  maturity,  and 
most  of  whom  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War.  Captain  Bezaleel  Tyler,  who  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Lackawaxen,  was  one  of 
his  children.  He  had  previously  married,  and 
settled  on  Hollister's  Creek,  where,  with  Daniel 
Skinner,  he  built  a  saw-mill,  the  second  in 
Damascus  township.  He  also  assisted  in  the 
erection  of  Daniel  Skinner's  house,  which  was 
burned  by  the  Indians  in  1777.  His  children 
were  John,  Moses,  Oliver,  Elam,  Phoebe  and 
Abigail.     John  married  Jane  Fanoy  and  had 


456 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


seven  children,  viz. :  Iiezalcel,  Muses,  Benja- 
min, Oliver,  Sally  (the  wife  of  James  Ross, 
Jr.),  Abigail  (the  wife  of  Jesse  Drake,  Jr.)  and 
Lydia  (who  married  Moses,  a  son  of  ( )liver 
Calkins,  of  Big  Eddy). 

Oliver,  the  second  son  of  Captain  Bezaleel 
Tyler,  married  Elizabeth  Comfort.  His  oldest 
son  was  John,  but  who  the  others  were  is  not 
known,  the  family  moving  to  Dryden,  New  York. 

Moses,  the  third  son,  married  Sarah  Ross,  a 
daughter  of  James  Ross,  Sr.,  and  John  R.  Ross 
was  one  of  his  sons.  One  of  his  daughters 
married  Elias  Calkins,  of  Barry  ville. 

Elam,  the  fourth  son,  was  killed  in  youth  ; 
Phoebe,  one  of  the  daughters,  married  Joseph 
Thomas  ;  while  Abigail,  the  other,  became  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Mitchell. 

Nathan  Mitchell,  who  was  a  prominent 
figure  in  the  early  history  of  the  settlement, 
always  lived  on  the  New  York  side  of  the  Del- 
aware. Hiswifewas  Betsy,  the  oldest  daugh- 
ter of  Captain  Ross,  and  Abraham,  one  of  his 
sons,  moved  to  liilevville,  where  he  married 
Polly  Smith.  James,  another  son,  lives  at  the 
homestead,  and  Nathan,  Jr.,  lived  at  Rock  Run. 
He  married  Anna,  daughter  of  James  Brown, 
and  two  of  his  sous  were  Stephen  and  Elias. 

Nicholas  Conklin  was  of  Dutch  descent,  and 
came  from  Ilaverstraw  May  about  1755-56, 
locating  on  the  New  York  side  of  the  Dela- 
ware. He  had  three  sons, — William,  John  and 
Elias.  The  latter  was  an  Indian  doctor,  and 
lived  a  wild,  roving  life,  so  that  little  is  known 
of  him.  It  is  uncertain  whether  he  married 
and  left  descendants  or  not.      William  Conklin 

married    a    daughter    of Brink,    and   had 

seven  children.  They  were  Nicholas,  John 
Paul,  William  Eli,  Elias,  Abby  (wife  of  James 
Brink,  of  Milford),  Hester  (wife  of  Squire 
Mosh),  Rachel  (wife  of  Jesse  Tyler),  Christine 
and  Elizabeth. 

John  Conklin,  afterwards  known  as  Judge, 
was  one  of  Captain  Tyler's  company  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Lackawaxen;  married  Herzilla  Fanoy, 
and  was  the  father  of  five  children, — Benjamin, 
William,  Joseph,  Jane  (the  wife  of  David 
Brown),  and  Sarah  (the  wife  of  Charles  Little). 

Moses  Thomas,  who  has  already  been  referred 
to,  came    from    Philadelphia   with    his   brother 


Aaron,  in  1755,  to  establish  a  block-house  at 
Milanville,  on  the  flats  just  above  the  mouth  of 
Calkins'  Creek.  They  were  both  sent  by  the  pro- 
prietaries to  look  after  the  Penn  interests,  and, 
if  possible,  prevent  the  further  occupancy  of 
the  lands  by  Connecticut  settlers.  They  ful- 
filled their  mission,  but  afterwards  became  per- 
manent settlers,  and  their  descendants  inter- 
married with  the  Yankee  families  they  came  to 
restrain.  Moses  Thomas  had  two  sons, — Moses, 
Jr.,  and  Elias, — and  three  daughters, — Hulda, 
who  married  Abram  Boss;  Sarah,  the  wife  of 
Nathan  Evans ;  and  Hannah,  who  married  Ol- 
iver Calkins.  Aaron  was  also  the  father  of  a 
good  family — six  children.  His  sons  were 
Joseph  and  Benjamin,  and  his  daughters, — Pol- 
ly, the  wife  of  Solomon  Decker;  Charity,  who 
was  twice  married,  and  had  a  number  of  chil- 
dren by  each  husband;  Rachel,  who  married 
Jerry  Lilli ;  and  Elsie,  the  wife  of  a  man  named 
Howe.  Moses  Thomas,  Jr.,  was  one  of  ( 'aptain 
Tyler's  company  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Lackawaxen.  He  left  four  children.  His  daugh- 
ters were  the  wives  of  Reuben  Decker,  Abraham 
Burnes  and  one  of  the  Calk i uses  ;  and  his  son 
Moses,  who  was  an  infant  at  the  time  of  the  bat- 
tle, located  on  the  Delaware. 

David  Youngs  was  a  Scotchman,  who  emi- 
grated from  Easton  before  the  Revolution,  ar- 
riving about  the  same  time  that  Moses  Thomas 
did.  Youngs  did  not  find  a  convenient  place 
for  settlement  on  the  Pennsylvania  side  of  the 
river,  and  located  in  New  York  State,  just  op- 
posite Big  Island.  His  wife  was  an  English 
woman,  and  claimed  to  be  of  royal  blood,  on 
the  ground  that  she  was  a  natural  child  of 
George  III.  Mr.  Youngs  had  five  children, — 
David,  Thomas,  John,  George  and  Isabella, 
who  married  Charles  Tyler,  and  afterwards 
settled  on  the  original  Tyler  property.  David 
built  a  grist-mill,  which  afterwards  passed  into 
the  hands  of  his  brother.  George  Thomas  mar- 
ried Abigail  Thomas,  and  settled  ontheLassley 
place,  just  below  the  Cochecton  Falls.  John's 
wife  was  the  granddaughter  of  John  Lassley, 
and  they  lived  on  the  Y'oungs  place  for  many 
years,  afterwards  moving  to  Smith  Hill,  where 
both  died.  George  married  Hannah  Wheeler, 
and  lived  and  died  on  Tvler  Hill. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


457 


John  Lassley  moved  into  Damascus  soon  af- 
ter Youngs  and  Thomas  did, ,  and  took  up  a 
tract  adjoining  that  of  Aaron  Thomas.  lie 
married  Sarah  Tyler,  and  had  three  children, — 
Cornelius,  .Sarah  (the  wife  of  Parks  Baird)  and 
Betsy  (Mrs.  Salisbury).  Mr.  Lassley  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  and  served  throughout 
the  entire  war. 

Simeon  Bush  was  one  of  the  original  settlers, 
and  came  with  theCalkinses  and  Skinners.  He 
was  a  half-brother  to  the  Tylers,  and  married 
Hannah  Smith,  of  Orange  County,  during  the 
Indian  War.  His  sons  were  George,  John  and 
Eli,  and  his  daughters, — Kesiah,  who  became 
Mrs.  Nicholas  Conklin;  Polly,  the  wife  of 
•lames  (  'arrvheart ;  Wadie,  who  married  Charles 
Drake;  Eleanor,  the  wife  of  Isaac  Mills  ;  and 
Abbie,  who  died  single.  Simeon  Bush  made 
out  the  assessment  list  of  1801,  which  is  quoted 
elsewhere,  and  was  a  man  of  much  prominence 
in  the  township.  George,  the  eldest  son,  was 
also  a  man  of  mark.  He  was  born  in  Damas- 
cus in  1791,  and  served  as  county  commissioner 
in  the  early  part  of  this  century.  In  1842  he 
was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  served  for 
two  years;  he  died  in  1872,  leaving  several 
children,  and  a  wife  who  was  the  daughter  of 
Reuben  Skinner. 

Robert  Land  was  a  son  of  Samuel  Land,  an 
Englishman,  who  first  settled  near  Wilming- 
ton, Delaware,  where  he  took  up  a  tract  on 
White  Clay  Creek,  which  he  afterwards  (in 
1G84)  disposed  of  to  John  Cann.  In  1763, 
Land  was  sent  to  Cushutunk  as  a  justice  of  the 
peace  under  the  colonial  government.  He  was 
a  man  of  enterprise  and  perseverance,  and  his 
wife  who  was  a  Scott,  was  a  woman  of  uncom- 
mon endurance  and  ability.  He  settled  on  the 
property  now  owned  by  Colonel  Calvin  Skin- 
ner, at  Milanville,  and  it  was  from  that  home 
that  Mrs.  Land  went  in  the  spring  of  1777, 
when  the  Mohawks  visited  Calkins'  Creek, 
murdered  Bryant  Kane's  family  and  carried 
off  Abel  Land.  A  short  time  previous  to  this, 
in  accordance  with  the  recommendations  of  the 
Continental  Congress,  a  Committee  of  Safety 
had  been  formed  at  Cochecton,  and  as  Land 
had  been  in  the  service  of  the  King,  an  order 
for   his  arrest  as  a  Tory  was  made.     It  was 


served,  and  he  was  condemned  to  incarceration 
at  Paupack,  pending  a  trial  for  his  Royalist  pro- 
clivities. In  some  way  he  eluded  the  vigilance 
of  his  captors,  and  escaped,  after  which  he  kept 
within  the  English  lines  until  the  Revolution 
was  ended,  ami  then  went  with  his  daughter 
and  son  Ephraim  to  Canada. 

John  Land  remained  behind  and  settled  ou 
the  homestead,  taking  out  a  patent  for  four 
hundred  and  thirty  acres.  He  married  Lily, 
the  oldest  daughter  of  Daniel  Skinner,  ami  had 
eleven  children.  They  were  Phoebe,  who  mar- 
ried Dr.  Luther  Appley  ;  Lily,  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Ereemau  Allen  ;  Mercy,  the  wife  of  William 
Appley,  of  Connecticut  ;  Marilla,  who  married 
Jesse  Calkins,  and  settled  on  the  Narrowsburg 
turnpike  ;  Maxamila,  the  wife  of  John  Burcher, 
near  Eldred  ;  Polly,  who  married  a  Stuttenburg, 
and  moved  to  Wisconsin  ;  Rebecca,  the  wile  of 
James  Louden,  of  Honesdale  ;  Robert,  who 
married  a  daughter  of  Jesse  Welles,  and  settled 
at  Beaver  Brook  ;  William  and  John,  who 
went  to  Canada  ;  Mascal,  who  went  to  Wiscon- 
sin, and  afterwards  to  California,  where  he  died. 

Joseph  Brown  emigrated  from  New  Jersey 
about  1790,  and  was  for  many  years  a  well- 
known  farmer.  He  had  one  son,  Joel,  who  was 
the  father  of  Rev.  Isaac  Brown,  a  Baptist  clergy- 
man ;  Joseph  ;  Enoch  ;  Esther,  who  married  a 
Ketchum;  Fannie  (Mrs.  G.  Lord);  and  Eleanor. 

Daniel  Bush  came  from  Stroudsburg  about 
1795,  to  make  his  home  with  Captain  Jesse 
Drake  for  a  time.  Young  Push  was  a  sur- 
veyor and  millwright,  and  was  also  more  than 
ordinarily  handsome  and  attractive.  Across  the 
Delaware  lived  Nathan  Mitchell,  and  Bush  saw 
and  loved  his  oldest  daughter,  Hannah.  He 
married  her  and  settled  on  the  Wayne  County 
side,  though  he  afterward  moved  to  New  York, 
and  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peaceat  Cochecton. 
His  children  were  Thomas  A.,  Joseph,  John, 
Amos,  Sarah  (Mrs.  Cotton)  and  Jane. 

Rev.  Enoch  Owens  came  to  Damascus  about 
1790,  aud  settled  above  Cochecton.  He  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Silas  Tyler,  aud  afterward 
located  on  land  belonging  to  Stephen  Mitchell. 
His  children  were  Netus,  James,  Silas,  David, 
Israel,  Sylvan,  Abigail  (Mrs.  Mertha  Massey), 
Polly  and  Heziah. 


453 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Captain  Jesse  Drake  moved  from  Wilkes- 
Barre  about  1790,  and  settled  on  the  Delaware, 
in  the  place  above  referred  to.  He  had  married 
the  widow  Chapman,  relief  of  Moses  Thomas, 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Lackawaxen,  and  had 
four  children, — Christina,  who  married  Jona- 
than Lillie  ;  Martha,  the  wife  of  James  Mitch- 
ell ;   Charles  and  Jesse. 

Thomas  Shields,  to  whose  enterprise  and 
generosity  the  village  of  Damascus  owes  mnch 
of  its  prosperity,  was  a  sou  of  James  Shields, 
and  was  born  in  Newlin  township,  Chester 
County,  in  June,  1743.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
he  was  apprenticed  to  John  Bayly,  a  goldsmith 
of  Philadelphia,  to  learn  that  trade,  and  it  was 
stipulated  in  the  indenture  that  the  term  of  his 
apprenticeship  should  not  cease  until  nine 
months  after  he  had  become  of  age.  After 
completing  his  term  Mr.  Shields  carried  on 
business  on  his  own  account  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  accumulated  considerable  money. 
About  1785  he  commenced  to  invest  in  wild 
lands  in  the  northern  part  of  Northampton 
County.  He  soon  owned  between  thirty  and 
forty  thousand  acres,  most  of  his  tracts  lying 
between  Dyberry  Creek  and  the  Delaware  River, 
in  Lebanon,  Damascus,  Oregon  and  Berlin  town- 
ships. Among  the  lands  he  thus  acquired  was  the 
old  Damascus  Manor,  which  he  purchased  from 
John  and  Richard  Peun,  on  the  6th  of  Febru- 
ary, 179.5.  The  tract  contained  four  thousand 
three  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  and  gave  him 
the  ownership  of  all  the  land  fronting  on  the 
Delaware,  between  the  old  Skinner  place  (late 
George  Bush's)  and  the  Judge  Thomas  home- 
stead, a  distance  of  five  miles. 

Immediately  after  purchasing  this  manor 
he  selected  as  a  site  for  his  residence  a  spot 
where  the  village  of  Damascus  now  stands,  and 
soon  afterward  removed  his  family  from 
Philadelphia.  A  saw  and  grist-mill  were 
completed  on  Cash's  Creek,  near  its  mouth, 
as  early  as  1796,  and  other  buildings  soon  fol- 
lowed. Here  it  was  that  Moses  Calkins  brought 
over  the  ice,  from  Philadelphia,  the  first  burr- 
stones  used  in  the  county.  The  place  was  known 
as  Shields'  Mills  for  a  while,  though  the  owner 
always  called  it  by  the  name  given  by  the  pro- 
prietaries twenty  years  before.  Mr.  Shields  was 


active  in  devising  plans,  and  liberal  in  assisting 
in  anything  that  would  lead  to  the  settlement 
of  the  country,  and  his  policy  promoted  rapid 
growth. 

He  was  made  president  of  the  Cochecton  and 
Great  Bend  turnpike,  and  when  the  eastern  end 
of  the  road  was  constructed,  in  1806,  he  laid  off  a 
range  of  village  lots  fronting  on  it,  and  extending 
back  some  two  hundred  feet  to  other  streets. 
During  the  year  following  Mr.  Shields  executed 
two  deeds,  one  for  a  Baptist  Church  lot  and  the 
other  for  a  school,  and  there  are  other  substan- 
tial tokens  of  his  enterprise  in  the  village.  His 
residence  at  Damascus  ceased  about  1811,  when 
he  moved  back  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  died 
in  1820.  He  left  four  children,— Robert, 
Thomas,  John  and  David,  most  of  whom  lived 
and  died  in  Philadelphia. 

Derrick  Lukens  emigrated  from  Bucks 
County  about  1796,  being  one  of  those  who 
came  with  Thomas  Shields.  Mr.  Lukens  had 
married  Polly  North,  and  brought  one  child 
with  him.  His  children  were  John  N. ;  Titus 
D.  ;  Betsy,  who  married  Dr.  Allen,  and  after- 
wards R.  Hank  ins;  Polly,  the  wife  of  Rev. 
Isaac  Brown  ;  Margaret,  the  wife  of  Colonel  O. 
B.  Brush,  at  one  time  the  sheriff  of  Wayne 
County  ;  Sally,  who  married  Joseph  L.  Par- 
sons ;  Hannah,  the  wife  of  John  F.  Avery  ; 
and  Nancy,  the  wife  of  Tunis  Willsey. 

William  Monnington  came  from  Philadel- 
phia, about  the  same  time  that  Lukens  did,  and 
settled  on  a  four  hundred  acre  tract,  now  occu- 
pied by  Stephen  Yerkes.  Aided  by  his  sou 
John,  of  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Monuington  built 
the  saw-mill  at  Damascus,  and  his  other  sons, 
James  and  Nathan,  worked  there.  Besides 
these  children  he  had  a  son  Israel,  who  died 
without  issue,  and  four  daughters, — Mrs.Souders 
and  Mrs.  Vandergrif,  who  remained  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  Polly,  who  married  William 
Tyler,  of  Tyler  Hill,  and  Becky,  the  wife  of 
Judge  Thomas. 

George  Brown  came  from  Haverstraw  Bay 
about  1800,  and  after  the  death  of  his  first 
wile,  who  was  a  Lassley,  married  Eleanor 
Decker.  His  eldest  daughter  was  the  wife  of 
Jeremiah  Lillie;  Sabra,  the  second  daughter, 
!  married  Joseph  Holbert;  Mahalia  was  the  wife 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


of  William  Oweus.  The  sons  were  George  W. 
and  Daniel,  the  latter  afterwards  lived  at  Bay- 
ard's Pond.  Daniel  Brown,  a  brother  of  George, 
lived  at  Hog  Island,  in  the  Delaware,  and  is 
remembered  as  the  man  who  brought  the  first 
wagons  to  Milanville. 

Jonathan  Yerkes  brought  his  family  from 
Willow  Grove,  Bucks  County,  about  1  800,  and 
took  up  a  four  hundred  acre  tract  which  he 
bought  of  Thomas  Shields.  He  built  both  a 
grist  and  a  saw-mill  on  Calkins'  Creek  about 
1810.  His  suns  were  Joseph,  Titus,  Jacob  P., 
Nathan  L.,  Sebastian  J.  and  David.  He  had 
three  daughters, — Mary  A.,  who  married  E.  B. 
Clark  ;  Margaret ;  and  Hannah,  the  wife  of  Ira 
Sherwood. 

Michael  Brannan  came  from  Newburgh,  prob- 
ably about  1809  or  1810,  and  settled  below  the 
Cochecton  Falls.  He  married  Hannah  An- 
derson, a  granddaughter  of  Aaron  Thomas,  and 
had  nine  children, — Oliver  ;  Polly,  who  mar- 
ried Stephen  Youngs  ;  Lydia,  the  wife  of  Ste- 
phen Wright;  Lorette,  the  wife  of  Charles  D. 
Lovis ;  Hannah  J.,  who  married  Lemuel 
Brown ;  Charity  (Mrs.  Budd) ;  and  John, 
Moses  and  Lot. 

.Arehbald  McCollam  was  an  Irish  patriot, 
who  settled  near  Benjamin  Conklin,  on  the 
Cochecton  and  Great  Bend  turnpike.  He  had 
one  son,  Neal,  who  settled  at  Galilee,  and  a 
daughter,  who  married  William  McAvery,  of 
Mount  Pleasant. 

Samuel  Bennett  came  from  New  Jersey 
about  1812,  married  Sally  Layton,  and  settled 
near  Belmont.  He  served  as  constable  in 
1825,  and  was  otherwise  prominent  in  the 
township.  Samuel  and  Euos  Headen  came 
from  the  same  State  about  the  same  time,  and 
Samuel  remained  to  become  a  valued  citizen. 
He  married  Olive  Hurd.  Enos  married  Phoebe, 
a  daughter  of  Silas  Tyler,  and  moved  to  Ohio 
several  years  afterward. 

Oliver  B.  Brush,  who  was  sheriff  in  1822, 
emigrated  from  Connecticut  in  181(1.  For  two 
years  he  taught  school  in  Damascus,  making 
his  home  with  Nathan  Skinner.  When  the 
War  of  1812  broke  out,  he  volunteered,  and 
served  witli  great  credit.  After  lie  returned  he 
married     Margaret,     a    daughter    of    Derrick 


Lukens,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons, — Elipha- 
let,  Oliver  B.,  Jr.,  and  Joseph  L.,  all  of  whom 
live  at  Tyler  Hill.  After  the  death  of  Sheriff 
Brush  his  wife  married  Stephen  Mitchell,  and 
one  daughter,  the  wife  of  Warren  Yerkes,  was 
born  of  this  union. 

James  Boyd  came  from  Frankford,  near 
Philadelphia,  about  1808,  being  brought  by 
the  Dufnelds,  and  settled  on  Damascus  Manor, 
near  Thomas  Youngs.  He  volunteered  in  t lie 
same  company  with  SI leriff  Brush,  and  served 
until  1814,  when  he  returned  to  his  adopted 
residence.  He  had  seven  children,  two  of 
whom  lived  in  Warren  County  and  two  in 
Wayne.  Hon.  Thomas  Y.  Boyd,  one  of  the 
latter,  bought  the  Tymerson  Mills,  nearEldred, 
many  years  ago,  and  has  since  been  largely  in- 
terested in  the  lumber  business.  He  is  a  man 
of  much  enterprise  and  public  spirit,  and  has 
twice  represented  the  county  in  the  Legisla- 
ture. 

Alexander  Rutledge,  a  native  of  Ireland, 
moved  into  Damascus  and  settled  on  the  Hun- 
ter lands,  on  the  road  leading  from  the  Union 
settlement  to  the  "  old  Gate  house,"  as  the  Ben- 
jamin Conklin  place  was  called,  about  1812. 
His  children  were  Ann  (the  wife  of  James 
Monnington),  Alexander,  Edward,  Christo- 
pher, John  and  William. 

William  Keesler  came  from  Haverstraw  Bay 
about  this  time,  and  settled  on  the  bank  of  the 
Delaware,  near  Skinner's  Eddy.  He  had  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Cornelius  Bolts,  and  had 
three  sons, — John,  Jacob  and  Jesse.  He  was 
also  the  father  of  several  daughters,  who  all 
married  early  settlers.  The  family  is  widely 
connected. 

Elijah  Clark,  who  appears  on  some  of  the 
early  assessment  lists,  came  from  Connecticut 
about  1814,  and  resided  in  the  township  for 
about  fifteen  years.  He  married  Mary  Ann, 
the  daughter  of  Jonathan  Yerkes,  and  had 
several  children,  among  whom  were  Romaine, 
Dorinda,  Lorette  and  Sidney.  The  family 
moved  to  Michigan  in  1829. 

William  Burcher  came  from  England  about 
1815,  and  settled  at  first  in  Mount  Pleasant, 
where  he  remained  for  two  years.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Damascus,  where  he  has  since  resided. 


460 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


His  children  were  John  ;  Samuel ;  Sarah,  the 
wife  of  Warren  Dimmick,  of  Mount  Pleasant  • 
Betsy,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Yerkes  ;  Helen,  the 
wife  of  Titus  Yerkes ;  and  a  daughter  who 
married  a  Kramer. 

Horace  Belknap  moved  from  Shehawken 
about  1820,  and  married  Susan,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Skinner.  Belknap  located  at  the  Bal- 
com  settlement,  and  had  six  children, — Joseph, 
Kinney;  Charles  Callista  ;  wife  of  Caleb  Sehenck, 
of  Cherry  Ridge ;  Mary,  (Mrs.  French):  and 
Laura,  the  wife  of  William  Quick,  of  Port 
Jervis. 

William  Bonesteel  came  from  Greene  County, 
New  York,  but  moved  to  Damascus  from  Sul- 
livan County  in  1850,  and  bought  the  Manor 
Mill.  He  married  Rachel  Rouse.  Leander 
and  Leroy  were  his  only  children  that  lived  to 
manhood.  Leander  married  Mrs.  Ennis,  of 
Damascus;  Leroy  married  Mary  E.,  a  daughter 
of  S.  K.  Vail.  William  Bonesteel  died  in  1869, 
aged  sixty-two. 

Eli  Beach  was  born  in  Cairo,  Greene  County, 
New  York,  and  after  reaching  his  majority  en- 
tered the  employ  of  Captain  Edwards,  the  first 
tanner  in  the  United  States  under  the  present 
system,  at  Hunter,  New  York.  After  engag- 
ing in  the  tanning  business  on  his  own  account 
in  several  places,  in  connection  with  Loren  An- 
drews, he  bought  Rock  Glen  Tannery,  at  Mi- 
lanville.  Mr.  Andrews'  interest  was  subse- 
quently bought  by  J.  Howard  Beach,  a  son  of 
Eli,  and  the  establishment  was  run  for  many 
years  under  the  name  of  E.  Beach  &  Son.  Mr. 
Beach  was  a  man  of  much  enterprise  and  pub- 
lie  spirit,  and  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the 
community.  He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
filled  other  township  offices  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all.  While  a  resident  of  New  York  State 
he  was  the  captain  of  a  militia  company,  and 
was  always  known  as  "  Captain."  His  wife 
was  Miss  Mary  A.  Gay,  and  their  children 
were  Hon.  J.  Howard  Beach,  Watson  E. 
Beach,  Mrs.  H.  L.  Nichols  and  Mrs.  Conner. 
Captain  Beach  died  in  1877,  aged  seventy- 
two. 

James  Smith,  who  settled  at  Eld  red  in  1821, 
and  was  the  first  postmaster  there,  was  from 
New  York  State.     He  married  Eunice,  a  daugh- 


ter of  Deacon  Loring  Parsons,  and  had  only 
two  children  who  grew  to  manhood.  They 
were  E.  H.  Smith,  of  Bethany,  and  L.  P. 
Smith,  of  Damascus. 

Milanville  is  the  name  now  given  to  the 
hamlet  that  has  grown  up  partly  on  the  track 
first  settled  by  Robert  Land  and  others,  men- 
tioned in  the  foregoing  history.  At  the  time 
Land  was  living  there  Joseph  Skinner  had  set- 
tled at  "  Ackhake,"  and  during  the  same  year 
that  he  is  recorded  as  living  there  Timothy 
Skinner  and  Simeon  Calkins  built  a  saw-mill, 
and  "  a  sort  of  a  grist-mill  "  on  Calkins'  Creek, 
nearly  opposite  the  north  end  of  the  Beach 
tannery.  They  at  first  intended  to  locate  the 
saw-mill  on  the  river-bank,  and  with  this  in- 
tention dug  a  race  from  the  old  dam  just  above 
the  tannery  nearly  to  the  spot  now-  occupied  by 
Skinner  Brothers'  saw-mill.  It  was  a  consider- 
able undertaking  for  those  days,  and  great  was 
their  disappointment,  when,  after  some  months' 
labor,  it  was  completed  and  the  water  let  in,  to 
find  that  the  light,  sandy  soil,  through  which  it 
passed  a  portion  of  the  way,  would  not  stand 
the  pressure  of  the  water,  and  the  race  wras  use- 
less. After  several  vain  attempts  to  patch  it 
up,  the  first  selected  location  of  the  mill  was 
abandoned,  and  the  site  referred  to  adopted. 
Both  of  these  mills,  though  small,  and  fitted 
with  very  primitive  machinery,  answered  the 
purposes  of  the  pioneers  until  burned  in  the  In- 
dian raid  of  1777.  Several  decades  afterward 
another  attempt  was  made  to  use  the  old  race 
and  this  was  partially  successful.  The  portion 
of  the  excavation  between  the  dam,  and  a  few 
rods  below  A7olney  Skinner's  residence,  was 
through  firm  soil,  and  it  was  decided  to  locate 
a  saw-mill  there.  This  was  done,  and  the  mill 
was  used  until  the  present  mill  near  the  tannery 
was  built.  Portions  of  this  second  mill  stood 
until  a  few  years  ago,  and  the  foundation  walls 
are  still  standing.  The  course  of  the  old  race 
can  be  easily  traced  at  present,  though  a  road 
passes  through  its  lower  end. 

On  the  flat  above  Colonel  Calvin  Skinner's 
is  the  site  of  the  old  fort,  or  block-house,  built 
by  Simeon  Calkin  and  Moses  Thomas,  in  1755, 
a  short  time  after  the  mills  were  built.  During 
the  past  century  the    waters    of   the    Delaware 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


461 


have  made  very  perceptible  inroads  on  the  flat, 
and  the  place  where  the  block-house  stood  is 
now  but  a  few  feet  from  the  water's  edge.  Half 
concealed  in  the  low  bushes  that  overrun  the 
spot  is  a  well  that  was  once  inside  the  stockade, 
and  served  to  slake  the  thirst  of  the  brave  little 
band,  composed  chiefly  of  women  and  children, 
that  held  the  savages  at  bay  on  that  autumn 
day  when  Thomas  and  Willis  were  surprised 
and  killed. 

The  house  where  Brant  Kaue's  family  were 
murdered  in  the  following  year  stood  on  the 
New  York  side  of  the  river,  about  midway 
between  the  site  of  the  block-house  and  Colonel 
Skinner's  residence.  No  trace  of  it  now  re- 
mains, nor,  indeed,  is  the  precise  spot  where  it 
stood  perfectly  certain. 

The  tannery,  which  of  late  years  has  given 
an  impetus  to  Milanville,  was  started   in   184!) 

by  David  Clemmcnts,  James  Horton  and  

Robinson.  After  a  very  short  time  Clem ments 
succeeded  to  the  business,  and  ran  it  until  1854, 
when  he  sold  out  to  Captain  Eli  Beach  and 
Loring  Andrews.  Mr.  Beach  was  a  tanner  of 
wide  experience  and  much  enterprise,  and  he  at 
once  made  changes  that  greatly  improved  the 
quality  of  the  product,  and  the  business  began 
to  improve  from  the  time  he  took  hold  of  it. 
Changes  were  made  in  the  method,  and  addi- 
tions to  the  plant  erected,  so  that  its  capacity 
was  greatly  increased.  Subsequently  Mr.  An- 
drews' interest  was  bought  out  by  Hon.  J.  How- 
ard Beach,  and  the  firm  became  Eli  Beach  & 
Son.  The  senior  member  of  the  firm  died  in 
July,  1877,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  sons,  who 
still  conduct  the  establishment. 

A  store  was  opened  in  connection  with  the 
tannery  and  has  been  maintained  by  the  firms 
ever  since.  Until  18(51  Damascus  was  the 
nearest  post-office,  but  in  that  year  an  office 
was  established  at  Milanville,  with  J.  Howard 
Beach  as  the  postmaster,  an  office  which  he 
still  holds. 

In  1832  Alonzo  Bently  and  Jacob  Burger,  of 
Philadelphia,  built  a  saw-mill  just  below  the 
Cochecton  Falls,  and  secured  lumber  rights  over 
a  large  tract  of  land  adjacent.  Three  years 
afterward  the  mill  was  carried  away  by  the 
high  water.      Subsequently  the   timber  rights 


were  leased  to  Nathan  Skinuer,  and  the  tract 
is  now  controlled  by  the  Skinners,  who  have 
large  lumbering  interests  in  the  vicinity. 

The  Skinner  Brothers'  mill  was  built  in  1882, 
with  W.  W.  Williams  as  millwright,  and  has  a 
capacity  of  ten  thousand  feet  of  boards  per  day. 
Its  saws  and  other  machinery  are  driven  by  a 
thirty  horse-power  engine,  and  the  boilers,  by 
recent  improvements,  are  heated  by  burning 
saw-dust.  The  builders  and  present  owners  are 
Volney  and  Milton  L.  Skinner,  sons  of  Colonel 
Calvin  Skinner,  both  of  whom  have  beeu 
prominently  identified  with  the  lumber  inter- 
est of  the  Delaware  for  many  years. 

Milanville  is  delightfully  situated  and 
abounds  in  picturesque  scenery,  so  that  it  is 
already  gaining  popularity  as  a  summer  resort. 
The  hamlet  has  several  stores,  blacksmith  and 
wagon-shops  and  a  school-house  in  which  there 
is  a  Sabbath-school  held.  Regular  service  is 
sometimes  conducted  there  from  the  Damascus 
charges. 

1  >amascus  Village. — In  the  foregoing  his- 
tory of  the  township  the  story  of  the  village 
has  been  nearly  all  related.  The  early  settlers 
of  this  portion  of  the  Delaware  Valley  located 
on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and,  as  will  be  seen 
hereafter,  the  enterprises  and  interests  of  Da- 
mascus and  Cochecton  were  nearly  identical, 
and  the  leading  spirits  were  men  from  both 
sides  of  the  river.  Prior  to  the  advent  of 
Thomas  Shields  the  old  manor  property  was 
unbroken  forest,  except,  possibly,  some  unim- 
portant clearings  made  by  one  or  two  "  squat- 
ters," of  whom  no  record  but  dim  tradition  re- 
mains. The  Cushutunk  settlement,  extending 
for  a  number  of  miles  up  and  down  the  river, 
must  have  had  its  centre  of  population  about 
Milanville,  where  all  the  small  interests  of  the 
weak  colony  centred.  Here  the  earliest  mill 
was  located,  and  here  the  settlers  came  to  have 
their  coarse  grists  ground,  to  get  advances  of 
ammunition  and  provisions  on  skins  they  were 
curing  or  lumber  they  had  ready  to  raft,  and 
transact  such  other  small  business  as  their  sim- 
ple pioneer  life  made  necessary.  Reuben  Skin- 
ner had  the  first  tavern,  and  if  strangers  had 
penetrated  the  forests,  and  come  to  the  frontier 
for   adventure    and    speculation,   they  stopped 


4fi2 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


with  him,  and  if  mail  left  at  Easton,  "  to  be 
called  for,"  was  for  any  of  the  settlers,  the  fact 
would  be  there  reported  by  the  returning  rafts- 
men and  Durham  boaters.  This  old  tavern 
was  built  on  the  site  of  the  building  burned  by 
Captain  Tyler,  and  was  opened  to  the  public 
soon  after  the  Revolution. 

The  purchase  of  the  manor,  in  1795,  brought 
about  a  change  in  the  state  of  affairs.  Thomas 
Shields,  the  new  proprietor,  was  a  man  of  much 
energy  and  enterprise.  He  had  come  into  the 
wilds  of  Northampton  County  to  develop  a 
new  country,  induce  settlers  to  locate,  appreci- 
ate the  valueof  his  recent  acquisition  in  land  and 
dispose  of  the  property  at  a  good  profit.  While 
a  shrewd  business  man,  who  had  built  up  a 
fortune  from  small  beginnings,  he  was  not  with- 
out public  spirit,  and  took  immediate  steps  to 
promote  the  general  welfare  of  the  settlement. 
He  brought  with  him  from  Philaaelphia  a 
number  of  skilled  mechanics,  and  within  two 
years  after  he  had  selected  his  place  of  resi- 
dence a  saw  and  a  grist-mill  were  running 
merrily  near  the  mouth  of  Cash's  Creek. 

In  connection  with  these,  he  bought  lumber 
and  such  little  grain  as  there  was  over  the  needs 
of  actual  consumption,  and  gave  in  exchange 
staple  goods  from  Easton  and  Philadelphia. 
Several  years  before  this  Ebenezer  Taylor  had 
located  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and  com- 
menced mercantile  business,  and  thus  Damascus 
became  the  centre  of  supplies.  During  the  next 
ten  years  it  shared  with  Cochecton  the  interests 
of  the  settlement.  Charles  Irvine,  a  native  of 
Ireland,  who  had  fled  from  the  oppression  of 
the  English  government  under  the  younger 
Pitt,  had  come  to  the  latter  town  as  a  school- 
master, and  having  organized  a  stock  company, 
built  the  first  frame  house  in  the  town  for  a 
school-room.  It  was  there  that  many  of  the 
earlier  settlers  of  the  second  generation  made 
their  first  timid  steps  in  the  rugged  path  of 
knowledge.  So,  too,  there  were  religious  meet- 
ings there,  and  other  adjuncts  of  prosperity,  and 
the  establishments  of  one  village  or  the  other  sup- 
plied the  wants  of  the  people  for  miles  around. 

After  the  completion  of  the  Cochecton  and 
Great  Bend  turnpike  Mr.  Shields  laid  out  the 
village  plot,   ami   a  year  afterward,  in    1807, 


deeded  lots  for  church  and  school..  Three  years 
later  John  Duffle  started  the  first  hotel  in  Da- 
mascus village.  Soon  afterward  William  Tyler 
opened  a  hotel  in  the  building  now  occupied  by 
Warren  Tyler,  and  after  running  it  for  a  few 
years,  moved  to  Tyler  Hill.  In  1815  the 
building  occupied  by'Duffle  was  burned,  and  a 
year  later  Charles  Drake  opened  his  house  that 
ran  for  many  years. 

The  first  temperance  tavern  in  Wayne  County 
was  that  kept  by  George  Bush,  who  married 
Ann  Skinner.  He  was  the  sou  of  Simeon  Bush, 
and  was  bom  iu  Damascus  in  1791.  His  par- 
ents were  among  the  pioneers,  and  his  early 
advantages  were  small.  Pie  was  trained  as  a 
river  steersman,  and  after  following  this  for  a 
number  of  years  he  bought  the  Lush  farm,  af- 
terwards occupied  by  his  son,  and  married 
Annie  Skinner.  Iu  1818  he  bought  a  property 
on  Skinner's  Eddy,  which  he  opened  as  a  hotel, 
creating  no  little  excitement  among  the  rafts- 
men by  announcing  that  no  intoxicants  would 
be  sold  on  the  place.  Iu  that  day  liquor  was 
sold  everywhere,  and  its  use  to  excess  was  not 
considered  more  than  a  slight  impropriety. 
Mr.  Bush  thought  differently,  however,  and, 
what  was  a  still  greater  surprise,  his  tavern  be- 
came one  of  the  most  popular  on  the  river.  He 
took  a  prominent  position  in  the  public  affairs 
of  his  time,  and  represented  Wayne  and  Pike 
Counties  in  the  Legislature  in  1842-44.  He 
died  in  1873. 

When  Thomas  Shields  gave  up  his  residence 
in  Damascus  he  sold  his  mills  and  what  re- 
mained of  his  land  to  an  association  or  partner- 
ship known  as  "  the  Manor  Company."  It  was 
composed  of  Moses  Thomas,  Charles  and  Jesse 
Drake,  Moses  and  Bezaleel  Tyler  and  Simeon 
and  George  Bush.  The  mill  dam  was  located 
on  the  site  of  the  one  now  used  by  Leroy 
Bonesteel,  but  the  mill  itself  was  farther  down 
the  stream.  Charles  Drake,  who  lived  where 
W.  W.  Tyler  now  has  a  store,  rented  the  mill  of 
the  Manor  Company,  and  operated  it  for  many 
years.  Finally,  iu  1841,  the  tract  on  which  it 
was  situated  was  sold  to  Walter  S.  Vail,  and 
the  mill,  which  had  become  old  and  worthless, 
was  torn  down,  and  the  dwelling  now  occupied 
bv  Frank  Baker  was  erected  en  its  site. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


4G3 


The  Deed  of  a  grist-mill  was  soon  felt,  and  in 
1850  William  Bonesteel  and  the  Manor  Com- 
pany, or  what  remained  of  it,  built  a  new  mill 
just  below  the  dam.  About  the  time  it  was 
completed  a  fire  broke  out  and  destroyed  every- 
thing except  the  wheel  and  mill-stones,  but  it  was 
soon  rebuilt.  Subsequently  it  passed  into  the 
hands  of  William  Bonesteel,  who  bought  out 
the  other  partners,  and  after  his  death,  into  the 
hands  of  his  son,  Leroy  Bonesteel,  the  present 
proprietor.  The  mill  has  three  run  of  stone, 
and  is  driven  by  both  steam  and  water-power. 

In  1825  Loring  Parsons  and  Henry  Dibble 
erected  a  carding-raachine,  fulling-mill  and 
cloth-dyeing  establishment  at  Damascus.  It  was 
about  a  mile  west  of  Cochecton,  on  the  property 
now  occupied  by  Mr.  Cromwell.  Although 
small,  and  designed  for  custom-work  only,  it 
did  a  thriving  business,  for  in  those  days  the 
spinning-wheel  was  a  familiar  object  in  every 
farmer's  kitchen.  In  about  1832  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  R.  T.  Parsons,  who  subsequently 
disposed  of  it  to  J.  T.  Bush.  The  business  was 
abandoned  about  1865. 

The  first  store  in  Damascus  was  opened  by 
Walter  S.  Vail  about  182(3,  aud  was  located  mi 
the  Cochecton  and  Great  Bend  turnpike,  quite 
near  the  river.  In  1831  Hiram  Bennett  and 
Hon.  D.  B.  St.  John  were  taken  into  partner- 
ship, and  the  firm-name  was  Walter  S.  Vail  & 
Co.  This  was  kept  up  for  three  years,  and 
then  Bennett  sold  out,  the  other  partners  carry- 
ing on  the  business  in  their  own  name  for  a  year. 
Then  Charles  Irvine  bought  out  St.  John's  in- 
terest, and  afterwards  Vail  sold  his  to  W.  W. 
Tyler.  The  firm  then  became  W.  W.  Tyler  & 
Co.,  and  remained  so  until  1856,  when  Irvine 
sold  to  James  S.  Vail,  and  Tyler  &  Vail  was 
the  style  adopted.  In  1858  Vail  retired, 
and  after  Tyler  had  conducted  the  business  alone 
for  a  year  he  disposed  of  it  to  Philip  O'Riley, 
of  Oregon,  with  whom  Charles  Irvine  was  asso- 
ciated for  a  year  and  a  half,  under  the  style  of 
Charles  Irvine  &  Co.  This  was  succeeded  by 
T.  &  P.  O'Riley,  which  lasted  until  1881,  when 
A.  J.  Cuddeback  became  proprietor,  and  re- 
mained so  until  1884,  when  the  business  was 
abandoned. 

W.    W.    Tyler  built    a  saw-mill   on    Cash's 


Creek,  just  opposite  his  present  place  of  busi- 
ness, in  1859,  and  it  has  since  been  in  operation. 
It  is  a  small  aflkir,  with  an  up-and-down  saw, 
and  is  only  used  at  present  to  get  out  square 
timber.  In  1866  Mr.  Tyler  opened  the  store  he 
now  occupies  in  the  old  Charles  Drake  house. 

Post-Office  and  Mail  Facilities. — It  is 
probable  that  the  first  letters  to  the  early  set- 
tlers at  Damascus  were  sent  by  messenger,  either 
by  the  Durham  boats  from  Easton  and  Phila- 
delphia or  by  such  travelers  as  might  be 
journeying  into  the  Minisink  region. 

In  1803  a  post-office  was  established  at  Mil- 
ford,  to  which  the  mails  were  brought  once  in 
two  weeks,  the  route  being  from  Lancaster,  by 
Bethlehem  and  Stroudsburg,  to  Milford.  After 
that,  letters  were  sent  to  Milford  "  to  be  called 
for."  On  the  completion  of  the  turnpikes  from 
Newburgh  to  Great  Bend,  in  1810,  a  mail-route 
was  established  from  Danbury,  Conn.,  via 
Fishkill  Landing  and  Newburgh  to  Chenango 
Point,  and  a  year  later  a  post-office  on  this 
route  was  established  at  Cochecton.  This,  of 
course,  gave  Damascus  a  mail  service  that  was 
adequate  to  the  demands  of  the  times,  aud  it 
was  not  until  1824  that  the  need  of  an  office  on 
the  Pennsylvania  side  of  the  river  was  greatly 
felt.  In  that  year  an  office  was  established, 
and  William  H.  Clarke  was  the  first  postmaster. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Dudley  B.  Clark,  and  then, 
in  1826,  Walter  S.  Vail  was  appointed.  He 
served  until  1849  or  1850,  when  the  office 
passed  into  the  hands  of  N.  W.  Vail,  who  kept 
it  until  1855,  the  date  of  Charles  Irvine's  ap- 
pointment. After  two  years  James  S.  Vail  was 
made  postmaster,  aud  held  office  until  1859, 
when  he  gave  place  to  W.  W.  Tyler,  wdio 
served  until  1866.  The  next  appointee  was 
Mark  Apley,  who  resigned  in  1873,  at  which 
time  W.  W.  Tyler,  the  present  incumbent,  was 
reappointed. 

The  West  Damascus  post-office  was  estab- 
lished in  1869,  with  George  Welch  as  post- 
master. Several  years  later  he  gave  place  to 
Mrs.  Mary  Mitchell,  thepresent  incumbent. 

St.  Tammany's  Lodge. — Little  or  nothing 
is  now  known  of  this  organization,  except 
that  it  was  instituted  at  a  very  early 
period,    and     that    Nathan     Skinner     was    a 


464 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


prominent  member,  and  tilled  a  number 
of  offices  in  it.  The  records  and  jewels  were 
burned  thirty  years  ago,  and  those  who  were 
among  the  constituent  members  are  in  their 
graves.  An  edition  of  "  Harris'  Discourses," 
an  early  Masonic  publication,  contains  a  list  of 
subscribers,  and  in  it  the  following  names  are 
credited  to  St.  Tammany  Lodge,  No.  83 : 
George  B.  Guinniss,  Reuben  Condit,  Jesse 
Drake,  Nathan  Monington,  Joseph  Guinniss, 
Jacob  Tyler,  Dudley  B.  Clark,  George  Bush, 
Noah  Philips,  Silas  Tyler  and  David  Guinniss. 
The  Damascus  Academy,  which  for  mere 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  been  the  leading 
educational  institution  of  this  portion  of  the 
Delaware  Valley,  has  been  attended  by  many 
vicissitudes,  and,  during  that  period,  has  stood 
high  on  the  hill  of  success  and  progress,  and 
again  so  low  in  public  esteem  as  to  nearly  suc- 
cumb to  financial  embarrassment  and  failure. 
Neglect  and  indifference,  which  never  keep 
dates  and  records,  the  warp  and  woof  of  his- 
torians' work,  make  some  of  the  earlier  informa- 
tion meagre,  though  enough  is  obtainable  to 
trace  the  progress  of  a  well-defined  effort,  among 
a  few  leading  spirits,  to  secure  good  educational 
advantages  in  this  portion  of  the  Delaware 
Valley.  The  subject  of  building  an  academy 
was  first  discussed  by  some  of  the  leading  citi- 
zens some  thirty-seven  years  ago,  and  resulted 
in  rather  an  unsatisfactory  meeting  to  consider 
the  matter,  called  at  the  Presbyterian  Church 
on  the  evening  of  August  18,  1848.  The  pro- 
positions then  laid  before  the  citizens  were  not 
received  with  favor,  though  the  seed  was  sown 
by  a  few  strong  advocates,  and  it  matured  soon 
afterward,  when  a  second  meeting  was  held  in 
the  Baptist  Church,  at  which  proper  measures 
were  taken  to  forward  the  project  and  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  select  a  site.  When 
the  location  was  decided  upon,  a  third  meeting, 
also  at  the  Baptist  Church,  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  buy  a  piece  of  land  containing  one 
acre  from  Charles  Drake  for  two  hundred  dol- 
lars. It  was  the  site  that  had  been  previously 
selected,  and  was  a  portion  of  the  old  Damascus 
Manor.  This  meeting  also  selected  a  board  of 
trustees,  consisting  of  Moses  Thomas,  Moses 
Tyler,  John  Mitchell,  Webster  Sutliff,  James 


C.  Curtis,  E.  S.  Page  and  Walter  S.  Vail,  and 
another  committee  was  empowered  to  solicit 
subscriptions  of  stock  at  five  dollars  a  share, 
and  secure  a  charter.  Subsequently  it  was  re- 
ported that  a  sufficient  amount  had  been  sub- 
scribed, and  Moses  Tyler  was  elected  president 
of  the  board,  with  Charles  Irvine  as  secretary 
and  treasurer.  The  latter  drafted  the  charter, 
which  was  obtained  in  1849,  and  incorporated 
the  institution  as  the  Union  Academy  of 
Damascus.  The  necessary  arrangements  for  the 
erection  of  the  building  were  soon  made.  Joseph 
Tyler  laid  the  foundation,  and  Cogswell  Gordon, 
}he  architect,  with  the  assistance  of  Joseph  M. 
Brigham  and  Abraham  Tyler,  succeeded  in  com- 
pleting  the   structure    during    the    summer  of 

1849,  The  total  cost  of  the  building  was  one 
thousand  and  fifty  dollars,  which  was  considered 
really  more  than  the  improvement  was  worth. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  trustees,  held  March  9, 

1850,  it  was  decided  that  the  first  term  should 
begin  on  the  first  Monday  of  the  succeeding 
May;  that  the  fall  and  winter  terms  should 
commence  on  the  20th  of  September,  and  con- 
tinue, with  one  week's  vacation  through  the 
holidays,  until  the  20th  of  March,  1851.  Rev. 
A.  M.  Calkin  was  employed  as  the  first  princi- 
pal, and  during  the  first  term  the  attendance 
was  so  large  that  it  became  necessary  for  him  to 
obtain  a  lady  assistant.  He  also  took  the 
academy    for  the  second   term,  in   September, 

1851,  but  was  released  at  his  own  request,  and 
James  L.  Appley  was  employed  in  his  stead, 
commencing  work  in  the  spring  of  1851,  and 
continuing  until  the  following  July,  when  Mr. 
Calkin  returned.  He  remained  this  time  until 
the  close  of  the  scholastic  year  in  1856,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  Wheeler  Mitchell,  who 
taught  for  five  months,  and  gave  place  to  W. 
A.  Newton,  of  Narrowsburg.  The  latter  rented 
the  academy  for  one  year,  during  which  time 
he  succeeded  in  getting  the  rental  reduced 
from  forty  to  twenty-five  dollars,  and  was 
re-elected  in  March,  1859,  for  a  second  year. 
After  his  departure  the  academy  remained 
closed  for  a  time.  It  had  been  a  financial  fail- 
ure, and  no  one  seemed  willing  to  guarantee  the 
amount  necessary  to  secure  a  principal.  How- 
ever, in  October,  1861,  Misses  McClogan  and 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Vaughn  opened  the  school,  only  to  give  it  up 
after  a  few  months,  and-  be  succeeded  by  C.  J. 
Lain,  who  also  remained  but  a  short  time.  In 
February,  1862,  John  Cairns  came,  remaining 
until  April,  1865,  when  R  K.  Scudder  was 
secured  for  one  year.  L.  D.  Tyler  took  the 
principalship  in  18(3(5,  and  had  a  large  patron- 
age ;  but  he  remained  only  a  short  time,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Miss  Bush,  whose  stay  was  like- 
wise transient.  During  the  latter  part  of  the 
year  1870  the  academy  was  closed,  and  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  buy  up  the  stock  and  con- 
vert the  school  into  a  private  property,  but  it  was 
unsuccessful,  and  shortly  afterward  J.  A.  Mc- 
Laury  opened  the  school  with  fair  prospects  of 
success.  He  remained  for  six  years,  doing  ex- 
cellent work,  and  building  up  the  reputation  of 
the  school,'and  was  succeeded  by  L.  W.Tyler  (2d), 
was  taught  one  term  and  gave  place  to  W.  W. 
Fletcher  in  1877.  He  was  assisted  by  W.  J. 
Turner.  The  next  principal  was  Rev.  R.  J. 
Kellogg,  who  was  also  pastor  in  the  town  at  the 
time,  and  after  he  went  to  serve  other  charges, 
Frank  Tuthill  taught  for  some  months. 

S.  D.  Barnes,  the  next  principal,  remained 
for  two  years  and  his  first  term  had  not  closed 
before  the  necessity  for  a  new  building  Mas 
manifest.  When  he  took  the  school  there  were 
but  eleven  pupils,  but  the  number  increased 
steadily,  and  soon  the  stockholders  decided  upon 
better  facilities.  On  June  19,  187!),  a  new 
board  of  trustees  was  elected,  consisting  of  C. 
E.  Beach,  J.  M.  Page,  L.  Bonesteel,  Marcus 
Appley,  J.  T.  Tyler,  W.  J.  Bush  and  W.  W. 
Tyler,  and  upon  organization  Charles  E.  Beach 
was  elected  president,  and  Leroy  Bonesteel 
secretary.  This  was  the  first  decisive  move- 
ment toward  a  new  building,  although  some  of 
the  more  energetic  stockholders  had  been  plan- 
ning and  estimating  the  cost  of  the  contem- 
plated improvement  and  soliciting  subscriptions 
to  a  new  fund.  To  this  latter  there  were  gen- 
erous responses  from  Hon.  J.  Howard  Beach, 
Mrs.  D.  M.  McCollough,  J.  M.  Page  and  others. 
A  proposition  to  cut  down  the  trees  with  which 
the  academy  tract  was  covered,  and  sell  the 
lumber,  excited  violent  opposition,  but  was 
finally  carried,  and  a  part  of  the  lumber  was 
made  use  of  in  the  new  building,  while  the 
45 


rest  was  rafted  to  Philadelphia,  and  sold  at  a 
good  profit.  The  work  of  rebuilding  was  com- 
menced in  July,  1880,  and  was  completed  in 
the  following  January.  The  building  has  a 
frontage  of  seventy-two  feet,  and  is  twenty-four 
feet  deep.  It  is  two  stories  high,  with  a  Gothic 
roof,  and  is  surmounted  by  a  well-proportioned 
cupola  sixty-five  feet  high.  There  are  two 
airy  study  -rooms,  each  twenty-seven  by  thirty- 
three  feet,  and  a  number  of  recitation-rooms  and 
other  conveniences  for  the  systematic  conduct  of 
a  large  school.  The  first  term  of  the  new 
academy  began  December  3,  1879,  and  at  its 
close  Mr.  Barnes  resigned.  He  was  succeeded 
by  T.  N.  Glover,  who  remained  two  years  and 
then  gave  place  to  Isaac  R.  King,  who  closed 
his  engagement  in  June,  1885-  Since  that  time 
no  one  has  been  selected. 

Damascus  First  BArxiST  Church. — The 
fact  that  Thomas  Shields,  the  purchaser  of  the 
Damascus  Manor,  was  an  ardent  Baptist  led 
to  the  church  of  that  village  being  the  first  in 
the  county  to  own  and  occupy  a  meeting-house. 
The  edifice  was  erected  by  Mr.  Shields  about 
the  year  1800,  and  was  deeded,  together  with 
the  lots  on  which  it  stood,  in  trust,  for  a  reg- 
ular Baptist  Church  and  society,  when  organ- 
ized. 

In  the  fall  of  1820  Rev.  John  Smitzer  visited 
Damascus  and  vicinity,  but  was  not  invited  to 
preach  there  because  of  his  close  communion 
views.  He  called  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Ste- 
phen Mitchell,  however,  and  had  an  earnest 
conversation  with  Mrs.  Mitchell,  who  had  once 
belonged  to  the  same  church  with  him,  and  to 
this  may  be  traced  the  beginning  of  the  Damas- 
cus Baptist  Church.  Early  in  the  following 
autumn  Mr.  Smitzer  again  visited  the  village, 
and  soon  afterwards  twelve  persons  were  or- 
ganized as  a  regular  Baptist  Church.  A  coun- 
cil of  recognition  was  convened  at  Damascus, 
August  26,  1821,  and  nineteen  persons — five 
males  and  fourteen  females — were  recognized, 
seven  of  them  being  baptized  in  the  Delaware 
River.  On  the  8th  of  September  Jonathan 
Yerkes  was  chosen  church  clerk,  and  in  No- 
vember Isaac  Brown  made  deacon.  The  church 
was  admitted  to  the  association  in  1822. 

In  March,    1826,   Mr.  Smitzer  resigned  his 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


charge.  During  the  first  year  lie  had  supplied  the 
Damascus  Church  once  a  month,  devoting  the 
remaining  time  to  Bethany  and  Canaan,  and 
during  the  subsequent  years  of  his  pastorate  lie 
had  divided  his  labors  between  Bethany  and 
Damascus. 

Although  destitute  of  a  regular  pastor,  the 
pulpit  was  supplied  by  Rev.  Enoch  Owen,  a 
resident  and  constituent  member,  until  Rev. 
Horace  Jones  commenced  his  labors,  in  May, 
1827.  He  remained  until  1830,  when  Rev. 
Charles  II.  Hubbard  was  called,  and  served  un- 
til 1834.  Mr.  Robert  C.Brisbane,  a  licentiate, 
supplied  the  pulpit  for  a  time  during  Mr.  Hub- 
bard's absence. 

In  1832  a  new  church  edifice  was  erected, 
and  was  dedicated  on  the  7th  of  November. 
Mr.  Hubbard  resigned  in  February,  1834,  and 
there  was  no  stated  preaching  until  April,  1835, 
when  Rev.  Juuito  Bixby  was  chosen  for  the 
fourth  pastor.  In  December,  183(3,  while  visit- 
ing some  friends  in  Susquehanna  County,  he 
died  suddenly  and  once,  more  the  pulpit  was 
vacant.  During  the  interim  of  nine  months 
John  T.  Mitchell,  a  licentiate,  supplied  the 
charge,  and  in  November,  1837,  Rev.  Joseph 
Currin  was  called.  His  pastoral  relation 
lasted  until  April,  1839,  and  at  this  time  the 
membership  had  increased  to  eighty. 

Rev.  Henry  Curtis  commenced  his  labors,  as 
the  sixth  pastor,  in  May,  1839,  dividing  his 
work  between  Damascus  and  Bethany.  During 
his  pastorate  much  work  was  done  in  settle- 
ments adjacent  and  the  foundations  of  other 
congregations  were  laid.  Under  his  ministra- 
tions a  church  was  organized  at  Callicoon,  N.  Y., 
with  twenty-one  members,  chiefly  dismissed 
from  the  Damascus  Church.  Mr.  Curtis  resign- 
ed in  February,  1849,  leaving  the  church  with 
one  hundred  communicants. 

Rev.  John  T.  Mitchell  was  then  engaged  for 
six  months  as  stated  supply,  and  was  followed 
by  William  C.  Ulyat,  a  licentiate,  who  supplied 
the  desk  for  eight  or  ten  weeks.  Mr.  Mitchell 
was  then  employed  again,  until  Rev.  Truman 
O.  Judd  became  the  seventh  pastor. 

The  Baptist  Church  of  West  Damascus  was 
constituted  during  his  pastorate.  Mr.  Judd  re- 
signed his  pastorate  and  retired  from  the  associ- 


ation in  May,  1852,  being  followed  by  Rev. 
Andrew  Hopper,  who'  served  until  1854.  Rev. 
John  C.  Shearman  was  his  successor,  and  sup- 
plied the  church  once  in  two  weeks  up  to  1855, 
when  his  entire  services  were  secured.  Abijah 
M.  Calkin,  who  had  been  for  many  years  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  offered 
himself  at  a  covenant-meeting  about  this  time, 
and  was  baptized.  Subsequently  he  was  or- 
dained to  the  Baptist  ministry,  and,  in  1857, 
succeeded  Mr.  Shearman  as  pastor. 

During  the  year  1855  the  congregation, 
which  had  become  a  most  prosperous  one,  pur- 
chased a  lot  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Delaware, 
a  few  rods  below  the  church,  and  erected  a 
tasteful  parsonage.  A  great  revival  took  place 
in  1856,  after  a  series  of  meetings  lasting  for 
ninety  days,  and  the  membership  was  swelled 
to  one  hundred  and  thirty.  In  the  year  1857 
the  semi-centennial  celebration  of  the  Abing- 
ton  Baptist  Association  was  held  in  this  church. 

Mr.  Calkin  remained  pastor  of  the  church 
until  November,  1866,  "  beloved  by  all."  The 
pulpit  was  then  supplied  by  T.  F.  Smith  for  a 
mouth,  commencing  October,  1867,  and  then 
he  was  ordained  and  received  a  unanimous 
call. 

In  July,  1877,  delegates  were  appointed  to  a 
convention  called  at  Port  Jervis  for  the  pur- 
pose of  considering  the  formation  of  a  new  as- 
sociation on  the  line  of  the  Erie  Railroad ;  and 
in  August  of  the  same  year  the  church  with- 
drew from  the  Abington  Association  and 
joined  the  new  organization.  During  this  year 
the  congregation  purchased  additional  land  for 
a  Imrving-ground,  at  a  cost  of  one  thousand 
dollars.     Mr.  Smith's  pastorate  closed  in  April, 

1873,  and,  after  an  interval  of  a  year,  Rev. 
Walter    Gallant    begau    his    labors,  April   12, 

1874.  During  the  interval  that  elapsed  be- 
tween these  two  pastorates  the  church  edifice 
was  rebuilt  and  refurnished  at  a  cost  of  six. 
thousand  dollars.  It  was  dedicated  June  2, 
1874,  the  services  being  participated  in  by  the 
following  miuisters  :  Rev.  J.  R.  Remsen,  Alden- 
ville,  Pa.;  Rev.  William  McKinney,  Port  Jer- 
vis, N.  Y. ;  Rev.  J.  R.  Angel,  Damascus ;  Rev. 
W.  P.  Hellings,  Scranton;  Rev.  E.  M.  Blan- 
chard,  Addison,  N.  Y.     Mr.  Gallant  resigned 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


467 


in  December,  1875,  and  in  May,  1876,  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  I.  N.  Earl.  In  October, 
1874,  the  church  withdrew  from  "The  Orange 
and  Sullivan  Association."  The  labors  of  Mr. 
Earl  closed  the  following  April,  and  in  Septem- 
ber, Rev.  J.  A.  Bakewell  was  called,  serving  until 
April  1,  1880.  F.  H.  Cooper  supplied  the 
pulpit  the  following  summer,  during  which 
the  church  resolved  to  ask  admission  into  "  The 
Wayne  Baptist  Association,"  which  received  it 
August  25,  1880.  Rev.  S.  N.  Wescott  became 
pastor  the  next  October,  and  continued  to  serve 
until  1882,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  C.  H. 
Fitzwilliam,  the  present  pastor,  October  14, 
1883. 

The  Second  Damascus  Baptist  Church  was 
an  offshoot  from  the  First  Church,  and  was 
composed  originally  of  persons  who  lived  chiefly 
in  adjacent  neighborhoods  situated  some  six 
miles  from  the  village  meeting-house.  For 
some  years  prior  to  the  separation  of  the  two 
congregations  Rev.  J.  T.  Mitchell  had  been 
stated  supply,  holding  service  in  the  neighbor- 
hood school-house.  The  nucleus  thus  formed 
was  soon  strong  enough  to  have  an  independent 
existence,  and,  on  December  19,  1851,  at  a 
council  composed  of  brethren  from  the  churches 
of  Clinton,  Callicoon,  Honesdale  and  Lebanon, 
letters  of  dismission  were  granted  to  eleven 
persons, — seven  males  and  four  females.  The 
sermon  of  recognition  was  preached  by  Rev. 
Henry  Curtis.  The  infant  church  chose  Rev. 
John  T.  Mitchell  for  its  pastor,  and  he  served 
acceptably  until  his  death,  which  took  place 
in  the  summer  of  1856.  He  was  immediately 
succeeded  by  Mr.  John  H.  Dodge,  a  licentiate, 
and  also  one  of  the  constituent  members  of  the 
church,  who  acted  as  stated  supply.  He  had 
served  the  church  prior  to  this  time,  having 
occupied  the  pulpit  in  the  autumn  of  1862, 
during  which  time  the  regular  pastor  and  most 
of  his  family  were  prostrated  by  severe  illness. 
An  interesting  Sabbath-school  and  Bible-class 
were  sustained,  and  the  church  was  active  in 
benevolent  work  of  every  kind.  In  October, 
1857,  Rev.  Newell  Callender  was  called,  and, 
soon  after  his  acceptance,  commenced  a  series  of 
protracted  meetings  in  which  he  was  assisted  by 
Rev.    E.   A.    Harris.     At    the    close    of  these, 


forty-nine  were  baptized  and  admitted  on  pro- 
fession of  faith,  and  the  church  was  much 
strengthened. 

The  Damascus  Methodist  Episcopal 
Cnri;<  ii. — The  Damascus  Circuit  was  organized 
in  lS-'il,  and  the  ministers,  until  1843,  were 
from  the  New  York  Conference.  The  first 
class  was  organized  at  Milanville,  and  was  led 
by  John  Tyler.  Other  appointments  during 
the  early  history  of  the  circuit  were  at  St. 
Tammany,  Galilee  and  Conklin  Hill. 

The  early  records  of  the  circuit  are  quite 
deficient,  and  the  following  list,  though  contain- 
ing the  names  of  all  the  pastors  that  could  be 
obtained,  is  necessarily  incomplete.  They  were 
Reverends  Law,  Silliman,  Faulkerson,  Smith, 
Webster,  Hibberd,  Barns,  Ferris  and  Perkins. 

Some  of  the  most  prominent  members  of  the 
church  during  the  early  history  of  the  circuit 
were  Geo.  Bush,  Judge  Tyler,  Jesse  Bush, 
Benjamin  Tyler,  Calvin  Tyler,  Joseph  Sutliff. 

Until  1857  the  respective  classes  worshipped 
in  a  Union  Church,  at  Cochecton.  During 
that  year  the  Methodists  withdrew,  selling 
their  interest  to  the  Presbyterians,  and  built 
a  church  in  Damascus  village,  mi  the  site 
now  occupied  by  the  present  edifice.  This  was 
during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  E.  W.  Brecken- 
ridge.  The  first  cost  of  the  church  was  one 
thousand  six  hundred  and  five  dollars.  In 
1874  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  J.  R.  Angel, 
the  church  was  rebuilt,  at  a  cost  of  about  six 
thousand  dollars.  The  parsonage  was  built  by 
Rev.  N.  S.  Reynolds. 

The  following,  in  the  order  named,  have 
served  the  charge  since  the  building  of  the 
church  in  1859  :  Reverends  E.  W.  Brecken- 
ridge,  C.  White,  M.  Swallow,  D.  Williams,  S. 
Earner,  J.  L.  Rase,  P.  D.  Clark,  N.  S.  Rey- 
nolds, J.  Underwood,  J.  R.  Angel,  R.  J.  Kel- 
logg, M.  D.  Fuller,  A.  W.  Cooper,  A.  W. 
Loomis  and  A.  C.  Oliver. 

The  Presbyteriax  Church  of  Cochec- 
ton, though  located  in  New  York  State,  is  sup- 
ported largely  by  residents  of  Damascus  town- 
ship, with  which  its  history  is  closely  identified. 
The  society  to  which  it  belongs  was  organized 
on  March  9,  1812,  in  the  school-house  at  "  Co- 
checton Settlement,"  by  the  election   of  Oliver 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


H.  Calkins,  Simeon  Bush,  Moses  Calkin,  John 
Conklin,  Elias  Conklin  and  Ebenezer  Witter 
as  trustees,  Ebenezer  Witter  and  Bezaleel  Calkin 
presiding  at  the  meeting.  In  August  following, 
Rev.  Charles  Cummins,  of  Florida,  N.  Y., 
preached  at  Uoohecton,  and  admitted  to  church 
membership  the  following  persons :  Simeon 
Bush,  John  Conklin,  Elias  Conklin,  Ebenezer 
Witter,  Hannah  Bush,  Molly  Skinner,  Char- 
lotte Conklin,  Jane  Tyler,  Hannah  Jones,  Mar- 
tha P.  Richards,  Eleanor  Taylor,  Hannah  Wit- 
ter, Hulda  Conklin,  Eleanor  Bush  and  Elizabeth 
Brown,  and  the  organization  of  the  church  was 
completed  by  the  selection  of  Ebenezer  Witter, 
Simeon  Bush  and  John  Conklin  as  ruling  elders, 
and  Ebenezer  Witter  and  Simeon  Bush  as 
deacons. 

The  archives  of  the  church  covering  the 
period  previous  to  1840  have  not  been  preserved, 
Only  the  names  of  a  few  of  the  early  pastors 
have  been  preserved.  Among  those  who  min- 
istered to  the  infant  church  were  Revs.  Charles 
Cummins,  Benjamin  Van  Keuren  and  James 
Petrie.  At  a  meeting  held  on  the  8th  of  March, 
1 839 — presided  over  by  Moses  Calkin  and  George 
Bush — Moses  Calkin,  Jarad  Irvine,  Alexander 
A.  Irvine,  James  C.  Curtis,  Charles  Young, 
Nathan  Skinner,  Charles  Drake,  George  Bush 
and  Walter  S.  Vail  were  appointed  trustees  of 
an  organization  known  as  "The  Presbyterian 
and  Methodist  Episcopal  Society  of  the  Town 
of  Cochecton ; "  and  a  subscription  paper  to 
raise  a  building  fund  was  started.  The  neces- 
sary amount  was  soon  pledged,  and,  on  May 
6th,  Moses  Calkins  deeded  the  church  lot  to 
the  trustees  for  two  dollars.  The  deed  con- 
tained a  proviso  according  the  Presbyterians  the 
right  of  buying  out  the  Methodists  at  the  ex- 
piration of  ten  years,  by  paying  what  had  been 
contributed  by  the  latter  denomination.  The 
contract  for  the  church  edifice  was  signed 
in  June  of  the  same  year,  and  the  building 
completed,  at  a  cost  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars, 
on  January  28,  1840,  the  dedication  taking 
place  on  the  20th  of  the  following  month.  It 
was  afterwards  determined  by  the  trusters  that 
the  building  should  be  occupied  by  the  Presby- 
terians and  Methodists  every  alternate  week, 
and  that  it  might  be  opened  to  other  evangelical 


denominations  when  the  owners  were  not  using 
it ;  but  that  it  should  not  be  "occupied  by  any 
denomination  for  the  purpose  of  preaching  or 
lecturing  on  the  abolition  of  negro  slavery,  or 
the  formation  of  any  society  connected  with 
abolition  in  its  present  and  popular  sense." 

On  the  29th  of  April,  1855,  the  Presbyte- 
rian portion  of  the  society  reorganized  as  "  The 
First  Presbyterian  Church  and  Congregation 
of  Cochecton,  in  connection  with  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Old  School  Presbyterian 
Church  of  the  United  States  of  America." 
Walter  S.  Wail,  Charles  Irvine,  Robert  T.  Par- 
sons, William  McCullough,  Ellery  T.  Calkin 
and  James  C.  Curtis  were  chosen  trustees,  and 
during  the  ensuing  twelve  months  the  title  of 
the  Methodist  element  was  extinguished,  and 
the  building  became  the  exclusive  property  of 
the  Presbyterians.  Subsequently  it  was  im- 
proved, furnished  with  a  bell  and  organ  and 
other  conveniences  for  worship.  The  clergy- 
men who  have  served  the  church  as  pastors 
and  as  stated  supplies  areas  follows:  George 
K.  McEwen,  from  1840  to  1841;  William 
Riddle,  1842  to  1843;  John  Mole,  1845  to 
1847;  William  Hunting,  1851;  G.  K.  Mar- 
iner, 1852  and  1853;  Thomas  Mack,  1853  to 
1859  ;  Erastus  Seymour,  1860  to  1864  ;  Theron 
Biittain,  1864  to  1875.  In  1876  Rev.  George 
E.  Northrop  took  the  charge,  and,  in  1880,  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  Samuel  Murdoch,  the  present 
pastor. 

The  following  persons  have  served  as  elders 
in  the  church  :  Ebenezer  Witter,  Simeon  Bush, 
James  Jackson,  Hiram  Dibble,  Moses  Calkin, 
Robert  T.  Parsons,  James  McArthur,  Abijah 
M.  Calkin,  Ezra  F.  Calkin  and  Silas  C.  Beck- 
with.  On  the  5th  of  September,  1857,  nineteen 
members  were  dismissed  from  this  church  to 
form  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Damas- 
cus, mentioned  elsewhere.  The  church  is  now 
in  a  prosperous  condition. 

The  Cochecton  Bridge  Company.  — In 
the  early  part  of  the  present  century  the  ques- 
tion of  a  toll  bridge  over  the  Delaware  River 
between  Damascus  and  Cochecton  was  much 
agitated,  and,  in  1817,  a  sixty  years'  charter 
was  granted  to  the  Cochecton  Bridge  Company, 
in  which  the  following  incorporators  are  men- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


tioned :  William  Tyler,  Benjamin  Conklin, 
Moses  Thomas,  Moses  Calkins,  Oliver  H.  Cal- 
kins, Joseph  Mitchell  and  William  Brown. 
The  first  commissioners  (now  called  directors) 
were  William  Brown,  Benjamin  Conklin,  John 
Conklin,  Oliver  H.  Calkins  and  Francis  Craw- 
ford. Two  years  later,  in  1819,  the  first  bridge 
was  built  by  Major  Wheat.  It  had  but  one 
pier,  and  was  so  unsubstantial  in  its  construction 
that  it  was  never  used,  and  fell  of  its  own 
weight  soon  after  completion.  Its  collapse  does 
not  seem  to  have  shaken  the  faith  of  the  stock- 
holders in  Major  Wheat,  however,  for  in  the 
spring  of  1820  he  moved  to  Cochecton  and 
commenced  work  on  another  bridge,  with  two 
piers,  Garrett  Tymerson  having  charge  of  the 
carpenter  work.  This  was  completed  in  1821, 
and  the  bridge  company  having  complied  with 
the  terms  of  the  charter,  became  regularly  in- 
corporated and  secured  a  toll  franchise.  James 
Jackson,  who  was  the  first  secretary  and  treas- 
urer, paid  the  first  dividend  of  two  dollars  a 
share,  which  was  declared  June  1,  1827.  This 
"  Wheat  Bridge,"  as  it  was  always  called,  stood 
until  the  spring  of  1846,  when  the  western  pier 
was  undermined  during  the  high  water,  and  fell, 
together  with  the  Pennsylvania  and  middle  spans. 
A  charter  for  a  ferry  was  at  once  obtained,  and  as 
soon  as  a  scow  could  be  built,  Albert  Smith  was 
employed  as  ferryman.  Subsequently  the  ferry 
was  leased  by  Thomas  O'Reilly,  who  managed 
it  for  some  time ;  afterwards  it  came  again  into 
the  hands  of  the  bridge  company,  and  Lukins 
Brush  was  in  charge. 

A  contract  for  a  new  bridge  was  made  with 
Thayer  &  Benton,  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  in  the 
spring  of  1848,  the  price  to  be  ten  thousand 
dollars,  of  which  seven  thousand  five  hun- 
dred dollars  was  to  be  paid  in  cash,  and 
the  balance  to  be  in  bridge  stock.  An  assess- 
ment of  fifty  per  cent,  was  made  to  meet  the 
cash  payment,  and  soon  after  the  work  was 
commenced  the  contractors  failed,  and  made  an 
assignment  of  the  material  on  hand  to  the  com- 
pany. Joel  C.  Benton  was  employed  to  com- 
plete the  bridge,  and  it  was  opened  for  travel 
in  the  winter  of  1847-48.  During  the  next 
spring  this  bridge  also  collapsed  from  structural 
weakness,  and  the  New  York  span  fell  to  the 


shore,  but  was  not  carried  away.  Soon  after- 
ward, the  New  York  pier  was  rebuilt,  and  a 
new  span  was  put  in  place  by  the  company, 
which  seemed  to  have  had  enough  of  contracts, 
and  hired  its  men  by  the  day,  putting  Elihu  S. 
Page  in  charge  of  the  work.  This  bridge, 
which  had  three  piers,  was  opened  in  the  winter 
of  1849-50.  More  trouble  occurred  in  the 
spring  of  1851,  when  the  Pennsylvania  span  of 
the  Benton  bridge,  which  had  been  retained  in  re- 
building, fell  of  its  own  weight,  and  was  car- 
ried away.  Recourse  to  the  ferry  was  once  more 
had,  and  Bateman  S.  Mitchell  took  the  helm. 
No  move  was  made  until  1854,  when  Webster 
Sutliff  and  Edward  Bloomfield  built  the  pres- 
ent Pennsylvania  pier,  using  the  material  of  the 
old  middle  pier,  and  swinging  the  stones  across 
by  means  of  an  immense  derrick.  A  contract 
was  also  made  with  Solon  Chapin,  of  Easton, 
for  building  the  two  western  spans,  the  eastern 
span,  built  by  the  company,  being  still  stand- 
ing. This  bridge  was  opened  in  1854,  and 
stood  until  the  great  flood  of  1857,  when  the 
whole  valley  of  the  Delaware  was  swept  by  a 
fearful  freshet.  The  ice,  which  had  been  un- 
usually thick,  gorged  at  Cochecton  Falls,  and 
piled  up  to  such  a  height  that  the  bridge  was 
lifted  from  the  piers,  and  carried  oft'  when  the 
gorge  went  out. 

Once  more  Ferryman  Mitchell  and  his  flat- 
boat  did  duty,  a  wire-rope  ferry  being  im- 
provised. Meanwhile  steps  were  taken  to  se- 
cure another  bridge.  Many  of  the  stockhold- 
ers had  tired  of  the  continual  assessments  to 
which  they  had  been  subjected,  and  agreed  to 
assign  their  stock  to  those  who  were  still  willing 
to  make  further  investment,  provided  a  new 
bridge  was  opened  for  traffic  within  two  years 
from  November,  1858.  Captain  Eli  Beach, 
who  was  a  moving  spirit  in  the  project,  secured 
this  pledged  stock,  after  some  difficulty,  and  a 
contract  was  made  with  Solon  Chapin  to  com- 
plete the  present  bridge  by  the  1st  of  Febru- 
ary, 1859.  The  terms  were  complied  with,  and 
the  present  structure,  which  is  higher  than  any 
of  its  predecessors,  was  opened  in  due  time. 
Since  then  it  has  but  once  given  any  trouble  ; 
that  was  in  1872,  when  it  was  discovered  that 
the  middle  span  had  settled  somewhat,  but  the 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


necessary  repairs  were  made  without  interrupt- 
ing travel. 

Galilee,  which  lies  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  township,  was  settled  later  than  the  middle 
and  southern  portions,  the  pioneers  here  being 
the  Conklins,  Tylers  and  Keeslers  of  the 
second  generation,  and  the  Sutlifls,  Rutledges 
and  others.  Already  there  is  the  nucleus  of  a 
fine  village,  with  a  church,  post-office,  smith, 
wheelwright-shop,  a  Grange  hall  and  several 
stores  and  other  buildings.  The  first  post-office 
was  established  here  in  1848,  with  Philip  P. 
Brigham  as  postmaster.  He  served  until  1 809, 
when  Joseph  Sutliff  succeeded  him,  and  held 
office  until  1871,  when  the  post-office  was  abol- 
ished. Its  re-establishment  took  place  in  July, 
18X4,  and  David  W.  Berry,  the  present  incum- 
bent was  appointed  postmaster.  The  mail  is 
tri-weekly. 

A  Methodist  Episcopal  Class  was  established 
in  Galilee  in  1840,  with  Joseph  Sutliff  as  the 
first  leader.  The  first  members  enrolled  were 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  P.  Brigham,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
David  .Sutliff,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hiram  Brigham, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Sutliff  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Calvin  Marks.  About  this  time  regular  preach- 
ing was  commenced,  the  supply  being  from  the 
Beach  Pond  Circuit.  The  pastors  who  have 
served  the  congregation,  with  the  order  of  their 
succession,  are  as  follows:  Rev.  William  Silsby, 
Rev.   Barnes,   George  Porter,  Charles  Perkins, 

Young,    Ferris,    Erastus  Smith, 

Morris  Carrie,  E.  W.  Breckenridge,  Minor 
Swallow,  Silas  Barner,  David  Williams,  Peter 
Clark,  Charles  White,  C.  E.  Taylor,  James 
Race,  N.  S.  Reynolds,  James  Underwood, 
Joseph  Angel,  M.  D.  Fuller,  A.  W.  Cooper, 
A.  W.  Loomis.  In  1870  a  church  edifice, 
which  cost  about  two  thousand  dollars,  was  erect- 
ed, the  fund  being  raised  by  subscription,  and  ser- 
vice is  held  there  regularly,  twice  in  three  weeks. 
There  is  also  a  flourishing  Sunday-school. 

The  early  settlers  about  Galilee  included  some 
of  the  families  concerning  whom  details  have 
already  been  given.  Webster  Sutliff,  seems  to 
have  been  one  of  the  first  to  make  any  industrial 
improvements.  He  built  a  saw-mill  on  Galilee 
Brook,  about  1825-26,  the  same  one  that  is  now 
owned  by  Joseph  Sutliff. 


The  latter  located  in  Galilee  about  18135,  and 
had  six  children.  They  were  Polly  (Mrs.  Sim- 
eon Bush);  Susan,  the  wife  of  James  Monuing- 
ton;  Catherine,  the  wife  of  Albert  Burton; 
Joseph  R. ;  Emily,  the  wife  of  L.  F.  Tyler ; 
and  Anna  V.  (Mrs.  Henry  Hendricks). 

David  Sutliffcame  from  New  York  about  1830, 
and  settled  on  the  Galilee  and  Damascus  road, 
on  the  place  he  still  occupies.  His  children  are 
Joseph  S.,  Hiram  B.,  Olive  (Mrs.  D.  W.  Berry), 
Lyman  K.,  Martha  (Mrs.  G.  O.  Hitchcock)  and 
Mary  (wife  of  George  Wilmer). 

Hiram  Brigham  was  an  early  settler  who 
came  from  New  York  State.  George  is  his 
only  surviving  child. 

Philip  Brigham,  a  brother  of  Hiram,  came 
from  Oswego  County  in  1835,  bringing  with 
him  a  wife  and  child.  His  sons  are  James,  A. 
S.  and  Orin  W.  Brigham,  and  Virgil,  who  was 
taken  prisoner  at  Deep  Bottom,  and  died  with- 
in the  Confederate  lines.  The  only  daughter 
is  Francis,  the  wife  of  Julius  Keesler.  In  1883, 
Philip  P.  Brigham  and  David  Sutliff  both  cele- 
brated their  golden  weddings,  within  two 
months  of  each  other. 

Calvin  Marks,  a  son  of  Jacob  Marks,  of 
Conklin  Hill,  settled  near  Hiram  Brigham. 
He  had  several  sons,  two  of  whom  were  killed 
in  the  Civil  War.  One  son,  Horace,  still  sur- 
vives. The  Wilcoxes  were  also  early  settlers, 
but  all  of  the  family  are  now  dead  or  have 
moved  elsewhere. 

Patrons  of  Husbandry.  —  Damascus 
Grange,  No.  405,  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  was 
organized  at  Galilee  in  December,  1874,  with 
the  following  officers :  Master,  Horatio  Had- 
sall ;  Overseer,  Benjamin  Lewis ;  Lecturer, 
Walter  J.  Bush;  Secretary,  Sophia  E.  Brig- 
ham ;  Steward,  Albert  Marks  ;  Assistant  Stew- 
ard, Frank  Bush ;  Chaplain,  Philip  P.  Brig- 
ham ;  Gate-Keeper,  Aaron  S.  Brigham ;  Ceres, 
S.  V.  Brigham;  Flora,  Sophia  E.  Bush;  Po- 
mona, Mary  E.  Keesler ;  Lady  Assistant,  Aman- 
da Marks.  The  present  membership  of  the 
Grange  is  about  forty. 

Tyler  Hill  is  a  pleasant  village  about  three 
miles  west  of  Damascus,  which  owes  its  first 
importance  to  the  enterprise  of  Israel  Tyler, 
who  built  a  saw-mill  on  Woodruff  Brook  inanv 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


471 


yearsago.  In  1852,  M.  F.  Vau  Kirk,  now  of 
Honesdale,  who  had  been  running'  an  umbrella 
stick  factory  at  Seelyville,  moved  his  machin- 
ery to  Tyler  Hill  and  located  near  the  saw-mill, 
which  had  then  fallen  into  decay.  He  erected 
a  substantial  building  to  be  used  as  the  stick 
factory,  and  also  rebuilt  the  saw-mill,  which  he 
used  in  getting  out  his  lumber.  He  remained 
there  for  five  years  and  then  sold  out  to  Tenyck 
Dupuy,  who  operated  the  business  until  1872, 
when  it  was  bought  by  Israel  Tyler.  The  lat- 
ter gentleman  had  built  a  grist-mill  on  the  site  of 
the  old  saw-mill,  in  1857-58,  that  had  added 
much  to  the  business  of  the  place.  The  mill 
has  three  run  of  stone  driven  by  an  overshot 
wheel  with  eleven  feet  radius,  and  runs  on  cus- 
tom-work. Mr.  Tyler  also  added  a  planing- 
mill  to  the  saw-mill  plant  and  otherwise  im- 
proved the  business,  which  was  run  in  connection 
with  his  store  at  the  village. 

The  store  was  started  by  William  Fortnam 
in  1848,  and  was  sold  to  John  Mills andW.  W. 
Tyler  two  years  later.  After  a  short  time  Israel 
Tyler  secured  Mills'  interest.  Mr.  Fortnam 
built  a  new  store  a  little  farther  up  the  village 
about  this  time,  and  shortly  afterward  it  was 
bought  up  by  Mr.  Tyler.  At  the  latter's  death, 
his  sons,  M.  and  L.  D.  Tyler,  succeeded  to  the 
business.  They  have  since  erected  a  fine  store- 
room. 

In  1875  a  post-office  was  established  at 
Tyler  Hill,  and  William  Fortnam  was  appointed 
the  postmaster,  which  office  he  still  occupies. 
The  village  has  several  shops  and  other  con- 
veniences, and  preaching  is  occasionally  held 
there  in  the  school-house,  although  there  is  no 
organized  congregation.  Several  of  the  residences 
are  quite  handsome,  and  all  of  the  buildings 
display  excellent  taste. 

Dakbytown  takes  its  name  from  N.  S.  Darby, 
who  ran  a  tannery  there  for  many  years.  The 
business  was  commenced  by  Charles  and  Webb 
Horton  and  George  Knapp,  who  built  the  tan- 
nery in  1851-52,  and  ran  it  under  the  style  of 
Horton  &  Co.  for  a  few  years.  This  firm  also 
ran  a  store  in  connection  with  their  business. 
They  afterwards  sold  out  to  Mr.  Darby,  who 
operated  the  tannery  until  1876,  when  the  sup- 
ply   of  bark  in    the    neighborhood    was  about 


exhausted.  There  is  nothing  done  in  the  place 
at  present. 

Branningville.— There  is  a  pleasant  and 
thickly-settled  neighborhood  about  Branning- 
ville,  which  takes  its  name  from  John  D.  Bran- 
ning,  who  built  a  mill  there  in  1860.  As  early 
as  1830,  David  Guinnip  came  from  Narrows- 
burg  and  took  up  a  tract  of  wild  land  there. 
In  1832  he  built  a  saw-mill  and  commenced 
clearing  up  the  fine  timber  lands  that  shut  in 
the  brook.  At  this  time  his  nearest  neighbors 
were  the  Calkinses,  and  most  of  the  region  for 
several  miles  aiound  was  densely  covered  with 
hemlock.  The  good  price  that  lumber  then 
commanded,  and  the  ready  market  for  bark  af- 
forded by  the  tannery,  twenty  years  later  led 
to  the  rapid  improvement  of  the  lands,  and  the 
vicinity  contained  some  of  the  best  farms  in  the 
county. 

The  grist-mill  which  Mr.  Branning  built  is 
now  in  the  hands  of  O.  R.  Packer,  and  does  a 
good  custom  business.  It  has  three  run  of 
stone  and  is  driven  by  an  overshot  wheel  with 
arms  of  ten  feet  radius.  A  store  was  formerly 
run  in  connection  with  the  mill,  but  this  has 
been  abandoned  during  the  past  few  years.  In 
February  of  the  present  year  a  post-office, 
known  as  Atco,  was  established,  and  O.  R. 
Packer  was  appointed  postmaster.  There  is  a 
prosperous  school  there,  and  twice  a  month 
preaching  is  supplied  from  charges  of  the 
various  denominations  at  Narrowsburg. 

Boyd's  Mills. — The  settlement  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  this  hamlet  owes  its  existence  chiefly  to 
some  mills  that  were  built  a  short  distance 
apart,  some  forty  years  ago.  In  1843,  Truman 
S.  Tymmerson  and  Hiram  Willis  erected  a 
saw-mill  which  was  known  as  "  Tvmmerson's 
Mill."  It  was  operated  by  its  founders  until 
1867,  when  Joseph  Wood  and  Thomas  Y.  Boyd 
bought  out  the  business  and  rebuilt  the  mill, 
with  steam  as  a  motive-power,  shortly  after. 
Mr.  Wood  died  in  1877,  and  his  partner  suc- 
ceeded to  the  business,  which  has  largely  in- 
creased under  his  judicious  management.  The 
present  capacity  of  the  mill  is  about  twenty- 
five  thousand  feet  per  day,  and  a  dozen  meu  are 
employed  at  the  works. 

The  post-office,  which  was  then  Eldred,  was 


472 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


established  in  1837,  with  James  Smith  as  the 
first  postmaster.  He  served  uutil  1846,  and 
was  succeeded  by  William  Hartwell.  The 
latter  gave  place  to  Willis  Sherwood  in  1850, 
and,  two  years  later,  Thomas  Y.  Boyd  was  ap- 
pointed and  served  until  1865.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  John  Comfort  and  Henry  J.  Lounds- 
berry,  who  each  had  the  office  for  one  year,  and 
in  1867,  William  H.  Teglercame  in,  remaining 
until  1869.  Mr.  Boyd  was  then  reappointed 
and  held  office  until  September,  1874,  when  he 
gave  place  to  John  Orr,  who  served  until  June, 
1882.  During  his  term  the  name  of  the  office 
was  changed  from  Eldred  to  Boyd's  Mills.  Mr. 
Boyd  was  reappointed  in  1882  ;  C.  P.  Tegler, 
the  present  incumbent,  in  1885. 

In  1881  a  grist-mill  with  one  run  of  stone 
was  built  by  Mr.  Boyd,  who  also  conducts  a 
store  and  several  other  branches  of  business.  In 
1836  John  Leonard  built  a  saw  and  cider-mill 
on  the  north  branch  of  Calkins'  Creek,  and 
operated  it  for  ten  years.  It  was  then  sold  to 
Captain  Eli  Beach,  and  in  1850  passed  into  the 
hands  of  Wood  &  Boyd.  In  1859  Isaac  Love- 
lass  purchased  a  half-interest,  and  acquired  the 
entire  ownership  in  1880.  William  Crocker  has 
a  blacksmith  and  wagon  factory  near  this  mill. 

The  first  store  was  established  by  Comfort  & 
Godfrey,  in  the  spring  of  1858,  in  a  building 
which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  one  now  occu- 
pied by  the  commodious  establishment  of  ex- 
County  Commissioner  C.  P.  Tegler. 

Jabez  Stearns,  a  son  of  Joseph  Stearns,  who 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, took  up  a  tract  of  land  on  the  north  side 
of  the  north  branch  of  Calkins'  Creek  in  the 
early  part  of  this  century.  Under,  great  dis- 
advantages he  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  good 
education,  and  afterward  devoted  his  energies 
to  giving  the  same  great  boon  to  his  children. 
There  were  six  of  these, — viz.,  David  W.,  Polly, 
Harriett  E.,  Laurette,  Irene  and  Francis.  Sev- 
eral of  them  afterward  became  identified  with 
the  educational  interests  of  that  and  other  sec- 
tions of  the  county. 

William  Hartwell  moved  from  Hartford, 
Conn.,  in  1830,  and  settled  about  one  mile 
north  of  Boyd's  Mills.  He  was  prominent  both 
as  the  postmaster  of  the   hamlet  for  several 


years  and  as  an  active  citizen.  He  died  quite  sud- 
denly in  1880.  Mr.  Hartwell  was  a  county 
commissioner  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  had 
been  an  energetic  man  who  made  his  influence 
felt  throughout  the  whole  region.  His  finely- 
improved  farm  is  now  occupied  by  his  son-in- 
law,  J.  S.  Burcher. 

On  the  farm  of  D.  W.  Wilcox,  another  of 
the  pioneers  of  this  section  of  the  township,  is 
the  largest  elm-tree  in  the  county.  Its  height 
was,  before  it  was  prostrated  by  a  severe 
storm  on  the  27th  of  June,  1876,  one  hundred 
and  twenty-six  feet ;  its  breadth  at  the  top, 
eighty  feet ;  its  circumference,  three  feet  from 
the  ground,  twenty-four  feet  eight  inches.  A 
portion  of  the  tree  was  hollow,  and  after  it  blew 
down  much  honey  was  found  in  the  cavities. 
The  trunk  still  remains  where  it  fell,  and  bids 
fair  to  last  a  century. 

Stephen  Wood,  who  came  from  the  eastern 
part  of  Connecticut,  located  near  Eldred  in 
1837,  and  was  an  active  pioneer.  Joseph  Wood, 
his  son,  is  widely  known  as  a  leading  lumber- 
man, and  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Wood 
&  Boyd. 

Hiram  Willis  and  Truman  Tymmerson  came 
in  about  1843,  and  took  up  lands  here.  Soon 
afterwards  Tymmerson  built  the  saw-mill,  which 
gave  the  first  name  to  the  locality.  Both  have 
since  moved  to  New  York  State. 

James  Smith  settled  near  what  was  after- 
wards Tymmerson's  Mills,  in  1824,  and,  after 
clearing  up  a  farm,  went  into  the  lumber  busi- 
ness and  erected  a  saw-mill  in  1 840,  and  be- 
came prominent  in  the  early  developments  of 
the  place.     Hedied  in  1858. 

Loring  P.  Smith,  a  sou  of  James,  is  exten- 
sively engaged  in  dairying  and  fruit-growing, 
and  has  an  improved  ridge-farm,  a  part  of 
which  he  devotes  to  wool-growing,  at  which  he 
has  been  very  successful.  He  was  probably 
the  first  male  child  born  in  the  vicinity. 

Lewis  Crocker  came  to  this  locality  in  1858, 
and  engaged  in  blacksmithing.  He  also  cleared 
up  a  farm,  in  the  centre  of  which  stands  the 
Union  Church  Mr.  Crocker  died  in  1873,  and 
his  farm  is  now  controlled  by  his  son,  Thomas 
J.  Crocker,  who  is  one  of  the  most  extensive 
horticulturists    in    the  locality.     His    orchards 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


473 


contain  all  the  leading  varieties  of  fruit  that 
will  grow  in  this  region,  and  he  has  done  much 
to  interest  others  in  this  profitable  branch  of 
farming.  William  H.  Crocker,  another  son  of 
Lewis,  is  also  engaged  in  fruit-culture,  as  well 
as  wool  and  stock-raising  and  dairying ;  and 
William  Eighney  also  gives  much  attention  to 
these  pursuits. 

John  Burcher,  who,  in  his  eightieth  year,  is 
still  bright  and  active,  settled  here  in  1820, 
and  has  reared  a  family  of  considerable  size. 
Three  of  his  sons — William,  James  and  Titus 
— are  now  deceased,  while  John  and  Joseph  oc- 
cupy farms  near  by. 

Among  the  other  prominent  settlers  were 
Alexander  Roger,  in  1833;  Levi  Little,  in 
1836;  Miles  Sherwood,  in  1838;  Alva  Noble, 
in  1834 ;  David  Orr,  in  1855 ;  and  many 
others. 

The  Union  Church  at  Eldred  was  erected 
in  1854,  at  a  cost  of  about  twenty-five  hundred 
dollars,  most  of  which  fund  was  raised  by  sub- 
scription, so  that  there  is  little  or  no  debt  on 
the  edifice.  It  is  used,  jointly,  by  three  congre- 
gations,— the  Presbyterian,  the  Methodist  and 
the  Baptist, — though  there  is  no  regular  organ- 
ization of  the  latter  faith.  In  connection  with 
the  church  there  is  a  well-kept  cemetery, 
which,  like  the  edifice,  is  used  by  all  denomi- 
nations. 

As  early  as  1842  there  was  a  Presbyterian 
organization  at  Eldred,  and,  although  it  was 
not  a  special  church,  there  was  preaching  every 
second  or  third  Sunday,  the  pulpit  being  sup- 
plied from  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Cochec- 
ton,  of  which  the  congregation  was  then  a 
branch.  In  September,  1857,  Rev.  Thomas 
Mack  presided  at  a  meeting  which  perfected 
the  organization  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Damascus.  At  that  meeting  James  McArthur, 
Hiram  Willis,  John  Orr  and  William  McAr- 
thur were  made  ruling  elders,  and  the  follow- 
ing rueuibers  were  enrolled  :  James  McArthur 
and  Agues,  his  wife,  Margaret  McArthur, 
Claudius  Mclntyre,  Jane  Mclntyre,  AVilliam 
McArthur  and  Nancy,  his  wife,  Alexander 
McArthur  and  Ann,  his  wife,  Hiram  Willis 
and  Eleanor,  his  wife,  Caroline  E.  Pelton,  John 
Lovelass,  John  Orr,  James  Orr  and  Catherine, 


his  wife,  Ann-  Lovelass,  Eliza  Orr  and  Wil- 
liam Lovelass. 

Since  the  organization  of  the  church  the  fol- 
lowing have  been  pastors:  Thomas  Mack, 
Erastus  Seymour,  Theron  Brittain,  George  E. 
Northrup  and  Samuel  Murdoch,  the  present 
pastor.  Service  is  held  every  second  or  third 
Sunday  in  the  month,  and  the  church  is  a 
branch  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Cochec- 
ton. 

In  connection  with  the  Union  Church  is  the 
Eldred  Cemetery,  a  well  laid-out  plot,  sur- 
rounded by  a  substantial  stone  wall,  a  hand- 
some iron  gateway  separating  it  from  the  main 
road.  The  grounds  slope  pleasantly  to  the 
eastward,  and  were  first  used  as  a  denomina- 
tional burying-ground.  The  first  interment 
was  that  of  Margaret  McArthur,  July  8,  1858; 
the  second,  that  of  James  Smith,  on  the  27th  of 
August  following.  At  present  many  monu- 
ments and  well-lettered  tomb-stones  mark  the 
resting-places  of  hundreds  who  have  passed 
away. 

( )ne  of  the  first  schools  in  Eldred  was  the 
old  block  school-house,  near  where  the  Union 
Church  now  stands.  It  was  built  shortly  after 
1836,  and  Miss  Emily  Stearns  was  the  first 
teacher.  In  1850  the  present  school-house  was 
built,  and  the  attendance  there  has  been  stead- 
ily increasing. 

The  Christian  Church. — The  people  of 
Damascus  township,  at  Boyd's  Mills,  were 
attracted  to  the  plea  for  primitive  Christianity 
as  presented  by  Orrin  Noble,  of  Ohio,  and 
Elder  Z.  W.  Shepherd,  of  Providence,  Lack- 
awanna County,  Pa. 

At  different  times  during  the  years  1869 
and  1871,  which,  together  with  a  series  of  meet- 
ings, held  iu  October,  1872,  by  Elder  L.  B. 
Hyatt,  of  Lock  Haven,  assisted  by  N.  P. 
Laurence,  of  Scrauton,  Pa.,  resulted  in  the 
immersion  of  Thomas  J.  Crocker,  William  H. 
Crocker,  Florence  Crocker,  David  Taylor,  Mrs. 
David  Taylor,  William  Garritt,  Clark  Wood, 
Homer  C.  Noble,  Sarah  Lovelass,  Florence 
Lovelass  and  Lizzie  Walker. 

On  behalf  of  the  above-named  persons,  the 
hand  of  welcome  was  extended  to  Charles  Bart- 
lett,  Christopher  C.  Tegeler,  Mrs.  William  H. 


474 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Tegeler,  William  Eighney,  Mrs.  William  Eigh- 
Dey,  Charles  B.  Noble,  Eliza  Xoble,  William 
Noble  and  Abbie  Skinner. 

From  time  to  time  others  were  added, 
until  at  the  present  there  are  sixty-five  members 
enrolled.  The  church  has  no  house  of  its  own, 
but  worships  in  a  Union  Church  building,  in 
which  the  members  share  by  contributions 
with  the  [general  population  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. 


Elder  C.  W.  Cooper,  of  Providence,  Pa.,  after 
which  it  was  without  a  regular  pastor  for  some 
time. 

The  present  pastor,  Elder  C.  E.  Wells,  of 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  has  been  with  the  church  four 
years.  By  his  zeal  the  church  is  being 
strengthened  and  much  good  accomplished. 
Hence,  the  Christian  Church  here  has  a  bright 
future  before  her. 

Three  of  her  former  pastors — L.  B.   Hyatt, 


.'«^Lvvi, 


This  building  is  mentioned  iu  another  part 
of  this  volume. 

The  following  gentlemen  have  served  as 
pastors  :  Z.  W.  Shepherd,  of  Scrauton,  Pa.,  one 
year  ;  S.  B.  Hyatt,  of  Kingston,  Pa.,  one  year ; 
G.  W.  Headley,  about  one  year;  J.  J.  Harvey, 
of  Lewisburgh,  Pa.,  two  years ;  J.  W.  Low- 
ber,  of  Providence,  Pa.,  two  years  ;  Charles  W. 
Cooper,  of  Providence,  Pa.,  six  months ;  E.  E. 
Orvis,  of  Scranton,  Pa.,  one  year ;  D.  W. 
Kinter,  of  Stillwater,  Columbia  County,  Pa., 
paid  the  church  a  few  visits,   accompanied  by 


J.  J.  Harvey  and  E.  E.  Orvis — have  gone  to 
their  reward,  together  with  several  of  the 
original  members. 

The  church  has  suffered  greatly  from  oppo- 
sition and  religious  intolerance,  but  she  has 
carefully  guarded  against  retaliation.  This, 
together  with  the  unanimity  of  her  members, 
has  maintained  a  steady  increase  in  numbers 
and  influence.  Its  present  officers  are  C.  E. 
Wells,  pastor ;  William  Eighney,  Charles  No- 
ble, elders ;  William  H.  Crocker,  deacon  ; 
Thomas  J.  Crocker,  church  clerk. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


475 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

ISRAEL    TYLER. 

Among  the  prominent  families  of  Wayne 
County,  whose  representatives  are  descended 
from  the  early  settlers,  none  has  filled  a  more 
important  place  in  the  local  annals  of  the  county 
than  the  Tyler  family.  Bezaleel  Tyler,  the 
first  of  the  name  to  come  to  this  section,  was 
from  Connecticut,  and  the  ancestor  of  the  now 
numerous  family  of  that  name.  His  settlement 
was  contemporaneous  with  that  of  the  first 
settlers.  He  married  Sarah  Calkins,  a  member 
of  another  pioneer  family,  and  had  a  large 
family  of  children,  of  whom  fourteen  attained 
to  years  of  maturity,  viz.  :  Hannah,  Bezaleel, 
Sarah,  Silas,  Paul,  Abigail,  Timothy,  Nathaniel, 
William,  Charles,  Mary,  Rebecca,  Zuriah  and 
Amos.  Of  these,  William  was  the  father  of 
Israel,  to  whom  this  sketch  is  chiefly  dedicated. 

He  married  Mary  Monnington,  and  his  chil- 
dren were  Israel,  Raymond,  Alfred,  Freeman, 
Sally  (who  married  Cortland  Skinner),  Eliza 
(who  married  Kinney  Skinner)  and  Emeline 
(wife  of  David  Fortnam,  of  Tyler  Hill). 

The  eldest  son,  Israel,  was  for  many  years 
one  of  the  influential  and  prominent  residents 
of  Damascus  township,  and  lived  at  Tyler  Hill. 
There  he  engaged  extensively  in  farming  and 
lumbering,  operated  a  saw-mill  and  planing- 
mill,  and  kept  a  general  country  store.  No 
man  in  the  township  has  borne  a  more  promi- 
nent relation  to  its  material  development,  nor 
sustained  a  higher  representation  for  integrity 
and  correct  business  methods.  He  was  a  warm 
supporter  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
at  Damascus  village,  and  assisted  in  the  erection 
of  the  church  edifice  at  that  place  and  the 
academy.  He  was  no  seeker  after  office,  but 
led  a  simple,  unostentatious  life.  He  died  in 
1874,  leaving  his  sons,  Moses  and  Lorenzo  D. 
Tyler,  as  his  business  successors.  He  married 
Lavina,  daughter  of  Moses  Tyler,  a  descendant 
•oi  another  branch  of  the  same  family. 


CALVIN  SKINXER, 

The  Skinner   family  is   one  of  the  oldest  in 
Wayne  County,   and  was  early  identified  with 


the  settlement  of  the  northern  section  lying 
along  the  Delaware  River. 

Joseph  Skinner,  the  first  settler,  came  from 
Connecticut  and  was  one  of  the  original  pur- 
chasers of  land  from  the  Indians.  His  son, 
Daniel,  was  also  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Damas- 
cus township,  and  called  his  plantation  on  the 
river,  St.  Tammany,  where  he  passed  his  days 
in  farming  pursuits  and  in  lumbering,  running 
the  first  raft  that  ever  went  down  the  Delaware 
River  to  Philadelphia. 

His  son  Nathan  was  the  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  and  married  Sarah,  daughter 
of  Oliver  and  grand-daughter  of  John  Calkins, 
one  of  the  original  Connecticut  settlers,  who  lo- 
cated on  the  New  York  side  of  the  river,  oppo- 
site Damascus.  The  mother  of  Sarah  Calkins 
was  a  sister  of  Moses  Tin  >mas,  who  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Lackawaxen.  After  residing  on 
the  old  Calkins  homestead  for  a  number  of 
years,  Nathan  Skinner  removed  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Milanville,  Damascus  township, 
Wayne  County,  where  he  passed  the  remainder 
of  his  lite  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  lumber- 
ing. He  was  for  many  years  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  a  man  of  character  and  influence. 
He  was  also  the  first  settled  surveyor  of  Wayne 
County,  and  held  a  captain's  commission  in  the 
State  militia.  His  brother  Reuben  was  the  first 
justice  of  the  peace  commissioned  in  Wayne 
County. 

Colonel  Calvin  Skinner,  who  is  the  oldest 
living  native-born  citizen  of  Wayne  County, 
was  born  November  15,  1799,  on  his  grand- 
father Daniel's  farm,  in  Damascus  township. 
His  early  life  was  passed  in  attendance  at  the 
district  schools,  where  his  education  was  ob- 
tained, and  in  assisting  his  father  in  his  farm- 
ing and  lumbering  occupations.  At  the  early 
age  of  twelve  years  he  accompanied  a  raft,  la- 
den with  lumber,  to  Philadelphia,  and  from 
that  time  until  1861,  a  period  of  fifty  years, 
went  regularly  each  year  down  the  Delaware, 
on  a  similar  mission.  About  1820  his  father 
removed  to  Cochecton,  and  Colonel  Skinner  re- 
mained on  the  farm  at  Milanville,  where  he 
still  resides  in  a  house  built  by  his  father  in 
1815.  He  has  led  an  active  and  industrious 
life,  characterized  by  the  strictest  integrity,  and 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


is  one  of  the  last  connecting  links  between  the 
pioneer  development  of  Wayne  County  and 
the  new  era  of  manufacturing  and  agricultural 
prosperity  upon  which  it  is  now  entering.  Al- 
though at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years, 
he  has  a  wonderfully  retentive  memory,  and  is 
one  of  the  best  informed  men  in  the  county 
upon  the  early  events  that  characterized  its  set- 
tlement, and  upon  the  lives  and  habits  of  its 
first   settlers.     He  has  held   the  various  town- 


CHAELES   IRVINE. 

Charles  Irvine  was  born  in  Cochecton,  Sulli- 
van County,  N.  Y.,  April  8,  1814,  and  was  the 
seventh  of  eleven  children  of  Charles  and 
Weighty  Calkin  Irvine,  of  that  place. 

In  1825  his  parents  moved  to  Selin's  Grove, 
Snyder  County,  Pa.  A  few  weeks  later,  July 
23d,  the  whole  family  was  seized  with  fever,  of 
which  the  father  died. 

In  September  of  the  same  year  the  mother, 


in  8KINNE 


ship  offices  of  Damascus,  and  in  the  early  train- 
ing-days took  a  prominent  part  in  the  martial 
displays  that  attended  the  turning-out  of  the 
militia,  and  was  colonel  of  the  Seventieth  Regi- 
ment of  the  Second  Brigade  and  Eighth  Divi- 
sion of  that  body.  He  married,  in  1820,  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Lillie,  of  Damascus  town- 
ship, and  has  had  a  family  of  twelve  children, 
of  whom  eight  are  now  living,  namely  :  Calista ; 
Leila,  wife  of  Charles  Drake  ;  Volney;  Martha; 
Weston  D.  ;  Octavia,  widow  of  Edward  Fen- 
wick,  of  Matamoras ;  Abigail,  wife  of  Walter 
Illrnan,  M.D. ;  and  Milton  L.  Skinner. 


with  her  family,  returned  to  Cochecton,  and  al- 
though but  nine  years  old,  Charles  drove  an  ox- 
team  back,  his  only  companion  being  a  sick 
brother,  dependent  on  him  for  care.  The  rest 
of  the  family,  having  horses,  arrived  three  days 
earlier. 

Ten  years  later  he  entered  the  store  of  Hiram 
Bennett  &  Co.,  at  Damascus,  Pa.,  as  a  clerk 
under  Walter  S.  Vail,  one  of  the  junior  part- 
ners. The  next  year  he  made  a  more  perma- 
nent engagement  with  W.  S.  Vail  and  D.  B. 
St.  John,  they  having  bought  Mr.  Bennett's  in- 
terest.    In  November,  1844,  he  associated  him- 


OL*-  JL 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


477 


self  in  business  with  the  Hon.  X.  W.  Vail, 
now  of  Middletown,  N.  Y.,  the  new  firm  buy- 
ing out  Vail  &  St.  John,  and  continuing  busi- 
ness until  1855,  when  W.  W.  Tyler  succeeded 
Mr.  Vail  in  the  firm.  The  following  year  Mr. 
Irvine  disposed  of  his  interest  to  J.  S.  Vail. 

Nearly  five  years  later,  in  1860,  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  T.  &  P.  O'Reilly,  their  store 
being  on  the  same  ground  where  he  first  entered 
the  mercantile  business  nearly  forty  years  before. 
The  next  year  he  finally  retired  from  the  busi- 
ness and  engaged  in  the  management  of  various 
important  interests  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected. In  these,  as  in  all  his  business  affairs, 
he  was  eminently  successful,  adding  to  his  al- 
ready acquired  property  by  judicious  invest- 
ments after  he  had  retired  from  active  life. 

Mr.  Irvine  was  a  man  of  quick  and  clear 
perceptions,  liberal  and  progressive  views,  strict 
integrity,  admirable  business  methods  and  en- 
terprise, of  warm  impulses  and  sympathies 
and  superior  judgment.  He  was  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  useful  citizens  of  his  locality, 
for,  unlike  many  others,  he  remained  where  he 
had  been  successful  and  spent  his  life  with 
those  who  patronized  him  when  in  business.  His 
education  was  that  given  by  the  common  school, 
which,  with  the  general  literature  of  the  day 
and  the  long  contact  of  an  active,  observant  and 
receptive  intellect  with  the  world,  resulted  in  a 
mental  growth  and  an  extent  of  information 
that  won  for  him  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
the  community.  Mr.  Irvine  was  married,  Octo- 
ber 9,  1844,  to  Allamanda,  daughter  of  Charles 
and  Weighty  Bush  Drake.  Two  sons  and  a 
daughter  were  born  to  them.  Clarence,  the 
oldest,  died  in  infancy ;  Frederick  A.,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen.  The  mother  and  daughter 
survive  him.  He  was  closely  identified  with  the 
interests  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Cochec- 
ton,  of  which  he  was  for  several  years  a  member 
and  one  of  its  main  supporters.  He  passed 
away  after  a  brief  and  sudden  illness,  October 
17,  1885. 


.1.    HOWARD    BEACH. 


Mr.  Beach  was  born  at  Pike  Pond,  Sullivan 
County,  N.  Y.,  June  17, 1836.    His  grandfather, 


James  Beach,  was  a  native  of  Litchfield  County, 
Conn.,  but  at  an  early  day  removed  to  Cairo, 
Greene  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  lumbering.  At  this  place  was  born  Eli 
Beach,  the  father  of  our  subject,  who  became 
an  apprentice  in  the  tanning  business  to  Col. 
Edwards,  of  Cairo,  and  soon  after  his  marriage 
erected  a  tannery  at  Pike  Pond,  where  he 
cleared  off  a  large  tract  of  land  and  carried  on  the 
tanning  business  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
subsequently  removed  to  the  State  of  Maine, 
where  he  followed  the  same  occupation,  on  the 
Kennebec  River,  for  six  years.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Cairo,  where  he  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  for  some  time,  and  then  for 
five  years  operated  a  tannery  at  Callicoon,  in 
Sullivan  County,  New  York,  in  partnership 
with  Charles  Horton,  the  firm  being  known  as 
Horton  &  Beach.  In  the  year  1854  he  pur- 
chased of  David  Clements  a  tannery  property 
at  M'hat  is  now  Milanville,  in  Damascus  town- 
ship, Wayne  County,  Pa.,  including  large  tracts 
of  wild  land  in  that  section.  Here  he  carried 
on  a  large  and  successful  business  for  many  years, 
being  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  section,  and 
associating  himself  with  its  general  develop- 
ment. He  died  in  1876,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years.  He  was  a  man  of  superior  business 
qualifications,  strict  integrity  and  excellent 
judgment.  He  exerted  a  commanding  influ- 
ence among  his  neighbors  and  associates,  fre- 
quently acted  as  their  adviser  and  counsel, 
wrote  contracts  and  deeds  and  often  held 
a  fiduciary  relation  to  his  friends.  His  wife 
was  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Ephraim  Gay,  a 
former  resident  of  New  England,  who  also  lo- 
cated in  Greene  County,  New  York.  Six  chil- 
dren resulting  from  the  union  attained  mature 
years, — namely  :  Matilda  Connor  ;  J.  Howard  ; 
Charles  E.,  a  merchant  at  Cochecton,  New 
York ;  Mary,  wife  of  Mark  Appley,  of  Damas- 
cus ;  Adelia,  wife  of  Henry  K.  Nichols,  of  Col- 
orado ;  and  Watson  E.,  engaged  in  the  banking 
business  at  North  Flat,  Nebraska. 

J.  Howard  Beach  passed  the  earlier  years  of 
his  life  in  Cairo  and  in  the  State  of  Maine,  in 
both  of  which  places  he  enjoyed  the  advantages 
of  a  common-school  education.  He  subse- 
quently attended  the   academy    at    Monticello, 


WAYNE.  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


N.Y.,  and  completed  his  higher  education  at  the 
Union  Academy,  at  Damascus.  After  finishing 
his  educational  course  he  learned  the  tanner's 
trade  under  the  supervision  of  his  father.  In 
1858  he  purchased  the  interest  of  Loren  An- 
drews, of  New  York  City,  who  was  then  in 
partnership  with  his  father  at  Milanville,  and 
became  a  partner  himself,  the  new  firm  being 
known  as  E.  Beach  &  Son.     This  business  con- 


sumed his  place  in  the  firm,  and  the  business  is 
still  carried  on  under  the  old  firm-name  by 
J.  Howard  Beach.  The  latter  is  also  a  partner 
in  the  firm  of  Charles  E.  Beach  &  Co.,  mer- 
chants, at  Cochecton,  and  has  been  extensively 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business  on  his  own 
account.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Nichols,  Beach  &  Co.,  who  carry  on  a  large 
cattle  business  in  Nebraska.    He  is  treasurer  and 


'  70?2rz^a^c&  /^/j2^L^r) 


nection  continued  until  the  death  of  his  father,  in 
1876,  and  near  its  close  was  carried  on  under  the 
sole  management  of  J.  Howard  Beach.  It  em- 
braced not  only  the  extensive  tanning  opera- 
tions of  the  concern,  but,  in  connection  there- 
with, the  store  at  Milanville,  and  the  cultiva- 
tion of  that  portion  of  the  land  of  the  firm  that 
had  been  cleared  and  devoted  to  the  uses  of  ag- 
riculture. 

Upon  the  death   of  Eli   Beach  his  wife  as- 


manager  of,  and  a  large  owner  or  stockholder 
in  the  Cochecton  Bridge  Company  over  the  Dela- 
ware River,  between  Cochecton  and  Damascus ; 
president  of  the  Wayne  County  Agricultural 
Society,  of  which  he  has  been  a  director  since 
its  organization ;  a  director  in  the  Wayne 
County  Savings  Bank,  at  Honesdale,  and  holds 
the  office  of  postmaster  at  Milanville.  In 
politics  he  is  a  consistent  and  ardent  Democrat, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  influential  members  of 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


the  party  in  Northeastern  Pennsylvania.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  State  Central  Com- 
mittee, and  a  member  and  chairman  of  the 
Count)'  Committee  of  Wayne  County  on  many 
occasions.  He  has  held  various  local  offices, 
and  in  1871  was  chosen  to  represent  Wayne 
and  Pike  Counties  in  the  State  Legislature.  He 
was  nominated  and  re-elected  to  the  same  office 
iD  1872,  the  Republican  party  making  no  nomin- 
ation against  him.    He  is  a  man  of  generous  im- 


mascus  township,  and  has  the  reputation  of 
having  cleared  as  much  land  with  his  own 
hand  as  any  of  the  old  residents  of  the  town- 
ship. He  was  a  native  of  Haverhill,  N.  H., 
where  he  was  born  March  14, 1813.  His  edu- 
cational advantages  were  extremely  meagre,  and 
he  was  compelled  at  an  early  age  to  support 
himself.  He  removed  to  Connecticut,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  drove  a  truck  between 
Hartford  and  New  Haven.     On  April  8, 1838, 


WILLIAM    IIAirrWKLL. 


pulses,  liberal  and  kind-hearted,  and  occupies  a 
high  place  in  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his 
neighbors  and  friends.  He  married,  July  1, 
1884,  Mrs.  D.  McCollough,  a  daughter  of 
Elihu  Page,  and  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
early  and  prominent  familiesof  Sullivan  County, 
N.  Y.  She  is  a  lady  of  many  excellencies  of 
character,  and  presides  with  dignity  and  grace 
over  the  hospitable  home  at  Milanville. 


WILLIAM  HARTWELL. 

Mr.  Hartwell  was  for  many  years  recognized 
as  one  of  the  most  industrious  farmers  of  Da- 


he  married  Eliza  J.  Nettleton,  a  native  of  Mid- 
dlesex County,  Conn.,  and  in  October,  1841, 
came  to  Damascus  township,  Pa., where  he  bought 
of  George  Wilcox  a  portion  of  the  farm  now 
occupied  by  his  only  child,  Jane  E.  Hartwell, 
and  her  husband,  John  L.  Burcher,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering  for  many 
years.  He  was  a  man  of  frugal  habits,  great 
industry,  firm  in  his  convictions,  and  a  regular 
attendant  and  subsequent  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  Eor  a  great  many  years  he 
rafted  his  lumber  down  the  Delaware  River  to 
Philadelphia.  His  wife  died  January  12,  1879, 


480 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COPNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  he  afterwards  married  again  and  took  up 
his  residence  in  Honesdale,  where  he  died  De- 
cember 28,  1881. 

His  daughter  married  John  L.  Burcher,  of 
Damascus  township,  in  1865,  and  now  occupies 
the  homestead-residence  of  her  father,  erected 
by  him  in  1867,  in  the  southwestern  section  of 
Damascus  township.  Their  only  son,  William 
E.  Burcher,  was  born  June  29,  1865,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  pursuits  with  his  father. 


pioneers  of  the  township,  and  being  a  poor  man, 
without  capital,  was  compelled  to  labor  ardu- 
ously for  others  in  clearing  up  and  subjecting  to 
the  uses  of  agriculture  the  wild  section  of 
country  in  which  he  located.  In  later  years  he 
worked  some  leased  land  on  his  own  account, 
but  his  living  was  necessarily  a  precarious  one. 
Thinking  to  improve  his  circumstances  iu  life, 
he  made  a  journey  to  Michigan,  but  returned 
in   no  better  financial  condition,  but  with  his 


Z&*.  /W3~r<L 


THOMAS    Y.    BOYD. 

Mr.  Boyd  was  born  in  Damascus  township, 
Wayne  County,  Pa.,  January  9,  1823.  His 
grandfather,  John  Boyd,  was  killed  during  the 
bombardment  of  Tripoli,  in  1813,  while  serving 
under  Commodore  Decatur,  of  the  American 
navy.  His  father,  James  Boyd,  was  born  at 
Philadelphia,  in  1795,  and  about  1808  accom- 
panied the  Duffield  family  to  Damascus  town- 
ship, as  an  apprentice  boy.      He  was  one  of  the 


health  seriously  impaired  by  hard  work. 
In  1842  he  died  leaving  a  wife,  nte  Nancy, 
daughter  of  David  Canfield,  of  Litchfield 
County,  Conn.,  and  a  family  of  children.  Of 
the  latter,  but  four  are  living  at  this  writing 
(1885),  viz  :  Thomas  Y.,  David  and  Joseph, 
who  reside  in  Warren  County,  Pa.,  and  Caro- 
line, wife  of  William  Eighney,  of  Damascus 
township. 

At  the  death  of  his  father,  Thomas  Y.  Boyd, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


481 


the  eldest  son,  was  but  nineteen  years  of  age, 
and  at  that  early  time  the  care  and  support  of 
the  family  devolved  upon  him.  All  the  school- 
ing advantages  that  he  had  enjoyed  was  an  at- 
tendance of  two  quarters  and  a  half  at  the 
district  school  of  his  neighborhood,  which  it- 
self was  not  of  the  highest  character,  in  the 
wild  country  in  which  it  was  established.  Up 
to  the  time  that  his  father  died  he  had  sup- 
ported himself  by  working  by  the  day  at  lumber- 
ing and  farming,  turning  his  hand  to  anything 
that  promised  a  moderate  compensation  for  a 
hard  day's  work.  Before  he  attained  his  major- 
ity he  had  the  old  lease  of  his  father  revived 
through  John  Torrey,  of  Honesdale,  and 
embarked  in  a  small  way  in  the  lumbering  busi- 
ness. Incidental  to  this  work  was  the  old  cus- 
tom of  rafting  down  the  Delaware  to  Philadel- 
phia, and  for  more  than  forty  years,  and  until 
two  years  ago,  he  made  his  rafting  journeys  to 
the  Pennsylvania  metropolis,  being  widely 
known  by  the  residents  along  the  river  from 
his  home  in  Damascus  to  the  city.  As  his 
business  increased,  his  opportunities  widened, 
and,  in  partnership  with  Joseph  Wood,  he  pur- 
chased the  old  saw-mill  of  Truman  Tyinmer- 
sou,  at  what  is  now  Boyd's  Mills,  and  erected 
in  its  stead  the  large  steam  saw-mill  which  he 
now  owns  and  operates  alone.  Besides  that,  he 
operates  a  grist-mill  at  the  mills  and  runs  a 
store  and  blacksmith-shop  at  the  same  point, 
and  his  landed  possessions  include  about  nine- 
teen hundred  acres  of  land  in  Wayne  County, 
the  most  of  which  is  timber  land. 

Thus,  from  the  smallest  of  beginnings,  and 
amid  obstacles  only  surmountable  by  the  great- 
est labor,  perseverance,  patience  and  economy, 
Mr.  Boyd  has  come  to  be  one  of  the  most  rep- 
resentative and  influential  men  of  his  section, 
and  a  living  example  of  how  much  can  be  ac- 
complished by  persistency  of  purpose,  industry 
and  integrity.  He  was  originally  a  Douglas 
Democrat,  but  since  the  breaking  out  of  the  Re- 
bellion has  acted  with  the  Republican  party,  and 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  County  Committee. 
For  many  years  he  was  postmaster  at  Boyd's 
Mills,  and  in  March,  1874,  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Legislature  at  a  special  election, 
his   district    including    both  Wayne  and   Pike 


Counties,  and  he  being  the  first  Republican 
chosen  to  represent  it.  He  was  re-elected  in  1875 
to  represent  Wayne  County  alone,- the  adoption 
of  the  new  Constitution  changing  the  basis  of 
representation,  and  closed  his  legislative  career 
in  1877,  having,  by  the  faithful  and  conscien- 
tious discharge  of  his  public  duties,  merited  the 
approval  and  commendation  of  his  constituents. 
Mr.  Boyd  has  occupied  his  present  residence 
at  Boyd's  Mills  since  1868.  He  married,  in 
March,  1849,  Betsey  Jane,  daughter  of  Isaac  and 
Ursula  Mitchell,  of  Damascus  township  (for- 
merly of  Litchfield  County,  Conn.),  and  had  a 
family  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  five  survive, 
viz. :  Joseph,  Elizabeth,  Rena,  Charles  E. 
and  Thomas  Y.  Boyd,  Jr.,  all  living  at  home. 


JOHN   JACKSON. 

Thomas  Jackson,  the  grandfather  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  an  ingenious  clock-maker, 
and  emigrated  to  this  country  from  England 
prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War,  settling  at  Pres- 
ton (now  Griswold)  Connecticut.  His  fame  as 
a  clock-maker  was  far-reaching.  He  cast 
the  wheels  and  other  movements  himself, 
made  the  case  and  set  the  time-piece  going.  One 
of  these  clocks  made  by  him  is  in  the  possession 
of  Moses  Coit  Tyler,  president  of  the  University 
of  Michigan,  and  is  highly  prized  by  him ; 
another  stands  in  the  house  of  his  grandson, 
John  Jackson,  in  Damascus  township,  and  has 
been  running  over  one  hundred  years.  Its 
movements  are  in  excellent  condition,  and  seem 
good  for  another  century  of  usefulness.  The 
name  of  the  maker  is  inscribed  upon  the  neat, 
brass  face,  and  the  cabinet-work  is  unique  and 
durable.  It  is  a  veritable  "  grandfather's  clock," 
and  is  highly  prized  by  its  owner.  Thomas 
Jackson  died  November  23, 1806,  aged  seventy- 
three  years,  and  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  at 
Patchaug  Plain,  Conn. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Second  Congrega- 
tional Church  in  Preston,  and  married  Mary 
Knight,  by  whom  he  had  an  only  son,  Thomas, 
born  in  1774.  An  old  discharge  of  Thomas 
Jackson  from  the  Continental  army,  in  the  pos- 
session of  his  grandson,  John  Jackson,  is  dated 
Springfield,  April  4,  1780,  and   shows  that  he 


482 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


was  a  soldier  in   the  First  Regiment,  and  was 
discharged  with  "  reputation." 

Thomas  Jackson  married  Esther,  daughter  of 
Jeremiah  Phillips,  of  Preston,  November  5, 
1807.  The  family  continued  to  reside  in  Gris- 
wold  until  about  1834,  when  they  removed  to 
Norwich,  Conn.  Mr.  Jackson  died  in  1853, 
and  his  wife  in  1862.  They  had  five  sons  and 
seven  daughters, — Thomas,  who  engaged  in 
teaching  and  was  afterwards  a  surveyor  in  the 


sides  in  Griswold,  Conn. ;  Abbie,  in  Groton ;  and 
Julia,  for  the  last  three  years,  in  Honolulu, 
Sandwich  Islands. 

John  Jackson  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Preston  (Griswold),  Conn.,  September  10,  1812. 
The  early  years  of  his  life  were  spent  at  Gris- 
wold, where  he  received  the  rudiments  of  an 
ordinary  English  education.  When  nine  years 
of  age  his  father  removed  to  Jewett  City,  Conn., 
and  during  the  summer   of  1821    our  subject 


.$^s*  sfafiifc***^ 


West ;  John  ;  Albert,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
sixteen;  Horace  W.,  who  resides  in  Chelsea, 
Mass.;  and  Orrin  Fowler,  who  edited  a  paper  in 
Newport,  R.  I.,  and  was  afterwards  murdered, 
near  Jackson,  Miss.,  by  guerrillas,  having  leased 
a  farm  near  that  place.  Of  the  five  daughters 
now  living,  Esther  is  unmarried  and  resides  with 
her  brother  John  ;  Louisa  married  a  Mr.  Gar- 
diner and  resides  with  her  daughter,  the  wife  of 
D.   H.   Brown,  Esq.,  of  Honesdale;  Mary  re- 


worked for  a  farmer  in  the  neighborhood.  The 
three  following  years  he  worked  in  a  woolen- 
factory  at  Jewett  City,  and  later  in  the  cotton- 
factory  of  John  Slater,  of  the  same  place. 
October  1,  1833,  he  married  Abbie,  daughter  of 
Chester  Appley,  of  Canterbury,  Conn.,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1834  removed  to  Norwich  Falls, 
in  the  same  county,  where  he  acted  as  overseer 
of  the  weaving-room  in  a  cotton-factory.  In 
the  spring  of  1835   he  removed   to  Hawkins' 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


4*3 


Depot,  N.  Y.,  and  engaged  in  forming  and 
lumbering  at  that  point,  until  the  fall  of  1837, 
when  he  crossed  the  Delaware  River  to  Man- 
chester, Pa.  There  he  remained  engaged  in 
forming  until  the  spring  of  1845,  when  he 
bought  one  hundred  acres  of  land  of  David 
Nathan,  in  Damascus  township,  where  he  now 
lives.  At  that  time  the  country  was  wild  and 
heavily  wooded,  and  only  a  few  acres  of  the 
tract  bought  by  Mr.  Jackson  were  cleared. 
With  great  energy  and  determination  he  set  to 
work  to  carve  a  farm  out  of  this  wild  tract,  and 
succeeded  so  well  that  at  the  present  writing 
(1886)  his  farm  comprises  two  hundred  and 
fourteen  acres,  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of 
which  he  cleared  himself.  In  1872  he  purchased 
of  William  Hartwell  one  hundred  and  three 
acres  of  land  on  the  turnpike  in  Damascus,  and 
gave  it  to  his  son,  John  O.  Jackson.  In  1884 
he  bought  of  Ransom  Y.  Mitchell  one  hundred 
and  ten  acres  of  land  on  the  same  turnpike, 
which  he  handed  over  to  another  son,  Hannibal 
C.  Jackson.  He  is  one  of  the  most  successful  and 
representative  farmers  of  Damascus  township, 
and  has  acquired  all  that  he  has  by  the  closest 
industry  and  the  most  persistent  effort.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  politics,  but  votes  independently 
on  local  elections.  He  has  held  various  offices 
in  his  own  and  Manchester  townships,  but  has 
never  been  a  seeker  after  place.  He  has  been 
a  director  of  the  Wayne  County  Agricultural 
Society  for  a  number  of  years,  and  is  held  in 
general  respect  for  his  integrity  and  uprightness 
of  character.  As  early  as  1831  he  united  with 
the  Congregational  Church  at  Jewett  City,  Conn., 
and  has  always  proven  faithful  to  the  professions 
he  then  made.  He  is  a  regular  attendant  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Damascus,  and 
a  liberal  contributor  to  all  worthy  objects.  He 
has  been  a  trustee  of  the  church  since  1847,  and 
was  one  of  the  building  committee  upon  the 
erection  of  the  First  Methodist  Church  edifice 
at  Damascus.  He  has  frecpiently  acted  as  exec- 
utor, administrator,  trustee  and  guardian  for  his 
friends,  and  has  discharged  his  duties  in  a  faith- 
ful and  able  manner.  The  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jackson  were  Charles  R.,  a  doctor  of  med- 
icine, who  died  in  Illinois  in  1865  ;  Chester  T., 
a  member  of  Compauy  I,  Eighty-fourth  Regi- 


ment Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  who  died  in 
July,  1864,  from  the  effects  of  disease  contracted 
while  in  the  service  of  his  country  ;  John  O. 
and  Hannibal  C,  already  referred  to  ;  William 
L.,  who  resided  on  the  old  homestead  with  his 
parents  ;  and  Sarah  L.,  wife  of  E.  B.  Gager,  of 
Dyberry  township,  Wayne  County.  His  sons 
are  all  members  of  the  Methodist  Church  at 
Damascus,  and  feel  a  deep  interest  in  its  work. 
Mr.  J.  O.  Jackson  has  been  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  for  about  ten  years,  and  is  one 
of  the  supervisors  of  Damascus  township  at  the 
present  writing. 


GEORGE    SHEARD. 

George  Sheard  was  born  at  Hotisfield,  York- 
shire, England,  November  19,  1828,  and  was 
the  oldest  sou  of  John  and  Ann  N.  (Exley) 
Sheard  The  former  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade, 
and  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1841,  locating 
at  Poughkeepsie,  where  he  followed  his  avoca- 
tion for  a  number  of  years.  Subsequently  he 
removed  to  Tylertown,  Sullivan  County,  N.  Y., 
where  he  purchased  laud  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  his  death,  in  1844.  His  wife  died  in 
1871.  Their  children  were  George,  our  sub- 
ject ;  Maria,  widow  of  Anthony  Wall,  of  Da- 
mascus township,  Wayne  County,  Pa.  ;  Ann, 
wife  of  John  Marks,  of  Damascus  ;  Elijah  B., 
engaged  in  farming  in  the  same  township  ;  and 
Sarah,  widow  of  Martin  Groner,  of  Honesdale, 
Pa. 

George  Sheard  enjoyed  but  limited  educa- 
tional advantages,  and  at  nine  years  of  age 
worked  in  a  woolen  factory  in  England.  At 
the  time  of  the  emigration  of  his  father  to  this 
country  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  then 
learned  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker  with  his 
father  in  Poughkeepsie. 

After  his  father's  death,  in  1844,  the  sup- 
port of  the  family  devolved  upon  him,  and  he 
removed  from  Tylertown  to  Damascus  village, 
Wayne  County,  Pa.,  with  the  intention  of  work- 
ing a  farm  at  that  place.  But  he  abandoned 
that  purpose  at  the  solicitation  of  friends,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  for  Alvah  Smith  and  Wil- 
liam E.  Raymond.  He  remained  there  for 
three  years  and  then  worked  for  James  Love- 
lass,    at    what  was    then    known  as  the  "south 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


settlement  "  of  Damascus.  In  June,  1855,  he 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  Isaac  Lovelass, 
originally  from  Nova  Scotia,  who  finally  settled 
in  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  and  died  there  iu  1847. 
Soon  after,  he  bought  a  small  tract  of  land  at 
the  point  where  he  now  resides  in  Damascus 
township,  erected  a  small  shop  and  began  to 
work  at  his  trade.  Here  he  has  remained  ever 
since,  having  added  to  his  original  purchase  of 
land  and  erected  a  substantial  residence  thereon. 


of  this  sketch,  was  an  early  resident  of  Mont- 
gomery County,  Pa.,  M'here  many  of  his  de- 
scendants still  reside.  The  house  occupied  by 
his  grandson,  James,  in  Upper  Merion  township, 
near  Norristown,  was  built  in  1775  and  enlarged 
in  1806.  His  son  Joseph  engaged  in  farmiug 
and  lumbering  at  the  old  place  and  also  operated 
a  saw-mill  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the 
paper-mill  of  his  son  Thomas.  He  married 
Ann  Davis,  of  Montgomery  County,  and  had  a 


By  great  industry  and  perseverance  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  accumulating  a  desirable  estate,  and  is 
one  of  the  many  self-made  men  of  his  township. 
He  has  served  as  a  school  director  for  the  past 
six  years,  and  isa  consistent  member  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church  of  Damascus,  and  a  deacon  of 
that  body.  His  children  are  Alfred  Ellsworth, 
George  W.  and  Mary  Alice  Sheard. 


GEORGE    ABRAHAM. 

Isaac  Abraham,  grandfather   of  the   subject 


large  family  of  children,  among  them  being 
James,  Benjamin,  Thomas,  George,  Sarah  (who 
married  Jonathan  Philip,  of  Montgomery 
County),  Anna  (wife  of  Owen  Evans,  of  Phila- 
delphia), and  Eliza  (widow  of  Jonathan  Sup- 
plee,  residing  in  Norristown). 

George  Abraham  was  born  at  the  old  home- 
stead in  Montgomery  County,  December  3, 1827. 
He  received  a  good  English  education,  which  he 
completed  at  the  Norristown  Academy,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1850  left  his  native  county  to  es- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


4sr> 


.  tablisk  a  home  for  himself  in  the  then  wild  sec- 
tion of  Wayne  County,  Pa.  He  purchased 
seven  hundred  acres  of  land  of  his  father-in- 
law,  Jacob  Wager,  in  the  northern  part  of  Da- 
maacus  township,  where  there  was  scarcely  a 
tree  cut  or  a  clearing  made,  erected  a  small 
house,  built  a  mill  and  entered  upon  the  life  of 
a  lumberman,  conveying  the  products  of  his 
industry  on  rafts  to  Philadelphia,  which  he  has 
continued  to  do  ever  since. 


tial  men  of  his  section,  and  is  held  in  gen- 
eral respect.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and 
has  held  the  offices  of  school  director  and  super- 
visor a  number  of  years. 

He  married,  in  1853,  Mary  C,  daughter  of  Ja- 
cob Wrager,  of  Damascus  township,  and  has  had 
ten  children,  of  whom  seven  areliving,  namely, — 
Lvdia  (wife  of  John  J.  Canfield,  of  Damascus), 
Hannah  (wife  of  James  Rowan,  of  Manchester), 
George  C,  Jane,  Addison,  Joseph  and  Gertrude. 


<£e4).  vW^cX^vvW 


Twice  his  mill  was  burned,  but  he  rebuilt, 
the  present  one  in  1883,  one  of  the  first  steam 
saw-mills  in  that  section  of  Wayne  County  and 
capable  of  cutting  twelve  thousand  feet  of  tim- 
ber a  day.  He  also  operates  a  grist-mill  at  the 
same  point.  In  October,  1870,  while  engaged  at 
his  work,  he  met  with  a  serious  accident,  and  was 
compelled  to  have  one  of  his  arms  amputated. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  industrious  of  the  many 
lumbermen  of  Damascus  township,  and  has 
cleared  up  a  large  tract  of  valuable  land.  He  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  successful  and  influen- 


JOHN   BURCHER. 

Of  all  the  old  families  of  Damascus  township,. 
Wayne  County,  Pa.,  none  is  more  numerously 
represented  or  more  highly  respected  than  the 
Burcher  family.  John  Burcher,  to  whom  this 
sketch  is  inscribed,  was  born  at  Westminster, 
London,  England,  September  27,  1803.  His 
grandfather,  John  Burcher,  after  whom  he  was 
named,  worked  at  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  in 
England,  and  is  said  to  have  done  work  for  King 
George  III.  William,  father  of  John,  was  also 
by  trade  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  but   emigrated 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  .MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


to  this  country  in  1807  as  agent  for  a  friend  in 
England,  and  bought  of  Tench  Coxe  a  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  Mount  Pleasant  township, 
Wayne  County,  Pa.  Owing  to  the  death  of  his 
principal,  he  was  obliged  to  take  the  land  him- 
self, and  after  clearing  about  fifty  acres  of  it, 
found  it  necessary  to  release  it.  He  then  bought 
fifty  acres  of  land  of  Robert  Mason,  of  Mount 
Pleasant,  for  which  he  was  to  pay  by  building 
Mason  a  house  and  barn. 


who    married    Warren   Dimmick,  of  Herrick, 
Wayne     County ;   Helen,  who    married    Titus 

i  Yerkes   and   removed    with   him  to  Michigan; 

I  John,  our  subject  ;  and  Samuel,  who  died  nine 
days  after  his  father,  in  December,  1839. 

John  Burcher  assisted  his  father  in  clearing 
up  the  homestead  in  Damascus,  and  after  his 
death  added  largely  to  it.  His  present  tract 
comprises  nearly  four  hundred  acres.  He  also 
bought  and  cleared  most   of  the  two    hundred 


€&<-«§L. .  ' 


John  uriiciiKi:. 


He  also  lost  this  property  through  not  receiv- 
ing the  deed,  after  performing  the  services.  In 
1819  he  bought  two  hundred  acres  of  land  of  a 
Mr.  Salter,  in  Damascus  township,  and  in  the 
year  following  brought  his  family  from  Eng- 
land and  located  at  Mount  Pleasant,  residing 
there  about  ten  or  twelve  years.  He  died  in 
1839,  after  having  led  an  industrious  and  useful 
life.  His  wife,  whom  he  married  in  England, 
was  Betsey  Passmore,  by  whom  he  had  six  chil- 
dren,— Mary,  who  became  the  wife  of  Aden 
Cramer,  of  Mount  Pleasant  ;  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Joseph  W.Yerkes,  of  Damascus  ;  Sarah, 


and  twenty  acre  farm  occupied  by  his  son,  Wal- 
ter V.  Burcher,  and  also  engaged  extensively  in 
lumbering,  having  rafted  down  the  Delaware  to 
Philadelphia  for  over  forty-two  years.  He  erected 
his  present  residence  in  1842,  and  that  occupied 
by  Joseph  Burcher,  his  son,  in  1874.  He  pur- 
chased and  cleared  portions  of  other  farms  in 
Damascus,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best 
known  of  the  early  settlers  of  Wayne  County 
who  came  to  this  wild  region  and  carved  out 
homes  for  themselves  and  their  children  from 
the  primeval  forest.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
the   First  Baptist  Church  of   Damascus   since 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


487 


1835,  assisted  largely  in  the  erection  of  the  very 
beautiful  church  edifice,  and  for  a  long  period 
served  on  the  board  of  trustees.  To  the  pas- 
tors of  the  church  he  has  been  a  true  friend  ; 
to  his  home  they  were  ever  welcome,  and  no  one 
has  contributed  more  liberally  to  their  support 
than  he. 

John  Burcher  married,  July  14,  1825,  Max- 
imilla,  daughter  of  John  Land,  one  of  the 
original  settlers  of  Damascus.  She  was  born 
April  2,  1807,  and  died  June  8,  1879.  She 
was  a  woman  of  many  excellencies  of  character, 
a  worthy  helpmeet,  good  wife  and  faithful  and 
devoted  mother,  and  was  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church  during  the  same  period 
as  her  husband.  Their  children  were  William 
P.,  died  June  26,  1873;  Lydia  M.,  died  August, 
1878;  Samuel,  farming  in  Damascus;  Phebe  T., 
who  married  Jonathan  Yerkes,  of  Damascus ; 
Caroline,  residing  with  her  father  as  house- 
keeper ;  Walter  V.,  John  L.  and  Joseph  I., 
farmers  in  Damascus;  James  P.,  who  died  May 
15,  1884;  Titus  C,  died  May  30,  1867;  and 
Avis,  died  June  19,  1877. 

John  Burcher's  life  has  been  one  continued 
struggle  from  a  boy.  When  only  ten  years  of 
age  it  was  a  common  thing  for  him  to  walk 
over  stones  and  stumps  for  three  or  four  miles 
— there  were  no  roads  then — with  a  bushel  of 
rye  on  his  back,  to  the  mill,  and  subsequently, 
when  clearing  his  farm,  he  worked  day  and 
night,  keeping  one  team  in  the  barn  whilst 
working  the  other,  and  it  can  be  truly  said  that 
no  resident  in  Wayne  County  has  endured  more 
hardships  or  worked  harder  than  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

His  home  was  always  open  to  the  stranger  as 
well  as  the  friend,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  family 
for  twenty  miles  around  but  at  some  time  has 
partaken  of  his  boundless  hospitality.  Man 
and  beast  were  alike  cared  for.  His  unobtru- 
sive benevolence  will  never  be  known  until 
around  the  throne  in  heaven  the  Master  shall 
say  unto  him,  "Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one 
of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren  ye  have  done 
it  unto  me." 

He  is  a  man  of  sterling  integrity.  It  is  a 
daily  saying,  in  speaking  of  Mr.  Burcher,  "  Un- 
cle John's  word  is  as  good  as  his  note."     As  a 


politician  he  was  never  a  blind  follower  of 
party,  preferring  to  vote  for  the  man  whom  he 
considered  would  best  serve  the  interests  of  his 
couutry. 

And  now  in  the  evening  of  his  long,  useful 
and  active  life,  he  is  beloved  by  all,  hated  by 
none,  and  when  the  summons  shall  come  calling 
him  to  his  reward,  "A  great  man  in  Israel  will 
fall  "  and  hundreds  will  gather  at  his  tomb  to 
pay  the  last  token  of  respect  to  the  memory  of 
a  truly  noble  and  generous  citizen. 


CHRISTOPHER    T.    TEGELER. 

Mr.  Tegeler  was  born  in  New  York  City,  April 
24,1846.  His  parents  were  Win.  H.  and  Catherine 
(Tennant)  Tegeler,  the  former  a  cabinet-maker 
by  trade,  who  engaged  in  the  furniture  business 
in  New  York  City  for  many  years.  In  April, 
1854,  he  removed  his  family  to  Damascus  town- 
ship, Wayne  County,  Pa.,  and  located  them  on 
a  farm  which  he  purchased  of  Thomas  Shields. 
He  himself  remained  in  business  in  New  York 
for  some  time,  but  subsequently  removed  to 
Damascus,  where' he  passed  the  remainder  of 
his  days.  In  1865  he  bought  the  store  prop- 
erty of  J.  H.  Lounsbury,  at  Eldred,  in  Damas- 
cus township,  and  engaged  in  trade  until  his 
death,  in  1871.  He  left  two  children,  Christo- 
pher T.  and  Frederick  W.,  the  latter  a  farmer 
in  Damascus  township. 

The  former  was  eight  years  of  age  at  the 
time  that  he  came  to  Damascus  township  with 
his  parents.  He  had  already  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  New  York  City,  and  after  a 
further  attendance  at  the  district  school  in  Da- 
mascus, completed  his  educational  course  at  the 
academy  at  Monticello,  New  York.  After 
clerking  for  a  year  in  his  father's  store  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  lumbering  for  a  number 
of  years,  selling  his  lumber  along  the  Delaware 
to  be  rafted  down  that  water  route  to  Phila- 
delphia. In  March,  1880,  he  embarked  in 
trade  at  the  store  (his  present  location)  at 
Eldred.  Besides  carrying  on  the  usual  busi- 
ness of  a  country  store-keeper,  he  has  dealt 
largely  in  cattle  and  stock  throughout  Wayne 
County,  and  has  been  the  agent  for  the  Cham- 
pion Mower  and  Reaper  for  eleven  years.     He 


488 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


also  owns  the  form  formerly  belonging  to  his 
father,  near  Eldred,  and  is  thus  still  identified 
with  the  agricultural  interests  of  his  township.  He 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Democratic  party  in  Wayne  County, 
served  as  a  school  director  in  Damascus  town- 
ship for  three  years,  and  in  1881  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners 
for  the  usual  term  of  three  years.  He  was  ap- 
pointed  postmaster  at  Boyd's   Mills,  Septem- 


and  officially  connected  with,  the  Delaware 
Lodge,  No.  561,  F.  and  A.  M.,  since  1874,  and 
as  administrator  of  the  Jarrett  P.  Yerkes  estate 
and  committee  of  the  estate  of  Frank  McCol- 
lum,  his  ability  in  their  successful  management 
is  recognized.  He  married,  December  4,  1868, 
Amelia  M.,  daughter  of  James  Lovelass,  of 
Damascus,  who  died  in  August,  1873,  leaving 
three  children, — Wilhelmina  E.,  Grace  and 
Amelia  Tegeler.     His   present  wife,  whom   he 


ber  24,  1885,  and  reappointed  November  27,  | 
1885,  there  having  been  considerable  opposition 
to  the  removal  of  the  office  to  Mr.  Tegeler's 
store  at  Eldred,  where  it  now  is.  He  has  al- 
ways been  interested  in  all  movements  tending 
to  develop  and  improve  the  locality  with  which 
he  has  been  identified  since  boyhood,  and  is 
held  in  general  respect.  He  is  a  member,  and 
was  for  several  years  a  deacon,  of  the  Christian 
Church,  at  Eldred.     He  has  been  a  member  of, 


married  in  1874,  is  Fannie  A.,  daughter  of  C. 
B.  Noble,  of  Damascus.  Her  children  are 
Hattie,  Charles  B.,  Beulah  and  Luella  Tegeler. 


Joel  G.Hill  is  a  descendant  of  Silas  Hill, 
who  was  an  early  settler  of  Otsego  County, 
•N.  Y.  His  son  Alpheus,  father  of  Joel,  in 
1848,  removed  to  Equinunk,  Wayne  County, 
Pa.,  bringing  his  wife,  Elmira,  daughter  of  Cul- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


ver  Gillette,  of  Otsego  County,  and  two  sons, 
Abuer  G.  (now  residing  in  Tioga  County,  N.  Y.) 
and  Joel  G.  Hill,  with  him.  He  engaged  in 
farming  and  lumbering  at  Equinunk  until  1864, 
when  he  removed  to  California,  where  he  now 
lives. 

His  son,  Joel  G.  Hill,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Lawrence,  Otsego  County,  August  1,  1845. 
He  was  reared  at  Equinunk,  Wayne  County, 
and  received  a  common-school  education  at  that 
place.  In  1863  he  responded  to  his  country's 
call  for  volunteers  and  enlisted  in  the  Fiftieth 
Regiment  of  New  York  Volunteers,  commanded 
by  Colonel  Spauldiug.  He  served  in  the  engi- 
neer corps  in  front  of  Petersburg  and  elsewhere, 
in  the  building  of  forts  and  intrenchments,  and 
was  present  at  the  surrender  of  General  Lee  at 
Appomattox  Court-House,  Virginia.  After  the 
close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Equinunk  and 
worked  for  Holbert  &  Branningfor  four  years, 
in  the  lumbering  business  at  that  place,  and,  in 
1869,  entered  the  employ  of  Isaac  Young,  who 
owned  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the  northern 
section  of  Damascus  township.  Two  years  later 
he  purchased  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  this  land, 
including  a  saw-mill  and  dwelling-house,  and 
entered  into  the  lumbering  business  on  his  own 
account. 

At  that  time  only  about  twenty-five  acres  of 
his  land  was  cleared,  while  he  now  has  a  good 
farm  of  seventy-five  acres  reclaimed  from  the 
condition  of  primeval  nature  and  devoted  to  the 
purposes  of  agriculture.  He  built  a  grist-mill 
in  1881  and  a  cider-mill  in  1882,  and  now 
gives  employment  to  a  number  of  men  and  has 
developed  quite  a  little  settlement  around  him. 
He  is  engaged  in  farming,  lumbering,  in  carry- 
ing on  the  mercantile  business  in  the  store  which 
he  found  it  necessary  to  establish  and  in  opera- 
ting his  grist  aud  cider-mills. 

He  conveys  the  products  of  his  mill  to  Phil- 
adelphia on  rafts  aud  has  been  making  regular 
trips  down  the  Delaware  for  that  purpose  since 
he  was  nine  years  of  age,  with  the  exception  of 
the  time  he  served  in  the  army.  He  now  has 
about  eight  hundred  acres  of  land  left  of  his 
original  purchase,  and  is  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lar and  highly  esteemed  residents  of  his  town- 
ship. He  has  uniformly  declined  to  accept  po- 
47 


litical  office,  and  has  no  ambition  in  that  direc- 
tion. 

He  married,  June  17,  1873,  Mary  J.,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  Margaret  Flynn,  of  Man- 
chester township,  and  has  had  four  children,  all 
of  whom  are  living,  viz.,  Lewis  G.,  John  A., 
Harris  G.  and  Myra  A.  Hill. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE    BOROUGH    OF    BETHANY. 

The  legislative  act  of  1798,  which  erected  the 
new  county  of  Wayne,  named  trustees  who 
were  authorized  to  select  a  place  for  a  county- 
scat,  and  Milford  was  their  choice,  though  this 
location  of  the  courts  proved  very  unsatisfac- 
tory to  the  majority  of  the  people  in  the  county. 
At  that  time  Milford  was  one  of  two  principal 
settlements,  using  the  word  in  its  broad  sense 
to  signify  not  only  the  few  centrally  hunted 
houses  that  composed  the  village,  but  also  the 
scattered  pioneers'  cabins  within  a  radius  of 
mauy  miles  that  were  tributary  to  it.  In  this 
sense,  Milford  included  all  the  settlements 
along  the  Delaware,  while  Stantonville  was  the 
centre  for  the  populatiou  of  the  western  part  of 
the  new  county.  Travel  was  much  impeded 
by  the  absence  of  roads,  and  the  location  worked 
great  hardship  on  the  Stantonville  settlers,  who 
were  obliged  to  make  long  circuits  through  an 
almost  unbroken  wilderness,  to  attend  to  the 
smallest  legal  matters.  There  was  much  dis- 
satisfaction, and  the  pressure  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  Legislature  of  1799  caused  it  to  pass 
an  act  directing  a  re-location  of  the  county-seat 
within  four  miles  of  "  Dyberry  Forks,"  as  the 
site  of  Honesclale  was  then  designated,  and  that 
the  courts  should  be  held  at  Wilsonville  until 
the  permanent  county-seat  should  be  decided 
upon,  and  suitable  county  buildings  erected  by 
the  trustees  named.  During  the  few  mouths 
next  ensuing,  the  probable  choice  of  the  trustees 
much  agitated  the  sparse  populatiou  scattered 
along  the  valleys  of  the  principal  streams,  and 
Indian  Orchard,  Cherry  Ridge,  Seely's  Mills 
and  other  locations  had  their  advocates.     Pro- 


490 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


2)Osals  to  furnish  laud  for  the  county  town  were 
sent  in  by  the  owners  of  various  tracts,  and  in 
those  of  Mr.  Tilghman,  who  owned  land  in 
Cherry  Ridge,  and  Mr.  Drinker,  who  had 
twenty-four  tracts  of  four  hundred  acres  each, 
lying  between  the  Dyberry  and  the  West  Branch 
of  the  Lackawaxen,  were  made  offers  of  any 
contiguous  one  thousand  acres  of  land,  if  the 
county  buildings  were  erected  upon  a  portion 
of  the  gift.  On  the  15th  of  May,  1800,  the 
trustees,  accompanied  by  Jason  Torrey,  who 
•was  agent  for  the  Drinker  lands,  went  out  to 
view  the  various  lands  offered.  Esquire  Stan- 
ton and  George  Levers,  who  were  also  of  the 
party,  are  recorded  in  Mr.  Torrey's  journal  as 
having  urged  the  selection  of  Cherry  Ridge.  It 
is  presumable  that  Mr.  Torrey  favored  the 
Drinker  tracts,  as  he  had  located  them  for  the 
owner,  and  afterward  received  four  hundred 
acres  near  the  site  of  the  county  town  for  his 
services.  The  vote  was  three  to  one  in  favor 
of  the  Drinker  tract,  and  on  the  following  day, 
May  16th,  a  stake  to  designate  the  site  of  the 
court-house  was  driven  in  the  presence  of  many 
witnesses,  and  the  proceedings  were  entered  on 
the  minutes,  duly  subscribed  to,  and  witnessed 
by  all  present. 

The  broad  slope  selected  was  then  covered 
with  virgin  forest ;  deer  bounded  through  its 
shadowed  runways,  stately  elk  stood  listening  in 
the  long  aisles  beneath  its  hardwood  trees,  and 
buds  were  swelling  on  the  rhododendron  copses 
where  now  fair  fields  stretch  up  to  peaceful 
Bethany  amid  the  hills.  The  selection  of  the 
trustees  was  most  gratifying  to  the  settlers  about 
Stantonville,  and  satisfactory  to  those  in  Salem 
and  Paupack,  and  all  were  most  anxious  that 
the  county-seat  should  be  fixed  there  without 
delay.  The  friends  of  the  location  at  once  sent 
to  Philadelphia  to  obtain  money  and  supplies 
on  their  own  credit,  that  the  work  of  clearing 
and  erection  might  proceed  without  awaiting 
the  more  tardy  action  of  the  authorities  to  pro- 
vide the  necessary  fuuds.  On  June  2d,  the 
trustees  met  Mr.  Torrey  on  the  spot  selected  as 
the  site  of  the  new  buildings,  and  examined  a 
plan  he  had  drawn  for  the  court-house  and  jail, 
and  eight  days  afterward  the  settlers  in  the 
vicinity  were  called   together  to   assist   in   put- 


ting up  a  log  house  to  shelter  the  mechanics 
and  laborers  employed  in  the  constructive  work. 
This  was  the  first  building  erected  in  Bethany. 
The  work  of  surveying  the  thousand  acres, 
which  later  on  was  deeded  to  the  county,  fol- 
lowed. There  were  laid  off  two  hundred  and 
fifty-four  house-lots  to  form  the  town,  and  one 
hundred  and  sixty-three  out  lots,  of  five  acres 
each,  adjacent  to  and  surrounding  the  town. 

A  contract  between  the  trustees  and  Walter 
Kimble,  of  Indian  Orchard,  who  was  to  furnish 
the  sawed  lumber,  was  drawn  on  the  9th  of 
August,  and  the  work  of  erection  commenced 
soon  after.  The  building  was  thirty-six  feet 
front  and  thirty-two  deep,  and  a  large  log 
jail,  disconnected  from  the  other  buildings,  was 
built  near  by.  The  jail  was  afterwards  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  while,  in  1816,  when  the  second 
court  house  was  erected,  the  old  one  was  moved 
to  the  west  side  of  Wayne  Street,  where  it  is 
still  used  as  a  store. 

A  healthful  impetus  had  been  given  to  the 
town,  and  it  commenced  to  grow  rapidly.  With- 
in a  few  months  after  the  first  tree  had  been 
filled  there  were  acres  of  fallow  about  the  spot 
where  the  trustees  drove  the  stake,  and  several 
houses  were  under  way.  There  were  three 
families  at  Bethany  in  September,  1801,  and  in 
December  of  that  year  Jason  Torrey  moved 
from  Stantonville,  making  the  fourth. 

A  sudden  check  was  given  to  the  growth  of 
the  place  by  the  adverse  action  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, which,  in  February,  1802,  yielded  to  the 
importunities  of  the  people  of  Milford,  and  re- 
moved the  county-seat  to  that  place  "  for  three 
years  and  no  longer."  This  was  the  cause  of 
much  financial  embarrassment  to  those  who  had 
advanced  money  for  public  improvements,  with 
the  expectation  of  being  more  than  repaid  by 
the  business  derived  from  the  sessions  of  the 
courts  and  the  appreciation  of  property  that  must 
necessarily  follow  the  prosperity  of  the  village. 
Building  ceased,  business  was  depressed,  and 
there  was  much  uncertainty  and  anxiety  as  to 
whether  the  same  influences  that  had  succeeded 
in  getting  the  courts  once  more  in  Milford  would 
not  be  successful  in  keeping  them  there  at  the 
expiration  of  the  three  years.  During  the  fol- 
lowing winter  an  attempt  to  induce  the  Legis- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


491 


lature  to  repeal  the  obnoxious  act  proved  abort- 
ive, and  the  people  settled  down  to  the  hard 
labor  of  clearing  their  blackened  fallows,  and 
awaited  the  term  of  removal  to  expire.  But 
there  was  some  private  enterprise.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1802,  arrangements  were  made  for  a  "  post," 
once  in  two  weeks,  from  Stroudsburg,  the  near- 
est post-office,  and  the  next  year  a  school  was 
started.  Relieved  from  the  pressure  of  business 
which  was  incidentto  the  courts,  the  people  found 
time,  too,  for  religious  meetings,  and  the  foun- 
dations of  two  strong  churches  were  laid,  so 
that  the  period  was   not  altogether  unprofitable. 

The  First  Death. — It  was  on  the  2Gth  of 
May,  1803,  that  John  Bunting,  Jr.,  the  son  of 
Esquire  John  Bunting,  was  found  drow-ned  at 
Seely's  Mills,  a  fact  which  made  the  settlers 
aware  that  they  had  no  burial-place  available. 
Lots  for  such  a  purpose  had  been  set  aside  from 
the  Drinker  lands,  and  were  in  the  hands  of  the 
trustees;  but  the  act  which  had  remanded  the 
county-seat  to  Milford  had  also  suspended  their 
powers,  and  they  could  not  make  a  legal  deed 
of  the  lots  intended  for  school,  church  or  grave- 
yard. Under  the  circumstances  there  was  a 
very  natural  unwillingness  to  make  an  inter- 
ment on  lands  that  might  possibly  revert  to 
their  grantor.  In  this  emergency  an  agreement 
was  made  between  Jason  Torrey  and  Esquire 
Bunting  to  use,  as  a  private  burying-ground, 
the  rear  end  of  a  fifty-foot  lot  which  adjoined 
the  cemetery  plot  and  was  owned  by  Mr.  Tor- 
rey. Here  it  was  that  young  Bunting  was 
buried,  on  the  27th  of  May,  1803. 

The  lot  was  inclosed  with  a  neat  board 
fence,  and  there  being  no  other  ground  set 
apart  for  such  use,  it  was  for  several  years  used 
by  all  families  in  the  vicinity  having  occasion 
to  bury  the  remains  of  deceased  friends.  These 
facts  will  explain  why  the  families  of  so  many 
of  the  early  settlers  were  interred  in  that  ex- 
treme southern  corner  of  the  Bethany  Cemetery 
grounds.  Subsequently  the  rear  part  of  the 
church  lots  and  school  lots  were  appropriated 
for  use  as  a  burial-ground. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  John  Bunting,  Jr., 
his  mother  visited  friends  in  New  Jersey,  and 
ou  her  return  brought  with  her  some  strawberry 
plants,  and,  under  the  impulse  of  a  fond  moth- 


er's love,  she  carefully  planted  them  mi  the 
grave  of  her  son.  These  plants  flourished,  and 
the  seeds  of  the  delicious  fruit  were  scattered 
by  birds  in  various  parts  of  the  cleared  fields  in 
and  around  Bathany,  so  that  in  a  few  years  all 
the  meadows  within  a  mile  or  two  were  largely 
stocked  with  these  Bunting  strawberries. 

They  differ  from  any  of  the  other  wild-grow- 
ing varieties,  in  that  they  are  white,  are  free  from 
acidity,  and  in  being  plucked  from  the  plant, 
separate  entirely  from  the  hull,  like  a  black- 
berry. 

While  the  Bunting  strawberry  was  soabund- 
ant  in  the  vicinity  of  Bethany,  and  did  not  ex- 
ist in  other  parts  of  the  county,  the  grass  fields 
in  the  other  settlements  were  well-stocked  with 
wild-growing  varieties  of  the  red  strawberry, 
which,  being  more  hardy, have  nearly  supplanted 
the  Bunting  strawberry.  Some  of  the  latter, 
however,  are  still  growing  in  the  grassy  fields 
around  Bethany. 

The  Return  of  the  Courts. — The  very 
positive  refusal  of  the  Legislature  of  1801-5 
to  alter  or  amend  the  act  that  limited  the  re- 
moval of  the  courts  to  Milford  for  three  years, 
and  this  in  the  face  of  very  strong  influences 
from  the  latter  place,  brought  about  a  restora- 
tion of  the  county-seat  to  Bethany  in  the  spring 
of  1805.  As  soon  as  this  was  assured,  in  antici- 
pation of  the  event,  Mr.  Jason  Torrey  had  com- 
menced building  his  house  in  the  summer  of 
1804.  The  building  was  hurried  to  such  com- 
pletion during  the  winter  that  it  was  opened  as 
a  hotel  on  the  first  court  week,  and  the  court 
itself  was  convened  in  the  east  front  chamber, 
the  first  day  of  the  session.  It  was  at  this  time 
that  Hon.  John  Biddis,  president  judge,  and 
Hon.  John  Brink,  associate,  occupied  chairs  on 
a  carpenter's  bench,  a  literal  "Bench  of  Judges," 
and  the  jurors  sat  on  rough  plank  seats  below. 
At  that  term  the  grand  jury  ignored  three  bills, 
and  found  one  true  indictment  for  assault  and 
battery.  The  subsequent  attempts  of  the  people 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  county  to  re-locate  the 
county-seat,  the  refusal  of  the  county  commis- 
sioners to  entertain  the  legislative  proposition 
to  erect  county  buildings  at  Blooming  Grove, 
and  other  matters  pertaining  to  the  early  civil 
history  of  the  county,  have  been   referred  to  at 


402 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


length  in  the  chapters  devoted  to  those  topics, 
and  it  is  proper  here  to  write  only  of  those  de- 
tails that  were  intimately  connected  with  the 
history  of  Bethany  as  a  village.  In  spite  of  the 
dissatisfaction  of  those  who  lived  below  "The 
Barrens,"  as  the  region  between  the  Delaware 
River  and  the  Wallenpaupack Creek  was  called, 
and  the  sharp  animadversions  that  it  bred,  the 
town  continued  to  increase  in  size  and  healthful 
prosperity.  At  this  late  date,  when  most  of  the 
actors  in  these  early  scenes  have  passed  away, 
it  is  impossible  to  give  minor  events  in  their 
exact  elironology  ;  but  the  principal  changes  of 
the  first  few  years  are  substantially  summed  up 
in  the  following  paragraphs  : 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  John  Bunt- 
ing's hotel  was  one  of  the  first  buildings.  Soon 
afterward  the  red  store  north  of  Judge  Man- 
ning's was  erected,  and  about  the  same  time 
Sally  Gay  built  a  small  house  below  Dr.  Scud- 
der's  ;  John  Bishop  built  on  the  Bunnell  place; 
James  Woodney  finished  a  house  and  other  im- 
provements were  made  near  by.  From  1802 
to  April,  1807,  John  Bunting,  then  a  venerable 
man,  had  a  small  room  in  his  tavern  fitted  up 
witli  a  little  stock  of  goods,  and  this  was  the 
beginning  of  mercantile  business.  A  most  ju- 
dicious, accurate  and  indefatigable  collector  of 
local  history1  has  kindly  furnished  the  writer 
with  the  following  hitherto  unpublished  inter- 
view with  one  of  the  earliest  residents: 

"  My  earliest  recollections  date  to  when  the  only- 
houses  in  Bethany  were  the  Henderson  place,  then 
called  the  Bunting  house,  the  Drinker  place  ,the  Ma- 
jor Torrey  house,  the  court-house  and  old  log  jail,  and 
the  dwellings  of  Sally  Gay,  James  Woodney,  John 
Bishop  and  David  Bunnell.  Mr.  David  Wilder  built 
his  house  in  1809.  Captain  Charles  Hoel  came  from 
New  Jersey  and  built  a  little  house  near  where  Ham- 
lin's now  stands.  Benjamin  Raymond,  a  New  Yorker, 
located  near  where  you  turn  to  go  to  the  old  glass 
factory.  After  Solomon  Moore  dissolved  partnership 
with  Major  Torrey,  he  built  a  store  where  Oscar 
Hamlin  now  is  ;  Alva  Flint,  of  Connecticut,  but  more 
lately  of  Salem,  located  opposite.  After  Mr.  Wilmot 
had  built  his  first  house  he  exchanged  properties  with 
Captain  Hoel.  Mr.  Miller,  who  succeeded  John 
Bunting,  sold  to  Eliphalet  Kellogg,  and  erected  the 
house  where  Mrs.  Scudder  now  resides.  Thefirst  res- 
ident lawyer  of   Bethany  was   Mr.    Oliver  Bush,  of 


Mr.  Thomas  J.  Ham,  editor  of  the  ll<»ii:*tlulr  llemhl. 


Damascus ;  he  settled  soon  after  the  courts  had  been 
removed  from  Milford  the  second  time.  Judge  Isaac 
Dimmick  and  his  brother  Ephraim  were  teachers,  and 
both  taught  in  the  old  court-house.  Isaac  built  the 
house  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Butler,  and  I  remember 
that  he  had  a  stove  in  it,  which  was  the  wonder  and 
admiration  of  all  the  neighborhood.  Up  to  that  time 
nobody  about  Bethany  or  in  Wayne  County,  so  far  as 
I  know,  had  used  anything  except  fire-places.  The 
old  log  jail  was  used  several  times  as  a  residence. 
Major  Torrey  lived  there  first ;  afterwards,  when  the 
school-house  was  built,  Judge  Eldred  and  Jacob  S.  Da- 
vis, both  of  whom  were  just  married,  were  living  there. 
After  the  academy  was  built,  Judge  Eldred  bought 
the  old  school-house,  built  an  addition  to  it  and  lived 
there  for  some  time.  He  finally  sold  it  to  Mr.  Bald- 
win, a  hatter,  and  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Hamlin,  who 
taught  the  latter  his  trade.  Its  next  tenant  was 
Esquire  Little,  who  occupied  it  as  a  residence,  and 
also  carried  on  a  leather  and  harness  business  there. 
Joseph  Miller  sold  his  place  to  Judge  Eldred,  and 
Walter  Weston  bought  the  old  court-house  building, 
and  moved  it  to  where  he  now  keeps  store  on  Wayne 
Street.  The  first  printing-office,  that  of  Mr.  Manning, 
was  near  his  late  residence,  in  a  house  afterwards  oc- 
cupied by  E.  Hadfield.  The  Spangenburg  house  was 
built  by  Major  Torrey." 

With  this  rapid  growth  of  the  village,  there 
was  also  an  influx  of  settlers  to  the  country 
round  about,  and  farms  were  purchased  and 
cleared  up,  and  people  of  all  occupations  kept 
busy  by  the  thrift  and  industry  that  were  rapid- 
ly crystallizing  into  substantial  improvement. 
Soon  after  the  return  of  the  courts,  in  1805,  a 
letter  from  Jason  Torrey  states  that  "  the  place 
is  thronged  with  people  seeking  situations  for 
settlement,  and  I  conceive  the  place  has  a  pref- 
erence, when  considered  under  all  its  advant- 
ages, to  any  of  which  I  have  knowledge." 

The  First  Murder  in  the  County  oc- 
curred at  Bethany  on  the  evening  of  October 
18,  1808,  and  the  following  account  of  it  is 
from  a  letter  written  four  days  afterward.  As 
will  be  seen  from  a  reference  to  this  tragedy  in 
the  chapter  on  South  Canaan,  the  actors  were 
men  between  whom  a  feud  had  long  existed, 
and  the  death  of  Tice  was  the  culmination  of  a 
series  of  petty  quarrels  extending  over  several 
years.     The  letter  runs  as  follows  : 

"  Bethany,  October  22,  1808. 
"On  the  evening  of  the  18th  instant  a  horrid   mur- 
der was    committed   in   this  town.      A    battalion  of 
militia  had  been   drilling  on  the  square   and  in  the 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


4<X\ 


evening  the  officers  and  many  of  the  men  were  to- 
gether in  Miller's  tavern.  About  eight  o'clock  a 
trifling  dispute  arose  between  two  men,  which  they 
inclined  to  settle  by  blows,  and  went  into  the  street 
for  that  purpose.  About  a  dozen  men  followed 
them  out,  apparently  to  witness  the  combat.  Solo- 
mon Tice,  the  murdered  man,  is  represented  to  have 
interfered  as  a  peacemaker,  and  Peter  Allen,  who  had 
taken  no  part  in  the  dispute,  stepped  from  the  group 
and,  with  his  left  hand  seizing  Tice  by  the  shoulder, 
commenced  stabbing  him  with  a  knife  held  in  his 
right  hand,  and  retaining  his  hold  until  he  had 
stabbed  him  seven  times,  Tice  endeavoring  to  escape 
and  crying  murder  repeatedly.  On  receiving  the  last 
and  fatal  stab,  which  was  in  the  lower  part  of  the  ab- 
domen and  much  lacerated  the  intestines,  Tice, 
by  a  great  effort,  escaped  from  Allen's  grasp,  ex- 
claiming '  I  am  a  murdered  man- — Allen  has  stabbed 
me."  Allen  immediately  threw  the  knife  from 
him  and  attempted  to  escape,  but  was  seized  and 
made  secure  in  the  county  jail.  The  regimental 
surgeon,  assisted  by  a  young  physician,  accident- 
ally present,  dressed  his  wounds,  but  with  no  hope 
of  his  living,  and  on  the  twentieth  Tice  died.  An 
inquest  was  held,  who  charged  Allen  with  having 
murdered  him.  Allen  says  he  is  a  native  of  Connec- 
ticut, whence  he  removed  to  New  Hampshire  and 
from  thence  coming  to  this  county,  bringing  one  son 
with  him  and  leaving  a  wife  and  four  children  in 
New  Hampshire.  Allen  had  some  time  previously  es- 
caped from  the  jail  in  this  county  and  was  advertised 
by  the  sheriff  and  rearrested  by  Tice.  Since  that  time 
Allen  has  declared  he  would  have  satisfaction  or 
Tice's  life.  It  is  not  known  that  any  dispute  had  ex- 
isted between  them  that  evening  previous  to  the  mur- 
der." 

Allen  was  tried  at  the  December  court,  1808, 
and  convicted;  and,  on  the  18th  of  March, 
1809,  was  executed  by  a  deputy  sheriff,  Abisha 
W  oodward,  on  the  public  square,  nearly  in  front 
of  the  Dr.  Roosa  property. 

The  second  hanging  in  Wayne  County  was 
that  of  Cornelius  Jones.  On  the  6th  day  of 
February,  1817,  Elizabeth  Roswell,  who  lived 
on  the  road  leading  from  Seelyville  to  the  old 
glass  factory,  on  what  is  now  the  farm  of  John 
Robertson,  appeared  before  Squire  Spangen- 
berg,  and  swore  away  the  life  of  her  only  son, 
who,  she  said,  had  poisoned  his  step-father. 
Cornelius  Jones  was  arrested  the  day  following, 
and  that  afternoon  Coroner  Matthias  Keen  held 
an  inquest,  and  the  jury  brought  in  a  verdict 
that  Roswell  was  murdered  by  Cornelius  Jones. 
On  the  27th  of  the  following  August,  Foreman 


of  the  Grand  Jury  Oliver  B.  Bush  signed  a 
"  true  bill  "  against  Cornelius  for  administering 
"white  arsenick  mixed  with  cider."  The  trial 
came  the  next  day,  and  one  of  the  witnesses 
testified  that  she  heard  the  prisoner  say  that  he 
killed  his  father  because  he  hated  him.  A 
verdict  of  guilty  was  returned,  and  the  execu- 
tion took  place  on  November  15,  1817.  The 
scaffold  was  erected  about  forty  rods  east  of  the 
old  court-house,  in  Bethany,  in  a  lot  now  used 
as  a  cornfield  by  Isaiah  Scudder.  Bungling 
work  was  made  of  the  execution,  and  the  rope 
broke  after  only  half  strangling  the  doomed 
man.  Before  it  could  be  readjusted,  he  recov- 
ered his  powers  of  articulation,  and  begged 
them  most  pitiously  not  to  haul  him  up  again. 
The  sentence  of  the  law  had  to  be  complied  with, 
and  he  was  dragged  a  few  inches  off  the  ground, 
where  he  ended  his  life  in  horrible  agony,  while 
the  crowd  turned  away  appalled  at  the  sickening 
scene. 

Some  days  after  the  execution  it  was  discov- 
ered that  the  murderer's  grave  had  been  robbed 
and  his  body  was  found  in  an  old  log  hut,  on 
the  hill  west  of  Bethany,  where  it  was  being  cut 
up  preparatory  to  boiling  for  theskeleton.  An 
alarm  was  given,  and  the  dismembered  remains 
were  taken  over  to  the  court-house  and  placed 
on  the  table,  where  they  were  identified  as  those 
of  Jones.  They  were  then  reiuterred  just  out- 
side of  the  Presbyterian  graveyard.  The  grave 
robbery  created  much  excitement,  and  Dr.  Seely 
and  several  others  were  arrested,  but  the  affair 
never  came  to  anything. 

The  Eaely  Settlers. — John  Bishop  is 
accounted  the  first  settler  in  Bethany,  having 
located  there  as  soon  as  the  site  of  the  county 
buildings  was  fixed  by  the  trustees.  He  was  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  and  after  serving  in  the 
Continental  army,  being  present  at  the  famous 
crossing  of  the  Delaware  and  enduring  the 
hardships  of  the  winter  at  Valley  Forge,  he 
settled  at  the  Narrows,  in  Pike  County.  He 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  built  the  first 
frame  house  in  Dyberry  township  for  William 
Schoonover.  He  also  worked  upon  the  first 
court-house  and  jail  at  Bethany.  In  1802,  when 
I  a  "  Post  "  from  Stroudsburg,  the  nearest  post- 
office,  was  run  to  Bethany  by  private  enterprise, 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  contract  was  let  to  Jesse  Walker,  and  he 
hired  John  Bishop  to  carry  the  mails.  The 
distance  was  twenty-six  miles  through  the  woods, 
and  the  path  was  a  marked  trail.  It  took  him 
three  days  to  make  the  trip,  and  he  often  carried 
his  provisions  and  camped  in  the  woods.  His 
wife  was  Mary  Snyder,  also  of  New  Jersey,  and 
their  children  were  John,  William,  Hiram, 
Henry,  David,  Jacob,  Harvey,  Hettie  (who  mar- 
ried John  Kelley  and  went  to  Michigan)  and 
Rachel  (the  wife  of  Elijah  Schoonover,  who 
settled  in  Berlin).  John  Bishop,  the  eldest  son, 
never  came  to  Pennsylvania;  Hiram  married 
Annie  Consealus  and  located  in  Palmyra,  where 
he  died  in  1880,  aged  ninety-two  years,  he  was 
buried  at  Indian  Orchard  ;  Henry  married 
Amelia  Kimble  and  settled  in  Berlin;  David 
married  Mariah  Thurston  and  is  a  resident  of 
Hawley;  Jacob  married  Betsy  Kimble  and  set- 
tled on  the  Bishop  homestead  ;  Harvey  married 
Lucinda  Brink  and  located  at  White  Mills. 

John  Bunting  was  a  New  Jersey  Quaker,  who 
settled  first  in  Canaan  township,  where  he  com- 
menced the  first  clearing  between  Colonel  Asa 
Stanton's  and  the  Swingle  settlement.  He  was 
commissioned  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  1799, 
and  continued  to  serve  as  long  as  he  lived.  In 
1802  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Bethany, 
occupying  the  building  since  known  as  the  Hen- 
derson house,  as  a  tenant  under  Henry  Drinker, 
who  erected  it.  It  was  one  of  the  first,  if  not 
the  first,  dwelling  put  up  in  the  village.  In 
1807  he  removed  to  the  valley  of  the  West 
Branch,  below  Aldenville,  where  he  died  in  1811, 
aged  sixty-eight  years.  The  children  who  sur- 
vived him  were  Daniel,  Michael,  HtUy  (the  wife 
of  Conrad  Swingle)  and  Rebecca  (who  married 
John  Parkinson).  Michael  went  West,  while 
Daniel  remained  on  the  homestead  and  left 
numerous  descendants. 

Jason  Torrey,  or,  as  he  was  commonly  called, 
"Major"  Torrey,  was  among  the  earliest  set- 
tlers in  Bethany.  He  was  prominent  in  the 
history  of  the  county,  and  is  very  frequently 
mentioned  in  this  work,  especially  in  Chapter 
VII.  of  the  general  history,  in  Chapter  I.  of 
Wayne  County,  and  the  chapter  upon  Hones- 
dale.  He  was  born  in  Williamstown,  Mass., 
June  30,  1772,  and,  when  scarcely  twenty  years 


of  age,  in  the  spring  of  1793,  came  on  foot  into 
the  township  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  where  he  found 
Elijah  Dix,  whom  he  knew  in  his  native  place, 
and  there  he  became  acquainted  with  Samuel 
Baird,  of  Pottstown,  near  Philadelphia.  Mr. 
Baird  was  a  noted  surveyor,  and  employed  Mr. 
Torrey  to  assist  him  in  making  some  surveys;  after 
he  had  traveled  through  different  parts  of  New 
York  and  Pennsylvania,  he  concluded  to  settle 
in  Mt.  Pleasant.  Having  selected  his  land,  he 
began  to  make  improvements  upon  it  and  built 
a  log-house,  and  moved  into  it  in  February, 
1798.  He  continued  to  improve  his  land  in 
Mt.  Pleasant  until  1802,  when  he  removed  to 
Bethany.  His  actions  in  the  pioneer  develop- 
ments at  Honesdale  are  fully  set  forth  in  pro- 
per place.  By  his  first  marriage  to  Lois  Welch, 
on  January  11,  1797,  there  were  nine  children, 
viz.:  William,  born  in  September,  1798  ;  Eph- 
raim  in  October,  1799,  and  Nathaniel  in  No- 
vember, 1800;  Minerva,  born  September  19, 
1.S04;  Maria,  born  January  1,  1806;  John, 
born  April  13,  1807;  Stephen,  born  November 
9,  1808;  Asa,  born  October  13, 1810 ;  Charles, 
born  July  17,  1812. 

By  his  second  wife,  Achsah  Tyler  Griswold, 
a  widow,  whom  he  married  August  4,  1816,  he 
had  two  more  sons,  James,  born  September  9, 
1817,  and  David,  born  on  the  13th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1818. 

Major  Torrey  after  the  death  of  his  second 
wife  made  his  home  with  his  son  John  in 
Honesdale  and  died  there  November  21,  1848, 
aged  seventy-six  years,  after  a  life  of  remark- 
able activity  and  usefulness.  His  sons,  John 
and  Stephen,  still  reside  in  Honesdale,  and 
David,  a  clergyman,  is  living  in  New  York 
State.  Ephraim,  Nathaniel,  Asa,  Charles,  James, 
Maria  and  Minerva,  are  all  deceased.  The 
funiier  was  the  wife  of  Richard  L.  Seel)'  and  the 
latter  of  Elijah  Weston. 

Asa  Torrey,  the  sixth  son  of  Jason  Torrey, 
was  born  in  Bethany  in  1810.  In  1827  he  re- 
moved to  Honesdale,  but  afterwards  returned 
to  Bethany,  where  he  followed  farming  for  the 
rest  of  his  life.  He  married  Polly  G.  Bush 
and  had  two  children,  Charles  W.,  of  Bethany, 
and  .lames  B.,  who  died  in  1871.  Mr.  Asa 
Torrey  met    with   an    untimely  end.       He  was 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


visiting  his  granddaughter,  Mrs.  ( '.  W.  Babbitt, 
of  Honesdale,  and  on  the  evening  of  December 
12,1884,  he  left  the  house  for  a  short  walk. 
This  was  the  last  time  he  was  seen  alive  by  any 
of  the  members  of  his  family.  Several  acquaint- 
ances noticed  him  on  Ladywood  Lane  that 
evening,  and  the  next  day  his  body  was  found 
floating  in  the  Lackawaxen,  near  the  dam  at 
the  junction  of  the  Dy  berry.  It  is  surmised 
that  after  crossing  the  Goodman  bridge  he  had 
directed  his  steps  toward  the  gas  lamp  at  the 
head  of  Third  Street,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river,  and  had  walked  into  the  stream  be- 
fore he  realized  his  whereabouts. 

David  Wilder  was  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, who  located  at  Bethany  in  1803  and  mar- 
ried Sophia,  a  daughter  of  Paul  Tyler,  of  Da- 
mascus. They  had  one  daughter,  Charity  B., 
who  married  Hon.  James  Manning,  and  is  one 
of  the  few  surviving  persons  bom  in  Bethany, 
and  Hester  and  David.  Mr.  Wilder  was  one 
of  the  early  hotel-keepers  of  the  village,  having 
taken  out  a  license  in  1811  ;  he  was  also  a  suc- 
cessful farmer. 

David  Bunnell  came  from  Stroudsburg  and 
located  ou  the  place  afterwards  owned  by  Wil- 
liam Stephens,  where  he  cleared  up  a  farm  and 
built  a  house  in  1804.  Although  a  blacksmith 
by  trade,  he  devoted  must  of  his  time  to  farm- 
ing. He  married  FartheniaKellam,  of  Palmyra, 
Pike  County,  and  their  children  were  Rockwell, 
who  was  the  first  child  born  in  Bethany,  and  is 
now  a  resident  of  Promptou  ;  Eleanor,  the  wife 
of  Isaac  Olmstead  ;  Eunice  B.,  who  married 
Brooks  Lavo;  Henry  Z.  M.  Pike;  Charles  V.; 
John  K. ;  Sarah  E.,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Gilbert 
Bailey  ;  David  S.  ;  Harriet  A.,  and  A.  Jane 
Bunnell. 

Judge  Isaac  Dimmick,  as  he  was  always 
known,  was  from  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  and 
came  to  Bethany  in  1805,  when  he  bought  and 
commenced  clearing  up  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Edwin  Webb.  He  was  an  associate  judge  of 
the  county  in  1830-33,  and  was  much  employed 
in  the  county  offices.  His  wife  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Hon.  Abisha  Woodward.  When  he  sold 
his  farm  and  moved  West,  Mr.  Dimmick  took 
his  family  with  him. 

Abisha  Woodward,  a  son  of  Enos  Woodward, 


one  of  the  first  settlers  on  Cherry  Ridge,  was 
elected  sheriff  of  Wayne  County  in  1807,  and 
about  that  time  located  in  Bethany.  He  bought 
and  cleared  upthe  farm  now  occupied  by  Henry 
Webb,  about  half  a  mile  west  of  the  village, 
and  married  Lueretia,  adaughter  of  JacobKim- 
ble,  of  Palmyra,  Pike  County.  Among  their 
children  were  the  following  :  John  K.,  who 
married  Mary,  a  daughter  of  Silas  Kellogg,  and 
was  the  father  of  the  late  Warren  J.  Woodward, 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania ; 
Jackson  K.  Woodward,  late  attorney-at-law,  of 
Honesdale ;  and  Densy  Woodward,  who  mar- 
ried Johnson  Olmstead,  of  Dundatf,  Pa.  The 
second  son,  Nathaniel  Woodward,  once  repre- 
sented the  county  in  the  Legislature ;  he  went 
West.  George  W.  Woodward,  a  Congressman 
and  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, was  the  third  son.  The  eldest  daughter 
married  Hon.  Isaac  Dimmick  ;  the  youngest, 
George  Little,  Esq. 

George  W.  Woodruff,  ex-chief  justice  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Supreme  Court,  was  born  at  Beth- 
any March  26,  1809,  and  died  in  Rome,  Italy, 
May  9,  1875.  After  completing  his  prelimi- 
nary education  he  went  to  Wilkcs-Barre,  where 
he  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
In  1852  be  was  appointed  to  the  Supreme  Bench 
by  Governor  Bigler,  and  served  the  usual  term. 
In  1867  he  was  elected  to  Congress  from 
the  Twelfth  District,  to  fill  an  unexpired 
term,  and  was  re-elected  in  1868.  At  the  close 
of  his  term  he  removed  to  Philadelphia,  where 
he  practiced  law  until  his  death. 

Eliphalet  Kellogg  was  a  brother  of  Silas 
Kellogg,  one  of  the  first  settlers  at  Stantonville, 
and  when  the  county-seat  was  first  moved  to 
Bethany,  Eliphalet  was  appointed  clerk  of  the 
county  commissioners.  He  kept  a  tavern  for 
many  years,  and,  in  1809,  was  made  register 
and  recorder,  which  office  he  held  for  three  suc- 
cessive terms,  being  reappointed  by  Governor 
Snyder  at  each  re-election.  Mr.  Keilogg  had 
five  children, — -Martin  ;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Isaac  Roosa;  Sarah,  who  married  Reuben  R. 
Purdy  ;  Abigail,  who  married  Dr.  Halsey  ;  and 
Eunice,  the  wife  of  Washington  E.  Cook. 
Eliphalet  Kellogg  died  in  Bethany,  September 
9,  1844,  aged  seventy-nine  years. 


496 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA.     , 


William  Williams,  an  old  Continental  soldier, 
was  also  one  of  the  early  settlers,  and  built  a 
cabin  of  such  humble  pretensions,  just  below 
the  church  lot,  that  the  assessors  did  not  place 
any  value  upon  it.  He  left  no  descendants  in 
the  village.  Judd  Raymond,  another  of  the 
first  citizens,  was  a  carpenter,  and  the  father  of 
John  Raymond,  Esq.,  and  William  Raymond. 
One  of  his  daughters  married  Philander  K. 
Williams,  and  another,  Joseph  Miller,  Jr. 

Captain  Charles  Hoel  settled  in  Bethany 
about  the  same  time  that  his  twin-brother, 
Jacob,  located  in  Dy  berry  township.  He  was 
one  of  the  earliest  borough  officers  and  also  was 
the  proprietor  of  the  brick-yard,  where  most  of 
the  brick  used  in  the  village  were  made.  He 
built  the  house  where  George  Hauser  now  lives. 
Captain  Hoel  had  two  sons, — John,  deceased, 
and  Washington,  a  resident  of  Lake  township. 

His  daughters  were  Louisa,  the  first  wife  of 
Dr.  Otis  Avery;  Martha,  wife  of  Rezzia 
Woodward  ;  Joanna,  wife  of  Ezekiel  Birdsall  ; 
and  Mary,  wife  of  Johu  J.  Schenck. 

Jonathan  S.  Bidwell  came  from  Connecticut, 
and  moved  on  to  the  Major  Torrey  place,  where 
Asa  Torrey  afterward  lived.  He  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  Hodges,  in  Litchfield  County, 
Conn.,  and  his  children  were  Rachel,  the  wife 
of  William  Bryant;  Eliza,  who  married  Gil- 
man  Page;  Lucretia,  the  wife  of  Francis  Steph- 
ens ;  Nancy,  the  wife  of  Beniah  Savage  ;  Axcy, 
who  married  Oren  Park;  Olive,  the  wife  of 
William  Stevens,  of  Berlin  ;  and  one  son,  A. 
Jackson,  who  lives  in  Delaware  County,  N.  Y. 
Mr.  Bidwell,  Sr.,  moved  to  Berlin  township 
in  1831,  and  located  on  the  place  now  occupied 
by  Jacob  Dewitt. 

Solomon  Moore,  who  was  from  New  York 
State,  was  the  first  postmaster  at  Bethany,  and 
was  also  elected  sheriff  in  1820,  and  was  after- 
wards appointed  clerk  of  the  several  courts.  In 
connection  with  Jason  Torrey  he  kept  the  first 
store  in  the  village,  and  afterwards,  when  that 
partnership  was  dissolved,  in  1814,  he  built  a 
house  and  store  on  the  corner  afterwards  occu- 
pied by  Hon.  E.  O.  Hamlin.  He  had  a  number 
of  daughters,  the  youngest  of  whom  married 
E.  W.  Weston,  of  Providence  Place,  Scranton. 

Amzi  and  Thomas  Fuller,  who  were  prom  inent 


as  attorneys-at-law  in  the  early  history  of  the 
county,  are  mentioned  at  length  in  the  chapter 
devoted  to  the  legal  profession.  The  former 
came  to  Bethany,  in  1814,  as  a  school-teacher, 
and  afterward  studied  law  with  Hon.  Dan 
Dimmick,  of  Milford.  He  practiced  in  the 
Wayne  County  courts  until  the  removal  of  the 
county-seat  to  Honesdale,  when  he  removed  to 
Wilkes- Rarre.  He  had  but  one  son,  Hon. 
Henry  M.  Fuller,  who  went  to  Congress  from 
Luzerne  County.  Thomas  Fuller  studied  with  his 
brother,  Amzi,  but  was  not  admitted  to  the  bar 
until  many  years  after  the  latter  had  been  a  full- 
fledged  counselor.  On  the  removal  of  the 
county-seat,  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Hones- 
dale,  where  he  died.  One  son,  William,  still 
lives  in  the  homestead,  and  Mary,  the  only 
daughter,  married  Dr.  Ralph  L.  Briggs,  who 
died  in  Wisconsin  in  1863. 

James  Manning  was  a  native  of  South  Coven- 
try, Tolland  County,  Conn.,  who  located  in 
Bethany  in  1815,  and  began  as  a  merchant, 
carrying  ou  a  general  business  for  twenty 
years.  He  was  shrewd,  enterprising  and  suc- 
cessful, and  was  from  the  first  popular  and  a 
leading  citizen.  He  served  as  register  and  re- 
corder, and  was  afterwards  elected  associate 
judge,  which  position  he  retained  many  years. 
It  was  through  his  enterprise  that  the  first  news- 
paper of  Wayne  County,  The  Wayne  County 
Mirror,  was  started,  in  1818.  He  married 
Charity  B.  Wilder,  and  his  children  were  Lucy, 
James,  Sophia,  David,  Henry,  George,  Augusta, 
Charity  and  Mary.  Mrs.  Manning  still  occu- 
pies the  resideuce  he  built  in  1819. 

Randall  Wilmot,  the  father  of  David  Wil- 
mot,  author  of  the  famous  "  Wilmot  Proviso," 
was  a  resident  of  Bethany,  and  built  the  resir 
dence  and  store  now  occupied  by  the  Hon.  A. 
B.  Ganunell.  Randall  Wilmot  married  a 
daughter  of  James  Carr,  of  Canaan.  David,  the 
jurist  and  statesman,  was  born  in  Bethany 
January  20,  1814.  He  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  village,  and  afterwards  went  to 
school  at  Aurora,  N.  Y.,  studied  law,  and  in 
1834  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Wilkes-Barre, 
and  commenced  to  practice  at  Towanda,  Brad- 
ford County,  in  which   place  he  has  since  re- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


497 


Hon.  Warren  J.  Woodward  was  born  in 
Bethany  September  24,  1819.  He  received  his 
early  education  in  the  schools  of  the  region,  and 
afterward  attended  the  academy  at  Wilkes- 
Barre.  On  completing  his  term  there  he  entered 
the  office  of  the  Hbnesdale  Democrat,  which  he 
edited  for  some  time.  He  then  returned  to 
WHkes-Barre,  and  commenced  the  study  of  law 
under  the  tuition  of  his  uncle,  Hon.  George  W. 
Woodward,  late  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Pennsylvania.  This  was  in  May,  1840. 
In  August,  1842,  lie  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Luzerne  County,  and  soon  gained  a  large  prac- 
tice. In  1856  he  was  appointed  chief  justice  of 
the  Twenty-sixth  Judicial  District,  then  embra- 
cing the  counties  of  Columbia  and  Sullivan,  and 
before  the  term  was  over  he  was  selected  to  preside 
over  the  courts  of  Berks  County.  He  was  re- 
elected, and  continued  to  fulfill  the  duties  of  that 
high  position  until  the  fall  of  1874,  when  he  was 
elected  to  a  seat  on  the  Supreme  Bench  of  the 
State.  After  occupying  the  judicial  bench  for 
more  than  twenty-three  years,  he  died  at  his 
country-seat,  in  Hamden,  N.  Y.,  September  2:3, 
1879,  and  was  buried  at  Wilkes-Barre. 

Judge  Nathaniel  B.  Eldred,  of  whom  a  more 
extended  sketch  is  given  in  the  chapter  devoted 
tu  the  Wayne  County  bar,  located  in  Bethany 
in  1816, and  continued  to  practice  law  there  for 
more  than  twenty  years.  As  a  man  of  fine 
ability  and  great  impartiality,  he  was  called  to 
fill  various  judicial  positions,  which  required 
his  residence  elsewhere;  but  when  these  trusts 
had  been  faithfully  executed,  he  returned  to  his 
old  home,  and  was  identified  with  the  place 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1867.  He 
had  seven  children,  four  of  whom  died  in  youth. 
The  others  were  Mary,  now  deceased,  the  first 
wife  of  Hon.  E.  O.  Hamlin;  Luciuda,  also  de- 
ceased, the  wife  of  Ara  Bartlett  ;  Charles,  who 
removed  to  Wisconsin  ;  and  Carrie,  the  wife  of 
Mr.  Watson,  of  Warren  County. 

Moses  Ward,  who  was  a  joiner  by  trade, 
came  from  Chatham,  N.  J.,  in  1.X22,  and  first 
settled  upon  the  Dyberry,  but  afterward  moved 
into  the  village.  Ilis  children  were  Rev.  E.  ( ). 
Ward,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  ;  Mary; 
and  Stephen  P.,  cashier  of  the  Honesdale  Bank 
at  one  time.  Rev.  E.  O.  Ward  graduated  at 
48 


Hamilton  College  in  1838,  and  in  1841  com- 
pleted his  theological  studies  at  Auburn  Semi- 
nary. He  became  pastor  of  the  Bethany  Church 
in  185."],  a  position  which  he  still  holds. 

E.  W.  Hamlin,  a  son  of  Harris  Hamlin,  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Salem  township,  located 
in  Bethany  in  1822,  and  there  learned  the  trade 
of  hat-making,  a  business  which  he  subsequently 
carried  on  for  himself.  As  a  broad-gauge  man 
and  a  good  thinker,  he  took  an  active  part  in 
public  affairs,  and  was  elected  county  treasurer. 
Subsequently  he  was  a  deputy  in  the  same  office. 
He  was  elected  representative  to  the  State  Leg- 
islature in  1838,  and  was  re-elected  the  year 
following.  He  was  chosen  State  Senator  to 
represent  the  counties  of  Wayne,  Pike  and 
Monroe,  in  1851,  and  served  for  three  years. 
After  the  expiration  of  this  term  of  office  he 
gave  his  attention  to  business,  and  was  a  prom- 
inent figure  in  the  enterprises  of  his  day.  He 
died  in  Bethany  April  3,  1884. 

Charles  Grandison  Reed,  who  lived  near 
Bethany,  was  born  at  Salisbury,  Litchfield 
County,  Conn.,  December  13,  1796.  He  was 
descended  from  an  old  English  family,  dating 
from  John  Reed,  of  Cornwall,  who  settled  at 
Norwalk  in  1730.  Mr.  Reed  married  Saman- 
tha  E.  Bird.  He  came  to  Wayne  County  in 
1832  and  resided  near  Bethany  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  October  6,  1883.  His  children 
were  Dr.  Dwight,  Dr.  William  II.  and  Egbert 
Reed,  of  Honesdale,  Charles  B.  Reed,  of  Sharon, 
Conn.,  and  Mrs.  Ellen  S.,  wife  of  Rev.  Mell- 
ville  Smith,  of  Boon  County,  111. 

A  number  of  other  early  settlers,  more  or 
less  connected  with  the  annals  of  Bethany,  are 
spoken  of  in  the  chapter  on  Dyberry  township. 

Hotels  and  Post-Office. — The  establish- 
ment of  a  private  "  Post  "  between  Bethany 
and  Stroudsburg,  the  nearest  post-office,  in  De- 
cember, 1802,  has  already  been  referred  to. 
This  mail  service,  commenced  in  the  middle  of 
winter,  when  the  deep  snows  concealed  all 
traces  of  the  rude  roads,  and  the  dangers  of 
travel  were  increased  by  the  hungry  wild  beasts 
that  everywhere  abounded,  was  a  marked  and 
expensive  enterprise  for  those  days,  but  one 
that  conferred  great  benefit  on  the  projectors 
and  their  neighbors.     When   John    Bishop  ar- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


rived  with  his  first  little  bag  of  letters  and 
papers,  lie  was  met  by  half  the  sparse  inhabit- 
ants of  the  little  village  and  was  the  hero  of 
the  occasion.  Under  the  contractors,  Jesse 
Walker  and  others,  he  carried  the  mails  for 
several  years,  until  the  "Post"  was  succeeded 
by  a  regularly  established  office.  About  the 
1st  iif  June,  1811,  a  regular  office  was  located 
at  Bethany,  and  once  a  week  the  mails  were 
distributed  at  the  store  of  Solomon  Moore,  who 
was  the  firsl  post  master.  This  mail  came  from 
Wilkes-Barre,  by  the  way  of  Mount  Pleasant, 
and  returned  through  Milford,  Paupack  and 
Cobb's  Gap.  Subsequently  the  mail  service 
was  increased  and  a  succession  of  "expedi- 
tions "  have  given  the  village  the  daily  mail  it 
now  has.  Among  those  who  have  been  post- 
masters are  Eliphalet  Kellogg,  John  A.  Gustin, 
E.  \V.  Hamlin,  Robert  Lancaster,  William 
Ketehem  and  Walter  W.  Weston. 

The  first  licensed  house  of  public  eutertain- 
j'ment  in  Bethany  was  that  of  John  Bunting, 
who  obtained  the  necessary  papers  in  Decem- 

I'ber,  1805.  In  May  following  Jason  Torrey 
took  out  a  license  and  during  the  session  of  the 
courts  that  then  ensued,  he  entertained  between 
sixty  and  seventy  guests.  In  1807  John  Bunt- 
ing sold  out  his  goods  at  public  sale  and  moved 
to  Aldenville,  where  he  remained  the  rest  of 
his  life.  For  a  while  the  hotel  stood  vacant, 
and  then  Joseph  Miller  opened  what  was  known 
as  the  "  Yellow  Tavern  House,"  for  years  a 
noted  hostelry.  Mr.  Miller  sold  to  Colonel 
Asa  Stanton,  and  he,  in  turn,  was  succeeded  by 
Eliphalet  Kellogg,  who  refitted  the  place  and 
painted  it  yellow  about  1814  or  1815.  This 
old  hotel  was  standing  in  1845,  and  before  it 
swung  the  same  old  red  sign  bearing  Masonic- 
emblems  that  had  invited  the  traveler  for  many 
years. 

It  was  in  this  old  hotel  that  the  Bethany 
Masonic  Lodge  was  instituted  about  August, 
1816.  It  was  known  to  the  craft  as  "  Freedom 
Lodge,  No.  I  17."  Its  membership  was  large 
and  persons  came  from  places  as  re te  as  Mil- 
lord  to  attend  the  meetings.  These  were  held 
on  Tuesday  evening,  "  from  five  till  nine  o'clock 
from  September  ye  25th  to  March  ye  25th; 
and  from  six  o'clock  to  ten  o'clock  from  March 


ye  25th  till  September  ye  25th."  The  initia- 
tion fee  was  sixteen  dollars,  and  from  a  receipt 
for  dues  dated  October  16,  1826,  it  seems  that 
at  that  time  Abisha  Woodward  was   treasurer. 

In  1819  (Auno  Lucis  5819)  a  Masonic  work 
gives  some  of  the  officeivs  as  follows  :  Beujamin 
Raymond,  W.  M.  ;  George  Spangenberg,  S.  YV.; 
Jacob  S.  Davis,  Secretary ;  Robert  Beardslee, 
Treasurer.  The  members  mentioned  were 
Thomas  Spangenberg,  Eliphalet  Kellogg,  Mat- 
thias Keen,  William  R.  Walker,  Abisha  Wood- 
ward, Charles  Stanton,  Benjamin  King  and 
Jeremiah  Bennett.  After  Honesdale  had  grown 
up  and  the  courts  been  established  there,  the 
membership  of  this  lodge,  like  that  of  St. 
Tammany's,  became  so  reduced  that  it  was  given 
up,  and  the  records  and  jewels  were  removed 
to  the  new  lodge  at  the  county-seat,  where  they 
were  destroyed  in  the  great  fire. 

Schools  A.ND  Chubchbs. — It  has  already 
been  noted  that  in  1803  the  first  school  was 
started  in  Bethany.  This  venture  was  made  by 
Esquire  John  Bunting  and  Jason  Torrey,  who 
engaged  a  teacher  on  their  own  responsibility. 
Other  parents  were  charged  a  tuition  fee  of  two 
dollars  a  quarter  for  each  child  sent,  and  the 
deficiency,  if  there  was  one,  in  the  teacher's  sala- 
ry was  paid  by  the  originator  of  the  plan.  It 
was  thus  by  private  effort  that  a  school  was 
maintained,  for  a  part  of  each  year  at  least,  in 
the  old  log  school-house,  until  1809,  when  a 
substantial  frame  building  was  erected  by  pri- 
vate subscription,  and  the  work  continued  much 
as  before.  Among  the  teachers  who  served  iu 
the  frame  school-house  were  Ephraim  Dimmick 
and  Ephraim  Torrey. 

The  act  of  the  Legislature  incorporating 
Beech  Woods  Academy,  and  appropriating  one 
thousand  dollars  on  the  condition  that  a  like  sum 
was  raised  by  the  people,  was  passed  in  1813, 
but  it  was  several  years  before  the  conditions 
were  complied  with  and  the  people  availed  them- 
selves of  the  gift.  Meanwhile  Amzi  Fuller,  who 
afterwards  became  a  man  of  much  distinction, 
come  to  Bethany  and  taught  in  the  frame  school- 
house.  In  1816  the  State  appropriation  was 
secured,  and  the  Leech  Woods  Academy  was 
erected  on  the  school-lots  that  had  been  set  apart 
for    the    purpose   by    the    county   trustees,  and 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


transferred  to  Jason  Torrey,  Abisha  Woodward 
and  Isaac  Dimmick.  The  walls  of  a  brick 
building  were  erected  to  the  height  of  the  first 
story  that  year,  but  the  academy  was  not  ready 
for  occupancy  until  the  winter  of  1820,  when 
Ephraiin  Torrey  was  selected  as  the  first  princi- 
pal. The  academy  was  a  substantial  brick  build- 
ing, two  stories  high,  and  accommodated  two 
grades  of  pupils.  Although  the  course  of  study 
was  not  extended,  it  was  thorough  and  practical, 
and  a  number  of  men  who  afterwards  rose  to 
distinction  were  among  the  pupils  of  the  next 
few  years.  Thomas  Fuller,  a  brother  of  Amzi, 
before  mentioned,  taught  it  about  1824;  and  in 
1826  or  1827  L.  C.  Judson,  the  father  of"  Ned 
Buntline,"  the  well-known  writer  of  adventur- 
ous tales,  was  principal. 

After  the  removal  of  the  county-seat  to 
Honesdale,  in  1841,  the  court-house  was  used 
as  an  academy  until  1848,  when  the  Legisla- 
ture chartered  the  University  of  North  Penn- 
sylvania. An  immediate  enlargement  of  the 
building  followed.  It  was  ready  for  occupancy 
on  the  2d  of  December,  1850,  at  which  time  an 
advertisement  of  the  trustees  announced  that  the 
main  building  w7ould  accommodate  from  one 
hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  students.  It 
comprised  two  large  study-rooms,  three  recita- 
tion-rooms and  a  handsome  recess  for  library  and 
apparatus.  The  sleeping-rooms  accommodated 
eight  students  each,  and  the  entire  building  was 
heated  by  Culver's  patent  hot-air  furnaces.  Four 
teachers  were  employed,  and  there  were  eighty 
pupils  the  first  term.  E.  Curtis,  a  graduate  of 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  was 
the  first  principal  in  the  new  building,  and  J. 
F.  Stoddard,  professor  of  mathematics  and  nat- 
ural and  moral  science  at  Liberty  Normal 
School,  was  announced  to  deliver  a  course  of 
lectures  during  the  term.  The  trustees  of  the 
university  at  this  time  were  as  follows :  Hon. 
N.  B.  Eldrcd,  chairman  ;  P.  G.  Goodrich,  sec- 
retary ;  Dr.  Otis  Avery,  Hon.  Pope  Bushnell, 
Hon.  James  Manning,  Hon.  Paul  S.  Preston, 
Rev.  E.  O.  Ward,  Dr.  Urial  Wright,  John  M. 
Mcintosh,  Earl  Wheeler,  Esq.,  Phineas  Arnold, 
Dr.  Harrison  Gregory,  Annoy  Prescott,  Orin 
Hall,  Ira  Vadakin,  Osbora  ( )1  instead,  Henry 
Jennings,   Richard  Webb,   Rev.  Henry  Curtis, 


1).  W.  Church,  William  R.  Stone,  R.  F.  Lord, 
Rev.  W.  Richardson,  John  Sloan,  R.  L.  Seely 
and  I).  S.  West. 

The  next  year  Professor  Stoddard  was  elected 
principal,  and  the  institution  was  patronized  In- 
over  two  hundred  students,  giving  a  great  im- 
petus to  the  cause  of  education  in  the  entire 
vicinity.  Then,  for  a  time,  the  university  was 
managed  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
The  institution  got  into  debt,  and  on  November 
28,1856,all  the  real  estate  was  sold  bythe  sher- 
iff to  E.  W.  Hamlin,  who  bought  for  Professor 
Stoddard.  The  latter  put  the  buildings  in  ex- 
cellent repair,  and  reopened  it  as  a  private  school 
in  the  following  Bpring.  On  April  IS,  1857, 
the  building  was  burned  to  the  ground,  entail- 
ing a  loss  of  six  thousand  dollars,  only  one-half 
of  which  was  covered  by  insurance.  Professor 
Stoddard  reopened  his  school  in  the  Baptist 
Church  edifice,  but  soon  after  abandoned  the 
enterprise  and  generously  gave  the  fire-proof 
building  to  the  borough,  to  be  used  as  a  public 
school. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church.1 — <  >n 
the  town  plot  of  Bethany  three  lots  were  set 
aside  and  designated  as  "  the  church  lots." 
They  were  not  sold  by  the  trustees  in  whom  the 
title  to  the  Drinker  grant  was  vested,  but  by 
them  were  conveyed  to  the  county  commissioners, 
together  with  the  county  property  and  the  un- 
sold residue  of  the  nine  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine  acres  donated  for  the  town  of  Bethany. 
On  the  10th  day  of  September,  1810,  the  county 
commissioners  conveyed  these  three  lots  tn 
Jason  Torrey,  Abisha  Woodward  and  Isaac 
Dimmick  as  trustees.  "To  be  held  by  said 
trustees  as  a  site  for  erecting  thereon  a  house  for 
divine  worship,  for  the  use  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Town  of  Bethany,  or  such  of  said  in- 
habitants who,  together  with  other  inhabitants 
in  the  vicinity,  shall  associate  for  the  purpose 
of  erecting,  and  shall  erect  thereon,  a  church  or 
meeting-house  for  publick  Divine  Worship,  and 
a  burying-ground  for  the  use  of  the  inhabitants 
aforesaid."  Thus,  coeval  with  the  organization 
of  the  town,  was  provision  made  for  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  its  people,  and   there  was  then   due 


by  Rev.  Elias  ( 


50(1 


WAYNE.   PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


recognition  of  the  necessity  for  more  than  tem- 
poral prosperity. 

The  ground  thus  set  apart  as  "  God's  Acre  " 
was  soon  hallowed  by  human  clay,  but  beyond 
the  interment  elsewhere  referred  to,  the  purpose 
for  which  it  was  set  aside  was  not  achieved 
until  some  years  afterwards. 

During-  the  same  year  the  first  religious  meet- 
ing was  held  in  the  town,  and  the  first  sermon 
was  preached. 

Early  in  1805  the  inhabitants  were  favored 
with  occasional  preaching  by  missionaries  and 
other  ministers  of  the  Methodist,  Baptist,  Pres- 
byterian and  Congregational  Churches,  and  the 
seed  was  sown  that  afterward  bore  much  fruit ; 
but  few  seemed  interested,  the  Sabbath  was 
openly  disregarded  and  profaned,  and  vice  pre- 
vailed to  an  alarming  extent.  In  180G  and 
1807  Elder  Peck,  of  Mount  Pleasant,  visited 
Bethany  regularly  once  a  month,  and  in  Janu- 
ary, 1  809,  under  his  ministration,  the  sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered  for  the 
first  time  in  the  town.  This  service  was  held 
at  the  house  of  Jason  Torrey.  Other  services, 
the  details  of  which  are  given  in  the  history  of 
the  churches  under  whose  auspices  they  took 
place,  followed,  ami  there  was  a  better  religious 
atmosphere  in  the  town. 

In  May,  1812,  Rev.  Worthington  Wright,  a 
Congregational  missionary  from  Connecticut, 
came  into  Wayne  County  and  preached  at  differ- 
ent settlements.  After  he  had  labored  for  a  few 
months,  it  was  proposed  that  he  become  settled  as 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  Societies  of  Salem, 
Palmyra,  Dyberry  and  Canaan,  for  a  period  of 
four  years,  dividing  at  least  one-half  his  time  be- 
tween these  towns,  and  devoting  the  other  half 
to  labors  in  destitute  portions  of  the  county. 
Subscriptions  were  accordingly  circulated  for  Mr. 
Wright's  support,  and  the  result  was  communi- 
cated to  a  meeting  of  the  subscribers  on  Decem- 
ber 22,  1812. 

Residents  of  Dyberry  had  subscribed  $162  ; 
of  Salem,  $42.50;  of  Palmyra,  $25;  of  Ca- 
naan, $27.50,— in  all,  $257,  a  fund  ample  for 
the  purpose. 

The  sums  which  were  variously  subscribed 
by  residents  of  Bethany  and  vicinity  were  as  fol- 
lows : 


Jason  Torrey $21) 

E.  Kellogg 15 

Isaac  Diinmick 10 

Solomon  Moore 8 

Randall  Wilmot.: 2 

Benj.  Doughty 2 

Ephraim  Dimmit*  ...  5 

Charles  Hole 5 

Caleb  Hole 2 

Amos  Polly 2 

Peter  Smith 2 

David  Wilder 4 

Ephraim  Torrey 5 

Abisha  Woodward....  10 

Isaac  Seaman 2 


R.  Beardslee 2 

John  Woodward 5 

A  Ion.  Stryker 5 

Jacob  Schenk 2 

Enos  Woodward 2 

Timothy  Gustin 4 

Thomas  Lindsay 2 

Lewis  Collins 10 

Isaac  Brink 2 

Aaron  French 1 

Moses  Sampson 1 

Stephen  Kimble 2 

Walter  Kimble 0 

Benj.  Kimble 2 

Charles  Kimble 2 

Aug.  Collins 2 


Total  . 


.*102 


Oeorge  Seely  &  Bro. .  8 

Sylvanus  Seely 6 

Isaac  Oakly 2 

Cooper  Osborn 2  | 

Those  in  Palmyra  were, — 


Hcz.  Bingham 5      Jos.  Atkinson 2 

John  Pellet 4     Jonathan  Brink 1 

Eph.  Kimble 4     Simeon  Ansley 8 

Leonard  Labar 2 

Oeorge  Labar 2  Total $25 

Robert  Rupett 2  | 

In  Canaan, — 

Thos.  Starkweather.. .5.00 

Asa  Stanton 3.00 

Charles  Stanton 1.00 

James  Carr 1.00 

Silas  Woodward 1.00 

Jesse  Morgan 2.00 

Conrad  Swingle 4.00 

In  Salem, — 
Jos.  Woodbridge  ...$10.00 

Seth  Goodrich 0.00 

A.  Woodbridge 0.00 

Jesse  Miller 3.00 

Wm.  Woodbridge...  5.00 

Elijah  Weston 3.00 


Oeorge  Morgan 1.00 

John  Folia 5.00 

George  Rix 3  00 

Samuel  Davis 50 

Fred.  Swingle 1.00 


Total. 


..s-.J7.5u 


Wm.HoIlister.. 
Ashbel  Miller... 
Henry  Stevens. 
Heury  Harmcn 

Total 


3.00 
2.50 
3.00 

1.00 


In  these  subscriptions  it  was  conditional  that 
Mr.  Wright  should  reside  in  Bethany  or  Dy- 
berry township,  and  the  Salem  subscribers  ex- 
pressed a  willingness  to  double  their  subscrip- 
tions of  $42.50  if  he  would  make  that  township 
his  home.  The  following  resolution  was  passed 
by  the  meeting  : 

"  Wliereas,  It  appears  from  the  subscriptions  pro- 
duced that  a  sum  has  been  pledged  adequate  to  the 
object  of  procuring  the  settlement  of  Mr.  Wright; 
therefore  be  it 

"  Resolved,  that  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  to 
address  the  Connecticut  Missionary   Society  on  the 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


501 


subject,  and  to  aegotiate  with  Mr.  Wright  in  relation 
(il  his  proposed  settlement." 

The  committee  consisted  of  Jason  Torrey,  of 
Bethany  ;  Dr.  Lewis  Collins,  of  Cherry  Ridge  ; 
Joseph  Woodbridge,  of  Salem;  and  Asa  Stanton, 
of  Canaan.  On  the  following  day  Mr.  Wright 
accepted  the  invitation  conditionally  to  the  con- 
sent of  the  Missionary  Society,  and  this  was 
given.  His  installation  took  place  May  26, 
18 13,  the  services  being  held  in  the  court-house  at 
Bethany,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  assemblage. 
He  took  up  his  residence  in  Bethany  and  served 
the  congregations  in  his  charge  for  two  years, 
during  which  time  he  purchased  lot  No.  Ill, 
where  Mrs.  Groff  afterward  lived,  and  erected  a 
dwelling.  He  also  contracted  for  sixty-four 
acres  of  land,  now  included  in  the  Charles  G. 
Reed  farm,  and  commenced  an  improvement. 
In  1815  his  wife  died,  and  as  his  eye-sight  had 
begun  to  fail,  he  resigned  his  charge,  relin- 
quished the  ministry  and  left  the  county. 

During  the  three  years  following,  the  church 
was  without  a  pastor,  and  the  services  were  de- 
sultory, depending  upon  the  advent  of  some 
missionary  from  adjacent  stations.  The  desire 
for  regular  services  did  not  die  out,  how- 
ever, and  in  1817  two  hundred  and  eighty-eight 
dollars  was  subscribed  as  an  annual  contribu- 
tion to  secure  the  services  of  Rev.  Gresham 
Williams,  then  of  Springfield,  N.  J.  The 
negotiations  fell  through,  notwithstanding  the 
anxiety  of  the  people  for  a  settled  minister.  In 
1818  the  Sabbath-school,  elsewhere  spokeu  of, 
was  established,  and  a  week  later,  on  the  26th 
of  July,  Rev.  Thomas  Camp,  a  missionary  of 
the  Presbyterian  General  Assembly,  commenced 
preaching  at  Bethany  and  holding  social  meet- 
ings during  the  week.  His  labors  brought  about 
a  religious  revival,  and  Rev.  Gideou  N.  Judd 
came  to  assist  him.  The  people  became  much 
attached  to  Mr.  Camp,  and  in  September  a  sub- 
scription was  circulated  and  pledges  to  the 
amount  of  four  hundred  dollars  were  secured 
for  two-thirds  of  his  time.  This  subscription 
was  so  worded  that  it  seemed  to  imply  an  in- 
dependence from  all  ecclesiastical  control,  and 
was  declined  by  Mr.  Camp,  as  injudicious  for 
both  people  and  pastor.  He  strongly  ail  vised 
the  Christians  to  connect  themselves  with  some 


recognized  church  organization.  This  su^vs 
tion  was  acted  upon,  and  after  a  free  discussion 
of  the  form  of  church  government  most  desired, 
it  was  concluded  to  organize  a  Presbyterian 
Church.  On  Tuesday,  September  22,  181 8, 
Rev.  Phineas  Camp,  assisted  by  Deacon  John 
Tyler,  of  the  Congregational  Church  of  Ararat, 
organized  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Bethany, with  the  following  constitutional  mem- 
bers : 

John  Bunnel.  Delia  Gleason. 

Gideon  Langdon.  Nancy  Bunnel. 

Erastus  Gleason.  Mary  Day. 

Virgil  M.  Dibold.  Asuba  Langdon. 

Achsah  Torrey.  Betsy  Hole. 

Sally  Bushnell. 

In  all,  eleven  members, — four  male  and  seven 
female. 

Virgil  M.  Dibold  was  chosen  ruling  elder, 
and,  the  next  day  after  the  sermon,  was  set 
apart  by  prayer   to  the  duties  of  his  office. 

On  the  Thursday  and  Friday  following  still 

safer  fruit  was    born    of  Mr.   Camp's  labors, 


and  the  following  perso 
of  faith  : 


were  received  on  pro- 


Mrs.  R.  Schoonover.  Louisa  Collins. 

Philena  Collins.  Klias  Day. 

Mary  Day.  Pope  Bushnell. 

Abigail  Day.  Nancy  Blandin. 

Polly  Wilmot,  Jason  Torrey. 

Lidia  Mussey.  Spencer  Blandin. 

Ephraim  Torrey,  Jr.  James  Houghton. 

Christianna  (  r.   Kaatz.  William  Torrey. 

Betsy  S.  Raymond. 

Mrs.  Irene  Gleason  was  admitted  to  fellow- 
ship by  a  letter  from  Harmon,  N.  J.,  making 
iu  all  twenty-nine  members,  to  whom  the 
Lord's  Supper  was  administered  on  the  follow- 
ing Sabbath,  in  the  court-house,  in  the  presence 
of  a  large  audience.  Mr.  Camp  departed  the 
next  day,  and  for  nearly  a  year  the  infant 
church  was  left  without  other  ministrations 
than  those  of  an  occasional  visiting  preacher. 

On  the  5th  of  June,  1819,  Messrs.  Loring 
Parsons,  Jason  Torrey  and  Pope  Bushnell  were 
chosen  as  ruling  elders,  and  on  the  following 
Sabbath,  Loring  Parsons  and  Betsy,  his  wife, 
Thomas  S.  McLaughy  and  Margaret,  his  wife, 
Lorenzo  Collins,  Olive  Woodward,  Mary  Kel- 
logg, Frelena  Brooks,  Eli  Henshaw  and  Abi- 


502 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


gail,  his  wife,  and  Lucy  Ross  were  admitted 
on  profession  of  faith.  Thus,  without  a  settled 
minister,  this  church  in  the  wilderness  gradually 
increased  in  numbers  and  gained  the  confidence 
of  the  community.  At  this  time  it  had  forty 
members. 

As  yet  the  church  had  not  been  formally  or- 
ganized and  placed  in  the  care  of  any  Presby- 
tery, and  at  a  meeting  on  the  4th  of  September, 
1819,  a  few  clays  short  of  one  year  after  the 
organization  of  the  church,  a  committee,  com- 
posed of  Gideon  Langdon,  Pope  Bushuell  and 
Erastus  Gleason,  was  appointed  at  a  congrega- 
tional meeting  to  prosecute  a  call  to  Rev.  Gres- 
ham  Williams  and  Jason  Torrey,  Virgil  M. 
Dibold,  Pope  Bushuell,  Jacob  S.  Davis  and 
Amzi  Fuller  were  selected  to  prepare  articles  of 
association. 

On  the  10th  of  September  in  the  same  year 
the  session,  with  the  moderator  of  the  Hudson 
Presbytery,  presented  an  application  to  place 
the  church  under  the  care  of  that  body,  and  it 
was  duly  received.  Mr.  Williams  accepted  the 
call  and  was  installed  as  pastor  on  the  26th  of 
February,  1820.  His  salary  was  six  hundred 
dollars  per  annum  and  two-thirds  of  his  time 
was  to  be  devoted  to  the  Bethany  Church,  and 
the  remaining  third  to  that  of  Mt.  Pleasant. 
In  May  following  the  first  trustees  of  the 
Bethany  Church  were  chosen.  They  were  Ben- 
jamin Jenkins,  Solomon  Moore,  Jason  Torrey, 
Pope  Bushnell  and  Stephen  Day.  Mr.  Wil- 
liams remained  pastor  a  year  and  a  half,  during 
vrhich  time  the  membership  of  the  church  in- 
creased to  sixty-one.  At  the  expiration  of  this 
period  the  relations  were  dissolved  and  the 
church  was  once  more  without  a  minister  until 
1824. 

Up  to  this  time  the  desire  for  a  church  edifice 
had  been  freely  expressed,  though  it  had  not  been 
deemed  advisable  to  attempt  to  realize  it.  During 
the  next  two  years  the  subject  was  more  fully 
agitated,  and  in  1822  a  meeting  was  called  to 
take  definite  steps  in  the  matter.  Committees 
to  confer  for  the  site  of  the  church-lots,  to  circu- 
late subscriptions  and  to  obtain  plans  for  the 
proposed  edifice  were  appointed,  and  subsequent- 
ly reported  favorably.  Tn  January,  1823,  it 
was  reported  that  the  subscriptions  amounted  to 


two  thousand  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  dol- 
lars, principally  in  labor  and  materials,  and 
that  more  could  be  relied  on  when  the  paper 
had  been  more  completely  circulated  ;  that  a 
conference  had  been  held  with  the  leading  spir- 
its of  the  Baptist  and  Methodist  Churches,  and 
that  those  congregations  were  willing  to  relin- 
quish their  claim  to  the  church  lots  for  a  price 
to  be  fixed  by  arbitration.  Subsequently  Amzi 
Fuller,  James  Manning  and  Jacob  S.  Davis, 
none  of  them  members  of  any  of  the  denomina- 
tions concerned,  fixed  the  value  of  the  lots  at 
fifty  dollars  each,  and  this  arbitrament  was  ac- 
cepted, it  being  stipulated  that  the  Presbyterian 
Church  organization  should  pay  to  each  of  the 
other  congregations  fifty  dollars  when  the  latter 
desired  to  build  a  church  edifice.  Thus  the 
front  part  of  the  church  lots  came  iuto  the  pos- 
session of  the  Presbyterian  Church  while  the 
rear  half  was  leased  as  a  public  burying- 
ground.  The  amount  due  the  Methodist  soci- 
ety was  paid  by  Jason  Torrey,  individually,  in 
November,  1836,  and  that  due  the  Baptists 
raised  by  subscriptions  in  1841. 

The  framing  of  the  church  was  raised  on  the 
19th  and  20th  of  August,  1823,  but  the  exte- 
rior of  the  edifice  was  not  completed  for  several 
years. 

In  the  spring  of  1824,  aided  by  the  Domestic 
Missionary  Society  of  New  York,  the  congrega- 
tion engaged  Rev.  Daniel  Young  to  preach  one 
year.  His  health  failed  and  he  was  not  able  to 
remain  but  a  few  months,  so  that  in  October 
Rev.  E.  W.  Goodman  was  secured.  As  Bap- 
tists and  Methodists  each  had  preachiug  regu- 
larly once  in  two  weeks,  it  was  difficult  to  ar- 
range the  hours  of  service,  and  in  1825  a  tem- 
porary floor  and  seats  were  put  in  the  meeting- 
house, so  that  it  could  be  used  in  warm  weather, 
and  the  second  story  of  the  academy  building 
was  fitted  for  occupation  in  the  winter.  Subse- 
quently the  second  story  of  the  fire-proof  build- 
ing was  similarly  arranged.  During  the  pas- 
torate of  Mr.  Goodman  the  church  was  sadly 
distracted  by  internal  feuds  and  cases  of  discip- 
line, although  some  additions  were  made  to  its 
membership.  During  his  term  the  charter  of 
the  church  was  granted,  the  articles  of  asso- 
ciation having  remained  for  nearly  five  years  in 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


503 


Philadelphia  awaiting  the  approval  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  after  they  had  been  adopted  by 
the  congregation.  Mr.  Goodman's  term  ex- 
pired in  May,  1827,  and  hits  engagement  was 
not  renewed.  Soon  after  his  removal  Mr.  Joel 
Campbell,  a  theological  student  at  Auburn,  vis- 
ited the  church  and  remained  four  weeks,  and 
in  October  following,  when  be  had  been  licensed, 
he  was  engaged  as  stated  supply.  He  was  in- 
stalled as  pastor  in  December.  In  February, 
1821),  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Houesdale 
was  organized,  and  he  divided  his  labors  be- 
tween the  two  charges  until  1830,  when  he  was 
installed  as  pastor  of  the  latter  church.  In  1831 
Rev.  Lyman  Richardson  commenced  labors  in 
Bethany  as  a  stated  supply  and  continued  a  year. 
The  church  was  then  without  a  minister  until 
July,  1835,  when  Rev.  Alfred  Ketchum  was 
engaged.  He  was  stated  supply  until  Septem- 
ber, when  his  installation  took  place. 

The  first  effort  to  raise  funds  to  complete  the 
church  edifice  had  failed,  and  a  congregational 
meeting  was  called  to  consider  the  matter.  A 
subscription  that  should  be  obligatory  when  the 
sum  amounted  to  one  thousand  dollars  was  cir- 
culated and,  at  a  meeting  in  December,  1835, 
the  deficiency  of  sixty-four  dollars  was  made  up 
by  additional  contributions.  The  building  was 
at  once  completed  and  the  dedication  took  place 
December  27,  1836.  The  cost  up  to  this  time 
was  $3560.61.  The  first  pew-rental  took  place 
February  11,  1839,  and  the  amount  realized 
was  two  hundred  and  thirty-six  dollars.  Mr. 
Ketchum's  pastorate  ended  in  September,  1838, 
and  in  February,  1841),  Rev.  William  Toby  be- 
came stated  supply,  remaining  until  1810.  Rev. 
Jeremiah  Miller  was  then  called,  but  was  never 
installed  as  pastor.  He  remained  supiply  until 
1844.  Rev.  Seth  Williston  next  supplied  the 
pulpit,  until  June,  1845,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  J.  J.  Slocum,  who  remained  until  January 
1 ,  1 847.  Rev.  John  Male  then  filled  the  pulpit 
for  three  months,  after  which  it  was  vacant  until 
Rev.  Albert  Worthington  commenced  his  labors, 
in  1850.  Rev.  William  S.  Smith  succeeded 
him  in  1852,  and  was  stated  supply  for  three 
months.  On  October  1,  1853,  the  present  pas- 
tor, Rev.  Elias  O.  Ward,  was  called,  and  under 
his  ministrations  the  church  lias  triowu   both  in 


strength  and  grace.  Id  185  4,  and  again  in 
1872,  the  church  edifice  was  repaired  and  reno- 
vated. Fine  trees  have  been  set  out  and  the 
property  enclosed.  The  number  on  the  church 
rolls  is  over  three  hundred  and  fifty  names,  and 
the  present  membership  is  about  eighty.  The 
following  persons  have  been  ruling  elders  since 
the  organization  of  the  church  : 

Virgil  M.  Dibol.  Jason  Torrey. 

Pope  Bushnell.  Loring  Parsons. 

Thos.  S.  McLaughy.  Augustus  Collins. 

Eli  Henshaw.  Ephraim  Dimmick. 

Samuel  Bartlett.  Solomon  Langdon. 

Nathan  Kellogg.  Elijah  D.  Bunnell. 

Ethel  Reed.  Edwin  S.  Day. 

Joseph  Bodie.  .lames  B.  Ward. 

Luther  C.  Fuller.  Sumner  K.  Isham. 

John  Sipperl.  Dinglet  Henshaw. 
Theodore  Day. 

Rev.  Elias  ( ).  Ward,  who,  for  nearly  a  half 
century  has  been  a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  for  the  past  thirty-three  years 
pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Bethany,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Chatham,  Morris 
County,  N.  J.,  February  5,  1810.  He  removed 
with  his  parents  from  Chatham  to  Bethany  in 
1825,  and  for  a  few  years  worked  there  at  the 
trade  of  a  hatter.  Early  religious  influences  im- 
pressed him,  and  in  1832  he  began  studying  for 
the  ministry  with  Rev.  Preston  Richardson,  of 
Harford,  Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  under  whose 
tutorship  he  was  prepared  for  college,  and 
entered  the  second  term  of  the  Freshmen  ( 'lass 
at  Hamilton,  in  1834.  He  was  graduated  from 
this  institution  in  the  Class  of  1838,  and  in 
September  of  the  same  year  entered  the  The- 
ological Seminary  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  after  the  usual  course 
of  three  years  study.  On  September  16,  1841, 
he  was  licensed  to  preach  at  Great  Bend,  and 
four  days  thereafter  preached  his  first  sermon  at 
Harford,  where  he  had  begun  his  studies  nine 
years  before.  On  October  4th  following  he 
preached  as  a  candidate  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Dundaff,  was  accepted,  and  remained 
as  pastor  of  that  church  for  twelve  years. 
During  his  incumbency  as  pastor  he  labored 
faithfully  in  every  good  work  in  the  interest  of 
the  church,  and  soughi  to  promote  and  foster 
Christian  unity.       He   saw   his    labors  success- 


:><M 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


fully  crowned  by  many  and   frequent 
to  the  church  rolls,  together  with  a  general  reli- 
gious sentiment  in  the  community. 

With  the  beginning  of  his  ministry  began 
also  his  married  life,  for,  on  October  14th  of 
the  same  year  he  married  Fmeline  Amy, 
daughter  of  Eliab  and  Jemima  Farrar,  of  Har- 
ford, whose  parents  were  from  Massachusetts, 
and  both  died  at  Harford. 

For   forty-five  years   Mrs.  Ward  has  shared 


head  of  the  Sunday-school,  and  as  its  superin- 
tendent, has  so  led  the  youth  of  the  vicinity  in 
Bible  instruction,  as  to  make  the  school  the 
true  feeder  of  the  church.  Nor  have  his  labors 
been  confined  to  the  church  and  Sunday-school 
at  Bethany,  for  he  has,  through  a  long  series 
of  years  been  active  in  establishing  and  keeping 
up  Sunday-schools  in  neighborhoods  outside 
of  Bethany,  where  his  labors  have  also  beeu 
largely  successful.   For  many  years  he  has  been 


<&*<°  ^%^o 


with  him  the  loyalty  and  devotion  of  the  church, 
and  bore  up  his  hands  in  time  of  depression. 
She  is  a  woman  of  high  Christian  character,  in 
full  sympathy  with  all  religious  work,  and  the 
helps  and  hospitality  requisite  to  make  a  pastor's 
home  the  welcome  place  for  all. 

In  1853,  having  closed  his  labors  with  the 
church  at  Dundaff,  he  was  settled  with  the  church 
at  Bethany,  where  he  lias  remained  faithful  to  his 
trust  until  the  present  time  (1886.)  I  hiring 
this  long  period  as   pastor  he   has   beeu  at  the 


officially  and  otherwise  identified  with  the 
Wayne  County  Bible  Society.  Rev.  Mr.  Ward's 
name  is  probably  more  familiar  in  Wayne  and 
adjoining  counties  than  almost  any  other  min- 
ister of  the  gospel,  from  the  fact,  (hat  during  his 
long  sojourn  in  Bethany  his  acquaintance  has 
obtained  a  wide  range,  and  during  his  ministry 
he  has  joined  in  wedlock  some  four  hundred  and 
thirty  couple,-,  and  been  called  upon  to  bury 
four  hundred  and  sixty  persons. 

lie  has  taken  an  active    interest    in   school- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


5(15 


work,  and  for  a  little  over  six  years  served  as 
school  superintendent  of  Wayne  County.  His 
proficiency  in  this  capacity  is  well  known,  and 
has  worked  inestimable  benefit  to  the  schools  of 
the  county. 

His  father,  Moses  Ward  (1784-1867),  and 
mother,  Jane  (1790-1871 ),  daughter  of  Stephen 
and  Mary  (Bonnel)  Day,  were  both  natives  of 
New  Jersey,  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  their  remains  rest  in  the  cemetery 
at  Bethany.  Moses  Ward  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  was  engaged  in  building  the  Gravity 
Railroad,  and  was  in  the  employ  of  that  corpor- 
ation the  remainder  of  his  active  life.  His 
maternal  grandparents  settled  oil  Dyberry  Creek, 
in  Dyberry  township,  in  1816.  A  sketch  of  them 
may  be  found  in  another  part  of  this  volume. 

The  other  children  of  Moses  and  Jane  Ward 
were  Stephen  1).  (1818-74),  clerk  and  cashier 
in  the  Honesdale  National  Bank  for  many 
years;  Mary  Budd  (1811-33),  was  the  mother 
of  the  late  Mrs.  Thaddeus  Fitch,  of  Honesdale. 
The  children  of  Rev.  Elias  O.  and  Enieline 
Amy  Ward  are  Stephen  Day,  served  in  the  late 
Civil  War  in  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  was  iu 
the  Peninsular  campaign  with  McClellan,  and 
in  the  battles  of  Chaucellorsville  aud  Second 
Bull  Run.  He  died  soon  after  the  latter  battle 
at  Fairfax  Seminary  Hospital,  Va.,  September 
8,  1862,  aged  twenty  years  and  eight  days. 
Edward  Oscar  married  Alice,  daughter  of  Hon. 
A.  B.  Gammell,  and  is  a  merchant  at  Bethany, 
and  Mary  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  liwd 
Burns,  of  Honesdale,  Pa. 

The  Bethany  Baptist  Church. — Rev. 
Epaphras  Thompson  was  one  of  the  earliest 
Baptist  preachers  in  Bethany,  and  as  early  as 
1807  preached  there  occasionally.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  Rev.  Elijah  Peck,  and,  as  has  already 
been  stated,  the  first  communion  took  place 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Baptist  Church.  On 
the  12th  of  December,  1809,  a  meeting  was 
held  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  David  Bunnell,  at 
which  five  persons  were  received  as  candidates 
for  baptism,  and  this  ordinance  was  performed 
the  next  day  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Coleman.  On 
the  following  Sabbath,  Rev.  Jesse  liartwell,  of 
Massachusetts,  preached  twice,  anil,  on  the  fol- 
lowing day,  baptized   Ephraim  Torrey,  the  or- 


dinance being  administered  in  the  Laekawaxen 
Creek,  a  few  rods  below  the  residence  afterward 
occupied  by  Rev.  Henry  Curtis.  In  1810  Mr. 
Peck  again  visited  the  place  and  three  mure 
converts  received  the  ordinance.  Rev.  John 
Lowton,  of  New  York,  while  on  a  tour,  under 
the  patronage  of  the  Hamilton  Missionary  So- 
ciety, preached  twice  at  the  court-house,  in 
Bethany,  in  the  summer  of  1811. 

The  early  converts  united  with  the  Baptist 
Church,  of  Mount  Pleasant,  and  acted  as  a 
branch  of  that  body,  until,  by  the  settlement 
of  several  members  of  the  Palmyra  Church  in 
the  vicinity,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  organ- 
ize a  separate  congregation  at  Bethany.  This 
was  done  on  December  28,  1816,  at  a  meeting 
held  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Isaac  Dimmick,  when 
a  committee  was  appointed  to  draft  a  Covenant 
and  Articles  of  Faith  and  Practice.  The  final 
report  was  made  and  accepted  on  June  8,  1817, 
at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Benjamin  Raymond. 
This  church  was  reorganized  by  a  council,  which 
convened  in  the  court-house  at  Bethany,  June 
17j  1817,  composed  of  delegates  from  Palmyra, 
Abington  and  Mount  Pleasant  Churches,  Rev. 
John  Miller  acting  as  moderator.  Eighteen 
persons  were  then  received.  Other  additions 
followed,  and  the  list  of  constituent  members 
contained  the  following  names  at  the  time  and 
was  entered  in  the  records  : 


Kachel  Jennings. 
Betsy  Jennings. 
Mary  Arnold. 
Hepzibah  Arnold. 
Parthenia  Bunnell. 
Elizabeth  Pullis. 
Eunice  Torrey. 
Sally  Dimmick. 
Jonathan  Jennings. 
William  Purily,  Jr. 
Isaac  Dimmick. 
Conrad  Pullis. 
Ephraim  Torrey. 
David  Arnold. 
Charlotte  Sibley. 
David  Oakley. 
Richard  Briggs. 
Osbom  Olmsted. 
Amy  Purdy. 

Hani. 


( Satherine  Raymond. 
Elvira  Raymond. 
Eleanor  Smith. 
Azubah  G.  Torrey. 
Lavenia  Purdy. 
Eunice  Purdy. 
Elizabeth  Bidwell. 
Violette  Olmsted. 
Deborah  Chamberlain 
Elvira  Brooks. 
Eleanor  Bunnell. 
( 'larissa  Dimmick. 
Eleanor  Nelson. 
Hannah  Thomas. 
Randal]  Wilmot. 
Josiah  Purdy. 
Jonathan  H.  Bidwell. 
Isaac  ( llmsted. 
Rockwell  Bunnell. 


At  a  meeting  held  on   the    11th  of   July  fol- 
lowing,   William    Purdy,   Jr.,     was    appointed 


sot; 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


standing  moderator  and  Ephraim  Torrey  clerk 
of  the  church.  The  church  was  united  with 
the  Alnngton  Association  the  next  autumn,  and 
was  the  first  received  by  that  body.  As  yet 
there  was  no  settled  pastor,  though  services  were 
held  regularly,  and  the  Word  was  preached  by 
occasional  visiting  ministers.  A  call  was  ex- 
tended to  Rev.  JohnSmitzer,  who  assumed  charge 
in  the  fall  of  1821,  dividing  his  labors  between 
the  churches  at  Bethany,  Damascus  and  the 
Canaan  branch  of  the  Mount  Pleasant  congrega- 
tion. Under  his  pastorate,  which  terminated  in 
the  spring  of  1826,  the  church  greatly  enlarged, 
more  than  doubling  its  membership,  though  there 
occurred  some  cases  of  protracted  difficulty, 
and  painful  discipline.  For  the  next  three 
years,  the  church  had  no  settled  pastor,  until 
in  1829  Rev.  Charles  H.  Hubbard  was  called, 
supplying  the  Mt.  Pleasant  church  a  portion  of 
the  time,  and  afterwards  dividing  his  labors 
between  Bethany  and  Damascus.  During  the 
year  1831  there  was  a  great  revival  which  ac- 
complished much.  Mr.  Hubbard  resigned  in 
1832,  and  in  the  fall,  Rev.  Henry  Curtis  as- 
sumed the  pastoral  charge,  remaining  until 
1845.  During  his  ministrations  the  church 
reached  its  culminating  point  in  numerical 
prosperity,  having  two  hundred  and  ten  com- 
municants, and  then,  by  the  formation  of  inde- 
pendent churches  in  the  surrounding  region, 
and  from  other  causes,  a  decline  commenced, 
which  progressed  steadily  until  the  church  was 
extinguished.  When  Mr.  Curtis  retired  there 
wereone  hundred  and  thirty-three  communicants. 
In  1841  the  meeting-house  was  built  at  a 
cost  nf  seventeen  thousand  dollars  and  was  ocu- 
pied  for  the  first  time  in  January,  1842,  its 
dedication  occurring  on  the  18th  of  February,  of 
the  same  year.  Until  this  time  the  meetings 
had  been  held  in  the  fire-proof  building  the 
academy  and  at  private  dwellings.  At  a  re- 
vival that  followed  the  dedication,  the  work 
extended  to  Honesdale  and  resulted  in  the 
formation  of  an  independent  church  there. 
Rev.  M.  M.  Evarts  was  the  next  pastor,  and 
remained  for  two  years,  being  succeeded  by 
Rev.  Andrew  Hopper  in  1847.  The  latter  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  L.  I ,.  Still  in  1850,  and 
closed  his  labors  in  the  spring  of  1852. 


Early  in  1853  Rev.  Henry  Curtis  again  be- 
came pastor  and  remained  for  three  years.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  D.  W.  Halsted.  Several 
other  pastors  served  the  church,  but  it  grew 
weaker  each  year,  and  about  fifteen  years  ago 
regular  services  were  given  up.  At  present  the 
congregation  exists  only  as  a  name. 

The  First  Sunday-School. — At  Beth- 
any was  founded  not  only  the  first  Sabbath- 
school  in  Wayne  County,  but  the  first  in  north- 
eastern Pennsylvania.  In  the  summer  of  1818 
Dr.  Virgil  M.  Dibold  was  returning  from  a 
visit  to  friends  in  Massachusetts  and  spent  the 
Sabbath  at  Florida,  Orange  County,  N.  Y., 
where  he  found  a  Sunday-school  in  opera- 
tion and  became  much  interested  in  its  work. 
Having  studied  carefully  the  plan  on  which  it 
was  conducted,  he  returned  to  Bethany  and 
told  Sheldon  Norton  and  some  other  Christian 
friends  what  he  had  seen.  He  proposed  that 
they,  too,  start  a  Sabbath-school,  and  his  enthu- 
siasm was  such  that  they  acquiesced.  Notice 
was  given  on  Sunday,  July  12,  1818,  that  the 
school  would  be  commenced  in  the  court-house 
on  the  following  Sunday  morning  at  nine 
o'clock.  The  young  people  of  the  village  were 
all  visited  and  asked  to  commit  the  first  ten 
Verses  of  the  fifth  chapter  of  Matthew.  Thirty 
scholars  and  five  or  six  teachers  accepted  the 
invitation  and  Dr.  Dibold  was  chosen  superinten- 
dent. These  early  teachers  were  Sheldon  Nor- 
ton, Josiah  Purdy,  William  and  Ephraim 
Torrey,  Miss  Lydia  Musey  (Mi's.  Dr.  Dwight, 
of  Salem),  and  Miss  Maria  Sanford.  The 
number  of  scholars  soon  increased  to  ninety- 
three.  A  few  months  after  this  Benjamin 
Tilghinan,  of  Philadelphia,  visited  Bethany, 
and,  having  been  detained  over  Sunday,  he  was 
invited  to  visit  the  school  and  inform  himself 
as  to  what  was  being  accomplished.  Through 
his  influence  the  Female  BibleSociety  of  Phila- 
delphia made  a  handsome  donation  of  Bibles 
and  Testaments,  and  Mr.  Tilghmau  supple- 
mented this  with  a  supply  of  hymn-books  and 
tracts. 

During  the  severe  winter  months  the  school 
was  divided  into  three  parts, — one  meeting  at 
the  court-house,  one  at  the  residence  of  Judge 
Woodward,  a  mile  west  of  the  town,  and  one  at 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


507 


the  residence  ofM.  M.  Whitman  (now  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  Sidney  Bushnell).  All  of  these 
were  organized  as  union  schools  and  so  re- 
mained for  more  than  twenty  years,  all  de Li- 
nations  of  Christians  assisting  in  sustaining 
them.  Afterward  separate  Sunday-schools 
were  organized  by  the  Baptist  and  Methodist 
churches,  and  the  original  organization  was  left 
in  charge  of  the  Presbyterians,  ultimately  he- 
coming  incorporated  as  a  branch  of  that  church, 
by  which  it  is  still  maintained. 


time,  and  his  literary  attainments  in  after  years, 
his  general  intelligence,  and  his- ability  in  life's 
pursuits,  all  attest  how  well  he  spent  his  boy- 
hood. 

He  spent  sometime  in  the  store  of  his  broth- 
er Royal,  at  Coventry,  and  was  for  a  time  in 
Brooklyn  and  New  York.  In  1815  he  sought 
a  place  where  he  might  establish  himself  in 
business,  and  with  a  team  laden  with  goods,  he 
set  out  from  his  native  place,  and  found  his  way, 
after  a    tedious  journey,  to   Bethany.      Adding 


JAMKS    MANNIN< 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


JUDGE   JAMES    MANNING. 

Among  those  who  followed  the  pioneers, 
and  subsequently  settled  in  Wayne  County, 
none  were  more  entitled  to  a  niche  in  its 
history  than  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Born 
at  South  Coventry,  Conn.,  April  3,  1792,  where 
education  is  regarded  the  sure  foundation  of  the 
Republic,  he  early  in  life  acquired  more  than 
an  ordinary  education  for  the  young  men  of  his 


to  his  stock  of  goods  bought  in  New  York,  he 
opened  a  store  and  began  a  regular  mercantile 
business,  which  he  continued  successfully  for  a 
period  of  some  twenty  years.  The  field  of 
trade  seemed  not  large  enough  at  first  to  grat- 
ify his  ambition,  and  as  there  were  no  means  of 
communication  with  the  sparsely  settled  people 
of  the  county,  and  Bethany  having  been  made 
the  county-seat  of  Wayne,  he  saw  the  necessity 
of  establishing  a  newspaper,  not  only  to  record 
the  incidents  of  daily  occurrence,  but  also  to 
place  before  its  readers  what  might  be 


r.ns 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


from  the  great  centres  of  trade  and  commerce 
in  the  country,  and  for  the  purpose  of  dissemi- 
nating general  information. 

In  March,  1818,  without  assistance  from 
others,  he  bought  a  printing  press,  and  type, 
and  published  the  first  newspaper — Wayne 
County  Mirror — in  the  County,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  some  time,  and  afterwards  assisted 
his  successors  with  capital  and  in  other  ways  to 
continue  the  paper,  an  account  of  which  may 
be  found  in  the  chapter  on  the  "  Press"  of  the 
county  in  this  volume. 

Mr.  Manning,  upon  settling  in  Bethany,  iden- 
tified himself  with  church  and  Sunday-school 
work,  and  it  is  said  he  was  the  prime  mover  in 
founding  the  first  Sunday-school  in  the  county. 
In  connection  with  Sheldon  Norton,  he  went  to 
New  York  and  purchased  a  library,  and  estab- 
lished a  Sunday-school  at  Bethany,  which  lie 
superintended  for  many  years.  He  was  always 
interested  in  the  cause  of  education,  and  those 
who  remember  him,  say  that  he  found  time  to 
frequently  visit  the  "  Old  Beech  Woods  Acad- 
emy," and  encourage  those  engaged  in  pursuit 
of  an  education.  He  gave  his  children  a  lib- 
eral education,  not  only  at  the  Academy  and 
the  University,  but  he  sent  them  away  to  the 
best  boarding  schools  and  colleges,  and  was 
generous  in  his  support  of  all  interests  tending 
to  improve  the  condition  of  others.  For  several 
years  Mr.  Manning  served  the  county  as  regis- 
ter and  recorder,  and  he  sat  on  the  bench  as  as- 
sociate judge,  where  his  counsel  was  always  on 
the  side  of  justice  and  right,  and  his  opinions 
respected  by  those  associated  with  him.  His 
political  affiliations  were  with  the  old  Whig 
Party,  and,  although  conservative  in  his  opin- 
ion, he  allied  himself  to  the  first  movement  in 
the  formation  of  the  Republican  party,  was  a 
loyal  supporter  of  the  Unjon  cause  during  the 
late  Civil  War,  and  stood  firmly  intrenched  in 
the  justice  and  right  of  the  suppression  of  the 
Rebellion  and  the  abolition  of  slavery.  Judge 
Manning  continued  an  active  business  man,  un- 
til nearly  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
December  20,  1867.  His  parents  were  Calvin 
and  Lydia  (Robertson)  Manning,  who  resided 
at  South  Coventry,  where  they  died. 

His  wife,  Charity  B.  Wilder,  was  born   in 


Coehecton,  Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.,  March  1, 
1804,  and  is  at  the  writing  of  this  sketch  in 
1886,  the  only  surviving  person,  perhaps  save 
one,  who  was  born  of  parents  who  were  among 
the  first  settlers  of  Bethany.  She  retains 
hrrgely  the  faculties  of  mind  and  body  common 
to  persons  younger  in  years  than  herself,  has 
been  a  devoted  wife  and  mother,  and  reared  her 
children  under  Christian  influences.  She  early 
united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  by 
her  religious  zeal  and  high  Christian  character, 
has  retained  her  membership  with  that  church 
since  seventeen  years  of  age, — a  period  of  sixty- 
five  years.  She  is  the  daughter  of  David 
Wilder  (1764-1840)  and  Sophia  Tyler  (1785 
-1824) — the  former  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire— the  latter  a  native  of  Coehecton. 

David  Wilder  removed  to  Bethany  from 
Coehecton,  Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.,  in  ISO.;, 
built  a  house  there  in  ISO!),  and  bought  land 
and  was  a  farmer  until  within  a  short  time  of 
his  death.  His  only  child  that  reached  mature 
years  is  Mrs.  James  Manning.  Her  mother, 
Sophia  Tyler,  was  the  daughter  of  Paul  Tyler 
and  Hester  Brink — the  latter  a  sister  of  Judge 
Brink,  of  Sussex  County,  N.  J.,  and  her  mater- 
nal grandfather,  Paul  Tyler,  was  the  son  of 
Bezaleel  Tyler  and  Sarah  Calkins,  who  came 
from  New  England,  and  were  the  first  settlers 
of  that  name  along  the  Delaware.  The  child- 
ren of  Judge  James  Manning  and  Charity  B. 
Wilder  are  : — Lucy,  widow  of  Oliver  D.  Dun- 
ham, of  Hartford,  James,  of  Bethany,  Sophia, 
widow  of  Z.  W.  Arnold,  of  Clinton  City,  Iowa, 
David,  of  Bethany,  Henry,  of  Keokuk,  Iowa, 
George  S.,  of  Clinton  City,  Maria  F.,  deceased, 
Augusta  M.,  widow  of  Jackson  Woodward,  of 
New  York,  Charity  L.,  wife  of  Clayton  E. 
Sweet,  of  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  and  Mary 
Melissa  Manning,  residing  on  the  homestead 
with  her  mother  at  Bethany. 


HON.  EPHRAIM  W.   HAMLIN. 

Judge  Hamlin  (1803-84)  was  eighth  child  in 
a  family  of  eleven  children  of  Harris  Hamlin 
(1767-1854)  and  Rue  Easton  (1770-1833),  who 
were  natives  of  Connecticut,  left  their  home  in 
Middletown,  that  State,  in  1801,  and   with  five 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


r.iilt 


children  made  their  way  via  Newburg  and 
Carpenter's  Point,  below  Port  Jervis,  to  Mil- 
ford  ;  thence  by  way  of  Shohola,  Blooming 
Grove  and  Palmyra  to  Major  Ansley's  and 
finally  through  the  Seven-Mile  Swamp  to  Little 
Meadows,  in  Salem  township.  They  erected  a 
log  house  in  which  they  resided  until  about 
1808,  when  it  was  supplanted  by  a  framed  one 
— the  first  built  in  that  part  of  the  county. 
Until  lie  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  Eph 


that  age  he  began  a  clerkship  in  his  brother 
Oliver's  store  at  Salem,  where  he  remained  until 
1822,  when  he  went  to  Bethany,  then  the  county- 
seat,  and  engaged  with  Daniel  Baldwin,  his 
brother-in-law,  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  hatter. 
Three  years  later  he  bought  the  shop  and  tools 
of  Mr.  Baldwin  and  began  business  for  himself. 
In  the  following  year,  1826,  he  married  Da- 
maris,  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Mary  (Bonnel) 
Day,  who  had  settled   in    the   township  of  1  >y- 


&K?G>*nU,l 


raim  worked  on  the  home  farm  and  attended 
the  district  school  for  a  few  months  during  the 
winter  season.  He  was  delicate  in  health  while 
young  and  in  consequence  of  this,  unable  to 
avail  himself  of  even  all  the  then  meagre  op- 
portunities for  an  education  from  books,  but 
this  he  partially  made  up  by  study  at  home,  so 
that  on  reaching  manhood  he  had  secured  a  good 
knowledge   of  the   elementary   branches.      At 


berry,  from  Chatham,  N.  J.,  in  1816.  She  was 
born  in  1804  and  resides  in  the  house  in  1886 
where  herself  and  husband  began  house- 
keeping sixty  years  ago,  and  where  their  many 
friends  celebrated  with  them  their  fiftieth  anni- 
versary and  golden  wedding.  Her  hospitality 
through  life,  her  kindness  of  heart,  her  charity 
and  good  works  and  her  identification  with 
moral  influences  aud  religious  work  in  the  com- 


51(1 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


munity  are  numbered  among  her  many  virtues. 
In  L840  Mr.  Hamlin  entered  the  mercantile 
business  in  Bethany  and  continued  in  trade  un- 
til IS.r)2,  since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged 
only  in  agricultural  pursuits  so  far  as  his 
private  interests  have  been  concerned. 

Notwithstanding  the  unpropitious  commence- 
ment of  Mr.  Hamlin's  career,  and  the  disad- 
vantages of  a  limited  education  and  feeble  con- 
stitution against  which  he  was  forced  to  strug- 
gle, it  is  doubtful  whether  Wayne  County  has 
ever  produced  a  more  useful  and  honored  citizen 
or  one  the  impress  of  whose  lite  will  be  longer 
felt,  not  only  in  the  community  amidst  whom 
his  lot,  was  cast,  but  among  the  generations  who 
shall  follow  them.  For  the  past  fifty  years 
scarcely  a  concerted  movement  for  the  moral 
or  intellectual  improvement  of  our  people  has 
been  inaugurated  with  which  he  has  not  been 
in  active  sympathy  if  not  indeed  its  originator. 
His  name  gleams  like  a  golden  thread  through 
the  records  of  all  the  temperance  organizations 
which  had  an  existence  in  the  county,  and  is 
linked  with  every  step  in  advance  taken  by  the 
church  of  which  he  was  a  communicant  and  in 
whose  official  board  he  was  senior  warden  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  Nor  was  his  desire  to 
advance  the  interest  of  the  community  confined 
by  any  means  to  their  spiritual  welfare.  We 
have  before  us  as  we  write  the  report  of  a  meet- 
ing held  in  Honesdale  in  February,  1834,  to 
consider  the  necessity  for  the  establishment  of 
a  bank  in  this  place,  whereat  Mr.  Hamlin  was 
appointed  one  of  a  committee  to  defend  resolu- 
tions embodying  a  statement  of  the  needs  and 
claims  of  the  community  in  this  direction,  to 
accompany  the  application  to  the  Legislature 
for  a  charter.  The  Honesdale  bank,  as  the  re- 
sult of  this  movement,  was  incorporated  in 
1836,  Mr.  Hamlin  being  chosen  one  of  its  first 
board  of  directors,  a  position  which  he  continued 
to  hold  until  his  death.  He  entered  heartily  into 
the  movement  for  the  building  of  the  Jefferson 
Branch  to  Honesdale,  and  was  personally  instru- 
mental in  disposing  of  a  large  proportion  of  the 
stock  issued  by  that  corporation  to  raise  the 
necessary  funds.  Among  the  farmers  of  the 
county  he  has  been  for  many  years  held  in  the 
highest  esteem,  being  regarded  as  the  father  of 


the  Wayne  County  Agricultural  Society,  which 
he  was  largely  instrumental  in  establishing,  and 
of  whose  board  of  directors  he  was  from  its 
organization  in  1801  to  the  date  of  his  decease 
either  an  active  or  honorary  member.  On  his  re- 
tiremeni  from  the  presidency  of  the  society  a 
few  years  since  his  associates  in  the  board 
adopted  a  series  of  resolutions  expressive  of 
their  appreciation  of  his  services,  and  presented 
him  with  an  elegant  gold-headed  cane,  appro- 
priately inscribed,  as  a  token  of  their  personal 
regard. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hamlin  was  always  a  pro- 
nounced and  consistent  Democrat.  That  he 
was  a  trusted  and  honored  member  of  the  party 
may  well  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  he  was 
repeatedly  called  to  head  its  ticket  in  important 
elections,  and  invariably  led  it  to  an  overwhelm- 
ing victory.  He  was  appointed  postmaster  at 
Bethany  in  1820  and  retained  the  office  until 
elected  to  the  State  Legislature  in  1838.  On 
the  8th  of  January,  1832,  he  accepted  the  dep- 
uty treasurership  under  Richard  Lancaster,  serv- 
ing one  year,  when  he  was  himself  appointed 
county  treasurer  and  filled  the  office  for  two 
years.  He  then  served  as  deputy  for  two  years 
under  Thomas  Mumford,  and  two  years  more 
under  Thomas  Clark.  In  1838  he  was  elected 
to  represent  Wayne  and  Pike  Counties  in  the 
Legislature,  and  was  re-elected  in  1839,  serving 
until  July,  1840,  including  the  session  made 
memorable  by  the  famous  "  Buck-Shot  War."  In 
1840  he  again  accepted  the  position  of  post- 
master of  Bethany  and  held  the  office  until  his 
election  to  the  State  Senate  in  1851.  He  was 
twice  nominated  for  Congress  by  the  Democracy 
of  Wayne  and  Pike  Counties,  but  was  defeated 
in  conference  by  what  were  always  regarded  as 
underhanded  and  inexcusable  alliances  between 
the  delegates  from  Northampton  and  Carbon 
and  Northampton  and  Monroe  Counties.  While 
in  the  Legislature  Mr.  Hamlin's  course  was 
always  conspicuous  for  his  devotion  to  the  inter- 
ests of  his  constituents.  When  a  senator  he 
secured  the  passage  of  a  bill  increasing  the  cap- 
ital of  the  Honesdale  bank  from  one  hundred 
thousand  to  three  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
fbi'  a<|  was  vetoed  by  Governor  Bigler,  but 
through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Hamlin  the  bill 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


was  passed  over  the  veto  and  became  a  law.  He 
was  also  largely  instrumental  in  crowning  with 
success  the  effort  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal  Company  to  retain  their  charter  as 
amended  in  1852,  a  service  which  was  never 
forgotten  by  that  corporation,  and  whose  bene- 
fits to  this  community  can  hardly  be  over-esti- 
mated. 

Mr.  Hamlin  possessed  a  strong  and  well- 
balanced  mind,  sound  judgment,  and  a  large 
measure  of  administrative  ability.  His  course 
in  all  matters  demanding  his  attention  was  al- 
ways carefully  considered,  and  it  was  uniformly 
marked  by  a  sterling  common  sense  and  an  arj- 
plication  of  practical  methods  and  considera- 
tions which  contributed  in  a  high  degree  to  the 
success  attending  the  various  enterprises  in 
which  he  was  engaged.  He  was  known  as  one 
of  the  most  public-spirited  men  in  the  com- 
munity, and  was  looked  to  as  a  leader  in  every 
measure  tending  to  the  public  good.  He  was 
generous,  unselfish,  of  inflexible  integrity  and 
in  every  positition  and  relation  of  life  com- 
manded absolute  confidence.  Many  years  ago 
he  united  with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
and  amid  the  varied  labors  of  a  long  and  active 
life  he  maintained  a  consistent  Christian  char- 
acter. 

The  only  surviving  child  of  Ephraim  AY. 
Hamlin  is  Hon.  Edward  O.  Hamlin,  of  Beth- 
any, whose  sketch  may  be  found  in  the  law 
chapter  of  this  volume. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

BERLIN  TOWNSHIP. 

On  the  27th  of  November,  1826,  many  citi- 
zens living  in  the  eastern  part  of  Dyberry 
joined  in  a  petition  to  the  court  then  sitting  at 
Bethany  to  erect  a  new  township  bounded  by 
lines  therein  specified,  since  the  condition  of  the 
roads  and  the  location  of  the  election  house  was 
such  as  to  cause  the  petitioners  great  inconve- 
nience in  the  exercise  of  their  rights  as  citizens. 
On  the  same  day  the  court  appointed  .bison 
Torrev,  Bulk  ley  Beardslee  and  Jacob  S.  Davis 
a  committee  to  view  the  proposed  new  territory 


and  report  on  the  advisability  of  a  division,  and 
submit  a  dividing  line  for  approval.  On  the 
following  day,  the  report  was  submitted,  and 
the  court  directed  the  excision  to  be  made,  and 
the  new  township  to  be  called  Berlin.  The 
first  township  officer  of  whom  there  is  any 
record,  is  Lawrence  Camfield,  who  was  sworn 
in  as  constable,  April  23,  1X27. 

Ih  1846  its  area  was  diminished  by  the 
excision  of  Oregon  and  left  tin'  township 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Oregon  and  Damascus, 
east  by  Pike  County,  south  by  Palmyra  and 
Texas,  west  by  Texas  and  a  small  portion  of 
Dyberry.  The  divide  between  the  drainage  areas 
of  the  Delaware  River  on  the  east  and  the  basin 
of  the  Lackawaxen  passes  through  the  township 
from  north  to  south,  and  the  surface  is  watered 
by  a  number  of  brooks,  and  broken  by  several 
natural  ponds.  While  in  contour  the  topogra- 
phy conforms  to  the  general  character  of  the 
adjacent  regions,  it  is  not  broken  by  any  very 
high  hills,  and  is,  for  the  most  part,  excellent 
(arming  country,  with  plenty  of  red  shale  soil 
and  some  rich  alluvial  deposits.  There  arc, 
however,  some  sterile  lands  near  the  Adams 
pond.  ■  The  chief  streams  are  the  tributaries  to 
the  Mast  Hope  anil  Beardslee's  Creeks,  and  the 
Holbert  Brook,  and  the  ponds  are  Long,  Beech, 
Adams,  Open  Woods  and  a  portion  of  Catchall. 

The  early  settlements  of  the  township  took 
place  in  the  northern  portion — then  nearly  the 
centre — at  Beech  Pond,  Berlin  Centre  and 
along  the  ridge  known  as  "  Smith  Hill,"  which 
extends  into  Oregon  township.  The  earliest 
assessment  list  extant  is  that  for  the  year  1829, 
which  contains  the  following  taxables  : 


Lester  Adams. 
.Stephen  Bunnell. 
Samuel  Camfield. 
John  Cressuian.~ 
William  Carr. 
Andrew  DavidsuD. 
Hiram  Divine. 
John  Garrett. 
Jeremiah  Garrett. 
John  Garrett,  Jr. 
Benjamin  Garrett. 
William   Howe^ 
Abraham  Kimble 
Thomas  Lindsey. 
James  Lovelace. 


Robert  Lovelace. 
Jesse  I).  Lillie. 
James  Myers. 
Charles  M.  Lillie. 
Hugh  McCrandle. 
Thomas  McWilliams. 
Charles  McStraid. 
Thomas  Melony. 
Augustus  II.  Rogers. 
Peter  Pull is.| 
Abraham  I.  Stryker. 
Henry  Pullis. 
Samuel  Smith. 

Charles  W.  Smith. 

Frederick  Smith. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Peter  Smith.  Amos  Y.  Thomas. 

Henry  Smith.  Amory  Thomas. 

John  Smith.  Ephraim  Torrey. 

Joseph  Spangeiilmrg.  John  Youngs. 
Elijah  Schoonover. 

Samuel  Smith  was  probably  the  first  settler 
in  what  is  now  Berlin  township,  and  located  on 
the  ridge  that  has  since  borne  his  name,  about 
the  close  of  the  last  century.  He  was  of  Ger- 
man extraction,  though  born  in  Canada,  and 
emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  accompanied  by  his 
three  oldest  sons.  In  1801  he  was  assessed  in 
Palmyra  township  as  the  owner  of  two  build- 
ings valued  at  teu  dollars,  and  five  acres  of 
improved  land.  He  also  owned  two  horses  and 
two  neat  cattle.  Pour  years  later  he  had  in- 
creased his  improved  land  to  thirteen  acres,  and 
subsequently  cleared  up  a  fine  property.  Plis 
children  were  Peter,  John,  William,  Frederick, 
Henry,  Sarah  (who  became  the  wife  of  Samuel 
Camfield  and  settled  at  Berlin  Centre),  Clarissa 
(the  wife  of  Daniel  Wickham,  and  afterwards 
of  Washington  Brown),  Betsy  (who  married 
James  Myers),  Susan  (the  wife  of  James 
Young)  and  Eleanor  (who  married  Asa 
Maloney). 

Humphrey  Bellamy  came  from  Cornwall, 
England,  in  1832,  and  settled  in  this  township, 
lie  married  Grace  Hicks,  and  was  the  father  of 
nine  children — Margaret  (who  married  Edward 
Marshall,  of  Beech  Pond),  Grace  (the  wife  of 
William  Tamblyn,  of  the  same  place),  Robert, 
Elizabeth  (the  wife  of  Thomas  Ham,  of  Texas), 

Tl ias,   Charles,   Mary  (the   wife    of  George 

Sandercock,  of  Cherry  Ridge),  Arabella  (who 
married  first  William  Male  and  afterward 
Shepherd  Warfield).  The  progenitor  of  the 
family  was  killed  by  a  falling  tree  in  1845. 

The  same  tide  of  English  immigration  that 
populated  the  eastern  portion  of<  >regon  township 
also  bore  some  of  the  earlier  settlers  to  Berlin,  and 
the  fertile  farms  about  Beech  Pond  were,  many 
of  them,  taken  up  by  the  better  classes  of  ten- 
antry from  Cornwall  and  Devonshire.  Among 
those  who  commenced  on  the  west  side  of  the 
pond,  in  1830,  were  William  Olver  and  the 
Tamblyns,  all  from  the  same  neighborhood  in 
Cornwall.  Mr.  Olver  took  up  a  good  tract  of 
land    and   raised   a  sturdy  family.      His   wife 


was  Ann  Bryant  and  their  children  were  Mary, 
the  wife  of  Jonathan  Tamblyn  ;  Ann,  the  wife 
of  Aaron  Pullis  ;  Sarah,  who  married  Edward 
Babcock;  Thomas  and  Richard.  Most  of 
them  moved  West,  where  they  left  numerous 
descendants. 

Jonathan  Tamblyn,  whose  farm  was  one  of 
the  earlier  ones,  moved  West  after  a  few  years' 
residence.  William,  his  brother,  lived  near  the 
Methodist  Church.  He  maried  Grace  Bellamy, 
but  had  no  children. 

John  Olver  came  also  from  Cornwall,  in 
1831,  and,  after  working  a  short  time  at  the 
old  glass-factory,  near  Bethany,  settled  near 
Long  Pond,  where  he  died  some  years  ago. 
Before  his  emigration  from  England  he  had 
married  Sarah  Ainger,  and  their  children  were 
Thomas,  John,  William  (who  lives  near 
Bethany),  Richard  (who  resides  on  the  home- 
stead), Edmund,  Elizabeth  (the  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Deckover,  of  Wilkes-Barre),  Sarah  (who 
married  C.  P.  Treverton,  of  Beech  Pond), 
George,  Francis  (who  died  near  Bethany), 
James  A.,  Daniel,  Amos,  Moses  (who  left  a 
widow  at  Long  Pond),  and  Joseph,  who  resides 
with  his  brother  at  the  homestead. 

William  Spry,  who  settled  about  the  san  e 
time,  near  the  pond,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  village,  still  lives  on  his  original 
location.  He  married  Ann  Tamblyn  and  their 
children  were  Tamizen,  the  wife  of  Dr.  J.  A. 
Baldwin;  Ann,  who  married  J.  C.  Male; 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Daniel  Olver;  James 
and  Jonathan.  The  two  last-named  married 
and  went  west. 

Edward  Marshall,  another  Englishman,  set- 
tled where  his  son  Edward  now  lives,  in  1831. 
Edward,  Sr.,  married  a  Ballemy  and  had  five 
children, — lohn,  Edward,  Robert,  Thomas  and 
Grace,  who  married  Charles  Barnes. 

Oren  Park-  came  from  Delaware  County, 
N.  Y.,  about  the  time  Ilonesdale  was  settled, 
but,  after  a  brief  residence,  returned  to  his  na- 
tive Stale.  In  1835  he  came  once  more  to 
Pennsylvania,  and  settled  where  he  now  lives 
at  Berlin  Centre.  He  married  Achsah  M.  Bid- 
well  and  had  a  number  of  children.  Those 
who  survive  are  Josephine,  the  wife  of  Frank 
Mills,  and  Irwin  D.  Park. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


513 


The  Garretts  were  early  settlers  in  Berlin 
and  were  also  of  English  birth.  Benjamin 
jnarried  Virtue  Tripp,  of  Lackawanna  Valley, 
ami  had  Alice,  Sarah  (the  wife  of  Daniel  Bul- 
lock), Minerva  (the  wife  of  William  Dunnell), 
Smith,  Jeremiah  and  Isaac.  John  Garrett  was 
born  in  England  in  179"),  and  came  with  his 
parents  to  this  country  when  he  was  six  years 
old.  The  family  settled  in  Philadelphia,  from 
which  place  he  moved  to  Bethany  fifteen  years 
later.  Subsequently  he  settled  on  Smith  Hill, 
where  he  died  in  1877,  aged  seventy-nine.  Mr. 
Garrett  married  Patience  Albro  in  1829,  and 
left  five  children, — John  S.,  Shepard,  Curtis, 
Elizabeth  (the  wife  of  Mark  Compton)  and 
l/niee  (the  wife  of  Nobles  Lyman).  Jeremiah 
Garrett  married  Betsy  Tripp,  and  his  children 
were  Milliceut,  Myron,  Benjamin  and  Lydia, 
who  married  a  Parmenter. 

John  S.  Cressman  came  from  New  Jersey  early 
in  the  history  of  Berlin  Centre.  His  children 
were  John  S.,  Jr.,  Ann  E.  (who  married  Elijah 
Adams),  Daniel,  Cathariue  (the  wife  of  Edwin 
Smith),  Oliver  (a  resident  of  Pike  County),  and 
Miranda,  the  wife  of  Jacob  Smith. 

C.  B  Seaman,  who  lived  to  lie  the  oldest 
citizen  of  Wayne  born  within  the  county,  spent 
the  closing  years  of  his  life  in  Berlin  (  Vntre 
and  died  there  in  18<S2,  aged  ninety-three  years. 
Mr.  Seaman  was  born  in  Milanville,  in  July, 
1789,  and  afterwards  moved  with  his  parents 
to  Dyberry  township,  where  his  father  cleared 
up  the  northern  portion  of  the  Deming  &  Eno 
farm.  Charles  lived  at  the  farm  until  18<\7, 
when  Jason  Torrey,  who  was  then  keeping  a 
tavern  in  Bethany,  engaged  him  during  the 
month  of  December  when  the  court  was  in  ses- 
sion. Young  Seaman  soon  found  thai  he  lacked 
sufficient  education,  and  returned  to  Bethany 
during  the  following  winter  to  go  to  school, 
paying  his  board  by  the  service  he  was  able  to 
give  Mr.  Torrey  out  of  school  hours,  and  read- 
ing and  studying  by  the  bright  fire-light  at 
night.  He  went  regularly  behind  the  counter 
at  the  tavern  the  next  spring,  and  continued  to 
work  for  Mr.  Torrey  until  1809,  when  he 
erected  a  little  shoe-shop,  where  he  spent  a  por- 
tion of  his  time  at  the  trade  which  he  had 
learned  a  year  before.     In   1811  he  went  to  the 


Narrows  of  the  Lacka waxen,  then  called 
"  Mount  Moriah,"  where  Jason  Torrey  and 
Solomon  Moor  had  opened  a  store,  and  two 
years  later  was  appointed  the  first  postmaster 
there.  Meanwhile  he  had  married  Esther,  a 
daughter  of  Ephraim  Kimble.  In  1826  be 
was  elected  sheriff  of  Pike  County  for  three 
yearsc'),  and  in  April,  1830,  he  was  appointed 
prothonotary,  register  and  recorder  of  the  same 
county  by  Governor  Wolfe,  those  offices  not 
then  being  elective.  After  residing  for  several 
years  in  Sullivan  County,  he  settled  in  Berlin 
township  in  1840.  In  1822  Mr.  Seaman  mar- 
ried, for  his  second  wife,  Koxy,  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Kimble,  of  Paupack.  They  lived  to- 
gether for  nearly  sixty  years,  her  death  occur- 
ring but  a  few  weeks  before  his.  Mr.  Seaman 
enjoyed  the  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens  in 
a  marked  degree.  In  1849  he  was  elected 
county  auditor  for  three  years,  and  in  1858 
was  made  county  treasurer.  These  offices  he 
filled  with  the  same  efficiency  that  marked  his 
administration  of  affairs  in  Pike  County.  Pie 
left  two  sons  and  five  daughters. 

Henry  Bishop,  the  fourth  son  of  John  Bishop, 
one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Bethany,  is  a  resident 
of  this  township,  having  settled  on  a  farm  in 
the  southeastern  portion  soon  after  he  reached 
maturity.  He  married  Amelia  Kimble  for  his 
first  wife,  and  of  this  union  four  children  were 
born  :  Fanny,  Zoubie,  Amelia  and  Henry  S. 
Mr.  Bishop's  second  wife  was  Amelia  Ainsley, 
who  was  the  mother  of  Ira  K.,  ?  Amelia,  Mif- 
flin, Esther  and  Theodosia.  Though  now  in 
his  eighty-seventh  year,  Mr.  Bishop  is  hale  and 
hearty,  and  has  a  lively  recollection  of  the 
early  days.  His  father,  who  had  been  a  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  was  a  man  of  much  hardihood 
and  thought  little  of  enduring  the  hardships  of 
a  trip  on  foot  to  Minisink  with  his  grist.  The 
journey  usually  occupied  several  days  in  good 
weather  and  often,  in  the  winter,  he  would  be 
gone  for  as  many  weeks.  During  his  absence, 
the  family  subsisted  on  game  and  fish,  but  plenty 
as  this  was,  it  was  not  unusual  for  them  to  know 
the  pangs  of  keen  hunger.  Twenty  years  later, 
when  Henry  Bishop  settled  in  what  is  now 
Berlin  township,  the  country  all  about  was 
a   deuse    wilderness,    in    which    hardly    a  tree 


514 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


had  been  felled.  Lumbermen  were  busy  on 
the  river  flats,  and  here  and  there  a  pioneer  and 
his  family  were  living  in  little  clearings  of  an 
acre  or  two.  The  Milford  and  <  >wego  turnpike 
was  the  only  road  through  to  the  trad  he  had 
taken  up,  and  his  nearest  neighbors  were  the 
Kimbles,  at  Indian  Orchard,  and  one  or  two 
families  at  White  Mills.  Mr.  Bishop  remem- 
bers distinctly  when  he  attended  the  first  reli- 
gious meeting  held  at  Walter  Kimble's,  and 
also  gatherings  at  Daniel  Kimble's  and  Corne- 
lius ( 'oiryelle's.  The  first  regular  preacher  he 
ever  listened  to,  except  at  Bethany,  was  Elder 
Peek,  of  Mt.  Pleasant.  The  first  school  his 
children  attended  was  held  in  the  old  plank 
school-house  at  Indian  Orchard,  and  a  Mr. 
Normand  was  (heir  teacher.  This  was  main- 
tained by  subscription.  Mr.  Bishop  lives  with 
one  of  his  sons,  on  the  farm  he  cleared  so  many 
years  ago. 

[ndustrial  Growth. — Ephraim  Torrey, 
who,  as  has  already  been  stated,  was  the  first 
settler  at  Beech  Pond,  built  a  saw-mill  at  the 
outlet  in  about  1820.  This  was  the  first  mill 
in  the  township,  and  ran  for  many  years  after  his 
death.  Fine  timber  covered  all  the  hills,  and  as 
the  number  of  settlers  increased  lumbering  became 
very  profitable.  In  1840  Asa  (  orwin  came  from 
the  Delaware  lumber  regions  and  took  several 
contracts.  In  a  year  or  two  he  erected  a  saw- 
mill. About  1845  George  Wells  put  up  the 
lower  mill,  as  it  has  been  since  known  ;  and,  in 
course  of  time,  sold  it  to  R.  8.  Olver,  who 
converted  it  into  a  circular  mill  about  LS68. 
'flic  steam  mill,  which  stands  on  the  upper  side 
of  the  road,  was  built  by  S.  Swift  in  185(1. 
Lark  was  then  plenty,  and  during  this  same 
year  Friend  and  Otho  Burr  built  a  tannery. 
They  ilid  not  run  it  very  long,  however,  and 
the  property  passed  into  the  hands  of  one  Smith, 
who  sold  if  to  Henry  W.Stone  and  Horace 
Drake.  This  firm  increased  the  capacity  of  the 
business  considerably,  and  also  built  a  large 
store,  now  occupied  by  George  Olver.  After- 
wards Mr.  Stone  sold  out  his  interest  to  Drake 
&  Sons,  who  continued  operations  until  the'  firm 
became  financially  embarrassed  in  1878-79, 
when  the  tannery  was  finally  closed.  It  was  a 
two-hundred    vat    plant,  and    paid    very   hand- 


somely during  the  war.  Its  abandonment  has 
been  of  great  disadvantage  to  the  prosperity  of 
Beech  Pond. 

The  saw-mill  at  Berlin  Centre  was  built  by 
John  and  Frederick  Smith  about  1831,  and 
three  or  four  years  later  the  same  firm  put  up 
another  mill  jusl  below  the  first.  Still  another 
mill  was  erected  by  John  Garrett  in  1835,  and 
for  fifteen  or  twenty  years  all  did  a  thriving 
business.  In  1850  all  three  were  rebuilt  and 
enlarged,  Oren  Park  being  the  millwright.  At 
present  they  are  doing  very  little,  business  being 
limited  by  the  scarcity  of  lumber. 

The  saw-mill  at  the  outlet  of  Adams'  Pond 
was  built  by  Stephen  W.  Genung  about  the 
time  that  Beech  Pond  began  to  do  such  a  flour- 
ishing lumber  business,  and  was  for  some  years 
one  of  the  busiest  mills  in  the  township,  the 
lumber  being  hauled  from  the  mill  through 
( latchall  settlement  to  the  Delaware  River.  The 
collection  of  dwellings  that  sprang  up  about 
the  mill  was  called  Genungtown.  Later  the 
place  was  sold  to  William  Holbert,  now  of 
Equinunk,  who  made  substantial  improvements 
and  pursued  the  lumber  business  on  a  large 
scale,  so  that  the  place  became  a  thriving  settle- 
ment. As  lumber  grew  more  scarce  and  busi- 
ness declined,  the  mill  was  sold  to  James  Wil- 
liams, who  operates  it  on  a  small  scale  at  pres- 
ent. It  is  about  two  miles  south  of  Beech 
Pond. 

As  (he  opening  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal,  which  gave  an  impetus  to  the  settlement 
of  the  country  all  about  Honesdale,  was  of 
especial  benefit  to  Berlin  township,  so  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Erie  Branch  from  Lackawaxen 
was  in  some  respects  a  disadvantage.  As 
Honesdale  sprang  rapidly  into  existence,  the 
Big  Eddy  turnpike  was  built,  and  subsequently 
converted  into  a  plank-road — an  admirable 
highway  over  which  all  (he  travel  between 
Honesdale  and  New  York,  via  Narrow sbuig, 
passed.  The  tide  of  travel  thoroughly  opened 
up  the  country,  supplied  it  with  good  taverns 
and  threaded  it  with  much  better  roads  (ban 
those  of  the  adjacent  townships.  A  plank-road 
was  built  from  near  the  residence  of  the  late 
Bulkley  Beardslee  to  Mast  Hope,  now  called 
Pine  Grove,  and  other  similar  projects  made  it 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


515 


a  most  active  township  two  decades  ago.  But 
railroad  connections  directed  the  travel  in  other 
directions,  the  busy  taverns  were  abandoned, 
the  tannery  closed,  the  lumber  was  exhausted 
and  saws  stopped,  and  the  Berlin  of  to-day  is 
only  a  fairly  rich  agricultural  district  with 
memories  of  former  activity. 

The  first  post-office  in  Berlin  township  was 
Ashland,  and  was  established  in  IS  It,  with 
Isaac  Doughty  as  postmaster.  lie  was  followed 
by  George  Drake,  who  gave  place  in  turn  to 
Jesse  Wood,  E.  W.  Warfield,  R.  S.  Olver,  Dr. 
Edwin  Crocker,  George  A.  Drake,  R.  G.  Cor- 
win,  William  S.  Robbins  and  George  Olver. 
The  name  of  the  office  was  changed  to  Beech 
Pond  many  years  ago. 

In  1855  a  post-office  was  established  at  Ber- 
lin Centre  and  John  W.  Seamans  was  the  post- 
master, lie  was  succeeded  by  Charles  B.  Sea- 
man, who  in  turn  gave  place  to  Frederick  Smith, 
during  whose  term  the  office  was  abolished. 
Soon  after  the  post-office  at  <  Jarley  Brook,  Ore- 
eon  township,  was  established,  and  there  most 
of  the  residents  of  this  region  receive  their  mail. 

The  First  Baptist  Church,  of  Smith  Hill, 
was  organized  on  Saturday,  February  I  It,  1849, 
when  a  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  part 
of  Berlin,  known  as  SmithHill,  assembled  in  the 
school-house  to  consider  the  propriety  of  procur- 
ing a  suitable  .site  for  a  meeting-house.  ( lharles 
A.  Seaman  was  chairman,  and  A.  Silsby,  secre- 
tary. The  meeting  adjourned  after  appointing 
the  following  committee  to  tix  upon  a  suitable 
location:  John  Smith,  Jonathan  S.  Bidwell, 
Jacob  Smith,  Nathaniel  Reed,  Jonas  Mills  and 
Benjamin  Garrett.  On  March  1  7th,  this  com- 
mittee reported  in  favor  of  a  site  on  the  lands 
of  John  Smith,  and  the  recommendation  was 
adopted.  John  Smith,  Benjamin  Garrett  and 
Elder  Andrew  Hopper  were  appointed  a  build- 
ing committee  to  collect  subscriptions  and 
material.  This  meeting  also  passed  resolutions, 
naming  the  church  and  authorizing  it  to  be 
used  "for  all  religious  denominations  having 
their  tenets  based  upon  the  Gospel  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  the  doctrines  of  repent- 
ance, baptism,  regeneration  and  a  future  state  of 
rewards  and  punishments."  The  building  was 
completed  during  the  following    summer,  and 


was  dedicated  September  I  I,  is  I!),  Elder  Gray 
preaching  the  dedicatory  sermon. 

()n  September  30th,  of  the  same  year,  at   a 

meeting  held  after 'ning  service,  resolutions 

in  favor  of  the  organization  of  a  congregation 
to  be  known  as  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Berlin  were  adopted,  and  Jonathan  S.  Bidwell 
and  Jonas  Mills  were  appointed  a  committee  to 
call  on  Bethany  Church  for  the  proper  dismis- 
sals. The  members  for  whom  the  committee 
secured  letters  were  as  follows:  Jonas  Mills, 
Clarissa  Brown,  Mary  Brown,  Olive  Brown, 
Betsy  Myers,  Jonathan  S.  Bidwell,  Elizabeth 
Bidwell,  Dorcas  Garrett,  Eleanor  Malony,  John 
Smith,  Eleanor  Smith,  Jacob  Smith,  Almerson 
Beard,  Julia  Thomas,  <  'atharine  Young,  Charles 
15.  Seaman,  Boxy  Seaman,  Betsy  Garrett,  Milli- 
cent  Garrett  and  Virtue  Garrett. 

The  council  of  recognition  was  held  on 
Thursday,  October  25,  1849,  delegates  from 
Bethany,  Honesdale,  Damascus,  Paupack  Eddy 
and  Ten  Mile  River  being  present.  Rev.  J. 
T.  Mitchell  was  appointed  moderator,  and 
Deacon  C.  M.  Hayden,  clerk,'and  Reverends  D. 
E.  Leach,  Andrew  Hopper,  Henry  Curtis,  M. 
M.  Everts  and  J.  T.  Mitchell  took  part  in  the 
services.  Rev.  Andrew  Hopper  became  the 
first  pastor,  dividing  his  time  between  it  and 
the  churches  at  Bethany  and  Lebanon.  He 
remained  until  1850.  In  May,  1851,  Rev. 
J.  P.  Stalbird,  having  settled  at  Smith  Hill, 
accepted  pastoral  charge  of  the  church.  He 
resigned  in  April,  1853,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  Sanford  Leach,  who  remained  a  year  and 
also  resigned.  Rev.  Newell  Callender  followed, 
and  remained  until  a  oil  was  extended  to  Rev. 
Edward  Hall,  in  May,  1804.  In  August, 
I860,  a  branch  was  established  at  Pigeon 
Roost,  with  preaching  every  fortnight,  alterna- 
ting with  the  Methodist  mission  at  that  point. 
Rev.  A.  J.  Adams  was  the  next  pastor  and 
remained  until  1875,  when  Rev.  Samuel  Metz 
was  called  to  give  one  third  of  his  time  at 
Pigeon  Roost.  Rev.  David  W.  Halstead  next 
occupied  the  pulpit,  and  after  him,  Joseph  F. 
Bennett  was  stated  supply.  Jonas  Mills  was 
called  in  November,  1878,  and  served  until 
1880,  when  Rev.  L.  H.  Goodnuff,  the  present 
incumbent,  assumed  pastoral  charge. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  ANT)  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

JOHN    CONKLIN. 

The  earliest  mention  we  can  find  of  the  family 
from  whence  the  subject  of  this  sketcli  has 
sprung  occurs  prior  to  the  Revolution,  when 
two  brothers  left  the  old  home,  on  Long  Island, 
and  started  upon  the  sea  of  life.  One  of  these 
brothers  settled  near  the  Hudson  River,  below 
Albanv,N.  Y. .while  the  second  located  in  <  >range 


married  Samuel  Dolan;  George  S.,  born  1825; 
Matilda,  born  1827,  married  Schaeffer  Mender- 
shott  ;  Clarissa,  born  L829,  married  Nicholas 
Simonson;  Jacob,  born  1832;  David  !>.,  born 
1835. 

Nathaniel  Seudder  learned  the  trade  of  a  tan- 
ner and  currier,  and  in  early  manhood  removed 
to  Newton,  Sussex  (  lounty,  N.  J.,  where  he  car- 
ried on  that  business  over  thirty  years  and  en- 
joyed the  confidence  and  respect  of  a  widely-ex- 


County,  N.  Y.,  and  from  these  progenitors  the 
large  families  bearing  this  name  in  the  localities 
mentioned  have  come.  The  third  brother,  Na- 
thaniel, remained  on  Long  Island  and  engaged 
in  the  fishing  business.  His  children  were 
Elizabeth,  Hannah,  Nathaniel,  Abraham  and 
John.  The  son,  Nathaniel,  born  August  1, 
1788,  married  Elsie  Van  Auken,  born  January 
22,  1794,  and  had  children  as  follows:  Abra- 
ham, born  1815;  John  Franklin,  born  1816; 
Hannah,  born  1818,  married  George  Conklin  ; 
Nathaniel,  born  1819;  Elizabeth,  born  1821, 
married  Simon   Marshall;    Susan,  born   1823, 


tended  circle  as  an  upright,  honorable  man  and 
neighbor.  He  died  August  28,  1X46,  and  was 
survived  by  his  widow  until  October  11,  1873. 
John  F.  Conklin  was  born  at  Newton,  N.  J., 
on  November  23,  1816,  and  attended  the  dis- 
trict school  until  of  sufficient  age  to  help  his 
father  in  the  tannery.  When  about  seventeen 
years  old,  finding  the  business  was  not  to  his 
desires,  he  left  home  and  came  into  Wayne 
County,  at  once  finding  an  opening  with  the 
late  Mr.  Z.  H.  Russell,  who  engaged  his  services 
during  the  following  seven  years  in  rafting  and 
running  lumber  down  the  Delaware  River.    In 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


517 


this  employ  he  developed  considerable  ability, 
and  in  1840  made  arrangements  with  Messrs. 
Hornbeck  &  Cator,  also  with  Mr.  Elias  Stan- 
ton, to  superintend  their  heavy  operations  in 
the  same  line, — i.  <>.,  taking  the  lumber,  timber, 
etc.,  down  the  river  to  a  market  and  there  dis- 
posing of  it  to  the  best  advantage.  The  repu- 
tation established  by  Mr.  (  'onklin  while  so  en- 
gaged was  that  of  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and 
strictest  integrity,  and  during  the  connection  of 
eleven  years  with  these  gentlemen  he  was  favored 
with  their  entire  confidence  and  countenance, 
which  ended  only  with  their  decease.  In  1851 
he  purchased  certain  timber  lands  in  the  county 
and  became  interested  on  his  own  account  in 
cutting,  rafting  and  selling  the  products,  in 
which  he  continued  until  the  spring  of  1862, 
meeting  with  good  success,  lie  then  accepted 
the  appointment  as  steward  of  the  county  alms- 
house, and  acted  in  such  capacity  eight  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  period  he  declined  to  remain 
longer,  having  desire  to  attend  to  a  farm  pur- 
chased in  186(3. 

Some  time  after  this,  however,  his  old  friend, 
Z.  H.  Russell,  pressed  upon  him  the  superin- 
tendence of  the  turnpikes,  which,  after  being 
entered  upon,  took  the  next  nine  years'  time, 
when,  being  strongly  urged  by  warm  friends,  he 
again  accepted  the  stewardship  of  the  county 
almshouse,  and  in  1882  entered  upon  his  third 
four  years'  term.  In  this  position  he  has  been 
an  unqualified  success  and  receives  the  good 
words  of  all  without  regard  to  party,  the  in- 
mates particularly  having  a  high  regard  for  the 
man  charged  with  their  care.  From  his  youth  up 
Mr.  Conk] in  has  been  a  close  student  of  men  and 
things,  and  in  his  connection  with  county  affairs 
has  succeeded  in  making  two  blades  of  grass 
grow  where  one  grew  before.  On  first  assuming 
the  duties  he  found  twenty  tons  of  hay  was  the 
regular  product  of  the  farm  ;  when  he  resigned 
in  1870  the  crop  was  sixty-five  tons  of  hay,  be- 
sides heavy  crops  of  grain.  After  an  absence  of 
twelve  years  he  returned  to  find  the  crop  re- 
duced to  forty-five  tons,  and  has  again  raised 
the  production  to  sixty-five  and  seventy  tons  of 
hay,  the  acreage  being  the  same  throughout.  A 
Republican  by  conviction,  he  has  never  asked 
office  from  his  party,  though  a  regular  and  con- 


sistent worker.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  1838, 
holding  membership  in  the  Damascus  Lodge, 
which  went  down  after  the  Morgan  excitement. 
This  honorable  fraternity  he  again  joined,  under 
the  new  constitution,  in  1846,  and  has  retained 
connection  since  in  Howard  Lodge. 

Mr.  ('onklin  married,  on  May  12,  1842,  Miss 
Auzebia,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Amelia 
(Kimble)  Bishop,  who  was  born  March  7,  1823. 
Henry  Bishop  was  born  in  Bethany  in  1796, 
the  son  of  John  Bishop,  the  earliest  settler,  and 
is  now,  in  his  ninetieth  year,  living  in  this  (  Ber- 
lin) township.  From  this  union  was  born  one 
child,  a  girl,  which  died  before  naming.  In 
1845  they  adopted  Martha  Youngs,  then  three 
months  old,  and  in  1852  adopted  Frances  Kel- 
lam,  then  three  years  of  age.  These  children 
they  raised  as  loving  parents,  educating  and 
finally  marrying  them  to  worthy  helpmates: 
Martha  to  Isaac  D.  Riemer,  of  Berlin  township. 
Four  children  have  come  from  this  union, — Au- 
zebia, Frederick,  Harry  and  Florence.  Francis 
married  William  Hankins,  of  Sullivan  County, 
X.  Y.,  and  has  borne  him  five  children, — Na- 
thaniel, Nellie,  Margaret,  Reeves  and  Samuel. 

Though  never  identified  with  any  particular 
church  organization,  Mr.  Conklin  has  been  a 
generous  friend  to  all  and  his  aid  and  support 
have  been  given  to  religious  and  educational 
matters  quite  freely  and  ever  without  regard  to 
denomination  or  sect. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

BUCKINGHAM.1 

This  was  one  of  the  original  townships,  its 
boundaries  when  first  established  being  the 
State  of  New  York  on  the  north  and  east, 
Damascus  on  the  south,  and  Damascus  and 
Mount  Pleasant  on  the  west,  thus  having  an 
extensive  length  on  the  Delaware  River  of  about 
thirty  miles,  and  average  width  of  about  nine. 
Scott  was  created  from  the  northern  portion  in 
1821,  Manchester  from  the  southern  portion  in 
1826.     A  portion  of  it  was  taken   for  the  for- 


By  George  W.  Wood. 


518 


WAYNE,  IMKH   AND   MllMKiK  COUNTIKS.   I'KNXSV  LVAN1A. 


mation  of  Preston  in    1828.     Thus  contracted, 

it  has  an  extent  of  about  fourteen  miles  on  the 
Delaware,  with  an  average  width  of  aboui  six. 
Its  present  boundaries  are  Scott  on  the  north, 
Shrawders  or   Balls  Creek  separating  the  two ; 

New  York  on  the  east,  the  Delaware  River 
separating ;  Manchester  on  the  south,  Big 
Equinunk  Creek  dividing;  Lebanon,  Mount 
Pleasant  and  Preston  on  the  west.  The  highest 
point  in  it  is  some  fourteen  hundred  feet  above 
tide  water.  Its  surface  is  very  uneven.  For 
its  whole  extent  on  the  river  rises  the  river  hill, 
rugged  and  often  precipitous,  but  with  occa- 
sional indentations  of  bottom  land.  Much  of  the 
river  hills  have  been  stripped  of  timber.  Fire 
has  often  followed  the  axe  ;  as  a  consequence 
there  are  stretches  of  unsightly  "  lire-scald," 
through  which  the  rocks  grin  hideously  as  if  to 
mock'  man's  cupidity.  Hack  from  the  river  is 
alternate  hill  and  vale,  with  perhaps  three- 
fourths  of  the  land  susceptible  to  cultivation. 
Of  the  small  lakes  which  are  so  liberally  scattered 
through  northeastern  Pennsylvania,  the  town- 
ship has  six,  viz.  :  Lizard  Lake,  High  Lake. 
Adams  Lake,  Preston  and  Nabby's,  and  Pork 
Mountain.  Its  streams  are  the  Big  Equinunk, 
Shrawders,  Shehawken,  Toppoloek  and  Pall 
('reeks,  and  their  tributaries.  Originally  its 
hills  and  valleys  were  covered  with  timber, 
large  tracts  being  covered  mostly  with  hemlock. 
Along  the  river  and  on  the  Equinunk  Creek 
was  considerable  pine.  Little  of  either  remain. 
Tanneries  and  lumbermen  have  clone  their  work 
effectually.  Of  the  deciduous  trees  every 
variety  found  in  Northern  Pennsylvania  exists. 
These,  too,  are  disappearing  with  a  rapidity, 
which  can  but  create  grave  apprehensions  when 
the  future  needs  of  the  people  are  considered,  as 
well  as  the  almost  assured  climatic  effects  of 
denuding  a  region  of  its  timber.  The  soil  on 
the  uplands  is  a  loam  with  a  stiff  clay  subsoil,  the 
last  too  often  quite  too  near  the  surfaci — better 
adapted  to  grazing  than  the  growing  of  cereals. 
On  the  river  bottoms  the  soil  is  a  sandy  loam, 
underlain  by  gravel.  The  traveler  through  the 
township  will  notice  that  while  nature  has  with- 
held in  richness  of  soil  and  has  heaped  up  rocks, 
and  scattered  stone  quite  too  plentifully,  she 
has    compensated    by    giving  lavishly  of   her 


choicest  gifts  in  springs  of  bright,  pure  water. 
Water  which  for  cool  excellence  is  no  where 
excelled. 

Of  the  aboriginal  dwellers  here,  scarcely  any 
traces  remain.  Xo  burial-places  are  known. 
No  trails.  With  the  passing  away  of  the  early 
settlers,  tradition  and  reminiscences  of  the  In- 
dian measurably  ceased. 

The  first  permanent  settlement  was  without 
doubt  at  Stockport,  where  Samuel  Preston,  Sr., 
located  in  1790.'  We  gather  from  a  document 
now  in  possession  of  the  descendants  of  Mr. 
Preston  that  there  were  whites  in  the  township 
prior  to  1792,  but  from  the  tenor  of  the  docu- 
ment (which  was  written  by  Anthony  Butler, 
as  agent  for  the  Pcnns,  in  1791)  we  infer  that 
those  who  were  here,  were  depredators,  upon 
the  timber  of  the  region.  Prior  to  the  settle- 
ment of  Mr.  Preston,  at  Stockport,  Josiah  Parks 
had  become  owner  of  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Stockport  Plats,  or  at  least  one  hundred  and 
ninety  acres  thereof.  Not  realizing  the  value  of 
these  lands,  he  sold  them  to  Mr.  Preston  for  a 
consideration  as  insignificant  as  that  for  which 
Esau  sold  his  birthright.  Judge  Samuel  Pres- 
ton who  settled  at  Stockport,  as  already  stated, 
in  1790,  was  born  in  Buckingham  township, 
Bucks  County,  Pa.,  and  his  lather,  Paul  S. 
Preston,  was  also  born  and  reared  in  Bucks 
County.  The  family  were  Quakers,  and  the 
progenitors  of  the  American  branch  of  the 
family  came  over  with  Pcnn.  He  acquired  the 
title  of  the  land  owned  by  Parks.  Before  us  is 
an  order  written,  in  1788,  by  Jacob  West,  to 
George  Ross,  certifying  that  he  (West)  had  dis- 
posed of  "  that  tract  of  land  on  Topolic  (a  por- 
tion of  the  Stockport  lands),  to  Mr.  Samuel 
Preston,"  and  relieving  Boss  from  further  care 
of  the  same.  Mr.  Preston  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  Mi-.  Henry  Drinker,  of  Philadelphia. 
Drinker  owned  large  tracts  of  land  in  the 
county,  particularly  in  Buckingham  and  Damas- 
cus. 

Of  these  Mr.  Preston  had  a  general  super- 
vision.     Previous  to  his  locating  at  Stockport 


'  See  the  sketch  of  the  Preston  family,  by  Francis  B. 
Penniman,  at  the  close  of  this  chapter,  quite  different  in 
many  respects,  from  Mr.  Wood's  account,  but  not  at 
variance  with  it  in  matters  of  fact. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


519 


he  had  looked  through  Luzerne  ami  part  of 
Wayne  County  for  an  eligible  site  for  a  town,  to 
he  built  under  the  patronage  of  Drinker. 
Drinker  was  pleased  with  a  situation  on  the 
Susquehanna  River,  now  in  Susquehanna 
County.  Mr.  Preston  assisted  in  layiDg  out, 
and  starting  the  young  town,  calling  it  Har- 
mony, then  preferring  Stockport,  he  located 
there.  A  road  was  cut  through  from  Stockport 
to  Harmony,  and  men  from  Harmony  assisted 
in  commencing  improvements  at  Stockport.  Mr. 
Preston  gave  the  name  Stockport  to  his  chosen 
location,  and  Buckingham  to  the  township, 
Dames  which  seemed  as  heir-looms  to  the  Pres- 
ton family,  and  cherished  as  having  been  the 
original  home  of  the  family  in  England.  Evi- 
dently he  was  a  man  of  enterprise  and  force  of 
character,  and  possessing  a  liberal  education. 
Improvement  at  Stockport  went  forward  briskly 
under  his  management,  This  is  shown  by  the 
assessment  of  1806,  which  shows  that  he  then 
had  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  improved 
land  and  three  mills,  two  saw  and  one  grist- 
mill. At  this  period,  people  have  but  a  faint 
conception  of  the  difficulties  encountered,  and 
the  obstacles  to  be  overcome  by  the  early  settlers 
of  this  region.  All  merchandize,  machinery 
and  implements  were  procured  with  much  labor, 
much  of  it  being  brought  up  the  Delaware  in 
Durham  boats.  It  was  certainly  twenty  years 
after  settlement  was  begun  at  Stockport,  before 
there  was  any  road  through  from  the  Hudson  to 
this  portion  of  the  Delaware  Valley.  Mr. 
Preston  remained  single  until  1795,  when  he 
married  Mercy  Jenkins,  of  Dover,  Dutchess 
County,  N.  Y.  The  marriage  took  place  at 
Stockport,  ami  with  Quaker  ceremonials,  but  it 
having  taken  place  "  out  of  meeting,"  they  were 
declared  no  longer  members  of  the  Society  ol 
Eriends.  Work  went  steadily  forward  on  the 
Stockport  plantation.  Orchards  were  set  out, 
and  some  of  the  trees  planted  before  the  com- 
mencement nf  the  present  century  are  standing 
yet,  and  bid  fair  to  stand  at  the  dawn  of  the 
next.  Many  anecdotes  are  extant,  which  well 
illustrate  Mr.  Preston's  eccentricities.  Letters, 
documents,  etc.,  written  by  him,  evidence  a 
strong  vigorous  hand  and  a  clear  logical  mind. 
His  autograph   affixed    nearly   a   century   since, 


stands  in  as  bold  relief,  ami  as  strongly  marked, 
as  the  famous  sign  manual  of  John  Hancock. 
One  document  possesses  especial  interest  from  its 
showing  how  he  became  possessed  of  Equinunk 
Manor.  It  appears  that  the  Penn  heirs,  were 
allowed,  in  consideration  of  their  proprietary 
rights,  to  hold  certain  tracts  of  land  through  the 
Stale.  We  infer  that  the  State,  on  the  forma- 
tion of  the  State  government,  confirmed  them  in 
the  ownership,  i.  e.,  if  certain  regulations  were 
complied  with,  the  principal  of  which  was  that 
they  (the  proprietary  manors)  should  be  resur- 
veved  and  returns  thereof  made  prior  to  July  4, 
1776. 

Certain  it  is  that  Anthony  Butler,  as  agent 
for  the  Penns,  earnestly  entreated  Mr.  Preston 
to  take  charge  of  the  Proprietory  Manors  in  this 
section,  naming  the  different  ones,  but  urging 
mine  strongly  the  care  of  the  Eipiinunk  Manor, 
which  he  represented  as  having  been  trespassed 
upon  by  parties  who  were  stripping  it  of  timber. 
Mr.  Preston  reluctantly  consented,  and  Butler 
executed  power  of  attorney  (copy  of  which  taken 
from  therecords  a(  Easton  is  before  the  writer). 
This  gave  to  "Samuel  Preston,  Gentleman,  of 
Stockport,  Pa.,"  full  power  to  evict  all  tres- 
passers, to  have  the  lands  rcsurveyed,  in  short, 
to  have  full  supervision  of  the  same.  Equinunk 
Manor  contained  two  thousand  two  hundred 
and  twenty-two  acres  lying  on  the  Delaware, 
embracing  the  mouth  of  Equinunk  Creek,  then 
on  both  sides  of  the  creek  for  a  distance  of  two 
miles  from  its  mouth.  Mr.  Preston,  says,  in  his 
memorial,  that  he  found  at  Equinunk  "several 
acres  cleared,  in  part  by  Indians  and  people 
living  on  it,  being  a  rendezvous  and  home  for 
persons  in  the  practice  of  stealing  timber.  Here 
they  supported  and  kept  their  teams,  and  my 
endeavors  to  stop  them  in  their  evil  practices 
were  but  little  regarded."  In  February,  of 
17!ll,  he  represented  to  Butler  the  condition  of 
affairs,  and  at  the  same  time  stating  that  he 
would  be  glad  to  purchase  the  manor  at  a 
reasonable  valuation.  Butler  assured  him  he 
should  have  it  as  soon  as  he  could  be  justified  in 
selling  it,  at  the  same  time  desiring  him  (Preston) 
to  try  to  buy  the  possession  right  of  the 
trespassers,  failing  in  which  to  eject  them.  Act- 
ing   under    these   instructions,   Preston    bought 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


possession  of  the  trespassers,  had  more  land 
cleared,  fences  built,  yet  to  protect  the  property 
was  obliged  to  keep  men  there  to  care  for  it, 
Butler  assuring  him  that  as  soon  as  he  could 
get  a  valuation  of  the  manor  from  George  Pal- 
mer, who  had  surveyed  the  tract,  he  would 
arrange  for  the  transfer  to  Mr.  Preston.  Seeing 
Palmer  soon  after  at  Easton,  he  obtained  from 
him  the  following  : 

"The  Proprietaries  manor  at  Equinunk  containing 
2222  Acres  and  allowances,  contains  to  the  best  of  my 
recollection  about  200  Acres  of  bottom  land  along  the 
creek,  in  many  places  badly  gullied  Worth  20  s.  per 
Acre  £200 

2022  Acres  on  the  hill,  stoney  land.  The 
hills  next  the  river  when  surveyed  were 
finely  timbered  with  pine  timber,  which  I 
believe  is  now  nearly  all  destroyed,  worth  2  ». 
per  Acre  202.4 

1:4112.4 
"Easton,  March  25th,  1701. 

"  (  rEORGE    l'AI.MER." 

Mr.  Preston  continues:  "  I  then  wrote  But- 
ler what  I  had  done,  and  that  if  the  title  to  the 
manor  was  indisputable,  that  I  would  take  it  at 
Palmer's  valuation,  and  at  the  same  time  of  ex- 
penses incurred  in  obtaining  possession,  and  of 
matters  pertaining  to  the  survey  of  the  other 
manors.  In  his  reply  he  was  totally  silent  as 
to  the  Equinunk  Manor."  Having  already 
been  to  considerable  expense  in  caring  for  the 
manor,  for  which  Butler  showed  no  disposition 
to  reimburse  him,  and  becoming  apprehensive 
that  in  some  way  John  Nicholson,  Esq.,  of 
Philadelphia,  was  likely  to  become  owner  of 
this  land,  he  wrote  to  Philadelphia  requesting 
that  search  be  made  in  the  land  office  for  the 
date  when  the  survey  of  the  Equinunk  Manor 
was  made,  and  when  returned  to  the  land  office. 
The  reply  as  follows  : 

"  Proprietaries  2222  Acres  on  the  West  side  of  the 
River  Delaware,  including  mouth  of  Equinunk  Creek, 
called  '  Safe  Harbor,'  Surveyed  the  23d,  25th,  and 
26th  day  of  December,  1773.  Returned  Nov.  Sth, 
1770." 

This  was  certainly  three  years  later  than  the 
Act  of  Assembly  specified.  Learning  this,  Mr. 
Preston  immediately  wrote  to  have  these  lands 
entered  for  himself.  Going  soon  after  to  Phil- 
adelphia he  called  on   Butler  with   the  view  of 


effecting  an  amicable  arrangement,  but  could  do 
nothing  with  him,  not  even  receiving  "  civil 
treatment."  Mr.  Preston  therefore  purchased 
the  Equinunk  Manor  of  the  commonwealth.  He 
further  shows  the  duplicity  of  the  Penns,  and 
their  agent  Butler,  by  the  statement  to  the  ef- 
fect that  "  on  the  1 9th  of  November,  1779,  the 
Proprietaries  presented  a  memorial  to  the  Leg- 
islature mentioning,  that  by  a  law  of  the  State, 
such  of  their  manors  as  were  not  returned  on  or 
before  the  4th  of  July,  1776,  were  escheated  to 
the  State  and  praying  relief  in  the  premises." 
Prayer  not  granted.  In  conclusion,  Mr.  Pres- 
ton says :  "  I  have  a  long  unsettled  account 
with  Mr.  Butler,  but  wish  it  had  been  with  a 
gentleman  furnished  with  good  manners  and 
candor,  of  which  he  appears  to  be  very  desti- 
tute." This  matter  has  been  dwelt  on  at 
length,  from  its  being  considered  of  especial  in- 
terest, as  affording  an  insight  into  the  policy  of 
the  Penns,  as  well  as  showing  how  the  young 
commonwealth  regarded  the  family  and  treated 
their  claims.  No  doubt  the  Penns  were  noto- 
riously disloyal,  while  professing  to  be  friends 
and  supporters  of  the  struggling  Republic' 

To  return  to  the  settlement  at  Stockport. 
While  giving  much  of  his  time  toother  affairs, 
Mr.  Preston  pushed  forward  improvements 
here.      But  space  allowed  will  not   permit  the 


1  The  implication  is  often  made  that  Judge  Preston  be- 
came possessed  of  much  of  his  land  in  a  questionable  man- 
ner, i.  e.,  from  tax  sales,  &c.  In  the  documents  kindly 
furnished  us  by  Miss  Preston,  are  several  letters  written 
by  Mr.  Preston  to  parties  informing  them  that  he  had  at 
treasurer's  sales  bid  in  certain  tracts  designating  them,  and 
naming  sum  paid,  at  the  same  time  stating  how  and  for 
how  long  they  were  redeemable.  It  is  difficult  to  see  any 
great  wrong-doing  in  this. 

Pi  is  also  insinuated  that  he  wronged  the  Drinkers.  Be 
fore  us  is  a  document  showing  that  some  difference  existed 
between  him  and  Henry  Drinker,  and  that  five  men  were 
appointed  to  appraise  the  property  at  Stockport,  Before 
us  is  the  original  valuation  of  all  the  real  estate  and  per- 
sonal property  to  the  most  insignificant  articles.  Total  of 
real  estate,  twenty-two  thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine  dollars.  Personal  property  at  Sl".i22.0O.  Work  com- 
pleted and  signed  by  the  appraisors  on  the  15th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1S12.  With  this  and  proper  accounts  it  is  hard  to 
see  how  the  Drinkers  could  have  been  wronged  to  any 
great  extent.  The  Drinkers  seem  to  have  been  uniformly 
unfortunate  in  their  operations  in  the  county.  It  could 
not  have  been  entirely  Judge  Preston's  fault. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


521 


dwelling  too  long  here.  Considering  how 
largely  he  was  connected  with  other  matters, 
it  is  a  matter  of  surprise  that  he  (Pres- 
ton) should  have  found  much  time  to  devote  to 
Stockport.  He  was  interested  in  and  had  a  sort 
of  supervision  of  the  "  Union  Sugar  Com- 
pany's" undertaking  in  Manchester,  and  had  a 
road  cut  through  from  Stockport  to  the  Com- 
pany's location.  He  frequently  journeyed  to 
Philadelphia,  to  his  old  home  in  Bucks  County. 
Either  of  these  was  as  formidable  an  undertaking 
as  a  voyage  to  Europe  is  at  present.  He  was  ap- 
pointed the  first  associate  judge  of  the  couuty  in 
1798.  For  a  long  time  liis  mail  was  received 
from  Mt.  Pleasant.  A  post-office  was  estab- 
lished at  Stockport,  in  1S20.  Before  the  writer 
is  a  letter  from  R.  J.  Meigs,  postmaster-general, 
to  Mr.  Preston,  informing  him  of  the  establish- 
ing of  the  office  and  of  his  (Preston's)  appoint- 
ment as  postmaster.  Mail  matter  then  came  by 
way  of  the  Newbury  turnpike  to  Mt.  Pleasant, 
thence  to  Stockport.  To  the  early  settlers  in 
this  section  Stockport  was  indeed  a  haven  of 
refuge,  and  many  were  the  needy  who  looked 
for,  and  found  assistance  here,  in  dark  and  try- 
ing hours. 

From  the  commencement  labor  was  in  steady 
demand  at  Stockport,  and  the  settlers  were  often 
glad  to  resort  there  to  obtain  supplies  in  ex- 
change for  labor.  Judging  from  all  the  infor- 
mation obtainable  it  is  easy  to  conclude  that 
Mr.  Preston  earnestly  desired  that  the  region  in 
which  he  had  located  should  be  settled  and  im- 
proved. To  promote  this  he  gave  every  en- 
couragement possible  to  those  who  settled  near 
him.  A  few  aged  people  in  this  vicinity  yet 
speak  of  him,  hut  not  disparagingly.  His 
house  was  noted  for  the  liberal  hospitality  shown 
to  the  many  who  frequented  it. 

John  Knight  came  with  Mr.  Preston  to 
Stockport  in  1789.  He  was  then  eleven  years 
old.  He  evidently  lived  with  the  Prestons  for 
some  years  and  married  Rebecca  Jenkins,  a 
sister  to  Judge  Preston's  wife.  He  first  settled 
in  Buckingham,  on  Shrawder's  or  Ball's  Creek. 
He  appears  in  the  assessment  of  1806,  as  own- 
ing three  hundred  and  thirteen  acres  of  land  and 
one  horse.  Subsequently  he  settled  opposite 
Stockport     His   sons   were  William,  Daniel, 

61 


John,  Richard,  George  and  Charles.  They 
were  all  highly  respected  citizens.  Charles  only 
of  the  family  is  living. 

Abram  Dillon  came  into  the  township  with 
Judge  Preston.  He  settled  on  the  river,  about 
half  way  between  Equinunk  and  Stockport. 
Here  he  cleared  a  large  and  valuable  farm.  He 
reared  a  family  of  five  sons,  viz. :  John  K., 
William,  Hamlet,  Hamilton  and  Abram,  and 
two  daughters.  John  K.  and  William  lived 
and  died  on  the  old  homestead.  George  R. 
and  Robert,  sons  respectively  to  John  R.,  and 
William,  are  now  owners  and  occupants.  Two 
of  the  sons,  Hamlet  and  Hamilton,  are  yet  liv- 
ing in  the  State  of  New  York.  No  family  in 
the  township  has  been  more  highly  respected 
than  the  Dillons. 

North  of  Stockport  the  first  settler  was  Ben- 
jamin Owens,  at  the  mouth  of  Shehawken  Creek. 
The  writer  can  learn  nothing  of  his  antecedents. 
He  was  succeeded  there  by  Thomas  Travis, 
who  cleared  there  a  large  farm.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son,  Thomas  Jr.,  who  was  unfor- 
tunate in  business,  and  the  farm  passed  to  other 
hands.  Benjamin  Sands  located  near  Travis. 
He  appears  in  the  assessment  of  1806,  as  owning 
a  mill.  This  was  on  Shehawken  Creek,  a  short 
distance  from  its  mouth.  His  descendants  yet 
live  in  the  town  of  Hancock,  N.  Y.  Thaddeus, 
Paul  and  Ezra  Newton  were  certainly  early 
settlers,  as  all  of  them  appear  in  the  assessment 
of  1806,  as  farmers,  Thaddeus  and  Paul  being 
assessed  for  a  mill.  They  located  on  the  west 
branch  of  the  Delaware,  opposite  what  is  now 
the  village  of  Hancock,  N.  Y.  That  they  were 
good  citizens,  we  infer  from  the  fact  that  they 
are  yet  spoken  of  with  reverent  respect  by  those 
who  knew  them.  Ezra  Newton,  Jr.,  yet  lives 
on  a  portion  of  the  old  homestead.  The  New- 
tons  were  from  Massachusetts.  Thomas 
Holmes  settled  on  Shehawken  Creek,  about  one 
mile  from  the  Delaware,  in  1816.  He  was 
very  eccentric,  yet  a  man  of  considerable  en- 
ergy and  perseverance.  He  cleared  here  quite 
a  farm,  and  built  a  saw-mill.  He  died,  leaving 
a  fine  estate  to  his  family,  but  lawyers  and 
crafty  manipulators  have  absorbed  it.  Blaekall 
W.  Ball  settled  prior  to  1806,  at  the  mouth 
of  Shrawder's  Creek,  Ball's  Eddy  receiving  its 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


name  from  him.  He  was  a  Quaker,  and  from 
the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia.  He  also  had  a 
saw-mill. 

Subsequently  the  farm  was  owned  by  James 
More,  now  by  his  son,  Ciay  V.  More.  At  what 
is  known  as  Little  Falls,  George  W.  Hubbell 
settled  at  an  early  period.  He  is  mentioned  as 
being  a  wheelwright.  John  Barrager  settled 
prior  to  180G,ou  the  river  between  Dillons  and 
Stockport.  One  of  his  sons,  George,  is  still 
living  in  the  township. 

Abiel  Squires  came  into  the  county  at  an 
early  date,  probably  about  1800.  He  lived  for 
some  time  with  Judge  Preston  at  Stockport. 
About  1810  or  1812  he,  with  Thaddeus  New- 
ton, started  and  for  some  time  maintained  a 
distillery,  near  Little  Falls.  His  son,  Mr.  Jus- 
tin G.  Squires,  informs  the  writer,  that  his 
father  was  making  money  at  his  distillery,  but 
after  running  it  a  few  years  he,  for  sonic  reason, 
abandoned  it  altogether.  This  was  the  first 
and  only  venture  in  the  distillery  business  in 
this  part  of  the  county.  After  abandoning 
the  distillery,  Squires  located  at  Lizard  Lake, 
some  four  miles  from  the  Delaware. 

The  situation  there  is  well  described  in  a 
letter  written  in  June  of  1799,  by  Jason  Torrey, 
Esq.,  to  Blackall  W.  Ball,  at  whose  request  Mr. 
Torrey  had  explored  the  lands.  The  land  is 
described  as  being  excellent  in  quality;  the  fine 
water-power,  etc.,  are  graphically  dwelt  upon. 

He  says  :  "  The  road  from  Stockport  to  Sus- 
quehanna passes  within  one  mile  of  the  land. 
Affixed  to  the  letter  (or  copy  of  letter),  is  a 
draft  of  the  tract,  and  the  attest  that  said  tract 
had  been  surveyed  in  November,  1793,  to 
Blackall  W.  Ball.  Signed  Anthony  Crothers, 
D.  S.  Daniel  Broadhead,  Surveyor  General. 
Evidently  Ball  was  not  struck  with  the  advan- 
tages of  the  location,  but  settled,  as  stated  be- 
fore, at  Ball's  Eddy.  Mr.  Squires,  however,  at 
a  later  date,  thought  the  situation  a  desirable 
one,  and  located  there,  built  a  saw-mill,  and 
cleared  a  large  fine  farm,  and  lived  there  un- 
til his  death.  The  property  is  now  owned  by 
M.  I).  Wheeler,  Esq,  of  Hancock. 

Jonathan  Jones  settled  near  the  mouth  of 
Shehawken  Creek,  on  the  place  where  Benjamin 
Sands  commenced.     He  was  an  esteemed  citi- 


zen, being  for  a  long  time  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  once  county  commissioner.  His 
son,  Frank  M.,  lives  on  the  homestead;  anoth- 
er, S.  Perry,  near.  A  daughter,  Mrs.  Theodore 
Murray,  also  lives  in  the  township.  They 
are  worthy  descendants  of  a  good  stock. 

On  Kingsbury  Hill,  some  two  miles  from  the 
Delaware  and  four  from  Hancock,  N.  Y.,  are 
some  fine  farms,  and  good  society,  composed 
chiefly  of  descendants  of  those  who  first  located 
there.  The  first  to  permanently  locate  there 
was  a  Mrs.  Kingsbury,  a  widow  with  a  large 
family  of  children.  She  came  there  from  Con- 
necticut, in  1816.  She  had  a  large  family  of 
children,  Elias,  the  oldest,  being  a  young  man. 
There  were  no  improvements,  no  roads,  and  the 
nearest  neighbor  two  or  three  miles  away. 
Nevertheless,  the  family  dropped  into  the  forest 
home;  and,  although  the  howl  of  the  wolf  was 
their  nightly  music,  and  the  yell  of  the  panther 
often  awoke  the  e  ho  of  the  hills,  and  though 
hardships,  unremittent  toil  and  privation  were 
daily  with  them,  yet  they  had  come  to  stay. 
Thomas  Kingsbury,  Esq.,  one  of  our  most  es- 
teemed citizens,  lives  now  on  the  farm  where 
his  mother  settled.  He  is  the  last  of  the  family 
living  in  the  township.  Descendants  of  the 
others  live  in  this  and  adjoining  townships. 

Mr.  Abel  Belknap,  from  Stillwater,  N.  Y, 
were  the  next,  settling  there  in  181 7.1  Mrs.  D. 
B.  Belknap,  a  daughter  of  Abel,  resides  with 
her  husband  on  the  farm  where  the  father  set- 
tled. D.  B.  Belknap  and  George  H.,  worthy 
residents  of  this  neighborhood,  were  from 
Chenango  County,  N.  Y.  After  Abel  Belknap 
and  prior  to  1820  came  on  to  the  Hill,  John 
Hoffman,  Abel  and  David  Whelpley.  None  of 
them  nor  of  their  descendants  I'emain  in  the 
township. 

The  Woodmansees,  Gideon,  James,  and 
Thomas,  natives  of  Connecticut,  settled  in  1818, 
on  the  Stockport  Road,  some  six  miles  from 
the  Delaware. 

Among  the  settlers  in  the  township  prior  to 
180(3  were  the  Coles.  Three  of  them,  viz., 
Nathan,  Peter,  and  Joseph,  lived  in  the  present 


1  The  writer  is  under  obligations  to  this  estimable  lady 
for  interesting  facts  touching  the  early  settlement  on  the 
Hill,  and  matters  of  general  interest. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


523 


limits  of  Buckingham.  They  have  left  numerous 
descendants  in  this  and  adjoining  townships. 

In  returning  to  "the  place  of  beginning,"  as 
surveyors  have  it,  we  may  mentally  come  over 
to  the  west  part  of  the  township,  striking  the 
Equinunk  Creek  at  High  Lake.  No  settlement 
was  attempted  in  this  part  of  the  township  until 
as  late  as  1840  About  this  time  several  fami- 
lies of  Irish  settled  here.  It  was,  at  as  late  a 
period  as  that,  an  uninviting  place  in  which  to 
locate.  There  was  no  road  through  to  the  Dela- 
ware, or  good  ones  in  any  direction.  John  Gary 
was  one  of  the  first.  He  settled  near  High 
Lake.  His  son  John  lives  now  on  the  farm  on 
which  Cary  settled.  Within  a  few  years  many 
other  families  of  Irish  dropped  in.  About  High 
Lake,  the  Clunes,  McGraths,  Kanes,  Gilchrist, 
and  Murphy.  South  of  this,  about  Fork  Moun- 
tain Pond  and  Crooked  Creek,  the  McGarys, 
McKennas,  Connelys,  Flannigan,  Rourk,  Ken- 
nedys, and  others.  As  a  rule,  they  came  with 
little  but  their  muscle  ;  but  by  patient  industry 
and  economy,  they  now  possess  good,  comfort- 
able homes,  many  being  in  affluent  circum- 
stances, and  are  good,  law-abiding  citizens, — 
constant  in  their  attachment  to  their  Church, 
and  in  their  undying  love  for  the  Green  Isle  of 
Erin,  yet  ardent  in  their  attachment  to  the 
country  of  their  adoption.  The  chance  sojourner 
among  them  will  long  remember  their  open- 
handed  hospitality. 

Coming  down  the  Equinunk  Creek  it  is  found 
that  one  Hubbard  Wainwright  located  about 
one  and  a  quarter  miles  from  the  river,  on  the 
flat  near  the  junction  of  the  Creek  with  its  south 
branch,  over  sixty  years  since.  He  made  some 
little  improvement  here,  and  was  engaged  in 
lumbering.  He  was  killed  accidentally  within 
a  few  years  after  settling.  It  appears  that  some 
parties  had  dropped  in  between  Wainwright 
and  the  river.  Evidently  they  were  nomads, 
and  dropped  out,  and  their  names  are  forgotten. 

Extended  notice  has  already  been  given  of 
Judge  Preston's  becoming  owner  of  the  Equi- 
nunk manor,  and  of  his  making  some  improve- 
ments here,  building  a  mill,  &c.  But  for  some 
reason,  but  little  in  the  way  of  improvements 
was  carried  forward  here  before  1830,  when 
Mr.  Alexander  Calder  saw  the  place,  and  saw 


at  once  the  advantages  it  possessed  for  lumber- 
ing, etc. 

Mr.  Calder  was  a  minister  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  and  in  his  journeyings  as  an  itinerant 
he  became  acquainted  with  Mr.  Israel  Chap- 
man, then  of  Andes,  Delaware  County,  N.  Y. 
Through  the  representations  of  Mr.  Calder, 
Chapman  was  induced  to  remove  to  Equinunk. 
Prior  to  the  removal,  however,  they  jointly 
purchased  the  entire  Equinunk  manor  of  twenty- 
two  hundred  and  twenty-two  acres,  the  most 
of  which  lay  within  the  present  limits  of  Buck- 
ingham. Soon  after  the  purchase,  both  re- 
moved here  with  their  families,  and  commenced 
improvements.  First  they  built  a  saw-mill  on 
the  Manchester  side  of  the  Creek.  Soou  after 
this  they  commenced  the  erection  of  a  tannery 
on  the  small  stream  called  (from  the  proposed 
tannery)  Factory  Brook,  the  site  of  which  is 
some  fifty  rods  from  the  Delaware.  The  tan- 
nery was  to  be  of  stone.  Considerable  work 
had  been  done,  the  foundation  laid,  and  the 
walls  raised  to  quite  a  height,  when  an  apple  of 
discord  fell  into  the  concern.  Work  was  aban- 
doned on  the  tannery,  and  for  years  its  walls 
stood  defying  the  elements.  A  division  of  the 
land  was  then  effected,  Mr.  Calder  being  awarded 
the  portion  on  the  river  and  on  both  sides  of  the 
Creek  for  a  distance  of  about  half  a  mile  from 
its  mouth  ;  Mr.  Chapman  that  part  lying  above 
on  the  Equinunk  Creek.  (Further  mention 
will  be  made  of  Mr.  Calder  in  the  chapter  on 
Equinunk.) 

After  the  division,  Mr.  Chapman  located  on 
the  portion  awarded  him,  about  one  mile  from 
the  Delaware.  He  was  in  every  respect  a  re- 
markable man. 

His  strong  points  were  tireless  industry  and 
indomitable  perseverance.  He  was  sincere  in 
his  professions,  unyielding  in  his  convictions, 
earnest  and  forcible  in  his  denunciation  of 
every  species  of  vice,  immorality  and  wrong, 
and  thoroughly  honest.  Though  confronted 
by  many  difficulties,  he  set  resolutely  to  work, 
built  one  saw-mill  about  two  miles  from  the 
river,  at  a  later  period  another  about  half  a 
mile;  cleared  a  large  and  valuable  farm,  erected 
good  buildings,  and  he  passed  to  the  control  of 
his  children  in  1852  a  valuable   property.     He 


52-t 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


died  in  1854  at  the  residence  of  his  son-in-law, 
Mr.  Hamlet  Dillon,  at  Conklin,  N.  Y.  Men- 
tion should  have  been  made  that,  notwithstand- 
ing the  multiplicity  of  his  cares  and  labors,  he 
for  many  years  preached  to  the  people  of  the 
vicinity.  He  had  four  sons  and  five  daughters. 
Three  of  each  survive  him,  one  son,  John  W., 
residing  in  the  township.  A  large  portion  of 
the  farm  is  owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Thomas 
Tyner,  a  genial  son  of  Erin,  who  was  at  one 
time  one  of  the  commissioners  of  Wayne 
County.  The  lower  portion  of  the  Chapman 
farm  is  owned  by  F.  R.,  T.  J.  and  William 
Holbert.  This  brings  us  back  to  the  Dela- 
ware. In  the  necessarily  brief  retrospect  of 
the  township  past,  there  has  been  much  which 
must  remain  unnoticed — many  names  of  those 
now  living  in  the  township  on  whom  it  would 
be  pleasant  to  dwell.  Of  such  citizens  as  J.  E. 
Woodmansee,  George  W.  Sherman,  George 
Wainwright  and  many  others  the  writer  would 
make  especial  mention  would  the  limits  of  the 
work  allow. 

ROADS. —  Much  uncertainty  exists  as  to 
when  the  first  roads  were  laid  out  and  by 
whom.  It  is  certain  that  before  1790  a 
road  had  been  cut  through  from  Stockport  to 
Harmony  on  the  Susquehanna.  This  was  un- 
der the  direction  of  Judge  Preston.  From  the 
letter  of  Jason  Torrey  to  Blackall  W.  Ball  we 
may  infer  that  it  touched  the  Shehawken 
Creek  within  one  mile  of  Lizard  Lake;  thence 
over  hill  and  dale  to  Harmony.  A  road  was 
cut  through  from  Stockport  to  Mount  Pleasant 
prior  to  1820.  None  of  the  present  residents 
know  who  surveyed  it.  This  was  an  import- 
ant road  to  people  on  the  Delaware,  for  it  was 
by  this  they  reached  the  Newbury  Turnpike 
and  Bethany,  the  county-seat.  The  road  from 
Stockport  to  Equinunk  along  the  river  was 
opeued  at  an  early  period.  From  the  best  in- 
formation obtainable,  it  is  safe  to  assume  that 
it  was  opened  as  early  as  1806,  as  was  also  the 
road  leading  from  Stockport  to  Shehawken 
Creek  and  beyond. 

The  only  post  road  in  the  township  at 
present  is  that  from  Equinunk  to  High  Lake, 
semi-weekly ;  Michael  Spratt,  carrier.  One 
from   Hancock    to   Lake    Como    and    Preston, 


daily.  Sunshine,  on  Shehawken  Creek,  is  sup- 
plied by  this  route.  Another  from  Hancock 
to  Autumn  Leaves,  on  Kingsbury  Hill,  semi- 
weekly  ;  D.  B.  Belknap,  carrier. 

Religious  Matters. — It  would  be  quite 
impossible  to  fix  a  date  or  name  a  place  where 
the  first  religions  meeting  was  held,  or  whose 
was  the  first  preaching.  The  Prestons  were 
Quakers,  a  peculiarity  of  which  sect  is  that  they 
do  not  care  for  much  preaching.  The  early  set- 
tlers in  the  township  being  forced  to  a  constant 
struggle  to  care  for  the  material,  had  but  little 
time  to  bestow  to  the  spiritual.  No  doubt  itin- 
erants came  in  occasionally  from  Shehawken 
(now  Hancock)  as  well  as  from  other  places. 
The  first  preacher  of  whom  there  exists  an  au- 
thentic account  as  being  hired  to  preach  regu- 
larly in  the  township  was  Rev.  Levi  Tucker,  a 
Baptist  minister  located  at  Deposit,  N.  Y.  He 
was  hired  by  the  people  of  Kingsbury  Hill  as 
early  as  1828.  He  preached  there  with  great 
success  for  some  time.  A  number  of  conver- 
sions followed  his  preaching,  the  converts  meet- 
ing with  Baptist  Church  at  Deposit.  He  finally 
went  from  Deposit  to  Philadelphia,  from  whence 
he  went  to  Egypt  as  a  missionary,  from  which 
field  he  went  to  his  reward.  In  1831,  the  Rev. 
Charles  Hubbard,  of  Bethany,  came  to  preach 
statedly  at  Kingsbury  Hill,  and  in  November 
of  that  year  organized  the  Buckingham  Baptist 
Church,  with  twenty-eight  members,  among 
whom  were  the  Belknaps,  Kingsburys  and 
others. 

This  was  certainly  the  first  organized  church 
in  the  township.  Has  never  had  a  church 
edifice.  The  organization  still  exists,  but  in 
conjunction  with  a  similar  one  in  Scott.  History 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Lake 
Como  will  belong  to  Preston.  History  of  .Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  at  Equinunk  will  be 
given  in  the  chapter  on  Equinunk.  The  Irish 
in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  township  are, 
with  the  exception  of  one  family,  devoted  ad- 
herents of  the  Catholic  Church,  their  church 
edifice  being  in  Mount  Pleasant  township. 

Schools. — The  first  school-house  in  the 
township  was  built  near  Stockport,  about  1808. 
The  first  teacher's  name  not  obtainable.  A 
school  was  established   near  the   mouth  of  She- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


525 


hawken  Creek,  in  1825.  In  1828  another  near 
the  Woodmansees.  A  school  was  established 
on  Kingsbury  Hill,  in  1832;  taught  by  Miss 
Berthia  Jones,  at  one  dollar  per  week.  Part  of 
the  time  she  had  as  many  as  ten  scholars.  Some 
bills  which  the  writer  finds  among  some  papers 
kindly  loaned  him  by  Miss  Ann  Preston  indi- 
cate the  names  of  some  of  the  early  teachers,  and 
give  some  insight  into  the  amount  paid  for  teach- 
ing. Of  the  teachers  we  find  the  names  of  James 
Woolley,  Sarah  Abbott,  Harriet  Hubbell,  Cas- 
sandra Lukiu,  Olive  Chapman,  Theodosia  New- 
ton and  Berthia  Jones.  Men  seemed  to  have 
received  about  eleven  dollars  per  month  ;  fe- 
males from  one  to  two  dollars  per  week.  There 
is  no  date  to  show  what  the  action  of  the  town- 
ship was  on  the  school-law  of  1834.  The  town- 
ship has  never  been  formally  divided  into  dis- 
tricts. Schools  are  named  after  their  several 
localities.  All  the  school-houses  now  in  the 
township  have  been  built  under  the  present  sys- 
tem. There  are  at  present  ten  school -houses,  but 
two  or  three  really  good  school-buildings;  all 
of  wood,  the  most  expensive  one  costing  six 
hundred  dollars.  Xumber  of  pupils,  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty. 

Industries.— The  first  saw-mill  in  the  town- 
ship was  built  by  Judge  Preston  at  Stockport, 
soon  after  his  locating,  probably  as  early  as  1  7!)2. 
Very  soon  after  he  built  a  grist-mill.  Both 
grain  and  saw-mills  have  been  maintained  there 
until  the  present  time. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  building  of  a 
distillery  by  Abiel  Squires  and  Thaddeus  New- 
ton, and  of  its  being  discontinued.  The  building 
rotted  down,  and  no  distillery  has  existed  since 
in  the  township. 

An  axe-factory  was  built  by  the  Messrs.  Pres- 
ton at  Stockport,  in  1847.  The  business  was 
first  carried  on  by  Thomas  Coon  &  R.  S.  Dorin. 
Subsequently  by  Ira  Snyder.  Burned  down  in 
1865.  Another  axe-factory  was  built  at  Equi- 
nunk  in  1866  or  1867. 

The  first  tanning  ever  done  in  the  township 
was  by  Thomas  Holmes,  on  Shehawken  Creek. 
The  tannery  was  run  in  a  small  way  and  a  prim- 
itive manner.  It  was  burned  down  in  1867; 
rebuilt  by  Cole  Brothers,  of  Equiuunk,  in  1876, 
and  burned  two  years  later. 


In  1849  a  tannery  was  built  at  High  Lake 
by  Ezra  Brown  and  Isaiah  and  I).  C.  Scudder. 
Brown  withdrew  in  about  three  years.  In  1856 
Isaiah  Scudder  conveyed  his  interest  to  Scudder 
&  Bates.  Subsequently  Scudder  &  Hates  sold 
to  the  firm  of  Deegan  &  Wrede.  This  firm 
failed  to  make  the  business  a  success,  and  for 
some  years  no  business  was  done  in  the  tan- 
nery. In  1866  Ed.  Jones  and  It.  Wales,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Jones  &  Wales,  commenced 
business  there.  Alter  a  few  years  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Stout  Bros.,  of  New  York.  The 
fatality  which  attends  old  tanneries  overtook  it 
in  1880,  when  it  was  burned.  Its  capacity  was 
two  thousand  sides  per  year. 

In  1870  William  Holbert  and  John.  D. 
Browning,  under  firm  name  of  Holbert  & 
Browning,  built  a  tannery  near  Equiuunk 
Creek,  and  about  half  a  mile  from  Equinunk. 
After  a  few  years  Browning  dropped  out  of  the. 
concern.  It  is  now  owned  by  William  Hol- 
bert.    Capacity,  three  thousand  sides. 

There  are  three  chemical  works  in  the  town- 
ship. These  are  establishments  for  converting 
wood  into  acetate  of  lime,  wood  naphtha  and 
charcoal.  The  first  was  built,  in  1880,  by 
Finch  &  Ross,  of  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  About 
two  thousand  cords  of  wood  are  used  per 
year.  It  has  twelve  retorts.  The  next  was 
built  in  1882,  and  run  by  the  Equinunk  Chem- 
ical Company.  It  has  eight  retorts,  and  con- 
sumes about  twelve  hundred  cords  of  wood  per 
year.  The  third  was  built  in  1882  by  the 
Ball's  Eddy  Chemical  Company,  limited.  It  has 
six  retorts,  and  uses  about  one  thousand  cords  of 
wood  per  year.  The  kinds  of  wood  used  are 
beech,  birch  and  maple,  (hard  and  soft.)  The 
factory  of  Messrs  Finch  &  Ross  is  on  Shehaw- 
ken Creek,  about  one  mile  from  the  Delaware  ; 
the  Equinunk  Chemical  Works,  at  Equinunk  ; 
the  Ball's  Eddy,  at  Ball's  Eddy.  There  is  a  very 
small  margin  for  profit  at  present  in  the  business. 

There  are  works  for  wood-turning  about  two 
mi'es  from  Lake  Como,  doing  a  small  busi- 
ness. They  were  constructed  in  1865,  and  are 
owned  now  by  H.  A.  Williams. 

There  is  a  planing-tnill  and  machine-shop 
at  Equinunk,  built  in  1880,  by  L.  W.  Lord, 
the  present  proprietor. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


There  arc  at  the  present  time  eight  saw-mills 
in  the  township.  While  their  united  capacity 
would  probably  be  seven  million  feet  of  lum- 
ber per  year,  they  do  not,  through  lack  of 
material  saw  one-half  that  amount.  To  be 
brief,  the  supply  is  cut  off.  At  the  present 
time  there  is  not  a  foot  of  lumber  to  spare  from 
the  township. 

Post-Office. — The  first  post-office  estab- 
lished in  the  township  was  at  Stockport,  in 
1820,  Samuel  Preston,  Sr.,  postmaster.  Mails 
were  received  from  Mount  Pleasant  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  After  the  completion  of  the  Erie 
Railroad,  mails  came  by  that  route  and  were 
delivered  at  the  station  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  Delaware.  The  office  was  kept  by  the 
Preston  family  until  1870,  when  it  was  removed 
to  the  New  York  side  of  the  Delaware.  A 
post-office  was  established  at  Kingsbury  Hill, 
in  1870,  under  the  name  of  Autumn  Leaves. 
D.  B.  Belknap  was  the  first,  and  is  the  present, 
postmaster.  Mails  are  received  from  Hancock, 
N.  Y.  Another  was  established  on  Shehawken 
Creek,  about  two  miles  from  Hancock,  N.  Y., 
under  the  name  of  Sunshine,  in  1882,  John 
Terwilleger,  postmaster.  Mails  received  from 
Hancock,  N.  Y.  A  post-office  was  established 
at  High  Lake  in  1853. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


THE    PRESTON    FAMILY.  ' 

For  a  century  this  family  has  been  as  prom- 
inent as  any  other  in  the  annals  of  this  county, 
and  has  been  noted  for  intelligence,  probity, 
purity,  charitableness  and  enterprise. 

The  founder  of  it  was  Samuel  Preston,  a 
Quaker,  from  Bucks  County.  He  was  certainly 
here  in  1789,  and  probably  before  engaged  as 
a  surveyor  and  conveyancer  for  Henry  Dein 
Kee,  of  Philadelphia,  one  of  the  original  pro- 
prietors. Of  his  ancestors  what  little  know- 
ledge we  have  is  mainly  through  communica- 
tions he  made  in  his  life-time  to  John  F. 
Watson,  author  of  "  Annals  of  Philadelphia," 


By  Francis  B.  1'enmman. 


published  in  1830,  anil  by  him  embodied  in 
that  work.  In  these  communications  Samuel 
Preston  states  that  the  Christian  name  of  his 
grandfather  was  Amos,  and  that  he  was  living 
near  the  Delaware  at  or  before  the  first 
coming  of  William  Pcnn  in  1(382.  There  is  a 
tradition  in  the  family  that  he  either  came  with 
Penn  or  very  early  under  Penn's  auspices,  but 
no  historic  confirmation  of  this  domestic  tra- 
dition is  attainable.  Many  Quakers  were  set- 
tled in  and  near  Burlington,  N.  J.,  before 
1681.  Proud,  in  his  "History  of  Pennsyl- 
vania," mentions  that  thirteen  Quaker  marriages 
were  celebrated  at  Burlington  before  that  date- 
He  further  states  that  on  the  Pennsylvania 
bank  of  the  Delaware,  and  particularly  at  the 
falls  thereof,  and  at  Bristol  and  contiguous 
places  Quakers  were  established  as  early  as  at 
Burlington.  In  a  foot-Dote  he  gives  the  names 
of  a  number  of  these  persons.  So  far  as  defin- 
itely appears,  Amos  Preston  may  have  been  one 
of  these  post  Penn  Quakers. 

Who  or  what  the  wife  of  Amos  was  Samuel 
did  not  inform  Watson.  He,  however,  gives 
several  particulars  concerning  her,  that  she  died 
in  1774,  and  was  then  one  hundred  years  old, 
making  her  eight  years  old  when  she  first  came  ; 
that  she  was  living  with  Swedes  atNeshaminv, 
where  that  event  occurred  ;  that  she  was  present 
with  Swedes  and  Indians  to  welcome  Penn 
when  he  landed  at  or  near  where  Philadelphia 
now  is;  that  Penn  was  present  at  her  wedding, 
at  or  near  Pennsbury  ;  that  she  spoke  the 
language  of  the  Indians  living  thereabout ;  that 
she  and  Amos  resided  with  the  Swedes  after 
their  marriage  at  Wicaco,  and  that  he  made  up 
frocks,  trousers  and  moccasins  for  the  Swedes, 
those  people  adhering  to  the  national  fondness 
for  skin  dresses ;  that  after  Penn's  coming  the 
Swedes  through  these  fifty  years  before  soon 
lost  their  distinction  and  existence  as  a  separate 
race ;  that  the  Wicaco  settlement  was  bu  rnt  out  by 
being  surrounded  by  fire,  and  that  upon  invita- 
tion of  friendly  Indians  Amos  and  his  family 
went  to  Buckingham,  in  Bucks  County,  to  live, 
and  that  the  wife  served  as  interpreter  at  the 
negotiation  of  a  treaty  with  Indians  at  Halle- 
Konck.  Upon  this  showing  it  must  have  been 
during    Penn's  second     visit  to    Pennsylvania 


^L/Jy^^ 


WAYNK  COUNTY. 


527 


in   1699,  that  the  marriage  happened,  his  brkle 
being  then  twenty-five  years  old. 

Samuel  mentions,  in  Watson,  only  one  child 
of  his  grandparents,  and  that  was  Paul,  his 
own  father.  This  Paul  married  a  woman  whose 
Christian  name  was  Hannah,  and  this  is  about 
all  the  family  records  disclose  relative  to  him. 
In  Watson,  Samuel  mentions  that  Paul,  his 
father,  was  present  in  some  capacity,  in  1756, 
at  Easton,  when  Lieutenant-Governor  William 
Denny  made  a  treaty  with  the  Indians,  and  that 
Benjamin  Franklin  was  there  as  adviser  of  the 
Governor,  and  that  a  memorable  display  of  wit 
and    humor   happened   between  those  high  per- 


This  is  essentially  all  that  can  now  be  gleaned 
as  to  the  first  two  generations  of  these  Prestous 
in  this  commonwealth.  Coming  down  to 
Samuel,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  Wayne 
County,  the  essential  facts  are  all  known  and 
attainable.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  natural 
mental  capacities ;  well  educated ;  strong  in 
mathematics,  and  an  exact  surveyor  and  con- 
veyancer. He  could  not  have  failed,  with  his 
endowments,  of  attaining  conspicuity  and  power 
whether  his  lot  had  been  cast  upon  the  outskirts 
of  civilization  or  in  one  of  its  crowded  and 
brilliant  centres.  His  correspondents  among 
public  men  were  numerous,  and  he  carefully 
preserved  all  letters.  Goodrich,  in  his  History, 
states  that  Samuel  made  frequent  journeys  to 
Bucks  County ;  that  he  brought  merchandise 
up  the  Delaware  River  in  Durham  boats,  pro- 
pelled by  setting  poles,  except  in  ascending  Foul 
Rift,  and  other  swift  waters,  the  boats  were 
drawn  upwards  by  long  ropes  extending  to  the 
shore. 

His  original  thought  was  to  locate  on  the 
Susquehanna  River,  and  he  laid  out  the  village 
of  Harmouy,  a  few  miles  above  the  present 
village  of  Susquehanna.  Drinker  was  princi- 
pally concerned  financially  in  that  project.  Then 
Preston  resolved  to  fix  himself  permanently  on 
the  Delaware,  which  he  did  by  contracting  for 
the  domain  which  he  named  Stockport.  The 
township  in  which  that  domain  is  situated  he 
called  Buckingham,  after  the  township  from 
whence  he  came  in  Bucks  County.  He  farther 
projected  and  made  a  road  from  Stockport,  by 


way  of  Cascade,  to  Harmony,  under  the  belief 
that  it  would  become  an  important  line  of  travel 
between  East  and  West.  He  erected  the  first 
mills  in  Buckingham  township,  and,  before 
1806,  cleared  and  brought  under  cultivation 
one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  land.  He  did 
much  in  various  ways  to  promote  the  settlement 
of  the  region.  Upon  the  erection  of  the  county 
of  Wayne  he  became  its  first  associate  judge, 
and  at  the  December  Sessions  of  1798  charged 
the  first  grand  jury  impanneled  therein. 

He  was  as  notable  in  personal  appearance  as 
he  was  vigorous  and  incisive  in  mental  organ- 
ization. Much  above  the  average  stature,  as 
years  increased  upon  him  he  ordinarily  walked 
with  a  long  staff  of  hickory  wood,  and  presented 
an  unusual  configuration.  In  speech  and  writ- 
ing there  was  force,  piquancy  and  aggressive- 
ness in  whatever  proceeded  from  him.  As  an 
illustration,  it  may  be  recalled  that  in  1799, 
when  Thomas  McKean,  then  Chief  Justice,  was 
a  candidate  for  the  office  of  Governor,  Preston 
wrote  letters  to  certain  persons  denouncing  him 
as  unfit  for  public  station,  and  this  with  so  much 
directness  and  force  that  McKean  had  him  in- 
dicted for  libel.  Preston  faced  the  matter  with 
characteristic  boldness,  and  obtained  an  acquittal 
from  the  traverse  jury. 

Samuel  Preston,  son  of  Paul  and  Hannah, 
was  born  in  Buckingham,  Bucks  County,  Pa., 
June  17,  1756.  Bucks  County  was  named 
Buckingham  by  Penn,  and  was  one  of  the  three 
original  counties  established  by  him  in  1682. 
The  borough  of  Bristol  was  first  called  Buck- 
ingham. 

September  1,  1796,  Samuel  Preston  married 
Marcia  Jenkins,  daughter  of  Valentine  and 
Marcia  Jenkins.  She  was  born  in  Dover, 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  October  14,  1763,  and 
died  at  Stockport  June  12,  1835,  aged  seventy- 
one  years  six  months  and  nine  days.  He  died 
at  Stockport  December,  8,  1831,  aged  seventy- 
eight  years  and  six  months. 

Samuel  and  Marcia  Preston's  children  were : 

1.  Paul  Samuel,  boru  at  Stockport,  August 
24,  1796.  He  married  Henrietta  M.  P.  Mog- 
ridge  June  11,  1818.  He  died  September  8, 
]S7;l,  and  she  August  8,  1875. 

2.  Hannah    and    Samuel    (twins),    born    at 


52s 


WAYNE,  PUKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


Stockport,  December  21,  171)7.  He  died  un- 
married, April  15,  1871,  aged  seventy-three 
years,  three  months  and  fifteen  days.  Hannah 
married  Mr.  Randall,  and  they  will  be  referred 
to  farther  on. 

3.  Warner  Mifflin,  born  at  Stockport,  March 
2,  1802.  He  died,  unmarried,  at  Philadelphia, 
March  25,  1873,  aged  seventy-one  years  and 
five  days. 

Paul  S.  Preston  became  early  the  owner  of 
Stockport  by  purchase.  He  married  Maria,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  R.  Mogridge,  who  came 
from  England  and  settled  in  Manchester  town- 
ship. She  was  a  remarkable  woman,  some  years 
older  than  her  husband,  and  outlived  him  a 
number  of  years.  Industrious,  frugal,  hospitable 
she  never  forgot  the  poc  >r  and  needy.  She  brought 
up  fifteen  orphans.  Paul  was  a  man  of  uncom- 
mon natural  abilities  ;  was  well  educated  ;  accu- 
mulated a  library  of  substantial  books;  wasaterse 
and  felicitous  writer,  abounding  in  information  ; 
a  brilliant,  witty  and  versatile  correspondent  ; 
and  as  thoroughly  honest  and  truthful  a  man, 
even  to  his  own  hurt,  as  ever  lived. 

As  characteristic  of  him,  it  may  be  stated 
that  one  autumn,  in  the  early  time,  seed-rye 
was  scarce  in  the  district  about  Stockport,  while 
the  Preston  granary  was  full.  One  day  a  man 
drove  up,  having  a  good  wagon  and  span  of 
horses,  and  asked  Paul  if  he  had  rye  in  store. 
Paul  answered  that  he  had.  The  man  inquired 
the  price,  and  upon  being  told  said  he  would 
take  a  certain  quantity.  Paul  inquired  whether 
he  had  the  money  to  pay  for  it,  and  whether  he 
was  the  owner  of  the  horses  and  wagon.  The 
man  answered  that  he  had  money  to  pay  for  all 
he  wanted,  and  was  owner  of  the  team  and 
vehicle.  Then  rejoined  Paul,  "You  cannot 
have  rye  of  me,  for  you  have  money  to  pay  and 
a  team  and  wagon  to  go  where  you  will  and 
get  what  you  require,  whereas  many  of  my 
neighbors  have  no  seed  rye,  no  money  to  buy  it 
with  and  no  horses  and  wagons  to  go  for  it  if 
they  had  money  with  which  to  pay  ;  and  they 
must  have  what  rye  I  can  spare." 

Warner  acquired  quantities  of  timber  land, 
much  of  which  he  retained  till  his  death.  Sam- 
uel was  content  with  less.  Neither  Warner  nor 
Samuel  married.     They  lived  at  Stockport  with 


Paul.  Samuel  took  charge  of  the  farm  and 
stock;  AVarner  in  the  main  of  the  lumber,  and 
Paul  looked  after  the  grist-mill  and  other  mat- 
ters that  did  not  fall  under  the  supervision  of 
his  brothers. 

Paul  had  two  children,  both  daughters,— Gu- 
lielma  (so  called  in  honor  of  William  Penn's 
first  wife,  nee  Gulielma  M.  Spriugett),  who 
married  Allen  K.  Hoxie,  dying  a  few 
years  later,  leaving  three  children,  a  boy 
and  two  girls,  and  Ann,  who  never  wed- 
ded. Upon  Paul's  death  he  bequeathed 
one  undivided  half  of  Stockport  and  its  belong- 
ings to  his  wife  and  the  other  half  to  his 
daughter  Ann,  then  his  only  surviving  child. 
Upon  the  death  of  his  wife  she  bequeathed  her 
half  of  the  estate  to  Ann. 

The  Preston  brothers,  as  part  and  parcel  of 
inherited  Quakerism,  as  well  as  by  instinct  and 
upon  conviction,  were  opposed  to  slavery. 
Upon  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party 
Paul  contributed  to  the  direction  of  its  move- 
ments in  his  section  of  the  State.  Samuel  was 
a  declared  abolitionist ;  devoting  much  time 
and  money  to  running  slaves  off  on  what  was 
known  as  the  under-ground  railroad.  Warner 
was  less  impulsive,  and  heuce  less  demonstra- 
tive in  the  advocacy  of  his  views. 

Paul,  in  1828,  was  sheriff  of  the  county;  in 
1835  he  was  clerk  of  the  courts  and  register 
and  recorder,  and  later  still  he  became  associate 
judge,  but  not  liking  the  office  resigned  it. 

Paul's  death  was  sudden.  The  week  before  he 
had  been  in  Honesdale  some  days,  had  paid  taxes 
mi  unseated  lands.  He  went  home  on  Satur- 
day. On  Monday  he  went  to  post-office,  mailed 
letters,  asked  for  a  quantity  of  postage 
stamps  and  while  the  postmaster  was  getting 
them  fell  back  and  expired. 

Hannah  Preston  married  Benjamin  Randall, 
an  Englishman.  She  and  her  husband  are 
dead.  They  left  two  sons — Benjamin  Randall, 
Jr.,  and  Peter  Randall  — and  a  daughter,  who 
married  J.  A.  Pitcher.  This  daughter  was  a 
favorite  of  her  uncles. 

The  Preston  name,  so  far  as  relates  to  the 
family  in  this  county,  is  destined  to  extinction. 
There  is  no  male  descendant  of  Samuel  Preston, 
the  founder  thereof.  His  daughter  is  represent- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


ed  by  the  Randall  group.  Of  his  sons  Paul  alone 
married,  and  he  left  no  son.  His  eldest 
daughter,  Gulielma,  married  A.  K.  Hoxie,  who 
now  lives  in  Iowa,  and  has  with  him  his  only 
son,  Paul  Preston  Hoxie.  Gulielma,  the  eldest 
of  Hoxie's  daughters,  married  Denison  Crary, 
who  now  holds  Stockport  under  lease  from  Ann 
Preston,  the  owner.  He  has  a  number  of  chil- 
dren. Etta,  the  other  daughter  of  Hoxie, 
married  Warner  P.  Knight,  who  died  in  1884, 
leaving  her  with  six  small  children.      She  has 


making  all  due  allowances  for  the  frailties  of 
human  nature,  truth  compels  me  to  say  that  I 
shall  never  look  upon  their  like  again." 


GEORGE    R.  DILLON*. 

The  first  man  bearing  this  family  name  in 
Wayne  County  was  Abraham  Dillon,  who  was 
born  in  Bedminster  township,  Bucks  County, 
July  11,  1770,  and  removed  to  Wayne  County 
in  1797,  taking  up  a  large  tract  of  land  situa- 
ted halfway  between  Equinunk  and  Stockport, 


purchased  a  dwelling-house  in  Middletown,  j 
N.  Y.,  and  removed  thither  to  procure  educa- 
tional advantages  for  her  family. 

While  the  Preston  name  has  thus  disappeared 
from  the  Wayne  County  branch  the  flavor  of 
the  Preston  reputation  is  likely  to  remain  as  a 
fragrant  tradition  for  generations  to  come. 
Goodrich  in  his  history  truly  declares, — 
"  Knowing  as  I  do,  the  moral,  social  and  intel- 
lectual excellencies  of  the  Preston  family,  and 
52 


which  latter  place  had  just  then  been  com- 
menced by  Judge  Samuel  Preston  an  old  time 
acquaintance  of  the  new  settler.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Ester  Bascom,  who  was  born  on 
April  18,  1780.  Their  children  were  as  fol- 
lows, viz. :  (1)  William,  (2)  John  K.,  (4)  Cal- 
vin, (6)  Abraham,  (8)  Hamilton,  (5)  Hamlet, 
(7)  Martha  (Lloyd),  (3)  Rebecca  (Baker),  (9, 
Electa  (Cole).  Mr.  Dillon  engaged  in  farming 
and   lumbering  and  was  quite  successful.     He 


530 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


was  an  upright,  earnest  man,  and  died  Decem- 
ber 8,  1850.  His  wife  died  November  4, 
1825. 

John  K.  Dillou  was  born  December  23, 1800, 
and  followed  his  father's  example  by  launching 
out  in  lumbering  operations.  On  June  14, 
1827,  he  married  Miss  Lura  Read,  who  was 
born  December  23,  180G,  in  Delaware  town- 
ship, Delaware  County,  N.  Y.  Their  union 
was  happy  and  resulted  in  the  birth  of  (1) 
Chester  H.,  born  May  7,  1828,  married  to 
Delilah  D.  Hicks,  and  on  her  decease  to  Helen 
Rood.  (2)  Rebecca,  born  November  8,  1830, 
married  to  Chester  Rood.  (4)  Julia,  born  Jan- 
uary 21,  1835,  married  to  George  McKune. 
(3)  George  R.,  born  March  17,  1833.  In  con- 
nection with  his  eldest  brother  William,  John 
K.  Dillon  erected  the  saw-mill  at  the  mouth  of 
Dillon's  Creek,  Wayne  County,  on  Delaware 
River,  about  the  year  1840,  and  commenced  to 
cut  the  lumber  which  was  obtained  from  their 
extensive  lands.  They  carried  on  a  large  and 
prosperous  business  until  the  dissolution  of 
partnership  August,  1856,  when  George  R. 
took  the  interest  of  his  father  in  the  mill. 

He  afterwards  attended  to  the  farming  erf  Ins 
lands  and  was  a  highly  respected  and  valued 
citizen.  His  death  occurred  on  February  7, 
1872,  and  his  widow  followed  him  April  4, 
1880.  George  R.  was  sent  to  the  district 
schools  some  several  years,  and  when  in  his 
eighteenth  year  attended  the  Franklin  Academy, 
Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained 
two  terms  increasing  in  breadth  of  culture.  In 
his  twenty-first  year  he  returned  to  the  home- 
stead and  jobbed  in  lumbering  and  bark  opera- 
tions besides  managing  the  mill  business,  con- 
tinuing in  this  associated  with  his  uncle,  Wil- 
liam Dillon,  for  some  years  and  subsequently 
with  his  cousin  Robert,  the  son  of  William, 
until  January,  1876,  when  he  sold  out  the 
manufacturing  department  and  entered  upon  his 
present  work  of  lumbering  and  farming.  For 
over  thirty  years  he  has  rafted  and  run  lumber 
down  the  Delaware  River  to  various  large 
towns  below,  making  a  specialty  of  cut  lumber 
to  Philadelphia  and  bark  to  Chester,  Pa. 

Through  a  long  business  career  his  reputation 
has  been  high,  and  to-day  his  character  is  unas- 


sailable. An  honorable,  upright  and  progres- 
sive man,  lie  has  the  hearty  respect  and  esteem 
of  the  citizens  without  regard  to  party  affinity. 
He  was  elected  by  the  Republican  party  of  his 
township  to  the  responsible  office  of  supervisor, 
in  which  he  served  three  years.  Always  a 
strong  partisan  from  fervent  belief  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party,  he  has  never- 
theless held  aloof  from  political  offices,  though 
frequently  proffered  them. 

Married  to  Miss  Louisa,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Sophia  Ann  (Pierce)  Knight,  on  October 
3,  1860,  their  union  was  blessed  in  the  birth  of 
one  child,  a  son,  Ralph,  on  April  23,  1879. 
This  true  helpmeet  and  loving  mother  was  not 
spared  to  enjoy  the  family  relation  many  years, 
succumbing  to  the  insidious  disease  consump- 
tion on  March  4, 1885  (Inaugural  day  of  Presi- 
dent Cleveland). 

Together  with  his  wife,  Mr.  Dillon  had  been 
prominent  and  valued  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  at  Stockport  since  1876, 
and  in  187'J  he  was  elected  steward,  and  still 
fills  such  responsible  duties.  The  Knight 
family  have  been  representatives  of  the  highest 
grade  iu  Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  since  the  early 
days,  and  several  of  its  members  have  been  promi- 
nent in  business  and  manufacturing  circles,  and 
they  still  occupy  an  honorable  position  before 
the  community,  being  universally  respected  and 
esteemed. 


WAESEE  PRESTOX  KNIGHT. 

Born  in  Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  opposite 
Stockport,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  on  Januarv  8, 
1846. 

When  the  late  Judge  Samuel  Preston  remov- 
ed from  Philadelphia  to  the  then  wilds  of 
W'ayne  County,  he  brought  with  him  a  young 
lad  named  John  Knight,  the  son  of  old  family 
friends  in  the  Quaker  City.  This  lad,  being 
adopted  into  the  family,  grew  up  in  such  con- 
nection and  married  twice, — first,  Rebecca  Jen- 
kins, by  whom  he  had  two  children,  William 
and  Daniel ;  and  second,  Hester  Sands,  who 
bore  him  Richard,  John,  George  and  a  number 
of  others  who  died  young. 

The  family  homestead  was  on  the  New  York 
side  of  the  Delaware  River,  opposite  Stockport, 


//s 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


and  here  Richard  Knight  married  Cassandra 
Lakin,  whose  sou,  Warner  Preston,  was  the  only 
child  attaining  youth. 

After  the  death  of  this  lady  Mr.  Knight  was 
united  to  Mrs.  Deborah  Gardiner,  the  mother 
of  Hon.  Charles  L.  Gardiner,  (member  of  the 
Pennsylvania  State  Legislature  1883-84,)  and 
partner  for  many  years  with  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Mr.  Richard  Knight  was  one  of  the 
most,  prominent  lumber  operators  along  the 
river,  known  everywhere  as  a  man  of  worth 
and  integrity.  About  1853  the  family  moved 
to  Equinunk,  where  Warner  P.  Knight  ob- 
tained the  education  afforded  by  the  common 
schools  and  was  then  sent  to  the  Delhi  (X.  Y.) 
Academy  one  year,  during  the  war.  While 
in  attendance  there,  party  feeling  was  running 
high,  and  the  scholars  generally  voiced  the  sen- 
timents of  their  parents.  One,  a  Southern  lad, 
exhibited  a  secession  flag,  which,  being  shortly 
observed  by  our  subject,  was  torn  to  pieces  and 
stamped  upon  as  an  emblem  of  treason.  He 
was  afterwards  placed  at  the  Delaware  Literary 
Institute,  Franklin,  N.  Y.,  where  he  completed 
a  liberal  education. 

On  returning  to  Equinunk  he  commenced 
his  mercantile  career  as  a  clerk  in  the  store  of 
Mr.  C.  F.  Rockwell,  and  followed  that  by  en- 
tering business  in  partnership  witli  his  step- 
brother, under  name  of  Knight  &  Gardiner, 
which  firm  continued  until  1873,  when  upon 
the  death  of  Judge  Paul  S.  Preston,  the  grand- 
father of  his  wife,  he  removed  to  Stockport,  to 
superintend  the  extensive  business  interests  of 
Miss  Ann  Preston.  In  this  connection  he  re- 
mained until  his  early  demise  on  March  3, 
1885,  consequent  upon  a  too  close  application 
to  the  large  and  complicated  business  interests 
he  had  in  charge,  lumbering,  mill,  store,  etc., 
in  which  he  established  a  high  reputation  for 
business  capacity,  great  energy  and  earnest  in- 
tegrity. It  is  said  of  him  as  of  but  few  men, 
that  so  implicitly  was  his  reputation  relied 
upon  by  purchasers  of  rafts,  of  timber  and  lum- 
ber shipped  by  him,  that  purchase  was  made 
without  so  much  as  an  iuspection  on  their 
part. 

A  large  employer  of  labor,  he  was  generous  and 
kind,   always   recognizing   right  endeavor  and 


aiding  with  both  money  and  counsel  whenever 
called  upon  by  worthy  subjects. 

Mr.  Knight  early  affiliated  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  was  a  member  in  good  and  regu- 
lar standing  of  Hancock  Lodge  and  Shehawken 
Chapter,  No.  258,  R.  A.  M.  He  was  also  a 
charter  member  of  Equinunk  Lodge,  Knights 
of  Honor,  and  belonged  to  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Good  Templars. 

On  February  14,  1872,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Henrietta  M.,  daughter  of  Allen  K.  and 
Gulielma  (daughter  of  Hon.  Paul  S.  Preston) 
Hoxie,  born  at  Summer  Hill,  Cayuga  County, 
N.  Y.  The  children  of  Allen  K.  and  Gulielma 
Hoxie  are  as  follows  :  Paul  Preston,  married 
Nora  Washburn,  and,  with  two  children,  resides 
at  Raymond,  Iowa ;  Elma  Ann,  married  Den- 
nison  Crary,  now  residing,  with  eight  children, 
at  Stockport,  Pa.;  and  Henrietta  M.,  married 
as  above  stated. 

From  this  union  were  born  seven  children, 
viz.:  Henrietta  M.,  born  November  14,  1872; 
Richard,  born  March  4,  1875;  Samuel  Pres- 
ton, born  December  5,  1876;  Anne,  born 
November  4,  1878;  Elma,  born  April  20, 
1880;  Harold,  born  October  28,  1881;  Ruth, 
born  August  2,  1884. 

Recognizing  the  immense  value  of  a  liberal 
education  and  desiring  to  afford  her  young  fam- 
ily advantages  hardly  obtainable  in  the  vicinity 
of  their  birth-place,  Mrs.  Knight  purchased  a 
home  in  the  beautiful  city  of  Middletown, 
N.  Y.,  and  removed  there  during  December, 
1885,  proposing  to  remain  at  least  during  their 
early  youth. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

EQUINUNK.1 

The  place  derives  its  name  from  the  Equi- 
nunk Creek,  which  here  unites  with  the  Dela- 
ware. The  Indian  name,  "  Equinunk,"  is  said, 
traditionally,  to  signify  "The  Trout  Stream." 
Certainly  a  name  it  well   deserved.2     The  little 


1  By  George  W.  Wood. 

2  In  documents  written  as  early  as   1778,  the    pla 
called   "Safe   Harbor." 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


village  which  has  grown  up  here,  almost  en- 
tirely from  the  lumber  and  tanning  industries, 
has  been  built  without  much  regard  to  reg- 
ularity or  appearance,  and  the  traveler  viewing 
it  from  the  cars  on  the  Erie  Railroad,  which 
runs  at  the  base  of  the  hills  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  Delaware,  views  it  as  a  straggling,  ill- 
conditioned  hamlet  ;  but  the  traveler  first  seeing 
it  as  he  comes  over  the  mountains  from  the  di- 
rection of  Honesdale,  especially  in  the  summer, 
considers  it  very  attractive  both  as  to  location 
and  general  appearance.  It  is  built  up  ou  both 
sides  of  the  creek,  hence  has  the  distinction  of 
being  in  two  townships,  Buckingham  and  Man- 
chester, probably  the  larger  portion  being  in 
the  last  named. 

It  is  entirely  on  the  "  Equinunk  Manor," 
especial  mention  of  which  was  made  in  the  his- 
tory of  Buckingham.  The  Delaware  (which 
the  writer  thinks  the  most  beautiful  river  in 
America)  makes  here  an  abrupt  turn,  thus 
forming  at  the  base  of  the  Equinunk  Rocks,  a 
deep  quiet  eddy,  where  the  clear  pellucid  waters 
seem  to  rest  from  their  course  of  life  and  beau- 
ty, to  the  sea.  Looking  up  the  stream  from 
many  points  on  the  Manchester  side  a  vista  of 
quiet  landscape  beauty  presents  itself,  which 
can  scarcely  be  surpassed.  A  stretch  of  some 
two  miles  of  the  river  with  the  island  known  as 
Equinunk  Island,  is  before  one.  Viewed  in 
the  summer,  when  the  hills  are  clad  in  verdure 
down  to  the  water's  edge,  the  island  clothed 
with  green,  with  occasional  trees  flinging  their 
branches  out  over  the  water,  cattle  standing  in 
the  river  and  seeming  to  enjoy  not  the  comfort 
only,  but  the  quiet  beauty,  and  all  in  repose 
and  quiet,  unbroken  except  by  the  roar  and 
rush  of  occasional  trains  passing  on  the  rail- 
way, the  scene  is  one  of  rare  loveliness  and 
beauty. 

The  first  white  man  of  whom  there  is  an  au- 
thentic account  as  living  at  Equinunk,  was 
Josiah  Parks,  a  native  of  New  London,  Conn. 
The  life  of  this  man,  if  properly  written,  would 
read  like  a  romance,  giving,  as  it  would,  ac- 
count of  thrilling  adventures,  with  examples  of 
heroic  purpose,  patient  eudurance  and  unwav- 
ering devotion  to  his  country. 

The  limits  of  this  article  will   allow  but  a 


brief  sketch.  He  was  born  in  1 745.  When 
quite  young  he  served  on  board  an  English 
man-of-war.  Here  he  distinguished  himself 
for  bravery,  and  was  made  boatswain,  hence 
the  appellation,  which  went  with  him  through 
lite,  of"  Boatswain,"  or  in  the  common  render- 
ing, "  Bosen  Parks."  Leaving  the  navy,  he 
first  settled  in  Ulster  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
lived  when  the  American  Revolution  began. 
With  true  patriotic  ardor  he  entered  his  coun- 
try's service,  choosing  a  most  dangerous  branch 
of  service,  that  of  a  scout,  his  field  for  prac- 
tice lying  between  the  Hudson  and  the  Dela- 
ware, a  region  infested  by  loyalists,  and  their 
less  savage  allies,  the  Indians.  An  account  of 
his  adventures  here  would  give  his  name  a 
place  with  that  of  Murphy,  Quick  and  others, 
to  whom  the  country  owes  so  much,  but  of 
whom  it  knows  so  little.  At  some  period 
during  the  Revolution,  and  prior  to  the  massa- 
cre of  Wyoming,  he  came  with  his  family  to 
Equinunk,  reaching  it  by  way  of  the  Dela- 
ware, agaiust  the  strong  current  of  which  he 
pushed  a  canoe  containing  his  family  and 
worldly  goods.  Beaching  Equinunk,  he  lived 
for  some  time  in  a  sort  of  cave  in  the  Equinunk 
Rocks.  People  are  living  here  yet,  who  well 
remember  the  place,  but  vandal  hands  have 
long  since  obliterated  every  trace  of  it.  Still 
following  his  occupation  of  scout,  he  became  the 
especial  object  for  the  vengeance  of  the  Tories 
and  Indians.  He  was  once  taken  prisoner  by 
them,  but  while  they  were  enjoying  the  pros- 
pect of  roasting  him,  he  escaped.  Finally, 
being  warned  by  a  friendly  Indian  of  a  plan  to 
destroy  him  and  his  family,  he  again  took  to 
his  canoe  and  the  Delaware,  and  in  the  night 
with  the  river  high  and  filled  with  floating  ice, 
he  went  down  the  stream  to  the  fort  at  Cochec- 
ton. 

While  he  was  here  he  learned  of  the  intended 
attack  on  Wyoming.  With  only  a  pocket  com- 
pass to  guide  him,  he  went  over  the  mountains 
to  Wyoming,  to  warn  the  inhabitants.  Arriving 
there,  he  was  arrested  as  a  spy,  but  fortunately, 
people  were  there  who  knew  him,  and  who 
vouched  for  his  integrity,  and  he  was  released. 
But  his  warning  was  unheeded,  except  by  two 
or  three  families.     These  he  piloted  through  to 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


5:;:; 


the  Delaware.1  After  this  he  returned  to  Equi- 
nunk,  but  was  again  obliged  to  leave.  Again 
he  returned  and  soon  after  peace  came,  and  the 
occupation  of  Parks  was  gone.  After  the  war, 
he  built  a  house  on  Equinunk  Island,  which  it 
was  then  reasonable  to  suppose,  belonged  to 
Pennsylvania.  He  cleared  a  portion  of  the 
island  and  alternately  cultivated  the  land, 
hunted  and  followed  the  river  as  a  pilot,  at 
which  he  became  celebrated.  He  seems  to  have 
been  improvident  or  unfortunate,  and  remained 
poor.  Notice  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  Buck- 
ingham of  his  having  owned  the  Stockport 
Flats.  He  died  in  1829.  He  has  numerous 
descendants  in  the  valley  of  the  Delaware. 

One  of  his  daughters,  Mrs.  Prudence  Lakin, 
lived  to  the  extreme  age  of  one  hundred 
and  nine  years;  retaining  her  memory  and 
mental  powers  until  past  one  hundred.  A  great 
niece  visited  her  when  one  hundred  and  six 
years  old,  and  hearing  Equinunk  spoken  of, 
remarked  that  she  supposed  "  Equinunk  had 
changed  some  since  she  saw  it  last."  ( )n  the 
niece  asking  how  long  since  she  saw  it,  she  re- 
plied, "  ninety  years." 

Of  his  descendants,  one,  a  highly  esteemed 
and  cultured  lady,  Mrs.  A.  W.  Cole,  resides  at 
Equinunk,  in  sight  of  the  place  where  her  great- 
grandsire  braved  the  privation  and  dangers  of 
the  picket  line  of  civilization.  It  appears  from 
the  correspondence  between  Anthony  Butler 
and  Samuel  Preston  in  1790,  that  there  were 
whites  here  prior  to  that,  and  subsequent  to  the 
location  of  Parks.  But  no  names  are  given, 
and  the  inference  is,  that  they  were  lawless  char- 
acters, intent  only  on  getting  the  timber. 

Prior  to  1 806,  one  Sylvester  Roylston  lived 
here,  but  nothing  is  known  of  his  antecedents, 
or  what  became  of  him.  Judge  Preston  had 
built  a  saw-mill  here  prior  to  1806,  and  it  is 
presumed  that  Roylston  was  in  his  employ. 

In  1822  Christopher  Teeple  came  here  from 
near  the  Delaware  "Water  Gap.  He  built  a 
house  on  what  was  known   as   "  The   Point," 


1  One  of  the  families  thus  rescued  was  the  Fullertons,  of 
which  Judge  Fullerton,  of  New  York,  is  a  representative. 
Another  was  the  Whitakers,  of  whom  there  are  numerous 
representatives  in  this  county,  and  at  and  near  Deposit, 
N.Y. 


about  fifty  rods  north  of  the  mouth  of  Equinunk 
Creek.  In  1832  he  removed  to  the  Union  set- 
tlement in  Manchester. 

In  1831  Alexander  Calder  and  Israel  Chap- 
man bought  the  whole  of  the  Equinunk  Manor. 
Mention  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  Buckingham 
of  their  commencing  a  tannery  and  of  the  divi- 
sion of  the  lands,  etc.  Mr.  Calder  was  a  na- 
tive of  Greene  County,  N.  Y.,  his  parents 
having  come  there  from  Scotland  a  short  time 
before  his  birth.  He  always  possessed  a  warm 
regard  for  the  land  of  his  fathers,  and  was  in- 
tensely Scotch  in  thought  and  feeling.  At  an 
early  age  he  was  ordained  as  preacher  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  gained  re- 
nown as  a  revivalist,  and  was  noted  for  his 
earnest,  fiery  eloquence,  masterly  logic  and 
rapid  flow  of  language.  He  belonged  at  one 
time  to  the  New  York  Conference,  afterward 
the  Oneida.  After  commencing  business  at 
Equinunk,  he  still  remained  in  the  ministry, 
being  last  stationed  at  Sydney  Plains,  N.  Y. 
After  the  division  of  the  lands  between  him 
and  Chapman,  noticed  in  the  chapter  on  Buck- 
ingham, he  engaged  in  business  at  Equinunk, 
and  was  noted  for  his  restless  energy  and  un- 
flagging industry.  For  many  years  he  kept  a 
store,  and,  at  the  same  time,  was  largely  inter- 
ested in  lumbering  and  farming.  His  wife  was 
a  Miss  Affie  Waldrou,  also  of  Greene  County, 
N.  Y.,  a  most  estimable  woman,  and  one 
whose  "children  rise  up  to  call  her  blessed." 
Eight  children — four  sons  and  four  daughters 
— were  born  to  them,  all  of  whom  reached  man 
and  womanhood.  But  a  sad  fatality  seemed  to 
follow  the  sons.  James  H.,  the  eldest  son,  a 
young  man  of  great  promise  and  probity,  was 
stricken  down  by  death  soon  after  entering 
upon  what  promised  to  be  a  successful  and  use- 
ful busiuess  career.  Alexander,  the  third  son, 
left  his  home  in  the  summer  of  1856,  and  over 
his  ultimate  fate  hangs  a  mournful  uncertainty. 
The  presumption  is  that  he  perished  with 
Walker  in  his  ill-starred  Nicaraguan  expedi- 
tion. Levi  B.,  while  returning  from  Califor- 
nia iu  1865,  died  at  sea.  Joseph  W.,  while  en- 
gaged in  railroad  enterprises  in  Texas,  was  shot 
down  by  desperadoes  in  the  streets  of  Dallas  in 
September  of  1878.     Amelia,  the  eldest  daugh- 


534 


WAYNE.  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


tor,  is  the  wife  of  the  Hon.  AY.  M.  Nelson. 
Myriam,  the  third  daughter,  is  the  wife  of  H. 
N.  Farley,  Esq.,  both  residing  at  Equimink. 
Carrie,  the  second  daughter,  is  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Charles  Knight,  of  Hancock,  N.  Y.  Alma, 
the  youngest,  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  H.  J.  John- 
ston, of  New  York  City.  She  is  an  authoress 
of  considerable  note.  All  are  ladies  of  culture 
and  refinement  and  real  excellence  of  character. 

The  writer,  feeling  that  Mr.  Calder  ami  his 
family  were  the  pioneers  of  actual  improvement 
at  Equinunk,  has  given  to  them  what  he  would 
otherwise  feel  unwarranted  space.  To  conclude, 
it  may  be  added  that  Mr.  Calder  died  in  1879, 
aged  eighty-one  years,  and  the  writer  feels  that 
it  does  no  injustice  to  his  memory  to  add  that 
then  ended  an  earthly  existence  of  unrest.  His 
was  a  life  of  ceaseless  activity.  By  nature  very 
irascible,  he  was  easily  irritated  and  annoyed. 
He  was  very  tenacious  in  his  views  and  un- 
yielding in  his  convictions,  and  terribly  in 
earnest  in  his  denunciations  of  the  liquor  traffic 
and  kindred  evils,  equally  so  in  his  advocacy  of 
all  that  tended  to  elevate  and  purify  society. 

Herman  Matthew  and  his  son  Aldrich  W. 
came  to  Equinunk  from  Greene  County,  N.  Y., 
in  1834.  In  1835  they  commenced  building  a 
mill  near  Dillons,  on  the  Delaware.  They  had 
the  dam  completed  on  a  portion  of  the  stream 
which  ran  west  of  an  island.  An  ice  freshet 
came,  and  their  dam,  contrary  to  all  philosophy 
and  experience,  was  moved  up  stream  some  dis- 
tance, and  they  abandoned  the  enterprise.  A. 
W.  next  bought  the  mill  which  Calder  & 
Chapman  had  built  at  Equinunk  and  yet  re- 
sides at  Equinunk.  In  1847  Isaiah  and  D.  C. 
Scudder,  of  Prattsville,  N.  Y.,  came  to  Equi- 
nunk and  commenced  building  a  tannery,  com- 
pleting it  in  1848.  They  were  men  of  energy 
and  perseverance.  Quite  a  number  of  people 
came  at  about  the  time  they  did  from  Pratts- 
ville and  vicinity ;  others  were  attracted  by  the 
labor  and  business  the  place  afforded.  About 
the  time  the  tannery  was  completed  the  New 
York  and  Erie  Railroad  was  completed  through 
the  Delaware  Valley.  This  gave  a  fresh  im- 
petus to  business,  and  Equinunk  soon  grew  to 
about  all  that  it  is  now  or  is  ever  likely  to  be,  un- 
less new  resources  are  developed.  Subsequently 


Isaiah  Scudder  sold  his  interest  in  the  tannery 
and  removed  to  Missouri.  Returning  from 
there  he  took  the  tannery  again,  sold  it  in  1865 
and  removed  to  Bethany  in  this  county.  At 
this  writing  we  learn  that  he  has  removed  to 
Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  a  good  citizen  for  any 
community.  D.  C.  Scudder  is  living  at 
Elmira,  X.  Y. 

The  first  hotel  built  in  the  place  was  by 
John  Lord,  known,  to  distinguish  him  from 
half-a-dozen  other  John  Lords,  as  "  Long 
John."  Among  those  who  early  located  here 
were  Colby  and  A.  C.  Teed,  Runsom  Cole, 
Levi  Felter,  Morris  Eldred,  James  Calder, 
Richard  Knight  and  others.  Some  of  these  re- 
side here  yet,  while  others  have  gone  to  the 
shadowy  land. 

William  M.  Nelson,  of  whom  an  extensive 
sketch  appears  at  the  close  of  this  chapter, 
located  here  in  1854,  his  wife,  as  already  men- 
tioned, being  Amelia,  daughter  of  Mr.  Alexan- 
der Calder. 

Equinunk  has  no  municipal  regulations  sepa- 
rate from  the  township  in  which  it  is  situated. 
It  has  about  three  hundred  inhabitants,  has  four 
stores,  two  hotels,  grist-mill,  blacksmith-shop, 
wagon-maker  and  undertakers'-shop,  planing- 
niill  and  various  other  industries. 

The  first  laid-out  road  to  the  place  was  that 
between  it  and  Stockport.  There  is  much  un- 
certainty as  to  the  date  of  its  survey,  and  no 
one  knows  who  was  the  surveyor.  The  road 
up  the  Equinunk  Creek  was  extended  by  de- 
grees, as  the  needs  of  the  people  settling  upon, 
or  lumbering  upon  it,  made  it  necessary,  but 
was  not  laid  out  and  worked  through  until 
1845.  The  road  from  Equinunk  to  Long 
Eddy  and  Little  Equinunk  was  not  laid  out 
until  1840.  After  the  Scudders  established 
themselves  here,  they  were  mainly  instrumen- 
tal in  getting  a  fairly  good  road  laid  out  and 
worked  through  to  the  "  Union,"  and  another 
on  the  Manchester  side  of  the  creek  to  inter- 
sect, a  half-mile  from  the  river,  with  the  road 
up  the  Equinunk  Creek. 

As  to  the  first  religious  meeting  or  preaching 
at  what  is  now  Equinunk,  the  same  uncertainty 
exists.  From  all  the  writer  can  learn,  he  in- 
fers that  Mr.  Calder  preached  the  first  sermon 


WAYNE  ('( >UNTY. 


ever  preached  iu  the  place.  As  mentioned  in 
the  chapters  on  Manchester  and  Buckingham, 
this  region,  as  far  down  as  Long  Eddy,  was  for 
many  years  attached  to  the  Hancock,  N.  Y., 
charge  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
New  York  Conference,  and  itinerants  from 
there  labored  through  this  uninviting  field. 
In  1854  the  Equinunk  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  established,  with  something  like 
one  hundred  members.  This  included  the  So- 
ciety at  the  "  Union,"  and  also  at  Stockport. 
The  first  minister  settled  here  was  William  J. 
Ives.  His  successors,  as  far  as  can  be  learned, 
have  been  Revs.  Blakey,  Ferow,  Birch,  Powell, 
Krogan,  Roe,  Gamble,  Van  Keuren,  Heroy 
and  Carpenter,  the  present  incumbent.  Present 
membership  of  the  church  about  one  hundred 
and  eighty.  The  society  has  a  comfortable 
church  edifice  and  parsonage,  which,  together, 
cost  about  three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars. 
No  other  church  organization  exists  here. 
Some  twelve  years  since  a  small  Episcopal  So- 
ciety was  organized,  but  the  number  and  means 
of  the  members  would  not  admit  of  regular  ser- 
vices here. 

The  people  depended  for  many  years  upon 
Hancock,  Honesdale  and  Mt.  Pleasant  for  phy- 
sicians. A  Doctor  Tingley  settled  here  about 
1847  or  1848  ;  he  left  iu  1857.  Resides  now  at 
Newark,  N.  J.  The  next  was  Dr.  George  S. 
Redfield,  a  native  of  Delhi,  N.  Y.,  a  graduate 
of  Geneva  Medical  Institute.  Located  here  in 
1852.  Was  fairly  successful  as  a  physician 
until  1857,  when  he  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business.  After  a  short  time,  in  the  mercantile 
business,  in  1861  he  entered  the  army  as  first- 
lieutenant  in  Company  G,  Forty-fifth  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers.  He  resigned  in  1862.  In 
1863  he  again  entered  the  service  as  a  captain, 
and  was  with  Sherman  in  his  famous  "  March 
to  the  Sea."  After  the  war  he  located  at 
Conklin,  N.  Y.  He  returned  to  Equinunk  in 
1875,  remained  here  until  1884,  and  now  resides 
at  Conklin,  N.  Y.  The  next  to  locate  here  was 
Dr.  William  H.  DeLong,  a  native  of  Herkimer 
County,  N.  Y.  A  graduate  of  University  of 
Albany.  He  entered  the  army  in  1862  as  a 
private,  and  at  the  end  of  the  war  was  dis- 
charged as   assistant    surgeon.     He    located    at 


Equinunk  in  1868,  was  very  successful  as  a 
practitioner,  and  remained  here  until  1874.  He 
resides  now  at  Emporium,  Cameron  County, 
Pa.  Dr.  Frank  P.  Hough,  a  native  of  Wyom- 
ing County,  Pa.,  a  graduate  of  Jefferson  Medi- 
cal College,  Philadelphia,  located  here  in  1884. 

A  mill  for  grinding  grain  on  a  small  scale 
was  erected  here  about  1850.  The  first  saw- 
mill was  built  by  Samuel  Preston,  of  Stockport, 
in  1804.  It  was  built  on  the  Manchester  side 
of  the  Equinunk  Creek  but  a  few  rods  from 
the  river.  No  trace  of  it  excepting  a  portion 
of  the  raceway  by  which  the  water  was  brought 
to  it,  remains.  The  next  saw-mill  was  built  by 
Messrs.  Calder  &  Chapman  in  1833.  This  was 
a  few  rods  above  where  Preston  built.  It 
passed  into  the  possession  of  A.  W.  Matthews, 
and  was  torn  down  a  year  or  two  since.  The 
Scudder  Brothers  tannery  was  built  in  1847 
and  1848.  Business  was  dime  under  the  firm 
name  of  I.  &  D.  C.  Scudder.  In  1856  Isaiah 
Scudder  parted  with  his  interest  to  D.  C.  Scud- 
der and  Joseph  Bates;  firm  known  as  Scudder  & 
Bates.  In  1859  Isaiah  Scudder  again  became 
owner,  and  continutd  so  until  1865,  then  sold 
to  H.  &  L.  B.  Richlmyer.  This  firm  after  a 
few  years  sold  to  Munson  Sherwood  and  D. 
Crary,  who  soon  closed  out  their  interest  to 
William  Holbert.  It  was  burned  down  in  1875. 
Its  capacity  was  two  thousand  five  hundred 
sides  per  year.  A  factory,  for  the  making  of  ex- 
celsior, also  a  feed-mill  were  erected  in  1881,  on 
the  site  of  the  tannery.  It  was  burned  in 
October,  of  1885. 

In  1866  J.  D.  Dillon  and  C.  H.  Cole  built 
an  axe  factory  on  Factory  Brook.  It  became 
the  property  of  M.  M.  Hedges,  and  was  burned 
in  1867.  Another  was  built  in  1875  on  the 
site  of  the  other,  by  Cole  Brothers,  of  Equinunk. 
It  was  burned  in  1877. 

In  1880  L.  W.  Lord  erected  a  planing-mill 
and  machine-shop  on  the  site  of  the  burned  axe 
factories.  He  continues  to  own  and  run  it.  In 
1883  a  hub  factory  was  built  on  the  site  of  the 
Matthews  saw-mill,  by  J.  G.  Halbert.  The 
business  did  not  pay  and  was  discontinued. 

A  Lodge  of  Good  Templars  was  organized  in 
1868.  After  a  precarious  and  stormy  existence, 
it  died  in  1874.     It  was  reorganized  in  1879. 


53(1 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA 


In  June,  of  1881,  a  Lodge  of  Knights  of 
Honor  was  established  with  a  membership  of 
twenty.  Present  membership,  forty-five.  Con- 
dition, healthy. 

In  1882  Lieutenant  George  P.  Scudder,  Post 
No.  340,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  was  es- 
tablished. It  now  has  a  membership  of  seventy, 
and  is  in  a  flourishing  conditiou. 

A  post-office  was  established  in  1833. 
Alexander  Calder  was  appointed  postmaster. 
Mails  until  1848  came  from  Honesdale  semi- 
weekly  ;  after  1848  via  the  Erie  Railroad  daily. 
Mr.  Calder  was  postmaster  until  1853,  when  D. 
C.  Scudder  was  appointed  and  the  office  was  taken 
to  the  Manchester  side.  In  1857  W.  M. 
Nelson  was  appointed  and  it  was  returned  to 
Buckingham.  In  1861  C.  F.  Rockwell  was  ap- 
pointed and  again  it  went  to  Manchester.  Mr. 
Rockwell  continued  postmaster  until  he  closed 
out  his  business  in  1865,  when  Mr.  Richard 
Knight  was  appointed.  He  held  the  office  until 
his  death,  in  1882,  when  C.  L.  Gardiner  was 
appointed.  He  being  elected  as  representative 
in  the  fall  of  1882,  H.  N.  Farley  was  appointed. 
He  is  the  present  incumbent.  It  became  a 
money  order  office  in  July,  1884. 

The  public  schools  of  the  place  are  included 
with  those  of  the  two  townships. 

For  many  years  the  place  was  noted  for  the 
amount  of  lumber  run  clown  the  Delaware  from 
it.  Year  after  year  the  banks  for  half  a  mile 
were  covered  with  piles  of  sawed  lumber,  while 
every  available  foot  of  ground  for  many  rods 
from  the  river  was  covered  with  logs.  Then 
with  the  early  spring  time  there  came  from  the 
"  Beech  Woods  "  and  other  places  hard-handed 
and  stalwart  yeomen,  eager  to  "  raft  and  go 
down  the  river."  Then  for  weeks  there  would 
be  a  general  racket  of  shouting,  swearing  and 
whipping  and  slashing  of  unfortunate  teams  as 
they  hauled  logs  through  the  mud  to  the  river. 
Though  there  was  mud  everywhere  out  of  doors, 
frequent  storms  incident  to  the  season,  the  river 
rushing  on  swollen  water,  in  short  a  general 
dampness  prevailing,  yet  the  average  raftsmen 
had  a  dryness  which  could  scarcely  be  satisfied. 
"  Steersmen  "  or  pilots  were  in  great  demand, 
and  made  about  their  own  terms.  "  Going 
down   the  river,"  had    for   those    who   became 


accustomed  to  it  a  strange  fascination,  though 
there  was  some  danger  with  much  discomfort 
through  exposure  to  storms,  and  often  se- 
vere labor  through  the  day.  Then  the  land- 
ing at  night  to  find  such  accommodation  as  could 
be  had.  Not  more  than  one  raft  is  run  now  to 
fifty  ten  years  since.  Very  soon  there  will  be 
none.  Then  old  "  steersmen "  and  raftsmen 
will  wander  along  the  river  when  there  is  a 
"  fresh,"  as  disconsolate  as  lost  souls  along  the 
"  Styx." 

Railroad  facilities  are  afforded  the  place  by 
the  New  York,  Lake  Erie  and  Western  Rail- 
road Station,  Lordville,  one  mile  distant.  A 
substantial  suspension  bridge  across  the  Dela- 
ware at  Lordville  facilitates  intercourse. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

ISAIAH    SCUDDER. 

Isaiah  Scudder's  paternal  grandfather,Captain 
William  Scudder,  of  Welsh  extraction,  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  in  defense  of  the  Colo- 
nies. While  out  on  a  scouting  excursion  he  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  British.  He  assisted  in 
burning  a  British  frigate  on  Long  Island 
Sound,  and  is  said  to  have  replied,  when  asked 
if  he  was  not  sorry  for  having  done  so  much 
damage,  "  No,  I  am  sorry  I  did  not  do  as  much 
more." 

His  wife  was  a  Wood,  and  with  his  family 
he  settled  in  Roxbury,  Delaware  County,  New 
York,  in  1801,  from  Westchester  County, 
where  the  family  had  resided  since  its  settle- 
ment in  this  country  from  Wales.  He  had  four 
sons, — Philetus,  Jotham,  Obadiah  Smith  and 
David  Scudder. 

Obadiah  Sm  ith  Scudder  was  born  in  West- 
chester County,  New  York,  in  1778,  and  mar- 
ried Peace  Corbin,  an  estimable  young  Quaker 
woman  of  Dutchess  County,  New  York,  in 
1801.  He  located  in  Roxbury,  New  York, 
where  he  was  a  blacksmith  and  farmer,  and 
where  he  died  in  1830,  four  years  after  the 
death  of  his  wife.  Their  children  were  Benja- 
min, born  in  1802  ;  Ii-eneus,  born  in  1805  ; 
Samuel,  born  in  1807  ;  Isaiah,  born  March  26, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


537 


1808,  subject  of  this  sketch  ;  Anna,  burn  in 
1810;  Daniel  C,  born  in  1811  ;  Rebecca,  born 
in  1813;  Micaiah,  born  in  1815 ;  Abraham, 
born  in  1817;  Abigail,  born  in  1819,  and 
Johu, born  in  1821. 

Isaiah  Scudder,  a  native  of  Roxbury,  was  in 
boyhood  a  diligent  and  studious  scholar,  in  the 
district  school  at  home,  which  afforded  him  his 
early  book-knowledge.     He  was  fond  of  mathe- 


His  mechanical  genius  has  been  turned  to  prac- 
tical account  in  the  patented  invention  of  machin- 
ery, which  still  boars  his  name.  In  the  deep 
and  abstruse  subjects  of  scientific  investigation, 
he  has  ever  been  an  interested  and  critical  stu- 
dent. He  also  seemed  intuitively  and  naturally 
to  comprehend  the  subject  of  medicine  and  to 
be  able  to  diagnose  disease,  and  although  he 
never  gave  physic  his  regular  attention,  as  a 


<3^^^^^^-Qy^t^^^^ 


matics,  in  which  he  early  became  proficient,  and 
his  love  for  the  study  has  made  it  a  pleasant 
recreation  from  all  the  care  and  toil  of  an  active 
business  life.  His  original  manner  of  analyzing 
and  solving,  even  the  most  intricate  problems, 
has  astonished  and  delighted  college  professors 
and  teachers  of  mathematical  science.  They 
have  long  recognized  him  as  being  one  of  the 
best  mathematicians  in  Northern  Pennsylvania. 


study,  he  practiced  very  successfully  for  many 
years  among  his  friends  gratuitously,  and  in 
consequence  thereof,  was  known  as  "  Doctor 
Scudder." 

Inclining  to  a  business,  rather  than  a  profes- 
sional life,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  in  1826,  he 
apprenticed  himself  to  the  veteran  tanner,  Col. 
Zadoc  Pratt,  of  Prattsville,  Greene  County, 
Xew  York,  where  he  remained  in  that  capacity 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


until  he  had  fully  mastered  the  trade,  and  after- 
ward as  a  reliable  and  trusted  foreman,  until 
1844,  when  he  succeeded  to  Col.  Pratt's  busi- 
ness, having  for  his  partner  his  brother,  Daniel 
0.  Scudder.  They  continued  the  business  there 
until  1847,  when  they  bought  the  site  and  bark- 
lands,  at  Equinunk,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  con- 
sisting of  some  two  thousand  acres,  upon  which 
they  erected  the  Equinunk  Tannery,  in  which 
they  began  operations  the  following  year.  From 
this  tract  of  land  they  cut  timber  which  they 
rafted  down  the  Delaware,  and  bark  for  use  in 
their  tannery,  employing  in  the  tannery  and  out 
about  one  hundred  men. 

In  1849  they  built  the  "  High  Lake  Tan- 
nery," seven  miles  up  the  Equinunk  Creek,  at 
a  point  in  the  woods  called  Brownsville,  but 
which,  a  few  years  later,  was  called  High  Lake, 
and  still  bears  the  name. 

In  1856  Isaiah  Scudder  sold  his  entire  inter- 
est in  these  tanneries  and  lands  to  Joseph  S. 
Bates,  a  son-in-law  of  his  partner,  D.  C.  Scud- 
der, and  that  firm,  "  Scudder  &  Bates,"  con- 
tinued the  business. 

Upon  being  relieved  of  this  business,  Doctor 
Scudder  removed  to  Nodaway  County,  Missouri, 
with  the  intention  of  making  there  a  permanent 
home.  With  this  object  in  view  he  made  pur- 
chase of  one  thousand  one  hundred  acres  of  roll- 
ing prairie  land,  embracing  a  fine  homestead 
fin-  his  family.  But  the  panic  of  1857  so  af- 
fected the  interests  of  the  new  tanning  firm,  as  to 
make  necessary  the  return  of  Doctor  Scudder,  and 
his  resumption  of  the  work  at  the  Equinunk 
Tannery,  in  1858.  Here  he  remained  until  1866, 
when  he  disposed  of  the  property  to  H.  and  L. 
B.  Richtmyer.  The  upper,  or  "  High  Lake  " 
tannery  had  been  sold  to  Degen  &  Wrede  in 
1856. 

The  "Doctor"  had  now  spent  some  forty 
years  in  the  tanning  business,  and  was  the  ac- 
knowledged head  of  that  large  interest  so  ex- 
tensively carried  on  in  that  part  of  the  State. 
To  him  was  accorded  the  reputation  of  produc- 
ing as  good,  if  not  the  very  best  sole-leather  in 
the  market. 

On  his  retirement  from  business  he  purchased 
a  village  farm  in  Bethany,  Pa.,  and  subsequently 
a    dairy  farm  in  Orange   County,   New  York. 


Members  of  his  family  are  settled  upon  each 
place,  and  make  pleasant  and  comfortable  his 
homes  as  he  elects  one  or  the  other. 

Doctor  Scudder  has  led  an  active  business 
life,  and  by  honesty  of  purpose,  persistent  effort, 
indefatigable  industry,  judicious  management 
and  integrity  iu  all  his  business  relations,  he 
has  earned  a  competency — a  just  reward  of  faith- 
ful labor. 

From  early  manhood  he  has  been  a  consistent 
and  honored  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  serving  as  class-leader  and  steward 
through  a  long  series  of  years.  Christian  min- 
isters were  always  sure  of  a  cordial  welcome  to 
his  hospitable  home.  With  a  liberal  hand  he 
has  responded  to  the  call  of  the  poor  and  needy. 
To  all  worthy  local  enterprises  he  has  contrib- 
uted commensurate  with  his  means. 

A  man  of  strong  mind,  good  judgment  and  of 
marked  individuality,  though  his  life  has  been 
largely  given  to  business,  he  has  always  kept 
pace  with  local  and  national  affairs,  and  accord- 
ingly as  he  thought  proper  he  has  identified 
himself  with  the  great  political  parties  of  his 
time.  He  was  a  Democrat  until  1852,  when  he 
cast  his  vote  for  the  AVhig  candidate,  General 
Winfield  Scott,  and  upon  the  formation  of  the 
Republican  party  in  1854—56  he  allied  himself 
to  it,  to  which  principles  he  has  since  adhered. 

On  January  10,  1833,  at  Prattsville,  New 
York,  he  married  Margaret  Hadsell,  a  woman 
of  rare  excellence  and  Christian  character,  who 
died  at  Bethany,  Pa.,  in  August,  1876.  Their 
children  are  Harriet  A.,  married  at  Equinunk, 
Pa.,  July  2,  1855,  to  Charles  F.  Rockwell,  of 
Milford,  now  a  resident  of  Honesdale,  Pa. 
They  have  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter. 
Julia  M.,  married  to  Henry  S.  Richtmyer  in 
1856,  and  died  in  1872,  at  Bethany,  leaving  a 
son  and  a  daughter.  Libbie  P.,  married  July 
26,  1858,  in  Missouri,  to  Dr.  J.  M.  Starnes,  who 
served  as  surgeon  of  the  Eleventh  Missouri 
Union  Cavalry  during  the  late  civil  war,  and 
who  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  January  22,  1864  ; 
his  remains  are  buried  in  Glen  Dyberry  Cem- 
etery, at  Honesdale,  Pa.  His  widow  and  daugh- 
ter reside  in  last-named  town  ;  a  son  lives  at 
Bethany.  Benjamin  F.,  married  Elizabeth  Ste- 
venson, at  White  Cloud,  Mo.,  and  they  reside 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


539 


in  Colorado.  Isaiah  Scudder,  Jr.,  married  La- 
vinia  Varcoe,  and  lives  in  Otis ville,  New  York. 
Charlotte  A.,  married  at  Bethany,  in  1869,  to 
Thomas  F.  Ham,  of  the  law-firm  of  H.  H.  and 
T.  F.  Ham,  of  Wauseon,  Ohio,  where  they  now 
reside.  Homer  A.,  married  Libbie  Ham,  and 
resides  at  Wauseon.  Florence  R.,  married  to 
Hon.  William  B.  Guinuip,  ex-member  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Legislature,  residing  in  Damascus 
township,  Wayne  County,  Pa. 


tained  in  the  family  as  valuable  mementos  of  the 
past),  in  which  rank  he  served  until  the  close 
of  the  Revolution,  and  was  honorably  discharged 
at  Washington's  headquarters  in  the  town  of 
Newburgh,  N.  Y.  Colonel  Nelson  died  in  New- 
burgh,  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  whither  he  had 
removed  after  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
twice  married,  and  of  his  children,  Henry,  the 
only  son  by  his  first  wife,  was  the  father  of 
Senator   William  M.  Nelson.     Henry  Nelson, 


?T-  ?n-  .  ^^— w 


HON.    W.    M.    NELSON. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Henry 
Nelson,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  about  1760, 
and,  animated  by  an  ardent  love  of  country,  en- 
listed shortly  after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill, 
when  but  sixteen  years  of  age.  For  bravery 
and  ability  he  was  promoted  through  the  various 
grades  of  office  until  his  appointment  as  colonel 
(the  parchment  commissions  for  the  two  ranks 
of  captain  and  colonel  have  ever  since  been  re- 


~> 


born  at  New  Windsor,  Orange  County,  N.  Y., 
April  14,  1788,  married  in  1810  Azubah  Mail- 
ler,  who  was  born  at  Cornwall,  in  the  same 
county,  September  16,  1791.  They  had  six 
children,  of  whom  William  Mailler  Nelson  was 
the  youngest.  Shortly  after  his  marriage  the 
trouble  with  the  mother  country  culminated  in 
an  appeal  to  arms  in  1812,  and  he,  inheriting 
the  spirit  of  his  father,  enlisted  and  served  in 
the  company  commanded  by  Captain  Belknap, 


54(1 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


of  Newburgh.  His  active  service  was  more 
particularly  identified  with  events  occurring  iu 
New  York  and  Canada,  aud  at  the  close  of  the 
war  he  was  honorably  discharged  and  returned 
to  Newburgh,  where  he  followed  carriage  making 
some  thirty  years  prior  to  his  death  in  1858. 
His  wife  died  in  1841  at  Newburgh. 

William  Mailler  Nelson  was  born  at  New- 
burgh October  14,  1826,  and  obtained  his  early 
book  knowledge  in  the  district  schools,  where 
he  acquired  a  good  acquaintance  with  those 
branches  which  are  of  the  greatest  value  in  a 
practical  career.  Being  of  a  religious  turn  of 
mind  from  his  youth,  he  united  with  the  M.  E. 
Church  at  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  devoted 
much  of  his  spare  time  during  his  minority  to 
the  reading  of  theological  works.  In  1848  he 
had  become  so  proficient  in  the  knowledge  of  the 
Scriptures  that  he  was  accepted  by  the  Church  as 
a  local  preacher,  and  in  this  capacity  served  as 
a  supply  for  one  year  on  the  Sugar  Loaf  cir- 
cuit, New  York  Conference,  and  subsequently 
on  the  Sullivan  County  circuit.  In  1850  he 
joined  the  New  York  Conference  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  and  for  some  four  years,  until  his  health 
failed,  labored  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  In 
1854  he  married  R.  Amelia,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Alexander  Calder,  of  Equinunk,  Wayne  County, 
Pa.,  and  located  at  that  place,  where  he  engaged 
in  general  mercantile  trade,  which  he  carried  on 
successfully  for  some  twenty  years.  For  six 
years,  during  the  administrations  of  Presidents 
Pierce  and  Buchanan,  he  was  postmaster  at 
Equinunk.  Whether  in  a  public  or  private  ca- 
pacity, Mr.  Nelson  has  ever  been  busy,  either 
for  himself  or  others.  He  is  president  of  "The 
Equinunk  Chemical  Company,"  which  was 
established  in  1882  at  that  place  for  the  manu- 
facture of  pyroligneons  acid  from  ordinary  cord- 
wood.  The  works  consist  of  four  furnaces  and 
eight  iron  retorts,  holding  about  a  cord  of  wood 
each,  for  the  dry  distillation  of  the  wood,  and 
turn  out  about  a  half-ton  of  acetate  of  lime  per 
day,  besides  the  wood-naphtha  and  large  quanti- 
ties of  charcoal.  In  the  fall  of  1862  he  was 
elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket  a  member  of 
the  State  Legislature  from  Wayne  County,  and 
by  re-election  served  through  the  sessions  of 
1863,  '64,  '65,  '66,  '69,  77,  and  '78,  and  was 


the  caucus  nominee  of  his  party  for  Speaker  of 
the  House  in  1865.  In  the  fall  of  1878  he  was 
elected  to  the  State  Senate  from  the  Twenty- 
sixth  District,  comprised  of  Susquehanna  and 
Wayne  Counties,  and  by  re-election  in  1882  is 
now  serving  his  fifteenth  year  of  public  life, — 
bespeaking  the  confidence  of  his  constituents, — 
comprising  a  district  largely  Republican.  During 
his  first  term  in  the  House,  the  contest  between 
General  Simon  Cameron  and  Hon.  Charles  R. 
Buckalew  for  United  States  Senator  was  ex- 
ceedingly earnest.  Strong  efforts  were  made  aud 
large  sums  of  money  used  by  the  partisans  of 
General  Cameron  to  overcome  the  Democratic 
majority  of  one  on  joint  ballot,  and  secure  his 
re-election,  but  Mr.  Nelson  could  not  be  induced 
by  any  consideration  to  become  a  party  to  cor- 
ruption, and  Mr.  Buckalew  received  the  election. 
His  record  in  the  Legislature  on  all  questions 
coming  before  that  body  relative  to  the  sale  of 
intoxicating  liquors  is  clearly  defined  and  unim- 
peachable, and  his  position  has  never  been 
changed  from  that  first  assumed  as  a  champion 
of  prohibitory  measures.  Firm  and  unyielding 
in  character  and  disposition,  his  abilities  long 
since  placed  him  foremost  in  the  ranks  of  those 
endeavoring  to  put  a  legal  stop  to  the  liquor 
traffic  and  the  evils  growing  out  of  it.  Being 
in  the  Legislature  during  the  war,  he  was  the 
representative  of  the  soldier  as  well  as  of  the 
people,  and  as  a  war  Democrat,  his  voice  and 
vote  were  invariably  given  for  the  success  of  the 
Union  cause.  He  strenuously  advocated  the 
measure  allowing  Pennsylvania  soldiers  in  the 
field  the  right  of  suffrage.  He  contributed  in 
every  way  in  his  power  to  aid  those  who  en- 
listed, and  he  shared  largely  in  the  sympathies 
of  the  volunteers  from  his  section,  whose  fami- 
lies still  remember  his  generosity  as  a  merchant, 
while  their  friends  were  at  the  front.  Recog- 
nizing the  value  of  proper  railroad  communica- 
tions, Mr.  Nelson  in  1863  revived  the  charter 
for  the  Jefferson  Railroad,  and  subsequently  at 
various  times  added  such  supplements  to  it  as 
made  it  in  the  interest  of  the  coal  companies  to 
build  the  road  from  Carbondale  to  Lauesborough, 
on  the  Erie  Railroad,  which  has  since  become  a 
Northern  outlet  for  coal  through  to  Canada,  in 
connection  with  the  Albany  and   Susquehanna 


WAYNE    COUNTY. 


541 


Railroad,  and  added  vastly  to  the  wealth  and 
value  of  his  senatorial  district.  At  the  Demo- 
cratic State  Convention  held  in  Harrisburgh  in 
1882,  Senator  Nelson  was  one  of  the  nine  can- 
didates for  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  and  re- 
ceived a  very  complimentary  vote.  Seeing, 
however,  the  tide  of  the  Convention  drifting  to- 
wards Robert  E.  Pattison,  the  present  Governor, 
he  withdrew  on  the  fifth  ballot,  and  his  friends, 
led  by  Thomas  J.  Ham,  of  Honesdale,  went 
over  to  Pattison,  who  was  nominated  on  the 
sixth  ballot.  There  seems  to  be  but  one  senti- 
ment among  all  classes  relative  to  Senator  Nel- 
son's public  career,  and  he  enjoys  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  his  constituents  in  a  wonderful 
degree,  being  often  referred  to  as  the  man  in 
public  life  for  many  years  without  spot  or  blem- 
ish on  his  escutcheon.  At  home  he  is  known  as 
a  man  of  public  spirit  and  enterprise;  a  generous 
contributor  to  all  charitable,  benevolent  and 
chunh  work, and  a  practical  friend  to  the  poor. 
A  writer  conversant  with  Senator  Nelson's  ca- 
reer says  of  him  :  "Among  Mr.  Nelson's  note- 
worthy characteristics  are  his  benevolence,  stead- 
fast  adherence  to  friends,  magnanimity  towards 
enemies,  cheerfulness  in  disposition,  kindness 
of  heart,  and  fixedness  and  honesty  of  purpose. 
In  mi  wise  has  his  life,  either  public  or  private, 
been  a  mystery.  Elevation  to  important  trusts 
never  raised  him  above  his  fellows.  The  hum- 
blest can  approach  him  and  feel  at  home  in  his 
presence.  Though  deep,  he  is  transparent; 
though  strong,  he  is  gentle  ;  though  decided  and 
pronounced  in  his  convictions,  he  is  tolerant  to- 
ward those  who  differ  from  him,  and  patient 
under  reproaches ;  and  even  to  those  who  are 
not  acquainted  with  him  his  public  acts  and  ut- 
terances indicate  a  clear  idea  of  his  strength  of 
character  and  personality." 

Although  Senator  Nelson  is  evidently  a  man 
in  delicate  health,  he  is  now  in  his  sixtieth  year, 
with  apparently  even  chances  for  several  years 
more  of  natural  life.  His  friends  would  gladly 
wish  they  might  be  many.  He  still  holds  the 
relation  of  a  local  deacon  in  the  M.  E.  Church, 
in  good  and  regular  standing,  preaches  occa- 
sionally, in  the  absence  of  the  pastor,  at  camp- 
meetings  and  on  public  occasions,  and  his  ser- 
vices are  considered  almost  indispensable  at  the 


funerals  of  his  friends  and  neighbors.  He  is 
found  on  the  right  side  of  all  moral  issues,  both 
in  public  and  private  life.  He  has  no  children 
of  his  own,  but  has  adopted  a  niece  of  his  wife. 
The  following  extract  is  from  an  editorial  in 
the  Philadelphia  Daily  Times  of  June  23d,  re- 
viewing the  retiring  State  Senate  of  1886,  and 
pays  a  high  compliment  to  Senator  Nelson  : 

"  This  district  is  always  Democratic  when  William 
M.  Nelson  is  the  Democratic  candidate,  and  that  has 
happened  most  of  the  time  lately.  It  is  naturally 
Republican  on  a  full  vote,  but  both  counties  are  of 
the  Independent  type,  and  a  man  of  Nelson's  stern 
integrity  and  independence  just  about  suits  them.  If 
he  should  be  a  candidate  again,  his  election  would  be 
more  than  probable;  if  not,  the  district  would  be 
doubtful,  with  chances  in  favor  of  the  best  candi- 
date." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

CANAAN  AND   THE    BOROUGHS    OF  WAYMART i 
AND  PROMPTON. 

Canaan  was  an  original  township  established 
1798,  and  then  included  Salem,  which  was  set 
off  in  1808.  From  the  northern  part  was 
formed  Clinton  in  18.">4.  Waymart  Borough 
was   formed   from   the   northwestern  corner  in 

1851,  and  a  portion  of  the  eastern  side  of  the 
township  was  added  to  Cherry  Ridge.  Upon  the 
erection  of  that  township  the  remaining  terri- 
tory was   by  an   order  of  the  court,  February, 

1852,  divided  into  Canaan  and  South  Canaan 
As  now  constituted  it  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Waymart  and  Clinton,  south  by  South  Ca- 
naan, east  by  Prompton,  Texas  and  Cherry 
Ridge,  west  by  Lackawanna  County.  Its  popu- 
lation is  fivehundred  and  seventy-six.  Its  geolog- 
ical formation  is  principally  Catskill  sand  stone, 
except  in  the  range  of  the  Moosic  Mountains, 
which  form  the  western  portion  of  the  town- 
ship, .vhere  can  be  found  the  Pocono  Sandstone, 
Red  Shale  and  Pottsville  Conglomerate,  the 
outcrop  of  the  Northern  Anthracite  coal  fields. 
At  several  points  north  of  Rix's  Gap,  in  this 
range,  traces  of  iron  may  be  found,  but  not  in 
paying  quantities,  south  of  this  gap.     Traces  of 


i  The  history  of  the  township  and  of  Waymart  Borough 
are  by  Charles  MeMullen. 


542 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


copper  and  lead  have  also  been  found.  The 
general  elevation  of  the  township  is  about  four- 
teen hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  tide.  At 
Far  View,  the  new  summer  resort  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  Canal  Company,  the  highest 
point  of  the  Moosic  range  is  reached  at  an  ele- 
vation of  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
forty  feet,  from  which  point  one  of  the  finest 
views  in  the  State  is  obtained.  The  general 
surface  is  hilly,  the  soil  a  clay  loam,  from  which 
excellent  crops  of  hay,  oats,  buckwheat,  corn 
and  potatoes  are  raised.  Nearly  the  whole  of 
the  township  is  good  grazing  laud,  and  the  in- 
habitants are  paying  considerable  attention  to 
stock  raising.  The  whole  is  well  watered  by 
numerous  small  streams  and  ponds^  the  latter 
being  Hoadleys,  Stantons,  J.  L.  Keas  and  J. 
B.  Keens.  The  Belmont  and  Easton  turnpike, 
built  in  1820,  passes  through  the  township 
north  and  south,  the  Milford  and  Owego  built 
in  1815  north  and  south,  and  the  Honesdale 
and  Clarksville,  built  in  1831,  passes  through 
the  northern  part.  The  Gravity  Railroad,  of 
the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company, 
passes  through  the  township. 

Settlement. — An  assessment  made  by  John 
Bunting,  in  1798,  shows  but  twenty-nine  tax- 
ables,  viz. : 

John  Bunting,  farmer  ;  Henry  Curtis,  farmer;  Wil- 
liam Cooper,  farmer;  Moses  Dolph,  farmer;  George 
Emstin,  blacksmith;  Robert  Freeland,  farmer;  Wil- 
liam Harrison,  farmer  ;  Clement  King,  mill-wright ; 
Chester  Kimble,  mason;  Edward  London,  farmer; 
Elisha  Potter,  weaver ;  Hansure  Swingle,  farmer ; 
John  Swingle,  farmer;  Jane  Swingle,  farmer;  Con- 
rad Swingle,  farmer  ;  Asa  Stanton,  inn-keeper :  John 
H.  Shank,  gentleman  ;  John  Shaffer,  farmer  ;  Gabriel 
Sutts,  farmer  ;  Ephraim  Vannorman,  farmer ;  Joseph 
Wheateroft,  farmer ;  Edward  Wheateroft,  laborer; 
Adam  Wagoner,  farmer  ;  John  Woodward,  farmer ; 
Enos  Woodward,  farmer  ;  Asahel  Woodward,  farmer; 
Silas  Woodward,  farmer  ;  Samuel  Wheateroft,  farmer. 

Canaan  Corners  was  for  some  time  in  the 
earlier  history  of  the  county  a  noted  stage  sta- 
tion, it  being  the  intersecting  point  for  stages 
from  Easton  and  the  South  to  Belmont  and 
Southeru  Central  New  York,  and  those  from 
New  York  and  the  East  to  Montrose,  Owego, 
Western  New  York  and  the  Lake  country ; 
large  droves  of  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs  were  also 
driven  over  these  mads. 


Much  of  the  personal  history  of  the  town- 
ship must  necessarily  be  included  in  the  history 
dt'  tin'  townships  formed  from  this. 

( 'aptain  George  Rix  rerhbved--fTOm  New 
Loudon,  Conn.,  in  the  summer  of  1780,  bought 
a  large  tract  of  land  about  one  mile  west  of 
what  is  now  Canaan  Corners,  on  the  east  slope 
of  the  mountain,  made  a  small  clearing  and 
built  a  log  cabin.  In  the  spring  of  1801  he 
walked  back  to  New  Loudon,  married  a  young 
lady  by  the  name  of  Benjamin  and  brought  her 
on  horseback  to  his  new  home,  the  furniture  of 
which  he  had  made  with  his  own  hands.  Four 
daughters  and  one  son  were  born  to  this  pio- 
neer couple.  Two  of  the  daughters,  after  reach- 
ing young  womanhood,  died  the  same  day. 
Phoebe  married  Minor  Lee,  and  is  still  living 
in  Wisconsin.  Roxie  married  Alexander  Mc- 
Millian,  and  lived  on  a  portion  of  the  old 
homestead  until  her  death.  The  only  son,. 
George,  Jr.,  born  in  1804,  married  Clarissa 
Whitman  in  1828,  and  lived  upon  the  home- 
stead until  his  death,  December  10,  1869.  His 
witlow  is  still  living  in  her  eighty-fourth  year. 
George  Jr.,  had  two  children.  Warren,  who. 
gave  his  life  for  his  country  October  11,  1864, 
after  whom  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
Post7~aTWTaytual'l,  wkTname^~aScn^£?T)wno 
married  J.  B.  Keen,  and  is  still  living.  The 
house  on  the  Milford  and  Owego  turnpike, 
now  occupied  by  W.  A.  Thorp,  was  built  by 
Captain  George  Rix  in  1816. 
f  ITarveyTerkins,  born  at  Woodbrldge,  Conn., 
November  6,  1797,  came  to  Canaan  February 
5,  1821,  married  Caroline  Fobes,  daughter  of 
John  Fobes,  Esq.,  January  6,  1822,  and  built 
his  house  on  the  Milford  and  Owego  turnpike 
about  one  half  mile  west  of  Canaan  Corners. 
He  was  a  carpenter  and  builder  by  trade  and 
assisted  in  building  most  of  the  frame  houses  in 
the  early  settlement  of  the  township  and  also 
built  the  first  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
Honesdale  and  the  first  hotel  at  Carbondale. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perkins  lived  in  the  house  in 
which  they  began  housekeeping  in  1823  until 
her  death,  May  14,  1884,  nearly  sixty-two 
years.  They  had  seven  children — Thomas, 
born  July  3,  1823,  died  July  30,  1865;  Emily, 
born  March  30,  1826,  died  May    24,    1850^ 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


543 


Nathan,  born  January  21,  1829,  died  Decem- 
ber 30,  1874  ;  Abner,  born  September  10,  1832, 
died  January  21,  1851  ;  Ann  E.,  born  Novem- 
ber 20,  1836,  died  October  12,  1877  ;  George, 
born  January  7,  1842;  and  Lucretia,  born 
April  9,  1847,  are  still  living.  Mr.  Perkins  is 
well  preserved  and  bids  fair  to  live  for  years  to 
come. 

John  Fobes,  Esq.,  came  from  Connecticut  to 
Canaan  in  1808,  and  settled  a  few  rods  west  <<t' 
the  present  location  of  the  Belmont  and  Easton 
turnpike  between  Waymart  and  Canaan  Cor- 
ners. He  was  soon  after  elected  justice  of  the 
peace,  which  office  he  held  for  nearly  thirty 
years.  He  was  also  a  civil  engineer  and  school 
teacher.  Many  of  his  text  books  were  written 
by  himself,  and  are  now  in  possession  of  Horace 
Perkins,  his  son-in-law. 

Captain  Mathias  Keen  moved  from  Milford, 
Pike  County,  to  Canaan  in  1811,  and  settled 
near  and  built  the  first  dam  at  what  is  known  ] 
as  Keen's  Pond.  At  the  same  time  he  began 
the  erection  of  a  grist-mill.  By  an  accidental 
discharge  of  a  gun  he  was  wounded  iu  the  hip. 
The  ball,  after  several  surgical  operations,  was 
removed,  but  he  suffered  from  the  effects  of  the 
wound  through  life.  After  his  recovery  he 
erected  a  carding-machine  and  completed  his 
grist-mill.  He  was  a  public-spirited  man  and 
did  much  to  assist  in  developing  the  county. 
Among  his  sons  were  Elihu  C.  Keen,  now 
dead,  whose  son,  .James  B.  Keen,  owns  and 
operates  the  only  grist-mill  in  the  township. 
J.  L.  Keen,  now  living  on  the  old  homestead, 
served  the  county  creditably  as  county  commis- 
sioner. James  R.  Keen,  who  lived  in  Hones- 
dale  until  his  death,  was  for  several  years  com- 
mission clerk.  Captain  Keen  was  well  known 
as  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  Order. 

Noah  Rogers,  Esq.,  came  from  Branford, 
Conn.,  and  settled  on  the  Milford  and  Owego 
turnpike  where  it  crosses  the  Moosic  Mountain. 
He  was  a  man  of  good  common  sense,  upright 
and  manly.  He  was  employed  by  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  Company  for  many  years, 
furnishing  horses  to  draw  cars  across  the  sum- 
mit level  on  top  of  the  mountain.  Ambrose 
Rogers,  his  son,  is  now  superintendent  and  en- 
gineer of  the    "  Bob  Tail  "    mine    in  Colorado, 


and  is  well-known  and  respected  in  that  state. 
Another  son,  William,  was  educated  as  a  physi- 
cian and  built  a  water  cure  on  the  mountain 
near  his  father's  house,  which  has  since  been 
abandoned  and  torn  down. 

Isaac  Plant,  also  from  Connecticut,  settled 
about  two  miles  west  of  Rogers  on  the  same 
road,  in  1830.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  char- 
acter, a  zealous  Christian,  and  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Waymart,  from 
its  organization  until  his  death.  He  was  a 
celebrated  hunter,  and  in  company  with  George 
McMullin,  of  Mount  Pleasant,  Asa  Stanton,  of 
Waymart,  and  John  Sharp,  of  Canaan,  had 
many  narrow  escapes  and  thrilling  adventures, 
it  is  said  he  killed  nine  deer  in  one  day.  He 
was  accidentally  killed  by  the  cars  on  Plane 
No.  9,  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company's 
Gravity  Road,  in  1866. 

Among  the  early  settlers  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  township  Mas  James  Moylan,  who  settled 
there  in  1820.  John  Moylan  came  soon  after 
Thomas  Burk  and  Michael  Lobey,  in  182o' ; 
W7illiam  Nagle,  David  Moylan  and  David 
Cashman,  in  1828  ;  John  Foley,  Daniel  Foley, 
Thomas  McGraw,  Owen  Roach,  J.  Cashman 
and  John  Leary,  in  1830.  These  men  bought 
lauds  adjoining,  in  what  has  since  been  known 
as  the  beech  woods,  cleared  farms  and  built 
houses,  and  have  lived  steady,  honest  and  in- 
dustrious lives. 

The  only  post-office  in  the  township,  Fermoy, 
established  in  1885,  is  located  on  lands  cleared 
and  owned  by  James  Moylan.  C.  E.  Moylan, 
post-master,  a  son  of  John  Moylan,  also  keeps 
the  only  store  in  the  township.  The  first 
school  building  erected  in  this  section  of  the 
township  was  a  log  building  erected  on  lands 
now  owned  by  John  Foley. 

Silas  Hoadley  settled  one  mile  south  of 
Canaan  Corners  on  the  Belmont  and  Easton 
turnpike.  He  had  three  sons, — Luther,  who 
lived  on  the  old  homestead  until  his  death  ; 
Oliver,  who  died  of  heart  disease  ;  and  Eli, 
who  was  accidentally  killed.  James,  a  son  of 
Luther,  now  lives  on  the  old  homestead  and 
enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  tallest  man 
in  the  county. 

James    Carr  was    among  the   earlier  settlers. 


.".44 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


His  farm  was  a  short  distance  east  of  Canaan 
Corners  on  the  Milford  and  Owego  turnpike. 
John  A.  Gustin,  of  Honesdale,  married  one  of 
his  daughters,  and  another  married  Randall 
Wilmot. 

Edward  Carr,  well-known  by  the  present 
generation,  was  a  descendant  of  James.  Charles 
Reuben,  Cyprian,  Francis  and  Wilmot,  sons  of 
Edward,  are  still  living. 

Thomas  Starkweather  came  from  Connecticut 
in  1811.  In  1822  he  built  a  large  hotel  at 
Canaan  Corners,  which  was  for  many  years  one 
of  the  best  known  hotels  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  State.  As  it  was  a  stage  station,  and 
horses  were  changed  at  that  point  on  both  lines, 
it  was  a  place  of  great  activity.  He  gave  the 
ground  for  and  laid  out  the  cemetery  at  Canaan, 
Corners  in  1834,  and  also  the  ground  on  which 
was  erected  the  first  church  edifice  in  Canaan,  in 
1838.  He  was  a  public-spirited  man,  and  per- 
sonally connected  with  nearly  all  the  public 
works  in  the  early  history  of  the  county.  He 
died  in  1843.  He  had  three  sons  and  two 
daughters, — John  B.,  died  in  1833  ;  George  A., 
who  is  now  living  at  Wavmart ;  Daniel,  who 
died  in  1862  ;  Isabell,  and  Sarah,  who  died  in 
1833.  The  farm  on  which  Thomas  located  is 
now  owned  by  Mrs.  Alexander. 

rena  Lee  came  from  Connecticut  in  1810 
and  settled  on  lands  now  occupied  by  John  F. 
Lee.  His  wife,  well-known  in  those  days  to 
the  settlers  for  miles  around  and  now  to  the 
present  generation  by  reputation  as  Mother  Lee, 
was  a  noble  woman  ;  she  had  considerable 
knowledge  of  medicine,  and  went  at  all  times 
of  day  or  night  to  assist  her  neighbors  in  sick- 
ness. They  had  two  sons, — John  F.  and  Hor- 
ace, whose  son,  John  F.,  and  one  daughter, 
Mrs.  G.  A.  Starkweather,  are  living. 

Canaan  has  one  church  (Roman  Catholic) 
and  four  schools. 

BOROl'liH    OF    WAY.MART. 

Wavmart  Borough  was  organized  from 
Canaan  township,  in  1851.  It  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Clinton,  and  on  the  south,  east 
aud  west  by  Canaan.  The  Honesdale  and 
Clarksville  turnpike  passes  through  the  borough 
east  and    west  aud    the   Belmont  and    Easton 


turnpike  north  and  south.  The  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal  Company's  Gravity  Railroad 
passes  through  the  borough.  It  is  the  centre 
and  railroad  point  for  a  large  farming  territory 
and  does  an  extensive  mercantile  business. 

The  first  assessment  made  after  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  borough,  in  1851,  by  George  Hub- 
bard, assessor,  shows  eighty-three  taxables  as 
follows: 

Abner  Ainey.  Silas  Hoyle. 

Stephen  Bloekley.  Wm.  ladings. 

Wm.  H.  Bassutt.  Michael  Law. 

Francis  Barre.  Timothy  Langan. 

Philander  Beattys.  Michael  Lenahan. 

Richard  Brockway.  Reuben  Lawrence. 

Lanning  Blackwell.  Silas  K.  McMullen. 

John  Brady.  Edward  Moran. 

Martin  Commins.  Michael  Manion 

Charles  W.  Carr.  Jacob  Miller. 

Peter  Caner.  Patrick  McCormick. 

Edward  Caner.  Peter  MeDermot. 

John  Clark.  Peltiah  Miller. 

Thomas  Clark.  Harvey  Miller. 

Wm.  Couley.  Charles  Mires. 

Reuben  Condit.  I!.  P.  Patterson. 

Cyprian  Carr.  W.  P.  Rockwell. 

EdwaidCarr.  Patrick  Reardon. 

Vincent  Clark.  John  Shaffer. 

Ovid  Coleman.  Martin  Strong. 

John  Dugdale.  Charles  Stanton. 

Asa  Dimock.  Martin  Strong. 

Owen  Dignor.  Thomas  Shores. 

Emmons  Eaton.  Harvey  W.  Stanton. 

John  Elmendorf.  Wm.  Stanton. 

Edward  Fitzsimous.  C.  L.  Starkweather. 

Richard  Fagan.  H.  W.  Stephenson. 

Patrick  Fagan.  Joseph  Stephenson. 

Thomas  Fagan.  Jonas  Stanton  (Est.) 

James  Fitzsimons.  Lafayette  Stanton. 

Dennis  Finton.  Asa  Stanton. 

Samuel  Fitzsimons.  F.  H.  Stanton. 

Bridget  Farrel.  Samuel  C.  Stanton. 

Eliza  Freeman.  Milo  O.  Stanton. 

Timothy  Finton.  James  Tilman. 

Patrick  Gaughan.  Thomas  Thomas. 

Oscar  Hudson. M  Desire  Taylor  (Est.) 

Oscar  Hudson.  James  Urain. 

Samuel  Hudson.  Patrick  Vincent. 

Wm.  Hurley.  Michael  Vankdole. 
George  Hubbard. 

Churches. — There  are  two  churches  in  the 
borough,  Presbyterian  and  Methodist  Episco- 
pal. The  early  records  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  have  been  lost  and  no  exact  data  can 
be  obtained.     It  is  probable,  however,  that  the 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


545 


society  was  organized  in  1835,  as  the  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Carbondale,  Pa.,  has  this  rec- 
ord, viz:  that  Oscar  Hudson  and  Margaret  his 
wife,  were  dismissed  by  letter  in  that  year  to 
join  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Canaan. 
There  is  a  record  that  at  the  time  of  organiza- 
tion Oscar  Hudson  and  wife,  Amzi  Hall  and 
wife,  and  daughter,  Dan'l  Everett,  Caroline 
Carr,  Mrs.  Bartlett  and  daughter,  Mrs.  Wm. 
Grenell,  connected  themselves  with  the 
church.  Amzi  Hall  and  Oscar  Hudson  were 
elected  deacons.  The  church  had  no  settled 
pastor  for  some  time.  Rev.  S.  Holeoin  preached 
six  months  in  1846.  Rev.  Barr  Baldwin,  who 
preached  during  the  winter  of  1848  and  also 
in  the  summer  of  1851,  was  a  general  mission- 
ary of  Montrose  Presbytery.  During  the 
labors  of  Rev.  S.  Holcom,  in  1846,  the  church 
edifice  was  erected.  The  trustees  becoming  in- 
debted to  the  builder  about  two  hundred  dol- 
lars, a  mechanics'  lien  was  entered  and  the 
church  advertised  for  sale,  but  through  the 
efforts  of  Rev.  Mr.  Baldwin  the  debt  was  paid 
in  1848.  On  September  1,  1853,  Rev.  J.  O. 
Boswell  commenced  preaching  as  regular  set- 
tled pastor  and  remained  as  such  until  1855. 
Israel  Brundage  settled  as  pastor  January  30, 
1856,  preached  until  August,  1863.  RevT 
Jacob  Best  settled  as  pastor  May  1,  1864,  and 
remained  until  September,  1875,  since  which 
time  the  church  has  had  no  regular  pastor. 

When  the  Methodist  Episcopal  society  was 
first  organized  it  held  its  services  in  the  church 
at  Canaan  Four  Corners,  one  mile  from  the 
village.  When  Waymart  promised  to  become 
the  centre  of  population  and  business  the  so- 
ciety secured  the  use  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  village  and  held  all  its  services 
there  until  a  misunderstanding  arose  about  the 
joint  occupancy  of  the  house.  The  Methodist 
society  appointed  Thomas  Thomas,  and  the 
Presbyterians  Oscar  Hudson  as  a  committee  to 
harmonize  the  differences.  They  met  and 
agreed  upon  terms  of  settlement  but  the  Pres- 
byterian society  rejected  the  terms,  and  on 
April  10,  1850,  the  Methodist  society  held  a 
meeting  and  decided  to  build  a  church  and  ap- 
pointed the  following  building  committee. 
Thomas  Thomas,  James  Carr,  Emmons  Eaton, 
53 


Asa  W.  Dimock,  Wm.  Bayley.  When  the 
new  church  at  Waymart  was  built  the  old 
church  at  Canaan  was  moved  to  what  was 
then  known  as  the  Eatou  settlement,  but  now 
known  as  No.  16  on  the  Gravity  Railroad  in 
Prompton  Borough  and  is  still  used  as  a  house 
of  worship  and  is  in  a  fair  state  of  preserva- 
tion. The  membership  of  the  church  at  Way- 
mart  is  about  one  hundred.  The  church  prop- 
erty is  valued  at  four  thousand  eight  hundred 
dollars.  The  following  pastors  have  served 
the  church  since  its  erection. 

Rev.  S.  W.  Weiss 1856-58 

Rev.  C.  L.  Rice 1858-60 

Rev.  A.  Brigliam 1860-61 

Rev.  Henry  Wbeeler 1861-63 

Rev.  Joseph  Madison 1864-65 

Rev.  C.  L.  Rice 1865-67 

Rev.  G.  C.  Hart 1867-70 

Rev.  J.  L.  Race 1870-72 

Rev.  R.J.Kellog 1872-75 

Rev.  S.  F.  Wright 1875-76 

Rev.  F.  Gendall 1876-79 

Rev.  J.  F.  Warner 1879-80 

Rev.  Joseph  Madison... 1880-82 

Rev.  L.  Cole 1882-84 

Rev.  S.  Homan  (present  pastor) 1884-86 

The  church  has  been  repaired,  and  is  now  in 
excellent  condition. . 

Colonel  Asa  Stanton  was  the  first  settler 
in  what  is  now  the  borough  of  Waymart.  He 
came  from  New  Loudon,  Conn.,  in  1790  and 
built  a  log  cabin  a  few  rods  east  of  the  present 
residence  of  his  grandson,  F.  H.  Stanton.  At 
this  time  his  nearest  neighbor  was  a  family  by 
the  name  of  Collins,  in  Cherry  Ridge,  nine 
miles  distant.  He  at  once  began  clearing  land 
and  erecting  out-buildings  for  a  permanent 
home.  Near  his  house  was  a  land-mark  re- 
membered by  people  now  living — a  large  hem- 
lock tree  completely  stripped  of  bark.  This 
was  done  by  an  eccentric  character,  Solomon 
Tice  by  name.  (Tice  was  killed  at  Bethany  by 
Samuel  Allen — the  first  murder  committed  in 
the  county).  Stanton's  house  became  at  once  a 
stopping  place  for  travelers  and  continued  such 
long  after  his  death.  He  was  for  some  time 
compelled  to  go  to  Wilkesbarre  to  mill  on 
horseback  and  carrying  his  grain  in  a  bag. 
When  Captain  Geo.  Rix  settled  on  the  east 
slope  of  the  Moosic  Mountain,  near  Colonel 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Stanton's,  they  at  once  became  friends  and  had 
many  thrilling  adventures  while  hunting  to- 
gether. At  one  time  they  had  set  a  bear-trap 
on  the  mountain  near  where  the  Gravity  Rail- 
road now  crosses,  and  upon  going  to  the  place 
they  found  the  trap  gone  and  evidence  of  a 
large  bear  having  been  caught  in  it.  On  fol- 
lowing the  track  they  came  up  with  the  bear  on 
the  ground  now  owned  by  the  city  of  Carbon- 
dale.  Stanton's  dog  at  once  attacked  the  bear 
and  at  the  same  time  Captain  Rix  shot  it, 
wounding  it  but  slightly.  Upon  Stanton's 
going  to  the  rescue  of  his  dog  with  a  hatchet 
the  bear  loosed  his  hold  upon  the  dog  already 
dead  and  caught  Stanton's  leg  in  its  mouth, 
lacerating  it  terribly.  Captain  Rix  succeeded 
in  getting  hold  of  Stanton's  gun  with  which  he 
shot  the  bear  through  the  heart;  he  then  skinned 
it,  taking  part  of  the  skin  to  bind  Colonel 
Stanton's  wound,  who,  with  the  assistance  of 
Captain  Rix  succeeded  in  reaching  home  very 
weak  from  the  loss  of  blood.  He  was  confined 
to  his  house  several  months  by  this  accident. 

Colonel  Stanton  built  the  first  saw-mill 
in  this  section  of  the  county,  at  what  is  still 
known  as  Stanton's  Pond,  1805.  He  was 
drowned  in  the  Delaware  River,  near  Co 
hecton,  N.  Y.,  November  12,  1817.  Himself 
and  wife  had  been  on  a  visit  to  Westfield  and 
were  returning  on  horseback  and  on  reaching 
the  river  at  Cohecton  near  nightfall  the  ferry- 
boat ready  to  cross,  the  regular  stage  coach  with 
four  horses  attached  on  the  forward  end  of  the 
boat,  they  rode  on  the  boat  occupying  the  ex- 
treme rear  end.  When  nearly  across  the  river 
there  came  a  terrible  wind  storm,  and  when  the 
boat  reached  the  bank  the  stage-horses  becoming 
frightened  plunged  off  forcing  the  boat  back 
and  that  part  on  which  their  horses  stood  under 
the  water.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stanton  were  carried 
off  the  boat  by  the  current  and  wind  and  Mr. 
Stanton  was  drowned.  Mrs.  Stanton  was  caught 
by  the  hair  and  rescued  by  a  man  named  Drake, 
who  was  standing  on  the  river  bank.  Colonel 
Stanton  was  born  March  2,  1760,  and  married 
Desire  Kimble  March  13,  1788.  Mrs.  Stanton 
died  September  10,  1848.  They  had  nine  chil- 
dren— Charles,  born  February  6,  1789,  died 
October   23,   1848  ;  Sally,   born   January  22, 


1797,  died  November  12,  1849  ;  Asa,  born  July 
27,1793,  died  September  5,1882;  William, 
born  September  20,  1798,  is  still  living  ;  Nan- 
cy, born  January  6,  1801,  died  May  24,  1802  ; 
Levi  K.,  born  April  6,  1803,  is  still  living  ; 
Harriet,  born  September  11,  1805,  died  Oc- 
tober 26,  1885  ;  Louisa,  born  August  27, 1807, 
died;  Clinton,  born  February  15,  1810,  died 
November  28,  1849. 

Asa  Stanton,  son  of  Colonel  Asa  Stanton, 
born  where  he  died  July  24,  1793,  was  a  great 
hunter  and  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  the 
county.  A  favorite  hunting  ground  of  his  was 
the  "Twelve-mile  Woods,"  on  the  head  waters 
of  the  Wallenpaupack,  Lehigh  River  and 
Tobyhanna  Creek.  He  once  killed  six  deer  in 
one  day  in  these  woods.  He  took  an  active 
part  in  the  building  of  the  Belmont  and  East- 
ern turnpike  road  in  1821,  constructing  oue 
mile  of  this  road  through  his  farm  and  assist- 
ing materially  in  the  construction  of  other  por- 
tions of  the  road. 

Schools. — The  first  school-house  in  the  bor- 
ough was  erected  by  Leonard  Starkweather,  in 
1808,  near  the  present  residence  of  R.  P.  Pat- 
terson. Captain  Thomas  Starkweather  was  the 
first  teacher.  He  was  followed  by  Charles 
Kennedy,  and  he  by  Buckley  Beardslee,  Esq. 
A  private  school  was  held  in  the  building  for 
some  time,  but  no  record  of  the  teachers  can  be 
obtained.  Later  we  find  an  advertisement  of 
the  Phelps  Institute,  Alonzo  Phelps,  A.M., 
principal ;  Mrs.  S.  H.  Phelps,  assistant.  The 
school  with  six  scholars  (limited  to  ten)  was  held 
in  the  private  residence  of  Thomas  Clark.  Pro- 
fessor J.  E.  Howker  established  a  county  normal 
school  in  Waymart,  and  it  was  continued  dur- 
ing the  time  he  held  the  superintendency  of  the 
public  schools  of  the  county.  The  average  at- 
tendance is  now  one  hundred  and  ninety,  sixty 
of  whom  are  from  outside  the  borough.  For  the 
higher  grade  a  regular  normal  course  has  been 
adopted,  consisting  of  twenty-two  studies,  and 
many  of  the  most  successful  teachers  in  the 
county  are  graduates  from  this  school. 

Fires. — The  borough  has  had  several  disas- 
trous fires.  The  hotel  and  store  of  R.  P.  Pat- 
terson was  burned  at  midnight  July  29,  1858  ; 
loss,  ten  thousand  dollars.     The  tannery  of  Al- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


den  &  Patterson,  burned  in  1860,  was  rebuilt 
and  again  destroyed  by  fire,  May  18,  1867,  to- 
gether with  barn  and  other  outbuildings.  Dim- 
ock's  Hall  and  two  stores  were  burned  April  2, 
1878,  with  heavy  loss.  November  19,  1852,  a 
small  house  occupied  by  Patrick  Dougherty  and 
his  mother  was  burned  during  the  night,  and 
both  perished  in  the  flames.  It  was  supposed 
the  building  caught  fire  from  the  stove  and  that 
both  were  suffocated  by  the  smoke  before  being 
able  to  reach  the  door.  Their  charred  remains 
were  found  in  the  ruins. 

From  the  opening  of  the  Gravity  Railroad 
up  to  1863  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company  piled  here  the  coal  that  was  run  from 
their  mines  after  the  close  of  canal  navigation  in 
the  fall,  as  high  as  one  hundred  thousand  tons  be- 
ing thus  stored  here.  Upon  the  opening  of  naviga- 
tion in  the  spring  it  was  reloaded  and  run  to  the 
canal  at  Honesdale.  This  gave  employment  to 
a  large  number  of  men.  Since  1863  this  dump- 
ing-ground has  not  been  used,  the  coal  being 
now  stored  at  Honesdale. 

Soldiers. — Bonds  of  the  borough  to  the 
amount  of  four  thousand  dollars  were  issued  by 
vote  of  the  council,  March  5,  1864,  to  pay  a 
bounty  to  volunteers  to  fill  the  quota  of  the  bor- 
ough under  the  call  of  the  President  for  five 
hundred  thousand  men.  , Thirteen  men  were 
furnished  under  this  call,  and  two  men  under 
the  call  for  three  hundred  thousand.  The  bor- 
ough has  no  bonded  debt  and  but  very  little  float- 
ing debt.  The  names  of  these  soldiers  are  as 
follows : 

Co.  M,  17th  Pa.  Cavalry.— Lucien  Stanton,  F.  P. 
Cooper,  Hubble  Rounds,  Henry  Sampson. 

Co.  H,  77th  Pa.— Levi  Bennett,  Frank  Hollenbeck, 
John  Pierce,  Joseph  Bennett,  Thomas  Clark. 

Surgeon  178th  Pa.— W.  F.  Peck. 

Co.  C,  6th  Pa.  Reserves.— M.  W.  Elmendorf,  Frank- 
lin Stanton,  George  B.  Porter,  John  Necle. 

Co.  D,  179th  Pa.— Ira  Utt. 

Co.  G,  141st  Pa.— Lafayette  Smith. 

Co.  D,  107th  Pa.— Orrin  Gunsauls. 

Co.  M,  4th  Pa.  Cavalry.— Charles  O.  Ellis. 

Co.  A,  3d  Pa.  Artillery. — Daniel  Leonard,  Charles 
Niles,  James  A.  Minor,  Warren  Rockwell,  Silas  Buck- 
land,  Dwight  Buckland. 

Co.  F,  50th  N.  Y  —  Ludwig  Rockwell. 

Co.  K,  2d  N.  Y.  Cavalry.^Alexander  F.  Elmen- 
dorf. 


Co.  A,  137th  Pa.— Silas  E.  Elmendorf. 
Co.  F,  88th  Pa.— Hiram  Inch. 
Co.  C,  2d  Pa.  Artillery.— Jabez  Hyde. 
Co.  C,  104th  Pa.— Watson  Stanton. 
Co.  C,  67th  Pa.— James  Spry. 
Unknown.— George  Chase. 

Lodges. — Waymart  Lodge  No.  542,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  constituted  in  1875,  has  a  membership  of 
forty,  and  is  in  a  flourishing  condition.  The 
following  have  acted  as  Masters  of  this  lodge  : 
G.  A.  Caspar,  H.  B.  Stephens,  W.  A.  Thorp, 
Charles  McMullen,  Wallace  Case,  John  S.  Ber- 
ry, William  L.  Carr,  Orson  Case,  A.  L.  Pat- 
terson. 

There  is  also  a  lodge  of  Knights  of  Honor, 
with  a  membership  of  thirty-four. 

THE  BOROUGH  OF    PROMPTON. 

The  Borough  of  Prompton  was  erected  out  of 
portions  of  Texas,  Canaan  and  Dyberry,  in 
1845,  but,  in  consequence  of  some  irregularity 
or  dissatisfaction,  subsequently,  at  the  Septem- 
ber sessions,  1850,  it  was  enlarged  and  reorgan- 
ized. It  is  situated  about  four  miles  west  of 
Honesdale,  at  the  junction  of  Van  Auken  creek 
with  the  west  branch  of  the  Lackawaxen,  and 
has  been  a  busy  and  thriving  village.  Early 
in  the  present  century,  what  is  now  Prompton 
was  selected  as  the  site  of  a  scythe  and  axe  fac- 
tory, and  the  manufacture  of  these  and  other 
agricultural  implements  brought  the  settlement 
under  the  notice  of  persons  for  many  miles 
around.  The  old  forge  was  followed  by  other 
industries,  which  grew  up  to  utilize  the  water- 
power  of  both  its  streams,  and  the  building  of 
the  Gravity  road,  and  location  of  a  plane  there 
brought  fresh  acquisition  to  its  population.  But 
from  the  opening  of  the  road  there  was  a  de- 
cline in  prosperity,  which  seems  to  have  borne  a 
close  inverse  proportion  to  the  development  of 
Honesdale  and  the  extension  of  steam  communi- 
cation. The  abolition  of  staging,  the  removal 
of  the  county-seat  from  Bethany,  and  the  close 
competition  of  more  advantageously  situated 
places  have  made  Prompton  an  out-of-the-way 
village,  and,  with  one  exception,  closed  its  small 
manufactories  and  deserted  its  taverns.  Like 
Bethany,  it  is  now  only  the  quiet  centre  and 
post-office    for  a   limited  agricultural  area,  and 


548 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


is  handicapped  by  its  proximity  to  larger  and 
more  active  places. 

Prompton  was  just  beginning  to  feel  the  de- 
pression from  these  causes  when  it  was  erected 
into  a  separate  borough  organization,  and 
though  the  number  of  taxables  was  then  smaller 
than  at  present,  the  volume  of  business  was 
proportionately  much  larger.  By  an  assess- 
ment made  by  Edwin  Foot,  in  1846,  the  oldest 
one  extant,  it  seems  that  the  residents  were  then 
as  follows : 

W.  M.  Dimmock. 

David  Edgett. 

H.  N.  Edgett, 

Henry  Edgett. 


Phineas  Arnold. 
George  Alvord. 
Peter  Brink. 
Levi  Bronson. 


G.  W.  Boutell. 
Seth  Benedict. 
A.  H.  Bronson. 
I.  D.  Conyne. 


Edwin  Foot. 
Samuel  Grant. 
Michael  Grattan. 
E.  E.  Guild. 


Cornelius  Conyne.  G.  W.  Hall. 

Sylvius  Cogswell.  Elam  M.  Lamb. 

Edwin  Haydn.  J.  W.  Mannery. 

Anson  Hall.  W.  M.  Gennis. 

H.  L.  Hadsall.  Thomas  Mitchell. 

Benjamin  Jenkins,  Jr.        Asa  H.  Moon. 

Edward  Jenkins.  Sylvanus  Osbom. 

John  Jenkins.  S.  H.  Plum. 

Benjamin  Jenkins,  Sr.        Jacob  Plum. 

Asa  Jenkins.  R.  W.  Powell. 

William  Jenkins.  James  Quinlan. 

James  Jenkins.  James  Robinson. 

Jonathan  Sanderson.  Alonzo  Tanner. 

John  I.  Spencer.  Emulas  Tiffany. 

C.  K.  Stearns.  Edwin  Tiffany. 

Alvin  Stearns.  F.  D.  Thayer. 

George  Schoonover.  Lucius  Walter. 

Robert  Spencer.  A.  B.  Woodward. 

Josiah  Skinner.  C.  B.  Woodan. 

Henry  Sweet.  W.  F.  Wood. 

Jonas  Stanton.  Luther  West. 

John  Stearns.  E.  G.  Wood. 

Charles  D.  Cox.  Alva  A.  Saunders. 

George  Dimmock. 
The  record  of  the  early  business  transacted 
by  the  '  borough  council  is  meagre.  The  first 
meeting  was  held  at  the  school-house,  July  10, 
1844,  when  the  following  officers  were  appoin- 
ted :  Town  Clerk,  David  Edgett ;  Collector, 
Cornelius  Conyne  j  Treasurer,  Edward  Jenk- 
ins ;  Street  Commissioners,  Seth  C.  Benedict 
and  William  Jenkins.  This  seems  to  have  been 
all  the  business  transacted  at  that  meeting,  and 
little  more  was  put  on  record  at  the  next,  which 
was  held  on  the  8th  of  November,  when  it  was 


"  Resolved — That  we  render  assistance  to  Mr. 
Daniel  P.  Jacobus  on  account  of  the  sick  girl 
bound  to  him  by  the  town."  The  following 
still  more  singular  enactment  appears  in  the 
record  of  a  meeting  held  in  November,  1846  : 
"Resolved — That  we  pay  A.A.Sanders  Two 
50-100  dollars  for  balance  due  him  for  Bier, 
out  Borough  monies."  This  meeting  also  pas- 
sed a  resolution  requiring  a  license  of  from  one 
to  five  dollars  for  the  right  to  perform  "  all 
shows,  circuses  and  performances  of  a  like  dis- 
scription,"  the  amount  being  left  discretionary 
with  the  burgess.  The  following  list  of  borough 
officers  is  taken  from  the  minutes  : 

1845. — Burgess,  Edward  Jenkins;  Council,  Lucius 
Walter,  John  Jenkins,  William  Jenkins,  Elam  M. 
Lamb  and  Oscar  Stearns. 

1846.— Burgess,  A.  H.  Moon;  Clerk,  David  Edgett; 
Treasurer,  Seth  C.  Benedict;  Council,  Jonas  Stanton, 
Benjamin  Jenkins,  Sr.,  G.  W.  Hall,  George  Jenkins 
and  Lucius  Walter. 

1848.— Burgess,  George  M.  Keen ;  Clerk,  David 
Edgett ;  Treasurer,  David  Edgett ;  Council,  Lathrop 
B.  Johnston,  Benjamin  Jenkins,  Jr.,  Ara  Bartlett, 
George  Dimmock  and  George  W.  Boutell. 

1849.— Burgess,  George  M.  Keen ;  Clerk,  David 
Edgett ;  Treasurer,  David  Edgett ;  Council,  Seth  C. 
Benedict,  Edwin  Hayden,  Ara  Bartlett,  George  Dim- 
mock and  Garner  Clough. 

1850. — Burgess,  George  M.  Keen  ;  Clerk,  David 
Edgett ;  Treasurer,  Edward  Jenkins  ;  Council,  Abram 
Stewart,  G.  W.  Hall,  Lfevi  Bronson  and  John  Jen- 
kins. 

1851.— Burgess,  G.  M.  Keen;  Clerk,  David  Edgett; 
Treasurer,  John  Jenkins;  Council,  Edward  Jenkins, 
L.  B.  Johnson,  Phineas  Arnold,  V.  M.  Keen  and 
David  Edgett. 

1852.— Burgess,  G.  M.  Keen  ;  Clerk,  David  Edgett ; 
Treasurer,  John  Jenkins;  Council,  Edward  Jenkins, 
L.  B.  Johnson,  Phineas  Arnold,  V.  M.  Keen  and 
David  Edgett. 

1853. — Burgess,  George  M.  Keen;  Clerk,  Edwin 
Foot ;  Treasurer,  John  Jenkins  ;  Council,  George  W. 
Hall,  William  Jenkins,  David  Edgett,  Phineas  Ar- 
nold and  Lathrop  B.  Johnson. 

1854.— Burgess,  R.  Sweet ;  Clerk,  Henry  Edgett  ; 
Treasurer,  John  Jenkins  ;  Council,  Henry  Edgett  ; 
John  Jenkins,  Alonzo  Tanner  and  Almond  Ketchum. 

1855. — Burgess,  G.  W.  Keen  ;  Clerk,  George  Dim- 
mock ;  Treasurer,  John  Jenkins  ;  Council,  Levi  Bron- 
son, Alonzo  Tanner,  V.  M.  Keen,  A.  Conyne  and 
George  Dimmock. 

1856.— Burgess,  G.  M.  Keen ;  Clerk,  H.  A.  Wood- 
house  ;    Treasurer,   John    Jenkins;1  Council,   John 


Died  in  office,  Lucius  Walter  filled  unexpired  term. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


549 


Jenkins,  Lucius  Walter,  I.  B.  Sands,  II.  A.  Wood- 
house  unci  ( leorge  1  >avis. 

1857. -Burgess,  George  M.  Keen;  Clerk,  A.  I!. 
Edgctt;  Treasurer,  W.  W.  Snow  ;  Council,  A.  B.  Ed- 
gett,  G.  W.  Hall,  W.  W.  Snow,  Alexander  Conyne 
and  V.  M.  Keen. 

1858.— Burgess,  George  M.  Keen  ;  Clerk,  II.  A. 
Woodliouse;  Treasurer,  Lucius  Walter;  Council, 
William  Jenkins,  L.  B.  Johnson,  W  F.  Hurlburt,  G. 
W.  Hall  and  II.  A.  Woodhouse. 

1859.— Burgess,  (leorge  M.  Keen;  Clerk,  II.  A. 
Woodliouse;  Treasurer,  Lucius  Walter;  Council, 
Phineas  Arnold,  Lucius  Walter,  (i.  W.  Hall,  Wilmot 
Carr  and  II.  A.  Woodliouse. 

I860.— Burgess,  Alonzo  Tanner;  Clerk,  II.  A. 
Woodliouse;  Treasurer,  Lucius  Walter;  Council, 
Phineas  Arnold,  Isaac  Osborn,  Lucius  Walter,  R.  W. 
Carr  and  II.  A.  Woodliouse. 

1861.— Burgess,  William  Hoyle;  Clerk,  Erastus 
Skccls;  Treasurer,  Abraham  Lade;  Council,  Abraham 
Eade,  William  Wcbley,  William  Sehrinkliizen,  Eras- 
tus Skeels  and  James  Shafer. 

1862.— Burgess,  R.  W.  Carr;  Clerk,  I'liincas  Ar- 
nold; Treasurer,  Phineas  Arnold;  Council,  I'liincas 
Arnold,  William  Wcbley,  I.  Ilanlwick  and  L.  Wal- 
ter. 

1863.— Burgess,  William  C.  Hoyle;  Clerk,  I.  Me- 
Minn;  Treasurer,  I'liincas  Arnold ;  Council,  I'liincas 
Arnold,  William  Wcbley,  J.  Karswick,  ,1.  Mc.Minn 
and  (I.   W.  Hall. 

1804.— Burgess,  L.  B.  Johnson  ;  Clerk,  L.  E.  Rich- 
ardson ;  Treasurer,  Alonzo  Baty ;  Council,  L.  E. 
Richardson,  L.  B.  Johnson,  William  Boyle  and  Wil- 
liam Bryant. 

1805.— Burgess,  Phineas  Arnold  ;  Clerk,  E.  Skeels  ; 
Treasurer,  William  Hoyle;  Council',  L.  E.  Richard- 
son, William  Hoyle,  John  Woodward,  Alonzo  Tanner, 
Lucius  Walter,  E.  Skeels  and  P.  W.  Porter. 

1806. — Burgess,  I'liincas  Arnold;  Clerk,  A.  Conyne; 
Treasurer,  V.  M.  Keen  ;  Council,  P.  W.  Porter, 
George  Alvord,  V.  M.  Keen  and   Alexander  Conyne. 

1807.— Burgess,  R.  W.  Carr;  Clerk,  P.  C.  Johnson  ; 
Treasurer,  R.  W.  Carr;  Council,  P.  W.  Porter,  W. 
R.  Longstreet,  James  Shafer  and  P.  0.  Johnson. 

1808.—  Burgess,  Wilmot  Carr;  Clerk,  P.  V.  John- 
son; Treasurer,  V.  M.  Keen  ;  Council,  Rockwell 
Bunnell,  V.  M.  Keen,  Deliverance  Woodward  and  P. 
V.  Johnson. 

1809.— Burgess,  Thomas  Nichols;  Clerk,  R.  J. 
Knapp  ;  Treasurer,  A.  Conyne;  Council,  A.  Conyne, 
1'.  W.  Porter,  B.  Bunnell  and  K.  J.  Knapp. 

1870.— Burgess,  Thomas  Nichols;  Clerk,  1'.  W. 
Porter;  Treasurer,  Alexander  Conyne;  Council,  W. 
W.  Snow,  John  Schoonover,  Alexander  Conyne,  P. 
C.  Johnson  and  1'.  W.  Porter. 

1871. — Burgess,  Thomas  Nichols ;  Clerk,  R.  J. 
Knapp j  Treasurer,  R.  W.Carr;  Council,  R.  W.Carr, 
John  Woodward,  William  Hoyle  and  R.  J.  Knapp. 

1872.— Burgess,    Thomas    Nichols;    Clerk,  R.   J. 


Knapp;  Treasurer,  R.  W.  Carr;  Council,  R.  W. 
Carr,  William  Hoyle,  Dclcvan  Woodward,  Robert 
Barclaj  and  R.  J.  Knapp. 

1873.— Burgess,  Aaron  B.  Lacy  ;  Clerk,  R.  J. 
Knapp;  Treasurer,  R.  W.Carr;  Council,  R.  W.Carr, 
Roherl  Barclay,  Thomas  Nichols,  (leorge  Alvord  and 
li.  J.  Knapp. 

1874.— Burgess,  Thomas  Nichols;  Clerk,  R.  J. 
Knapp;  Treasurer,  R.  W.  Carr;  Council,  R.  W.Carr, 
C.  N.  Alvord,  J. dm  Barton,  Delavan  Woodward  and 
R.  ,1.  Knapp. 

1875.— Burgess,  P.  W.  Porter;  Clerk,  Charles  H. 
Sears;  Treasurer,  L.  10.  Richardson  ;  Council,  R.  W. 
Carr,  W.  W.  Snow,  L.  E.  Richardson,  John  Wood- 
ward and  James  Burnes. 

1876.— Burgess,  <  leorge  W.  Alvord  ;  Clerk,  Charles 
A.  Sears;  Treasurer,  R.  W.  Carr;  Council,  P.  W. 
Porter,  R.  W.  Carr,  Justus  Sears,  R.  A.  Ilcadly  and 
Arlon  llcndrick. 

1877.— Burgess,  John  S.  Bartron  ;  Clerk,  William 
Karslake;  Treasurer,  L.  E.  Richardson;  Council, L, 
E.  Richardson,  N.  C.  Alvord,  R.  B.  Spencer,  Robert 
Thompson  and  R.  H.  Pearce. 

1878.— Burgess,  R.  W.  Carr;  Clerk,  0.  H.  Sears; 
Treasurer,  W.  W.  Snow;  Council,  William  Hoyle, 
Robert  Bellamy,  W.  W.Snow,  Di  G.  Allen  and  John 
Short, 

1879—  Burgess,  R.  W.  Carr;  Clerk,  C.  H.  Sears; 
Treasurer,  W.  W.  Snow;  Council,  William  Hoyle, 
1).  <i.  Allen,  W.  W.  Snow,  Robert  Bellamy  and  John 
Short. 

1880.— Burgess,  W.  G.Jenkins;  Clerk,  W.  R.  Pong- 
street;  Treasurer,  W.  W.  Snow;  Council,  L.  E. 
Richardson,  V.  P.  Kimble,  N.  G  Alvord  and  W.  W. 
Snow. 

18XL— Burgess,  W.  G.  Jenkins;  Clerk,  W.  R. 
Longstreet;  Treasurer,  W.  W .  Snow  ;  Council,  F.  P. 
Jenkins,  W.  W.  Snow,  Thomas  Moore,  N.  C.  Alvord 
and  L.  E.  Richardson. 

1882.— Burgess,  Thomas  Moore;  Clerk,  W.  G.  Jen- 
kins; Treasurer,  W.  W.  Snow;  Council,  L.  10.  Rich- 
ardson, W.  W.  Snow,  N.  C.  Alvord,  W.  C.  Jenkins 
and  James  Burnes. 

1883.— Burgess,  George  Alvord  ;  Clerk,  W.  G.  Jen- 
kins ;    Treasurer,    Th is     Moore;    Council,    J.    I). 

Burnes,  Thomas  Moore,  John  Clift,  B.  F.  Miller,  and 
W.G.Jenkins. 

1884. — Burgess,  Thomas  Moore  ;  Clerk,  W.  G.  Jen- 
kins ;  Treasurer,  L.  10.  Richardson;  Council,  .1.  W. 
Burnes,  L.  E.  Richardson,  R.  B.  Spencer  and  W.  U. 
Jenkins. 

1885.— Burgess,  W.  W.  Snow  ;  Clerk,  W.  G.  Jen- 
kins; Treasurer,  Thomas  Moore;  Council,  R.  W. 
Carr,  Thomas  Moore,  N.  C.  Alvord  and  W.  G.  Jen- 
kins. 

Early  Settlement. — When  what  is  now  the 
pretty  village  of  Prompton  was  an  unbroken  for- 
est, and  deer  came  unmolested  down   the  run- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ways  beside  Van  Auken  Creek,  Benjamin  Jen- 
kins, Sr.,  took  up  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the 
warrantee  name  of  James  Chapman,  and  cut  his 
way  from  Bethany  to  his  new  home.  He  was 
from  Winstead,  Conn.,  where  he  had  been  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  scythes  and  other 
agricultural  implements,  and  he  brought  with 
him  some  of  the  necessary  machinery  to  fit  up 
a  new  forge  on  the  banks  of  the  West  Branch. 
He  was  accompanied  by  his  son,  Edward,  and 
together  they  felled  the  trees  and  made  a  little 
clearing  near  where  the  Jenkins  homestead  now 
stands.  In  1818  the  first  dwelling,  a  small  log 
house  went  up  oil  the  site  now  occupied  by  the 
residence  of  W.  W.  Snow.  Subsequently  he 
built  a  large  and  substantial  log  structure  to  be 
used  as  both  dwelling  and  hotel.  This  is  still 
standing  and  in  a  good  state  of  preservation, 
exhibiting  the  honest  joinery  and  mason  work 
of  fifty  years  ago.  During  the  past  few  months, 
one  of  the  old  chimneys  has  been  taken  down 
to  make  room  for  more  modern  flues,  and  it  was 
found  to  contain  over  seven  thousand  brick,  all 
of  which  were  made  at  Bethany.  The  large 
frame  house  now  occupied  by  W.  G.  Jenkins, 
was  built  at  a  much  later  period,  and  was  the 
dwelling  in  which  Benjamin  Jenkins,  Sr.,  died, 
in  1853.  He  had  married  Elizabeth  Boyd,  while 
living  in  Connecticut,  and  had  several  children 
before  coming  to  Wayne  County.  One  who 
was  born  afterward,  was  the  first  white  child 
to  see  the  light  in  what  is  now  the  borough  of 
Prompton.  The  descendants  of  Benjamin  Jen- 
kins, Sr.,  were  as  follows  :  Elizabeth  (the  wife 
of  James  Boutell),  Susan  (who  married  a  Noble), 
Benjamin,    Samuel,  Louisa    (the   wife   of  Ara 

Bartlett,  and  afterwards  that  of  Jacobs), 

Maria  (who  married  Ralph  Case),  Edward, 
John,  Henrietta  (the  wife  of  James  Hubbell), 
and  Marietta  (who  married  Benjamin  Jenkins, 
3d). 

Asa  Jenkins,  a  brother  of  Benjamin,  emigra- 
ted from  Connecticut  about  1825,  and  left  many 
descendants  in  this  vicinity. 

Hon.  Phineas  Arnold  was  the  son  of  Jona- 
than Arnold,  who  came  from  Connecticut  in 
1810,  and  located  in  Dyberry.  Phineas  married 
Jane,  a  daughter  of  Eliphalet  Wood,  and  they 
had  twelve  children.  David  Arnold,  once  treas- 


urer of  the  county,  was  a  brother  of  Hon.  Phin- 
eas Arnold.  The  writer  was  unable  to  obtain 
from  any  of  their  descendants  fuller  facts  con- 
cerning the  family. 

Edwin  Foot,  who  made  the  assessment 
quoted  above,  came  from  Susquehanna  County 
in  1822,  or  1823,  and  was  for  many  years  a 
prominent  and  valued  citizen.  He  married  a 
Miss  Lyon,  also  of  Susquehanna  County,  and 
had  but  one  child,  a  daughter,  who  is  now 
dead. 

Levi  Bronson,  another  early  settler,  was 
also  from  Connecticut,  and  located  in  1825, 
building  a  dwelling  just  beyond  where  the 
Presbyterian  Church  now  stands.  His  stick- 
factory  was  at  one  time  a  prominent  industry 
of  the  village.  He  had  two  children,  a  son 
and  a  daughter,  the  latter  becoming  the  wife  of 
G.  W.  Hall.  Mr.  Bronson  left  Prompton 
twenty  years  ago.  A.  H.  Bronson,  a  brother  of 
Levi,  who  came  a  few  years  later,  has  also  left 
the  place. 

Henry  and  David  Edgett,  who  were  for 
many  years  public  officers  of  the  borough,  came 
from  Connecticut  about  1830.  Henry  first 
settled  in  Berlin  township,  and,  after  a  few 
years,  joined  his  brother  at  Prompton,  where 
they  had  a  general  store.  Henry  Bronson's 
children  were  Alva,  George  and  Francis,  who 
married  P]mmous  Eaton  and  moved  west. 
David  left  but  two  descendants— Mary,  who 
married  and  moved  away,  and  Jewett,  who  is 
now  living  at  Scranton. 

G.  W.  Hall  came  from  Elmira  in  1838,  and 
located  at  No.  2,  on  the  Gravity  Road,  where, 
for  two  years,  he  had  a  small  bedstead-factory. 
In  August,  1840,  he  moved  to  Prompton,  and 
commenced  the  business  which  he  still  carries 
on.  Mr.  Hall  married  Ann  Tuthill,  by  whom 
he  had  one  son,  Charles,  a  resident  of  Ithaca, 
and  afterwards  led  to  the  altar  Abigail  Reeve, 
of  Orange  County,  who  is  the  mother  of  Ar- 
thur, the  son  associated  in  business  with  him. 

Benjamin  Dimmick  came  from  the  Eastern 
States  and  located  in  Bethany,  about  1 840,  and 
after  a  few  years  became  a  resident  of  Promp- 
ton, where  he  was  interested  in  the  mercantile 
business.  His  sons  were  Asa  and  George,  and 
he  also  left  several  daughters,  all  of  whom  have 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


551 


married  and  removed.  None  of  his  descend- 
ants now  live  in  the  village.  Some  have 
moved  west  and  some  to  Lackawanna  County. 

George  Alvord,  a  son  of  Enos  Alvord,  of 
Dyberry,  located  in  Prompton  in  the  latter 
part  of  1839,  and,  after  a  residence  of  six  or 
seven  years,  went  elsewhere.  After  an  absence 
of  nearly  twenty  years  he  returned,  and  is  still 
a  useful  citizen  of  the  borough.  He  married 
Lucy  Burns  and  is  the  father  of  two  children, 
— N.  C.  Alvord  and  Augusta. 

Eber  Walter  settled  on  the  Bethany  road, 
about  a  mile  from  Prompton,  in  1817,  and 
his  family  have  been  closely  identified  with  the 
interests  of  the  village.  His  wife  was  a  Miss 
Tuthill,  and  they  had  six  children, — Lucius, 
of  Prompton ;  Sarepta,  who  married  a  man 
named  Pinley ;  Ruth,  the  wife  of  Richard 
Mathews  ;  Luther,  who  lives  at  the  homestead; 
and  Tuthill,  of  Pittston. 

James  Haydn,  a  son  of  Moses  Haydn,  of 
Dyberry,  is  now  located  in  Prompton.  He  is 
familiar  with  the  history  of  the  place  from  a 
very  early  date,  and  was  frequently  there  in 
his  boyhood.  Soon  after  the  forge  was  erected, 
accompanied  by  one  of  the  hired  men  on  his 
father's  farm,  he  went  through  the  woods  to 
Prompton  to  get  some  new  tools.  It  was  in 
the  dead  of  winter,  and  the  snow  lay  several 
feet  deep  in  the  woods,  so  they  found  a  path  on 
the  frozen  bed  of  the  West  Branch.  It  was 
late  in  the  afternoon  when  their  business  was 
finished,  and  the  sun  had  gone  behind  the  hills 
before  they  had  come  to  the  "  still  water "  of 
the  creek,  where  the  stream  widened  and  the 
ice  was  smooth  and  free  from  snow.  Little 
Haydn  had  noticed,  as  he  now  remembers,  that 
his  companion  was  unusually  talkative,  and 
that  for  several  minutes  he  had  not  been  si- 
lent for  a  second.  As  they  reached  the  smooth 
ice  the  man  proposed  that  they  run  a  race, 
and  off  they  started  like  arrows  across  the 
frozen  path.  A  sound  that  had  been  faint 
until  then  now  grew  louder,  and  even  the  boy 
distinguished  the  sharp  bark  of  the  pack  of 
wolves  that  had  scented  the  fresh  meat  that  had 
been  a  part  of  their  purchases.  Fear  lent 
wings  to  their  flight,  but  every  minute  the 
wolves   gained   on    them,    and    soon    terrified 


glances  over  their  shoulders  revealed  a  dark 
line  of  tossing  heads  only  a  few  hundred  yards 
in  the  rear.  They  had  no  weapons  except  the 
new  scythe  and  some  smaller  garden  tools,  and 
these  offered  them  but  little  advantage  in  the 
hand  to  hand  combat  that  was  but  a  matter  of 
a  few  minutes.  The  ice  was  slippery  and  the 
boy's  small  legs  began  to  give  out ;  his  com- 
panion found  him  momentarily  harder  to  drag 
along.  Death  threatened  them  both,  when  an 
idea  struck  him.  Whipping  out  his  knife,  he 
cut  open  the  sack  in  which  he  had  put  the 
fresh  meat,  and,  without  stopping,  dropped  it 
on  the  ice.  A  minute  afterward  the  hungry 
wolves  were  upon  it,  snarling  and  fighting  for 
the  food,  and  before  they  were  once  more  in 
pursuit  of  young  Haydn  and  his  companion, 
the  latter  had  reached  a  place  of  safety.  No 
sooner  had  the  adventure  beeu  hurriedly  told 
at  the  farm-house,  than  several  men  snatched 
up  their  guns  and  went  in  search  of  the  sheep- 
stealing  marauders.  They  encountered  the 
pack  on  the  banks  of  the  West  Branch,  and 
had  five  wolf-pelts  to  commemorate  the  run 
for  life. 

Jacob  Plum  came  from  New  York  State  at 
the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  and  set- 
tled in  Mount  Pleasant,  where  he  set  up  the 
first  carding-machine,  in  1813.  Although  he 
did  no  spinning  his  plant  prepared  the  wool  for 
that  process  and  saved  the  women  much  hard 
work.  Subsequently  Mr.  Plum  moved  to 
Prompton  to  spend  his  last  days  with  his  son, 
Simon  H.,  who  was  a  prominent  borough  of- 
ficer for  many  years.  Jacob  Plum  married 
Rhoda  Plum,  a  cousin,  and  had  nine  children, 
— Maria,  the  wife  of  Ira  Stearns,  who  lived  in 
Susquehanna  County,  and  is  now  ninety  years 
old  ;  Harriet,  the  wife  of  William  Joseph  ; 
Clarissa,  who  married  George  Joseph  ;  Charles, 
Simon,  Elvira,  the  wife  of  Wrilliam  Morey  ; 
Louisa,  the  wife  of  James  Madison  ;  Lavinia, 
the  wife  of  Rockwell  Bunnell,  and  Hiram. 

Captain  Arnold,    though    a    settler    in 

Dyberry  township  at  a  point  now  outside  the 
borough  limits  of  Prompton,  was  so  closely  as- 
sociated with  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the 
village  that  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  men- 
tion him  here. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Industrial  and  Commercial  Life. — 
Benjamin  Jenkins,  Sr.,  cut  his  way  through  the 
woods  from  Bethany  to  Prompton,  in  1813.  It 
was,  as  has  already  been  stated,  for  the  purpose 
of  starting  an  axe  and  scythe-factory.  He  had 
left  a  moderately  successful  business  at  Win- 
stead,  Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  and  the  ma- 
chinery for  his  new  plant  was  brought  with 
him.  His  land  purchase  included  about  four 
hundred  acres,  and  as  soon  as  his  dwelling  was 
completed  he  set  about  the  erection  of  the  forge. 
It  was  located  near  where  Hall's  furniture- 
factory  now  stands,  and  was  a  small  log  build- 
ing, containing  a  couple  heating-furnaces,  a 
small  hand  trip-hammer,  and  some  hand-rolls. 
Benjamin  Jenkins  and  his  son,  Edward,  were  the 
chief  operators,  though  they  employed  other  men, 
and  some  boys  occasionally.  The  factory  ran 
for  three  or  four  years,  but  the  absence  of  ship- 
ping facilities  limited  the  out-put  to  neighbor- 
hood consumption,  and  there  was  so  little  de- 
mand in  the  sparsely  populated  vicinity  that  it 
was  found  unprofitable  to  run  the  business. 
After  the  forge  was  abandoned,  Mr.  Jenkins 
erected  a  saw-mill  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
above  his  first  location.  There  was  plenty  of 
timber  in  the  hills  about,  and  it  proved  a  profit- 
able investment,  increasing  in  business  each 
year,  so  that  about  1846  a  new  mill  was  built 
just  above  the  first  one. 

Levi  Bronson  started  a  shovel-handle  factory 
near  the  saw-mill,  about  1834,  and  the  business 
soon  increased  so  that  ten  or  twelve  men  were 
employed — a  large  quota  for  those  days.  This 
establishment  ran  for  over  twenty  years,  but 
finally  succumbed  to  the  depressing  influences 
above  referred  to.  In  1833-34  Simon  and 
Hiram  Plum  started  a  factory  for  the  manu- 
facture of  umbrella  handles,  an  industry  which 
has  since  flourished  in  other  parts  of  the  county. 
After  running  it  for  several  years  they  sold  to 
Graves  &  Jenkins,  and  they  in  turn  were  suc- 
ceeded by  Graves,  Lamb  &  Jenkins,  in  1846. 
The  latter  firm  gave  place  to  Hiram  Plum  and 
Solomon  West,  who  discontinued  the  business 
in  1862.  During  the  palmy  days  of  Prompton's 
industrial  history,  no  less  than  seven  saw-mills 
were  in  operation,  the  anvils  rang  busily  at 
three  blacksmith-shops,  and  two  tailors,  harness- 


maker  and  several  other  skilled  artisans 
plied  their  trades.  The  village  was  on  a  great 
highway,  and  large  droves  of  sheep  and  cattle 
had  to  be  cared  for  during  the  night,  and 
teamsters  with  teams  laden  with  grain  and  pro- 
visions added  to  the  business  brought  by  the 
regular  stages. 

In  1840  G.  W.  Hall  moved  from  Plane  No. 
2,  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Gravity  road, 
and  erected  a  small  shop  for  the  manufacture  of 
bedsteads,  near  the  site  of  the  present  factory. 
The  business  increased,  and  in  1852  the  present 
building  was  erected,  and  fitted  with  improved 
machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  furniture.  It 
is  located  on  Van  Auken  Creek,  and  is  also 
supplied  with  steam,  so  as  to  be  unaffected  by 
the  droughts  that  are  quite  frequent,  now  that 
the  timber  has  been  cut  down  on  the  head 
waters  of  the  stream. 

The  first  hotel  kept  in  the  place  was  that  of 
Benjamin  Jenkins,  Sr.,  which  answered  all  the 
requirements  of  a  public-house  until  the  build- 
ing of  the  old  hotel,  which  stood  on  the  river, 
near  where  Carr's  store  now  is.  This  was 
erected  about  1839,  and  Hon.  Phineas  Arnold 
was  the  first  landlord,  and  a  very  popular  one 
for  many  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  Messrs. 
Colemau,  Cox  and  others,  and  the  house  was 
kept  open  until  its  destruction  by  fire  a  few 
years  ago. 

A  post-office  was  first  established  in  Promp- 
ton in  1834,  Edward  Jenkins  being  the  first 
postmaster.  He  served  for  about  ten  years,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Edwin  Foot.  The  other 
postmasters  held  office  in  the  following  order : 
John  Jenkins,  Sauford  Robinson,  Henry  Ed- 
gett,  Harrison  Dimock,  Erastus  Skeels,  L.  E. 
Richardson,  William  Karslake,  L.  E.  Richard- 
son, F.  B.  Kimble,  L.  E.  Richardson  and  N.  C. 
Alvord. 

Church  History. — The  earliest  settlers  of 
Prompton  were  Universalists,  and  the  first  re- 
ligious organization  in  the  village  was  of  that 
denomination.  The  congregation  has  been  dis- 
banded many  years,  and  the  records  are  scattered 
and  lost,  so  that  little  of  its  history  now  remains. 
The  congregation  was  organized  about  1838  or 
1839,  and  during  the  latter  year  secured  a  lot 
from  Benjamin  Jenkins,  Sr.,  on  which  to  erect 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


553 


a  meeting-house.  He  donated  the  site,  but 
neglected  to  give  a  deed  for  it,  and  the  property 
is  now  part  of  the  Jenkins'  estate,  although  still 
used  as  a  church  property.  The  church  edifice 
was  completed  in  the  latter  part  of  1839,  or 
early  in  1840,  and  Rev.  S.  P.  Landers  was  the 
first  pastor.  Some  of  the  constituent  members 
of  the  congregation  were  the  families  of  Benja- 
min and  Edward  Jenkins,  Jacob  S.  Keen  and 
wife,  Phineas  Arnold  and  wife,  George  Alvord 
and  wife,  James  Robinson  and  wife,  David 
Arnold  and  wife,  and  Levi  Ketch um,  of  Beth- 
any. The  latter  took  a  very  active  part  in  the 
building  of  the  church.  The  congregation 
existed  for  about  twenty  years,  though  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  time  its  meetings  were 
irregular  and  spasmodic.  The  subsequent  pas- 
tors were  Revs.  C.  S.  Brown,  E.  E.  Guild, 
William  DeLong  and  A.  D.  Warren.  In  1859 
the  church  had  become  completely  disorganized 
and  the  building  was  converted  into  an  academy 
by  making  the  auditorium  into  two  stories. 
Here,  on  November  1st,  a  Normal  School  was 
opened.  Subsequently  the  building  was  secured 
by  the  Methodist  Congregation  as  a  place  of 
•worship,  and  is  so  occupied  at  present. 

A  Presbyterial  Committee,  consisting  of 
Revs.  J.  B.  Graves  and  Jeremiah  Miller  and 
Elders  E.  Kingsbury  and  George  Goodrich, 
organized  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Promp- 
ton  on  Sunday,  September  4,  1842,  at  which 
time  the  following  persons  presented  letters 
which  were  approved  by  the  committee:  Asa 
Jenkins,  Ann  Jenkins,  Hubbard  L.  Hadsall, 
Julianna  Hadsall,  Hiram  Dibble,  Naoma  Dib- 
ble, Isaiah  D.  Conyne,  Eva  Conyne,  Levi 
Bronsou,  Elizabeth  C.  Keen,  Sarah  Anne 
Keen  and  Phoebe  E.  Hall,  all  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Honesdale,  and  P.  Davis 
Thayer  from  the  church  at  Harford.  Levi 
Bronson  and  F.  Davis  Thayer,  having  been 
elected  ruling  elders,  were  ordained.  The  in- 
faut  church  had  no  pastor  nor  any  place  of  wor- 
ship. Its  meetings  were  held  in  the  school- 
house,  and  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  such 
ministers  as  Providence  brought  to  the  congre- 
gation. Soon,  however,  an  arrangement  was 
made  with  Rev.  Jeremiah  Miller,  then  pastor 
at  Honesdale,  to  preach  every  other  week,  and 
54 


the  church  commenced  to  grow  in  interest  and 
numbers.  Mr.  Miller  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
Henry  J.  Rowland,  and  it  was  not  until  1853 
that  the  congregation  had  a  pastor  of  its  own. 
In  thaft  year  Rev.  J.  O.  Boswell  was  stated 
supply.  He  remained  for  about  three  years, 
and  then,  at  a  joint  meeting  of  the  congrega- 
tions of  Waymart  and  Prompton,  Rev.  Israel 
Brundage,  a  licentiate  from  the  Third  Presby- 
tery of  New  York,  was  ordained  and  installed 
as  pastor.  The  question  of  a  church  edifice 
had  been  agitated  in  the  congregation  for  some 
time,  and  the  building  was  commenced  in  the 
summer  of  1859.  The  dedicatory  services  took 
place  on  September  1 6  of  that  year,  being  con- 
ducted by  Revs.  T.  S.  Ward,  of  Carbondale, 
and  E.  O.  Ward,  of  Bethauy.  In  1864  Rev. 
J.  Best  was  engaged  as  stated  supply,  and  re- 
mained until  1875.  Rev.  George  Guild,  E.  E. 
Northup  and  others  then  supplied  the  pulpit 
until  Rev.  W.  H.  Swift,  the  present  pastor, 
was  secured.  The  following  have  been  ruling 
elders  since  the  church  was  organized:  Levi 
Bronson,  J.  Davis  Thayer,  Jonas  Stanton, 
Seth  C.  Benedict,  G.  W.  Hall,  Nathaniel 
Spear,  Abraham  Eade  and  Robert  J.  Knapp. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


HENRY    C.    AMES. 


Henry  C.  Ames  was  born  in  Canaan  town- 
ship, Wayne  County,  Pa.,  October  28,  1828. 
His  early  life  was  not  like  the  boyhood  days  of 
the  present  generation.  He  was  early  taught 
that  in  the  struggle  of  life  in  a  new  country 
every  one  must  do  his  or  her  share.  His  edu- 
cation was  limited  to  a  few  months'  attendance 
at  the  common  schools  of  his  day,  and  educa- 
tion that  has  been  added  to  by  a  long  and 
active  business  life.  When  twenty  years  old 
he  bought  the  farm  of  his  father  in  which  he 
was  born  and  which  he  now  owns.  He  has 
added  to  the  improvements  by  erecting  new 
buildings  and  making  new  clearings.  In  1866 
he  bought  of  Edward  Carr  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  land,  part  of  which  was  cleared. 
This  farm  he  has  also  improved  and  built 
upon  ajid  still  owns.     In  1871  he  again  added 


554 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


to  his  real  estate  by  purchasing  forty-one  acres 
of  new  land,  which  he  has  cleared  and  im- 
proved. In  all  this  Mr.  Ames  has  labored  for 
his  own  and  the  general  good,  and  has  done  his 
share  towards  making  Wayne  County  what  it 
now  is.  He  carried  on  mercantile  business  in 
Waymart  for  four  years,  when  his  store 
burned  and  he  returned  to  his  farm.  In  1879 
he  built  the  store  at  Waymart,  conducted  in 
1886  by  his  son,  Ellsworth  F.  Ames.      Young 


September,  1848,  he  married  Miss  Julia  Ann, 
daughter  of  Frederick  and  Nancy  (Quick) 
Enslin,  who  was  born  in  South  Cauaan,  Pa., 
June  31,  1826.  She  died  October  [21,  1881. 
Their  children  were  Orrin  E.,  ^orn"1  May  4, 
1849,  died  September  28,  1854;  Hannah,  born 
November  25,  1850,  married  Orrin  Shaeffer  ; 
Ann  Eliza,  born  January  17,  1853,  married 
William  Pentecost.  Children  :  Rena  '  May, 
Archie  H.,  Edna  P.  and    Earl  T.     ( rertrude. 


.4. 


Ames  took  full  charge  of  the  business  when 
but  eighteen  years  old,  and  has  managed  it 
successfully.  For  forty  years  Mr.  Ames  has 
dealt  in  cattle,  and  has  found  a  market  for 
them  in  Kentucky,  New  York  and  other 
States.  In  politics  he  is  a  strong  Republican, 
and  by  his  fellow-townsmen  has  been  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  and  to  other  township  of- 
fices. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church  twenty-five  years,  and  one  of  its 
trustees  and  class  leaders.     On  the  5th  day  of 


born  October  27,  1855,  married  Warren  S. 
Bryant;  Sarah  H.,  born  October  21,  1857, 
died  June  25,  1858  ;  Earl  T.,  born  May  16, 
1859,  and  Ellsworth  F.,  born  June  29,  1863. 
Earl  T.  was  born  and  reared  on  the  home  farm 
in  Canaan  township,  and  was  taught  that  labor 
was  both  necessary  and  honorable,  and  he  did 
the  work  set  for  him  to  do  on  the  farm  during 
vacation  with  skill  and  willingness.  When 
sixteen  he  was  sent  to  the  Franklin  Institute, 
at  Franklin,  N.   Y.,  where  he    remained  two 


WAYxNE  COUNTY. 


555 


terms.  Prior  to  that  he  had  attended  the  high 
school  in  Prornpton.  In  1877  he  went  to 
Hawley,  where  he  taught  school  three  terras, 
and,  as  a  teacher,  was  very  successful,  and,  after 
leaving  school  on  account  of  ill  health,  received 
many  letters  to  return  to  Hawley  and  resume 
his  school.  In  1880  he  took  charge  of  his 
father's  store  in  Waymart,  and  a  year  thereafter 
took  the  store  off  his  father's  hands  and  did  bus- 
iness under  the  firm  name  of  E.  T.  Ames.  For 
two  years  he  remained  in  the  store,  doing  a  nice 
business  and  adding  daily  to  his  popularity  as  a 
model  and  successful  young  business  man. 
Then  consumption,  which  had  driven  him 
from  his  school,  fastened  its  relentless  grasp 
upon  him,  and  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  his 
business  life.  He  went  first  to  Minneapolis, 
Minn,  but  could  not  stand  the  cold  winter,  and 
he  then  went  to  Kansas,  but  came  home  the 
next  spring  without  any  improvement  in  health. 
The  next  winter  he  went  to  Denver,  but  grew 
worse,  and  his  father  went  after  him  and 
brought  him  home.  He  bore  his  illness  with 
heroism  and  passed  away  February  7,  1885. 
Of  him,  it  is  said,  that  he  was  one  of  Wayne 
County's  most  promising  young  business  men, 
that  his  walk  in  life  was  a  worthy  example  to 
his  young  associates,  and  his  untimely  death  an 
almost  irreparable  loss.  Joseph  Ames,  grand- 
father of  Henry  C,  was  born  in  Stonington, 
Conn.,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  married 
Hannah  Tyler,  in  1777,  who  bore  him  children 
as  follows  :  William,  Erastus,  Hannah,  Elijah 
and  Joseph,  Jr.  He  was  a  farmer,  as  were  his 
ancestors,  and  owned  a  farm  near  Stonington, 
where  he  died.  He  was  a  soldier  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  died  a  pensioner.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Whig,  and  held  minor  town- 
ship offices.  He  came  to  Wayne  County  after 
the  death  of  his  wife,  and  remained  for  a  time 
with  his  son  Joseph,  but  returned  to  Stonington 
to  end  his  days.  Of  his  children  Joseph,  Jr., 
was  born  in  Stonington,  October  28,  1790. 
When  twenty  years  old  he  came  to  Wayne 
County,  Pa.,  on  horseback,  the  horse  being  the 
property  he  then  owned.  During  the  following 
three  years  he  taught  school  in  the  Wallen- 
paupack,  where  he  became  acquainted  with  and 
married  Miss  Gertrude  Schenck,  who  was  born 


in  Huntingdon  County,  N.  J.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Colonel  John  H.  Schenck,  a  patriot 
of  the  Revolution.  He  was  born  in  Monmouth 
County,  X.  J.,  and  was  a  man  of  large  wealth 
and  influence,  and  raised  and  equipped,  at  his 
own  expense,  a  regiment  which  he  commanded 
in  person.  After  the  war  he  filled  political 
offices  of  trust  and  importance.  Soon  after  his 
marriage,  Joseph,  Jr.,  bought  at  what  is  now 
Canaan  Corners,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres  of  wild  land,  part  of  which  he  cleared  and 
improved,  and  made  his  home  for  many  years. 
He  subsequently  sold  the  farm  to  Mr.  Stark- 
weather, and  then  bought  another  piece  of  wild 
land,  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  which  is  now 
owned  by  his  sou,  Henry  C.  At  his  time  of 
life,  to  clear  and  improve  another  new  farm 
would  seem  like  a  great  undertaking,  but  noth- 
ing daunted,  he  commenced  work  and  lived  to 
see  one  hundred  acres  under  improvement,  and 
a  good  house  and  out-buildiugs  erected.  He 
made  it  his  final  home  and  died  therein. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order 
and  belonged  to  the  Waymart  Lodge.  Like 
his  father,  he  was  a  Whig  in  politics  and 
held  township  offices.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ames 
were  born  children  as  follows:  Erasmus  D., 
who  married  Jane  Clawson ;  children,  Agnes, 
Tyler,  Katie,  Mary  and  Harriet.  Nelson  M., 
who  married  Nancy  Hoadley ;  children  were 
Oliver,  George  and  Rutter.  He  married  for 
his  second  wife  Miss  Susan  Crammer;  chil- 
dren, Louisa,  Susan,  Newton  and  Fred.  Eliza, 
married  Alexander  Anderson ;  children,  Alex- 
ander, Jr.,  Mary,  Charles  and  William ;  Eliza's 
second  husband  was  William  Annan ;  one  child, 
Gertrude.  Tyler,  died  in  boyhood.  George  R. ; 
married  Catherine  McClain  ;  children,  Joseph, 
John  and  George ;  married  second  time ;  one 
child.  Clarissa,  married  John  Clawson ;  chil- 
dren, Agnes,  Jerome  and  Louise.  Haner  A.; 
Jacob,  married  Harriet  Woodman ;  children, 
Helen,  Gaston  and  Hattie.  John  H.t  mar- 
ried Melissa  Woodard ;  children,  William, 
Haner  and  Erasmus.  Reuben  T.,  married  Ellen 
Thorpe ;  children,  Sarah,  Howard,  James,  Eliza 
(died)  and  Lucy.  Sarah  D.,  married  John 
Stryker ;  children,  Mary,  William  and  John. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


— 

JACOB    L.    KEEN. 

The  Keen  family,  of  'Wayne  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, are,  it  is  thought,  of  Swedish  origin, 
their  ancester  having  emigrated  from  there  two 
centuries  ago.  Jacob  Keen,  the  grandfather  of 
Jacob  L.,  was  a  Virginian,  or  at  least  resided 
there,  and  Captain  Mathias,  Jacob  L.'s  father, 
it  is  believed  was  born  there,  and  from  thence 
went  to  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  where,  at  Dol- 
sontown,   he  met  and   married    Miss   Muzzey. 


farm  was  sold  on  a  mortgage,  and  he  then 
moved  to  Milford,  in  Pike  County,  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  for  two  or  three  years  worked  at  the 
mason  trade.  In  February,  1815,  he  moved 
with  his  family  into  Canaan  township,  Wayne 
County,  Pa.,  where,  in  what  was  then  called 
Elk  Forest,  he  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of 
wild  land,  which  included  Canoe  Pond  and 
which  he  intended  to  turn  into  a  mill  site.  In 
the  fall  of  1814  he  had,  with  the  help  of  a  hired 


Of    l,)Cu^ 


She  bore  him  two  children,  Jane  and  George. 
After  his  marriage  the  captain  moved  to  New 
York  city  and  engaged  in  the  draying  business. 
This  must  have  been  about  the  year  1801.  He 
remained  in  the  city  a  couple  nf  years,  then  re- 
turned to  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  and  in  Mid- 
dleton  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  and 
afterwards  in  the  hotel  business.  In  1808  he 
sold  out  and  went  to  Mechauicsville  and  bought 
a  farm  ;  but,  owing  to  endorsing  for  others,  his 


man,  built  on  his  land  a  log  house  or  cabin  of 
the  most  simple  structure  possible.  It  had  a 
bark  roof,  and  its  doors  were  only  blankets.  To 
get  to  it  he  drove  through  lumber  roads  and, 
part  of  the  way,  through  an  unbroken  wilder- 
ness. Their  household  goods  and  the  family 
were  drawn  in  a  sleigh,  and  while  it  was  1  icing 
unloaded  Mrs.  Keen  sat  in  the  sleigh  and  cried, 
so  dreary  and  wild  appeared  what  was  to  be  her 
future   home.     The  family  settled   in  the  new 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


house,  lie  at  once  commenced  the  work  of  im- 
provement. Soon  after  his  arrival  he  was  badly 
wounded  by  the  accidental  discharge  of  a  rifle, 
while  hunting.  However  he  had  a  log  dam 
built  across  the  outlet  of  the  pond  and  thus 
raised  the  water  ten  feet.  In  1816  he  finished 
the  grist-mill  commenced  the  year  previous  and 
supplied  a  want  which  had  been  deeply  felt  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  surrounding  country  for 
many  miles.  The  stone  for  the  mill  were  ob- 
tained in  the  mountains  and  shaped  by  Mr. 
Keen's  own  labor.  In  1830  the  grist-mill  was 
torn  down  and  a  saw-mill  built  in  its  place. 
Mr.  Keen,  as  stated,  was  a  stone-mason,  and  he 
worked  at  his  trade  after  he  came  to  Canaan. 
He  had  charge  of  the  building  of  the  locks  on 
the  Lehigh  Canal  at  Easton.  Also  built  the 
lock  at  Durham,  on  the  Pennsylvania  Canal 
and  locks  on  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal. 
While  in  Orange  County,  New  York,  he  raised 
a  company  of  militia,  called  the  Republican 
Blues,  of  which  he  was  made  captain.  He  be- 
came proficient  in  military  drill,  and  on  his 
arrival  in  Wayne  County  he  took  an  active 
interest  in  military  affairs  and  was  commissioned 
by  Governor  Snyder  captain  of  the  eighth  com- 
pany of  the  One  Hundred  and  Third  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  militia.  Captain  Keen  was  an 
ardent  Free  Mason  and  was  installed,  in  1816, 
Worshipful  Master  of  Freedom  Lodge,  No. 
147,  of  Bethany,  and  was  its  first  Master.  He 
was  a  Jackson  Democrat,  and  a  strong  one.  He 
held  township  offices  at  various  times.  His 
second  wife  was  Anna  Reeves,  whose  children 
were  Julia,  James,  Mathias,  Elvira,  Mary, 
Jacob  L.,  Ann,  Catherine,  Rosetta,  Louisa  and 
Elizabeth.  Captain  Keen  died  January  9, 1835. 
Jacob  L.  Keen  was  born  in  Mechanicsville 
village,  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  May  15,  1809. 
When  five  years  old  his  father  moved  into  the 
woods  in  Canaan,  as  before  described, and  he  well 
remembers  his  father  bringing  fire  from  the  last 
neighbor's  house,  three  miles  from  his  home. 
Jacob  grew  to  man's  estate  on  the  farm  of  his 
father,  attaining  only  a  common  school  educa- 
tion at  the  winter  schools  in  his  district.  On 
the  death  of  his  father  he  purchased  one  hun-j 
dred  and  fourteen  acres  of  the  homestead.  It 
was  all  new  but  five  acres,  and   is  now  nearly 


all  improved,  and  has  a  fine  house  and  good 
out-buildings,  all  of  which  attest  the  industry 
and  energy  of  Mr.  Keen.  He  is  and  has  always 
been  a  Democrat  of  the  old  school,  and  has 
been  honored  by  his  party  with  the  office  of 
county  commissioner  and  other  minor  offices. 
He  is  a  Universalist  in  religious  belief,  but  ha& 
helped  build  churches  for  other  denominations. 
On  the  21st  day  of  December,  1831,  he  mar- 
rid  Miss  Rachel  Felton,  who  was  born  July  17, 
1808*  'Her  ancestor,  Henry  Felton,  came  from 
Germany  prior  to  the  Revolution  and  settled  in 
Philadelphia.  He  married  Miss  Rachel  Stoner, 
who  was  born  in  Maryland.  Their  children  . 
were  Henry,  George,  Christian,  Jacob,  John, 
William,  Polly,  Eve,  Betsey,  Katy  and  Peggy. 
He  served  in  the  War  for  Independence,  after 
which  he  moved  to  Nicholson  township,  Lu- 
zerne County,  Pa.,  where  he  bought  a  farm  ou 
which  he  lived  until  his  death.  George  was 
born  in  Philadelphia  and  was  ten  years  old 
when  his  father  moved  to  Luzerne  County.  He 
also  became  a  farmer  and  married  Sally  Scott, 
daughter  of  Zara  and  Sybil  (Sackett)  Scott. 
He  emigrated  to  Lenox  township,  Susquehanna 
County,  Pa.,  where  he  died  in  1863,  his  wife 
in  1864.  Their  children  were  Rachel,  Miles, 
John,  Cynthia,  Lucy  A.,  James,  Mary,  Elizabeth. 
To 'Jacob  L.  and  his  wife  have  been  born 
Ann  M.,  September  .17,  is;;:',;  married  S.  Hud- 
son ;  one  child  ;  Josephine  L.,  bom  June  25, 
1833.^~Mary  M.,  born  November  27,  1835; 
married  A.-  R.  Edgett ;  one  child,  Lillian  I, 
born  May  4,  1858  ;  she  married  Rev.  E.  H. 
Whitman ;  one  child,  Nellie  E.  George  N., 
born  November  27,  1837 ;  he  married  Jane 
Jenkins;  children,  Edward  L.  and  Willie, 
Jennette,  born  September  7,  1839;  married  J. 
R.  Smith;  child,  Charles  D.  Hethacott  M., 
born  June  18,  1841.  Edwin  R.,  born  July  2, 
1842;  married  Agnes  Shuster;  children,  Gracie, 
Judson,  Arthur.  James  R.,  born  August  18,. 
1845;  married  Teressa  AVeinmyer;  children, 
Charley,  Miles,  Henry,  Pauline.  Sarah  J.r 
born  May  22,  1 848  ;  married  Walter  Carr ;  one 
child,  Sadie.  Anna  M.,  the  oldest  daughter, 
married  for  her  second  husband  William  Hoyle  ; 
children,  William,  Mary,  Samuel,  Grace,  Katie 
and  Robbie. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

SOUTH    CANAAN    TOWNSHIP. 

Canaan  was  one  of  the  original  townships 
erected  at  the  setting  off  of  Wayne  from  North- 
ampton County,  in  1798,  and  at  that  time  em- 
braced a  large  area  that  has  since  been  cut  up 
into  several  townships  and  a  borough.  Portions 
of  this  mother  townshij)  were  settled  early  in 
the  history  of  the  county,  the  first  being  in  what 
is  now  Salem,  and  subsequent  ones  in  Clinton 
and  Lake.  The  clearings  of  new  settlers  were, 
of  course,  centripetal  to  these  localities,  and  early 
iu  the  present  century,  the  first  one  bad  become 
strong  enough  for  independent  existence,  and 
the  excision  of  the  territory  now  embraced  in 
the  townships  of  Salem  and  Lake  took  place. 
This  was  in  1808,  and  a  small  area  which  sub- 
sequently became  a  part  of  Cherry  Ridge  was 
included  in  the  separation.  This  left  a  town- 
ship bounded  on  the  north  by  Mount  Pleasant, 
east  by  Dyberry — Cherry  Ridge  not  having 
then  been  erected — south  by  Salem  and  west  by 
Luzerne  County.  A  large  slice  of  the  northern 
section  was  then  set  off  as  Clinton,  in  1834, 
Waymart  was  constituted  a  borough  in  1851, 
and  the  next  year,  the  Court  of  Quarter  Ses- 
sions divided  the  remaining  territory  into  two 
townships,  the  new  one  being  called  South  Ca- 
naan. The  township  then  contained  one  old 
settlement  in  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Middle 
Creek,  and  much  land  still  heavily  timbered 
with  virgin  forest,  broken  only  here  and  there 
with  a  little  clearing.  It  had  fair  soil,  good 
water-powers,  and  well-broken  roads.  At  the 
time  its  history  as  an  independent  township 
commenced,  the  greatest  hardships  of  pioneer 
life  were  over,  and  since  that  time,  it  has  grown 
to  be  a  prosperous  community,  with  little  of 
special  interest  in  its  local  history.  The  present 
chapter  will  deal  chiefly  with  events  that  trans- 
pired long  before  the  excision  from  old  Canaan 
took  place,  while  the  cotemporaneous  history  of 
the  area  now  included  in  the  newer  townships 
above  referred  to  will  be  found  under  those 
headings. 

Henry  Curtis  was  one  of  the  first  settlers,  and 
located  on  Middle  Creek  about  1804.     He  was 


a  German  by  birth,  and  after  having  served  for 
several  years  in  the  army  of  his  native  country, 
he  came  to  America,  and  enlisted  in  the  Conti- 
nental army  three  years  before  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War.  He  married  Mirilla  Swin- 
gle, and  their  children  were  Jeremiah,  or  Hans, 
as  he  was  best  known,  and  Mary,  the  wife  of 
John  S.  Reed. 

Hans  Curtis  married  Polly,  a  daughter  of 
Adam  Wagner,  and  lived  on  the  homestead,  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  J.  Brooks.  Hans  had 
many  children,  and  the  township  is  filled  with 
his  descendants.  His  children  were :  Rhoda, 
the  wife  of  Henry  Spangenberg ;  Aaron,  Pris- 
cilla,  who  married  Moses  Shaffer,  2nd ;  Mary 
Ann,  who  first  married  Samuel  Shaffer  and  af- 
terwards Lewis  Lobshire  ;  Elizabeth,  the  wife 
of  Samuel  Swingle  ;  Moses,  a  resident  of  Hones- 
dale  ;  Rua,  the  wife  of  G.  W.  Barnes,  of  Man- 
chester ;  Angelina,  who  married  Charles  Far- 
rell,  and  Caroline,  the  wife  of  Rufus  Frisbie. 
Hans  Curtis  married  a  second  time,  choosing 
Elizabeth  Hoadley  for  his  wife.  Two  children 
were  born  of  this  marriage,  Charlotte,  the  wife 
of  Thomas  Dershimer  of  Dunmore,  Lackawan- 
na County,  and  Solomon,  who  lives  in  South 
Canaan  township. 

Hans  Ulrich  Swingle  was  another  German, 
who  had  settled  in  the  western  part  of  the  town- 
ship a  year  previous  to  Curtis'  arrival.  Mr. 
Swingle  married  Polly,  a— tfctughtor  -of  John 
Shaffer,  and  had  six  sons  and  four  daughters. 
The  latter  were  Kate,  the  wife  of  George  Ens- 
lin  ;  Morilla,  who  married  Henry  Curtis  ;  Chris- 
tina, the  wife  of  Silas  Woodward,  and  Mary, 
who  married  Moses  Shaffer.  The  sons  were 
John,  Jeremiah,  Conrad,  Jacob,  Henry  and 
Frederick,  whose  children  are  given  below : 

John  Swingle,  the  eldest,  married  Catherine 
Moore,  and  settled  where  Hanson  McMin  now 
lives.  His  children  were  Elizabeth,  the  wife 
of  Jonathan  Nickerson ;  John,  Ephe,  who  mar- 
ried Justus  Cobb ;  Conrad.  His  second  wife 
was  Catherine  Shorter,  and  the  children  of  this 
union  were :  Andrew ;  Polly,  the  wife  of  Jo- 
seph London ;  Catherine,  the  wife  of  Peter 
Manes  ;  Christiana,  the  wife  of  John  Turner  ; 
Susan,  who  married  Samuel  McLean  ;  Sarah, 
the  wife  of  Stephen  Sharpstine ;  and  Joseph. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


r.r.'.t 


His  third  marriage  was  with  Barbara  Burleigh  ; 
from  this  union  were  horn  Ephraim,  Margaret, 
the  wife  of  Alfred  Foot;  Caleb,  Joshua,  Anson, 
Westley  and  Jaue,  the  wife  of  Jonas  Seeley. 

Jeremiah,  the  second  son  of  Hans  Swingle, 
had  by  his  first  marriage  only  one  sou,  Henry. 
By  his  second  wife,  Patience  Bunting,  were  born 
Abraham  and  Israel. 

Conrad,  the  third  son,  married  Lucy  Bunting, 
and  their  children  were  John,  Mary,  the  wife  of 
John  Cobb,  for  whom  Cobb's  Gap  was  named  ; 
Daniel,  Joseph,  still  living  in  his  eighty-sixth 
year,  with  his  grandson,  Elisha  Swingle  ;  Sam- 
uel, a  resident  of  Salem,  aged  eighty-three ; 
Moses,  now  in  his  eighty-first  year ;  Sally,  the 
wife  of  George  ADsley  ;  Isaac,  Michael,  David 
and  Jonathan,  twins;  Lucy,  the  wife  of  George 
Swingle;  and'  Elizabeth,  who  married  Simon 
Swingle. 

Jacob,  the  fourth  son,  married  Ephe  Shaffer, 
and  their  children  were  Nancy,  the  wife  of  Ly- 
man Kennedy ;  Julia,  who  married  Joseph 
Bryant;  Harmon  ;  Emmaliue,  the  wife  of  John 
Bates  ;  Richard ;  Abby,  who  married  an  Arnold ; 
Austin  ;  Adaline,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Swingle; 
and  Cynthia. 

Henry,  the  fifth  son,  married  Elizabeth  Ens- 
lin,  and  had  four  children.  They  were,  George, 
Clarissa,  the  wife  of  Owen  Bronson  ;  Simeon 
and  Sally,  the  wife  of  William  Benton. 

Frederick,  the  sixth  son,  married  Susan  Ens- 
lin,  and  his  children  were  Charles,  Elijah  B., 
Leonard,  Annie  and  Polly,  the  wife  of  Richard 
Beii 

Adam  Wagner  was  of  Pennsylvania  German 
extraction,  and  came  to  Wayne  County  from 
Maryland,  in  1783.  He  first  moved  into  a 
sugar  house,  built  of  logs  and  covered  with 
bark,  upon  the  farm  now  owned  by  Edgar 
Wells,  and  afterward  located  on  the  farm  where 
Jonathan  Swingle  lives,  in  which  place  he  died 
in  1793.  He  married  Polly  Wheatcraft,  and 
his  children  were  Rebecca  (the  wife  of  Joseph 
Jaggers),  Sally  (who  married  John  Swingle), 
Otho,  Rachel  (the  wife  of  Samuel  Shaffer)  and 

hn. 

John  Shaffer  was  a  German  who  settled  in 
Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  about  the  time  the 
Revolution  broke  out,  and  there  married  a  Miss 


Forbes.  With  his  wife  and  their  obedient 
son,  John,  he  moved  to  Wayne  County  in  1783, 
and  located  on  a  tract  of  land  on  Middle  Creek, 
below  the  old  North  and  South  road.  Here  his 
second  son,  Moses,  the  first  child  in  the  town- 
ship was  born,  as  were  his  other  children, — 
Samuel,  Susan  (the  wife  of  Joshua  Berleigh), 
Effie  (married  to  Jacob  Swingle),  Betsy  (the 
wife  of  Edward  Doyle,  of  Buckingham),  Polly 
(the  wife  of  Samuel  Chumard).  Catherine,  the 
other  daughter,  was  the  eldest  of  the  family. 
She  married  James  McLean.  John,  the  eldest 
son,  married  a  Miss  Forbes,  and  his  children 
were  Lydia  (who  married  Alexander'  McMul- 
lin),  Mary,  Emma  and  John.  Moses,  the 
second  son,  married  Mary  Swingle.  Their 
children  were  Jacob,  Fannie  (the  wife  of  Aaron 
Curtis),  Samuel,  John,  Sallie  (who  married 
John  Cobb),  Millie  (the  wife  of  Adam  Wagner), 
Catherine  (the  wife  of  James  Glen),  Sylvester 
and  Mary,  who  married  Abraham  Jaggers. 
Samuel,  the  third  son,  was  married  to  Rachel 
Wagner,  and  was  the  father  of  Elizabeth  (the 
wife  of  John  Spangenberg,  Moses,  Abraham, 
Eli,  Lydia  (the  wife  of  Simon  Enslin),  Amy 
(married  to  Daniel  Everts),  Mary  (married  to 
Henry  Reed),  Berzilla,  Joseph,  Rachel,  Alexan- 
der and  Martha  (the  wife  of  Francis  Enslin). 

James  McLean  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
was  in  the  British  army  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker 
Hill.  Soon  after  that,  he  deserted,  and  took  up 
arms  in  the  cause  of  American  liberty.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  moved  to  Canaan  township, 
and  located  on  the  place  afterward  occupied  by 
Nelson  Bennett.  He  married  Catherine  Shaffer, 
and  was  the  father  of  Samuel  McLean,^of 
Cherry  Ridge ;  John  (who  died  in  Salem,  fifty* 
years  ago),  Christiana  (the  wife  of  Patrick 
Falconer),  Hannah  (the  wife  of  Noah  Cobb), 
Lavinia  (married  to  Otho  Swingle)  and  Mar- 
garet (who  first  married  John  Wagner,  then 
Henry  Swingle,  and  last,  Stacy  Chumard). 
Mrs.  Chumard  is  still  a  resident  of  the  town- 
ship, and  is,  at  eighty-five  years  of  age,  in 
possession  of  all  her  faculties,  aud  full  of  in- 
teresting reminiscences. 

Amos  Bronson  and  his  brother  came  from 
Schoharie,  N.  Y.,  about  1800.  The  latter  was 
an    ingenious,    tough,    self-taught  mill-wright- 


.511(1 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Amos  married  Eunice  Lyons,  and  had  six 
children.  They  were  Daniel,  Noah,  Owen, 
Lyman,  Mary  (the  wife  of  John  Spangeuberg, 
who  is  now  living  with  Marcus  Day,  in  her 
.ninety-four  year)  and  Rowena. 

Samuel  Chumard  settled  ou  the  place  after- 
ward occupied  by  Hezekiah  Leach,  about  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century,  or  possibly  a 
little  before.  He  came  from  New  York  State, 
and  was  of  French  descent.  He  married  Polly 
Shaffer,  and  their  children  were  William,  Stacy, 
Eliza  (the  wife  of  John  Lee)  and  Horace. 
■George  and  John  Chumard,  who  were  the 
brothers  of  Samuel  Chumard,  were  also  early 
settlers. 

George  Ensliu,  who  was  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers, came  from  Newport,  Pa.,  and  located  on 
the  property  now  occupied  by  his  descendants. 
He  married  Kate  Swingle,  and  his  children 
were  Simon,  Jacob,  George,  Frederick,  Elizabeth 
(the  wife  of  John  Burleigh),  Christina  (the  wife 
of  David  Freeman),  Sarah  (the  wife  of  John 
McLean),  Polly  (who  married  Moses  Swingle) 
and  Susanna  (the  wife  of  Jacob  Shaffer). 

Adam  Frisby  was  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
when  much  of  the  township  was  yet  a  wilder- 
ness, and  cleared  up  a  farm  on  which  were  born 
his  four  sons, — Solomon,  Hiram,  Philemon  and 
Chester.  Solomon  married  Charlotte,theyoungest 
-daughter  of  Jesse  Morgan.  Hiram  moved  to 
Carbondale,  and  lived  in  the  first  house  e%rer  built 
in  the  place.  He  it  was  who  was  said  to  have 
taken  the  first  coal  to  market  over  the  mountain 
to  the  Lackawaxen.  Widow  Frisby,  who  will 
be  remembered  by  some  of  the  old  residents  of 
the  county,  was  a  sister-in-law  of  Abram. 
Though  a  superior  woman,  she  was  possessed  of 
many  peculiar  beliefs.  One  of  these  was  that  it 
was  a  sin  to  kill  any  living  creature.  Her 
■clothing  was  all  made  from  wool  taken  from 
living  sheep  ;  her  shoes  were  made  from  the 
hide  of  some  animal  that  had  died  a  natural 
death  ;  her  food  was  strictly  vegetable,  and  she 
did  all  she  could  to  prevent  the  slaughter  of  the 
cattle  of  those  who  lived  in  her  neighborhood. 
•She  died  in  Connecticut  some  years  ago. 

Justus  Cobb  was  a  brother  of  Asa  Cobb,  for 
whom  the  Cobb's  Gap  was  named.  Both  were 
sons  of  Joseph  Cobb,  who  came  from  Connecti- 


cut early  in  the  history  of  the  county.  Justus 
married  Ephe  Swingle,  and  settled  near  Jona- 
than's Gap.  Their  children  were  Elizabeth 
(the  wife  of  Moses  Swingle),  Catherine  (who 
married  Samuel  Swingle),  Justus,  Abigail  (who 
married  a  Swartz),  Charlotte  (the  wife  of  Zacha- 
riah  Emory),  Benjamin  and  Jane. 

George  Morgan  was  a  son  of  Jesse  Morgan, 
of  .Salem,  and  lived  to  be  nearly  one  hundred 
years  old.  He  first  married  a  Miss  Hall,  and 
his  children  were  George,  Horatio,  David  and 
Lucy.  His  second  wife  was  Deborah  Headly, 
and  by  th  is  union  were  born  Abel,  Elliott, 
Marvin,  and  two  daughters  who  married  Justus 
Cobb,  Jr.  and  William  Swingle. 

Daniel  Jaggers  came  from  Philadelphia, 
about  1807,  accompanied  by  his  son  Joseph; 
the  latter  married  Rebecca  Wagner,  and  their 
children  were  Hannah,  the  wife  of  Israel  Seeley ; 
Betsy,  the  wife  of  Harrison  McMin;  Nancy, 
who  married  William  Coleman ;  Phcebe,  the 
wife  of  Lewis  Butler ;  Rebecca,  who  married 
Samuel  Shaffer ;  Abraham,  Eunice,  the  wife  of 
Ranford  Smith  ;  Susan,  the  wife  of  William 
Williams ;  Rachel,  who  married  Thomas  Glen, 
and  John.  Most  of  them  are  now  dead. 
'  Among  the  other  early  settlers  may  be  men- 
tioned George  Rix,  who  was  in  the  township 
before  1805,  and  was  always  known  as  "Cap- 
tain," and  was  a  prominent  man  in  his  day ; 
Levi  Sampson,  who  lived  on  the  place  after- 
wards occupied  by  John  B.  Tuthill ;  William, 
Elijah  and  Ward  W.  Sampson  ;  John  Spangen- 
burg,  a  brother  of  Escpiire  Thomas  Spangen- 
berg,  of  Bethany;  Wareham  Day,  Vene  Lee 
and  others. 

Early  Industries. — Of  course  one  of  the 
first  needs  of  the  early  settlers  was  some  means 
of  reducing  their  grain  to  meal  without  the  de- 
lays and  difficulties  of  a  long  journey  through 
the  woods  to  Puddey's,  Milford  or  Slocum 
Hollow.  At  all  of  these  places  there  were  mills 
at  a  very  early  date,  and  even  after  there  were 
others  nearer  by,  trips  to  these  points  were  not 
infrequent.  There  was  a  mill,  too,  at  Wilson- 
ville,  and  this  drew  a  fair  share  of  patronage 
from  ( 'anaan.  The  first  mill  in  the  township 
of  which  there  is  any  record,  was  a  small  hand- 
mill  that  did  duty  for  the  neighbors   in  the  vi- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


561 


cinity  of  Hans  Ulrich  Swingles.  It  was  about 
three  feet  in  diameter,  and  had  a  hard  quartz 
stone  that  was  turned  by  a  crank  and  a  home- 
made gear.  It  took  two  men  nearly  a  day  to 
reduce  a  single  bag  of  corn  to  very  inferior 
meal  by  the  aid  of  it ;  but  it  was  superior  to 
the  mortar  and  nesile,  and  made  those  who 
lived  near  by^iWa  measure  independent  of  the 
more  pretentious  machinery  in  adjacent  town- 
ships/7 About  1800  John  Shaffer  put  up  a  reg- 
ular grist-mill,  with  one  run  of  stone  and  a 
hand  bolter.  It  stood  near  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent mill  in  Shaffer  Hollow,  and  the  old  founda- 
tion can  still  be  seen.  The  year  before  this, 
there  had  been  a  mill  for  grinding  corn  erected 
west  of  Learch's,  where  Mitchell's  carding  mill 
now  stands,  by  Conrad  Swingle  ;  but  it  was  but 
little  better  than  the  hand- mill  of  his  father. 
The  Shaffer  mill  did  duty  with  slight  improve- 
ment until  about  1835,  when  it  was  rebuilt  hy 
Moses  Shaffer,  who  put  in  a  new  run  of  stone; 
and  then,  about  1839  or  1840,  sold  it  to  Henry 
Kenner,  of  Bucks  County.  After  this  it  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Jairus  Buckingham,  George 
Enslin,  P.  W.  Learch  and  L.  A.  Robinson  & 
Company,  in  succession. 

It  was  again  rebuilt  in  1856,  by  P.  W. 
Learch,  a  new  dam  and  walls  being  erected. 
In  1876  it  was  sold  to  G.  W.  Kipp,  who,  in 
turn  disposed  of  it  to  Abraham  Keiser,  in  1883. 
It  has  four  run  of  stone,  driven  by  an  overshot 
wheel  on  a  ten  foot  radius,  and  runs  chiefly  on 
custom  work  in  buckwheat  flour  and  feed. 

What  is  known  as  the  Keiser  mill  was  built 
by  Howell  &  Jessup,  in  about  1843.  After 
running  it  for  a  number  of  years,  it  was  sold 
to  a  man  named  O'Donnell,  who  soon  disposed 
of  it  to  H.  S.  Blose.  The  latter  sold  it  to  Wil- 
liam Benson,  and  then  took  it  back  again,  and 

sold  it  to Matthew.     It  was   then  bought 

by  John  McCuoid,  John  Tobin  and  Thomas 
Swingle,  who,  in  1882,  sold  it  to  John  Keiser, 
the  present  owner.  It  has  four  run  of  stone, 
and  is  driven  by  an  overshot  wheel,  on  a  radius 
of  seven  feet.  Its  daily  capacity  is  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  bushels.  Mortimer  Arnold 
is  the  present  miller. 

About  1835,  John  Jessup  and  Gabriel  How- 
ell started  a  carding  machine  on  Middle  Creek, 


near  the  site  of  the  old  Conrad  Swingle  corn- 
mill.  It  was  a  small  affair,  but  proved  a  lu- 
crative investment,  and  was  soon  improved  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  the  neighborhood  in 
the  matter  of  blankets  and  yarns.  Elias  Comp- 
ton  was  the  next  owner,  and  after  him  came 
Selah  Davis  and  Henry  Osborn.  The  latter 
took  possession  in  185(1,  and  remained  several 
years,  but  found  the  business  so  decreased  that 
he  became  discouraged  and  sold  to  T.  K.  Fox. 
Matthew  Mitchell,  the  present  owner  of  the 
plant,  came  from  Rheinbeck,  N.  Y.,  a  few 
years  ago,  and  has  added  some  improvements 
to  the  plant.  It  now  consists  of  three  carding 
machines,  one  jack,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
spindles,  two  hand-looms  and  one  picker.  Both 
steam  and  water  are  employed  as  motive  power, 
and  there  is  a  dye-house  attached  to  the  estab- 
lishment. 

Some  years  before  the  war,  William  Carlo 
started  a  shovel-handle  factory  at  Shaffertown, 
which,  like  many  similar  establishments  in 
other  parts  of  the  county,  did  not  prove  a  per- 
manent success.  It  was  afterwards  owned  in 
succession  by  James  Buckingham,  George  Free- 
man and  William  B.  Swan ;  and  the  latter  sold 
the  property  to  C.  C.  Shaffer,  who  converted  it 
into  a  planing-mill,  in  1866.  It  is  still  in  op- 
eration, and  supplies  a  large  local  trade. 

South  Canaan  Corners.— -This  hamlet, 
locally  known  as  "  Learch's  Corners,"  is  the 
only  post-office  in  the  township,  and  is  also  the 
principal  center.  Here  it  is  that  the  churches 
are  located,  and  here  is  the  hotel,  the  store,  the 
mill  and  the  druggist,  P.  W.  Learch,  from 
whom  the  place  takes  the  name  by  which  it  is 
now  best  known,  moved  from  Easton  in  1836, 
and  built  the  hotel  now  kept  by  his  son.  He 
was  a  man  of  much  enterprise  and  business  ca- 
pacity, and  was  prominent  in  the  building  of 
turnpikes,  and  many  other  public  improve- 
ments. He  married  Ann  Warters,  a  lady  from 
New  Jersey,  and  their  children  were  John, 
Margaret,  the  wife  of  T.  K.  Varney ;  Henry, 
Spencer  C,  and  Annetta.  John  Learch  mar- 
ried Reua,  the  daughter  of  Hon.  Phineas  Ar- 
nold. 

The  first  store  in  the  place  was  kept  by  a 
man  named  Buland,  who  had  a  small  shop  near 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  for  a  year  or 
two.  Gabriel  Howell  then  built  the  store  now 
occupied  by  Swingle  &  McMin,  and  was  after- 
wards succeeded  by  P.  W.  Learch,  Learch  & 
Varney,  Learch  &  Carter,  T.  K.  Varney  and 
the  present  proprietors. 

The  Post-Office. — The  first  postmaster  in 
South  Canaan  was  John  Jessup,  who  was  ap- 
pointed in  January,  1837,  when  the  office  was 
established.  He  served  until  1852,  when  P. 
W.  Learch  was  appointed  his  successor.  Mr. 
Learch  served  until  1878,  when  he  died,  and 
T.  K.  Varney  succeeded  to  the  place  which  he 
held  for  four  years,  and  then  the  present  incum- 
bent, 15.  Frank  Swingle  took  the  office.  There 
is  a  daily  mail  from  Honesdale. 

The  Aelen  Murder. — The  murder  of 
Solomon  Tice  by  Peter  Allen,  which  occurred 
at  Bethany,  October  18,  1808,  and  is  referred 
to  in  the  chapter  of  that  borough,  was  an  event 
of  much  interest  in  the  history  of  South  Canaan, 
since  both  the  men  belonged  in  that  township, 
and  were  well-known  characters.  Mrs.  Stacy 
Chumard,  who  was  a  girl  at  the  time,  says  that 
she  can  remember  the  event  distinctly  and  the 
impression  it  made  on  her  when  she  heard  of 
the  tragedy.  She  knew  both  the  men,  and 
they  were  frequently  at  her  father's  house. 
Allen  was  quite  poor,  and  could  not  afford  to 
■dress  as  well  as  the  men  with  whom  he  asso- 
ciated, and  this  gave  Tice,  who  was  a  great 
tease,  a  subject  for  constant  amusement  at  the 
expense  of  his  less  fortunate  neighbor.  He 
used  to  call  him  "  Lousy  Allen,"  and  would 
call  out  the  name  whenever  the  latter  came  in 
■sight.  Several  times  the  men  quarreled,  but 
uever  came  to  blows  over  the  epithet,  so  far  as 
she  knew.  She  remembers  that  on  several  oc- 
casions Tice  went  up  to  Allen  with  a  snuff-box 
in  his  hand,  and  snapped  it  so  that  the  sound 
would  simulate  the  killing  of  vermin.  Tice 
also  had  a  way  of  annoying  all  the  children  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  Mrs.  Chumard  was  much 
afraid  of  him.  She  says  that  the  day  of  the 
murder  her  father  had  been  to  general  training 
at  Bethany,  and  did  not  return  until  late  in  the 
evening.  When  ho  came  in,  the  first  words  he 
said  were  "  Laviuia,  Tice  can't  plague  you  any 
more."    "  Why,"  she  asked.      "  Because    Pete 


Allen  killed  him  to-day  with  a  knife."  "  I 
think,"  added  Mrs.  Chumard,  as  she  recalled 
the  circumstance,  "  that  I  was  glad  of  it ;  for 
I  disliked  Tice  very  much,  and  did  not  realize 
the  tragedy  which  had  taken  place." 

An  Adventure  with  a  Wolf. — In  this, 
like  other  townships,  the  early  settlers  were 
constantly  annoyed  by  the  wolves,  which  often 
grew  bold  enough  to  come  right  up  to  the  cabin 
doors  in  search  of  food.  Mr.  Moses  Swingle 
tells  this  story  of  an  instance  of  this  kind  that 
came  under  his  own  observation.  "  When  I 
was  quite  a  small  boy,"  he  says,  "  my  eldest 
sister,  Polly,  who  was  then  married,  and  lived 
on  the  place  now  owned  by  Asa  Cobb,  killed  a 
wolf  right  on  the  road  before  her  door.  Her 
husband  had  gone  to  Wilkesbarre  to  attend  to 
some  legal  business,  and  my  little  brother,  Is- 
rael, was  staying  with  her.  She  was  mixing 
bread,  when  the  boy,  who  had  been  looking  out 
the  window,  asked  what  kind  of  a  thing  that 
was  smelling  about  the  sheep-fold.  She  looked 
out  the  door,  and  there  was  a  full  grown  wolf, 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  house.  Her  husband's 
flint  locked  musket  was  above  the  door,  and  she 
snatched  it  down  and  hurried  out.  As  soon  as 
the  wolf  saw  her  he  growled  and  came  nearer, 
and  she  took  a  deliberate  aim  and  pulled  the 
trigger,  but  the  gun  missed  fire.  Not  daunted, 
she  took  a  firm  grasp  of  the  barrel  and  dealt  the 
gray  varmint  a  good  blow  over  the  head,  shiver- 
iugthestockaudonlystunningthewolf.  She  then 
called  to  Israel  to  bring  the  axe,  but  before  he 
could  comply,  as  his  wolfship  began  to  show  signs 
of  life  again,  she  finished  him  with  a  picket.  I 
have  forgotten  what  he  measured,  but  he  was 
quite  a  large  wolf,  even  for  those  days." 

Roads  and  Turnpikes. — Early  in  the 
history  of  the  township,  there  were  few  roads  in 
the  true  sense  of  the  word.  The  clearings  were 
connected  with  one  another  by  trails  cut  through 
the  woods,  and  here  and  there  by  rude  paths 
from  which  the  underbrush  had  been  cut  away, 
so  as  to  make  them  passable  for  sleds  and  drags. 
These  improved  somewhat,  as  the  settlers  be- 
came more  numerous,  but  there  was  nothing 
worthy  the  name  until  the  first  turnpike  was 
constructed.  This  was  the  old  Easton  and  Bel- 
mont, better  known  as  the  "  North  and  South," 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


563 


which  was  finished  in  1819-20,  and 
through  the  centre  of  the  township.  Mail  and 
passenger  coaches  ran  daily  upon  it,  and  large 
numbers  of  cattle  and  sheep  were  driven  by  this 
route  from  Western  New  York  to  Easton  and 
Philadelphia.  It  furnished  too,  what  was  then 
■considered  a  rapid  and  aud  convenient  commu- 
nication with  Easton,  then  the  source  of  most 
mercantile  supplies,  and  the  freightage  by 
wagons  amounted  to  a  large  traffic.  This  pros- 
perity lasted  for  twenty-five  or  thirty  years,  and 
did  much  to  open  up  the  township,  and  improve 
the  farms  that  lay  along  the  great  highway.  In 
1815  the  Milford  and  Owego  turnpike  was 
completed,  making  another  route  that  greatly 
benefited  the  section,  and  still  later,  in  1831, 
the  Houesdale  and  Clarksville  turnpike  gave 
the  township  easy  communication  with  the 
county  seat.  Although  these  turnpikes  have 
given  up  their  franchises,  and  are  now  county 
roads,  they  are  in  fair  condition,  and  are  kept 
at  comparatively  little  expense. 

School  and  Churches. — It  is  probable 
that  the  first  school  regularly  maintained  in 
the  township  was  that  started  by  Jonathan 
Nickersou  in  a  portion  of  Hans  Ulrich  Swin- 
gle's house,  in  1812.  Prior  to  that  time,  there 
had  been  several  classes  taught  by  any  of  the 
pioneers  who  could  find  time  to  instruct  the 
three  or  four  neighbors  children  who  came 
when  weather,  roads  and  household  duties  per- 
mitted. The  Nickerson  school  was  kept  up  for 
several  months,  and  had  an  attendance  of  about 
twenty  pupils.  Soon  after  this  there  was  a 
school  nearShaffertown,  in  an  old  log-house  which 
stood  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  above  the 
Shaffer  mill.  Miss  Lucy  Goodrich  afterwards 
taught  in  this  same  place.  There  was  also  a 
school  on  the  John  Swingle  farm,  now  occupied 
by  Harrison  McMin,  which  was  first  taught  by 
Miss  Polly  Potter.  Capt.  Abel  H.  Fish,  who 
came  from  Connecticut,  was  the  second  male 
teacher,  and  is  remembered  by  his  former 
pupils  as  having  been  an  excellent  scholar, 
enthusiastic  in  his  work,  and  with  a  rare  faculty 
for  imparting  knoM'ledge.  Miss  Abigail  Fris- 
bie  was  also  one  of  the  prominent  teachers  in 
the  first  quarter  of  the  present  century. 

The  first  religious  meetings  in  the  township 


were  held  at  the  house  of  Hans  Swingle,  who 
was  a  Lutheran,  and  conducted  the  services 
himself.  Afterwards  meetings  were  held  at 
John  Swingle's  and  others  of  the  neighbors.  v 
In  1810,  Father  Owens,  a  Methodist  preacher 
used  to  visit  the  locality  about  once  a  mouth 
during  the  season ;  and  afterwards  Elder 
Fry  came  oftener.  The  Swingle  family  were 
all  religiously  inclined,  and  prayer-meetings 
were  quite  regularly  kept  up,  until  the  first 
church,  a  German  Reformed  congregation,  was 
formed.  The  first  members  of  this  were  Joseph, 
Daniel,  Mary  and  John  Swingle,  and  a  few 
others.  Afterwards,  as  it  grew  in  strength,  its 
denominational  preferences  changed,  and  it  was 
finally  merged  into  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church.  This  was  organized  about  1823,  under 
the  preaching  of  Rev.  Joseph  Barlow,  and  had 
a  large  membership  from  the  start.  It  at  first 
worshipped  in  the  school-house,  but,  in  1.831, 
erected  its  present  house  of  worship  at  a  cost  of 
one  thousand  dollars.  It  was  at  first  used  by 
both  the  Methodist  Protestant  and  Methodist 
Episcopal  denominations.  The  church  at 
Learch's  Corners  was  started  in  about  1 855,  by 
the  efforts  of  Rev.  Elias  B.  Adair.  It  is  now 
in  a  flourishing  condition.  About  1865,  a 
Free  Methodist  class  was  formed,  the  constitu- 
ent members  being,  G.  W.  Swingle  and  wife,  S. 
Hhies  and  wife,  M.  Reed  and  wife,  A.  Reed 
and  Mrs.  E.  Spangenberg.  This  continued  to 
grow  in  strength  until,  in  1871,  a  church  edifice 
was  erected  about  a  mile  west  of  the  Corners. 
The  congregation  is  now  in  a  flourishing  condi- 
tion, and  numbers  about  one  hundred  members. 
It  has  recently  bought  a  parsonage  and  two 
acres  of  ground.  At  South  Canaan  Corners 
there  is  a  lodge  of  Good  Templars,  No.  213, 
organized  by  E.  E.  Weed,  November  11,  1884. 
It  has  sixty-seven  members. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

SIMON   SWINGLE. 

The  first  settler  in  what  is  now  Smith 
Canaan  was  Hans  Ulrich  Swingle,  who  emi- 
grated from  Germany  prior  to  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  and  settled  in  Orange  County,  N.  Y. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  name  as  pronounced  in  German  was 
"  Zwingle,"  but  was  Americanized,  and  in  the 
days  of  Hans  Ulrich  was  pronounced  and 
spelled  Swingle.  Hans  Ulrich  Swingle  was 
drafted  into  the  Colonial  army,  but  did  not 
serve  as  he  was  not  a  naturalized  citizen.  In 
1783  he  came  to  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  and  in 
what  is  now  South  Canaan,  bought  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  the  midst  of  an  unbroken 
wilderness.     Not  a  tree  had    been  cut,  neither 


the  father  of  twenty-four  children.  Frederick, 
born  in  1781,  died  May  10,  1861,  married 
Susannah  Enslin,  born  in  1780,  died  August 
15,  1856;  Jacob  married  Eva  Shaffer,  Jacob 
died  July  23,  1870,  his  wife  died  June  23, 
1862;  Henry  married  Elizabeth  Enslin,  and 
Mary  married  Moses  Shaffer.  Mary  died  July 
20,  1839.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swingle  were 
for  many  years  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal    Church.       Mrs.    Swingle   died    in 


y^jUt^^L 


were  there  any  roads  to  or  from  his  possessions. 
He  at  once  erected  a  log-house  and  began  the 
work  of  improvement  which  he  continued  until 
his  death  which  occurred  March  28, 1809.  His 
wife,  Mary  Shaffer,  bore  him  children  as  fol- 
lows,— Christina,  who  married  Silas  Wood- 
ward ;  Elizabeth,  married  Heny  Curtis,  who 
served  all  through  the  Revolutionary  War; 
Jeremiah  ;  John,  married  three  times  and  was 


March,  1816.  The  site  of  the  original  home- 
stead and  part  of  the  farm  is  now  owned  by 
Hans  Ulrich's  great-great-grandson,  Eugene 
Swingle.  Henry  the  fifth  son  of  Hans  was 
born  in  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  and  came  with 
his  father  to  Canaan  where  he  grew  to  mau- 
hood,  and  married  November  12,  1806,  Miss 
Elizabeth  Enslin.  He  purchased  fifty-three 
acres  of  unimproved  land  on  which  he  built  a 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


house  in  which  he  resided  nearly  half  a  cen- 
tury. His  education  was  in  German,  hut  his 
children  were  sent  to  the  English  schools  of  that 
day-  He  died  September  13,  1851,  his  wife, 
January  1 4, 1850.  Their  children  were  George, 
horn  March  1,  1808,  married  Lucy  Swingle, 
who  hore  him  the  following  named  children^ — 
Washington,  Sarah,  Lydia,  Lucy,  Henry,  Fin- 
ley  and  Eleanora.  Clarissa,  born  August  2, 1811, 
married  Owen  Bronsoo,  who  was  born  May  8, 
1  805,  and  died  April  27,  1881.  Their  children 
were  Simon,  Elizabeth,  Michael,  Harvey, 
Leonard,  Roweua,  Annie  and  Joseph.  ^Mrs. 
Broaeon  died  May  19,  1884.  Simon,  horn 
December  14,  1814,  and  Sallie  Ann,  born 
August  28,  1817,  died  in  May,  1885,  as  did 
her  husband  William  Baton,  who  was  born 
1813.  Their  children  were»Bobert,  Elizabeth 
and  Mary. 

Simon  Swingle,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
born  on  the  home  farm  of  his  father,  December 
14,  1814,  and  grew    to    nun's   .state    thereon. 


nearly  half  a  century  consistent  members  of  the 
Protestant  Methodist  Church  in  which  he  has 
been  class-leader,  steward  and  trustee.  In  May 
1877,  he  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  tin  Genera] 
Convention  of  the  Protestant  Methodist  Church 
of  the  United  States  which  was  held  in  Balti- 
more, Md.  Mr.  Swingle  has  been  an  industrious, 
enterprising  business  man,  managing  his  farms 
with  judgment  and  skiU,  and  has  proven  by 
his  example  that  a  comfortable  fortune  can  be 
made  by  farming  and  by  honest  upright  deal- 
ing. He  has  retired  from  active  business  and 
is  now  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his  age, 
in  the  full  possession  of  all  his  faculties,  sur- 
rounded by  children  and  friends,  passing  away 
the  eventide  of  a  long  and  well  spent  life.  On 
the  9th  day  of  October  1835,  he  was  joined  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Swingle,  who  was 
born  December  20ta,  1817.  Her,  father 
Conrad  Swingle  was  born  in  1769  and  died 
April  24, 1849.  His  wife  Miss  Lucy  Btirrton 
was  born  in  1774  and  died   1850.     Their  chil- 


The  country  was  then  new  and  times  were  hard    dren  were  John,  born  1  December  14,  ]  794  ;  died 
and  Mi-.  Swingle  was  early  taught  that  one  of    March    9,    1879;  he    was    twice    married    his 


God's  mandates   was   that    man   should  get   his 


bread  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow.     And   he  was^'/Mary,  born  September  13,  1796  |  diedDeeember 


also  instructed,  that  honesty  and  integrity  was 
to  be  desired  before  riches.  J  lis  chances  for  an 
education  were  limited  to  a  few  months  atten- 
dance in  winter,  at  the  aehools  of  big  native 
township.  An  education  which  lias  been  added 
to  by  a  long  and  active  business  life.  Arriving 
at  his  majority  he  commenced  life  on  his  own 
account  by  renting  his  father's  farm  for  a  few 
years  and  then  buying  it.  In  1842  he  ex- 
changed it  with  his  brother-in-law  David 
Swingle  for  two  hundred  acres  of  land  near 
where  he  now  resides.  This  farm  he  improved 
and  lived  upon  until  1861,  when  he  moved  into 
the  large  and  comfortable  house  in  which  he 
now  resides  with  his  son-in-law  and  daughter, 


in'g    Sarah    Cobb    and    Polly     Quick. 


13,  1874;  she  married  John  Cobb.  Daniel, 
born  June  12,  179s  ;  died  Deoembei  21,  1878; 
married  Eunice  Buckingham.  Joseph,  born 
April  16,  180(1;  his  wives  were  Hannah  Cobb, 
Orrilla  Parish  and  Elizabeth  Shunard.  Samuel, 
born  March  13,  1802;  married  ( latherine  Cobb. 
Moses,  born  April  2,  1804  ;  married  Elizabeth 
Cobb.  Isaac,  born  October  17,  1807  ;  married 
Polly  Croop.  Michael,  born  April  26,  1811, 
his  wife  was  Margaret  Croop.  Jonathan,  born 
February  1 ,  1813;  married  Phebe  Coss.  David, 
now  deceased  born  February  1,  1813;  married 
Eliza  Croop.  Lucy,  born  July  26,  1815; 
married  George  Swingle  and  Elizabeth,  born 
December  20,  1817.     Simon   Swingle  and    wife 


m 


r.   and    Mrs.    Benjamin.     AH   the   buildings  i  have  been  blessed    with    the    following  named 

children, — Zachariah,  born  April  22,  1*37; 
married  Emma  Jane  Swingle;  ehildren-Lucina, 
(adopted)  Edwin,  Emma,  Ida,  Ellen,  Evelena, 
Viola,  Celesta,  Norman  and  Mark.  Ellen, 
born  August  10,  1844;  married  to  S.  L.  Dart; 
children  are  Ernest  C,  Delia  I.,  Elizabeth, 
Jennie,  Minnie  and    Frances    L.     Orrilla   K., 


M 

when.'  he  now  resides  were  built  by  him  as  also 
many  others  on  the  five  farms  he  has  owned. 
In  politics,  Mr.  Swingle  has  been  for  many 
years  a  staunch  Republican,  but  now  belongs  to 
the  Prohibition  party.  He  has  never  sought 
or  cared  for  office  and  has  held  only  township 
offices.     Both  himself  and  wife  have  been  for 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


born  April  4,  1846$  married  December  25, 
1864;  Irwin  Benjamin,  who  enlisted  August 
6,  1862  in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and 
Shirty-Seventh  Penna.  Volunteer  Infantry 
and  was  discharged  June  1,  1863  ;.two  children, 
Jennie  M.,  and  Adelbert  AY.,  died  in  infancy. 
Adelbert  M.,  born  February  4,  1*51  :  married 
Tillie  Cotnpton;  children  Mamie  deceased, 
Myrtle,  Pauline>aud  Charlie.  Angeline  A., 
born  November  12,  1853;  married  Charles 
MeKinney;  children  Alice  deceased,  Genevieve, 
Garfield.  Adelbert  and  Martha.  Delia  Ann, 
horn    in  1856,  died  April  12,  1860. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 
CHERKY   RIDGE  TOWNSHIP. 

A  PETrnoos  to  erect  a  new  township  from 
portions  of  Texas,  Canaan  and  Palmyra,  was 
laid  before  the  Court  of  General  Sessions  on 
December  6th,  1843,  and  John  Mcintosh, 
Ralph  Case  and  Phineas  G.  Goodrich  were  ap- 
pointed viewers.  On  the  following  day,  they 
came  into  court  and  made  a  favorable  report, 
recommending  the  creation  of  a  new  township 
by  a  line  beginning  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
Canaan  township  and  extending  to  the  mouth 
of  Wampum  or  Sand  Pond  Creek,  and  from 
thence  along  the  line  between  Texas  and  Pal- 
myra five  hundred  and  forty  perches,  thence 
to  the  mouth  of  Cajaw  Pond,  thence  due  west 
to  the  east  line  of  Canaan,  thence  south  to  the 
north  line  of  Salem,  thence  to  the  place  of 
beginning.  This  report  was  confirmed  nisi, 
and  continued  to  the  April  term,  before  which 
time  several  remonstrances  were  filed.  They 
did  not  avail,  however,  and  the  final  confirma- 
tion took  place  on  April  30,  1844.  Subse- 
quently it  was  discovered  that  a  mistake  had 
been  made  in  running  the  township  lines,  and 
the  boundaries  were  changed  to  their  present 
courses. 

The  township  thus  erected  is  bounded  on 
the  north  and  northeast  by  Texas,  on  the  south- 
west by  Palmyra  and  Paupack,  on  the  south  by 
Lake,  and  west  by  South   Canaan   and  Canaan. 


The  surface  includes  much  of  a  high  uudulnting 
plateau,  that  is  free  from  the  abrupt  hills  that 
are  characteristic  of  the  country  to  the  south 
and  west  of  it,  and  a  large  part  of  the  land  is 
cultivatable,  though  south  of  Middle  (.'reek, 
the  surface  is  rougher  and  less  inviting.  Sand 
and  Cajaw  Ponds,  both  of  them  picturesque 
sheets  of  water  are  in  the  township,  ami  Middle 
Creek  and  Collins,  Stryker  and  Pond  Brooks 
drain  the  hills  and  afford  several  good  water- 
powers.  Originally  the  hills  were  covered  with 
a  tine  growth  of  hard  wood,  and  the  township 
takes  its  name  from  the  abundance  of  cherry 
lumber  that  was  felled  iu  it. 

Early  Settlement. — An  opening  in  the 
woods  seems  to  have  been  made  in  the  Cherry 
Ridge  si une  time  before  the  organization  of  the 
comity,  but  the  exact  date  at  which  the  first 
settlers  commenced  their  clearings  can  not  be 
ascertained.  It  was  probably  but  a  l\-\v  years 
after  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  for  a  number 
of  the  pioneers  of  the  township  are  known  to 
have  been  soldiers  in  both  that  and  the  Indian 
War  which  followed.  About  1704,  Benjamin 
King  went  from  the  Paupack  settlement  and 
located  on  the  Schenck  farm,  remaining  there 
tin-  two  years,  after  which  time  he  went  to 
Mount  Pleasant.  It  is  supposed  that  at  this 
time  Enos  Woodward,  with  his  sons  and  Colo- 
nel H.  Schenck  commenced  permanent  im- 
provements, though  the  date  of  their  first  loca- 
tion must  have  been  before  this.  The  first 
assessment  for  Canaan  township  was  made  out 
by  John  Bunting,  in  1709,  and  this  shows  that 
the  Woodwards  had  made  a  good-sized  opening 
in  the  woods.  Enos  is  set  down  as  having  fifty 
acres  of  improved  land  and  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  acres  that  were  unimproved  ;  John 
had  seventeen  acres  that  were  cleared  and  three 
hundred  and  eighty-three  that  remained  in 
forest;  SUas  we!  Asahel  had  each  twenty  acres 
of  improved  ami  three  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
unimproved,  wdiile  the  farm  of  Colonel  John 
H.  Schenck  was  made  up  of  forty  acres  of 
cleared  and  four  hundred  of  uncleared  land.  It 
is  probable  that  prior  to  the  date  of  this  assess- 
ment, the  settlers  had  been  joined  by  Daniel 
Davis  and  Abraham  Stryker.  The  former 
located    on   the   place    now  occupied  by  H.  L. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


5ii7 


Philips,  on  the  Milford  and  Owego  turnpike, 
where  he  kept  a  tavern  for  many  years. 

All  of  these  settlers  took  up  their  lands 
under  the  impression  that  the  legal  title  to  them 
was  vested  in  Connecticut,  and  they  were  not 
apprised  of  their  mistake  until  several  years 
after.  Dr.  Collins  was  one  of  the  first  to  learn 
of  it.  He  had  bought  out  Enos  Woodward's 
improvement  for  a  few  dollars,  and  gone  on 
clearing  the  laud.  Under  the  Pennsylvania 
proprietorship  the  lauds  were  warranted  by 
Edward  Tilghmau,  and  the  latter  put  them  in 
the  hands  of  Jason  Torrey,  who  was  his  agent. 
As  soon  as  Dr.  Collins  became  aware  that  he 
was  only  a  "  squatter,"  he  saddled  his  horse 
and  rode  to  Philadelphia,  where  Mr.  Tilghman 
then  lived,  and  made  a  payment  of  three 
huudred  dollars  on  the  tract  that  he  had  se- 
cured from  Woodward.  He  had  one  of  the 
first  legal  titles  in  Cherry  Ridge. 

The  fact  that  Enos  Woodward  was  the  first 
settler  is  proven  by  no  less  competent  a  witness 
than  his  brother-in-law,  Benjamin  King.  The 
possession  taken  of  these  tracts  under  the  do- 
main of  Connecticut,  led  to  considerable  litiga- 
tion in  after  years,  and  in  one  of  the  cases, 
King  was  called  as  a  witness  relative  to  some 
early  event.  It  is  a  matter  of  record  that  he 
then  stated,  that  they  had  better  ask  Enos 
Woodward,  because  the  latter  came  into  the 
country  six  months  before  he  did.  Mr.  Wood- 
ward was  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  early 
history  of  this  township,  but  left  it  about  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century,  aud  became 
more  closely  identified  with  the  Wallenpaupack 
settlement,  to  which  he  returned.  He  was  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  and  was  one  of  the 
company  of  New  Euglanders  that  went  to 
Wallenpaupack  in  1774.  He  was  also  a  soldier 
in  the  revolution,  and  afterwards  participated 
in  several  fights  with  the  Indians.  He  is  de- 
scribed as  having  been  a  man  of  tall  stature  and 
fine  bearing,  strict  in  his  views,  kindly  in  man- 
ner, and  straightforward  in  all  his  dealings. 
His  sons  were  William  and  Ansil,  who  went 
south,  and  settled  near  Lexington,  Ky.,  and 
were  the  ancestors  of  the  Woodward  family  in 
that  state,  Abisha,  who  married  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Kimble,  and  located  at  Bethany,  John, 


who  located  on  the  Jordan  place,  adjoining  Dr. 
Collin's  farm,  and  Ebenezer,  who  lived  where 
Perry  Clark  now  resides.  The  history  of 
Abisha  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  of  Bethany- 
John  was  a  quiet  and  unobtrusive  man  who 
ended  his  days  in  Cherry  Ridge.  He  married' 
Sarah  Caywood,  and  had  eight  children,  Elam, 
Asher,  Enos,  Amasa  L.,  Keziah  C,  Daniel  D., 
Sarah  C,  and  John.  Ebenezer  married  Sabra 
Chapman,  and  their  children  were  Arthur, 
Benjamin,  Joseph,  Phoebe,  Polly,  *  diver,  most 
of  whom  accompanied  their  parents  to  Michi- 
gan in  1849.  Daniel  D.  Woodward  is  now 
one  of  the  oldest  living  settlers  in  the  township. 
He  married  Sarah  Ann  Rogers,  and  by  her  had 
Mary  Ann,  Francis  aud  Thomas.  By  his 
second  wife  Francis  D.  Stanton  were  born, 
Sarah  E.,  Harlan  B.,  Alice  L.  and  Franklin  P. 

Colonel  John  H.  Schenck  was  a  native  of 
Sussex  County,  N.  J.,  aud  had  inherited  con- 
siderable property  in  Orange  County  X.  Y., 
through  his  wife.  Shortly  after  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Revolution  he  mortgaged  his  farm  to 
equip  a  regiment,  which  he  led  to  the  front. 
Although  he  was  made  a  colonel,  he  was  so 
poorly  remunerated  for  his  services  that  he  was 
not  able  to  redeem  his  property,  and,  in  1705, 
or  1796,  he  removed  to  Cherry  Ridge  and 
bought  out  the  improvement  of  Benjamin 
King.  Colonel  Schenck  married  a  Miss  Benton, 
and  his  children  were  Magdalene  (wife  of  Apol-  ' 
los  Davis),  Abigail  and  Gertrude  (wife  of  Jo- 
seph Ames,  of  Canaan).  About  the  commence- 
ment of  the  present  century,  Colonel  Schenck 
moved  to  New  Jersey  and  Jacob  took  the  home- 
stead. He  married  Sallie  Davis,  and  their 
children  were  Phoebe,  John  J.,  Margaret,  Henry 
V.,  Caleb  B.,  Harriet  (wife  of  Judge  Giles 
Greeu,  of  Ariel),  and  Sarah  (wife  of  Perry 
Brown.  After  the  death  of  his  father,  Henry 
inherited  the  homestead  and  married  Jane  C. 
Taylor,  by  whom  he  had  Sve  children,  and, 
after  her  death  was  united  to  Laura  D.  Smith, 
of  New  York  State. 

Abraham  I.  Stryker,  who  is  mentioned  as 
one  of  the  early  settlers,  moved  from  the 
neighborhood  of  Easton,  about  1801.  He 
bought  a  large  tract  of  land  south  of  the  Enos 
Woodward    farm,  which   is    now    occupied   by 


568 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Isaac  and  Francis  Bouear,  and  lived  there  for 
many  years,  late  in  life  moving  to  Honesdale, 
where  he  died  in  1846,  aged  seventy-four 
years.  His  children  were  Betsy  (Mrs.  Martin 
Kellogg),  Lydia  (Mrs.  Dr.  Stearns),  and  Abra- 
ham A.,  a  resident  of  Damascus. 

Dr.  Lewis  Collins,  who  is  noted  quite  fully 
in  the  medical  chapter,  bought  out  the  Wood- 
ward improvement.  He  was  born  at  Litchfield, 
Conn.,  and  married  a  daughter  of  Oliver  Hunt- 
ington, of  Lebanon.  Their  children  were  Au- 
gustus, who  located  on  the  Charles  Reed  place, 
in  Dyberry ;  Oristus,  who  was  a  practising 
attorney  at  Wilkesbarre,  and  afterwards  presi- 
dent judge  of  Lancaster  County  ;  Lorenzo,  who 
owned  a  farm  in  Cherry  Ridge  ;  Abner,  who 
settled  in  Salem  ;  Alonzo,  of  Jefferson,  Lacka- 
wanna County  ;  [Philea,  wife  of  Virgil  Dibol, 
of  Ohio;  Lucius,  twice  sheriff  of  Wayne 
County,  and  for  many  years  justice  of  the  peace, 
in  both  Bethany  and  Cherry  Ridge  townships  ; 
Decius,  who  died  in  Salem  ;  Huntington,  who 
was  a  mill-wright,  and  built  half  of  the  mills 
in  this  section,  and  is  still  living  with  Lewis  S. 
Collins,  Esq.,  Theron  and  Aretius. 

Augustus  married  Fannie  Webster,  of  Man- 
chester. His  children  were  Claudius  and  Ann 
.1.,  wife  of  Professor  D.  G.  Eaton,  of  Packer 
Institute.  Nancy  Jewett,  of  Wilkes-Barre,  was 
the  wife  of  Oristus  and  his  son  is  Rev.  Charles 
J.  Collins,  of  New  York  City.  Wallace  Col- 
lins, of  Cherry  Ridge,  is  the  son  of  Lorenzo 
Collins  and  Sarah  Sassman.  Abner  married 
Hannah  Jones,  and  his  children  were  Philander 
W.,  of  Salem  ;  Lvsander,  of  California  ;  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  Alfred  Harding,  of  Salem  ;  Julia 
A.,  wife  of  Thomas  Cook,  of  the  same  plac3 ; 
and  Hannah,  Mrs.  Warren  Slocum,  of  Scrau- 
ton. 

Lucius  married  Sophia  Sassman,  and  their 
children  were  Lewis  S.,  Franklin  and  Worth  - 
ington.  The  former  is  the  owner  of  the  home- 
stead, and  had  been  a  valued  citizen  of  the 
township  ;  the  others  are  dead.  Decius  married 
Elizabeth  Sassman  and  was  the  father  of  Mrs. 
N.  A.  Hilbert  and  Miss  Sophia  Collins,  both  of 
Scrauton. 

In  1828,  John  Kirby  came  from  Orange 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  settled  on  the  old  Babylon 


pike,  where  he  bought  a  tract  of  land.  His 
children  were  Silas  H.,  William,  Charity,  Jane 
(Mrs.  David  Whitney),  Martha  (Mrs.  Henry 
Baker),  Susan  (Mrs.  Clarence  Reynolds),  Mary, 
Robert  P.,  John  and  Parmelia.  Robert  P. 
lives  on  the  homestead,  and  has  three  children. 
John  Kirby  was  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  died 
in  1865. 

Francis,  Thomas  and  Isaac  Bonear  were  from 
England,  and  settled  on  some  of  the  Stryker 
property  about  1835.  Francis  married  Cynthia 
Kirby,  and  had  eight  children.  Thomas  mar- 
ried Sophia  Taylor  and  had  seven  children,  and 
Isaac  was  wedded  to  Cordelia  Roberts,  and  his 
three  children  live  near  the  old  place. 

Joseph  Varcoe  came  from  Cornwall,  England, 
in  1835,  and  settled  adjoining  the  Bonears. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Doney,and  left  two  sons, 
Davis,  who  lives  in  Lackawanna  county,  and 
William  H.,  who  lives  at  the  homestead.  The 
latter  married  Elsie  Bonear. 

John  R.  Hoadley,  who  has  a  fine  farm  at 
Hoadley's  Crossing,  was  a  son  of  John  P. 
Hoadley,  of  Canaan.  He  located  in  Cherry 
Ridge  in  1839,  having  been  united  in  marriage 
to  Laura  Hoadley,  a  grand-daughter  of  Silas 
Hoadley,  of  Connecticut.  They  have  no  children. 

In  1848  J.  S.  Kimble,  a  grandson  of  Walter 
Kimble,  of  Indian  Orchard,  located  on  Collins 
Brook,  where  he  built  a  saw-mill  which  is  still 
in  operation..  He  has  five  children  most  of 
whom  are  married  and  live  in  the  vicinity. 

Henry  Ilof,  who  is  one  of  the  commissioners 
of  Wayne  County,  came  from  New  York  City 
with  his  family  in  1849  and  settled  on  the 
Milford  and  Owego  pike.  He  has  three  grown 
children  who  have  marrried  and  settled  near 
him. 

There  was  quite  a  little  settlement  of  Eng- 
lish people  at  the  upper  end  of  the  township, 
and  among  the  first  to  arrive  was  George  San- 
dercock,  who  came  from  Cornwall,  England,  in 
1849,  and,  after  living  a  year  or  two  on  Smith 
Hill,  located  on  the  South  road.  He  had  five 
sons  and  two  daughters.  The  latter  are  mar- 
ried and  live  West.  Of  the  sons,  William  is 
a  resident  of  Honesdale  and  Jack  carries  on  a 
store  at  A  rial. 

John  Male  located  on  the  farm  adjoining  Mr. 


WAVNE  COUNTY. 


569 


Sandercock  in  1851.  He  also  came  from  Corn- 
wall, and  has  prospered.  His  two  sons,  Isaac 
and  John,  live  with  him  at  the  homestead.  The 
latter  is  town  clerk.  John  Toms,  who  occupies 
a  farm  near  by,  is  also  a  Cornishman,  having 
come  to  this  country  in  18-3(3.  He  married 
Martha  A.  Swingle,  of  Cherry  Ridge,  and  has 
two  sons  and  a  daughter,  all  of  whom  live  at 
the  homestead.  A  year  after  Mr.  Toms  came 
John  Richart,  a  native  of  Germany,  settled  near 
the  Robinson  tannery,  where  he  remained  until 
a  few  years  ago,  when  he  moved  to  his  present 
location  on  the  old  South  road. 

Eben  H.  Clark  located  on  the  McLaury 
place,  at  Clark's  Corners,  in  1842.  He  married 
Maria  G.  Williams,  and  his  children  were 
Maria  J.  (wife  of  Jeff.  I.  King,  of  Honesdale), 
Perry  A.  (who  was  elected  sheriff  of  Wayne 
County  in  1877),  Susan  S.  (wife  of  John  S. 
Eno,  of  Brewsters,  N.  Y.),  E.  H.  Clark  (the 
present  sheriff  of  Wayne  County)  and  Emily  E. 
(wife  of  William  M.  Sandercock,  of  Honesdale). 
The  elder  Mr.  Clark  was  for  many  years  a 
well-known  hotel-keeper  of  Cherry  Ridge. 

Thomas  Jordan,  who  died  in  October,  1868, 
aged  sixty-seven,  was  born  in  England  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1828,  settling  in  Cherry 
Ridge  on  the  place  which  still  bears  his  name. 
He  was  prominently  identified  with  the  inter- 
ests of  the  township,  and  is  a  conspicuous  figure 
in  its  early  history. 

Mrs.  Catherine  Cowling  was  also  an  early 
settler.  She  was  born  in  the  parish  of  St. 
Issey,  England,  and  came  to  this  country  with 
her  first  husband,  Thomas  Matthes,  locating  in 
Cherry  Ridge.  After  his  death  she  married 
Thomas  Cowling,  who  had  come  to  this  country 
about  the  time  she  did. 

Samuel  Darling,  who  lived  to  be  ninety-one 
years  old,  was  one  of  the  early  residents  of  this 
township  and  occupied  the  farm  that  afterward 
passed  into  the  possession  of  theSchencks.  Mr. 
Darling  died  in  1858,  leaving  a  number  of 
children,  most  of  whom  have  removed  from  the 
county. 

The  following  names  appear  on  the  assessment 
list  of  1847,  the  third  taken  after  the  erection  of 
the  township  : 


Bonear. 


Leonard. 


Isaac  Bonear. 
Oliver  P.  Brierly. 
Robert  Brown 
Thomas  Bonear. 
William  P.  Burch. 
Samuel  Booton. 
Horace  Belknoff. 
Joseph  Belknotf'. 
Richard  Butcher. 
Richard  Burk. 
Patrick  Brod. 
Lorenzo  Collins. 
Michael  Collins. 
Theron  Collins. 
Lucius  Collins. 
Thomas  Caligor. 
Lewis  Crocker. 
Arthur  Collins. 
William  Conway. 
Michael  Collins. 
Oristos  Collins. 
Decius  Collins. 
Daniel  Cortor. 
Michael  Courtney. 
Patrick  Clark. 
Aaron  Curtis. 
Eben  H.  Clark. 
Edward  Doncher. 
Donald  Dorlin. 
Anson  Doboner. 
Wilmot  Driscol. 
Peter  Decker. 
Thomas  Dolond. 
Elias  Drake. 
Samuel  Darling. 
John  P.  Darling. 
Martin  Edgerton. 
Daniel  Edgar. 
John  Gramp. 
Charles  Gramp. 
Henry  Gramp. 
Detrick  Gredlin. 
John  R.  Hoadley. 
John  Harvey. 
John  Harsh. 
Thomas  Hard. 
Milo  Hoff. 
Thomas  Host. 
George  W.  Hobbs. 
Thomas  Hasset. 
Jacob  S.  Kimble. 
David  Kirby. 
William  Kirby. 
John  Kirby. 
Jonas  Kirby. 
David  Kenner. 
Sylvester  Knowlton. 
William  Reap. 
David  Reap. 


Moore. 

William  Batz. 
Charles  McStrow. 
James  Murray. 
John  McGuire. 
Hugh  Murray. 
Edward  Murray. 
Domine  McDonald. 
Isaac  M.  Moore. 
John  McCaffery. 

McCortz. 

Wm,  R.  McLeary. 
Willard  Maynard. 
John  Moon. 

Murphy. 

Susan  McLean. 
John  Murphy. 
Chris.  McCorraick. 
John  O.  Sullivan. 
Phelo  Porter. 
John  L.  Phelps. 
Alvin  Purdy. 
John  Magran. 
Edward  Magran. 
Simon  H.  Plum. 
Samuel  Berton. 
Robert  James. 
Apollos  Schenck. 
Henry  V.  Schenck. 
Stephen  Shorster. 
Abraham  A.  Striker. 
John  Silapont. 
William  Silapont. 
John  J.  Schenck. 
Caleb  Schenck. 
Daniel  Smith. 
Joseph  Swingle. 
Jacob  Schenck. 
Isaac  R.  Schenck. 
David  Trull. 
John  Torrey. 
William  Upright. 
Joseph  Varcoe. 
Thomas  Vancomp. 
Richard  Varcoe. 
Nathan  F.  Vancomp. 
Willard  West. 
Charles  A.  Washburn. 
Abiram  AVinton. 
Daniel  Woodward. 
Charles  Wilson. 
John  Writer. 
Isaac  Writer. 
Benjamin  N.  Writer. 
Asher  Woodward. 
Isaac  S.  White. 
John  Wagner. 
Frederick  Wagner. 
Matthew  Writer. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


John  Lockwood.  Adiah  Wilson. 

Edmond  Reap.  Thomas  Wilson. 

Thomas  B.  Lindsay. 

Koads,  Towns  and  Post-Offices. — None 
of  the  first  roads  in  this  township  were  regu- 
larly laid  out,  and  many  of  them  were  made  by 
enlarging  old  trails.  One  of  the  first  went  from 
the  Stryker  place,  past  Enos  Woodward's  to  See- 
lyville  and  Bethany.  This  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  road  that  Colonel  Sylvan  us  Seely 
made  when  he  moved  his  family  to  Seelyville, 
in  1805.  The  Salem  and  Bethany  Road  crossed 
Middle  Creek  near  Middle  Valley,  and  joined 
the  road  to  Bethany.  There  was  still  another 
road  that  went  from  the  Stryker  place  to  Ste- 
phen Kimble's  mill,  at  Tracey  ville.  This  crossed 
the  Milford  and  Owcgo  pike,  near  Mrs.  Mor- 
gan's. Still  another  went  from  the  Purdy  set- 
tlement to  Stryker's,  Schencks',  Waymart  and 
the  Moosic  Mountain.  None  of  these  were  ever 
surveyed,  and  most  of  them  were  vacated  as  soon 
as  the  county  roads  were  put  through. 

When  the  stages  on  the  Milford  and  Owego 
pike  commenced  to  run,  a  post-office  was  estab- 
lished at  the  Darling  farm.  This  was  about 
1824,  and  Thomas  Lindsey  was  the  first  post- 
master. He  served  until  1838-39,  when  Wil- 
liam R.  McLaury  succeeded  him,  and  the  office 
was  moved  to  Clark's  Corners.  Major  Mc- 
Laury was  in  office  until  1842-43,  when  Eben 
H.  Clark  was  appointed.  Dr.  A.  B.  Sloan  came 
in  about  1849,  and  a  year  later  Lewis  S.  Collins 
bought  out  the  store  and  became  postmaster.  He 
continued  until  1857,  when  John  J.  Schenck 
was  appointed,  and  served  until  1875.  William 
Sandercock,  the  present  incumbent,  then  went 
into  office,  and  appointed  Perry  A.  Clark  his 
deputy. 

The  post-office  at  Middle  Valley  was  estab- 
lished in  1856,  and  Lyman  Loomiswas  the  first 
postmaster.  He  served  until  I860,  when  Lewis 
S.  Collins  came  in,  and  remained  in  charge  of 
the  office  for  eight  years.  He  was  succeeded  by 
L.  A.  Robinson,  who  served  until  1883,  when 
William  Box,  the  present  postmaster,  was  ap- 
pointed. Both  these  offices  are  reached  by  a 
daily  mail,  which  is  carried  in  the  Hamlinton 
stage. 

One  of  the  earliest   taverns  of  which  there  is 


any  record  is  that  kept  by  Daniel  Davis,  though 
when  he  first  commenced  to  keep  a  public-house 
there  were  so  few  roads,  and  fewer  travellers, 
that  his  place  was  hardly  a  tavern  in  more  than 
name.  Apollos  Davis  succeeded  him,  and 
Thomas  Lindsey  and  Major  McLaury  also  had 
taverns.  As  soon  as  the  stages  commenced  run- 
ning, almost  every  house  along  the  road  kept 
travellers,    aud     many    of   them    had    regular 


1  n  dustrial  Growth. — About  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century  Abraham  I.  Stryker  built 
the  first  saw-mill  in  Cherry  Ridge  township.  It 
was  on  the  stream  that  has  since  been  known  by 
the  builder's  name,  and  was  located  opposite 
where  Isaac  Bonear  now  lives.  The  second 
mill  in  the  township  was  built  and  constructed 
by  Dr.  Lewis  Collins,  on  the  farm  where  Perry 
A.  Clark  now  lives.  He  intended  to  dig  a  ditch 
from  Cajaw  Pond  and  make  it  empty  into  the 
Stryker  Brook,  but  the  owners  of  the  pond  re- 
fused to  let  him  have  the  water.  The  mill  was 
then  moved  to  Rining's  place.  In  the  year  1800 
Daniel  Davis  made  the  first  leather  ever  manu- 
factured in  Wayne  County.  He  had  but  one 
vat,  and  the  quantity  produced  was  very  small, 
though  much  sought  after  by  the  settlers,  who 
pronounced  it  of  excellent  quality.  Subsequent- 
ly several  others  tanned  a  little,  with  indifferent 
success,  and,  until  1850,  the  business  amounted 
to  nothing.  In  that  year  L.  A.  Robinson  came 
from  New  York  aud  started  a  tannery  at  Mid- 
dle A'alley,  which  soon  grew  to  be  the  largest  in 
the  State  at  that  time.  It  was  a  three-huudred- 
and-sixty-five-vat  plant,  and  employed  from 
eighty  to  a  hundred  men.  The  annual  disburse- 
ment for  wages  was  about  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  aud  from  six  to  eight  thousand  coi'ds  of 
bark  were  consumed.  George  Robinson,  the 
father  of  L.  A., came  into  the  business  soon  after 
it  started,  and  the  style  of  the  firm  was  L.  A. 
Robinson  &  Co.  In  April,  1871,  the  establish- 
ment, which  at  this  time  was  the  largest  in 
Northeastern  Pennsylvania,  was  burned,  togeth- 
er with  ten  thousand  sides  of  leather,  entailing 
a  loss  of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  covered  by  in- 
surance. The  tannery  was  re-built  and  ran  un- 
til 1883,  when  the  supply  of  bark  in  the  sur- 
1  rounding  country  was  found  to  be  nearly  ex- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


hausted,  and  the  works  were  closed.  In  1885 
the  property  was  sold  to  Michael  Stahl.  It  was 
again  burned  in  1884. 

Schools  and  Churches. — The  first  school 
in  Cherry  Ridge  was  a  little  log  building  within 
thirty  rods  of  the  residence  of  H.  V.  Schenck. 
Mr.  Huntington  Collins  states  that  he  can  re- 
member it  cpiite  distinctly.  Nancy  Ainsley  was 
the  first  teacher,  and  was  employed  there  about 
1810.  She  was  succeeded  by  Betsy  Bircher, 
and  a  year  later  Robert  Beardslee  took  charge. 
Oristus  Collins  and  Joel  Ames  were  also  em- 
ployed there.  At  present  the  township  con- 
tains a  number  of  good  common  schools,  all  of 
which  are  well  equipped  and  largely  attended  ; 
that  of  Middle  Valley  was  one  of  the  most 
flourishing  in  this  section  until  the  tannery 
closed. 

About  1812  Elder  William  Purely  came  from 
Paupack  with  his  rifle  on  his  shoulder  to  hold 
the  first  religious  meeting  at  A.  I.  Stryker's. 
After  this  he  used  to  come  quite  frequently,  and 
the  meetings  were  held  at  Dr.  Collins'  and  other 
houses  in  the  neighborhood.  Later  there  was 
regular  preaching  at  the  school  house,  and  among 
those  who  supplied  the  pulpit  were  Dr.  Avery, 
Rev.  Abel  Barker  and  others.  As  the  town- 
ship grew  more  prosperous  the  question  of  a 
church  edifice  was  agitated  with  good  effect.  In 
1849  a  subscription  was  started  by  Lucius  Col- 
lins, and  three  hundred  and  twenty-four  dollars 
were  raised.  The  old  paper,  now  in  the  pos- 
session of  Lewis  S.  Collins,  Esq.,  contains  the 
following  names  : 

Lucius  Collins.  E  H.  Clark. 

Henry  V.  Schenck.  Isaac  M.  Moore. 

Thomas  J.  Lindsey.  Benjamin  N.  Eider. 

Charles  Wilson.  Isaac  B.  Rider. 

David  Kenner.  Andrew  Anderson. 

Thomas  Bonear.  Jacob  Kimble. 

Lorenzo  Collins.  Michael  Collins. 

H.  L.  Collins.  Decius  Collins. 

Stephen  Sharpsteen.  Daniel  D.  Woodward. 

Antus  Collins.  Albert  Burgess. 

Theron  Collins. 
The  amount  of  these  subscriptions  which  were 
from  the  residents  of  the  township  was  oue 
hundred  and  ninety-seven  dollars.  To  this 
amount  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  dollars 
was  added  by  residents  of  Honesdale,  who 
were 


Horace  Tracey.  J.  S.  Bassett. 

John  F.  Lord.  J.  C.  Gunn. 

Charles  P.  Waller.  William  Reed. 

John  Mcintosh.  Isaiah  Snyder. 

William  F.  Wood.  Hand  &  Kirtland. 

Hiram  Blois.  Mr.  Moore. 

Earl  Wheeler.  R.  F.  Lord. 

William  H.  Dimmick.  S.  D.  Ward. 

John  Kelly.  M.  Wallace. 

G.  H.  Russell.  Stephen  Torrey. 

Farnham  Bros.  A.  Field. 

Adonijah  Strong.  John  H.  Crandall. 

Thomas  H.  R,  Tracey.  William  Shouse, 
Cornelius  Hornbeck.  (Wilsonville). 

Richard  L.  Seely. 

This  Union  Church,  owned  by  the  Presby- 
terians and  Methodists,  was  erected  in  1849,  at 
a  cost  of  above  $550.  The  church,  since  that 
time,  has  undergone  some  repairs  and  has  been 
enlarged.  There  is  no  debt  upon  the  church 
property.  For  several  years  it  has  been  used 
exclusively  by  the  Methodists. 

Cherry  Ridge  Circuit  of  the  M.  E.  Church  was 
organized  in  July,  1852.  The  first  pastorwas  Mar- 
cus Carrier.  There  were  three  appointments, 
Cherry  Ridge,  Cherry  Valley  and  Middle  Creek. 
The  pastors  in  order  since  the  organization  of 
the  circuit  have  been  Marcus  Carrier,  Charles 
White,  Joseph  Madison,  Charles  Smith,  Alosi 
Johuson,  William  Sillsby,  N.  S.  Reynolds,  I. 
T.  Walker,  Cromwell  Pierce,  David  Williams, 
Stephen  Cramp,  Richard  Varcoe,  J.  H.  Taylor, 
Olmstead,  George  M.  Peck,  J.  L.  Wells,  J.  B. 
Sweet,  A.  C.  Olver  and  R.  M.  Pascoe. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


DR.  LEWIS  COLLINS. 


Dr.  Lewis  Collins  (1753-1818)  a  native  of 
Litchfield,  Conn.,  settled  in  Salem,  Wayne 
County,  in  1800,  where  he  resided  until  1804, 
when  he  bought  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
Cherry  Ridge  township,  of  Edward  Tilghman, 
of  Philadelphia,  and  rode  on  horseback  the  en- 
tire distance  to  make  a  bargain  for  the  land  ami 
get  his  deed.  He  had  bought  out  the  right  of 
Enos  Woodward,  the  "  squatter  "  on  this  land, 
previously.  He  erected  a  barn  on  the  property 
in  1812,  now  standing  in  1886,  and  during  the 


572 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


remainder  of  his  life  made  some  other  improve- 
ments, and  cleared  off  a  portion  of  the  land.  He 
was  buried  in  Panpack  graveyard,  having  died 
in  that  vicinity,  caused  by  a  cold,  in  conse- 
quence of  falling  through  a  bridge  with  his 
horse  and  getting  wet,  while  on  one  of  his  pro- 
fessional trips  attending  patients.  A  further 
sketch  of  his  life  may  be  found  in  the  medical 
chapter  of  this  volume.  His  first  wife,  Ruth 
Root,    died    in    Connecticut,  leaving  one   son, 


ship;  Abner  (1795-1875,  a  farmer,  who  re- 
sided in  Lake  township  ;  Alonzo,  born  1796, 
resided  in  Luzerne  County  Pa. ;  Philena  (1798— 
1855),  the  wife  of  Dr.  Virgil  Dibol,  resided  in 
Ohio  when  she  died;  Lucius  (1799-1875); 
Decius  (1801-1870),  a  farmer  in  Salem  ;  Hunt- 
ington, born  in  1803,  a  millwright,  has  followed 
that  business  throughout  this  part  of  the  State, 
and  has  built  over  two  hundred  saw-mills  ;  he 
resides  on  the  homestead  ;  Theron,  (1805-1870) 


Augustus  Collins  (1790-1829)  who  was  a  far- 
mer, and  died  at  Bethany.  His  second  wife, 
Louisa  (17(33-1858)  a  daughter  of  Oliver 
Huntington,  was  a  native  of  Lebanon,  Conn. 
His  children  by  this  marriage  were, — Oristns 
(1792—1884)  a  lawyer,  who  practiced  his  pro- 
fession at  Wilkesbarre,  was  for  one  term  pre- 
sident law  judge  of  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  and 
died  at  Rye,  N.  Y. ;  Lorenzo  (1794-1878),  a 
farmer,  lived  and  died  in  Cherry  Ridge  town- 


was  a  farmer  in  Cherry  Ridge  ;  Aretus,  born  in 
1808,  was  a  wheelwright,  and  died  in  the  same 
township. 

Lucius  Collins,  sixth  son  of  Dr.  Collins,  mar- 
ried, in  1825,  Sophia  (1800-1866),  daughter  of 
John  Sasman,  a  native  of  Hesse  Darmstadt, 
Germany,  who  settled  in  Dyberry  township  in 
1819.  He  began  keeping  house  after  his  mar- 
riage in  Bethany,  where  he  served  as  constable, 
was  elected  sheriff  of  Wayne  County  in  1831, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


573 


served  one  terra  and  was  re-elected  to  a  second 
terra  in  1837.  In  1840  he  purchased  the  home- 
stead property  in  Cherry  Ridge  township  of  his 
brother  Oristus,  and  that  year  built  the  present 
residence.  In  1841  he  removed  there  with  hig 
family,  and  made  the  old  homestead  farm  his 
residence  until  his  death.  Both  himself  and 
wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
at  Bethany,  and  after  their  removal  to  Cherry 
Ridge,  he  gave  the  ground  upon  which  a  Union 
Church  by  the  Presbyterians  and  Metho- 
dists was  erected,  and  continued  to  encourage 
and  support  religious  work  all  his  life.  He 
was  a  man  highly  esteemed  by  his  fellow-citi- 
zens, for  his  good  judgment,  integrity  and  un- 
impeachable character,  in  all  the  relations  in 
life. 

His  only  child  who  reached  mature  years  is 
Lewis  S.  Collins,  a  man  well  known  in  Wayne 
County.  He  was  educated  at  the  old  Beech 
Woods  Academy,  at  Wilkesbarre  and  at  Hones- 
dale.  He  was  always  fond  of  mathematics, 
early  gave  his  attention  to  the  study  of  survey- 
ing and  took  instruction  from  Charles  A.  Col- 
lins, of  Wilkesbarre,  a  graduate  of  Williams 
College.  He  succeeded  to  the  homestead  by 
purchase  in  1866,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  has  surveyed  throughout  Wayne  County 
for  thirty  years,  was  deputy  sheriff  under  Sheriff 
Eldred,  book-keeper  for  L.  A.  Robertson  &  Co., 
tauners,  at  Middle  Valley  for  six  years,  was 
elected  county  surveyor  of  Wayne  in  1853,  re- 
elected in  1874  and  holds  the  office  in  1886. 
He  was  elected  a  justice  of  the  peace  of  his 
township  in  1875,  and  by  re-election  has  held 
the  office  since,  a  period  of  eleven  years.  He 
has  an  adopted  sister,  Fannie  J.  Bennet,  but 
was  never  married. 


JOHN     R.     HOADLEY 

Was  born  in  what  is  now  South  Canaan 
township,  October  21, 1817.  His  father,  John 
Price  Hoadley,  and  Wareham  Day,  a  brother- 
in-law  of  John  Price,  came  from  Branford, 
New  Haven  County,  Conn.,  about  1810  and 
settled  in  Canaan  township,  Wayne  County,  Pa., 
and  soon  after  this  Abraham  Hoadley,  the 
grandfather,  and  his    wife,   Olive    Price,    also 


settled  there  from  the  same  place,  and  they  made 
their  journey  the  entire  distance  on  horseback. 

Abraham  Hoadley  lived  to  be  some  seventy- 
five  years  old,  but  the  death  of  his  wife  occurred 
several  years  earlier.  Their  children  were  John 
Price,  Lucretia  (was  the  wife  ofWareham 
Day),  Abbey,  Charlotte,  Miles  and /Louisa  (who" 
first  married  Mr.  Forbes,  and  after  his  death  n 
Mr.  Weed. 

John  Price  Hoadley  died  in  1 822,  aged  about 
thirty  years.  His  wife,  Sarah  Rogers,  survived 
him,  sold  the  farm  upon  which  they  had  settled 
and,  on  account  of  ill  health,  engaged  in  milli- 
nery business  near  Waymart,  which  she  carried 
on  for  several  years.  She  died  in  Canaan 
township  in  1843. 

John  R.  Hoadley  was  their  only  child,  and 
was  but  five  years  old  at  his  father's  death.  On 
account  of  the  ill  health  of  his  mother  and  the 
embarrassed  condition  of  matters  at  his  father's 
death,  as  soon  as  possible,  he  was  obliged  to 
care  for  himself.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  be- 
gan life  for  himself,  and  determined  that  if 
energy  and  industry,  with  his  best  judgment, 
would  be  a  means  of  success,  he  would  serve 
every  honorable  end  to  carve  out  a  fortune  for 
himself. 

He  received  four  dollars  per  month  from 
William  Sampson  for  his  first  season's  work  on 
the  farm,  and  the  same  fall  went  to  live  with 
his  wife's  grandfather,  Silas  Hoadley,  in  the 
same  township.  The  following  spring  he  en- 
gaged with  Luther  Hoadley,  son  of  Silas,  to 
work  for  him  until  he  should  reach  his  majori- 
ty, for  one  hundred  dollars  and  a  suit  of  clothes. 
He  was  let  off  from  this  bargain  a  little  before 
the  end  of  the  time,  but  with  full  pay,  and  for 
two  years  he  worked  in  a  turning  factory  in 
Cherry  Ridge.  When  he  felt  he  could  do  this 
work  for  himself  he,  in  1841,  started  a  turning- 
factory  of  his  own  at  what  is  now  "  Hoadley 
Station,"  on  the  new  road  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Coal  Company,  which  he  carried  on  until  1847. 
About  this  time  this  company  located 
and  built  their  Gravity  Road  from  Hawley  to 
Pittston.  For  one  year  Mr.  Hoadley  assisted 
their  engineer  in  locating  the  railroad,  and  in 
this  work  he  showed  such  interest  and  calcula- 
tion that  the  company  engaged  him  to  look  after 


574 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  saw-mills  and  lumber  business  located  on 
Middle  Creek.  He  superintended  the  lumber 
interests  of  their  four  saw-mills,  one  of  which 
was  located  at  "  Hoadley  Station,"  for  some 
ten  years  or  over,  when  the  company  gave  him 
general  snperiutendance  over  all  their  timber 
lands,  comprising  several  thousand  acres  in 
Wayne  County,  which  place  he  has  filled  since 
to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  company.  In 
1861  he  purchased  of  the  company  seventy-one 


of  the  peace  in  1859  and  served  three  terms  of 
five  years  each,  when  he  declined  the  office.  In 
1884  he  was  again  chosen  to  fill  this  office, 
which  he  now  holds,  in  1886.  Although  not 
identified  as  a  member  of  any  church,  he  is  a 
liberal  contributor  to  religious  interests,  and  has 
ever  sought  to  promote  the  best  welfare  of  the 
community.  He  married,  in  1845,  Laura,  eld- 
est daughter  of  Luther  Hoadley  (died  in 
1872)  and  Sophia  Sampson  (who  died  in  1877, 


JyL.fi.ti 


C-(^l/ 


^ 


acres  of  land,  upon  a  part  of  which  "  Hoadley 
Station  "  is  built,  and  in  1866  erected  his  pres- 
ent residence.  Mr.  Hoadley  is  a  man  of  cor- 
rect habits,  good  judgment  and  sterling  charac- 
teristics, and  while  he  has  been  a  resident 
of  Cherry  Ridge  township  he  has  been  called 
upon  to  serve  the  people  in  an  official  capacity 
for  many  years,  and  has  filled  the  office  of 
school  director,  overseer  of  the  poor,  and  on  the 
board  of  election.      He  was  first  elected  justice 


aged  eighty-two  years).  She  was  born  in  Ca- 
naan township,  where  her  parents  resided,  in 
November,  1823.  Luther  Hoadley  was  the 
son  of  Silas  Hoadley,  who  also  came  from  New 
Haven  County,  Conn.,  and  were  among  the 
early  settlers  of  old  Canaan  township.  The 
other  children  of  Luther  and  Sophia  Hoadley 
were  Ann  (was  the  wife  of  Baldwin  Lee,  of 
Canaan  township),  James  B.  (a  farmer  in  the 
same  place)  and  Harriet   (was  the  wife  of  Dun- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


575 


can  Cameron,  of  Carboudale).  The  two  sisters, 
Ann  and  Harriet,  are  both  dead.  John  R. 
Hoadley  and  wife  have  no  children. 


PERRY    A.    CLARK. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  Clark,  (after  whom 
lie  was  named)  resided  near  Jewett  City,  New 
London  County,  Conn.,  and  was  a  fanner. 
For  a  short  time  he  resided  in  Dutchess 
County,  X.  Y.,  but  returned  to  his  old  home- 


Thomas  J.  Lindsey,  died  in  Honesdale,  and 
two  sons  served  in  the  war  of  1812.  Another 
son— Eben  Harris  Clark,  (1810—1879)  a  na- 
tive of  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  while  a  young 
man  came  to  Greenfield,  Pa.,  in  1832,  and  the 
same  year  married  Maria  E.  Williams  (1810 — 
1862)  who  was  born  near  Jewett  City,  Conn. 
She  had  come  to  Dundaft',  Pa.,  to  live  with  her 
sister  Mrs.  Thomas  J.  Read.  Her  father  was 
Captain    Williams   who  followed  the  sea  and 


^w^S^yc 


stead  where  he  died  about  1825  at   the   age  of 
seventy-five  years. 

He  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
was  in  the  Colonial  army  when  the  British  took 
New  London.  His  old  gun  or  musket  used 
when  he  was  a  soldier,  fighting  for  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  Colonies,  is  a  relic  of  the  past, 
and  is  owned  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch — his 
grandson.  One  daughter,  Mrs.  Reuben  Brown, 
died  in  Cherry  Ridge  township  ;   another,  Mrs. 


commanded  a  ship.  He  died  on  the  sea. 
Shortly  after  his  marriage  he  sold  his  farm  and 
removed  to  Carboudale  where  he  remained 
until  September,  1842,  when  he  settled  in 
Cherry  Ridge  township,  at  what  is  now  Clark's 
Coiners.  Here  he  rented  the  hotel  for  a  few 
years  and  then  purchased  the  property  together 
with  thirty  acres  of  land.  At  this  time  this 
hotel,  or  inn  as  they  were  called  in  the  early 
days,  was  a  regular  stopping  place  on  the  old 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


stage  turnpike  from  Milford,  Pa.,  to  Owego, 
N.  Y.,  and  where  several  stages  changed  every 
day,  and  replaced  the  weary  steeds  with  a  fresh 
relay  of  horses. 

Mr.  Clark  enlarged  his  hotel,  added  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  to  his  first 
purchase,  making  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  all 
and  kept  a  public  house  until  his  hotel  was 
burned  in  June,  1877.  He  was  a  man  well 
read  in  public  matters,  a  staunch  member  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  for  most  of  the 
time  he  was  officially  identified  with  Cherry 
Ridge  township  as  its  supervisor,  school-di- 
rector or  held  other  official  place.  He  was 
hospitable  as  a  landlord,  esteemed  as  a  citizen, 
and  conducted  all  his  business  upon  the  prin- 
ciple of  integrity  and  justice.  He  married  for 
his  second  wife  Julia  Cole,  widow  of  the  late 
Mr.  Fanning,  who  survives  him  and  resides  at 
Worcester,  Mass.  His  children  are: — Maria 
J.,  born  November  17,  1840,  wife  of  Fred'k 
I.  Keen,  a  liveryman  at  Honesdale ;  Perry  A. ; 
Susan  S.,  born  August  31,  1843,  wife  of  John 
S.  Eno,  superintendent  of  the  Borden  Milk 
Condensing  factory  of  Putnam  County,  N.  Y. ; 
Eben  Harris,  Jr.,  born  November  6,  1845, 
elected  sheriff  of  Wayne  County  in  1882,  served 
one  term,  and  deputy  sheriff  in  1885;  Emily 
E.,  born  July  4,  1850,  wife  of  William  M. 
Sandercock,  in  the  lumber  business  at  Hones- 
dale. 

Perry  A.  Clark,  eldest  son  of  Eben  Harris 
and  Maria  E.  Clark  was  born  at  Carbondale, 
Pa.,  April  2,  1842.  He  was  educated  in  the 
district  school  at  home,  at  the  Normal  school 
at  Prompton,  and  at  the  Honesdale  Academy, 
and  for  four  winter  terms  was  a  teacher.  While 
at  school  in  Prompton  he  was  drafted  as  a  nine 
months  man,  in  the  first  state  draft,  but  being 
under  age,  did  not  leave  home,  but  in  the  fall 
of  1864,  being  drafted  for  one  year  he  ob- 
tained a  substitute  who  went  to  the  front  in 
his  place.  Mr.  Clark  succeeded  to  the  home- 
stead property  by  purchase  from  his  father, 
and  built  his  present  pleasant  farm  residence  in 
1878.  For  nine  years  in  succession  he  was 
deputy  under  the  following  sheriffs:  R.  S. 
Dorin,  John  R.  Ross,  and  E.  M.  Spencer,  and 
in  the   fall   of  1876  he  was  elected  sheriff  of 


Wayne  County  and  served  one  term,  when  he 
returned  to  the  homestead,  and  until  1886 — the 
time  of  writing  this  sketch — has  been  engaged 
in  improving  his  farm.  He  has  been  some- 
what active  in  political  matters,  and  besides  be- 
ing identified  with  the  deputy  and  sheriff's  office 
for  twelve  years,  he  has  served  his  township  as 
assessor,  clerk  and  collector. 

He  married  May  6,  1880,  Annie  Eliza, 
widow  of  the  late  Rev.  Stephen  T.  Cramp,  a 
Methodist  clergyman.  She  was  born  at  live, 
England,  February  25,  1843,  and  was  the 
daughter  of  James  Oliver,  a  saddler  and  brush- 
maker.  Her  parents  died  when  she  was 
young.  She  came  to  this  country  in  1865,  and 
was  first  married  on  October  2,  of  that  year. 
She  has  one  child,  Stephanie  L.  Cramp,  by  her 
first  husband,  and  by  her  second  marriage,  one 
daughter,  Amy  E.  Clark. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


The  surface  of  this  township  is  moderately 
uneven,  divided  into  two  valleys  running  north 
and  south,  the  western  being  the  one  through 
which  the  old  Belmont  and  Easton  Turnpike 
used  to  run,  now  kept  up  simply  as  a  township 
road.  The  Moosic  range  practically  bounds 
the  western  portion  or  line  of  the  township, 
though  its  extreme  limit  lies  along  what  is  now 
Lackawanna  and  Susquehanna  Counties  (for- 
merly Luzerne,  up  to  the  line  of  Susquehanna 
County).  The  Moosic  range  is  underlaid  with 
deposits  of  coal  of  good  quality.2  The  old 
"coal  road"  laid  out  by  Thomas  Meredith, 
who  owned  large  tracts  of  coal  land  all  along 
the  western  base  of  the  Moosic,  is  still  in  exist- 
tence.  This  road  was  built  by  "bees,"  the 
neighbors  all  turning  out  to  assist.     This  is  the 


i  By  H.  P.  Haight,  Esq. 

'The  writer  places  on  record  the  prediction  that  coal  will 
yet  be  found  on  the  eastern  slope,  and  mines  be  opened 
which  will  be  worked  as  successfully  as  those  on  the  west- 
ern slope  at  "  Forest  City." 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


577 


road  leading  from  where  Henry  B.  Curtis  now 
resides,  and  over  to  where  the  "  city  "  now  is. 

It  was  largely  through  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Meredith  that  the  Oquaga  road  was  built,  run- 
ning from  Belmont  to  Laneboro',  the  under- 
lying principle  governing  these  operations 
being  to  develop  the  coal  lands  of  Mr.  Meredith 
and  put  a  stop  to  the  movements  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  Company,  which  began 
to  assume,  as  he  looked  at  it,  the  shape  of 
monopolizing  all  the  coal  lands  of  that  region. 
From  causes  not  necessary  to  explain,  it  did  not 
prove  a  success.  This  was  in  1814.  About 
two  years  previous  a  state  road  was  laid  out 
along  the  eastern  base  of  the  mountain,  which 
was  to  connect  Philadelphia  with  Owego,  and 
is  the  one  on  which  Chauncey  Davenport,  Uriah 
Colbath,  William  Ogden,  Maurice  Roche  and 
others  now  reside.  That  part  from  where  the 
road  leaves,  to  intersect  the  old  Belmont  and 
Easton,  was  long  ago  abandoned. 

The  eastern  or  Lackawaxen  Valley  begins  at 
the  "  divide  "  where  the  Moosic  range  separates 
the  two  valleys,  in  Mount  Pleasant  township, 
running  thence  southeasterly  till  it  meets  the 
West  Branch  at  Prompton. 

Clinton  has  a  population  of  one  thousand  by 
the  census  of  1880,  and  holds  its  own  very  well, 
no  material  changes  having  occurred  to  lessen  or 
increase  it. 

The  township  was  formed  from  parts  of 
Canaan,  Mount  Pleasant  and  Dyberry  in  1825, 
by  "order  of  court,"  the  name  being  suggested 
by  Judge  Scott,  Rufus  Grenell,  David  S. 
WTest  and  Virgil  Grenell  being  appointed,  the 
first  as  assessor  and    the  last  two  as  assistant 


Early  Skttlers. — The  settlers  were  mainly 
from  Connecticut.  Prominent  among  them 
was  Michael  Grenell,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, who  died  in  Clinton  February  12,  1858. 
He  was  born  at  Saybrook,  Conn.,  March  20, 
1752.  He  served  under  Putnam,  and  was  a 
pensioner  of  the  government  at  eight  dollars 
per  month.  He  was  singularly  methodical  in 
his  habits,  devoting  a  portion  of  each  day  to  its 
appropriate  duties — labor,  recreation,  devotion, 
rest — permitting  no  one  duty  to  interfere  with 
another.     When   the   statue    of  King  George, 


which  stood  in  Bowling  Green,  at  the  foot  of 
Broadway,  New  York,  was  torn  down  in,  1776, 
and  when  the  news  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence was  received  there,  Mr.  Grenell  took 
a  hand  in  its  destruction  and  assisted  in  making 
the  occasion  a  "  lively  "  one.  He  voted  for 
Washington  at  each  presidential  election  till  the 
year  of  his  death.  His  son,  Deacon  Rufus 
Grenell,  resembled  him  in  many  ways,  being 
systematic,temperate,  scrupulously  honest,  deeply 
religious,  living  and  dying  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  His  active  participation  in 
everything  to  advance  its  spiritual  and  temporal 
interests  made  his  death  a  great  loss  to  the 
church  and  the  community,  of  which  he  had 
been  for  half  a  century  a  valued  member.  In 
the  direct  line  of  descent  was  the  deacon's  son, 
Hon.  Virgil  Grenell,  now  a  resident  of  Fel- 
ton,  Kent  County,  Del.,  who  was  also  promi- 
nent in  the  settlement  of  the  affairs  of  the 
township  at  its  organization.  He  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  convention  to  amend  the  consti- 
tution of  the  commonwealth  in  1836.  He  was 
also  commissioned  by  Governor  Porter  as  asso- 
ciate judge  for  Wayne  County  to  fill  out  an 
unexpired  term,  April  25,  1842  ;  again  July  5, 
1842,  for  a  regular  term  ;  and  again  by  Governor 
Shunk,  July  22,  1847.  He  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Revenue  by  appointment  of 
Governor  Bigler  in  1852  ;  was  elected  treasurer 
of  the  county  in  1856,  and  was  county  auditor 
when  elected  to  the  convention.  These  ap- 
pointments and  elections  came  to  Mr.  Grenell 
unsolicited,  evincing  the  regard  in  which  lie  was 
held  by  the  people  among  whom  he  had  lived 
so  long.  The  judge  built  the  house  where  F. 
M.  Gaylord  now  resides,  and  moved  into  it  in 
1824,  residing  there  constantly  till  1865  or 
1866,  when  he  removed,  with  his  wife,  son 
Miron  and  wife,  daughter  Ann  and  one  or  two 
grandchildren,  to  Felton,  Kent  County,  Del., 
where  he  now  resides  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven, 
surviving  his  wife,  who  died  in  1885.  She 
was  Miss  Harriet  Gaylord,  sister  of  Mr.  Giles 
Gaylord,  father  of  Milo,  F.  M.,  Henry  C, 
Remus  M.,  Lewis,  William  A.,  Ella  and 
Helen  Gaylord,  all  married  and  at  present  liv- 
ing. Mrs.  Davenport,  the  widow  of  Austin 
Davenport,  who   was,   for  a  number  of  years, 


578 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


a  justice  of  the  peace  of  the  township,  and 
mother  of  Chauncy  Davenport,  is  now  liv- 
ing, in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  her  age,  is 
a  sister  of  Judge  Grenell  and  resides  on 
the  old  homestead  of  her  husband  with  her 
son.  Mr.  Gaylord's  monument  stands  in  the 
little  church-yard  of  the  Baptist  Churclf,  a  short 
distance  from  the  tannery  built  by  Colonel  Pratt. 
His  widow,  Mrs.  Joanna  Gaylord,  survives  him. 
She  was  a  constituent  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church  (which  consisted  of  but  sixteen  mem- 
bers), and  of  the  Mount  Pleasant  branch  of  the 
Peck  family.  To  follow  the  genealogy  of  the 
Grenell  family  would  require  more  space  than 
can  be  given. 

Some  of  the  old  settlers  of  course  have  a 
history,  but,  as  it  is  not  particularly  identified 
with  the  township,  beyond  a  simple  residence, 
it  hardly  seems  to  require  extended  notice. 
"  Uncle  Sylvester  "  E.  North,  however,  must 
not  be  left  without  a  slight  tribute  to  his  mem- 
ory. He  was  born  in  Connecticut,  December 
6,  1792,  and  died  in  this  township  March  3, 
1883,  his  wife,  Amanda,  preceding  him  by  six 
years  and  five  months,  having  died  October  3, 
1856,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years,  four  months 
and  fifteen  days.  "  Uncle  North  "  was  an  ar- 
dent Democrat  of  the  old  school,  and  it  was  his 
pride  to  refer  to  the  fact  of  never  having  taken, 
or  given,  any  of  the  government  "shin-plas- 
ters," and  about  the  last  act  of  his  life,  before 
succumbing  to  his  fatal  sickness,  was  to  present 
to  Mrs.  Haight,  as  a  token  of  his  regard,  a 
silver  dollar,  which  he  had  kept  since  the  year 
he  became  "  of  age."  When  he  settled  on  the 
land  now  owned  by  Virgil  G.  Gaylord,  Esq., 
it  was  a  wilderness.  Here  he  pitched  his  tent, 
began  to  wrestle  with  the  difficulties  incident  to 
that  kind  of  life  and  when  the  messenger 
came  he  was  ready.  He  had  cleared  up  a 
beautiful  and  fertile  farm  and  left  it  for  his 
adopted  son  and  daughter  to  enjoy.  The  fruit- 
trees,  which  had  yielded  in  the  years  which  had 
passed,  so  bountifully  under  his  fostering  care, 
had  been  matured  from  the  seed.  His  memory 
is  very  precious  with  those  who  knew  him  best. 
What  is  said  of  "Uncle  North"  applies  with 
equal  force  to  Mrs.  North.  They  left  no  chil- 
dren. 


Ashbel  Stearns  sleeps  in  the  little  cemetery  of 
the  Baptist  Church  with  his  wife  near,  and  at 
the  left  of  the  entrance.  They  were  both  among 
the  early  settlers  and  he  was  fond  of  relating 
incidents  of  life  in  the  woods,  when  he  had  to 
"  blaze  "  his  way  through  the  forest  to  Wilkes- 
barre  some  forty  miles  to  have  a  grist  ground, 
and  how  when  an  infant,  cradled  in  a  sap- 
trough,  while  his  mother  was  boiling  sap  in  the 
woods,  a  large  bear  began  to  make  affectionate 
demonstrations  on  that  sap-trough  and  contents, 
when  a  few  gourd fuls  of  boiling  sap  gave  a 
different  aspect  to  the  proceedings. 

In  a  book  now  in  the  possession  of  Edward 
Nortoi',  Esq.,  entitled  "  Annals  and  Eamily 
Record  of  Winchester,  Conn.,  with  Exercises 
of  the  Centennial  Celebration  on  the  16th  and 
17th  days  of  August,  1871,"  by  John  Boyd,  the 
family  record  of  all  the  settlers  of  Clinton,  of 
the  Grenell,  Norton,  Loomis  and  Griswold 
branches  is  given  fully  and  completely,  and  any 
reference  to  them  here  is  simply  a  resume  of 
that  record,  except  so  far  as  they  were  identified 
directly  with  incidents  of  its  development  and 
subsequent  history. 

In  the  fall  of  1812  a  few  small  openings  had 
been  made  and  log  houses  built,  scattered  along 
the  State  road  from  Belmont  to  Colonel  Stan- 
ton's, some  twelve  miles.  In  the  summer  of 
1813  Levi  Norton  and  a  few  others  associated 
with  him  built  a  saw-mill  on  the  stream  between 
where  now  stands  the  Clinton  Centre  Baptist 
Church  and  the  place  where  A  arou  Wheeler's 
blacksmith  shop  now  is,  the  sills  of  which  are 
still  visible  in  the  bed  of  the  stream,  fairly  well 
preserved.  This  was  the  first  saw-mill  built  in 
the  township.  At  this  time,  independent  of  the 
paths  through  the  wilderness,  there  were  few 
roads.  What  is  now  the  "  White  Oak  "  road 
crosses  the  Lackawaxen  river  just  above  where 
the  Baptist  parsonage  now  is.  This  road  was 
used  till  1818,  when  Levi  Norton  built  a  saw- 
mill on  the  outlet  of  the  White  Oak  Pond, 
just  in  front  and  a  little  to  the  right  of  the 
present  residence  of  Mr.  John  Martwick,  and 
over  this  road  hauled  his  lumber  to  the  Dy- 
berry,  near  the  Asa  Kimble  place,  and  rafted  it 
to  Philadelphia. 

Previously,  however,  a  road    had    been  built 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


which  is  the  one  beginning  near  the  "  Randall 
place,"  and  on  which  now  reside  Orson  Case, 
Esq.  (who  had  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace  for  a  number  of  years  and  is  one  of  our 
most  enterprising  and  substantial  citizens),  Mr. 
Joshua  Stanton,  Jonathan  Dolph,  Mr.  Belden 
Buckland  (another  old-time  Democrat,  like 
"  Uncle  North,"  and  one  of  the  best  citizens  of 
the  township,  one  who  had  never  solicited  a 
vote  for  himself,  but  had  many  times  held  po- 
sitions of  trust  and  responsibility  through  the 
partiality  of  his  numerous  friends),  Patrick  Cog- 
gins,  "  Squire  "  Jonathan  Burns  (who  had  met 
with  more  accidents  and  losses  and  come  out  of 
them  safer  and  with  better  pluck  than  any  man 
from  Tipperary  to  Ballinasloe),  and  so  on,  by 
the  way  of  the  "  old  glass  factory,"  (of  which, 
by  the  way,  in  a  few  years  at  most,  there  will 
be  not  one  stone  to  indicate  where  once  was  a 
large  establishment,  employing  a  great  many 
hands,)  to  Bethany,  the  then  county  seat. 

In  1820  a  mail  route  was  established  from 
Easton  to  Mount  Pleasant,  and  a  post-office 
located  where  Francis  F.  Norton  resides,  then 
the  residence  of  "  Uncle  Alva "  W.  Norton, 
who  was  made  postmaster,  and  the  office  called 
Mount  Republic.  Mr.  Norton  held  this  posi- 
tion till  1851  or  1852,  when  the  tannery  was 
built,  diverting  the  business  from  that  part  of 
the  township,  and  through  the  influence  of  Col- 
onel Pratt,  who  had  been  a  member  of  Con- 
gress from  Greene  County,  N.  Y.,  the  office  was 
removed  to  where  it  now  is,  with  Julius  T. 
Alden  as  postmaster.  Mr.  John  Storm,  grand- 
father of  Hon.  Jonathan  B.  Storm,  member  of 
Congress  from  Monroe,  then  in  this  Congres- 
sional district,  had  the  contract  for  carrying  the 
mail  once  a  week  on  horseback,  but  some- 
times it  was  carried  on  foot.  A  young  man  by 
the  name  of  Loosman  was  the  next  carrier. 
The  Belmont  and  Easton  turnpike  was  comple- 
ted in  1821,  and  a  few  years  afterwards  a  line 
of  coaches  was  put  on,  and  it  became  quite  a 
thoroughfare.  A  hotel  was  kept  in  the  building 
now  occupied  as  a  residence  by  Mr.  Heury  B. 
Curtis,  and  was  a  great  resort  of  drovers  on 
their  way  from  Great  Bend  and  all  that  region 
to  Easton  and  Philadelphia,  then  the  great 
objective  points. 


Uncle  Alva,  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  was 
a  man  of  fine  abilities,  and  as  civil  engineer 
had  surveyed  a  good  share  of  the  lauds  of  Clin- 
ton and  adjoining  townships.  He  was  the  son 
of  Levi  Norton,  who  came  to  Clinton  in  1812 
and  "  foreclosed "  on  five  thousand  acres  of 
land  in  Wayne  County.  He  gathered  an  un- 
mixed "  Yankee  "  settlement  around  him  and 
died  January  21,  1823,  aged  sixty-four.  The 
family  of  Levi  (his  wife  was  Olive  Wheeler, 
born  in  Bethlehem,  Conn.,  September  19,  1759, 
married  to  Mr.  Norton  January  21,  1783,  and 
died  May  25,  1838),  were  Warren  W.,  who 
was  the  father  of  Hiram  and  Sidney  M. ;  Alva 
W.  (Uncle  Alva),  who  was  born  August  10, 
1791  and  died  in  1875  ;  Sheldon,  born  Novem- 
ber 26,  1793,  died  September  15,  1838;  and 
the  father  of  Edward  K.,  familiarly  known  as 
"  E.  K." — K.  for  Kirby,  after  an  old  friend  of 
the  family.  Sheldon  was  one  of  the  first  clerks 
of  Wayne  County,  and  married  Harriet,  daugh- 
ter of  Grenell  Spencer,  of  Winchester,  Conn., 
September  14,  1818.  He  died  September  15, 
1838.  He  was  agent  of  the  American  Sunday 
School  Union  (headquarters  in  Philadelphia,) 
and  the  history  of  his  life  would  fill  a  good- 
sized  volume.  As  there  were  no  railroads  in 
those  days  he  travelled  through  the  southern 
and  western  states  thousands  of  miles  on  horse- 
back. 

Uncle  Alva  was  one  of  the  old-time  hard- 
shell Democrats  till  the  Fremont  campaign, 
when  he  made  his  home  with  the  Republicans, 
and  remained  with  them  until  his  death.  He 
died  as  he  lived,  a  sincere  Christian,  respected 
by  all  who  knew  him  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church  for  over  fifty  years.  Uncle 
Alva  always  insisted  that  he  organized  the 
first  Sunday-school  in  Clinton  in  1813.  Judge 
Grenell  says,  speaking  of  going  to  school,  etc., 
"  Three  of  us  boys  went  three  miles  every  day  to 
school;  this  was  in  1815.  In  1816Sheldon  Norton 
taught  school  in  our  neighborhood  ;  in  the  fall 
of  1817  I  taught  school  in  Mt.  Pleasant  town- 
ship ;  in  1814  my  father — that's  Deacon  Rufus 
— organized  a  Sunday-school  in  his  house.  Most 
of  the  children  and  young  people  in  the  neigh- 
borhood attended  through  the  summer.  The 
one '  Uncle  Alva '  speaks  of  as  organized  by  him 


580 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


in  1813  I  have  no  knowledge  of."  Of  course 
there  are  no  official  records  to  harmonize  dates, 
etc.,  but  in  either  event  it  is  highly  creditable 
to  Clinton  that  it  had  a  Sunday-school  in  1813 
or  1814.  Mrs.  Davenport  (the  judge's  sister) 
and  himself  are  the  only  ones  now  living  who 
attended  the  Sunday-school  at  their  father's. 

In  the  spring  of  1822  Deacon  Grenell 
bought  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  of  which  the 
site  of  the  tannery,  saw-mill  and  other  build- 
ings, now  the  church,  parsonage,  etc.,  occupy  a 
part,  and  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  that  year 
built  the  saw-mill,  a  portion  of  which  still  re- 
mains, near  the  county  bridge,  which  is  between 
it  and  the  tannery.  The  judge  took  fifty  acres 
of  the  purchase,  also  built  a  small  house  into 
which  he  and  his  wife  moved.  In  1824  he 
built  the  house  which  F.  M.  Gaylord  now  oc- 
cupies, living  there  till  they  removed  to  Dela- 
ware in  1866.  The  next  year  after  this  mill 
was  built,  the  road  which  crosses  the  Lacka- 
waxen,  near  where  is  now  the  Baptist  parson- 
age, was  changed  to  where  it  now  crosses  over 
the  county  bridge.  ■ 

The  first  settlers  were  succeeded  largely  by 
people  who  had  emigrated  from  England, 
prominent  among  whom  were  Rev.  Henry  Cur- 
tis, a  minister  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  his 
wife,  who,  immediately  preceding  his  purchase 
of  the  farm  on  which  he  lived  until  his  death, 
in  August,  1867,  lived  in  Bethany,  and  owned 
the  mansion  built  by  Mr.  Jacob  S.  Davis,  who 
was  county  treasurer  when  Bethany  was  the 
county-seat.  Mr.  Curtis  was  born  at  Ellston, 
Leicestershire,  England,  October  8,  1800.  Mrs. 
Curtis  (Eliza  Banning)  was  born  October  9, 
1801,  at  Reading,  Berkshire,  England,  and  died 
May  26, 1879.  Married  March  13, 1824,  in  New 
York,  Rev.  John,  father  of  the  late  Rev.  Wm, 
R.  Williams,  officiating.  She  was  of  a  family 
of  five  sisters  and  one  brother,  Alpheus  Ban- 
ning, all  but  her  being  residents  of  New  York 
and  Brooklyn,  though  but  one  at  present  sur- 
vives her.  Her  sister  married  one  Van 
Tassel,  of  an  ancient  family  of  Tarrytown,  N. 
Y.,  mentioned  in  Diederich  Knickerbocker's 
"  History  of  New  York."  Sarah  married  Mr. 
John  W.  Avery,  one  of  the  old  time  merchants 
of  New  York,  who  still    survives   her   and  is 


vice-president  of  the  old  East  River  Bank. 
Mary,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Jas.  Lock,  of  the 
Brooklyn  savings-bank  ;  and  Caroline,  of  New 
York — all  deceased  but  Mrs.  Lock. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curtis  were  the  parents  of  Mr. 
Henry  B.,  Euphemia  P.,  John  J.,  Dr.  George 
R.,  Julia  A.,  and  Eugene  K.  The  last  named 
lives  on  and  owns  the  old  homestead  at  Eden  vale, 
Clinton  township,  a  "  vale"  of  rare  beauty  and 
great  fertility.  Dr.  George  P.  was  a  physician 
of  superior  ability,  and  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred June  9,  1884,  in  the  fifty-first  year  ot 
his  age,  was  a  great  loss,  not  alone  for  his  schol- 
arly attainments  and  skill,  but  his  beautiful 
Christian  life.  John  J.  is  a  book-agent  for  the 
publishing  house  of  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co.,  of 
New  York,  and  lives  in  Honesdale.  Dr.  Geo. 
B.  died  in  Hawley. 

Thomas  and  William  Olver  and  their  fami- 
lies, living  at  or  near  where  they  first  located, 
in  what  was  then  Dyberry,  but  in  the  straight- 
ening of  township  lines  Thomas  was  brought 
into  Clinton  ;  James  and  Wm.  Giles,  WTilliam 
Bates,  Henry  Gurumoe,  father  and  son  and  sev- 
eral others  came  from  Cornwall,  England, — 
all  citizens  of  whom  any  community  could  be 
justly  proud. 

In  the  year  1849-50  Colonel  Pratt,  who 
had  accumulated  quite  a  fortune  in  tanning  at 
Prattsville,  Greene  County,  N.  Y.,  furnished 
the  means,  and  a  large  tannery  was  erected 
which  used  eight  thousand  cords  of  hemlock 
bark  per  year.  The  business  was  carried  on 
with  varying  success  till  about  1882,  when  it 
was  abandoned  altogether  and  the  timbers  are 
being  sold  to  work  up  into  smaller  buildings, 
barns,  etc.,  and  fire  wood.  The  site,  with 
quite  a  large  tract  of  land,  was  purchased  of 
Messrs.  Grenell  &  Foster,  who,  in  company 
with  A.  O.  Hanford,  since  dead,  had  carried  on 
the  business  of  manufacturing  shovel  handles. 
Mr.  E.  K.  Norton,  of  the  firm,  retired  to  con- 
duct a  large  farm,  since  widely  known  as  the 
"  Ridge  Farm."  Judge  Grenell  also  engaged 
subsequently  in  farming,  and  finally  moved  to 
Delaware  and  Mr.  Hanford  removed  to  Car- 
bondale,  entered  into  the  employ  of  the  Dela- 
ware &  Hudson  Canal  Company  and  died 
there. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


The  sudden  demand  for  bark  induced  the 
owners  of  bark  land  to  slaughter  the  timber 
right  and  left,  and  millions  of  feet  were  left  to 
rot  where  they  fell ;  it  proved  a  sad  blow  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  township — a  waste  of  so 
much  valuable  timber  which,  if  it  could  have 
been  disposed  of  as  fast  as  peeled,  would 
have  resulted  in  a  vast  accretion  to  the  wealth 
of  the  township.  However,  the  inhabitants, 
with  indomitable  enterprise  and  patience,  have 
outlived  this  drain  upon  their  prosperity,  and 
it  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  note  that  they  have  re- 
covered from  it,  and  to-day  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  find  a  community  more  intelligent  and 
prosperous  than  to  be  found  in  Clinton. 

There  are  no  records  of  any  Indian  tribes 
having  made  "  Headquarters "  here,  though 
evidences  of  their  having  been  here  on  their 
expeditions  from  the  Delaware  across  the  coun- 
try to  Great  Bend,  are  quite  numerous.  Mrs. 
Louisa  Curtis,  daughter  of  the  late  Francis 
Griswold  and  wife  of  Mr.  H.  B.  Curtis,  has  in 
her  possession  a  number  of  Indian  relics;  stone 
pestles  with  which  they  pounded  their  corn  ; 
spears,  arrow-heads,  etc.,  all  ploughed  up  on 
their  farm. 

Among  the  hardiest  of  the  pioneers  may  be 
mentioned  Francis  and  Horace  Griswold.  There 
were  other  members  of  the  family  ;  among  them 
Sedato  and  Orrin.  Francis  cleared  up  the  land 
which  now  includes  the  farms  of  Mr.  H.  B. 
Curtis ;  the  old  homestead,  now  occupied  by 
Mr.  Fred.  Bucklisch,  who  married  the  widow 
of  Mr.  Griswold's  son,  Homer,  who  is  the 
estimable  daughter  of  Mr.  Charles  Van 
Meter,  now  of  Susquehanna  County.  Mr. 
Loomis  married  the  second  daughter  of  Mr. 
Griswold,  and  built  a  very  elegant  house  there- 
on, a  striking  peculiarity  of  which  is,  that 
the  interior  is  finished  of  the  wood  grown 
on  the  farm ;  giving  a  finish  equal  to  any 
of  the  finest  imported,  and  the  balusters  are 
made  of  about  the  last  material  one  would 
expect — Sumac.  Nathan  resides  upon  another 
farm,  aud  has  also  erected  an  exceedingly 
tasteful  house,  finished  in  about  the  same 
manner  and  material,  except  the  balusters.  All 
these  farms  were  cleared  and  made  to  increase 
an    "  hundredfold,"    through    the    indomitable 


will  aud  faithful,  steady  and  persistent  labors 
of  Mr.  Griswold,  whose  memory  is  very  grate- 
fully cherished  by  the  community  in  which  he 
lived  and  by  the  people  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
of  which  he  was  a  deacon  for  many  years.  He 
died  September  8,  1809. 

His  brother,  Horace,  came  from  Massachu- 
setts in  1810,  to  Butternuts,  Otsego  County,  N. 
Y.,  and  subsequently  to  Harmony,  Susquehan- 
na County,  this  State,  and  finally  to  Clinton, 
where  he  resided  till  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  March  3,  1880,  aged  seventy- 
nine  years.  He  married  a  Miss  Fliza  McKnight, 
a  Vermont  girl.  They  had  six  children,  Ashur, 
Robie,  Maiden,  Mrs.  V.  G.  Gaylord,  John  and 
one  other.  John  enlisted  under  Captain  James 
Ham,  Seventeenth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  and 
was  in  the  engagements  at  Winchester  and  Cedar 
Run.  The  entire  Griswold  family  were  remark- 
ably hardy  and  active.  Horace  died  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church.  In  the  raising  of  the 
"bents"  of  the  tannery  frame,  the  strength 
manifested  by  him  was  simply  marvelous,  and 
was  the  means  of  preventing  the  death  of  about 
a  dozen  persons.  When  one  of  the  "  bents  " 
had  got  to  that  point  where  it  was  impossible 
to  raise  it  another  inch,  and  it  was  almost  cer- 
tain death  to  let  go,  Horace  appeared  on  the 
scene,  took  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  jumped 
to  the  assistance  of  the  men,  and  with  his  giant 
strength  carried  it  over  the  centre  of  gravity, 
then,  with  a  yell,  "  Set  her  up,  boys,"  up  it 
went  to  its  place. 

The  old  "  Election  House  "  was  the  school- 
house  of  what  now  is  the  Independent  district, 
and  was  such  from  the  organization  of  the 
township  in  1825,  till  the  spring  of  1853,  when 
F.  M.  Crane,  Esq.,  read  a  bill  to  change  the 
location  to  its  present.  The  original  place  was 
more  central,  but  the  present  more  populous. 

Hotels  in  the  township,  as  a  rule,  were  not 
financially  or  morally  a  success,  except  the  one 
on  the  old  Belmont  and  Easton,  which  has 
only  existed  for  more  than  fifty  years ;  there 
have  been  but  two.  One  was  the  tavern  kept 
by  Mr.  John  Belknap,  and  subsequently  by  a 
Mr.  Hicks,  and  stood  at  the  corner  of  the  road 
opposite  the  "  Ned  Buntline  "  house.  Afterwards 
the  property  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Jus- 


582 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


tus  Sears,  who  occupied  it  as  a  residence,  and 
finally  exchanged  properties  with  Mr.  Alexan- 
der Conyne,  of  Prompton.  Mr.  Conyne  then 
opened  it  again  as  a  public  house,  under  the 
name  of  the  Clinton  Hotel.  He  was  accident- 
ally killed  by  a  tree  falling  on  him  in  the  win- 
ter of  1879.  Shortly  afterwards  it  was  closed 
as  a  hotel.  Mrs.  Conyne  and  her  sons  carried 
on  the  farm  till  1884,  when  about  noon  one 
day  the  building  was  discovered  to  be  on  fire, 
and  burned  to  the  ground.  The  property 
passed  into  other  hands,  and  Mrs.  Conyne,  with 
her  children,  went  west.  The  other  hotel  was 
kept  by  a  Mr.  Rhodes,  in  the  building  iioAv 
occupied  by  Mr.  George  Moore  as  a  private  res- 
idence. He  also  carries  on  a  blacksmith  shop, 
and  has  been  fairly  successful  in  his  business. 

There  has  been  but  one  grist-mill  in  the 
township.  This  was  built  in  about  1853,  now 
run  by  Mr.  J.  W.  Bunnell,  the  immediate  su- 
pervision being  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Adna 
Clark,  whose  reputation  as  a  superior  miller 
has  been  established  a  great  many  years. 

A  small  tannery  was  built  on  the  "  Perrine  " 
property  at  the  bend  of  the  Lackawaxen,  near 
the  residence  of  Mrs.  Grace  Giles,  which  is  di- 
rectly opposite  the  Baruch  B.  Bunting  property. 
This  tannery  was  carried  on  as  an  "  upper 
leather"  tannery  for  several  years,  from  about 
1826  when  it  burned  down.  Part  of  the  foun- 
dation is  in  existence  yet,  beneath  the  surface. 
Mr.  William  Giles  purchased  this  property, 
on  which  his  widow  now  lives,  of  Mr.  John 
Torrey,  and  lived  there  from  that  time  till 
his  death,  except  a  short  period  immediately 
preceding,  when  he  lived  in  the  house  on  an  ad- 
joining property,  which  he  owned,  and  which 
was  burned  to  the  ground  one  day  about  noon. 
The  little  house  immediately  south  of  the  creek 
and  raceway  of  the  grist-mill,  and  about  seven 
acres  of  land,  now  owned  by  Mrs.  George  Wil- 
marth,  was  offered  for  sale  for  two  hundred  and 
fiftv  dollars,  and  stood  there  several  years  waiting 
for  a  purchaser.  No  one  seemed  willing  to  in- 
vest at  that  price,  when  it  was  withdrawn  from 
sale  for  about  a  year  and  again  offered  at  seven 
hundred  dollars,  and  found  a  purchaser  in  a 
short  time.  This  seemed  to  stimulate  prices  of 
real  estate  in  this  vicinity  for  a  while. 


The  old  tannery  property  of  Colonel  Pratt, 
that  is,  the  farm  property  and  buildings,  have 
been  sold  to  different  parties.  The  grist-mill 
to  Mr.  I.  W.  Bunnell,  who  has  added  to  it  a 
cider-mill ;  some  to  Mr.  George  Moore  and  An- 
drew Daark. 

The  farm  and  mansion  formerly  occupied  by 
Mr.  Henry  J.  Alden  were  purchased  in  1884, 
by  the  Messrs.  Fleming,  for  about  four  thou- 
sand five  hundred  dollars ;  this  includes,  besides 
the  farm  buildings,  the  building  erected  and 
used  for 'many  years  as  the  "tannery  store,"  in 
which  the  post-office  is  kept,  and  has  been,  ever 
since  its  establishment,  except  a  very  short  time 
when  Mr.  Ralph  Case  was  post-master.  He 
had  it  removed  to  the  old  "  Dr.  Strong  store," 
then  occupied  as  a  general  store,  but  now  used 
as  a  barn  and  stable  by  Mr.  George  Moore. 
Mr.  J.  T.  Alden  was  the  first  post-master. 
When  he  left  and  removed  to  Little  Falls,  N. 
Y.,  he  was  succeeded  by  his  brother,  who  re- 
tained the  office  till  Mr.  H.  J.  Alden  took  an 
interest  in  the  business  (except  about  a  year, 
when  Mr.  Ralph  Case  was  post-master).  He. 
died  about  1862,  when  H.  P.  Haight  was  ap- 
pointed, and  has  held  it  till  the  present,  with 
the  exception  of  a  couple  of  years,  when  Mr.  H. 
J.  Alden  was  appointed,  but  he  having  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  a  tannery  at  Herrick  Cen- 
ter, Susquehanna  County,  it  was  again  handed 
over  to  Mr.  Haight,  who  is  the  present  post- 
master. 

The  office  originally  was  a  "  special  "  office, 
receiving  its  mail  from  Prompton  in  a  "  saddle- 
bag" under  contract  with  H.  P.  Haight  to 
carry  it  once  a  week  for  twenty-five  dollars  a 
year.  It  was  practically  a  daily  mail,  as  the 
teams  hauling  hides  and  leather  to  and  from  the 
tannery  transported  it  free. 

The  compensation  was  subsequently  increased 
to  fifty  dollars  a  year,  till  finally  Mr.  Bass,  of 
Mt.  Pleasant,  carrying  the  mail  via  Bethany, 
daily  made  a  detour,  taking  the  Aldenville  office 
in  for  the  compensation  allowed,  and,  after  a 
time,  it  was  made  a  daily  route  as  it  now  is. 

In  the  line  of  manufacturing  establishments, 
those  mentioned  were  the  only  ones,  with  a  few 
minor  exceptions.  A  saw-mill  owned  by  "  Boss  " 
Thomas,  a  steam-mill,  was  run  for  a  few  years  ; 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


r,s:; 


one  built  by  Mr.  Augustus  Loomis  is  now  in 
existence ;  one  owned  and  run  by  Orson  Case, 
Esq.,  purchased  from  the  estate  of  Mr.  Amos 
Denslow,  is  still  running  quite  extensively ; 
there  was  another  on  "The  Flats"  below  the 
grist-mill,  owned  by  Stone  &  Graves,  of  Hones- 
dale,  ami  run  by  Robert  Taylor.  Nothing  but 
a  few  stones  of  the  foundation  are  now  visible. 
Still  another,  owned  by  James  and  Amzi  Burns, 
and  subsequently  by  Mr.  H.  C.  Gaylord,  has 
been  abandoned. 

There  is  one  now,-  iii_aid±iacL.QftgE*tipn  hwm*  1 
by  J.  L.  Keene  &  Co.  A  cider-mill  run  by  a 
small  stream  from  the  base  of  the  Moosic,  built 
by  Mr.  H:  B.  Curtis,  has  been,  within  a  year, 
converted  to  other  use  by  Mr.  Curtis'  son, 
George,  quite  an  ingenious  lad,  who  got  from 
different  persons  the  parts  of  an  engine,  boiler, 
etc.,  put  them  together,  guided  only  by  his  own 
natural  mechanical  love  of  machinery,  and  now 
having  learned  the  trade,  has  made  a  success  in 
grinding  meal,  feed,  etc.,  largely  interfering 
with  more  pretentious  establishments. 

There  have  been  no  lodges  or  secret  societies 
except  one  of  "  Sons  of  Temperance,"  which  ex- 
isted about  a  year,  and  was  started  in  the  house 
of  B.  B.  Bunting,  subsequently  transferred  to  the 
upper  room  of  Mr.  Stephen  L.  Bunting's  old 
"Curiosity  Shop;"  and  one  held  in  the  hall  of 
the  upper  story  of  Mr.  Anson  Wheeler's  house, 
in   1863  or  18G4. 

The  old  curiosity  shop  of  Mr.  Bunting  was 
an  "  institution  "  sui  generis.  Himself  one  of 
the  most  ingenious  beings,  he  had  accumulated 
a  stock  of  material,  including  musical  instru- 
ments, parts  of  clocks,  watches,  buz-saws,  jig- 
saws, band-saws,  wheels,  cranks,  parts  of  ploughs 
and  all  farming  implements,  wagons,  sleighs, 
stoves,  wind-mills,  etc.,  etc. 

Stephen  L.  Bunting  was  born  in  1841,  and 
died  where  his  widow  still  resides,  September  4, 
1877.  The  old  house  where  his  father  lived, 
stands  in  the  lot  on  the  path  to  the  Maple  Ford, 
about  a  hundred  rods  away,  since  torn  down. 
He  was  the  son  of  John  Bunting,  and  both 
lie  in  the  little  church  yard  near  the  Bap- 
tist parsonage,  near  the  northeast  corner.  "  Milo 
John "  has  no  monument  to  mark  his  grave, 
but  his  memory  is  treasured   by   his  old  neigh- 


bors and  friends  as  having  bestowed  on  him  that 
too  rare  gem,  an  honest  heart.  Of  the  family 
of  John,  there  were  five  brothers.  John  Baruch 
Bunting,  who,  in  his  late  years,  became  a 
preacher  in  the  Baptist  Church,  who  had  a  natural 
shrewdness  and  ready  wit  which  he  used  as  oc- 
casion offered,  with  considerable  tact,  in  his 
travels  over  the  country,  sometimes  in  his  own 
conveyance,  but  quite  as  often  on  foot,  carrying 
Bibles,  religious  works  and  tracts. 

He  is  buried,  and  a  neat  monument  marks 
his  resting-place  (erected  by  the  Central  Baptist 
Church,  of  Clinton),  in  the  little  cemetery  there. 
Of  the  remaining  brothers  and  sisters,  there 
were  Daniel  D.,  who  owned  the  farm  now  owned 
by  the  present  justice  of  the  peace,  David  Hop- 
kins (since  succeeded  by  the  election  of  A.  R. 
Peck,  Esq.,  February,  1886).  He  died  there 
March  9, 1872,  sixty-one  years  old.  Children  : 
— Apollos,  who  with  his  brother  John,  built 
the  little  tannery  on  the  Perrine  place ; 
Abija,  a  carpenter ;  Patience,  who  married 
David  Saunders  ;  Eunice,  who  married  Squire 
\V.  June  and  moved  West  ;  Sally,  who 
married  Pierce  Sloan,  who  owned  the  prop- 
erty now  owned  by  Mr.  George  Moore ;  and 
Sylvah,  who  married  Norman  Weaver,  who 
owned  the  farm  uow  owned  by  Mr.  William 
Monaton,  and  lived  near  the  site  of  Mr.  Mona- 
ton's  present  residence.  They  now  are  all 
dead. 

Of  the  Olver  family,  independent  of  their  de- 
scendants, Thomas,  born  in  Cornwall,  England, 
died  December  6,  1875,  and  with  his  wife,  who 
died  January  22,  1885  (sixty-one  years),  rests 
in  the  graveyard  near  the  parsonage.  He  was 
a  sturdy,  conscientious,  upright  citizen  ;  Wil- 
liam still  lives  a  prosperous  and  highly  esteemed 
member  of  the  coinmuuity,  just  across  the  line 
in  Dyberry. 

Heman  Arnold,  a  brother  of  Hon.  Phineas 
Arnold,  associate  judge  of  Wayne  County, 
owned  the  farm  which  Michael  Dvvyer  now 
owns,  and  died  there  about  the  seventieth  year 
of  his  age,  in  1858. 

William  Weaver  owned  the  farm  now  in  the 
possession  of  Patrick  Low  of  Tanners  Falls, 
but  not  occupied  by  him  (Mr.  Low).  On  the 
road  leading  from  the"  White  Oak  "  past  the 


584 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


"  G  "  house,  used  to  be  a  log  cabin  occupied  by 
one  McLaughlin,  widely,  if  not  pleasantly 
known, as  the  "Dog's Nest,"  and  along  in  1848 
to  1852,  standing  in  the  woods,  now  cleared 
away.  After  the  tannery  had  got  fairly  at  work 
this  was  a  great  resort  for  the  hands.  Whiskey 
could  be  had  there  which  made  the  wilderness 
howl  nights  and  Sundays,  and  with  the  barking 
and  yelping  of  a  dozen  big  dogs,  more  or  less, 
made  it  necessary,  even  if  it  was  back  in  the 
woods,  to  abolish  it. 

Mr.  James  Giles,  born  in  Cornwall,  England, 
came  to  this  country  in  1842,  and  after  a  few 
removals,  located  where  he  now  resides  on  the 
White  Oak  road  overlooking  the  White  Oak 
Pond.  His  old  house  was  partially  destroyed 
in  the  great  whirlwind  in  1851,  which  uprooted 
large  trees,  blew  down  fences  and  leveled  the 
Baptist  Church.  He  subsequently  built  a  new 
and  larger  residence  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
an  increasing  family,  and  made  a  comfortable 
home,  clearing  up  with  great  labor  and  patience, 
a  large  farm.  Mr.  Giles  possessed,  to  a  large 
degree,  the  esteem  of  the  people  among  whom 
he  located. 

In  March,  1865  (the  6th),  his  family  was 
most  grievously  afflicted,  four  children  were 
taken  down  with  the  "  black"  fever,  John  G, 
aged  fifteen  ;  Albert  M.,  thirteen  ;  Laviua  E., 
twelve ;  and  Ocena,  five  years  old  ;  all  were 
buried  the  same  day.  Another  son,  William  L., 
ten  years  old,  died  from  the  same  disease,  April 
0,  his  lather  and  step-mother,  Mrs.  Mary,  who 
resided  with  them,  soon  followed,  on  the  11th 
day  of  May,  1865,  and  Thomas,  the  father, 
October  21,  1865,  leaving  to  the  family  only 
three  persons,  Mr.  James  Giles  and  one  son, 
Ralph,  all  of  these  are  still  living. 

Silas  McMullen,  who  formerly  owned  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  John  Martwick,  was 
the  father  of  a  bright  family  of  children.  Wil- 
liam, who  resides  in  Carbondale  ;  Charles,  who 
lives  in  Waymart ;  and  two  or  three  others.  He 
died  September  29,  1860,  aged  fifty-one  years  ; 
the  result  of  an  accident  from  being  caught  in 
some  of  the  machinery  of  one  of  the  stationary 
engines  on  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Gravity 
road. 

Henry  Gummoe,  Sr.,  the  head  of  a  family, 


died  December  2,  1875,  aged  seventy  years. 
He  built  the  house  and  owned  about  twelve 
acres  of  land,  now  occupied  by  Daniel  Rutaw, 
and  was  from  Cornwall,  England.  He  was 
methodical  in  every  thing  he  undertook  ;  his 
services  were  in  constant  demand  as  a  wall- 
layer.  Those  fortunate  enough  to  employ  him 
knew  that  if  he  laid  the  wall  it  was  good  for  a 
century.  His  son,  Henry,  still  lives,  a  prosper- 
ous farmer,  with  hand  and  heart  open  to  Chris- 
tian charity  and  kindly  feelings  to  all.  He 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  Crago,  whose  mother 
died  in  the  fall  of  1884,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year 
of  her  age,  a  woman  of  sterling  worth  and  an 
humble  Christian  all  her  life. 

The  Crago  family  were  residents  in  Dyberry, 
but  it  may  not  be  improper  to  here  mention  the 
affliction  which  overtook  the  family,  inasmuch 
as  so  many  of  them  sleep  in  Clinton,  "the  sleep 
that  knows  no  waking."  This  is  the  record. 
In  1885,  December  5th,  Alary,  eleven  years ;  De- 
cember 12th,  Ella,  nine  years  ;  December  17th, 
Nettie,  four  years  ;  December  18th,  Sara,  eigh- 
teen years  ;  December  22d,  Thomas,  forty-eight 
years,  the  father.  In  1874,  February  9th, 
( 'atharine,  thirty-seven  years,  the  mother. 

Levi  H.  Alden,  Sr.,  who  was  the  partner  of 
Colonel  Pratt  in  building  the  tannery,  died  at 
the  residence  of  his  brother-in-law,  George  L. 
Morss — since  dead — near  Carbondale,  August 
5,  1850,  aged  sixty-seven.  .  Amanda  (Tuttle) 
Alden,  his  wife,  survived  him  till  March  7, 
1854,  and  died  in  Clinton  in  the  house  where 
Mr.  Fleming  now  lives,  sixty-one  years  old. 
H.  P.  Haight  has  the  clock  now  which  was  part 
of  the  furniture  of  their  beginning  at  house- 
keeping in  Greene  County,  N.  Y.  Colonel 
Pratt's  history,  as  a  whole,  does  not  prop- 
erly belong  in  Wayne,  Pike  and  Monroe, 
yet  part  of  it  does.  The  colonel  invested 
some  of  his  money  here,  and  if  he  had  made  his 
residence  here  it  would  have  stimulated  enter- 
prises in  this  county  that  have  been  slumbering 
for  years  and  years,  and  even  now  await  the 
hand  of  a  Colonel  Pratt,  or  one  of  that  kind  to 
bring  them  to  light.  He  was  generous  as  sun- 
light, systematic  as  Governor  Marcy,  and  gentle 
as  a  child.  The  colonel  subsequently  sold  his 
interest  in  the  Clinton   property  to  his  son-in- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


law,  Hon.  Colin  M.  Ingersoll,  of  Hartford, 
Conn.,  but  Mr.  Ingersoll  finding  the  practice 
of  law  was  more  congenial  to  his  taste  sold  his 
interest  to  the  remaining  partners,  and  never 
visited  Clinton  again.  After  J.  P.  Alden  with- 
drew Hon.  James  Dickson,  of  Honesdale,  was 
taken  in  as  a  partner. 

Simon  J.,  the  father  of  David  and  Willis  W. 
Hopkins,  died  September  9,  1870,  aged  forty- 
one  years.  He  was  practically  a  self-educated 
man,  witli  remarkable  native  talent,  which  was 
largely  improved  by  observation.  ( )f  that 
family  Samuel  went  West;  David,  a  brother, 
who  now  resides  in  Parkridge,  N.  J.,  was  pro- 
minent in  many  of  the  interests  of  the  New 
York  and  Erie  Railroad  during  the  time  when 
Fisk  and  Gould  were  its  leading  spirits,  and 
afterwards  began  the  publication  of  the  Ameri- 
can Sentry,  a  Greenback  organ  of  considerable 
snap  in  New  York.  William,  another  brother, 
is  a  farmer,  now  living  near  the  old  homestead 
of  the  late  Thomas  Olver. 

Fisher  Case,  and  his  son,  Ralph,  both  lie  in 
the  Baptist  burying-ground.  Ralph  was  for 
many  years  in  the  employ  of  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Company,  having  charge  of  the  com- 
pany's reservoirs  in  the  township  and  vicinity. 
Ralph  was  singular  in  his  way,  a  keen  observer 
of  men  and  things,  and  was  postmaster  under 
the  administration  of  Marshal  Jewell,  and  kept 
the  office  in  the  store  of  Sidney  Norton.  Mr. 
Case  died  in  the  "  Perrine"  House.  He  owned 
the  farm  and  built  the  house  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Edward  Moran. 

In  the  line  of  dealers  in  general  merchandise, 
now  retired,  Edward  Gaylord  was  the  first, 
keeping  store,  in  what  is  now  the  "  Mill- 
house,"  from  1849  to  1851  ;  afterwards  the 
"  Tannery-store "  was  started,  D.  W.  Em- 
mons and  William  Gilmore  being  the  principal 
dealers ;  this  store  has  been  kept  by  Judge 
Dickson,  Jr.,  and  L.  H.  Alden,  and  is  now  kept 
by  C.  H.  Wilmarth,  though  the  building  is 
owned  by  the  Messrs.  Fleming. 

The  grist-mill  has  been  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Mr.  James  W.  Fowler  (father),  James 
(the  son),  George  and  Aaron,  belonging  to  a 
family  of  seven  or  eight  sons,  all  millers,  and 
good  ones  too.  (James,  the  son,  married  Celia, 
57 


daughter  of  William  Bates,  Sr. ;  George,  mar- 
ried Eva,  daughter  of  William  Olver  ;  and 
Aaron,  married  Maria,  daughter  of  Rev.  J.  R. 
Remsen,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church.)  Sub- 
sequent occupants  of  the  mill  were  Mr.  Gabriel 
Howell  and  Mr.  Adam  C.  Clark.  Mr.  Howell 
was  from  South  Canaan,  and  Mr.  Clark  from 
New  York. 

Luther  Ledyard,  "  Uncle  Lute,"  owned  and 
lived  on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
Mr.  George  Genther,  and  was  quite  prominent 
in  the  politics  of  the  township.  He  was  born 
in  Brooklyn,  Conn.,  in  1794.  His  remains 
were  interred  on  the  farm  where  he  died.  His 
wife,  Roby,  rests  by  his  side.  She  died  April 
4,  1880,  aged  seventy-eight  years  and  sixteen 
days. 

Daniel  Arnold,  father  of  Henry  and  Charles, 
and  of  Milo  Gay  lord's  -wife,  owned  and  lived 
on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Milo. 
From  the  elevation  at  the  north  of  his  resi- 
dence a  couple  of  hundred  yards,  a  view  is  ob- 
tained, which,  in  extent  and  beauty,  is  hardly 
equaled  from  any  point  on  the  Catskills  or  the 
blue  ridge  of  the  Alleghanies.  Mr.  Arnold 
died  in  1873,  aged  eighty -three,  and  was  buried 
iu  the  cemetery  of  the  Central  Baptist  Church, 
Clinton. 

Asa  Stanton,  who  killed,  in  Warren  County, 
the  elk  whose  antlers  have  been  in  possession 
of  the  family  for  half  a  century,  died  July  7, 
1883,  aged  ninety-three.  William  Giles  was 
fifty-four  at  the  time  of  his  death,  June  14, 
1872.  William  Bates,  Sr.,  lies  beside  his  wife, 
Mrs.  Betsey  Bates,  by  the  side  of  the  main 
avenue,  about  midway  of  the  cemetery.  They 
were  the  parents  of  Samuel,  William,  Stephen, 
John,  Robert,  Thomas,  and  besides,  the  daugh- 
ter heretofore  named,  Emma,  wife  of  William 
Turner,  of  Clinton. 

Mr.  Philip  Kennedy  now  owns  and  occupies 
the  old  homestead.  John,  the  grandfather  of 
John,  killed  the  first  elk  that  was  killed  in 
Wayne  County. 

Reuben  Peck,  the  father  of  Albert  Peck, 
Esq.,  who  resides  on  the  old  homestead,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  estimable  citizens  of  the  town- 
ship, and  of  E.  M.  Peck,  now  a  resident  of 
Carbondale,  holding  a  very  responsible  position 


586 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONUOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


with  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Com- 
pany, died  January  13,  1870,  seventy-one  years 
old.  His  wife,  Sally  Ann,  died  October  29, 
1875,  aged  seventy-four.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Benjamin  King,  of  Mount  Pleasant 
township,  one  of  the  old  settlers  there. 

Julius  T.  Alden,  of  the  firm  of  Pratt  &  Al- 
den,  and  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  three  broth- 
ers, also  head  of  the  firm  of  Alden  &  Cum- 
in ings,  leather  dealers  in  New  York,  was  born 
in  Windham,  Greene  County,  N.  Y.,  Febru- 
ary 18,  1821,  and  died  at  Little  Falls,  Herk- 
imer ( 'ounty,  N.  Y. 

He  married  Miss  Roxy,  the  daughter  of 
Carleton  Emmons,  of  Oneonta,  N.  Y.,  and  the 
.sister  of  D.  M.  Emmons,  now  of  Huntington 
City,  W.  Y.,  who  built  the  house  now  occupied 
by  C.  H.  Wilmarth,  aud  which  has  been  occu- 
pied successively  by  Francis  Olver. 

The  township  has  within  its  bounds  several 
artificial  reservoirs, — the  "White  Oak," 
"  Long,"  "  Elk,"  "  Mud"  and  "  Swamp,"  col- 
lectively holding  a  vast  amount  of  water,  util- 
ized in  periods  of  low  water  in  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal,  to  keep  up  the  supply  for 
floating  the  company's  boats  to  tide  water  at 
Rondout,  N.  Y.  In  the  purchase  of  privi- 
leges for  these  reservoirs, — dams  having  to  be 
built,  considerable  management  had  to  be  at- 
tended to, — parties  in  the  interest  of  the  com- 
pany, assuming  that  small  dams  only  would  be 
erected,  and,  in  consequence,  privileges  for 
flowing  would  be  purchased  for  a  mere  nomi- 
nal sum.  Notably  was  this  the  case  in  the 
leasing  of  the  White  Oak  Pond,  which  it  was 
said  would  be  set  back  by  a  dam  only  twelve 
feet  high,  securing  thus  the  privilege,  aud  if 
required,  the  right  to  Hood  lands  which  it  was 
deemed  impossible  to  cover.  The  dam  now 
measures  twenty-six  feet,  making  quite  a  differ- 
ence in  the  amount  of  water. 

Samuel  T.  Saunders  purchased  what  is  known 
as  "  the  Island,"  a  high  point  of  land  which 
the  "White  Oak"  surrounded  when  shut  back. 
When  he  died  it  came  into  possession  of  his 
son  George,  who,  with  his  mother,  wife  and 
children,  now  occupy  it.  These  reservoirs,  or 
lakes,  afford  some  very  fine  fishing,  having 
been  "  stocked  "  by  some  of  the  lovers  of  that 


sport.  McKnowu  introduced  the  black  bass, 
while  others,  as  George  S.  Purdy,  Esq.,  sup- 
plied the  streams  with  trout. 

Mr.  Erastus  Loomis  formerly  owned  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Rude.  He  married 
Miss  Mehitabel,  sister  of  John  Bradshaw  and 
James  Muzzey,  she  died  several  years  since,  and 
he  still  survives  her,  and  is  living  with  his 
brother,  Hiram,  at  his  tasteful  mansion,  about  a 
mile  north  of  the  church,  well  preserved,  and 
with  a  remarkably  retentive  memory,  a  moving 
encyclopaedia  of  incidents  connected  with  the 
early  history  of  the  township. 

Newel  Callander,  once  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  lived  in  the  house  now  uearly  adjoin- 
ing the  mansion  of  Mr.  Loomis  (H.  P).  Sidney 
Norton  before  he  built  where  his  son  Myron 
and  his  mother  reside,  lived  on  the  noitheast 
corner  of  the  road  leading  past  Howard  Bunt- 
ings, and  where  it  intersects  the  old  Belmont 
and  Easton  turnpike.  George  Kingsbury  lives 
on  the  farm  where  his  father,  Joseph  Kings- 
bury, lived  so  many  years  and  where  he  died. 
George  was  a  great  hunter  in  his  day,  and  it  is 
necessary  only  to  mention  bear  or  fox  in  his 
presence  to  awaken  reminiscences  of  Clinton  in 
its  primitive  days  both  instructive  and  enter- 
taining. He  married  Mrs.  Mary,  the  widow  of 
James  E.  Belknap,  whose  sons,  John  and  Harry, 
made  an  honorable  record  in  the  late  Civil  War, 
both  losing  their  lives  in  the  service.  James 
was  the  brother  of  John,  a  relative  by  marriage 
of  Hon.  Nathaniel  B.  Eldred. 

Henry  Greiner,  who  was  a  soldier,  lives  on 
the  farm  adjoining  the  one  occupied  by  Mr. 
John  Belknap,  and  is  the  son  of  William 
Greiner,  who  formerly  owned  the  farm  now  oc- 
cupied by  Mr.  John  P.  Pithick.  William  sub- 
sequently moved  to  Seelyville,  and  died  there. 
Henry's  brother,  Frank,  who  married  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  William  Giles,  died  several  years  ago. 

Mr.  S.  Benedict,  late  proprietor  and  editor 
of  the  Carbondale  Advance,  bought  a  part  of 
what  is  now  the  farm  occupied  by  the  widow  of 
Michael  Moran,  aud  built  a  house  on  it  which 
was  burned.  He  then  went  to  Carbondale,  and 
subsequently  sold  his  property  in  Clinton  to 
Mr.  Moran,  who  occupied  it  till  his  death  which 
occurred  in  1886. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


587 


Samucl  Walker,  a  great  hunter,  lived  in  a 
house  standing  nearly  opposite  the  carriage 
house  of  Mr.  E.  H.  Curtis.  He  went  West, 
became  <|iiite  a  prominent  personage,  and  died 
there  in  July,  1886.  His  wife  was  Maria, 
daughter  of  Mr.  Jacob  Faatz,  largely  engaged  in 
the  erection  and  conducting  the  business  of  the 
"  Old  Glass  Factory "  in  Dyberry.  West- 
wardly  from  thence  over  the  high  lands  and  off 
to  the  left,  south  from  the  "  G."  House  lives 
Moses,  the  son  of  William  Cole,  one  of  Clinton's 
best  farmers  and  citizens,  at  present  an  honored 
member  of  the  Board  of  School  Directors, 
which  has  given  to  Clinton  a  system  of  Common 
Schools  second  to  none  in  the  county  outside  the 
graded  schools. 

The  Lackawaxex  Turnpike  was  char- 
tend  by  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania, 
July  16,  1828,  and  an  election  of  officers  was 
held  at  Belmont,  September  28th  of  that  year, 
with  Rufus  Grenell,  president;  Jacob  S.  Davis, 
treasurer;  and  L.  C.  Judson,  secretary.  The 
latter  was  the  father  of  "  Ned  Buntline."  The 
following  were  elected  as  managers  :  Harry 
Mumford,  Luther  Stark,  Thomas  Slayton,  John 
Crater,  Levi  C.  Judson,  Fisher  Case,  Virgil 
Grenell,  Daniel  Bunting,  Seth  Haydeu,  Ben- 
jamin Jenkins,  Richard  L.  Seely,  father  of 
Hon.  H.  M.  Seely  (President  Judge)  and  late 
president  of  the  (now  National)  Honesdale 
Bank. 

Governor  David  R.  Porter,  November  28, 
1839,  appointed  Austin  Davenport,  Francis 
Griswold  and  David  S.  West  commissioners  to 
examine  said  turnpike  road ;  and  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  commissioners  licensed 
the  president,  managers,  etc.,  to  erect  gates  for 
the  collection  of  tolls  from  all  persons  traveling 
on  the  turnpike  with  horses,  cattle,  carts  and 
carriages.  This  turnpike  began  at  the  Cochec- 
ton  and  Great  Beud  Turnpike  near  the  village 
of  Belmont,  ran  along  the  west  branch  of  the 
Lacka waxen  River,  past  what  is  now  Alden- 
ville,  and  intersected  the  Honesdale  and  Clarks- 
town  Turnpike  at  Prompton,  a  distance  of 
fourteen  miles  and  two  hundred  and  fourteen 
rods.  After  an  existence  of  twenty-six  years, 
it  was  surrendered  to  the  several  townships 
through  which  it  passed  in  1866. 


CHURCHES. — -There  have  been  four  church 
buildings  erected  in  the  township,  the  oldest  be- 
ing the  Central  Baptist,  organized  November  10, 
1831,  though  the  members  living  in  the  vicinity 
who  had  withdrawn  from  surrounding  churches, 
met  to  consider  the  propriety  of  organizing 
themselves  into  a  separate  church  October  23d 
of  that  year.  Their  first  church  building  was 
completed  and  opened  for  public  worship  in  the 
autumn  of  1846.  This  house  being  destroyed 
by  a  cyclone  July  25,  1851,  a  new  one  was 
erected  on  the  same  site  and  dedicated  January 
21,  1855.  This  made  two  that  were  built  up 
to  that  time.  For  a  number  of  years  previous 
to  the  constitution  of  the  Baptist  Church  at 
Aldenville,  the  place  had  been  occupied  as  an 
out  station  by  pastors  of  the  Baptist  Churches 
of  Bethany,  Clinton  and  Honesdale.  The 
labors  of  Rev.  Henry  Curtis  had  been  abun- 
dant and  continuous.  A  flourishing  Sabbath- 
school  had  been  organized  and  sustained  by  the 
Baptists.  Prayer-meetings  were  held  and  March 
1,  1855,  a  "Council  of  Recognition  "  was  held 
in  the  school-house  at  which  Rev.  Zelotes 
Grenell  was  moderator  and  E.  L.  Baily,  clerk, 
and  with  sixteen  members  was  constituted  the 
regular  Baptist  Church  of  Aldenville.  In 
February.  1856,  Mr.  Curtis  became  pastor,  and 
on  the  9th  of  July  of  that  year,  the  church 
building  costing  fifteen  hundred  dollars  was 
dedicated.  Its  present  pastor,  Rev.  James  R. 
Remsen,  was  installed  in  May,  1871.  In  1880, 
the  25th  year  of  its  existence  was  celebrated 
with  appropriate  services.  This  made  the  third 
church  building  erected  in  the  township.  The 
plot  of  ground  immediately  in  front  of  the 
church  was  deeded  to  the  trustees  of  the  Alden- 
ville Baptist  Church  and  their  successors  in 
office  The  lot  on  which  the  church  stands  was 
purchased  from  the  tannery  firm  for  one  hun- 
dred dollars. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  com- 
menced later  than  the  Baptist,  but  owing  to  the 
burden  placed  upon  the  latter  in  erectiug  two 
churches  so  soon  and  thus  delaying  the  comple- 
tion of  their  house,  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
opened  their  house  first,  the  Baptists,  mean- 
while, worshipping  in  the  school-house.  To 
the    labors    of  Messrs.    Thomas    and   William 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Olveraixl  Mr.  Charles  Manaton  are  mainly  due 
the  erection  of  the  neat  and  roomy  church 
building.  It  is  supplied  with  an  Estey  organ. 
It  has  had  some  able  ministers.  The  lot  on 
which  it  stands  was  donated  to  it  by  the  tannery 
firm,  and  is  of  the  same  dimensions  as  the 
Baptists'  lot  adjoining,  seventy-five  by  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet.  It  was  repainted  in  the 
autumn  of  1885.  This  was  the  fourth  church 
edifice  erected  in  the  township  since  1845. 

Schools. — In  the  spring  of  the  present  year 
the  question  of  discontinuing  the  Independent 
school  district  began  to  be  agitated, — W.  C. 
Norton,  of  the  "  Ridge  Farm,"  and  his  brother- 
in-law,  Mr.  E.  H.  Ledyard,  being  actively  en- 
gaged in  favor  of  its  being  discontinued,  while 
Mr.  Harrison,  on  whose  land  the  school-house 
still  stands,  William  Rude,  L.  F.  Norton,  W. 
W.  Davidson, — son  of  J.  K.  Davidson,  Es<j., — 
Mr.  A.  R.  Squires,  and  a  few  others,  opposed. 
After  considerable  argument  and  examining  of 
witnesses,  his  Honor  decided  that  it  must  "go," 
and  the  future  historian  will  not  have  to  incor- 
porate in  his  legends  the  existence  of  an  Inde- 
pendent school  district  in  Clinton  township. 
The  spring  term  of  court  decided  that, — and 
now  the  directors  have  entered  into  contract 
with  parties  to  erect  an  additional  school-house 
on  lands  of  Mr.  Rude,  near  the  Central  Baptist 
church. 

The  officers  of  the  Independent  school  at  the 
time  of  its  dissolution  were  :  Perry  Saunders, 
president ;  Charles  E.  Howell,  secretary ;  and 
Chauncey  Davenport,  treasurer. 

The  township  board  of  school  directors  con- 
sists of  Henry  Greiner,  president ;  C.  H.  Wil- 
marth,  secretary ;  John  Dolph,  treasurer  ;  H. 
B.  Curtis,  James  R.  Pethick,  and  Moses  Cole. 

George  Curtis  is  now  engaged  in  the  erection 
of  a  steam  flour  and  feed  mill  at  Forest  City. 
Other  operations  of  the  present  are  the  erec- 
tion of  a  hotel  there  by  James  Fleming,  who 
was  also  made  postmaster  there,  vice  William 
Pentecost,  and  the  erection  of  a  steam  saw  mill 
by  Theron  and  Earl  (sous  of  H.  P.)  Loomis. 

Forest  City  being  a  new  mining  town  on  the 
western  border  of  Clinton,  the  township  is  repre- 
sented quite  extensively  in  its  enterprises ;  and, 
independent   of  its  mining  interests,  the  town- 


ship has  contributed  largely  to  its  general  pros- 
perity, which,  if  it  shall  be  permanent,  will  be 
a  source  of  pride  to  the  people. 

Alkenville. — With  a  population  of  one 
hundred,  is  situated  in  Clinton  township,  Wayne 
County,  nine  miles  northwest  of  Honesdale,  the 
county  seat  and  shipping  point. 

Following  is  the  directory  of  the  village: 

Irwin  Bunnell,  flour  mill  ;  H.  P.  Haight,  dealer  in 
stocks  and  postmaster;  Albert  R.  Peek,  justice  of  the 
peace ;  J.  L.  Keene  &  Co.,  saw  mill ;  George  Moore, 
blacksmith;  E.  K.  Norton,  livestock;  W.  C.  Norton, 
live  stock ;  C.  H.  Wilmarth,  general  store. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

ERASTUS    W.    LOOMIS. 

The  Loomis  family  is  of  English  origin,  the 
paternal  ancestor,  Joseph  Loomis,  having  emi- 
grated from  Braiutree,  Essex  County,  England, 
in  the  ship  "  Susan  and  Ellen,"  which  sailed 
from  London  April  11,  1638,  and  arrived  in 
Boston  July  17th  of  the  same  year.  In  the 
following  year  he  moved  with  his  family,  con- 
sisting of  his  wife  and  five  sons  and  three 
daughters  to  Windsor,  Litchfield  County,  Conn. 
Of  his  sons,  Nathaniel  was  born  in  England, 
and  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John 
Moore,  November  24,  1653.  He  died  August 
19,  1688.  His  children  were  Elizabeth,  Na- 
thaniel, Abigail,  Josiah,  Jonathan,  David, 
Hezekiah,  Moses,  Mindwell,  Ebenezer,  Mary 
and  Rebecca.  Of  these  David  was  born  Jan- 
uary 11,  1667;  married,  December  8,  1692, 
Lydia  Marsh.  He  died  January  9,  1751. 
His  children  were  Lydia,  David,  Aaron,  Heph- 
zibah,  Eliakim,  Elizabeth,  Richard  and  Han- 
nah. Aaron  was  born  September  5,  1686  ; 
married,  February  5,  1718,  Elizabeth  Horman, 
who  died  April  15,  1783.  He  died  September 
13,  1773.  Their  children  were  Deborah, 
Grace,  Aaron,  Mindwell,  Moses,  Abner, 
Esther,  Ephraim,  Richard,  Eli,  Issachar, 
Naomi,  Abiah  and  Lemuel. 

Ephraim  was  born  April  1,  1731;  married, 
October  31,  1756,  Ruth  Hifford  ;  for  his  sec- 
ond wife  he  married,  October  18,   1764,  Jane 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


589 


Campbell.  He  died  April  4,  1812.  His 
children  were  Ephraim  Ruth,  Amy,  Aaron, 
Solomon,  Jane,  Silas,  Bildad,  Rebecca  and 
Elias.  Of  these  Ephraim,  Jr.,  was  born  July 
12,  1758;  married,  October  30,  1784,  Jane 
Fyler,  who  died  March  30,  1789;  married, 
second,  July  20,  1789,  Zervia  Hill.  He  died 
in  1824.  His  children  were  Reuben,  Oliver, 
Ephraim,  Asahel,  Zerviah,  Ruth,  Ephraim, 
Charles    G.,    Roman    and    Caroline.       Reuben 


18,  1817,  when  he  loaded  all  his  household 
goods,  his  wife  and  three  sons  (the  eldest  but 
six  years  old)  into  a  large  covered  wagon,  and, 
with  two  yoke  of  oxen  as  motive  power,  started 
for  Mt.  Pleasant,  in  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  away.  At  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant they  had  a  distant  relative,  whom  they 
called  uncle  Iehabod  Demens,  and  at  whose 
door  the  two  yoke  of  oxen  and  wagon,  with  its 
cold  and  weary  occupants,  came  to  a  halt  in  the 


CD)        f/T         o4f(rt 


y-y^f 


Loom  is,  or  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  Torrington,  Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  Octo- 
ber 9,  1785.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  be- 
came a  member  of  his  uncle  Stephen  Fyler's 
family,  with  whom  he  resided  until  he  reached 
his  majority.  He  then  spent  some  time  in 
New  Hampshire,  working  on  a  turnpike.  After 
his  marriage,  in  1807,  to  Miss  Sarah  Westland, 
who  was  born  in  Windsor,  Hartford  County, 
Conn.,  November  25,  1787,  he  worked  at  farm- 
ing or  anything  which  offered   until  January 


|  night  of  January  27th,  just  nine  days  after 
starting.  Erastus  W.,  though  but  six  years 
old  at  the  time,  well  remembers  that  long  ride 
in  mid-winter,  and  the  joy  they  experienced 
when,  crying  with  cold  and  hunger,  they  reached 
Uncle  Demens'  door.  Mr.  Loomis  bought 
fifty-seven  acres  of  wild  laud  adjoining  Uncle 
Demens'    farm,   and    at   once   commenced    the 

:  work  of  building  a  small  log  house  and  cutting 
away  the  timber  around  the  same.     During  the 

I  winter  the   family  lived  with  Daniel    Roberts, 


59(1 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


who  was  a  widower  and  was  glad  to  have  Mrs. 
Loomis  look  after  his  house  and  little  ones. 

On  the  1st  of  June  following  their  arrival  the 
family  moved  into  their  own  house,  which  was 
of  the  most  primitive  make.  The  fire-place 
was  but  a  tew  feet  high,  and,  for  want  of  a 
chimney,  the  smoke  was  allowed  to  escape  the 
best  way  possible.  To  his  farm  there  was  only 
a  lumberman's  road,  and  the  country  for  miles 
around  was  new  and  wild.  Deer,  wolves,  pan- 
thers and  bear  were  plenty,  and  Mr.  Loomis 
kept  his  table  well  supplied  with  venison  and 
other  game.  Erastus  \\\,  the  eldest  son,  re- 
members well  going  to  sleep  many  a  night  with 
the  howling  of  wolves  sounding  in  his  ears,  and 
that  his  father's  and  their  neighbors'  sheep  were 
often  killed  by  them.  The  family  for  years 
saw  hard  times  and  always  hard  work.  ( )ne 
winter  the  steady  cold  weather  froze  the  dams, 
and  the  mills  stopped  running,  and  the  whole 
neighborhood  was  out  of  flour,  and,  with  only 
potatoes  to  eat,  the  settlers  saw  hunger  staring 
them  in  the  face.  Finally  Uncle  Demens,  with 
oxen  and  an  old  sled,  started  for  Mr.  Keen's 
mill  in  Canaan  township,  and,  with  flour  for 
the  whole  neighborhood,  returned  just  at  night 
of  a  winter's  day.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loomis  lived 
to  see  the  wilderness  changed  into  farms  and 
the  log  houses  replaced  with  more  pretentious 
ones,  and  with  prosperity  came  schools,  churches 
and  a  better  civilization.  They  cleared  their 
farm,  built  farm-houses  and  barns,  reared  a 
family  of  children,  and  passed  away  mourned 
and  regretted  by  those  who  knew  them  best. 
Mr.  Loomis  was  for  many  years  in  the  militia 
service,  and  was  a  lieutenant  both  in  Connec- 
ticut and  in  Wayne  County.  He  was  a  Demo- 
crat, but  not  an  active  politician.  Mr.  Loomis 
died  November  10,  1849  ;  his  wife,  August  4, 
1866.  To  them  were  born  children  as  follows  : 
Erastus  \V\,  Oliver  H.,  born  in  1812,  Febru- 
ary 20;  Daniel  D.,  born  November  27,  1814; 
Reuben  F.,  born  June  18,  1817  ;  Hiram  P., 
born  December  9,  1819;  Marietta,  born  Jan- 
uary 2,  1821,  and  Lucretia  J.,  born  December 
25,  1823.  Hiram  P.  married,  May  20,  1846, 
Laura  Griswold,  who  was  born  July  7,  1826. 
Their  children  are  Theron  O.,  born  February 
25,  1848  ;  Oliver  G.,  born   August   16,  1857, 


died  April  21,  1851  ;  Helen  A.,  born  February 
21,  1X60,  died  November  17,  1860;  and 
Francis  E.,  born  December  17,  1862.  Erastus 
W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in 
Torrington,  Conn.,  April  9,  1810.  Until  sev- 
enteen years  of  age  he  remained  with  his 
father,  laboring  as  soon  as  old  enough  for  the 
common  good.  He  then  went  to  live  with 
Francis  Griswold,  with  whom  he  remained, 
working  by  the  year,  until  he  was  thirty-one 
years  old.  Part  of  the  time  he  received  ten 
dollars  per  mouth,  and  paid  his  wages  until  he 
was  of  age  to  his  father.  On  the  20th  day  ot 
May,  1841,  he  led  to  the  altar  Miss  Mehitabel 
Muzzey,  who  was  born  February  22,  1819,  and 
was  daughter  of  Pliny  and  Mary  (Draper) 
Muzzey.  They  were  Massachusetts  people  and 
from  a  prominent  family.  They  moved  into 
Wayne  County  about  1825,  and  bought  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Hiram  Loomis.  In  August, 
1841,  Mr.  Loomis  bought  of  W.  W.  Norton 
the  farm  now  owned  by  William  Rood,  and  the 
newly-married  couple  commenced  life  thereon. 
It  was  in  a  bad  condition,  and  Mr.  Loomis  at 
once  commenced  the  work  of  improvement. 
The  house  and  barns  were  repaired,  fences 
built  and  fields  cleared,  thus  doubling  its  value 
and  making  it  a  pleasant  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Loomis  were  for  nearly  half  a  century  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  for  many  years 
both  sung  in  the  choir,  she  as  leading  soprano, 
he  as  tenor.  The  land  on  which  the  church 
stands  was  donated  by  Mr.  Loomis.  For  sev- 
eral years  before  her  death  Mrs.  Loomis  was  an 
invalid  and  a  great  sufferer,  which  she  bore 
with  Christian  fortitude.  She  passed  away 
October  18,  1863,  leaving  a  void  in  Mr. 
Loomis'  home  that  could  never  be  filled,  and 
four  years  after  he  sold  the  farm,  since  which  time 
he  has  lived  with  his  relatives.  Mr.  Loomis  is 
one  of  the  few  who  has  seen  Wayne  County  a 
wilderness  and  now  sees  it  a  thickly  settled 
country.  The  howl  of  the  wolf  he  hears  no 
more,  but,  instead,  the  whistle  of  the  engine 
and  the  whir  of  the  mowing  machine  and 
reaper ;  and  now,  at  a  ripe  old  age,  he  is  await- 
ing calmly  and  without  fear  the  end  of  a  long 
and  well-spent  life. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


r.Mi 


ORSON    CASE. 

Among  the  self-made  men  of  Wayne  County, 
men  who  commenced  in  life  without  a  dollar, 
and  by  energy,  integrity  and  industry  have 
made  for  themselves  a  position  among  their 
fellow  men  and  a  competency,  we  find  the 
name  of  Orson  Case,  of  Clinton  township, 
Wayne  County,  Pa.  He  was  born  at  what  is 
now  known  as  Hop  Bottom  Station,  Susque- 
hanna County,  Pa.,  on  the  11th  day  of  March, 


became  very  skillful,  and  was  sent  for  from  far 
and  near  to  repair  old  mills  and  build  new- 
ones.  He  built  many  of  the  mills  still  to  be 
seen  in  Susquehanna  and  Wayne  Counties,  Pa., 
and  in  adjoining  counties  in  New  York.  When 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion  broke  out  he  enlisted 
in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Seventh 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry; 
mustered  October  6,  18*32,  and  discharged  Feb- 
ruary 26,   1863.     He   participated    in   several 


&L 


1836.  Bela  Case,  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Lyme,  Conn.,  where  his  ances- 
tors settled  when  they  came  to  this  country. 
He,  Bela,  was  among  the  early  settlers  of  Sus- 
quehanna County,  Pa.,  coming  to  it  when  it 
was  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness,  when 
panthers,  bear  and  deer  were  to  be  found  in 
great  numbers.  Orson  Case,  Sr.,  son  of  Bela 
Case,  was  also  born  in  Connecticut,  and  came 
when  small  to  Susquehanna  County  with  his 
father.     He  learned  the  mill-wright  trade,  and 


?a^t^ 


battles,  the  most  important  one  being  the  battle 
of  Fredericksburg.  He  was  discharged  by  a 
surgeon's  certificate  of  disability,  and  came  home 
sick  with  throat  and  lung  troubles  from  which 
he  never  recovered.  He  died  March  31,  1876. 
He  married  Miss  Ann  Eliza  Smith,  who  came 
from  Connecticut  where  her  ancestors  had 
resided  for  many  years  engaged  in  tilling  the 
soil.  To  Orson  Case,  Sr.,  were  born  children 
as  follows, — James  G.,  Marcus  now  deceased, 
(who   served  in  the  Union   army  and   was   in 


.-)!>■_' 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,   PENNSYLVANIA. 


many  skirmishes  and  battles),  Jane  E.,  George 
W.  (who  served  three  years  in  the  Fourteenth 
Pennsylvania  Calvary,  and  saw  and  took  part 
in  many  a  hard  fought  battle),  Orson,  Jr., 
Malvina,  Louisa,  Jerome  (who  also  served  in 
the  Union  army  a  year  and  saw  active  service), 
Henry  and  Sarah. 

Orson  Case,  Jr.,  of  whom  this  sketch  is 
written,  commenced  working  with  his  father  for 
wages  when  but  fourteen  years  old,  which  may 
be  said  to  have  been  his  start  in  life.  He 
learned  the  mill-wright  trade  and  followed  it 
several  years.  We  next  find  him  running  saw- 
mills at  different  points  in  Pennsylvania  and 
New  York.  When  twenty-two  years  old,  with 
the  money  he  had  saved  he  purchased  forty 
acres  of  his  father's  farm  near  Hop  Bottom 
winch  he  kept  until  1864,  when  he  sold 
out,  and  with  his  family  came  to  Wayne 
County  and  bought  of  Amos  Denslo,  the  saw- 
mill and  farm  he  now  owns.  He  has  rebuilt 
the  house,  built  out-buildings  and  many  rods 
of  stone  wall.  The  fine  fruit  his  family  now 
enjoy  is  the  result  of  his  skill  and  perseverance 
in  budding,  pruning  and  planting  trees.  When 
a  small  hoy  he  many  times  escaped  well-deserved 
punishment  at  his  mother's  hands  by  hiding 
under  the  bee-hives.  He  then  learned  that 
they  would  not  sting  him,  and  formed  an 
attachment  for  the  little  workers  which  has 
grown  stronger  witli  advancing  years.  In 
1866  he  purchased  a  few  swarms  of  bees  in  the 
old  style  hive  and  began  raising  them.  For 
eight  years  he  kept  on  in  the  old  way  of  bee 
culture,  and  then  commenced  to  make  them  and 
their  habits  and  culture  a  study.  He  bought 
and  studied  works  on  bee  culture,  and  found 
that  the  successful  handling  of  bees  was  a 
science,  and  that  the  more  he  watched  and 
studied,  the  more  he  admired  them.  He  built 
a  bee-house,  and  changed  his  old  hives  for  the 
most  improved  make  until  he  now  has  a  hun- 
dred of  the  best  pattern  of  hives,  no  two  of 
which  are  painted  alike.  In  addition  to  deriv- 
ing a  vast  amount  of  pleasure  from  the  culture 
of  honey  bees,  he  has  made  it  a  financial  suc- 
cess, and  intends  to  keep  his  swarms  up  to  an 
even  hundred.  Mr.  Case  has  always  been  a 
Democrat,  and  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 


his  party  in  Wayne  County.  He  has  been  a 
delegate  to  the  county  conventions  at  different 
times,  and  has  held  minor  township  offices.  He 
is  now  holding  his  second  term  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  is  and  has  been  for  eight  years  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  and  has 
taken  two  degrees  of  the  Star  Lodge  Chapter 
and  Knights  Templar.  Mr.  Case,  his  wife  and 
daughters  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  of 
which  he  is  now  trustee.  On  the  13th  day  of 
July,  1S64,  he  was  joined  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Orpha  A.  Alden,  who  was  born  in  Windsor 
township,  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  January  13, 
1842.  Mrs.  Case  is  of  English  origin.  Her  grand- 
father, Benjamin  F.  Alden,  came  from  Great 
Barriugton,  Mass.,  and  settled  in  the  wilderness 
in  Windsor  township.  Benjamin  F.  married 
Hannah  Graham,  who  bore  him  the  following 
children, — Barnabas,  Timothy,  Benjamin  F., 
Jr.,  Sophronia,  Naomi,  Saloma  (twins)  and 
Almida.  Barnabas  married  Margaret  Snyder, 
and  their  children  were  Eliza,  Jane,  Timothy 
P.,  Philip  H,  John  C,  Almaretta,  Sophronia 
J.,  Hannah  P.,  Lydia  A.  and  Orpha  A. 

Mr.  and  Mrs  Orson  Case's  children  are  Effie 
E.  (born  March  30,  ]  867),  Sherman  A.  (Novem- 
ber 13,  1869,  died  March  30,  1873)  and  Bessie 
O.  (September  1,  1873,  died  October  30, 1873). 


HENRY    GKKINER 

was  born  in  Dyberry  township,  Wayne  Coun- 
ty, Pa.,  on  the  28th  day  of  October,  1833. 
His  ancestors  came  from  Germany  about  1820 
and  settled  in  Lackawanna  County,  Pa.,  at  a 
place  called  Newton.  The  first  to  settle  as 
above  set  forth  was  Paul  Greiner,  Henry's 
grandfather.  He  lived  for  a  time  in  Mount 
Pleasant  township,  Wayne  County,  then  emi- 
grated to  St.  Clair  County,  Michigan,  where  he 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  His  chil- 
dren were  Henry,  William,  Jackson,  Christian, 
Hannah  and  Sophia.  Of  the  sons  Henry 
moved  to  Holmes  County,  Ohio,  in  1845,  where 
he  died,  leaving  a  family  of  children.  Jack- 
sou  and  Christian  went  with  their  father  to 
Michigan  where  their  descendants  still  reside. 
William,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Germany  and  came  with  his  father  to  this  coun- 
try when  but  eight  years  of  age.       He   learned 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


593 


the  glass-blower's  trade  and  worked  in  the 
Bethany  Glass-Factory.  He  finally  left  the 
glass-works  and  moved  on  to  a  farm  he  pur- 
chased in  Clinton  township,  in  Wayne  County. 
He  lost  a  thousand  dollars  by  the  failure  of  the 
glass-works,  which  made  paying  for  his  farm  a 
difficult  task,  and  a  task  his  children  were,  as 
soon  as  old  enough,  called  upon  to  assist  in. 
He  died  in  Seelyville,  Wayne  County,  in  No- 


He  was  an  ardent  Republican  as  were  all  his 
brothers,  though  the  father  was  a  Democrat. 
Fired  with  patriotism,  Henry  early  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1861  joined  with  others  in  the  attempt 
to  raise  a  company  in  their  vicinity,  but  failing 
in  so  doing  and  feeling  that  his  country  needed 
the  services  of  her  young  men  he  enlisted  about, 
October  15,  1861,  in  Company  H,  Fifty-second 
Regiment    Pennsylvania    Volunteer    Infantry. 


7€A 


7 


^AjU^t/A^ 


veniber,  1881.  He  married  Miss  Charlotte 
Greiner,  who  bore  him  children  as  follows  : 
Henry,  William  F.,  Abram,  Jackson,  Mary  E. 
and  Julia  E.  Henry  grew  to  man's  estate  iu 
Clinton  township,  receiving  only  such  education 
as  could  be  obtained  by  a  few  months'  attend- 
ance at  the  winter  schools  of  his  neighbor- 
hood. The  quiet  life  of  a  farmer  which  was 
being  led  by  young  Henry  was  ended,  when,  in 
1861    the   slaveholders'     rebellion    broke  out. 


The  regiment  was  soon  sent  to  the  front  and 
saw  hard  service.  Among  the  many  battles  and 
skirmishes  participated  in  by  our  subject  were 
Lee's  Mills,  in  April,  1862  ;  Williamsburg, 
May  5,  1862  ;  Chickahominy,  May  19,  1862  ; 
Seven  Pines,  May  24  to  26  (inclusive),  1862; 
Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862;  Bottom  Bridge, 
June  27  and  28,  1862;  White  Oaks  Swamp, 
June  30,  1862;  Carter's  Hill,  July  2,  1862. 
Becoming  completely  disabled  by  sickness  while 


594 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


at  Yorktown,  he  was  discharged  December  6, 
1802,  and  returned  to  his  home  in  Wayne 
County  where  lie  remained  till  February  15, 
1804,  when,  feeling  that  more  men  were  needed 
to  crush  the  rebellion,  he  enlisted  in  the  Second 
Pennsylvania  Heavy  Artillery,afterwardscalled 
a  Provisional  Regiment,  and  nearly  cut  to  pieces 
in  the  Wilderness  Campaign.  In  this  campaign 
Henry  took  part  in  the  battles  of  the  Wilder- 
ness, Spottsylvania,  Coal  Harbor  and  in  the 
long  and  arduous  siege  of  Petersburg,  Va.  In 
making  a  charge  at  Petersburg  his  company 
lost  all  its  commissioned  officers  and  all  its  non- 
commissioned officers  but  one,  and  out  of  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  men  only  forty  were  left 
for  duty.  His  regiment  was  on  the  picket  line 
the  night  Lee's  army  retreated  from  Petersburg 
and  Henry  and  his  comrades  were  the  first  to 
learn  of  the  retreat.  The  regiment  was  one  of 
those  which  took  possession  of  the  city,  and 
here  he  remained  until  December  6, 1865,  when 
to  save  his  life  he  was  honorably  discharged  and 
reached  his  home  a  physical  wreck.  He  has 
partly  recovered  his  health  but  will  never  be  a 
strong  man  again.  In  1867  he  purchased  the 
farm  on  which  he  now  resides.  The  house  and 
part  of  the  outbuildings  he  has  built,  and  here 
he  intends  to  spend  his  days.  In  politics  lie  is 
an  ardent  Republican  and  one  of  whose  Repub- 
licanism there  is  never  any  doubt.  He  has 
never  cared  for  office  and  has  held  only  minor 
township  offices.  In  the  month  of  February, 
1867,  he  was  joined  in  marriage  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth A.  Giles,  who  was  born  in  Clinton,  March 
21,  1846.  She  is  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Grace  (Matthews)  Giles,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  England.  Mr.  Giles  came  to  this 
country  in  1841  and  worked  on  a  farm  near 
Honesdale  by  the  month  and  thus  obtained  a 
start  in  life.  He,  in  partnership  with  his  brother 
James,  bought  the  farm  now  owned  by  the  lat- 
ter, his  part  of  which  he  sold  to  his  brother  and 
then  bought  one  on  his  own  account.  He  died 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  wife,  near  Al- 
denville.  His  father  and  mother,  Thomas  and 
Elizabeth  Giles,  came  from  England  after  Wil- 
liam did  and  settled  in  Wayne  County,  where 
they  passed  the  remainder  of  their  days.  To 
Henry  Greiner  and  wife  have  been  born  the  fol- 


lowing children:  Lottie  I.  (born  March  15, 
1869),  Gracie  M.  (born  May  1,  1870)  and 
Charles  F.  (born  December  9,  1871). 


CHAPTER     XX. 

DYBERRY    TOWNSHIP. 

THERE  is  nothing  in  the  county  records  to 
show  the  exact  time  at  which  Dyberry  was 
erected  as  a  separate  township,  and  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  court,  the  names  of  the  viewers  and 
other  details  have  been  lost.  It  was  probably 
erected  in  the  spring  or  summer  of  1804,  since 
the  first  assessment  was  valued  at  a  joint  meet- 
ing of  the  assessors  from  the  townships  of  Buck- 
ingham, Damascus,  Dyberry  and  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, held  at  the  house  of  Elijah  Dix,  in  the 
latter  township,  December  7,  1804. 

Dyberry  was  the  first  township  taken  from 
those  erected  in  the  excision  of  Wayne  from 
Northampton  County,  and  there  has  always 
been  some  dispute  as  to  the  origin  of  its  Dame. 
Tradition,  as  handed  down  through  Mrs.  Isaac 
Brush,  has  it  that  a  man  named  Dyberry  was 
one  of  the  early  settlers,  and  built  a  cabin  on 
the  east  branch  of  the  creek.  His  was  the  first 
death  in  the  new  township,  and  it  was  named 
in  his  honor.  Another  version  of  the  story  is 
that  in  Dey's  clearing  there  grew  some  rare 
berries,  of  much  the  same  variety  as  "the  Bunt- 
ing Strawberry  "  mentioned  in  the  chapter  on 
Bethany  Dey's  berry  patch,  soon  became  a  noted 
place,  and  when  the  township  was  erected,  the 
name  Dyberry  was  given  to  it.  Both  traditions 
have  their  supporters,  and  to  one  may  be  given 
as  much  credence  as  to  the  other. 

Dyberry  drew  its  original  territory  from  the 
townships  of  Damascus,  Palmyra  and  Canaan, 
but  has  been  much  reduced  in  area  by  the  sub- 
sequent erection  of  Berlin  and  Texas  from  por- 
tions of  it.  It  is  at  present  bounded  by  Mount 
Pleasant  and  Lebanon  on  the  north,  eastwardly 
by  Oregon,  on  the  south  by  Texas  and  on  the 
west  by  Canaan  and  Clinton.  Its  soil  is  varied 
and  of  good  quality,  and  its  beautiful  hills  roll 
gently  to  the  northward,  broken  by  many  brook- 
lets and   several   ponds.     It  combines  scenery 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


505 


to  be  found  in  few  townships;  with  a  wonder- 
fully salubrious  atmosphere,  and  is  traversed 
by  good  roads.  The  main  streams  are  the  Dy- 
berry  and  its  tributaries,  which  drain  the  east- 
ern portion,  and  Jennings'  Brook,  that  lies  in 
the  western  section.  In  the  northwest  the  hills 
slope  away  to  Long  Pond,  and  Third,  Second 
and  First,  or  Jennings'  Ponds  are  in  the  west- 
ern portion.  From  the  latter  most  of  the 
Honesdale  water  supply  is  derived. 

Early  Settlement. — Those  who  first  set- 
tled in  the  present  limits  of  the  township  were 
doubtless  led  there  by  the  fertility  of  the  soil 
and  beauty  of  the  country,  but  after  Bethany 
had  been  selected  as  the  county-seat,  the  settle- 
ment became,  in  a  measure,  perripheral  and 
progressed  rapidly.  Hence  it  is  that  there 
seems  to  have  been  a  constant  and  unceasing 
tide  of  immigration  during  the  first  two  decades 
of  the  present  century.  After  that,  Honesdale 
at  first  divided  and  then  usurped  the  new  comers. 

A  man  named  John  Kizer  seems  to  have  been 
the  first  settler,  but  where  he  came,  or  whither 
he  went  is  not  now  known.  In  1797  he  com- 
pleted a  hut  on  the  place  where  John  Nelson 
now  lives,  and  into  this  Thomas  Spangenburg 
moved  in  1798.  He  had  moved  from  Sussex 
County,  New  Jersey,  bringing  his  wife  and 
household  goods  in  a  rude  vehicle,  to  which  lie 
had  a  single  ox  harnessed  like  a  horse.  He 
had  made  two  trips  to  this  section  before,  the 
first  being  in  1794.  His  memory  of  the  early 
days  was  very  vigorous,  and  a  short  time 
before  his  death,  in  1864,  he  dictated  his  history 
to  Phineas  G.  Goodrich,  Esq.,  through  whose 
courtesy  the  original  manuscript  has  been  placed 
in  the  writer's  hands.  As  portions  of  it  have 
never  been  used,  the  narrative  is  given  almost 
entire  : 

"  I  was  born  in  Sussex  County,  New  Jersey.  When 
I  came  into  Wayne  County — or  what  is  now  Wayne 
County — for  the  first  time,  in  1794,  I  crossed  at  Mon- 
roe ferry,  two  miles  below  Milford.  At  the  latter 
place  there  were  but  two  or  three  houses.  The 
first  house  west  of  Milford  was  an  old  stone  tavern, 
built  by  Andrew  Bray  ;  next  the  old  Lot  tavern,  then 
seven  miles  to  Shohola  farms;  next  Blooming  Grove, 
there  Uriah  Chapman,  Esq.,  lived;  there  I  stopped  a 
week  to  hunt  ;  then  I  came  to  the  Narrows,  where 
Ephraim  Kimble,  St.,  the  father  of  Asa  Kimble, 
lived.     There    I    found    William    Schoonover,    the 


father  of  Daniel,  Levi,  Jacob  and  Simon  Schoonover. 
Levi  Schoonover,  born  that  year,  was  the  first  white 
child  born  on  the  Dyberry.  I  then  came  on  to  Wil- 
sonville.  Several  men  lived  there  who  were  at  work 
on  a  factory  at  the  mouth  of  Paupack.  The  next 
place  was  Paupack  Eddy  ;  there  lived  Ruben  Jones, 
an  enormously  large  tall  white  man,  and  his  brother, 
Alpheus,  and  their  sister,  Widow  Cook.  Elisha  Ames 
lived  on  the  David  Bishop  farm.  I  next  came  to  the 
Benjamin  Haines  place,  since  known  as  the  Jonathan 
Brink  place;  then  to  the  Walter  Kimble  farm,  now 
owned  by  Bulkley  Beardslee;  from  there  I  came  to 
Tracyville.  There  was  an  old  tub  mill  to  grind  corn, 
built  by  Israel  Kelley,  which  had  been  deserted.  Any- 
one who  had  anything  to  grind  went  and  ground  it. 
Then  I  followed  a  path  over  the  east  side  of  Irving 
Cliff  and  came  down  to  where  Daniel  Schoonover 
lives. 

"  This,  as  I  said,  was  in  1794,  and  in  October  of 
1795,  Walter  Kimble  sent  for  me  to  score  square  tim- 
ber. I  came  up  and  worked  till  about  Christmas, 
when  I  went  back  to  New  Jersey.  I  came  back  again 
in  170fi,  and  helped  to  get  out  the  timber  for  the  saw 
mill,  in  which  Jacob  Kimble  was  the  principal  owner, 
remaining  until  they  put  up  the  peat-stack.  The 
water  wheel  was  made  by  a  Mr.  Manning.  We  had 
a  hard  job  to  raise  the  mill,  which  was  the  first  built 
above  Wilsonville.  At  this  we  had  no  courts,  and  the 
nearest  justice  was  John  Brink,  Esq.,  afterwards  As- 
sociate Judge.  The  next  winter  I  went  back  to  New 
Jersey.  In  the  spring  of  1797  I  came  back  andi 
worked  for  Walter  and  Benjamin  Kimble  for  twelve 
dollars  a  month,  doing  all  kinds  of  work,  and  returned 
again  in  the  fall  to  New  Jersey.  I  was  married  to 
Susan  Head  ley,  January  2,  1798,  and  on  the  9th  of 
February,  the  same  year,  came  up  with  an  ox  team 
and  moved  into  a  hut  that  one  Keizer  had  built  in 
1797,  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  John  Nelson. 
Samuel  Smith  built  on  the  other  side  of  the  Van 
Dusen  Place,  and  Conrad  Pulis  built  on  the  old 
Pulis  place.  Richard  Nelson  built  against  the  Big 
Eddy.  They  came  the  same  night  I  did.  That  was 
the  year  Wayne  County  was  set  off,  and  the  first 
court  was  held  at  Milford.  The  sheriff  took  for 
jurors  whom  he  pleased,  and  they  received  no  pay. 
That  year  the  county  was  organized  into  eight  mili- 
tia companies,  and  an  election  was  held  at  Watson- 
ville  to  choose  officers.  John  H.  Schenck  was 
elected  Lieut.-Colonel ;  Ephraim  Killam,  major  of 
the  first  batalion  ;  Samuel  Stanton,  major  of  the 
second  batalion;  William  Chapman,  captain  of  Pal- 
myra ;  Ephraim  Kimble,  captain  of  Lackawaxen  ; 
Jesse  Drabe,  captain  of  Buckingham  ;  John  Tiffany, 
captain  of  Mount  Pleasant ;  Asa  Stanton,  captain  ot 
Canaan;  Edward  Doyle,  of  Buckingham;  Silas 
Woodward,  of  Dyberry  ;  I  was  elected  ensign  under 
Woodward.  There  was  another  election  in  1800,  at 
which  I  was  elected  captain  of  the  Dyberry  Com- 
pany.    I  was  re-elected  several  times. 


r.«"M5 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


"  In  1798  there  was  only  one  election  district  in 
Wayne  County,  and  that  was  at  Elijah  Dix's,  in 
Mount  Pleasant.  There  was  no  road  at  this  time  ex- 
cept by  a  trail  marked  by  topped  bushes  and  barked 
trees.  I  went  there  in  1799  to  vote  for  governor. 
Two  went  from  Cherry  Ridge  and  three  from  Dyber- 
ry.  Only  forty-five  votes  were  cast  in  the  whole 
county.  The  next  election  district  was  at  Wilson- 
ville. 

"I  killed  in  Bethany  one  elk,  two  wolves,  four 
bears  and  thirty-seven  deer,  and  I  killed  all  but  the 
deer  before  1800.  My  oldest  daughter,  Betsy,  was 
born  on  the  Nelson  place  in  1799,  and  is  the  wife  of 
John  Raymond,  Esq.,  of  Scranton,  Pa.  In  1800  I 
moved  upon  and  bought  the  land  which  is  now  the 
farm  of  widow  Mary  Stephens.  My  daughter,  Cath- 
arine, was  born  in  1803  ;  my  son,  John  S.,  in  August, 
1812;  and  Esther,  in  December,  1820.  My  second 
daughter,  Phoebe,  was  burned  to  death  by  the  acci- 
dental and  sudden  destruction  of  my  house  by  fire  ; 
she  was  thirteen  years  old  at  the  time.  I  moved  to 
Bethany  in  1817,  and  kept  a  boarding  house  for  many 
years." 

Esquire  Spangenburg  was  bom  in  Sussex 
County,  N.  J.,  June  17,  1775.  His  father  was 
a  near  relative  of  the  Moravian  minister  Span- 
genburg, who  came  from  Germany  with  his 
flock  ou  the  same  ship  which  brought  John  and 
Charles  Wesley,  on  the  first  visit.  He  had 
been  educated  for  the  law,  and  gave  his  son  the 
best  education  he  could  afford.  It  was  this  that 
made  the  latter  a  prominent  figure  in  the  early 
history  of  the  county.  In  1806  he  was  elected 
a  supervisor  of  the  township,  and  served  with 
John  Woodward.  He  was  also  a  constable  for 
four  years.  In  1811  Governor  Snyder  ap- 
pointed him  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  he  held 
this  office  for,  with  the  exception  of  one  year, 
up  to  the  day  of  his  death — fifty-two  years ; 
during  this  time  he  married  one  hundred  and 
sixty  couples.  He  was  also  county  auditor, 
county  commissioner  and  county  treasurer. 
He  died  April  8,  1803,  having  had  thirteen 
children,  nineteen  grandchildren  aud  twenty 
great-grandchildren. 

Conrad  Pulis,  who  is  mentioned  in  the  above 
narrative,  was  a  thrifty  German,  who  had  come 
from  the  sunny  Khiueland  but  a  short  time  be- 
fore. He  had  married  a  sister  of  Richard  Nel- 
son, and  the  two  settled  on  adjacent  tracts  and 
cleared  up  fine  farms.  Mr.  Pubs'  sons  were 
Abraham,   Peter,    Henry,   William,   Ephraim, 


Aaron  and  John,  and  his  farm  was  below  Day's 
bridge,  ou  the  Dyberry. 

Just  below  him,  and  on  the  Big  Eddy,  Rich- 
ard Nelson  settled.  He  had  five  sons, — Peter, 
John  a  bachelor  aud  an  expert  lumberman,  who 
inherited  the  homestead ;  Charles,  for  many 
years  a  well-known  steersman  on  the  Delaware 
River;  Stephen,  who  located  in  Lebanon  town- 
ship and  died  there  in  1872,  aud  James,  an  early 
settler  at  Girdland,  who  afterwards  moved  to 
Nebraska.  The  daughters  of  Nelson  were  Eliz- 
abeth, who  married  Henry  Brown ;  Eleanor, 
the  wife  of  William  Balkcom  ;  Emily,  wife  ot 
Osborn  Mitchell ;  Catharine,  wife  of  Robbins 
Douglass;  Rhoda,  wife  of  James  Harvey.  The 
latter-named  moved  to  Warsaw,  Indiana. 

One  of  the  early  settlements  on  the  west  side 
of  the  Dyberry  was  that  of  Jonathan  Jennings, 
who  commenced  near  the  mouth  of  Thomas 
Creek,  about  1799.  Here  he  resided  for  some 
years,  and  then  removed  to  the  farm  now  occu- 
pied by  Hiram  G.  Chase.  Mr.  Jennings  was 
for  many  years  crier  of  the  courts,  and  held  a 
number  of  township  offices.  His  son,  Henry 
Jennings,  was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  it  was 
he  who  exchanged  the  homestead  with  Mr. 
Chase.  The  place  is  now  owned  by  the  daugh- 
ters who  survived  him. 

Among  the  pioneers  who  came  into  this  por- 
tion of  Wayne  County  when  it  was  an  unbroken 
wilderness,  and  wrested  from  the  head  of  the 
forest  a  living  and  a  home,  was  William  Schoon- 
over.  Hs  emigrated  from  New  Jersey  about 
1791-92,  and  settled  on  Dyberry  flats,  about  a 
mile  above  the  junction  of  the  W'est  Branch  and 
the  Dyberry  Creek.  Here  he  built  a  log  house 
and  in  course  of  time  cleared  a  small  farm.  It 
was  a  work  of  much  labor,  and  in  1804  he  had 
ploughed  but  eight  acres.  At  this  time  he  had 
two  horses  and  two  cows,  and  the  valuation  of 
his  property  was  but  four  hundred  and  eleven 
dollars.  His  occupancy  of  the  place  was  undis- 
turbed for  about  ten  years,  when  other  parties 
obtained  warrants  from  the  commonwealth  and 
began  to  make  their  surveys.  Finally  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  eject  Mr.  Schoouover,  on 
the  ground  that  he  was  a  trespasser  on  the 
property  of  other  patentees.  Jason  Torrey,  who 
was  the  surveyor  of  all  this  section  at  the  time, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


597 


has  avowed  that  such  was  not  the  case,  and  that 
Mr.  Schoouover's  settlement  far  antedated  the 
titles  of  the  rival  claimants.  For  this  reason  lie 
urged  Mr.  Schoouover  to  take  out  a  patent  and 
have  his  property  secured  and  the  boundary 
lines  definitely  settled.  It  was  finally  agreed 
that  Mr.  Torrey  should  do  this  for  him,  in  con- 
sideration of  one-half  of  the  tract  so  secured. 
The  survey  was  made  May  '1 1,  1  803,  and  a  pat- 
ent was  issued  on  the  27th  of  January  following. 
In  April  next  a  division  of  the  tract  came  up, 
and  Mr.  Sehoonover  decided  to  retain  the  por- 
tion on  which  his  dwelling  was  located.  As  the 
lower  portion  was  rocky,  and  a  portion  of  it  low 
and  marshy,  the  line  was  run  so  as  to  allow  Mr. 
Torrey  forty  acres  more  than  the  warrantee. 
Mr.  Torrey  had  charged  five  hundred  dollars 
for  his  services  in  obtaining  the  patent,  and  this 
became  the  consideration  for  the  lower  portion 
of  the  tract,  which  was  conveyed  to  him  by  a 
deed  dated  April  23, 1804,  executed  by  William 
Sehoonover,  and  Susannah  his  wife 

The  resident  taxables  of  Dyberry  at  the  time 
it  was  set  oif  were, — 

William  Adams.  Conrad  Pulis. 

John  Bunting.  William  Robinson. 

Abram  Brink.  Thomas  Sehoonover. 

Isaac  Brink.  William  Sehoonover. 

John  Bishop.  Thos.  Spangenburg. 

Lewis  Collins.  Andrew  Showers. 

Jacob  Crankwright.  Samuel  Smith. 

John  Caywood.  Isaac  Seamans. 

Samuel  Chestnut.  Sylvanus  Seely. 

Joseph  Catheart.  George  Seely. 

Daniel  Davis.  Moses  Sampson. 

Samuel  Davis.  Jacob  Sehoonover. 

Peleg  Edwards.  Jonas  Sayers. 

Benjamin  Haines.  Jason  Torrey. 

Jonathan  Jennings.  Ephraim  Torrey. 

Walter  Kimble.  Thomas  Phillips. 

Benjamin  Kimble.  Daniel  Vincent. 

Stephen  Kimble.  John  Woodward. 

Charles  Kimble.  Ebenezer  Woodward. 

Abram  Longhair.  James  Woodney. 

Leonard  Labor.  William  Williams. 

John  Malaria.  David  Wilder. 

Abram  Walfbrd.  Jesse  Yarnell. 

William  Nortrip.  Amos  Yarnell. 

Richard  Nelson.  Mathias  Corless. 

Isaac  Oakley.  Cornelius  Sehoonover. 

Jacob  Hole,  or,  according  to  the  modern  or- 
thography, Hoel,  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  and 
moved  to  Dyberry  township   in   1813,  settling 


on  the  place  now  occupied  by  Henry  Borcher. 
He  was  a  man  of  ingenuity,  and,  from  the  com- 
mon blue  stone  of  a  ledge  near  his  cabin,  fa- 
shioned the  first  grindstone  in  that  portion  of 
the  township.  It  is  still  preserved  on  the 
farm  of  Henry  Borcher.  Mr.  Hoel  married 
Phoebe  Leonard,  and  had  seven  children.  The 
eldest,  Lewis,  now  lives  with  Miss  Bates,  and  is 
referred  to  in  the  history  of  Oregon  township. 
Charles,  the  second  son,  was  also  a  resident  of 
that  township  until  1846.  Seely  died  in 
youth.  Daniel,  located  in  Mount  Pleasant. 
Betsy  M.  married  William  Adams,  and  Phoebe 
A.  is  the  wife  of  Peter  Pulis.  The  Hoels 
built  a  number  of  mills,  and  were  closely  iden- 
tified with  the  early  history  of  the  town. 

Philip  Thomas  was  one  of  the  early  settlers, 
who  commenced  on  the  road  leading  from 
Bethany  to  Seely ville,  prior  to  1804,  on  the 
farm  afterward  occupied  by  Albert  Butler.  He 
was  a  carpenter,  and  had  a  fifty-acre  tract,  ot 
which  only  ten  acres  were  ploughed  in  1804. 
He  had  several  children,  but  none  of  his  fa- 
mily are  now  living. 

Gideon  Langdon  moved  into  Dyberry  about 
1815,  settling  on  the  farm  where  Thomas 
Hocker  afterward  lived.  He  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  his  sou  Solomon,  and  later,  Jonathan 
T.,  another  son,  located  in  Bethany.  He  had 
a  number  of  children,  and  one  of  his  daughters 
was  the  first  wife  of  Lewis  Day.  The  family 
removed  to  Montrose,  Susquehanna  County  r 
many  years  ago. 

Philemon  Ross  was  one  of  the  Connecticut 
settlers,  who  arrived  in  1815,  and  made  a  clear- 
ing on  the  farm  where  his  son  David  now  lives. 
He  married  a  daughter  of  Pliny  Muzzey,  of 
Clinton,  and  had  a  number  of  children,  most  of 
whom  have  removed  to  other  States.  In  1817 
he  was  one  of  the  freeholders  of  the  town,  and 
as  such  presented  a  bill  of  twelve  dollars  for 
warning  twelve  indigent  persons  to  remove, 
with  their  families,  lest  they  become  a  charge  on 
the  town.  "  Although  there  was  no  law  to  jus- 
tify such  inhuman  ostracism,"  says  a  chroni- 
cler," 1  "  it  had  become  a  custom  in  some  places, 
and   it  was  claimed  that  custom   made    law." 


Iistory  of  Wayne  County. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  bill  and  the  usage  were  alike  denounced  in 
very  vigorous  language  by  Pope  Bushnell,  who 
at  that  time  had  just  come  into  the  town- 
ship, and  the  bill  was  not  paid,  while  thereafter 
the  custom  fell  into  desuetude. 

Eliphalet  Wood  came  from  Duchess  County, 
N.  Y.,  in  1816,  and  located  on  the  farm  after- 
ward owned  by  Michael  Moran,  on  the  West 
Branch.  He  bought  out  Oliver  White,  who 
had  settled  there  some  years  before.  The 
place  is  in  Clinton,  though  it  is  said  to  have 
been  reckoned  Dyberry  in  the  early  days.  Mr. 
Wood  had  a  number  of  children,  among 
whom  were  Jesse,  Enos,  Luman,  Charles,  Eli- 
phalet, John  N.j  Ezekiel  G.,  William  E.,  Jane, 
wife  of  Hon.  Phineas  Arnold  ;  Abigail,  wife  of 
Elias  B.  Stanton  ;  and  Mary,  who  died  young. 

About  1816  Captain  Homer  Brooks  moved 
from  Vermont  and  settled  near  Hon.  Pope 
Bushnell.  He  was  there  married  and  had  a 
large  family.  The  eldest  son,  Ezra  Brooks, 
lives  west  of  the  homestead,  and  carries  on  a 
large  farm.  A'irgil  Brooks,  of  Lebanon  ;  Major 
E.  Brooks,  deceased  ;  Horace  D.  Brooks,  of 
Susquehanna  County ;  and  William  Brooks  are 
all  his  sons.  Lephe,  the  wife  of  Lyman 
Gleason,  Esq.,  is  the  only  daughter,  now  a 
resident  of  the  county.  Lucy,  another  daugh- 
ter, married  Barney  Bunnell,  and  survived  him. 
She  lives  in  Newark,  N.  J. 

Hiram  K.  Mumford,  a  son  of  Thomas  Mum- 
ford,  of  Mount  Pleasant,  bought  the  old  glass 
works  property  in  January,  1856.  He  had 
married  Maria,  a  daughter  of  Royal  Wheeler, 
of  Hancock,  Delaware  County,  and  his  chil- 
dren were  Duane  H.  (who  died  during  the  war 
at  Chattanooga),  James  R.  (who  died  in  youth), 
Lucinda  M.,  Lucian  O.  and  Mary  S.  (who  re- 
sides at  the  homestead).  Hiram  K.  Mumford 
<lied  in  January,  1884,  aged  seventy-four  years. 

Christian  Faatz  came  from  Fraukfort-on-the- 
Main  in  1802,  and  after  residing  at  Philadelphia 
a  few  years,  located  near  Bethany  in  1816. 
His  children  were  Christian,  Stephen,  Jacob, 
Charles,  Christopher,  Nicholas,  Christine  (wife 
of  Nicholas  Greiner),  Caroline  (wife  of  Joseph 
Bodie)  and  some  others  who  died  in  their  youth. 
Christian  settled  in  Bethany,  and  died  there. 
Jacob  had  eight  children,  most  of  whom  are 


scattered.  H.  G.  Faatz,  the  eldest,  is  now  a 
resident  of  Honesdale  ;  Charles  moved  t<>  Weeds- 
port,  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  now  re- 
sides ;  Christopher  is  a  resident  of  Bethany ; 
Stephen  lives  in  Honesdale  ;  Nicholas  died  in 
Michigan  in  1814,  and  the  daughters  live  near 
the  glass  works. 

The  exact  date  at  which  Eli  and  his  brother 
Increase  Henshaw  came  to  this  township  is  un- 
certain ;  but  they  both  appear  on  record  in 
1816,  and  it  is  probable  that  they  came  from 
Connecticut  about  that  time.  Both  were  men 
of  much  ingenuity,  and  Increase  was  a  painter 
who  was  employed  on  some  of  the  early  build- 
ings of  Bethany,  of  which  village  he  was  at 
times  a  resident.  His  brother  lived  on  the  farm 
afterwards  occupied  by  Joseph  Arthur,  and  had 
a  son,  Dwight  Henshaw,  now  living  in 
Bethany. 

Judge  Isaac  Dimmick  moved  to  Bethany 
from  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  about  1816,  and 
bought  the  farm  afterwards  owned  by  Edwin 
Webb.  He  was  a  man  of  much  ability,  and 
was  for  four  years  an  associate  judge  of  the 
county.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Hon.  Abisha 
Woodward. 

Phineas  Coleman  and  Daniel  Bunting  were 
early  settlers  on  the  West  Branch,  and  were 
probably  the  first.  They  located  in  the  town- 
ship during  the  second  decade  of  the  present 
century  and  left  numerous  descendants,  most  of 
whom  have  scattered.  Moses  and  Seth  Haydn 
came  soon  afterwards  ;  both  were  men  of  mature 
years  and  brought  their  families  with  them. 
Seth  Haydn  died  in  1845,  aged  sixty-four 
years. 

Stephen  Day  came  from  Chatham,  Norris 
County,  New  Jersey,  and  in  1816  settled  on  a 
farm  that  had  been  started  by  Isaac  Brink. 
Day  arrived  during  the  "  cold  summer"  that 
was  so  memorable  to  the  early  settlers.  He 
bought  three  hundred  acres  from  Colonel 
Sylvanus  Seely,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Dyberry, 
where  his  son,  Lewis,  now  lives.  Stephen 
Day  married  Polly,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Bunnell,  and  their  children  were  Jane,  who 
married  Moses  Ward,  the  father  of  Rev  Elias 
O.  Ward,  of  Bethany  ;  Elias,  who  moved  to 
Ohio,  and  from  thence  to  California,  where  he 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


599 


died  ;  Barney,  who  married  Emeline,  daughter 
of  Sheriff  Solomon  Jones,  and  settled  on  the 
Dyberry  ;  Mary,  wife  of  Levi  Ketchem,  of 
Bethany;  Benjamin,  who  moved  to  Ohio; 
Damaris,  the  widow  of  Hon.  E.  W.  Hamlin,  of 
Bethany;  Edwin  who  died  near  the  homestead, 
and  Lewis  who  at  an  advanced  age  still  keeps 
up  the  place.  The  latter  is  an  expert  taxider- 
mist and  has  a  fine  collection  of  birds  and 
animals  which  he  shot  himself.  His  specimens 
include  a  number  of  rare,  and  some  species  that 
are  now  nearly  extinct  in  Wayne  County.  He  has 
been  twice  married ;  the  first  time  to  Nancy 
Langdon,  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  afterwards  to 
Maria  Dabron.  No  children  were  born  of 
either  union.  Captain  John  Bunnell,  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolution,  ami  for  many  years  a  pen- 
sioner, because  of  wounds  received  during  his 
gallant  conduct  at  the  battle  of  Princeton,  was 
led  to  emigrate  from  New  Jersey  in  1816,  and 
joined  his  relative,  Stephen  Day,  in  Wayne 
County.  He  had  married  Nancy,  a  sister  of 
Stephen  Day,  while  the  latter  had  wedded 
Polly  Bunnell,  a  sister  of  the  Captain. 
Bunnell's  Pond,  now  in  Texas  township,  was 
named  for  him,  and  at  its  outlet  he  erected  a 
saw-mill  at  an  early  date.  His  children  were 
Julia,  wife  of  Rev.  Mr.  Babbett,  a  Presbyterian 
minister  at  Binghamton,  X.  Y.  ;  Barnv,  who 
settled  in  Dyberry  township  and  afterward 
died  at  Orange,  N.  J. ;  Polly,  who  married  a 
Wood,  and  died  in  Dyberry  ;  Joan,  the  second 
wife  of  Captain  Brooks,  and  Elijah,  who  never 
married. 

Pope  Bushnell,  son  of  Gideon  Bushnell,  was 
born  in  Salisbury,  Litchfield  County,  Conn., 
Eebruary  11,  1789.  In  June  1812  he  married 
Miss  Sally  Hurlbert,  one  of  the  noted  triplet 
daughters  of  Gideon  Hurlbert  of  Goshen, 
Conn.,  and  on  the  12th  day  of  the  same 
month  was  drafted  to  serve  against  Great 
Britain,  and  mustered  into  the  ranks  upon  the 
following  day.  He  came  to  Wayne  County  in 
1817  and  purchased  a  contract  which  had  been 
made  the  year  previous  by  Joseph  Daw,  (father 
of  Mrs.  Tallman,  wife  of  C.  P.  Tallman,  of 
Preston  Township)  for  the  sale  of  an  hundred 
acre  tract,  lying  one  mile  north  of  Bethany. 

For  more  than  sixty  years  Mr.  Bushnell  was 


one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  citi- 
zens of  the  county.  He  was  elected  Captain 
of  a  company  of  militia  in  1820,  commissioned 
by  Governor  Hiester  as  Major  of  the  First  Bat- 
talion of  the  Seventieth  Regiment  of  Pennsyl- 
vania militia  in  1821,  and  appointed  Justice  of 
the  Peace  by  Governor  Finley  in  1824.  Be- 
sides holding  various  town  and  municipal 
offices  he  was  once  elected  treasurer  of  the 
county,  once  county-commissioner,  and  twice 
chosen  to  represent  the  legislative  district  com- 
posed of  the  counties  of  Wayne  and  Pike  in 
the  State  Legislature. 

In  boyhood  he  attended  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  town,  and  studied  for  a  short 
time  at  an  academy  at  Granville,  N.  Y.,  con- 
ducted by  the  celebrated  Professor  Salen  Town. 
A  student  by  nature,  he  supplimented  the 
meager  education  of  youth  by  a  long  and  labo- 
rious course  of  reading  and  study.  He  had  a 
strong  and  rugged  intellect;  was  unyielding  in 
his  position,  and  a  ready  and  forcible  speaker 
and  writer.  His  contributions  to  the  local  and 
metropolitan  press  upon  .agricultural,  political 
and  historical  subjects  were  characterized  by  a 
clearness  of  thought  and  felicity  of  diction 
seldom  found  in  the  writings  of  men  engaged 
in  the  marts  of  trade. 

Mr.  Bushnell  was  ever,  during  the  period  of 
his  activity,  a  conspicuous  character  in  every 
movement,  and  an  advocate  of  every  measure, 
which  promised  to  aid  the  inhabitants,  or  de- 
velop the  resources  of  his  adopted  county.  It 
was  largely  due  to  his  efforts  that  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  Company  secured  a  right  of 
way  through  a  portion  of  the  county,  and  he 
was  no  less  zealous  in  the  attempt  to  obtain  a 
like  privilege  for  the  New  York  and  Erie  (New 
York,  Lake  Erie  and  Western)  Railroad  Com- 
pany. For  the  efforts  which  he  made  in  behalf 
of  the  latter  company,  he  was  publicly  mobbed. 
But  he  lived  to  see  the  hostility  and  prejudice 
which  he  engendered  among  the  people  he 
sought  to  serve,  turned  to  regret  and  enlarged 
confidence  and  respect. 

He  died  on  the  19th  day  of  January,  1881, 
in  tlie  ninety-second  year  of  his  age.  His  wife 
Sally  Bushnell  survived  him  nearly  two  years, 
and  died   on   the    11th   day  of  January,  1883, 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-four  years  and 
nine  months. 

His  family  consisted  of  three  sons  and  three 
daughters,  the  only  survivor  of  whom  is  Sidney 
Norton  Bushnell. 

William  Miller,  a  native  of  Pittston,  Lu- 
zerne County,  came  into  Wayne  in  1821,  and 
settled  upon  the  Esquire  Thomas  Spangenburg 
farm,  where  he  lived  for  three  years.  He  then 
bought  of  Cabel  Hoel,  the  farm  adjoining  that 
of  Jacob  Hoel,  and  Homer  Brooks,  where  he 
still  resides,  in  his  eighty-sixth  year.  He  mar- 
ried Evelyn,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Schoonover, 
and  had  a  number  of  children,  among  whom 
were  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Henry  Palmer  ;  Jacob 
Miller  of  Honesdale ;  the  late  Simon  S.  Miller  ; 
Benj.  F.  Miller  of  Prompton  ;  Jane,  wife  of 
Wm.  Kint;  John  W.  Miller;  and  Evelyn, 
wife  of  Wm.  Williams. 

William  Bryant  was  the  first  Englishman 
who  came  from  Cornwall  County,  England, 
and  settled  in  Wayne  County,  Pa.  He  left 
England  when  a  young  man,  in  the  spring  of 
1819,  and  landed  in  the  City  of  Philadelphia 
the  latter  part  of  May.  By  accident  he  got  ac- 
quainted within  a  few  days  after  his  arrival  in 
Philadelphia  with  a  Mr.  Salter,  who  lived  in 
that  city  and  owned  large  tracts  of  wild  land  in 
Wayne  County.  After  listening  to  Mr.  Salter's 
description  of  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  the  health- 
fulness  of  the  climate  and  the  easy  acquirement  of 
sufficient  land  for  a  farm  and  home,  Mr.  Bryant 
left  Philadelphia  and  arrived  in  Bethany  in  June 
of  the  same  year. 

A  few  days  after  his  arrival  here  he  was  em- 
ployed by  Major  Torrey,  who  lived  in  Bethany, 
as  a  common  laborer  on  a  farm.  He  was  well 
pleased  with  the  country,  and  wrote  home  to 
his  brother  in  England  to  come  and  join  him 
as  soon  as  possible.  Thomas,  his  oldest  brother, 
left  England  the  nest  spring,  paid  his  passage 
to  New  York,  but  by  some  miscalculation  of 
the  officers  of  the  ship  and  the  adversity  of  the 
wind  they  were  compelled  to  land  at  Baltimore. 
He  walked  most  of  the  way  from  that  city  to 
Bethany,  arriving  at  the  latter  place  early  in 
the  summer  of  1820.  Thomas  was  immediately 
employed  by  Faatz  &  Greely,  who  were  manu- 
facturing window-glass  near  the  First  Pond,  in 


Dyberry  township.  Thus  they  labored  for  a 
few  years  until  they  had  acquired  sufficient  to 
,  buy  each  a  good  farm.  Thomas's  situated  one 
and  a  half  miles  and  William's  half  a  mile  from 
|  the  borough  of  Bethany,  in  the  township  of 
Dyberry.  Then  followed  Walter  Bryant  in 
1827,  Joseph  in  1828,  and  Jonathan  and  wife 
in  1831,  all  of  whom  bought  land  in  Dyberry 
township  for  future  homes.  In  1829  Mr.  Wil- 
I  Ham  Olver,  who  married  Ann  Hill  Bryant,  in 
England,  a  sister  of  the  Bryant  brothers,  came 
to  this  country  and  settled  in  Berlin  township, 
near  Beach  Pond.  Thus  was  the  road  opened 
for  the  emigration  of  other  Cornwall  English- 
men, until  Wayne  County  hills  are  dotted  with 
the  best  English  farms  in  the  State. 

Joseph  A.  Hubbard,  of  Salisbury,  Conn., 
settled  in  Dyberry  in  1826,  and  was  a  j>rosper- 
ous  farmer  for  many  years,  bringing  up  a  large 
family.  In  1859  he  moved  to  Seelyville,  and 
died  there  in  1878. 

Hon.  A.  B.  Gammell  came  from  Caledonia 
County,  Vt.,  in  1839,  and  settled  on  the  Captain 
Prescott  farm,  on  the  Bethany  and  Mount 
Pleasant  turnpike.  In  1865  he  bought  the  old 
Torrey  property,  a  portion  of  Charles  Torrey's 
estate,  where  he  now  resides.  Mr.  Gammell 
was  elected  a  representative  in  1878.  He 
married  Catherine  Bryant  and  has  three  chil- 
dren. 

Hiram  K.  Mnmford, a  son  of  Thomas  Mum- 
ford,  of  Mount  Pleasant,  bought  the  old  glass- 
works property,  in  1856.  He  had  married 
Maria,  a  daughter  of  Royal  Wheeler,  of  Han- 
cock, Delaware  County,  and  had  five  children, — 
Duane  H.,  the  oldest  of  whom,  died  at  Chattanoo- 
ga while  serving  in  the  Federal  army.  The  others 
were  James  R.,  who  died  in  youth  ;  Luciiula 
M.,  Lucian  O.,  and  Mary  S.  The  latter  lives  at 
the  homestead.  H.  K.  Mnmford  died  in  1884, 
aged  seventy-four. 

The  Gleason  family  was  commenced  by 
Joseph,  who  located  near  where  his  son,  Lyman, 
now  lives  about  1830.  His  other  children  were 
Alnis,  killed  in  the  Civil  War  ;  Willard,  Henry 
and  several  daughters.  His  widow  is  now  a 
resident  of  Honesdale. 

Schools. — The  earliest  school  in  Dyberry 
township  was  in  the  village  of  Bethany,  and  is 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


601 


mentioned  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  that  place. 
After  1804,  several  schools  were  maintained  at 
private  expense  in  different  parts  of  the  town- 
ship, but  little  or  no  record  of  them  remains. 
At  first  there  were  no  school-houses,  and  the 
sessions  were  held  at  private  residences ;  later, 
better  provision  for  education  was  made.  Eli- 
jah Bunnell  taught  a  school  in  Captain  Bun- 
nell's old  log  house  in  1820.  It  was  attended 
by  the  Pulis,  Nelson,  Caleb  Hoel,  and  Day 
families.  Others  of  a  similar  character  were 
maintained  in  adjacent  neighborhoods,  the 
teachers  being  hired  by  several  families,  who 
shared  the  expense  pro  rata.  After  the  passage 
of  the  school  law  of  1834,  which  was  immedi- 
ately ratified  by  Wayne  County,  the  ereetion  of 
public  school  buildings  took  place  rapidly. 
Most  of  them  were  built  by  generous  contribu- 
tions of  labor  and  material  from  the  people 
living  near,  and  the  township  now  boasts  of 
eight  buildings  that  will  compare  favorably 
with  those  of  adjacent  portions  of  the  county. 
The  school  tax  for  the  current  year  is  about 
twelve  hundred  and  fifty-eight  dollars,  which 
includes  the  pay  of  seven  teachers  and  inciden- 
tals. The  present  Board  of  Directors  consists 
of  D.  M.  Kimble,  president  ;  William  T.  But- 
ler, secretary  ;  C.  P.  Bunnell,  treasurer  ;  W.  E. 
Pethick,  John  P.  Hacker,  and  J.  I.  Bates. 

The  First  Glass  Works.— In  1810  Chris- 
topher Faatz,  Sr.,  Adam  Greiner,  Jacob  Hines, 
Christopher  Hines,  Nicholas  Greiner,  and  Chris- 
tian Faatz,  all  Germans,  who  had  been  em- 
ployed in  the  glass  works  of  Frankfort-on-the- 
Main,  decided  to  start  a  window-glass  manufac- 
tory near  the  residence  of  Charles  Faatz,  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Bethany.  Christian 
Faatz  had  emigrated  from  Germany  in  1802, 
and  located  a  small  factory  at  Philadelphia,  but 
his  capital  was  too  limited  to  make  it  a  success. 
He  was  then  joined  by  the  others,  most  of  whom 
were  connected  by  marriage  and  otherwise,  and 
decided  to  carry  the  enterprise  into  the  wilder- 
ness. The  spot  selected  was  entirely  surrounded 
by  woods.  The  building  of  the  works  occupied 
some  time,  and  was  only  accomplished  by  hard 
labor,  most  of  which  was  performed  by  the 
members  of  the  firm.  The  stones  with  which 
the  arches  of  the  furnace  were  fashioned  were 


obtained  in  the  Moosic  Mountain,  and  the  clay 
for  the  melting  pots  was  brought  from  Phila- 
delphia by  wagons  and  sleighs.  The  plant  was 
a  small  affair,  with  a  capacity  for  but  a  few  of 
"metal"  per  day,  and  the  material  was  drawn 
chiefly  from  localities  near  at  hand.  The  pro- 
duct was  good,  however,  and  compared  favora- 
bly with  that  produced  elsewhere  in  those  days. 
It  was  marketed  in  Wilkesbarre,  Newburg  and 
Philadelphia,  from  which  points  the  goods  ex- 
changed by  the  firm  for  labor  performed  at  their 
works  were  obtained.  Lack  of  sufficient  capital 
and  the  heavy  cost  of  transportation  at  last 
brought  about  failure,  and  the  place  passed  into 
the  hands  of  James  Manning  and  Jacob  Faatz. 
This  firm  was  also  unsuccessful,  aud  after  a 
short  time  gave  up  business.  The  works  then 
stood  idle  for  some  time,  during  which  the  em- 
ployees, which  had  numbered  between  twenty 
and  thirty,  devoted  their  energies  to  clearing  up 
farms  adjacent.  In  this  way  the  enterprise 
proved  very  beneficial  to  the  township.  In 
1829  Jacob  Faatz  and  William  Greeley  again 
put  the  plant  in  operation,  the  capital  being  fur- 
nished by  Augustus,  a  brother  of  William 
Greeley.  This  firm  ran  for  thirteen  years,  and 
was  then  succeeded  by  Stebbins,  Smith  &  Sloan. 
This  firm  lasted  a  few  years,  and  was  succeeded 
by  J.  Sloan,  Jr.,  who  in  1845  announced  that 
he  was  making  glass  that  "did  not  rust  nor  de- 
compose," and  was  equal  to  the  product  of  any 
American  factory.  Three  years  later,  in  another 
advertisement  in  the  same  paper — the  Demo- 
crat— he  states  that  he  has  not  sufficient  capital 
to  make  glass  unless  there  is  a  demand  for  it, 
and  offers  to  "  supply  merchants  and  others  by 
barter,  in  order  to  keep  the  works  running." 

On  December  18th  of  the  same  year  one  of 
the  ovens  in  the  drying  house  took  fire  between 
four  and  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  ten 
ovens  filled  with  dry  wood  added  to  the  blaze, 
which  consumed  the  entire  building,  and  was 
with  difficulty  prevented  from  spreading  to  the 
rest  of  the  plant.  The  loss  was  small,  but  it 
necessitated  the  stoppage  of  the  works  for  the 
season.  The  proprietor  never  recovered  from 
this  suspension,  and  as  the  works  at  Traceyville 
had  been  completed,  the  enterprise  near  Bethany 
was  abandoned.     The  property  l'emained  in  the 


602 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


hands  of  William  Greeley  until  185G,  when  it 
was  bought  by  Hiram  K.  Mumford,  of  Mount 
Pleasant. 

Industries. — -The  present  territory  of  Dy- 
berry  contains  the  sites  of  but  few  of  the  town- 
ship's early  industries.  They  with  one  or  two 
exceptions  were  located  in  what  has  since  be- 
come portions  of  other  townships,  and  are  re- 
ferred to  in  the  chapters  devoted  to  them. 

The  mill  at  the  outlet  of  the  first  pond  was 
built  by  Abraham  Brink,  who  came  from  Monroe 
County,  Pa.,  at  an  early  date,  probably  about 
1800.  It  was  on  the  premises  afterward  owned 
by  Thomas  O'Neill,  and  in  the  assessment  of 
1807  was  valued  at  four  hundred  and  sixty 
dollars.  The  mill  was  a  very  primitive  struc- 
ture, with  a  single  run  of  stones  brought  from 
the  hard  quartz  rocks  of  the  Moosic  Mountains. 
This  comprised  the  entire  plant,  and  the  pio- 
Deers  were  glad  to  take  their  coarse  meal  with- 
out bolting.  The  story  goes  that  when  one  day, 
a  visitor  from  the  city  asked  the  miller  why  he 
did  not  put  in  bolting  machinery,  and  with  sly 
humor  the  latter  replied,  "Our  people  don't 
want  it,  most  of  the  meal  is  bolted  after  it  has 
been  cooked."  This  was  the  mill  of  which 
Pope  Bushnell  used  facetiously  to  say  that  "  it 
ground  wheat  so  that  it  was  almost  as  good  as 
rye."  A  saw-mill  was  afterwards  erected  below 
the  grist-mill,  and  a  large  amont  of  lumber  was 
prepared  there.  Afterward,  the  property  was 
sold  to  Colonel  William  Greeley,  who  ran  both 
mills,  until  he  sold  out  to  Mr.  O'Neill,  the 
present  owner. 

At  an  early  day  August  Collins  had  a  saw- 
mill near  the  present  fair  grounds,  aud  soon 
after,  a  Mr.  Jacques  had  a  wagon-shop  and  a 
water-wheel  which  ran  a  small  saw  for  making 
churns  and  doing  light  jig  work.  In  1821 
Stephen  Day  built  a  saw-mill  where  Bates' 
grist-mill  now  stands,  and  for  many  years  it  was 
kept  in  active  operation.  Elias  Day  ran  it  for 
a  time  and  then  sold  to  James  Boland  and 
Edwin  Day.  The  mill  was  abandoned  about 
1845.  During  that  year,  Ezra  Brooks  built 
what  was  afterwards  known  as  the  "  Blinn 
Mill,"  taking  its  name  from  a  subsequent  owner, 
James  Blinn.  The  latter  afterwards  sold  it  to 
Hand  &  Kirtland,  and  they,  in   turn,  disposed 


of  it  to  Coe  F.  Young.  The  latter,  in  com- 
pany with  William  Kimble,  rebuilt  it  in  1863. 
It  ran  for  four  years  after  that,  and  was  aban- 
doned on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  lumber  in 
the  vicinity. 

An  up  and  down  mill  was  built  on  the  Dy- 
berry  by  John  Bates,  in  1849,  and  in  1854  was 
bought  by  William,  a  son  of  Asa  Kimble,  who 
improved  it  by  putting  in  Emerson  patent  saws. 
His  business  increased  rapidly,  and  in  1878  he 
again  increased  the  capacity  of  the  j>lant  by 
erecting  a  steam-mill  near  by.  It  is  driven  by 
a  forty  horse  power  engine  and  has  a  capacity  of 
fifteeen  thousand  feet  per  day,  while  the  water- 
mill  with  recent  improvements  can  produce 
nearly  as  much.  Both  these  mills  have  passed 
out  of  Mr.  Kimble's  hands,  and  are  now  owned 
by  Elias  B.  Stanton,  of  Honesdale,  though  the 
former  proprietor  manages  them. 

In  1869  and  1870  R.  S.  and  J.  I.  Bates  erec- 
ted a  grist-mill  on  the  site  of  the  old  Day  saw- 
mill above  referred  to.  It  has  two  run  of 
stone  and  is  employed  entirely  on  custom  work, 
doing  a  thriving  business.  The  firm  became  J. 
and  J.  I.  Bates  in  1867,  and  still  retains  that 
style. 

What  is  known  as  "  the  Gleason  Mill  "  was 
built  by  Elias  B.  Stanton  and  William  Kimble 
in  1871,  on  the  site  of  a  saw-mill  erected  by  a 
man  named  Gleason,  many  years  ago.  The 
saws  in  the  new  mill  were  kept  busy  for  ten 
years,  but  are  not  now  used.  The  mill  is 
owned  at  present  by  Mr.  Stanton. 

Tanner's  Fales. — The  foundation  of  the 
extensive  tannery  and  lumbering  business 
now  carried  on  at  Tanner's  Falls  by  Coe  F. 
Young,  of  Honesdale,  was  laid  in  1851,  by 
Barnet  Richtmyer,  who  then  purchased  a  large 
tract  of  land  and  rebuilt  upon  the  site  of  the 
saw-mill  that  Jason  Torrey  erected  about  1830. 
As  soon  as  the  mill  was  in  running  order,  lum- 
ber for  the  construction  of  the  tannery  was 
sawed,  and  in  1853  the  first  hides  were  "slip- 
ped." An  enlargement  of  the  plant  followed 
the  successful  business  of  the  first  year,  and 
the  tannery  soon  had  one  hundred  aud  seventy 
vats  and  a  capacity  of  fifty-two  thousand  hides 
annually.  Mr.  W.  N.  Alberty,  of  Albany 
County,    N.    Y.,    became   associated  with    Mr. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Richtmyer,  as  his  general  manager  in  1855, 
and  since  that  time  has  held  the  position  under 
the  other  proprietors,  displaying  much  execu- 
tive ability.  In  1862,  Thomas  Watson  &  Co., 
of  New  York,  bought  out  Mr.  Richtmyer  and 
ran  the  business  for  a  year,  at  the  expiration  of 
which  they  sold  to  Coe  F.  Young,  the  pres- 
ent owner.  At  this  date.  1863,  the  real  pros- 
perity of  the  place  began.  Mr.  Young  brought 
into  the  business  not  only  plenty  of  capital  but 
broad,  liberal  ideas  and  much  enterprise.  The 
tannery  plant  was  at  once  much  improved,  and 
the  method  of  conducting  the  business  made 
more  systematic.  Up  to  this  date  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  wages  of  employees  had  been 
paid  in  goods,  at  a  store  started  by  Richtmyer 
soon  after  he  commenced.  The  plan  had  proved 
here,  as  has  it  elsewhere,  unsatisfactory  to  em- 
ployer and  employed  alike.  Mr.  Young  rented 
the  store  and  paid  cash  wages,  and  the  credit 
system,  which  had  injured  the  business,  was 
abolished. 

In  1864  the  saw-mill  was  converted  into  a 
circular  mill,  and  had  its  capacity  materially 
increased.  Lath-making  machinery  was  also 
added.  It  has  since  turned  out  as  much  as 
three  million  feet  of  hemlock  per  annum,  but  at 
present  is  doing  comparatively  little. 

On  March  1,  1881,  a  fire  broke  out  in  the 
bark  mill  and  the  entire  building  was  destroyed, 
entailing  a  loss  of  nearly  fifty  thousand  dollars, 
ten  thousand  dollars  of  which  was  not  covered 
by  insurance.  The  tannery  was  at  once  rebuilt, 
and  has  since  been  running  full  capacity.  The 
property  includes  a  number  of  dwellings  for 
the  employees. 

The  hamlet  of  Tanner's  Falls  comprises  a 
post-office,  and  a  school-house,  where  religious 
services  are  occasionally  held,  besides  a  smithy 
and  the  general  store,  run  by  R.  J.  Menner  & 
Co.,  of  Honesdale.  The  post-office  was  estab- 
lished in  1856,  Henry  Richtmyer  being  the 
first  postmaster,  and  having  the  office  in  his 
store.  In  1859  he  was  succeeded  by  his  brother, 
Lewis  Richtmyer.  The  latter  was  succeeded  by 
J.  R.  Mitchell,  in  1863,  and  he  in  turn  gave 
place  to  Theodore  A.  Corby,  in  1869.  The 
present  incumbent,  Mr.  W.  N.  Alberty,  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Corby  in  1875. 


William  Nelson  Alberty,  superintendent 
and  paymaster  of  the  tannery  and  mill  works  at 
Tanner's  Falls,  Dybcrry  township,  Wayne 
County,  was  born  in  Albany  County,  X.  Y., 
November  26,  1831.  He  learned  the  trade  <>i' 
a  blacksmith  with  his  father  and  worked  with 
him  until  1856,  when  he  engaged  as  book-keep- 
er for  Barnt  Richtmyer,  then  owner  of  the  large 
tannery  at  Tauner's  Falls.  He  continued  in 
this  position  until  1858,  when,  by  his  good 
judgment  in  matters  of  business  relating  to  the 
concern,  having  won  the  confidence  of  his  em- 
ployer, he  was  made  general  superintendent, 
and  put  in  sole  charge  of  the  business.  His 
fidelity  to  his  trust,  his  ability  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  business,  and  his  honorable  and 
proficient  methods  of  dealing  with  employees, 
have  made  him  the  almost  indispensable  man  of 
this  large  business,  and  the  successive  firms  who 
have  come  into  possession  of  the  concern, — 
Thorn,  Watson  &  Co.,  Young  &  Cornell,  and 
later  CoeF.  Young  as  sole  owner,  have  retained 
him  as  their  superintendent  in  full  charge. 
Thus  Mr.  Alberty  has  been  identified  with  this 
business  for  thirty  years,  and  for  twenty-eight 
years  sole  manager.  He  has  served  as  school- 
director,  but  has  always  refused  all  other  official 
honor,  although  often  tendered  it  by  his  towns- 
people. 

He  married,  in  August,  1854,  Hester  A., 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Catherine  (Keator) 
Corby,  of  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has 
four  children,  viz:  Kate,  Frank  E.,  May  and 
Maud  Alberty. 

His  father,  Peter  S.,  born  January,  1804, 
married  Maria  Groom  (1805-1877),  by  whom 
he  had  six  children, — Edgar,  of  Dyberry,  a 
blacksmith  ;  William  Nelson,  Frank,  a  black- 
smith at  the  Falls ;  Amanda,  wife  of  Nelson 
Bloodgood,  of  Sullivan  County,  N.  Y".,  a  farmer 
and  lumberman  ;  Mary,  wife  of  Nelson  Miles, 
a  mill-wright,  of  Wilkesbarre,  and  Alida  M., 
wife  of  Lewis  Wynkoop,  a  carpenter,  of  Bing- 
hampton.  Peter  S.  Alberty  followed  his  trade 
as  a  blacksmith  at  Potter's  Hollow,  Green 
County,  N.  Y.,  uutil  1862,  and  removed  to 
Tanner's  Falls,  where  he  continued  the  same 
business  until  1879,  when  he  retired  from  active 
labor.      His    grandfather,   Frederick    Alberty, 


604 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


also  resides  at  Potter's  Hollow,  and  his  father 
was  the  emigrant  of  the  family  from  Germany. 
The  first  religious  services  held  at  Tanner's 
Falls  were  under  the  auspices  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian Church  at  Bethany,  and  were  conducted  by 
Rev.  Elias  Ward,  of  that  village,  about  1859. 
In  1870  the  Methodist  Church  began  to  hold 
services,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Prichard  supplied  the 
charge.  It  is  now  on  his  circuit,  but  service  is 
not  regularly  conducted. 


office  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1880.  His 
son,  A.  K.  Kimble,  succeeded  him,  and  is  the 
present  incumbent.  Beside  the  shop,  the  village 
has  a  hotel,  store  and  the  grist-mill  of  Jared  J. 
I.  Bates,  and  is  a  thriving  place. 

Haines  Post-Office,  which  was  named  in 
honor  of  Benjamin  F.  Haines,  editor  of  the 
Wayne  Independent,  was  established  in  the 
western  part  of  Dyberry  township,  May  18, 
1886,  with  C.  W.  Bodie  as  post-master. 


%a-.3MW% 


Dyberry  Post  Office. — One  of  the  ear- 
liest residents  here  was  Ephraim  B.  Kimble. 
He  was  the  second  child  of  Asa  and  Abigail 
Kimble,  who  lived  near  the  Fair  Grounds,  and 
were  pioneers  of  the  township.  He  married 
Miss  Amelia  Schoonover,  and,  in  1849,  moved 
into  the  house  now  occupied  by  Robert  Bates. 
Here  he  resided  for  five  years,  building  the  hotel 
property  meanwhile,  and  erecting  the  wagon-shop 
in  which  he  wrought  during  the  rest  of  his  life. 

In  1854  he  received  an  appointment  as  post- 
master from    President    Pierce,   and    held    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


ZEBULON    MONTGOMERY    PIKE    BUNNELL, 

Third  sou  of  David  Bunnell,  was  born  at  Beth- 
any, July  6,  1813,  and  obtained  his  education 
from  books  in  the  schools  of  his  native  place. 
He  was  engaged  at  home  on  the  farm,  and 
worked  for  others  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home, 
until  June  27, 1839,  when  he  married  Clarinda, 
a  daughter  of  John  Bonham  (1790-1853)  and 
Sarah  Hamlin  (1790-1882),  of  Mount  PL 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


township.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  that  town- 
ship when  the  country  was  new  and  quite  un- 
settled. He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church  and  a  class-leader.  Her  paternal  grand- 
father was  Zedekiah  Bonham,  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Mount  Pleasant  township.  Her 
mother  was  the  eldest  child  of  Harris  Hamlin 
and  Rue  Easton,  natives  of  Connecticut,  who 
settled  in  Salem  township  in  1801,  a  sketch  of 
whose  lives  may  be  found  in  this  volume,  and 


of  the  timbered  part  of  it.  He  was  an  intelli- 
gent and  representative  farmer,  and  erected 
commodious  buildings  on  his  farm.  He  never 
sought  political  preferment,  but  with  the  family 
of  his  father  and  brothers,  belonged  to  the  old 
Whig  party,  and  he  was  identified  with  the 
Baptist  Church  at  Honesdale.  He  was  firmly 
fixed  in  the  principles  of  justice  and  right  to 
all,  and  while  by  his  industry  and  energy  he 
carved  out  a  fair  competence  for  himself,  he 
was  always   ready  to   lend  a  helping   hand  to 


a  sister  of  the  late  Butler  Hamlin,  of  Salem, 
and  of  the  late  Hon.  Ephraim  W.  Hamlin,  of 
Bethany.  Mrs.  Bunnell  was  born  March  7, 
1816.  The  same  year  of  his  marriage  he  pur- 
chased, with  his  father  and  brothers,  some  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  a  part  of  which 
is  in  Dyberry  township,  alluded  to  before  in 
the  Bunnell  sketch.  Mr.  Bunnell  made  his 
homestead  on  this  part  of  the  tract  thus  pur- 
chased, and  in  due  time  brought  it  under  a  good 
state  of  cultivation,  aud  made  large  clearings 


those  in  need.  He  was  a  man  of  correct  habits 
and  of  sterling  integrity.  The  homestead  was 
occupied  for  a  time  by  his  son  Oliver,  but  in 
1886  his  son  Oscar  farms  it.  He  died  at  the 
premature  age  of  forty-four  years,  and  his  widow 
survives,  in  1886,  and  resides  mostly  on  the 
homestead.  His  children  are  :  Oliver,  a  retired 
merchant  of  Honesdale;  Elory,  enlisted  in 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-first 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Gettysburg  in  1863,  aged  twenty-one 


(506 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


years  ;  Amelia,  wife  of  Ulysses  Beers,  a 
of  Houesdale ;  Martha  J.,  wife  of  Alva  S. 
Keyes,  a  merchant  at  Gravity,  Lake  township, 
whose  father,  Danforth  Keyes,  settled  in  Wayne 
County  from  Connecticut ;  Helen  M.,  deceased, 
was  the  wife  of  Thomas  Bines,  of  Warren,  Pa.; 
Oscar,  assessor  of  Dy berry  township,  resides  on 
the  homestead,  and  Almira,  wife  of  Charles  E. 
Mills,  a  machinist,  residing  at  Ariel,  Wayne 
County;  Eugene  P.,  died  an  infant.     A  sketch 


as  many  interesting  incidents  of  a  personal  na- 
ture. His  parents,  Peter  and  Elizabeth  (Ward) 
Miller,  natives  of  Plaiufield,  Pa.,  both  died  and 
were  buried  at  Pittston,  where  his  father  carried 
on  blacksmithing.  His  maternal  grandfather 
was  of  American  birth,  but  his  maternal  great- 
grandfather was  a  native  of  Germany.  His 
paternal  grandfather  was  also  born  in  Germany. 
He  was  the  eldest  child  and  the  only  one  who 
settled  in  Wayne  County.     The  other  children 


of  David  Bunnell  and  other  members  of  the 
family  may  be  found  in  the  History  of  Texas 
Township. 


WILLIAM    MILLER. 

William  Miller,  born  at  Pittston,  Luzerne 
County,  Pa.,  February  8,  1800,  is  one  of  the 
oldest  living  residents  of  Wayne  County,  in 
1886,  and  well  preserved  in  mind  and  able  to 
give  much  of  the  early  history  of  the  locality 
where  he  resides,  in  Dyberry  Township,  as  well 


were,  Elizabeth,  Margaret  Ann,  Margaret,  Sa- 
rah, and  Benjamin,  all  of  whom  died  in  Pittston. 
William  learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith 
with  his  father,  and  remained  at  home  until  he 
reached  his  majority.  Leaving  his  native  place 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  worked  for  one 
year  on  the  public  turnpike,  near  Houesdale, 
and  in  the  lumber  business,  but  unfortunately 
for  him,  his  employer  was  sold  out  of  every- 
thing he  had,  and  consequently  young  Miller 
lost  his  year's  wages,  leaving  him  as  he  had 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


started  out  in  life,  without  money.  He  engaged 
for  the  next  year  with  William  Schoonover,  of 
Dyberry  Township,  to  work  his  farm  on  shares, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  year,  not  only  had  a  part 
of  the  produce  raised  on  the  farm,  but  had 
formed  the  acquaintance  of  his  daughter  Eva- 
lena,  whom  he  married  March  11,  1823.  She 
was  born  May  5,  1808,  was  a  devoted  member 
of  the  Methodist  Church,  a  kind  and  affectionate 
wife  and  mother,  and  died  February  26,  1884. 
Her  parents,  William  and  Susannah  Schoonover, 
came  from  New  Jersey  and  took  up  government 
land  in  the  township,  and  were  among  its  early 
settlers. 

For  two  years  after  his  marriage  he  farmed 
Thomas  Spangenberg,  Esq.'s  farm,  and  in  1826 
engaged  with  Halsey  Lotrop,  at  Bethany,  in  his 
furnace  in  the  manufacture  of  plows,  where  he 
remained  for  two  years,  followed  by  one  year 
working  at  his  trade,  at  that  place.  In  1829  he 
bought  seventy-five  acres  of  land,  where  he  has 
since  resided  in  Dyberry  Township,  to  which  he 
has  since  added  as  much  more.  This  land  he 
has  mostly  cleared  of  its  original  forest,  has 
brought  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and 
has  erected  suitable  farm  buildings  thereon.  For 
over  forty  years  Mr.  Miller  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  a  supporter  of 
church  interests.  He  was  supervisor  of  the 
township  for  three  years,  and  school  director  for 
nine  years. 

During  his  early  manhood  he  was  noted  for 
his  physical  strength  and  his  swiftness  of  foot, 
and  his  vigor,  even  at  the  age  of  eighty-six 
years,  outside  of  his  bodily  infirmity,  bespeaks 
a  well-developed  body  and  complete  organization 
in  his  earlier  years.  He  is  cared  for  in  his  de- 
clining years  by  his  grand-daughter  (Nettie  M., 
wife  of  Thomas  J.  Edsall),  who  takes  care  of 
his  farm. 

His  children  are,— Elizabeth  M.  (1824-82), 
was  the  wife  of  Henry  Palmer  of  Dyberry  ; 
Susannah  S.,  died  young  ;  Jacob  S.,  born  1828, 
a  farmer  and  superintendent  of  the  cemetery  at 
Honesdale;  Simon  S.  S.  (1830-64),  was  a  farmer 
in  Oregon  Township;  Benjamin  F.,  born  1832, 
a  farmer,  resides  in  Prompton ;  Julia  S.,  died 
young ;  John  W.,  born  in  1836,  is  a  farmer  in 
Dyberry:  Andrew  Jackson,  born    in   1839,  a 


farmer  in  Oregon  Township  ;  Mary  Jane  (1841- 
66);  George  W.  (1844-73),  resided  at  home, 
and  was  accidentally  killed  by  a  falling  tree  ; 
Evaline  S.,  born  in  1847,  wife  of  William  Wil- 
liams, a  merchant  of  Honesdale. 


EZRA   ISROOKS. 

Captain  Homer  Brooks  (1782-1864),  one  of 
the  first  permanent  settlers  of  Dyberry  town- 
ship, a  native  of  Connecticut,  came  from  Mul- 
berry, Vt.,  in  1818,  and  bought  of  Mayor  Jason 
Torry,  agent  for  William  Drinker,  one  hundred 
acres  of  land,  about  two  miles  north  of  Bethany, 
on  which  he  erected  a  log  house.  Returning  to 
Mulberry  the  next  year  he  removed  to  his  new 
home  with  his  wife,  Freelove  (1783-1845), 
daughter  of  Esop  Thayer,  and  six  children,  and 
at  once  began  clearing  off  the  forest  and  fitting 
his  land  for  cultivation.  He  brought  with  him 
a  yoke  of  oxen,  a  span  of  horses,  one  cow  and 
his  faithful  dog.  A  resolute  disposition  and  a 
will  to  carve  out  a  home  in  this  new  country, 
together  with  the  above-mentioned  stock,  made 
up  his  possessions.  He  agreed  to  pay  seven 
hundred  dollars  for  this  wilderness  tract  of  land, 
which  in  time,  after  many  years  hard  labor,  was 
paid.  He  was  one  of  the  men  who  early  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business  in  Dyberry,  and, 
with  his  older  sons,  carried  it  on  in  connection 
with  their  farming  for  fifty  years.  He  was  a 
man  of  stroug  characteristics,  and  highly  es- 
teemed by  his  townsmen,  was  supervisor  of  the 
township  and  held  other  positions  of  trust  in  the 
gift  of  the  people.  He  was  captain  of  a  com- 
pany of  militia  during  the  days  of  general 
training,  prior  to  1850.  The  minutes  of  the 
Fifty-Seventh  Anniversary  of  the  Abington 
Baptist  Association,  contain  the  following: 
"  Deacon  Homer  Brooks  served  the  church  in 
Bethany  faithfully,  was  endowed  with  sterling 
excellencies  of  character,  very  much  esteemed 
by  the  whole  community,  and  a  steady  and  use- 
ful member  of  the  church.  He  was  baptized 
by  Elder  H.  Curtis.  The  feelings  of  his  heart 
were  most  tender  and  affectionate,  his  judgment 
clear  aud  his  adhesion  to  the  church  and  to  the 
principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ  remained 
unchanging.  Bethany  Church  and  congrega- 
tion are  deeply  indebted  to  him  for  the  erection 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


of  their  meeting-house,  and  for  saving  it  from 
subsequent  liabilities."  His  second  wife  was 
Joanna  Bunnell,  now  deceased.  His  children 
by  his  first  wife  are :  Lucy,  wife  of  Barney 
Bunnell,  of  Dyberry,  died  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  in  j 
1885;  Alvira,  wife  of  Gordon  Graves,  ofi 
Bethany,  died  in  Chicago  in  1877;  Flavilla, 
wife  of  Kockwell  Bunnell,  died  in  Prompton  in 
1870;  Virgil,  settled  in  Lebanon  township 
where   he  now  resides,  and    Ezra,  who  resides  I 


(Dayton)  Barnes,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut, 
October  22,  1813.  Her  parents  were  natives  of 
Connecticut,  removed  to  Coventry,  Chenango  Co., 
N.  Y.,  in  1818,  where  they  resided  until  their 
death.  Her  father  died  in  1875,  aged  eighty- 
nine  ;  her  mother  in  1845,  aged  sixty-one.  Their 
children  are  Hannah,  deceased  ;  Nancy  L.  Sa- 
bra,  the  first  and  third  of  whom  reside  in  New 
York  State,  and  two  sons,  Edward  and  Gilbert, 
who  reside  in  Dyberry. 


4^^     &~trt*Cj 


one  mile  west  of  the  old  homestead  ;  Major  E.  i 
resided  on  the  homestead  until  his  death,  in 
1876  ;  William  Drinker  is  a  mechanic  of 
Homer,  N.  Y. ;  Lepha  S.,  wife  of  Lyman 
Gleason,  a  farmer  and  lumberman  in  Dyberry, 
died  in  1882 ;  Horace  resides  at  New  Milford, 
and  Ortenca  Maria  is  the  wife  of  Mathew  Watt, 
of  Wilkesbarre  Pa. 

Ezra  Brooks,  second  son  of  Deacon  Homer 
Brooks  was  born  in  Mulberry,  Yt.,  September 
11,  1812,  and  married  on  Christmas  eve,  1836, 
Nancy  L.,  daughter  of  Daniel  and    Mehitabel 


Ezra  Brooks  resided  at  home  until  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.  After  two  years  he  pur- 
chased fifty  acres  adjoining  the  homestead  for 
five  hundred  dollars,  upon  which  was  a  small 
frame  house  with  one  room.  He  cleared  the 
greater  part  of  his  laud,  and  has  added  to  it,  by 
purchase,  ninety  acres  more.  In  1847  he  built 
his  present  residence,  and  he  erected  his  com- 
modious barns  and  planted  most  of  his  orchard. 
In  1842  he  built,  in  connection  with  his  father, 
a  saw-mill  near  Dyberry  Falls,  and  ran  it  for 
sixteen  years.     In  all  Mr.  Brooks  has  been  en- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


in  the  lumber  business  for  fifty-three 
years,  which  he  began  as  early  as  1828,  with 
his  father.  His  first  work  was  scoring  and 
hewing  wharf  timber,  which  he  run  in  single 
rafts,  called  a  "  colt "  down  the  Dyberry  and 
Lackawaxen,  thence  down  the  Delaware  In- 
putting four  single  rafts  together,  called  a 
"  double  Delaware,"  to  Philadelphia.  This 
great  raft  was  manned  by  four  men,  and  aver- 
aged to  reach  its  destination  in  three  days. 

Mr.  Brooks  and  wife  are  closely  identified 
with  the  Baptist  Church  at  Bethany.  He  has 
sung  in  the  choir  of  that  church  for  fifty-four 
years,  has  served  as  chorister  for  forty  years, 
been  a  member  since  seventeen  years  of  age  and 
trustee  since  his  father's  death.  He  has  served 
as  supervisor,  and  in  other  official  relations,  of 
Dyberry,  and  is  known  as  one  of  its  sterling 
citizens.  Ever  since  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
Dyberry  he  has  taken  pastime  in  hunting,  and 
in  the  early  days  was  rewarded  almost  invaria- 
bly with  the  game  that  then  abounded  in  the 
forest,  such  as  deer,  foxes  and  wolves. 

The  children  of  Ezra  and  Nancy  L.  Brooks 
are  Lucy  M.,  wife  of  Augustus  A.  Ballon,  a 
farmer  of  Dyberry,  and  Frederick  N.  Brooks 
who  married  Mary  L.,  daughter  of  Milo  Bedell, 
and  farms  the  homestead. 


LEWIS    DAY. 

Lewis  Day,  the  only  surviving  sou  of  Ste- 
phen and  Mary  (Bonnel)  Day,  was  born  in 
Chatham,  Morris  County,  N.  J.,  June  25, 1813, 
and  resides  on  Dyberry  Creek,  in  Dyberry 
township,  on  the  farm  upon  which  his  parents 
settled,  with  their  family  of  nine  children,  in 
1816. 

Stephen  Day  (1769-1865)  purchased  three 
hundred  acres  of  land  for  his  homestead,  and, 
with  his  sous,  began  clearing  off  the  forest;  but, 
before  he  had  much  passed  his  fiftieth  birth- 
day, he  became  afflicted  with  rheumatism,  and 
for  about  forty  years  prior  to  his  death  was  un- 
able to  do  much  manual  labor.  He  was  a  man 
of  strong  Christian  sentiment,  and  both  him- 
self and  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Bethany,  at  which  place  they  were 
buried.  He  spent  much  time  during  his  later 
years  in  the  study  of  the   Bible,   and  read   it 

50 


through  many  times.  His  wife  (1772-1 S42), 
a  woman  devoted  to  her  family  and  to  the 
church,  was  of  German  extraction.  He  was  of 
English  origin,  was  a  man  of  correct  habits,  and 
reached  the  remarkably  great  age  of  nearly 
ninety-six  years. 

The  eldest  son,  Elias,  settled  ou  one  hundred 
acres  of  this  land,  and,  with  his  father,  built  a 
saw-mill,  about  1823,  on  the  present  site  of  the 
Bates  grist-mill.  He  afterward  settled  in  Ohio, 
and  subsequently  in  California. 

The  youngest  sou,  subject  of  this  sketch, 
farmed  the  balance  of  the  original  purchase,  and 
with  his  own  hands  cleared  nearly  all  of  the 
present  improved  land.  On  account  of  his  fa- 
ther's affliction  the  care  of  the  farm  and  all 
business  matters  devolved  upon  him,  and,  with 
that  perseverance  and  resolution  characteristic 
of  his  whole  life,  he  so  managed  affairs  as  to 
close  out  all  indebtedness  on  the  place  and 
make  it  the  permanent  homestead  of  the  family. 

Lewis  Day  is  a  man  of  modest  and  unassum- 
ing ways,  industrious  and  judicious,  and  it  may 
well  be  said  of  him  "  that  lie  ranks  among  the 
intelligent  and  thrifty  farmers  of  Wayne 
County." 

Mr.  Day's  sketch  would  not  be  complete 
without  referring  to  his  hunting  proclivities. 
He  is  known  throughout  the  county  and  this 
part  of  the  State  as  a  great  hunter  and  a  good 
shot,  and  whenever  he  has  had  leisure  during 
the  proper  season  he  has  been  on  many  hunting 
excursions,  and  successfully  made  bear,  deer, 
and  other  wild  game  acknowledge  man's  su- 
premacy over  all  other  animals.  He  has  a 
rifle,  purchased  in  1840,  with  which  he  lias 
killed  one  hundred  and  thirteen  deer,  and  the 
one  hundredth  one  he  presented  to  Rev.  E.  O. 
Ward,  of  Bethany.  He  has  frequently  killed 
three  deer  in  one  day  and  wounded  a  fourth, 
but  never  laid  four  at  his  feet  as  the  result  of 
one  day's  sport. 

He  is  a  supporter  of  the  church  at  Bethany, 
and  interested  in  the  progress  and  development 
of  all  enterprises  tending  to  foster  good  citizen- 
ship and  educate  the  rising  generatiou.  His 
first  wife,  Nancy  J.,  a  daughter  of  Gideon 
Langdon,  of  Dyberry,  whom  he  married  No- 
vember 6,  1838  ;  died  September  3,  1866,  aged 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


fifty-five  years.  His  present  wife,  whom  he 
married  April  7,  1870,  is  Margaret  Maria,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Martha  Dabron,  who 
settled  in  Damascus  township  from  Sullivan 
County  in  1863. 

The  children  of  Stephen  and  Mary  Day,  in 
the  order  of  their  birth,  are, — Jane  (1790- 
1871),  was  the  wife  of  Moses  Ward,  of  Beth- 
any, and  mother  of  Rev.  Elias  O.  Ward,  of  the 


CHAELBS   FAATZ. 

Charles  Faatz,  son  of  Christian,  and 
grandson  of  Christopher  Faatz,  was  born  Oc- 
tober 7,  1829,  on  the  place  where  he  now  re- 
sides, and  where  the  family  first  settled  soon 
after  they  came  from  Saxony.  Christopher 
Faatz  and  Jacob  Hinds,  natives  of  Saxony, 
emigrated  to  Philadelphia  in  1808,  and,  being 
unable  to  pay  their  passage  money,  served  two 


JjajiM  $#*r 


same  place  ;  Elias,  born  1792;  Barney  (1794- 
1856)  settled  in  Ohio,  where  he  died  ;  Harriet 
(1796-1804)  ;  Benjamin  B.,  born  in  1798,  re- 
sided in  Ohio  and  reared  a  family,  but  died  in 
New  Orleans.  He  had  one  son,  who  was  shot 
by  the  Indians ;  another  son,  Benjamin  B. 
Day,  Jr.,  is  president  of  the  Washington  Ter-  i 
ritory  Senatorial  Council,  in  1886.  Mary  J. 
(1801-1862)  was  the  wife  of  Levi  Keteham,  of 
Bethany.  Damaris,  born  in  1804,  is  the  widow 
of  the  late  Hon.  Ephraim  W.  Hamlin,  and  re- 
sides in  Bethany,  in  1886  ;  Edwin  S.  (1810- 
1866),  and  Lewis  Dav. 


years  after  their  landing  to  repay  the  amount 
due.  Fortunately  for  Christopher  Faatz,  he  was 
bound  to  a  glass  manufacturer  of  the  city,  a 
business  he  had  learned  in  his  native  country, 
and  he  soon  showed  his  master  that  he  was  a 
proficient  glass-blower.  At  the  end  of  his  ser- 
vice, he  rented  the  glass  manufactory,  and  in 
due  time  saved  money  enough  to  send  for  his 
wife,— Elizabeth  Hinds,  sister  of  his  compan- 
ion, and  his  two  children,  Christiana  and  Chris- 
tian, and  bring  them  to  Philadelphia. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  his  family,  he  be- 
came manager  of  the  glass- works  at  Rockville, 


WAYNK  COUNTY 


611 


ou  the  Delaware,  and  afterwards  at  Woodstock, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  until  181(3,  when  he 
and  Jacob  Hinds  removed  to  the  western  part 
of  Dyberry  township,  Wayne  County,  pur- 
chased some  six  hundred  acres  of  woodland, 
and  erected  a  glass  manufactory,  which  was 
carried  on  by  Faatz  &  Hinds  and  other  firms 
until  the  glass  interest  was  transferred  to  Hones- 
dale. 

Christopher  Faatz  and  wife  were  Lutherans 


in  Dyberry  township ;  Stephen  8.,  a  glass-blower, 
resides  in  Honesdale;  Nicholas  died  in  Michigan, 
and  was  a  farmer  ;  Caroline  is  the  wife  of 
Joseph  Bodie,  one  of  the  old  residents  of  Dy- 

[  berry  township. 

The  eldest  daughter,  Christiana,  was  the  first 
wife  of  Nicholas  Greiner,  and  after  his  death 
the  wife  of  Henry  Downing,  a  land  agent,  and 

I  died  in  Dyberry. 

!      The  eldest  son,  Christian  (1798-1868),  was 


^Jh.a,L 


in  religious  persuasion,  and  traveling  ministers 
held  their  meetings  in  their  house,  until  many 
years  afterwards,  when  a  school-house  was 
erected,  and  served  for  a  place  of  worship.  He 
died  in  1828,  aged  sixty  years.  His  wife  sur- 
vived him,  and  died  about  1850.  Their  other 
children,  born  in  this  country  were  :  Charles, 
a  glass-blower,  of  Weedsport,  N.  Y. ;  Jacob,  a 
glass-maker,  died  near  Prompton,  in  185(3  ; 
Christopher,  a  glass-cutter  and   farmer,  resides 


some  twelve  years  old  when  he  came  with  his 
mother  to  Philadelphia,  and  at  once  began  to 
learn  the  business  of  a  glass-blower,  and  con- 
tinued with  his  father  in  this  business  as  long 
as  he  carried  it  ou,  and  was  manager  for  other 
firms  afterwards,  in  that  place  and  at  Dundaff. 
He  succeeded  to  one  hundred  acres  of  the  orig- 
inal purchase  of  land,  most  of  which  he  cleared 
and  prepared  for  crops,  and  erected  buildings 
thereon.     He  was  a  man  of  correct   habits,  led 


612 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


an  honorable  and  useful  life,  possessed  sterling 
characteristics  and  sought  to  fulfil  the  full  du- 
ties of  a  father  and  good  citizen.  He  was  a 
strict  adherent  of  the  Lutheran  doctrines,  and 
had  all  his  children  baptized  in  his  own  house. 
He  was  self-sacrificing,  tenacious  of  principle 
and  right,  aud  labored  for  the  good  of  others. 
He  was  frequently  selected  to  fill  the  highest 
offices  in  the  township,  and  every  trust  confided 
to  his  charge,  whether  of  a  public  or  private 
nature,  found  in  him  a  noble  exponent  of  hon- 
esty and  integrity.  His  first  wife  was  Matilda 
(1799-1844),  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Sally 
Brink.  His  second  wife,  whom  he  married  in 
1845,  was  Catherine,  widow  of  George  Hopkins, 
of  Clinton  township,  by  whom  he  had  one 
daughter,  Hattie,  wife  of  William  Varcoe,  of 
Damascus.  His  third  wife,  was  Sarah  Tripp, 
whom  he  married  in  1852,  who  bore  him  one 
child — Sarah,  wife  of  William  Griffis,  of  Car 
bondale.  The  children  by  his  first  marriage 
are  :  Lucinda,  widow  of  George  Payne,  of  San- 
dusky, Ohio  ;  Jacob,  of  Wood  County,  Ohio  ; 
Betsy,  wife  of  Sumner  Isham,  of  Dyberry  town- 
ship ;  Nancy  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  John 
Shirmer,  of  Seelyville  ;  Mary  deceased,  was  the 
wife  of  William  Stiles,  and  resided  in  Clinton 
township ;  Charles ;  George,  a  farmer  of  Oregon 
township  ;  Andrew,  a  farmer  in  South  Canaan  ; 
Adeline,  widow  of  Simon  Hopkins,  of  Clinton, 
and  Edward,  who  resides  on  a  part  of  the  or- 
iginal purchase. 

Of  this  large  family  of  children,  Charles 
Faatz  succeeded  to  the  homestead  of  his  father, 
and  has  spent  his  life  as  a  farmer.  He  has  served 
his  township  as  supervisor,  school  director  and 
assessor,  and  is  its  treasurer  in  1886.  He  has 
been  identified  with  the  Bethany  Methodist 
Church  since  1853,  was  steward  of  the  church 
during  that  time,  class  leader  for  many  years,  and 
for  the  past  fifteen  years  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school.  His  wife,  Clarissa,  born 
August  27,  1831,  married  May  6,  1851,  is  the 
daughter  of  George  and  Catherine  (Bunting) 
Hopkins,  before  named.  Her  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Winfield,  Conn.,  and  settled  in  Clinton 
township,  Wayne  County,  while  a  young  man. 
He  was  a  silk  weaver  by  trade,  but  followed 
farming  in  this  county.    He  died  in  1833,  aged 


sixty-four  years.  Her  mother  died  at  the  age 
of  fifty-six,  in  1851.  Their  children  are: 
Samuel,  died  in  Kansas,  in  1885,  aged  sixty- 
four  ;  David,  an  inventor,  resides  in  New  York; 
Simon,  died  in  1870;  George,  a  builder  in 
Philadelphia  ;  Ann  Elizabeth,  wife  of  William 
Olver,  of  Dyberry,  Clarissa,  and  Julia  M., 
wife  of  William  Box,  of  Dyberry. 

The  children  of  Charles  and  Clarissa  Faatz 
are :  Lillie,  wife  of  Martin  Balkcom,  of  Dy- 
berry ;  Cora  O,  wife  of  Phene  Bodie,  of  Dy- 
berry;  Jasper  H.,  and  Judson  B.  Faatz. 


ALBERT    BUTLER 

came  from  New  Hartford,  Litchfield  Coun- 
ty, Conn.,  in  1840  and  settled  on  eighty-five 
acres  of  land  one  mile  south  of  Bethany,  in 
Dyberry  township,  upon  which  he  resided  and 
which  he  farmed  until  a  few  years  since,  when 
he  retired  aud  settled  in  Bethany,  where  he  now 
resides,  in  1886.  He  is  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
and  has  worked  at  this  business,  as  well  as  farm- 
ing, since  his  removal  here.  He  has  been  identi- 
fied with  Dyberry  township  as  school  director, 
assessor  and  clerk,  taken  an  active  interest  in  lo- 
cal matters,  and  as  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church  he  has  served  as  trustee  and  recording 
steward.  He  was  born  March  9,  1814  ;  mar- 
ried, in  1838,  Harriet  (1816-66),  a  daughter  of 
Orin  and  Harriett  (Pettibone)  Cadwell,  who 
for  a  time  resided  at  Simsbury,  Hartford  Coun- 
ty, Conn.,  until  he  was  married  and  then,  in 
Xew  Hartford,  whence  she  left  with  her  hus- 
band for  Wayne  County,  Pa.  Her  father  died 
in  the  West;  her  mother  is  living,  in  1886,  at 
Bristol,  Conn.,  at  nearly  ninety  years  of  age. 
The  children  of  Mr.  Butler  by  this  marriage 
are  Susan  Jane  (wife  of  Henry  O.  Hurlburt,  a 
jeweler  in  Philadelphia),  Celia  Augusta  (wife  of 
William  A.  Gaylord,  prothonotary  of  Wayne 
County)  and  William  T.  Butler,  residing  on 
the  homestead  farm  and  a  teacher.  By  his 
second  marriage,  in  1870,  to  S.  Melissa,  a 
daughter  of  Jonathan  D.  aud  Mary  (Cramer) 
Simpson,  he  has  one  son,  Albert  S.  Butler. 
She  was  born  May  5,  1843. 

Mr.  Butler's  father,  Jared,  was  a  farmer  and 
resided    in    Litchfield    County,  where  he  died 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


613 


about  1860.  His  mother,  Eunice,  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  Couch,  of  Norfolk,  Conn.,  died  in 
1837.  Their  children  are  Timothy  (died  at 
Colebrooke,  Conn.),  Almon  (died  at  his  brother 
Albert's),  Albert  (subject  of  this  sketch),  Wil- 
liam (died  in  Iowa),  Merriman  M.  (died  at 
Colebrooke),  Jared  Sullivan  (resides  at  Nor- 
folk, Conn.),  Alia  (married  a  Mr.  Allyn)  and 
Laura  (the  wife  of  Nathan  Starr  Corrington, 
of  Cook  County,  111. 

His  grandfather,  Jared  Butler  and  wife, 
Elizabeth  Doggester,  were  farmers  and  reared 
their  family  at  Norfolk.   He  died  there  in  1822, 


s3^c&^ 


aged  seventy-five  years.  The  paternal  great- 
grandfather of  Albert  Butler  was  Nathaniel, 
and  the  family  is  of  English  origin. 

Jonathan  Drake  Simpson  (1792-1860),  a 
native  of  Chatham,  N.  J.,  was  the  son  of  Isaac 
Simpson,  a  native  of  Holland,  who  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  War.  His  mother's  family 
name  was  Drake  and  their  church  relation 
Presbyterian,  of  which  he  was  a  member  in  his 
younger  days.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  enlist- 
ed and  served  as  a  drummer  in  the  War  of 
1812,  at  Sandy  Hook,  and  after  his   discharge 


he  served  in  the  New  Jersey  State  militia  as 
first  lieutenant.  He  learned  how  to  carry  on  a 
grist-mill  and  was  well  practiced  in  Mahogany 
veneering  sawing,  at  which  business  he  worked 
until  about  1822,  when  he  was  asked  to  locate 
at  Seely's  Mills  (now  Seelyville),  Wayne 
County,  Pa.,  and  take  charge  of  the  newly 
erected  grist-mill  at  that  place,  which  he  attend- 
ed for  many  years.  Soon  after  settling  at  See- 
lyville he  bought  a  large  tract  of  land,  compris- 
ing most  of  the  hill-sides  in  view  of  that 
promising  mill  site,  but  entering  largely  into 
the  lumbering  business,  the  spring's  floods 
swept  his  stored  logs  and  lumber  suddenly  away 
and  left  him  deeply  in  debt.  He  was  a  man 
highly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  In  1827 
he  married,  at  Seelyville,  Mary  Cramer  (1809- 
67),  a  Christian  woman  and  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  over  forty 
years.  Their  children  are  Ann  Eliza,  Helen 
Amanda,  Mary  Emily,  Susan  Beach  (died  in 
Iowa)  Carolina  Elizabeth  and  S.  Melissa  Simp- 
son. One  son,  Jonathan  Drake  Simpson,  loyal 
to  the  Union  cause  during  the  late  Civil  War, 
served  with  the  Northern  troops,  was  taken 
prisoner  and  confined  in  a  rebel  prison  where  he 
is  supposed  to  have  died.  He  left  a  widow  and 
one  child — Lotta  Simpson. 


HENBY  VAN  DEUSEN. 

Henry  Van  Deusen  (1794-1868)  and  his 
wife,  Louisa  Dobel  (1798-1879),  daughter  of 
John  Dobel,  both  natives  of  Great  Barrington, 
Mass.,  came  from  that  State  in  1833,  with  their 
three  children,  and  settled  in  Dyberry  town- 
ship, Wayne  County.  There  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  They  were  interred 
in  the  cemetery  at  Honesdale.  The  A^an  Deu- 
sens  resided  for  a  time  on  the  place  now  owned 
by  Mr.  Bullock.  The  father  gave  it  to  his  sons, 
and  subsequently  bought  the  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  on  the  Dyberry,  upon 
which  he  erected  the  present  residence,  the  prop- 
erty being  owned  in  1886  by  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
George  E.  Baker.  Henry  Van  Deusen  was  one 
of  the  most  esteemed  and  substantial  citizens  of 
the  township,  a  man  of  temperate  and  correct 
habits,  of  strong  mind  and  good  judgment,  and 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


of  sterling    integrity  in    all     his    business   re- 


He  had  a  good  English  education,  and  his 
written  papers  drawn  by  himself,  together  with 
his  methodical  and  business-like  way  of  keeping 
his  accounts,  attest  not  only  his  general  intelli- 
gence but  somewhat  of  his  scholarship.  He  was 
an  attendant  of  the  Episcopal  Church  before 
coming  to  Wayne  County,  and  interested  in 
matters  of  church   afterwards,  but  there  being 


children  of  Henry  and  Louisa  Van  Deusen  are 
Mark,  born  May  4,  1823,  married  Sarah  E., 
eldest  daughter  of  George  E.  Baker,  mentioned 
in  this  sketch,  and  resides  in  Oregon  township, 
where  he  is  closely  identified  with  its  interests, 
and  has  served  as  school-director  and  supervisor ; 
George  H.  (1829-1883),  served  his  township  as 
supervisor,  was  a  good  citizen,  resided  on  the 
homestead  with  his  sister,  and  there  died,  un- 
married, and   Carrie   E.  Van   Deusen,  wife   of 


& 


^O 


£ 


e^^ 


no  church  here  then,  he  never  united  with  any 
religious  denomination,  although  he  represent- 
ed the  highest  type  of  morality  and  was  a  con- 
tributor to  religious  work. 

His  father,  Isaac  I.  Van  Deusen  (1767-1831), 
was  a  farmer  and  tanner,  at  Great  Barrington, 
and  married  Christina  Spoor  (1705-1830),  by 
whom  he  had  the  following  children  :  Nicholas, 
died  in  Illinois;  Henry,  Catherine(1791-1874), 
was  the  wife  of  Isaac  Wheeler,  of  Victor,  N.  Y., 
and  left  a  family  of  children  at  her  death.    The 


George  E.  Baker,  residing  on  and  owning  the 
Van  Deusen  homestead.  Mrs.  Louisa  (Gobel) 
Van  Deusen's  mother  was  Elizabeth  Griswold. 
Mark  Van  Deusen's  children,  the  only  persons 
of  the  third  generation  in  Wayne  representing 
the  Van  Deusen  family  are  Frank,  Carrie  E., 
Hat  tie,  George  and  Leslie  Van  Deusen. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


GEORGE  E.  BAKER. 

George  E.  Baker,  born  May  22,  1822,  in 
Rhode  Island,  on  the  line  between  that  State 
and  Connecticut,  came  with  his  parents,  Ezra 
Baker  (1790-1881)  and  Elizabeth  (Bennett) 
Baker  (1792-1879),  in  1831,  and  settled  near 
Rileysville,  in  Lebanon  township, Wayne  Coun- 
ty, where  Virgil  Brooks  now  resides.  The 
parents  resided  in  that  Ideality  the  remainder 
of  their  lives,  were  much  esteemed  citizens,  zeal- 
ous supporters  of  the  Free 'Will  Baptist  Church, 
and  raised  their  children  under  religious  instruc- 
tion and  influence.  They  were  interred  at  Ki- 
leysville.  Their  other  children  were  Elmira, 
died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  and  Stephen,  a 
twin  brother  with  George  E.,  resides  in  Oregon 
township ;  George,  grandfather  of  George  E. 
Baker,  resided  in  Rhode  Island,  and  married 
Phebe  Taylor,  a  sister  of  William  Taylor,  father 
of  Mrs.  Jehiel  Justin,  of  Lebanon.  He  was  a 
well-read  man,  and  although  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation, was  a  somewhat  public  man,  and  repre- 
sented his  constituency  in  the  State  Legislature 
He  died  about  the  year  1840,  aged  sixty-eight 
years. 

George  E.  Baker  early  learned  what  hard 
work  meant,  but  had  the  usual  opportunities  of 
the  district  school,  which  he  improved.  His 
life-work  has  been  that  of  a  farmer.  He  first 
married  in  18415,  on  New  Year's  day,  Emily  E. 
(1825-1873),  daughter  of  John  and  Millany 
(Huntington)  Lincoln,  of  Lebanon  township, 
formerly  from  Connecticut.  By  this  marriage 
he  had  children,  viz  :  Sarah  E.,  wife  of  Mark 
Van  Deusen,  before  mentioned ;  Harriet  A. 
(1848-1885),  was  the  wife  of  George  W.  Kim- 
ble, now  of  Dyberry  township  ;  Lydia  J.,  wife 
of  George  A.  Kimble,  of  Oregon  township ; 
Marcia  M.  and  Lucy  E.  (twins),  the  former, 
wife  of  Nicholas  Humbley,  and  the  latter,  wife 
of  Frank  Kimble,  both  of  Oregon  township. 
For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Baker  married,  Decem- 
ber 20,  1883,  Carrie  E.,  only  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Louisa  (Dobel)  Van  Deusen,  heretofore 
mentioned.  She  was  born  June  20,  1831,  and 
was,  therefore,  two  years  old  when  her  parents 
came  to  Wayne  County.  They  reside  upon  the 
Van  Deusen  homestead,  on  the  Dyberry  Creek. 
Mrs.  Baker  regrets  that  she   has  no  picture  of 


her  father  to  insert  in  this  work,  but  has   fur- 
nished his  autograph  for  engraving  herein. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

LEBANON    TOWNSHIP.  ' 

Lebanon  is  bounded  on  the  east  by  Damas- 
cus, south  by  Oregon  and  Dyberry,  west  by 
Mount  Pleasant,  north  by  Buckingham  and 
Manchester.  It  contains  about  thirty-seven 
square  miles.  A  large  portion  of  it  is  covered 
with  woods  ;  the  hemlock,  ash  and  basswood  is 
mostly  gone.  The  principal  timber  is  hard  and 
soft  maple,  beech,  birch,  black  and  white  ash, 
basswood  and  hemlock  with  pine  and  spruce  in 
swamps.  Some  butternut,  chestnut,  hickory 
and  elm. 

The  surface  of  the  township  is  generally 
uneven  ;  some  parts  are  very  rough,  ledges  and 
detached  rocks  covering  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  hillsides,  especially  along  the  larger 
streams.  The  general  course  of  the  streams  is 
south.  Near  the  northern  part  of  the  township, 
a  ridge  called  Laurel  Ridge  runs  nearly  east 
and  west,  dividing  the  waters  of  the  Delaware 
and  Dyberry.  The  soil  produces  good  crops  of 
com,  oats,  buckwheat  and  potatoes.  Somegoi  «1 
crops  of  wheat  and  rye  have  been  raised,  but 
the  soil  is  better  adapted  to  grazing  than  tillage. 
In  the  northeast  corner  is  a  lofty  hill  called 
"  Big  Hickory."  In  a  ledge  of  rocks  on  lands 
of  James  Gethin,  some  beautiful  specimens  of 
quartz  have  been  found  and  in  a  cultivated  field 
near  by,  Mr.  Gethin  frequently  plows  up  small 
quartz.  Upper  Woods  Pond  is  a  noted  resort 
for  fishermen.  At  the  Lower  Woods  Pond  the 
Delaware  &  Hudson  Company  have  a  reservoir 
for  feeding  the  canal.  These  with  Duck 
Harbor  comprise  all  the  ponds  of  much  size  in 
the  township. 

Early  Settlers. — Commencing  at  the  west 
line  of  the  township  on  the  Newburgh  turnpike 
one  finds  the  old  Stevens  place.  Silas  Stevens 
from  Vermont  took  up  lands  on  both  sides  of 
the  turnpike  about  1810  and  commenced  keep- 

1  The  data  concerning  this  township  was  gathered,  and 
the  chapter  was  mostly  written  by  Philo  S.  Bass. 


616 


WAYNE.  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ing  tavern  in  1812,  which  business  he  continued 
most  of  his  life.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
William,  who  some  years  ago  disposed  of  his 
real  estate  to  Robbins  Douglass.  Silas  Stevens 
appears  to  have  been  of  an  inventive  turn  of 
mind.  At  one  time  he  constructed  a  churning 
machine  to  run  by  water.  He  also  built  a 
threshing  machine  setting  up  a  perpendicular 
post  in  the  barn  so  that  it  would  turn  around. 
In  this  lie  placed  a  horizontal  shaft  which  would 
also  revolve  ;  this  he  filled  with  pegs  reaching 
the  floor  ;  he  then  spread  the  grain  in  a  circle 
around  the  upright,  hitched  a  horse  to  the 
outer  end  of  the  shaft  and  started,  but  how 
much  grain  he  threshed  is  not  known.  He 
married  Esther  Merrill.  Their  children  were 
Alfred,  Merrill,  William,  Malby  and  Palina, 
(Mrs.  Benajah  Carr). 

The  next  farm  on  the  east,  on  the  south  side 
of  the  road  was  that  of  John  Douglass,  also  of 
Vermont  and  a  brother-in-law  of  Stevens. 
His  wife  was  Sybil  Merrill.  He  died  many 
years  ago  and  was  succeeded  by  his  only  son 
Eobbins,  who  died  1876.  There  are  two  of  his 
daughters  still  living,  Mrs.  Seth  Yale  of  this 
town  and  Mrs.  John  Rutledge  of  Damascus. 
Bobbins  Douglass  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
Gates  H,  who  resides  on  the  old  homestead. 

The  next  farm  on  the  north  side  of  the  road 
was  that  of  Joseph  Bass,  who  came  from  Wind- 
ham County,  Conn.,  in  1815.  His  wife  was 
Lucy  Gager.  He  died  in  1843,  leaving  four 
sons :  Thomas  H,  Jason  G.,  John  W.  and 
Gilbert  P.  Bass.  The  latter  who  lives  upon 
and  owns  the  old  homestead  is  the  only  living 
member  of  the  family. 

The  next  settler  on  the  east  was  David  Gager, 
who  came  from  the  same  place  and  with  Joseph 
Bass,  whose  wife  was  a  sister  of  Gager's. 
Gager  cleared  up  his  farm.  There  are  two  of 
his  sons  still  living  in  Wayne  County,  Horace 
W.,  of  Lebanon  and  Edwin  B.,  of  Dyberry. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  turnpike,  opposite 
the  Bass  farm,  Elisha  Lincoln  settled  in  1817. 
He  lived  upon  the  farm  until  1837  when  he 
moved  west.  P.  S.  Bass,  the  only  son  of  G.  P. 
Bass,  owns  the  front  of  the  farm  and  Francis 
Halligan  the  rest. 

The  next  farm  on  the  east  and   opposite  the 


Gager  farm,  John  Lincoln,  a  brother  of  P^lisha, 
settled  in  1817.  In  1823  he  settled  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  his  son-in-law,  Hiram 
Wright ;  he  kept  a  hotel  for  many  years,  and 
was  postmaster  at  Rileysville  a  long  time.  He 
had  three  sons, — John,  Steadman  and  Giles  ; 
and  two  daughters, — Mrs.  H.  Wright  and  Mrs. 
George  Baker.  Mrs.  Wright  is  the  one  living 
in  this  township  at  present.  Mr.  Lincoln  died 
at  the  residence  of  H.  Wright  in  1867  ;  the 
Lincolns  were  from  Connecticut.  P.  S.  Bass 
lives  upon  the  front  of  the  old  farm  of  John 
Lincoln,  C.  H.  Scudder  owning  the  rear. 

The  next  farm  on  the  north  side  of  the  road 
was  settled  by  George  Parkinson  early  in  the 
present  century.  He  was  probably  the  first 
settler  in  West  Lebanon,  as  his  old  house  was 
the  only  one  upon  the  old  road,  which  at  this 
point  ran  half  a  mile  north  of  the  turnpike. 
The  old  place  has  passed  through  many  hands  ; 
the  Robinsons,  Stephen  Hoyt,  P.  G.  Goodrich, 
Esq.,  J.  Stacy  and  others  being  its  owners.  It 
is  now  owned  by  C.  H.  Scudder  and  William 
Murphy. 

Opposite  the  Parkinson  place  Benajah  Carr 
settled  about  the  year  1814  ;  the  land  was  given 
him  by  his  father.  Carr  cleared  up  his  farm, 
sold  out  to  C.  H  Scudder  and  went  West  in 
1849.  None  of  the  family  remain  in  the  town- 
ship. 

Passing  on,  the  next  place  on  the  south  side 
of  the  road  is  the  Wheatcraft  farm,  settled  by 
Edward  Wheatcraft,  of  Frederick,  Md.,  about 
1803.  The  farm  is  now  owned  by  G.  H. 
Douglass  and  Charles  Bennett.  Opposite  the 
Wheatcraft  farm  Willet  Carr,  a  brother  of 
Benajah  Carr,  located.  He  sold  out  to  Walker 
Harrison  and  moved  to  Preston  township,  on 
the  farm  now  owned  by  J.  L.  Sherwood. 

Turning  to  the  north,  between  the  Parkinson 
and  W.  Carr  farms,  and  passing  on  we  find 
William  Murphy  on  the  west  side  of  the  road 
owning  a  part  of  the  old  Parkinson  farm.  Be- 
yond him  on  the  east  side  of  the  road  lives 
Matthew  Lestrauge,  owning  a  part  of  the  Harri- 
son farm,  which  was  cleared  by  Jesse  Harrison, 
a  son  of  Walker  Harrison.  Galen  Wilmarth 
and  Michael  Moran  owned  and  lived  upon  it 
previous  to  Lestrange.     Off  the   road,  east  of 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


617 


Lestrange,  Edward  Morau  settled  about  forty 
years  ago.  In  1884  he  sold  to  James  B. 
Megivern  and  bought  the  Ralph  Case  farm  in 
Clinton.  On  the  west  side  of  the  road  lives 
Michael  Lestrange,  on  a  farm  cleared  by  his 
father,  Patrick  Lestrange,  who  now  resides  in 
Mount  Pleasant.  Passing  on  north  we  come  to 
the  farm  cleared  by  Thomas  Morau,  now  de- 
ceased. It  is  now  occupied  by  his  sun  and 
widow.  Moran  and  Lestrange  came  here  about 
forty  years  ago.  The  next  place  is  one  settled 
on  I  iv  Patrick  Rogers  about  thirty  years  ago. 
Rogers  and  his  wife  have  been  dead  some  years. 
His  sons  remain  upon  the  farm.  Passing  on  we 
find  P.  O'Neill,  Peter  Hughes  and  Thomas 
MeKeuna,  who  have  recently  settled  here. 
Going  south  from  the  turnpike,  on  the  road  be- 
tween the  B.  Carr  and  Wheatcraft  farms,  and 
south  along  the  road  leading  to  Honesdale,  we 
find  Samuel  Latourette,  for  many  years  a  resi- 
dent on  the  farm  originally  taken  up  by  Sey- 
mour Spafford  ;  still  passing  on  south  we  find 
on  the  east  side  of  the  road  a  farm  taken  up  by 
Lister  and  John  Spafford,  owned  more  recently 
by  John  Latourette,  and  at  present  by  Francis 
Cunningham,  of  Herrick  Centre,  Susquehanna 
County.  Farther  south  on  the.  west  side  of  the 
road  is  Benjamin  E.  Gager,  and  ou  the  east  side 
is  Nelson  Latourette.  Still  farther  on,  and  on 
the  west  side  of  the  road  is  James  Gethin.  The 
three  last  named  have  cleared  up  their  farms 
within  the  last  few  years. 

( )n  the  east  side  of  the  road  is  an  old  place 
first  taken  up  by  John  W.  Bass,  who  chopped 
down  twenty-five  acres  of  timber.  He  sold  his 
interest  in  the  place  to  one  Perkins,  who  left  it 
about  1837,  when  Peter  Latourette  became  the 
owner.  It  is  now  owned  by  his  grandson, 
George  Latourette.  South  of  this  to  the  south 
line  of  the  township  is  an  unbroken  wilderness. 
David  Spafford  made  a  commencement  off  the 
road  west  of  S.  Latourette,  on  the  laud  now 
owned  by  the  latter.  Seymour  Spafford  was  a 
cousin  of  the  other  three.  John  and  David 
married  daughters  of  Joseph  Bass.  Lester 
married  an  Arnold,  of  Prompton.  John 
Spafford  left  one  son,  Joseph  B.,  now  an  en- 
gineer at  Carter's  factory,  Providence,  Luzerne 
County  ;  and  three  daughters, — Mrs.  M.  Silsby, 


Mrs.  William  Love  and  Mrs.  John  Fordham. 
John  Spafford  died  at  Mount  Pleasant  some 
years  ago,  David  went  to  Michigan,  where  he 
died,  and  Lester  died  near  Stockport,  N.  Y. 

Returning  to  the  turnpike  and  passing  on 
east  beyond  the  W.  Carr  place,  on  the  north  of 
road,  we  come  to  the  farm  first  settled  by  one 
Simons,  who  built  a  house  on  it  and  was  burned 
out.  He  removed  to  Susquehanna  Couuty, 
where  some  of  his  descendants  still  reside.  This 
farm  is  owned  by  heirs  of  John  Wilmarth,  son 
of  Galen  Wilmarth.  Benjamin  Wlieeler  and 
Philo  Spencer,  of  Mount  Pleasant,  married 
Simons'  daughters.  East  of  Simons  place,  on 
the  north  side  of  the  road,  lives  Horace  W. 
Gager  on  a  farm  owned  by  Elijah  Gillett. 
Joining  this  ou  the  east  are  lands  taken  up  by 
Hugh  Gammell,  of  Vermont,  who  for  his  second 
wife  married  a  sister  of  Gillett's.  Gammell 
must  have  been  here  as  early  as  1810,  for  in 
1813  he  had  an  orchard  set  out,  now  owned  by 
E.  E.  Yale,  son  of  J.  E.  Yale.  Opposite  Gam- 
mell'a  a  man  named  Duncan  commenced  and 
put  up  a  house  of  hewn  logs,  but  never  fiuished 
it.  Peter  Latourette  before  named  settled  on 
it  next,  and  he  sold  to  Joseph  Bennett,  who 
died  there.  Charles  Bennett,  his  son,  now  owns 
the  farm.  James  F.  Yale  married  a  daughter 
of  J.  Bennett,  and  Ezra  E.  Yale  another.  Below 
the  Bennett  farm,  on  the  south  side,  is  a  farm 
formerly  known  as  the  Quinett  place,  from 
Francis  Quinett,  who  once  lived  there,  but  at 
present  occupied  by  the  widow  and  son  of  John 
E.  Yale.  Nearly  opposite  this  place,  but  a  little 
farther  east,  the  father  of  John  and  David 
Howell,  late  of  Mount  Pleasant,  was  located  be- 
fore 1813. 

The  next  farm  on  the  east,  lying  on  both 
sides  of  the  turnpike,  was  cleared  up  by  Seth 
Yale,  who  came  from  Connecticut  to  Mount 
Pleasant  iu  1806.  In  1813  he  settled  here. 
He  was  once  county  commissioner  and  for  many 
years  justice  of  the  peace,  and  as  such  he  never 
had  an  appeal  taken  from  his  decision.  He 
always  counseled  settlement  rather  than  law. 
He  had  more  hair-breadth  escapes  than  any 
hunter  in  the  vicinity.  At  one  time  having 
shot  an  otter  on  the  ice  at  "  Lower  Woods 
Pond,"  in  going  after  it  the  ice  broke  with  him 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  he  went  into  the  pond.  The  ice  kept  break- 
ing with  him  until  nearly  exhausted,  he  put  his 
wet  mittens  on  the  ice  as  tar  as  he  could  reach, 
and  when  they  froze  fast  he  drew  himself  out, 
then  getting  some  poles  and  brush  he  con- 
structed a  bridge  and  thus  secured  his  otter. 
His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  James  Bigelow,  of 
Mount  Pleasant.  He  died  at  Honesdale  in 
1858,  leaving  the  following  children, — Seth, 
James  F.  (since  deceased),  Norman,  John  E., 
Ezra  E.,  Clayton,  Eliza,  Tryphena  and  Mary. 
John  E.  Tryphena  and  Mary  have  since  died. 
Philo  Sherwood  married  Tryphena;  G.  P. 
Bass,  Eliza ;  Mary  died  unmarried.  Ezra  E. 
owns  the  lands  south  of  the  road,  and  Clayton 
the  north  part  of  the  old  homestead. 

East  and  adjoining  the  Seth  Yale  farm  on 
the  north  side  of  the  road  live  Edward  Kernan 
and  P.  Coffey,  on  land  originally  settled  by 
Captain  Asa  Yale,  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and 
uncle  of  Seth  Yale.  He  came  about  1817-18, 
went  back  to  Connecticut  on  a  visit  and  was 
drowned  on  his  way  back  to  Pennsylvania. 

Going  on  east  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  we 
find  Shieldsboro,  so-called  from  Robert  Shields, 
a  son  of  Thomas  Shields,  the  great  laud-holder; 
having  built  a  saw-mill  here  in  1828,  he  placed 
two  of  his  sons  in  charge  of  the  property,  but 
after  a  short  time  they  left  for  a  (to  them) 
more  congenial  clime.  The  property  is  now 
owned  by  John  H.  Cassidy,  of  Damascus, 
brother  of  Lewis  C,  attorney-general  of  Penn- 
sylvania, but  the  mill  is  operated  by  E.  Stan- 
ton, of  Honesdale.  Opposite,  on  the  south  side 
of  the  road  lives  S.  Wilmarth,  a  black- 
smith. East  of  this  on  the  south  side  of 
the  road,  is  Seth  Yale,  son  of  Esquire  Yale. 
He  settled  on  this  place  about  fifty  years  ago. 
His  wife  is  a  daughter  of  John  Douglass. 

Passing  on  east  and  turning  south  on  the 
middle  Lebanon  road  we  first  find  Albert 
Belknap,  a  son  of  Josiah  Belknap,  who  cleared 
up  the  farm.  Belknap  married  a  daughter  of 
J.  Douglass  for  his  first  wife,  and  Alice  Green 
as  his  second.  South  of  this  is  the  farm  of 
Abial  Brown,  which  was  first  taken  by  Josiah 
Bennett,  and  south  of  this  latter  is  Jehiel  Jus- 
tin also  on  Bennett  land.  Justin  is  an  eastern 
man,  settled  here  in  1839.      Passing  along  the 


road  south  we  find  on  the  west  side  of  the  road 
a  farm  belonging  to  the  heirs  of  Lewis  Kreit- 
ner,  first  settled  by  Bailey  Hendricks.  Pierce 
Handel!  lived  there  at  one  time.  Farther  south 
mi  both  sides  of  the  road  is  the  farm  of  Jackson 
Latourette,  a  son  of  John  Latourette.  This 
place  was  taken  up  by  James  Balkcom,  (2)  who 
cut  the  timber  on  twenty-five  or  thirty  acres, 
when  he  sold  out  to  one  Hezekiah  French,  who 
built  the  house  and  barn.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Matthewsou,  and  he  by  G.  cv  T.  Mitchell. 
The  next  farm  south  of  the  Latourettes  is  that 
of  Frank  Robinson,  who  succeeded  his  father, 
James  Robinson,  who  settled  there  about  forty 
years  ago.  This  farm  was  formerly  owned  by 
Rev.  Curtis  Stoddard.  The  next  farm  south 
is  one  formerly  owned  by  Calvin  R.  Niles,  but 
at  present  by  E.  E.  Avery,  who  married  a 
daughter  of  Niles.  Below  this  we  find  John 
Robinson  on  the  farm  settled  upon  by  John 
Pulis,  who  went  west.  The  next  farm  is 
owned  by  heirs  of  Ezra  Brown,  a  sou  of  Henry 
Brown,  a  soldier  of  1812,  and  the  next  was 
settled  upon  by  Henry  Brown  aforesaid  and  is, 
at  present,  occupied  by  W.  H.  Palmer.  Henry 
Brown  married  Betsy  Nelson.  He  died  in 
1877  and  left  one  daughter — Mrs.  Fred.  Hub- 
bard. Passing  the  Brown  farm  a  short  dis- 
tance and  turning  to  the  left  the  old  farm  of 
Ephraim  Pulis,  now  owned  by  his  son  Spencer 
M.,  comes  in  view.  E.  Pulis  was  once  county 
commissioner,  and  for  some  years  a  justice  oi 
the  peace.  The  next  farm  going  east  is  owned 
by  Richard  Arthur  and  was  formerly  owned  by 
Aaron  Pulis.  The  next  is  Wm.  Ridd's  and 
the  next  is  the  Henry  Avery  farm.  The  two 
last  named  farms  were  taken  up  by  one  Lewis 
Payne  in  1825.  Returning  to  the  turnpike 
and  turning  east  we  come  to  a  farm  commenced 
by  Nathan  Yerkes,  but  cleared  up  and  im- 
proved by  Wm;  Adams,  formerly  of  Delaware 
County,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  natural  accountant 
and  penman,  many  years  assessor  and  secretary 
of  the  school  board.  His  wife  was  Matilda 
Stark.  He  and  his  wife  have  been  dead  some 
years.  They  left  two  sons,  George  and  Henry. 
The  old  farm  is  now  owned  by  Lucy  Belknap, 
daughter  of  Josiah  Belknap.  The  next  farm 
east  and  on  the  south  side  of  the  road   is  where 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


(119 


John  Lincoln,  before  mentioned,  settled  in 
1823.  It  was  formerly  occupied  by  a  Mr. 
Forbes,  and  before  that  by  a  Mr.  Losey.  It  is 
at  present  owned  by  Hiram  Wright.  Lincoln's 
wife  was  Millany  Hutchinson.  Nearty  op- 
posite is  Homer  Brooks,  a  son  of  Virgil 
Brooks,  on  a  farm  formerly  owned  by  A.  B. 
Lacey,  now  of  Oneonta,  X.  Y.  Just  east  of 
Brooks  is  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  Rileys- 
ville  school-house. 

The  farm  east  of  H.  Brooks,  and  lying  on 
both  sides  of  the  turnpike,  is  the  old  John  C. 
Riley  place.  Riley  commenced  here  about 
sixty-five  years  ago.  He  kept  hotel  and  store. 
The  farm  has  passed  through  many  hands,  and 
is  now  owned  by  H.  C.  Stevenson. 

Opposite  Stevenson's  is  Dr.  S.  A.  Kelley, 
and  east  of  Kelley  is  Owen  Gilroy.  Below 
him,  on  the  east  side,  is  John  Taylor,  a  black- 
smith. The  next  building  is  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church ;  the  next  the  store  and 
dwelling  of  S.  H.  &  N.  W.  Vail,  sons  of  S.  K. 
Vail,  deceased.  East  of  Vail's  store,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  road,  is  Stephen  Hopkins,  a 
son  of  Judah  B.  Hopkins,  of  Rhode  Island, 
who  settled  on  the  south  side  of  the  road  about 
fifty  years  ago.  The  farm  is  now  owned  by 
Clarence,  a  son  of  S.  Hopkins.  Avery  and 
Wilcox  were  on  the  place  before  Hopkins. 
East  of  Hopkins  is  George  Blair,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  road,  Mrs.  C.  Rice  and  E.  Rice,  on 
north  side ;  W.  S.  Vail  owns  a  farm  formerly 
owned  by  Adam  Kniver.  East  of  this  is  a 
farm  owned  by  heirs  of  the  Samuel  K.  Vail, 
who  came  from  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  about 
twenty-eight  years  ago.  This  farm  was  first 
settled  by  Joseph  Thomas,  afterward  by  J.  C. 
Riley,  who  kept  tavern,  and  later  by  Abraham 
Mitchell.  East  of  the  Vail  farm,  on  north  side 
of  turnpike,  lives  Linus  X.  Goodnough,  and  on 
the  south  side  is  William  Atkins.  At  this 
point  a  road  leads  south  to  the  Girdland.  On 
this  road  we  find  the  farms  of  George  Atkins, 
Henry  Dennis,  Christian  Blokberger,  in  the 
Girdland  we  find  Peter  Knorr,  August 
Schweighofer,  B.  Gredlein,  Xeville  Holgate 
(P.M.),  C.  Erhardt  and  others,  who  have  set- 
tled in  this  vicinity  within  twenty-five  or 
thirty  years.     Xear  the  Hamlin  Mill  place  are 


John  Erwin,  John  Tamblyn,  Osborn  Mitchell 
and  his  two  sous,  John  J.  and  Monroe.  Osborn 
Mitchell  is  a  son  of  Abraham  Mitchell,  before 
mentioned.  Near  this  point  the  road  through 
the  Girdland  intersects  the  road  leading  from 
Rileysville  to  Honesdale.  Turning  north,  the 
first  farm  that  is  passed  was  formerly  owned  by 
Arthur  G.  Niles,  who  moved  to  Nebraska.  It 
is  now  owned  by  the  widow  of  S.  M.  Keesler. 
North  of  this  is  A.  R.  Bishop,  on  a  farm  form- 
erly owned  by  Aner  Treat.  Farther  north  is  a 
farm  formerly  owned  by  Stephen  Nelson,  de- 
ceased, and  north  of  this,  on  the  west  side  ot 
the  road,  is  George  Bishcp.  This  farm  was 
taken  up  by  John  Wilmarth,  the  father  of 
Galen  and  Seba  Wilmarth.  Nearly  opposite  is 
the  farm  of  Stephen  Pulis,  originally  taken  up 
by  William  Balkcom.  Balkcom  left  one  son, 
D.  W.  M.  Balkcom  and  two  daughters.  Mrs. 
Stephen  Pulis  and  Mrs.  S.  O.  Lincoln.  Next, 
on  west  side  of  the  road,  is  a  farm  once  the  pro- 
perty of  James  Balkcom  (2),  subsequently  owned 
by  Elijah  Budd,  but  now  by  the  heirs  of  D.  W. 
M.  Balkcom.  Adjoining  this  on  the  north  is  tin- 
farm  cleared  up  by  Daniel  Balkcom,  who  died 
in  1873,  and  left  one  son,  D.  W.  The  farm  is 
now  occupied  by  Charles  Balkcom,  son  of  D. 
W.  North  of  this,  and  on  the  east  side  of  the 
road  is  the  farm  taken  up  by  James  Balkcom 
(1),  who  came  from  Massachusetts  with  his 
three  sons, — James,  Daniel  and  William.  The 
farm  is  now  owned  by  Daniel  W.,  only  son  of 
Daniel  Balkcom.  James  Balkcom  (2),  married 
for  his  first  wife  Sabra  Davidson  (2),  Widow 
Bicknell  (3),  Vashti  Gleasou.  He  left  two 
sous, — James,  living  in  Oregon  township  ;  La- 
fayette, living  in  Nebraska,  and  one  daughter, 
Mrs.  W.  S.  Vail. 

North  of  the  two  last  named  farms  is  the 
farm  of  Virgil  Brooks,  being  on  both  sides  of 
the  road.  This  place  was  formerly  occupied  by 
Jacob  Mitchell,  none  of  whose  family  are  left  in 
the  township.  North  of  this  place  was  Ezra 
Baker,  an  Eastern  man,  who  left  two  sous, 
George  and  Stephen.  The  farm  is  now  owned 
by  Virgil  Brooks.  At  this  point  a  road  leads 
east ;  the  first  farm  upon  it  was  taken  by  Abra- 
ham Bennett,  of  Orange  Couuty,  N.  Y.,  who 
married  a    Ross.     He  left  three  sons, — Abra- 


i.'tl 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ham,  Alva  and  Joseph  R.,  and  three  daughters. 
Milton  Balkcom  now  owns  the  farm.  East  of 
this,  on  south  side  of  road,  is  Joseph  Bennett,  on 
a  farm  taken  up  by  Jason  G.  Bass,  son  of  Joseph 
Bass.  He  died  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.  His 
family  are  all  in  the  West.  He  married  (1), 
Marcia  Spafford,  and  his  second  wife  was  Har- 
riet Purdy,  a  sister  of  Abbott  Purdy,  Esq.  On 
the  north  side  of  the  road  is  a  farm  once  oc- 
cupied by  J.  Baird,  afterwards  by  Israel  Owens, 
later  by  James  Blair,  and  at  present  by  Her- 
bert E.  Gager,  son  of  Horace  W.  Gager,  de- 
ceased. Beyond  this  is  the  farm  of  Brice  Blair. 
The  road  here  turns  to  the  north  and  leads  to 
the  turnpike  near  W.  S.  Vail's. 

Returning  to  the  Balkcom  road,  and  going 
north  on  west  side  of  the  road,  we  find  the  farm 
of  Libbie  Tomlinson,  daughter  of  Michael 
Tomlinson,  who  formerly  owned  it.  On  the 
east  side  of  the  road  is  a  farm  taken  up  by 
Stephen  Tyler,  now  owned  by  S.  O.  Lincoln. 
North  of  this,  on  the  west  side  of  the  road,  is  a 
farm  once  owned  by  Charles  Col  born,  more  re- 
cently by  William  W.  Mamy,  and  at  present  by 
J.  Dawson  Askins.  North  of  this,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  road,  Joseph  Wilmot,  from 
Rhode  Island,  settled.  It  is  now  a  part  of  H. 
Stevenson's  farm.  William  J.  Stoutenberg 
once  occupied  the  eastern  part  of  the  Stevenson 
farm.  Crossing  the  turnpike,  going  north,  we 
find  O.  C.  Sears  on  the  farm  owned  by  his 
father,  Miles  Sears.  Beyond  is  a  farm  cleared 
up  by  Sidney  Coons,  now  occupied  by  Henry 
Hartman.  At  Tail's  store  a  road  leads  north, 
on  which  are  located  the  farms  of  Philip  Mar- 
ring and  R.  Henderson. 

We  believe  that  we  have  given  the  names 
and  location  of  the  old  settlers  as  correctly  as 
can  be  ascertained  at  the  present  time.  The 
original  settlers  have  passed  away,  their  de- 
scendants were  young  when  they  came  here,  and 
so  in  some  cases  it  is  difficult  to  correctly  lo- 
cate some  of  the  pioneers  of  this  township,  but 
the  foregoing  it  is  thought  is  substantially  cor- 
rect. 

First  Events — The  first  birth  in  the  town- 
ship was  that  of  John  Wheatcraft,  son  of  Ed- 
ward and  Rebecca  Wheatcraft. 

The  first  marriage  in  which  both  parties  lived 


in  the  township,  was  that  of  Benajah  Carrand 
Palina,  a  daughter  of  Silas  Stevens,  E.  Wheat- 
craft and  Gibson  Parkinson  were  married  pre- 
vious, but  their  wives  were  natives  of  Mt. 
Pleasant,  being  daughters  of  John  Rogers. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  the  mother  of 
Gibson  Parkinson. 

The  first  frame  house  was  either  upon  the 
Yale  or  S.  K.  Vail  farm,  but  supposed  to  be  the 
latter.  They  were  both  built  before  1810, 
which  is  as  early  as  we  have  good  authority  for 
statements. 

Roads. — The  road  from  Rileysville  to  Jacob 
Welch's,  in  Manchester,  and  thence  to  Equi- 
nunk  was  laid  out  in  1823 — viewers,  David 
Gager,  Elisha  Lincoln,  Seth  Yale  and  John 
Kellam.  The  Justin  road  was  laid  out  in  1836 
— E.  Lincoln,  Seth  Yale,  D.  Gager,  William 
Adams  and  William  Balkcom,  viewers.  The 
road  starting  on  the  turnpike  at  the  corner  of 
lands  of  Walter  Harrison  and  George  Parkin- 
son, thence  to  the  Delaware  River  at  the  mouth 
of  Big  Equinuuk  Creek,  was  opened  in  1838 — 
Warner  Preston,  Sr.,  D.  Gager,  John  W.  Bass, 
Seth  Yale  and  William  Dillon,  viewers.  The 
turnpike  was  for  a  long  time  the  mail  route. 
The  mail  was  carried  in  the  four-horse  coaches 
which  ran  each  way  daily.  To  name  the  dif- 
ferent drivers  would  be  impossible,  but  a  few 
will  suffice, — Job  Cox,  Joe  Coit,  Nick  Daw  and 
last  but  not  least  Hiram  Wright,  commonly 
called  "  The  Judge,"  now  a  resident  of  this 
township.  To  him  belongs  the  honor  of  driving 
the  last  four-horse  coach  over  the  route. 

Religious  Matters. — The  first  preaching 
was  at  the  house  of  Joseph  Bass,  and  according 
to  the  best  information,  was  by  Rev.  Mr.  Bur- 
roughs, a  Methodist,  of  Connecticut,  and  father 
of  Hon.  Urbane  Burroughs,  of  Susquehanna 
County.  At  what  time  a  class  was  organized  is 
unknown,  but  a  society  was  formed  with  Joseph 
Bass  as  class  leader  and  licensed  exhorter.  The 
class,  as  far  as  can  be  learned,  consisted  of  J. 
Bass  and  wife,  E.  Wheatcraft,  Sr.  and  Jr.,  and 
wives,  David  Spafford  and  wife  and  five  or  six 
members  of  the  Harrison  family.  Among  the 
different  Methodist  Episcopal  ministers  who 
have  labored  here  were  the  following :  Joseph 
Castle,     Stocking,     Rodgers,    Ellis,    William 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


621 


Reddy,  Charles  Perkins,  R.  S.  Rose,  Peck,  C. 
V.  Arnold,  Brownecom,  N.  Warren  Everett,  G. 
W.  Leach,  J.  Durham,  Blake,  Thomas  Warnock. 
B.  F.  Larrabee,  of  Jackson,  is  the  present  in- 
cumbent. 

The  first  church  building  erected  was  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  at  Rileysville,  in  1850.  It 
is  a  neat  wooden  building  of  sufficient  size 
to  accommodate  about  three  hundred  persons  and 
cost  about  two  thousand  dollars.  Rev.  Mr. 
Worthington  was  the  first  minister  in  charge. 
In  1853  Rev.  E.  O.  Ward,  of  Bethany,  assumed 
pastorship  and  continued  to  fill  the  position 
until  about  1875,  since  which  time  there  has 
been  no  regular  minister.  Messrs.  Foster,  Hay- 
maker, Phipps  and  Martin,  students  of  Prince- 
ton Theological  Seminary,  have  each  spent  one 
summer's  vacation  here.  Revs.  E.  ( ).  Ward  and 
S.  Torrey  have  held  occasional  services.  The 
membership  at  one  time  amounted  to  twenty- 
five,  but  deaths  and  removals  have  reduced  the 
number  to  about  ten  or  twelve.  In  1872  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Rileysville  was 
built  at  a  cost  of  twenty-eight  hundred  dol- 
lars. 

Schools. — The  first  building  erected  for 
school  purposes  was  at  Rileysville,  on  land  of 
J.  C.  Riley,  about  the  year  1828.  At  West 
Lebanon,  a  house  was  built  about  two  years 
later.  Previous  to  that  time  unoccupied  houses 
or  parts  of  those  that  were  occupied  had  been 
used  for  school  purposes  in  the  winter,  and 
sometimes  barns  were  utilized  in  the  summer 
season.  Sarah  Bass,  daughter  of  Joseph  Bass, 
was  the  first  teacher  at  West  Lebanon,  and 
Fanny  Huntington,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  John  Lin- 
coln, was  at  Rileysville  about  the  same  time. 

Action  of  Township  on  the  School  Law 
of  1834. — The  following  occurs  in  the  minutes 
of  the  proceedings  of  the  board  of  school  di- 
rectors of  Lebanon  school  district,  Wayne 
County,  Pa.  "  Agreeably  to  the  requisitions  of 
the  acts  of  Assembly  of  the  commonwealth  of 
Pennsylvania,  passed  the  1st  day  of  April,  1834, 
to  establish  a  general  system  of  education  by 
common  schools,  an  election  being  held  at  the 
house  of  John  C.  Riley  on  the  19th  day  of  Sep- 
tember, in  the  year  aforesaid,  for  the  purpose 
of  electing  six    directors    of  common    schools, 


when,  after  counting  the  votes,  it  appeared  that 
the  following  persons  were  duly  elected  :  for  one 
year,  S.  K.  Dodge,  Robbins  Douglass ;  two  years, 
W.  Adams,  E.  Lincoln  ;  three  years,  Samuel 
Wenzell,  Daniel  Balkcom.  William  Adams 
was  chosen  president,  S.  Wenzell  secretary, 
Daniel  Balkcom  treasurer  and  E.  Lincoln  dele- 
gate." There  were  only  two  districts  at  first, 
known  as  the  east  and  west  districts.  We  find 
the  following  entry  :  "  Aug.  27th,  1835,  Direc- 
tors Wm.  Adams,  Elisba  Lincoln,  Jesse  Harri- 
son &  S.  Wenzell,  visited  the  school  in  the  west 
division,  kept  by  Miss  Keziah  Day,  and  found 
the  same  to  be  conducted  under  a  strict  discipline 
and  good  moral  principles,  and  contains  38 
Scholars  from  3  to  14  years  of  age,  30  of  which 
are  in  reading  and  writing,  the  remainder  in 
Spelling,  &c,  the  Said  School  having  been  kept 
open  4  months  at  5  dollars  per  month,"  also, 
August  30th,  directors  Adams,  Lincoln,  W.  J. 
Stantenberg  and  Wenzell  "  visited  School  in 
Eastern  division  kept  by  Miss  Louisa  Smith, 
and  found  it  to  be  conducted  as  the  one  above 
Stated,  to  contain  30  Scholars  from  3  to  14 
years  of  age,  25  of  whom  are  in  reading  and 
writing,  the  remainder  in  Spelling  &c,  the 
School  having  been  taught  5i  months  at  4  dol- 
lars per  month." 

The  school-houses  at  this  time  were  owned  by 
stockholders.  On  October  28,  1836,  a  com- 
mittee reported  that  they  were  unable  to  have 
the  property  turned  over  to  the  directors  upon 
reasonable  terms,  and  the  committee  were  dis- 
charged. On  October  2, 1839,  a  committee  con- 
sisting of  Robbins  Douglass,  Silas  M.  Stevens 
and  David  Gager,  were  appointed  to  attend  to 
the  local  affairs  of  the  west  school.  When  a 
candidate  for  the  school  presented  himself  for  ex- 
amination Douglass  and  Stevens  commenced  the 
examination,  then  turned  him  over  to  Gager, 
who  commenced  at  the  alphabet,  having  him 
read  "  b-a,  ba,"  etc.,  until  he  came  to  "  ci  " 
which  he  read  c  i  "  ki."  "  Yes,"  said  Gager, 
"  c-i,  ki  der,  kider  you  can  go." 

The  district  has  at  various  times  been  subdi- 
vided to  accommodate  the  school  population,  but 
atpresent  contains  four  districts  and  a  joint  school 
with  Oregon.  At  the  close  of  the  school  year, 
1885,  there  were  one  hundred  and  twenty-two 


622 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,   PENNSYLVANIA. 


different  names  ou  the  list ;  average  daily  atten- 
dance, seventy.  The  school-houses  are  all  frame 
buildings  and  cost  about  three  hundred  dollars 
on  an  average. 

Physicians. — Dr.  Sanford  A.  Kelly  located 
at  Rileysville  in  1876.  Although  comparatively 
a  young  man  he  has  built  up  a  large  practice  in 
this  and  other  towns.  He  came  here  from  Hop- 
bottom;  Susquehanna  County. 

About  1878  Dr.  Howard  Noble,  from  Da- 
mascus, located  at  Rileysville.  He  soon  re- 
moved to  Clyde,  ().,  but  is  now  at  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, Pa.,  where  he  has  a  good  practice. 

Post-Offices. — The  office  at  Rileysville  is 
an  old  office.  J.  C.  Riley,  Thomas  Anderson, 
Giles  H.  Lincoln,  John  Lincoln,  D.  W.  Balk- 
corn  have  severally  held  the  office.  S.  H.  Vail, 
is  the  present  incumbent.  The  office  at  Cold 
Spring  was  established  in  1858.  J.  R.  Mitchell 
Thomas  Fulton  and  P.  S.  Bass  have  'had  the 
title  of  postmaster,  and  E.  C.  Douglass  at  pres- 
ent holds  the  office. 

J.  C.  Riley  and  Charles  Col  born  at  different 
times  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  township  kept  a 
store  at  Rileysville.  S.  H.  &  N.  \V.  Vail  keep 
a  general  store  at  Rileysville  now,  and  R. 
Douglass,  a  son  of  Robbins  Douglass  (deceased), 
keeps  a  grocery  store  on  the  old  David  Gager 
(arm. 

Mills,  Manufactories,  Etc. — The  first 
mills  built  in  this  township  were  a  saw-mill  and 
grist-mill  built  by  George  Parkinson ;  it  is 
probable  they  were  built  about  the  year  1810, 
as  Seth  Yale  removed  from  Mount  Pleasant  to 
Lebanon,  in  order  to  be  nearer  a  grist-mill ;  but 
he  had  only  one  grist  ground  before  the  mill 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  No  grist-mill  has  been 
built  in  the  town  since.  The  mills  were  located 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  outlet  of 
the  Lower  Woods  pond.  In  the  year  1828,  ! 
Robert  Shields  built  a  saw-mill  at  what  is  now  | 
known  as  Shieldsboro.  The  property  has 
passed  through  different  hands  and  is  now 
owned  by  John  H.  Cassidy,  of  Damascus,  but 
operated  by  Elias  Stanton,  of  Honesdale.  Some 
thirty-five  years  ago  Stearns,  Brothers  &  Dart 
ran  a  shop  for  the  manufacture  of  shovel- 
handles,  in  connection  with  the  mill.  About 
the  year  1845,  Barker  &   Page,  a   New   York  j 


firm,  built  a  steam  mill  on  the  west  line  of  the 
town  on  the  Newburg  turnpike  for  manufac- 
turing oars  for  ship  boats.  Their  works  burned 
down  twice  and  were  rebuilt  and  run  until  the 
ash  timber  within  reach  was  used.  Notwith- 
standing their  fires  they  were  successful  in  a 
financial  point  of  view.  The  next  saw-mill 
was  built  by  George  N.  Hamlin  upon  Big 
Brook,  where  he  did  a  large,  but  not  a  very 
paying  business,  as  he  failed,  and  took  the 
advice  of  Horace  Greeley. 

After  the  mill  built  by  Parkinson  was  burned 
a  man  named  Gibbon  put  up  a  factory  for 
turning  wooden-ware,  but  not  meeting  with 
success,  left  between  the  going  down  of  the  sun 
and  the  rising  thereof. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

G.  H.  AND  BOBBINS  DOUGLASS. 

John  Douglass  (1773-1842),  a  native  of 
Vermont,  and  Silas  Stevens,  his  brother-in-law, 
a  native  of  the  same  place-,  settled  near  Cold 
Spring  in  Lebanon  township,  and  across  the 
line  in  Mount  Pleasant  township,  Wayne 
County,  in  1811.  Stevens  preceded  Douglass, 
and  bought  quite  a  large  tract  of  land,  and  upon 
Douglass'  arrival  let  him  have  one  hundred 
acres  of  this  tract — the  part  in  Lebanon  town- 
ship, located  on  the  Great  Bend  and  Newburgh 
turnpike,  reserving  to  himself  the  land  in 
Mount  Pleasant  township  adjoining.  John 
Douglass  began  clearing  off  his  land,  and  made 
what  improvements  he  could  before  his  dealh. 
He  also  engaged  largely  in  teaming  to  New- 
burgh on  the  Hudson,  as  that  was  the  only 
route  in  those  early  days  to  convey  goods,  and 
the  products  of  this  new  country  to  New  York. 
Before  leaving  Vermont  he  had  married  Sybil 
Merrill  (1774-1863),  and  had  a  small  family  of 
children.  She  was  an  exemplary  Christian 
woman— a  Methodist  in  religious  persuasion — 
and  reared  her  large  family  of  children  to  guard 
carefully  the  principles  of  morality,  virtue  and 
right  in  all  the  relations  of  life.  Both  were 
interred  at  Rileysville.  Their  children  are 
Robbins  Douglass  (1801-1876);    Electa  mar- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


i;i':; 


ried   Jacob  Stocker ;  Nancy  was    the   wife   of  i 
John   Rutledge,  of  Damascus;  Clarissa  is  the: 
wile  of  Seth  Yale,  of  Lebanon  township  ;  Julia 
married   Josiah    Belknap,   of  Lebanon  ;  Eliza 
wife  of  Jesse  Belknap,  of  Tompkins  County, 
X.  Y. ;  Manila,  wife  of  David  Belknap,  of  the  | 
same    place ;    and    Fanny,     wife    of    William  \ 
Balkcom,  of  Lebanon.     Of  this   large    family 
of  children  only  Nancy  and  Clarissa  survive  in 
1886. 


men.  He  gave  his  active  life  to  the  improve- 
ment of  his  property,  except  as  he  was  called 
upon  to  fill  official  place  in  the  township  of 
Lebanon  as  supervisor,  school  director  and 
other  places  of  trust  in  the  interest  of  the 
people.  He  adhered  to  the  principles  of  the 
old  Whig  party,  and  allied  himself  to  the  Re- 
publican party  at  its  birth  in  1855,  ardently 
supporting  its  nominees  for  place. 

His  first  wife,  Hannah  Balkcom  (1805-1833), 


V 


0&S  -T&k 


/ 


;iiiNs   norui.A- 


Robbins  Douglass,  only  son  of  John  and 
.Sybil  Douglass,  inherited  one  hundred  acres  of 
his  father's  real  estate — the  original  homestead — 
and  in  1833  built  the  present  residence,  now 
occupied  and  owned  by  his  son,  Gates  H. 
Douglass,  together  with  most  of  the  out-build- 
ings. He  added  by  purchase  during  his  life 
some  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  a 
part  of  which  is  situate  in  Mount  Pleasant 
township,  which  at  his  death  was  divided 
among  his  children.  He  was  a  man  of  firm  j 
convictions,  of  unblemished  character,  good  I 
judgment  and  esteemed   by   his   fellow  towns-  I 


bore  him  children — Hannah  S.,  born  in  1824, 
is  the  widow  of  the  late  John  E.  Yale,  a  farmer 
in  Lebanon;  Fanny  M.  (1826-1862),  was  the 
wife  of  Edwin  Gager,  of  Damascus  ;  Sally  R., 
born  in  1828,  is  the  widow  of  Benjamin  Hol- 
gate,  of  Damascus ;  John  was  a  farmer  on  a 
part  of  the  homestead,  was  married  and  left  one 
son  ;  Robbins  born  in  1833,  is  a  merchant  and 
farmer  at  Cold  Spring,  near  the  old  homestead. 
By  his  second  wife,  Catherine  Nelson,  he  had 
the  following  children  :  Gates  Horatio,  born 
February  18,  1839  ;  Emily  Eliza,  born  in  1842, 
wife  of  Henry  Stevenson,  a  farmer  of  Rileys- 


624 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ville  ;  Martha  Jane  (1845-1883),  was  the  wife 
of  Lowell  Goodenough,  of  West  Lebanon  ; 
Rhoda  Samantha,  born  in  1846,  is  the  wife  of 
Jacob  Welch,  of  Mount  Pleasant  ;  and  Clark 
Hanil  (1849-1808),  unmarried,  resided  on  the 
homestead.  The  mother  of  these  children  was 
born  in  Dyberry  township  in  1808,  and  since 
the  death  of  her  husband,  has  resided  mostly 
with   her  brother,  John  Nelson,  now  deceased, 


provements  thereon.  His  wife,  Bridget  Wheeler 
(1776-1825),  bore  him  the  following  children  : 
Elizabeth  was  the  wife  of  Henry  Brown,  a 
farmer  of  Lebanon,  where  both  died ;  John 
(1800-1884)  never  married  and  resided  on  the 
homestead  ;  Rhoda  was  the  wife  of  James  C. 
Harvey,  of  Indiana,  where  both  died;  Eleanor 
was  the  wife  of  William  Balkcom,  of  Lebanon, 
where  both  died  and  are  buried  in  the  Rilevs- 


4*t^l4 0*yUj 


but  now  resides  with  her  only  surviving  brother,  j 
Charles  Nelson,  on  a  part  of  the  old  Nelson 
homestead  on  the  Dyberry,  in  the  township  of 
the  same  name.  Her  mother  was  a  sister  of 
Conrad  Pulis,  a  native  of  Germany,  and  an 
early  settler  in  Wayne  County.  Catharine  | 
Nelson's  father  was  Richard  Nelson  (1770- 
1826),  settled  on  the  Dyberry  in  Dyberry 
township,  opposite  the  "  Big  Eddy,"  in  1798, 
where  he  owned  some  two  hundred  acres  of 
land,  most  of  which  he  cleared  and   made  im-  i 


ville  cemetery  ;  Catherine  the  wife  of  the  late 
Robbins  Douglass,  noticed  herein ;  Peter  re- 
sided on  the  homestead  and  never  married  ; 
Stephen  married  and  settled  in  Lebanon  where 
he  died  ;  James,  a  farmer  in  Nebraska  ;  Emily, 
wife  of  Osborn  Mitchell,  a  farmer  of  Lebanon  ; 
and  Charles,  born  November  5,  1819,  unmar- 
ried, and  resides  on  apart  of  the  old  homestead. 
Gates  Horatio  Douglass  succeeded  to  three 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  the  homestead 
property    upon    his    father's  death,    a    part   of 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


025 


which  is  one  hundred  acres  of  the  original 
Stevens  purchase  in  Mount  Pleasant  township, 
to  which  he  has  added  other  real  estate.  Be- 
sides carrying  on  his  farm,  he  has  engaged 
largely  in  lumbering  and  marketing  bark  for 
the  past  twenty  years,  reaching  anuually  some 
five  hundred  cords  of  bark,  which  he  markets 
at  Tanner's  Falls  at  a  price  ranging  from  five 
to  six  dollars  and  a  half  per  cord.  He  is  a 
thorough-going  and  thrifty  farmer  and  busi- 
ness man,  and  has  served  his  township  as 
supervisor  and  school  director.  He  married, 
in  1861.,  Catherine  Rutledge,  who  was  born 
September  7,  1841.  Their  children  are,  Cora 
Edith  (wife  of  Fletcher  Coons,  of  Mount 
Pleasant),  Warren  Edmund,  Alonzo  R.  (died 
young),  Mary  Catherine  and  Stella  Blanche,  who 
also  died  in  infancy.  Alexander  Rutledge, 
the  grandfather  of  Catherine  Rutledge,  came 
from  Ireland  in  1803,  and  first  settled  near  Co- 
checton,  and  soon  after  settled  in  Damascus, 
where  lie  reared  a  family  of  five  sous  and  four 
daughters,  and  then  died.  Her  parents,  Alex- 
ander Rutledge  (1799-1865)  and  Mary  Ann 
Latourette  (born  in  1809)  resided  in  Damascus, 
where  her  mother  now  survives  in  1886. 
Mary  Ann  Latourette,  was  the  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Rebecca  (Moore)  Latourette,  the 
former  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  who  came  from 
New  York,  where  he  was  born,  to  Orange 
County,  and  thence,  in  1822,  to  Lebanon, 
where  he  was  a  fanner  and  where  both  himself 
and  wife  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years,  and 
were  buried  at  Rileysville.  The  Douglasses  are 
of  Scotch  origin  and  the  Latourettes  of  French 
extraction. 


SETH    YALE. 

Seth  Yale  (1786-1856),  a  native  of  Hartford, 
Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  and  his  brother  Nor- 
man, sons  of  Lieutenant  Ezra  Yale,  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  came  from  that  State  on 
foot  to  Mount  Pleasant  township,  Wayne  County, 
Pa.,  in  1806,  where  they  remained  several 
years.  Another  brother,  Elijah,  came  to  Penn- 
sylvania in  1811,  and  both  himself  and  Norman 
enlisted  for  seven  years  to  serve  in  the  war  of 
1812,  and  both  died  in  the  service  soon  after  its 
close.  Their  only  sister,  Lydia,  married  John 
60 


Bigelow.  Seth  made  the  acquaintance  of  Betsy 
Bigelow  (1787-1862),  a  daughter  of  James  aud 
Mary  Bigelow,  of  that  township,  whom  he  mar- 
ried in  1808,  and  in  1812  bought  some  two 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Lebanon 
township,  situate  on  the  Great  Bend  aud  New- 
burgh  turnpike,  about  one  mile  east  of  Cold 
Spring,  for  which  he  agreed  to  pay  five  dollars 
per  acre,  upon  which  was  a  two-story  frame 
house  and  two  acres  of  cleared  land.  This 
place  was  their  future  home,  and  is,  in  1866,  the 
property  of  their  suns,  Clayton  and  Ezra  E.,  it 
having  remained  in  the  family  since  Seth  Yale 
and  his  wife  met  the  obstacles  incident  to  pioneer 
life  with  resolution  and  patient  industry,  and 
carved  out  a  pleasant  home  for  themselves  from 
this  wilderness  tract  of  land.  In  due  time  the 
original  forest  gave  way  to  the  relentless  wood- 
man's axe.  Broad  fields  of  grain  and  grass 
showed  the  result  of  their  well-merited  efforts, 
and  they  were  known  by  all  who  formed  their 
acquaintance  and  enjoyed  their  society  as  a 
couple  well  calculated  to  fight  the  battle  of  life 
together.  In  1832  he  erected  the  present  resi- 
dence of  Clayton  Yale,  which,  for  the  time  it 
was  built,  will  vie  with  any  homestead  residence 
in  the  township  ;  and  as  his  crops  demanded, 
and  his  means  were  sufficiently  adequate,  he 
erected  also  from  time  to  time  commodious 
barns  and  outbuildings.  Seth  Yale  grew  into 
good  favor  with  his  fellow-townsmen  for  his  in- 
tegrity of  purpose  in  life's  pursuits,  and  he  was 
accounted  a  man  of  sterling  qualities,  who 
honored  only  justice  and  right.  He  possessed  a 
mild  disposition,  a  fixed  purpose,  and  a  dis- 
criminating intellect.  He  was  conservative  in 
his  opinions,  and  guarded  carefully  the  princi- 
ples of  morality  and  paternal  affection.  For 
thirty  years  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in 
Lebanon  township,  was  a  Whig  in  politics,  and 
died  about  the  time  of  the  birth  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  Both  himself  and  wife  were 
buried  in  the  Presbyterian  cemetery  at  Pleasant 
Mount,  She  was  a  devoted  Christian  mother 
and  wife,  and  did  her  part  well  in  rearing  their 
large  family  of  children.  James  and  Mary 
Bigelow  were  nat:ves  of  the  town  of  Spencer, 
Worcester,  Ma,->s.,  the  latter  born  on  the  6th 
and  the  former  born  on  the  7th  of  June,  1762. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


They  lived  together  fifty-nine  years,  and  were 
separated  by  death  only  a  few  hours,  reaching 
the  age  of  a  little  upwards  of  four-score  years, 
and  being  buried  together  at  Pleasant  Mount, 
Wayne  County,  to  which  township  they  removed 
in  1808,  where  they  spent  their  lives  as  farmers. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
entering  the  army  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  served 
in  a  regiment  of  Massachusetts  militia,  under 
Colonel  Michael  Jackson,  until  its  close!     One 


wife  of  Benjamin  Fletcher,  a  farmer  near  by  ; 
and  Thursa  was  the  wife  of  Richard  Belong,  of 
Bradford  County,  Pa.  The  children  of  Seth 
and  Betsey  (Bigelow)  Yale  are : — Seth,  born  in 
1811,  a  farmer  in  Lebanon  township,  has  two 
children  ;  James  P.,  born  in  1812,  a  farmer  in 
Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  has  three  children ; 
Eliza  J.,  born  in  1815,  is  the  wife  of  Gilbert  P. 
Bass,  of  Lebanon,  and  has  two  children  ;  Lydia 
T.  (1816-1856)  was   the  wife  of  Philo  Sher- 


tM 


tstynaK/ 


son,  John  Bigelow,  a  farmer,  died  in  Mount 
Pleasant  township  in  1 884.  Another  son,  James 
H.,  married  Mary  Ann  Muzzey,  and  died  only  a 
few  years  since.  His  daughters  were : — Sally 
was  the  wife  of  John  Tiffany,  of  the  same  place  ; 
Tryphena  was  the  wife  of  Jonathan  Miller,  a 
blacksmith,  of  the  same  place  ;  Tryphosa  was 
the  wife  of  Clayton  Rogers,  who  resided  in  the 
same  township  until  his  children  grew  up,  and 
then    removed    to    Wisconsin ;    Pattv  was  the 


wood,  a  miller  on  the  Wyalusing,  and  at  her 
death  left  nine  children  ;  Norman,  born  May  3, 
1818,  never  married;  John  E.  (1819-1885)  was 
a  farmer  in  Lebanon,  and  died,  leaving  five 
children;  Patty  J.  (1822-1828);  Mary  M. 
(1824-1873)  never  married;  Ezra  E.,  born  in 
1827,  and  Clayton  Yale,  born  in  1832,  both 
farmers,  and  each  owning  a  part  of  the  home- 
stead property.  Ezra  has  no  children,  and 
Clayton  has  five  children. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


627 


All  these  sons  and  daughters  in  early  life 
learned  the  useful  lessons  of  industry  and 
economy,  and  themselves  and  families  may  be 
safely  ranked  among  the  substantial  and  highly 
respected  families  of  Wayne  County.  The 
sons  have  borne  their  share  of  the  public  bur- 
dens of  their  township,  and  several  of  them 
have  held  the  highest  places  of  trust  within  the 
gift  of  their  fellow-townsmen.  Norman,  third 
sou,  herein   noticed,  has  always  resided  on  the 


Through  reverses  in  business  his  father  met 
with  loss,  and  his  family  was  obliged  to  meet 
the  obstacles  incident  to  straitened  circumstances, 
and  get  a  livelihood  as  best  they  could.  Thus 
at  the  tender  age  of  thirteen  years,  Jehiel  began 
learning  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  which  not 
suiting  his  taste,  he  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
abandoned  to  learn  shoemaking,  which  formed 
his  main  business  for  many  years  thereafter, 
especially  during  the  winter  months.     With  a 


homestead,  although  he  has  owned  real  estate 
adjoining.  He  has  served  two  terms  as  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  held  other  official  places  iu 
the  township.  The  family  has  not  departed 
from  the  political  faith  of  their  father,  and 
have  been  members  of  the  Whig  and  Repub- 
lican parties. 

JEHIEL    JUSTIN. 

Jehiel     Justin     was     born     in     Canterbury, 
Windsor    County,    Conn.,    March     3,    1803. 


4sCAUs?X 


view  to  better  wages  and  a  more  active  employ- 
ment, he  learned  the  trade  of  a  mason  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Havilah  Taylor,  and  following 
three  years  service,  worked  one  year  as  a 
journeyman,  and  one  year  afterwards  on  the 
Hudson,  in  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  On  Novem- 
ber 27,  1828,  he  married  Caroline  Jane,  a 
daughter  of  William  Taylor  (1774-1811)  and 
Berthier  Handell  (1776-1840),  of  Brooklyn,  in 
the  same  county  in  which  he  was  born.  She 
was  born  October  8,  1809.     After  his  marriage 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


he  bought  two  hundred  and  thirty-six  acres  of 
land  in  Oregon  township,  Wayne  County,  Pa., 
for  three  hundred  and  fourteen  dollars ;  built  a 
log  house  for  himself,  and  one  also  for  Ezra 
Baker,  father  of  George  E.  Baker,  of  Dy berry 
township.  The  next  year,  February  14,  1830, 
he  settled  on  this  property  with  his  wife,  and 
thus  transported  from  New  England  to  this 
wilderness,  the  new  couple  were  really  settled  to 
carve  out  a  home  and  competency  for  them- 
selves. It  may  here  be  said  to  the  credit  of 
Mrs.  Justin,  that  from  that  clay  until  the  writ- 
ing of  this  sketch — fifty-six  years  afterwards, 
she  has  been  a  help-meet  indeed,  and  done 
her  part  well  in  rearing  her  family  and  staying 
up  the  hands  of  her  husband  when  dark  days 
and  depression  hovered  around  their  early  home, 
and  in  after  years  when  she  saw  her  husband, 
four  sons  and  son-in-law,  all  leave  their  homes 
to  fight  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union  in  the 
late  Civil  War.  After  two  years  residence  on 
this  land,  he  sold  it  to  his  brother,  Nathan,  and 
bought  a  tract  at  Seelyville,  which,  however, 
he  did  not  move  on  to.  About  this  time  he 
purchased  from  the  State  and  obtained  a  patent 
deed  through  the  late  Hon.  E.  W.  Hamlin, 
some  four  hundred  acres  of  land  at  twenty- 
eight  cents  per  acre,  in  Dyberry  township,  a 
part  of  which  he  sold  to  Captain  Homer 
Brooks  and  a  part  to  Joseph  A.  Hubbard,  and 
another  part  to  Harry  Brown.  Mr.  Justin  only 
owned  this  land  some  four  years,  and  during 
this  time  carried  on  the  lumber  business.  After 
a  residence  in  Honesdale  for  some  three  years, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  mason,  he,  in 
1840,  bought  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty-six  acres  in  Lebanon  township,  then 
a  wilderness  tract.  This  laud  he  mostly  cleared 
many  years  ago,  planted  apple  orchards,  and  in 
1853  completed  his  present  residence,  which 
supplanted  the  old  log  house.  During  his  entire 
business  life,  he  has  in  connection  with  his 
farming,  worked  at  his  trade — extending 
through  a  period  of  nearly  half  a  century.  He 
was  one  of  the  early  members  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  in  Wayne  County,  and  connected  with 
the  lodge  at  Honesdale,  of  which  he  is  still  a 
member.  Filled  with  that  loyalty  and  love  of 
country,    for    which    his   New    England    fore- 


fathers shed  their  blood  to  save  and  make  inde- 
pendent, Mr.  Justin,  upon  the  breaking  out  of 
the  late  Civil  War,  was  ready  to  give  his  ser- 
vices to  restore  the  Union,  although  then  nearly 
sixty  years  of  age.  He  enlisted  in  the  fall  of 
1861  in  the  Second  Pennsylvania  Heavy  Ar- 
tillery, and  served  as  cook  for  nine  months, 
when  he  was  honorably  discharged  and  advised 
to  return  home  on  account  of  his  age.  His- 
eldest  son,  William  E.  Justin,  enlisted  iu  1862, 
and  served  in  the  Seventeenth  Pennsylvania 
Cavalry,  Company  M,  under  Captain  Ham, 
who  was  killed  at  Dinwiddie  Court-House.  He 
afterwards  served  under  General  Sheridan,  and 
was  in  the  battles  of  Beverly  Ford,  Chaneellors- 
ville  and  Cedar  Creek.  During  their  skir- 
mishes with  guerrillas  he  was  taken  prisoner 
near  Lovettsville,  but  after  two  days  released 
and  rejoined  the  ranks,  but  never  did  active 
service  in  battle  again.  He  remained  until 
honorably  discharged  at  Clouds  Mills,  at  the 
close  of  the  war.  A  second  son,  Howard 
Tracy  Justin,  enlisted  iu  1862,  and  served  in 
the  Sixth  Pennsylvania  Reserves,  Company  C. 
He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Fredericks- 
burg iu  the  leg,  which  destroyed  his  foot,  and 
was  the  cause  of  his  death  in  1886,  at  the  age 
of  forty-seven  years.  Havilah  T.  Justin, 
another  sou,  served  throughout  the  M'ar  in 
the  Fiftieth  New  York  Engineer  Corps,  and  in 
1886  resides  at  Lake  Como,  Wayne  County. 
A  fourth  son,  Edwin  G.  Justin,  enlisted  toward 
the  close  of  the  war  for  one  year,  was  at  the 
battle  of  Petersburg  and  saw  the  surrender  of 
General  Lee  to  General  Grant.  He  resides  at 
Warren,  Pa.  Other  children  are, — Charles 
Ferdinand, George  Emmons,  Susan  (1830-1856) 
married  David  Lacey  ;  Phebe  Taylor  is  the  wife 
of  Abial  Brown,  of  Rileysville;  Hannah  Delilah, 
wife  of  George  Hamlin,  of  Indiana ;  Emily  T. 
married  Professor  Bruce  Jones,  of  Jamestown, 
N.  Y.,  who  served  throughout  the  late  war  in 
the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-first  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  was  wounded  at  Chancellorsville. 
William  aud   Berthier  Taylor's  other  children 

are,— Havilah,    who    married ,    a 

sister  of  Jehiel  Justin,  subject  of  this  sketch ; 
Oliver  Putnam,  of  Scituate,  R.  I.;  Phebe, 
Lydia,  wife  of  Leonard  Cady  ;  Mary,  wife  of 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Moses  Waldo  ;  Olive,  wife  of  Amasa  Steer,  of 
Brooklyn  ;  one  son,  William,  died  in  the  army  ; 
Hannah,  wife  of  William  Carver,  of  the  same 
place,  who  lost  a  son  in  the  late  war. 

His  father,  Nathan  Justin,  a  native  of  Canter- 
bury, Conn.,  married  Susan  Brainard  (1781- 
1844),  and  resided  on  Sterling  Hill,  Conn., 
until  Jehiel  came  to  Pennsylvania,  where  the 
mother  removed  with  him  and  resided  here 
until  her  death.  She  was  buried  at  Rileysville. 
The  father  followed  the  family  after  many 
years,  and  died  in  Lebanon,  October  16,  1856, 
aged  eighty-five  years,  and  was  buried  by  the 
side  of  his  wife.  Their  other  children  were, — 
Lura  Louisa  was  married  to  Stephen  Piper,  and 
died  in  Tompkins  County,  N.  Y.;  Nathan  took 
up  his  home  in  Kansas,  and  Lydia  died  young. 
Mr.  Justin's  paternal  grandfather  was  of  French 
origin,  and  his  paternal  grandmother  of  English 
birth.  For  nearly  three-score  years,  Jehiel 
Justin  and  wife  have  lived  together,  and  are  in 
1886  numbered  among  the  esteemed  old  people 
of  Wayne  County.  She  has  been  a  very  active 
woman,  and  spent  much  of  her  spare  time  from 
household  duties  at  the  arduous  work  of  weav- 
ing different  kinds  of  wearing  material.  She 
has  some  years  woven  some  eight  hundred  yards 
of  cloth,  and  averaged  six  hundred  yards  an- 
nually, and  even  at  her  advanced  age,  during 
the  past  five  months  she  has  woven  by  hand 
three  hundred  and  twenty-five  yards  of  flannel 
and  one  hundred  and  four  yards  of  carpet. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 


MAXCIIKSTKK. 


This  township,  originally  a  portion  of  Buck- 
ingham, was  created  a  separate  township  in 
1826.  Its  boundaries  on  the  north  and  east, 
are  the  State  of  New  York.  On  the  south  and 
west,  Damascus  and  Lebanon  townships.  Its 
extreme  length  on  the  Delaware  River  (which 
divides  it  from  the  State  of  New  Yrork),  is  four- 
teen miles,  with  an  average  width  of  six  miles. 
The  Equinunk  Creek  divides  it  from  Buckiug- 


i  By  George  W.  Wood. 


ham,  to  Crooked  Creek,  that  stream  then  divid- 
ing to  Lebanon.  On  the  south  a  small  stream 
known  as  Rock  Run  divides  it  from  Damascus 
for  a  short  distance,  then  arbitrary  lines  from 
Damascus  and  Lebanon.  Its  streams  are  the 
Equinunk  and  Little  Equinunk  Creeks,  and 
Cooley  Brook  with  their  tributaries,  one  of 
which  is  Salt  River.  The  description  of  the 
surface  of  Buckingham  will  apply  without 
change  to  this  township.  It  has  a  like  stretch 
of  forbidding  river  hill,  with  somewhat  less  bot- 
tom lands.  It  contains  more  of  what  may  be 
termed  barrens  ;  noticeably  in  the  southern  part, 
and  on  Cooley  Brook.  Like  Buckingham,  its 
hills  and  valleys  were  originally  densely  cov- 
ered with  timber.  It  has,  however,  been  more 
thoroughly  stripped  of  its  hemlock,  and  hence 
has  a  greater  area  of  valueless  lands.  The 
qualities  of  the  land  are  much  the  same. 

The  first  white  man  of  whom  we  have  au- 
thentic records  as  dwelling  in  the  township  was 
Josiah  Parks,  of  whom  particular  mention  is 
made  in  the  sketch  of  Equinunk.  A  tradition 
exists  to  the  effect,  that  a  man  named  Cooley 
dwelt  on  the  Delaware  at  the  mouth  of  the 
little  stream  known  as  "  Cooley  Brook,"  prior 
to  and  during  the  Revolution,  and  that  he  was 
a  malignant  tory.  At  the  close  of  the  war 
some  of  the  Whigs  in  the  vicinity,  to  whom 
Cooley  was  especially  obnoxious,  made  him  a 
neighborly  call,  reminded  him  of  his  villainies, 
and  with  swift  retributive  justice  and  swifter 
bullet  took  his  life,  and  buried  him  upon  a 
small  island  in  the  Delaware,  known  since  as 
"Cooley."  This  comes  down  though  the  fami- 
lies of  the  Mitchells  and  Tylers  who  dwelt  on 
the  Delaware  contemporaneously  with  Cooley. 

The  Union  Sugar  Company. — It  is  cer- 
tain that  an  abortive  attempt  to  settle  upon  and 
improve  a  portion  of  the  lands  of  Manchester, 
was  made  not  later  than  1793,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  "Union  Sugar  Company,"  an  association 
composed  of  prominent  citizens  of  Philadelphia. 
The  objects  and  aims  of  the  association  are  best 
set  forth  in  the  "  Plan,"  or  document  drawn  up 
for  the  purpose  of  procuring  subscribers  to  the 
enterprise.  This  "  Plan  "  (a  copy  of  which 
made  by  Judge  Samuel  Preston  in  1792  is 
before  the  writer),  very  specifically   gives   the 


030 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


objects  of  the  association,  and  the  motives  influ- 
encing the  originators  of  the  scheme.  The 
substance  of  the  "  Plan,"  is  as  follows :  First, 
"  To  establish  the  credit,  and  profit  of  certain 
lands  in  Pennsylvania,  so  as  to  render  them 
beneficial  to  the  State  and  inhabitants."  Second, 
"  These  lands  are  of  a  rich  quality,  and  abound 
in  that  species  of  maple  which  affords  sugar,  and 
with  many  others  which  afford  potash  in  large 
quantities."  Third,  It  is  hinted  that  there  are 
already  "  settlers  on  these  lands,  who  are  either 
ignorant,  or  destitute  of  the  means  of  cultivating 
them,  or  of  extracting  sugar  from  the  maple,  or 
salt  (potash)  from  other  trees,  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage." Fourth,  "  To  spread  the  necessary 
knowledge  on  these  important  articles  of  agri- 
culture and  manufactures  through  the  State, 
subscribers  agree  to  purchase  three  thousand 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  of 
superior  quality,  situate  on  the  waters  of  the 
Little  Equinunk  Creek,  about  three  miles  from 
the  Delaware,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles 
from  Philadelphia.  The  capital  to  be  divided 
into  sixty  shares,  the  price  of  each  share  to  be 
fifty  pounds,  one-half  to  be  paid  within  one 
month  after  the  subscription  is  full,  and  a 
treasurer  appointed,  and  the  remainder  within 
one  year.  The  lands  thus  purchased  to  be 
known  as  the  Union  Farm."  Fifth,  "The  im- 
provement of  it  by  clearing  fields  and  meadow 
grounds,  planting  orchards,  purchasing  and 
raising  stock,  and  erecting  suitable  buildings, 
as  also  the  manufacturing  of  sugar1  and  potash, 
are  to  be  committed  to  an  agent  to  be  appointed 
by  the  managers,  who  are  to  be  chosen  by  the 
stockholders."  Lastly,  "The  profits  which 
arise  from  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  as  well  as 
from  the  manufacture  of  sugar  and  potash,  are 
to  be  divided  among  the  stockholders."  The 
instrument  bears  date  "  Phila.,  8  mouth  (Aug.) 
23,  1792."  Among  the  stockholders,  the 
heaviest  subscribers  were  Henry  Drinker  and 
Samuel  Simpson,  eight  shares ;  Jeremiah  War- 
der, Parker  &  Co.,  six  shares;  John  Fields, 


1  Judging  from  the  prominence  given  to  -'sugar"  mak- 
ing, the  founders  of  the  association  no  doubt  had  views 
similar  to  those  held  by  a  canny  Scot,  who  settled  in  the 
State  of  New  York.  "  If,"  said  he,  "  I  find  it  profitable, 
I  sUall  follow  it  the  year  round," 


Thomas  Stewardson,  Samuel  Pleasants  and 
Samuel  M.  Fox,  each  four  shares.  Then  fol- 
low the  names  of  twenty-six  gentlemen,  who 
are  subscribers  for  one  and  two  shares  each. 
Among  them  appear  names  which  Americans 
hold  in  reverent  regard.  Notably  Samuel 
Meredith,  Robert  Morris,  Benjamin  Rush  and 
others.  The  total  subscribed  was  three  thous- 
and pounds  (computed  by  Pennsylvania  cur- 
rency, eight  thousand  dollars).  The  first 
board  of  managers  consisted  of  Timothy  Pick- 
ering, Henry  Drinker,  Samuel  Pleasants, 
Samuel  Hogdon  and  Samuel  M.  Fox.  Henry 
Drinker  was  made  treasurer.  The  lands  the 
association  arranged  to  purchase  consisted  of 
eight  tracts  and  contained  collectively  three 
thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  acres. 
They  lie  on  both  sides  of  the  Little  Equinunk 
Creek. 

It  appears,  from  papers  found,  that  one  John 
Kinsey  was  appointed  agent  and  that  he  resided 
on  the  property,  but  there  is  no  data  to  establish 
the  exact  time  when  the  improvements  were 
commenced,  nor  by  what  route  the  first  supplies 
and  implements  were  brought  to  the  land. 

An  Act  of  Assembly,  passed  April  10,  1792, 
had  appropriated  one  thousand  pounds  sterling 
to  open  a  road  from  Fort  Peun  (Stroudsburg)  to 
the  Narrows  of  Lackawaxen,  and  thence  be- 
tween the  Delaware  and  Lackawaxen  to  the 
"  Portage  "  (road  from  Stockport  to  Harmony). 
At  the  next  session  a  further  appropriation  of 
four  hundred  pounds  sterling  was  made  to 
improve  the  road.  No  doubt  the  road  was 
opened  in  1792,  thus  affording,  when  there  was 
snow,  a  route  by  which  the  supplies  could  have 
been  transported.  Another,  and  much  used 
route  was  by  nature's  highway,  the  Delaware 
River.  It  is  certain  that  at  an  early  day  con- 
siderable quantities  of  merchandise,  machinery, 
implements,  etc.,  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  peo- 
ple who  were  dropping  into  forest  homes  on  the 
upper  Delaware,  was  brought  up  the  river  in 
"Durham  Boats."  Mr.  Goodrich,  in  his  "His- 
tory of  Wayne  County,"  says  the  kettles,  etc., 
for  use  of  the  "  Union  Sugar  Company,"  were 
brought  in  this  way.  This  is  by  no  means  un- 
likely. It  would  have  been  no  formidable 
undertaking  to  have  made  a  passable  road  from 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


C31 


the  mouth  of  the  Little  Equinunk  Creek,  for  a 
distance  of  three  or  four  miles,  to  where  im- 
provements were  begun.  No  memoranda  exists 
to  show  what  success  attended  the  manufacture 
of  sugar  and  potash  in  1793  and  1704.  But 
on  the  first  of  January,  1795,  the  agent,  *Kin- 
sey,  made  an  inventory  which  shows  the  follow- 
ing improvements  made  on  the  land,  viz. : 
twenty-eight  to  thirty  acres  cleared,  eight  acres 
ready  to  log,  seven  acres  girdled,  and  that  fifty- 
six  apple  trees  had  been  set  out.  Also,  that  a 
saw-mill  had  been  erected,  with  dam  and  race 
complete ;  further,  three  dwellings,  two  stables,  a 
smith  shop,  corn-crib  and  other  out-buildings. 
Of  personal  property,  the  inventory  gives  one 
horse,  four  pair  of  oxen,  one  cow,  tools,  farm- 
ing implements.  It  also  mentions  forty  sugar 
kettles,  stone-troughs,  casks,  sap-troughs,  etc., 
for  sugar  making.  In  May,  of  1795,  Kinsey 
as  "  present  agent,  by  and  with  the  consent  of 
Samuel  Preston  for  the  owners,"  entered  into 
contract  for  the  clearing  of  from  ten  to  twenty- 
five  acres  of  land  during  the  ensuing  summer 
at  thirteen  dollars  and  thirty-three  and  one-third 
cents  per  acre.  This  seems  to  end  Kinsey's 
agency.  Benjamin  Willets  seems  to  have  had 
temporary  charge,  under  Samuel  Preston,  after 
Kinsey.  In  November,  1795,  the  managers 
laid  before  the  stockholders  a  paper  declaring 
"  it  inexpedient  to  further  prosecute  the  work," 
and  stating  that  the  amount  already  expended 
exceeded  the  capital  by  about  fourteen  hundred 
pounds  sterling,  which  sum  had  been  advanced 
by  the  treasurer,  Henry  Drinker,  and  they 
recommended  a  sale  of  the  property  and  a  dis- 
solution of  the  association.  In  March,  of  1796, 
Willets  notified  Mr.  Preston  that  he  must  soon 
leave  unless  supplied  with  food.  Two  months 
later  the  personal  property  (except  the  kettles) 
were  sold  by  vendue,  there  being  some  thirty 
purchasers.  The  sum  realized  from  the  sale 
was  two  hundred  and  eight  pounds  seven  shil- 
lings and  six  pence.  The  premises  were  soon 
left  without  any  responsible  person  in  charge. 
The  improvements  rapidly  depreciated.  The 
buildings  rotted  away,  and  nature  asserted  her 
sovereignty,  covering  the  fields  again  with 
forest.  The  early  settlers  in  that  portion  of 
Manchester   lying  near,  long  knew  the  place  as 


the  "  Union  Meadows."  But  meadow,  orchard 
and  buildings  finally  altogether  disappeared, 
and  at  this  writing  scarcely  a  person  in  the  re- 
gion could  tell  where  the  buildings  were.  The 
site  of  the  fields  was  indicated  by  the  dense 
growth  of  young  and  thrifty  timber  covering 
them.  To  resume,  since  writing  the  sketch  of 
the  Union  Sugar  Company,  the  writer  has  been 
over  a  portion  of  the  site  on  which  the  improve- 
ments were  made.  There  are  a  few  acres  of 
alluvial  on  the  creek  which  was  cleared  by  the 
company,  now  owned  and  worked  by  John  G. 
Bloom,  an  honest  German.  On  this  land  stands 
two  or  three  patriarchal  apple  trees.  A  little 
further  up  the  stream  indications  of  the  dam 
built,  and  of  the  race-way  which  brought  the 
water  to  the  mill,  are  easily  traced.  The  stock- 
holders lost  the  entire  eight  thousand  dollars  of 
capital  paid  in,  the  assets  not  being  sufficient  to 
pay  one-third  of  the  liabilities  in  excess  of  the 
capital. 

Henry  Drinker  held  the  title  for  the  lands  in 
trust  for  the  Union  Company,  but  coidd  not 
sell  them  without  consent  of  the  stockholders. 
After  Mr.  Drinker's  death,  an  act  of  Assembly, 
passed  March  8,  1833,  authorized  the  sale  of 
the  land  by  the  executors  of  Henry  Drinker, 
the  proceeds  of  such  sale  to  be  applied  first,  to 
pay  the  debt  due  the  Drinker  estate,  and  the 
balance,  if  any,  to  he  distributed  among  the 
shareholders.  The  lands  were  sold  at  auction 
in  November,  1833,  and  were  bid  in  by  James 
L.  Biddle  for  eleven  hundred  and  twenty-five 
dollars.  Mr.  Biddle  at  once  reconveyed  the 
property  to  the  executors  of  Henry  Drinker. 
The  lands  were  afterwards  sold  by  the  heirs  of 
Mr.  Drinker  for  a  much  larger  sum,  yet  the 
proceeds  would  not  cover  one-third  of  the  bal- 
ance due  from  the  Company  to  him  (Drinker), 
including  taxes  and  interest  to  time  of  sale. 
Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  experiment  was 
unprofitable  to  all  concerned.  The  stockhold- 
ers lost  all  invested.  Mr.  Henry  Drinker  and 
his  heirs  more  heavily  than  any  other.  Nor 
can  it  be  claimed  that  the  experiment  tended  to 
the  advantage  of  this  region  by  directing  emi- 
gration thereto.  No  doubt  the  stockholders 
looked  to  their  own  personal  advantage  and 
profit,  yet  the  motives  actuating  them  were  cer- 


(132 


WAYNE.  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


taiuly  laudable,  and    it  is  to    be   regretted   that 
lpss  attended  their  enterprise. 

Early  Settlers.  —  Other  people  were  cer- 
tainly living-  on  the  Delaware  within  the  present 
limits  of  Manchester  as  early  as  1800.  Nathan 
Mitchell  built  a  saw-mill  at  Rock  Run  but 
little  later  than  this.  Before  the  writer  is  a  list 
(found  among  the  papers  of  Judge  Samuel 
Preston)  of  names  of  famjlies  living  on  the 
1  )elaware, between  ( Jochecton  Falls  and  the  forks 
of  the  river,  at  Shehawken,  eighty-nine  in  all, 
as  early  as  1807.  The  list  comprises  those  living 
on  both  sides  of  the  river.  Among  the  names 
appear  those  of  James  Lord,  Jonathan  Adams, 
Joseph  and  William  White,  Abner  Lane, 
Simon  Peter  Cole,  Adam  Niven  and  John  Sim- 
mons, all  of  whom,  careful  inquiry  has  satisfied 
the  writer,  lived  within  what  is  now  Manchester. 
John  Kellam  settled  at  Pine  Flat  in  1816. 
Between  this  and  1820  he  was  followed  by  his 
brothers  Jacob,  Peter,  Jeptha,  George  and  Wil- 
liam. Jacob,  George  and  Jeptha  settled  within 
the  present  limits  of  Manchester,  William  in 
Damascus,  Peter  on  the  Lackawaxen.  The 
family  were  from  near  Milford.  They  were  all 
men  of  energy  and  push — men  who  believed  in 
keeping  well  up  to  the  front  in  the  race  of  life. 
Jacob  settled  on  the  Delaware  above  the  mouth 
of  the  Little  Equiuunk  Creek,  where  he  cleared 
a  large  farm.  In  1827  he  was  assessed  for 
sixty  acres  of  improved  and  five  hundred  and 
sixty  of  unimproved  land.  The  large  farm  he 
■cleared,  with  the  necessary  buildings,  orchards 
.and  miles  of  stone  wall  attests  his  energy. 
The  lack  of  common  prudence,  however,  left 
his  fine  estate  somewhat  encumbered,  and  dying 
intestate,  litigation  followed,  and  most  of  the 
property  passed  to  lawyers  and  courts,  little  re- 
maining to  his  heirs.  Nine  of  his  eleven  chil- 
dren, are  yet  living  in  the  vicinity.  Most  of 
the  farm  is  owned  and  occupied  by  Warner  P. 
Adams.  John  Kellam,  in  1 827,  was  assessed  for 
ninetv  acres  of  improved  land.  He  died  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety  years.  The  large  real  estate 
owned  and  improved  by  him  passed  entirely  out 
of  the  family.  George  Kellam  settled  at  Pine 
Flat,  where  he  engaged  extensively  in  farming, 
lumbering  and  mercantile  business.  He  was 
very    eccentric ;    he  left  a  large   and,   for   the 


times,  a  fine  mansion;  never  married,  but  dwelt 
in  solitary  state.  He  died  at  an  advanced  age 
the  victim  of  a  maniacal  melancholy.  The 
mansion  and  farm  are  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  Joseph  Ross.  Jeptha  reared  quite  a  family, 
most'  of  whom  yet  live  in  Manchester. 

Nathaniel  Tyler  settled  at  the  extreme  lower 
end  of  Pine  Flat,  at  an  early  period.  He  ap- 
pears in  the  first  assessment  as  a  farmer  ;  he 
died  within  the  last  decade. 

From  the  best  data  obtainable  it  appears  that 
Simon  Peter  Cole  settled  at  the  Cole  Flat  as 
early  as  1805.  Two  of  his  sons,  Isaac  and 
Emanuel,  appear  in  the  first  assessment  as 
farmers.  Through  want  of  attention  to  titles, 
they  lost  their  improvements  and  land  and  left 
the  township.  Emanuel  settled  in  Sullivan 
County,  N.  Y.,and  was  there  killed  in  an  affray 
by  one  Adams.  Two  of  his  sons  reside  now  in 
Manchester.  Harrison,  a  farmer,  and  Anion 
W.,  a  blacksmith  and  respected  resident  of 
Equiuunk. 

James  Lord  settled  on  the  Delaware  about 
two  miles  below  Equinuuk,  as  early  as  1807. 
Here  we  may  mention  that  the  progenitor  of  the 
numerous  families  of  Lords  living  in  this 
vicinity  was  an  Englishman  who  came  to  this 
section  at  an  early  date.  But  little  concerning 
him  is  obtainable.  In  1836  James  sold  his 
property  on  the  Delaware  to  W.  Weston,  Esq  , 
and  removed  to  the  pond  bearing  his  name, 
where  he  cleared  a  large  farm  and  where  he 
died  at  an  extreme  old  age.  Some  of  his  family 
still  own  the  farm. 

About  three  miles  from  Equinunk  is  the 
neighborhood  long  and  widely  known  as  the 
"  Union."  Some  of  the  farmers  are  on  the 
highest  lands  in  the  township.  Settlement  here 
was  made  about  the  year  1813.  The  first  set- 
tlers were  from  Manchester,  in  England,  hence 
the  name  of  the  township.  Among  these,  and 
probably  the  first,  was  Samuel  R.  Mogridge, 
who  left  England  in  1812.  He  landed  at  Que- 
bec, and,  after  considerable  difficulty  (England 
and  the  United  States  being  at  war),  reached 
Philadelphia  and  thence  came  to  Manchester  in 
1813.  Before  us  lies  a  letter  written  by  John 
Warder,  of  Philadelphia,  in  1813,  addressed  to 
Samuel  R.  and   Alexander  Mogridge.      From 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


633 


the  tenor  of  the  writing  it  appears  that  Warder 
owned  twenty-seven  tracts  of  land  in  what  is 
now  Manchester.  These  lands  had  been  sur- 
veyed in  1809  by  Jason  Torrey.  The  Mog- 
ridges  were  to  have  general  supervision  of  the 
lands  and  in  the  western  portion  were  to  select 
compact  tracts  for  which  he  (Warder)  was  to 
give  them  a  lease,  rent  free,  for  fourteen  years. 
The  other  of  the  twelve  tracts  in  the  western  di- 
vision was  to  be  sold,  if  possible,  by  the  Mog- 
ridges,  and  the  proceeds  arising  from  such  sale 
to  be  used  in  the  improvement  of  the  laud 
leased  to  them.  On  these  lands  Samuel  R.  set- 
tled. We  find  no  further  trace  of  Alexander. 
That  Mr.  Mogridge  unflinchingly  nut  the  diffi- 
culties attending  a  settlement  in  the  wilderness, 
far  from  roads  or  any  of  the  conveniences  of 
civilized  life,  is  shown  by  the  assessment  of 
1827,  which  gives  him  thirty  acres  of  im- 
proved and  seventy  of  unimproved  land.  Those 
who  remember  him  speak  of  him  as  an  honest 
man  and  good  citizen.  Long  since  he  passed 
to  his  rest,  and  the  grass  has  long  been  green 
over  him,  very  near  to  where  his  toil  brought 
smiling  fields  from  wild  forbidding  forest.  His 
only  living  descendant  in  this  section  is  Miss 
Ann  Preston,  of  Stockport,  daughter  of  the 
late  Paul  S.  Preston  ;  his  mother  having  been  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  Mogridge. 

Near  Mr.  Mogridge's  settled  very  soon  a  num- 
ber of  his  countrymen.  Jacob  W.  Welch 
came  in  1813.  He  was  a  very  intelligent  and 
industrious  man.  He  was  assessed  in  1827  for 
seventy-five  acres  of  improved  land.  He  left, 
at  his  death,  a  fair  property  to  his  sons,  Henry 
and  George.  The  latter  is  dead.  Henry  is  an 
attorney  at  Hancock,  N.  Y.  Mr.  William 
Parks  owns  and  occupies  the  old  farm. 

Samuel  Price,  James  Carter  and  Thomas 
Todd  were  among  those  who  settled  in  that 
neighborhood,  forming  what  was  first  known 
as  the  "  Union  English  settlement,"  afterwards 
abbreviated  to  "  The  Union." 

In  1820  there  dropped  in  upon  Mr.  Samuel 
Mogridge  his  nephew,  Mathias  Mogridge,  then 
a  youth  aged  about  eighteen.  He  was  talking 
when  he  walked  into  his  surprised  uncle's 
house,  and  he  kept  right  on  talking,  except  when 
sleeping,   until  the    universal   silencer,   Death, 


stopped  him  on  the  17th  of  September,  1885. 
He  is  entitled  to  more  than  a  passing  notice. 
Born  in  London  in  1802,  when  very  young  he 
was  taken  on  board  an  English  man-of-war. 
The  vessel  on  which  the  young  Briton  served 
was  one  of  the  fleet  which  carried  Englishmen 
to  disaster  and  defeat  at  New  Orleans.  Return- 
ing to  England,  he  went  next  in  the  "  North- 
umberland," when  it  carried  the  Corsican  At- 
tila,  Bonaparte,  to  St.  Helena.  Being  dis- 
charged from  the  navy  lie  came,  in  1817,  to 
America,  and,  in  1820,  to  Manchester.  Here 
he  located  in  the  wilderness.  By  his  industry 
he  cleared  up  a  farm.  Here  he  reared  a  family 
of  six  children,  and  here,  very  near  the  scene 
of  his  labors,  he  rests.  He  was  a  good  citizen, 
an  honest,  upright  man.  He  was  remarkable 
for  his  conversational  powers.  He  never 
wearied  of  talking.  He  possessed  a  wonder- 
fully retentive  memory  and  an  inexhaustible 
fund  of  anecdote  and  reminiscence.  He  would 
start  off  on  an  anecdote,  to  illustrate  which  he 
would  commence  another  ;  this,  in  turn,  needed 
supplementing.  Thus,  when  the  first  was 
completed,  a  dozen  or  so  had  been  told,  and  the 
end  seemed  further  off  than  ever.  On  the  oc- 
casion of  the  first  World's  Fair  in  London,  he 
returned  for  a  visit  to  his  native  country,  and 
astounded  the  people  there  by  his  unceasing 
talk.  He  was  celebrated  there  as  the  "  talking 
Yankee.  His  son,  Mathias,  Jr.,  lives  on  the 
old  homestead. 

At  an  early  date  two  brothers,  named 
Smeed,  built  a  mill  on  the  Little  Equinunk 
Creek,  at  what  is  now  as  "  Braman's."  The 
mill  subsequently  came  into  the  possession  of 
Mr.  George  Kellam,  who  also  erected  a  grist- 
mill at  the  same  place.  After  many  changes, 
the  property  came  into  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Hamilton  Braman,  the  present  proprietor.  A 
saw-mill  and  a  factory  for  turning  is  still  main- 
tained there. 

Many  of  the  other  early  settlers  of  the  town- 
ship are  worthy  of  especial  mention.  Christo- 
pher Teeple,  who  came  from  the  vicinity  of 
the  Delaware  Water-Gap,  in  1822,  and  located 
first  near  the  mouth  of  Equinunk  Creek,  from 
whence,  after  a  few  years,  he  removed  to  the 
Union,  where  he  cleared   a  large  farm,  which 


634 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROK  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


is  now  in  possession  of  his  sons,  Christopher, 
Jr.,  and  Abraham.  The  eldest,  William  F., 
yet  lives  in  the  township,  and  is  widely  known 
as  "  Finn  Teeple,  the  Deer-Slayer."  It  is 
safe  to  assume  that  there  is  not  a  man  now 
living  in  Northeastern  Pennsylvania  who  has 
made  the  havoc  among  the  wild  beasts  of  the 
forest  that  Finn  has.  He  has  hunted  over  almost 
the  entire  county.  Pike  County,  as  well  as 
Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  has  heard  the  crack 
of  his  rifle,  and  to  some  denizen  of  the  forest  it 
was  the  crack  of  doom.  He  has  kept  no  record 
of  deer,  bear  and  wolves  he  has  killed,  but  it  is 
safe  to  declare  that  the  number  of  deer  would 
reach  into  the  thousands.  Many  a  time  has  he 
driven  Bruin  from  his  lair,  and  followed  hi  in 
like  a  remorseless  fate.  The  howl  of  the  wolf 
was  music  to  Finn,  yet  he  tells  the  writer  that 
he  never  met  that  terror  of  our  forests,  the  pan- 
ther. Had  he  done  so,  we  may  be  sure  the 
panther's  fate  would  have  been  like  that  of 
Roderick  Dim  at  the  hand  of  Fitz-James.  His 
whole  life  has  been  given  to  hunting.  He  has 
sold  thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  game  and 
peltries,  but  is  something  poorer  to-day  than 
though  he  had  never  owned  a  rifle  or  a  trap. 
Occasionally  we  meet  him  yet,  stalking  over 
the  country,  trap  or  rifle  in  hand,  lamenting, 
like  "  Leather  Stocking,"  over  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  forest  and  the  disappearance  of  the 
game. 

Another  noted  character  was  William  Tyler, 
familiarly  kuown  as  "  Rock  Run  Tyler."  He 
was  born  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Sullivan, 
N.  Y.,  his  immediate  progenitors  being  among 
the  earliest  settlers  on  the  Delaware.  As  a 
farmer  and  lumberman  he  was  noted  for  his 
energy.  He  cleared  a  large  farm  in  that  por- 
tion of  the  township  known  as  the  "  Tyler 
Woods,"  and  was  celebrated  for  the  large  rafts 
which  he  got  out,  and  ran  down  the  Delaware. 
He  was  unfortunate  in  business,  and  with  age 
came  the  loss  of  his  property,  but  he  retained 
great  physical  vigor  till  past  four-score,  and 
piloted  large  rafts  down  the  Delaware  when 
past  seventy-four.  He  was  a  member  of  St. 
Tammany  Lodge,  of  F.  &  A.  M.  which  was 
instituted  at  Damascus  in  ante-Morgan  days. 
The  craft  kindly  cared  for  him  in  his  last  days. 


Two  sous  and  three  daughters  yet  live  in  the 
township.     He  died  in  1876,  aged  eighty-six. 

In  1840,  Thomas,  Robert  and  Nesbitt  Gregg, 
settled  in  the  forest  in  the  extreme  southern 
part  of  the  township.  They  were  natives  of 
Ireland  and  have  proved  excellent  citizens. 
Large  fine  farms  attest  their  industry  anil  im- 
mense families  of  sons  and  daughters  their 
value  as  settlers  in  a  new  country.  The  writer's 
feelings  would  induce  us  to  treat  individually 
of  many  who  have  been,  and  are  yet  residents 
of  the  township;  who  have  by  their  industry 
subdued  the  forests,  and  shaped  the  interests  of 
the  community,  but  the  limits  of  a  work  of 
this  nature  will  not  allow  it.  Anthony  H. 
Lloyd,  Gideon  P.  Chase,  John  aud  Peter  Lord, 
Patrick  and  Richard  Osborne,  Moses  and 
Oliver  Billings,  David  Lay  ton,  the  Dennys, 
Giffords,  and  many  others  have  passed  the 
besl  years  of  their  lives  in  the  township,  and 
have  given  to  it  years  of  toil.  Many  of  them 
yet  reside  amid  the  scene  of  their  labors,  while 
others  have  been  called  "from  labor  to  refresh- 
ment." 

The  first  birth  of  a  white  child  in  the  town- 
ship was  no  doubt  that  of  a  daughter  born  to 
Josiah  Parks  and  wife,  in  the  rude  shelter  of  a 
cave  in  the  rocks  at  Equinunk,  some  time  be- 
tween 1776  aud  1782.  Doubtless  in  our 
country's  history  many  like  events  occurred. 

The  road  mentioned  in  the  sketch  of  the 
"  Union  Sugar  Company,"  as  having  been 
built  from  Fort  Penn  through  to  the  "  Port- 
age," evidently  passed  through  a  corner  of  the 
township ;  hence  was  the  first  road  laid  out  in 
the  township.  In  1830  a  road  was  laid  out 
along  the  Delaware  from  Damascus  to  Little 
Equinunk.  Name  of  surveyer  not  obtainable. 
Other  roads  were  laid  out  from  time  to  time  as 
the  needs  of  the  people  made  them  necessary. 

Religions  Matters. — In  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  township  the  people  were  too 
widely  scattered  to  be  able  to  do  or  effect  any 
organized  religious  work.  We  judge,  too,  that 
the  people,  either  from  lack  of  inclination  or 
want  of  time,  gave  little  attention  to  spiritual 
matters.  As  the  population  increased,  the 
gospel  came  fitfully  to  the  people.  No  date  can 
be  given  for  the  first  religious  services.     About 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


153ft 


1X27  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  mani- 
fested its  usual  zeal  and  enterprise  by  sending 
itinerants  into  this  section.  Later  it  was  made 
a  part  of  the  Hancock,  N.  Y.,  charge.  Who 
the  early  ministers  were  who  labored  in  this 
uninviting  field,  we  cannot  learn.  No  regular 
church  organization  was  ever  effected  in  the 
township.  A  society  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  was  formed  about  1840  at  the 
"  Union."  It  belonged  to  the  Hancock  charge 
until  a  separate  charge  was  created  at  Equi- 
nunk,  when  it  became  a  part  of  that  charge.  A 
church  building  was  erected  there  in  1854 — a 
plain  but  substantial  building,  sufficiently  com- 
modious for  the  wants  of  the  community. 
Probably  as  much  attention  is  given  to  religious 
matters  as  in  any  similarly  situated  community. 
In  the  township  there  are  probably  two  hun- 
dred nominal  members  of  Protestant  churches, 
the  majority  Methodists,  and  forty  or  fifty 
Catholics. 

SCHOOLS.  —  A  state  of  ignorance  exists 
through  the  township  as  to  when,  where  and 
by  whom  the  first  school  was  established.  A 
school  was  certainly  established  in  the  "  Union" 
as  early  as  1827,  but  it  is  impossible  to  ascer- 
tain how  it  was  established  or  maintained.  No 
doubt  it  was  at  first  altogether  at  the  cost  of 
the  community.  A  school  was  established  in 
like  manner  at  about  the  same  time  in  the 
vicinity  of  Little  Equinunk.  The  township 
cannot  be  said  to  be  divided  into  districts. 
.School-houses  have  been  built  where  needed, 
and  are  designated  by  name  of  locality.  There 
are  ten  schools,  with  two  hundred  and  sixty 
scholars,  and  two  passably  respectable  school- 
houses.  The  other  eight  are  a  disgrace  to  a 
civilized  community.  In  building  them  the 
time-honored  custom  of  building  school-houses 
where  they  would  be  most  out  of  the  way,  and 
where  the  land  on  which  they  were  built  j 
could  not  possibly  be  put  to  any  other  use,  has  ; 
been  carefully  followed. 

Mills,  Tanneries,  etc. — -The  credit  of 
building  the  first  saw-mill  may  be  divided  be- 
tween Samuel  Preston,  of  Stockport,  and 
Nathan  Mitchell.1     Each   built  at  the  extreme 


limits  of  the  township — Preston  on  the  big 
Equinunk,  near  its  mouth;  Mitchell  at  Rock 
Run,  both  as  early  as  1805.  The  first  Sfrist- 
mill  in  the  township  was  built  by  George 
Kcllam  at  what  is  now  known  as  Bramans. 

The  first  tannery  was  built  in  1848  by 
Isaiah  and  Daniel  C.  Scudder,  under  the  firm 
name  of  I.  &  D.  C.  Scudder.  Sole  leather  only 
was  manufactured.  It  had  a  capacity  of  about 
two  thousand  five  hundred  sides  a  year.  After 
many  changes  of  owners,  it  finally  became  the 
property  of  William  Holbert.  It  was  burned 
down  in  1875.  Another  was  built  at  Little 
Equiuunk  in  1857  by  S.  D.  Wood  and  Aaron 
and  Calvin  Van  Benschoten;  firm  known  as 
Wood  iv-  Van  Benschoten.  Capacity,  two 
thousand  eight  hundred  sides  a  year.  After 
several  changes  it  became  the  property  of  Hoyt 
Brothers,  of  New  York.  It  was  burned  down 
in  18711,  was  rebuilt  at  once,  and  ran  until 
1881,  when  work  in  it  was  discontinued,  bark 
being  no  longer  obtainable. 

There  have  been  as  many  as  fifteen  saw-mills 
in  the  township.  There  is  a  factory  for  turn- 
ing wood  at  Bramans,  owned  by  Rothchilds, 
of  New  York. 

A  Post-office  was  established  in  the 
"  Union,"  and  called  Priceville.  Matthias 
Mogridge  was  the  first  postmaster.  Mail 
reached  it  from  Equinunk.  It  was  discontin- 
ued in  1871.  A  post-office  was  established  at 
Bramans  in  1882;  Hamilton  Braman,  post- 
master. Mail  reaches  it  from  Hankins,  N.  Y. 
Bee-keeping  has  lately  become  one  of  the  in- 
dustries of  the  township.  Several  quite  exten- 
sive apiaries  are  maintained. 

The  population  of  the  township  in  1870  was 
1269;  in  1880,  1326.  Manchester  deserves 
especial  mention  for  the  prompt  and  ready  re- 
sponse it  made  to  every  call  for  men  during  the 
Rebellion,  and  that  matter  is  dwelt  upon  at 
length  in  the  military  history  of  the  county. 


'The  writer  considers  it  strange   that  when  writing  of 
the  first  saw-mill   that  he   should   have  ignored   the  one 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

JOSEPH  (J.  HOLBERT. 

Joseph  G.  Holbert  was  born  at  Lackawaxen, 


built  by  the  "  Uu 
as  1794. 


Sugar  Company,"  certainly  as  early 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Pike  County,  Pa.,  December   14,  1850,  eldest  I 
son  of  William  and  Emma  (Poole)  Holbert. 

William  Holbert,  who  was  born  in  the  Con- 
necticut Valley  in  1755,  came  to  Pennsylvania  I 
about  1770,  and  located  on  the  Delaware  River 
in  Montague  township,  Sussex  County,  N.  J., 
also  owning  land  on  the  Pennylvania  side  at 
the  point  since  called  Holbert's  Bend.  Shortly 
after  making  a  home   he  and   his  wife,  Mary,  I 


small  in  stature,  their  sons,  Joseph  and  Benja- 
min, were  the  reverse,  being  tall  and  bony  men. 
Benjamin,  born  December  15,  1781,  and  Mary 
Rider,  his  wife,  born  July,  1783,  settled  on  the 
river  opposite,  and  had  thirteen  children,  of 
whom  Joseph  G.  was  the  third,  born  March  2, 
1803.  Lumbering  has  always  been  a  large  in- 
terest with  the  family,  each  succeeding  genera- 
tion   following  the   steps  of  the   parent,    and 


^-M^i^r 


were  captured  by  Indians  at  Indian  Orchard, 
near  Honesdale,  and  kept  in  captivity  near 
Cochecton,  N.  Y.  After  a  somewhat  protracted 
confinement  they  escaped  from  their  savage 
captors  and  went  down  the  Delaware  to  Mini- 
sink,  where  they  stayed    until    the   close  of  the 


very  frequently   enlarging   the  field   of  opera- 
tions. 

Joseph  G.  married  Sabra  Brown,  December 
24,  1824,  who  bore  him  nine  children,  five 
sons  and  four  daughters.  William  was  the 
eldest  son,  and  on  the  death  of  his  father,  May 
conflict  enabled  them  to  return  to  their  home.  14,  1848,  when  but  eighteen  years  of  age  was 
William  Holbert  died  April  30,  1819,  his  wife  placed  by  the  will  in  charge  of  the  entire  film- 
surviving  him  until  June  27,  1834.    Both  very  |  ilv  affairs. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


637 


About  1862,  in  company  with  John  D.  Bran- 
ning,  of  Damascus  township,  Wayne  County, 
he  purchased  some  seven  or  eight  thousand 
acres  of  land,  part  now  called  Duck  Harbor 
and  the  other  part  Equinunk.  He  commenced  at 
once  active  operations,  and  is  undoubtedly  en- 
titled to  be  called  the  father  of  the  immense 
lumber  interest  which  has  since  become  so  im- 
portant an  item  for  the  county. 

Joseph  G.  Holbert  was  placed  in  the  district 
school,  and  after  imbibing  the  instructions  there 
presented,  was  sent  to  Lowell  Commercial  Col- 
lege, from  which  institution  he  was  graduated 
with  honors  December  7,  1866".  Still  dissatis- 
fied, he  went  to  Monticello,  N.  Y.,  Academy 
some  time,  from  whence  he  entered  a  practical 
business  career  with  his  father,  July  3,  1869, 
who  had  in  the  meantime  removed  his  home  to 
Equinunk.  Under  such  valuable  training  he 
rapidly  acquired  full  acquaintance  with  the  de- 
tails and  necessities  of  business.  In.1876  he 
removed  to  Camden,  N.  J.,  and  erected  large 
lumber  mills  under  style  of  Holbert's  & 
Branning,  still  in  operation  as  Stanton  &  Bran- 
ning,  change  being  effected  by  the  retirement  of 
our  subject,  in  1878,  at  which  time  he  bought 
the  Equinunk  tannery  property  and  launched 
out  upon  au  active  and  aggressive  business  ca- 
reer. 

For  several  years  he  spent  his  winters  in 
Equinunk  anil  summers  in  Philadelphia,  look- 
ing after  lumber  interests,  and  in  1882  erected 
the  Excelsior  factory  and  grist-mill,  and  on 
April  1,  1883,  commenced  to  build  the  Hub 
factory.  Misfortune  overtook  the  enterprise,  a 
fire  on  October  13,  1885,  cleaning  out  the  grist- 
mill and  Excelsior  factory,  which  had  been  en- 
larged some  few  months  previously  to  more 
thau  double  the  former  capacity.  With  strong 
faith  and  energy  he  set  to  work  to  rebuild,  and 
to-day,  December  2,  1885,  the  works  are  ready 
to  be  started  again. 

Strictly  a  business  man,  and  entertaining  the 
belief  that  a  business  man's  attention  should  be 
devoted  to  such  matters,  he  has  declined  politi- 
cal preferment,  although  in  1876  his  name  re- 
ceived a  highly  complimentary  vote  at  the 
Republican  caucus  of  Wayne  County  for 
nomination  for  sheriff     Desirous  of  protecting 


the  interests  of  his  township  lie  consented  to 
serve  as  auditor  for  some  years,  and  his  co-op- 
eration has  been  of  great  value. 

On  June  11,1873,  he  was  united  to  Miss 
Maria,  daughter  of  the  late  Munson  Sher- 
wood, and  their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
three  children, — Lue  Verne,  born  July  25, 
1874  ;  Claude,  bom  May,  1876,  died  March, 
1877  ;  Edith,  born  January,  1879. 


CHAPTER    XXII 


Thts  township  is  the  second  in  size  in  Wayne 
County.  It  is  situated  in  the  western  part  ot 
the  county,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Preston,  on  the  east  by  Buckingham  and  Leb- 
anon, on  the  south  by  Dyberry  and  Clinton, 
and  on  the  west  by  the  Susquehanna  County 
line.  A  part  of  the  original  township  was  taken 
in  1828  to  form  a  part  of  Preston,  and  a  por- 
tion taken  in  1834  to  form  a  part  of  Clinton. 
The  surface  is  uneven  and  broken  up  into  hills 
and  valleys,  while  the  scenery  is  unsurpassed 
for  beauty  and  variety.  It  has,  by  some,  been 
aptly  termed  the  Switzerland  of  Northern  Penn- 
sylvania. The  highest  elevation  is  the  Moosic 
Mountain,  which  rises  to  a  height  of  from 
twenty-one  hundred  to  twenty-two  hundred 
feet  above  tide.  Most  of  the  land  is  fertile,  the 
hills  being  cultivated  to  their  tops.  The  Lack- 
awaxen  and  Dyberry  are  the  principal  streams. 
They  flow  southward,  and,  with  the  Johnson,  a 
tributary  of  the  Lackawaxen,  drain  nearly  all 
of  the  township,  the  water  finding  its  way  to 
the  Delaware.  The  water  of  a  small  portion 
of  the  western  part  flows  into  the  Lackawanna, 
and  thence  into  the  Susquehanna  Valley.  The 
natural  ponds  are  Rock  Lake,  Bigelow  Lake, 
and  Howe's  Pond.  Near  the  sources  of  several 
of  the  streams  were  originally  located  wide 
level  stretches  of  marsh  and  pond ;  occupied  by 
beaver.  These  have  been  dammed  and  the 
water  stored  for  the  use  of  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal.    Belmont  Lake,  Hankins  Pond, 


By  J.  H.  Kennedy,  County  .School  Superintendent. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  Miller  Pond  have  been  thus  formed.  The 
rocks  belong  to  the  Catskill  series,  except  along 
the  plateau  of  the  Moosic  range,  in  the  western  [ 
part  of  the  township,  where  the  lower  section,  I 
the  carboniferous  formation,  occupies  the  sum-  j 
mits  of  the  highest  peaks.  A  striking  geologi- 
cal feature  of  this  section  is  a  curious  conglom- 
erate which  is  found  in  large  blocks  in  different 
parts  of  the  township,  and  which  occurs  in  situ 
in  one  locality  only,  near  the  public  school- 
house  in  Pleasant  Mount,  where  it  covers  about 
one  half  of  an  acre.  This  has  been  named  by 
Prof.  White,  of  the  State  Geological  Survey,  the 
Mount  Pleasant  Conglomerate  and  is  identical 
with  the  great  cliff  rock  at  Prospect  View,  on 
Elk  Mountain  in  Susquehanna  ( 'ountv.  The 
matrix  is  a  dark  coarse  sand  and  is  tilled  with 
numerous  angular,  white  and  reddish  quartz 
pebbles  about  the  size  of  a  chestnut.  The  soil 
is  chiefly  a  sandy  loam,  but  red  shale  prevails 
in  various  places.  The  whole  partakes  of  the 
gritty  character  of  the  Catskill  group.  The 
surface  was  originally  covered  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  timber.  The  trees  were  mostly  beech, 
maple  and  hemlock,  with  some  ash,  basswood, 
cherry  and  elm,  interspersed.  This  timber  is 
nearly  exhausted,  and,  in  consequence,  the  sup- 
ply of  water  from  living  springs  is  measurably 
diminished. 

Indians. — There  are  no  evidences  that  this 
was  the  home  of  any  Indian  tribe.  No  trace 
of  battle-ground  or  permanent  village  is  found, 
still  there  are  abundant  indications  that  it  was 
once  occupied  by  them  as  a  hunting-ground. 
The  deer  and  beaver  made  this  region  a  rich 
field  for  the  red  hunter.  Large  numbers  of  ar- 
row-heads made  of  flint,  and  mortars  and  pes- 
tles, for  grinding  corn  have  been  found.  Traces 
of  Indian  encampments  have  been  noted  near 
the  head  waters  of  the  Dyberry.  An  Indian  trail 
or  path  ran  through  this  place,  which  connected 
the  Delaware  and  Susquehanna  rivers.  It  is 
said  to  have  presented  the  appearance  of  being 
much  traveled,  and  traces  of  it  were  dis- 
tinctly seen  and  followed  by  the  early  settlers. 
The  femur,  or  thigh  bone,  of  a  man  who  must 
have  been  of  gigantic  stature,  was  some  years 
since,  ploughed  up,  on  the  farm  of  J.  J.  Fulk- 
ersou,  two  miles  north  of  the  village  of  Pleasant 


Mount.  Near  by  was  also  found  a  light  hatchet 
made  of  stone,  which,  from  its  delicate  structure, 
could  not  have  been  used  as  a  weapon,  but 
rather  must  have  been  designed  as  the  insignia 
of  rank.  The  inference  is,  that  here  some  na- 
tive chieftain,  alone  in  the  solitude  of  the  dark- 
ening forest,  paid  the  last  debt  of  nature. 

Settlement. — The  land  comprising  this 
township  was  bought  of  the  "Six  Nations."  in 
their"  General  Council"  at  Fort  Stanwix,  now 
Rome,  N.  Y.,  on  the  5th  of  November,  1768, 
by  the  heirs  of  William  Penn.  In  1774  a 
lot  of  land,  comprising  three  hundred  and 
twenty-two  acres,  upon  which  a  part  of  Pleas- 
ant Mount  village  now  stands,  was  bought  of 
the  proprietaries  by  Christopher  Hager.  This 
lot  passed  through  several  hands,  when  in 
June,  1789,  it  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Stanton,  who  became  the  first  actual  settler. 
He  was  from  Preston,  New  London  County, 
Conn.,  and  came  here  as  a  surveyor  in  the  em- 
ploy of  William  Cooper,  agent  for  Thomas, 
Franklin,  William  and  Andrew  Craig;  land- 
holders. In  addition  to  the  above-mentioned 
lot,  he  bought  of  the  agent  on  June  30,  1789, 
three  thousand  acres,  and  in  1790,  according  to 
a  note  in  the  township  records  in  his  own  hand- 
writing, "  built  a  house  and  cleared  some  land." 
The  cabin  was  situated  a  few  rods  east  of  the 
old  Belmont  and  Easton  turnpike,  near  the 
present  residence  of  Henry  W.  Mumford.  It 
was  made  of  small  logs  and  poles,  covered  with 
bark,  without  windows.  The  door  and  floor 
were  made  of  slabs  split  from  logs.  It  was 
twelve  by  fourteen  feet  on  the  ground,  and  had 
but  one  room.1  The  furniture  consisted  of  a 
white-pine  table,  a  chest  of  drawers  with  legs, 
two  bedsteads,  four  splint-bottom  chairs,  a 
trammel  for  the  fireplace,  a  looking-glass,  a 
few  dishes,  some  pewter  plates  and  basins  ;  also 
some  trenchers. 

On  the  10th  of  April,  1791,  Mr.  Stanton 
brought  his  family,  a  wife  and  two  children, 
from  Harmony,  on  the  Susquehanna  River, 
through  the  woods  to  this  place.  During  the 
following  summer  he  succeeded  in  raising  a 
scanty  supply  of   provisions,  which   he   hoped 


Whale/: 


ry  of  Mount  Pleasant 


WAYNE  COUNTY 


fi39 


with  proper  care  would  last  through  the  winter. 
He  cut  a  supply  of  hay  for  a  yoke  of  oxen  and 
two  cows,  on  a  beaver  meadow,  two  miles  away. 
This  he  intended  to  draw  home  during  the  win- 
ter. A  daughter,  Polly  Stanton,  was  born  on 
the  26th  day  of  August,  1791.  She  was  the 
first  white  child  born  in  the  township.  The 
Stantons  enjoyed  the  company  of  a  few  settlers, 
to  be  mentioned  hereafter,  who  had  come  on 
Without  their  families  to  make  improvements, 
preparatory  to  moving  in  the  following  year. 
They  all  left  in  the  autumn,  however,  and  the 
Stanton  family  were  alone  in  'the  wilderness. 
Their  nearest  neighbor  was  fourteen  miles  away, 
and  the  road  liable  to  be  blocked  by  snow. 
Much  has  been  written  regarding  the  sufferings 
and  privations  of  this  heroic  family  during  the 
-rigorous  winter  which  followed,  but  want  of 
space  compels  us  to  abridge  the  narrative.  Ex- 
posure and  a  fractured  ankle  confined  his  wife 
to  her  bed;  soon  she  was  tossing  in  the  delirium 
of  fever.  Her  infant  child,  five  months  old, 
also  sickened.  The  mother's  fever  had  destroyed 
its  natural  food.  The  cows  afforded  no  substi- 
tute. It  rapidly  declined  under  sickness  and  hun- 
ger. Thestock  of  provisions  was  nearly  exhausted. 
The  potatoes  had  been  frozen  by  the  unex- 
pected severity  of  the  winter.  Stanton  de- 
nied himself  in  order  to  eke  out  the  scanty  sup- 
lily.  His  children  were  placed  on  short  allow- 
ance. Finally  they  were  reduced  to  the  last 
meal.  He  divided  the  last  morsel  of  food  be- 
tween the  two  little  children,  the  mother  did 
not  realize  their  condition,  and  then  kneeling 
before  God,  prayed  for  deliverance.  He  arose 
from  his  knees  and,  going  to  the  door,  heard  a 
dog  chasing  an  animal  down  the  opposite  hill, 
from  where  the  village  of  Pleasant  Mount  now 
stands,  to  the  Lackawaxen.  Seizing  an  old 
musket,  which  had  long  been  useless,  he  ran 
down  to  the  stream,  where  he  found  an  elk  at 
bay.  So  intense  were  his  emotions  that  he  re- 
peatedly snapped  the  old  musket,  but  of  course 
without  effect.  A  hunter  soon  came  down  the 
hill  and  shot  the  elk.  On  learuiug  the  condi- 
tion of  Mr.  Stanton  and  his  family  the  hunter, 
Mr.  Frederick  Coates,  and  his  companion,  a  Mr. 
Church,  emptied  their  knapsacks  of  palatable 
food   for  them.     A  part  of  the  elk  was  roasted, 


but  before  the  flesh  was  fully  cooked  Mr.  Stan- 
ton, as  a  starving  man,  devoured  it,  To  the 
kindness  and  frequent  visits  of  these  hunters, 
and  also  of  Mr.  Asa  Stanton,  a  cousin  who  had 
recently  settled  near  Waymart,  he  was  indebted 
for  many  comforts,  and  the  restoration  of  his 
wife  and  infant  child  to  health.  Mr.  Stanton 
preserved  the  horns  of  this  elk  as  a  memento  of 
God's  mercy  to  him  and  his  family  while  in  a 
sick  and  starving  condition.  Afterward,  when 
he  kept  a  public-house,  he  had  them  nailed  upon 
the  top  of  his  sign-post,  and  frequently  related 
to  visitors  and  travellers  the  story  of  his  suffer- 
ing and  deliverance. 

In  a  few  years  he  began  to  prosper.  He 
built  a  frame  house  and  barn  near  where  the 
residence  of  George  Mutnford  now  stands,  where 
lie  kept  a  hotel  until  the  Coohecton  and  Great 
Bend  Turnpike  was  constructed.  This  drew 
the  travel  away  from  him.  He  then  built  on 
the  turnpike  opposite  Thomas  Mumford's,  where 
he  kept  a  public-house  until  he  sold  his  prop- 
erty and  removed  from  this  section.  He  took 
a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs,  and  was  in- 
strumental in  securing  the  act  for  the  Cochec- 
tou  and  Great  Bend  Turnpike.  The  building 
of  such  a  road  was  then  considered  a  greater 
achievement  than  is  now  the  construction  of  a 
railroad.  He  received  the  appointment  of  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  in  1796,  while  this  region  was 
a  part  of  Northampton  County.  When  Wayne 
County  was  organized  he  was  appointed  one  of 
the  commissioners  to  locate  the  county-seat  and 
erect  the  court-house  and  jail.  In  October, 
1814,  he  was  appointed  associate  judge,  which 
office  he  held  while  he  remained  in  this  part 
of  the  State.  Toward  the  close  of  his  life  he 
removed  with  his  family,  except  one  daughter 
who  was  married  to  Thomas  Lillibridge,  Esq., 
to  the  headwaters  of  the  Allegheny  River,  in 
the  western  part  of  the  State.  He  had  been 
appointed  a  commissioner  of  a  State  road  in  that 
section.  Business  growing  out  of  this  office 
called  him  to  Harrisburg.  On  his  return  he 
stopped  at  Bellefonte,  Centre  County,  to  visit 
his  friend,  Judge  Burnside.  Here  he  was  taken 
sick,  and  though  every  effort  was  made  to  re- 
store him  to  health,  he  rapidly  declined,  and 
after  a  few  days'  illness  died,  April  15,  1816. 


640 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


None  of  his  descendants  are  now  found  in  this 
township. 

Judge  Samuel  Stanton  was  tall,  broad- 
shouldered,  but  rather  sparely  built.  His  com- 
plexion was  light,  eyes  blue,  hair  and  whiskers 
light  brown.  He  was  of  the  nervous  tempera- 
ment, and  very  sanguine  and  earnest  in  what- 
ever enterprise  he  was  engaged.  He  was  for 
the  times  in  which  he  lived  a  man  of  the  high- 
est culture.  His  memory  was  remarkably  good, 
and  he  grasped  and  retained  whatever  he  read  ; 
which  is  said  to  have  been  more  than  two  thou- 
sand volumes.  His  address  was  easy,  and  his 
nature  sociable.  He  was  a  devout  Christian, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Free  Communion 
Baptist  Church,  but  was  in  fellowship  with 
Christians  of  all  denominations.  The  members 
of  his  own  church  held  their  meetings  in  his 
barn.  In  1797  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  was  administered  for  the  first  time  in 
this  township,  at  his  house,  by  the  Rev.  Daniel 
Thatcher,  a  Presbyterian  Missionary,  to  nine 
professed  Christians  of  different  denominations. 
He  wrote  poetry,  both  secular  and  religious, 
and  some  rhymes  which  are  recorded  upon  the 
town-book  are  so  intimately  connected  with  the 
early  history  of  the  township  that  they  are  here 
given. 

"The  Golden  Age  oi'Mouut  Pleasant,  from  1791  to 
1796,  while  eighty-two  miles  from  Easton,  the  seat  of 
justice  ;  there  was  no  law  put  in  force  but  the  law  ol 
forbearance,  having  no  law,  the  people  were  a  law 
unto  themselves." 

"Secluded  here  from  noise  and  strife, 
We  lead  a  quiet,  peaceful  life. 
No  loungers  here  with  poisonous  breath, 
Nor  doctors  here  to  deal  out  death. 

"  No  trainings  here  nor  such  like  trash, 
To  waste  our  time  and  spend  our  cash  ; 
Nor  town-meetings  to  choose  our  masters, 
To  make  us  slaves  and  breed  disasters. 

"  No  priest  sends  round  his  man  for  pay, 
Because  that  he  did  preach  and  pray  ; 
Eor  we  believe  that  grace  is  free 
To  all  who  wish  to  taste  and  see. 

"  No  jockey  merchants  here  prevail, 
To  trust  their  goods,  then  send  to  jail ; 
Nor  fiddling  strolling  players  dare 
Infest  the  place,  our  youth  to  snare. 


"  Some  slaves  to  forms  may  now  require, 
Have  you  no  court-house,  jail,  or  squire  ? 
While  all  are  honest  and  sincere, 
What  need  of  court  or  prison  here! 

"  Have  we  a  cause  to  settle?  then, 
We  leave  it  to  judicious  men, 
To  search  the  matter  well,  and  we 
To  their  just  judgments  do  agree. 

"  The  noise  of  war,  or  the  excise, 
Does  neither  vex  our  ears  nor  eyes ; 
For  we  are  free  from  every  tax, 
And  stay  at  home  and  swing  the  ax. 

"  Our  corn  we  pound,  our  wheat  we  boil, 
Thus  eat  the  product  of  our  soil. 
Sweet  independence  here  does  reign, 
And  we've  no  reason  to  complain. 

"  Yet  we,  like  others,  still  look  on 
Till  we  shall  get  our  mill  to  run  ; 
Then  we'll  not  pound  nor  boil  again, 
But  live  in  style  like  other  men. 

"  From  sheep  we  make  our  clothing  warm, 
In  which  we  face  the  wintry  storm  ; 
They  likewise  give  us  meat  and  light, 
To  feast  by  day  and  see  by  night, 

"  Do  we  want  meat?  then  we  kill 
Elk,  deer,  or  bear,  and  eat  our  fill.  , 

Sometimes  we've  fowl,  and  sometimes  fish, 
But  rarely  meet  an  empty  dish. 

"  Here  healing  herbs  and  roots  do  grow, 
And  sugar-juice  from  maple  How. 
Molasses,  vinegar,  and  beer, 
Are  made  from  sugar  orchards  here. 

"  Sometimes  we  live  on  pork  and  peas. 
Then  milk  and  honey,  butter,  cheese — 
Plain  food  and  exercise  agree 
To  make  us  happy  while  we're  free."  ' 

His  religious  poetry  was  of  a  more  elevated 
character.  He  wrote  about  fifty  hymns  which 
breathe  the  spirit  of  true  devotion.  One  entitled 
"  The  Complainer  Reformed"  is  written  as 
though  it  were  his  own  experience,  and  was  con- 
sidered worthy  of  place  in  a  collection  of  relig- 
ious hymns  used  by  the  Free  Communion 
Baptist  Church.  The  hymn  consists  of  twelve 
stanzas.  The  following  are  the  second  and  ninth 
and  are  sufficient  to  give  the  character  of  the 
production ;  and  the  sentiments  of  the  author. 

"  Of  ev'ry  preacher  I'd  complain 
One  spoke  through  pride,  and  one  for  gain, 
Another's  learning  small. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


This  spoke  too  fast  and  that  too  slow 

One  prayed  too  loud,  and  one  too  low, 
The  others  had  no  call. 
"Now  I  can  hear  a  child  proclaim 

The  joyful  news,  and  praise  the  name 
Of  Jesus  Christ  my  King. 

I  know  no  sect,  Christians  are  one. 

With  my  complaints  I  now  have  done, 
And  God's  free  grace  I  sing." 
Mr.  Stanton  commenced  actual  work  as  a 
settler  in  June,  1790.  When  he  moved  in 
with  his  family  the  following  spring  as  before 
related  he  was  accompanied  by  Mr.  Silas 
Kellogg,  who,  with  two  hired  men,  was  to 
commence  on  a  tract  of  three  thousand  acres, 
which  he  had  bought  in  the  south  part  of  the 
township.  He  was  from  Ballston,  Saratoga 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  had  intended  to  settle  in 
Otsego  County  but  was  induced  to  come  here 
by  the  flattering  description  of  the  country 
given  by  agent  William  Cooper.  He  made  his 
first  clearing  in  that  pleasant  valley  on  the 
Lackawaxen,  east  of  the  present  residence  of 
Mr.  Richard  Mills.  During  the  season  he  and 
his  men  cleared  and  sowed  to  wheat  fourteen 
acres  of  land.  Mr.  Kellogg  was  obliged  to  go 
witlfhis  ox-team  to  Harmony,  then  a  distance 
of  twenty-eight  miles,  and  thence  down  the 
Susquehanna  to  Great  Bend  to  procure  the  seed. 
He  carried  provisions  for  himself  and  two  men 
from  Great  Bend  upon  his  back,  and  says  that 
in  climbing  the  hills  beneath  his  heavy  burden 
his  vision  became  double,  so  that  he  was 
obliged  to  sit  down  till  his  regular  sight  was 
restored. !  This  season  Elijah  Dix  and  his  son 
Elijah,  a  boy  of  eleven  years  came  from  Wil- 
liamstown,  Mass.,  into  the  township  and  made 
improvements  which  will  be  noticed  hereafter. 
In  an  address  to  citizens  of  Mount  Pleasant, 
March  5,  1849,  Mr.  Kellogg  says, — 

"  All  the  inhabitants  of  Mount  Pleasant  in  1791 
were  Mr.  Stanton,  his  wife,  and  two  children,  Mr. 
Dix  and  boy,  myself  and  two  hired  men.  The  per- 
plexities we  met  with  in  making  a  beginning  were 
more  than  I  dare  undertake  to  describe ;  for  in  these 
days  of  cultivated  farms  and  good  roads,  the  stories 
of  the  sufferings  of  those  who  remember  the  times 
when  the  farms  were  a  forest,  and  the  roads  were 
unmarked  may  perhaps  be  regarded  by  some  as  mere- 
ly the  offspring  of  the  imagination." 


Whaley,  History  of  Mt.  Pleasant. 


Concerning  this  year,  Mr.  Stanton  wrote  in 
the  town  book  as  follows  : 

"This  summer  at  any  heavy  work,  such  as  raising 
log  houses,  we  were  able  to  raise  six  hands.  Ami 
considering  ourselves  so  strong,  we  undertook  opening 
a  road  toward  the  Great  Bend,  some  south  of  where 
the  turnpike  was  made  afterward." 

At  the  close  of  the  summer  all  but  Mr.  Stan- 
ton and  his  family  left  for  the  winter.  Their 
sufferings  have  already  been  related. 

The  next  spring,  1792,  Mr.  Kellogg  returned. 
lie  was  ut  this  time  but  twenty-four  years  of 
age  and  unmarried.  He  was  an  enthusiast  upon 
the  subject  of  western  emigration.  He  pos- 
sessed a  strong  constitution  and  an  active,  intel- 
ligent mind.  He  was  ambitious  of  success  and 
confident  in  this  his  first  great  enterprise.  His 
plans  were  extensive,  and  he  entered  upon  their 
execution  with  firm  expectations  of  carrying 
them  to  a  successful  issue.  On  January  1, 
1795,  he  was  married  to  Mary,  daughter  ot'Mr. 
Jirah  Mumford.  This  was  the  first  wedding 
in  this  township.  The  ceremony  was  performed 
by  the  Rev.  Ezekial  Sampson,  of  Delaware 
County,  N.  Y.  It  is  said  that  every  man, 
woman  and  child  in  the  town  was  present  and 
all  accommodated  in  one  room.  Mr.  Kellogg 
was  elected  Sheriff  in  1813,  serving  one  term. 
He  was  not  successful  in  his  business  enterprises 
at  first.  He  was  obliged  to  sell  most  of  his 
land  at  a  sacrifice,  and  in  consequence  about 
1830  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Preston 
township.  On  the  5th  of  March,  1849,  he  was 
presented  with  an  easy  chair  by  the  citizens  of 
Mount  Pleasant,  as  a  token  of  remembrance  of 
his  sufferings  and  privations  as  one  of  the  first 
settlers,  and  a  mark  of  respect  for  his  virtuous 
old  age.  The  venerable  Col.  Rodney  Hannes, 
then  a  young  man  of  thirty-six  years,  made  the 
presentation  speech,  which  was  replied  to  by  the 
"  old  pioneer."  He  grew  very  decrepid  the  last 
part  of  his  life,  and  was  confined  to  the  house 
for  a  year  or  two  before  his  death,  which  occur- 
red August  15,  1853,  at  the  residence  of  his 
son,  the  late  Mr.  Jirah  Kellogg,  in  Preston. 
He  was  eighty-six  years  of  age  when  he  died. 
He  was  the  father  of  nine  children,  viz.:  Azor, 
Mary,  Sally,  Deborah,  Esther,  Julia,  Jirah, 
Caroline,  Harriet.    Their  descendants  are  amonti' 


642 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  leading  business  men  of  the  county.  His 
eldest  daughter,  Mary,  svas  the  mother  of  the 
late  Judge  Warren  J.  Woodward  and  of  the 
late  Jackson  J.  Woodward,  Esq.,  of  Honesdale, 
and  also  of  Dency,  wife  of  Dr.  Olmsted,  of 
Dundaff.  Azor  is  living  in  Valparaiso,  Indiana, 
at  an  advanced  age.  Deborah  married  a  man 
named  Bostwick,  and  is  now  living  in  Walton, 
N.  Y.  His  son  Jirah  died  at  the  old  place 
about  a  year  ago.  His  grandsons,  Azor  and 
Edward,  occupy  the  old  Kellogg  homestead. 

Elijah  Dix,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Mount  Pleasant,  came  from  Williamstown, 
Mass.,  in  1791.  He  bought  a  few  hundred 
acres  of  land  and  built  a  log  house  a  few  rods 
south  of  the  present  residence  of  Henry  Spencer, 
Esq.  This  house  served  as  a  residence,  a  school- 
house,  a  meetingdiouse  and  also  for  an  election- 
house.  It  stood  a  few  feet  west  of  an  old  well, 
which  is  yet  in  use ;  but  a  few  traces  of  the 
site  remain. 

In  1798,  when  Wayne  County  was  set  off 
from  Northampton,  the  polls  for  the  third  elec- 
tion district  of  Wayne,  which  included  all  of  the 
present  Wayne  and  about  one-half  of  Pike,  were 
opened  in  this  township  at  this  house.  Voters 
came  here  from  the  Wallenpaupack  and  north 
of  Shohola  Creek.  They  came  up  the  Laeka- 
waxen  to  where  Honesdale  now  stands  and 
which  was  then  a  dense  wilderness,  thence  by 
marked  trees  through  Bethany,  and  so  found 
their  way  to  Mount  Pleasant.  Citizens  on  the 
I  >elaware  came  by  bridle  paths.  Here  for  the 
first  time  the  scattered  inhabitants  of  this  exteu- 
sive  district  met  to  choose  the  State  and  county 
officers.  After  building  and  clearing  some  land 
Mr.  Dix  and  his  son  returned  to  Massachusetts 
to  spend  the  winter.  The  following  spring  he 
moved  in  with  his  family,  wife  and  eight  chil- 
dren, and  occupied  the  house.  Here  he  lived 
until  1802,  when  he  built  the  house  which  yet 
stands  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Miss  Jennfe 
Moase.  He  had  been  a  man  of  some  wealth 
but  lost  most  of  it  through  the  depreciation  of 
Continental  money.  He  came  here  to  provide 
a  future  home  for  his  family.  He  was  an  hon- 
est, industrious  and  worthy  man.  He  died  at 
his  home,  April  27,  1826.  His  wife  died  June 
18,  1819.      He  had  nine  children,  viz.  :  Benja- 


min, Elijah,  David,  Hannah,  Margaret,  Joseph, 
John,  Jesse,  Ursu'a. 

Benjamin  married  Lucy  Stearns,  and  cleared 
land  and  built  upon  the  farm  now  owned  by 
William  Wright,  Esq.  He  had  five  children, 
most  of  whom  died  young.  He  died  suddenly 
March  22,  1805.  Elijah  began  upon  the  farm 
and  built  the  house  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
Mr.  Austin  Crater.  David  moved  to  Ohio 
where  he  married,  grew  rich  and  died.  Mar- 
garet married  Major  Luther  Stark.  Joseph  lived 
and  died  upon  the  farm  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Dewitt  Denio.  John  cleared  and  lived  upon 
the  farm  now  owned  by  his  grandson,  F.  M. 
Dix,  one  mile  north  of  Pleasant  Mount  Village. 
B.  F.  Dix,  of  Mount  Pleasant,  is  also  a  grand- 
son of  John  Dix. 

About  the  last  of  February,  1792,  Captain 
John  Tiffany,  of  Attlebury,  Mass.,  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolution,  with  his  wife  and  three  children 
stopped  here  on  his  way  to  the  Nine  Partners, 
now  Harford.  (The  Nine  Partners  was  so 
named  because  nine  of  the  Tiffany  family  were 
in  partnership  there.)  Pleased  with  the  locality 
he  concluded  to  settle  here.  He  purchased  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  Milton  Spencer^  and 
built  first,  a  log  house,  and  then  the  house  now 
in  use  on  the  farm,  which  is  the  oldest  building 
now  in  use  in  the  township.  His  wife  was  a 
descendant  of  the  Douglas  family,  of  Scotland. 
He  died  in  1825.  He  had  six  children,  viz. : 
Chandler,  John,  Fanny,  Gardner,  Leonard  and 
Ruth.  The  last  three  were  born  in  Mount 
Pleasant.  All  married  and  removed  from  the 
township  except  John,  who  married  Sally, 
daughter  of  James  Bigelow,  and  cleared  the 
farm  now  owned  by  his  grandson,  Winfield 
Tiffany.  He  died  in  1854.  He  was  deacon  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  of  Mount  Pleasant.  He  had 
eight  children,  viz. :  Mary,  Sally,  Hiram,  Sally, 
Minerva,  John  S.,  Thirza  and  Oliver.  The  many 
descendants  of  Captain  John  Tiffany  are  among 
the  most  wealthy  and  enterprising  citizens  of  the 
township. 

On  the  5th  day  of  March,  1792,  Mr.  Jirah 
Mumford  and  son,  Thomas,  in  company  with 
Mr.  Joseph  Stearns  and  two  sons,  James  and 
Otis,  all  from  Tolland  County,  Conn.,  arrived 
at    Stantonville,    as    this  settlement    was    then 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


643 


called,  on  their  way  to  the  Nine  Partners. 
Pleased  with  the  locality,  they  concluded  to  set- 
tle here.  Mr.  Mumford  built  a  log  house  about 
three  rods  southwest  of  the  present  residence  of 
his  grandson,  Henry  Mumford.  Near  the  close 
of  the  season  he  returned  to  Connecticut,  while 
Mr.  Stearns  moved  in  his  family,  wife  and  eight 
children,  and  occupied  the  cabin  built  by  Mr. 
Mumford.  The  next  spring  he  moved  his  fam- 
ily into  Mr.  Dix's  house,  and  during  the  sum- 
mer following  cleared  some  land  and  built  a  log- 
house  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  Noah 
Chittenden.  This  cabin  was  situated  a  few  rods 
west  of  the  present  residence  of  Mr.  J.  N.  Mon- 
roe. On  this  farm  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  John  Stearns,  a  son  of  Joseph  Stearns, 
settled  on  the  farm  now  known  as  the  James 
Partridge  farm  on  the  Stockport  road.  Here 
Jabez  Stearns,  the  first  male  child  born  in  the 
township,  was  born  June  18,  1793.  He  lived 
to  be  over  eighty  years  of  age  and  died  in 
Damascus  township.  The  late  Ash bel  Stearns, 
of  Clinton,  and  the  late  E.  I.  Stearns,  of  Hones- 
dale,  were  sons  of  Joseph  Stearns.  Few,  if  any, 
of  his  descendants  now  live  in  this  township. 

As  the  spring  of  1793  opened  Jirah  Mum- 
ford returned  from  Connecticut  with  his  family, 
wife  and  four  children,  and  occupied  the  house 
which  he  had  built  the  previous  summer.  He 
was  a  tanner  by  trade  and  erected  a  small  tan- 
nery near  his  house.  In  1795  he  completed  the 
first  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  in  the  township. 
They  were  located  where  Mr.  J.  W.  Fowler's 
saw-mill  now  stands.  The  grist-mill  was  about 
twenty  feet  scpiare,  and  contained  one  run  of 
stones  about  three  feet  in  diameter,  and  one  bolt 
about  seven  feet  long 

The  meal  was  taken  by  hand  and  poured 
into  the  bolt,  which  the  miller  turned  with  a 
crank.  The  saw-mill  would,  under  favorable 
conditions  saw  about  seven  hundred  feet  per 
day.  Mr.  Jirah  Mumford  built  the  Mumford 
hotel  at  Belmont.  Mr.  Mumford,  who  was 
one  of  the  most  enterprising  of  the  early  settlers 
died  January  22,  1826. 

He  reared  a  family  of  twelve  children,  viz: 
Mary,  Jirah  Jr.,  Thomas,  John,  Deborah, 
Sally,  Harry,  Lillibridge,  Koxy,  Thankful, 
Minor   and  Amelia.     Mary,    as   before   stated 


married  Silas  Kellogg;  Jirah,  Jr.,  married 
Polly  haker;  Judge  James  Mumford,  the  pro- 
genitor of  the  Mumford  family  of  Starrucca, 
was  a  son  of  Jirah  Mumford,  Jr.;  Thomas 
married  Theodosia  Carr,  he  was  president  of 
the  Ochcpiaga  Turnpike  Company  and  kept  the 
Mumford  hotel  at  Belmont.  The  late  Thos.  L. 
Mumford  was  his  son.  John  married  Thomo- 
sia  Rogers  and  settled  upon  the  farm  now  owned 
by  Mr.  Francis  James;  Deborah  married  John 
Clough  of  Boston ;  Sally  married  Samuel 
Rogers;  Harry  married  Sarah  Tanner  and  set- 
tled on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
his  son  Alonzo;  Lillibridge  married  Deborah 
Sherwood  and  moved  to  Susquehanna  County ; 
Roxy  married  Eber  Dimock  of  Susquehanna 
County;  Thankful  married  Amos  Rogers  and 
went  West;  Minor  married  Ada  Lyon  and 
lived  on  the  old  homestead.  He  died  in  1867. 
George  Mumford  and  Henry  Mumford  are 
sons  of  Minor  Mumford.  Amelia  married 
Elias  Lillibridge  (her  cousin). 

Joseph  Tanner,  from  Preston,  Conn.,  broth- 
er-in-law of  Samuel  Stanton  moved  into  the 
settlement  this  spring.  He  had  but  one  child. 
His  purchase  included  most  of  the  present  vil- 
lage of  Pleasant  Mount,  but  lying  mostly  north 
of  it.  He  built  about  one  half  a  mile  north 
of  the  village  on  land  now  owned  by  Dr.  Rod- 
ney Harmes  and  where  the  main  road,  east  and 
west,  now  running  through  this  village  was 
originally  constructed.  An  old  well  marks  the 
site.  In  179o  he  built  the  first  frame  house, 
one  half  mile  north  of  the  village  by  a  cluster 
of  apple  trees,  on  land  now  owned  by  Mrs. 
David  Lake.  The  apple  trees  and  an  old  well 
mark  the  site.  Here  the  first  store  was  opened 
under  the  firm  of  "Tanner  and  Granger"  in 
1806.  In  1808  he  built  the  first  house  in  the 
Village  of  Pleasant  Mount.  This  he  used  as 
a  dwelling,  a  store,  and  an  office.  He  also 
built  a  two  story  hotel  near  it.  These  buildings 
stood  where  the  Episcopal  parsonage  now  stands. 
They  were  burned  in  1811.  He  theu  built 
the  house  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Hosmer 
T.  Wright.  Joseph  Tanner  was  the  first  Just- 
ice -of  the  Peace  after  Wayne  County  was  or- 
ganized. Before  his  death  he  lost  most  of  his 
property. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


This  year  Amasa  Geer  built  a  log-house  by 
the  large  spring  on  the  side-hill  west  of  the 
village  on  land  now  owned  by  Ira  Nichols. 
•Iambus  Barrager  also  moved  in.  These  re- 
mained but  a  few  years. 

During  the  last  week  in  May  of  this  year 
the  late  Major  Jason  Torrey,  then  a  young  man 
of  twenty  years,  came  here  from  Williams- 
town,  Mass.  He  commenced  clearing  some 
land  four  miles  east  of  this  village  on  the  farm 
of  the  late  James  O'Neill.  Soon  after  he  was 
employed  by  Mr.  Baird  of  Philadelphia  to 
survey  some  land  ou  the  Lackawaxeu.  He 
continued  in  this  employment  during  the  sum- 
mer seasons,  spending  his  winters  in  Philadel- 
phia or  Williamstown,  until  1707.  In  June 
of  this  year  he  built  a  log-house  on  land  cleared 
four  years  before.  During  this  summer  his 
brother  Samuel  was  with  him.  In  December 
he  went  to  Williamstown  after  his  wife,  whom 
he  had  married  the  preceding  January.  They 
arrived  and  occupied  the  log  house  February 
11,  1780.  Here  he  resided  until  1801,  when 
he  removed  to  Bethany.  Jason  Torrey  was 
closely  identified  with  all  the  public  enterprises 
of  the  township  during  his  residence  in  it. 

In  1794,  David  Kennedy,  Sen.,1  from  Tol- 
land County,  Conn.,  moved  into  the  settlement. 
He  built  a  log  house  where  the  house  of  Rupert 
Tiffany  now  stands  On  this  farm  he  lived 
until  his  death,  July  28,  1827.  His  wife, 
Eunice  Lester,  died  August  26,  1826.  They 
had  seven  children  each  of  whom  lived  to  an 
advanced  age,  cleared  and  owned  a  large  farm 
and  died  in  the  township,  viz : 

(1).  Robert  married  Elizabeth  King  and  lived  on 
the  farm  now  occupied  by  his  son,  Robert  M.  Ken- 
nedy, Esq.  (2).  Eunice  married  Benjamin  King,  Esq. 
(8).  Sally  married  Andrew  Lester  and  lived  on  the 
place  now  occupied  by  Frank  Lester.  (4).  Nathan 
married  Pamelia,  daughter  of  Stephen  King,  and 
lived  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son,  Robert  H. 
Kennedy.  (5).  David,  Jr.,  married  Rhoda  Stearns, 
and  lived  with  his  father  on  the  Kennedy  homestead, 
lately  owned  by  his  son,  David  L.  Kennedy,  and  now 
the  property  of  Mr.  J.  S.  Tiffany.  (6).  Nancy  mar- 
ried Jonathan  Wilber,  and  lived  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Orrin  Lester,  Esq.  (7).  Charles  married 
Sarah  Bass,  and  lived  where  his  son,   Porter  Ken- 


1  The  writer  is  a  great  grandson  of  David  Kennedy,  Sen. 


nedy  now  resides.      The  descendants  of  the  Kennedy 
family  are  very  numerous  in  the  township. 

Mr.  Jacob  Van  Meter  came  here  on  his  way 
from  Salem  County,  N.  J.,  to  Western  New 
York.  He  decided  to  settle  here  and  purchased 
the  farm,  and  built  the  house  where  his  son, 
the  late  Charles  Van  Meter  lived,  and  which 
is  now  owned  and  occupied  by  James  O'Neill. 
Jacob  Van  Meter,  Jr.,  was  the  first  adult  person 
who  died  in  the  township.  He  died  in  the  fall 
of  1796.  John  Conrad  Ewaldt  moved  in  with 
his  family  this  year,  but  did  not  remain  long. 
Samuel  Rogers  and  family  also  came  this  year, 
but  remained  but  a  short  time.  In  1 795  Mr. 
John  S.  Rogers,  from  New  Jersey,  a  Quaker, 
purchased  and  settled  with  his  family,  con- 
sisting of  eight  children.  He  built  upon 
the  farm  since  known  as  the  Paul  O'Neill  place, 
where  he  kept  a  tavern  during  his  life.  His 
sons  settled  near  him  ;  Samuel  a  little  way  east 
of  his  father,  where  William  O'Neill  now  lives  ; 
Amos  west,  on  the  hill,  where  the  late  Paul 
O'Neill,  Jr.,  resided;  Clayton  lived  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  the  family  of  the  late  Godfrey 
Stevenson,  where  he  kept  a  tavern. 

This  year  Mr.  Joseph  Stevenson,  also  from 
New  Jersey,  bought  and  built  near  the  octagon 
stone  school-house,  on  land  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Frank  W.  Gager.  He  had  six  children,  the 
oldest  of  whom  was  over  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  Three  of  his  sons, — James,  Isaiah  and 
Daniel  lived  and  died  in  the  township.  James 
lived  on  the  place  now  owned  by  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  Company,  known  as  Steven- 
son's Mills.  Oliver  Stevenson,  son  of  James 
Stevenson,  formerly  sheriff'  of  Wayne  County, 
owned  a  grist-mill  here,  which  was  burned  a  few 
years  since.  On  this  farm  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Company  have  since  built  the  large 
reservoir  known  as  Hankins'  Poud. 

Isaiah  Stevenson  lived  east  of  his  father,  on 
the  place  now  owned  by  Albert  Miller.  The 
late  Godfrey  Stevenson,  formerly  treasurer  of 
the  county,  was  his  son,  also  the  venerable 
Arthur  Stevenson,  now  living  in  the  township. 
Daniel  Stevenson  lived  on  part  of  the  place 
now  owned  by  Maiden  Bennett,  in  the  south 
part  of  the  township.  Harvey  Stevenson  and 
Joseph  Stevenson,  of  Waymart,  were  his  sons. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


645    ' 


Seymour  A  Ilea  came  this  year  and  bought 
Amasa  Gcer's  farm  ami  improvement.  He  sold 
in  1800  to  Rev.  Epaphras  Thompson,  a  Baptist 
clergyman  from  Bristol,  Conn.,  who,  in  1801, 
sold  the  same  to  Ichabod  Stark,  from  Bristol, 
Conn.,  who  lived  on  it  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1820.1  Luther  Stark,  his  son,  sold 
part  of  the  place  to  the  late  Thomas  Brown,  and 
years  after  the  remainder  to  Samuel  Chittenden, 
of  New  York,  who  still  owns  it.  The  late 
David  Stark  was  a  son  of  William  Luther 
Stark.  Kis  descendants  are  living  in  the  town- 
ship. This  same  year  Abram  Cramer  came 
here  from  the  south  part  of  the  county.  He 
bought  a  place  and  built  his  house  of  hewn  logs, 
south  of  the  present  residence  of  ( )rlando  Kelly, 
on  land  now  owned  by  Henry  McAvoy.  A 
part  of  the  house  is  still  standing  (the  oldest  in 
the  township.)  David  Cramer,  who  owned  the 
farm  known  as  the  "  Cramer  Place,"  on  the 
Bethany  turnpike,  was  a  grandson  of  Abram 
Cramer.  Some  of  the  Cramers  still  reside  in 
the  township. 

Elijah  Peck,  from  Connecticut,  moved  his 
family  into  the  settlement  this  year.  He  built 
a  log  house  on  an  old  road  which  was  con- 
structed north  of  the  present  Cochecton  and 
Great  Bend  turnpike,  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  his  son,  Hiram  Peck.  He  became  a  Baptist 
clergyman,  and  was  known  as  an  ornament  to 
his  profession.  He  died  here  in  1835.  He 
had  thirteen  children,  eight  of  whom  were  sons. 
Elijah,  Jr.,  lived  north  of  his  father's  place, 
where  his  son  Solomon  now  lives,  died  in 
1875.  WTilliam  lived  where  N.  R.  Kennedy 
now  lives.  Reuben  owned  what  is  now  known 
as  the  "Peck  farm,"  in  Clinton.  Joseph  lived 
on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
Thomas  O'Neill.  Lewis  lived  about  one-half 
mile  south  of  the  Cochecton  turnpike,  on  place 
owned  by  Henry  Kennedy  ;  died  in  Clinton. 
Of  his  daughters,  Sallie  married  James  Tanner. 
Mira  married  Jesse  Dix.  Betsy  married  Je- 
rome Case.  Joanna  W.,  widow  of  the  late 
Giles  Gaylord,  of  Clinton,  is  still  living ;  W. 
A.  Gaylord,   the  present  prothonotary,  is  her 


Manuscript  of  Major  Luther  Stark. 


1796.  Benjamin  King,  originally  from 
Rhode  Island,  came  from  the  Paupack  settle- 
ment. He  purchased  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Wellington  Moase,  on  which  he  lived  for  about 
twenty  years.  He  married  Eunice  Kennedy. 
He  was  county  commissioner,2  and  for  many 
years  justice  of  the  peace.  He  died  June  15, 
1860,  aged  eighty-three  years.  He  had  seven 
children,  viz.  :  Cynthia  married  Peter  Sherman. 
Sally  Ann  married  Reuben  Peck.  Hawkins 
married  Mary  White.  Lucinda  married  Par- 
mer Tallman.  Durinda  married  David  Clough. 
Robert  married  Minerva  Tallman.  Benjaman, 
Jr.,  married  Juliaette  Dix.  Pamelia  married 
Squire  Crater.  All  of  these  reared  large  fami- 
lies, and  were  conspicuous  in  the  early  history 
of  this  and  adjacent  townships.  Robert  and 
Benjamin  live  in  Starrucca  borough. 

Charles  King,  a  carpenter,  brother  of  Benja- 
min, Sr.,  settled  east  of  his  brother,  on  land  now 
owned  by  William  P.  Kennedy.  Stephen 
King,  another  brother,  located  further  east,  on 
the  same  road,  and  later  built  the  house  and 
cleared  the  farm  now  known  as  the  "Demming 
place,"  at  the  corner  below  W.  P.  Kennedy's 
residence.  The  house  in  which  he  died  is  still 
standing,  but  unoccupied. 

This  year  Samuel  Meredith  commenced  to 
make  improvements  here.  He  was  of  an  illus- 
trious family,  and  traced  his  ancestry  to  the 
blood  royal  of  Wales.  His  father,  Reese  Mer- 
edith, came  to  Philadelphia  in  1730.  He  de- 
voted his  time  to  business,  and  it  is  not  known 
that  he  held  any  public  office,  choosing  rather 
to  serve  his  country  as  a  private  citizen.  In 
the  year  1755  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of 
Washington,  then  a  Arirginia  colonel,  which 
lasted  through  his  life  and  that  of  his  son.  He 
was  a  signer  of  the  celebrated  "  Non-Importa- 
tion Resolutions,"  and  contributed  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars  to  feed  and  clothe  the  Ameri- 
can army  at  Valley  Forge.  He  died  Novem- 
ber 17,  1778.  He  had  four  children  :  1,  John 
died  in  infancy ;  2,  Samuel ;  3,  Anne,  wife  of 
Colonel  Henry  Hill ;  4,  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
George  Clymer,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence. 


!  At  the  time  Pike  County  was  set  ( 


646 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONIioE  rol  NTIKS.   PENNSYLVANIA. 


General  Samuel  Meredith  was  born  in  Philadel- 
phia in  1741,  was  educated  at  Chester.  He  en- 
gaged in  business  in  Philadelphia  under  several 
firm  names,  the  last  being  Meredith  &  Clymer ; 
it  was  dissolved  in  1781.  Mr.  Meredith  was 
an  active  Whig,  and  took  a  deep  interest  in  the 
leading  questions  of  the  day.  In  November, 
1765,  he  attended  the  meeting  of  the  merchants 
and  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  to  protest  against 
the  importation  of  teas  and  goods  which  were 
stamped.  He  and  Mr.  Clymer  signed  the  re- 
solutions adopted  November  7,  1765,  as  his 
father  had  done.  On  the  19th  of  May,  1772, 
he  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Dr.  Thomas 
Cadwalader,  of  Philadelphia,  Chief  Medical  Di- 
rector of  Pennsylvania  Hospital.  He  was  chair- 
man of  the  committee  of  safety  in  1775.  When 
the  "  Silk  Stocking  Company  "  was  organized, 
in  1775,  Mr.  Meredith  was  made  major,  and  in 
that  capacity  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Tren- 
ton and  Princeton.  In  October,  1777,  he  was 
commissioned  general  of  the  Fourth  Brigade, 
Pennsylvania  Militia,  and  took  part  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Brandywine  and  Germantown.  General 
Meredith  resigned  in  1778,  in  consequence  of 
his  father's  ill  health  and  the  continued  absence 
of  his  partner  and  brother-in-law,  George  Cly- 
mer. He  was  twice  elected  from  Philadelphia 
County  to  the  Pennsylvania  Colonial  Assembly, 
and  from  1787  to  1788  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Continental  Congress.  In  the  spring  of  1780 
lie  and  George  Clymer  each  contributed  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars  to  the  support  of  the  army. 
He  was  a  director  of  the  Bank  of  North  Amer- 
ica, organized  by  Robert  Morris  in  1781. 

On  the  1st  of  August,  1789,  he  was  appointed 
by  President  Washington  surveyor  of  the  port 
of  Philadelphia,  holding  the  office  until  Sep- 
tember 30,  1789,  when  he  received  still  further 
proof  of  Washington's  friendship  in  the  ap- 
pointment of  treasurer  of  the  United  States, 
which  office  he  held  until  October  31,  1801, 
serving  under  three  administrations,?',  e.,  Wash- 
ington's, Adams'  and  Jefferson's.  From  Octo- 
ber, 1789,  to  December,  1790,  his  office  was  in 
New  York,  and  then  was  removed  with  the  seat 
of  government  to  Philadelphia,  where  it  re- 
mained until  1800,  when  it  was  removed  to 
Washington. 


During  his  long  administration  as  treasurer, 
not  a  single  discrepancy  marred  the  entire  cor- 
rectness of  his  accounts.  The  estimation  in 
which  he  was  held  is  evinced  by  the  following  : 

"  Treasury  Office,  New  York. 
"  September  13,  1789. 
"  Sir: — Permit  me  to  congratulate  you  on  your  ap- 
pointment as  Treasurer  of  the  United  States,  and  to 
assure  you  of  the  pleasure  I  feel  in  anticipating  your 
co-operation  with  me  in  a  station  in  which  a  charac- 
ter like  yours  is  so  truly  valuable. 

"  I  need  not  observe  to  you  how  important  it  is  that 
you  should  be  on  the  ground  as  soon  as  possible.  The 
call  for  your  preseuce,  you  will  be  sensible,  is  urgent. 
Mr.  Duer,  my  assistant,  goes  to  Philadelphia  to  pro- 
cure a  loan  from  the  bank  there.  He  will  communi- 
cate with  you,  and,  I  am  persuaded,  will  meet  with 
your  concurrence  in  whatever  may  facilitate  the 
object  of  his  mission. 

"  With  sincere  esteem 
"I  am,  Sir, 

"Your  obedient  servant, 

"  Alexander  Hamilton, 

"  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 
"Samuel  Meredith,  Esq., 

"  Treasurer  of  the  United  States." 

His  resignation  and  retirement  were  due  to  ill 
health  and  financial  embarrassment;  his  private 
affairs  having  become  sadly  neglected  during 
his  official  life:  Upon  it  he  received  the  follow- 
ing complimentary  letter  from  Jefferson  : 

"  Monticello,  September  4,  1801. 

"  Dear  Sir  : — I  received  yesterday  your  favor  of 
August  29th,  resigning  your  office  as  Treasurer  of 
the  United  States  after  the  last  of  October  next.  I  am 
sorry  for  the  circumstances  which  dictate  the  measure 
to  you  ;  but  from  their  nature,  and  the  deliberate 
consideration  of  which  it  seems  to  be  the  result;  I 
presume  that  dissuasive*  on  my  part  would  he  without 
effect.  My  time  in  office  has  not  been  such  as  to 
bring  me  into  intimate  insight  into  the  proceedings 
of  the  several  departments,  but  I  am  sure  I  hazard 
nothing  when  I  testify  in  your  favor,  that  you  have 
conducted  yourself  with  perfect  integrity  and  pro- 
priety in  the  duties  of  the  office  you  have  filled  and 
pray  you  to  be  assured  of  my  highest  consideration. 
"  Thomas  Jefferson. 

"  Mr.  Meredith." 

In  1774  Meredith  and  Clymer  commenced 
the  purchase  of  large  tracts  of  wild  land  in 
West  Virginia,  East  Kentucky,  in  Delaware 
and  Sullivan  Counties,  N.  Y.,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing Pennsylvania  Counties,  viz.  :  Schuyl- 
kill,   Pike,     Monroe,    Lackawanna,    Luzerne, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Wyoming.  Bradford,  Sullivan  and  Susque- 
hanna, and  between  1790  and  1796,  about  fifty 
thousand  acres  in  Wayne  County.  In  the  latter 
year  General  Meredith  commenced  making  im- 
provements at  a  place  in  this  township,  which 
he  afterward  named  Belmont.  In  1802  he  was 
assessed  as  having  sixty  acres  of  improved  laud, 
but  as  a  non-resident  soon  after  he  moved  in 
with  his  family  and  resided  in  a  plain  Goode- 
rich  structure  situated  about  fifty  rods  north  of 
Cochecton  and  Great  Bend  Turnpike,  until 
1812,  when  he  completed  his  residence  known 
as  Belmont,  at  a  cost  of  six  thousand  dollars. 
This  is  situated  about  one  mile  west  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Pleasant  Mount,  and  is  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  Mr.  James  Fowler.  Here  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life  superintending  the 
settlement  and  development  of  his  vast  estate. 

What  was  known  as  "  Belmont  Mauor," 
commenced  on  the  Moosic  Mountain,  west  of 
Waymart,  and  extended  north  along  the  range 
to  Hine's  Corners,  in  Preston  township.  It  was 
about  twenty  miles  long  and  two  miles  wide  and 
contained  about  twenty-six  thousand  acres.  All 
that  remains  of  the  old  manor  is  between  three 
and  four  huudred  acres,  situated  in  Mount 
Pleasant  and  Preston  townships,  known  as  the 
"  Dickinson  Tract,"1  and  which  belongs  to  the 
heirs  of  Anne  Dickinson,  General  Meredith's 
daughter  and  Sarah  Maria  Graham,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Meredith,  Esq. 

General  Meredith  was  visited  in  his  retire- 
ment by  many  of  his  old  political  associates. 
In  person  he  is  described  as  tall  and  command- 
ing, with  a  light  blue  eye  ;  graceful  and  pleasing 
in  manner.  He  died  at  Belmont,  February 
10,  1817.  in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age. 
On  the  gentle  declivity  of  the  Moosic,  over- 
looking the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Lackawaxen, 
lie  the  remains  of  the  friend  of  Washington, 
and  the  first  treasurer  of  the  United  States ;  by 
his  side  sleeps  his  accomplished  wife,  who  died 
September  20,  1820.  A  plain  marble  slab 
marks  each  grave.  His  wealthy  children 
strangely  neglected  to  erect  a  suitable  monument 
to  the  memory  of  their    illustrious  father.     A 


1  This  tract  has  recently  been  purchased  of  the  heirs  by 
J.  J.  Fulkerson,  Esq.,  of  this  place. 


movement  was  set  on  foot  by  citizens  of  Mount 
Pleasant,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1877,  to  erect  a 
monument  to  mark  the  site.  Appropriations 
were  asked  from  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  and 
from  the  General  Government,  but  were  re- 
fused.    The  project  was  then  abandoned. 

General  Meredith  had  seven  children, — first, 
Martha,  mother  of  the  late  John  M.  Read,  chief 
justice  of  Pennsylvania;  second,  Elizabeth, 
died  unmarried  in  1824  ;  third,  Anne,  mother 
of  Hon.  Philemon  Dickinson,  late  president  of 
the  Trenton  Banking  Company,  and  also  of  the 
late  Colonel  Samuel  Dickinson  of  the  New  Jer- 
sey Militia,  and  captain  of  Company  E.,  Tenth 
United  States  Infantry  ;  fourth,  Thomas,  died 
in  infancy  ;  fifth,  Thomas  (2) ;  sixth,  Margaret, 
died  unmarried  in  182(3 ;  seventh,  Maria,  died 
unmarried  in  1854. 

Thomas  Meredith  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
in  1779,  and  educated  at  the  Pennsylvania 
University,  after  which  he  traveled  abroad  for 
many  years;  was  in  India  and  China  in  1800 
and  1801.  Upon  his  return  he  studied  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Philadelphia  bar  in 
1805;  to  the  Wayne  County  bar  in  1812; 
Luzerne  County  bar  in  1816  ;  justice  of  the 
peace  for  Mount  Pleasant  in  1808.  During  the 
war  of  1812  he  was  major  in  the  First  Phila- 
delphia Cavalry. 

He  opened  the  first  coal  mines  below  Carbon- 
dale  in  1824,  and  in  the  same  year  obtained  a 
charter  for  a  railroad  from  the  mouth  of  Leg- 
get's  Creek  on  the  Lackawanna  to  Great  Bend 
on  the  Susquehanna.  The  road  was  surveyed 
in  1828,  but  failed  for  want  of  funds.  The 
route  surveyed  is  nearly  that  taken  by  the 
northern  division  of  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna 
and  Western  Rail  Road.  Mr.  Meredith  was 
secretary  of  the  Belmont  and  Ochquaga  Turn- 
pike Company,  and  of  the  Stockport  Coal  and 
Stone  Road  Company.  His  wife  was  Sarah 
Gibson,  daughter  of  a  New  York  merchant. 
She  died  in  1834.  Esquire  Meredith,  as  the 
settlers  called  him,  removed  his  family  to  Car- 
bondale  in  1830.  He  died  at  Trenton,  N.  J., 
in  October,  1855,  and  was  buried  in  the  old 
Quaker  burying  ground  in  that  city,  near  his 
uncle,  George  Clymer,  the  signer.  He  left  one 
son,  Samuel  Reese  Meredith,  who  was  born  in 


(Us 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Wayne  County  in  1823.  Of  this  unfortunate 
but  warm-hearted  man  nothing  but  mishaps 
could  be  related.  About  the  year  1855  he  was 
active  in  the  formation  of  the  Lackawanna  Coal 
and  Iron  Company.  This  and  various  other 
enterprises  in  which  his  fortune  was  embarked 
failed,  and  he  lost  all  his  property.  He  died  in 
poverty  in  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital  at  Phila- 
delphia, in  1865.  Not  a  single  descendant  of 
the  family  is  found  in  this  township. 

Eliphalet  Kellogg  in  1796  settled  on  what  is 
known  as  the  David  Sherwood  place,  now 
owned  by  Christopher  Giles.  He  removed  to 
Bethany  in  1810.  He  was  commissioner's 
clerk  for  some  years,  and  prothonotary  from 
1808  to  1817. 

A  list  of  the  taxables  in  Mount  Pleasant 
\  township  in  1799,  found  in  the  township  rec- 
ords, numbers  thirty-four.  There  are  found  in 
this  list,  that  have  not  already  been  mentioned, 
the  following :  Denman  Coe,  Enos  Cramer, 
Jacob  Crater,  Joseph  Cromwell,  Isaac  Crom- 
well, William  Cromwell,  Dainel  McMullen  and 
Nathan  Rude. 

Jacob  Crater  came  from  Wyoming  and  pur- 
chased the  farm  nqw  owned  by  his  grandson, 
Austin  Crater.  He  was  a  German.  He  pur- 
chased the  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  built  by 
Jirah  Mumford.  His  son,  John,  built  a  saw- 
mill above  the  one  owned  by  his  father,  Abram 
Crater,  another  son,  cleared  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Thomas  Jqlins. 

Daniel  McMullep  lived  on  the  farm  since 
known  as  the  Peter  Ryder  place.  James  Mc- 
^  Mullen  and  George    McMullen  were    his  sons. 

They  were  great  hunters. 

Nathan  Rude  was  from  Connecticut,  and 
lived  east  of  Captain  John  Tiffany  on  the  old 
road  running  east  and  west.  The  farm  is  now 
the  property  of  Philo  Spencer.  He  is  remem- 
bered as  a  man  of  quick  wit  and  brilliant  at 
repartee.  Nathan,  Simeon  and  Reuben  were 
his  sons.  His  descendants  are  in  the  town- 
ship. 

About  1800,  Elihu  Tallman,  from  New  Bed- 
ford, Mass.,  moved  in  and  cleared  a  lot  on  the 
old  road  east  of  where  Joseph  Tanner  lived.  A 
few  years  after  he  bought  and  cleared  a  farm 
north  of  Joseph  Dix.     In  1813  he  sold  this  to 


a  man  by  the  name  of  Hall,  and  bought  the 
Godfrey  Stevenson  place,  and  also  a  carding- 
machine  of  Jacob  Plum,  who  had  run  it.  one 
year  on  the  stream  below  where  "  Kennedy's 
Mills"  now  stand.  He  also  built  a  saw-mill. 
About  1818,  he  sold  out  to  Heaton  Atwater  and 
the  next  year  moved  to  Preston  township.  The 
venerable  C.  P.  Tallman,  still  living  at  Tall- 
mansville,  is  his  son. 

Caleb  Carr  is  mentioned  in  the  township 
record  in  1801.  Reuben  Carr  married  Lydia, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Tanner.  She  died  in  1811, 
leaving  two  children.  Solomon  West  and  Ben- 
jamin Newton  are  noticed  in  1803.  They  lived 
on  the  old  road,  before  mentioned,  west  of  Na- 
than Rude,  as  did  Silas  Tanner  and  Henry 
Newton. 

In  1803  Andrew  Lester  came  to  Mount 
Pleasant  from  Wallenpaupack  settlement.  The 
year  previous  he  married  Sally,  daughter  of 
David  Kennedy,  Sr.  He  purchased  one  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  on  which  he  built  a  log 
house  and  barn  and  cleared  up  about  forty  acres, 
and  planted  a  small  orchard.  This  farm,  now 
owned  by  Porter  Kennedy,  he  exchanged  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Charles  Kennedy,  for  one 
now  owned  by  his  son,  Orrin  Lester,  Esq.,  sit- 
uated two  miles  east  of  Mount  Pleasant  village, 
and  occupied  by  his  grandson,  Frank  Lester. 
Here  he  lived  until  over  ninety-one  years  of 
age.  He  died  September  29,  1869.  His  wife 
died  the  same  year.  They  had  eight  children, 
viz :  Eunice,  Betsy,  Anna,  Asa,  David,  Sarah, 
Orrin  and  Emeline.  The  last  two  are  living  in 
the  township.  Emeline  is  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Rodney  Harmes.  Andrew  Lester  was  a  noted 
hunter.  Many  thrilling  hunting  stories  are 
told  of  him. 

Ezra  Bartholomew  came  into  the  township 
in  or  about  1804.  He  settled  in  the  south 
part  of  the  township,  on  the  farm  long  owned 
by  his  son  Ralzamon,  and  now  owned  by  Charles 
H.  Bartholomew.  His  oldest  daughter  was 
the  wife  of  Baxter  Bicknell.  After  the  death 
of  Bicknell  she  married  Elder  Chase,  a  Bap- 
tist preacher. 

Wooster  Bartholomew  was  a  brother  of 
Ezra,  but  his  name  does  not  appear  in  the 
town  records  until  1816. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


About  1807  Moses  Miller,  from  the  State  of 
New  York,  purchased  of  Silas  Kellogg  two 
hundred  acres  of  land,  since  known  as  the 
"  George  Miller  place,"  about  four  miles  east 
of  the  village  of  Pleasant  Mount,  and  now 
owned  by  Barney  Megivern.  Here  he  resided 
until  his  death,  in  1855.  He  was  for  many 
years  a  justice  of  the  peace.  He  reared  a  family 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  all  but  one  remained 
in  the  township,  viz.,  —  Ephraim,  Marlin, 
George  W.,  James  W.,  Wesley,  Laura,  Betsy  and 
Mary.  Marlin  still  lives  on  the  Bethany  turnpike, 
east  of  the  Red  School-house.  James  lives  east  of 
Marlin,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road.  Laura 
married  Joseph  Terrell,  who  was  for  many 
years  a  merchant  at  White's  Valley.  Mary 
married  Abram  Bonham  and  lived  on  the  side 
of  the  "Big  Hill,"  east  of  White's  Valley." 
Betsy  married  Bonham  Vastbinder,  and  lived 
in  the  stone  house  where  Jehiel  Vastbinder 
now  lives. 

In  1807  Amasa  ( roodsell  came  into  the  town- 
ship. He  lived  where  Nathan  Sherwood  now 
resides.  The  same  year  Truman  Wheeler  set- 
tled on  the  north  and  south  road,  where  George 
Allen  now  lives.  He  was  educated,  and  for 
many  years  a  justice  of  the  peace.  He  removed 
to  the  West. 

In  1808  Jonathan  Wibber  settled  on  a  farm 
east  of  the  Phoenix  Baptist  Church,  and  now 
occupied  by  Orrin  Lester,  Esq.  He  was  a 
blacksmith.  About  this  time  Clark  Tanner 
settled  in  the  township. 

In  1808  James  Bigelow,  from  Spencer, 
Mass.,  moved  in,  with  his  wife  and  family  of 
eight  children.  He  purchased  the  farms  on 
which  his  grandsons,  James  E.  and  Frank  M., 
now  live.  He  built  his  house  in  what  is  now 
an  old  orchard,  north  of  the  present  residence 
ofF.  M.  Bigelow.  A  stone  chimney  marks 
the  site.  James  Bigelow  was  one  day  older 
than  Mary,  his  wife,  and  lived  four  days  after 
she  died.  They  nearly  reached  eighty  years, 
and  died  in  1842.  Their  children  reared 
families,  whose  descendants  are  numerous  in 
this  vicinity.  Their  names  are  as  follows : 
Sally,  who  married  Deacon  John  Tiffany  ; 
Betsy,  who  married  Esquire  Yale  ;  John,  who 
married  Lydia  Yale,  and  lived  on  the  Bigelow 


homestead  ;  Polly,  who  married  Stephen  Part- 
ridge; Patty,  who  married  Benjamin  Fletcher  ; 
Tryphena,  who  married  Jonathan  Miller ; 
Tryphosa,  who  married  Clayton  Rogers  ;  James 
Howe,  who  married  Rachel  Muzzey,  and  cleared 
the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son,  Lorenzo ;  Thirsa, 
who  married  Richard  Deloug. 

About  this  time  (1808)  William  Burcher, 
from  London,  settled  south  of  John  S. 
Rogers,  on  what  is  now  the  Megivern 
place.  He  moved  to  the  place  now  owned 
by  John  White,  on  the  Bethany  turnpike. 
In  1819  he  lost  his  property,  through  a  de- 
fective title,  and  removed  to  Damascus  and 
purchased  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son,  the 
venerable  John  Burcher,  where  he  died  in 
1839. 

James  Miller  purchased  seventy  acres  of 
land,  east  of  his  brother,  Moses  Miller,  Esq. 
This  place  is  now  occupied  by  his  son,  Addison 
Miller.  Albert  Miller  and  James  Miller,  Jr., 
are  sons  of  James  Miller.  Adam  Niver  settled 
on  the  Bethany  road,  at  the  top  of  what  is 
known  as  the  "Niver  Hill."  Daniel  Roberts 
settled  on  Belmont  and  Easton  turnpike,  where 
Ferdinand  Bartholomew  now  resides.  Levi 
Geer,  from  Windham,  Conn.,  cleared  the  farm 
since  owned  by  William  R.  Stone,  and  now 
occupied  by  Harvey  Ferguson.  Harvey,  Mar- 
vin, Darius,  Perry  and  Lavina  were  children  of 
Levi  Geer.  Joshua  Geer  lived  on  the  farm  of 
the  late  James  Cliff,  of  White's  Valley.  Eras- 
mus, Erastus  and  Gurdew  were  his  sons. 

Thomas  Lillibridge  married  Polly  Stanton, 
the  first  child  born  in  the  township.  He  set- 
tled on  the  place  since  known  as  the  "Abbot 
Farm,"  on  the  Cochecton  turnpike.  He  re- 
moved to  the  West. 

In  the  fall  of  1809  Robert  Ledyard,  from 
Windham,  Conn.,  came  into  the  township.  He 
occupied  a  house  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  near  a 
noted  spring,  about  fifty  rods  southwest  of 
where  the  Vastbinder  school-house  now  stands. 
Part  of  the  house  was  used  as  a  residence  by 
the  family  of  John  Wrighter.  Here  he  lived 
until  the  spring  of  1811,  when  he  went  on  the 
farm  now  known  as  the  Ledyard  farm,  on  the 
north  and  south  road.  He  died  in  1835,  aged 
eighty.      His  wife,  Mary   Cady,  died  in  1843. 


Col) 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Of  their  children,  John  was  killed  in  the  war  of 
1812  ;  Samuel  and  David  went  West ;  Gurdew 
was  killed  by  a  falling  tree;  Luther  lived  and 
died  in  Clinton  ;  Mary  married  Peter  Ryder  : 
and  Hiram  is  now  living  on  the  old  place,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  Hiram  married 
Lucinda,  daughter  of  Reuben  Rude,  and  is  one 
of  the  largest  real-estate  holders  in  the  town- 
ship. 

181)9.  About  this  time  Zedekiah  Bonham 
located  on  the  farm  now  known  as  the  Hauser 
place,  west  of  White's  Valley.  Many  of  his 
descendants  now  live  in  the  township.  The 
following  are  some  of  his  children  :  Andrew, 
who  lived  on  the  Samuel  Martin  farm  ;  Amos, 
who  lived  where  Joseph  Allen  now  resides  ; 
John,  who  lived  on  what  is  known  as  the  Heth 
Bonham  place  and  married  Sarah  Hamlin,  who 
died  in  1882,  aged  ninety-two  years;  Abram, 
who  lived  on  the  side  of  the  hill  east  of  White's 
Valley;  Mary,  who  married  Win.  ( 'humard,  of 
Canaan;  and  Harriet,  who  married  Abram 
Houser,  and  lives  on  the  old  Bonham  farm. 
Zedekiah  Bonham  built  a  saw-mill  on  the 
Jtr-Johnson  Creek.  In  ISO!)  or  1810  Eli  Howell, 
a  shoemaker,  located  here.  lie  is  the  progeni- 
tor of  the  Howell  family  in  the  township.  His 
sons  were  John,  a  shoemaker,  who  at  one  time 
owned  the  David  Doyle  farms  ;  David,  whose 
place  was  on  the  road  south  of  Lewis  Peck's 
farm,  and  now  owned  by  <i.  W.  Kennedy;  and 
Eli,  jr.,  now  living  in  the  south  part  of  the 
township.  Elisha  Howell  and  John  \Y.  Howell 
are  sons  of  John  Howell. 

About  1809  John  Cox  settled  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  his  son  Alonzo.  He  died  in 
1857.  His  son  Jonathan  died  on  the  old 
place.  Dovey,  one  of  his  daughters,  married 
Levi  Horton  ;  another  married  Benjamin  Dix. 
About  this  time  or  before  Oliver  Granger  pur- 
chased, of  Joseph  Tanner,  nearly  all  his  land 
including  that  on  which  most  of  Pleasant  Mount 
Village  stands.  He  built  the  Upper  Hotel, 
which  is  the  oldest  building  now  standing  in 
the  village.  His  store  was  near  where  John 
Riley's  barn  now  stands. 

Silas  Freeman  settled  where  Henry  McAvoy 
now  lives.  He  died  in  1845.  The  following 
are  his  children  :    Col,   Calvely   Freeman,   sur- 


veyor, in  1850  represented  the  county  in  the 
State  Legislature.  He  married  a  daughter  of 
Ezra  Bartholomew  ;  Sally,  wife  of  the  late 
Alvah  W.  Norton,  Esq.;  Silas,  Jr.,  who  mar- 
ried Lucretia  Spencer;  Sidney,  who  married 
Talitha  Doty  ;  Palina,  wife  of  Warren  Norton  ; 
Pamelia,  wife  of  Franklin  Wheeler;  Fanny, 
wife  of  Earl  Wheeler,  Esq.;  Rodney,  who 
moved  to  Connecticut:  and  Margaret,  wife  of 
John  B.  Taylor. 

About  1811  William  Fletcher,  from  Sullivan 
County,  N.  Y.,  originally  from  Connecticut, 
purchased  and  cleared  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Hugh  Lestrange,  on  the  Stockport  road.  His 
sons  were  Charles  and  Chauncy.  One  of  his 
daughters  married  William  Haines,  and  another 
Joseph  Simpson.  About  seven  years  later, 
John  Fletcher,  brother  of  William,  settled 
further  south  on  the  same  road  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  James  Cooley.  He  was  killed  by 
the  kick  of  a  horse.  His  sons  are  Philander, 
prominent  as  a  fruit  grower  ;  Solon  and  Joseph. 
(  hie  of  his  daughters  is  the  wife  of  B.  M.  Wil- 
cox, and  another  married  Benjamin  Wilcox. 
Benjamin  Fletcher,  brother  of  William,  settled 
on  the  corner  south  of  the  present  residence  of 
N.  A.  Monroe.  Daniel  and  James  are  sons  of 
Benjamin  Fletcher.  His  daughter,  Silvina, 
married  Baruch  Bunting,  a  Baptist  minister. 

In  the  fall  of  1812,  Anson  Chittenden,  from 
Clinton,  Connecticut,  bought  of  Joseph  Tanner, 
the  farm  now  owned  by  Salvator  O'Neill,  about 
one  and  one-half  miles  north  of  this  village. 
He  died  in  1849.  His  children  are  Josiah, 
who  lived  in  Connecticut;  William  Harvey, 
who  married  Belinda,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Wheeler,  and  settled  north  of  his  father  on  the 
same  road ;  Abel,  who  married  Eliza,  daughter 
of  Noah  Hiscock,  and  settled  on  the  place  now 
owned  by  his  son  Noah  Chittenden.  He  re- 
moved to  Connecticut  in  1837,  where  he  re- 
sided until  within  a  few  years  when  he  returned 
to  this  town.  He  is  now  living,  at  an  advanced 
age,  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Henry  Spencer  ; 
Zenas  married  Elmira  Roberts  and  settled  west 
of  the  village  on  the  place  now  owned  by  his 
son  Samuel,  of  New  York ;  Marietta,  wife  of 
Herman  Wheeler  ;  Rachel,  wife  of  Joseph  Peck ; 
Anson,  Jr.,  now  living  in  Peckville,  Pa.;  Anna, 


WAYNE  OOI'NTY. 


wife  of  Henry  Bass,  Esq.;  and  Aaron  Dutton, 
who  married  Eliza  Abbott,  and  lived  south  of 
the  present  residence  of  B.  M.  Dix.  His 
widow  still  occupies  the  place. 

About  this  time  William  Bigelow,  brother  of 
James  Bigelow,  settled  north  of  the  lake,  which 
now  bears  his  name,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
his  son  Alonzo.  ( !hauncy  and  Brings  were  also 
his  sons.  His  daughter  Dolly  married  Spencer 
Niles,  and  lived  on  the  place  lately  owned  by 
their  son,  Stephen  V.  Niles.  William,  Betsy, 
Jane  and  Julia  were  children  of  Spencer  and 
Dolly  Niles. 

In  1813  or  1814  Jonathan  Miller  came  from 
Clifford,  Susquehanna  County.  He  was  a 
blacksmith  and  for  some  years  worked  for  Jo- 
seph Tanner.  He  married  Tryphena  Bigelow, 
and  lived  in  the  house  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  George  Soper.  He  died  in  1863.  He  was 
a  justice  of  the  peace.  Of  his  children,  Mary 
T.  was  the  first  wife  of  Colonel  Rodney  Marines ; 
Hervey,  an  engineer,  was  killed  on  the  railroad  ; 
■lames,  photographer,  lives  in  Pittston  ;  and 
Jonathan,  Jr.,  blacksmith,  married  Polly  Stone 
and  lives  in  this  village. 

About  1812  Ichabod  Demming  settled  on 
the  place  since  known  as  the  Chauncy  Dem- 
ming farm.  His  sons  were  Jonathan,  ( lhauncy 
and  Frederick.  Of  his  daughters,  Lois  mar- 
ried Orrin  Gris wold  ;  Adelia  married  Captain 
Levi  Bennett;  Sevilla  was  the  first  wife  of 
A  bra  in  Bonham  ;  and  Mary  married  Andrew 
Williams.  Many  of  Ichabod  Demming's  de- 
scendants live  in  the  township. 

About  this  time  Wakeman  Hull  settled  north 
of  the  Red  School  House,  on  the  farm  since 
owned  by  his  son,  William  Hull,  and  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  his  grandson,  Wesley 
Hull.  John  B.  Sherwood's  wife  is  a  daughter 
of  William  Hull. 

In  1812  Peter  Spencer,  a  soldier  of  the  Rev- 
olution, came  from  Guilford,  Conn.,  and  located 
on  the  Stockport  road,  where  N.  A.  Monroe 
now  resides.  He  was  a  blacksmith,  and  had 
built  for  the  Government  the  second  lamp  of 
the  first  lighthouse  on  Faulkner's  Island.  I  le 
died  in  1842.  About  1819  Russell  Spencer, 
his  son,  came  to  Pleasant  Mount,  and  located 
where  "Spencer  and  Sons"   now   carry  on  the 


business  of  blacksmith  ing.  He  married  Lucy, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Wheeler,  and  died  in 
j  1864.  Among  his  children  are  Henry  Spen- 
cer, Esq.,  Charles  W.  Spencer,  of  Honesdale, 
and  E.  Mallory  Spencer,  ex-sheriff  of  Wayne 
County.  The  Spencers  are  a  race  of  black- 
smiths, and  among  the  most  enterprising  people 
of  the  country. 

David  Ilorton  bought  the  place  originally 
owned  by  Eliphalet  Kellogg.  He  married 
a  daughter  of  Solomon  Sherwood.  Gilbert 
Horton,  his  sou,  lived  on  the  Bethany  turnpike, 
where  John  W.  Howell  now  resides.  He  was 
accidentally  shot  while  hunting.  His  widow, 
Cornelia  Morton,  kept  a  public  house. 

Benjamin  Pallett  occupied  the  farm  known 
as  the  Chalker  Farm,  in  the  south  part  of 
the  township.  Christian  Bennett  located  at  an 
early  date,  north  of -lames  Bigelow's  residence. 
Henry  Lemon  lived  north  of  White's  Valley. 
Solomon  Sherwood  lived  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  David  E.  Peck.  Ebenezer  Slayton 
lived  on  the  farm  well  known  as  the  "Slayton 
Place,"  where  his  son  Thomas  Slayton  after- 
ward kept  a  public  house.  The  farm  is  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  Orlando  Kelly.  Asa 
Smith,  shoemaker,  lived  east  of  the  village. 
He  built  a  tannery  and  for  many  years  carried 
on  the  business  of  tanning.  About  1814  John 
Fulkerson  came  into  the  township.  Silas 
Stevens  and  Nathan  Stevens  were  taxed  in  the 
township  in  1813.  John  Sherwood  located 
where  his  son  John  B.  Sherwood  now  resides. 
There  were  one  hundred  and  forty-four  taxables 
in  the  township  in  1813.  Benjamin  Wrheeler, 
a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  from  Winstead, 
Conn.,  located  where  Wm  P.  Kennedy  now 
resides.  He  came  about  1815.  He  died  in 
1830.  His  children  were  Benjamin  Jr.,  who 
lived  on  the  old  farm  ;  Nathan,  now  living  in 
Clinton ;  Heman,  whose  place  was  where 
Richard  Mills  now  lives;  Loly,  Ambrose,  who 
lived  in  Honesdale  ;  and  Lucy  wife  of  Russell 
Spencer.  About  1814  Aaron  Loomis  bought 
the  property  known  as  the  Loomis  Place  of 
Zalmon  Rouse.  He  married  Sophia,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Roberts,  and  died  in  1875.  About  1816 
Ezra  Spencer  settled  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  his 
son  Ezra.     All  the  Spencers  in  Mount  Pleasant 


U52 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


or  Preston  are  descendants  of  either  Peter  or 
Ezra  Spencer.  Philo  and  Orson  are  sons  of 
Ezra  Spencer. 

Captain  Levi  Bennett  located  on  the  place 
now  owned  by  his  son,  Maiden  Bennett.  He 
was  a  prominent  man.  Samuel  Bennett,  broth- 
er of  Levi,  settled  on  the  mountain  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  township.  In  1815 
Aarou  G.  Perham  bought  and  located  on 
sixty  acres  of  land  where  his  son,  Sylvauus 
Perham,  now  resides.  This  land  is  the  nu- 
cleus around  which  the  "Perham  property" 
has  been  gathered.  (An  extended  sketch  of 
the  Perham  family  has  been  furnished). 
About  the  same  time  Sylvanus  Gates  settled 
north  of  Ezra  Spencer,  on  the  farm  long  owned 
by  his  son,  Alpheus  W.  Gates.  Nelson  Gates, 
Esq.,  of  Brooklyn,  and  Rev.  David  Gates  are 
grandsons  of  Sylvanus  Gates. 

Eldad  Atwater,  a  prominent  business  man  of 
the  township,  came  here  from  New  Haven  in 
1815.  He  kept  a  store  in  the  house  now  owned 
by  Franklin  Dix  until  1818,  when  he  and  his 
brother,  Heaton  Atwater,  purchased  the  prop- 
erty known  as  the  Godfrey  Steveuson  place, 
and  built  a  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  where  "  Ken- 
nedy's Mills"  now  stand.  He  built  the  house 
now  standing  on  the  place  and  near  it  a  woolen 
factory  and  distillery.  In  1837  he  sold  out 
and  engaged  in  business  on  Long  Island.  In 
1839  he  returned  and  bought  of  Henry  Stone 
and  Abel  Chittenden  the  "  Fowler  Mill  Site." 
Here  he  built  a  saw-mill,  grist-mil]  and  foundry, 
at  the  same  time  had  a  store  where  H.  T. 
Wright  now  does  business,  until  he  sold  to  his 
son,  E.  M.  Atwater,  and  bought  what  is  now 
the  "Lake  Store,"  where  he  kept  until  1857, 
when  he  went  back  to  the  old  place  where  he  kept 
until  1867,  when  he  again  sold  to  his  son  and 
engaged  in  business  in  Peckville,  Pa.  He  now 
lives  here  with  his  son,  E.  M.  Atwater,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-three  years. 

Ezekiel  White,  from  Massachusetts,  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Peregrine  White,  who  was  the 
first  whitechild  born  at  Plymouth  Rock,  came  to 
Damascus  township  in  1819,  and  to  Mount 
Pleasant  in  1820.  He  lived  in  the  village  three 
years,  kept  a  hotel  part  of  the  time.  In  1837 
he  removed  to  the  valley  which   now  bears  his  I 


name.  He  made  the  first  axes  in  Pleasant 
Mount.  The  whole  family  of  Whites  were 
noted  for  their  skill  in  working  iron  and  steel. 
Ezekiel  White  had  eight  sous — -Horace  White, 
gunsmith;  Ephraim  V.White,  axe-maker;  Malt- 
by  White,  farmer;  Leonard  White,  mill-wright ; 
Philip  White,  mechanic;  Gerrison  White,  axe- 
manufacturer;  Ezekiel  B.  White,  mechanic  and 
farmer.  Of  his  daughters  Clarinda  married 
William  Wilder,  Mary  married  Hawkins 
King,  Caroline  married  Calvin  Tracey,  Malintha 
married  Samuel  Hawkins.  Philip  White  & 
Son  now  run  a  saw-mill,  stick-factory,  grist- 
mill and  bed-spring-factory  at  White's  Valley. 

Buckley  Beardslee  at  one  time  owned  the 
"  Torrey  place  "  in  the  east  part  of  the  township. 
Hon.  H.  B.  Beardslee  was  born  here. 

In  1815  the  taxables  numbered  one  hundred 
and  thirty-nine.  In  1820  two  hundred  and 
nine.  In  1825  two  hundred  and  thirty-one. 
In  1830  two  hundred  and  fifty-two. 

About  1819  Paul  McAvoy  settled  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  township,  on  the  farm  now- 
owned  by  his  son  Richard  McAvoy.  His 
brother  William  came  soon  afterward  and 
located  further  north,  on  property  now  owned 
by  his  son  William  McAvoy,  Jr.  Many  de- 
scendants of  Paul  and  William  McAvoy  are 
found  in  the  county.  Patrick  Conuor  came 
soon  after  Paul  McAvoy,  aud  cleared  the  farm 
now  owned  by  his  son,  Arthur  Connor.  A  few 
years  later  John  and  Paul  O'Neill  located  in 
the  vicinity.  John  northeast  of  Paul  McAvoy. 
He  died  recently  at  an  advanced  age.  Paul 
O'Neill  later  bought  the  John  I.  Rodgers  place 
on  the  Cocheeton  and  the  Great  Bend  turnpike. 
All  of  the  above  were  worthy  citizens,  and 
their  many  descendants  are  among  the  most  en- 
terprising and  prosperous  farmers  of  the  town- 
ship. John  Miller  cleared  the  farm  now  owned 
by  Hugh  McGranaghan.  James  Murray  was 
also  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  this  part  of  the 
township.  It  is  said  that  Joseph  Bass,  in 
admiring  the  thrift  and  progress  of  these 
settlers,  said,  "They  bang  all,"  whence  the 
name  Bangall.  Andrew  McDermott  was  one 
of  the  early  Irish  settlers.  Later  the  Megiverns 
settled  south  of  the  Cocheeton  and  Great  Bend 
turnpike.     The  Five-es,  Haggertys  and  others 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


settled  in  what  is  called  Egypt,  and  have  now 
a  flourishing  settlement.  The  Hanenstiens, 
Wildenstines,  Keglars,  Schusters  and  other 
Germans  settled  along  the  Clinton  line  and  are 
among  our  best  citizens.  At  different  times 
within  the  last  fifty  years  the  Pages,  Abbotts, 
Fitzes,  Jays,  Brookings,  Moases  and  many 
other  English  emigrants  settled  in  different 
places  and  have,  by  their  industry,  become  the 
owners  of  some  of  the  best  farms  in  the  town- 
ship. 

Joseph  Monroe  settled  near  where  the 
Stockport  road  crosses  the  Johnson  Creek 
where  Mrs.  Jay  now  lives.  N.  A.  Monroe, 
Miller  Monroe  and  Joseph  Monroe,  Jr.,  were 
his  sons.     Joseph  Monroe,  Sr.,  died  in  1862. 

About  1816  Deacon  Esaias  Wilcox  and  Ab- 
ner  Stone  settled  on  or  near  the  Preston  line. 
Mr.  Stone  settled  where  his  son  H.  K.  Stone, 
now  resides,  and  Deacon  Wilcox  settled  west  of 
him,  on  land  now  owned  by  his  sou,  B.  M. 
Wilcox.  Deacon  Wilcox  came  from  Killing- 
worth,  Middlesex  County,  Conn.  His  children 
were  Ambrose  W.,  who  lived  on  the  Stockport 
road  ;  B.  M.  Wilcox,  who  owns  the  Wilcox 
homestead  ;  Achsah  M.,  who  married  Joseph 
Stout ;  Lucy  Jane,  who  married  Stephen 
Clemo  ;  Benjamin  E.,  who  married  Amanda 
Fletcher.  Abner  Stone's  family  :  Albert,  har- 
ness-maker, lives  at  Equinunk  ;  Polly,  wife  of 
Jonathan  Miller ;  Betsy,  married  Daniel 
Fletcher;  Sybil,  wife  of  Thomas  Tyner,  of 
Equinunk;  Osmer  lives  in  Illinois;  Clarissa 
married  John  Shaw ;  Henry  K.  lives  on  the 
old  homestead  ;  Lucy  married  Byron  Freeman. 

Thomas  H.  Brown  came  to  Mount  Pleasant 
from  Stonington,  Conn.,  in  1821,  and  com- 
menced business  as  a  saddler  and  harness-maker. 
In  1822  he  married  Lucy  Howe.  They  reared 
a  family  of  three  sons,  viz.  :  Henry  W.,  born 
September  14,  1824;  William  Wallace,  born 
July  21, 1830  ;  and  Samuel  Leroy,  born  Febru- 
ary 5,  1833.  Mr.  Brown  eventually  purchased 
one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  land,  and 
during  the  latter  part  of  his  life  was  engaged  in 
farming.  He  died  March  23,  1878,  aged 
seventy-nine  years.  His  widow  died  January 
23,  1886,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Benjamin  was  born   in  Gosheu, 


Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  November  17,  1745, 
and  died  at  Pleasant  Mount,  in  the  year  1859, 
aged  over  one  hundred  and  thirteen  years.  On 
account  of  the  remarkable  age  to  which  she 
lived  and  the  stirring  scenes  in  which  a  part  of 
her  youth  was  speut,  she  deserves  more  than  a 
passing  notice.  Her  maiden  name  was  Sarah 
Mathews,  and  she  was  married  three  times. 
Her  first  husband,  William  Read,  was  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolution  and  died  of  a  wound  which 
he  received  while  serving  in  Virginia.  Her 
second  husband,  Aaron  Osborne,  of  Goshen, 
N.  Y.,  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  same  war,  and  was 
accompanied  a  part  of  the  time  by  his  wife. 
Once  when  he  was  standing  on  guard  she  took 
a  gun  and  an  overcoat  and  stood  sentinel  at  his 
post,  that  he  might  help  load  the  heavy  artillery 
into  boats.  Washington  inspecting  the  outposts 
observed  her;  "Who  placed  you  here,"  he 
asked.  She  promptly  replied  in  her  characteris- 
tic way,  "  Them  that  had  a  right  to,  Sir."  He 
understood  the  situation  and  passed  on.  She 
was  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  passing  to  and  fro 
like  an  angel  of  mercy,  carrying  water  to  the 
thirsty  and  relieving  the  suffering.  While  pass- 
ing where  the  bullets  of  the  enemy  were  flying- 
she  met  Washington,  who  said,  "  Young  woman, 
are  you  not  afraid  of  the  bullets?"  She 
promptly  and  pleasantly  replied,  "  The  bullets 
will  never  cheat  the  gallows."  The  general 
smiled  and  passed  on.  Some  time  after  the  war 
her  second  husband  died,  and  she  was  married 
to  her  third  husband,  John  Benjamin,  who 
came  with  her  to  Mount  Pleasant  in  1822,  and 
died  in  1826.  She  was  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  dead.  Some  of  her  de- 
scendants are  living  in  various  parts  of  the 
country.  She  was  amply  pensioned  by  the 
government,  but  nevertheless  was  very  indus- 
trious, carding,  spinning  and  making  the  finest 
of  triple  threaded  yarn  and  knitting  it  into 
hose. 

Some  of  her  work  was  on  exhibition  at 
the  World's  Fair  in  New  York,  and  a  specimen 
of  work  done  when  she  was  one  hundred  years 
old  was  on  exhibition  at  the  Crystal  Palace  in 
London.  She  is  said  to  have  possessed  many 
amiable  traits  of  character  and  to  have  been 
especially  brilliant  as  a  conversationalist,  and 


654 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,   PENNSYLVANIA. 


noted  for  her  untiring  industry,  doing  her 
"  day's  work  "  at  spinning  even  after  her  locks 
had  been  silvered  by  the  frosts  of  one  hundred 
and  ten  winters. 

Privations  of  the  Settlers. — A  just  de- 
scription of  the  privations  of  the  early  settlers 
can  never  be  written.  Those,  only,  who  saw 
them  were  fully  qualified  to  relate  the  story  of 
their  sufferings.  All  of  these  are  gone,  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  history  of  that  conflict  which 
they  waged  so  nobly  with  the  terrors  of  the 
wilderness  has  gone  with  them.  It  required 
their  strongest  endeavors  to  procure  the 
necessaries  of  life.  Shelter,  food  and  raiment 
must  be  had,  and  to  procure  these,  they  over- 
came obstacles  almost  insurmountable,  and 
forced  the  untamed  forests  to  yield  them  a  sub- 
sistence. As  another  has  well  said,  "  There 
were  no  pigmies  amongthem.  The  taper  fingers  of 
modern  effeminacy  could  not  perform  the  won- 
ders which  they  wrought." '  We,  who  in  pleasant 
In  nncs,  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  labors,  should 
cherish  the  most  profound  respect  for  their 
memory. 

The  present  number  of  taxables  in  this  town- 
ship is  four  hundred  and  thirty-five. 

murdee  of  coeonee  brooks  by  mar- 
thers — Execution  of   the  Murderer.2 — 

Colonel  Jonathan  Brooks,  who  was  mur- 
dered by  Freeman  Marthers  on  the  24th  day  of 
June  a.  d.  1828,  in  the  town  of  Mt.  Pleasant, 
was  a  resident  of  Blooming  Grove  (nowWash- 
iugtonville),  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  where 
worthy  relatives  now  live.  By  Thomas  L. 
Brooks,  of  Washingtonville,  we  are  informed 
that  he  was  a  colonel  in  the  United  States 
army,  having  been  commissioned  by  President 
Thomas  Jefferson  on  the  23d  day  of  February, 
a.  l>.  1809,  and  served  (his  relative  says 
fought)  during  the  war  of  1812  and  1814,  and 
after  the  war  had  command  at  Governor's 
Island,  in  New  York  harbor,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  the  fifty-seventh 
year  of  his  age,  was  on  an  extended  furlough 
on  account  of  poor  health.     He  was  known  by 

1  Goodrich. 

»  By  Dr.  Rodney  Harrnes.  This  is  the  first  accurate  and 
full  account  of  the  tragedy  which  has  ever  appeared  in 
print. 


many  in  the  northern  part  of  Wayne  County  a 
few  years  previous  to  his  death  as  a  drover. 
We  have  learned  from  the  wife  of  John  Page, 
Mrs.  Eliza  Page  (now  deceased),  who  was 
living  in  Orange  County  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  that  it  was  a  common  report  in  the 
neighborhood  where  she  resided,  immediately 
after  Colonel  Brooks  was  murdered,  that  be- 
fore he  left  home,  being  in  the  store  of  Samuel 
Moffatt,  merchant,  and  in  conversation  with 
him,  he  said  he  should  go  in  a  few  days 
through  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  as  that  would  be 
his  most  direct  route  to  Broome  County,  N.  Y. 

Upon  being  asked  if  he  intended  to  buy  cat- 
tle, his  answer  was  that  he  did  not  know ;  that 
it  depended  upon  circumstances.  A  roving- 
stranger  (Marthers)  was  present  and  listening  to 
the  conversation,  whom  it  was  believed  Brooks 
did  not  notice  at  the  time.  The  next  knowl- 
edge obtained  about  this  wandering  sharper  was 
at  Rileysville,  in  this  county,  where  lie  was 
spending  his  time  in  the  style  of  a  small  pack 
peddler,  selling  cheap  jewelry,  trying  to  win 
small  sums  by  juggling  and  petty  gambling. 
Judging  by  events  which  soon  after  occurred, 
he  was,  as  some  people  believed,  and  some  still 
believe,  staying  at  Rileysville,  waiting  for  the 
arrival  of  Brooks,  and  had  disposed  of  all  of 
his  trinkets  and  spent  nearly  all  of  his  money 
when  Colonel  Brooks  arrived  there.  The 
Rileysville  tavern,  nine  miles  west  of  the  Dela- 
ware River,  was  a  stage-house,  and  consequently 
at  least  two  or  more  of  the  stage  drivers,  having 
the  opportunity,  learned  and  knew  the  condi- 
tion and  habits  of  Marthers  and  something  of 
his  character. 

On  the  24th  day  of  June,  1 828,  Brooks  had 
probably  driven  from  the  Delaware  River  to 
Rileysville,  where,  or  a  little  west  of  that  place, 
Marthers  was  invited  to  ride  with  him.  Mr. 
Eldad  Atwater  (still  living)  has,  years  ago, 
repeatedly  said  that  not  far  from  the  middle  of 
the  day,  which  was  a  very  hot  day,  he  noticed 
a  horse  and  wagon  before  his  brother  Heaton 
Atwater's  taven,  where  the  family  of  Godfrey 
Stevenson  (deceased)  now  lives,  and  where  he 
and  his  brother  then  lived.  He  asserts  that 
the  traveler  tarried  a  long  time,  at  least  two  or 
three   hours  (and   here  he  probably  dined  and 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


655 


had  his  horse  fed),  ami  when  lie  came  out  and 
started  away  Atwater  readily  recognized  him  as 
Colonel  Brooks.  He  likewise  noticed  that 
there  was  a  stranger  with  him. 

From  Atwater's  tavern  Brooks  drove  to 
Belmont,  a  distance  of  four  miles.  From  Bel- 
mont lie  was  going  to  travel  north  on  the  Bel- 
mont and  Ochquaga  (now  Lanesborough)  road, 
thi>  being  Ids  most  direct  route  through 
Broome  County  to  Norwich,  Cayuga  County, 
where  he  expected  to  get  money,  it  is  said,  from 
the  bank  at  that  place.  Thomas  L.  Muniford, 
then  a  young  man,  who  was  hoeing  in  a  garden 
on  the  south  side  of  the  mad,  saw  the  two  men, 
and  heard  one  of  them,  who  was  sitting  in  the 
wagon,  ask  the  other,  who  was  on  the  ground, 
if  he  was  going  any  farther  with  him.  The  re- 
ply was,  "  I  do  not  know;  I  will  go  in  and 
iuquire."  He  went  into  the  bar  room,  and  soon 
came  out  and  said,  "  Yes,  about  a  mile  or  two." 
The  two  men  went  on  north  and  Mr.  Mumford 
continued  his  labor. 

About  one  mile  from  Belmont,  at  the  edge 
of,  at  that  time,  heavily-timbered  land,  it  was 
tour  miles  to  the  next  clearing  and  a  tavern.  At 
this  place  Marthers  got  out,  ostensibly  to  look 
for  a  path  leading  west  over  the  mountain.  He 
looked  under  the  wagon  and  named  some  injury 
or  defect  of  it  which  induced  Brooks  to  get  out, 
and  when  he  stooped  down  to  examine  Mar- 
thers struck  him  on  his  head  with  a  stone,  and 
repeated  his  blows,  and  finally  finished  his  dia- 
bolical job  by  cutting  his  throat  with  a  pocket- 
knife;  and  then,  by  some  strange  fatality,  turned 
the  horse  suddenly  around,  and  in  less  than 
one  hour  from  the  time  of  leaving  was  back 
again  in  Belmont.  When  Mr.  Mumford  saw 
him  hitching  the  horse,  not  realizing  that  it 
was  a  man,  horse  and  wagon  which  he  had  pre- 
viously seen  going  north,  he  left  the  garden  and 
went  into  the  bar  room.  The  tavern  was  owned 
by  Thomas  Mumford,  the  father  of  Thomas  L. 
The  traveler  remarked  that  it  was  a  very  hot 
day.  and  proceeded  to  wash  himself,  and  while 
using  the  towel  said,  "  I  have  dirtied  your  tow- 
el." Mumford  replied  by  saying,  "It  was  made 
for  that  purpose."  Marthers  then  called  for 
brandy,  which  was  produced,  and  of  which  he 
took  a  liberal  drink. 


He  asked  Mumford  if  there  were  any  fast 
horses  in  the  place,  and  if  there  were,  to  tell 
them  (the  owners)  to  bring  them  out.  lie  said 
he  had  a  fast  horse  which  he  had  bought  in 
Virginia. 

From  Belmont  he  drove  rapidly  west,  and 
soon  arrived  at  the  next  stage-house  (now  Her- 
rick  Centre,  Susquehanna  County),  which  was 
kept  by  Sylvanus  Mott.  When  he  drove  up 
opposite  to  the  tavern  he  was  recognized  by  a 
stage-driver  who  had  learned  what  kind  of  a 
man  he  was  while  he  was  at  Rileysville. 

The  driver  (whose  name  is  forgotten),  seeing 
him  in  his  new  and  unexpected  guise,  hailed 
him, and  invited  him  to  go  in  and  take  a  drink. 
Marthers,  after  a  little  hesitation,  wi  nt  in, 
and  the  two  indulged  themselves  with  their  po- 
tations. After  drinking,  Marthers  took  his 
watch  from  his  pocket  to  ascertain  the  time. 
The  driver  noticed  that  it  was  a  gold  watch, 
and  asked  him  how  he  had  obtained  it.  Mar- 
thers replied  by  saying  that  it  was  not  his  watch, 
but  that  the  watch,  horse  and  wagon  belonged 
to  Colonel  Brooks,  who  was  to  come  in  the  stage 
the  next  day,  or  take  some  other  route  west,  and 
that  Brooks  had  given  him  the  watch  to  time 
his  speed  so  as  not  to  overdrive  the  horse.  He 
seemed  to  be  in  a  hurry,  and  went  out,  mounted 
into  the  wagon,  and  drove  rapidly  west.  As 
soon  as  he  had  started  the  driver  told  the  land- 
lord, Mott,  that  he  believed  the  man  had  ob- 
tained possession  of  the  horse,  wagon  and  watch 
by  some  criminal  transaction.  Mott  being  of 
the  same  opinion,  they  led  out  two  horses  and 
immediately  mounted  and  rode  in  pursuit  of 
him  and  overtook  him  beyond  Low  Lake,  about 
one  mile  and  a  half  beyond  Mott's.  They  rode 
rapidly  up  to,  and  Mott  passed  by  him,  when 
he  leaped  from  the  wagon  and  ran  into  the 
woods,  but  immediately  returned  and  accused 
them  of  robbery.  Both  Mott  and  the  driver 
were  now  on  the  ground,  and  while  Mott  was 
holding  the  stolen  horse,  it  has  been  asserted  by 
some,  the  driver  and  Marthers  had  a  clinch,  and 
for  a  brief  time  were  maintaining  their  claims 
to  the  disputed  property  by  the  rude  logic  of 
muscular  power,  in  which  contest  the  driver 
resolutely  maintained  his  claim,  but  told  Mar- 
thers that  if  he  would  go  back  to  the  tavern  and 


WAYNE,  PIKE  ANT)  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


stay  until  they  were  satisfied  that  he  had  ob- 
tained the  property  honestly,  he  could  then  go, 
and  do  so  without  paying  anything.  To  this 
offer  Marthers  turned  a  deaf  ear  and  sought  for 
safety  in  the  wilderness. 

Mott  and  the  driver  not  being  certain  that 
they  were  right,  and  not  certain  but  that 
Marthers  might  yet  return  to  the  turnpike, 
concluded  that  Mott  should  go  on  with  the 
horse  and  wagon  about  one  half  of  a  mile  fur- 
ther to  the  tavern  at  Dimock  Corners,  while  the 
driver,  with  all  the  speed  he  could  make,  should 
ride  to  Belmont  and  inform  Mr.  Mumford  of 
the  suspicions  of  Mott  and  himself,  and  of  what 
they  had  done.  When  he  arrived  there  the 
towel  was  examined  and  found  to  be  bloody. 
Mr.  Mumford  said  they  could  soon  settle  all 
doubts,  for  a  slight  shower  had  moistened  the 
dust  before  the  horse  and  wagon  went  north, 
which  would  make  the  wagon  track  plainly 
appear.  They  soon  passed  over  the  road  and 
just  at  the  edge  of  the  woods,  at  which  place 
the  wagon  had  been  tnrned  shortly  around, 
they  found  the  body  of  Colonel  Brooks  lying 
in  the  bushes  on  the  east  side  of  the  road  where 
Marthers  had  dragged  it.  A  pile  of  stones  still 
marks  the  place. 

Then  speedily  followed  the  mustering  of 
forces,  and  spreading  the  news  for  the  purpose 
of  arresting  the  criminal.  Samuel  Roberts,  of 
Mount  Pleasant,  started  off  on  his  way  to  Or- 
ange County,  to  communicate  the  sad  news  to 
the  relatives  of  the  deceased.  The  body  of 
Brooks  was  removed  to  the  Belmont  hotel,  and 
Jonathan  Miller,  Esq.,  the  coroner  of  the  coun- 
ty, summoned  twenty-four  men  as  a  jury  of 
inquest. 

Mr.  Minor  Mumford,  who  lived  within  sight 
of,  and  but  a  short  distance  from  the  tavern, 
had  heard  nothing  about  the  matter  during  the 
evening,  and  had  retired  to  his  bed  when  he 
was  called  up  to  mount  his  horse  and  ride  to 
Eho,  now  Thompson,  a  distance  of  over  ten 
miles.  A  few  men  watched  at  different  places 
along  the  road  during  the  night,  and  two  lads, 
Lemuel  Ogden  and  Saben  Tucker,  kept  their 
vigils,  with  loaded  guns,  where  the  felon  ran 
into  the  woods.  A  messenger  went  through 
Canaan  putting  up  notices  of  the  murder.     But 


they  were  not  needed,  for  the  wretch  had  al- 
ready been  arrested. 

From  the  west  side  of  Low  Lake,  Marthers 
had  wandered  on  northerly,  in  the  dense  forest, 
and  finally,  aided  by  the  tinkling  of  a  cow-bell, 
found  his  way  to  the  rude  habitation  of  Mr. 
James  Dunn,  by  the  side  of  a  pond  bearing  his 
name  ;  six  miles  from  the  turnpike,  and  about 
nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  without  any 
hat,  having  lost  it  when  he  first  ran  into  the 
woods.  The  account  which  he  gave  of  himself 
was  that  he  had  been  chased  by  robbers,  and 
had  left  his  property  and  ran  to  save  his 
life. 

While  sitting  and  talking  he  asked  Dunn 
how  far  it  was  to  Belmont  or  to  Mott's  tavern, 
and  upon  being  told  that  it  was  about  six  miles, 
he  sprang  up  from  the  chair,  evidently,  with 
some  alarm,  supposing  that  he  had  traveled 
double  that  distance  from  either  place.  This 
was  noticed  by  the  cannie  old  Scotchman,  and 
convinced  him  that  his  guest  was  a  suspicious 
character.  Mr.  Dunn  had  five  sons,  three  of 
them  able  young  men ;  they  retired  to  the 
chamber.  Marthers  was  accommodated  with  a 
bed  in  the  same  room  where  Dunn,  Sr.,  usually 
slept,  but  he  could  not  sleep  that  night.  Mar- 
thers was  restless  and  tumbled  about  for  awhile, 
but  finally  lay  quiet  and  (at  least  apparently) 
slept.  About  midnight  Mr.  Dunn  heard  his 
dog  barking  very  furiously  ;  he  went  quietly  to 
a  window  which  he  raised  and  saw  two  horse- 
men, John  Lyon  and  Alexander  Burns.  They 
had  started  from  Dimock  Corners,  intending  to 
make  their  first,  which  proved  to  be  their  only, 
call  at  Dunn's.  They  asked  Dunn  if  a  man 
had  been,  or  was  there.  Dunn  beckoned  to 
them  to  go  to  the  door,  when  one  of  them  said, 
"  Do  not  talk  so  loud,  he  is  here."  Dunn  let 
them  in  at  the  door,  and  at  the  same  time  his 
sons  rushed  down  from  the  chamber.  And  now 
the  atrocious  homicide,  in  about  eight  or  nine 
hours  after  he  had  perpetrated  his  crime,  was 
surrounded  by  six  able  and  resolute  men.  Re- 
sistance would  have  been  useless.  Escape  was 
impossible.  His  pockets  were  searched,  and  it 
was  found  that  he  had  obtained  by  his  crime,  a 
gold  watch  and  a  pocket-book  containing  various 
small    bank-bills    amounting    to    twenty-nine 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


I  if,  7 


dollars,  and  specie  to  the  amount  of  fifteen 
cents. 

He  confessed  that  he  had  murdered  Colonel 
Brooks,  and  invited  all  then  present  to  come,  as 
he  termed  it,  to  his  hanging  bee. 

They  all  stayed  with  their  prisoner  until 
morning,  and  then  mounted  and  bound  him  upon 
a  horse,  and  guarded  by  Lyon,  Burns,  John 
Dunn  and  one  of  his  brothers,  with  loaded 
guns,  he  was  taken  to  Belmont,  and  conducted 
into  the  room  where  the  dead  man  lay,  and  said  it 
was  a  very  handsome  corpse.  With  his  hands  and 
arms  bound,  and  a  rope  around  one  of  his  legs, 
he  was  marched  one  mile  to  Pleasant  Mount, 
where  he  was  presented  with  a  cheap  hat,  and 
the  coroner,  with  a  sufficient  number  of  assist- 
ants, accommodated  him  with  a  ride  to  Bethany 
and  to  the  county  jail. 

The  next  day  (June  26th)  the  people  from 
several  miles  around  assembled  at  Belmont  to 
attend  the  funeral  of  Colouel  Brooks,  which 
was  conducted  by  the  Presbyterian  clergyman 
of  Mount  Pleasant. 

The  services  were  awhile  delayed  because  no  rel- 
ative or  friend  of  the  deceased  had  yet  a  rri  ved  from 
Orange  County,  and  the  clergyman  was  about 
to  commence  his  duties  when  John  J.  Brooks, 
a  brother  of  the  deceased,  and  a  friend,  Hon. 
Robert  Dunuiston,  were  seen  riding  down  the 
hill  from  Pleasant  Mount.  They  had  finally 
arrived  in  time  to  attend  the  sad  ceremony, 
which  then  proceeded,  and  was  ended  by  de- 
positing the  body  of  the  deceased  in  the  family 
cemetery  of  General  Samuel  Meredith  (a  Revo- 
lutionary hero).  Let  them  both  be  remembered 
on  decoration  days. 

I  have  always  been  informed,  by  various  in- 
dividuals, that  Colonel  Brooks  was,  in  every 
respect,  an  accomplished  gentleman  ;  uniformly 
clad  in  the  finest  and  neatest  style,  and,  inas- 
much as  those  who  became  acquainted  with  him 
esteemed  him  so  highly,  it  is  evident  that  he 
must  have  been  not  only  courteous,  but  fascin- 
ating. 

The  recognizance  of  witnesses  for  the  com- 
monwealth was  returned  by  Justice  Benjamin 
King  during  the  month  of  July,  and  at  the 
August  term  of  court,  Judges  Scott,  Woodward 
and  Thomas  presiding,  on  the  26th  day  of  the 


month  Marthers  was  indicted  for  murder,  and 
his  trial  commenced  the  same  day  and  lasted 
four  days.  The  lawyers  engaged  in  the  case 
being  Benjamin  A.  Bidlock  and  N.  B.  Eldred 
for  the  prisoner,  and  Mr.  Amzi  Fuller  for  the 
commonwealth.  On  the  30th  day  of  the  month 
the  jury  rendered  their  verdict  of  guilty,  and 
the  court  sentenced  the  prisoner  to  be  executed 
on  the  24th  day  of  October  following. 

On  the  day  of  his  execution  he  was  taken 
from  the  jail  to  the  front  of  the  court-house, 
where  brief  religious  services  were  conducted, 
according  to  the  best  recollection  of  Rev.  Stephen 
Torrey,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Castle,  the  Methodist 
preacher  at  Bethany. 

Robed  with  his  shroud  and  cap,  with  the  rope 
used  on  that  occasion  around  his  neck,  with 
firm  step  he  marched  with  the  sheriff  and  his 
assistants  to  the  gallows  and  there  kneeled  over 
his  coffin  while  a  final  prayer  in  his  behalf  was 
made  by  the  officiating  clergyman. 

From  the  scaffold  he  addressed  the  assemb- 
lage of  jieople,  comprised  of  both  sexes  and  all 
ages,  attributing  his  vicious  conduct  and  de- 
pravity to  the  manner  in  which  he  had  been 
trained  when  young  ;  charging  his  parents  with 
having  neglected  to  give  him  a  proper  moral 
education,  but,  on  the  contrary,  as  having  en- 
couraged him  to  practice  dishonesty  and  theft; 
and  that  in  the  beginning  of  his  vile  career  he 
had  stolen  pins  and  given  them  to  his  mother, 
who,  instead  of  reproving  and  punishing  him, 
seemed  to  be  well  pleased. 

He  earnestly  exhorted  the  young  people  to 
shun  the  sinful  life  which  he  had  led,  and  there- 
by escape  the  unhappy  and  ignominious  death 
which  he  was  doomed  to  suffer.  Mr.  Page 
says  that  while  Marthers  was  talking  an  un- 
couth babbler  said  that  before  sundown  his 
soul  would  be  iu  hell.  Marthers  replied  saying 
that  before  sundown  his  soul  would  be  where 
no  one  in  this  world  would  know,  or  could  tell 
anything  about  it.  The  sheriff,  Joseph  Miller, 
asked  him  if  he  had  any  complaint  to  make  for 
unkind  treatment.  He  replied,  "  No.  You 
have  treated  me  like  a  gentleman,  do  your 
duty,  for  I  have  shed  innocent  blood."  The 
cap  was  then  drawn  over  his  face,  then  the  drop, 
a  few  convulsive  movements,  and  all  was  over. 


C.-.s 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Freeman  Marthers  has  uniformly  been  de- 
scribed as  not  repulsive,  but,  on  the  contrary,  as 
rather  of  prepossessing  appearance.  He  was 
described  by  the  coroner  as  a  man  about  five 
feet  and  six  inches  in  height,  of  florid  complex- 
ion and  stoutly  built;  dressed  with  a  new  super- 
fine broad-cloth  coat,  of  a  "brown  or  plum  color, 
striped  vest,  drab  colored  cashmere  pantaloons, 
and  his  shoes  pumps.  It  may  readily  be  be- 
lieved that  the  hat  which  he  had  lost  was,  of  a 
fashion  and  quality,  suitable  to  make  him  a  well 
dressed  man. 

Religious  Matters. — As  has  already  been 
stated  the  gospel  was  early  preached  in  this  town. 
The  first  minister  who  preached  here  was  Elder 
David  Jayne,  who  lived  on  the  Tunkhanuock. 
This  was  in  July,  1795,  and  June  28,  1796,  a 
Free  Communion  Baptist  Church  was  organized. 
It  was  constituted  of  six  members,  viz. :  Samuel 
Stanton,  Joseph  Tanner,  Margaret  Dix,  Martha 
Stanton,  Lydia  Tanner,  Tamer  and  Rhoda 
Stearns.  Since  the  spring  of  1793  the  regular 
and  public  worship  of  God  has  been  sustained. 
As  has  already  been  noticed,  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  was  first  administered  in  1797. 
Epaphras  Thompson,  from  Bristol,  Conn.,  was 
the  first  settled  minister.  He  was  a  Close  Com- 
munion Baptist,  but  united  with  the  Free  Com- 
munion Church  and  preached   to   them  several 

I  years.  In  1806  Elijah  Peck  was  ordained  by 
this  church  as  gospel  minister.  In  1807  Elders 
Thompson  and  Peck  formed  a  Close  Commun- 

I  ion  Baptist  Church,  which  became  very  numer- 
ous.     Both    of  the  above-mentioned  churches 

*  disbanded  many  years  siuce. 

The  first  Methodist  Society  in  the  township 
was  organized  in  1806  in  the  house  of  Abram 
Cramer.  (This  house  is  yet  standing — the  old- 
est in  the  township.)  The  first  Methodist  min- 
ister was  the  Rev.  Atnon  Owen,  whose  circuit 
extended  from  Wilkesbarre  to  the  Delaware 
River.  The  first  house  of  public  worship  was 
built  in  1822.  All  denominations  cordially 
united  in  its  construction.  It  stood  on  the  first 
road,  running  north  and  south,  east  of  this  vil- 
lage, on  land  now  owned  by  George  E.  Moase. 
It  was  forty-eight  by  twenty-four  feet  and  was 
formed  by  building  an  addition  twenty-four 
feet  square  to  a  log   school-house  of  the  same 


size.  It  was  common  for  people  to  walk  seven 
or  eight  miles  to  attend  services  here.  In 
1830-32  the  Methodist  Society  erected  a  plain 
and  commodious  house  two  miles  east  of  the 
village,  on  the  Bethany  turnpike,  on  ground  now- 
included  in  the  Methodist  burying-ground.  It 
was  dedicated  on  the  4th  of  July  of  that  year. 
This  building  was  greatly  improved  in  1851. 
This  church  first  belonged  to  the  Salem  and 
Canaan  Circuit,  and  later  to  the  Bethany  and 
Mount  Pleasant  Circuit.  In  1851  it  was  sep- 
arated from  Bethany,  and  in  1865  the  present 
edifice  was  erected  at  Pleasant  Mount  village, 
and  worship  in  the  old  church  was  discontinued 
during  L.  C.  Floyd's  pastorate.  "  In  1867  a 
part  of  the  congregation  withdrew  and  built 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  White's 
Valley.  One  pastor,  residing  in  Pleasant 
Mount,  has  always  supplied  both  societies.  The 
first  Methodist  minister  who  resided  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Pleasant  Mount  was  Rev.  J.  D.  Satford.  *- 
He  occupied  the  house  uow  owned  by  J.  H. 
Kennedy  (the  writer).  Rev.  R.  S.  Rose  was 
first  to  occupy  the  parsonage  now  standing.  In 
1855  the  society  consisted  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-three  members,  and  in  1885  one  huudred 
and  twenty-five  members.  Reliable  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  pastors  cannot  be  found  pre- 
viously to  1843,  in  consequence  of  the  loss  ot 
the  old  record.  In  that  year  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Phillips  was  in  charge;  1844,  Win. 
Dean;  1845-46,  Charles  Perkins;  1847-48, 
Henry  Brownscomb  ;  1849-50,  J.  D.  Safford 
and  C.L.  Rice;  1850,  G.M.  Peck  and  Charles 
Perkins ;  1851,  G.  M.  Peck  ;  1852,  Thomas 
Wilcox  ;  1853-54,  Rodney  S.  Rose;  185.5-56, 
C.  V.  Arnold  ;  1857-58,  N.  W.  Everett;  1859- 
60,  Francis  Spencer;  1861-62,  A.  Brigham  ; 
1863-64,  N.  S.  Dewitt;  1865,  L.  C.  Floyd; 
1866-67,  C.  V.  Arnold;  1868,  J.  Underwood  ; 
1869-70,  J.  V.  Newell;  1871-72,  Wm.  M. 
Cooley ;  1873-75,  G.  T.  Price  ;  1876-78,  S.  H. 
Wright;  1879-81,  S.  H.  Jay;  1882-84,  J.  B. 
Sweet ;  1885-86,  Joseph  Madison. 

A  Congregational  Church  was  organized 
in  Mount  Pleasant,  January  26,  1814,  by  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Kingsbury  and  Rev.  Worthington 
Wright,  who  were  laboring  as  missionaries  of 
the  Connecticut  Home   Missionary  Society,  the 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


C.V.I 


former  being  located  at  Harford,  in  Susque- 
hanna County,  and  the  latter  at  Bethany,  in 
Wayne  County.  The  church  was  organized  in 
the  house  of  the  late  John  Tiffany,  sixteen 
members  uniting  in  the  organization,  viz. :  An- 
son Chittenden  and  Submit,  his  wife,  James 
Bigelow  and  Mary,  his  wife,  Polly  Tanner, 
Mary  Freeman,  Lydia  Tiffany,  Edward  Dim- 
mick  and  Esther,  his  wife,  Ransford  Smith  and 
Chloe,  his  wife,  Abijah  Hubbell  and  Sally,  his 
wife,  Blackleach  Burnt  and  Sally,  his  wife,  and 
Ruth  Buckingham.  Nine  united  by  profession 
and  seven  by  letter.  In  1831  the  church 
changed  its  form  of  government  and  became 
Presbyterian.  The  reason  of  this  change  does 
not  appear  in  the  records,  but  it  was  probably 
for  the  purpose  of  connecting  themselves  with 
Presbytery  and  thus  be  in  sympathy  with  the 
Presbyterian  Churches  about  them.  It  was  at 
first  connected  with  the  Presbytery  of  Hudson, 
afterwards  with  Susquehanna,  then  with  Mou- 
trose,  and  since  the  reunion  of  the  two  branches 
of  the  church  and  the  reconstruction  of  the 
Presbyteries  it  has  been  connected  with  the 
Presbytery  of  Lackawanna.  The  church  was 
chartered  in  1831  with  the  following  charter 
members  : 

Anson  Chittenden.  Henry  W.   Stone. 

James  Begee.  Jonathan  Miller. 

Zenas  Chittenden.  Abel  Chittenden. 

Urial  Wright.  Heaton  Atwater. 

William  R.  Stone.  Noah  Hiscoek. 

Asa  Smith.  Jacob  Eaton. 

John  Bigelow.  Wm.  H.  Chittenden. 

Anson  Chittenden,  Jr. 
The  first  session  of  the  church  was  elected 
September  5,  1831,  and  was  composed  of  the 
following  members,  viz.  :  Anson  Chittenden, 
Esaias  Wilcox,  Jacob  Eaton,  Urial  Wright, 
Henry  W.  Stone,  Marshall  Dimmick  and  Asa 
Smith.  They  were  ordained  by  Rev.  Lyman 
Richardson,  assisted  by  Rev.  Messrs.  Joel 
Campbell,  of  Bethany  ;  Adam  Miller,  of  Har- 
ford ;  and  Isaac  F.  Adams,  of  Dundaff. 

The  church  has  never  failed  to  sustain  public 
worship  on  the  Sabbath,  and  when  without  a 
minister,  the  services  were  conducted  by  the 
members,  one  of  whom  read  a  printed  sermon. 
During  the  most  powerful  revival  of  religion 
ever  known  in  Mount  Pleasant,  that  of   1831- 


32,  the  meetings  were  conducted  by  the  lay 
members.  About  forty  persons  were  added  to 
the  communion  as  the  fruit  of  this  work. 

For  some  years  the  church  was  dependent 
upon  missiouary  and  transient  supplies,  and 
then  stated  supplies;  sometimes  in  connection 
with  the  Bethany,  aud  at  other  times  with  Gib- 
son, in  Susquehanna  County.  Among  those 
who  preached  occasionally,  administering  the 
communion,  receiving  members  and  baptizing 
children,  we  find  the  names  of  Rev.  Messrs. 
Ebenezer  Kingsbury,  Worthiugton  Wright, 
Gershom  Williams,  E.  W.  Goodman,  Mr. 
Thompson,  Joel  Campbell  and  Lyman  Richard- 
son. The  labors  of  the  last-named  individual, 
who  supplied  the  church  for  some  two  or  three 
years,  were  greatly  blessed. 

In  183.'!  a  colony  of  thirty-one  members 
went  out  from  this  to  form  what  is  now  called 
the  Uniondale  Church,  but  the  two  have  ever 
since  been  united  in  the  support  of  the  gospel. 
Rev.  Henry  A.  Boyce  was  the  first  pastor  in- 
stalled over  these  two  churches.  He  was  in- 
stalled July  8,  1835,  and  labored  but  a  little 
over  a  year,  when  he  was  removed  by  death. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Anthony  McReynolds, 
who  was  installed  September  27,  1837,  and 
remained  about  two  years.  The  Rev.  Daniel 
Higbie  was  the  next  pastor.  He  was  installed 
September  23,  1841,  and  remained  about  six 
years,  his  pastorate  being  a  very  useful  one. 
Fifty-two  were  received  by  the  church  during  the 
time,  the  largest  number  in  one  year  being  in 
1842,  when  twenty-three  were  added.  Rev. 
Samuel  Whaley  succeeded  Mr.  Higbie,  com- 
mencing his  labors  in  March,  1846.  He  was 
installed  July  7th  of  the  same  year,  and  labored 
faithfully  with  the  church  eleven  years.  There 
were  four  revivals  of  religion  during  his  pas- 
torate, and  sixty-three  were  added  to  the  church. 

Since  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Whaley  there 
have  been  frequent  changes  of  ministers.  The 
next  after  him  was  Rev.  Israel  Bryant  Smith, 
who  commenced  his  labors  in  September,  1857, 
and  remained  about  two  years  and  a  half.  He 
was  not  installed.  After  him  came  Rev.  Albert 
G.  Beebee,  who  commenced  his  labors  June 
24,  1860,  and  was  installed  in  August  of  the 
same  year,  and  remained  a  little  over  two  years. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Rev.  Raphael  Kessler  commenced  his  labors 
October  19,  1862,  and  was  installed  November 
15,  1865.  He  remained  a  little  over  four 
years,  when  he  was  compelled  to  resign  on  ac- 
count of  failing  health.  Forty-four  persons 
were  received  to  the  church  during  his  minis- 
try, all  but  two  upon  profession. 

Rev.  James  B.  Fisher  commenced  his  labors 
in  May,  1867,  and  remained  a  little  more  than 
a  year  and  a  half.  He  was  not  installed.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Yates  Hickey,  who  was 
installed  October  13,  1869,  but  remained  only 
nine  mouths,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  James 
W.  Raynor,  who  commenced  his  labors  July 
17,  1870,  and  remained  two  years.  He  was 
not  installed.  On  the  Sabbath  after  Mr.  Ray- 
nor closed  his  labors,  the  pulpit  was  supplied 
by  Rev.  Adelbert  J.  Schlager,  who  was  installed 
November  20th  of  the  same  year,  and  remained 
nearly  three  years.  He  was  followed  by 
Rev.  Arthur  Folsom,  who  labored  one  year, 
closing  July  2,  1876.  Rev.  Joseph  A.  Ros- 
sell  commenced  his  labors  February  17,  1878, 
and  closed  May  22,  1881.  He  was  not  in- 
stalled. He  was  followed  by  Rev.  John  Lud- 
low Kendall,  who  commenced  January  1, 
1882,  was  installed  May  16th  of  the  same  year, 
and  is  the  present  pastor  of  the  church. 

In  1830  the  congregation  built  their  first 
house  of  worship  in  the  village.  In  1848  it 
was  furnished  with  a  beautifully  toned  bell 
weighing  nearly  one  thousand  pounds,  and  in 
1850  was  refitted  and  improved.  It  was  occu- 
pied until  June  5,  1867,  when  the  present  edifice 
was  completed  at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars, 
and  was  dedicated  on  that  day. 

Roman  Catholic. — Since  1830  Irish  settlers 
have  made  large  accessions,  and  now  comprise 
at  least  one-third  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
township.  In  1835  there  was  a  Roman  Catholic 
Church  built  near  where  the  present  edifice  (St. 
Juliana)  now  stands.  St.  Juliana  Roman 
Catholic  Church  was  built  at  Rock  Lake  in 
1866.  St.  Cecelia  Roman  Catholic  Church  had 
been  built  at  Hill  Top  the  year  previous,  and  is 
attended  once  a  month  from  Rock  Lake.  Both 
of  these  churches  are  in  a  flourishing  condition, 
with  a  membership  of  at  least  twelve  hundred 
persons.   The  following  is  a  list  of  pastors  since 


1842:  1842  to  1844,  Rev.  H.  Fitzsimmons ; 
1845-47,  Rev.  P.  Pendergast ;  1848-52,  Rev.  J. 
Forbes  ;  1852-53,  Rev.  William  O'Hara,  Rev. 
H.  P.  Kennedy,  Rev.  James  Power;  1853, 
Very  Rev.  Moses  Whitty  ;  1854,  Rev.  James 
Power,  Rev.  Daniel  Kelly;  1855-56,  Rev. 
James  Shields;  1857-64,  Rev.  C.  A.  Delia 
Nave,  first  resident  pastor ;  1864-71,  Rev. 
Thomas  Brehony.  From  January  12,  1871, 
to  the  present,  Rev.  J.  J.  Judge. 

Episcopal. — St.  Paul's  Protestant  Episcopal 
Society  was  organized  February  11,  1862.  The 
following  were  elected  members  of  vestry : 
George  Moase,  Rodney  Harmes,  Isaac  N. 
Chalker,  R.  W.  Wheeler,  William  Widger, 
Henry  F.  Smith,  George  T.  Spencer,  Martin 
Prentiss,  John  Dennis,  John  Fitz,  S.  B.  Page, 
William  W.  Brown.  The  corner-stone  of  the 
church  edifice  in  this  village  was  laid  July  ]  5, 
1862,  by  Rev.  Dalrymple,  of  Honesdale,  as- 
sisted by  Rev.  R.  R.  Duane,  of  Providence. 
The  building  was  completed  in  1863,  at  a  cost 
of  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-five 
dollars,  and  services  were  first  held  in  it  on 
December  25th  of  that  year  by  Rev.  L.  M. 
Day,  of  Dundaff.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the 
pastors  who  have  been  in  charge  of  this  church 
society  :  Rev.  L.  M.  Day,  Rev.  Thomas  Bur- 
rows, Rev.  J.  Copeland,  Rev.  H.  C.  Howard 
and  Rev.  John  Scott. 

Baptist. — The  Phoenix  Close  Communion 
Baptist  Church  was  organized  in  1864,  and  in 
1865  the  congregation  bought  the  property  on 
which  the  present  church  edifice  stands,  situated 
two  miles  east  of  Pleasant  Mount  village,  on 
the  old  Cochecton  turnpike.  A  building,  which 
stood  on  the  lot  and  had  been  used  as  a  store, 
was  remodeled  and  occupied  as  a  church  until 
the  present  church  building  was  erected,  in 
1884.  The  Maple  Grove  Church,  in  the  south 
part  of  the  township,  a  branch  of  the  Phcenix, 
was  built  1874-77. 

Lutheran.  —  In  the  south  part  of  the 
township,  along  the  Clinton  line,  there  is 
a  settlement  of  Germans.  They  are  among 
the  most  prosperous  and  worthy  people  of 
the  township.  They  have  a  German  Lutheran 
Church,  which  was  built  upwards  of  twenty 
years  ago. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Schools. — The  people  of  this  township 
were  the  first  in  the  county  to  rally  to  the  sup- 
port of  education.  Without  aid  from  the 
State,  they  erected  school-houses  and  supported 
schools  even  in  the  infancy  of  their  existence. 
The  first  school  iu  Wayne  County  was  taught 
by  Miss  Lucy  Stearnes  in  the  log  house  of 
Elijah  Dix  in  the  summer  of  1794.  She  bad 
twelve  scholars  and  received  six  shillings  per 
week  as  her  wages.  The  first  male  teacher 
who  taught  in  the  township  was  John  Tyler, 
who  taught  in  the  winter  of  1799  and  1800, 
in  a  log  building  which  had  been  erected  and 
occupied  by  Mr.  Geer,  and  which,  being  vacant 
at  that  time,  was  utilized  for  school  purposes. 

Richard  Perkins  taught  a  school  on  the  old 
road  north  of  the  village  in  1801.  The  first 
log  school-house  was  built  near  the  present 
residence  of  Philo  Spencer  in  1798,  but  who 
first  taught  in  it  is  not  known.  The  first 
framed  school-house  was  built  in  1804,  and  was 
the  first  house  eastward  of  Joseph  Tanner's 
residence.  The  first  term  in  it  was  taught  by 
Truman  Wheeler.  In  1834  the  first  Board  oi 
School  Directors  was  elected  under  the  school 
law  of  that  year.  The  officers  of  that  board 
were  Truman  Wheeler,  president  ;  and  Win.  R, 
Stone,  secretary.  There  are  now  sixteen  dis- 
tricts in  the  township,  containing  fourteen 
houses  of  wood,  one  of  brick  and  one  of  stone. 
The  average  school  term  in  1885  was  six  and 
one-fifth  months,  with  an  attendance  of  four 
hundred  and  forty-two  scholars,  who  were 
schooled  at  a  cost  of  $2017.39.  Previously 
to  1869  no  permanent  provisions  had  been 
made  in  this  town  for  a  higher  education  than 
iliat  obtained  in  the  common  schools  ;  but  in 
that  year  E.  M.  Atwater,  Esq.,  opened  the 
school  since  known  as  the  Pleasant  Mount 
Academy,  which  he  sustained  until  the  spring 
of  1881,  when  it  was  purchased  by  a  joint- 
stock  company  composed  of  citizens  of  this 
and  adjoining  townships.  The  first  board  of 
trustees,  elected  July  23,  1881,  were  Frank 
Spencer,  president;  John  1>.  Breunan,  secre- 
tary ;  Geo.  E.  Moase,  treasurer;  E.  K.  Norton, 
S.  G.  Perham,  R.  H.  Patterson  and  E.  M.  At- 
water. In  1876  a  three  years'  course  of  study 
was  instituted,  which  comprised,  in  addition  to 


the  common  branches,  the  natural  sciences, 
higher  mathematics,  physics,  language,  etc. 
Since  that  time  ten  classes,  numbering  in  the 
aggregate  forty -eight  members,  have  been  grad- 
uated from  this  institution.  The  academy  has 
acquired  a  high  celebrity  and  is  deserving  of  a 
liberal  share  of  public  patronage.  The  follow- 
ing are  its  principals  since  its  foundation  :  L. 
G.  Dimmiek,  Edwin  Francis,  Leroy  Baker, 
Frank  Tuthill,  H.  B.  Larrabee,  Geo.  W.  Phil- 
lips, .1.  H.  Kennedy  and  J.  E.  Tiffuey. 

Prof.  James  H.  Kennedy,  sou  of  Wilbur 
Kennedy,  was  born  in  Mount  Pleasant,  Octo- 
ber 7,  1851,  and  lived  with  his  parents  on  the 
farm  until  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  when 
his  mother  died,  during  which  time  he  at- 
tended the  district  school  in  the  winter,  and 
worked  on  the  farm  in  summer.  He  attended 
the  Normal  School  at  Prompton  during  the 
fall  term  of  1869,  and  during  the  following 
j  winter  taught  school  in  Dyberry.  In  the  fall 
of  1870  he  attended  the  school  at  Prompton 
again.  He  then  taught  in  the  district  schools 
of  Wayne  and  Susquehanna  Counties  during 
six  winters,  laboring  in  summer  by  the  month 
on  farms,  or  laying  stone  wall  to  receive  pay 
by  the  rod,  and  serving  as  brakeman  one  sum- 
mer on  the  Central  Railroad  of  New  Jersey. 

He  then  studied  one  year  and  a  half  under 
Prof.  H.  B.  Larrabee,  at  the  Mount  Pleasant. 
Academy,  where  he  graduated  in  the  spring  of 
1878. 

From  the  fall  of  1878  until  the  spring  of 
1881  he  served  in  that  institution  as  assistant 
and  teacher  of  mathematics,  under  Prof.  Geo. 
W.  Phillips,  A.M.,  and  was  then  chosen  prin- 
cipal of  that  academy,  which  position  he  held 
for  three  years.  On  the  6th  day  of  May,  1884, 
he  was  elected  superintendent  of  the  public- 
schools  of  his  native  county  of  Wayne. 

He  was  married  to  Lizzie  Belknap,  July  21, 
1872,  who  died  in  less  than  one  year  after  that 
time.  On  the  19th  day  of  August,  1879,  he 
married  Minnie  Gaylord,  and  by  her  he  has 
two  daughters. 

ROADS. — The  first  road  in  this  township  was 
built  by  private  enterprise  aided  by  State  appro- 
priation. It  extended  from  Pocono  Point, 
near  Stroudsburg,   north  to  the  State  line.     It 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


was  cut  through  in  1788-89.  It  followed  the 
route  of  the  old  "  Belmont  and  Easton  turn- 
pike," and  was  called  the  "  North  and  South  " 
road.  In  1791  the  settlers  in  this  town  began 
to  open  a  road  to  Great  Bend,  a  half-mile  to  a 
mile  aud  a  half  south  of  the  road  uow  known 
as  the  "  Coehecton  and  Great  Bend  turnpike." 
There  was  another  road  early  made  and  still  in 
use,  which  left  the  North  and  South  road  on 
the  east  side  and  came  up  by  Silas  Kellogg's 
to  Captain  John  Tiffany's  place,  now  owned  by 
Milton  Spencer.  From  this  point  a  road  was 
constructed  westward,  running  north  of  the 
village  to  the  brow  of  the  hill,  near  the  present 
residence  of  William  Wright;  then,  passing 
down  by  Mr.  Geer's  log  house,  near  the  large 
spring,  previously  mentioned,  crossed  the  Lack- 
awaxen  a  few  rods  above  the  residence  of  K.  P. 
Winner.  Another  road  came  up  in  the  direction 
of  the  present  Bethany  road,  and  united  with 
the  road  above  mentioned  just  before  it  crossed 
the  Lackawaxen  ;  after  crossing  they  separated 
to  accommodate  two  taverns  at  the  top  of  the 
hill  on  the  North  and  South  road,  one  kept  by 
Samuel  Stantouand  the  other  by  Jirah  Mumford. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  proprietaries,  and 
afterwards  of  the  State,  to  allow  all  purchasers 
six  acres  for  every  one  hundred  purchased,  as  a 
compensation  for  roads.  The  Coehecton  and 
Great  Bend  turnpike  was  incorporated  in  1804, 
but  was  not  completed  until  1811.  A  large 
proportion  of  the  houses  on  the  road  were 
taverns.  The  Bethany  and  Dingman's  Choice 
turnpike  was  incorporated  in  1811.  It  was 
kept  in  repair  by  moneys  received  for  tolls. 
The  Belmont  and  Easton  turnpike  was  chartered 
in  1812.  It  opened  up  a  direct  route  to  Easton 
and  Philadelphia.  The  State  gave  teu  thou- 
sand dollars  to  aid  in  its  construction.  The 
Belmont  aud  Oghquaga  turnpike  was  chartered 
in  1817;  the  Lackawaxen  turnpike  in  1Xl!,S. 
The  road  from  Mount  Pleasant  to  Stockport  is 
an  old  one,  and  was  laid  out  about  1799. 

M.vxrFAiTnuNc;.  —  As  has  already  been 
stated,  Jirah  Mumford  built  a  saw-mill  and 
grist-mill  in  1795,  where  Fowler's  mill  lately 
.stood.  Benjamin  King,  Sr.,  had  a  saw-mill  on 
Saw-Mill  Creek,  southwest  of  the  present  resi- 
dence of  J.  W.  Moase.       The  second  grist-mill 


was  built  at  what  is  now  Stevenson's  Mills. 
The  first  run  of  burr  stones  used  in  the  town- 
ship were  put  in  by  Noah  Hiscock  and  Abel 
Chittenden  about  1820.  Elijah  Dix,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  quality  of  work  done  at  his  mill, 
said :  "  Why,  they  make  wheat  Hour  out  of  rye 
down  there." 

About  this  time  Eldad  and  Heaton  Atwater 
erected  a  grist-mill,  saw-mill  and  woolen-fac- 
tory where  Kennedy's  Mills  now  stand,  and 
later  Eldad  Atwater  put  up  a  factory  and  dis- 
tillery near  the  home  of  the  late  Godfrey  Ste- 
venson.    Erastus  Baker  built  a  woolen-factory 

j  on  the  Lackawaxen  about  1  *;>,(>,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  run  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1872.  Shortly  after  it  was  bought  by  K.  P. 
Winner,  formerly  of  Dundaff,  who  has  greatly 

!  enlarged  it,  and  who  continues  to  operate  it. 
Seth  Kennedy  built   the   saw-mill  and  grist- 

|  mill  now  known  as  Kennedy's  Mills.  He  was 
caught  in  the  machinery,  while  oiling,  and  kill- 
ed, May  13,  1865.  He  had  also  built  a  card- 
ing-machine,  which  was  taken  down  soon  after 
his  death.  The  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  are 
now  owned  and  operated  by  his  son,  Alexander 
Kennedy. 

Eldad  Atwater,  about  1840,  built  the  mill  on 
tin-  Lackawaxen  known  as  Fowler's  Mill,  which 
he  operated  for  some  time  and  then  sold  to  E. 
M.  Atwater,  who  later  sold  out  to  James  Fow- 
ler. This  mill  was  burned  a  few  years  since 
and  has  not  been  rebuilt. 

The  industry  of  tanning  has  been  carried  on 
to  a  greater  or  less  extent  from  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  township  until  within  a  very  few 
years,  but  has  now  nearly,  if  not  entirely,  ceased, 
on  account  of  the  exhaustion  of  hemlock  bark. 
Jirah  Mumford  was  the  pioneer  tanner,  having 
built  a  small  tannery  soon  after  lie  settled  in 
the  township.  His  son,  Col.  Harry  Mumford, 
built  a  tannery  on  the  Lackawaxen,  in  which  he 

'  and  his  son,  Milo  Mumford,  carried  on  thebusi- 

!  ness  for  years.  About  1865  or  1866  this  was 
bought  and    greatly    enlarged    and    improved 

i  by  H.  W.  &  S.  L.  Brown,  who  commenced 
doing  business  on  a  much  larger  scale.  They 
failed  in  business  in  1868,  aud  shortly  after  the 
tannery  was  bought  by  Ira  Nichols  and  operat- 
ed by  himself  and  son  for  some  vears,  when,  on 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


i;g;-j 


account  of  the  scarcity  of  bark,  it  was  discon- 
tinued. 

In  or  about  1820  Asa  Smith  built  a  tannery 
and  shoe  shop  one  mile  east  of  Pleasant  Mount, 
which  he  kept  in  operation  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  18b'2.  His  sons  some  time 
after  discontinued  the  business  and  removed  to 
Factoryville,  Pa.  James  Plunket  also  had  a 
.small  tannery. 

Geo.  Warner  for  many  years  had  an  exten- 


John  Perham,  who,  at  an  early  period  in  our 
colonial  history,  emigrated  to  this  country  from 
England,  and  settled  in  Chelmsford,  Mass.,  in 
1(364,  since  which  time  the  Perhams  have  been 
numerously  represented  in  various  parts  of 
New  England.  The  intervening  generations 
clown  to  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  in  his  line, 
have  been  John,  (2nd)  Benjamin,  Moses,  his 
grandfather,  and  Aaron  G.  Perham,  his  father. 
The  latter   was   born  January  18,   1792,  in 


~&/.—-y.    U-eJ2^io#?2^ 


sive  wagon  factory  on  the  Lackawaxen  below 
Baker's  woolen -factory.  About  1837  Ezekiel 
White  commenced  manufacturing  at  White's 
Valley,  where  Philip  White  &  Son  now  have 
a  grist-mill,  saw-mill,  stick  and  bed-spring  fac- 
tory. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


SYLVANUS  G.  PERHAM. 

The    family   of    which  the  subject   of  thi 
representative 


sketch  is 


is  descended   from 


Worcester  County,  Mass.,  and  in  1815  re- 
moved from  his  native  State  to  Mount  Pleasant 
township,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  bringing  with 
him  his  wife,  Mary,  daughter  of  Sylvanus 
Gates,  of  Worcester  County,  who  also  settled 
in  Wayne  County.  He  bought  a  small  tract  of 
land  in  Mount  Pleasant,  now  included  in  the  farm 
of  his  son  Sylvanus,  and  went  to  work,  with 
the  other  pioneer  settlers  of  that  locality,  in  clear- 
ing up  land  and  subjecting  to  the  uses  of  agri- 
culture what  was  then  a  heavily-timbered,  wild 
section  of  country.     His  primitive  log  house 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


stood  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  near  the  barn  of 
Sylvanus  G.  Perham,  and  his  later  residence  is 
still  standing  near  by.  He  was  an  industrious  and 
hard-working  man ;  so  much  so,  that  he  seriously 
impaired  his  health  by  the  severity  of  his  la- 
bors, and,  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life 
was  unable  to  do  much  work.  He  died  Octo- 
ber 10,  1830,  leaving  a  wife  and  seven  chil- 
dren, namely, — Sylvanus  G. ;  Lucinda,  who 
married  Hiram  Tiffany,  of  Mount  Pleasant 
township  ;  Philinda,  who  became  the  wife  of 
George  Tuttle,  and  now  resides  in  Iowa  ;  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  Virgil  Gaylord,  of  Clinton 
township  ;  Maria,  who  became  the  wife  of  Hi- 
ram Peck,  of  Mount  Pleasant ;  Chloe,  who 
married  Philip  Cramer,  of  Carboudale,  Pa. ; 
and  Horatio,  a  farmer  in  Clinton  township, 
Wayne  County. 

Sylvanus  G.  Perham  was  the  only  son,  save 
one,  and  oldest  child  of  his  parents.  He  was 
born  in  the  original  log  house  May  21,  1818, 
and  his  opportunities  for  securing  an  education 
were  extremely  meagre.  Owing  to  the  inca- 
pacity of  his  father,  he  was  compelled  to  labor 
very  hard  when  a  mere  boy,  and  at  twelve 
years  of  age  he  found  himself  the  chief  support 
and  assistant  of  his  widowed  mother.  He  re- 
mained upou  the  farm,  working  for  her,  until 
he  arrived  at  his  majority,  when  he  took 
the  place,  encumbered  by  debt,  and,  by 
dint  of  hard  work  and  the  exercise  of  great 
persistency  and  economy,  cleared  off  the  in- 
cumbrances. Later,  he  purchased  other  par- 
cels of  land  adjoining  the  original  farm,  and 
now  owns  about  five  hundred  acres.  He  has 
erected  all  the  buildings  which  are  now  on 
the  place,  aud  built  his  present  tasteful  and  sub- 
stantial residence  in  1862.  For  several  years 
he  worked  as  a  carpenter  and  joiner.  He  be- 
longs to  that  class  of  old,  representative  farm- 
ers, who  were  identified  with  the  first  settle- 
ment and  development  of  Wayne  County,  and 
who  are  now,  one  by  one,  passing  away,  leaving 
their  families  comfortably  provided  for,  as  the 
result  of  their  own  self-sacrifice  and  devotion 
to  the  principles  of  industry,  economy,  frugal- 
ity, thrift  and  integrity.  He  has  never  as- 
pired to  public  place  or  position,  but  has  al- 
ways led  an   upright  and  honorable  life,  con- 


tributed freely  to  the  church  and  other  evan- 
gelical agencies,  and  endeavored  to  perform  the 
duties  of  a  good  citizen.  On  December  24, 
1843,  he  married  Lucinda  H.,  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Eliza  (Jacks)  Schoonover,  of  Texas 
township,  and  a  member  of  another  of  the 
pioneer  families  of  Wayne  County.  The  chil- 
dren were  Aaron  G.,  who  carries  on  the  whole- 
sale coal  business  in  New  York  City ;  Mary  E., 
died  in  infancy ;  Annette  O.,  wife  of  John 
Wesley  Hull,  of  Mount  Pleasant;  Calvin  P., 
engaged  in  the  coal  business  in  Hoboken ; 
Daniel  W.,  a  physician  practicing  in  New 
York,  who  died  April  27,  1882;  Adelia  M., 
wife  of  William  H.  Cawrse,  of  Mount  Pleas- 
ant ;  William  H.,  a  lawyer  by  profession,  who 
died  June  19,  1881 ;  Carrie  E.;  Susan  A.,  wife 
of  G.  Ellison  Peck,  of  Mount  Pleasant ;  War- 
ren E.,  Hattie  May  and  John  Jacob  Perham. 


PAUL  mca vow 

Paul  McAvoy  was  the  first  of  the  Irish 
settlers  to  locate  in  Mount  Pleasant  township. 
He  was  a  native  of  County  Down,  Ireland, 
where  he  was  born  in  the  year  1799.  His 
father  was  William  McAvoy,  a  farmer  and 
weaver  by  occupation,  who  never  emigrated  to 
this  country.  His  children  were  Richard,  who 
emigrated  about  1812,  and  settled  in  Philadel- 
phia; Elizabeth,  who  married  and  remained  in 
Ireland ;  Sarah,  who  became  the  wife  of  a  Mr. 
Lavery ;  and  Nancy,  who  married  Hugh  Mc- 
Graw,  and  who  closed  her  days  in  Mount 
Pleasant;  William,  who  also  died  in  Mount 
Pleasant ;  and  Paul,  the  subject  of  this  memoir. 
Mrs.  McAvov,  the  mother,  came  to  the  United 
States  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  and  is 
buried  in  Mount  Pleasant. 

Paul  McAvoy  learned  the  trade  of  a  weaver 
with  his  father,  aud  followed  that  occupation 
for  a  number  of  years  in  Ireland.  In  April, 
1819,  he  landed  in  this  country  at  Penobscot, 
Maine,  and  having  reached  New  York  by 
steamer,  walked  from  that  city  to  Philadelphia. 

In  December,  1819,  he  came  to  Mount  Pleas- 
ant township,  and  settled  where  his  son  Rich- 
ard now  resides.  He  erected  a  small  house 
near  the  present  residence  of  his  son,  and  in  a 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


r,<;5 


wild  and  desolate   region.     His  nearest  neigh- 
bors were  three  miles  distant. 

The  original  tract  for  which  he  contracted 
comprised  one  hundred  acres,  and  he  cleared  up 
nearly  the  whole  of  it  prior  to  his  death.  On 
February  9, 1847,  he  purchased  of  Paul  O'Neill 
sixty-eight  acres  adjoining.  He  was  a  Protes- 
tant in  religion,  and  a  consistent  and  active 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  principles  of 


lives  in  Geneseo,  Illinois ;  Christopher,  who  re- 
sides at  Pleasant  Mount,  Pa. ;  Paul,  who  died 
in  1862;  William  Henry,  a  prosperous  farmer 
in  Mount  Pleasant;  and  Fanny  A.,  who  died  in 
infancy.  Richard  married  Ellen,  daughter  of 
Andrew  McDermott,  of  Mount  Pleasant,  and 
has  had  fifteen  children,  of  whom  eight  are  liv- 
ing, namely  :  Paul,  Walter,  Frederick,  Thomas, 
Fanny,  Kate,  Emma  and  Mary.  William 
Henry  married  Maria,  daughter  of  Samuel  B. 


^^l^T^^ 


the  Democratic  party,  one  of  the  hard-working 
and  industrious  pioneers  of  Mount  Pleasant 
township,  and  very  generally  respected  for  his 
integrity  and  uprightness  of  character.  He  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  lumbering  throughout  his 
life,  and  built  the  homestead  residence  in  1835. 
He  married  Susan,  daughter  of  Alexander  Rut- 
ledge,  of  Damascus  township,  and  had  six  chil- 
dren, viz. :  Richard,  who  occupies  the  home 
resilience  in  Mount  Pleasant;  Alexander,  who 

6« 


Williams,  of  Buckingham  township,  and  has 
had  seven  children,  viz.  :  Susan  (wife  of  Henry 
Ehlefeldt,  of  Mount  Pleasant),  Carrie,  Hattie, 
Henry,  Effie,  Victoria  and  Cecil  Vane  Mc- 
Avoy. 

ORRIN    LESTER. 

Orrin  Lester  is  a  descendant  of  Phineas  Les- 
ter, who  settled  in  the  year  1786  in  the  Wallen- 
paupack  settlement,    Pike     County,   Pa.,    and 


<;i;g 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


there  passed  his  life  engaged  in  arduous  toil,  and 
in  the  performance  of  those  trying  duties  which 
fell  to  the  lot  of  the  early  settlers  of  that  wild 
region.  Among  his  children  who  are  best  re- 
membered are  Andrew  Lester,  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch ;  Orrin,  who  resided  in 
Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  near  Montrose  ;  John, 
who  removed  to  the  West;  aud  a  daughter,  who 
married    Captain    Arnold,   an    old    resident  of 


time  owned  by  Porter  Kennedy,  he  exchanged 
for  one  now  owned  by  his  son,  Orrin  Lester, 
situate  two  miles  east  of  Pleasant  Mount  village, 
and  there,  with  his  faithful  wife,  he  lived  and 
"  begat  sons  and  daughters  "  as  follows  :  Eunice, 
who  married  Josiah  Goodsell,  of  Connecticut, 
and  left  descendants  there  ;  Betsy,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Elisha  Tooker,  aud  now  resides  in 
Iowa  :  Anna  W.,  who  married  Rufus  Tuttle, 


# 


iroF  ^pf^'i' 


I 


QMaa^l 


OCjZA. 


>AjlAj 


Wayne    County,  and    father    of  the  late  Judge 
Phineas  Arnold. 

Andrew  Lester  was  born  at  Canterbury, 
Conn.,  May  29,  1778.  In  January,  1803,  he 
married  Sallie,  daughter  of  David  Kennedy, 
and  the  following  month  removed  to  Mount 
Pleasant  township,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  where 
he  purchased  one  hundred  acres  of  land,  on 
which  he  built  a  log  house  and  barn.  He 
cleared  about  forty  acres  of  this  tract  and  plant- 
ed a  small  orchard.     This  farm,  at  the  present 


of  Connecticut  ;  Asa  A. ;  David  K.,  who  re- 
sides in  Crawford  County,  Wis. ;  Sarah  M., 
who  married  Merrels  Stephens,  of  Lebanon 
township,  and  has  resided  in  Illinois  for  fifty 
years  past ;  Orrin,  the  subject  of  this  memoir  ; 
and  Emeline,  wife  of  Dr.  Rodney  Harmes,  of 
Pleasant  Mount. 

To  provide  for  so  large  a  family,  Andrew 
Lester  and  his  wife  were  under  the  necessity  of 
exercising  industry  and  economy.  It  was  neces- 
sary to  clear  and  cultivate  his  land  and  to  sub- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


667 


stitute  a  substantial  farm-house  and  barn  in  the 
place  of  the  original  rude  structures.  But, 
while  not  neglecting  these  home  duties,  he  paid 
much  attention  to  hunting,  fishing  and  trapping, 
and  among  the  pioneers  of  his  locality  he  was 
noted  for  the  possession  of  great  physical 
strength,  unconquerable  determination  and  for 
his  prowess  as  a  hunter.  The  forests  and  streams 
had  an  irresistible  charm  for  him,  and  many 
are  the  stories  of  his  adventures  that  have  been 
handed  down.  Deer  were  plenty  and  he  often 
supplied  his  family  with  venison,  and  his  chil- 
dren can  yet  remember  of  his  leading  wolves 
home  which  had  been  caught  in  his  traps,  which 
he  accomplished  by  tying  their  jaws  together 
before  releasing  them. 

From  such  hardy  parentage  sprang  Orrin 
Lester,  who  was  born  in  an  old  log  house  that 
stood  on  top  of  the  hill  near  where  his  son, 
Franklin  P.  Lester,  resides,  October  13,  1817. 
He  was  early  inured  to  a  life  of  toil  and  hard- 
ship, and  found  little  opportunity  to  derive  an 
education  at  the  neighboring  district  school. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  learned  the  trade  of 
axe  manufacturing  with  David  Starks,  of  Pleas- 
ant Mount,  and  followed  that  business  tor  nearly 
ten  years.  On  November  IS,  1841,  he  married 
Czrena,  daughter  of  John  and  Lvdia  (Yale) 
Bigelow,  and  soon  after  bought  a  tract  of  land 
comprising  seventy  acres,  now  owned  by  Thomas 
O'Neill,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Mount  Pleasant 
township.  Having  erected  a  log  house  thereon, 
and  cleared  off  a  portion  of  the  land,  he  ex- 
changed it  with  his  brother  David  for  the  old 
homestead  property,  upon  which  he  located 
May  1,  1854,  his  father  and  mother  living  with 
him  until  their  respective  deaths.  Upon  this 
place  Mr.  Lester  has  spent  the  greater  portion  of 
his  active  life,  engaged  in  farming  and  in  the 
various  speculations  in  wool  and  stock  incident 
to  his  career.  Iu  1877  he  purchased  the  Jona- 
than Wilbur  farm,  adjoining  his  homestead 
farm,  containing  about  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  acres,  and  he  now  resides  in  the  mansion- 
house  located  thereon.  He  has  always  been  ac- 
tive in  politics,  and  ardently  supported  the 
principles  and  doctrines  of  the  Democratic  party. 
He  has  held  all  the  important  offices  of  his 
township,  including  supervisor,  and  in  1866  was 


elected  treasurer  of  Wayne  County  by  a  ma- 
jority of  seven  hundred  and  thirty-one  votes 
over  his  opponent,  Henry  W.  Igler.  August  3, 
1842,  he  was  commissioned  by  Governor  David 
11.  Porter  captain  of  the  Tenth  Company,  Seven- 
tieth Regiment  in  the  Third  Brigade  and 
Eighth  Division  of  the  State  Militia,  embracing 
the  counties  of  Northumberland,  Union,  Colum- 
bia, Luzerne,  Susquehanna  and  Wayne.  He  is 
one  of  the  representative  old  residents  of  Mount 
Pleasant  township,  and,  though  now  confined  to 
a  sedentary  life  by  rheumatism,  has  been  one 
of  the  most  powerful  and  athletic  men  of  his 
time,  and,  like  his  father,  an  ardent  and  success- 
ful hunter. 

Of  his  four  children,  John  died  September  20, 
1861,  aged  nineteen  years  ;  Catharine  Em- 
eline  is  the  wife  of  Nathan  R.  Kennedy,  of 
Pleasant  Mount;  Orrin  P.  died  January  22, 
1880,  in  his  thirtieth  year;  and  Franklin  P. 
is  farming  on  the  old  homestead. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

OREGON    TOWNSHIP. 

1  n  1 846  the  inhabitants  of  the  upper  portion  of 
Berlin  township  presented  a  petition  to  the  Court 
of  Quarter  Sessions,  setting  forth  that,  because  of 
the  location  of  the  election-houseand  thecondition 
of  the  roads,  they  were  subject  to  great  incon- 
venience in  the  exercise  of  their  rights  of  citi- 
zenship; they  asked,  therefore,  that  a  new  town- 
ship be  erected.  The  court  constituted  Zara  W. 
Arnold,  Abiram  Winton  and  Thomas  I.  Hub- 
bell  a  committee  to  examine  the  boundaries  of 
the  proposed  township,  and  report  at  the  next 
session.  On  February  10,  1847,  this  commit- 
tee filed  a  report,  which  was  finally  confirmed 
on  the  12th  day  of  the  succeeding  May.  It 
divided  the  townships  by  a  line  beginning  at 
the  line  of  Dyberry  and  Texas  townships,  and 
extending  along  the  line  of  lots  Nos.  58,  59,  60 
and  61  on  the  warrantee  map  of  the  county. 
Oregon  is  bounded  north  by  Lebanon,  east  by 
Damascus,  south  by  Berlin  and  west  by  Dy- 
berry. 

The  township  thus  erected  is  one  of  the  small- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


est  in  the  county,  ranking  in  size  with  Palmyra, 
Texas  and  Cherry  Ridge,  and,  compared  with 
the  others,  its  proportional  increase  in  popula- 
tion has  been  small.  The  assessment  list  for 
1847,  the  first  taken  after  the  erection  of  the 
township,  contained  seventy-seven  taxables, 
while  that  for  the  year  1885  shows  only  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five. 

The  following  were  listed  as  taxables  in  Ore- 
gon in  1848  : 


David  Aigaus. 
Edward  Aigans. 
James  Arthur. 
Daniel  Brown. 
Cornelius  Briinig. 
George  Braning. 
John  Bines. 
Richard  Brown. 
George  W.  Brown. 
Lucis  Brouton. 
Edward  Boucher. 
Thomas  Boucher. 
Edward  Budd. 
Almernor  Beard. 
William  Bryant. 
James  Bryant. 
Thomas  Bryant. 
Thomas  Challacomb. 
Walker  Chubb. 
Cyrus  Clark. 
Peter  Davey. 
John  Davey. 
Joseph  Doney. 
Samuel  Dodge. 
John  Elison. 
Hartland  Fuller. 
Trooman  Goodenough 
Andrew  Hicks. 
Charles  Hicks. 
John  Hicks. 
Robert  Hicks. 
John  Hartman. 
Charles  Hartman. 
Ferris  Hartman. 
Thomas  Holt. 
William  Hoyl. 
Joseph  Honey. 
Jacob  Hole. 
Pry  Hole. 

James 


Elijah  Hooker. 
Zenas  Hamlin. 
Charles  Hole. 
Zenas  Hole. 
Daniel  Hole. 
Jonas  Kimbell. 
James  Lovelass. 
Joseph  May. 
William  Miller. 
Stephen  Marsh. 
Thomas  Marsh. 
Edward  Murray. 
Hugh  McCrunnels. 
James  McCrunnels. 
Benj'n.  McCrunnels 
Thomas  Harris. 
Charles  Nelson. 
Samuel  Oliver. 
William  Oliver. 
James  Oliver. 
John  Pulis. 
Peter  Pulis. 
Henry  Pulis. 
James  Piper. 
John  Pride. 
George  D.  Smith. 
Simon  Schoonover. 
Isaac  Smith. 
John  Saire. 
Thomas  Shuman. 
William  Scambler. 
Henry  Scambler. 
John  Smith. 
Frederick  Smith. 
Charles  Smith. 
John  Sharp. 
Thomas  Woodley. 
Richard  Woodley. 
Henry  Watts. 
Youngs. 


Immigration  in  Oregon  has  been  very  limited, 
and  the  present  inhabitants  are  descended  mainly 
from  a  few  settlers  who  cleared  homes  for  them- 
selves before  the  excision  from  Berlin  took 
place.     The  surface  of  the  township  is  a  succes- 


sion of  undulating  hills  that  roll  upward  to- 
ward the  highlands  to  the  north,  but  are  broken 
by  the  wood-crowned  ridges  which  limit  the 
water-sheds  of  several  picturesque  brooks. 
Very  little  of  the  first  growth  timber  remains, 
and  the  soil,  though  quite  stony,  is  fertile  for  a 
wide  range  of  products.  A  number  of  ponds 
dot  the  hills,  and  good  water  is  everywhere 
abundant,  so  that  the  farms  are  well  adapted  to 
cattle-raising  and  wool-groMTing ;  both  occupa- 
tions are  succeeding  the  lumbering,  which  was  a 
prominent  feature  of  the  township's  early  his- 
tory. 

Oregon  is  all  within  the  drainage  basin  of 
the  Lackawaxen,  and  its  streams  have  their 
origin  in  the  township  limits.  Carley  Brook 
rises  near  the  northern  boundary,  and  flows 
southwest  diagonally  through  to  join  the  Lack- 
awaxen at  Traceyville,  in  Texas.  Big  Brook 
rises  in  the  northwestern  corner  and  flows  into 
Dyberry,  and  Holbert  Brook  waters  the  south- 
eastern corner  before  flowing  into  Texas.  Day, 
Spruce,  Huck,  Mud,  Lovelass,  Smith,  Upper 
and  Lower  Wilcox  Ponds  lie  amid  its  hills. 

Early  Settlers. — The  earliest  settlers  in 
what  is  now  Oregon  were  pioneers  from  Dyberry 
and  the  mother  township.  Full  of  vigor  and 
courage,  they  went  into  what  was  then  a  wilder- 
ness infested  with  bears  and  wolves,  made  little 
clearings,  and  attempted  to  wrest  a  living  from 
the  virgin  soil.  The  absence  of  roads  and  the 
desolation  of  the  country  made  the  privations 
greater  than  those  in  the  adjacent  townships, 
and  the  earliest  settlers  returned  from  whence 
they  came.  The  foremost  pioneer  of  whom 
there  remains  a  record  was  Lester  Adams,  who 
came  from  Berlin  and  made  a  clearing  in  what 
is  known  as  Smith  Hill.  His  log  house  stood 
near  the  road  that  passes  the  Smith  Hill 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  one  of  his 
younger  children  was  born  there.  After  a  few 
years  he  went  back  to  what  remained  Berlin, 
and  a  further  account  of  him  will  be  found  in 
the  history  of  that  township. 

Hugh  McCrunnels,  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
nee  Mary  Williams,  came  from  Ten  Mile  Run, 
on  the  Delaware,  and  settled  on  what  was 
known  as  the  "  Gate  Road,"  where  he  cleared 
three  farms.     He  had  two  sons — Benjamin,  who 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


lives  at  Forest  City,  Lackawanna  County,  and 
James.  The  latter  lived  on  one  of  the  farms 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  then  removed  with 
his  family  to  Iowa,  where  he  died  a  decade  ago. 

Louis  Hoel  was  a  near  neighbor  of  Mr. 
McCrunnels,  and  settled  near  the  line  of 
Dyberry,  from  which  township  he  came.  His 
father  had  been  a  pioneer,  and  Mr.  Hoel, 
though  without  wife  or  companions,  went  into 
the  woods  with  his  axe  and  gun  to  make  him- 
self a  home.  At  that  time  deer  were  plenty, 
and  an  occasional  elk  lifted  his  spreading 
antlers  over  the  laurel  and  rhododendron. 
Wolves  barked  through  the  forest  and  rain  fell 
from  the  night  clouds  on  his  unsheltered  head, 
lie  commenced  his  clearing  late  in  the  summer, 
but  when  the  snow  came  he  was  ready  for  the 
tedious  winter.  His  log  hut  bore  testimony  to 
the  energy  with  which  he  had  worked,  though 
it  lacked  a  chimney.  On  the  clay  floor  of  his 
cabin  he  improvised  a  fireplace  of  earth  and 
stones,  and  the  smoke  from  his  primitive  hearth 
passed  out  through  a  hole  in  the  roof.  During 
that  and  several  succeeding  winters  he  subsisted 
on  game,  until  the  fields  he  had  wrested  from 
the  forest  brought  him  ease  and  plenty.  Mr. 
I  loci  is  the  oldest  of  the  surviving  early  settlers, 
and  lives  with  Mr.  William  Bait,  in  Dyberry 
township. 

The  farm  now-  occupied  by  Frank  Pulis 
was  settled  by  his  father,  Henry  1'ulis,  in  the 
spring  of  1828.  Henry  was  a  son  of  Conrad 
1'ulis,  one  of  the  founders  of  Bethany,  and 
had  secured  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres.  He  had  previously  married  Caroline 
Whitmore,  of  Scott.  They  had  nine  children^ — 
Margaret,  wife  of  Lucian  Goodenough;  Calvin, 
who  went  South  and  died  ;  Harriet,  wife  of 
Frederick  Smith  ;  Sarah,  wife  of  George  (  base; 
Samantha,  wife  of  S.  E.  Bryant;  Olive,  wife  of 
Lucien  Hauton ;  Amanda,  wife  of  Herman 
Faatz;  Frank  and  Nellie. 

The  "  English  settlement,"  as  the  territory 
along  the  southeastern  part  of  the  township  is 
called,  was  made  during  the  year  1832,  when 
•lames  Piper  arrived  from  Devonshire,  England, 
bringing  a  wife  and  three  children.  He  located 
near  the  Berlin  line,  in  the  eastern  corner  of 
tlic  township,  and  the  next  year  a  number  of  his 
G5 


countrymen  followed  his  example.  In  a  short 
time  a  small  community,  from  which  the  de- 
scendants have  gone  out  into  the  adjacent  tow  n- 
ships,  was  established  in  a  radius  of  a  mile  or 
two.  Mr.  Piper  left  one  sou,  Richard,  who  lo- 
cated on  the  road  to  Beach  Pond, and  afterward, 
in  1851,  was  drowned  at  White  Mills.  Mrs. 
Jonas  Mills  is  a  daughter  of  James  Piper,  and 
lives  at  the  homestead,  which  is  one  of  the  old- 
est frame  houses  in  the  settlement. 

Soon  after  this  James  <  >liver,  a  Cornishman, 
came  with  his  family  and  settled  near  the  Piper 
place.  He  had  several  children,  and  two  of  his 
sons,  George  and  William,  reside  on  the  tract 
which  he  cleared.  Among  those  who  were  in- 
fluenced to  leave  "  Merrie  England"  by  the 
success  that  attended  Mr.  Piper's  enterprise 
were  Samuel  Pen  warden,  James  Challacomb  and 
Thomas  Woodley.  Mr.  Challacomb  was  the 
first  to  arrive,  and  remained  in  the  settlement 
for  some  time,  but  finally  went  West.  Few  of 
his  descendants  remain  in  this  section.  Thomas 
Woodley,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  his  parents, 
Richard  and  Ann,  a  brother  Richard,  William 
Wicks  and  Edmund  Budd,  left  Cornwall,  Eng 
land,  and  landed  in  Quebec  in  1832.  The 
party  came  to  Oregon  via  Lake  Champlain  and 
the  canal  from  Rondout.  Thomas  went  first  to 
Seelyville,  where  he  remained  a  few  months, 
and  then  built  a  cabin  near  the  site  of  his  pres- 
ent residence  at  Smith  Hill.  He  had  six  sons 
and  daughters,  most  of  whom  are  married  and 
reside  near  the  homestead. 

Samuel  Penwarden  first  settled  near  the  Wood- 
leys.  Although  the  houses  were  but  a  few  rods 
apart,  dense  forest  intervened,  and  there  was 
little  companionship.  The  immigrants  had 
little  money  and  few  possessions,  and  the  winter 
was  drawing  pear;  By  dint  of  much  toil  Mr. 
Penwarden  succeeded  in  getting  his  cabin  com- 
pleted before  his  funds  ran  low,  but  his  chimney 
remained  unfinished  and  he  went  to  work  on  a 
neighboring  farm.  While  he  was  gone,  in  addi- 
tion to  attending  to  the  duties  of  the  household, 
Mrs.  Penwarden  collected  the  material  for  the 
fire-place,  and,  assisted  by  her  younger  children, 
laid  the  chimney  with  soft  clay,  so  that  on  his 
return  her  husband  might  have  still  greater  evi- 
dence of  her  sacrifice   and    devotion.     Of  such 


670 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


stuff  were  the  pioneer  women  of  Oregon  made. 
Soon  afterward  Mr.  Pen  warden  located  on 
the  place  now  occupied  by  Jonas  Mills,  and 
later  moved  to  the  farm  recently  owned  by  John 
Garret,  near  the  Carley  Brook  saw-mill.  Sam- 
uel Pen  warden  had  eight  sons, — William,  who 
built  the  saw-mill  on  Carley  Brook;  Simon,  a 
resident  of  Way m art ;  Walter,  who  died  in  the 
latter  place  in  1883 ;  Samuel,  who  lives  in 
Honesdale  j  John  H.,  a  resident  of  Berlin; 
George,  paymaster  for  the  Pratt  Oil  Company, 
of  New  York  ;  and  Richard,  of  Honesdale. 

Walter  Penwarden  died  at  his  residence  near 
Prompton,  Pa.,  Friday  morning,  October  20, 
1882.  He  was  born  in  Devonshire,  England, 
December  31,  1826,  and  removed  from  thence 
with  his  father, Samuel  Penwarden,  Sr.,to  Ore- 
gon, Wayne  County,  Pa.,  May,  1832,  when  the 
surrounding  country  was  a  dense  wilderness. 
He  was  reared  amidst  the  many  disadvantages 
attendant  at  that  time.  His  educational  advan- 
tages were  very  limited.  He  became  an  em- 
ployee upon  the  Gravity  Road  of  the  D.  &  II. 
( lompany  in  the  spring  of  1848,  and  continued 
in  their  employ  as  a  railroad  carpenter  most  of 
the  time,  until  he  was  disabled  in  consequence 
of  his  last  illness,  a  period  of  about  thirty-five 
years.  After  a  lingering  and  painful  illness  for 
several  months  he  died,  from  cancer  of  the 
stomach.  He  was  a  good,  obedient  sun,  a  kind, 
loving  brother,  a  dutiful,  affectionate  husband, 
a  generous,  indulgent  lather,  and  in  neighborly 
kindnesses  he  could  not  be  excelled.  He  was 
ever  willing  to  render  all  possible  aid  to  those  in 
need.  He  was  always  ready  to  aid  in  every  good 
cause.  He  was  a  quiet,  unostentatious,  sweet- 
spirited  Christian  man,  always  ready  to  do  good 
when  and  where  opportunity  appeared.  He 
was  by  nature  a  gentleman.  His  courtesy  and 
politeness  were  but  the  natural  expression  of  in- 
ward kind  feeling  and  thoughtful  consideration 
for  others.  In  his  g Iness  to  others,  he  fre- 
quently was  unmindful  of  his  own  physical  re- 
quirements. His  funeral  was  largely  attended, 
which  gave  evidence  of  the  high  esteem  with 
which  he  was  looked  upon  by  the  community. 
True  hearts  aud  willing  hands  of  a  loviug  wife 
and  affectionate  children  administered  to  his 
wants,  and  made  his  closing  days  as  full  of  cheer 


and  comfort  as  possible.  His  lastdays  were  full  of 
hope  and  Christian  peace.  He  was  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church  for  seven 
years.  He  left  a  wife,  three  sons  and  one 
daughter,  together  with  a  large  circle  of  relatives 
and  friends,  to  mourn  their  loss. 

Thomas  H.  Dunn  came  from  Cambridgeshire, 
England,  in  1835,  and  moved  into  Dyberry  in 
1 840.  While  there  he  married  Elizabeth, daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Doney,  and  located  on  the  line  of 
Oregon  and  Dyberry  townships.  In  1863  he 
moved  on  one  of  the  farms  cleared  by  Hugh 
McCrunnels,  on  the  Rileysville  road,  where  he 
now  resides.  He  has  five  children  living  in  the 
vicinity. 

In  1842  Thomas  B.  Shuman  came  from  Dev- 
onshire, and  settled  on  a  farm  just  opposite 
Thomas  Woodley,  near  the  Smith  Hill  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  He  had  eight  chil- 
dren,— Nora  J.  (Mrs.  Glone),  Elizabeth  (Mrs. 
Best),  Mary  (Mrs.  Budd),  Selina,  John  H.  (of 
Honesdale),  Arnold  J.,  William  A.  and  Fred- 
erick A.  (of  Honesdale).  Henry  Dodge  came 
from  the  East  and  settled  on  the  Big  Brook, 
near  the  saw-mill  now  occupied  by  G.  W.  Kim- 
ble. Mr.  Dodge  had  a  number  of  children, 
some  of  whom  now  reside  in  Honesdale.  The 
homestead  has  passed  into  other  hands.  The 
next  year,  William  Watts  and  family  came  from 
Barnstable,  Devonshire,  and  located  near  Smith 
Hill.  His  children  are  Henry,  William  and 
John.  Mr.  Watts  lived  for  eight  years  on  the 
Amburst  Wheeler  place.  One  of  his  sons  is  in 
business  in  Honesdale. 

Daniel  and  Charles  Hoel,  of  Dyberry,  built 
a  saw-mill  on  Big  Brook,  near  the  township 
line,  in  1842,  and  in  1844  G  W.  Kimble 
bought  it,  and  moved  from  the  homestead  of 
Asa  Kimble,  near  Honesdale.  He  had  married 
Phoebe  Schoonover,  and  has  four  children, — 
Daniel  M.,  Abby  (Mrs.  Parsons),  George  A. 
and  Elbe.  The  latter-named  live  at  the  home- 
stead, which  occupies  a  commanding  site,  and 
overlooks  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  town, 
ship. 

4".  A.  Goodenough  moved  from  Bethany  to 
the  farm  he  now  occupies,  on  the  Carley  Brook 
road,  in  1847.  He  married  Hannah  W.  Tor- 
rev  in  1830,  and  has  six  children, —  Lucian  H., 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


U71 


Lowell  L.;  Lynns  N.  ;  Emily,  wife  of  James 
Davey;  Eliza,  wife  of  Franklin  Carr,  of  Way- 
marl  ;  and  Charlotte,  who  resides  at  the  home- 
stead. 

.lames  (  Hiver  came  from  Devonshire  in  1831, 
and  loeated  just  over  the  Berlin  line.  His  wife 
was  Mary  Hockady,  and  their  children  were, 
John  ;  James,  drowned  in  1832  ;  William  ;  Sam- 
uel; Lewis;  Gideon  ;  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Thomas 
Legg);  Mary  C,  wife  of  Stephen  Histed  ;  Pru- 
dence, wife  of  John  Oliver;  Catherine  (Mrs. 
Joseph  May). 

Soon  after  the  settlement  of  Bethany,  Jason 
Torrey  bought  a  large  tract  of  land,  lying  part 
in  Oregon  and  part  in  Lebanon  townships,  un- 
der the  warrantee  name  of  Aimer  Skinner,  and 
with  a  view  to  having  it  more  easily  cleared 
in  the  future,  sent  a  party  of  men  out  to  girdle 
all  the  large  trees,  that  they  might  die.  From 
this  circumstance,  the  locality  was  known  as 
"the  Girdland."  It  embraces  some  of  the  best 
farming  land  in  the  township.  Charles  Torrey, 
a  brother  of  Jason,  was  the  first  settler,  and 
made  a  small  clearing,  and  then  abandoned  the 
enterprise.  The  next  settler  was  .lames  Nelson, 
who  took  up  a  lot  of  excellent  land  near  the 
Torrey  place,  and,  after  making  a  good  clear- 
ing, erected  a  frame  house,  the  first  in  Girdland, 
in  1848.  The  place  was  remote  from  society 
and  schools,  and  the  roads  were  only  such  in 
name ;  Nelson  became  discouraged,  sold  out 
and  removed  to  Nebraska. 

In  1851  Jonathan  Bryant,  a  son  of  Thomas 
Bryant,  went  to  Girdland,  and  settled  on  a 
place  that  had  been  commenced  by  A.  B.  Gam- 
mel,  of  Bethany.  By  his  steadfastness  of  pur- 
pose and  untiring  energy,  he  overcame  the 
obstacles  that  had  discouraged  his  predecessors, 
and  has  since  acquired  a  competency.  He 
bought  the  Torrey  farm,  and  afterwards  sold  it 
to  George  Croy,  by  whom  it  is  at  present  occu- 
pied. Mr.  Bryant  has  eight  children, — Flor- 
ence (wife  of  William  Crocker);  Mary,  (wife  of 
Theodore  Wall),  Burton,  Albert,  Fred,  George, 
Sarah  and  Otis. 

In  1850  Mark  Cook  came  from  Philadelphia, 
and  was  attracted  by  the  fertility  of  the  soil. 
He  became  a  neighbor  of  Mr.  Bryant,  and  re- 
mained with  his  family  until  1870,  when  they 


returned  to  the  Quaker  <  'itv.  Richard  Mauds- 
lev  was  also  one  of  the  early  settlers  ;  he  is 
dead,  and  his  family  have  moved  west. 

William  Scambler  came  from  London  in 
1845,  and  after  a  six  years'  residence  in  Mount 
Pleasant,  located  on  the  Lebanon  road,  in  the 
extreme  northwestern  corner  of  Oregon  town- 
ship. He  had  three  children, — II.  \V.  Scam- 
bler, who  lives  at  the  homestead  ;  George,  who 
was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Winchester;  and 
Mary  Ann,  the  wife  of  Jonathan  Bryant. 

James  D.  Bolcomb,  a  son  of  .lames  Bolcomb, 
of  Dy berry,  took'  possession  of  a  farm  just  op- 
posite the  Lewis  Hoel  place,  on  the  Gate  road, 
in  1857.  He  married  Esther  A.  Stevens,  of 
West  Lebanon,  who  lived  but  a  short  time.  In 
1855  he  led  to  the  altar  Lucy  A.,  a  daughter 
of  Charles  Hoel.  No  children  were  born  of 
either  union. 

Roads. — Soon  after  the  settlement  of  Beth- 
any, in  1801,  a  road  leading  from  Dyberry 
through  to  the  Coehecton  and  Great  Bend  turn- 
pike was  laid  out,  and  was  known  as  the  "  Gate 
Road."  The  exact  date  of  its  survey  and  the 
name  of  the  engineer  who  conducted  the  work 
are  not  known,  but  it  is  probable  that  the  route 
followed  a  trail  blazed  by  some  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Wayne  County.  There  are  also 
traces  of  a  road  that  passed  east  and  west 
through  the  township.  Its  termini  are  matters  of 
conjecture  to  the  present  inhabitants;  it  fell 
into  disuse  many  years  ago.  In  1823  a  road 
was  laid  out  from  Genung  settlement,  through 
Smith's  settlement,  to  the  line  of  Pike  County, 
traces  of  which  still  appear,  although  much  of 
the  original  route  has  been  vacated.  The  road 
from  Smith's  settlement  to  Parsons,  Damascus 
township,  was  laid  out  in  1827,  and  is  still  used. 
The  first  viewers  appointed  after  the  erection  of 
Oregon  as  a  separate  township  were  Stephen 
Torrey,  Ezra  Hulburt  and  Stephen  G.  Cory. 
They  were  directed  to  lay  out  a  road  through 
the   lands   of  Walter   Chubb,  Thomas  Challa- 

uli  and  others.     The  highway  commenced  at 

Smith's  settlement,  and  terminated  on  the  lands 
of  James  Smith.  During  the  same  year  roads 
were  laid  out  from  Henry  Bunnell's  blacksmith 
shop  to  Smith's  mill,  and-adjacent  to  the  Meth- 
odist   chapel   at  Smith   Hill.     At  present  the 


WAYNE,  I'IKB  AND  M0N1IOK  COUNTIKS.   I'KNNSYLVANIA. 


township  is  threaded  with  fair  roads,  most  oi 
which  are  kept  in  good  repair. 

Religious  Mattebs. — The  first  religious 
services  that  there  is  any  record  of  were  held  at 
the  residence  of  James  Piper,  soon  after  the 
English  settlement  was  commenced.  The  meet- 
ings were  conducted  by  a  Rev.  Mr.  Davey,  who 
was  among  the  first  emigrants  to  this  section. 
At  this  time  there  was  no  church  or  class  in  the 
settlement,  and  the  attendance  was  only  half  a 
dozen.  In  1851  Rev.  Mr.  Frost  held  services 
at  the  residences  of  Jonathan  Bryant,  in  Gird- 
land,  and  in  1857  regular  preaching  at  the 
school-house  in  the  same  place  was  commenced. 
Mrs.  Bryant  was  the  first  member  enrolled,  and 
Mark  Cook  the  second.  The  first  class  was 
established  in  1858,  with  Mark  Cook  as  leader. 
At  the  close  of  the  first  year  only  six  members 
were  enrolled. 

The  three  churches  are  known  as  the  "  Ore- 
gon Charge"  of  the  Honesdale  District, 
Wyoming  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  The  first  records  obtainable  show  that 
Rev.  L.  C.  Phillips  was  pastor  in  1860-61. 
Since  that  time  the  pastors  were  as  follows  : 

Fred.Ulman L862 

Joseph  Whit  ham 1863 

Jonas  Underwood 1864 

Kichard  Vasca 1865-66 

Stephen  Cramp 1866 

Gabriel  Westfall 1867  68 

F.  Alexander 1869 

G.  C.Andrews 1870 

George  Fritchet 1871-72 

C.  W.  Sastell 1873-74 

J.  C.  Colnon 1875 

E.  B.  Scudder 1876 

J.  T.  Burrell 1878-80 

T.  F.  Doty 1880-82 

Supply  byT.J.  Gates 1883-84 

J.  E.  Allen 1885 

The  charge  now  contains  one  hundred  and 
ten  members,  distributed  as  follows  : 

Carley  Brook 18 

Girdlaud 42 

Oregon 25 

Smith  Hill 25 

The  records  of  the  churches  are  very  deficient, 
and  the  date  at  which  the  buildings  were  erected 
is  not  definitely  known.  None  of  them  are 
over  twenty-five  years  old. 


For  the  past  few  years  the  German  Lutherans 
have  held  occasional  services  in  the  Girdlaud 
School-house,  but  there  is  no  organized  con- 
gregation, and  the  members  of  the  denomination 
are  few  in  number. 

Schools. — The  rude,  initial-carved  desks 
behind  which  a  dozen  children  sat  to  listen  and 
learn  of  Miss  Margaret  Parmenter  have  long 
since  crumbled  to  dust,  and  half  a  mile  south 
of  the  tannery,  crops  ripen  over  the  spot  where 
the  old  log  school-house  stood.  In  1820,  when 
the  path  to  the  school  was  only  a  blazed  trail 
through  the  woods,  she  opened  the  first  school 
ever  held  in  the  territory  that  now  constitutes 
Oregon.  After  teaching  several  years,  she  was 
succeeded  by  a  Miss  Stevens,  who,  in  turn,  gave 
place  to  Mrs.  Agin. 

The  school  law  of  1834  was  sustained  by 
Wayne  County,  and,  after  that  time,  the  teach 
era,  who  had  been  supported  by  private  subscrip- 
tion, were  regularly  employed  by  the  State. 
The  township  is  now  divided  into  four  districts, 
and  has  for  the  secretary  of  directors,  Captain 
John  Kellow,  the  eldest  sou  of  Thomas  Kel- 
low,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Honesdale. 
Captain  Kellow  was  a  valiant  soldier  in  the 
Civil  War,  and  in  1863  settled  on  Upper  Wil- 
cox Pond,  and  has  since  been  secretary  of  the 
board.  The  first  school-house  erected  by  the 
township  was  in  1848,  and  is  located  half  a 
mile  above  G.  W.  Kimble's  saw-mill.  Two 
years  afterward  No.  2,  better  known  as  the 
"Red  School-House,"  was  built.  In  1854  the 
Euglish  settlement  had  grown  large  enough  to 
require  separate  accommodations,  and  No.  4 
was  erected.  The  school  at  Girdlaud  was  built 
by  private  subscription  a  few  years  ago,  and 
cost  about  four  hundred  dollars.  All  of  the 
buildings  are  of  frame,  and  are  comfortably 
furnished. 

Manufacturing  Interests.  —  Frederick 
Smith,  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  Berlin 
township,  was  the  industrial  pioneer  of  Oregon. 
About  1840  he  erected  the  first  saw-mill  within 
what  eight  years  later  became  the  township 
limits.  It  was  situated  on  Carley  Brook,  near 
the  Texas  line,  and  is  still  standing,  though  but 
little  used,  the  timber  being  exhausted  in  its 
immediate  vicinity.  The  same  year  that  Oregon 


'<0      sp- 


WAYNE  COUNTY 


was  erected  as  a  separate  township,  Daniel  M. 
Hani,  E.  E.  Gilbert  and  J.  K.  Palmer  bought 
a  tract  of  a  thousand  acres  lying  on  Carley 
Brook,  and  two  years  later  erected  a  tannery  a 
short  distance  from  the  township  line.  This 
gave  an  impetus  to  the  prosperity  of  farmers  in 
the  immediate  vicinity,  as  the  hemlock  bark, 
which  before  had  been  worthless,  acquired  a 
fair  commercial  value  and  stimulated  rapid 
clearing.  In  1856  the  firm  became  Gilbert, 
Palmer  &  Reed,  and  so  continued  until  1.S60, 
when  Reed  withdrew,  and  Gilbert  &  Palmer 
carried  on  the  business  until  they  failed  and 
the  establishment  passed  into  the  hands  of  D. 
M.  Hard.  Under  the  firm-name  of  F.  H. 
Rockwell  &  Co.,  the  tannery  ran  until  1869, 
when  Wefferling,  Brunig  &  Co.,  the  present 
owners,  purchased  it.  In  September  of  the 
same  year  the  plant  was  burned,  causing  a  loss 
of  five  thousand  dollars,  but  the  establishment 
was  soon  rebuilt.  William  Wefferling  and 
Fred.  Brunig  had  come  from  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, a  number  of  years  before  this,  and  had 
been  employed  in  the  tannery  under  its  former 
owners.  Both  were  men  of  parts,  and  of  frugal 
habit;  the  industry  of  their  early  days  has  been 
rewarded  by  the  ownership  of  a  prosperous 
business. 

In  1852,  John  Riefler,  a  native  of  Wurtern- 
berg,  came  to  Wayne  County,  bringing  with 
him  his  wife,  and  a  year  later  his  son  followed. 
Both  went  to  work  for  Hard,  Gilbert  &  Palmer, 
and  for  ten  years  Mr.  Riefler  was  foreman  of 
the  establishment.  The  saw-mill  which  he  now 
owns  was  built  by  his  former  employers,  and 
was  purchased  by  him  and  his  son  Henry  in 
18(37.  Two  years  after  this  Henry  sold  out 
his  interest  and  bought  a  farm  near  by.  John 
Riefler  was  elected  county  commissioner  on  the 
Republican  ticket  in  1878,  and  proved  a  valua- 
ble and  efficient  officer.  He  lives  in  a  pleasant 
residence  near  the  mills,  and  has  thirteen  chil- 
dren, some  of  whom  are  among  the  business 
men  of  New  York,  Brooklyn  and  Scranton. 
Henry  Riefler  resides  near  by,  and  has  four 
children,  who  reside  with  him  at  the  homestead. 

William  Penwarden  built  a  saw-mill  on  Car- 
ley  Brook,  a  short  distance  above  that  of  Mr. 
Riefler,  in    1856,  and  took    possession  on  the 


2d  of  July.  His  mill  is  well-improved  with 
the  latest  machinery,  and  does  a  large  business. 
He  has  live  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  living  at 
or  near  his  residence. 

Post-Offices. — There  are  but  two  post- 
offices  in  Oregon  township,  and  both  have  been 
established  at  a  comparatively  recent  date.  In 
1876  John  R.  Budd,  who  located  in  Girdland 
in  1870,  was  appointed  postmaster  at  that 
place,  and  retained  the  position  until  1880, 
when  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
resigned.  His  wife  was  made  his  successor,  and 
has  held  office  since  that  time.  In  connection 
with  his  office  Mr.  Budd  carries  on  a  general 
store  and  a  blacksmith-shop.  The  post-office  at 
Carley  Brook  was  created  in  1879,  and  Fred 
Brunig  received  the  first  and  only  commission. 
Both  of  these  offices  receive  the  mail  three  times 
a  week. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

WILLIAM     PENWARDEN. 

Among  those  who  came  into  Wayne  County 
in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century,  to 
carve  out  for  themselves  and  their  descendants 
homes  and  fortunes,  was  Samuel  Penwarden,  Sr., 
who  was  born  in  Devonshire  County,  parish  of 
Py worthy,  England,  in  August,  1800.  He 
was  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  (nine 
brothers  and  three  sisters),  all  of  whom  lived  to 
be  men  and  women.  In  1822  he  married  Jo- 
hanna Chubb,  whose  parents  resided  in  the 
same  parish.  Mr.  Penwarden  had  relatives  in 
America,  and  from  them  he  received  such  glow- 
ing accounts  of  the  New  World  that  he  deter- 
mined to  seek  a  home  therein.  With  his  wife 
and  three  sons  he  embarked  at  Liverpool  in 
April, 1832,in  the  sailing- vessel  "Fine  Snow  and 
Dromedary,"  Joseph  Hayden,  captain,  and  in 
May  arrived  in  New  York.  From  New  York 
they  came  to  Honesdale  by  canal,  which  was 
then  the  only  public  means  of  travel  between 
those  points.  Honesdale  then  contained  few 
inhabitants,  having  only  two  stores,  and  no 
churches.  They  first  lived  on  what  was  after- 
wards known  as  the  Bennett  farm,  about  six 
miles    from    Honesdale.        From    the    Bennett 


674 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


farm  they  moved  to  John  Garrett's  farm,  and 
after  two  years  again  moved,  this  time  to  John 
Smith's  farm.  In  1840  he  purchased  of  John 
Torrey  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  land — 
a  wilderness  tract  in  Berlin  township — where 
lie  resided  many  years,  and  where  his  children 
resided  until  they  sought  homes  of  their  own. 
In  1868,  worn  out  by  care  and  hard  work,  they 
left  t lie  farm  and  made  their  home  with  their 
sou  William.  Mr.  Penwarden's  example  can- 
not hut  he  a  lesson  to  the  coming  generations. 
His  was  a  life  of  toil  and  of  hardships,  and  his 
success  was  proof  that  industry  and  honesty 
will  always  win.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  many  years  and 
contributed  generously  towards  its  support. 
Mr.  Penwarden's  brother  Richard  came  to 
America  after  he  did,  and  settled  near  Mount 
Pleasant  village,  where  he  died  in  1857  with- 
out issue.  They  were  the  only  members  of  the 
family  that  ever  came  to  America;  hence  they 
have  but  few  relatives  in  this  country,  and  the 
name  of  Penwarden  is  seldom  met  with.  Mr. 
Samuel  Penwarden,  Sr.,  died  September  27, 
1885;  his  wife  passed  away  August  26,  1869. 
Their  children  were  William,  born  in  England, 
September  22,  1823.  Simon,  born  in  England, 
October  26,  1825.  He  married  Mary  Swingle, 
who  bore  him  children  as  follows :  Gertrude, 
married  AVm.  Aunger  ;  Emma,  married  Charles 
Smith;  Alice,  married  Arthur  Williams; 
Frederick  and  Abel.  Simon  resides  in  Way- 
mart  and  has  followed  railroading  and  farming. 
Walter,  also  born  in  England,  December  31, 
1826,  married  Martha  Jones.  His  children 
are  George  W.,  married  Louisa  Jenkins  (his 
children  are  William,  Bell  and  Harry);  Jane, 
married  Leroy  Wolf;  Melissa  and  Emma  died 
young  ;  Walter,  Jr.,  married  Bridget  Mahone, 
and  had  one  child,  Edwin.  Walter,  Sr.,  died 
in  Promptou,  October  20,  1882.  lie  was  a 
carpenter  for  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company's  Railroad,  and  worked  for  them 
many  years.  Samuel,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Berlin, 
Wayne  County,  December  19,  1832.  He  is  a 
railroad  employe  and  resides  in  Honesdale. 
He  married  Ann  Sampson.  His  children  were 
Fred,  deceased  ;  Elmer,  deceased  ;  Frank  ; 
Hattie,  deceased;  Adelia  and  Nettie.     John  H., 


born  in  Berlin,  February  14,  1838,  married 
Amanda  Maloney,  and  had  two  children,  who 
died  in  infancy.  James  Edward,  born  in  Ber- 
lin, February  11,  1838,  died  IS  12.  George 
II'.,  born  in  Berlin,  April  14,  1840,  now  resides 
in  New  York  and  is  cashier  for  Chas.  Pratt's 
astral  oil  establishment.  He  married  Hattie 
Wilt,  of  Brooklyn.  Their  children  were 
Charles  and  Florence.  Richard  ./.,  born  in 
Berlin,  June  16,  1844,  married  Jane  Smith. 
His  children  were  Delephene,  who  married 
Harvey  Welch,  and  had  one  child,  an  infant ; 
Maggie  and  Joanna,  both  deceased. 

William  Penwarden,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  passed  his  early  life  on  the  new  farm 
his  father  purchased  in  1840,  and  did  his  share 
in  clearing  and  improving  the  same.  His  edu- 
cation was  such  as  could  be  gained  by  three 
months'  attendance  each  winter  at  the  district 
schools  of  his  neighborhood  until  he  was 
twenty.  Before  his  majority  was  reached  he 
worked  out  at  eleven  dollars  per  month,  which 
was  given  to  his  father  until  he  was  of  age.  We 
next  find  him  running  a  saw-mill  for  Henry 
Bunnell,  at  so  much  per  thousand  feet.  In 
this  slow  way  he  obtained  the  means  with 
which  he  began  his  successful  business  career. 
In  1851  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Bunnell,  and  they  purchased  of  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal  Company  and  of  Mr.  Shields,  of 
Philadelphia,  one  thousand  acres  of  timber  land, 
which  included  the  water-power  now  known  as 
the  Penwarden  saw-mill  property.  In  1856, 
with  his  own  hands,  he  made  the  first  clearing 
on  what  is  now  his  home  farm.  The  country 
in  all  directions,  was  an  almost  unbroken  wil- 
derness, with  here  and  there  a  house  and  small 
clearing.  A  small  piece  cleared,  he  at  once  put 
up  a  house  into  which  he  moved  his  family. 
Mrs.  Penwarden,  then  young  and  energetic,  de- 
clares she  was  never  happier  in  her  life  than  in 
those  days,  though  they  were  days  of  unceasing 
toil.  The  same  season  the  saw-mill  was  built, 
and  work  commenced.  It  was  what  is  known 
as  an  up-and-down  saw-mill  and  was  manag- 
ed and  worked  by  Mr.  Penwarden.  In  1858  the 
partners  divided,  Mr.  Penwarden  taking  the  mill 
and  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  as  his 
share.     In  1870   he  purchased    Mr.    Bunnell's 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


GT5 


share  for  twenty  thousand  dollars.  Since  then 
he  has  bought  other  tracts  of  woodland,  which 
lie  has  sold  after  cutting  off  the  timber.  He  has 
cut  the  timber  off  from  two  thousand  acres  as 
people  wanted  to  clear  the  land.  He  now  owns 
one  thousand  acres  of  valuable  land,  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  of  which  he  has  cleared  and 
on  which  he  has  built  a  good  home  and  fine 
out-buildings.  His  mill  was  remodeled  in  1867 
and  circular  saws  put  in  place  of  the  old  up-and- 
down  saw.  In  18S0  it  was  rebuilt  and  made 
as  good  as  new,  only  to  be  burned  to  the  ground, 
with  no  insurance,  in  November  of  the  follow- 
ing year.  A  new  mill  was  at  once  built  and 
work  resumed.  Mr.  Penwarden  employs  from  ten 
to  twenty  hands  in  and  about  his  mill  which 
has  a  capacity  of  twenty  thousand  feet  of  lum- 
ber daily.  He  is  in  every  sense  of  the  word  a 
self-made  man.  He  commenced  life  with  only  his 
indomitable  energy  and  pluck  for  backers,  and 
has,  by  industry,  integrity  and  good  manage- 
ment, placed  himself  in  the  front  rank  of  the 
wealthy  and  successful  business  men  of  his 
county.  Since  the  Rebellion  he  has  been  a  Re- 
publican, though  he  intends  to  vote  in  town- 
ship and  county  matters  for  the  best  man.  He 
has  been  school  director  many  years  and  has 
held  other  township  offices.  *  >n  the  26th  day 
of  February,  L852,  he  was  joined  in  marriage  to 
Miss  (  Hive  Dapew,  who  was  bom  in  Madison- 
ville,  Luzerne  County,  Pa.,  December  4,  1832. 
Her  father,  Thomas  Depew,  was  born  in  New 
Jersey,  May  '24,  1795,  and  was  descended  from 
the  Holland  Dutch.  He  married  Abigail  Pice 
whose  ancestors  were  from  Massachusetts.  Miss 
Rice  was  born,  July  22,  1799,  and  died  April 
20,  1883;  her  husband  died  .September  16, 
1881.  Their  children  were  Lucinda,  born 
April  23,  1817  ;  Mahala,  born  February  1, 
1819,  married  Lewis  Schoonover,  twelve  chil- 
dren; Mcrritt,  born  February  17,  1821  ;  Jen- 
aette,  born  June  8,  1823,  married  a  Mr.  Stal- 
bird,  thirteen  children  ;  Abram,  born  Septem- 
ber 12,  1825,  married  Elizabeth  Swartz, 
eight  children  (he  served  all  through  the 
Rebellion  in  the  Union  army) ;  William, 
born  June  14,  1827,  married  Ellen  Rey- 
nolds, three  children;  Levi,  born  March  15, 
1830,    married     Catharine    Russell,    two    chil- 


dren. (Levi  enlisted  in  Company  "  K,"  Ninth 
Regiment,  New  Jersey  Volunteer  Infantry, 
Capt.  E.  G.  Drake,  and  was  wounded  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Roanoke,  also  in  the  battle  of  Newbern  from 
the  effects  of  which  he  died  ;)  Olive,  born  Oc- 
tober 4,  1832  ;  Simeon,  born  May  9,  1836; 
Silas,  born  Nov.  11,  1839,  married  Eliza  Dun- 
ston,  six  chil  dren.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William 
Penwarden  has  been  born  children  as  follows: 
Leroy  D.,  born  November  24,  1854,  married 
Adabell  Stevens,  daughter  of  Francis  and  Lu- 
cretia  (Bickwell)  Stevens  (children, —  Nellie, 
born  August  10,  1880  ;  Leo,  born  in  fall  of 
1884)  :  Charles  Lewis,  born  January  1<S,  1857, 
married  Zaidee  Pell  Williams  (she  was  born 
February  7,  1863),  daughter  of  Joel  B.  and 
Lucinda  (Pall)  Williams,  one  child,  Annetta 
V.,  born  June  3,1881  ;  Levi  W.,  born  Novem- 
ber 22,  1859,  married  November  20,  1880, 
Lizzie  Rodgers,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Harriet 
(Sargent)  Rodgers  (children, — Grace,  born 
April  6,  1882,  and  May  O.,  born  June  6, 
1883);  Edvena  born  September  15,1863,  mar- 
ried June  6,  1882,  F.  J.  Bryant  (children,— 
Pearl,  born  fell  of  L885  ;  R.  W,  born  March 
2.".,  1867  ;  and  F.  D.,  born  June  7,  1869.) 

WILLIAM     WAFTS. 

William  Watts  was  born  in  Barnstable 
borough,  Devonshire  County,  England,  July  2, 
1802.  His  father,  John  Watts,  was  born  in 
the  same  borough,  and  when  old  enough  was 
put  to  the  blacksmith  trade,  which  he  learned  and 
followed  for  a  livelihood.  His  wife  was  Miss 
'  lrace(  rorman,who  was  also  born  in  Barnstable. 
George  Watts,  William's  grandfather,  a  native 
of  the  same  place,  was  a  gentleman's  servant,  and 
married  Mary  Barrow.  She  wasan  active  and  cap- 
able business  women,  and  carried  on  blacksmith- 
ing,  her  brother  being  her  head  workman.  It 
is  said  of  her  that  while  she  did  not  work  in  the 
shop,  she  understood  its  every  detail  as  well  as  her 
brother,  and  kept  an  eye  on  the  business  and 
made  her  shop  a  success.  John  Watts'  children 
were  William,  John,  Harriet,  Mary,  Elizabeth, 
Thomas,  George,  James  and  Ann.  He  (John 
Watts)  died  in  England  in  1864,  his  wife  in 
1858.  William,  our  subject,  passed  the  early 
part  of  his  life  on  a  farm  as  a  common   laborer. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


In  1822  the  manufacture  of  lace  commenced  in 
England,  principally  at  Nottingham,  and  Wil- 
liam learned  the  trade.  He  became  an  expert 
workman  and  earned  good  wages.  Being  in- 
dustrious and  saving,  he  laid  by  in  the  savings 
bank  a  small  sum,  and  in  1843  (April  19th) 
embarked  at  Biddeford,  on  the  schooner  "Arab," 
tin-  New  York,  where  he  landed  with  his  wife 
and  three  children,  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks. 
A   lew  days  after  landing  they  came,  by  way  of 


not  a  tree  cut  or  a  rock  removed.  He  cleared, 
and  improved  and  built  a  bouse  and  out- build- 
ings, and  lived  to  see  a  fine  farm,  the  result  of 
his  patience  and  toil.  In  December,  1852,  he 
brought  his  family  to  the  new  home,  where 
they  have  since  resided,  and  where  he  died,  on 
the  1st  day  of  September,  1883,  mourned  and 
regretted  by  bis  neighbors  and  friends,  by  whom 
he  was  held  in  high  esteem  as  a  man  of  sterling 
integrity  and  a  friend  in  need.      In  England  be 


^%c#^g/ 


steamer,  to  Rondout;  thence  by  canal  to 
Honesdale,  where  he  worked  at  whatever  he 

could  get  to  do  until  the  following  April,  when 
lie  took  the  farm  of  William  Hill  and  Thomas 
Hatton,  to  work  on  shares  for  one  year.  Dur- 
ing the  next  eight  years  he  worked  Ambrose 
Wheeler's  farm  on  shares,  at  the  same  time  put- 
ting all  his  spare  time  on  a  piece  of  wild  land 
of  one  hundred  acres,  which  he  purchased  in 
IS 46,  which  is  now  the  home  of  his  wife  and 
sons.  When  lie  came  in  possession  of  the 
farm  there  was  a  road  only  to  the  tannery,  and 


was  in  politics  a  Liberal,  ami  in  this  country 
identified  himself  with  the  Democratic  party,  by 
whom  he  was  elected  to  different  township  of- 
fices. ( >ntbe  25thday  of  March,  1825,  he  married 
Margaret  Perry,  daughter  of  Nicholas  and 
Elizabeth  (Tallin)  Perry.  She  was  born  April 
5,  1S04,  and  bore  him  the  following  children  : 
John,  born  December  26,  1825;  Henry,  born 
February  13,  1828,  married  Emily  Hasken 
(their  children  were  James  W.,  Annie  E., 
Frederick.!.,  Perry,  William  <;.,  Maurice  and 
Archie    II.);  William    (}.,    born    in  1834   (de- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


677 


ceased);  Ann,  born  December  26,  1835  (de- 
ceased) ;  and  William,  born  July  4,  1839,  mar- 
ried Mary  S.  Varcoe. 


GEORGE    W.    KIMBLE. 

His  father,  Asa  Kimble,  was  born  and  lived 
at  the  Narrows,  in  Pike  County.  He  mar- 
ried Abigail  Pellet,  daughter  of  John  Pel- 
let,  and    soon   afterward,   about    1816,   moved 


for  many  years.  He  died  February  11,  1847. 
His  wife  passed  away  February  4, 1879.  Their 
children  were  Nancy,  Ephraim  B.,  George  W., 
John  P.,  Isaac  R.,  William  and  Martin. 

George  W.  Kimble  was  born  March  2, 1821; 
married,  November  20, 1843,  Phebe  Schoonover, 
who  was  born  November  3,  1821.  Their  chil- 
dren were  Asa,  born  March  12,  1845;  Daniel 
M.,  born  August  26,  1846;  Abbie  J.,  born 
February  5,  1848 ;  and  George  A.,  born  Jan. 


to  Wayne  County,  where  he  bought  two 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  wild  land  in  Dy- 
berry  township,  the  present  location  of  the 
County  Fair-Ground.  His  youngest  son,  Mar- 
tin K.  Kimble,  now  resides  on  the  old  home- 
stead. The  place  then  had  a  small  house  and 
barn  on  it  and  a  small  clearing.  He  erected 
new  buildings,  set  out  fruit-trees,  and  made 
himself  and  family  a  good  home.  He  held 
different  township  offices.  Both  himself  and 
wife  were   members   of  the   Methodist  Church 

6  5  J 


14,  1849.  Mrs.  Kimble  died  Sept,  20,  1864. 
For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Kimble  married 
Lusetta  Schoonover,  December  20,  1865.  She 
was  born  in  Lake  township,  Luzerne  County, 
Pa.,  August  15, 1841.  She  has  one  child,  Ella 
A.,  born  October  11,  1868. 

George  W.  Kimble  was  born  in  Dyberry 
township,  Wrayne  County,  and  grew  to  man's 
estate  on  the  home  farm.  He  made  his  start  in 
life  by  working  an  entire  year  and  having  sixty 
dollars  in  money  at  the  end. 


678 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


In  the  spring  of  1843,  in  company  with  his 
brother  Ephraim,  he  bought  of  Charles  and 
Daniel  Hoel  the  saw-mill  built  a  year  or  two 
before  on  the  Big  Brook,  in  what  is  now  Oregon 
township,  and  known  as  Kimble's  saw-mill,  and 
with  it  one  hundred  acres  of  all  wild  land,  ex- 
cept about  one  acre  cleared.  For  miles  around 
there  was  only  here  and  there  a  small  clearing. 
The  only  building  was  a  small  house  which 
stood  near  the  mill,  in  the  midst  of  a  thicket  of 
laurel.  Into  this  house  he  moved  with  his 
family  and  commenced  the  work  of  clearing. 
Some  of  the  first  lumber  they  rafted  and  ran 
to  Philadelphia  market  brought  only  six  dol- 
lars a  thousand  feet,  and  sometimes  they  walked 
most  of  the  way  home. 

They  accumulated  property,  including  large 
tracts  of  land,  and  worked  together  till  1858, 
when  they  divided  their  property.  George  W. 
Kimble  had  two  hundred  acres  of  land  around 
the  mill ;  but  the  mill,  mill  privilege  and  lum- 
ber belonged  to  both  ;  while  E.  B.  Kimble  had 
the  store,  blacksmith  shop,  etc.,  where  Dy berry 
post-office  now  is.  Ephraim  died  in  1880, 
leaving  his  interest  in  the  mill  to  his  oldest 
son,  Isaac,  and  Or.  \V.  Kimble  bought  it  of 
him.  He  now  owns  four  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  land,  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres 
cleared,  with  good  buildings  and  other  improve- 
ments, the  result  of  his  energy  and  industry. 

Mr.  Kimble  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and 
has  held  different  township  offices.  He  is  lib- 
eral in  his  religious  opinions,  as  he  is  in  all  his 
acts,  and  he  is  spoken  of  as  one  of  Wayne 
County's  most  honored  men,  as  have  been  the 
members  of  his  family  both  now  and  in  past 
generations. 


JOHN    REIFLEE. 

John  Reifler  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Ger- 
many, May  2,  1832.  His  father,  Philip  Henry 
Reifler,  was  born  in  1808,  in  the  same  place,  as 
had  been  his  ancestors  for  many  generations* 
He  married  Katherine  Bauman,  who  was  born 
September  15,  1811  ;  she  was  daughter  of  Jo- 
hannes and  Barbara  (Ankle)  Bauman.  Mr. 
Bauman  was  a  mason,  and  worked  at  the  trade 
in  Gomaringen,  Rtutlangeu  County,  Wurtem- 
berg, where   his   ancestors    had    long   resided. 


Philip  Reifler  died  in  1852.  His  wife  is  still 
living  and  resides  with  her  son.  Their  children 
were  John,  born  May  2,  1832  ;  Henry,  born 
January  13,  1836  ;  Margaret,  born  June,  1839  ; 
Jacob,  born  December  14, 1842;  Dorothy,  born 
in  1848.  The  children  are  all  in  this  country 
but  Jacob,  who  remained  with  his  mother  in 
Germany.  Henry  married  Catherine  Slach  ; 
children  are  Jane,  Emma,  Henry  and  George. 
Margaret  married  Charles  Abbott  ;  their  chil- 
dren are  Carrie,  Henry,  William  and  Flora. 
Jacob  married  Barbara  Bauman  ;  children  are 
Jacob  Jr.,  Kate,  Barbara,  Henry,  John.  Dorothy 
married  George  Younger  ;  children, — George, 
Katherine,  Amelia  and  Mary.  John  Reifler 
learned  the  weaver's  trade  and  followed  it  until 
he  was  nineteen  years  old.  On  the  8th  day  of 
October,  1851,  in  company  with  his  uncle, 
Michael  Reifler,  and  family,  he  left  home  and 
embarked  at  Bremen  in  the  sailing-vessel  "Gus- 
taf,"  and  after  forty-two  days  on  the  water 
landed  in  New  York.  The  passage  was  a  very 
rough  as  well  as  a  long  one,  and  their  vessel 
came  near  going  down. 

His  uucle,  John  M.  Bauman,  ex-county 
treasurer  of  Wayne  County,  had  come  over  the 
spring  before  and  had  located  in  Honesdale,  and 
to  that  place  the  new-comers  made  their  way. 
John  was  entirely  out  of  money  and  had  to 
borrow  of  an  acquaintance  in  New  York  the 
means  to  buy  a  railroad  ticket  to  Honesdale.  In 
January,  1852,  John  commenced  work  in  the 
Hungarian  tannery,  and  worked  at  whatever 
was  to  be  done  until  1860,  when  he  became 
foreman,  a  position  he  held  nine  years. 

In  1867,  in  company  with  his  brother  Henry, 
he  bought  of  the  tannery  company  the  saw- 
mill property  he  now  owns,  and  twenty-eight 
acres  of  land  surrounding  it.  In  1869  he 
bought  out  his  brother  and  moved  into  the 
property,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Mr. 
Reifler  has  also  bought  the  Baird  and  Car- 
bon farms,  and  now  owns  a  large  and  valu- 
able property.  The  first  money  he  earned  after 
getting  work  he  sent  to  his  father  in  return  for 
money  advanced  for  his  passage.  In  1882 
Mr.  Reifler  made  a  two  months'  visit  to 
his  old  home,  and  while  there  his  barns  and 
all  their  contents  were  destroyed  by  fire. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


In  politics  Mr.  Reifler  was  first  a  Democrat, 
but  at  the  second  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
joined  the  Republican  party,  to  which  he  has 
since  belonged.  He  has  been  honored  by  his 
fellow-citizens  with  the  office  of  county  com- 
missioner and  different  township  offices.  He 
was  elected  commissioner  in  1878,  during  the 
exciting  times  caused  by  what  was  called  the 
Anti-Court-House  Campaign.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  German  Lutheran  Church  and  has  been 


I  1856  ;  married  Henry  Tamblyn,  children    are 
William,  Emerson  and  Millie.     Mary  Cather- 
ine,   born    June    5,    1857.     Caroline    D.,  born 
November    3,    1858  ;    married    Edmond    Lee. 
I  Matilda    U.,  born    January  29,   1860.     Eliza- 
]  beth,  born   May  15,    1861  ;    married   Joseph 
j  Taylor  ;  children — Lester,  Annie   B.   (died    in 
I  infancy).     Annie  P.,  born  May  18, 1864  ;  mar- 
ried Eugene  H.  Gates.    Dorothy  S.,  born  Feb- 
I  rnary  27,   1867.     Lydia,  born   April  9,  1868. 


^*6*l      ^P^/^K 


for  many  years.  He  married,  July  24,  1853, 
Miss  Catherine  Follmer,  who  was  born  Febru- 
ary 6,  1830,  in  Duslengen,  Wurtemberg,  Ger- 
many. Her  father,  David  Follmer,  married 
Dorothy  Relling.  Her  grandfather,  Martin 
Follmer,  was  a  farmer  and  owned  a  large  farm. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reifler  have  been  born  Henry, 
born  October  10,  1851  ;  married  Thirsa  Law- 
ton  ;  children — Nellie  and  Vernon.  John  G., 
born  July  13,  1854.     Margaret,  born  March  4, 


Charlotte  F.,  born  March  10,  1870.  William 
F.,  born  September  19, 1871.  Annie  B.,  born 
December  27,  1872.  Mr.  Reifler  is  in  all  that 
the  name  implies,  a  self-made  man.  Coming 
to  this  country  a  boy,  with  no  one  to  help  him 
to  a  dollar,  he  has  by  industry  and  good  man- 
agement accumulated  a  fine  property  and 
dwelling ;  and  stands  high  as  a  neighbor  and 
business  man. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


CHAPTERXXV 


PALMYRA  TiiWNslllr. 


Although  one  of  the  original  townships,  and, 
prior  to  the  excision  of  Pike  County  including 
in  its  limits  some  of  the  early  settlements  of  the 
Lackawaxen  and  Wallenpaupack  region,  Pal- 
myra as  it  now  exists  has  been  shorn  of  much 
of  its  historical  interest  by  the  divisions  of  ter- 
ritory subsequent  to  its  original  formation,  and 
the  earliest  events  that  took  place  in  its  limits 
will  be  found  classified  in  the  history  of  those 
portions  that  have  since  been  constituted  sepa- 
rate political  divisions.  Upon  the  excision  of 
Pike  from  Wayne  County,  in  1814,  Palmyra 
was  divided  into  two  parts,  the  Wallenpaupack 
being  the  dividing  line,  and  the  portion  thus  set 
off  contained  the  old  Paupack  settlement. 
Again,  in  1850,  the  erection  of  Paupack  town- 
ship still  further  limited  the  area,  and  Palmyra 
is  now  one  of  the  smallest  townships  in  the 
county.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Berlin, 
on  the  northwest  by  Cherry  Ridge  and  Texas, 
on  the  southeast  by  Pike  County  and  on  the 
southwest  by  Paupack.  The  Lackawaxen, 
Middle  Creek  and  the  Wallenpaupack  have 
their  confluence  in  its  southeastern  portion,  and 
the  two  former  streams  flow  through  it.  In  the 
western  portion  the  drainage  is  by  means  of 
Swamp  Brook,  a  rivulet  that  rises  in  Berlin. 
Much  of  the  surface  is  too  broken  and  hilly  to 
be  very  available  for  agricultural  purposes, 
though  there  is  fertile  soil  of  alluvial  deposits 
along  the  valleys  of  Middle  Creek  and  the 
Lackawaxen. 

The  first  settlements  in  all  this  region  were  in 
Pike  County,  and  Wilsonville,  for  a  short  time 
the  seat  of  county  government,  seems  to  have 
been  the  first  hamlet  of  the  township.  Occupy- 
ing a  position  on  what  afterwards  became  the 
dividing  line,  its  history  is  closely  interwoven 
with  that  of  both  counties,  and  it  is  probable 
that  the  first  houses  built  in  the  place  were  on 
the  Pike  County  side.      Judge  James  Wilson,1 


then  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
was  the  owner  of  large  tracts  of  land  along  the 
Wallenpaupack,  and  was  led  to  believe  that 
they  were  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  culture  of 
flax  and  hemp,  and  that  the  manufacture  of 
fabrics  would  be  profitable.  About  1792  he 
commenced  the  erection  of  a  large  factory  for 
this  purpose,  at  a  point  just  above  the  old  tan- 
nery site,  at  Hawley.  While  this  was  going  up, 
several  houses  were  built  at  Wilsonville,  and  it 
became  a  thriving  settlement.  Judge  Wilson's 
factory  was  completed  in  due  course  of  time, 
and  was  well  built  and  ecpiipped.  Of  its  size 
and  cost  nothingdefinite  is  known  now,  but  it  has 
been  estimated  to  have  cost  from  eight  to  twelve 
thousand  dollars,  and  to  have  been  from  thirty 
to  forty  feet  square.  .  It  was  put  in  operation, 
and  did  some  work,  but  failed  for  want  of 
material.  Before  he  could  realize  his  hopes  of 
success  the  proprietor  himself  failed  also,  and 
the  factory  was  sold  to  other  parties.  It  was 
afterwards  burned  by  Benjamin  Kimble  and 
some  one  else  to  get  the  iron  used  in  its  con- 
struction. 

Prior  to  the  building  of  the  factory,  Reuben, 
Alpheus  and  Alexander  Jones  and  a  sister,  who 
was  know  as  Widow  Cook,  settled  below  the 
mouth  of  Middle  Creek.  Reuben,  as  elsewhere 
related,  was  captured  by  the  Indians  shortly 
after  the  battle  of  Wyoming,  and  escaped  by  out- 
running his  captors  in  a  friendly  race.  About 
the  time  of  his  settlement  Elisba  Ames  made  a 
clearing  on  what  has  since  been  known  as  the 


1  James  Wilson  was  one  of  the  purchasers  of  Colonel 
Jonas  Seely's  interest  in  the  Indian  Orchard  tract  and, 
though  he  subsequently  met  with  financial  reverses,  was 
a  man  of  much  wealth  at  this  time.     He  was  born  in  Scot- 


land in  1742,  and  educated  at  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  emigrated  to  America,  coming 
to  Philadelphia,  where  he  obtained  the  position  of  usher 
in  a  college.  He  studied  law,  and  soon  acquired  consider- 
able celebrity.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Con- 
vention of  this  State  in  1774,  and  in  May,  1775,  was 
chosen  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress.  He  was  a 
signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  was 
repeatedly  re-chosen  to  Congress.  His  colonel's  commis- 
sion was  obtained  at  the  commencement  of  hostilities, 
and,  in  1779,  he  was  appointed  Advocate-General  of 
France  in  the  United  States,  an  office  which  he  held  for 
three  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  convention  that 
framed  the  Federal  Constitution,  and  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Convention  that  adopted  it.  President  George  Washing- 
ton appointed  him  one  of  the  first  judges  of  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court,  and  he  was  the  first  Professor  of 
Law  in  the  College  of  Philadelphia.  He  died  at  Edenten, 
N.  C,  August  28,  1798. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


David  Bishop  farm,   and   they  were  probably 
the  first  settlers  in  Palmyra,  Wayne  County. 

Benjamin  Haines  (or  Haynes,  as  it  is  spelled 
in  some  of  the  records)  located  on  the  place  now 
occupied  by  George  8.  Atkinson  soon  after  this. 
Haines  was  a  friend,  though  a  despised  one,  of 
Tom  Quick,  the  famous  Indian  killer,  whose 
exploits  have  been  the  text  for  many  stories  of 
adventure,  and  who,  if  legend  is  to  be  given 
credence,  was  the  principal  of  a  score  of 
atrocious  murders.  It  is  stated  in  another 
chapter  that  Reuben  Jones  was  accused  of  the 
murder  of  Canope  ;  but  there  is  another  version 
of  his  death  that  makes  Haines  (he  guilty  one. 
It  is  related  that  after  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, two  Indians  who  had  been  friendly  to  the 
settlers  in  times  gone  by,  appeared  above  the 
Cushutunk  settlement  on  their  way  down  the 
river  to  hunt  and  fish.  They  were  Huycon, 
better  known  as  Ben  Shanks,  by  reason  of  his 
great  height  and  disproportionate  legs,  and 
Canope.  Canope  was  much  esteemed  by  the 
whites,  and  was  one  of  the  best  disposed  of  the 
Delawares.  During  the  war  both  had  been 
employed  by  the  emissaries  of  George  III.,  and 
when  they  stated  that  they  were  on  their  way  to 
Minisink,  Joseph  Ross,  of  Calliooon,  and  Josiah 
Parks,  of  first  raft  fame,  advised  them  to  keep 
away  from  there,  as  there  were  a  number  of 
desperate  men  at  Minisink,  who  would  get  into 
trouble  with  them  on  the  slightest  pretext. 
They  particularly  cautioned  the  Indians  against 
Tom  Quick,  who  was  then  at  home.  Thus  ad- 
vised, Canope  and  his  companion  changed  their 
plans,  and,  cutting  across  the  country,  went  to 
Handsome  Eddy,  where  they  felt  they  would  be 
free  from  molestation'.  Soon  after  they  arrived 
they  met  Ben  Haines,  who  was  seemingly  very 
friendly,  and  at  once  invited  them  to  stay  at  his 
house,  which  courtesy  they  accepted.  The  next 
morning  Haines  told  them  that  he  was  going  to 
Minisink  to  replenish  his  supplies  of  rum  and 
ammunition,  and  bidding  them  take  care  of  the 
family  while  he  was  gone,  started  down  the 
river.  He  went  directly  to  Tom  Quick's 
house,  where  he  found  the  Indian  slayer,  and 
asked  him  to  come  over  to  the  eddy  and  kill 
them  both,  promising  to  lead  the  Indians  into 
ambush  so  that  it  would  be  easy  work.  To  this 
CO 


Quick  readily  assented,  and  after  a  plan  had 
beeu  decided  on,  Haines  secured  his  supplies 
and  returned  home.  It  is  said  that  he  coveted 
the  tine  furs  which  the  Indians  had  brought 
with  them. 

Among  the  friends  of  Tom  Quick  was  one 
Cobe  Chambees,  or  Shinier  (pronounced  Sha- 
mer),  and  as  it  was  deemed  better  to  have  an  ac- 
complice, Tom  selected  him  to  assist  in  the 
murder.  A  day  or  two  later  they  reached 
Haines'  house,  and  dropped  in  on  the  family 
just  as  Haines  and  his  guests  were  about  to  take 
breakfast.  His  crafty  confederate  did  not  greet 
Quick  by  his  right  name,  but  treated  him  like 
an  entire  stranger,  though  one  who  was  welcome 
to  the  rude  hospitalities  of  his  cabin,  and  after 
the  meal  had  been  partaken  of,  Quick  and 
Chambees  passed  on  up  the  river  toward  White 
Mills,  only  to  sneak  back  and  wait  their 
victims  in  ambush.  Haines  proposed  to  the 
Indians  that  they  all  go  fishing,  and  offered  to 
conduct  them  to  a  place  where  there  was  good 
sport,  and  they  consented  ;  though  there  must 
have  been  something  in  his  manner  which 
excited  their  suspicions,  for  Canope  first  required 
him  to  give  a  personal  pledge  of  protection, 
which  Haines  did  most  emphatically.  Near 
where  Quick  and  Shinier  were  squatting  in  the 
bushes  were  some  rocks  that  ran  out  into  the 
stream,  and  thither  Ben  conducted  his  Indian 
guests.  After  they  had  fished  a  few  minutes, 
Canope  broke  his  hook,  and  as  he  had  no  other, 
reclined  in  a  comfortable  position  to  watch  the 
sport  of  his  companions.  This  gave  Quick  the 
opportunity  he  wanted,  and  directing  Shinier  to 
aim  at  Huycon,  he  drew  a  bead  on  Canope. 
Shinier,  who  was  not  accustomed  to  do  such 
brutal  murder,  was  so  unsteady  of  hand  that  he 
missed  his  man,  while  Quick  sent  a  bullet 
through  Canope's  arm  and  the  back  of  his  head, 
inflicting  serious,  though  not  fatal  wounds. 
Huycon  sprang  into  the  bushes  and  fled,  while 
Canope  rushed  to  Haines  and  claimed  the 
promised  protection.  The  only  reply  Haines 
made  was  to  push  the  wounded  Indian  into  the 
water,  and  snatching  a  pine  knot  to  beat  his 
brains  out  with  it,  exclaiming  as  he  did  so, 
"  Tink,  tink  how  you  ust  to  kill  white  folks ! 
'pent,  'pent."    The  broken  faith  and  atrocity  of 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


the  deed  were  too  much  even  for  so  hardened  a 
murderer  as  Tom  Quick,  who  said  as  he  emerged 
from  his  ambush,  "Damn  a  man  who  will 
promise  an  Indian  protection,  and  then  knock 
him  on  the  head."  The  murder  caused  the 
settlers  much  anxiety,  and  was  loudly  de- 
nounced on  all  sides  ;  but  its  planner  and  per- 
petrator was  never  punished,  and  it  is  said 
that  in  his  later  years  he  often  boasted  of  it. 

Haines  had  several  children,  and  Roger,  one 
of  them,  afterwards  lived  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  county.  That  Ben  was  a  poor  man  is  at- 
tested by  the  school  records;  for  in  1811  his 
children  were  returned  by  the  assessor  as  en- 
titled to  the  benefit  of  the  law  of  1809,  which 
made  it  the  duty  of  the  county  commissioner  to 
pay  for  the  education  of  the  children  of  indigent 
parents.  Abraham,  Albram  and  Roger  Haines 
were  the  first  to  enjoy  schooling  at  public  ex- 
pense. 

In  1803  Jonathan  Brink  moved  from  Mil- 
ford  and  bought  the  Haines  place.  He  acquired 
about  nine  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  after  living 
there  for  some  time  sold  to  Joseph  Atkinson.  Mr. 
Brink  had  married  Sabra  Edwards,  of  Madison, 
and  brought  with  him  one  child,  Diana,  who 
married  Aaron  Godfrey  and  afterwards  Loyal 
Hutchings,  with  whom  she  went  to  Michigan. 
Henry,  the  second  son  of  Jonathan  Brink, 
married  Zubie  Ainsley,  and  moved  to  Bingham- 
ton,  N.  Y.  Moses,  the  third  son,  married  Ann 
Roberts,  and  lived  at  Lackawaxen.  Lucinda 
Brink  was  the  wife  of  Harvey  Bishop,  and, 
after  his  death,  married  Abisha  Kimble.  Janett 
was  the  wife  of  Asa  Corwin,  of  Beech  Pond  ; 
Amy  married  Caleb  Simmons,  of  Watertown, 
N.  Y. ;  Jonathan  was  united  to  Rosetta  Dexter, 
and  lives  at  Hawley ;  Sterry  married  Charlotte 
Dexter,  and  lives  at  Honesdale,  and  William 
died  single. 

One  of  the  early  saw-mills  in  the  township 
was  that  erected  by  Jonathan  Brink,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Lackawaxen,  just  below  White 
Mills.  His  descendants  do  not  know  the  exact 
year  when  it  was  built,  but  records  show  that  it 
was  abandoned  before  1816,  and  seem  to  poiut 
to  1805  or  1806  as  the  date  when  the  first 
lumber  was  sawed  there. 

About  1815   Jason   Torrey,  Abisha  Wood- 


ward and  Moses  Killam  bought  a  tract  of  land 
a  mile  from  Hawley,  built  a  frame  house  and 
called  it  New  Castle.  Here  they  carried  on  an 
extensive  lumbering  business  for  several  years 
and  then  sold  the  place  to  Joseph  Atkinson, 
who  afterward  disposed  of  it  to  Russell  Daniels. 
The  latter  came  from  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  1824, 
and  married  Cynthia  Killam.  Eight  children 
were  born  of  this  union — B.  F.  Daniels  (who 
married  Victoria  Dexter),  George  W.  (who 
married  Louisa  Beemer  and  lives  at  White 
Mills),  Ira  (the  husband  of  Margaret  Atkinson 
and  a  resident  of  Hawley),  Elizabeth  (wife  of 
Dennis  Slocum),  Martin  (who  married  Mary 
Compton),  Electra  (wife  of  John  Bassett,  of 
Honesdale),  Edward  (who  married  Mary  Bai- 
ley) and  Dighton  (who  married  Fannie  Snyder). 
The  last  two  live  in  Hawley. 

Among  those  who  settled  at  Wilsonville  in 
the  early  history  of  the  place  was  Leonard  La- 
bar.  Just  when  he  came  or  from  what  place  he 
moved  is  not  known.  When  the  courts  of 
Wayne  were  sent  to  Wilsonville,  in  1802,  he 
was  living  in  a  small  frame  house  on  the  Pike 
County  side  of  the  Wallenpaupack,  and  after- 
wards, in  1830,  he  sold  the  tavern  which  he  had 
been  keeping  and  moved  to  Stroudsburg.  There 
was  a  grist-mill  built  on  the  Wrayne  County 
side  of  the  creek,  in  1810,  which  stood  until 
1850,  when  it  was  rebuilt  by  William  Shouse. 
In  1827  or  1828  Henry  Harmon  built  a  small 
mill  near  the  quarry,  between  Hawley  and  Wil- 
sonville, the  ruins  of  which  are  still  standing. 
It  afterwards  became  the  property  of  John 
Roberts  and  Nathan  Fuller  and  was  operated 
by  them  until  about  1850.  These  same  gentle- 
men bought  theLabar  property,  and  it  was  sold 
in  1840  as  the  property  of  John  Roberts.  It 
was  bought  in  by  Wrilliam  Shouse,  of  Easton. 
John  B.  Cole  rented  the  saw-mill  for  three 
years  and  then  Shouse  moved  to  Wilsonville. 
Mr.  Shouse  had  four  sons, — Jacob,  John,  Henry 
and  Francis.  Jacob  located  on  the  Susquehanna, 
not  far  from  Williamsport,  after  operating  a 
few  years  at  Wilsonville,  with  James  Mason  as 
a  partner.  John  returned  to  Easton,  as  did 
Henry,  who  was  the  victim  of  a  tragedy  in 
Honesdale  in  1881.  Francis  died  at  Wilson- 
ville. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


The  saw- mill  at  WilsonviUe  has  proved  to  be 
a  very  valuable  property  aud  has  been  much  in- 
creased in  capacity  during  the  past  twenty  years. 
In  1870  it  was  bought  by  William  A.  Colling- 
wood  and  Hon.  F.  W.  Farnham,  and  in  1877 
Mr.  Farnham  sold  his  interest  to  G.  W.  Mil- 
lard, the  firm  becoming  Collingwood  &  Co. 
The  present  capacity  of  the  mill  is  forty-five 
thousand  feet  per  day  and  about  seventy-five 
men  are  employed  at  the  saws  and  log  camps. 
The  firm  has  a  large  store  at  WilsonviUe. 

John  R.  Compton  moved  from  New  Jersey 
in  1803  and  settled  on  the  place  where  Robert 
Dycher  now  lives.  He  was  for  many  years  a 
constable  of  the  township  and  was  a  valued 
citizen.  He  had  nine  children — Robert  (who 
married  Caroline  Wood,  and  settled  on  the 
old  Bethany  and  Diugman's  turnpike),  David 
(who  married  Jane  Evarts,  of  Pike  County, 
and  settled  in  Berlin  township),  Dunnin  R. 
(who  married  Martha  Dexter  aud  located  in 
Cherry  Ridge),  Gehial  (who  married  Maria 
Smith  and  settled  near  Hawley),  Mark  (whose 
wife  was  Elizabeth  Garrett,  and  who  lived  at 
Indian  Orchard),  Susan  (the  wife  of  Samuel 
Kimble,  of  Honesdale),  Lucy  (Mrs.  Daniel 
Rattan,  of  Berlin),  Eliza  (wife  of  John  Cor- 
ryelle,  of  Texas)  and  Charlotte  (now  Mrs.  Lo- 
renzo Van  Buren,  of  Fishkill,  N.  Y.) 

David  Compton  lived  on  the  farm  just  below 
John  R.,  and  was  also  the  father  of  a  large 
family.  In  1846  he  sold  out  his  place  to  John 
M.  Ball  and  John  Decker.  Mr.  Ball  was  a 
Baptist  minister  from  Orange  County,  N.  Y., 
and  was  of  English  descent.  He  built  or  owned 
a  saw-mill  on  Swamp'Pond  Creek,  and  was  the 
father  of  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  most  of 
whom  are  living.  Henry  Ball,  proprietor  of 
the  Wayne  County  Hotel,  at  Honesdale,  is  the 
only  one  of  the  descendants  who  lives  in  Wayne 
County. 

Among  the  other  early  settlers  of  the  town- 
ship were  many  whose  names  will  be  found  on 
the  assessment  list  given  below.  It  was  made 
out  in  1801  by  Abisha  Woodward,  and  is  the 
oldest  one  preserved  among  the  county  archives. 
The  following  names  appear  on  the  list,  those 
who  had  moved  in  since  1800  being  designated 
by  an  asterisk  (*): 


John  Ansley. 
Simeon  Ansley. 
John  Ansley,  Jr. 
Joseph  Ansley. 
Elisha  Ames,1 
David  Abbott. 
Henry  Ball. 
Robert  Bayham. 
Hezekiah  Bingham. 
Moses  Brink.* 
Stephen  Bennett. 
Richard  Beebe.2 
John  Brink.* 
Jonathan  Brink.* 
Thomas  Brown.3 
Benjamin  B.  Brink. 
Dennison  Coe. 
David  Cady. 
Jesse  Cady.4 
Uriah  Chapman. 
Simeon  Chapman. 
Win.  Chapman. 
Jacob  Cronkwright.5 
Roswell  Chapman. 
Phiueas  Coleman. 
William  Dalton. 
Elias  Depui*  - 
Aaron  Duffy. 
Charles  Forseth. 
Jacob  Gooding. 
Robert  Hartford. 
Elias  Hartford. 
Samuel  Hartford. 
William  Hartford. 
James  Hartford. 
Henry  Husted. 
Benjamin  Hanes. 
William  Holbert. 
Jonathan  Jennings.' 
Reuben  Jones. 
Alpheus  Jones. 
Alexander  Jones. 
John  Jeans.* 
Ephraim  Killam. 
Silas  Killam. 


John  Killam. 
Moses  Killam. 
Abel  Kimble. 
Ephraim  Kimble.6 
Jacob  Kimble. 
Daniel  Kimble. 
Jacob  Kimble,  Jr. 
Walter  Kimble.* 
Benjamin  Kimble.1 
Eusebies  Kincaid. 
Barzilla  King. 
James  Logan. 
Thineas  Lester. 
Andrew  Lester. 
Archibald  Murray. 
John  Malonia.5 
Richard  Nelson,5 
Stephen  Parrish. 
George  Parkinson. 
George  Parkinson,  Jr. 
John  Pellet,  Jr. 
Conrad  Pulis.5 
Silas  Purdy. 
William  Purdy. 
Amos  Purdy. 
William  Purdy,  Jr. 
Reuben  Purdy. 
Ephraim  Purdy. 
Jacob  Purdy. 
Nathaniel  Purdy. 
Solomon  Purdy. 
Samuel  Porter. 
Thomas  Schoonover.5 
Wm.  Schoonover.5 
Thos.  Spangenberg.5 
Samuel  Smith. 
Daniel  Stroud. 
Christopher  Snyder. 
Jedediah  Willys. 
Solomon  Willys. 
Enos  Woodward. 
Ebenezer  Woodward. 
Abisha  Woodward.5 
William  Williams. 
William  Northup.5 


The  growth  and  prosperty  of  Palmyra  has 
been  chiefly  confined  to  Hawley  and  its  suburbs, 
and  when  these  are  excepted,  the  increase  in 
population  and  improvement  of  farm  lands 
does  not  compare  favorably  with   that  in  ad- 


Marked  "  Canaan  "  on  the  list. 
Marked  ''  Minisink  "  on  the  list. 
''Sold  to  John  Malonia  and  left  the  county." 
"Left  the  county  and  sold  to  Roswell  Chapma 
In  Dyberry  afterwards. 
1  Assessed  as  a  resident  of  Lackawaxen. 


684 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


jacent  townships.  The  early  settlers  were 
chiefly  lumbermen,  and  when  the  timber  was 
cut  off,  few  of  them  remained  to  improve  the 
cleared  lands.  Portions  of  the  hills  are  still 
sparsely  settled,  and  the  industries  of  the  central 
town,  the  canal  and  the  railroads  drain  the 
farms  of  the  most  energetic  young  men.  Its 
facilities  for  manufacturing,  its  fine  water- 
powers  and  the  rail  and  water-ways  that  pass 
through  it  are  so  much  superior  to  the  adapta- 
bility of  the  land  for  agriculture  that  it  must 
become  a  great  industrial  district  in  the  near 
future. 

Roads. — Palmyra  was  benefited  by  roads 
at  an  early  date.  Soon  after  the  Joneses  located 
at  the  Eddy,  a  road  was  cut  from  the  Wallen- 
paupack  settlement  by  the  way  of  Wilsonville, 
that  crossed  the  Wallenpaupack  Creek  by  a  ford 
near  Henry  Harmon's  mill,  and  passed  across 
the  flat.  There  were  also  a  number  of  early 
trails  leading  from  the  settlement  to  various 
townships  near  by,  which,  though  never  laid 
out  as  regular  public  ways,  were  much  used  by 
the  pioneers  until,  by  the  location  of  other  set- 
tlers, they  became  private  property.  Most  of 
these  trails  led  into  the  Jones  Eddy  road  and 
thus  connected  the  scattered  settlers  with 
Bethany  and  Milford.  In  1833  a  road  was 
laid  out  from  Paupack  Eddy,  through  what  is 
now  Hawley  borough,  to  intersect  the  Jones 
Eddy  road  near  Middle  Creek.  This  touched 
the  Little  Manor,  as  the  place  where  John 
Neldin  settled  was  always  called.  The  town- 
ship was  thoroughly  opened  up  by  the  building 
of  the  Milford  and  Owego  and  Bethany  and 
Dingmau's  Choice  turnpikes,  and  later  by  the 
construction  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal.  It  is  now  threaded  by  good  county 
roads  and  several  turnpikes. 

Schools  and  Chukches.— The  school  at 
Wilsonville  was  probably  one  of  the  first  opened 
in  the  township,  and  was  held  in  an  old  build- 
ing that  stood  about  two  hundred  feet  from  the 
saw-mill.  Alexander  Reed  was  one  of  its  first 
teachers,  and  at  that  time  he  had  about  a  dozen 
pupils.  Here  Esquire  Ephraim  Killam  and 
others  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  second  gene- 
ration went  to  school.  Another  old  school- 
house  stands  in  Hawley,  and  is  now  occupied  as 


a  paint-shop  by  J.  S.  Fowler.  It  was  built  in 
1823,  and  opened  the  following  year.  Court- 
land  Chapman  was  one  of  the  first  teachers, 
though  not  the  first.  The  building  was  at  first 
merely  a  plank  structure  with  a  slab  roof ;  but 
afterwards,  when  it  had  been  abandoned  as  a 
school,  it  was  occupied  as  a  dwelling,  and  the 
clap-boarding  and  shingle  roof  were  added. 
The  school  law  of  1834  was  promptly  sustained 
by  Wayne  County,  and  in  this,  as  in  other  town- 
ships, schools  sprang  up  rapidly.  The  old 
buildings  were  all  erected  by  private  contribu- 
tions of  labor  and  material,  and  prior  to  1854 
there  does  not  seem  to  have  been  any  building  tax 
levied,  at  least  there  is  no  record  of  any.  Since 
that  date  almost  all  the  schools  in  Palmyra  have 
been  rebuilt,  and  they  will  compare  favorably 
with  those  of  the  other  townships.  There  are 
four  common  schools  in  the  township  at  present, 
— two  on  Shanty  Hill,  a  suburb  of  Hawley,  one 
at  White  Mills  and  one  at  Long  Ridge.  The 
value  of  the  buildings  is  about  one  thousand 
dollars  each,  and  four  teachers  are  employed  at 
an  average  salary  of  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  dollars.  The  amount  of  the  school  tax 
collected  in  1884  was  $909.84.  The  present 
directors  of  the  township  are  Samuel  Avery, 
president ;  Michael  Corcoran,  treasurer  ;  John 
Flynn,  secretary  ;  William  Case,  John  Mauley 
and  Alexander  Barrett. 

The  only  churches  in  the  township  are  in  the 
borough  of  Hawley,  and  their  histories  will  be 
given  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  that  locality. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

THE  BOROUGH  OF    HAWLEY. 

The  early  history  of  Hawley  is  also  the 
early  history  of  Palmyra  township,  since  the 
first  settlements  were  made  in  or  adjacent  to  the 
present  borough  limits  of  the  town.  Shortly 
after  the  battle  of  Wyoming,  Reuben  Jones, 
Jasper  Parrish,  Stephen  Parrish  and  a  son  of 
Jacob  Kimble,  Sr.,  were  taken  prisoners  by  a 
band  of  Mohawk  Indians,  near  the  Paupack 
Eddy.  Stephen  Kimble  died  while  a  prisoner, 
and  it  was  afterwards  stated  by  Reuben  Jones 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


that  the  lad  was  unable  to  perform  some  tasks 
that  his  captors  assigned,  and  was  tomahawked 
for  his  failure.  This  was  denied  by  Stephen 
Parrish,  however,  who  said  that  young  Kimble 
died  a  natural  death,  and  this  version  of  the 
story  is  generally  accepted  by  the  Kimble  family. 
Stephen  Parrish  married  an  Indian  wife,  and 
remained  with  the  tribe  until  after  peace  was 
declared,  when  he  settled  in  Paupack,  and 
practiced  as  an  Indian  doctor.  Reuben  Jones 
remained  a  prisoner  for  nearly  a  year,  and  at 
last  effected  his  escape  by  outrunning  his  captors, 
with  whom  he  was  having  a  friendly  contest  of 
speed.  He  was  a  large,  powerfully  built  man, 
and  was  considered  a  fine  trophy,  and  the  boast- 
fid  young  braves  were  in  the  habit  of  challeng- 
ing him  to  race  with  them.  He  was  shrewd 
enough  to  let  them  barely  beat  him  many  times, 
and  they  grew  less  suspicious  of  his  escaping, 
after  frequent  experiences.  One  day  he  secretly 
filled  his  pockets  with  dried  venison,  and  chal- 
lenged one  of  the  swiftest  runners  to  a  decisive 
race.  The  latter  readily  agreed,  and  Jones,  who 
had  carefully  husbanded  his  strength,  distanced 
his  captor  in  the  first  mile,  and  escaped.  He 
made  for  the  head-waters  of  the  Delaware,  and 
then  returned  to  Paupack  Eddy,  subsisting, 
meanwhile,  on  the  venison  he  had  secreted.  It 
was  said  that  Jones  and  his  companion  were 
captured  by  the  treachery  o£  an  Indian  named 
Canope,  who  had  always  pretended  to  be  a  friend 
of  the  settlers,  and  after  peace  was  concluded, 
Canope  was  secretly  murdered.  His  death  was 
charged  upon  Benjamin  Haines,  the  Indian 
fighter,  but  the  latter  always  denied  it,  and  Mr. 
Goodrich,  who  was  personally  acquainted  with 
many  of  the  early  settlers,  says  that  it  was 
always  thought  at  Paupack  that  Jones  was  the 
one  who  punished  Canope  for  his  duplicity. 

So  far  as  it  is  now  known,  Reuben  Jones  and 
his  brothers,  Alpheus  and  Alexander,  and  a 
sister,  who  was  known  as  Widow  Cook,  were 
the  first  settlers  at  Hawley.  They  located  at  the 
Eddy,  just  below  the  mouth  of  Middle  Creek, 
and  were  soon  joined  by  Benjamin  Haines,  who 
settled  not  far  from  where  Peter  McHale  now 
lives.  This  property,  which  has  since  passed 
into  the  hands  of  George  S.  Atkinson,  was 
always  known  as  "  the  Haiues: 


Soon  after  this,  Robert  Hanua  built  a  mill  on 
what  was  known  as  the  "  Little  Manor,"  a  tract 
of  eight  hundred  and  ten  acres,  which,  a  few 
years  later,  became  the  property  of  George 
Neldin,  by  whom  the  mill  was  rebuilt  about  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century.  In  1810, 
Joseph  Atkinson  came  from  the  Narrows,  and 
was  employed  in  Neldin's  mill.  He  was  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  and,  when  quite  a  young 
man,  had  gone  to  the  Narrows  to  work  in  a  mill 
built  there  by  Robert  L.  Hooper,  and  operated 
by  Esquire  Snyder,  young  Atkinson's  grand- 
father. Joseph  Atkinson  married  Anna,  a 
daughter  of  Ephraim  Kimble,  and  his  children 
were  Eunice,  Elizabeth,  (wife  of  Dauiel  McFar- 
lan  ;)  Lucy,  (wife  of  Charles  Weiss,)  John 
Ephraim,  George,  Asher  and  Ann  (the  wife  of 
Joseph  Soliday.)  Mr.  Atkinson  was  married  a 
second  time  to  Fannie,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Kimble,  and  of  this  marriage  Amelia,  Margaret, 
Eunice,  Manilla,  Elizabeth,  Milesia,  William, 
Joseph  and  Lot  were  born. 

When  Mr.  Atkinson  arrived  at  the  Eddy,  as 
it  was  then  called,  Hanna  had  gone  away,  and 
the  only  settlers  were  the  Neldins,  the  Joneses 
and  a  colored  man  named  Prince  Rose,  who 
lived  in  a  hut  across  the  Wallenpaupack.  His 
wife  had  been  a  slave,  belonging  to  Dr.  Col- 
lins, of  Cherry  Ridge,  and  was  enjoying  the 
first  years  of  her  freedom.  Rose  afterwards 
went  to  Wisconsin,  but  his  wife  died  in  Pau- 
pack settlement. 

In  1812  John  Atkinson  was  born  at  Nel- 
din's house,  and  was  probably  the  first  white 
child  born  in  the  settlement.  In  1820  Neldin 
erected  a  large  frame  house,  which  was  com- 
pleted in  the  fall,  and  became  the  headquarters 
for  travelers  on  their  way  to  the  Wallenpau- 
pack settlement.  This  was  the  first  public- 
house,  and,  though  hardly  a  tavern  in  the  usual 
adaptation  of  the  term,  answered  all  the  pur- 
poses of  such  until  a  much  later  period.  It  was 
burned  during  the  progress  of  an  electiou,  in 
February,  1827,  after  it  had  passed  into  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Atkinson.  Neldin  moved  to 
Sussex  County,  N.  J.,  in  1821,  leaving  his 
property  in  the  hands  of  some  of  his  employees, 
and,  three  years  later,  Joseph  Atkinson  and 
David  Bishot  bought  the  mill  and  manor. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


During  the  first  two  decades  of  the  present 
century  several  families  settled  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Lackawaxen,  as  noted  in  the  preced- 
ing chapter,  and,  at  the  time  Atkinson  became 
a  proprietor,  most  of  the  settlers  were  in  what 
is  now  East  Hawley,  which  is  not  included  in 
the  borough  limits.  Here  were  the  early  stores 
and  schools,  and  Jonathan  Brink's  house  was  a 
general  rendezvous  for  the  lumbermen  who 
rafted  the  output  of  the  mills  to  Easton  and 
Philadelphia.  The  first  school  was  held  in  his 
log  barn,  and  he  supplied  such  few  articles  of 
foreign  manufacture  as  the  settlers  needed  from 
his  cellar  and  store-house,  without  the  formal- 
ity of  passing  them  over  a  counter. 

The  first  matrimonial  event  was  celebrated 
in  the  settlement  in  1824,  just  after  Atkinson 
bought  the  Neldin  mill,  and  was  the  marriage 
of  Elizabeth  Atkinson  to  Daniel  McFarland. 
It  is  not  known  who  officiated,  and  whether  it 
was  a  civil  or  religious  ceremony,  but  it  was  a 
red-letter  day  at  the  mill-house,  and  guests 
came  from  many  miles  around  to  help  celebrate 
the  event. 

The  foundation  of  Hawley's  prosperity  was 
laid  in  1826,  when  the  first  corps  of  engineers 
located  then;  to  run  the  line  for  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal.  They  put  up  a  tent  on 
the  hill  where  the  company's  office  now  is,  and 
camped  for  a  week,  merrily  driving  stakes 
along  the  river,  each  one  making  more  certain 
the  growth  and  activity  of  the  town.  The 
work  of  construction  commenced  the  next  year 
and  brought  large  accessions  to  the  population. 
Engineers,  contractors  and  laborers  spent  money 
freely,  stores  sprang  up  and  business  flourished. 
This  sudden  activity  gave  the  town  an  impetus 
that  was  felt  for  several  years  after  the  canal  was 
finished,  and  had  hardly  died  away  before  it 
was  renewed  and  increased  by  the  construction 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company's  Gravity 
road.  Early  in  1827  a  large  shanty  for  Irish 
laborers  was  built  near  where  Mr.  Barker's 
residence  now  stands,  and  its  inhabitants  were 
the  terror  of  the  settlers  for  several  miles 
around.  AVhiskey  was  plenty,  and  on  pay 
nights  frequent,  and  sometimes  very  serious, 
rows  occurred,  which  the  local  authorities  were 
powerless  to  suppress.      These  are  the  first  acts 


of  lawlessness  of  which  there  is  any  record,  and 
it  is  to  the  credit  of  the  town  that  the  citizens 
finally  succeeded  in  putting  a  stop  to  the  de- 
bauchery, and  since  that  time  have  had  as  quiet 
and  orderly  a  town  as  can  be  found  in  this  re- 
gie in. 

The  first  store  in  Hawley  was  opened  by 
Jonathan  Brink,  at  what  is  now  the  George 
Atkinson  place,  in  the  fall  of  1827,  and  about 
the  same  time  James  Philips  opened  a  store 
which  he  ran  for  two  years,  until  he  moved  to 
Milford.  With  the  building  of  the  Milford 
and  Owego  pike  a  demand  for  hotel  accommo- 
dations sprang  up,  and  in  1838,  Joseph  Atkin- 
son opened  a  tavern  near  the  present  lower 
depot,  which  became  the  principal  hostelry,  and 
remained  so  until  1850,  when  the  Eddy  House 
was  built,  and  he  took  charge  of  that.  A  year 
later  he  died  and  the  hotel  passed  into  other 
hands,  but  its  palmiest  days  were  over  when  he 
left  it.  He  was  one  of  the  most  popular  land- 
lords in  Wayne  County,  and  no  guest  ever  left 
his  house  without  framing  a  wish  that  he  might 
return  at  an  early  date. 

From  1847,  the  year  the  Pennsylvania  Coal 
Company's  road  was  completed,1  business  passed 
across  the  river  to  what  is  now  the  borough  of 
Hawley,  and  the  town  soon  surpassed  in  popula- 
tion and  enterprise  the  hamlet  that  had  grown  up 
after  the  opening  of  the  canal.2  The  industries 
noted  elsewhere  brought  fresh  accessions  of 
labor  and  capital,  and  labor  assumed  very  re- 
spectable proportions.  In  1865  the  Hawley 
branch  of  the  Erie  was  built,  and  the  facilities 
for  the  trans-shipment  of  coal  from  the  Penn- 
sylvania Coal  Company's  road  were  much  in- 
creased. Several  miles  of  siding,  the  necessary 
repair-shops,  depots  and  offices,  gave  employ- 
ment to  many  hundred  workmen,  and  many  of 
them  remained  to  become  useful  citizens.  An 
increased  passenger  traffic  made  better  hotel 
accommodations  necessary,  and  the  importance 
of  the  town  was  established. 

The  Keystone  Hotel   was  built  by    William 

1  See  Chapter  IV.,  general  history  of  Wayne  County. 

2 In  1800,  Francis  Oppelt,  deputy  marshal  for  the  lower 
part  of  the  county  reported,  one  thousand  four  hundred 
and  fifty  persons.  "  One  year  and  a  half  ago  it  contained 
less  than  twenty  souls  ! " — Honesdale  Democrat. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


687 


Schardt  in  187G,  and  run  under  his  manage- 
ment until  1883,  when  he  sold  to  Julius  Scott, 
who  soon  transferred  it  to  J.  S.  Ferine,  of 
Philadelphia,  the  present  owner.  Frey  &  Co. 
leased  it  in  January,  1885,  and  in  August  sold 
out  to  C.  W.  Depew,  the  present  manager.  The 
hotel  is  a  substantial  brick  building,  located  in 
the  business  portion  of  the  town. 

Hawley  was  incorporated  as  a  borough  on 
the  23d  of  January,  1884,  and  the  first  elec- 
tion was  held  on  the  19th  of  the  following 
month,  the  polls  being  located  at  the  Keystone 
Hotel.  Esquire  Ephraim  Kellam  acted  as  judge 
and  Gaston  W.  Ames  and  Isadore  Kastner  as 
inspectors.  Hon.  James  Millham  was  elected 
burgess  and  George  Schlager,  A.  Kimble,  Fred. 
Meiseuger,  H.  P.  Woodward,  Thomas  Mangan 
and  Morveldou  Plum,  Councilmen.  The  school 
directors  were  John  Winess,  S.  R.  Evans,  Isa- 
dore Kastner,  James  H.  Murphey,  Joseph  At- 
kinson and  John  E.  Mandeville.  These  officers 
served  for  one  year,  and  on  February  17,  1885, 
the  following  was  the  result  of  the  election ; 
Burgess,  Dr.  A.  C.  Dingman  ;  Councilmen, 
Daniel  Jacobs  and  R.  T.  Ames,  for  full  term, 
and  E.  V.  Murray  for  one  year  ;  School  Direc- 
tors, Joseph  Atkinson  and  Mauley  Oram.  At 
the  time  the  borough  was  set  off  from  Palmyra 
township  the  joint  indebtedness  was  $1088.61, 
which  was  divided  by  Hon.  Henry  Wilson, 
master  in  Chancery,  who  assigned  to  the  town- 
ship $319.19,  and  to  the  borough  $769.42. 
The  present  secretary  of  the  Councils  is  Esquire 
Ephraim  Kellam,  a  descendant  of  the  Kellams 
who  located  in  the  Wallenpaupack  settlement 
in  1774,  and  are  mentioned  in  the  chapters,  de- 
voted to  Pike  County.  Esquire  Kellam  moved 
to  Hawley  in  1869,  and  has  become  closely 
identified  with  the  interests  of  the  town.  He 
is  one  of  the  justices  and  is  a  civil  engineer  and 
surveyor  by  profession.  For  many  years  his 
duties  in  the  latter  trend  have  brought  him 
into  intimate  relations  with  the  past,  and  many 
valuable  suggestions  in  the  history  of  this 
region  have  beeu  made  by  him. 

The  population  of  Hawley  and  its  overflow 
into  the  territory  just  without  its  borough  lines 
is  about  two  thousand  four  hundred,  and  it  is 
increasing   in   size  rapidly.     Its  population  is 


scattered  over  a  considerable  area,  and  the  three 
streams  that  have  their  confluence  there,  divide 
it  into  a  number  of  sections,  each  of  which  is  a 
small  business  centre.  These  are  connected  by 
several  fine  bridges  that  add  much  to  the  pic- 
turesqueness  of  the  town,  and  within  a  few 
minutes  walk  of  the  depot  is  the  romantic 
Wallenpaupack,  with  its  beautiful  falls.  For 
three  miles  the  stream  is  a  succession  of  cas 
cades  and  rapids,  and  there  is  power  enough  un- 
developed, if  properly  applied,  to  move  more 
machinery  than  can  be  found  in  any  manufac- 
turing town  in  New  England.  Just  below  the 
bridge  at  Wilsonville,  the  first  fall,  which  is 
some  seventy  feet,  occurs,  and  it  was  below  this 
that  the  old  saw  and  grist-mill  of  the  last  cen- 
tury was  erected  by  Judge  Wilson.  A  short 
distance  below  this  is  the  Sliding  Fall,  a  series 
of  wonderful  rapids,  broken  by  many  smaller 
falls.  Still  farther  down  are  two  cascades  of 
about  thirty  feet  each,  and  below  these  again 
the  main  plunge  of  sixty-one  feet,  which  is  uti- 
lized to  piit  in  motion  the  machinery  at  the 
Belmont  and  Nelson  mills.  The  falls  of  the 
Wallenpaupack  have  been  a  favorite  objective 
point  for  tourists  and  excursionists  for  many 
years,  and  at  the  Belmont  mill  a  lookout  has 
been  constructed  above  the  bridge,  from  which 
a  fine  .view  of  the  stream  is  obtained. 

Manufacturing  Interests. — As  has  been 
before  stated,  the  mill  built  by  Robert  Hanna 
was  the  first  industry  located  at  what  is  now 
Hawley.  The  date  of  its  erection  is  not  known, 
but  it  was  several  years  before  Judge  Wilson 
made  his  venture  with  the  hemp  and  flax-fac- 
tory, in  about  1792.  This  mill  was  rebuilt  by 
George  Neldin,  and  afterwards  passed  into  the 
hands  of  Joseph  Atkinson.  Neldin  owned 
another  saw-mill  on  Middle  Creek,  above  what 
is  known  as  the  Cold  Spring,  just  outside  the 
borough  line.  This  mill  was  built  about  1818, 
and  operated  for  several  years.  Several  small 
smithies  were  started  about  this  time,  but  there 
were  no  other  industries,  and  the  monument  of 
Judge  Wilson's  failure  stood  alone,  crumbling 
among  the  hemlocks,  for  many  years. 

Alonzo  H.  Blish  was  the  first  person  who  at- 
tempted to  utilize  the  water-power  on  the 
Wayne  side  of  the  Wallenpaupack.     In  1847 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


he  erected  a  paper-mill  on  the  property  where 
Taft  &  Piersnn's  mill  now  stands.  Several  at- 
tempts were  made  to  put  it  in  successful  operation, 
and  some  coarse  box  paper  was  made,  but  the 
results  were  unsatisfactory  ;  it  was  afterwards 
turned  into  a  powder  mill.  This,  too,  proved  a 
failure,  and  in  1849  the  property  passed  into 
the  hands  of  John  F.  Atkins,  Joseph  Ainsley 
and  Charles  T.  Taft.  Mr.  Ainsley  fitted  it 
for  a  sash  factory  and  planing-mill,  and  rented 
it  for  several  years.  In  1857,  Atkinson,  Ains- 
ley &  Taft  erected  a  grist-mill,  which  was  oper- 
ated by  Atkinson  &  Taft  until  1862,  when  W. 
H.  Crowley  succeeded  to  the  business.  He 
continued  for  five  years,  and  gave  place  to  At- 
kinson, Taft  &  Co.,  who,  in  four  years  more, 
were  succeeded  by  Pierson  &  Tuttle.  This 
firm  lasted  a  year,  and  then  Taft  &  Pierson,  the 
present  owners,  succeeded  to  the  business.  The 
mill  is  a  substantial  structure  situated  at  the 
foot  of  Paupack  Falls,  and  has  dimensions  of 
thirty-four  by  sixty-five  feet,  three  and  a  half 
stories  high,  and  is  provided  with  all  the  im- 
proved machinery.  It  has  three  "  run  "  of  stone 
driven  by  an  overshot  wheel  twenty  feet  in  di- 
ameter. The  mill  does  a  general  business  in 
flour,  feed  and  meal,  and  makes  a  specialty  of 
patent  process  buckwheat  flour,  which  has 
gained  great  popularity  in  this  section.  • 

After  Judge  Wilson's  hemp  factory  had  been 
burned,  the  property  stood  idle  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  was  finally  purchased  by  a  Mr. 
White,  who  expected  to  erect  a  tan- 
nery there,  but  died  before  carrying  out  his 
plans.  In  1848,  James  J.  T.  Cromwell  came  to 
Hawley,  and  bought  the  site  from  Robert  Ho- 
gan,  the  executor  of  the  White  estate.  The 
tract  included  thirty-six  acres  and  the  water- 
power. 

The  tannery  was  erected  the  same  year,  and 
as  it  did  a  good  business  the  plant  soon  grew  to 
a  one  hundred  and  ten  vat  establishment.  In 
1857,  James  Cromwell  sold  out  his  interest,  and 
the  firm  became  J.  S.  &  William  Cromwell. 
Under  this  style  it  ran  for  twenty-six  years,  and 
employed  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  men.  In 
1865  it  was  burned,  and  all  the  stock  destroyed, 
entailing  a  loss  of  about  fifteen  thousand  dol- 
lars.    It  was  rebuilt  the  following  year,  how- 


ever, and  operated  until  1882,  when  Dexter, 
Lambert  &  Co.  bought  out  the  establishment 
and  enlarged  the  mill  property. 

After  Joseph  Ainsley  gave  up  the  planing- 
mill  it  was  run  by  Cornelius  Buckingham  for  a 
while  and  then  was  converted  into  a  hub  aud 
spoke-factory  by  John  G.  Diamond  &  Son. 
This  firm  gave  place  in  turn  to  that  of  Crom- 
well &  Diamond,  which  is  at  present  occupying 
the  place  as  a  planing-mill. 

The  first  boats  used  on  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal  were  built  chiefly  at  Leonards- 
ville  and  Honesdale,  and  it  was  not  until  1849, 
when  the  increasing  prosperity  of  Hawley  made 
it  an  important  hamlet  on  the  line  of  the  canal, 
that  the  boat-building  industry  developed  here. 
During  the  summer  of  that  year  a  contract  for 
twenty  boats,  costing  from  fifteen  to  eighteen 
hundred  dollars,  was  awarded  to  Levi  Barker, 
then  resident  of  Honesdale,  and  he  believed 
that  it  would  be  more  than  profitable  to  fill  it 
at  Hawley.  As  soon  as  the  water  was  drawn 
off  the  canal  basin,  in  the  latter  place,  he  em- 
ployed twenty  men,  and  by  the  time  navigation 
opened  in  the  spring  the  boats  were  ready  for 
launching.  The  employment  of  so  many 
skilled  mechanics  during  a  season  when  most 
other  business  was  at  a  standstill  proved  of 
much  advantage  to  Hawley,  and  subsequently 
the  enterprise  became  a  potent  factor  in  the 
prosperity  of  the  place. 

Mr.  Barker  has  always  occupied  a  prominent 
position  in  the  industry  and  was  also  one  of  the 
early  merchants  of  the  town.  Soon  after  he  re- 
ceived the  contract  above  referred  to  he  opened 
the  store  now  kept  by  his  son-in-law,  M.  M. 
Tread  well,  opposite  the  Canal  Company's  office, 
and  the  establishment  proved  to  be  a  convenient 
depot  of  supplies  for  the  boatmen,  with  whom 
he  built  up  a  large  aud  profitable  trade.  Mr. 
Barker  is  a  native  of  Morris  County,  N.  J., 
from  which  place  he  went  to  Honesdale  in 
1848.  He  married  Eliza  Jacobus  and  had 
three  daughters,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy, 
the  others  were  Mary,  late  wife  of  Gilbert  Lud- 
ington,  of  New  York  City,  and  Josephine,  wife 
of  M.  M.  Treadwell.  At  the  advanced  age  of 
seventy-five  he  is  still  hale  and  an  authority  on 
matters  pertaining  to  the  industry  he  established. 


WAYNE  COUNTY 


fis'.i 


Boat-building  steadily  increased  in  importance 
until  the  construction  of  the  Erie  Branch 
road  to  Lackawaxen,  at  which  time  the  Penn- 
sylvania Coal  Company  ceased  to  use  the  canal, 
and  the  demand  for  boats  iell  off.  Since  that 
time  the  business  has  steadily  declined. 

The  Hawley  Glass-Works  is  an  industry  that 
has  grown  up  within  the  last  few  years  and  be- 
come an  important  factor  in  the  industrial  pros- 
perity of  the  town,  employing  about  oue  hun- 
dred and  sixty  hands  and  paying  out  from  sixty 
to  seventy  thousand  dollars  a  year  in  wages.  It 
was  started  in  1882  as  a  limited  partnership, 
composed  of  Wm.  F.  Dorflinger,  Samuel  W. 
Weiss,  Henry  Z.  Russell,  F.  C.  White  and 
Joseph  Atkinson.  These  gentlemen  bought  a 
twenty-acre  tract  of  land  on  Middle  Creek 
aud  erected  works  at  a  cost  of  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  From  the  first  the  business, 
which  is  the  manufacture  of  green  and  amber 
glass  now,  proved  successful,  and  subsequent 
improvements  were  made.  The  establishment 
has  now  two  furnaces,  one  of  five  and  one  ol 
six  pots  capacity,  and  melts  about  eleven  tons 
of  " metal "  per  day.  Its  store,  packing  and 
other  buildings  are  of  stone  and  very  completely 
fitted  up,  and  twenty  cottages  have  been  recent- 
ly erected  for  the  employees  of  the  works.  In 
1885  the  partnership  was  dissolved  and  the 
same  members  were  incorporated  under  the 
State  laws  as  the  Hawley  Glass- Works. 

In  1869  J.  S.  Ames  <ft  Bros,  erected  a  large 
frame  mill  at  the  corner  of  Fifteenth  aud  Sev- 
enteenth Streets.  The  building  has  three  sto- 
ries and  a  basement,  and  is  equipped  with  all 
modern  machinery,  driven  by  a  sixty-four  horse- 
power steam-engine.  It  has  four  "  run  "  of  stone, 
and  a  plant  of  the  Brewster  refining  machinery, 
used  chiefly  iu  the  production  of  the  patent 
process  buckwheat  flour.  In  1883  the  firm 
was  changed  to  J.  S.  Ames  &  Co.,  John  H.  Ames 
retiring,  and  G.  W.  Ames  coming  in.  This 
firm  has  also  started  a  private  banking-house,  the 
first  in  the  town.  The  latter  enterprise  was  put 
into  operation  in  July,  1885. 

The  Belmont  and  Nelson  Mills,  of  Dexter, 
Lambert  &  Co,,  comprise  what  is  by  far  the 
most  important  industry  of  Hawley,  the  manu- 
facture of  silk   goods,  and  give  employment  to 

67 


many  hundred  women  and  girls.  These  mills 
were  erected  in  1881,  at  a  cost  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  thousand  dollars,  and  occupy  a  ro- 
mantic spot  on  the  east  side  of  the  Wallenpau- 
pack,  just  below  the  lower  falls,  where  the  water 
comes  tumbling  over  the  rocks  a  distance  of 
sixty- one  feet.  On  either  side  of  the  creek  the 
banks  are  fringed  with  hemlock  and  laurels,  and 
delicate  ferns  carpet  the  rough  rocks,  and  the 
architecture  of  the  mill  is  so  in  keeping  with 
its  surroundings  that  the  picturesqueness  of  the 
place  is  increased  by  its  presence.  The  building 
is  a  castellated  structure  of  native  stone,  laid 
in  ashler  blocks,  with  cut-stone  facings,  and  is 
built  in  the  form  of  a  Greek  cross,  so  that  it  has 
a  frontage  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-four  feet 
aud  a  depth  of  forty-four  feet  in  the  arms,  while 
that  of  the  body  is  twenty.  Just  here  the  rocks 
that  make  its  foundation  slope  rapidly  down  to 
the  flat  below,  and  its  three  stories  at  the  up- 
per end  are  increased  to  five  at  the  lower. 

The  great  natural  fall  of  the  stream  bed  does 
away  with  the  necessity  for  a  dam,  and  the 
water  is  conducted  from  one  side  of  the  falls  to 
the  centre  of  the  mill,  where  it  moves  a  forty  - 
five-inch  turbine  wheel  with  a  head  of  sixty-one 
feet.  This  drives  all  the  machinery  of  the  mill 
and  is  unfailing  at  all  seasons. 

The  Nelson  Mill,  which  is  just  above  the  Bel- 
mont, is  part  of  the  same  "  throwing"  plant, 
and  is  eighty  by  forty-four  feet,  aud  three  sto- 
ries high.  Its  machinery  is  driven  by  a  thirty- 
one -inch  turbine  wheel.  Both  buildings  arc 
heated  by  steam  and  lighted  by  gas,  electricity 
having  been  found  unadapted  to  the  diffused 
illumination  required  at  the  looms. 

The  work  carried  on  here  is  what  is  techni- 
cally known  as  "  throwing,"  which  includes  all 
the  processes  through  which  hard  silk  passes  after 
it  has  been  reeled  from  the  cocoon.  The  latter 
work  is  done  in  Italy  and  France,  from  whence 
the  raw  material  comes.  The  mill  has  forty 
thousand  spindles,  representing  the  finest  and 
most  complete  plant  of  "  throwing  "  machinery 
in  the  world. 

Five  hundred  women  and  girls,  ranging  from 
eight  to  thirty  years,  are  employed,  and  the  an- 
nual disbursement  for  wages  is  about  eighty 
thousand   dollars.     In  1883,  in   order  to  more 


WAYNE,  1MKK  AND   MOXKOK  COUXTIKS.   I'KXXSYI AAXIA. 


perfectly  provide  for  its  employees,  the  firm 
erected  a  large  hotel,  where  the  women  and  girls 
who  have  no  homes  in  Hawley  may  hoard  and 
he  under  the  care  and  protection  of  a  matron, 
who  shields  them  from  the  temptations  that  have 
worked  such  disastrous  results  in  other  mill- 
towns.  This  hotel  occupies  a  commanding  po- 
sition on  the  hill  just  above  the  town,  and  has 
accommodations  for  fifty  girls.  It  is  commo- 
dious, well-appointed  and  handsomely  fur- 
nished. 

The  firm  of  Dexter,  Lambert  &  ( !o.  is  a  lead- 
ing one  in  the  silk  business, and  has,  besides  its 
mills  at  Hawley,  similar  establishments  in  New 
York  and  Paterson.  Since  the  erection  of  the 
mill  a  large  amount  of  adjacent  property  has 
been  purchased,  and  it  is  probable  that  all  the 
mills  will  be  moved  to  Hawley  in  time.  Mr. 
W.  F.  Suydam  is  the  superintendent  of  both 
mills,  and  occupies  a  handsome  residence  adjoin- 
ing the  Belmont. 

The  Post-Office. — The  post-office  at  Haw- 
ley has  passed  through  many  vicissitudes  since 
it  was  first  established  as  Paupack  Eddy,  in 
IS."!?,  with  James  S.  Bassett  as  the  first  post- 
master. He  was  succeeded  by  Oren  Hall  and 
the  office  was  then  located  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Lackawaxen,  in  Mr.  Hall's  residence,  and 
remained  there  until  1842,  when  Asher  Atkin- 
son received  the  appointment,  and  held  it  for 
one  year,  giving  place  to  William  C.  Coukling, 
who  served  until  1847.  In  that  year  the  office 
was  moved  to  what  is  now  East  Hawley,  and 
the  name  was  changed  to  Fallsport.  Mr. 
Conkling  was  reappointed  and  the  new  office 
was  located  in  his  store.  Here  it  remained 
until  1849,  when  Henry  B.  Hayes  was  ap- 
pointed, and  the  office  went  once  more  to  the 
west  side,  to  be  known  as  Hawleysburgh.  With 
the  accession  of  Patrick  Jordan  to  the  post- 
mastership,  some  years  after,  the  final  syllable 
of  the  name  was  dropped,  and  the  office,  which 
had  been  located  in  Mr.  Hayes' dry-goods  store, 
corner  of  Fifteenth  and  Twentieth  Streets,  was 
moved  to  the  establishment  of  Mr.  Jordan,  on 
the  corner  of  Fourteenth  and  Thirty-first 
Streets.  In  1860  Hugh  Cole  was  appointed, 
and  moved  the  office  to  the  Wayne  County 
House,  of  which  lie  was  at  that  time  proprietor. 


It  remained  there  but  three  months,  when  his 
appointment  was  recalled  and  Joseph  Harden- 
burg  succeeded  him.  Once  more  the  office  was 
moved,  this  time  to  a  store  near  the  corner  of 
Fourteenth  and  Eighteenth  Streets,  to  remain 
until  the  spring  of  1861,  when  E.  Richardson, 
Jr.,  was  appointed,  and  took  it  to  Seventh 
Street,  between  First  and  Second.  In  1865  il 
was  again  moved  to  the  Pennsylvania  Coal 
<  'oinpany's  station,  now  used  as  the  Erie  depot, 
where  it  remained  for  two  years  and  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  freight  depot  opposite,  Marcus 
Bishop  having  been  appointed  to  succeed  Mr. 
Richardson.  Mr.  Bishop's  deputy  was  George 
Am  merman,  and  the  latter  took  the  office  two 
years  later,  and  is  the  present  incumbent.  In 
1871  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company  built  the 
present  post-office,  and  it  was  refitted  by  the 
postmaster  in  1883.  Though  small,  it  is  con- 
veniently located  near  the  centre  of  the  town, 
and  is  well  appointed. 

In  1851,  after  the  office  had  been  removed 
to  the  west  side  of  the  river,  there  was  so  much 
dissatisfaction  that  the  government  finally 
established  a  second  office  on  the  east  side,  and 
gave  it  the  name  of  East  Hawley.  It  was 
located  in  theEwen  House,  and  E.  Richardson 
was  the  postmaster,  serving  until  1855,  when 
the  office  was  discontinued  by  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral Campbell. 

Schools  and  Chukches.— In  the  fall  of 
the  year  1822,  James  Wheeling  opened  a  pri- 
vate school  in  an  old  log  house,  which  had  been 
built  nearly  a  score  of  years  before  by  Jonathan 
Brink.  Wheeling  had  a  dozen  pupils,  of  whom 
three  were  returned  by  the  assessor  as  too  poor 
to  pay  for  their  own  schooling.  The  Brinks, 
the  Atkinsons,  the  Comptons  and  one  or  two 
other  families  were  the  most  prominent  patrons, 
and  employed  James  W.  Barry  to  carry  on  the 
school  a  second  year.  It  succeeded  so  well  that 
its  patronage  continued  until  the  school  law  was 
adopted,  in  1834.  In  1822-23  the  school-house 
now  used  by  J.  S.  Fowler  as  a  paint  shop  was 
built,  and  the  first  teacher  was  either  Jesse 
Goodwin  or  Courtland  Chapman.  The  school 
was  also  kept  in  operation  until  the  State  took 
hold  of  educational  matters,  and  the  building  was 
one  of  the  first  public  schools  in  the  township. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


i;oi 


Until  a  very  few  years  ago  the  common 
school  afforded  the  only  educational  facilities  in 
Hawley ;  but  in  1879  an  agitation  that  had 
been  commenced  some  years  before  bore  fruit 
in  the  establishment  of  a  graded  school,  which 
now  has  eight  departments.  The  building  is  of 
frame,  sixty  by  ninety  feet,  with  an  "  L  "  of  the 
same  size,  and  is  two  stories  high.  It  is  heated 
by  furnaces  and  otherwise  well  appointed,  and 
cost  seventeen  thousand  dollars.  In  the  higher 
department,  Latin,  science  and  higher  mathe- 
matics are  taught,  and  a  diploma  awarded  to 
those  who  complete  the  regular  course.  The 
average  attendance  has  been  from  seven  to  eight 
hundred  ever  since  the  school  was  established, 
and  eight  teachers  are  employed.  The  first 
principal  was  L.  A.  Freeman,  who  held  the 
position  two  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  A.  S. 
Barnes,  who  remained  one  year.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  E.  H.  Bottsford,  the  present  princi- 
pal, who  has  entered  upon  his  duties  for  the 
third  term.  The  present  board  of  directors  is 
as  follows :  E.  Evans,  president ;  Isadore 
Karstner,  Secretary  ;  John  Winess,1  treasurer  ; 
Joseph  Atkinson,  J.  H.  Murphev,  Manley 
Oram.  The  tax  of  the  borough  for  school 
purposes  is  about  sixteen  hundred  dollars  per 
annum. 

The  first  religious  meetings  in  Hawley  were 
held  in  private  houses,  and  probably  by  some  of 
the  early  Christian  workers  whose  names  are 
given  elsewhere  as  laborers  in  the  field  opened 
up  by  the  settlement  of  Wayne  County.  It  is 
probable  that  the  Baptists  were  the  first  to  es- 
tablish regular  worship  at  an  appointed  time, 
and  this  they  conducted  in  the  old  school-house 
long  before  there  was  any  congregation  organ- 
ized. The  first  religious  society  in  what  is  now 
the  borough  of  Hawley  was  the  Paupack  Eddy 
Baptist  Church,  now  the  Hawley  Baptist 
Church,  and  Rev.  Henry  Curtis,  pastor  of  the 
Bethany  Church,  was  the  first  Baptist  minister 
who  preached  in  the  town,  in  January,  1833. 

The  Paupack  Eddy  Baptist  Church  was 
recognized  by  a  council  of  ministers  from  Beth- 
any, Clinton,  Damascus  and  Palmyra  Churches 
convened   for  the   purpose    November,   1834. 


The  society  had  eighteen  members,— seven  males 
and  eleven  females.  The  next  year  Mr.  John 
Capron  preached  to  the  congregations,  the  meet- 
ings being  held  in  a  school-house.  ( )n  July  9, 
1835,  delegates  were  appointed  to  attend  an  As- 
sociation which  was  to  convene  in  the  Septem- 
ber following,  at  Damascus,  with  a  request  for 
admission.  Rev.  Henry  Curtis  officiated  occa- 
sionally from  1833  to  1838,  and  during  this 
time  the  total  membership,  as  reported  to  the 
Association,  was  twenty-four.  In  1838  Mr. 
George  V.  Walling  served  the  church  for  a  part 
of  the  time,  and   in  the  autumn  of  1840,  Rev. 

D.  F.  Leach,  pastor  of  the  church  at  Ten-Mile 
Run,  divided  his  labors  there  with  those  at  Pau- 
pack Eddy.  Under  his  care,  the  church  pros- 
pered greatly.  In  the  fall  of  1843  the  total 
membership  was  fifty-six,  and  in  1844  Rev. 
Mr.  Leach   resigned. 

In  1845  the  present  church  edifice  was  erected. 
Mr.  Harvey  H.  Gray,  a  licentiate  from  Bridge- 
water  Association,  succeeded  Mr.  Leach.  M. 
M.Everett  followed  in  1847,  and  Rev.  J.  P. 
Stalbird  in  1848.  Rev.  L.  L.  Still  served  one 
year,  from  1852.  Rev.  Sanford  Leach  followed 
Mr.  Stalbird,  Rev.  J.  B.  Case  laboring  with  him, 
both  dividing  their  labors  between  three 
churches  besides  this  at  Paupack  Eddy.  Atthe 
close  of  the  year  J.  B.  Case  was  chosen  pastor, 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  year  1853. 
From  1856  to  18(31  the  Paupack  Eddy  Church 
was  supplied  with  preaching  from  the  surround- 
ing Baptist  Churches.  In  May,  1861,  Rev.  H. 
Curtis  was  formally  called  to  the  pastorate  and 
continued  till  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1867. 
The  first  mention  of  trustees  on  the  records  of 
this  church  is  on  April  16, 1865  ;  the  trustees  then 
were  John  Millharn,  M.  W.  Cole,  George  B. 
Curtis,  William  Cromwell  and  John  Atkinson. 
In  September,  1870,  the  name  of  this  church 
was  changed  to  Hawley  Baptist  Church.  The 
names  of  ministers  serving  this  church  from 
1867  are  Elder  B.  Miller,  Elder  Earle  and  his 
son,   I.  N.  Earle,  Elder   Bohan,  Elder  Metier, 

E.  M.  Jerold  and  the  present  pastor,  A.  J.  Ad- 
ams.    Number  of  members  at  present,  ninety. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
HAWLEY,  Pa. — The  First  Presbyterian  Church 
of   Hawley   was  organized   on   November  25, 


WAYNE,  PIKE,  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


1849,  by  the  Rev.  Burr  Baldwin,  who  was 
laboring  as  a  missionary  within  the  bounds  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Montrose.  Those  who  united 
with  the  new  organization  as  members  were 
Isaac  Beardslee  and  Catharine,  his  wife,  Joseph 
Brown  and  Laura,  his  wife,  John  Newman  and 
Ann,  his  wife,  who  presented  letters  of  member- 
ship from  the  Honesdale  Presbyterian  Church  ; 
Alfred  Brown  joining  on  profession  of  faith. 
On  the  same  day  and  at  the  same  service  Joseph 
Brown  was  elected  by  the  church  and  ordained 
by  the  missionary  as  a  ruling  elder.  The 
names  of  the  other  elders  who  have  served  the 
church  since  its  organization  are  John  Decker, 
E.  G.  Coutant,  Abraham  Eade,  John  Nyce,  S. 
Z.  Lord,  Joseph  Solliday,  Alyn  Babcock  and 
M.  M.  Treadwell,  the  last  five  being  still  in 
office. 

The  church  has  been  ministered  to  by  the 
following  pastors  and  stated  supplies  :  i.e., 
Rev.  E.  W.  Stoddard,  stated  supply  from  De- 
cember, 1852,  to  November,  1855  ;  Rev.  Henry 
Van  Houton,  pastor  from  January,  1857,  to 
January,  1866  ;  Rev.  W.  A.  Dunning,  stated 
supply  for  six  months,  beginning  May,  1866  ; 
Rev.  H.  Van  Houton  then  became  stated  supply 
and  continued  to  serve  in  that  capacity  till  1871  ; 
Rev.  Wright  C.  Galpin  became  stated  supply 
in  1872,  serving  for  five  years;  Rev.  Arthur 
Folsom  next  supplied  the  church  for  about  two 
years,  when  the  Rev.  Charles  S.  Dunning,  D.D., 
late  of  Honesdale,  accepted  an  invitation  to 
supply  them,  discharging  the  duty  for  a  year 
and  a  half. 

Mr.  W.  C.  Hawthorn,  a  licentiate  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Lackawanna,  acted  as  stated  sup- 
ply for  nearly  two  years,  up  to  May,  1883. 
The  present  pastor,  Rev.  R.  H.  Craig,  accepted 
a  unanimous  call  from  the  church  and  congre- 
gation, and  entered  on  his  labors  as  a  pastor  on 
April  1,  1884.  The  number  of  members  who 
have  been  at  any  time  in  connection  with  the 
church  is  one  hundred  and  seventy-two,  the 
present  membership  being  about  sixty. 

The  church  property  consists  of  a  commodious 
house  of  worshij)  free  of  debt,  a  fine  parsonage 
standing  on  the  adjoining  lot,  with  garden, 
barn,  etc. 

The  congregation  is  in  a  prosperous  condition 


at  the  present  time,  with  an  active  Sabbath- 
school,  a  ladies'  missionary  society,  an  energetic 
board  of  elders  and  trustees  and  a  devoted  pas- 
tor. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was 
organized  in  November,  1849,  by  Rev.  F.  Morse, 
then  pastor  at  Lackawaxen,  Abraham  Snyder 
being  the  first  class  leader. 

The  services  were  at  first  held  in  school- 
rooms, but  later,  until  the  erection  and  dedica- 
tion of  the  present  church  edifice,  during  the 
pastorate  of  Rev.  C.  E.  Taylor,  the  society  oc- 
cupied an  unfinished  brick  store,  the  property 
of  Mr.  Bernstein,  which,  as  a  hall,  was  more 
convenient  as  a  place  of  worship. 

The  following-named  persons  were  duly  ap- 
pointed pastors  of  the  Hawley  Church,  and 
served  in  the  order  in  which  their  names  in- 
cur :  Revs.  A.  Brooks,  J.  B.  Cooper,  C.  E. 
Taylor,  C.  L.  Rice,  B.  B.  Emory,  George  W. 
Giddings,  L.  Cole,  N.  S.  DeWitt,  D.  A.  Shep- 
ard,  J.  F.  Wilbur,  C.  V.  Arnold,  W.  W.  Welsh, 
H.  G.  Harned,  N.  S.  Reynolds,  E.  F.  Roberts, 
J.  B.  Newell,  J.  F.  Williams,  P.  R.  Tower,  W. 
B.  Westlake  and  J.  V.  Newell  for  a  second 
term. 

The  church  edifice  was  erected  and  dedicated 
under  the  direction  of  Rev.  C.  E.  Taylor;  was 
repaired  and  enlarged  during  the  pastoral  term 
of  N.  S.  Reynolds,  and  again  repaired  and 
otherwise  beautified  through  the  untiring  efforts 
of  W.  B.  Westlake.  The  repairs  of  the  par- 
sonage are  still  in  progress. 

The  church  grounds  and  parsonage  now  con- 
stitute a  very  convenient  and  really  beautiful 
church  property,  occupying  a  quarter  of  a  block 
iu  a  pleasant  locality  nearly  central  in  the 
town. 

The  society  has  enjoyed  frequent  and  exten- 
sive revivals  of  religion,  and  has  been  usually 
prosperous  and  harmonious.  The  membership 
is  large,  considering  the  population  of  the  town, 
and  the  services  well  attended. 

St.  Philomen's  Roman  Catholic  Congre- 
gation was  organized  in  1852,  by  Rev.  William 
O'Hara,  at  present  Right  Rev.  Bishop  of  the 
diocese  of  Scranton.  After  a  year's  work  in  the 
field,  Father  O'Hara  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
Moses    Whittv,   now    of  Scranton,  and    Vicar- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


693 


General  of  the  diocese  of  that  city.  Under  his 
ministrations  the  congregation  increased  in 
strength  and  zeal,  and  has  since  started  a  num- 
ber of  missions  in  towns  adjacent.  Father  Whitty 
was,  iu  1865,  succeeded  by  R.  M.  Filan,  now 
of  the  Church  of  the  Annunciation,  Philadel- 
phia, who  remained  but  a  short  time.  The  next 
pastor  was  Rev.  B.  McCallum,  who  remained 
for  five  years.  Toward  the  close  of  this  period 
he  went  on  a  mission  to  Rome,  and  died  there. 
Rev.  John  P.  O'Malley,  the  present  pastor,  was 
his  successor.  During  the  ministration  of  Rev. 
Father  Whitty  the  present  church  edifice  was 
erected.  At  that  time  it  was  ample  for  the 
congregation,  but  now  it  is  inadequate,  and  will 
be  pulled  down  and  replaced  with  an  imposing 
stone  structure  at  an  early  date.  The  societies 
attached  to  St.  Philomen's  are  the  Catholic 
Benevolent  Association,  an  insurance  organiza- 
tion for  members  of  the  faith.  The  Compa- 
triots of  the  Holy  Rosary,  Sodality  and 
Father  Mathew  Societies.  The  latter  are  de- 
voted to  the  furtherance  of  good  morals.  At- 
tached to  this  congregation  are  the  missions  of 
St.  Mary's,  at  Ledgedale ;  St.  Joseph's,  at 
White  Mills;  St.  Patrick's,  at  Milford;  and 
St.  Mary's  of  the  Assumption,  at  Lacka waxen, 
each  of  which  is  referred  to  in  the  chapter  de- 
voted to  the  locality  where  it  is  situated 

The  German  Evangelical  Church  of 
Hawley  was  founded  by  a  number  of  German 
families  in  1853.  Among  its  first  members  were 
Father  Warj,  Jacob  Keller,  Geo  Schlager,  Geo. 
Grosbiuder,  John  Dittman  and  Fred.  Vicines. 
ThefirstpastorwasRev.  Fred.  BaurTellee,  under 
whom  the  church  was  commenced  in  1859.  In 
1860  Rev. Mr.  Frankfort  was  called,  and  under 
him  the  edifice  now  in  use  on  Church  Street 
was  completed.  It  cost  four  thousand  dollars, 
and  was  built  without  contracting  a  debt.  The 
present  pastor,  Rev.  John  U.  Wagner,  was 
called  in  1873,  and  under  his  ministration  the 
congregation  has  been  considerably  enlarged. 
The  present  membership  is  nearly  two  hundred. 
The  congregation  is  an  independent  one,  sub- 
ject to  no  synod,  and  its  teachings  are  "  liberty 
of  belief  and  conscience,  with  rational  and 
scientific  interpretation  and  application  of  the 
Bible,  and   the    basis  of  happiness,   the    moral 


universal,  commenced  by  Moses  and  perfected 
by  Jesus  Christ," 

There  is  a  flourishing  Sunday-school  with 
eighty  or  ninety  scholars  connected  with  the 
church. 

Lodges,  Fraternities,  Etc. — The  Hawley 
Lodge,  No.  2207,  Knights  of  Honor,  was  in- 
stituted May  7,  1880,  by  G.  L.  Field,  D.  G.  D., 
with  the  following  list  of  twenty-five  charter 
members  :  Officers, — F.  H.  Hardenburgh,  P. 
D.;  M.  M.  Treadwell,  D.;  H.  Reafler,  V.  I).; 
J.  K.  Terwiliger,  A.  D.;  D.  Daniels,  R.;  P. 
Davis,  F.  R.;  M.  W.  Simons,  T.;  William 
Bigart,  G;  M.  Turner,  Guide;  S.  S.  Speers, 
G.J  J.  Decker,  S.  Members,— H.  P.  Wood- 
ward,  L.  Phillips,  G.  W.  Lake,  F.  B.   Pellett, 

E.  H.  Demming,  H.  A.  Plum,  S.  Avery,  F. 
Nell,  M.  Oram,  W.  H.  Mills,  J.  L.  Ford,  A. 
B.  Haperinan,  J.  T.  Rodman,  Win.  Decker. 

The  lodge  has  distributed  to  its  beneficiaries 
four  thousand  dollars  upon  the  death  of  two  of 
its  members.  It  has  grown  to  a  membership 
of  sixty ;  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and 
ranks  well  with  the  organizations  of  the  day. 

1  Taw-ley  Lodge,  No.  305,  F.  and  A .  M.,  was  or- 
ganized 1857,  with  the  following  charter  mem- 
bers :  ffm.  L.  Hawley,  Stewart,  Oscar  Freeman, 
Henry  J.  Tarball,  Edward  M.  Spencer,  George 

F.  Wilber,  Emery  Teusdrell,  James  Balf, 
Gilbert.  Alexander,  William  Hapemam,  E. 
A.  Esterline,  John  Spencer,  G.  H.  Harden- 
burgh, Randal  Williams,  A.  Griswold  and 
David  Bishop.  The  following  officers  were 
elected  for  the  year  1885,  and  installed  on 
St.  John's  Day,  27th  of  December,  1884: 
Brother  Walter  J.  Shelly,  W.  M.;  Gaston  W. 
Nanes,  S.  W.;  Isador  H.  Levine,  J.  W.;  John 
H.  Ames,  Treasurer  ;  Wm.  D.  Curtis,  Secretary. 
Trustees,  Wm.  L.  Overton,  Morvelden  Plum 
and  Win.  D.  Curtis.  Past  Masters,  Wm.  D. 
Curtis,  N.  R.  Harkins,  James  Millham, 
John  J.  Baisden,  John  H.  Ames,  William 
L.  Overton,  Morvelden  Plum,  James  T.  Rod- 
man, Mordecai  W.  Simons,  Reuben  T.  Ames,  H. 
A.  Plum,  Isador  Kastner,  Wm.  A.  Gregg,  Wm. 
Schardt,  M.  M.  Teedwell. 

Lackawaxen  Lodge  I.  O.  O.  F.,  No.  667, 
was  instituted  at  Hawley,  May  18,  1869,  with 
the   following   officers  :   M.  Kellernian,  N.  G.; 


G94 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


M.  Reafler,  V.  G. ;  G.  Hittinger,  R.  C. ; 
Charles  Schardt,  A.  S.  ;  Frederick  Nell,  Treas- 
urer. There  were  nineteen  charter  members, 
and  the  meetings  are  held  each  Monday  night, 
at  Teeter's  Hall.  The  lodge  owns  property  to 
the  amount  of  twenty-four  hundred  dollars,  and 
is  in  a  prosperous  condition.  The  present  of- 
ficers are  Frederick  Schalin,  Jr.,  N.  G.  ;  John 
Rominger,  V.  G. ;  C.  Buck,  R.  C. ;  John 
Weinss,1  A.  S. ;  R.  Teeter,  treasurer. 

Wayne  Council,  No.  127,  of  the  American 
Legion  of  Honor,  was  instituted  March  19, 
1880,  with  the  following  officers:  James  Rod- 
man, Commander  ;  F.  B.  Pellett,  Vice-Com- 
mander;  George  M.  Wilson,  Past  Commander; 
E.  R.  Kalbfus,  Chaplain  ;  H.  A.  Plum,  Medical 
Examiner;  Jacob  Heiss,  Collector;  George  M. 
Wilson,  Treasurer  ;  E.  H.  Hemming,  Secretary  ; 
J.  E.  Mandevill,  Orator ;  J.  S.  Hecker,  Guide  ; 
G.  C.  Blossom,  Warden  ;  A.  L.  Bishop,  Sentry. 
There  were  twenty-four  charter  members,  and 
the  fraternity  has  increased  largely.  Only  one 
death  has  occurred  in  this  council. 

The  present  officers  are  Samuel  Geary,  Com- 
mander ;  John  Bell,  Vice-Commander  ;  G.  W. 
Buckland,  Chaplain;  H.  A.  Plum,  Medical 
Examiner;  G.  W.  B.  Allen,  Collector;  Simeon 
Brink,  Treasurer  ;  Asher  Atkinson,  Secretary  ; 
James  Keen,  Guide  ;  J.  M.  Owen,  Warden  ; 
and  Lewis  Barnard,  Sentry. 

The  Hawley  Mannerchor  was  organized  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1874,  with  the  following  charter 
members : 

K.  Warg,  Sr.  John  Weinss. 

M.  Reafler.  Frank  Sehroeder. 

Alexius  F.  Voigt.  H.  Reafler. 

Ch.  S.  Gelbert.  Fr.  W.  Schalm. 

Wm,  Lyon.  John  Glass. 

V.  Gilbert.  Fred.  Nell. 

August  Brunner.  Ph.  Hein. 

Jacob  Zeller,  Sr.  G.  Barhon. 

John  Kellerman.  C.  Burk. 

John  Hoehn.  Jacob  Siedler. 

Ernst  Vogler.  Jacob  Schmidt. 

John  Threlcke.  Fr.  Seidler. 

Wm.  Schardt.  Ch.  H.  Schardt. 

The  society  owns  a  fine  park  on  the  moun- 
tain, just  outside  of  the  town,  and  has  it  fitted 
up  for  musical  and  social  events.     The  present 

1  Deceased. 


officers  are  F.  W.  Schalm,  president;  H. 
Reafler,  vice-president ;  R.  Warg,  secretary ; 
John  Glass,  treasurer  ;  J.  H.  A.  Peterson, 
conductor;  G.  Albrecht,  archiver  (librarian). 
The  society  meets  for  practice  every  Thursday 
evening  in  Snyder's  Hall. 

A  Father  Mathews  Society  was  organized  in 
Hawley  in  March,  1878,  with  a  membership 
of  twenty- five,  which  increased  in  two  months 
to  forty-five.  It  continued  to  flourish  until  the 
autumn  of  1883,  when  there  was  a  split  in  the 
society,  and  the  dissenters  formed  a  new  society 
in  what  is  now  outside  of  Hawley  borough.  In 
the  spring  of  1884  the  society  proper  chauged 
into  a  Literary  Society,  having  now  a  member- 
ship of  forty,  with  the  following-named  officers, 
to  wit  :  President,  P.  H.  McAndrew  ;  Vice- 
President,  E.  J.  Richardson  ;  Corresponding 
Secretary,  T.  F.  Kelly ;  Receiving  Secretary, 
P.  Neylon  ;  Treasurer,  William  M.  Slattery  ; 
Sergeant-at-Arms,  M.  J.  Howley.  Meetings 
first  and  third  Sundays  in  each  month  at  Kim- 
ble's Hall ;  public  entertainments  by  the  mem- 
bers about  twice  a  year.  Several  temperance 
societies  have  existed  for  brief  periods  in  Haw- 
ley ;  at  present  the  W Oman's  Christian  Temper- 
ance Union  is  the  only  society  for  carrying  for- 
ward the  work  of  temperance  reform. 

Journalistic  Ventures  in  Hawley. — 
On  May  23,  1851,  a  weekly  paper  was  started 
in  Hawley  called  The  Hawley  Chronicle,  being 
edited  and  published  by  Robert  Denton,  who 
had  been  connected  previously  with  the  Journal 
at  Ellenville,  N.  Y.  It  was  neutral  in  politics 
and  religion.  It  was  in  folio  form,  the  size  of 
each  page  being  fifteen  and  a  half  by  twenty-one 
and  three-quarters  inches.  Subscription  price, 
$1.50  per  annum.  Mr.  Denton  continued  its  pub- 
lication to  October  10,  1851  (or  until  the  general 
election  of  that  year),  when  the  publication 
ceased  for  want  of  sufficient  support — the  circu- 
lation being  about  four  hundred  copies.  .Mr. 
Denton  went  from  Hawley  to  Addison,  N.  Y., 
where  he  started  a  paper  called  the  Addison 
Journal.  In  September,  1881,  he  was  still 
alive  and  residing  at  Jersey  City  Heights. 

The  second  attempt  to  publish  and  maintain 
a  paper  in  Hawley  was  made  by  (lias  K. 
Beardslee,    formerly    publisher    of  a  German 


WAYNE  COTTNTY. 


r,9."» 


paper  in  Honesdale.  In  August,  1863,  he  re- 
moved the  press  and  material,  which  had  been 
used  on  the  German  paper,  from  Hones- 
dale  to  Hawley,  and  fitted  up  an  office  with  its 
aid,  and  on  the  4th  of  September,  1803,  issued 
tlic  Hist  number  of  a  weekly  paper  called  the 
Hawley  Free  Press.  It  was  published  in  quarto 
form  (eight  pages),  each  page  being  nine  by 
twelve  and  a  half  inches.  Mr.  Beardslee  con- 
tinued as  editor  until  December  1,  1883,  when 
he  sold  out  to  Jacob  Smethers,  who,  on  January 
1,  1884,  changed  its  form  to  a  folio  of  six 
columns  to  the  page,  each  page  being  fourteen 
by  nineteen  and  a  half  inches.  The  subscrip- 
tion  was  $1.50  in  advance,  or  two  dollars  at  the 
end  of  the  year.  On  the  6th  of  February,  1864, 
Mr.  Smethers  sold  out  to  F.  A.  Dony,  who  con- 
tinued its  management  until  June,  1865,  when 
lie  sold  to  C.  B.  Cotter.  Mr.  Cotter  had  charge 
of  it  until  February  9,  1866,  when  Mr.  Dony 
again  became  its  manager,  and  after  issuing  three 
numbers  in  that  month,  suspended  its  publica- 
tion. He  then  removed  the  press,  type,  etc., 
(o  Honesdale,  and  there  commenced  the  publi- 
cation of  the  Eleventh  District  Monitor.  The 
entire  period  of  the  publication  of  the  Free 
Press  was  two  and  a  half  years,  during  which 
time  it  changed  properties  four  times. 

The  next  attempt  to  start  and  maintain  a 
paper  in  Hawley  was  in  1874,  by  H.  P.  and 
F.  P.  Woodward,  who,  on  the  18th  of  Septem- 
ber, issued  the  first  number  of  a  weekly  paper 
called  The  Hawley  Times.  It  was  a  folio  sheet, 
with  seven  columns  to  the  page — each  page 
bring  fifteen  and  a  half  by  twenty-one  and  a 
half  inches,  with  the  subscription  price  two 
dollars  in  advance.  The  Times  was  published 
by  the  Woodward  Brothers  until  the  close  of  the 
first  volume  (September  18,  1875),  when  H.  P. 
Woodward  sold  out  his  interest  to  his  brother, 
Frank  P.,  who  continued  to  publish  it  until 
June  30,  1876,  and  it  was  then  suspended.  In 
August,  1876,  H.  P.  Woodward  again  started 
it.  The  paper  was  reduced  in  size  to  a  six- 
column  folio— each  page  being  thirteen  and  a 
half  by  nineteen  and  a  half  inches — and  the 
subscription  price  reduced  to  $1.50  per  year  in 
advance.  On  the  13th  of  September,  1878,  the 
paper   was   restored   to    a   seven-column    folio, 


and  continued  until  October  13,  1882,  when  it 
was  enlarged  to  an  eight-column  paper — each 
page  being  eighteen  by  twenty-four  inches. 
The  Hawley  Times  was  published  by  H.  P. 
Woodward  until  January  1,  1885,  when  the 
paper  was  sold  to  Herbert  W.  Wagner,  who  is 
the  present  proprietor  and  publisher. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

LEVI   BARKER. 

His  father,  John  Barker,  a  native  of  Connec- 
ticut, spent  his  active  business  life  on  Long 
Island,  and  was  a  boat-builder.  He  erected 
the  first  house  ever  built  on  Coney  Island,  a 
part  of  which  is  standing  in  1886.  John  Bar- 
ker's wife,  Hannah  Berlin,  who  died  in  1855, 
at  the  great  age  of  ninety-nine  years,  bore  him 
the  following  children  :  Mary,  wife  of  Samuel 
Tredwell,  of  Hempstead,  Long  Island,  where 
both  died  ;  Polly,  married  Richard  Denyce,  of 
Gravesend,  Long  Island  ;  Joseph  went  aboard 
a  privateer  during  the  War  of  1812  and  was 
never  heard  from  since  ;  William  was  a  sea- 
faring man,  was  captain  of  a  wrecking  vessel 
off  Florida  Reef,  and  died  in  New  York ; 
Sarah  first  married  Abram  Van  Syckcl,  and  af- 
ter his  death  became  the  wife  of  Cornelius  Yan- 
derbilt;  Eliza  married  Albert  Palmer,  of  New 
York;  Jane  married  Silas  Picket,  of  Alexan- 
dria, Va.;  Levi,  subject  of  this  sketch  ;  and 
John  who  came  to  Hawley  with  his  brother 
Levi,  and  was  engaged  in  boat-building  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1881,  at  the  age  of 
sixty  years.  He  left  a  widow  and  one  daugh- 
ter. The  father  of  these  children  died  in  1821. 
Levi  Barker,  son  of  John  Barker,  ,vas  born  at 
Jericho,  Long  Island,  February  9,  1810.  He 
had  very  limited  opportunities  for  any  educa- 
tion from  books,  but  his  early  impressions, 
gained  through  necessity,  of  industry  and  econ- 
omy as  necessary  to  success  in  business,  came  to 
be  of  great  value  to  him,  and  gave  him  practical 
ideas  and  good  judgment  which  characterized 
his  life's  work.  As  a  boy,  he  began  learning 
boat-building  with  his  father,  but  completed  his 
education  on  this  subject  by  serving  a  term  of 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


four  years  with  Alderman  Buckmaster,  a  boat- 
builder  of  New  York  City.  In  1832  he  went 
to  Montville,  N.  J.,  where  lie  engaged  in  build- 
ing boats  on  his  own  account,  for  use  on  the 
Morris  Canal,  and  continued  this  business  there 
until  1848,  when  he  came  to  Honesdale,  Wayne 
County,  and  worked  at  his  business  for  one 
year.  In  1 849  Mr.  Barker  settled  at  Hawley, 
where  he  has  been  constantly  engaged  since  in 
the  construction  of  boats   tor  the  Pennsylvania 


general  mercantile  business  about  1855,  which 
he  has  personally  managed  until  recently,  the 
management  of  which  is  now  mostly  in  the 
hands  of  his  son-in-law,  M.  M.  Treadwcll, 
Esq.  Besides  his  other  business  he  has  dealt 
somewhat  in  real  estate,  has  built  several  resi- 
dences,  and  owns  and  occupies  the  residence 
.first  built  on  the  east  side  of  the  Lackawaxen. 

He  is  one  of  the  few  men  who  have  encour- 
aged the  various  enterprises  that  have  contributed 


c^^^ 


*^K. 


Coal  Company,  and  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal  Company, and  in  mercantile  business.  For 
these  two  companies  he  has  constructed  some 
three  hundred  and  fifty  boats,  at  a  value  of  about 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  each,  and  even  at  his  ad- 
vanced age  oversees  his  workmen  and  superin- 
tends his  boat-building  works  with  the  same 
anxiety  and  care  that  he  did  when  much  younger 
in  years. 

Mr.  Barker  opened  a  store  at  Hawley  for 


to  the  growth  aud  prosperity  of  Hawley,  and 
from  straitened  circumstances  as  a  boy  he 
has,  by  his  own  honest  industry,  obtained  a 
fair  competency.  He  married,  in  1835,  Eliza 
Hiler,  of  Montville,  N.  J.,  who  was  born  April 
1,  1817.  Her  father,  Peter  Hiler,  died  in 
1837.  Her  mother,  Charity  (Collard)  Hiler,  died 
in  1847.  She  has  two  sisters, — Ellen  married  a 
Mr.  Cassidy,  of  Essex  County,  N.  J.,  and  re- 
sides at  Dundee,  Mich.,  and  Jane  married  a  Mr. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


697 


Slingerlaud,  of  Montville,  wliere  she  died,  leav- 
ing one  son.  Of  the  seven  children  of  Levi  and 
Eliza  Barker,  only  two  grew  to  mature  years, 
viz.:  Mary  (1845-72),  was  the  wife  of  Gilbert 
Luddington,  of  Carniel,  N.  Y.,  and  died  leav- 
ing one  child,  Joseph  Barker  Luddington;  and 
Josie  married,  in  1875,  M.  M.  Tread  well,  a  na- 
tive of  Ipswich,  Mass.  He  is  the  son  of  Na- 
thaniel and  Emeline  C.  (Jewett)  Treadwell,  the 
former  a  boot  and  shoe  manufacturer,  who 
died  in  1857.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Na- 
thaniel, a  sea  captain,  commanded  a  privateer 
in  the  War  of  1812,  and  was  one  of  the  prison- 
ers confined  in  Dartmouth  Prison.  After  the 
release  he  went  to  sea,  but  was  never  after 
heard  from.  His  great-grandfather  was  of 
English  birth. 

On  account  of  the  death  ot  his  father  he  was 
compelled,  when  only  a  boy,  to  do  for  himself. 
Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  Civil  War, 
Mr.  Treadwell  enlisted  at  Boston,  in  the  Twelfth 
Massachusetts,  and  served  in  various  positions 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  came  to  Haw- 
ley,  Pa.,  from  Boston,  in  August,  1869,  and  was 
in  the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Com- 
pany until  he  took  charge  of  his  father-in-law's 
mercantile  interests  in  1876.  He  read  law 
with  E.  Richardson,  Esq.,  of  Hawley,  and  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  1883. 


JACOB  s.  AMES. 

Jacob  S.  Ames,  merchant,  banker  and  miller, 
of  Hawley,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Canaan  township, 
Wayne  County,  Pa.,  June  26,  1830.  His  boy- 
hood days  were  spent  on  the  home  farm  and  at- 
tending the  district  school.  At  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen, resolving  to  carve  out  a  competence  and 
home  for  himself,  he  began  work  for  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  Canal  Company  for  the 
daily  wages  of  eighty-one  cents.  After  nine 
mouths  he  went  to  Hawley,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged on  the  Gravity  Railroad  until  it  was 
completed.  For  three  years  following  the -com- 
pletion <>l'  the  road  he  ran  a  stationary  water- 
wheel  for  drawing  the  cars  up.  the  inclined 
plane  at  Station  No.  15,  on  the-Gravity  Rail- 
road, and  for  the  next  three  years  thereafter  he 
was  employed  at  Hawley  to  run  the  stationary 
68 


power  there.  By  this  time,  by  economy  and 
prudence,  he  had  saved  from  his  earnings  suf- 
ficient to  embark  in  business  for  himself,  and 
for  five  years  he  engaged  in  buying  cattle  and 
sheep  in  Illinois,  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  and 
at  first  drove  them  to  Eastern  markets,  but  sub- 
sequently shipped  them  by  rail  to  New  York 
and  Boston.  In  1861  he  quit  droving,  and 
opened  a  general  mercantile  house  at  Hawley, 
which  he  has  continued  since,  a  period  of 
4wenty-five  years.  In  1872  he  built  his  present 
steam  gristmill  in  the  borough,  where  the 
farmers  in  the  surrounding  country  find  ready 
sale  for  their  grain  or  have  it  prepared  for 
home  consumption.  On  July  28,  1885,  Mr. 
Ames  established  a  private  bank  (the  first  of 
any  bank  being  located  in  Hawley),  widely  ttr- 
gether  with  the  mercantile  business,  are  mostly 
Goadueted-hy  his  son,  Gaston  W.  Ames.  About 
1870  he  engaged  largely  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness ;  rebuilt  one  steam  saw  mill  and  one  water- 
power  sawjjnill  in  Paupack  township,  Wayne 
County  ;  purchased  large  tracts  of  timber  land 
in  Palmyra,  Paupack,  Lake  and  Salem  town- 
ships ;  and,  after  clearing  off  large  quantities  of 
the  timber  and  manufacturing  it  into  lumber, 
he  sold  several  hundred  acres  of  this  land  for 
farming  purposes,  yet  retaining  some  two  thou- 
sand acres  to  himself.  His  annual  sales  have 
averaged  five  million  feet  of  lumber,  which  has 
been  marketed  mostly  in  Philadelphia,  New  ^~ 
York  and  Newark.  Although  only  twenty- 
ftv«-y«ar,s  in  established  business,  JMr.  Ames 
has-given  to  Hawley  and  surrounding  country 
as  much  enterprise  and  labor  to  those  classes 
depending  upon  work  for  their  livelihood  as 
any  other  citizen  in  the  community.  His  hon- 
orable purpose  in  life's  work,  his  integrity  in 
his  business  and  his  sterling  habits  make  him 
esteemed  by  all  who  know  him.  He  married, 
October  26,  1854,' Harriet  N.  Woodward,  of 
Paupack  township,  Wayne  County,  who  was  born 
March  7,  1836.  Their  children  are  Gaston 
W.  Ames,  merchant  and  banker,  before-men- 
trened-,--  Helen  Augusta  (1856-78)  and  Hat- 
tie  Florine  (4£75-80)?— b^k-deeeased.  Mrs. 
Ames'  father,  Amasa  L.  Woodward  (1806— 
78),  was  a  resident  of  Paupack  township, 
Wayne  County,  and  was  the  son  of  John  Wood- 


)%•)* 


J 


\  S  M  k" 


' 6  tf  ¥- 


698 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ward,  of  Cherry  Ridge  township,  where  Enos 
Woodward  was  one  of  the  first  settlers.  Amasa 
L.  Woodward  was  a  cousin  of  the  late  Judge 
"Woodward,  of  Wilkesbarre,  and  belonged  to 
thesame  family  as  the  late  Judges  Warren  J.  and 
George  W.  Woodward,  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Pennsylvania,  whose  ancestors  were  also 
among  the  first  settlers  of  Cherry  Ridge  town- 
ship. Mrs.  Ames'  mother,  Irene  R.  Kellam 
fc060-64),   was    a   native  of  Paupack    settle- 


Woodwardj  a  leading  grocer  at  Hawley.  Mrs. 
Ames'  maternal  grandfather  was  Moses  Kel- 
lam, Esq.  (OTOJMjOOB),  a  prominent  and  es- 
teemed citizen,  who  was  justice  of  the  peace  at 
Paupack  settlement  for  many  years,  and  a 
county  surveyor.  •  The  father  of  Jacob  S.  Ames 
— Joseph  Ames — (17UO-1K49)  was  a  native  of 
North  Stouington,  Conn.,  and  came  to  Cherry 
Ridge  township  in  1814.  He  was  a  teacher, 
and  taught  here  several  terms.     About  1815  he 


,m  gj^L^> 


ment,  on  the  Wallen paupack,  where  the  family 
settled  during  the  early  days  of  the  county. 
The  children  of  Amasa  L.  and  Irene  R.  Wood- 
ward are  Helen,  deceased;  Melissa,  wife  of 
John  H.  Ames,  of  Hawley ;  Harriet,  wife  of 
Jacob  S.  Ames,  subject  of  this  sketch  ;  Adelia  ; 
Robert  Bruce  (resides  on  the  homestead  in 
Paupack  township,  Wayne  County);  Moses, 
deceased;    Ellen,    deceased;   and   Cassius    H. 


bought  some  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  where 
Canaan  Corners  are  now  located,  and  there 
made  the  first  clearing.  Subsequently  he  set- 
tled about  one  mile  east  of  the  Corners,  where 
he  owned  some  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
land,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days. 
He  belonged  to  the  old  Whig  party,  and  most 
of  his  descendants  are  Republicans.  His  wife, 
Gertrude,    a    daughter    of    Colonel    John    H. 


WAYNE  COUNT  Y. 


Ii!l9 


Sehenck,  was  born  in  1793,  and,  in  1886,  re- 
sides at  Somerville,  N.  J.  She  is  a  woman  of 
high  moral  character  and  Christian  excellence, 
and  instructed  her  children  in  all  that  makes 
true  manhood  and  womanhood.  Colonel 
Sehenck  came  from  German  ancestors,  early 
settlers  in  New  Jersey,  of  whom  many  may  be 
found  in  Somerset  and  Monmouth  Counties,  in 
that  State,  and  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  He  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Cherry  Ridge  township,  from  Millstone, 
Somerset  County,  N.  J.,  and  subsequently  re- 
moved to  Canaan  Corners,  where  he  died. 
Gertrude  Sehenck  is  an  own  cousin,  on  her 
father's  side,  of  the  late  Theodore  Frelinghuy- 
sen,  who  ran  for  Vice-President  with  Henry 
Clay  on  the  Whig  ticket,  in  1 844.  The  chil- 
dren of  Joseph  and  Gertrude  (Sehenck)  Ames 
are  Erasmus  D.,  died  in  Somerset  County, 
N.  J.,  in  187.');  Nelson  W.,  died  in  Mattoon, 
111.,  in  1883;  Eliza  H.  Ann,  first  married  A. 
j      G.  Anderson,  of  Dundee,  Scotland,  and,  after 

^his  death  at  Dubuque,  Iowa,  she  married  Joseph 
Annin,  of  Liberty  Corners,  Somerset  County, 
N.  J.  ;  Caleb  T.,  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years;  George  R.,  of  Elk  Falls,  Kan.  ;  Clar- 
issa K.,  wife  of  John  Clawsou,  of  Somerville, 
N.  J.;  Henry  C,  on— the-ohr  homestead  -  in 
^aTJtntH--tai3ais]up ;  Jacob  S.,  subject  of  this 
sketch  ;  John  H.,  a  merchant  at  Havvley ;  Reu- 
ben T.,  in  business  at  Hawley  ;  and  Sarah  Den- 
ton, wife  of  John  Stryker,  of  Somerset  County, 
N.J. 

The  grandfather  of  Jacob  S.  Ames — Joseph 
Ames,  of  North  Stonington,  Conn. — was  a  pri- 
vate in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and,  upon  the 
breaking  out  of  that  memorable  struggle,  his 
patriotism  led  him  to  leave  his  plow  and  join 
the  Continental  army. 

'  Nearly  the  whole  Ames  family  of  'North 
Stonington  remained  there  and  spent  their 
lives  in  their  native  place.  The  Hon.  E.  B. 
Ames,  ex-judge  of  the  courts  of  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  and  ex-minister  to  Germany  during 
President  Pierce's  administration,  is  a  cousin  of 
Jacob  S.  Ames,  and  his  father  was  William 
Ames,  who  settled  in  Rockford,  111. 

Judge  E.  B.  Ames  was  the  law-partner,  at 
Springfield,  111.,  of  Hon.  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 


candidate  for  President  of  the  United  States  in 
1860.  The  Ames  family  in  Wayne  County, 
Pa.,  are  of  the  same  stock  as  the  late  Bishop 
Ames,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
the  religious  persuasion  of  the  family  is  of  the 
same  church.  They  are  of  English  origin,  and 
the  Schencks  of  Holland  extraction. 


JAMES  MILLHAM. 

James  Millham,  merchant,  of  Hawley,  Pa., 
was  born  near  Newton,  Sussex  County,  N.  J., 
August  1,  1832,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Charity  (1804-80)  Roof  Millham.  John 
Millham,  born  May  11,  1804,  near  Newton,  re- 
moved from  Sussex  County  with  his  family  and 
settled  on  a  farm  one  mile  east  of  Hawley,  in 
Pike  County,  on  the  Milford  and  Bethany  turn- 
pike, where  his  wife  died.  He  was  a  black- 
smith by  trade,  but  since  his  removal  has  car- 
ried on  farming  and  blacksmithing.  His 
children  are  Caroline,  wife  of  Alexander  Tuttle, 
of  Hawley;  George,  of  Creek  lock,  Ulster 
County,  N.  Y. ;  James,  subject  of  this  notice  ; 
Eliza  J.,  wife  of  William  Cromwell,  of  Haw- 
ley ;  Mary  ;  Allen  S.,  of  Hawley ;  and  Joanna, 
wife  of  S.  T.  Wells,  of  Hawley.  Morris  Mill- 
ham, grandfather  of  James,  died  near  Hawley, 
whence  he  had  come  from  Dover,  N.  J.,  at 
about  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  Jacob  Roof,  came  from  Hollaud, 
served  in  the  Continental  army  during  the  Rev- 
olutionary War,  and  settled  in  Sussex  County, 
N.  J.,  where  he  was  a  farmer  at  Paulenskill, 
raised  a  large  family  of  children  and  died 
there. 

James  Millham,  like  most  of  the  boys  of  a  half- 
century  ago,  started  out  in  life  without  home  as- 
sistance, but  wjth  resolution  and  a  purpose  to  ac- 
complish something.  He  had  obtained  only  the 
limited  book  knowledge  to  be  gathered  in  the 
district  school.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  began 
a  clerkship  in  the  store  of  William  C.  Conkling, 
an  old  and  respected  merchant  of  Hawley, 
where  he  remained  for  two  years.  He  then 
spent  a  short  time  as  clerk  for  Ira  Daniels  ; 
when  he  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  Joseph 
Solliday,  of  Hawley,  where  he  remained  for 
four  years.     In  1857,  himself  and  J.  T.  &  W. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Cromwell  bought  out  the  store  of  Mr.  Solliday, 
which  they  successfully  carried  ou  for  three 
years,  when  Mr.  Millham  sold  out  his  interest 
to  his  partners,  but  remained  with  them  as 
salesman  for  two  years  thereafter,  and  until 
1862,  wheu  he  was  appointed  by  Samuel  Oliver, 
of  Easton,  Pa.,  assistant  assessor  of  internal 
revenue  for   a    part  of  Wayne   County.     This 


lower  branch  he  served  on  the  several  commit- 
tees— elections,  compare  bills,  iron  and  coal 
companies,  printing  and  elections. 

In  1 864  Mr.  Millham  opened  a  store  for 
general  mercantile  business  at  the  Erie  depot,  in 
East  Ifawley,  which,  together  with  his  lumber 
interests  in  connection  with  Mr.  Solliday  for  a 
few  years,  he  has    continued    to  carry  on  since. 


^yru^y 


6L^K 


place  was  held  by  him  until  a  change  in  the 
administration,  in  1866,  but  he  was  reappointed 
in  1868  by  General  Selfridge,  of  Bethlehem,  Pa., 
and  held  the  office  until  1870.  He  was  elected 
a  justice  of  the  peace  at  Hawley,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  from  1870  to  1875,  and  he  served 
as  school  director  for  the  year  1880.  In  the 
fall  of  1880  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legis- 
lature from  his  district  on  the  Republican  ticket 
and  served  one  term,  and  while  a  member  of  the 


He  is  an  active  and  thorough-going  business 
man,  and  has  identified  himself  with  the  growth 
and  prosperity  of  Hawley,  and  interested  him- 
self in  its  educational  and  other  kindred  works. 
In  the  spring  of  1860  he  married  Mary  Dun- 
lap,  of  Hawley,  who  was  born  June  17,  1842. 
Her  father,  James  Dunlap,  born  in  Scotland  in 
1804,  and  residing  with  Mr.  Millham  in  1886, 
was  brought  up  in  Edinburgh,  where  his  father 
was   a    merchant ;  resided    in    Glasgow    for   a 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


short  time,  but  in  June,  1821,  came,  via  Can- 
ada, to  New  York,  where  he  was  engaged  as  a 
mason  on  the  Croton  Aqueduct.  He  worked  at 
his  trade  on  the  construction  of  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal,  and  since  1847  has  been 
the  mason  for  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company 
at  Hawley.  His  wife,  Sarah  Rexian,  died  in 
1863,  and  bore  him  the  following  children  : 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Andrew  C.  Bryden,  of  St. 
Louis  ;  Mary,  wife  of  James  Millham  ;  John 
(deceased) ;  and  Sarah,  wife  of  Robert  Bryden, 
of  Carbondale,  111.  The  family  resided  in 
Hawley  since  Mr.  Dunlap's  business  relations 
began  with  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company. 
James  Dunlap  has  a  brother  who  came  to  this 
country  with  him  and  remained  in  Canada, 
where  he  carries  on  farming  and  is  a  large  cat- 
tle dealer,  and  shipper  to  New  York  and  other 
Eastern  markets.  The  children  of  James  and 
Mary  Millham  are  Eva  J.,  wife  of  Wilson  D. 
Decker,  of  Dunmore,  Pa. ;  Sarah  E.  ;  and 
Lucy  Millham. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

PAUI'ACK    TOWNSHIP. 

Although  composed  chiefly  of  territory 
lying  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  old  Wal- 
lenpaupack  settlement  in  Pike  County,  and 
penetrated  by  pioneers  almost  coeval  with 
those  of  the  earliest  townships  in  the  county, 
Paupack  did  not  have  a  separate  civil  existence 
until  the  year  1850,  when,  on  petition  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  southwestern  portion  of 
Palmyra  for  better  election  facilities,  the  exci- 
sion took  place  at  the  September  Term  of  the 
Quarter  Sessions.  By  the  lines  then  run  it  is 
bounded  on  the  northwest  by  Cherry  Ridge, 
northeast  by  Palmyra,  southeast  by  the  Wal- 
leupaupack  and  west  by  Salem  and  Lake  town- 
ships. Its  early  settlers  did  not  find  that  the 
land  was  as  arable  as  that  in  adjacent  townships, 
and  its  growth  has  been  exceedingly  slow. 
Forty  or  fifty  years  ago,  when  the  turnpikes 
that  passed  through  it  were  main  arteries  in  the 
commercial  activity  of  the  county,  its  hamlets 
were  considered  important  locations,  destined  to 
be  towns  of  prominence;  but  the  competition  of 


Hawley  and  Honosdale  drew  its  enterprises 
from  it,  and  the  township  has  naught  left  to 
depend  upon  but  lumber,  that  is  being  rapidly 
exhausted,  and  the  cultivation  of  its  stony  and 
not  very  fertile  soil.  Most  of  the  lands  in  the 
northern  and  eastern  portions  are  unimproved, 
while  parts  that  have  been  cleared  up  along  the 
Wallenpaupack  have  been  allowed  to  grow  up 
in  brush  and  scrub  timber.  A  portion  of  the 
western  part  of  the  township  was  in  the  dark 
and  dreary  swamp  known  as  "  The  Shades  of 
Death,"  and  low,  wet  bottoms  are  common 
along  the  lake  line.  The  township  is  well 
watered  and  on  the  streams  that  lead  from 
Goose,  Long  and  Purdy's  Ponds  are  some  good 
mill-sites.  Through  the  northeastern  section 
the  Middle  Creek  flows,  and  the  Wallenpaupack, 
which  forms  about  one-third  of  the  township 
boundary,  is  a  deep,  slow-moving  and  navigable 
stream  for  small  steam-boats  from  Wilsonville 
to  Ledgedale.  Before  the  French  and  Indian 
War  a  man  named  Carter  had  settled  at  Wal- 
lenpaupack, and  though  he  and  his  family  were 
murdered  and  his  house  was  burned,  his  place 
of  settlement  always  remained  a  post  on  the 
route  from  Connecticut  to  Wyoming.  Later  a 
number  of  emigrants  to  the  latter  place  located 
there,  abandoning  their  first  plan  of  going  on 
to  the  lovely  valley  of  the  Susquehanna,  and  a 
log  fort  was  erected,  which  served  as  a  refuge 
for  settlers  and  emigrants  alike.  The  road  to 
Wyoming  was  a  path  through  the  woods  of 
Paupack  marked  by  blazed  trees,  and  it  was 
the  custom  of  the  emigrants  to  send  a  party  in 
advance  a  day's  journey  to  the  top  of  Cobb's 
Mountain,  where  at  eventide  a  fire  was  kindled 
which  could  be  seen  by  those  in  the  fort,  and 
was  the  signal  that  the  advancing  party  had 
traversed  the  distance  in  safety,  and  would 
await  the  coming  of  their  companions.  This 
signaling  was  made  the  more  practicable,  be- 
cause "  the  oak  woods,"  as  it  was  afterwards 
called,  had  been  quite  recently  burned  by  the 
Indians,  and  was  so  eleai'ed  up  "that  a  deer 
was  visible  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see." 

Silas  Purdy  and  his  family  were  the  first 
settlers  who  located  in  the  then  unbroken  wil- 
derness on  the  west  side  of  the  Wallenpaupack, 
having  come  from  Kingston,  N.  Y.,  by  the  way 


702 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


of  Cushutunk  and  the  Wallenpaupack  settle- 
ment, in  what  is  now  Pike  County,  in  1783. 
He  was  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  dense  forest, 
his  location  was  isolated,  and  the  difficulties  and 
hardships  which  he  and  Hannah,  his  wife,  had 
to  endure  were  even  greater  than  those  which 
fell  to  most  pioneers.  Little  by  little  he  ex- 
tended the  clearing  on  which  he  had  erected  his 
modest  cabin  and  sowed  the  seed  corn  which  he 
brought  on  his  back  from  the  Wallenpaupack. 
Farm  implements  were  crude  and  unadapted  to 
the  conditions  under  which  they  had  to  be  used, 
and  were  scarce  withal.  The  virgin  soil  was 
broken  by  a  rude  plow  borrowed  from  a  settler 
at  Wilsonville,  and  until  the  first  crops  were 
ripe  the  family  lived  on  game,  that  abounded 
on  every  side.  But  under  all  the  unfavorable 
conditions  he  prospered,  and  raised  a  large 
family  of  stalwart  sons  and  capable  daughters. 
Jacob,  the  oldest  son,  was  the  first  blacksmith 
in  the  township,  and  after  working  at  his  trade 
for  many  years,  emigrated  to  the  lake  country, 
in  Western  New  York,  at  the  age  of  forty.  The 
second  son,  Ephraim,  was  also  of  a  mechanical 
turn  of  mind,  and  built  the  first  grist-mill, 
which  was  patronized  by  the  settlers  at  Salem, 
Canaan  and  all  along  the  Lackawaxen  River. 
It  was  located  at  the  outlet  of  Hallock  Pond, 
and,  although  it  was  built  toward  the  close  of 
the  last  century,  decayed  timbers  still  mark  its 
site.  Amos  and  Isaac,  two  other  sons,  emi- 
grated to  Ohio,  and  settled  on  the  Connecticut 
■  Reserve.  Nicholas,  Marshal,  Fannie  (the  wife 
of  S.  C.  Purdy)  Chester  (who  lived  at  Cincin- 
nati) and  Peter  were  also  children  of  Silas. 
The  homestead  descended  to  the  last-named, 
and  is  still  occupied  by  his  descendants.  The 
old  stone  chimneys  are  still  standing  and  mark 
the  site  of  what  was  a  pretentious  house  for 
that  time.  It  was  located  on  the  old  road  from 
Milford  by  the  way  of  Blooming  Grove  to 
Hezekiah  Bingham's,  and  thence  through 
Purdy  ville  to  Cherry  Ridge  and  the  North  and 
South  road,  which  it  intersected  near  Asa 
Stanton's.  For  many  years  a  tavern  was  kept 
in  the  old  house,  and  it  was  looked  upon  as  the 
most  important  business  location  in  tiie  town- 
ship. 

Elder    William    Purdy,   a  cousin   of    Silas, 


was  of  Connecticut  origin,  having  been  born  in 
Fairfield  County.  In  1769  he  married  Rachel, 
a  sister  of  Silas  Purdy,  and  soon  afterward 
moved  to  New  York  State,  residing  for  some 
time  at  "  Nine  Partners,"  in  Dutchess  County. 
Afterward  he  moved  to  New  Marlborough, 
where  he  was  baptized  on  profession  of  faith  by- 
Rev.  Jacob  Drake.  He  settled  at  Pleasant 
Valley,  and  was  soon  ordained  a  deacon  of  the 
church  there,  and  was  subsequently  licensed  to 
preach.  In  1793  he  moved  with  his  family  to 
Paupack,  and  settled  about  two  miles  west  of 
Silas,  on  lands  that  had  been  taken  up  two  years 
previous.  He  erected  a  house  of  hewn  logs, 
and  aided  by  his  sons  commenced  clearing  up  a 
farm.  He  immediately  commenced  preaching, 
too,  and  his  labors  soon  extended  to  the  sur- 
rounding settlements.  A  number  of  his  own 
family  were  converted,  and  soon  the  interest  in 
religious  life  was  so  strong  that  the  Palmyra 
Baptist  Church  was  organized,  and  he  was  made 
its  pastor.  His  ministerial  labors  were  not 
confined  to  this  church  and  its  dependencies. 
Following  the  rough  road  over  the  Moosic 
Mountain,  he  carried  the  Word  all  through  the 
Lackawanna  and  Wyoming  Valleys.  He  con- 
tinued the  esteemed  pastor  of  the  Palmyra 
Church  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  labor- 
ing without  stated  salary,  and  sustaining  his 
family  by  his  own  exertions,  and  died  in  1824, 
in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age.  He  had  a 
family  of  six  boys  and  two  girls.  Reuben,  the 
eldest  son,  lived  adjoining  his  father,  and  as  a 
licentiate  filled  the  pulpit  in  his  father's 
absence.  He  was  also  for  many  years  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  died  in  1855,  aged  eighty-two. 
His  son,  Reuben  R.  Purdy,  was  at  one  time  a 
county  commissioner  in  Wayne.  Darius  G. 
Purdy,  another  son,  is  the  postmaster,  and  one 
of  the  most  prominent  residents  of  Purdyville 
at  the  present  time. 

Solomon  Purdy,  a  second  son  of  the  elder, 
occupied  lands  adjoining  his  father  on  the  north, 
and  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  devoted  to  hunt- 
ing and  fishing,  and  beloved  by  all  as  a  pleasant 
companion  and  excellent  sportsman.  He  lived 
to  be  eighty  years  old.  James,  the  third  son, 
who  first  settled  east  of  his  father,  afterwards 
bought  a  farm  on   the   Lackawaxen,  near   Pan- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


roa 


pack  Eddy,  where  he  spent  his  last  days,  living 
to  be  seventy.  William,  the  fourth  son,  entered 
the  Baptist  ministry,  and  preached  for  many 
years  to  the  church  in  Bethany,  where  he  also 
resided.  He  afterwards  removed  to  ( )hio. 
Ebenezer,  who  was  the  fifth  son,  died  in  the 
prime  of  life.  He  owned  a  farm  near  that  of 
Solomon.  Abner  was  the  youngest  in  the  fam- 
ily, and  he  also  moved  to  Ohio,  where  he  died 
in  1881,  in  the  ninety-second  year  of  his  age. 

The  Purdys  had  very  few  neighbors  during 
the  early  history  of  the  township,  and  for  many 
years  the  family  comprised  nearly  all  the  prom- 
inent residents.  Major  John  Ansley  moved 
from  the  Wallenpaupack  settlement  and  located 
about  two  miles  below  Silas  Purdy's,  where  he 
kept  a  hotel  on  the  old  Lake  Country  road. 
His  son  Mifflin  inherited  the  property.  Mif- 
flin was  the  victim  of  an  epidemic,  very  malig- 
nant in  character,  that  made  its  appearance  in 
the  township  in  1831  and  caused  much  alarm. 
It  was  at  first  thought  to  be  cholera,  but  was 
afterwards  known  as  camp  fever.  Briusou,  a 
cousin  of  Mifflin,  was  also  a  victim. 

Samuel  Hartford  appears  on  the  assessment 
list  as  a  resident  of  Palmyra,  but  he  lived  in 
Salem,  near  the  township  line,  and  an  account 
of  him  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  devoted  to 
that  township. 

Ambrose  Buckingham,  who  came  from  Say- 
brook,  Conn.,  in  1825,  also  settled  near  the  line 
between  Paupack  and  what  is  now  Lake.  He 
was  one  of  five  sisters  and  brothers,  all  of 
whom,  with  one  exception,  settled  in  various 
parts  of  Wayne  County.  In  1827  Mr.  Buck- 
ingham married  Miss  Mahala  Keller,  of  Salem, 
and  exchanged  his  farm  for  one  hundred  acres 
in  Paupack  township.  Here  he  resided  for 
fifty  years,  and  his  untiring  industry  summoned 
waving  fields  and  blooming  orchards  from 
under  the  shadows  of  the  beeches.  He  Was  a 
keen  thinker,  had  clear  judgment  and  was  re- 
spected by  all  who  knew  him  as  an  earnest, 
honest  man.  He  died  in  1877,  and  was  buried 
in  the  family  plot  on  the  farm.  His  children 
were  Jane  G.,  the  wife  of  A.  G.  Smith,  of  Pau- 
pack; Olive,  who  died  in  1831;  Fidelia,  the 
late  wife  of  A.  B.  Vandervort,  of  Newark, 
N.  J. ;  Susan,  the  wife  of  Major  M.  Wardell, 


of  Haleville ;  Jasper ;  Eunice  S.,  who  married 
George  Chapman,  of  Salem  ;  Adaline  M.,  the 
wife  of  Louis  Andrews,  of  New  York  ;  Am- 
brose H.  ;  and  Emma  May,  the  latter  an  au- 
thoress, of  whom  mention  is  made  in  the  chap- 
ter on  bibliography. 

Uriah  Williams,  a  lineal  descendant  of  Roger 
Williams,  lived  in  Paupack  many  years;  his 
wife  was  a  Hewitt,  and  George  Williams,  one 
of  their  sons,  lives  on  the  homestead.  John 
H.,  another  son,  lives  at  Nobletown,  and  others 
of  his  children  have  removed  West. 

The  following  names  appear  on  one  of  the 
first  assessment  lists  made  out  after  the  erection 
of  the  township  : 

Easter  Ansley.  Hermon  N.  Kimble. 

Jonas  Ansley.  Benj.  T.  Killem. 

Oliver  Buckingham.  John  Lonlasher. 

Cornelius  Berger.  Redford  Longstreet. 

Peter  Ball.  David  Lesher. 

John  Bowman.  M.  G.  Moch. 

A.  Buckingham.  John  Miller. 

Peter  Batterson.  Henry  McCann. 

David  Bartron.  Calvin  Pellet. 

S.  James  Cole.  Martial  Purdy. 

George  Colling.  Garden  Pellet. 

John  B.  Cole.  Calvin  Pellet  (2d ). 

John  Siperly.  Nathaniel  C.  Purdy. 

Russell  Daniel^.  George  Peterson. 

Joseph  Dunkerly.  Jos.  C.  Purdy. 

Stewart  Dunkerly.          '     S.  C  Purdy. 

Cortland  Daniels.  Jonah  Pennell. 

George  Daniels.  Darius  G.  Purdy. 

Nelson  Daniels.  Reuben  Purdy. 

Chauncy  Daniels.  Harvey  Purdy. 

David  Ellsworth.  Abbot  N.  Purdy. 

Joseph  Fowler.  Reuben  R.  Purdy. 

John  B.  Fowler.  William  Reynolds. 

Charles  Fowler.  Thomas  Riley. 

Peter  C.  Fish.  William  Randall. 

Richard  Foster.  William  Shouse. 

Henry  Gowan.  Franklin  Steel. 

Andrew  Grosse.  Allis  Sleezer. 

George  Groner.  A.  G.  Smith. 

Charles  Hall.  Thomas  V.  Taft. 

Oren  Hall.  Jacob  Tanner. 

Ebenezer  Huff.  Eli  Utt, 

William  Harris.  David  H.  Tinny. 

Charles  Harris.  G.  A.  Williams." 

Leonard  Hack.  William  Wilds. 

Robert  Hand.  George  Wilds. 

Nathan  G.  Hand.  John  Williams. 

John  Huffman.  Charles  Woodward. 

Jonas  R.  Sutton.  Amasa  L.  Woodward. 

Isroek  Killem.  Samuel  Wilder. 

Powell  C.  Killem. 


704 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


An  Indian  Camping-Ground. — When  the 
Purdys  first  located  in  Paupack  there  were 
many  signs  of  a  recent  occupation  of  the  coun- 
try by  the  red  men,  and  relics  were  plenty. 
About  one-half  mile  south  of  the  farm  now 
occupied  by  Sylvanus  Purdy,  in  a  retired  place 
but  a  few  rods  from  the  main  road,  an  even 
spot,  two  or  three  acres  in  extent,  was  cleared 
and  made  perfectly  smooth.  On  this  were 
found  many  traces  of  its  having  been  a  flour- 
ishing Indian  village  at  no  very  distant  date. 
Flints  dressed  for  arrows,  a  stone  broad-axe,  a 
stone  gouge,  tomahawks,  flint  knives  and  bits 
of  clay  pots  were  scattered  around  the  remains 
of  clay  fire-places.  In  one  place  it  was  evident 
that  some  of  the  tribe  had  carried  on  the  man- 
ufacture of  arrow-heads,  and  in  the  large  piles 
of  flint  chips  were  found  bits  of  all  colors — 
varieties  that  abound  only  in  remote  localities. 
This  camping-ground  was  elevated  several  feet 
above  the  surrounding  flat,  and  ended  in  an 
abrupt  natural  ledge  of  rock,  from  under  which 
flowed  a  large  cold  spring.  A  marked  trail  led 
to  the  Wallenpaupack  Creek,  on  the  bank  of 
which  stood  a  tree  which  bore  the  marks  of  In- 
dian axes,  while  on  the  rocks  near  by  were 
traced  some  rude  characters,  which  have  since 
been  obliterated  by  the  action  of  the  water. 
Along  the  banks  of  the  creek  many  natural 
mortars,  witli  stone  pestles  in  them,  were  found, 
and  a  stone  pot,  carefully  worked  from  some 
variety  of  rock,  not  found  in  the  vicinity,  was 
discovered  on  a  ledge  at  the  falls  of  the  Wal- 
lenpaupack. It  was  supposed  to  have  been  left 
there  by  a  party  of  Indians  who  were  known 
to  have  made  this  a  temporary  abode  about  the 
time  that  Carter  and  his  family  first  settled  at 
Wallenpaupack  village,  before  the  first  pioneers 
crossed  the  Cobb  Mountain,  penetrated  the  for- 
ests of  the  Lackawanna  Valley  and  settled  at 
Wyoming.  This  statement  is  based  upon  the 
story  of  an  Indian  doctor,  who  was  stopping  at 
a  tavern  in  Ithaca,  where  one  of  the  Purdys 
also  put  up  for  the  night.  When  the  latter  said 
lie  was  from  near  the  Lackawaxen,  the  old  In- 
dian raised  his  head  and  said,  "  Ugh  !  me  know 
the  Lackawack  before  you  was  born."  He  then 
told  the  story  of  how  his  tribe  had  been  driven 
from  their  hunting-grounds  and  were  traveling 


up  the  river,  and  how  they  came  to  the  falls  of 
the  Wallenpaupack,  where  one  of  the  party 
killed  a  bear.  They  stopped  to  eat  a  portion 
of  it,  and  afterward,  finding  elk  and  deer  plenty 
in  the  vicinity,  made  it  a  temporary  abode, 
camping  on  the  spot  to  which  reference  has  al- 
ready been  made.  Tradition  has  it  that  these 
were  Delawares. 

Mills  and  Early  Improvements. — One 
of  the  first  requisites  of  the  Paupack  pioneers 
was  a  saw-mill,  and  as  soon  as  Silas  Purdy  had 
erected  his  cabin  of  hewn  planks  and  logs,  and 
had  enough  land  cleared  to  support  his  family 
from  the  scanty  crops  it  brought  forth,  he  com- 
menced the  construction  of  the  mill.  Just  what 
time  this  was  is  now  unknown,  but  it  is  certain 
that  it  was  before  the  close  of  the  last  century, 
and  probably  several  years  before  the  erection 
of  Wayne  County.  The  mill  stood  on  a  small 
stream  which  runs  through  the  farm  now  occu- 
pied by  Myron  Purdy.  The  first  mill  was 
built  entirely  of  hewn  timber,  and  was  a  spout 
mill,  the  water  being  conducted  to  the  driving- 
wheel  in  hollow  logs,  which  were  supported  on 
stone  piers  several  rods,  until  they  entered  a 
small  head-race.  This  race  was  also  con- 
structed chiefly  out  of  hewn  plank,  and  one  of 
them  is  still  shown  as  a  curiosity  by  Mr.  Malen 
Purdy,  from  whom  many  of  these  details  were 
obtained.  This  mill  was  burned  down  after  it 
had  been  standing  but  a  few  years,  and  was 
again  built  on  the  same  general  plan ;  a  second 
time  it  was  destroyed,  and  it  was  then  rebuilt 
as  a  penstock  mill ;  afterward  it  was  converted 
into  a  trunk-mill,  with  greater  capacity  for 
sawing. 

As  soon  as  the  saw-mill  was  completed,  and 
good  lumber  could  be  obtained,  Silas  Purdy 
erected  a  tavern  on  his  farm.  It  was  on  the 
road  leading  from  the  Wallenpaupack  settle- 
ment to  Cherry  Ridge,  a  much-traveled  route 
for  those  days.  This  house  was  a  pretentious 
structure  for  the  time,  and  had  its  roof  sup- 
ported by  high  stone  chimneys  at  either  end. 
These  are  still  standing,  a  credit  to  the  honest 
architecture  of  those  days.  One  of  them  con- 
tains six  fire-places,  an  oven  and  a  smoke-house, 
all  of  them  in  fair  conditiou. 

The  next    important  improvement    was  the 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


705 


erection  of  a  grist-mill  on  a  stream  running 
through  the  farm  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of 
Harvey  Purdy.  It  was  built  by  Silas  Purely 
and  his  son  Ephraim,  and,  with  the  exception 
of  the  mill  owned  by  Abel  Kimble,  in  Pike 
County,  was  the  only  one  accessible  to  settlers 
for  miles  around.  Its  single  "run  "  of  native 
conglomerate,  taken  from  the  Moosic  Moun- 
tain, were  driven  by  an  overshot  wheel,  and  the 
coarse  meal  was  only  bolted  by  hand  ;  neverthe- 
less the  mill  was  patronized  by  people  from 
Salem,  Cherry  Ridge  and  even  Mount  Pleasant. 

At  a  later  date  William  Purdy  and  his  sons 
erected  a  saw-mill  on  a  small  stream  which 
runs  through  the  farm  now  occupied  by  B. 
Dingman.  This  mill  did  service  for  many  years, 
and  was  subsequently  much  improved.  In 
1825  John  Tyler  built  a  saw-mill  on  the  out- 
let of  Long  Pond,  which  became  the  scene  of  a 
tragedy.  It  was  there  that  the  owner  was 
found  hanging  from  a  rafter  one  day.  After 
his  death  the  mill  passed  into  other  hands,  and 
was  one  of  many  that  were  running  in  Paupack 
during  the  palmy  days  of  the  lumber  trade. 
The  mill  now  run  by  J.  S.  Ames  &  Co.  was 
built  on  a  tributary  to  the  Purdy  Pond,  by 
Charles  Woodward  in  1855.  There  was  also  a 
saw-mill  built  at  Hemlock  Hollow  in  1820;  it 
was  converted  into  a  circular  mill  in  I860,  and 
is  still  in  use. 

In  1844  E.  Killam  built  a  mill  at  the  outlet 
of  Long  Pond,  and  ran  it  for  Russell  Daniels, 
and  subsequently  'Robertson,  Gale  &  Co. 
erected  a  steam  mill  northwest  of  it,  and  near 
the  Lake  township  line.  The  later  industries 
of  Paupack  are  few.  In  1874  Darius  G.  Purdy 
and  William  Hankins  started  an  establishment 
for  the  manufacture  of  saw  and  fork  handles 
and  umbrella  sticks  at  Purdyville,  which,  after 
running  a  year  and  a  half,  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  and  has  not  since  been  rebuilt.  In  1876 
D.  G.  Purdy  erected  his  grist  mill.  It  has  two 
"  run  "  of  stone,  operated  by  three  turbine  wheels 
— two  thirty  inch  and  one  twenty-four  inch.  It 
runs  chiefly  on  corn,  rye  and  buckwheat  for 
custom  work. 

Lumbering  has  had  a  prominent  place  in  the 
history  of  Paupack  township,  and  has  been  the 
source    of  great  profit.     For  many  years    the 


supply  seemed  exhaustless,  and  much  was 
wasted,  and  it  is  only  within  a  few  years  that 
the  people  seem  to  have  realized  that  the  most 
available  timber  has  already  been  felled.  It 
was  many  years  after  the  first  settlement  that 
lumbering  was  begun  with  any  degree  of  earn- 
estness ;  meanwhile,  farms  had  been  cleared, 
and  the  primitive  mills  had  been  kept  in 
motion  only  for  the  local  trade.  The  means  of 
marketing  were  poor  and  indirect.  The  roads 
to  the  Lackawaxcn  made  hauling  very  bad,  and 
rafting  on  the  Wallenpaupack  could  not  be  car- 
ried on  without  a  second  handling  of  timber  at 
the  falls,  which  did  not  pay.  But  in  time  the 
forest  of  magnificent  pine  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  the  ship-builders,  and  as  prices  went  up, 
the  whirr  of  the  saw  was  heard  from  every 
available  mill-site.  Only  the  best  timber,  clear 
and  free  from  knots,  was  taken,  and  when  drawn 
to  Paupack  Eddy  and  rafted  down  the  river, 
it  brought  from  seven  and  a  half  to  ten  dollars 
a  thousand,  the  latter  being  considered  an 
extremely  good  price.  The  lumber  with  which 
to  construct  the  ship-house  in  the  Philadelphia 
Navy  Yard  was  obtained  at  Hemlock  Hollow, 
as  was  also  much  of  the  timber  used  in  build- 
ing the  great  ship  of  that  day — the  "  Pennsyl- 
vania." The  masts,  which  were  ninety  feet 
long  and  two  feet  in  diameter  at  the  top  end, 
were  the  largest  ever  felled  in  the  township, 
and  were  drawn  to  Paupack  Eddy  by  twenty 
yoke  of  oxen.  These  great  masts  were  fur- 
nished by  Enos  Goodrich,  of  Salem.  Among 
the  prominent  lumbermen  of  the  township 
were  D.  Bishop,  Russell  Daniels,  Joseph  At- 
kinson, Rufus  Bennett,  D.  Biugham  and  M. 
Tyler.  Most  of  them  were  residents  of  the 
township.  Mr.  Bishop  had  a  mill  on  the 
Middle  Creek,  near  No.  14  Plane,  and  bought  of 
Killam,  Torrey  and  Woodward.  Russell  Dan- 
iels purchased  the  trunk-mill  of  William  Purdy, 
and  made  a  number  of  improvements  which  in- 
creased its  capacity.  For  several  yeirs  Peter  Long 
lived  at  this  mill  and  did  thesawing.  From  him 
the  mill  received  the  sobriquet  of  "  the  Pete  Long 
mill."  Moses  Tyler's  mill  has  been  before 
referred  to.  It  was  in  Killam  Hollow,  near 
the  Tyler  Spring.  Rufus  Bennett  did  most  of 
his    lumbsring    at    Hemlock    Hollow,    where 


706 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Henry  Harmon  then  had  a  mill.  'Dolph  Bing- 
ham, of  Pike  County,  was  also  a  prominent 
lumberman  in  Paupack,  and  used  to  camp  out 
at  "  Abisha  Meadow,"  as  the  Beach  house  was 
called,  in  remembrance  of  Abisha  Woodward, 
who  first  cleared  up  a  place  for  a  cabin  there. 
Leonard  Labar,  the  Shouses,  Eli  Utt  and 
others,  whose  names  are  mentioned  in  connec- 
tion with  other  townships,  acquired  compe- 
tencies before  the  lumber  trade  in  the  region 
suffered  diminution. 

The  Post-Office. — In  the  early  history  of 
the  township  the  mails  were  very  irregular,  and 
letters  for  Paupack  went  sometimes  to  one 
place  and  sometimes  to  another.  It  was  not 
unusual  for  those  expecting  mail  to  go  to  all  the 
adjacent  post-offices  and  make  inquiries.  After 
a  regular  mail  route  was  established  between 
Honesdale  and  Stirling,  as  Purdyville  was  on 
the  road,  a  post-office  was  established  there 
with  R.  R.  Purdy  as  the  first  postmaster.  This 
was  in  1839  and  for  ten  years  the  mails  came 
regularly  once  or  twice  a  week.  Then  the  route 
was  changed  and  the  office  abandoned,  residents 
of  the  township  having  to  go  to  Tafton,  Pau- 
pack Eddy  or  into  Pike  County.  Much  dis- 
satisfaction was  thus  occasioned,  and  in  1857 
the  office  was  once  more  established,  with  Ab- 
bot M.  Purdy  as  postmaster.  In  1868  Hemlock 
Hollow  was  established  and  A.  J.  Roloson  put 
in  charge,  and  soon  after  the  other  office  was 
abandoned.  Mr.  Roloson  was  succeeded  by 
Darius  G.  Purdy,  and  he  gave  place  to  Mrs.  F. 
M.  Purdy,  the  present  incumbent. 

Hemlock  Hollow  has  two  stores,  and  until 
quite  recently  had  a  hotel.  There  is  also  a 
mill  there,  a  blacksmith-shop  and  the  other 
small  industries  found  in  a  quiet  hamlet. 

Schools  asd  Churches. — The  first  school 
in  Purdyville  stood  on  the  bank  of  the  brook 
that  flows  near  the  residence  of  Mr.  O.  M. 
Flemming.  It  was  a  log  structure  and  must 
have  been  built  early  in  the  present  century. 
The  name  of  the  first  teacher  has  been  forgot- 
ten and  many  of  those  who  sat  on  the  rude  slab 
benches  have  finished  the  lesson  of  life. 

The  Palmyra  Baptist  Church  owes  its  exist- 
ence to  the  labors  of  William  Purdy,  who  com- 
menced preaching   in   the   neighborhood  of  his 


new  home  soon  after  he  located  in  Purdyville, 
in  1792. 

In  1800  Rev.  Lebbeus  Lafhrop,  of  Orange 
County,  N.  Y.,  visited  the  settlement  and  baptized 
Silas  Purdy,  Jr.,  Jacob  Purdy,  Miss  Jane  Purdy, 
the  wife  of  William  Purdy,  Jr.,  and  one  other,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1801  Rev.  Epaphras  Thomp- 
son, of  Mount  Pleasant,  preached  there  and 
baptized  Miss  Phcebe  Purdy.  In  September  of 
that  year  the  Palmyra  Baptist  Church,  consist- 
ing of  fifteen  constituent  members,  was  recog- 
nized by  a  council  convened  for  the  purpose, 
and  at  the  same  time  William  Purdy  was  or- 
dained as  pastor  of  the  infant  church.  Revs. 
Epaphras  Thompson,  John  Caton,  of  Bmok- 
field,  N.  Y.,  and  William  Bishop,  of  the  Lacka- 
wanna Valley,  officiated  on  this  interesting 
occasion.  Asa  Cobb  and  Daniel  Bowers  were 
soon  appointed  deacons  and  the  subject  of  doc- 
trine and  discipline  was  taken  up.  In  1802  the 
church  decided  to  hold  communion  with  none 
but  Baptist  believers,  and  in  the  following  year 
resolved  that  it  was  the  duty  of  every  male 
member  who  was  the  head  of  a  household  to 
hold  domestic  worship,  and  that  female  mem- 
bers ought  to  pray  in  secret.  In  1 804  it  was 
resolved  to  hold  covenant  meetings  on  the  last 
Saturday  of  each  month. 

The  church  grew  and  prospered,  and  in  1807 
united  with  the  Abington  and  Mount  Pleasant 
Churches  in  forming  the  Abington  Association. 
In  1810  the  report  to  the  association  showed 
that  there  was  a  total  membership  of  forty-seven-, 
of  which  thirty  had  been  added  by  baptism. 
From  the  following  year  until  1817  it  remained 
almost  stationary,  but  in  1818  it  shared  with 
the  other  churches  of  the  association  a  great 
revival,  and  the  total  membership  was  increased 
to  sixty-four.  In  1824  the  pastor  died  and 
Mr.  George  Dobell,  a  licentiate,  was  chosen  to 
supply  the  charge.  This  he  did  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  all  until  1829,  when  he  was  ordained  a 
regular  pastor,  a  relation  which  he  sustained 
until  1840.  It  was  during  this  period  that  the 
"  Old  School  "  schism  took  place,  and  the  dissen- 
sions were  felt  in  no  slight  degree  in  the  Pal- 
myra Church.  From  1840  to  1852  the  church 
was  destitute  of  a  pastor  and  stated  preaching, 
but  during  the  time  it  maintained  a  feeble  ex- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


707 


isteuce.  Iu  the  fall  of  the  latter  year  Rev.  L. 
L.  Still  began  to  preach  for  the  congregation 
and  Rev.  Henry  Curtis  gave  an  occasional  ser- 
mon. Rev.  Sanford  Leach  supplied  them  a 
portion  of  the  year  1853,  and  in  the  spring  the 
church  had  a-  total  membership  of  forty-two. 
In  1854  Rev.  Newell  Callender  was  ordained 
pastor,  and  his  labors  were  greatly  prospered. 
In  the  fall,  however,  eighteen  members  were 
dismissed  to  form  a  church  at  Jonestown,  Lake 
township.  From  that  time  the  strength  of  the 
church  gradually  decreased,  its  members  uniting 
with  other  congregations  that  grew  up  in  the 
villages  and  towns  near  by.  Ill  health  deprived 
the  congregation  of  Mr.  Callender,  and  J.  M. 
Ball,  a  licentiate,  was  secured  as  stated  supply. 
After  him  came  Rev.  Thomas  Grennell,  and 
then  Elder  Henry  Curtis.  The  last  pastor  was 
W.  H.  Dewell,  who  served  the  church  until  six 
or  seven  years  ago,  when  regular  service  was 
given  up. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  com- 
menced as  a  class  at  Rollisontown,  a  small  ham- 
let, about  fifty  years  ago,  and  Nathaniel  Rolli- 
son  was  the  first  class-leader.  Who  the  origi- 
nal members  were  is  not  now  known,  but  among 
them  were  the  following,  who  are  now  living  : 
Moses  Masters,  aged  ninety-seven  ;  James  Os- 
borne, aged  seventy  eight;  Rebecca  Rollison, 
aged  seventy-six ;  and  Polly  Bid  well,  aged  eighty. 
The  first  meetings  were  held  at  the  house  of 
Urial  Williams,  on  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Cole  farm.  About  1844,  John  Dwight  Safford 
began  preaching  in  the  old  log  school-house  that 
had  been  built  on  the  Rollison  farm  ten  years 
before,  and  from  that  time  the  church  began  to 
grow  until,  during  the  present  year,  it  has  near- 
ly completed  a  creditable  church  edifice,  and  is 
filling  a  wide  field  of  usefulness.  Among  those 
who  have  filled  the  pulpit  were  the  following  : 
Revs.  William  Reddy,  Samuel  Griffin,  Aaron 
Gillett,  Charles  Perkins,  William  Dean,  Thom- 
as Eilcox,  William  Silsbee,   James  B.  Cooper, 

Blackmail,  Cushman,  Barnes, 

Welcome  Smith,  George  W.  Leach,  C.  V.  Ar- 
nold, Marcus  Carrier,  J.  A.  Baldwin,  Charles 
W.  Giddings,  Charles  White,  I.  T.  Walker,  J. 
Madison,  Jacob  Miller,  Gabriel  Westfall,  Henry 
Stantly,  J.  L.  Race,  W.  H.  Gavitt,  Robert  Em- 


mett  Hall,  M.  D.  Fuller,  George  T.  Price,  K. 
C.  Gill,  George  W.  Robinson,  C.  W.  Blake, 
Sanford  Swingle,  Stephen  Jay,  J.  Durham,  A. 
B.  Eckart,  A.  J.  Va»  Vleft,  D.  A.  Sanford, 
Charles  Lane  Rice,  the  present  incumbent,  to 
whom  the  writer  is  indebted  for  these  facts. 

The  first  Sunday-school  in  connection  with 
this  church  was  conducted  in  the  old  log  school- 
house  by  Hiram  Clements,  an  earnest  worker 
from  Salem.  He  was  succeeded  by  Charles 
Potter,  Joseph  Moore,  Daniel  Brundage,  Red- 
ford  Longstreet,  A.  J.  Rollison  and  George  M. 
Bidwell. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  new  church  edifice 
was  laid  on  June  20th  of  the  present  year,  and 
a  creditable  house  of  worship  is  now  under  roof. 

The  Free  Methodist  Church  at  Hemlock  Hol- 
low was  organized  about  six  years  ago,  by 
Rev.  G.  W.  Swingle,  and  already  has  a  large 
membership  and  a  comfortable  house  of  wor- 
ship. It  is  on  the  circuit  with  Hollisterville, 
South  Canaan  and  Jonestown,  all  four  churches 
having  one  pastor. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

PRESTOS    TOWNSHIP. 

This  township,  formed  of  parts  of  Scott  and 
Mount  Pleasant,  April  28,  1828,  was  named  in 
honor  of  Judge  Samuel  Preston,  of  Stockport, 
first  associate  judge  of  Wayne  County.  It  ap- 
pears from  the  records  that  at  the  formation  of 
the  town  it  was  at  first  proposed  to  call  it  Ara- 
rat ;  but  as  it  was  taken  mostly  from  Scott, 
which  had  been  named  from  Judge  David 
Scott,  he  deemed  it  proper  to  return  the  com- 
pliment, and  give  it  the  name  of  the  first  set- 
tler of  Buckingham,  the  mother  township  of 
both  Scott  and  the  new  township.  The  terri- 
tory thus  set  off  has  retained  its  integrity  to  the 
present  day,  with  the  exception  of  the  small 
portion  which  was  incorporated  as  Wayne  bor- 
ough, in  1853,  and  is  the  third  largest  town- 
ship in  the  county.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Starrucca  borough  and  Scott,  on  the  east  by 
Buckingham,  on  the  south  by  Mount  Pleasant, 
and  on  the  west  by  Susquehanna  County.  The 
highlands  which  divide  the  drainage  basins  of 


708 


WAYNE,  TIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  Delaware  and  Susquehanna  Rivers  traverse 
it  from  north  to  south,  and  its  topography  is 
broken  by  picturesque  hills  and  dotted  lakelets 
of  uncommon  beauty.  .  The  larger  of  these 
ponds  are  Shehawken,  Como,  Twin,  Sly,  Spruce, 
Seven  Mile,  Poyntell,  Long,  Big  Hickory, 
Little  Hickory,  Five  Mile,  Bone,  Long  Spruce, 
Independence,  Wrighter,  Coxtown  and  per- 
haps some  others.  All  of  them  are  fed  by  fine 
springs,  and  give  rise  to  streams  that  flow  in 
every  direction,  furnishing  an  abundance  of 
water-power,  most  of  which  is  still  unimproved. 
Most  of  the  ponds  were  surrounded  by  fine 
timber,  which  could  be  felled  on  the  banks  and 
floated  through  the  outlets  to  the  mills  below, 
so  that  the  facilities  for  lumbering  have  been 
exceptionally  good,  and  it  was,  and  is  still,  a 
leading  industry.  The  Lackawaxen  has  its 
head-waters  from  Independence  and  Five  Mile 
Ponds;  Wrighter,  Coxtown  and  Long  Spruce 
pour  a  volume  of  crystal  water  into  the  Star- 
rucca  ;  from  Shehawken  flows  the  creek  of  that 
name,  and  Poyntell,  Little  Hickory  and  Big 
Hickory  form  the  Big  Equinunk.  The  ponds 
lie  chiefly  in  deep  depressions  on  the  hill-tops, 
and  most  of  the  streams  descend  rapidly,  over 
rocky  beds,  broken  by  many  abrupt  falls,  form- 
ing natural  mill-sites  of  great  value.  The  lake 
sources  of  the  streams,  moreover,  make  their  flow 
constant,  and  the  high  altitude  of  the  country 
makes  it  subject  to  copious  rain-falls,  so  that 
an  abundant  water-power  may  be  stored  in 
these  natural  reservoirs,  and,  at  slight  expense, 
made  always  available.  Although  Ararat  and 
Sugar  Loaf  Mountains  are  in  the  township,  and 
most  of  the  surface  is  a  succession  of  rolling 
hills,  there  are  few  declivities  that  interfere 
with  successful  cultivation.  The  soil  is  fruit- 
ful, droughts  are  rare,  and  good  crops  of  rye, 
oats,  corn  and  buckwheat  are  raised,  while  the 
potato  crop  is  always  reliable  and  abundant. 

Early  Settlement. — There  were  few,  if 
any,  settlers  in  what  is  now  Preston  township 
before  the  beginning  of  the  present  century. 
The  tide  of  emigration  moved  slowly,  and  the 
first  comers  were  those  who  penetrated  the  then 
dense  forest  only  after  the  adjacent  settlements 
along  the  river  and  in  Mount  Pleasant,  where 
the  earlier  pioneers  had  located  had  been  made. 


After  the  first  clearings  were  made,  the  growth 
of  the  population  was  comparatively  slow,  and  in 
1829,when  the  first  assessment  was  made  by  Pe- 
ter C.  Sherman,  the  total  number  of  taxables  was 
only  sixty-nine.  In  1831  this  had  fallen  to 
sixty-five.  The  following  names  are  from  that 
assessment,  the  earliest  now  extant : 


David  Babcock. 
Widow  Bennett. 
Jesse  Corwin. 
Ira  Cargill. 
Luther  Chafee. 
Riley  Case. 
Willet  Carr. 
Cushman  Bassett. 
Joseph  Dow. 
Joseph  Dow,  Jr. 
Enos  Dow. 
Elijah  Dix. 
Franklin  Duvall. 
John  Dunn. 
Matthew  Dunn. 
Jeremiah  Flinn. 
Thomas  Foster. 
Milo  Frink. 
Francis  J.  Grelett. 
Clark  Gardenier. 
Rufus  Geer. 
Andrew  B.  Gibson. 
Perry  Hine, 
Cy prion  Howard. 
George  Hall. 
Abraham  Haynes. 
Benjamin  King. 
Silas  Kellogg. 
Jesse  Mapes. 
Jirah  Mumford. 
James  Mumford. 
Joseph  Margurat. 


James  Moore. 
John  Martin. 
Eleazer  Monroe. 
William  U.  Norton. 
John  Ostrander. 
Daniel  Rose. 
James  Simpson. 
John  Stanton. 
Joseph  W.  Simpson. 
Ebeneze  r  Stanton. 
Benjamin  Sampson. 
Henry  Sampson. 
John  Stephens. 
Peter  Spencer. 
Russel  Spencer. 
Abner  Stone. 
David  Stout. 
James  Simpson. 
Peter  C.  Sherman. 
John  Starbird. 
William  Starbird. 
Lyman  Tiler. 
Elihu  Tallman. 
William  Tallman. 
Christopher  Tallman. 
E.  Wilcox.      . 
David  Wooley. 
James  Woodmansee. 
Gideon  Woodmansee. 
Squire  Whitaker. 
Henry  Whitaker. 
Daniel   Underwood. 


Gideon  Woodmansee,  whose  name  appears  in 
the  above  assessment,  came  from  Connecticut  in 
1816,  accompanied  by  his  brothers,  James  and 
Thomas,  and  all  of  them  settled  on  the  "  Stock- 
port road."  Gideon  located  on  the  place  now 
belonging  to  John  Randall,  in  Buckingham 
township  ;  he  bought  property  in  Preston,  how- 
ever, and  was  prominently  identified  with  the 
early  history  of  the  township.  Mr.  Wood- 
mansee had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution, 
and  had  three  sons, — James,  Thomas  and  Jere- 
miah. The  first-named  inherited  the  home- 
stead, and  his  brothers  moved  to  Michigan. 
James    married    Polly    Underwood,    and    his 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


709 


children  were  James  M.,  Jedediah,  Samuel, 
Lyman,  Horace,  Phoebe,  who  married  George 
Gates  ;  Susan,  the  wife  of  Alvin  R.  Squire  ; 
Mary  J.,  the  wife  of  Joseph  B.  Sanford  ;  Hul- 
dah,  who  married  W.  W.  Blasdell,  of  Jackson, 
Susquehanna  County  ;  Rhoda,  the  wife  of  Jacob 
Martin ;  and  Mahala,  who  married  William 
Kingsbury,  of  Lake  Como. 

Rufus  Geer,  who  was  a  native  of  Rhode 
Island,  came  from  that  State  to  Preston  about 
1816,  and  settled  on  the  Twin  Lakes,  on  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  W.  J.  Hemstead.  His 
children  were  Harry,  now  of  Buckingham ; 
Rufus,  deceased ;  Levi,  of  Orange  County, 
N.  Y.;  Eldad,  of  Elk  County  ;  Hiram,  of  Pres- 
ton ;  Amy,  the  wife  of  Stephen  P.  London  ; 
Mary,  who  married  James  Christian  ;  Jerusha, 
the  wife  of  George  G.  Labar  ;  Lodema,  the 
wife  of  William  McCol lough  ;  Zubie  E.,  the 
wife  of  James  Cleveland. 

Andrew  B.  Gibson  was  brought  up  by  a 
brother  of  Rufus  Geer,  who  lived  in  Mount 
Pleasant  township.  As  soon  as  he  arrived  at 
maturity  Mr.  Gibson  located  on  the  place  now 
occupied  by  John  McGraw,  on  Equinunk 
Creek,  near  the  Labar  mill.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  David  Wooley,  and  had  a  large 
family,  but  only  one  of  them,  Mrs.  Joseph 
Fletcher,  remains  in  the  township. 

John  and  William  Starbird  were  the  sons  of 
John  Starbird,  of  Maine,  who  moved  to  Strouds- 
burg  in  1783,  and  there  married  Hannah 
Stroud.  His  sons  moved  into  what  is  now 
Preston  in  March,  1817,  and  John  made  his 
first  clearing  the  following  year.  He  was  a 
justice  of  the  peace  for  what  was  then  Scott 
township,  and  also  made  the  assessment  there  in 
1823.  In  1824  he  built  a  saw-mill  on  She- 
hawken  Creek.  He  had  a  family  of  thirteen 
children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  man's  estate. 
William  Starbird  cleared  up  a  farm  in  1822, 
and  in  1851  rebuilt  the  saw-mill  his  brother 
had  constructed.  The  mill  is  now  owned  by  S. 
T.  Whittaker. 

David  Wooley  came  from  New  York  City  in 
March,  1817,  accompanied  by  a  number  of 
others  from  the  same  place,  and  settled  in  that 
part  of  the  township  known  as  "  Little  York." 
He  had  a   number  of  children,  auiona;  whom 


were  William  and  John,  who  went  West  ; 
Sarah  A.,  who  married  Jedediah  Woodmansec  ; 
James  and  Mary  Jane,  who  both  reside  in 
Ohio. 

James  Moore,  who  was  also  a  settler  at 
"  Little  York,"  came  about  the  same  time  as 
Mr.  Wooley,  and  located  near  him.  Mr. 
Moore's  oldest  daughter  married  Ezra  Spencer, 
of  Mount  Pleasant ;  and  Eliza,  another,  married 
Jirah  M.  Kellogg  ;  Adeline  is  the  wife  of  James 
Lord,  and  Cornelia  married  James  Gibson,  and 
lives  in  Illinois. 

Elihu  Tallman,  the  father  of  Esquire  C.  P. 
Tallmau,  of  Tallmansville,  was  a  native  <>( 
Massachusetts.  At  an  early  age  he  was  put  on 
board  a  coasting  vessel  as  cabin-boy  and  cook, 
and  subsequently  learned  the  trade  of  shoe- 
making.  He  first  located  in  Saratoga,  and 
there  married  in  1799,  and  soon  after  came  to 
Wayne  County,  and  settled  in  Mount  Pleasant. 
After  various  vicissitudes  he  bought  out  the 
improvement  of  Samuel  P.  Green,  on  the  East 
Branch,  and  also  a  tract  of  timber  at  Six  Mile 
Lake  (now  Lake  Como),  where  he  completed  a 
saw-mill,  and  hauled  to  Stockport  the  first  raft 
of  pine  ever  floated  there,  in  1820.  In  1822  he 
bought  a  large  tract  four  miles  from  Starrucca, 
known  as  the  Krider  tract,  and  was  subsequently 
a  prominent  lumberman  of  the  township.  He 
had  two  sons, — William  and  C.  P.  The  latter 
bought  a  large  tract  where  Tallmansville  now 
stands  in  1826,  built  a  saw-mill  and  cleared  up 
a  fine  farm.  He  has  been  for  many  years  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  and  is  a  public  spirited-citizen. 
He  has  been  twice  married,  and  his  children 
are  as  follows  :  Edwin  E.,  Addison  B.,  Philena 
J.,  Darwin  W.,  Eudalia  J.  (the  wife  of  Addis 
Moore),  Olive  L.  (the  wife  of  Frederick  D. 
Benedict). 

In  1821  Willet  Carr,  a  uative  of  Hancock, 
N.  Y.,  settled  on  the  place  now  occupied  by 
Amos  O.  Sherwood,  at  Preston  post-office.  Mr. 
Carr  was  a  resident  of  Preston  until  about 
1837,  when  he  moved  to  Steuben  County,  N.  Y., 
taking  all  the  surviving  members  of  his  family 
with  him.  Green,  one  of  his  sons,  was  buried 
on  the  place.  The  next  occupant  was  David 
Blowers,  who  resided  there  about  a  year  and 
then  went  elsewhere. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  .MONROE  COUNTiES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


On  the  adjoining  farm  James  Simpson,  an 
Englishman,  who  had  recently  emigrated, 
located  in  1821,  and  the  place  is  still  in  the 
hands  of  his  descendants.  His  children  were 
James,  Joseph  and  John,  all  deceased  ;  Henry, 
a  resident  of  Buckingham  ;  Mary,  the  wife  of 
William  Duvall ;  Christina,  who  married  Alber 
Barrows. 

Riley  and  E.  T.  Case,  two  brothers  from 
Gibson,  Susquehanna  County,  came  to  the 
township  in  1821.  Riley  located  on  the  farm 
where  Samuel  Decker  now  lives.  He  married 
Pollina  Whitney,  and  his  children  were  Charles, 
Franklin  and  Emily  ;  the  latter  is  now  married 
and  a  resident  of  Great  Bend.  E.  T.  Case 
married  Mclila  Dow,  and  their  children  were 
Olive  (the  wife  of  William  Baker),  Sophia  (who 
married  Ellis  Tyler  and  then  Jasper  Savery), 
Phelene  (the  wife  of  Luther  Carpenter),  George, 
Julia,  Virgil,  Robert,  Horace,  Eva  (the  wife  of 
Charles  Cory),  and  Ella,  (the  wife  of  Edsou 
Barrett). 

Franklin  Duvall  was  one  of  the  settlers  at 
"  Little  York,"  and  located  where  Charles 
McCabe  now  lives.  He  had  one  son,  William 
F.,  who  lives  near  Preston  post-office.  The 
latter  had  a  large  family,  some  of  whom  live  in 
Preston  and  adjacent  townships. 

Peter  C.  Sherman  was  an  early  settler  at 
Preston  Centre,  but  just  when  he  located  there 
is  uncertain.  He  made  the  township  assess- 
ment, which  has  been  before  referred  to,  in  1829, 
and  at  that  time  had  ten  acres  of  improved 
land,  four  hundred  and  thirty-six  acres  unim- 
proved and  a  house  valued  at  eight  'dollars. 
The  township  and  general  elections  were  held 
on  his  place  for  many  years.  The  place  after- 
wards fell  into  the  hands  of  J.  Carr,  who  dis- 
posed of  it  to  C.  B.  Dibble,  its  present 
owner. 

Luther  Chafee  located  on  the  farm  now  occu- 
pied by  C.  P.  Tallman,  Esq.,  in  1823.  He 
married  Rebecca  Perkins,  and  his  children  were 
Hervy,  Harriet  (the  wife  of  Henry  Aitteny), 
Samuel,  Joseph  and  Larcomb.  Mr.  Chafee  sold 
his  farm  in  1838  and  moved  to  Ohio. 

David  Babcock  located  on  a  part  of  the  farm 
now  owned  by  John  Clark,  in  1823,  and  re- 
sided there  for  some  vears.     He  afterward  sold 


out  and  removed  West,  though  some  of  his  de- 
scendants still  reside  in  the  township. 

Deacon  Peter  Spencer  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  and  came  from  Connecticut.  He  located 
on  the  place  now  occupied  by  Nathan  A.  Mon- 
roe, and  married  a  Miss  Russell,  of  Mount 
Pleasant.  Their  children  were  Ruggles,  Sam- 
uel, Lucretia  (the  wife  of  Silas  Freeman,  of 
Mount  Pleasant),  Sarah  (who  married  William 
Labar,  now  living  with  her  son,  S.  W.  Labar, 
in  the  township). 

John  Stanton,  for  whom  Stanton  Hill  was 
named,  came  from  Connecticut  at  an  early  date, 
and  settled  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Al- 
pheus  Dix.  He  married  Rhoda  Tallman,  and 
their  children  were  Samuel  ;  Betsy,  the  wife 
of  David  Dix  ;  Mary  A.,  who  married  Am- 
brose Payne,  and  afterwards  Martin  Ellis ; 
Henry  P.;  David  ;  Sidney  ;  Maxy,  the  wife  of 
Jesse  Haines;  Eunice,  who  married  Charles 
Roberts;  and  John. 

John  Stephens,  who  was  one  of  the  first  to 
keep  a  public-house  in  the  town,  was  an  Eng- 
lishman, and  began  early  on  the  farm  now  occu- 
pied by  Stanley  H.  Hine.  The  exact  date  of 
his  settlement  cannot  be  ascertained.  The  as- 
sessment of  1829  showed  him  to  have  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  acres  of  land,  much  of 
which  was  of  superior  quality,  indicating  that 
he  had  been  there  some  time  then.  His  first 
license  was  granted  in  183d,  and  he  kept  a  tav- 
ern as  long  as  he  lived. 

Abner  Stone  was  an  early  settler  on  the 
Stockport  road,  and  located  just  north  of  Sam- 
uel Bookings,  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
Henry  K.  Stone.  He  had  a  number  of  chil- 
dren, among  whom  were  Albert,  of  Equinunk  ; 
Hosmer,  of  Illinois ;  Henry  K. ;  Sible,  who 
married  Nathan  Sherwood,  and  then  Thomas 
Tiner,  of  Equinunk  ;  and  Lucy,  the  wife  of 
Byron  Freeman,  of  Mount  Pleasant. 

Daniel  Rose,  whose  name  appears  in  the  assess- 
ment above  quoted,  cleared  up  the  farm  where 
George  Wainright  now  lives,  and  afterwards 
moved  to  Pike  County,  where  he  is  mentioned 
more  fully. 

Ira  Cargill,  who  came  from  Connecticut, 
started  a  flourishing  settlement  on  the  road 
leading  from  the  Ochquaga    turnpike  to  Star- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


711 


racca  iu  1830.  His  farm,  which  was  near 
Rider  Poud,  is  now  owned  by  Jesse  Carpenter.  ' 
Mr.  Cargill  was  a  prominent  man  in  his  day, 
and  was  several  times  a  township  officer.  He 
has  been  dead  many  years,  and  left  no  descend- 
ants. 

Clark  Gardner,  who  was  a  prominent  man 
iu  the  western  part  of  the  township,  was  of  New 
England  origin,  and  located  on  the  farm  now 
occupied  by  Robert  Tenant  some  time  prior  to 
1830.  He  afterwards  moved  to  Mount  Pleas- 
ant township,  where  his  descendants  all  reside. 

Nathan  T.  Carpenter,  a  native  of  Attleboro', 
Mass.,  took  up  the  two  hundred  acre  tract  that 
he  has  since  cleared,  in  1830.  He  married 
Mary  Luther,  of  Swanzy,  Mass.,  and  his  chil- 
dren are  Theophilus  L.,  of  Jackson,  Susquehanna 
County ;  Mary,  the  wife  of  J.  F.  Duvall ; 
Daniel,  who  was  killed  in  the  late  war;  Han- 
nah; and  Nathan,  who  resides  in  Mount  Pleas- 
ant. 

Eleazer  Monroe  moved  from  Mount  Pleasant 
about  1830,  and  located  on  the  place  now  occu- 
pied by  Charles  Monroe.  He  married  Cathe- 
rine Roberts,  and  hie  children  were  Lyman, 
deceased ;  James  and  Jonathan,  who  live  in 
Kansas  ;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Sheldon  Stearns  ; 
ami  Ellen,  the  wife  of  Gilbert  A.  Forbes,  of 
Honesdale. 

Joseph  Margurat,  a  native  of  Switzerland, 
settled  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  one  of  the 
Sherwoods,  about  1830.  He  afterwards  moved 
to  Sandusky,  Ohio,  but  left  a  number  of  de- 
scendants in  Preston  township.  Mrs.  Ezra 
Ferris  is  his  granddaughter. 

George  Hall,  whose  name  appears  in  the 
above  assessment,  settled  at  Lake  Como  in  1830, 
where  he  married  a  Miss  Hill.  He  died  in 
1835,  and  his  wife  afterwards  married  a  Mr. 
Barrager,  and  lived  in  Buckingham  township. 

John  Martin  was  a  Hessian,  who  went  from 
Canada  to  Duchess  County,  N.  Y.,  and  from 
there  emigrated  to  Wayne  County.  He  had 
been  in  the  army,  and  used  to  say  facetiously 
that  he  was  sent  out  of  camp  one  day,  and  for- 
got to  go  back.  He  lived  on  a  number  of  farms 
in  Preston  and  adjoining  townships.  His  fam- 
ily is  scattered.  Jeremiah  lives  in  Buckingham ; 
Daniel   is  a  resident  of  the  township;  David 


was  killed  in  the  late  war;  Stephen  lives  in 
Nebraska ;  Mary  is  married,  and  lives  in  New 
York,  as  do  several  others  of  his  daughters ; 
Julia,  one  of  them,  married  James  C.  Menhen- 
nett,  of  Lake  Como. 

I  >avid  Stout  located  where  A.  C.  Wilcox  now 
lives,  near  Twin  Lakes.  He  had  one  sou, 
David,  who  now  resides  with  his  son-in-law, 
Peter  Harris,  of  Mount  Pleasant ;  and  a  daugh- 
ter, Lucy,  who  married  Ambrose  Wilcox,  of 
t he  same  place. 

Merritt  Hine  came  from  Massachusetts  about 
1811,  and  settled  first  in  Ararat,  Susquehanna 
County.  In  1831  he  moved  to  Hine's  Corners, 
on  the  place  now  occupied  by  Philander  Hine, 
and  bought  most  of  the  land  near  by,  selling  it 
on  easy  terms,  and  starting  a  flourishing  settle- 
ment. He  married  Catharine  Belcher,  and  had 
a  large  family.  His  children  were  Julia,  the 
wife  of  William  Knapp ;  Era;  Miranda,  who 
married  D.  M.  Benedict;  John;  Royal;  Phil- 
ander; Elena;  Lorenzo;  Sarah  J.,  the  wife  of 
David  Thurston ;  Elizabeth  B.,  who  married 
Daniel  Tuthill  ;  Mary  E.,  who  married  Sidney 
P.  Tallman,  and  then  a  Mr.  Enslin ;  David 
J.  Merritt  Hine  was  one  of  the  champion 
hunters  of  the  region,  and  could  boast  many 
thrilling  and  hair-breadth  escapes  from  wolves 
and  panthers.  He  was  skilled  in  woodcraft, 
and  frequently  went  sixty  miles  to  Wilkes- 
Barre,  through  the  then  almost  trackless  for- 
ests. 

Francis  J.  Grelett  was  a  Frenchman,  who 
located  on  what  is  now  called  the  George  Fail- 
ing place,  about  1831.  He  was  a  man  of  much 
education  and  considerable  culture,  and  it  was 
said  that  he  had  been  an  officer  in  Napoleon's 
army,  and  had  left  France  for  political  reasons. 
He  was  one  of  the  early  teachers  in  Honesdale, 
where  he  gained  quite  a  reputation  as  a  fine 
mathematician,  though  he  was  somewhat  eccen- 
tric. Alexander,  the  eldest  of  his  four  sons, 
always  lived  in  Philadelphia  ;  Joseph  resides  at 
Tallmansville ;  Victor  went  to  Illinois ;  L. 
Donot  is  at  Lake  Como.  Of  his  daughters, 
Louise  married  Thaddeus  Campbell ;  Ciserine 
was  the  wife  of  Earl  Griffin  ;  and  Justine  mar- 
ried and  went  West. 

Colby  Chamberlain  came  from  Virginia  about 


712 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


1837,  and  located  on  Spruce  Pond,  where  he 
took  up  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixteen 
acres.  He  married  Ardelia  Seay,  and  their 
children  were  Harriet,  the  wife  of  Abner  Pal- 
mer ;  Worcester,  who  resides  on  the  homestead  ; 
Osmer;  William  H.;  Edgar  B.;  Jennie,  the  wife 
of  Jonathan  Kellogg  ;  and  Josephine,  who  mar- 
ried John  Davis. 

Silas  Kellogg  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Mount  Pleasant,  emigrating  there  from  Sara- 
toga in  1792.  He  was  elected  sheriff  of  the 
county  in  1813,  and  was  a  prominent  man  in 
the  early  history  of  that  township,  under  which 
a  more  extended  notice  of  him  will  be  found. 
He  moved  into  Preston  in  1837  and  resided 
there  for  many  years.  His  sons  were  Azor  and 
Jirah  Kellogg,  and  Mary,  his  oldest  daughter, 
was  the  wife  of  John  K.  Woodward,  and  the 
mother  of  the  late  Warren  J.  Woodward,  and 
of  Jackson  K.  Woodward,  deceased,  of  Hones- 
dale. 

Amos  O.  Sherwood  came  from  Fairfield 
County,  Connecticut,  about  1837,  and  first  set- 
tled at  Rileyville.  In  a  few  years  he  took  up 
a  tract  at  Preston  Centre,  and  his  place  has 
since  been  well  known  in  the  locality.  He 
married  Betsy  Burr,  and  his  children  are  Eunice, 
the  wife  of  Ezra  Seeley,  of  Connecticut ;  Eben 
B.;  Amelia,  who  married  Marcus  Moore  ;  Na- 
than J.;  Eleanor  ;  D.  B.;  William  H  ;  and  Sally, 
the  wife  of  Reuben  Beech. 

Among  those  who  arrived  in  the  township  at 
a  later  period  were  J.  B.  Sanford,  who  settled 
at  Little  York  about  1841  ;  George  Wainright, 
who  came  a  year  later ;  Omar  A.  Lakin,  who 
was  a  grandson  of  Josiah  Parks,  of  rafting 
fame,  and  came  from  Hancock,  New  York,  in 
1844;  and  John  Tenaut,  of  Luzerne  County; 
and  John  Vau  Housan,  of  Delhi,  New  York, 
who  located  near  Rider  Pond  in  1847  and 
1848. 

Daniel  Underwood  removed  from  Connecti- 
cut in  1830,  and  located  on  the  Stockport  road, 
northeast  of  Amos  O.  Sherwood.  He  was  a 
skillful  carpenter  and  builder,  and  erected  the 
Methodist  Church  in  Mount  Pleasant.  He  was 
the  father  of  a  good-sized  family,  and  all  of  his 
sons  have  become  prominent  men  in  both  town- 
ship and  county.     They  were  Lewis  A.  Under- 


wood, Hon.  Nelson  F.  Underwood,  who  repre- 
sented Wayne  County  in  the  Legislature  of 
1880,  W.  G.  Underwood  and  Preston,  who  re- 
moved to  Kansas  ;  the  daughters  were  Lavinia, 
who  married  James  E.  W'oodinansee,  and  lives 
in  Buckingham,  and  Ann  Eliza,  the  wife  of  L. 
E.  Howard,  of  Hancock,  New  York.  Daniel 
Underwood  died  in  1873,  aged  sixty-seven 
years. 

Early  Improvements. — The  first  saw-mill 
built  in  the  township  was  that  already  referred 
to  at  the  outlet  of  Six  Mile  Pond,  as  Lake 
Como  was  then  called.  It  had  been  commenced 
by  Samuel  P.  Green,  who  owned  a  four  hun- 
dred acre  tract  there,  and  had  met  with  financial 
reverses  after  beginning  his  improvements. 
Elihu  Tollman  made  his  purchase  of  the  prop- 
erty in  1819,  and  at  once  finished  the  mill,  and 
the  first  raft  of  sawed  lumber  was  hauled  to 
the  Stockport  banks  in  time  for  the  spring 
freshets  of  the  following  year.  At  this  time 
there  were  no  roads  running  north  and  south 
for  many  miles,  except  the  old  Stockport  road, 
which  led  from  the  Delaware  to  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, and  this  had  only  the  small  trees  and 
bushes  cut  out,  and  the  larger  trunks  so  blazed 
as  to  guide  the  settlers  on  its  course  in  deep 
snows.  This  was  connected  with  the  Cochec- 
ton  and  Great  Bend  turnpike  by  a  road  east 
from  Union  Settlement,  in  what  is  now  Man- 
chester, and  there  were  also  a  few  private  roads, 
about  half  opened.  Mr.  Tallman's  lumber 
venture  proved  a  good  one,  and  soon  others  em- 
barked in  the  business,  some  having  their  lum- 
ber sawed,  and  others  drawing  the  logs  to  the 
river  to  be  rafted  to  points  down  the  stream. 
In  1824  he  built  a  saw-mill  at  the  outlet  of 
Stanton  Pond,  on  the  K rider  tract.  The  mill  at 
Tallmansville  was  built  by  C.  P.  Tallman  in 
1830,  and  the  same  year  Peter  C.  Sherman  put 
up  a  mill  on  Coxtown  Pond,  now  owned  by 
Sydney  B.  Bennett.  At  this  time  the  circular 
saw  was  unkpown  in  Wayne  County,  and  had 
been  but  barely  experimented  with  elsewhere, 
and  all  of  these  mills  had  the  old  up-and-down 
saw  ;  some  of  them  were  afterwards  converted 
into  circular  saw-mills. 

At  this  time  there  was  a  road  marked  out 
from  Starrucea  to  connect  with    the  Stockport 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


713 


road,  and  in  some  places  the  underbrush  had 
been  cut  out,  and  the  timber  felled,  but  not 
cleared  away.  It  passed  within  a  mile  of  the 
Krider  tract,  which  was  soon  connected  with  it 
by  a  branch  road,  and  followed  the  general  di- 
rection of  the  present  county  road.  In  the  fall 
of  1823  a  road  was  cut  from  theTallman  place 
to  Mount  Pleasant,  and  a  number  of  settlers 
located  upon  it.  As  the  population  increased 
and  became  more  concentrated,  and  fallows 
gave  place  to  fields  of  grain,  the  roads  were  im- 
proved, schools  were  established  and  the  township 
assumed  character  and  a  more  inviting  aspect. 

Post-Offices. — When  the  first  settlers  locat- 
ed in  what  is  now  Preston  township  there  were 
several  post-offices  in  Wayne  County ;  the  day 
had  gone  by  when  correspondents  sent  their 
letters  addressed  to  "  Beech  Woods,"  to  remain 
at  Wilkes-Barre  till  called  for,  and  there  was  a 
mail  route  from  Wilkes-Barre  by  the  way  of 
Mount  Pleasant  to  Bethany  and  Milford, 
returning  through  Paupack  and  Cobb's  Gap. 
The  first  office  established  in  the  present  town- 
ship limits  was  that  at  Tallmansville,  and  Elihu 
Tallman  was  the  official  in  charge.  He  con- 
tinued to  serve,  in  spite  of  all  the  changes  of 
administration,  until  1860,  when  Edwin  Tall- 
man,  his  son,  succeeded  him,  and  has  since 
retained  the  office.  The  Preston  office  was 
established  in  1838,  with  Daniel  Underwood  as 
postmaster,  and  he,  after  a  few  years,  gave  place 
to  John  Stearns.  J.  F.  Duvall  and  E.  B. 
Leonard  also  served  in  turn,  before  the  appoint- 
ment, in  1880,  of  Elizabeth  Bliss,  the  present 
incumbent.  Residents  of  the  eastern  part  of  the 
township  first  received  their  mail  at  Jericho,  in 
Buckingham  township,  where  George  Wainright 
was  appointed  postmaster  in  1858.  The  office 
was  removed  to  Lake  Como,  about  I860, 
with  Lucian  Horton  in  charge.  John  W. 
Thrall  then  took  it ;  and,  in  1867,  John  Turner, 
the  present  postmaster,  was  appointed.  The 
office  has  had  a  daily  mail  since  January,  1878. 
The  office  at  Lakin  was  established  in  1881, 
with  Miss  Addie  G.  Lakin  in  charge ;  that  at 
Hine's  Corners  in  1879.  N,  F.  Hine  was  the 
first  postmaster  in  the  latter  office,  and  has  been 
succeeded  by  L.  L.  Hine,  E.  M.  Hine  and  W. 
H.  Chamberlain,  the  present  incumbent. 
69 


Schools  and  Churches. — In  the  early 
history  of  the  township  there  were  no  schools 
between  Mount  Pleasant  and  Shehawken,  as 
Hancock  was  then  called,  and  few  of  the  children 
had  any  advantages  beyond  those  they  could 
obtain  when  their  hard-worked  parents  had 
time  to  give  a  little  instruction  in  the  veriest 
rudiments  of  education.  As  the  settlers  grew 
more  numerous,  and  it  was  possible  to  concen- 
trate a  sufficient  number  of  children  at  one 
place  to  hold  a  school,  teachers  were  hired  at 
private  expense.  One  of  these  was  Truman 
Wheeler,  and  Miss  Mary  Wheeler,  presumably 
his  sister,  also  appears  in  the  early  records.  In 
1824,  Elihu  Tallman  hired  Miss  Sarah  Jane 
Stoddard  to  teach  four,  and  part  of  the  time 
five,  children  in  an  old  log  house  on  his  place. 
The  school  was  kept  by  her  for  three  months  ; 
and  the  next  summer  the  same  pupils  were 
under  the  tuition  of  Miss  Sally  Kennedy.  Miss 
Miranda  Chittenden  and  a  Mr.  Hines  followed, 
and  completed  a  year's  instruction,  which,  on 
account  of  the  impassable  condition  of  the  roads 
in  the  winter,  had  to  be  extended  through  nearly 
two  years.  Each  of  these  teachers  was  paid 
seventy-five  cents  a  week  and  board,  and  was 
entertained  first  at  the  house  of  one  subscriber, 
then  at  the  next,  and  so  on  until  this  portion  of 
her  salary  was  distributed  equally  among  the 
patrons  of  the  school.  It  is  to  the  credit  of  the 
township  that  the  first  money  ever  spent  on  any 
public  improvement  was  for  the  erection  of  a 
school-house.  The  following  account  of  this  is 
from  a  manuscript  kindly  furnished  by  C.  P. 
Tallman,  Esq.: 

"  It  was  in  the  spring  of  1829  or  1830  that 
a  number  of  us  in  the  neighborhood  where  I 
was  then  living  agreed  to  put  up  a  building, 
and  start  a  private  school,  and  after  the  matter 
had  been  well  talked  up,  a  meeting  was  held, 
and  we  fixed  upon  a  site  on  the  east  side  of  my 
lot,  where  the  road  then  ran — a  spot  which  is 
now  covered  by  a  thick  grove  of  maples.  Some 
of  the  neighbors  subscribed  labor,  others  mate- 
rials ;  I  found  nails,  glass  and  sash  to  the  amount 
of  four  dollars  and  eighty-four  cents,  my  share 
of  the  estimated  cost.  The  building,  which 
was  soon  erected,  was  sixteen  by  twenty  feet, 
built  of  sound  logs  cut  near  by,  and  had  a  stone 


714 


AVAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


chimney  at  one  end,  in  which  was  a  fire-place 
that  burned  four-foot  wood.  The  building  was 
stone  chinked  and  mossed  over,  so  that  it  was 
much  warmer  and  more  picturesque  than  many 
of  the  settlers'  cabins,  and  presented  a  very 
respectable  appearance  for  the  times.  The 
door  and  floor  were  made  of  rough  hemlock, 
and  the  hinges  and  latch  were  of  our  own  rude 
make.  The  benches  were  slabs  with  sapling 
legs  in  them,  and  the  desk  boards,  fastened  to 
the  sides  of  the  house  ;  but  everything  was 
substantial,  and  good  as  the  times  afforded. 
The  first  teacher  engaged  was  a  Miss  Watrous, 
an  old  and  experienced  teacher,  who  gave 
great  satisfaction  ;  and  some  of  her  pupils  came 
several  miles  in  all  kinds  of  weather  to  profit 
by  her  instruction.  We  paid  her  a  dollar  a 
week,  a  larger  salary  than  was  customary  ;  but 
she  earned  it  by  her  earnestness,  patience  and 
faculty  for  imparting  knowledge.  Afterward, 
I  do  not  remember  that  we  ever  paid  more  than 
seventy-five  cents  a  week  for  a  female  teacher, 
and  ten  dollars  a  month  for  a  male  instructor." 

Franklin  Duvall  and  Daniel  Underwood 
erected  a  plank  school-house  near  the  residence 
of  the  latter,  and  it  was  probably  the  next 
school  building  put  up  in  the  township.  Daniel 
Fletcher  taught  there  first,  about  1839.  The 
school-house  at  Little  York  was  built  near  the 
present  public  school  building,  in  1845,  and 
was  opened  by  Miss  Sally  Sanford.  After  that, 
schools  increased  rapidly,  and  there  are  now 
fourteen  buildings  in  the  township,  with  an 
average  value  of  five  hundred  dollars  apiece. 

As  early  as  1822  an  effort  was  made  to  hold 
religious  services  within  the  limits  of  the  present 
township ;  but  the  location  of  the  families,  their 
indigent  circumstances  and  various  other  con- 
ditions incidental  to  the  primitive  character  of 
the  settlement  were  such  that  all  attempts  had 
to  be  abandoned,  and,  as  one  old  settler  re- 
cords, "  the  Sabbaths  were  very  loosely  spent." 
Once  in  a  while  the  various  families  were 
visited  by  the  pioneer  ministers  of  the  Baptist 
and  Methodist  Churches,  and  it  is  possible  that 
within  five  years  after  the  date  just  mentioned 
some  gatherings  for  public  worship  may  have 
been  held.  Meanwhile  churches  had  gained 
strength  in  the  adjoining  townships,  and  among 


their  members  were  some  of  the  early  Preston 
settlers.  It  was  some  time  after  1825  that 
John  Rain,  Primitive  Methodist  minister,  came 
to  Luther  Shafer's  and  began  to  hold  stated 
meetings,  preaching  and  praying  with  great 
fervor,  and  attracting  and  interesting  many 
persons.  Two  were  baptized  in  the  creek  at 
Tallmansville,  and  soon  afterward  a  class  of 
thirteen  was  organized. 

But  soon  it  was  discovered  that  Mr.  Rain 
had  not  the  proper  ecclesiastical  authority,  and 
he  went  away,  and  the  class  was  given  up. 
But  the  seed  had  been  sown,  interest  had  been 
awakened,  and  it  was  not  long  before  some  of 
the  members  of  the  old  class,  and  some  who 
were  members  of  churches  elsewhere,  began  to 
long  for  the  class-meetings  and  the  "  sweet 
hour  of  prayer."  This  led  to  the  organization 
of  the  Tallmansville  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  which  took  place  in  1831,  when  a 
flourishing  class  was  formed,  with  David 
Wooley  as  leader.  Some  of  the  original  mem- 
bers of  this  were  David  Wooley,  Jane  Wooley, 
Sarah  Ann  Wooley,  Wm.  Wooley,  James 
Wooley,  Mary  Jane  Wooley,  Lucretia  Tallman, 
Lucretia  Tallman  (2d)  G.  P.  Tallman  and 
others  of  the  same  family.  The  first  ministers 
were  Revs.  Morgan  Ruger,  George  Evans, 
Samuel  Griffin  and  Samuel  B.  Yarrington. 
The  church  edifice  was  built  in  1866,  at  a  cost 
of  two  thousand  seven  hundred  dollars,  and 
has  been  since  improved.  The  congregation  is 
now  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and  maintains  a 
well-attended  Sunday-school. 

The  Hine's  Corners  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  organized  as  a  class  in  1849,  with 
D.  M.  Benedict  as  the  first  leader.  The  con- 
stituent members  were  D.  M.  Benedict  and  wife, 
Merritt  Hine  and  wife,  Royal  Hine  and  wife, 
Philander  Hine  and  wife,  D.  G.  Hine,  Elvira 
Hine,  Elizabeth  Hine,  Gilbert  Wheeler,  Cal- 
vin Hatch  and  wife,  David  Thurston  and  wife, 
David  Cordner  and  wife,  James  Dunn  and  wife. 
Others  were  soon  added,  and  the  class  became 
strong  enough  to  engage  Rev.  N.  S.  Dewitt  as 
the  first  pastor.  At  this  time  the  class  belonged 
to  the  Lanesboro'  charge,  and  Rev.  Nathaniel 
Sartail,  another  pastor  on  that  circuit,  assisted 
Mr.  Dewitt  in  a  great  revival  that  was  an  im- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


715 


portant  event  in  the  early  history  of  the  organi- 
zation. This  added  many  members,  and  as  the 
congregation  increased  in  strength  and  influence 
it  was  transferred  to  the  Herrick  charge.  The 
members  were  chartered  as  a  corporate  body  in 
July,  1876,  with  the  following  trustees :  D.  M. 
Benedict,  D.  G.  Hine,  N.  F.  Hine,  Royal 
Hine,  J.  E.  Fletcher,  William  Lee  (3d),  and 
H.  W.  Woodmansee.  Under  the  pastorate  of 
Rev.  G.  W.  Robinson  the  present  church  edi- 
fice was  erected,  and  was  dedicated  in  the  fall 
of  1878.  ft  cost  about  sixteen  hundred  dol- 
lars. 

The  Stanton  Hill  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  organized  about  1 855,  with  H.  P. 
Stanton  as  the  first  class-leader.  The  constitu- 
ent members  were  Henry  Stanton,  Emeline 
Stanton,  Mary  A.  Stanton,  David  Stanton  and 
wife,  Mrs.  Richard  McLaury  and  Eunice  Rob- 
erts. Edgar  Sandford  and  Alpheus  Dix  have 
also  been  class  leaders.  The  church  has  been 
on  the  Lake  Como  Circuit,  and  has  been  served 
by  the  pastors  there.  The  church  edifice  was 
built  during  the  summer  of  1883,  and  was  dedi- 
cated on  the  27th  of  the  October  following.  It 
cost  about  sixteen  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 
The  present  trustees  of  the  church  are  H.  P. 
Stanton,  Frank  E.  Kilpatrick,  S.  E.  Stanton, 
E.  J.  Sanford  and  A.  R.  Dix. 

The  Preston  Centre  Baptist  Church  was  an 
offshoot  from  the  church  in  Scott  township.  A 
few  of  the  members  of  the  latter  organization, 
living,  as  they  did,  away  from  the  central  place 
of  meeting,  had  for  some  years  prior  to  formal 
organization  acted  as  a  branch  of  the  mother 
church,  and  enjoyed  the  ordinances  of  the  Sup- 
per and  baptism  at  their  place  and  pleasure.  In 
1858,  however,  they  finally  decided  to  form  a 
"  district  church,"  and  a  council  from  the  neigh- 
boring churches  of  the  Abington  and  Bridge- 
water  Associations  was  convened  at  Preston 
Centre,  on  the  14th  of  April  of  that  year,  to 
give  them  fellowship  as  a  gospel  church.  E.  K. 
Norton,  of  Clinton,  was  chosen  moderator  and 
B.  B.  Bunting,  of  Aldenville,  secretary.  Dele- 
gates were  present  from  Aldenville,  Clinton, 
Bethany,  Gibson,  Jackson,  Lenox,  Scott  and 
Union  Churches,  and  Revs.  William  Miller,  R, 
G.  Lamb,  D.  H.  Halstead,  A.  O.  Stearns  and 


Rial  Tower  participated  in  the  exercises.  The 
constituent  members  who  were  then  recognized 
were  Charles  Lloyd,  William  Knapp,  Mary 
Hulett,  Francis  Pierce,  Julian  A.  Andrews, 
Esther  Carr,  Walter  Lloyd,  Archibald  Lamont, 
William  J.  Lloyd,  Julia  Knapp,  Nancy  Lamont, 
Clarissa  Benedict,  Benjamin  E.  Saxbury,  Mary 
J.  Carpenter,  Luther  Carpenter,  Nathan  Car- 
penter, F.  A.  Lobez,  Caroline  Lobez,  Josiah 
Townsend  and  wife,  Mary  Ann  Townsend. 
When  the  church  was  admitted  to  the  associa- 
tion, the  following  autumn,  four  additions  to 
the  membership  were  reported,  making  twenty- 
four  communicants.  Rev.  Rial  Tower  was  the 
first  pastor,  aiid  was  secured  about  a  year  after 
the  church  was  organized  to  labor  a  fourth  of 
his  time  for  the  congregation.  He  remained  for 
a  portion  of  the  time  during  the  next  two  years, 
during  which  Samuel  W.  Lloyd  was  licensed  to 
preach.  He  supplied  the  pulpit  after  Mr.  Tow- 
er's departure,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Tower,  a  son  of  the  first  pastor.  A  por- 
tion of  the  church  records  have  been  lost,  and 
the  only  other  pastors  who  can  be  learned  of 
are  S.  W.  Cole,  Jacob  Gessner,  A.  O.  Stearns, 
S.  E.  Carr  and  James  Pope,  in  the  order  of 
their  succession  down  to  the  present  incumbent. 
The  church  edifice  was  commenced  in  1884,  and 
cost  about  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  It  was  dedi- 
cated by  Rev.  Charles  Fitzwilliams,  of  Damas- 
cus, on  January  22,  1885. 

The  Lake  Como  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
was  built  about  1863.  The  society  had  pre- 
viously formed  a  part  of  the  circuit  known  as 
"  Thompson  Mission,"  with  a  preaching-place 
at  "  Jerusalem  School-House."  The  first  board 
of  trustees  consisted  of  John  Davidge,  Lyman 
Woodmansee  and  Moses  Thomas.  Rev.  I.  N. 
Pardee  was  at  that  time  preacher  in  charge.  Its 
successive  pastors  have  been  Revs.  N.  S.  Reyn- 
olds, 1864-65;  S.  G.  Stevens,  1866;  H.  H. 
Dresser,  1867-69;  J.  D.  Woodruff,  1870;  W. 
B.Kinney,  1871  ;  David  Larish,  1872-73 ;  M. 
I).  Fuller,  1874-76  ;  J.  H.  Taylor,  1877-79  ; 
F.  A.  Douy,  1880-81  ;  G.  A.  Cure,  1882-84; 
D.  A.  Sandford,  1885.  The  parsonage  was 
built  in  1866,  and  was  first  occupied  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  Conference  year  by  the  pastor 
and  family.     The  name  of  the  circuit,  or  charge, 


716 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


was  afterwards  changed  to  Tallmansville,  and 
in  1880  to  Lake  Conio.  The  society  now  has 
niuety  members,  and  its  Sunday-school  numbers 
twelve  officers  and  teachers  and  one  hundred 
and  forty-six  scholars. 

Lake  Como. — The  history  of  the  village  of 
Lake  Como  commences  in  1859.  In  that  year 
Messrs.  Leonard  H.  Allison,  John  Davidge, 
Horace  H.  Crary  and  Lucien  Horton,  of  Han- 
cock, Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  bought  of  Dan- 
iel Underwood  about  eight  hundred  acres  of 
land,  comprising  most  of  the  William  Cramer 
and  Peter  Henry  tracts.  Upon  this  land  and 
upon  the  site  of  the  present  establishment  they 
at  once  began  to  build  a  tannery.  The  price 
paid  for  the  land  purchased  was  forty-five  hun- 
dred dollars.  The  building  was  finished  and 
ready  for  business  before  the  close  of  the  season, 
and  as  soon  as  the  necessary  tenements  for  work- 
men could  be  made  ready  the  work  of  manu- 
facturing sole-leather  was  begun.  The  senior 
member  of  the  firm,  Mr.  L.  H.  Allison,  had  not 
long  before  returned  from  a  tour  in  Europe,  and 
retaining  a  pleasing  remembrance  of  Lake  Co- 
mo, in  Italy,  he  gave  to  the  new  hamlet  and 
the  lake  near  it  the  name  which  it  still  bears. 
Underthefirm-uame  of  Allison,  Davidge  &  Co., 
the  tannery  business  and,  in  connection  with  it, 
a  store,  was  carried  on  by  the  above-named 
partners  until  18G4,  when  their  entire  interest 
was  sold  to  Albert  E.  Babcock,  who  had  lately 
closed  up  a  tannery  at  Hortouville,  Sullivan 
County,  N.  Y.,  where  the  supply  of  bark  had 
become  exhausted.  Mr.  John  Davidge  moved 
with  his  family  to  Lake  Como  as  soon  as  their 
purchase  was  made,  and  remained  there  until 
the  property  was  sold,  as  did  also  Lucien  Horton, 
who  afterward  married  Hattie  Burr,  a  sister  of 
Mrs.  Davidge  and  Mrs.  H.  H.  Crary.  The  tan- 
nery and  three  thousand  cords  of  bark  were 
burned  in  1868,  and  the  building  was  again  re- 
built by  the  original  owners.  Afterward,  in 
1876,  it  was  again  partially  burned,  and  the 
burned  portion  built  anew  by  Thrall  &  Babcock. 
On  the  death  of  Mr.  Babcock,  which  occurred 
in  1872,  the  property  went  into  the  hands  of 
his  wife  and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  John  W.  Thrall, 
and  was  carried  on  for  four  years  under  the 
name  of  Thrall  &  Babcock,  Mr.  Thrall   still 


managing  the  business  as  he  had  previously 
done  for  Mr.  Babcock.  In  1880  his  health 
became  so  impaired  that  he  could  no  longer 
give  the  establishment  his  attention,  and  the 
entire  property  passed  into  the  hands  of  Hoyt 
Brothers,  of  New  York.  This  tannery  is  now 
neariug  its  close,  and  the  men  who  have  been 
its  owners  and  managers  have  been  most  im- 
portant factors  in  the  history  of  the  whole 
region  round  about  it.  It  has  consumed  at 
least  one  hundred  thousand  cords  of  hemlock 
bark,  for  which  fully  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars  has  been  paid  in  cash,  and  this  sum  has 
done  much  toward  clearing  up  and  paying  for 
the  surrounding  farms,  as  well  as  pi-omoting 
the  various  public  and  private  enterprises  in 
the  vicinity  and  furnishing  employment  to  num- 
bers of  men  engaged  in  various  kinds  of  labor. 
On  the  26th  day  of  October,  1885,  Hoyt  Broth- 
ers sold  their  remaining  interest  in  the  real  es- 
tate to  Hon.  N.  F.  Underwood,  reserving  only 
the  use  of  such  buildings  as  might  be  necessary 
for  their  employes  while  finishing  up  the  tan- 
ning business,  which  they  expect  to  do  in  one 
or  two  years. 

Lake  Como  Lodge,  No.  965,  I.  O.  O.  F. 
was  instituted  April  10,  1879.  Its  charter  mem- 
bers were  Jerome  Underwood,  Andrew  MeKee, 
W.  C.  Rutledge,  W.  P.  Lakin,  D.  C.  Kings- 
bury, Z.  C.  Cole,  H.  C.  Christian,  Azor  E.  Kel- 
logg, Rufus  London,  W.  O.  Ferris  and  N.  L. 
Woodmansee.  Its  Noble  Grands  have  been, 
successively,  Jerome  Underwood,  W.  P.  Lakin, 
D.  C.  Kingsbury,  J.  E.  W'ooclmansee,  Samuel 
S.  Van  Etten,  Dr.  T.  A.  Haugh,  J.  H.  Taylor, 
N.  F.  Underwood,  A.  T.  Poole,  Horace  Wood- 
mansee, G.  E.  Littell  and  E.  G.  Greenwood. 
Its  membership  now  numbers  eighty-one,  and 
it  has  about  fifteen  hundred  dollars  of  invested 
funds. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

IRVIN    STARBIRD. 

The  first  record  of  the  Starbird  family  we 
can  find  is  the  birth  of  John  Starbird  on  March 
25,  1754,  at  Brunswick,  Maine.  He  left  home 
when  the  call  "  To  arms ! "  was  uttered  on  behalf 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


717 


of  the  Continental  troops,  and,  having  enlisted, 
served  throughout  the  Revolutionary  War,  was 
wounded  and  afterwards  mustered  out  when 
the  necessity  for  patriotic  services  in  the  field 
had  ended.  He  proceeded  to  Trenton,  N.  J., 
and  taught  school  a  time ;  from  that  place 
reached  Easton,  where  he  again  gave  instruc- 
tion, and  then  located  at  Stroudsburg,  Monroe 
County.  Here  he  married  Hannah  Stroud 
(born    October   10,    1763),   and    she   bore   him 


burg,  Pa.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he 
left  home  and  came  to  Wayne  County,  made  a 
home  at  Stockport,  and  bought  timber  from  the 
Prestous,  which  he  rafted  down  the  Delaware 
to  Philadelphia.  Thus  commencing  a  career  as 
a  lumberman,  he  continued  to  follow  such  busi- 
ness until  1854  very  successfully.  On  Septem- 
ber 26,  1S24,  he  married  Elizabeth  Barrager, 
near  Stockport,  and  purchased  farm  and  timber 
lauds   in  what  is   now   Preston   township,  then 


<=Js  n^tsisn_       Qy/Lcuy-ins^cL 


Jacob,  John,  Elizabeth,  William,  Daniel,  Peter 
and  Franklin. 

He  was  a  man  of  considerable  education,  and 
iu  possession  of  his  grandson  Irvin  is  a  MS. 
arithmetic  book  of  good  size,  evidently  prepared 
for  the  use  of  his  children,  full  of  valuable 
rules,  examples,  etc.  He  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  his  death,  December  14,  1839,  his 
wife  surviving  him  until  May  4,  1845.  Wil- 
liam Starbird,  the  fourth  child  of  John  and 
Hannah,  was  born  May  27,  1798,  at  Strouds- 


Buckingham.  At  one  time  he  owned  seven- 
teen huudred  acres  of  land,  in  a  solid  piece,  in 
the  township,  when  no  roads  had  been  cut 
through  the  vast  pine  wilderness,  and  the  track 
was  traceable  only  by  blazed  trees.  Here  he 
formed  a  home  and  raised  a  large  family  of 
thirteen  children,  as  follows:  Ransom,  Horace, 
Emeline  V.,  George,  Alfred  O,  Benjamin  F., 
Edwin,  Ann,  John  Q.,  William  P.,  Irvin, 
Henry  O,  Caroline  A.  Of  these,  Alfred  C. 
entered  the  army  of  the  North  in  the  Rebellion, 


718 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


enlisting  in  Company  C,  Sixth  Regiment  Penn- 
sylvania Reserves,  on  May  31,  1861,  and  was 
discharged  from  the  service  for  physical  disabil- 
ity on  July  10,  1862.  He  afterwards  re-enlisted 
in  a  cavalry  regiment.  He  lost  his  life  near 
Washington,  D.  C. 

In  1851  Mr.  Starbird  put  up  a  new  mill  in 
the  extreme  northeastern  corner  of  the  town- 
ship, which  requires  special  mention.  His  boys 
and  himself  were  unusually  large  and  powerful 
men,  and  on  the  occasion  referred  to,  instead  of 
waiting  the  old-time  "  raising  bee  "  gathering, 
he  relied  upon  his  family,  and  with  two  sons 
erected  the  entire  structure.  The  mudsills  were 
timbers  sixty  feet  long  and  fourteen  inches  thick 
(still  in  the  same  position);  the  plates  sixty  feet 
long  and  twelve  inches  square,  and  all  the  frame 
timbers  were  twelve  inches  square.  No  ma- 
chinery was  used  in  this  undertaking,  and  the 
building  was,  until  quite  recently,  a  monument 
showing  what  brain  and  brawn  and  pluck,  as 
personified  in  the  Starbird  family,  accomplished. 
William  Starbird  was  a  thorough  mechanic  and 
each  part  of  this  mill,  excepting  the  iron  work, 
but  including  the  wheel,  was  the  work  of  his 
hands.  He  was  also  an  athlete  of  renown,  and 
many  are  the  tales  of  his  proofs  of  strength  and 
the  quickness  of  his  eye  in  shooting  game. 
In  1863  he  sold  some  thirteen  hundred  acres 
for  eighteen  thousand  dollars,  and  removed  to 
Buckingham  township,  upon  a  large  farm  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Chehocton  Creek,  where  he 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  days,  dying  there 
January  20,  1881.  Mrs.  Starbird  died  March 
24,  1875. 

Irvin  Starbird,  bom  July  13,  1842,  in  this 
township,  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
until  his  twentieth  year,  M'heu  he  commenced 
clearing  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  acres,  part  of  the  large  tract  of  his 
father's,  given  for  extra  time  services.  The 
woods  gave  way  to  sturdy  work,  and  ere  long 
a  house  was  built  and  a  partner  sought  to  make 
a  home.  This  was  consummated  when,  on  Jan- 
uary 1,  1866,  Miss  Ann  Z.,  daughter  of  Robert 
K.  and  Minerva  H.  (Tallman)  King  (whose 
family  sketch  is  to  be  found  in  the  history  of 
Starrucca  borough),  became  his  wife.  This 
marriage   has  been   blessed  with   the  following 


children:  Ali  King,  born  March  12,  1867; 
Alfred  Clair,  born  July  11,  1868;  William 
Robert,  born  February  16,  1878.  In  addition 
to  which,  a  little  girl,  Bessie  Mabel,  born  April 
18,  1882,  was  adopted  into  the  family  October 
20,  of  the  same  year. 

Mr.  Starbird  is  a  Republican  in  political  mat- 
ters, and  has  been  called  upon  several  times  by 
his  party  to  fill  offices  in  the  township,  among 
such  being  collector,  assessor  and  school  director, 
in  which  positions  his  services  have  been  satis- 
factory. Both  himself  and  wife  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Lake 
Como,  and  were  members  of  the  Starrucca 
Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  until  its  disso- 
lution, a  few  years  since,  Mr.  Starbird  being  the 
Master  and  Mrs.  Starbird  acting  as  Ceres. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

STARRUCCA. « 

On  the  extreme  northern  boundary  of  Wayne, 
separated  to  some  extent  from  the  rest  of  the 
county  by  a  range  of  high  hills,  lies  the  thrifty 
borough  of  Starrucca.  The  location  is  one  of 
natural  beauty,  being  at  the  head  of  the  fertile 
Starrucca  Valley  and  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Coxtown  with  the  Starrucca  Creek.  Starrucca 
existed  as  a  village  or  settlement  nearly  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  before  the  formation  of  the 
present  borough,  which  was  erected  in  1853 
from  a  portion  of  Scott  and  Preston  townships, 
and  is  bounded  by  the  above-named  townships, 
and  the  township  of  Thompson,  in  Susquehanna 
County. 

Of  the  first  settlement  at  Starrucca  no  written 
record  remains,  and  tradition  alone  rescues 
from  oblivion  the  early  history  of  the  place, 
and  even  tradition  gives  nothing  definite  as  to 
the  first  settler.  However,  it  is  quite  certain 
that  the  first  settlement  at  Starrucca  was  estab- 
lished prior  to  1800,  and  that  among  the  early 
settlers — if,  indeed,  not  the  earliest — were  Eze- 
kiel  Sampson,  Henry  Sampson,  Jesse  Whit- 
taker,    Jones    West,    Conrad    Edick,     David 


By  J.  E.  Fanell. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


719 


Spoon,  James  Hanford,  Ogden  Weed,  David 
Benedict,  James  Gleason  and  Jirah  Mumford. 
Nearly  all  the  immediate  descendants  of  the 
above-named  pioneers  have  passed  away.  Until 
1820  the  nearest  grist-mills  were  at  Wilkes-Barre 
and  Great  Bend.  To  these  places  without  roads, 
and  guided  only  by  marked  trees,  the  people 
were  obliged  to  travel  for  bread-studs.  For  very 
many  of  the  articles  absolutely  needed,  long 
and  laborious  journeys  had  to  be  made,  and 
not  until  1815  or  1818  were  any  places  estab- 
lished within  the  settlement  for  supplying  the 
wants  of  the  people. 

Between  the  years  1815  and  1818  the  first 
blacksmith-shop  was  established  by  Jones  West, 
who  came  hither  from  Albany  County,  N.  Y. 

In  1826  the  first  boot  and  shoe  shop  was 
opened  by  David  Benedict,  whose  son,  N.  M. 
Benedict,  one  of  Starrucca's  most  highly  es- 
teemed citizens,  still  continues  the  business. 

In  1850  Egbert  Englet  established  a  shop 
for  building  and  repairing  wagons.  The  time 
of  beginning  other  industries  will  be  mentioned 
under  their  respective  headings. 

The  first  hotel  or  public-house  was  situ- 
ated where  now  is  the  dwelling-house  of 
James  J.  Dalton,  and  was  kept  first  by 
David  Spoor  and  afterwards  by  Thomas  Carr. 
The  second  hotel  was  built  near  the  present 
residence  of  M.   M.  Benedict,  and  was  kept  at 

different  times  by Sampson,  Jesse  Corwin, 

W.  Sampson,  John  M.  Sampson  and  H.  Mc- 
Murray. 

In  1862  H.  Johnson  opened  a  hotel  in 
the  building  afterwards  purchased  by  W.  W. 
Mumford,  and  now  occupied  by  him  as  a 
dwelling-house. 

Starrucca,  at  present,  has  two  well-conducted 
hotels, — the  Starrucca  Valley  House,  in  the 
centre  of  the  village,  is  owned  and  kept  by 
Thomas  Caden.  This  hotel  is  second  to  none 
in  the  vicinity.  The  Mountain  House,  large 
and  commodious,  is  well-kept  by  Mrs.  John 
Redingtou. 

Dr.  Thomas  J.  Mumford  was  the  first  resident 
physician  at  Starrucca.  He  commenced  prac- 
tice here  in  1845.  The  resident  physicians  at 
Starrucca  since  Dr.  Mumford's  time  have  been 
Dr.  J.  P.  Shaw,  who  came  from  Franklin,  N.  Y. ; 


Dr.  Utter,  Dr.  Green,  Dr.  A.  J.  Harris,  from 
Candor,  N.  Y.  ;  and  Dr.  J.  C.  Bateson,  who  at 
present  has  a  very  successful  and  extensive 
practice.  Dr.  Shaw  is  still  a  resident  of  Star- 
rucca. 

Growth — Incidents,  Etc. — The  growth  of 
the  village  was  very  slow  until  1845,  the  year 
in  which  the  building  of  the  tannery  was  begun. 
At  this  time  there  were  but  eleven  dwelling- 
houses  where  the  village  now  is. 

Outside  the  village,  but  within  the  present 
borough  limits,  some  of  the  afterwards  most 
prosperous  and  energetic  citizens  of  Starrucca 
had  located.  Among  these  were  Benjamin  and 
Robert  King,  of  King  Hill.  The  Messrs. 
King  came  herefrom  Mount  Pleasant  township. 

Both  are  still  living  and  are  among  the  most 
honored  and  trusted  citizens  of  the  borough. 

Little  of  interest  occurred  from  the  erection 
of  the  tannery,  in  1844,  until  the  formation  of 
the  borough,  in  1853. 

The  first  assessment  was  made  in  1854.  The 
valuation  at  that  time  was  $14,235.75,  and  the 
number  assessed  was  fifty  persons,  as  follows  : 

Brau,  George $50.00 

Benedict,  N.  W 117.00 

Chandler,  Frederick  B 162.00 

Case,  Horace 50.00 

Carr,  Erastus 584.75 

Calender,  Nelson 50.00 

Englet,  Peter 20.00 

Finch,  Ira 7.00 

Grule,  Charles 67.50  ' 

Harrison,  Josiah 10.00 

Howell,  William 42.00  ' 

Henderson,  Lafayette 101.50 

Jayne,  Eliza  A 118.75 

Jordan,  William 50.00 

King,  Robert  K 324.50 

King,  Benjamin 290.50 

Lloyd,  Noel 217.00 

Lloyd,  Frederick 83.25 

Lloyd,  Charles 42.00 

Lahley,  George 293.25 

Mumford,  Stephen  D 60.00 

Madden,   John 529.50 

Mumford,  James 1366.25 

Mumford,  Josiah 661.25 

Mumford,  Oliver 50.00 

Oles,  Marlin 20.00 

Osborn,  Gernsey  &  Co 3137.00 

Osborn,  Lewis  &  Co 100.00 

Peck,  Thaddeus 50.00 


720 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Prindle,  Samuel  A $262.00 

Prindle,  Mary 50.00 

Root,  Alva  D 20.00 

Sampson,  Hiram  K 124.25 

Sampson,  Henry 384.00 

Sampson,  James  M 40.00 

Sampson,  David 27.00 

Sampson,  Hassadiali 721.50 

Shaw,  John  P 146.00 

Sampson,  John  A 87.00 

Sampson,  Benjamin 728.25 

Sampson,  Thomas  S 32.00 

Sampson,  R.  H   35.00 

Smith,  John  H 57.00 

Twanley,  Win 14.00 

Tenant,  Robert 102.00 

Wilcox,  Benjamin,  27  acres 147. 25 

Wainright,  Timothy 148.75 

Williams,  H.  D 125.00 

Campbell,  Theodore 7.00 

Waller,  C.  P 435.00 

Total  valuation $14,235.75 

7  mill  tax. 
Hassadiah  Sampson,    I.  D.  Mumford,  Collectors. 

In  the  fall  of  1864  great  damage  was  done 
the  village  by  the  bursting  of  the  dam  at  the 
reservoir,  now  known  as  the  Moore  Pond.  The 
reservoir,  which  is  about  three  miles  above  the 
town,  was  filled  suddenly  by  heavy  rains,  and 
when  the  dam  gave  out,  the  immense  body  of 
water  swept  down  on  the  village,  destroying 
much  property  and  for  a  time  endangering  the 
lives  of  many  persons.  All  bridges  were  swept 
away  and  some  houses  carried  down  the  stream. 
The  main  street  of  the  village  was  entirely  torn 
up.  One  man,  M.  Dervin,  narrowly  escaped 
being  drowned.  Dervin  and  Thomas  Caden,  now 
proprietor  of  the  Starrucca  Valley  House, 
escaped  from  the  tannery  in  a  boat,  and  when 
out  in  the  current  the  boat  capsized.  Mr.  Caden, 
being  able  to  swim,  reached  the  shore  in  safety, 
but  Mr.  Dervin  not  being  a  swimmer,  would 
have  been  drowned  had  it  not  been  that  the 
■current  carried  him  into  or  against  a  tree-top, 
to  which  he  clung  until  the  following  morning, 
when  he  was  rescued  by  Henry  Johnston,  now 
of  Carbondale,  who  at  that  time  kept  the  hotel 
at  Starrucca.  It  was  a  long  time  before  Star- 
rucca recovered  from  the  effects  of  this  disas- 
trous flood. 

The  completion  of  the  Jefferson  Branch  of 
the   Erie  Railroad    in    1870    gave    new  life  to 


the  industry  and  trade  of  the  town.  Previous 
to  this  the  nearest  railroad  station  was  at  Sus- 
quehanna, eleven  miles  distant.  The  Jefferson 
Branch  passes  through  within  the  borough  lim- 
its, but  the  depot  is  over  the  line  in  Susque- 
hanna County,  and  a  little  more  than  half  a 
mile  from  the  centre  of  the  village.  It  was 
after  the  construction  of  this  road  that  some  of 
the  most  attractive  dwelling-houses  and  places 
of  business  were  built.  Noticeable  among 
these  are  the  fine  residences  of  Angus  Smith,  Ho- 
mer E.  Spencer  and  many  others,  the  stores 
of  Osborn  &  Co.,  W.  W,  Mumford,  Stone  & 
Mumford  and  Mrs.  Fred.  Erk,  the  Methodist 
and  Catholic  Churches  and  the  two  hotels. 

August  18,  1873,  occurred  the  death  of  Hon. 
James  Mumford,  one  of  the  most  successful, 
public-spirited  and  enterprising  citizens  of  the 
borough. 

In  the  year  1877,  Starrucca  suffered  another 
great  loss— the  death  of  Benjamin  Sampson, 
Sr.  Mr.  Sampson,  like  Judge  Mumford,  was 
energetic,  thrifty  and  public-spirited,  always 
leading  in  anything  that  promised  to  advance  the 
welfare  of  the  community  at  large.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  had  a  family  of  twenty- 
seven  children,  nearly  all  of  whom  still  live  at 
or  near  Starrucca. 

February  26,  1878,  Mr.  A.  M.  Lancaster, 
who  for  years  had  been  an  honored  citizen,  of 
the  borough,  was  accidentally  killed  while  on 
his  way  from  Honesdale  to  Starrucca.  The 
circumstances  attending  Mr.  Lancaster's  death 
were  distressing  in  the  extreme.  In  the  fall  of 
1876  he  labored  for  the  election  of  P.  A.  Clark 
to  the  office  of  sheriff. 

Mr.  Clark  was  elected  and  Mr.  Lancaster 
was  appointed  deputy  sheriff,  and  he  removed 
at  once  to  Honesdale.  On  the  morning  of  the 
fatal  February  26th  he  was  out  on  official  busi- 
ness at  Starrucca.  The  road  taken  by  him 
crossed  the  premises  of  James  T.  Hyatt.  Mr. 
Hyatt  at  the  time  was  chopping  down  a  tree 
which  stood  by  the  side  of  the  highway.  The 
day  was  wild  and  stormy.  Mr.  Lancaster  being 
wrapped  updid  not  seethe  chopper, and  Hyatt, in 
turn,  did  not  observe  the  approaching  traveler. 
The  wind  rose  suddenly,  and  the  tree  went 
down  across  the  road    at    the  very  moment  the 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


m 


sheriff  was  passing.  Mr.  Lancaster  was  struck 
by  the  body  of  the  tree  and  instantly  killed. 
He  was  buried  with  Masonic  honors  by  the 
Great  Bend  Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of 
which,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was  a  mem- 
ber. 

In  the  summer  of  1878  a  second  tragedy, 
the  famous  Van  Alstine  case,  occurred.  The 
details  of  the  affair  are  still  fresh  in  the  minds 
of  the  people  of  Starrucca.  We  have  here  only 
to  record  the  principal  points.  In  1876  Van 
Alstine  was  sentenced  to  the  State  Penitentiary 
for  an  aggravated  assault  on  a  neighbor.  In 
the  summer  of  1878  he  was  released  and  re- 
turned to  his  home  at  Starrucca,  where  he  found 
his  wife  about  to  become  a  mother.  A  few 
weeks  after  his  return  Van  Alstine  died  in  ter- 
rible agony.  All  the  symptoms  and  circum- 
stances indicated  that  he  died  from  the  effects 
of  poison.  His  wife  was  arrested  on  charge  of 
murder,  and  committed  to  the  county  jail  to 
await  trial.  While  in  the  jail  she  gave  birth  to 
a  child.  The  commonwealth  failed  to  estab- 
lish the  guilt  of  the  woman  and  she  was  re- 
leased. Van  Alstine,  at  the  time  of  his  death 
resided  on  the  premises  afterwards  purchased 
by  William  M.  Kerr,  who  has  improved  and 
beautified  the  place,  making  it  one  of  the  most 
productive  farms  in  the  vicinity. 

After  this  there  followed  a  whole  chapter,  as 
it  were,  of  tragic  deaths.  In  1879  Charles 
Mayo  was  instantly  killed  in  Case's  mill.  June 
21,  1884,  Dr.  Daniel  Utter  fell  down  the 
stairs  of  his  residence  and  was  killed  outright. 
October  15th  of  the  same  year  Mrs.  B.  C.  King, 
wife  of  Benjamin  King,  and  one  of  the  most  es- 
timable ladies  of  the  borough,  was  thrown  from 
a  wagon  while  on  her  way  to  Starrucca,  and 
killed.  In  the  winter  of  the  same  year,  Peter 
HeufHin  was  killed  by  a  falling  tree.  And  in 
the  following  spring,  W.  H.  Stanton,  a  much- 
esteemed  resident  of  the  place,  was  killed  by 
being  caught  by  a  revolving  shaft  in  a  mill  in 
which  he  was  at  work.  All  of  these  fatal  ac- 
cidents happened  within  a  radius  of  half  a  mile. 

At  the  time  of  taking  the  census  in  1880  the 
population  of  the  borough  was  six  hundred. 
The  number  of  taxables  at  present  is  two  hun- 
dred and  four,  and  the  total  valuation  is  seventy- 
70 


three  thousand  five  hundred  and  ten  dollars. 
In  thrift,  public  spirit  and  enterprise,  Star- 
rucca is  second  to  no  village  in  the  county. 
Many  improvements  have  been  made  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  place  since  1883,  church  edifice 
newly  roofed  and  repainted,  streets  and  roads 
improved,  and  private  residences  enlarged  and 
beautified. 

In  addition  to  the  branches  of  trade  and  indus- 
try mentioned  elsewhere,  there  are  three  black- 
smith shops,  one  harness  shop,  one  boot  and 
shoe  shop,  one  furniture  store,  one  barber  shop, 
one  wagon  shop,  two  meat  markets,  one  job 
printing  office  and  one  manufactory  of  exten- 
sion ladders.  Of  the  organizations  not  referred 
to  elsewhere  is  the  Starrucca  Cornet  Band,  of 
eighteen  members,  organized  in  1882,  and  now 
under  the  leadership  of  Professor  S.  V.  Stock- 
man. 

Manufacturing  and  other  Industries. 
— There  is  but  very  little  to  record  of  the  man- 
ufacturing interests  of  Starrucca,  until  the  erec- 
tion of  the  tannery,  in  1884. 

The  first  mill  for  manufacturing  lumber  was 
built  about  the  beginning  of  the  present  century. 
It  was  situated  on  the  premises  now  owned  by 
John  Glover,  and  was  owned  by  Henry  Samp- 
son and  John  Crosscup.  The  second  mill  was 
known  as  the  "  Middle  Mill,"  and  was  located 
nearly  where  now  stands  the  saw-mill  owned  by 
Judge  Strong.  Soon  after  this  numerous  mills 
were  erected,  and  lumbering  became  the  princi- 
pal industry.  The  lumber,  of  course,  was 
marketed  at  Philadelphia,  and  after  being  man- 
ufactured had  to  be  hauled  to  the  Delaware 
River,  at  Hale's  Eddy,  N.  Y.,  from  which 
point  it  was  floated  to  market.  When  we  re- 
member that  this  product  had  to  be  hauled  a 
distance  of  twelve  miles  to  the  river,  and  then 
make  the  hazardous  passage  of  the  Delaware  to 
Philadelphia,  and  that  the  price  of  lumber  de- 
livered at  Philadelphia  was  remarkably  low, 
we  can  readily  understand  that  this  industry 
was  very  laborious  and  by  no  means  profitable. 
Surely  it  must  have  required  a  hardy  and  per- 
severing people  to  continue  it. 

In  or  about  the  year  1818  the  first  grist- 
mill at  Starrucca  was  built  by  Henry  Sampson. 
The  site  chosen    by  Mr.  Sampson    was  the  pic- 


722 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


turesque  Starrucca  Falls,  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  James  J.  Dalton.  The  old  mill,  the 
foundation  walls  of  which  remain,  stood  in  the 
"weird  chasm  which  now  is  spanned  by  the  "  high 
trestle "  of  the  Jefferson  Branch  of  the  Erie 
Railroad.  The  shrieking  locomotive  does  much 
to  modernize  the  place,  but  the  "  Falls,"  with 
its  old  ruins,  is  Starrucca's  favorite  resort.  The 
second  grist-mill  at  Starrucca  was  built  in  1842 
by  the  late  Judge  Mumford.  This  mill  was 
several  times  rebuilt,  and  finally,  in  1884,  was 
entirely  destroyed  by  fire.  At  the  time  of  its 
destruction  it  was  owned  by  C.  D.  Mumford, 
E.  C.  Mumford  and  C.  M.  Keene,  the  latter  a 
grandson  of  Judge  Mumford. 

After  the  destruction  of  the  Mumford  mill 
Mr.  H.  E.  Spencer  erected  a  flouring-mill,  in 
which  he  has  placed  steam-power  and  all  the 
latest  improvements. 

In  the  fall  of  1844  was  begun  the  building 
of  the  Starrucca  tannery.  For  years  this  was 
the  most  important  industry  of  this  whole  sec- 
tion. The  tannery  was  first  owned  by  McMur- 
ray,  Graham  &  Cowan,  the  first  two  of  Dela- 
ware County,  N.  Y.,  and  the  latter  of  Greene 
County,  N.  Y.  Mr.  H.  McMurray,  who  is 
still  living  at  Starrucca,  began  the  building  of 
the  tannery.  Judge  Cowan,  of  Delhi,  N.  Y., 
was  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  firm.  In  1848 
the  concern  was  sold  to  Hyde,  Graham  & 
Stone,  and  later  on  to  Howe,  Drake  &  Sals- 
bury,  by  whom  it  was  sold  to  Major  E.  P. 
Strong.  In  1863  the  tannery  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  but  immediately  rebuilt.  For  many  years 
the  hides  used  at  the  tannery  were  hauled  from 
Honesdale,  and  the  leather,  when  manufactured, 
taken  to  Honesdale  and  shipped,  by  canal-boats, 
to  New  York.  After  the  construction  of  the 
Erie  Railroad,  the  carting  was  done  to  and  from 
Hale's  Eddy,  N.  Y.,  later  from  Susquehanna,  Pa. 

Major  Strong  continued  to  operate  the  tan- 
nery until  the  spring  of  1884,  at  which  time  it 
was  discontinued  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of 
hemlock  bark.  The  building  was  burned 
down  in  the  fall  of  1885. 

The  first  factory,  for  the  manufacturing  of 
acetate  of  lime,  crude-wood  spirits  and  char- 
coal, built  in  Wayne  County,  was  the  one  erect- 
ed at  Starrucca  in  1876.       There  are  now  three 


of  these  factories,  commonly  called  "acid  fac- 
tories," at  Starrucca.  The  first  is  owned  and 
operated  by  the  Starrucca  Chemical  Com- 
pany; the  second,  built  in  1881,  by  the  Susque- 
hanna Chemical  Company ;  and  the  third, 
built  in  1882,  by  the  Melrose  Chemical  Com- 
pany. None  of  these  companies  are  incorpo- 
porated,  simply  operating  as  private  business 
firms.  All  the  products  of  these  factories  are 
obtained  from  wood, — beech,  birch  and  maple. 
The  process  of  manufacturing  is  this :  The 
wood  is  placed  in  iron  retorts,  the  fronts  of 
which  are  carefully  and  securely  sealed  ;  the 
back  of  the  retort  having  an  opening  fourteen 
inches  in  diameter,  to  which  is  attached  eighty 
feet  of  copper  pipe.  This  pipe  is  coiled  in  a 
vat,  filled  with  water  so  as  to  submerge  the 
pipe.  A  fire  is  then  kept  burning  under  the 
retorts,  thus  charring  the  wood  in  the  retorts 
and  causing  all  fumes  created  by  the  charring 
of  the  wood  to  pass  through  the  copper  pipe. 
This  condenses  fumes,  or  gas,  into  liquid.  The 
liquid  is  then  passed  to  a  second  floor,  where 
lime  is  mixed  with  it.  The  lime  acts  as  a  body 
wherewith  to  retain  acid.  This  liquid  is  then 
transferred  to  stills,  where  the  spirit  is  extract- 
ed, and  the  remaining  portions  removed  to  evap- 
orating pans,  where  it  is  reduced  to  an  almost 
solid  substance.  From  these  pans  it  is  taken 
to  kilns,  where  it  is  dried,  after  which  it  is 
placed  in  sacks  ready  for  market.  The  spirits, 
or  liquid  portion  of  the  product,  is  shifted  to 
refineries,  where  it  is  rectified,  and  is  known  to 
the  trade  as  wood  alcohol.  At  one  time  this 
was  a  most  profitable  industry,  but  over-pro- 
duction has  reduced  prices  to  such  an  extent 
that  at  present  only  a  very  moderate  percent- 
age on  money  invested  is  received  by  those  who 
are  engaged  in  the  business. 

From  1883  to  1885  the  facilities  for  manu- 
facturing were  increased  to  such  an  extent  that 
in  less  than  two  years  the  production  was 
more  than  doubled,  thus  overstocking  the  mar- 
ket and  reducing  prices  to  such  an  extent  that 
several  factories,  in  different  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, were,  of  necessity,  closed.  This  relieved 
the  market,  and  prices  advanced,  so  that  at  the 
present  writing  the  business  is  paying  a  mod- 
erate profit. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


723 


To  erect  and  equip  one  of  these  factories,  of 
the  average  capacity,  involves  an  expense  of 
eighteen  thousand  dollars.  The  price  now  re- 
ceived for  the  acetate  is  three-fourths  to  one 
cent  per  pound,  and  for  the  crude  alcohol,  fifty 
to  sixty  cents  per  gallon. 

A  very  important  addition  to  the  industries 
of  Starrucca  is  the  turning-works,  owned  and 
operated  by  the  Osborn  Turning  Company. 
This  enterprise  was  originated  by  Colonel 
George  B.  Osborn,  who  is,  and  has  always 
been,  one  of  the  enterprising  citizens  of  Star- 
rucca. Colonel  Osborn,  with  his  characteristic 
thoroughness,  has  equipped  this  factory  with 
machinery  of  the  most  approved  kind,  for  all 
kinds  of  wood-turning.  The  factory  is  sup- 
plied with  steam-power  and  employs  a  large 
number  of  hands.  This  comprises  all  the 
manufacturing  interests,  excepting  the  manu- 
facture of  hemlock  lumber,  which  has  been  con- 
ducted on  an  extensive  scale,  at  different  times, 
by  the  late  Judge  Mumford,  Captain  H.  L. 
Stephens,  N.  E.  Spencer  &  Co.  and  many 
others. 

Mercantile. — In  1844  Starrucca  had  one 
general  store  owned  by  McMurray,  Graham  & 
Cowan,  and  known  by  the  appellation  of  "  7x9" 
store,  so  nicknamed  because  of  the  small  size  of 
the  building.  This  store  was  situated  on  the 
site  where  now  stands  the  residence  of  B.  C. 
Kidder  and  the  finely  appointed  millinery  par- 
lors of  Mrs.  B.  C.  Kidder.  The  second  store 
was  established  by  S.  D.  Mumford.  The  first 
regular  store  building  was  erected  in  1847  by 
McMurray,  Graham  &  Cowan.  In  this  build- 
ing the  mercantile  business  was  carried  on  at 
different  periods  by  the  following  firms :  L.  A. 
Osborn  &  Co.,  Osborn  Bros.,  E.  P.  Strong,  "W. 
W.  Mumford  &  Co.  and  finally  Geo.  B.  Osborn 
&  Co.,  who  continued  business  in  the  "  old 
store  "  until  1876,  in  which  year  they  erected 
the  store  building  now  occupied  by  Quinn  & 
Sherman.  In  this  building,  which  is  one  of 
the  largest,  best  finished  and  finest  arranged 
buildings  of  the  kind  in  the  county,  Osborn 
&  Co.  continued  trade  until  January  1,  1885, 
when  they  were  succeeded  by  Aldrich  &  Sher- 
man, who  rented  the  store  of  Osborn  &  Co.  for 
a  terra  of  five  years.      The  firm  of  Aldrich  & 


Sherman  was  dissolved  in  September,  1885,  F. 
S.  Sherman  continuing  the  business  for  a  time, 
and  in  May  of  the  present  year  was  succeeded 
by  the  firm  of  Quinn  &  Sherman. 

Starrucca  now  has  four  general  stores,  each 
one  of  them  being  well  stocked  and  doing  a 
thriving  business.  The  parties  engaged  in  this 
branch  of  trade  arc  W.  W.  Mumford,  Quinn  & 
Sherman,  Erk  &  Bundy  and  G.  S.  McMurray. 
Iu  addition  to  this,  there  is  one  hardware  store, 
two  family  goods  stores  as  also  the  drug  and 
book  store  of  J.  E.  Farrell  &  Co. 

Schools. — The  first  school  was  kept  in  an 
old  dwelling-house  near  the  present  residence 
of  C.  D.  Mumford.  This  school  is  said  to  have 
been  taught  by  Miss  M.  J.  Stoddard.  This 
was  about  1828.  The  first  school  building  was 
erected  in  1839  on  the  hill  where  the  present 
Protestant  Cemetery  is.  At  present  there  are 
three  school  buildings  in  the  borough, — one 
known  as  the  "  King  Hill  School,"  another  as 
the  "  County  Bridge  School,"  the  third  being 
the  Starrucca  Graded  School  building,  erected 
iu  1882  and  conducted  the  first  year  by  Profes- 
sor Lindsay  and  Mrs.  N.  L.  Woodmansee  and 
the  second  and  third  years  by  Job  S.  Niles  and 
Mary  E.  Farrell. 

CHURCHES. 

Baptist. — It  is  quite  certain  that  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Starrucca  borough,  the  Bap- 
tists were,  by  far,  the  most  numerous.  Tradi- 
tion says,  that  as  far  back  as  1795  or  1796  ser- 
vices were  conducted  at  Starrucca  by  an 
ordained  minister  of  the  Baptist .  Church,  Bev. 
Ezekiel  Sampson,  of  whom  it  is  related  that  he 
rode  on  horseback,  guided  by  marked  trees,  a 
distance  of  twenty  miles,  to  Mount  Pleasant 
township,  where  he  officiated  at  the  first  mar- 
riage solemnized  in  that  township. 

The  "  Scott  Baptist  Church,"  a  history  of 
which  is  given  by  Bailey,  in  his  "  History  of 
the  Abington  Association,"  published  in  1863, 
was  the  original  Baptist  Church  of  Starrucca, 
and  was  formally  organized  November  5,  1823, 
at  the  residence  of  Squire  Whittekar,  which 
is  almost  opposite  the  hotel  of  Thomas  Carr, 
where,  years  later,  the  first  Methodist,  as  also 
the  first    Catholic,   services    at    Starrucca  were 


724 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


held.  When  first  organized,  the  society  con- 
sisted of  fourteen  members.  The  council  of 
Baptist  brethren  who  came  to  Starrucca  Bap- 
tist Church  was  composed  of  members  of  the 
churches  at  Tompkins  (now  Deposit),  N.  Y., 
Masonville,  N.  Y.,  Windsor,  N.  Y.,  Mount 
Pleasant,  Pa.,  Damascus,  Pa.,  and  Bethany,  Pa. 
The  first  person  appointed  deacon  of  this 
church  was  Jirah  Mum  ford,  Jr.,  and  Squire 
Whittekar  was  the  first  clerk. 

Among  the  first  Baptist  preachers  who  offici- 
ated at  Starrucca  were  Rev.  Jason  Corwin,  of 
Franklin,  N.  Y.,  Rev.  John  Switzer,  of  Beth- 
any, Pa.,  Rev.  James  Clarke,  Rev.  Elijah  Peck, 
also  Rev.  Michael  Fredrick,  of  Great  Bend, 
Pa.,  and  Rev.  Charles  H.  Hubbard,  of  Beth- 
any, Pa. 

In  1830  the  church  was  in  a  flourishing  con- 
dition, having  fifty-eight  communicants,  and  up 
to  1840  continued  to  prosper,  but  during  the 
next  ten  years  experienced  much  trouble  from 
within.  Tradition  has  not  handed  down  the  ex- 
act nature  of  all  these  sorrows,  but  historian 
Bailey  writes  that  during  this  period  the  church 
experienced  many  "  painful  aud  peculiar " 
trials. 

In  1833  Mr.  David  Benedict  (father  of  Mr. 
N.  M.  Benedict,  of  Starrucca)  was  appointed 
clerk  of  the  church,  and  this  year  also  the  Ald- 
ington Association  held  its  twenty-fifth  anni- 
versary at  Starrucca,  and,  according  to  the 
records,  was  "  greeted  with  a  hearty  welcome." 

From  1835  to  1839  Rev.  Isaac  D.  Jones 
served  the  society,  and  was  assisted  in  his  min- 
istrations by  Revs.  Henry  Curtis,  J.  W.  Par- 
ker and  Ezekiel  Sampson. 

March,  1839,  Rev.  J.  J.  Fuller  became  pas- 
tor, and  so  continued  until  1843,  being  assisted 
at  times  by  Revs.  D.  D.  Gray  and  Silas  Finn. 

In  1843  Rev.  James  Spencer  became  pastor. 
Elder  Spencer's  immoral  and  unchristian  con- 
duct brought  odium  on  the  society,  and  in 
August,  1848,  he  was  repudiated  by  the  church 
and  no  longer  allowed  to  officiate. 

From  this  time  up  to  1853  the  society  ap- 
pears to  have  beeu  without  any  regular  attend- 
ant minister,  Rev.  Rial  Tower,  Silas  Finn  and 
O.  L.  Hall  officiating  at  intervals,  also  Rev.  J. 
B.  Wordeu.     In  1853  Rev.  J.  W.  Van  Horn 


assumed  the  pastorate  of  the  church  and  for  a 
time  the  society  grew  rapidly,  ninety-one  com- 
municants being  reported  in  1854.  However, 
Elder  Van  Horn,  like  Elder  Spencer,  soon 
brought  sorrow  to  the  society  by  his  licentious- 
ness, and  on  the  17th  of  March,  1855,  was 
promptly  excluded  from  the  church  "  for  his 
notorious  wickedness,"  as  the  annals  have  it. 
From  this  time  up  to  1861  Rev.  E.  C.  Cook 
and  Rev.  H.  Sherwood  (the  latter  of  New 
York)  officiated  occasionally.  From  1861  until 
1863  Rev.  Elder  Tower  acted  as  pastor  and 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Geo.  W.  Evans,  now  of 
Sherman,  Pa.  Elder  Evans  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  Geo.  Howe.  In  1870  the  church  was 
again  agitated  and  disheartened  by  the  improper 
(or  at  least  so  reported)  conduct  of  its  pastor, 
and,  as  in  the  case  of  Elder  Spencer  and  Elder 
Van  Horn,  convened  a  council  and,  after  due  de- 
liberation, withdrew  the  right  hand  of  fellow- 
ship from  Elder  Howe  and  excluded  him  from 
the  church. 

Soon  after  this  Rev.  Mr.  Addams,  now  of 
Hawley,  Pa.,  became  pastor  and  remained  such 
until  1876.  For  some  time  the  church  was 
again  without  a  pastor.  In  1878  Rev.  S.  W. 
Cole  was  placed  in  charge  and  continued  to  act 
as  pastor  until  1881.  Here  again  the  church 
was  left  for  a  time  without  a  minister.  In 
1883  Rev.  S.  E.  Carr  accepted  a  call  from  the 
church  at  Starrucca.  Rev.  Mr.  Carr  remained 
with  the  society  until  1884,  when  he  returned 
to  Hamilton  College  to  resume  his  studies.  If 
this  society  has,  at  times,  been  dishonored  by 
unworthy  clergymen,  it  was  surely  honored  in 
the  person  of  its  last  pastor,  "the  blind 
preacher,"  Rev.  S.  E.  Carr,  who  was  in  every 
acceptance  of  the  term  a  Christian  gentleman. 
His  amiability,  gentleness  and  scholarship — re- 
markable in  one  who  from  his  sixteenth  year 
had  been  entirely  deprived  of  his  eyesight — 
won  for  him  the  esteem  and  admiration  of  all, 
regardless  of  sect.  From  the  time  of  Mr. 
Carr's  withdrawal  until  the  present  writing  the 
church  has  been  once  more  without  a  pastor. 
Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  many  of  the 
wealthiest  citizens  of  Starrucca  were  members 
of  this  society,  no  church  edifice  has  been 
erected    (however,    the    Baptists      contributed 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


725 


liberally  towards  the  erection  of  the  present 
Methodist  Church  building).  How  long  the 
congregation  will  remain  without  a  suitable 
house  of  worship  remains  to  be  seen. 

No  fitter  words  can  be  found,  wherewith  to 
close  this  article,  than  the  concluding  sentences 
of  historian  Bailey's  article  on  the  same  church 
in  1853. 

"  The  field  is  still  promising,  and  faithful 
brethren  and  sisters  will,  it  is  hoped,  yet 
gather  up  their  strength  and  gird  themselves  for 
the  conflict  on  the  scene  of  their  former  trials 
and  triumphs." 

The  Methodist  Church.  —  The  first 
authentic  records  of  this  society  at  Starrucca 
begin  with  the  year  1838,  in  which  year 
Nathaniel  Lewis,  a  local  preacher  of  South 
Harmony  (now  Susquehanna),  Pa.,  came  to 
Starrucca,  and  after  meeting  many  rebuffs  in 
his  efforts  to  secure  a  suitable  place  for  holding 
service,  finally  succeeded  in  persuading  Thomas 
Carr,  the  inn-keeper,  to  allow  him  to  preach  in 
his  bar-room. 

Mr.  Lewis  preached  with  so  much  effect  that 
Mrs.  Carr,  the  landlady,  and  her  daughter,  Miss 
Carr,  were  at  once  convinced,  and  soon  after 
Mr.  Carr,  the  landlord,  declared  his  belief  in 
the  truth  of  Christianity  as  set  forth  by  Mr. 
Lewis. 

For  some  time  the  preaching  wras  continued 
in  the  same  place,  resulting  in  the  formation  of 
a  society.  Local  preachers  continued  their 
labors,  in  which  they  were  aided  at  regular  in- 
tervals by  ministers  of  the  surrounding  Meth- 
odist charges. 

This  resulted  in  a  continued  increase  of  mem- 
bers, and  after  a  lapse  of  time  the  services  were 
transferred  to  the  school  building  at  that  time 
known  as  the  "  Baptist  School-House."  In 
this  building  the  Methodists  continued  to  wor- 
ship until  the  erection  of  the  first  Methodist 
Church  at  Starrucca,  known  as  the  "  Old 
Church."  The  building  still  exists,  and  is  one 
of  the  landmarks  of  the  village.  Some  years 
ago  it  was  removed  from  its  original  site  to 
the  lower  end  of  the  town,  and  is  now  used  as 
a  dwelling-house. 

The  first  charter  granted  the  Methodist 
Episcopal   Church   at  Starrucca  was  confirmed 


by  the  Wayne  County  Court  in  December, 
1853.  The  trustees  named  in  this  charter  were 
C.  A.  Lakin,  Lyman  Woodmansee,  Henry 
Sampson,  C.  P.  Tallman  and  D.  M.  Benedict. 
The  society  continued  to  grow,  and  in  1871  the 
present  tasty  and  commodious  edifice  was 
erected. 

In  the  erection  of  the  present  church  the 
society  acknowledge  their  indebtedness  to 
Judge  E.  P.  Strong  for  munificent  aid. 

We  append  herewith  a  list  of  the  regularly 
appointed  ministers  who  have  officiated  as  pas- 
tors of  the  Starrucca  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  from  the  time  of  its  formation  up  to 
the  present  date, — 

Alanson  Bonjamiu 1839-40 

Philo  Blakeman 1841 

Peter  G.  Bridgeman 1842-43 

David  Davis 1844-45 

Philip  Bartlett 1846 

N.  S.  Dewitt 1848^9 

C.  V.  Arnold 1850-51 

William  Shelps 1852-53 

Samuel  G.  Stevens 1854-55 

Minor  Swallow 1856 

Joseph  Madison 1857-58 

Frederick  Illman 1859 

Joseph  Williams 1860 

Geo.  W.  Leach  &  Carter  Woodward.,1861 

Ira  M.  Pardee 1862-63 

N.  I.  Reynolds 1864-65 

J.  D.  Woodruff. 1866 

S.  G.  Stevens 1867 

H.  H.  Dresser 1868,  1869-70 

W.B.  Kenney 1871 

David  Laresh 1872-73 

Moses  D.   Fuller 1874,  1875-76 

James  H.Taylor 1877,  1878-79 

F.  A.  Druay 1880-81 

George  A.  Curl 1882,  1883-84 

D.  A.  Sanford 1885-86 

The  present  board  of  trustees  consist  of  Dr. 
J.  P.  Shaw,  William  B.  Stoddard,  Hon.  E.  P. 
Strong,  Myron  P.  Leach  and  Frank  L.  Van 
Hoesen. 

The  Catholic  Church. — The  history  of 
the  Catholic  Church  at  Starrucca  is  very  indefi- 
nite as  to  date.  Of  the  early  Catholic  inhabit- 
ants of  the  town,  not  one  now  remains  in  the 
locality.  Like  the  first  settlers  of  Starrucca, 
they  have  either  passed  away  or  have  removed 
to  distant  parts  of  the  country,  where  they  can- 


726 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


not  now  be  readied.  From  non-Catholic 
sources  the  writer  learns  that  up  to  the  year 
1851  services  were  not  held  regularly  by  the 
Catholics  at  Starrucca,  but  that  the  people  were 
favored  with  an  occasional  visit  from  priests 
stationed  at  Honesdale,  Pa.,  and  Deposit,  N.  Y. 
Father  O'Riley,  of  Susquehanna,  was  the  first 
Catholic  clergyman  who  visited  Starrucca  regu- 
larly. The  first  Catholic  service  was  held  in 
the  ball-room  of  the  old  "  Tom  Carr "  hotel 
(the  same  hotel  in  the  bar-room  of  which  the 
first  Methodist  service  had  been  held  years  be- 
fore), and  we  are  informed  that  the  Catholics 
present  did  not  number  ten  persons.  During 
Father  O'Riley's  pastorate  the  society  grew 
rapidly  in  numbers,  and  soon  after  his  coming 
to  Starrucca  arrangements  were  made  for  the 
erection  of  a  church  edifice.  The  site  was  se- 
lected and  lumber  purchased,  but  for  some 
reason,  uow  unknown,  the  movement  fell 
through.  Soon  after  this,  Starrucca  was  taken 
from  Father  O'Riley's  parish  by  the  Bishop  of 
Philadelphia,  and  attached  to  Banagall,  in 
Mount  Pleasant  township.  Rev.  Father  Dele- 
nave  then  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Star- 
rucca, and  in  time  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Father 
Brehony,  who,  in  turn,  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
J.  J.  Judge.  It  was  during  Father  Judge's 
pastorate  the  building  of  St.  Paul's  Church  was 
begun.  This  was  in  1871,  and  before  the 
building  was  completed  Starrucca  was  again 
made  a  part  of  the  Susquehanna  parish,  and 
Rev.  J.  Slattery  became  pastor.  Soon  after  this 
the  church  edifice  was  finished.  For  a  time  the 
congregation  was  attended  by  Rev.  Father 
Brehony,  who  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Richard 
Hennesey.  Father  Hennesey  died  very  sud- 
denly in  August,  1880,  and  from  that  time  until 
the  coming  of  Rev.  P.  F.  Broderick  the  church 
at  Starrucca  was,  necessarily,  sadly  neglected. 
Father  Broderick  again  established  regular  ser- 
vice, driving  to  Starrucca  himself,  after  having 
celebrated  Mass  at  an  early  hour  in  the  church 
at  Susquehanna. 

After  the  departure  of  Father  Broderick  from 
Susquehanna,  in  1883,  the  Starrucca  Church  was 
attended,  for  a  time,  by  Rev.  W.  Nealon,  who 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  L.  O'Loughlin. 

The  church  is   located  finely  on   a   beautiful 


knoll  in  the  centre  of  the  village.  The  ground 
on  which  the  church  stands  was  donated  by 
Judge  E.  P.  Strong,  to  whom,  as  also  to  many 
other  non-Catholics,  the  Catholics  of  Starrucca 
gratefully  acknowledge  their  indebtedness  for 
generous  aid. 

Since  1883  the  church  has  been  much  im- 
proved (especially  so  since  the  coming  of  Rev. 
Father  O'Loughlin),  and  at  present  is  one  of 
the  most  attractive  church  edifices  in  Northern 
Wayne  County.  Rev.  A.  J.  Ryan,  the  "  Poet 
Priest "  of  Alabama,  who  once  lectured  in  the 
church,  styled  it  the  "Parlor  Church"  of  the 
diocese. 

societies. 

Starrucca  Lodge  No.  2903,  Knights  of 
Honor,  is  entitled  to  the  honor  of  being  the 
first  Mutual  Benefit  Association  organized  at 
Starrucca.  This  lodge  was  instituted  January 
12,  1883,  by  W.  G.  Greely,  of  Honesdale,  as- 
sisted by  a  delegation  from  the  Knights  of 
Honor  Lodge  at  Thompson,  Pa.  The  Supreme 
Lodge,  Knights  of  Honor,  granted  a  charter  on 
the  30th  of  August  in  the  same  year,  and 
since  that  time  the  society  has  made  rapid 
progress.  The  membership  has  more  than 
doubled,  and,  at  the  present  writing,  the  Star- 
rucca Lodge,  Knights  of  Honor,  ranks  high 
among  organizations  of  its  kind  in  the  county. 
Their  rooms  (the  Starrucca  Library  Rooms)  are 
commodious  and  neatly  furnished.  The  follow- 
ing were  the  first  officers  of  the  lodge :  Past 
Dictator,  C.  D.  Mumford ;  Dictator,  George  B. 
Osborn  ;  Vice-Dictator,  W.  W.  Mumford  ;  As- 
sistant Dictator,  Irwin  Nash  ;  Reporter,  Andrew 
Koehler ;  Financial  Reporter,  A.  C.  Lindsay  ; 
Treasurer,  W.  T.  Finch  ;  Guide,  Calvin  Utter ; 
Guardian,  A.  R.  Tennant ;  Sentinel,  E.  G. 
Bowel! ;  Chaplain,  E.  J.  Collyer. 

Starrucca  Library  Association, — This 
organization  was  formed  September  1,  1879, 
with  the  following  officers  :  President,  Clarence 
G.  Mumford  ;  Vice-President,  Nelson,  L. 
Woodmansee;  Treasurer,  Major  E.  P.  Strong  ; 
Corresponding  Secretary,  B.  C.  Kidder ;  Recor- 
ding Secretary,  James  E.  Farrell  ;  Board  of 
Managers,  Hon.  W.  W.  Mumford,  N.  M.  Ben- 
edict, Colonel  George  B.  Osborn. 

Within  a  few  months  from  the  time  of  its  es- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


tablishment  the  society  numbered  two  hundred 
and  ten  members,  which,  considering  the  popu- 
lation of  the  village,  is  somewhat  remarkable. 
In  less  than  one  year  from  its  formation  the  so- 
ciety accumulated  a  collection  of  a  little  more 
than  six  hundred  volumes  of  choice  works. 
Rooms  were  procured  and  neatly  furnished.  A 
librarian  was  appointed,  a  salary  paid  and  the 
rooms  opened  to  the  public  two  afternoons  and 
evenings  of  each  week. 

During  the  first  five  years  of  its  existence 
the  association  maintained  a  course  of  lectures 
and  entertainments,  always  employing  the  best 
available  talent.  Among  the  names  of  those 
who  lectured  before  the  association,  we  find  the 
following:  Hon.  Schuyler  Colfax,  ex-Vice-Pres- 
ident, Benjamin  F.  Taylor,  of  Chicago,  General 
Judson  Kilpatrick,  John  Boyle  O'Riley,  of  Bos- 
ton, Anna  Dickinson,  and  many  others. 

Whatever  the  future  of  the  association  may 
be,  this  much  is  certain,  it  leaves  to  Starrucca  as 
a  heritage  one  of  the  finest  collections  of  books 
to  be  found  outside  the  county-seat,  Honesdale. 
In  the  catalogue,  constitution,  etc.,  of  the  Library 
Association,  printed  at  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  iu 
1880,  we  find  the  following  : 

"  The  association  gratefully  acknowledge 
their  indebtedness  to  the  following  persons  for 
generous  donations  of  books  and  other  aid  : 
Hon.  Edward  Overton,  Towanda,  Pa.,  Mr.  L. 
A.  Osborn,  New  York,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  P. 
Strong,  Boston,  Mass.,  Mr.  W.  J.  Kellam,  New 
York,  Mr.  E.  A.  Penniman,  Honesdale,  Pa., 
Hon.  George  M.  Beebe,  Monticello,  N.  Y.,  Mrs. 
H.  L.  Stevens,  Starrucca,  Pa. 

Captain  Oliver  Mumford  Post,  No.  373, 
G.  A.  R.,  was  mustered  in  September  15, 1883, 
and  was  named  "Captain  Oliver  Mumford  Post," 
in  honor  of  Captain  Oliver  Mumford,  of  Star- 
rucca, who  was  killed  in  the  battle  in  front  of 
Petersburg,  May  18,  1863.  This  organization 
has  been  the  "  Banner  Post "  among  the  G.  A.  R. 
Posts  of  the  county,  and  includes  nearly  all  the 
surviving  Union  soldiers  who  reside  in  the 
townships  of  Scott,  Preston  and  Starrucca,  to- 
gether with  some  who  reside  in  Buckingham 
township.  The  post  meets  the  second  and 
fourth  Saturdays  of  each  month,  in  the  rooms 
occupied   by  the  Starrucca   Lodge,  Knights  of 


Honor,  and  Starrucca  Library  Association. 
The  first  officers  of  the  post  were  Colonel 
George  B.  Osborn,  Commander  ;  J.  M.  Surrine, 
Senior  Vice-Commander  ;  John  Knapp,  Junior 
Vice-Commander ;  Calvin  Utter,  Officer  of 
Day  ;  J.  H.  Smith,  Quartermaster  :  N.  L.  Dow, 
Adjutant ;  M.  Cramer  ;  R.  F.  Howard,  Quar- 
master-Sergeant ;  A.  A.  Ayers,  Sergeant-Major. 

The  present  membership  is  about  one  hun- 
dred. 

St.  Paul's  Branch,  No.  32,  C.  M.  B.  A.— 
This  branch  of  the  Catholic  Mutual  Benefit 
Association  was  instituted  at  Starrucca,  June 
12,  1886,  by  District  Deputy  Hasset,  assisted 
by  a  large  delegation  from  Susquehanna,  Pa. 
The  charter  granted  by  the  Supreme  Council 
of  the  order  bears  date  September  1,  1885. 
St.  Paul's  Branch,  since  its  organization,  has — 
like  the  Starrucca  Lodge,  Knights  of  Honor — 
made  wonderful  progress.  Only  a  few  months 
have  elapsed  to  the  present  writing,  and  yet  the 
membership  has  increased  almost  three-fold. 
The  society  meets  each  alternate  Saturday,  in 
the  commodious  branch-room  at  the  Mountain 
House  Hotel. 

The  first  officers  of  the  Branch  were  Presi- 
dent, John  Dougherty  ;  First  Vice-President, 
M.  Gilleron  ;  Second  Vice-President,  H.  Or- 
ding  ;  Treasurer,  James  E.  Farrell ;  Recording 
Secretary,  P.  H.  Harrington  ;  Assistant  Secre- 
tary, J.  J.  Traynor  ;  Financial  Secretary,  J.  H. 
Farrell ;  Chancellor,  S.  V.  Stockman  ;  Guard, 
Thomas  Yates. 

First  representative  to  the  Grand  Council  of 
Pennsylvania,  James  E.  Farrell ;  Alternate, 
James  J.  Traynor. 

Post-Office. — The  first  post-office  at  Star- 
rucca was  established  upwards  of  fifty  years  ago. 
The  records  now  to  be  found  at  Starrucca  do  not 
give  exact  dates  ;  neither  do  they  give  the  name 
of  the  first  postmaster.  However,  tradition 
says  that  Thomas  Carr  was  the  first  postmaster, 
and  that  in  1836  the  mail  was  carried  from 
Deposit,  N.  Y.,  to  Echo,  Pa.  (now  Thompson, 
Pa.),  via  Starrucca,  by  Nathan  Dean,  and  after- 
wards by  S.  O.  Dean,  who  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  in  1885,  was  president  of  the  village  of 
Deposit. 

In  1850  the  mail-route  was  changed,  making 


728 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Lanesboro,  Pa.,  the  starting-point,  and,  going 
by  the  way  of  Starrucca,  Thompson,  Ararat, 
Jackson  and  Gibson,  Pa.,  terminating  at  Har- 
ford, Pa.  This  route  remained  unchanged  until 
the  completion  of  the  Jefferson  Branch  of  the 
Erie  Railroad,  since  which  time  the  mail  has 
been  carried  by  D.  T.  Benedict  from  the  rail- 
road station  to  the  post-office. 

The  names  of  those  who  officiated  as  post- 
masters at  Starrucca  siuce  1836  are  James  Cow- 
an, James  Howe,  Lewis  A.Osborn,  Nelson  M. 
Benedict  (Mr.  Benedict  receiving  his  commis- 
sion from  President  Pierce,  and  retaining  the 
position  until  1869),  Colonel  George  B.  Osborn, 
Henry  F.  Aldrich  and  James  E.  Farrell,  the 
present  incumbent. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


JUDGE   JAMES    MUMFORD. 

The  origin  of  this  prominent  Wayne  County 
family  is  somewhat  shrouded  by  the  dust  of  the 
passing  centuries,  although  there  is  reason  to 
believe  it  to  be  of  Welsh  extraction,  inasmuch 
as  Thomas  and  Peleg  Mumford,  two  brothers 
from  Wales,  settled  in  Rhode  Island,  the  coun- 
try of  the  Narragansetts,  just  previous  to  1700. 
Thomas  had  six  children,  one  of  whom,  Jirah, 
born  1702,  married  1721,  was  probably  the 
progenitor  of  the  family.  In  support  of  this 
theory  we  find  Jirah  born  1747,  married  March 
14,  1776,  to  Deborah  Lillibridge,  born  1756, 
moved  to  the  smiling  valley  of  the  Connecticut 
in  1780,  and  had  thirteen  children,  Jirah,  born 
February  16, 1778,  being  the  eldest  son. 

On  March  25,  1793,  another  removal  was 
made,  and  the  entire  family  settled  in  Mount 
Pleasant  township,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  after 
the  father  had  purchased  land  near  Belmont 
and  prepared  a  home  for  them.  It  would  seem 
that  Jirah  was  sent  to  Orange  County,  N.  Y., 
probably  to  procure  the  education  unobtainable 
here  in  those  days,  and  on  February  26,  1800, 
he  there  married  Polly  Baker,  afterwards  return- 
ing to  Wayne  County  to  commence  lumbering. 
He  was  one  of  that  association  known  as  the 
"  Nine  Partners,"  their  mill  being  located  about 


two  miles  north  of  Starrucca,  at  the  point  now 
called  Melrose. 

His  children  were  Deborah  (married  James 
Dickison),  John,  James,  Phoebe  (married  Joseph 
Hyatt),  Thomas  R.  (a  physician  and  county  of- 
ficial of  some  prominence,  who  died  in  1850), 
Stephen  Decatur,  Dolly  Maria  (married  J.  M. 
Sampson)  and  Sally  Ann,  who  died  young. 
Mary  ("  Polly  "),  one  of  the  sisters  of  Jirah 
Mumford,  was  one  of  the  participants  in  the 
first  wedding  in  Mount  Pleasant  township,  be- 
ing united  to  Silas  Kellogg,  on  January  1, 1796, 
by  Rev.  Ezekiel  Sampson,  the  pioneer  pastor  of 
Starrucca  borough.  His  Uncle  Thomas  was 
married  to  Eliza  Fisher,  and  had  two  children, 
one  of  whom,  Thomas,  born  1780,  married  The- 
odosia  Carr,  who  bore  him  five  children,  Mary 
Ann,  born  August  9, 1811,  being  the  youngest. 
Jirah  Mumford,  the  third  child  of  this  couple, 
was  born  in  Mount  Pleasant  township,  on  De- 
cember 20,  1805.  Owing  to  the  lack  of  educa- 
tional facilities  in  those  early  days  of  the  county, 
he  received  but  limited  advantages,  and  has 
frequently  said  his  education  was  obtained  al- 
most entirely  by  the  light  of  a  pine  knot,  or 
seated  before  a  blazing  wood  fire  during  the 
long  winter  evenings.  When  he  was  about  nine 
years  old  the  family  moved  to  what  is  now  the 
borough  of  Starrucca,  and  Jirah  Mumford  took  up 
several  thousand  acres  of  land  for  farming  and 
lumbering  purposes,  and  his  name  appears  on 
the  tax-list  of  1823  for  a  mill  located  on  the 
Starrucca  Creek  proper.  In  this  employ  the 
youth  of  James  was  passed,  and  a  hardy,  self- 
reliant,  energetic  manhood  obtained.  In  1830 
he  bought  a  beaver  dam,  below  his  father's 
home,  on  which  he  put  up  a  house  in  which  he 
boarded  the  men  working  on  his  various  busi- 
ness, ventures.  On  December  8,  1831,  he  mar- 
ried his  relative,  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  Thom- 
as Mumford,  before  mentioned,  and,  aided  by 
her  wise  counsel  and  judicious  advice,  was  en- 
abled to  extend  his  operations  and  increase  in 
value  and  standing.  Taking  an  interest  in 
public  affairs,  he  -was,  in  1834,  elected  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  continued  in  such  office  until 
1846,  when  he  received  from  the  Governor  the 
appointment  of  associate  judge.  When,  in  1850, 
the  Constitution    was    amended   providing  for 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


the  election  of  judges  by  the  people,  Judge 
Mumford  and  T.  H,  R.  Tracy  were  the  first 
associate  judges  elected,  and  both  served  until 
the  expiration  of  the  term,  in  September,  1856. 
In  1840  he  erected  the  grist-mill  on  the 
stream,  and  in  1850  had  purchased  three  thou- 
sand acres  of  timber  land  at  Melrose ;  hence, 
on  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office,  he  de- 
termined to  devote  his  life  to  his  family  and 
the  large  and  constantly  increasing  demands  of 


band  did  not  long  survive,  he  dying  August 
18,  1873.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned 
and  operated  two  saw-mills  and  one  grist-mill, 
and  some  twelve  hundred  acres  of  farm  and 
timber  land,  and  was  employing  considerable 
labor.  He  was  a  tender  husband,  a  devoted 
father,  a  firm  friend  and  kind  neighbor,  ever 
ready  with  aid  and  advice,  always  foremost  in 
good  works  and  honorable  in  all  transactions, 
both  public  and  private. 


business.  During  the  next  sixteen  years  .he 
engaged  in  cutting  and  manufacturing  the  tim- 
ber from  his  extensive  tracts  of  land,  and  in 
1872  sold  the  remaining  bark  to  Major  E.  P. 
Strong,  and  the  land  to  Bennett  &  Webster. 

Then  he  bought  some  six  hundred  acres, 
nearly  surrounding  the  Coxtown  Pond,  which 
now  is  in  the  hands  of  Hon.  Warren  W.  and 
Clinton  D.,  two  of  his  sons. 

On  August  9,  1870,  the  life's  journey  of 
Mrs.   Mumford  came  to  an  end  and  her  hus- 


The  children  of  Judge  James  and  Mary 
Ann  Mumford  were  twelve  in  number,  viz. : 
Oliver,  born  December  10,  1832;  Olive,  born 
July  29,  1834,  married  V.  M.  Keene  ;  James 
L.,  born  May  28,  1836  ;  Mary  Adelaide,  born 
May  30,  1839,  married  Colonel  George  B. 
Osboru  ;  Warren  W.,  born  December  5,  1840  ; 
Hattie  E.,  born  April  24,  1842,  married 
Daniel  Cargill,  and  died  June  18,  1866,  leaving 
one  child  (son),  Daniel  C. ;  Clarence  G.,  born 
March  2,  1844,  married  Susie  Avery ;    Clinton 


730 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


D.,  born  November  24,  1845,  married  Joanna 
Pickering  and  has  one  child,  Louis;  Urban  B., 
born  November  14,  1847,  married  Emma 
Ball  ;  Elwin  C,  born  August  8,  1849,  married 
Ella  Sutton  and  has  one  child,  Mary  A. ;  and 
Thomas  J.,  born  August  13,  1857. 

Of  this  large  family,  two  entered  the  army 
when  the  country  needed  their  services  during 
the  late  Rebellion,  and  gave  their  lives  to  per- 
petuate the  Union, — Oliver,  lieutenant  Com- 
pany A,  Fifty-sixth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 
being  killed  while  leading  the  regiment  into 
action  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  and  James  L.,  cap- 
tain Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-first 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  losing  his  life  on  the 
field  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.  Clarence  G.  was 
one  of  the  three  months'  men  and  went  out  in  the 
State  militia.  Another  son,  Hon.  Warren  W., 
was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature  in  1874. 
Two  other  sons,  Urban  B.  and  Elwin  O,  chose 
the  law,  and  are  rapidly  building  a  good  name 
and  lucrative  practice  in  such  profession,  the 
first  in  Washington  Territory,  the  latter  at 
Honesdale,  this  county.  Warren  W.  and 
Clinton  D.  are  heavily  engaged  in  business 
here  and  elsewhere.  They  built  and  still 
operate  the  Starrucca  Chemical  Works,  which 
were  the  first  of  such  character  in  the  county, 
and  are  prominent  factors  in  the  prosperity  of 
the  county  at  large.  Mary  Adelaide  and 
Thomas  J.  still  reside  on  the  homestead,  within 
the  limits  of  Starrucca  borough. 

This  sketch  would  be  incomplete  without  a 
certain  special  mention.  Oliver  Mumford 
married  Anne  Legg,  who  bore  him  one  child, 
whose  life  went  out  shortly  after  the  death  of 
the  heroic  father.  The  widow  devoted  her 
remaining  years  to  the  spreading  of  Gospel 
truths  and  has  during  the  past  fourteen  years 
been  located  in  Turkey  in  Europe,  a  highly 
successful  missionary  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  Society.  One  church  at  Philippopolis 
has  been  erected  through  her,  and  much  valu- 
able service  rendered.  During  the  Russo- 
Turkish  War  (during  all  of  which  she  main- 
tained her  position)  she  adopted  two  children, 
whose  father  had  been  slain  in  one  of  the  num- 
erous fights,  and  has  them  in  this  country, 
undergoing  a  course  of  education  with  a  view 


to  giving  their  life-work  to  the  cause  of 
Christianity  in  their  native  country.  She  it 
was  who  hung  the  American  flag  to  the  breeze 
from  the  window  of  her  house  in  Philippopolis 
while  the  victorious  Russian  troops  marched 
through  the  city,  as  was  described  by  the  corres- 
pondent of  the  New  York  Herald  at  the  time. 


HON.   W.  W.  MUMFORD. 

This  gentleman,  the  oldest  living  son  of  the 
late  Judge  James  Mumford,  was  born  on  De- 
cember 3,  1840,  in  that  section  of  Preston  town- 
ship which  now  is  incorporated  as  Starrucca 
borough.  When  in  his  seventh  year  he  was 
sent  to  the  district  school  and  remained  an  at- 
tendant upon  its  teachings  until  eighteen  years 
old,  when  he  went  to  the  academy  kept  by  the 
then  County  Superintendent  of  Schools  S.  A. 
Terrell  and  Professor  Briggs,  at  Prompton, 
Wayne  County.  After  one  term's  tuition  there 
a  season  as  teacher  followed,  that  being  succeed- 
ed by  a  course  of  study  at  the  Montrose  Acad- 
emy. In  1862,  he  attended  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Millersville,  Pa.  While  there,  in 
1863,  the  call  for  troops  to  defend  the  State 
against  the  rebels  was  made,  and  Mr.  Mumford 
joined  the  special  company  raised  by  Professor 
J.  P.  Wickersham  among  the  Normal  students. 
The  alarm  having  subsided,  the  company  was 
disbanded  and  our  subject  attended  Lowell's 
Business  College,  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  for  a 
term,  on  conclusion  of  which  he  returned  to  Star- 
rucca and  entered  mercantile  business  as  clerk 
with  Major  E.  P.  Strong.  His  services  proving 
valuable,  at  the  end  of  one  year,  in  1865,  he  be- 
came partner  in  the  business,  under  firm  style 
W.  W.  Mumford  &  Co.  Five  years  later  the 
interest  of  Major  Strong  was  purchased  by 
Colonel  G.  B.  Osborn  and  the  firm  became 
Mumford  &  Osborn. 

This  continued  some  three  years,  until  the 
death  of  Judge  Mumford,  in  1873,  necessitated 
the  retirement  of  Mr.  Mumford  for  the  purpose 
of  settling  up  the  extensive  business  interests  of 
his  father.  This  step  was  accomplished  by  the 
purchase  of  his  interest  by  Major  Strong.  Dur- 
ing the  fall  of  1874  his  nomination  for  repre- 
sentative of  the  State  Legislature  was  made  un- 
known to  himself;  but  buckling  on  the  Repub- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


lican  armor,  lie  entered  the  lists  to  overcome  a 
Democratic  majority  and  succeeded  by  a  hand- 
some surplus.  In  Starrucca  his  popularity  was 
so  great  that  but  three  votes  were  cast  against 
him.  In  the  House  he  was  placed  upon  three 
committees  and  served  the  people  faithfully  and 
well.  During  his  membership  he  had  deter- 
mined upon  a  future  course  and  had  erected  a 
large  store  for  mercantile  purposes  near  his 
residence  in  the  borough  ;  so  upon  retirement 


was  erected  and  the  Starrucca  Chemical  Com- 
pany was  put  in  operation,  the  pioneer  of  an 
industry  in  Wayne  County  which  now  engages 
five  large  works,  heavy  capital  and  employs  a 
large  list  of  men  in  its  various  departments, 
making  pyroligneous  acid  and  wood  alcohol 
from  the  abundant  beech,  birch  and  maple  for- 
ests of  the  country. 

Mr.  Mumford  was  elected  school   director  in 
the  spring  of  1874,  and  recognizing  the  immense 


from  the  halls  of  legislation  he  at  once  placed  a 
varied  stock  of  goods  in  the  building  and  recom- 
menced business  life  in  1876.  About  this  time, 
having  given  considerable  thought  and  atten- 
tion to  the  question  of  the  manufacture  of  chemi- 
cals, and  in  company  with  his  brother,  C.  D.  Mum- 
ford,  having  purchased  eight  hundred  acres  of 
timber  land,  it  was  decided  to  establish  works 
for  the  purpose.  Associating  with  them  a  prac- 
tical and  experienced  manufacturer,  the  factory 


advantage  of  a  liberal  education,  he  has  always 
given  support  to  matters  looking  to  the  pushing 
forward  such  ability.  The  school-house  had 
long  been  insufficient  for  the  numbers  seeking 
its  doors,  and  was,  in  addition,  old  and  dilapi- 
dated, and  the  energies  of  Mr.  Mumford  were 
turned  towards  remedying  such  defect.  After 
several  years'  effort,  appropriations  were  made 
and  increased  by  subscription  lists  circulated  by 
the  members  of  the  board,  and  by  a  fair  under- 


r32 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


taken  for  such  purpose,  until  a  sum  sufficient  to 
cover  the  cost  of  the  present  handsome  struc- 
ture (finished  in  the  fall  of  1881)  was  made  up. 

At  the  outset  it  was  said  "  no  use  for  a  larger 
house ; "  now  of  the  present  edifice,  "  'tis  not 
large  enough  for  all ; "  still  all  classes  are  proud 
of  the  building,  and  the  attendance  has  rapidly 
increased. 

On  October  16,  1868,  Mr.  Mumford  was 
united  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Laura  A.,  daughter 
of  Theodore  Swift,  of  Ulster  County,  N.  Y., 
and  the  union  has  resulted  in  the  birth  of  six 
children — Lorena,  Hattie  E.,  Jennie  E.,  Minnie 
Belle,  Harry  W.  and  Iva  Louise. 

The  Swift  family,  formerly  from  Connecti- 
cut, have  long  occupied  an  honorable  position 
in  Ulster  County,  N.  Y.,  having,  for  several 
generations,  been  extensive  farmers  and  bridge- 
builders,  the  majority  of  the  bridges  in  the 
vicinity  of  Gardiner  having  been  put  up  by  the 
present  Mr.  Swift  or  his  deceased  father.  The 
wife's  family  name,  Bradley,  is  also  prominent 
in  that  couuty,  identified  with  farming  in- 
terests. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mumford  have  long  been 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  their  aid 
and  support  to  the  society  and  Sunday-school 
have  always  counted  heavily. 

Mr.  Mumford  is  connected  with  various 
secret  societies ;  became  a  member  of  Susque- 
hanna Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  in  1866  ;  of  the 
Great  Bend  Chapter  in  1871,  and  of  the  Great 
Bend  Commaudery  in  1872.  When  the  lodge 
of  Knights  of  Honor  was  organized  (1882),  at 
Starrucca,  he  became  one  of  its  charter  members, 
and  was  its  chief  officer  during  the  term  of 
one  year  since  then.  These  affiliations  he  con- 
tinued to  find  pleasure  in,  and  from  his  various 
business  enterprises  takes  time  to  attend  their 
requirements.  A  thorough  business  man,  he  is 
never  content  unless  up  and  doing  ;  as  a  certain 
sequence,  is  prosperous  and  happy. 


HON.  E.  P.  STRONG 


Among  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  colonies, 
the  ancestors  of  this  family,  emigrating  from 
Shropshire,  England,  and  locating  in  Connecti- 
cut, require  mention.     The   years   passed    and 


progress  was  made,  until,  in  1785,  Elisha 
Strong,  with  wife  (Anna  Pinneo,  of  French 
Huguenot  descent)  and  son  Jairus,  moved  farther 
west  and  took  up  a  home  in  Greene  County, 
N.  Y. 

Hon.  Jairus  Strong,  born  at  Sharon,  Conn., 
May  4,  1774  (married,  January  9, 1799,  Dosha 
Bissell,  of  East  Windsor,  Conn.),  became  an 
important  factor  in  business  and  political  affairs, 
and  retained  large  interests  in  mercantile  and 
tanning  operations  until  his  death,  in  June,  1838, 
aged  sixty-four  years.  His  family  consisted  of 
ten  children,— Austin,  born  December  14, 
1799;  married  Elizabeth  Bigelow  Morss,  and 
died  March  16,  1872.  Olivia,  born  November 
3,  1801  ;  married  Hon.  Henry  Kinsley,  and 
died  October  22,  1850.  Clarinda,  bom  Janu- 
.ary  7,  1804;  married  Loring  Andrews,  and 
died  April  9,  1828.  Aurelia,  born  May  4, 
1806;  married  Hon.  Albert  Tuttle.  Minerva 
and  Maria,  born  March  7,  1808.  Minerva, 
married  Hon.  Albert  Tuttle,  and  died  June  23, 
1833.  Maria,  married  Colonel  George  Robert- 
sou,  and  died  April  17,  1877.  Elvira,  born 
February  10,  1810;  married  Dr.  Josiah  H. 
Stedman.  Daniel  Bissell,  born  July  4,  1812; 
married  Mary  Ann  Peck,  was  colonel  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  New  York 
Militia  for  many  years,  and  died  May  22, 1874. 
Louisa,  born  December  1,  1814.  Elisha 
Pinneo,  born  August  4,  1818.  The  mother  of 
this  large  family  died  June  6,  1865,  aged 
eighty-eight  years.  E.  P.  Strong,  born  at  Ash- 
Ian,  Greene  County,  N.  Y.,  received  his  educa- 
tion at  the  common  school  of  the  district  and 
at  the  Durham  Academy,  and  in  1842  became 
interested  in  the  tannery  business  at  Wood- 
bourne,  Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.,  with  his 
eldest  brother.  Retiring  from  this  connection 
in  1851,  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  was  nomi- 
nated by  the  Democracy  and  elected  to  represent 
Sullivan  County  in  the  State  Legislature.  At 
the  end  of  his  term  a  home  was  once  again 
made  in  Greene  County  and  retained  until 
his  removal  to  Wayne  County,  Pa. 

On  attaining  his  eighteenth  year,  Mr.  Strong 
had  entered  the  State  Militia,  becoming  lieu- 
tenant in  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  yiew 
York  Regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  D.  H. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


733 


Snyder,  of  which  he  became  major  some  time 
afterwards.  After  holding  a  commission  there- 
in four  years,  he  retired  in  1840. 

In  1852,  in  company  with  Mr.  Guernsey 
Osborne,  Major  Strong  purchased  the  Starrucca 
tannery  property,  and  the  first-named  gentleman 
managed  the  works  until  1862,  when  Major 
Strong  took  control  of  the  interest  and  made  a 
home  in  the  borough,  as  aforesaid.  Shortly 
after  the  purchase  above  mentioned,  and    while 


honorable  office,  and,  recognizing  the  strength 
of  the  opposition,  made  a  vigorous  effort  to 
overcome  the  majority  which  they  had  regular- 
ly rolled  up. 

In  this  he  was  so  far  successful  that,  although 
his  opponent  was  elected  to  the  position,  yet  it 
was  with  such  a  small  majority  (about  twenty) 
as  to  leave  but  little  room  for  congratulation, 
and  afforded  abundant  testimony  of  the  esteem 
of  the  citizens  for  the  subject  of  our  sketch. 


engaged  in  getting  its  affairs  into  running  order, 
Major  Strong  was  notified  of  his  nomination 
for  member  of  Congress  from  Greene  and 
Ulster  Counties,  N.  Y.,  but  owing  to  the  pres- 
sure of  business  affairs  he  could  not  give  personal 
attention  to  the  canvass  and  was  defeated  by 
the  candidate  of  the  Whig  party,  aided  by  the 
Know- Nothing  branch. 

At  the  next  nominating  convention,  in  1854, 
he  was  again  the  choice   of  his   party    for    this 


On  July  6,  1846,  he  married  Caroline  Peck 
(born  March  17,  1824),  who  bore  him  Henry 
Peck,  born  June  10,  1847,  married  Amelia 
Dietrich,  of  Dresden,  Germany,  while  visiting 
in  that  empire.  One  child,  William  Dietrich, 
born  August  18,  1879,  has  resulted  from  this 
union,  and  the  family  are  residents  of  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  interested  in  the  New  England 
Conservatory  of  Music.  Daniel  Bissell,  born 
July  23,  1849,  chose  a  medical  career,  and  after 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


through  Claverack  (New  York)  Acad- 
emy was  educated  to  such  end  at  Paris  and 
Marseilles,  France.  In  1871  he  located  at  the 
latter  place  and  has  since  practiced  there  with 
great  success,  attaining  a  position  of  prominence 
in  the  medical  profession  of  our  sister  repub- 
lic. He  married  a  daughter  of  France,  who 
lias  borne  him  four  children — Caroline  Steph- 
anie, Mary  Magdalene,  Elisha  Emanuel  and 
Emma  Louise  (died  in  childhood).  The  death 
of  Mrs.  E.  P.  Strong  occurred  October  14, 
1863,  and  on  November  26,  1877,  Major 
Strong  was  united  to  Estelle  E.,  daughter  of 
Elisha  and  Maria  Brown,  of  Jackson,  Susque- 
hanna County,  Pa.,  who  has  borne  him  one 
child,  Louise,  born  May  16,  1879. 

The  subject  of  this  article  was  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  in  the  borough,  and  with- 
drew in  1884  after  a  career  of  some  fifteen 
years.  During  a  period  of  about  thirty  years 
he  carried  on  a  heavy  business  in  the  tanning 
of  sole  leather  for  the  New  York  market  and 
in  making  and  shipping  lumber,  in  which 
operations  he  necessarily  employed  considerable 
numbers  of  men,  and  through  which  the  re- 
sources of  the  county  were  greatly  developed 
and  benefited.  The  depletion  of  the  bark  sup- 
ply caused  the  closing  of  the  tannery  in  1882. 
During  the  long  business  career  of  over  thirty 
years'  Major  Strong  never  had  a  contested  law- 
suit. It  is  said  of  him  "he  has  always  been 
kinder  to  others  than  to  himself,"  and  senti- 
ments of  respect  and  esteem  are  heard  on  all 
sides. 

He  has  served  in  various  offices  to  help  for- 
ward the  interests  of  the  borough,  and  in  June, 
1884,  was  appointed  by  Governor  Pattison  to 
the  position  of  associate  judge  of  Wayne 
County,  and  in  the  following  November  was 
elected  by  the  people  to  fill  such  office  for  the 
regular  term  of  five  years. 

Major  Strong  has  largely  interested  himself 
in  the  dairy  question  and  has  gathered  a  fine 
herd  of  Jerseys  and  Jersey  grades,  while  he  is 
also  endeavoring  to  bring  the  farming  and 
dairying  community  to  a  conception  of  the 
greater  proportionate  value  of  blooded  stock  for 
such  purposes. 

Regarding  the  church  as  a   motor   necessary 


to  the  well-being  of  civilized  people,  he  gave 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Society  of  Starrucca 
a  plot  of  ground  and  was  mainly  instrumental 
in  the  erection  of  their  building  in  1871,  and 
has  since  been  identified  with  its  workings. 

When  the  Catholic  society  became  sufficiently 
strong  to  put  up  a  building  for  church  pur- 
poses, he  again  came  forward,  presented  them 
with  a  piece  of  land  and  gave  financial  aid  in 
the  erection  of  their  place  of  worship. 

Many  years  ago  he  joined  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity and  holds  membership  in  the  Susque- 
hanna Lodge  and  Great  Bend  Chapter  and  Com- 
mandery. 


ROBERT    K.    KING. 

In  the  general  history  of  Mount  Pleasant 
township,  and  also  of  Starrucca  borough,  will 
be  observed  considerable  mention  of  this  family, 
which,  originally  from  New  England,  settled 
in  the  first-named  township  late  in  the  last  cen- 
tury. 

Benjamin  King  was  born  in  Rhode  Island 
May  23,  1777.  During  early  manhood  he  ac- 
companied his  parents,  who  were  blessed  with 
a  large  family,  to  Pennsylvania,  and  made  a 
home  in  Mount  Pleasant  township,  as  stated. 
On  December  15,  1798,  he  married  Eunice, 
daughter  of  David  Kennedy,  who  was  born 
September  25,  1775,  whose  family  also  receives 
proper  mention  in  the  history  of  their  town- 
ship. Their  children  were  Cynthia  K.,  born 
November  24,  1799,  married  Peter  C.  Sher- 
man ;  Sally  Ann,  born  April  24,  1801,  mar- 
ried Reuben  Peck  ;  Hawkins,  born  May  18, 
1803;  Lucinda,  born  June  9,  1805,  married  C. 
Palmer  Tallmau ;  Durinda,  born  September 
25,  1808,  married  David  H.  Clough ;  Pamelia, 
born  November  25,  1812,  married  Squire 
Crater;  Robert  Kennedy,  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  ;  Benjamin  C,  born  April  15,  1818. 

Mr.  King,  in  addition  to  farming,  engaged 
largely  in  lumbering  on  the  Lackawaxen,  near 
Pleasant  Mount  village,  and  on  the  Starrucca 
Creek,  within  the  present  limits  of  the  borough, 
and,  after  a  long  and  useful  life,  passed  away 
on  June  15,  1860,  having  survived  his  partner, 
who  died  March  18,  1848. 

Robert    Kennedy    King,    born    August    27, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


f35 


1815,  spent  his  first  nineteen  years  on  the 
homestead,  and  the  following  three  or  four 
years  learning  more  of  life  among  his  surround- 
ings. On  June  9,  1838,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Minerva  H.,  daughter  of  Elihu  and 
Lucretia  Talhnan,  of  Preston  township,  Wayne 
County,  and  three  days  after  set  out  for  the 
then  far  West,  bringing  up  in  McHenry 
County,  111.,  where  lie  began  farming.  Chi- 
cago was  then   but  an  infant,   and   Mr.    King 


township,  and  made  a  home  in  the  woods,  on 
that  beautiful  elevation  since  known  as  King's 
Hill.  For  some  twelve  or  fifteen  years,  until 
the  land  was  cleared  of  its  timber,  he  cut  logs 
and  sent  them  down  the  Delaware  River  to 
Philadelphia,  to  market,  since  which  time  his 
days  have  been  spent  upon  the  farm,  improving 
it  year  by  year,  until  the  present  handsome  ap- 
pearance has  been  reached. 

Mrs.  King  also  claims  New  England  descent, 


um* 


'$.JS0'Wk 


£.,■•■• 


^      C/Ls     *r£c'7is(j' 


says  he  could  have  visited  all  the  houses  it  con- 
tained in  any  one  day  desired.  There  were  no 
more  stores,  etc.,  then  in  the  future  metropolis 
of  the  West  than  are  now  found  in  Starrucca 
borough,  and  yet  the  new-comers  were  com- 
pelled to  go  to  that  place  from  their  home,  forty 
miles  north,  in  order  to  obtain  household  sup- 
plies. Tiring  of  this,  and  finding  the  climate 
very  malarial,  after  a  year's  experience  they  re- 
turned East,  and,  in  1842,  they  bought  property 
near     the    northwestern     corner     of    Preston 


on  both  paternal  and  maternal  sides.  Her 
grandfather,  Ebenezer  Tallman,  born  at  Bed- 
ford, Mass.,  removed  to  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  ef- 
fected a  settlement  there.  He  married  Rhoda 
Akins,  and  had  a  numerous  family,  and  many 
descendants  still  reside  in  that  part  of  the  beau- 
tiful Mohawk  Valley.  Elihu,  their  eldest  son, 
was  born  March  28,  1780,  and  in  1799,  having 
just  been  married  to  Lucretia  Perkins,  near 
Ballston  Springs,  N.  Y.,  moved  to  Wayne 
Couuty  and  made  a  home  in   Mount  Pleasant 


736 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


township,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  general  his- 
tory.    Their  children   were  Rebecca  P.,   born 

1801,  married  David  Babcock  ;  Rhoda  A.,  born 

1802,  married  John  Stanton;  William,  born 
1804  ;  Christopher  P.,  born  1806  ;  Maxamilia, 
born  1808,  married  Perry  Babcock;  Akins, 
born  1810:  Sidney,  born  1812;  Lucretia  A., 
born  1814,  married  Alouzo  Bennett;  Oliver 
P.,  born  1817;  Minerva  H.,  born  November  4, 
1819,  married  Robert  K.  King,  as  aforesaid. 
The  Tallman  family  have  written  that  name  in 
very  strong  characters  upon  the  history  of 
Mount  Pleasant  and  Preston  townships,  having 
been,  since  the  first,  foremost  in  progressive 
works  and  in  religious  and  educational  matters. 

The  union  of  Robert  K.  King  and  Minerva 
Tallman  has  been  happy,  and  the  following  chil- 
dren came  to  gladden  their  hearth  :  Anna  Z.,  born 
July  2, 1840;  AH  E.,  born  May  22, 1842,  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  while  bravely 
upholding  the  cause  of  his  country,  June  18, 
1*64;  Elmer  A.  and  Ellen  A.,  born  July  1,1844; 
Eunice  L.,  born  September  30, 1846  ;  Clarence 
A.  F.  E.  L.,  born  August  12, 1849  ;  Hector  E., 
born  November  21,  1851  ;  Kate  I ,  born  March 
18,  1854;  Lillie  Durinda,  born  April  11, 
1857  ;  Ada  Alice,  born  June  11,  1860;  Robert 
B.,  born  March  19,  1863.  Anna  Z.,  married 
Irvin  Starbird,  and  has  borne  him  Ali  King, 
Alfred  Clair  and  William  Robert.  Elmer  A. 
married  Elmira  Labar,  who  has  borne  him 
Nellie,  Josephine,  Minerva  and  Benjamin 
Charles.  Ellen  A.  married  Edgar  Stearnes, 
and  bore  him  John  K.  and  Minnie  S.  After 
the  death  of  Mr.  Stearnes  she  married  Henry 
Hill,  and  has  borne  Leona,  Lionel  and  Pearl. 
Eunice  A.  married  David  H.  Cole,  bore  him 
Ward  R.,  Susie  E.  and  Elmer  D.,  and  died 
July  8,  1882.  Clarence  A.  F.  E.  L.  married 
Rosa  Fletcher,  who  has  borne  him  Bert  E.  and 
Bird  R.  (twins,  Bird  R.  since  deceased),  and 
Anna  E.  Hector  E.  married  Eva  M.  Yale. 
Kate  I.  married  Stephen  L.  Callender,  and 
has  borne  Nelson,  Everett,  Leroy,  Archie,  Au- 
rora and  Vida.  Lillie  Durinda  married  David 
H.  Cole,  and  has  borne  Leonard  and  an  infant 
son  unnamed.  Ada  Adice  married  Wesley  D. 
Peck,  and  has  one  child,  Cora.  Robert  B. 
married  Mary  Temperton. 


This  large  family  has  been  properly  raised 
and  well  educated,  and  is  a  valuable  factor  in 
the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  county.  Mr. 
King  for  twenty-one  years  served  the  people  as 
school  director,  a  large  part  of  the  time  being 
president  of  the  board  and  treasurer,  and  his 
influence  and  example  have  ever  been  of  the 
best,  well  worthy  being  handed  down  to  poster- 
ity for  their  respect  and  emulation. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

SCOTT    TOWNSHIP. 

At  the  time  this  township  was  set  off  from 
Buckingham,  in  1821,  it  included  a  portion  of 
what  is  now  Preston  ;  and  diminished  as  it  has 
been,  it  is  still  the  fourth  township  in  point  of 
size,  and  perhaps  the  most  sparsely  populated 
in  the  county.  It  is  the  extreme  northern 
township  of  Wayne,  extends  from  the  Delaware 
River  to  the  Susquehanna  County  line,  and  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  New  York  State,  east 
by  the  Delaware  River,  south  by  Preston  and 
the  borough  of  Starrucca,  and  west  by  Susque- 
hanna  County.  Like  the  township  to  the  south 
of  it,  its  water-shed  is  divided,  and  a  portion  of 
its  streamlets  flow  to  the  Susquehanna,  while 
the  greater  part  lies  in  the  drainage  basin  of 
the  Delaware.  The  chief  streams  are  the 
branches  of  the  Shehawken,  Shrawder's  Creek 
and  Hemlock  Creek.  There  are  also  several 
fine  natural  ponds,  the  largest  of  which  are 
Four  Mile  and  Island  Ponds.  The  topography 
is  much  broken,  and  the  country  in  the  centre 
of  the  township  lies  high  on  the  crest  of  the 
ridge  that  divides  its  two  drainage  areas.  Much 
of  this  land  is  still  rough  and  uncultivated,  and 
there  are  many  fine  timber  tracts  as  yet  un- 
touched by  the  woodman's  axe.  The  south- 
western and  northeastern  portions  are  thinly 
settled,  and  the  precipitous  hills  that  lead  down 
to  the  river  contain  little  land  that  is  available 
for  cultivation.  Yet  there  are  many  good  and 
productive  farms  in  the  township,  and  as  good 
crops  as  those  in  any  other  part  of  the  county 
attest  how  fertile  are  the  fields  of  this  barren- 
looking  soil.     The   altitude  and    its   increased 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


73.7 


northern  latitude  over  other  portions  of  the 
county  give  the  township  a  long  and  bitter 
winter,  and  its  short  season  will  admit  of  only 
the  successful  cultivation  of  the  more  hardy 
crops.  The  region  is  particularly  adapted  to 
the  culture  of  Northern  fruits,  and  is  also  a  good 
sheep-growing  and  stock-raising  country.  That 
it  should  not  be  a  more  thickly  populated  and 
a  more  popular  township  among  the  settlers  of 
the  present  day  is  a  matter  of  surprise  to  all 
who  know  anything  of  the  advantages  it  offers 
by  reason  of  its  superior  railroad  facilities. 
The  Erie  Railroad  skims  its  eastern  border,  and 
the  Jefferson  Branch  of  the  Delaware  and  Hud- 
son system  touches  Starrucca.  Enterprise, 
chiefly  from  New  York  State,  has  built  up  a 
thriving  village  in  the  northern  portion,  and 
industries  that  promise  to  contribute  much  to 
tin-  rapid  settlement  of  the  locality  are  in  suc- 
cessful operation  there. 

The  Early  Settlement. — The  first  set- 
tlers in  the  township  came  chiefly  from  other 
parts  of  the  county,  where  they  had  grown  to 
manhood,  and  had  been  inured  to  the  hard- 
ships of  pioneer  life.  There  was  also  a  contin- 
gent from  New  York  State,  that  crossed  the 
line  from  the  settlements  in  Delaware  County, 
and  a  few  from  other  States,  who  chose  this  as 
their  first  place  of  residence  in  Wayne  County. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  the 
township  was  all  an  unbroken  wilderness,  and 
a  decade  of  1800  passes  before  the  first  pioneer 
had  penetrated  its  bleak  hills  and  piny  fast- 
nesses. Even  after  the  first  clearings  had  been 
made,  and  a  trail  through  the  woods  connected 
the  new  outpost  with  the  older  settlements  to 
the  south,  the  increase  was  slow  and  discourag- 
ing to  those  that  had  made  it  their  future  home. 
Even  at  this  late  day,  its  hilly  roads  are  among 
the  worst  in  the  county,  and  it  is  easy  to  under- 
stand how,  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago,  the  township 
was  isolated  and  inaccessible.  By  an  assess- 
ment made  by  John  Star  bird,  in  1823,  two 
years  after  the  township  was  set  off,  it  appears 
that  there  were  only  forty-seven  taxables, 
though  a  large  portion  of  what  is  now  Preston 
was  then  included  within  the  limits.  There 
were  then  only  thirty-seven  houses,  with  a  total 
value   of  two    hundred   and  fifty  dollars  ;  the 


seven  mills  were  assessed  as  worth  thirteen  hun- 
dred dollars  ;  fifty-seven  cows,  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars.  Many  of  these  forty-seven 
taxables  lived  in  Preston,  and  when  it  was  set 
off,  three  years  later,  the  list  was  reduced  nearly 
one-third. 

The  first  settler  of  whom  there  is  any  record 
was  Samuel  Alexander,  a  native  of  Mendon, 
Mass.,  who  located  first  in  Deposit,  N.  Y.,  and 
moved  from  there  to  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
his  descendants,  just  over  the  Pennsylvania  line, 
on  the  Deposit  road.  He  married  Mary  Car- 
penter, of  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  and  their 
children  were  Josiah,  still  living  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six ;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Robert 
Early,  who  lived  on  the  Nelson  Sampson  place; 
Elisha,  still  living  on  the  homestead;  Isaac, 
who  went  to  Nebraska  ;  Charles,  a  resident  of 
Sanford,  N.  Y.  ;  Abigail,  the  wife  of  Zedekiah 
Gardenier ;  Hamilton,  who  went  West  ;  and 
Mary,  the  wife  of  Elijah  Carrier,  of  Winsor, 
N.  Y. 

Peter  Coal  came  from  Albany  during  the 
War  of  1812,  and  located  on  the  farm  now 
known  as  the  "  Courtright  Place."  His  wife 
was  Abigail  Honian,  the  daughter  of  a  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  and  their  children  were  John; 
David  ;  William;  Sally,  the  wife  of  a  gentleman 
named  Johnson,  and  afterward  married  to  a 
Mr.  Fish ;  Betsy,  who  married  Joshua  Sands  ; 
Polly,  the  wife  of  James  Lord;  and  Narcissa, 
who  married  Hiram  Kennedy. 

Rev.  Gershom,  or  "  Priest  Williams,"  as  he 
was  popularly  known,  claimed  to  be  a  descend- 
ant of  Lord  Townley,  and  was  one  of  the  Wil- 
liams family  of  Long  Island.  He  inherited 
considerable  wealth,  and  at  one  time  owned 
considerable  property  in  the  vicinity  of  Trinity 
Church,  as  well  as  the  largest  interest  in  the 
only  ferry  then  running  between  New  York 
City  and  Brooklyn.  Early  in  his  ministerial 
career  he  was  settled  over  one  of  the  Brooklyn 
Churches,  and  served  as  pastor  for  some  years. 
He  then  moved  to  New  Jersey,  from  whence 
he  came  to  Wayne  County,  and  located  near 
Scott  Centre,  io  1813.  He  had  four  sons, — 
Calvin,  Philander,  Melancthon  and  Hervey  D. 
Williams.  The  latter  married  and  remained 
on  the  homestead,  and  was  for  years   the  sur- 


7MS 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


veyor  of  the  town.  He  had  four  sons, — Abram 
Oscar  H.,  George  and  Charles.  There  wen 
also  two  daughters  in  this  generation,  both  of 
whom  married  and  moved  out  of  the  county. 
Gershoni  Williams  was  a  college-bred  man,  and 
all  of  his  family  were  educated,  refined  and 
talented  people.  Mr.  Williams  was  twice  mar- 
ried, and  his  second  wife  was  the  victim  of  a 
tragedy  referred  to  further  on.  His  grandson, 
O.  H.  Williams,  was  the  first  town  clerk  of 
whom  there  is  any  record. 

Uriah  Smith  came  from  Long  Island  about 
1814,  and  settled  near  Maple  Hill,  clearing  up 
the  farm  now  occupied  by  B.  F.  Tewksbury. 
His  wife  was  Sally,  a  daughter  of  Townsend 
Weyant,  and  their  children  were  Eliza,  the  wife 
of  William  Dickey,  who  went  West;  John  F., 
a  resident  of  the  township  ;  Lewis,  who  is  in 
the  West;  Michael,  who  lives  near  Honesdale; 
Julia  A.,  the  wife  of  Adam  Englert,  a  resident 
of  the  West ;  Harriet,  who  married  William 
H.  Cushman,  of  Honesdale;  Abigail,  who  also 
married  Mr.  Cushman  ;  and  Uriah  T.,  and 
Wesley  T.,  both  of  whom  are  West. 

Michael  and  Townsend  Weyant  were  Long 
Islanders,  who  came  to  Scott  about  1814.  Mi- 
chael lived  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  Wil- 
liam Bowen.  He  had  a  number  of  daughters 
and  the  sons  mentioned  above. 

John  Smith  was  also  from  Long  Island,  and 
commenced  to  clear  up  the  farm  on  which  his 
son,  John  H.  Smith,  now  lives,  in  1815.  His 
wife  was  Catharine  Harrington,  and  his  children 
were  Charity  (the  wife  of  Isaac  Alexander), 
Elizabeth  (who  married  Jonas  Parker,  and 
moved  to  Iowa),  Anna  (deceased),  Ezra,  John 
H.  and  Adeline  (the  wife  of  Wesley  T.  Smith.) 

Benajah  Jayne,  a  brother  of  Dr.  Jayne,  of 
Philadelphia,  who  has  attained  world-wide  no- 
toriety by  his  patent  medicine  ventures,  located 
on  Maple  Hill  about  1816,  and  cleared  up  the 
farm  that  is  still  known  by  his  name.  He  mar- 
ried Polly  Whitteker,  and  had  six  sons  and 
three  daughters,  all  of  whom  have  gone  West. 
Benajah Sjayue  is  now  a  resident  of  New  York 
City,  and  will  be  remembered  as  the  person  who 
gained  much  notoriety,  just  after  the  Civil  War 
closed,  in  connection  with  the  custom-house 
frauds  of  New  York.      He    was  employed    by 


the  government  to  collect  duties  on  all  the 
goods  that  had  run  the  custom  blockade,  and 
given  a  large  commission.     A  fortune  resulted. 

Charles  and  George  Mateer  cleared  up  what 
is  known  as  the  Conant  farm,  about  1820.  Both 
married  daughters  of  John  Whitteker,  and  went 
West  many  years  ago. 

Whipple  Tarbox  moved  from  Jackson,  Sus- 
quehanna  County,  about  1824,  and  cleared  up 
the  place  now  owned  by  his  son  Harvey.  He 
had  seven  children, — Parmelia,  who  married 
and  weut  West ;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Lee  Sparks  ; 
Loise,  who  married  John  F.  Smith;  Hannah, 
the  wife  of  Lewis  Smith;  Harvey,  who  lives 
on  the  homestead  ;  and  William. 

John  Dickson  is  thought  to  have  been  the 
first  settler  on  Shad  Pond  Creek,  and  occupied 
the  laud  where  Sherman  now  stands  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  after  1820.  Some  of  his  descend- 
ants still  reside  in  the  vicinity. 

Orin  Burleigh  was  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
who  cleared  up  the  farm  now  occupied  by  O.  L. 
Burleigh,  his  sou,  in  1827.  His  family  con- 
sisted of  two  sons  aud  three  daughters.  The 
former  were  O.  S.  and  W.  B.  Burleigh,  aud  the 
latter  were  Mary,  who  married  Abram  Lord  ; 
Chloe,  the  wife  of  Martin  Gardenier;  and 
Harriet,  who  married  Samuel  Newman. 

Erastus  Carr,  who  is  still  a  resident  of  the 
township,  came  from  New  York  State  in  1830, 
and  has  a  large  family,  which  has  added  to  the 
valuable  citizens  of  the  township. 

Major  Andress  came  from  Hancock  iu  1837, 
and  located  in  what  is  now  Sherman.  He  mar- 
ried Susan  E.  Taylor,  and  was  the  father  of 
Nancy  M.  (the  wife  of  Thomas  Brown),  Ame- 
lia J.  (the  wife  of  Wilber  Brown),  and  William 
and  Everett  Andress. 

Among  the  prominent  men  of  the  township, 
and  a  resident  of  Sherman,  was  Dr.  Alanson 
Raymond,  who  settled  on  the  farm  now  occu- 
pied by  his  son,  B.  W.  Raymond,  in  1840.  He 
was  both  a  physician  and  a  lawyer,  and  prac- 
ticed both  professions.  His  wife  was  a  sister  of 
Rev.  Anderson  Reynolds,  the  first  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  his  family  was  intelligent 
and  well  educated.  His  sons  were  Rufus,  Ben- 
jamin, George  and  John.  Ella,  one  of  his 
daughters,  married  Daniel  Lowe,  aud  the  other, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


r:!:> 


Elvin  Scott.  Dr.  Raymond's  widow  is  now  the 
wife  of  A.  D.  Bird. 

William  Curtis  is  a  native  of  England,  and 
moved  from  Honesdale  to  Scott  township  in 
1845,  locating  on  the  place  where  he  now  re- 
sides. "He  married  Sarah  Smith  and  lias  a  large 
family,  some  of  whom  have  gone  West. 

Abraham  W.  Ransom,  also  an  Englishman, 
located  first  in  Mount  Pleasant,  but  afterward 
on  the  place  now  occupied  by  his  son,  about 
1835.  He  has  three  or  four  married  children 
living  in  the  vicinity. 

Barnard  Farrell  moved  from  Sullivan  County. 
He  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  came  to  this 
country  in  ]  835,  settling  first  in  New  York 
State.  He  married  Ann  McKenna,  and  their 
children  were  Catherine,  Bernard  C.  (of  Potter 
County),  Patrick  H.  (to  whom  the  writer  is  in- 
debted for  much  valuable  material  for  this 
chapter),  John  A.,  Ann  (the  wife  of  Charles 
Frazier,  of  Delaware  County,  N.  Y.),  James  E. 
(of  Starrucca),  Mary  E.,  Joseph  and  Katie. 

Captain  David  Allen  moved  from  Deposit 
in  1854,  and  settled  at  Sherman.  He  married 
Electa  Lamareaux,  and  their  children  were 
Catherine  (the  wife  of  Willis  Watkins),  Corde- 
lia, Darius,  Emily  (who  married  Norman  Brun- 
dage)  and  Martha  (the  wife  of  Jacob  Garde- 
nier). 

Egbert  H.  Mills  came  from  ( )range  County 
in  1859,  and  has  a  large  family,  all  of  them 
residents  of  Sherman. 

The  Bell  Murder. — As  has  before  been 
stated,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Gershom  Williams 
was  the  victim  of  a  tragedy  that  is  memorable 
in  the  annals  of  "Wayne  County,  and  created 
great  excitement  at  the  time.  It  was  at  nine 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Sunday,  August  1, 
1847,  that  Mrs.  Williams,  then  a  lady  of  about 
sixty,  left  her  home  to  meet  her  Sunday-school 
class  in  the  school-house  a  mile  and  a  half 
away.  Her  sisters  were  visiting  the  house  at 
the  time,  and  were  to  follow  her  in  the  wagon, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Williams,  an  hour  later, 
to  attend  church  in  the  same  building. 

The  family  lived  in  about  the  middle  of  the 
township,  on  the  Mount  Pleasant  road,  and 
where  the  cross-road  rims  a  mile  and  a  half 
westward    and   joins   the  Starrucca  road.     She 


went  through  a  little  patch  of  woods,  then 
passed  the  house  of  John  Smith,  through  an- 
other bit  of  woods,  passed  the  residence  of 
Lewis  Smith,  and  then  on  into  the  deep  woods 
that  darkened  the  road  for  the  last  half-mile 
of  her  journey.  The  night  befoi'e  this,  a 
tramp,  who  pretended  to  be  a  cripple,  had  asked 
permission  to  sleep  in  the  barn  of  George  Hen- 
derson, and  the  latter,  with  true  hospitality,  had 
taken  him  into  the  house.  He  remained  there 
during  the  night,  and  left  the  next  morning, 
immediately  after  breakfast,  taking  the  road 
that  led  toward  Williams'.  An  hour  later  he 
once  more  emerged  from  the  woods,  and  went 
toward  Starrucca.  Mrs.  Williams'  class  had  no 
teacher  that  morning.  When  it  was  known 
that  she  had  left  her  home  an  hour  before  and 
had  not  been  seen  since  she  entered  the  woods, 
an  alarm  was  given  and  the  forest  was  searched 
for  her.  Soon  the  body  was  discovered  beside 
the  road,  blackened  by  the  burned  logs  over 
which  it  had  been  tumbled.  Her  dress  was 
soiled  and  torn,  and  there  were  deep  marks  of 
the  murderous  fingers  that  had  been  pressed 
into  her  throat.  There  were  evidences  of  a 
bloody  struggle,  and  one  of  her  gloves  and  a 
part  of  her  cape  were  gone. 

The  tramp  was  suspected  of  her  violation 
and  murder,  and  was  soon  in  custody.  When 
he  was  taken  before  a  justice,  he  confessed  the 
deed  and  gave  his  name  as  Harris  Bell.  Al- 
though excitement  ran  high,  he  escaped  lynch- 
ing, and  was  taken  to  the  county  jail  at  Hones- 
dale,  where  the  grand  jury  found  a  true  bill 
against  him  at  the  September  Sessions.  He 
was  tried  at  the  December  Term,  and  a  great 
effort  was  made  to  save  his  life  on  the  ground 
of  imbecility.  This  defense  was  ably  argued 
by  F.  M.  Crane,  William  H.  Dimmick  and 
Franklin  Lusk,  while  District  Attorney  R.  M. 
Grennell,  Charles  S.  Minor,  Earl  Wheeler  and 
John  W.  Myers  appeared  for  the  common- 
wealth. Bell  was  found  guilty  of  murder  in 
the  first  degree,  and  in  spite  of  strenuous  efforts 
to  obtain  for  him  a  new  trial,  was  sentenced  by 
Judge  William  H.  Jessup,  on  February  12, 
1848.  He  was  executed  at  Honesdale,  Sep- 
tember 29,  1848. 

Industries. — The    first    saw-mills    in    the 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


township  were  those  of  Gershoru  Williams  and 
Squire  Sampson,  and  must  have  been  built 
about  1820.  In  1828,  Joseph  Saunders  and 
Jesse  Sampson  erected  the  mill  now  owned  by 
Captain  David  Allen,  on  a  tributary  to  Shad 
Pond  Creek,  just  below  the  village  of  Sherman. 
It  has  passed  through  the  hands  of  many 
owners,  and  some  years  ago  was  rebuilt  by  Eg- 
bert Mills,  who  also  added  machinery  for  cider- 
making  on  an  extensive  scale. 

In  1855,  H.  W.  Brandt,  Jacob  Schlager, 
Henry  Brunig  and  William  Bergmiller  started 
a  tannery  at  the  village  of  Sherman.  It  was 
an  extensive  plant,  and  did  a  good  business  for 
many  years,  but  finally  the  competition  of  the 
larger  establishments  in  the  East  was  too  great, 
and  it  was  closed  about  five  years  ago.  In  its 
place,  the  Scott  Chemical  Company  was  organ- 
ized, and  now  does  an  extensive  business  in  the 
manufacture  of  acetate  of  lime,  wood  alcohol 
and  charcoal.  The  present  members  of  the 
company  are  H.  W.  Brandt,  S.  Schlager,  R. 
Kessler,  C.  Schlager,  W.  S.  Brandt,  W.  T. 
Finch,  D.  Arneke,  J.  Schlager. 

Roads  and  Post-Offices. — The  first  road 
built  in  the  township  was  that  leading  from 
Starrucca  to  Deposit,  which  was  constructed  be- 
fore the  township  was  set  off,  and  the  next  was 
the  one  from  Lauesboro',  on  the  Susquehanna 
River,  to  Ball's  Eddy,  or  Winterdale,  as  it  is 
now  called. 

Rev.  Gershom  Williams  was  the  first  post- 
master in  the  township  and  was  appointed 
when  the  office  at  Scott  Centre  was  estab- 
lished. He  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Hervey 
D.  Williams,  who  gave  place  to  Nelson  Early, 
the  predecessor  of  Uriah  T.  Smith,  the  present 
incumbent.  The  post-office  at  Sherman  was 
established  about  sixteen  years  ago,  and  Henry 
Brunig  was  the  first  postmaster.  His  succes- 
sors were  Alansou  Raymond,  Marinda  Ray- 
mond, Charles  Smith,  James  Surine  and  Chas. 
Greenmau,  in  the  order  named.  The  office  at 
Winterdale  was  established  two  years  ago,  and 
G.  H.  Sands,  the  present  postmaster,  was  the 
first  appointee.  The  Island  Pond  office  dates 
from  1875;  Sidney  E.  Stanton  has  held  the 
postmastersliip  since  the  establishment. 

Schools  and  Churches. — There  is  no  rec- 


ord of  any  school  within  the  township  limits 
before  1826,  when  a  log  building  for  that  pur- 
pose was  erected  at  the  foot  of  Maple  Hill, 
near  where  Major  'Andress  now  lives.  The 
first  teacher  there  was  Miss  Emily  Stiles,  who 
afterward  married  Ogdon,  the  son  of  John 
Wrhitteker.  The  next  school  was  built  in  1830. 
It  was  a  little  log  building  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Henry  Tarbox,  and  Loise  Tarbox, 
now  the  wife  of  Uriah  T.  Smith,  was  the  first 
teacher.  It  is  probable  that  there  were  some 
private  schools  before  either  of  these,  but  there 
remains  no  record  of  them  now,  except  that 
one  old  resident  remembers  that  he  heard  his 
father  tell  how  Rev.  Gershom  Williams  used 
to  school  his  own  children,  and  as  many  of  the 
neighbors  as  cared  to  come  in,  but  this  as  a 
labor  of  love.  The  same  gentleman  also  con- 
ducted the  first  religous  services  in  the  town- 
ship, and  prayer- meetings  were  held  regularly 
at  his  house  for  many  years.  The  churches  of 
the  township  were  all  of  late  growth,  because  of 
the  proximity  of  the  churches  of  Starrucca  and 
Preston. 

The  Maple  Hill  Baptist  Church,  of  Sherman, 
was  organized  July  19,  1851,  in  the  old  Jayne 
School-house,  and  had  sixteen  constituent 
members, — Deacon  George  Reynolds,  Deacon 
Justis  J.  Jayne,  Dovill  Reynolds,  Newell  Rey- 
nolds, Beniah  Jayne,  John  W.  Jayne,  Henry 
D.  Jayne,  Julia  Reynolds,  Mary  Jayne,  Cath- 
erine Jayne,  Rhoda  Jayne,  Philena  Reynolds, 
Miranda  Raymond,  Nancy  Andress,  Abigail 
Whitmore  and  Mary  Ann  Owens.  The  council 
of  recognition  was  held  August  (3th  following, 
and  on  the  succeeding  December  18th  the 
church  ordained  Rev.  O.  L.  Hall  its  first  pas- 
tor. The  succeeding  pastors  have  been  Revs. 
Anderson  Reynolds,  Elder  Francis,  Barrick 
Bunting,  W.  N.  Tower,  George  Evans,  A.  J. 
Adams,  William  Carr  and  James  Pope,  the 
present  pastor.  Worship  was  at  first  con- 
ducted in  the  school-house,  but  in  the  summer 
of  1854  a  church  edifice  was  erected  for  use  in 
common  with  other  evangelical  denominations, 
and  was  dedicated  on  the  1 8th  of  tlte  October 
following.  There  are  at  present  fifty-two  com- 
municants. 

The  Scott  Presbyterian   Church  was  organ- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


ized  iu  1843,  with  seven  members,  and  struggled 
along  for  a  number  of  years  without  a  regular 
pastor  or  stated  supply.  But  the  work  of  min- 
isters from  the  churches  of  townships  adjacent 
bore  fruit,  and  at  last  the  congregation  was 
placed  on  a  firm  basis.  Worship  was  conducted 
in  the  Baptist  Church  until  1874,  when  the 
present  edifice  was  erected,  and  was  dedicated 
August  1 3th.    Since  that  time  the  congregation 


Jacobin  troubles  iu  that  country,  prior  to  the 
prominence  of  Napoleon  Buonaparte,  many  had 
left  their  loved  "  La  Belle  France  "  and  sought 
homes  in  foreign  lands.  One  of  these,  the 
uncle  of  this  young  man,  had  established  him- 
self at  Martinique,  West  Indies,  and  thither 
the  father  sent  his  son,  Cornelius.  Overtaken 
by  a  storm,  the  ship  on  which  he  sailed  became 
a  total   wreck,  and   passengers  and  crew   were 


has    had   a   regular    pastor,    Rev.   James   M. 
Phillips,  and  now  has  sixty  communicants. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


CAPTAIN    DAVID    ALLEN. 

Just  after  our  Revolutionary  War  had  closed 
large  numbers  of  foreigners  sought  the  shores 
of  the  New  World,  among  them  Cornelius 
Alleine,  a  native  of  Brest,  France.     During  the 


rescued  by  a  ship  destined  for  Boston,  Mass. 
Reaching  that  port,  strong  efforts  were  made  tc- 
induce  the  stalwart  young  Frenchman  to  remain 
and  become  a  citizen  of  the  infant  United 
States,  and  he  concluding  to  do  so,  became  a 
resident  of  Franklin  County,  Mass.,  and  took 
up  a  large  farm  there.  On  this  place  he  lived 
and  died,  in  1852,  aged  seventy-six.  He  mar- 
ried Susanna,  daughter  of  James  Cady,  of  Wor- 
cester, Mass.,  and  she  bore  him  eleven  children, 
— six  sons  and  five  daughters — and  deceased, 
1870,  aged  ninety  years. 


742 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  the  fourth  child 
born  in  Brookline,  Vt.  (where  the  parents  made 
a  home  for  a  few  years),  October  26,  1804. 

His  boyhood  was  spent  upon  the  homestead, 
•and  his  education  obtained  at  the  district  school. 
'When  twenty-one  years  old  he  determined  to  go 
West  to  get  rich,  as  he  expresses  it,  and  got  as 
far  as  Deposit,  on  the  Delaware  River,  and 
stopped.  Commencing  lumbering,  he  rapidly 
acquired  the  necessary  acquaintance  with  the 
grades  of  timber  and  its  manufactured  products, 
and  ere  long  was  enabled  to  ship  his  lumber 
down  the  Delaware  in  rafts  to  the  Philadelphia 
market.  For  fifty  years  the  fall,  winter  and 
spring  months  were  given  to  his  lumber  interests, 
and  for  that  same  long  period  his  summers  were 
devoted  to  mason  building.  In  this  latter  de- 
partment much  work  was  done  and  a  large 
number  of  solid  structures  in  Deposit  and  else- 
where attest  the  honesty  of  the  workmanship 
he  caused  to  be  done.  The  handsome  De- 
posit Seminary,  which  was  burned  down  about 
the  year  1856,  was  erected  by  Captain  Allen, 
also  many  others  of  almost  equal  value  and  ap- 
pearance. Various  town  offices  were  held  by 
him  while  residing  there,  in  all  of  which  his 
great  energy  and  uprightness  were  fully  shown. 
In  1854  he  removed  to  Scott  township,  Wayne 
County,  Pa.,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  three 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  and  saw-mill  establish- 
ment, which  enabled  him  to  manufacture  his 
timber  into  lumber  for  the  markets.  From  this 
place,  in  1870,  he  decided  to  depart,  and  the 
pleasant  home  which  he  had  built  some  few 
vears  before  was  prepared  for  the  family,  and 
in  this  house  life  has  since  been  happily  spent. 

On  April  12,  1832,  Captain  Allen  married 
Electa,  the  daughter  of  Abram  Lamareaux,  of 
Deposit,  N.  Y.,  who  was  born  October  19, 
1808,  and  the  following  children  have  blessed 
their  union  :  Catharine  Sophia,   born  March  1, 

1833,  married  Willis  Watkius,  and  has  borne 
him  one  child,  Charles  O.,  who  married  Kate 
Squires,  and  has  two  children, — Sarah  and 
Catharine.    Darius  Marvin,  born  October  12, 

1834,  married,  1st,  Christine  Howard,  who  bore 
him  two  sons, — Durward  Mortimer  and  Fred. 
Lamareaux  ;  2d,  Elizabeth  Gardinier,  who  has 
born  him  one  child,  David.    Horace,  born  May 


1,  1837,  died  August  3,  1841  ;  Mary  Cordelia, 
born  August  20, 1841,  married  Elijah  P.  Rey- 
nolds, who  had  two  children, — Allen  and 
Laura, — and  who  died  April  20,  1876.  Mrs. 
Reynolds  now  resides  with  her  father  at  Sher- 
man. Emily  Augusta,  born  June  29,  1843, 
married  Dr.  Norman  Brundage,  of  Sherman. 
Martha  Amelia,  born  April  16,  1845,  married 
Jacob  Gardinier,  and  has  one  son,  Clarence. 
Mrs.  Allen  died  May  11,  1867.  Captain  Allen, 
his  wife,  and  nearly  the  entire  family  have  been 
for  many  years  prominent  and  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Sherman, 
and  the  influence  exerted  is  always  for  good, 
not  only  in  religious,  but  in  educational  matters. 

During  his  residence  in  Deposit  he  was  nomi- 
nated for  member  of  Legislature,  but,  happily 
for  himself,  was  short  a  few  votes  when  the 
count  was  made.  In  Pennsylvania  he  has  in- 
variably declined  to  allow  the  use  of  his  name 
for  political  preferment,  although  always  an 
ardent  Democrat. 

Thoroughly  progressive  and  never  so  well 
pleased  as  when  doing  something  towards  the 
building  up  of  material  interests  and  to  insure 
the  employment  of  labor,  Captain  Allen  was 
quite  earnest  and  influential  in  locating  the 
taunery,  chemical  works  and  other  interests  at 
Sherman,  and  has  ever  evinced  strong  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  similar  enterprises.  To-day 
he  stands,  in  his  eighty-second  year,  compara- 
tively hale  and  hearty,  an  honorable  example  ot 
a  stirring  and  valuable  life,  loved  by  the  many, 
respected  and  esteemed  by  all. 


HALLOCK    EARLY. 

During  the  first  quarter  of  the  eighteenth 
century  many  English  families  were  added  to 
the  population  of  the  colonies,  and  York  re- 
ceived the  addition  of  one  of  particular  interest 
to  this  sketch,  bearing  the  name  of  Gilbert  Ear- 
ly, who  made  a  home  in  Dutchess  County.  His 
marriage  produced  four  sons, — Gilbert,  Absalom, 
Elijah  and  Robert, — who  aided  largely  in  the 
clearing  up  of  the  acreage  which  he  had  taken 
up  on  making  a  settlement. 

The  eldest  son,  Gilbert,  was  born  there  in  1755, 
and    on  reaching  manhood  espoused   a  young 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


lady  named  Pauline  Egert,  and  eight  children 
were  born  to  the  union, —  William,  Egert,  Elijah, 
Robert,  Gilbert,  Nancy,  Pauline  and  Almira. 
When  Robert  was  an  infant  (in  1788)  the  fam- 
ily moved  farther  West  and  made  a  new  home 
on  the  east  branch  of  the  Delaware.  A  large 
tract  of  timber  was  rapidly  cleared  away,  and 
the  entire  family  became  interested  in  that  im- 
portant and  growing  industry,  in  addition  to 
attending  to  the  large  farm.  On  arrival  at  a 
])roper  age  to   assume    such    important    duties, 


ily  returned  East,  and  made  a  home  at  Sherman, 
Wayne  Couuty,  Pa.,  following  which  Mr.  Early 
again  entered  married  life,  Elizabeth  Alexander 
becoming  his  wife  and  the  mother  of  Abigail, 
Mary,  Louisa,  Nelson  N.  and  William  N. 
(twins). 

Hallock,  the  second  child  by  the  first  mar- 
riage, was  born  June  3,  1818.  The  educational 
facilities  in  Pennsylvania  in  those  early  days 
were  indeed  limited,  aud  in  most  cases  the  par- 
ents esteemed  the  physical  abilities  of  their  ofT- 


Robert  was  united  to  Abigail,  daughter  of 
Michael  Wolfe,  of  Wolfe's  Hill,  Bradford 
County,  Pa.,  about  1813,  to  which  county  he 
had  removed  during  the  previous  year.  En- 
gaging in  farming,  he  cleared  considerable  land, 
and  here  Electa,  Hallock,  Deborah,  Elizabeth, 
Eliza  Ann  and  an  infant  were  born,  the  birth 
of  the  latter  of  whom  cost  the  life  of  the  mother 
in  1831.     Shortly  after  this  sad  event  the  fam- 


spring  of  greater  importance  than  the  mental  ; 
hence  the  youth  of  our  subject  was  passed  with- 
out a  great  deal  of  schooling  in  book-learning, 
but  with  much  practical  use  in  the  department 
of  life  he  was  destined  to  follow.  His  deficien- 
cies in  that  regard  were,  however,  partially 
overcome  by  a  disposition  to  acquire  knowledge, 
with  a  general  aptitude  towards  a  business  ca- 
reer. On  reaching  his  eighteenth  year  his  father 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


placed  him  in  charge  of  the  entire  business,  and 
cutting  timber,  making  and  shipping  and  sell- 
ing its  product  were  under  his  control  from 
that  time, — a  strong  tribute  to  his  excellent 
judgment  and  value, — and  when,  at  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  he  was  sent  to  Philadelphia  to  sell 
the  product  of  their  mill,  he  was  fully  posted 
on  qualities  and  measurements, — in  fact,  a 
thorough  lumber  inspector, — and  made  a 
successful  trip.  These  points  have,  until  the 
past  six  years,  occupied  his  attention,  and 
success  has  been  achieved  by  thoroughness,  up- 
rightness and  his  excellent   knowledge  of  men. 

In  1854  Mr.  Early  embarked  in  the  initial 
commercial  venture  at  this  place,  which  pre- 
viously had  been  without  a  name ;  and,  in  order 
to  give  directions  for  shipment  of  goods,  he  gave 
it  the  name  of  New  Baltimore,  which  continued 
to  be  used  until  a  post-office  was  established  un- 
der the  present  name  of  Sherman.  (Mr.  Early 
was  the  second  man  to  make  a  home  in  this  vil- 
lage, and  is  somewhat  proud  of  the  distinction.) 

Through  the  chicanery  of  his  partners  this 
venture  was  not  a  success,  and  he  retired 
from  it  in  favor  of  lumbering  in  1857.  In  no 
sense  considering  himself  a  politician  has  he 
served  the  people  of  his  township  as  school 
director,  supervisor,  etc.,  and  invariably  to  ad- 
vantage and  their  satisfaction. 

He  was  married,  May  7,  1854,  to  Abigail 
Whitmore,  daughter  of  George  Reynolds,  who 
bore  him  two  children,  which  died  in  infancy, 
and  were  followed  by  the  mother  on  July  12, 
1861.  On  March  30,  1862,  he  was  united  to 
Rosalie  G.,  daughter  of  Strong  Seeley,  of  Wells 
Centre,  Bradford  County,  Pa.,  at  one  time 
owner  of  a  large  portion  of  the  land  upon  which 
the  city  of  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  is  now  located.  The 
union  has  resulted  in  the  birth  of  Willis,  born 
March  27, 1863;  and  Furman  M.,  born  April 
27, 1870.  To  add  the  pleasure  of  female  child- 
hood to  this  happy  family,  in  July,  1870,  Lottie 
Buchanan,  a  babe  born  March  26,  1874,  was, 
by  the  free  consent  of  the  mother,  a  resident  of 
New  York  City,  adopted  into  the  home  and 
has  remained,  giving  and  receiving  joy  to  its 
occupants.  Mr.  Early  has,  from  his  early 
youth,  been  much  interested  in  religious  and 
kindred  matters,  and  has  given   liberally  in  aid 


of  the  different  associations  here,  when  they  de- 
sired to  erect  houses  of  worship,  and  in  their 
support  without  regard  to  sect.  Mrs.  Early  is 
an  earnest  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  a  generous  giver  to  its  charities,  etc. 

The  eldest  son  of  this  estimable  family  has 
received  the  advantage  of  a  good  education, 
which  he  aids  by  judicious  study,  and  has  en- 
gaged in  teaching  and  in  the  industry  of  bee 
culture  to  a  considerable  extent.  In  this  he  is 
rapidly  acquiring  a  valuable  experience  and 
reaping  a  gratifying  reward  for  the  outlay  and 
patience. 

Mr.  Early  retired  from  active  business  some 
years  ago,  and  now  gives  attention  to  home 
matters  and  the  affairs  of  an  extensive  farm. 
He  receives  the  high  respect  and  regard  of  the 
citizens  without  reference  to  party,  and  is  recog- 
nized as  an  honorable  and  progressive  man, 
alive  to  the  needs  of  the  times,  and  at  all  times 
open  to  the  calls  for  aid  and  counsel  preferred 
by  his  neighbors  and  acquaintances. 


C.    S.    HACKETT. 

Among  those  sterling  old  New  England  fam- 
ilies which  went  to  the  then  West  during  the 
early  part  of  the  present  century,  that  of  John 
Hackett  must  be  mentioned. 

He  was  born  in  Litchfield  County,  Conn., 
about  1789,  and,  desirous  of  striking  his  own 
swath,  he,  in  1812,  settled  in  Blenheim,  Scho- 
harie County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  carried  on  a 
farm  and  hotel  for  many  years. 

He  first  married  Lovisa  Choate,  who  bore 
him  one  child,  William,  and  died  in  1821.  He 
subsequently  married  Ann  D.,  the  daughter  of 
Cornelius  Simonson,  whose  wife  was  a  daughter 
of  Tunis  Rappalye,  of  New  Brunswick,  N.  J. 
By  her  he  had  Cornelius  S.,  Johu  and  Lovisa. 
John  married  Angeline,  daughter  of  Hontice 
H.  Couse,  of  Oneonta,  N.  Y.,  and  has  had  three 
boys  and  one  girl,  and  now  resides  at  the  latter 
place.  Lovisa  married  Ellery  Moredock  (who 
was  killed  on  the  railroad  at  Oneonta  some 
four  years  ago),  and  bore  him  one  son  and  one 
daughter.  The  family  now  resides  at  Milford, 
o  County,  N.  Y. 

John  Hackett,  the  elder,  removed  from  Scho- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


745 


harie  County  to  Otsego  County  iu  1831,  and 
made  a  home  at  Oneonta,  where  he  resided  un- 
til his  death,  which  oecurred  in  1854. 

The  eldest  son,  C.  S.,  spent  his  youthful 
days  at  the  family  home;  was  sent  to  the  dis- 
trict schools,  and  afterwards  attended  Elder 
Harrington's  select  school  at  Oneonta,  in  1834. 

During  the  next  few  years,  in  summers  he 
gave  his  attention  to  farming  and  lumbering, 
and  in  the  winter  seasons  imparted  to  the  dis- 


farni  properties  in  the  northern  section  of  the 
county.  He  was  first  to  recognize  the  moun- 
tainous county  as  a  valuable  dairy  land,  and  put 
over  twenty  cows  aside  for  such  an  important 
purpose,  and  his  aim  has  ever  been  to  improve 
the  breed  of  stock  throughout  his  circle.  Much 
attention  has  been  giveu  to  this  laudable  un- 
dertaking and  great  success  reaped  in  the  dairy 
business  as  a  natural  sequence,  and  his  advice 
is  considered  very  valuable  by  those  interested. 


triet,  as  a  teacher,  such  instruction  as  he  had 
been  gathering  during  his  own  course.  In 
IS  IS  he  was  joined  in  matrimony  to  Caroline, 
daughter  of  Henry  J.  Couse,  of  Oneonta,  N.  Y., 
and  the  first  two  years  of  a  long  wedded  life 
were  spent  upon  the  homestead.  In  1851  he 
purchased  property  in  Scott  township,  and  at 
once  began  making  a  home  which,  from  time 
to  time,  has  since  been  improved,  until  now  it 
stands   one   of  the  tastiest   and  most    homelike 


The  timber  from  his  extensive  tracts  has  been 
cleared  off,  and  tin:  products  disposed  of  at 
the  different  marts  along  the  Delaware,  and  the 
entire  farm  is  now  devoted  to  that  which  has 
become  so  great  an  industry  in  this  county, — 
that  of  dairying.  The  pleasant  home  has  been 
brightened  by  the  following  children,  viz. : 
William  H.,  born  December  25,  1858,  married 
Hattie  Z.  Smith,  March  1877,  who  Ixire  him 
Ethel  L.,  and  Ida  S.  (the   father  of  this   inter- 


746 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  M0N110K  OOI'NTIKS,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


esting  family  was  unfortunately  killed,  April 
19,1881);  John  E.,  born  October  12,  1864, 
died  March  2,  1865;  Ervin  E.,  born  January 
23,  1868,  and  now  attending  the  Waymart 
Academy. 

Some  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  ago  Colonel 
Hackett  became  a  Mason,  since  which  time  he 
lias  taken  the  chapter  degree,  and  retains  mem- 
bership in  the  ancieut  and  honorable  order  at 
Deposit,  N.  Y.  A  Republican  in  politics,  his 
aid  has  largely  been  given  in  township  offices, 
and,  as  in  everything  else  in  which  he  has  been 
interested,  his  services  have  been  strength  fill  and 
appreciated.  A  man  of  great  force  of  character, 
he  is  an  ardent  friend  and  a  clear-headed,  far- 
sighted  counselor,  and  consequently  the  people 
of  his  county  largely  rely  upon  his  judgment. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 


SALEM  ("land  of  peace")  was  set  off  from 
Canaan  and  Delaware  in  1808.  Sterling  was 
taken  therefrom  in  1815,  making  the  Wallen- 
paupack  River  the  southern  boundary.  In 
1876  a  line  was  run  east  and  west  through  the 
centre  of  the  township,  and  the  northern  half, 
together  with  a  small  slice  from  South  Canaan, 
were  erected  into  a  new  township,  called  Lake; 
consequently  Salem  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Lake,  mi  the  east  by  Paupack,  on  the  southeast 
by  Greene,  in  Pike  County,  on  the  south  by 
Sterling,  on  the  west  by  Madison  and  Jefferson, 
in  Lackawanna  County.  It  is  broken  in  irreg- 
ular hills  and  valleys  with  ridges.  The  creeks 
all  flow  south  into  the  Paupack  River.  James' 
Creek  is  the  outlet  of  Cobb's  Pond  in  Lake, 
and  forks  with  Potter  Creek  at  Hollistcrville, 
thereby  forming  the  Paupack.  Moss  (  'nek 
rises  in  the  hills  of  Lake,  west  of  Jones'  Pond, 
and  flows  south,  through  Moss  Hollow,  into  the 
Paupack  ;  Spring  Brook  has  its  source  among 
the  hills  above  William  Glosscnger's  home, 
south  of  .lones'  Luke,  flows  south  through  the 
historic  Little  Meadows,  and  empties  into   Rid- 

1  By   Kliamanlhus  M.  Stocker,  Esq. 


well  Lake ;  Laurel  Run,  the  outlet  of  Bidwell 
Lake,  flows  southeast  through  a  deep  gorge  and 
empties  into  the  Paupack  above  Ledgedale. 
The  Five  Mile  Creek  is  the  outlet  of  Jones', 
Allen,  Dayton  and  Peet  or  Marsh  Ponds,  and 
flows  southeast,  entering  the  Paupack  below 
Ledgedale.  The  Wallenpaupack,  which  forms 
the  southern  boundary,  is  composed  of  two 
branches.  The  West  Branch,  which  is  formed 
at  Hollisterville,  flows  east  between  Salem  and 
Sterling  to  the  point  where  it  forks  with  the 
South  Branch,  which  rises  in  Monroe  County 
and  flows  north  between  Sterling  and  Dreher 
on  the  west,  and  Greene  township,  of  Pike 
County,  on  the  east.  After  uniting,  the  stream 
has  a  smooth  and  slow  current  through  the 
beautiful  Paupack  flats,  where  the  Indians  en- 
camped on  its  banks  in  their  journeyings  from 
Capouse  and  the  Susquehanna  Indian  settle- 
ments, as  they  came  through  Cobb's  Gap  in  the 
Moosic  Mountains  eastward  through  Little 
Meadows  to  Paupack  Flats,  and  onward  still  to 
the  Delaware  River.  The  fact  that  the  Indians 
more  frequently  saw  the  river  at  this  point, 
where  the  current  is  sluggish  and  deep,  doubt- 
less led  them  to  call  it  Wallenpaupack,  mean- 
ing "  dead  waters ; "  though  towards  its  outlet 
it  belies  its  name  and  dashes  into  rapids  and 
waterfalls,  descending  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  feet  from  Wilsonville  to  the  place  where 
it  unites  with  the  Lackawaxen.2  The  Ledge- 
dale Tannery  Company  ran  a  horse-boat  for  a 
time  from  Ledgedale  to  a  point  above  Wilson- 
ville. An  old  Indian  trail  ran  through  Salem; 
because  Cobb's  Gap,  the  only  natural  pass  in 
Moosic  Mountains  eastward,  lies  directly  west 
of  Salem.  This  pass,  used  by  the  Indians 
traveling  eastward,  has  been  utilized  by  the 
Delaware,  Lackawanna  and  Western  Railroad 
Company,  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company 
and  the  Erie  and  Wyoming  Valley  Railroad 
Company  for  the  same  purpose,  it  being  the 
natural  thoroughfare  eastward  for  the  Lacka- 
wanna anthracite  coal-fields.  Salem  was  origin- 
ally covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  timber, 
consisting  of  beech,  birch,  maple,  cherry,  pine, 
basswood,  ash,  and  down  towards  the  Paupack, 

*  Lackawaxen,  meaning  swift   waters. 


WAYNE  COUNTY 


where  Joseph  W.  Woodbridge  settled,  there 
was  a  tract  of  country  covered  with  chestnut; 
but  the  treetliat  predominated  was  the  hemlock, 
which,  considering  its  lumber  and  bark,  is  the 
most  valuable  tree  produced  in  Wayne  County 
forests.  Underneath  these  trees,  skirting  the 
streams  in  most  places,  and  generally  wherever 
the  hemlock  was  thickest,  grew  an  almost  im- 
penetrable undergrowth  of  rhododendron  and 
laurel,  giving  this  region  the  name  of  "The 
Great    Swamp,"  which  was  nothing  more  than 

Ilbhe  northern  continuation  of  the  swamp  known 
as  "  The  Shades  of  Death."  Where  the  beeches 
and  maples  grew  it  was  more  open,  which  gave 
it  also  the  name  of  "  The  Beech  Woods."  This 
"Great  Swamp"  extended  from  the  Moosic 
Mountains  on  the  west  to  the  Wallenpaupack 
River  flats  on  the  east,  unbroken  except  by 
"  The  Little  Meadows  "  or  Beaver  Meadows,  so 
called  because  years  before  the  whites  settled 
here  beavers  had  built  two  dams  across  Spring 
Brook,  one  near  the  road  and  another  near  its 
mouth,  thereby  flowing  the  land,  killing  the 
timber  and  making  the  Little  Meadows,  which 
were  covered  with  wild  grass.  These  meadows, 
being  on  the  line  of  the  Indian  trail,  naturally 
became  one  of  their  camping-places,  as  Paupack 
flats  was  another.  Aside  from  this,  we  have  no 
evidence  that  the  Indians  ever  had  any  settle 
ments  in  "  The  Great  Swamp."  They  probably 
hunted  here  for  deer  and  bear,  or  fished  for  the 
speckled  trout,  all  of  which  were  plentiful,  but 
it  was  too  dark  and  dismal  even  to  make  it  a 
seat  of  their  power.  Here  the  timid  deer  drank 
from  the  mountain  brook  unmolested  by  man  ; 
the  screaming  panther,  the  howling  wolves,  the 
doleful  owl  and  the  sullen  bear  slept  securely, 
undisturbed  by  any  save  savages  as  wild  as  they. 
Towering  o'er  all,  the  sombre,  solemn  hemlock, 
lifting  its  head  towards  the  midnight  stars,  kept 
eternal  vigil  over  the  dismal  solitude.  There 
was  another  little  meadow  on  the  Five  Mile 
Creek,  now  called  Dobell's  Meadow,  but  former- 
ly Wright's  Meadow,  because  Nathan  Wright 
settled  there  about  1802.  Here  he  was  shut  in  on 
every  side  by  the  hemlock  and  rhododendron, 
no  one  living  within  miles  of  him.  His  wife,  often 
utterly  desolate  and  disconsolate,  was  rightly 
named  Lamenta,  and  well  has  the  poet  sung, — 


"  O  solitude,  where  are  the  charms 
That  sages  have  seen  in  thy  face? 
Better  dwell  in  the  midst  of  alarms 
Than  reign  in  this  horrible  place." 

Such  was  "The  Great  Swamp"  or  the 
"  Beech  Woods,"  where  our  ancestors  first  pene- 
trated this  wilderness  and  felled  the  giant 
monarehs  of  the  forest,  erected  log  cabins, 
cleared  a  piece  of  land  on  which  they  grew 
corn,  potatoes,  beans,  rye  and  oats,  and  hunted, 
fished  and  trapped.  They  managed  to  clear 
enough  land  to  have  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  cow 
or  two,  possibly  a  horse.  They  kept  sheep  for 
the  wool,  and  also  raised  flax,  out  of  which  the 
good  housewife  spun  and  wove  fabrics  for  wear. 
Some  of  the  settlers  made  as  much  as  one 
hundred  yards  of  linen  cloth  a  year.  The 
maple  yielded  its  saccharine  juice  and  the  wild 
bees  made  honey.  Joseph  Woodbridge  erected 
a  distillery  near  a  spring  on  the  North  and 
South  road  in  1804,  contemporaneously  with 
the  earliest  settlement  of  the  township,  but  he 
discontinued  it  eight  years  after  and  the  build- 
ing was  used  for  a  school-house.  Thus  did  our 
Puritanic  ancestors  bring  the  Bible,  the  church, 
the  school-house  and  the  means  of  manufactur- 
ing rye  whiskey  all  together.  Ashbel  Miller 
who  resided  where  Thomas  Bortrce  afterwards 
lived,  had  a  log  hut,  arranged  his  cabin  so  that 
he  could  drive  a  yoke  of  cattle  through  with  a 
heavy  back  log.  It  contained  one  room,  ten 
children  and  some  whiskey,  and  this  was  a  log 
tavern.  Old  settlers  say  people  were  glad  to 
stop  even  at  such  a  place  after  traveling  all  day 
through  the  wilderness.  All  the  early  settlers 
were  in  a  certain  sense  tavern-keepers,  for  when 
houses  were  five  or  ten  miles  apart  they  could 
do  no  less  than  keep  a  belated  traveler,  and 
what  they  lacked  in  accommodations  they  made 
good  in  hospitality,  for  our  New  England  an- 
cestors were  a  hospitable  people,  a  trait  which 
has  not  departed  from  their  descendants. 

The  first  settlement  in  Salem  was  naturally  at 
"Little  Meadows,"  and  we  cannot  do  better 
than  copy  from  Goodrich,  who  was  born  on  this 
place  and  knows  its  traditions,  "According  to 
accounts  given  by  the  old  settler  in  Paupack,  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Strong  first  built  here  in 
1770.     Soon  after  the  battle  at  Wyoming,  he, 


748 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AXli  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


with  si  line  others,  had  a  desperate  fight  with  the 
Indians  at  this  place:  Strong  and  his  family 
were  all  massacred,  and  Jacob  Stanton  was  the 
only  man  who  escaped.  He  fled  and  notified 
the  settlers  upon  the  Paupack  of  their  danger. 
Late  in  the  fall  of  177!),  Stanton  came  back  to 
the  place  and  found  the  Indians  had  burned 
down  the  house.  He  dug  a  grave,  and  gather- 
ing up  the  bones  of  the  whites  and  Indians  and 
placing  them  together,  raised  a  monument  over 
them.  Seth  Goodrich,  who  afterwards  owned 
the  place,  would  never  allow  the  mound  to  be 
disturbed.  There  was  a  very  old  orchard  there 
which  must  have  been  planted  by  the  Indians, 
as  Little  Meadows  had  been  a  favorite  rendez- 
vous for  their  hunting-parties."  There  is  now 
(1885)  but  one  tree  standing  of  the  old  Indian 
orchard,  and  it  alone  easts  its  morning  shadow 
o'er  the  hallowed  ground  which  contains  the 
sacred  dust  of  the  first  settler  of  Salem  and  his 
savage  foes.  Jacob  Stanton  built  a  house  and 
moved  his  wife  and  family  to  Little  Meadows 
in  1780  or  1781,  where,  during  his  life,  he  kept 
a  public-house.  He  and  his  wife  were  buried 
in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  orchard,  near  the 
wall.  His  son  William  Stanton,  succeeded  to  the 
business,  remaining  until  1795,  when  he  sold  his 
interest  to  Moses  Dolph,  who  must  have  been  a 
brother-in-law,  according  to  Goodrich.  John 
Torrey  says  Samuel  Preston  speaks  in  his  diary 
of  having  stopped  here  in  1787.  Moses 
Dolph's  deed  is  dated  December  10,  1795.  In 
it  William  Stanton  sells  "All  his  rite  and 
possessions  in  the  place  called  Stanton's  place, 
in  the  Great  Swamp,  at  Little  Meadows,  on  the 
(road  to  the)  Delaware  River,  containing  and 
comprehending  which  both  my  father,  Jacob 
Stanton,  and  myself  at  the  time  of  his  decease, 
or  that  I  since  have  made  or  occupied."  This 
deed  locates  a  point,  but  attempts  no  boundaries, 
which  is  excusable  when  we  remember  that  his 
nearest  neighbors  were  eight  or  ten  miles  away, 
in  Purdytown  and  Paupack  settlement,  east- 
ward. Asa  Cobb  certainly  lived  under  Cobb 
Mountain  at  that  time,  ten  or  twelve  miles  west 
of  him.  He  could  claim  from  the  centre  as  far 
as  he  could  see,  until  Robert  Freelaud  came 
and  built  a  log  cabin  and  made  an  improve- 
ment on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  about 


thirty  rods  northwest  of  Dolph's,  on  the  place 
afterward  owned  by  George  Foote.  He  planted 
apple-trees,  some  of  which  are  standing. 

A  tragedy  happened  between  the  Dolph 
and  Freeland  families.  Two  of  their  boys 
were  playing  with  guns  and  fell  to  snapping 
them  at  each  other  when  the  one  in  the  hands 
of  young  Dolph  was  discharged,  killing  young 
Freeland.  He  was  buried  beside  Stanton  in 
the  orchard.  In  1799  John  Hunting  assessed 
Canaan  township,  of  which  Salem  was  a  part. 
Moms  Dolph  was  assessed  as  a  farmer  with  two 
houses  or  buts  valued  at  $20;  one  barn,  $12;  two 
horses,  $70 ;  seven  oxen  and  cows,  $85 ;  forty 
acres  improved  land,  $400  ;  three  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  unimproved  land,  $340, — total  valua- 
tion, $947.  His  neighbor,  Robert  Freeland,  is 
assessed  with  one  hut,  one  horse,  one  cow, 
twelve  acres  improved  land  and  three  hundred 
aud  eighty-eight  acres  unimproved  land, — total 
valuation,  §421.  Edward  London,  farmer,  one 
house,  one  barn,  four  oxen  or  cows,  fifteen  acres 
improved  land.  Elisha  Potter,  weaver,  one  house, 
oue  horse,  three  oxen  or  cows,three  acres  improved 
land.  Samuel  Wheatcraft,  farmer,  one  house, 
one  cow  and  three  acres  of  improved  land.  The 
total  number  of  acres  of  improved  land  in 
Salem  in  1799  was  seventy,  with  six  huts,  two 
barns,  four  horses  and  thirteen  oxen  or  cows. 
These  old  settlers  all  had  themselves  assessed 
with  four  hundred  acres  of  land  with  allowances 
for  roads,  which  they  called  their  possessory 
right.  We  have  seen  what  an  illimitable  title 
Moses  Dolph  received,  and  he  gave  titles  to 
about  one  thousand  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity 
of  his  hut  as  good  as  his  own.  September  25, 
1799,  he  deeded  to  Theodore  Woodbridge  and 
Charles  Goodrich,  Jr.,  "  the  south  part  of  the 
lot  on  which  I  now  live,  and  was  taken  up  as 
vacant  by  Wm,  Goodrich  and  deeded  to  Jacob 
Stanton  and  was  sold  to  me  by  Wm.  Stanton, 
the  only  son  and  heir  of  said  Jacob,  ami  con- 
tains 400  acres,  with  such  allowance  as  is  given 
by  the  laws  of  their  State  for  one  possession 
right."  September  4th  he  sells  three  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  more  to  Theodore  Woodbridge. 
October  20, 1709,  Robert  Freeland  deeded  four 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  "  bounded  east  by  lands 
of  Moses  Dolph,  together   with   buildings  and 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


■in 


improvements,"  to  Theodore  Woodbridge,  "be- 
ing my  right  by  possession."  In  1801  Moses 
Dolph  sold  the  Little  Meadows  farm  to  Dr. 
Lewis  Collins,  wlio,  in  1803,  sold  the  same  to 
Seth  Goodrich,  das.  McClure  surveyed,  re- 
turned and  patented  this  land,  but  Goodrich 
held  it  under  his  possessory  title,  and  Justice 
(iil)son  told  him  "  not  to  lie  troubled  about  his 
land."  P.G.  Goodrich  says,  "  If  a  man  erect- 
ed a  cabin  and  raised  grain  on  land  lie  was  en- 
titled to  four  hundred  acres."  They  certainly 
should  have  been  allowed  to  patent  the  land 
upon  which  they  had  squatted;  but  the  land- 
grabbers  were  early  on  the  ground  ;  hence  in 
September  Sessions,  1801,  we  find  Republica 
versus  David  Hale,  Theodore  Woodbridge, 
Jeremiah  Osgood,  Solomon  Jones  and  Michael 
Mitchell  indicted  for  intrusion,  John  Bunting; 
Silas  Purdy  and  Edward  London  becoming 
sureties  in  the  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars  each  ; 
subsequently  Francis  Nicholson,  Josiah  Curtis 
and  Richard  Tuck  were  brought  before  the 
grand  jury  for  the  same  thing.  In  December 
Session  presentments  were  made  against  Bobert 
Freeland,  Theodore  Woodbridge,  Timothy  Hol- 
lister,  William  Dayton  and  Ephraim  Bidwell. 
The  squatter  jurymen  began  to  understand  the 
thing  by  this  time  and  ignored  these  bills  ;  how- 
ever, these  Yankee  settlers  were  annoyed  by 
suits  until  they  generally  obtained  titles  from 
Edward  Tilghmau,  the  Cadwalladers  and 
other  Philadelphians  who  had  either  patented 
the  land  themselves  or  bid  it  off  for  taxes  of 
others  who  had  done  so.  Moses  Dolph,  with 
his  large  family,  consisting  of  seven  sons  and 
four  daughters,  returned  to  the  Lackawanna 
Valley,  where  many  of  his  descendants  now 
live.  His  sons'  names  were  Alexander,  John, 
Aaron,  Charles,  Reuben,  Stephen,  Richard  and 
Derrick,  the  daughters  being  Polly,  Ruth,  Susie 
and  Zilpha.  Two  of  the  sons  of  Richard 
Dolph  live  in  this  vicinity,  Stephen  resides  in 
Lake  and  Orator  A.  P.  Dolph  lives  off  of  the 
Chapmantown  road,  near  Moses  Masters.  Ed- 
ward London,  blacksmith,  built  a  log  cabin  near 
the  Salem  Hotel  some  time  prior  to  1799.  In 
1801  he  bought  four  hundred  and  twenty-four 
acres  of  land  of  Edward  Tilghman  at  the 
Salem    Cross-Roads  (now  Hamlinton),   paving 


£23  Lis.  therefor.  In  1802  Edward  London 
and  his  wife,  Sabillah,  sold  this  land  to  Charles 
Goodrich,  Jr.,  for  twenty-five  hundred  dollars; 
There  were  three  Charles  Goodrichs, — ('has. 
Goodrich,  Sr.,  who  lived  in  Connecticut,  was 
the  father  of  ( 'harles,  Jr.,  and  Seth  ;  and  (  "harles, 
Jr.,  had  a  son  Charles,  who  lived  at  Salem  Cor- 
ners Chas.  Goodrich  built  a  log  house  above 
the  spring  which  is  now  led  out  to  the  road 
east  of  Salem  Corners,  lie  married  Ann  Bid- 
well,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  went  as  a 
substitute  when  he  was  sixteen  years  old.  lie 
died  in  1838,  aged  seventy-four.  His  children 
were  Charles,  who  married  Judith  Cross  and 
lived  on  the  southeast,  quarter  of  land  purchased 
by  his  lather.  The  house  which  he  occupied 
stood  a.  little  east  of  the  corners,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  road.  The  other  sons,  Jabez  and 
Enos,  moved  elsewhere.  Of  his  daughters,  Anna 
married  Gideon  Curtis,  Mary  married  James 
Hultze,  Lucy  married  Ellery  Crandall  and 
Laura  married  Henry  Matthews,  all  of  whom 
are  dead.  Charles  Goodrich  (3d)  was  a  great 
hunter.  He  had  a  steady  nerve  and  could  hold 
a  gnn  to  the  mark  ;  when  hungry  he  could  cat 
a  deer's  heart  raw.  He  had  a  cabin  near  Roar- 
ing Brook,  with  a  hole  in  the  top  as  an  en- 
trance. 

The  Charles  Goodrich  farm  is  now  owned  by 
George  W.  Walker  (2d),  who  has  built  a  wall 
and  otherwise  improved  the  property.  Elisha 
Potter  settled  on  the  old  road  from  Paupack  to 
Capouse,  on  a  creek  which  bears  his  name.  The 
county  line  between  Wayne  and  Luzerne  passed 
through  his  premises,  leaving  his  house  on  the 
Luzerne  side,  though  assessed  in  Salem  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  arrived  in  1795,  ac- 
cording to  Hollister's  history.  His  son  Charles 
recently  died  in  Paupack  ;  Chloe,  his  daughter, 
married  Samuel  Wheatcraft,  Jr.  Samuel 
Wheatcraft,  Sr.,  settled  on  the  hill  west  of 
Hollisterville,  not  far  from  Potter's  and  prob- 
ably about  the  same  time  with  Potter.  Ben- 
jamin Harrison,  an  Englishman,  married 
Hannah  Wheatcraft,  one  of  the  daughters,  and 
obtaining  title  to  the  property  which  his  father- 
in-law  had  squatted  upon,  conveyed  the  same  to 
Frederick  D.  Sayre,  who  married  Leonor 
Snook,  about  1825.     Nancy  Woodney,  another 


75U 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


daughter  of  Samuel  Wheatcraft,  Sr.,  surpassed 
Doctor  'rainier  in  the  matter  of  fasting,  more 
than  fifty  years  ago.  She  claimed  to  have 
fasted  fifty  days  without  either  eating  or  drink- 
ing'. A  book  was  published  concerning  the  occur- 
rence at  the  time  I  >y  a  sister  in  Ohio.  She  imagined 
that  she  was  suffering  for  the  sins  of  the  world. 

William  Dayton,  born  in  Rhode  Island, 
brought  up  by  Coggswell,  in  Litchfield  County, 
Conn.,  married  Anna  for  his  first  wife,  and 
Lucena,  her  sister,  fin-  his  second  wife,  daugh- 
ters of  Moses  and  Hester  Wright.  Dayton 
and  his  brother-in-law, Nathan  S.  Wright,  came 
together  about  1796  and  settled  near  Carey's 
Pond,  where  the  former  built  a  cabin.  Shortly 
after  Nathan  S.  Wright  moved  to  Slocnm  Hol- 
low, where  he  remained  a  few  years  ;  then  came 
to  I  (obeli's  Meadows  and  from  there  moved,  in 
1803,  to  the  place  now  occupied  by  John  B. 
Walker,  a  mile  south  of  Salem  Corners.  He 
was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  very  useful  to 
the  early  settlers  in  that  capacity.  He  had 
four  sons — .Miles,  who  never  married  ;  Abel, 
who  married  Caroline  Peet,  and  settled  on  the 
place  now  occupied  by  Sylvia  Smith,  his 
daughter,  mi  the  East  and  West  turnpike.  Two 
of  his  sons,  Albert  and  Eugene,  were  in  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion.  Abel,  a  farmer,  hunter 
and  trapper,  died  recently,  being  over  eighty 
years  of  age.  Moses  married  Polly  Peet  and 
settled  near  his  father's.  He  was  an  ingenious 
man  and  made  spinning-wheels  and  reels  and 
various  other  articles  needed  by  the  settlers; 
Sanford  married  Sally  Edwards  and  lived  on 
the  old  place  for  a  time,  when  he  sold  and 
moved  near  his  father-in-law,  Thomas  Edwards, 
where  he  recently  died,  aged  nearly  seventy- 
six.  Of  the  girls,  Lucena  married  Amos 
Brooks,  and  Ruth,  Lyman  Brooks,  both  farm- 
ers. They  each  lost  a  sou  in  the  late  war. 
The  remaining  girls.  Polly,  Anna  and  Hester, 
will  be  noticed  hereafter. 

William  Dayton  moved  to  a  place  on  the 
south  side  of  the  road,  towards  Purdytown, 
about  one-half  mile  east  of  Five-Mile  Creek, 
in  1802.  He  and  his  wife,  Lucena,  were  good 
Methodists  and  very  hospitable  people.  He 
left  no  kin  to  perpetuate  his  name.  The  old 
house  has  been   demolished. 


About  three  miles  north  of  Dayton's  is  a 
sheet  of  water  covering  about  twenty  acres, 
around  which  Mr.  Dayton  used  to  trap  bears, 
and  bearing  his  name.  The  trap  is  still  to  be 
seen  in  which  he  caught  twenty-two  bears  and 
two  "  painters." 

Major  Theodore  Woodbridge,  who  bought 
doubtful  titles  of  Dolph  &  Ereeland,  as  we  have 
noticed,  in  17911  and  1800,  probably  came  into 
Salem  about  1800.  He  built  a  house  on  the 
East  and  West  road,  about  midway  between 
Hamlinton  and  Little  Meadows,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  same,  and  was  the  wealthiest  man 
in  the  place.  He  was  also  a  major  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  belonged  to  the  order  of 
"The  Cincinnati  "  and  was  often  visited  by 
officers  of  distinction.  He  built  the  first  saw- 
mill in  the  town  at  the  outlet  of  Bidwell  Pond, 
in  ISO.",,  which  was  soon  afterward  burned.  He 
then  built  a  small  grist-mill  and  saw-mill  on 
Moss  Creek,  at  what  is  now  known  as  Moss 
Hollow.  The  major  was  active  in  promoting 
the  welfare  of  the  community.  His  son  Wil- 
liam says  the  first  religious  meeting  ever  held 
in  Salem  was  held  at  his  father's  house.  He 
was  a  Congregationalist,  but  appears  to  have  ac- 
cepted the  class  leadership  for  the  Methodists. 
Esther  Plummer,  of  Glastonbury,  Conn  ,  was 
his  first  wife,  by  whom  he  had  four  children, — 
Ashbel,  AVilliam,  Anna  and  Laura.  He  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Hale  as  his  second  wife,  and  died  in 
1811,  and  was  buried  in  the  old  orchard  on  his 
place.  His  son  Ashbel  married  Pamelia  Strat- 
ton  and  built  a  house,  which  was  sometimes 
used  by  the  Congregationalists  for  meeting  pur- 
poses, on  the  Bidwelltown  road,  about  one- 
fourth  mile  south  of  his  father's.  He  after- 
wards moved  to  Luzerne  County  and  died  aged 
seventy -eight  years.  Orselia,  one  of  his  daugh- 
ters, married  George  Brown  and  lives  on  the 
East  and  West  road,  two  and  one-half  miles 
west  of  Hamlinton.  Chester,  one  of  his  sous, 
resides  ou  the  North  and  South  road,  near  the, 
Wallenpaupack.  William  married  Almira, 
only  daughter  of  Elijah  Weston,  Sen.,  and  re- 
mained many  years  in  Wayne  County.  He  had 
four  sons, — James,  Ward,  Weston  and  Theodore 
— who  emigrated  to  Illinois,  taking  their  father 
with  them.      In  his   old  age  he   came  again   to 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


7.",  I 


Salem  and  lived  with  his  daughter,  Mary  Jane, 
who  married  Amos  Polley.  He  eventually  re- 
turned to  the  land  of  his  fathers  in  Connecticut 
and  lived  with  his  daughter,  Eliza  Peltou.  He 
started  one  of  the  first  Sunday-schools  held  in 
the  township  at  the  East  School-House,  about 
1820,  and  was  violently  opposed  to  secret  so- 
cieties. The  following  is  taken  from  a  Con- 
necticut paper  :  "  William  Woodbridge  died  in 
Portland  at  the  residence  of  his  son-in-law,  11. 
G.  Pelton,  aged  eighty-one  years  and  eight 
months.  Great-grandson  of  Rev.  John  Wood- 
bridge,  first  minister  settled  in  Hartford,  grand- 
son of  Rev.  Ashbel  Woodbridge,  second  minis- 
ter settled  in  Glastonbury,  Conn.,  and  son  of 
Major  Theodore  Woodbridge,  of  Revolutionary 
fame."  Anna  married  Clement  Paine  and 
moved  to  Tioga.  County.  She  was  a  devoted 
Christian  and  went  as  a  missionary  among  the 
Cherokees  for  awhile.  Laura  married  a  Pres- 
byterian minister  by  the  name  of  Bascom. 

Joseph  Woodbridge,  a  cousin  of  the  major, 
bought  four  hundred  acres  of  land  of  Edward 
Tilghman,  June  8,  1801,  located  on  the  North 
and  South  road  at  the  point  where  the  Bidwell- 
town  road  crosses  it,  two  miles  south  of  I  lainlin- 
fcon.  Like  his  uncle,  he  was  a  prominent  man 
in  the  new  settlement ;  was  commissioned  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  the  Fifth  District  of  Wayne 
County  by  Gov.  Thomas  McKean,  January  1, 
18()(i,  and  held  the  office   till    he    died,  which 

•niTcd  in  1816.     He  married  Ann,  a  sister  of 

William  Hollister,  and  had  seven  children,  Eg- 
bert, Wells,  Howel,  John,  PJbcnezer,  Mary  Ann 
and  Eliza.  The  last  three  mentioned  married 
and  moved  from  Salem.  Egbert,  Wells  and 
John  were  bachelors.  They  built  a  stone  house 
on  the  old  homestead.  Egbert  was  a  man  of 
considerable  influence,  especially  during  the 
war.  He  was  an  ardent  Republican  and  anti- 
Mason.  He  was  three  times  elected  justice  of 
the  peace  and  discharged  his  official  duties  cred- 
itably. The  members  of  this  singularly  constitut- 
ed household  lived  to  a  good  age,  and  are  all  dead 
but  John,  who  still  lives  at  the  old  place.  The 
family  is  remarkable  for  the  number  of  its 
members  who  became  clergymen.  Rev.  John 
Woodbridge,  of  England,  was  a  Wickliffitc, 
born  in  1493.      He  was  the  first  of  seven  gene- 


rations of  clergymen  of  the  same  name.  His 
grandson,  Rev.  John  Woodbridge  was  banished 
to  the  continent  for  his  Puritan  principles  in 
1634.  Rev.  John  Woodbridge,  of  the  fifth 
generation,  was  a  Puritan  emigrant.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  ministers  of  Newbury,  Mass., 
and  married  a  daughter  of  Hon.  Thomas  Dud- 
ley, Governor  of  the  colony.  He  had  twelve 
children,  five  of  whom  became  clergymen,  and 
lived  to  see  four  of  his  grandsons  candidates  for 
the  Gospel  ministry.  One  of  these  grandsons 
was  Rev.  Ashbel  Woodbridge,  the  grandfather 
of  Major  Theodore  Woodbridge  and  Joseph 
Woodbridge,  Esq. 

Josiah  Curtis  came  to  Salem  in  18(10  or  1801, 
and  located  on  the  East  and  West  road,  about 
one-half  mile  west  from  Hamlinton.  From  an 
obituary  written  to  the  Advocate  and  Journal, 
by  Rev.  Alanson  Benjamin  in  1836,  we  extract 
the  following:  "Josiah  Curtiss  emigrated  to 
Salem  in  1801,  being  one  of  the  four  who  first 
settled  in  this  place,  which  was  then  a  dreary 
wilderness  and  had  been  but  a  short  time  before 
traversed  by  the  savage  of  the  forest.  Their 
first  object  was  to  establish  the  worship  of  God 
among  them,  that  the  holy  Sabbath  might  be 
honored.  For  several  years  they  were  de- 
prived of  hearing  the  Gospel  preached,  except 
they  were  occasionally  visited  by  a  Presby- 
terian missionary.  Our  deceased  father  was 
among  the  first  who  espoused  the  cause  of 
Methodism  in  this  country  under  the  pious 
labors  of  Rev.  Christopher  Fryc  In  1807  a 
glorious  revival  then  took  place,  and  he,  with 
two  others,  united  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  and  were  soon  followed  by  about 
sixty  others."  He  died  aged  seventy-eight. 
He  was  the  first  assessor  of  Salem  after  it  was 
set  off  from  Canaan,  in  1809,  and  returned 
sixty  persons  assessed.  His  children  were,sons, 
Gideon,  Fitch  11.  and  Edward,  and  daughters 
Sophia,  Rebecca  and  Marilla. 

1.  Gideon  Curtis,  a  farmer,  who  was  for 
many  years  a  noted  supervisor  of  the  town, 
married  Ann  Goodrich.  His  children  were 
Lorenzo,  who  went  south ;  Charles,  who  iives 
at  Dunning;  Josiah,  who  married  Ann  Catter- 
son  and  lives  on  the  homestead.  He  is  noted 
for    his    memory    of  dates    and   events.       His 


75- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


family  consists  of  six  children, — Emma,  who 
married  W.  A.  Van  Sickle,  lives  on  the  old 
Charles  Peet  place.  The  others  are  John  Ed- 
ward, Helen,  George  and  Arthur.  Almira 
married  E.  R.  Jones,  of  Jonestown;  Louisa 
married  Jared  Dennett  and  lives  in  Paupack. 

2.  Fitch  II.  Curtis  was  an  excellent  cabinet- 
maker. Many  cherry  and  curl  maple  bureaus 
and  other  articles  of  furniture,  made  by  him,  are 
in  possession  of  the  families  of  Salem,  and  show 
the  skill  of  the  maker.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
Methodist  class-leaders  in  the  place,  and  acted 
as  such  for  thirty-four  years.  He  married 
Lydia  Rogers  and  lived  on  the  place  now- 
owned  by  L.  G.  Clearwater.  Among  his  ten 
children  was  Noadiah,  a  bachelor,  who  lived  on 
the  place  and  winked  as  a  carpenter.  He  is 
now  dead.  Noadiah  Curtis,  Levi  Powell, 
Thomas  R.  Benson  and  Henry  Davenport  were 
the  four  men  from  Salem  who  responded  to 
Abraham  Lincoln's  call  for  seventy-five  thou- 
sand men  for  three  months  to  crush  the  Rebellion. 
Mary  <  Jurtis  married  James  Powell, a  substantial 
farmerand  Methodist  class- leader  at  Maplewood. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Lydia.  Sarah  married 
Am/.i  Swingle  and  lives  in  Peckville. 

.'!.  Edward  Curtis  was  a  bachelor.  He  lived 
on  the  old  homestead  with  his  sister  Marilla, 
who  never  married.  Mahala  Jones  and  Jane 
Butler,  two  nieces,  also  lived  with  them.  Ed 
ward  Curtis  was  a  carpenter  and  farmer  and  a 
very  honest  man.  Marilla,  when  she  died, 
bequeathed  her  property,  amounting  to  eighteen 
hundred  dollars,  to  the  Salem  Presbyterian 
Church.  Rebecca  married  Edmund  Nicholson 
and  .Sophia  married  Amasa  Jones. 

The  Curtis  family,  taken  together,  are  re- 
markable for  their  integrity. 

Michael  Mitchell  came  to  Salem  about  1800. 
He  had  a  log  cabin  opposite  the  camp-ground, 
not  far  from  the  spring,  where  Jairus  was  born 
in  1802.  He  then  moved  to  a  place  below 
Wilkes- 1  Jarre,  and  from  there  to  Spring  Brook 
and  elsewhere.  He  died  in  1855,  aged  eighty, 
and  his  wife  in  1867,  aged  ninety-one.  His 
children  are  Eli,  Nancy  (Mrs.  Daniel  Landon), 
Salmon,  Jairus,  Leveret,  John  P.,  Julius,  Alva 
and  Shepherd. 

The  Mitchells  are  nearly  all  goodsingers  and 


inherit  the  happy-go-lucky  disposition  of  their 
ancestor.  Ambrose  Nicholson  says  his  father, 
Francis  Nicholson,  of  Glastonbury,  Conn.,  was 
a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  was  during  the 
war  part  of  the  time  in  Pennsylvania.  He 
married  Rachael  Loveland,  and  they  had  ten 
children.  In  February,  LS00,  he  moved  to 
Salem,  and  settled  one  mile  west  of  Salem  ( !or- 
ners  on  the  East  and  West  road.  His  children 
were  Edmund,  Jonathan  L.,  Mynis,  Polly, 
Cleora,  Fanny,  Zenas  and  Ambrose. 

Edmund  Nicholson  married  a  daughter  of 
Josiah  Curtis,  and  lived  one  mile  southwest  of 
Hamlinton. 

Zenas  Nicholson  was  a  carpenter  and  mill- 
wright. He  resided  on  the  old  homestead  until 
1830,  when  he  removed  to  Hamlinton.  His 
first  wife  was  Mary  Goodrich.  Their  only  son, 
I  loratio,  was  a  lawyer  in  Wilkes-I Jarre.  By  his 
second  wife,  Nancy  Goodrich,  a  sister  of  his 
first  wife,  were  children — G.  Byron  Nicholson, 
who  was  also  an  attorney-at-law  in  Wilkes- 
Barre,  and  Lieutenant  Lyman  Nicholson,  who 
was  killed  at  Gettysburg. 

Seth  G.  Nicholson  married  Mary  A.  Bortree. 
He  was  twice  justice  of  the  peace  in  Salem,  had 
a  store  at  Hamlinton  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
subsequently  moved  to  Sterling.  His  daughter, 
Marian,  married  Ira  Kellam.  Frank,  his  son, 
married  Mary  Houck,  and  Rhoda  is  at  home. 
Milton  Nicholson  married  Elizabeth  Potter,  and 
lives  in  Kingston.  Oscar  Nicholson  is  in  Lack- 
awanna County.  Mary  married  John  Leonard. 
Her  children  are  Marion,  (who  married  George 
\V.  Bid  well),  Josephine  and  Byron. 

Emeline  Nicholson  married  George  W.  Sim- 
ons, a  merchant  at  Hamlinton  and  now  (1885) 
county  commissioner. 

Ambrose  Nicholson,  the  youngest  of  Francis 
Nicholson's  family,  is  the  only  one  now  living, 
aged  eighty-three,  in  Tccuinseh,  Neb.  He  mar- 
ried Minerva  Fish,  and  lived  on  the  old  home- 
stead for  many  years.  His  children  were  Ho- 
bart,  who  died  in  the  army  ;  Gilbert  Nicholson, 
married  to  Mary  Potter  ;  Austin  and  Emma, 
wdio  went  West. 

James  Thomas  was  the  next  family  on  the 
west,  adjoining  Francis  Nicholson.  His  chil- 
dren's names  were  Lucy,  Delia  and  .James. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


Timothy  Hollister  married  Betsy  Treat.  He 
and  Ephraim  Bidwell  came  from  Connecticut 
to  Salem  in  the  year  1800.  They  lodged  in  a 
hut  used  in  a  sugar  camp,  a  mile  north  of  Little 
Meadows,  on  the  Jonestown  road.  Returning 
to  Connecticut,  they  brought  their  families  the 
next  spring,  when  Hollister  and  his  friend  sep- 
arated. Hollister  remained  where  they  had 
broken  ground,  and  Bidwell  settled  in  what  is 
now  called  Bidwelltown,  one  mile  south  of 
East  school-house.  Timothy  Hollister  was  a 
worker  aud  a  good  fanner.  In  his  old  age  he 
moved  West.  His  children  were  Betsy,  who 
married  John  Andrews,  Jr. ;  Nabby,  who  mar- 
ried Isaac  Kellam,  and  lived  in  Paupack  ; 
Timothy  and  Milla,  who  lived  in  the  West; 
Thomas,  married  Hannah  Andrew  ;  and  Jemi- 
ma, who  married  Daniel  Peet,  Jr.,  who  lived 
about  one-half  mile  north  of  Little  Meadows. 
They  had  twelve  children,  among  them  Solon 
Peet,  who  married  Harriet  Stevens,  and  had  one 
son,  Alby  F.  ;  he  died  in  the  army.  Abigail 
Peet  married  Mahlon  Christie,  a  wealthy  far- 
mer of  Sussex  County,  N.  J.  Abner  married 
Jane  Howell,  and  resides  north  of  Peet  Pond. 
Rebecca  married  Captain  Curtis,  and  lives  in 
Hawley.  John  C.  and  Mynott  are  in  the 
township. 

Ephraim  Bidwell  married  Dorcas  Andrews, 
sister  of  John  Andrews,  Sr.  He  was  a  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  served  under  Washington,  and 
was  present  at  the  execution  of  Major  Andre. 
He  settled  on  the  place  now  owned  by  Calvin 
Peck.  His  children  were  Luther,  Prudence, 
Jabez,  Sail)-,  Orren,  Lucy,  William,  Ashbel  and 
Rachel. 

Luther  married  Polly  Miller,  and  located 
one-half  mile  west  of  his  father,  on  the  cross- 
road from  Bidwell  Hill  to  Woodbridge's.  He 
had  six  children  ;  one  of  them,  named  Luther, 
lived  with  Moses  Wright.  Prudence  married 
Samuel  Pease,  who  died  from  hydrophobia. 

Jabez  Bidwell  married  Sally  Daniels,  and  set- 
tled about  one-half  mile  east  of  his  father,  on 
the  Ledgedale  road.  He  had  a  large  family. 
Among  them  were  Anson,  who  married  Manda 
Andrews,  and  located  east  of  his  father ;  Ephra- 
im, who  married  Elizabeth  Davis  and  lived 
in  Bidwelltown  ;  (he  died  in  the  army  ;  his 
73 


children  are  Wilmer,  Eugene,  Ella  and  Thom- 
as) ;  Chauncey,  married  Charlotte  Sheerer,  is  a 
stone-mason  ;  Sally,  married  James  Stewart, 
who  lived  near  his  brother-in-law,  Orren. 

Orren  Bidwell  married  Betsey  Daniels,  and 
located  near  Laurel  Run,  about  two  miles  from 
his  father's,  on  the  road  towards  Ledgedale, 
where  he  built  a  saw-mill.  He  had  thirteen 
children,  among  them  Ira,  who  married  Eliza 
Wright,  lived  on  the  old  place  and  ran  the 
saw-mill  for  many  years  ;  William  Harrison, 
married  Joel  Jones'  daughter,  and  lives  in  Lake 
township ;  George,  who  married  Marion  Leon- 
ard, and  died  from  disease  contracted  in  the 
army;  Louisa,  who  married  Archie  Smith; 
Mary  Jane,  who  married  Abram  Simons;  Manda, 
who  married  Reuben  Engle ;  Armenia,  who 
married  'Gus  Webster;  Hiram,  who  married 
Dolly  Nicholson  ;  and  Frank,  who  died  in  the 
army. 

Lucy  Bidwell  married  Noah  Rogers,  and 
moved  to  Canaan  ;  William  Bidwell  married 
Caroline  Brown,  and  finally  moved  West ;  John 
Bidwell,  one-  of  their  sons,  recently  died  in 
Honesdale. 

Ashbel  Bidwell  married  Polly,  a  daughter 
of  Rev.  William  G rifting,  a  Methodist  minister, 
who  had  thirteen  children.  He  lived  on  the 
old  homestead  many  years,  and  sold  to  John  P. 
Landsiel,  purchasing  elsewhere.  He  had  four 
children, — George  Mclvin,  who  married  Mary 
Ammerman  ;  John  William,  who  married  Adelia 
Loring;  Julia,  married  Thomas  Couklin  ;  So- 
phronius,  a  carpenter. 

Rachel  Bidwell,  the  last  of  the  old  family, 
married  Josiah  Davis,  who  also  lived  in  Bid- 
welltown. Their  children  were  Solon,  Byron, 
Roger  and  Loring.  These  facts  are  chiefly  taken 
from  old  records  kept  by  Polly  Bidwell,  who 
is  now  eighty  years  of  age.  The  Bidwells  are 
an  industrious,  hard-working  family,  and  have 
contributed  their  share  in  clearing  the  farms, 
building  walls  and  houses  and  otherwise  im- 
proving the  township.  The  family  furnished 
more  soldiers  for  the  late  war  than  any  in  Sa- 
lem. Bidwell  Lake,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water 
covering  about  seventy  acres,  is  named  in  their 
honor. 

Jeremiah  Osgood  came  to   Salem  in  1801 


754 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  settled  on  the  North  and  South  road,  about 
one  mile  north  of  Hamlinton.  He  served  four 
years  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  lived  to 
be  ninety-nine  years  old.  Among  his  children 
were  Jeremiah,  Daniel,  Joseph  and  Lydia. 
Jeremiah  Osgood,  Jr.,  married  Diantha  Lutz, 
and  had  four  children  ;  Ruth,  who  married  John 
Wilcox,  and  lived  on  the  old  place,  now  occu- 
pied by  her  son,  Angelo  Wilcox  ;  Merritt  Os- 
good, who  married  Susan  Cobb  and  had  three 
children, — Ruey,  Alice  and  Friend. 

Daniel  Osgood  married  Susan  Spangenberg, 
and  had  four  children.  John  Osgood,  one  of 
the  sons,  married  Lydia  Fairchild.  His  son 
Daniel  is  a  lawyer  in  Tecumseh,  Neb.  l>r. 
Joseph  Osgood  married  Elizabeth  Bartlow,  and 
had  ten  children,  among  them  Joseph  Osgood, 
Jr.,  who  lives  near  his  father ;  Lucy,  who  mar- 
ried Elbert  Goodrich  ;  and  Didema,  who  mar- 
ried Eugene  Goodrich.  Dr.  Joseph  Osgood  was 
born  in  1804, and  is  still  living.  He  commenced 
practicing  medicine  in  1836.  Lydia  Osgood, 
the  only  daughter,  married  Ebenezer  Cobb. 

Jesse  Morgan  settled  between  Jeremiah  Os- 
good and  Salem  Corners  about  1800.  He  sub- 
sequently moved  to  Morgan  II ill,  where  Sam- 
uel Morgan  afterwards  lived.  His  son  George 
died  in  Canaan,  aged  ninety-seven. 

Aaron  Morgan  began  farming  north  of  his 
brother  Samuel ;  subsequently  purchased  the 
northeast  section  of  the  old  London  lot  of  Charles 
Goodrich,  Jr.,  and  built  a  stone  house,  which  is 
now  occupied  by  Frederick  A.  Abbey.  He 
married  Ruby  Rathbone.  His  children  were 
Sarah,  Jeanette,  Lucia  and  Alice.  Sarah  mar- 
ried Henry  Abbey.  Her  children  are  Frederick 
and  Clark.  Alice  married  Matthias  Haag,  a 
devoted  Christian  man,  who  was  the  leader  of 
a  small  band  of  Perfectionists. 

Oliver  Hamlin,  mentioned  above,  married 
Nancy  Baldwin,  and  kept  a  store  and  public- 
house  in  Hamlinton.  He  subsequently  lived 
in  Bethany  and  Honesdale  ;  was  county  com- 
missioner three  years  and  associate  judge  live 
years.  His  children  by  his  first  wife  were 
Harriet,  Hannah,  Hortou,  Plobart  and  Henri- 
etta. Horton  was  a  merchant  in  Honesdale 
for  many  years. 

Harris  Hamlin,  Jr.,  a  farmer  near  Hollister- 


ville,  married  Mary  Long.  His  children  were 
Lyman,  postmaster  at  Cedar  Keys,  Fla. ; 
Ruey  ;  and  George,  who  married  Frances  Davis, 
and  presides  over  the  Salem  Hotel,  at  Ham- 
linton. 

David  Hale  took  up  the  place  afterward  oc- 
cupied by  Daniel  Peet,  Jr. 

Dr.  Lewis  Collins  bought  the  Little  Mea 
dows  place  in  1801,  and  occupied  it  two  years. 
One  of  his  sons,  Decius  Collins,  resided  in  Pucker 
Street.  His  daughter,  Sophia  A.  Collins,  is  an 
assistant  teacher  in  Scranton  graded  school, 
and  Phimelia  married  N.  A.  Hulburt,  music 
dealer  in  Scranton. 

Thomas  Cook  married  Julia,  a  daughter  ot 
Abner  Collins,  and  lives  on  the  Luther  Weston 
place.  His  children  are  Sidney  W.,  Dr.  Lewis 
Cook,  Ella  and  Stella. 

Seth  Goodrich  bought  the  Little  Meadows 
place  of  Dr.  Collins  in  l80-'5.  He  married 
Polly,  a  daughter  of  Phineas  Grover,  who  led 
the  forlorn  hope  at  Stony  Point.  His  children 
were  Anson,  George,  Phineas  and  Dwight, 
sons;  and  Mary,  Nancy,  Sally  and  Rebecca, 
daughters. 

Anson  Goodrich,  a  farmer,  lived  in  Pucker 
Street,  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  his  son 
Hiram.  He  married  Eunice  Andrews  and 
had  eleven  children.  Of  his  children,  Julia 
married  Stephen  Clarke,  who  lives  in  Lake  ; 
George  L.  married  Lois  Russell ;  Mary  mar- 
ried Horace  Bell,  the  children  being  Frederick 
(merchant  in  Hawley),  Harriet,  George, 
Charles  and  Adaline  ;  Lucy  married  Lafayette 
Rhone  and  removed  to  the  West;  Sally  mar- 
ried Charles  Pelton,  a  farmer  in  Pucker  Street. 
They  have  three  boys, — Frank,  who  married 
Addie  Walker,  is  a  merchant  in  Moscow ; 
Florence  T.,  who  married  Jane  Walker,  lives 
on  the  Decius  Collins  place  ;  and  Leroy,  who 
married  Olive  Nash,  is  on  the  homestead. 

Nancy  Goodrich  married  Charles  Gillett,  and 
George,  their  son,  lives  west  of  Hamlinton. 

Hiram,  who  occupies  the  homestead,  married 
Rachel  Robinson,  and  Phebe  Quick  for  his 
second  wife.  Angeline  is  the  wife  of  John 
Bell,  of  Hawley. 

George,  the  second  sou  of  the  original  fam- 
ily,   married    Abigail    Moore,    a    daughter   of 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


755 


Moore,  Sr.  He  retained  the  Little 
Meadows  place  and  dispensed  the  hospitalities 
of  the  old  homestead  in  a  generous  manner. 
Having  no  children  they  adopted  several ; 
among  them,  Mary  Barlow,  Mary  Jane  White, 
Nancy  Moore  and  Warren  Moore.  George 
Goodrich  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  clerk  of  the  session  for  many 
years  ;  also  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  number  of 
terms.  He  was  one  of  the  solid  men  of  Salem 
in  his  day. 

Phineas  G rover  Goodrich  was  burn  at  Little 
Meadows  in  1804.  He  lived  on  the  homestead 
until  eighteen  years  of  age,  then  taught  school 
in   Salem,   Paupack  and   Connecticut  for  nine 


:"  :\ 


1 


w¥  sr 


years.  In  1836'  he  moved  from  Salem  to 
Bethany,  and  took  charge  of  the  county  offices 
as  clerk,  under  Paul  S.  Preston.  In  1845  he 
was  elected  prothouotary  and  clerk  of  the  courts 
for  three  years.  He  engaged  in  surveying  in 
1850,  in  connection  with  farming.  He  was 
elected  county  surveyor  in  1856,  was  twice 
elected  county  auditor  and  served  from  1874 
till  1880,  and,  during  the  court-house  trouble, 
was  an  anti-court-house  man.  He  set  off  the 
townships  of  Texas,  Cherry  Pudge  and  Pan- 
pack,  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace  in 
1865,  and  has  held  the  position  since.  His 
most  important  work  is  Goodrich's  "History 
of  Wayne  County,"  a  work  which  future  his- 
torians of  Wayne  County  will  depend  upon  to 
a  considerable  degree.     He   is  a  ready  writer, 


something  of  a  poet  and  a  good  story-teller. 
His  mind  is  stored  with  folk-lore  and  reminis- 
cences of  the  old  settlers,  poetry  and  anecdotes. 
His  overflowing  humor  and  varied  information 
have  ever  made  him  a  companionable  man  to 
young  and  old.  He  married  Lucia  Rathbone, 
and  both  are  living  at  Bethany.  He  is  eighty- 
one  years  of  age,  has  been  administrator  of  a 
large  number  of  estates,  and  is  a  trusted  man 
in  such  offices.  Nancy  married  Zenas  Nichol- 
son for  her  first,  and  Dr.  Erastus  Wright  for 
her  second  husband.  Her  family  is  elsewhere 
noticed.  She  is  still  living,  with  her  daughter, 
Emma  Simons,  aged  eighty-three.  Rebecca 
Goodrich  married  Joseph  Moore,  Jr.  She  had 
five  daughters  and  one  son,  Warren  G.  Moore. 
The  Grand  Army  Post  in  Hollisterville  is 
named   in  his  honor. 

Sallie  married  Alanson  Hollister  and  will  be 
elsewhere  noticed.     Dwight  is  a  bachelor. 

Seth  <i Irich'ssecond  wife  was  Mrs.  Hewitt. 

She  had  four  children  by  her  first  husband, — 
Dettric,  Isaac,  Mary  Ann  and  Betsey. 

Mary  Ann  married  Phineas  Howe,  of  Ster- 
ling, and  is  still  living. 

Betsey  Hewitt  married  Uriah  Williams  and 
was  the  mother  of  George,  John  and  Sandford 
Williams. 

Samuel  Harford  was  in  Wayne  County  as 
early  as  1801.  He  moved  from  Purdytowu  to 
the  spot  where  Michael  McKegney  now  resides, 
in  1809,  and  commenced  farming  on  Peet  Hill 
in  1810. 

James  Harford  came  later  and  lived  on  the 
place  first  owned  by  Abner  Goodrich. 

Samuel  Harford  was  an  honest  Christian 
man. 

In  1829  Harford  sold  his  place  to  Daniel 
Peet,  Sr.,  and  moved  to  Moss  Hollow. 

About  1831  David  Warner  started  a  tannery 
at  Moss  Hollow,  containing  seven  or  eight 
vats.  Abijah  Peet,  a  practical  tanner  and  cur- 
rier, assisted  him.  He  also  carried  on  shoema- 
king  with  two  or  three  men.  Subsequently  Gaius 
Moss  and  his  son-in-law,  Alexander  Guile,  of 
Susquehanna  County,  bought  the  tannery  and 
carried  on  an  upper  leather  manufactory  under 
the  name  of  Moss  &  Guile.  Some  years  later 
Friend  B.  Moss  took  the  place  of  his  father  in 


756 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  firm.  They  carried  on  harness-making  also, 
until  Guile  was  killed  in  the  back-woods,  when 
Angelo  Brown,  who  had  married  Cornelia  Guile, 
succeeded  as  member  of  the  firm.  Moss  & 
Brown  built  a  new  tannery  and  ran  it  with  the 
saw-mill  until  1878,  when  they  failed,  since 
which  time  no  tanning  has  been  done. 

Friend  B.  Moss  was  a  good  conversationist, 
pleasant  and  genial  in  his  manners,  which  made 
him  very  popular.  He  held  various  township 
offices  and  was  once  elected  associate  judge,  but 
refused  to  serve.     He  now  lives  in  Moscow. 

Angelo  Brown,  Josiah  Brown,  James  Weth- 
erill  and  Samuel  Blois,  who  had  helped  carry  on 
the  works  at  Moss  Hollow,  moved  to  Stanley, 
Nebraska.  Angelo  Brown  was  one  of  the  anti- 
court-house  committee.  He  was  a  man  of  read- 
ing and   reflection. 

Caleb  Kendall  married  Philena,  one  of  Sam- 
uel Harford's  daughters,  and  Aaron  Gillett, 
Betsey,  the  remaining  daughter. 

Aaron  Gillett  came  about  1821,  and  taught 
school  in  East  school-house.  He  built  a  plank 
house  west  of  Bidwell  Pond  in  1823,  and  occu- 
pied it  for  thirty  years,  when  he  built  the  house 
on  the  hillside  now  occupied  by  his  widow. 
He  will  be  remembered  for  his  great  kindness 
to  the  poor.  The  latch-string  ever  hung  out, 
and  all,  however  wretched,  were  welcome.  Mr. 
Gillett  preached  for  the  Protestant  Methodists 
for  many  years.  He  also  did  surveying  for  the 
neighbors.  Henry  Cooky,  a  deaf  ami  dumb 
negro,  lived  with  him  many  years.  Abraham 
Johnson,  a  pauper,  whom  he  sheltered,  died  at 
the  age  of  one  hundred  and  eight  years. 

Aaron  Gillett  had  thirteen  children, — Charles 
(who  married  Nancy  Goodrich,  lives  at  I  iainlin- 
ton),  Harvey  (married  Emily  Brooks  and  lives 
in  Jefferson),  Philemon  (married  Ellen  Engle 
and  is  a  farmer  on  the  road  from  Bidwelltown 
to  Ledgedale),  Ezra  (married  Jane  Buck,  both 
are  dead  and  have  left  three  children),  Charlotte 
(married  Simon  P.  Lutz  and  raised  a  large 
family),  Diantha  (married  Columbus  Delong 
and  lives  in  Hemlock  Hollow),  Olver  (died  in 
the  army),  Sarah  (married  Charles  Delong  and 
moved  to  Scranton,  where  she  died). 

Elijah  "Weston,  Sr.,  came  to  Salem  in  1807 
and  settled  two  miles  southeast    of  Salem  Cor- 


ners. He  had  two  sons, — Luther  and  Elijah, 
and  one  daughter,  Almira,  who  married  Wil- 
liam Woodbridge.  Luther  Weston  married 
Laura  Jones,  a  daughter  of  Deacon  Asa  Jones, 
for  his  first  wife,  and  Miss  Sallie  Hewitt  for  his 
second  wife.  Sallie  Weston  is  still  living,  aged 
eighty-three  years. 

Luther  Weston  was  a  member  of  the  first 
Congregational  Church  organized  in  Wayne 
County.  He  was  made  a  ruling  elder  at  the 
organization  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Sa- 
lem, in  1832,  and  continued  in  that  capacity 
till  he  died,  covering  a  period  of  nearly  forty 
years.  He  stood  a  pillar  in  Zion  for  more  than 
sixty  years. 

Elijah  Weston  married  Minerva  Torrey,  a 
daughter  of  Jason  Torrey.  He  was  also  an  ex- 
cellent man  and  a  temperance  advocate.  His 
son,  Edward  Weston,  lives  in  Scranton,  and 
has  charge  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company's  lands.  Charles  Weston,  another 
son,  had  a  flouring-mill  in  Shenandoah  Valley, 
Va.,  which  was  burned  by  General  Sheridan, 
lie  afterwards  owned  a  feed-mill  in  Scranton. 

Gabriel  Davis  settled  in  the  southeastern  part 
of  Salem  as  early  as  1809.  Of  his  family,  El- 
sie married  Moses  Bingham,  one  of  the  daugh- 
ters married  a  Rogers,  another  a  Whitehead. 
His  sons  Draper  and  Alexander  moved  away 
and  Philip,  who  married  a  daughter  of  Jonas 
Sutton,  remained  on  the  homestead.  He  was 
killed  by  an  accident.  John  Becker  married 
Esther  Ann.  Matilda  married  Benjamin  Beach. 
Henry  Avery  came  to  Salem  in  IS  10.  He  set- 
tled just  south  of  Timothy  Hollister.  He  had 
been  a  sailor  for  many  years  and  was  a  man  of 
fair  attainments.  He  was  appointed  justice 
of  the  peace  about  1816  or  1818,  and  served 
until  1840.  He  was  a  steward  in  the  Methodist 
Church  in  1812  and  lived  to  be  nearly  ninety- 
seven  years  of  age.  He  married  Lucy  Fisk  and 
had  a  large  family  of  children,  among  them  La- 
in ira,  who  married  Timothy  Wetherill  and  had 
eleven  children.  Of  her  children,  William 
Wetherill  married  Hulda  Everett  and  settled 
east  of  Albert  Stocker  ;  James  Wetherill  mar- 
ried Ellen  Guile.  He  was  a  harness- maker. 
Dennison  is  also  a  harness-maker  at  Hamlinton, 
having  married    Camp  Rosenerantz's  daughter. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


757 


Captain  Alexander  N.  Avery,  who  settled  on 
the  corner  east  of  Little  Meadows  and  north  of 
Albert  Stacker's,  married  Elsie,  a  daughter  of 
Captain  Howe.  He  sold  his  place  to  Joseph  J!. 
Edwards  in  1854,  and  moved  West. 

John  Andrews,  Sr.,  came  to  Salem  as  early 
as  1809.  He  took  up  a  farm  near  Harris 
Hamlin's,  built  the  house  now  occupied  by  E. 
E.  Black,  and  was  one  of  the  first  Methodist 
class-leaders. 

1.  Adrial  Andrews,  his  oldest  son,  was  a 
wagon-maker  and  farmer,  and  he  lived  on  a 
hill  north  of  Salem  Comers.  He  died  recently, 
aged  ninety-four.  He  had  three  wives,  and 
three  children  by  each  wife,  among  them 
Hannah,  who  married  Thomas  Hollister  ;  La- 
vina,  who  married  D.  T.  Abbey;  and  Lueina, 
who  married  Dwight  Chapman.  2.  Charles 
Andrews  married  Ann  Pease,  and  had  four 
children.  3.  Eunice  married  Anson  Goodrich. 
4.  David  married  Lueina  Lutz,  and  had  ten  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  dead.  5.  Anna  married 
Walter  Moore.  (J.  Luna  was  killed  by  an  ac- 
cident. 7.  Amanda  married  Robert  Stanton. 
8.  John  Andrews,  Jr.,  bought  Ashbel  Wood- 
bridge's  improvement,  about  one-half  mile  south 
of  the  East  school-house.  He  married  Betsy 
Hollister  for  his  second  wife,  and  had  eight 
children. 

Abner  Andrews  kept  the  homestead  which  is 
now  occupied  by  his  son-in-law,  John  Watson. 
He  built  a  house  west  of  the  East  school-house, 
which  he  now  occupies,  having  married  Orinda 
Peet,  who  is  the  mother  of  three  daughters  and 
one  son.  Salinda  married  William  Jones,  and 
lives  a  little  south  of  the  East  school-house. 
Adelaide  married  John  Watson.  Ann  Eliza 
married  Henry  Blake,  and  lives  on  the  Gilbert 
Nicholson  place.  John  married  Anna  Pellet, 
and  lives  at  home.  Andrew  J.  Andrews  mar- 
ried Harriet  Jones,  and  lived  on  the  Timothy 
Hollister  place  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
sold  this  place  to  Thomas  and  Frank  Engle, 
who  had  married  Mary  and  Martha  Andrews, 
his  sisters,  and  moved  to  Hamlin  ton.  Andrew 
Andrews  has  no  children.  He  was  the  most 
liberal  contributor  toward  the  Centenary  Meth- 
odist Church,  and  also  the  leading  spirit  in  the 
building  of  Little  Chapel.     He  works  with  the- 


nervous  energy  peculiar  to  the  Andrews  family. 
John  Glossenger  came  to  Salem  about  1818, 
settled  northeast  of  Anson  Goodrich,  and 
cleared  a  good  farm,  which  is  occupied  by  Wil- 
liam Glossenger.  Robert  C.  Glossenger  mar- 
ried a  Tisdell,  and  settled  in  Hemlock  Hollow. 
Polly  Glossenger  lived  to  be  eighty-four  years 
old.  Harry  Heermans  is  assessed  as  a  carpenter 
in  1811.  He  was  a  practical  business  man,  and 
built  a  number  of  the  first  frame  houses  in  the 
township. 

Edmund  Hartford  came  to  Salem  about  1814. 
and  is  also  assessed  as  a  carpenter.  He  owned 
a  grist-mill  on  the  Sterling  side  of  the  Paupack, 
which,  according  to  Goodrich,  was  built  by 
Ephraim  Bidwell,  Ashbel  Woodbridge  and 
William  Hollister.  He  lived  to  be  ninety-four 
years  old.  His  son,  Thomas  Hartford,  now 
runs  a  saw-mill  at  this  point. 

William  Hollister  came  to  Salem  as  early  as 
1814.  He  first  settled  south  of  the  Paupack,  at 
Hartford's,  then  bought  the  Major  Woodbridge 
place,  which  he  sold  to  Ralph  Chapman  in 
183(1,  and  moved  to  Hollisterville,  on  the  spot 
now  occupied  by  his  son,  Asa  Hollister,  who 
married  Loduskey  Purdy.  William  Hollister 
married  Polly  Jones.  She  lived  to  be  eighty- 
four  years  old.  They  had  seven  daughters, — 
Jerusha  and  Harriet  were  wives  of  James 
Waite,  a  merchant  of  Hollisterville.  Laura  A. 
married  A.  B.  Walker.  John  B.  Walker  married 
Jaue.  Leonard  G.  Clearwater  married  Amanda. 
Thomas  M.  Noble,  Escp,  married  Eliza.  Emily 
( '.  was  the  wife  of  Frederick  Leonard. 

Asa  Cobb  settled  in  Lackawanna  County  in 
1784,  on  the  place  now  owned  by  Asa  Cobb, 
Jr.,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  near  the 
gap  which  bears  his  name.  ( )f  Asa  Cobb's 
other  sons,  Ebenezer,  Henry,  William  and 
Cyprian  settled  in  Salem  Ebenezer  Cobb 
married  Lydia  Osgood.  E.  S.  H,  Cobb,  one  of 
his  sons  who  lives  on  the  homestead,  has  given 
much  attention  to  the  raising  of  fruit,  especially 
pears,  of  which  he  has  about  thirty  varieties. 
He  has  preached  for  the  Protestant  Methodists 
nearly  forty-three  years.  Jeremiah  Cobb,  a 
brother,  has  a  saw-mill  on  Potter  Creek,  near 
the  line. 

Mi.hael  Mitchell  built  a  turning-mill  at  Hoi- 


758 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


listerville  in  1814,  about  twenty  feet  above  the 
present  grist-mill.  Ebenezer  Cobb  erected  the 
first  saw-mill  in  Hollisterville  in  181(3. 

Amasa  Hollister  came  from  Glastonbury, 
Conn.,  March  15,  1817,  and  purchased  Ebenezer 
Cobb's  interest  in  the  saw-mill.  He  drove  an 
ox-team,  ten  sheep  and  one  cow,  via  Newburgh, 
and  was  two  weeks  on  the  road.  Alanson 
Hollister,  his  son,  came  in  September,  1817. 
He  was  then  in  his  fifteenth  year.  The  same 
fall  he  and  his  lather  raised  the  house  now  oc- 
cupied by  E.  B.  Hollister,  Esq.  Amasa,  being 
a  blacksmith,  made  all  the  nails. 

January  27,  1820,  Alansou  was  married  to 
Sally,  daughter  of  Seth  Goodrich,  at  Little 
Meadows.  She  died  May  17,  1875,  aged  seventy- 
six.  Alanson  died  July  30, 1876,  aged  seventy- 
eight. 

AJpheus  H.  and  John  II.  came  in  1821. 
Being  mechanics,  with  the  assistance  of  Alan- 
son and  their  father,  they  erected  the  Hollister- 
ville Grist-Mill,  which  was  completed  and  in 
operation  in  1822.  Michael  Mitchell  was  the 
first  miller. 

In  1830  or  1831  Alanson  and  Alpheus  built 
a  carding-maehine.  In  1836  Deacon  Elijah 
Weston  started  a  rake-factory,  and  the  same 
year  a  foundry  was  built  by  John  Mitt,  who  is 
still  living,  aged  eighty-four. 

The  first  store  in  Hollisterville  was  built  by 
Cyprian  Cobb,  in  1844.  The  same  building 
now  stands  in  the  rear  of  Mrs.  Waite's residence. 
Wm,  Hollister  and  his  son-in-law,  James 
Waite,  purchased  this  store  and  built  the  present 
one,  owned  by  Mrs.  KYaite.  C.  M.  West  com- 
menced store-keeping  in  Hollisterville  about 
1852.  Lyman  Hamlin  bought  E.  B.  Hollis- 
ter's  place,  and  converted  the  squire's  office  in- 
to a  store  about  1870.  T.  H.  Baker  afterwards 
owned  it ;  Emanuel  Stevens  now  occupies  the 
place.  George  C.  Andrews  also  has  a  store  in 
Hollisterville. 

Alanson  Hollister  was  a  methodical  man  in 
all  business  transactions,  fixed  in  his  opinions 
and  determined  in  his  purpose.  He  was  ap- 
pointed the  first  postmaster  of  Hollisterville. 
His  children  were  Harriet  G.,  who  married 
Lewis  S.  Watres,  an  alderman  of  Scrauton. 
She  is  a  poetess  of  considerable  merit,  and  writes 


under  the  name  of  "  Stella  of  Lackawanna." 
Her  son,  L.  A.  Watres  is  a  State  Senator  from 
Lackawanna  County. 

Dr.  Horace  Hollister  married  Mary  Goff,  and 
settled  in  Providence,  Pa.  He  read  medicine ; 
graduated  at  the  University  of  the  City  of  New 
York  in  1846;  practiced  since,  until  stricken 
with  paralysis,  in  1881.  He  has  written  the 
"  History  of  Lackawanna  Valley,"  "Coal  Notes," 
"  History  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company,"  "  Recollections  of  our  Physicians," 
and  newspaper  and  magazine  articles.  He  has 
an  immense  collection  of  Indian  and  stone 
relics,  embracing  twenty  thousand  pieces  of 
stone,  burned  clay,  bone  and  copper. 

Sarah  A.  married  Harrison  Stevens,  and  is 
deceased. 

Erastus  B.  Hollister  married  Mary  Fessen- 
den  for  his  first  and  Mary  E.  Burns  for  his 
second  wife.  He  lives  on  the  homestead  and 
holds  his  fifth  commission  as  justice  of  die 
peace.  A  clever  writer  and  a  shrewd  man.  We 
are  indebted  to  him  for  facts  regarding  the 
early  settlement  of  Hollisterville. 

Herschel  H.  Hollister  married,  first,  Maria 
Norton,  and  Susan  Ayres  for  his  second  wife. 
He  lived  for  a  number  of  years  near  his  father's, 
but  has  lately  moved  to  Scranton,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  the  slate  roofing  business. 

Arian  C.  married  Chas.  R.  Hall,  a  civil  en- 
gineer, aud  lives  at  Rochelle,  111. 

Angeline  H.  married  Giles  Whitney,  and 
went  West,  but  has  lately  returned  to  Hollister- 
ville. 

Frances  E.  married  L.  W.  Hamlin,  and  lives 
in  Florida. 

Alpheus  Hollister  married  Mary  Palmer, 
and  had  four  children, — Clarissa  married  A.  L. 
Gregory,  hotel-keeper  at  Hollisterville.  Albert 
G.  Hollister,  who  owns  the  Hollisterville  Grist- 
Mill.  He  married  Mary  Etting  and  has  four 
daughters, — Maria,  who  manied  W.  R.  Beck, 
and  lives  at  Moscow  ;  Frank,  who  married 
Benjamin  Kellam,  attorney-at-law  in  Scranton  ; 
Nellie  N.;  and  Carrie,  who  married  Isaac  W. 
Cobb. 

Joseph  Moore,  Sr.,  had  three  children  by 
his  first  wife, — Joseph  Moore,  Jr.,  Abigail  and 
Matilda,  wife  of  Jonathan   B.   Watrous.     Two 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


of  the  sons  of  the  latter  located  in  Hollister- 
ville, — Egbert  Watrous  (who  married  Clarissa 
Skelton)  and  Joseph  Watrous  (who  was  a 
Protestant  Methodist  preacher  of  considerable 
talent).  He  was  at  one  time  president  of  this 
district  in  that  church.  J.  B.  Watrous  lived 
to  be  over  eighty  years  of  age,  and  his  wife  sur- 
vives at  eighty-two. 

Edward  Moore  married  Esther  Landreth  and 
settled  on  the -farm  first  owned  by  Harris  Ham- 
lin in  1825. 

His  children  were  Lucy,  a  maiden  lady  ; 
Laura,  who  married  John  Dobson  and  lived 
in  Sterling;  Dr.  Joseph  S.  Moore  married 
Electa  Jones  and  had  one  son,  Newton,  de- 
ceased ;  Horace  Moore  lives  in  Jonestown;  and 
Walter  Moore,  who  married  Anna  Andrews 
lives  opposite  the  old  homestead.  He  is  noted 
for  his  hospitality.  His  children  are  Simon 
W.,  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Lake;  Delos ; 
Esther  A.,  wife  of  J.  B.  Mott;  and  Electa. 

John  Mott  started  a  foundry  in  Hollister- 
ville,  which  is  now  carried  on  by  his  son,  J.  B. 
Mott.  His  wife  was  Asenath  Race.  Their 
children  were  Lucy  Ann,  who  married  Alfred 
Burns ;  Philena  B.,  who  married  Geo.  M. 
Hathull,  private  company  E,  One  Hundred 
and  Forty-third  Regiment;  Siba  Mutt,  who 
married  Ann  Burke,  is  a  carpenter  ;  J.  Byron 
Mott,  moulder ;  George  E.  Mott,  jeweler  ;  and 
Mary  Mott,  an  accomplished  school-teacher,  who 
obtained  her  education  largely  without  an  in- 
structor and  has  taught  since  she  was  sixteen 
years  of  age. 

Solomon  S.  Sharp  who  lived  in  the  western 
part  of  the  township,  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
and  moved  to  Salem,  where  he  raised  a  family 
of  children.  John  H.  Baisley,  who  was  the 
father  of  thirteen  children,  was  killed  on  No. 
20  Plane,  October  10,  1864,  aged  fifty-four 
years. 

Dr.  Asa  Hamlin  came  to  Salem  about  1814 
as  the  first  settled  physician.  He  rented  the 
stand  on  the  southwest  corner  of  the  London 
lot  of  Harry  Heermans  and  kept  tavern  for 
some  time.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  same 
business  by  John  Roosa  in  1826,  and  ten  years 
later  sold  to  William  Nash,  the  father  of  John 
Nash,  who  is  a  tinsmith  at  Hamlinton.  William 


Nash  sold  to  William  Engle,  the  father  of 
Reuben,  Frank  and  Thomas  Engle.  The  re- 
maining hotel,  now  the  Salem  Hotel,  was  kept 
first  by  Oliver  Hamlin;  second,  by  Luther  and 
Elijah  Weston,  temperance  house  at  that  time; 
third,  by  A.  B.  Walker,  who  bought  out  Wil- 
liam Engle  and  consolidated  the  hotel  business;1 
fourth,  by  Abram  Clearwater;  fifth,  by  B.  G. 
Clearwater,  who  kept  one  of  the  best  country 
hotels  in  the  county  and  is  now  enjoying  the 
quiet  of  a  farmer's  life  at  his  home,  just  beyond 
the  camp-ground.  George  Hamlin  has  the 
hotel  now.  The  physicians  of  Salem  have  been 
Dr.  Lewis  Collins,  1801  to  180:5;  Dr.  Asa 
Hamlin,  1814;  Dr.  Erastus  Wright,  L823; 
Dr.  Button  ;  Dr.  Jos.  Osgood,  1836,  still  liv- 
ing, aged  eighty-one  ;  Dr.  Hiram  lilois,  18.39, 
living,  aged  eighty-seven  ;  Dr.  Chas.  E.  Burr, 
now  in  Carbondale;  Dr.  J.  N.  Wilson,  who 
was  one  of  the  most  skillful  physicians  ever  in 
Salem ;  and  Dr.  T.  B.  Orchard,  a  son-in-law  of 
Dr.  Blois,  who,  by  strict  attention  to  business, 
has  acquired  a  large  practice. 

Dr.  Erastus  Wright  marrjed  Lydia,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Colonel  John  Muzzey,  a  talented  lady. 
Dr.  Wright's  practice  extended  over  an  area  of 
ten  or  fifteen  miles.  He  had  two  daughters, — 
Mary  and  Frances.  Rev.  Albert  R.  Raymond, 
who  married  Mary,  was  born  in  Chenango 
County,  N.  Y.,  November  5,  1806.  His  father 
died  when  he  was  but  a  child  and  soon  after  he 
was  taken  by  his  grandfather  Lathrop  to 
Malta,  N.  Y.,  and  thoroughly  trained  in  Bible 
reading,  Sabbath-keeping  and  church  attend- 
ance. He  professed  religion  and  joined  the 
church  at  sixteen,  prepared  for  college  at  Ball- 
ston  Spa  Grammar  School,  graduated  at  Union 
College  in  1831,  receiving  the  degree  of  A.B. 
Spent  one  year  in  Princeton  Theological  Semi- 
nary. Owing  to  a  cancer  on  the  tongue  relin- 
quished study  for  awhile.  Entered  Auburn 
Theological  Seminary  in  the  fall  of  1  Sol',  spent 
two  years  there  in  the  regular  course  and  six 
months  as  a  resident  graduate  under  Dr.  Cox, 
was  licensed  to  preach  in  1835  and  was  or- 
dained as  an  evangelist,  preferring  it  to  any 
special  charge.     He  preached  at  Nelson  and  at 


'Jeffrey   Well,     Mr.     Johnson    and    Daniel    Astrander 
rented  and  kept  hotel  at  Hamlinton.  . 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  same  time  was  principal  of  the  classical 
school  at  Cazenovia,  at  Liberty  and  Franklin, 
and  from  September  1,  1844,  to  April  6,  1868, 
at  Salem  and  Sterling,  since  which  time  he  has 
ministered  occasionally.  His  children  were 
Frances  (a  music  teacher),  Helen,  Gertrude, 
and  Spencer.  Colonel  B.  T.  Cook,  a  farmer  of 
Franklin,  N.  Y.,  married  Frances,  Dr.  Wright's 
other  (laughter. 

Charles  and  Abijah  Peet  came  to  Salem  from 
New  Milford,  Conn.,  in  1827.  Charles  Peet 
built  a  log  house  opposite  the  Woodbridge 
store-house,  where  he  lived  one  year,  then 
moved  north  of  Luther  Weston's.  He  was  a 
reader,  had  a  good  memory  and  loved  an  ar- 
gument. He  frequently  tried  cases  before 
justices  against  Fuller,  Wheeler  and  others,  and 
often  gained  his  suit.  His  wife,  Anna  Wright, 
was  an  ingenious  weaver  of  cloths  and  carpets 
with  the  old-fashioned  hand -looms.  Catharine, 
one  of  his  children,  married  Robert  J.  Portree 
and  lived  in  Sterling.  Daniel  N.  Peet  lives  in 
Tioga  County. 

Abijah  Peet  began  life  at  a  place  now  owned 
by  J.  W.  Bidwell.  He  afterward  traded  this 
with  Horace  Pell  for  the  place  on  Peet  Hill, 
where  he  died  aged  nearly  seventy-four. 
Hester  Peet,  his  widow,  still  occupies  it.  He 
was  a  man'  of  great  physical  strength,  and  at 
the  log  house  raisings  in  those  days  would 
often  lift  against  two  or  three  common  men. 
He  was  a  man  of  reading  and  thought,  and 
most  scrupulously  honest,  Daniel  Peet,  Sr., 
son  of  John  Peet, '  came  to  Salem  in  1829,  and 
bought  the  Samuel  Harford  place,  on  Peet 
Hill,  where  he  lived  till  his  death,  aged  nearly 
eighty-five.  He  had  five  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters,— Charles,  Abijah,  Polly,  Daniel,  Jr., 
Alby,  Caroline,  Betsey  Ann,  Lydia  Rebecca, 
John  and  Orinda. 

Betsey  Ann  remained  on  the  homestead  and 
was  never  married.  John  Peet  married  Mary 
Jane  White,  and  built  a  log  cabin  by  a  spring 
between  his  father's  and  Abijah's  in  1844, 
which  is  still  standing.     He  subsequently  built 


'John  I'eet  whs  a  bloomer  and  part  owner  of  a  forge. 
He  weighed  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds,  and 
could  lift  a  seven  hundred  and  fifty  pound  anvil  on  to  the 
block  with  ease. 


on  the  road.  John  Peet  was  first  lieutenant  of 
the  Salem  militia  company  for  four  years  and 
captain  for  three  years.  Jirah  Mumford  was 
colonel,  and  William  R.  MeLaury  major,  Dr. 
Losey  surgeon, — May  1st,  training-day.  Owen 
Chapman  was  captain,  Jeremiah  Fessenden 
second  lieutenant  and  Anson  Abbey  was  drum- 
mer. The  companies  contained  about  seventy- 
five  men,  who  armed  themselves.  Captain 
John  Peet  is  a  man  of  natural  ability,  and  has  a 
more  accurate  knowledge  of  the  lines,  land- 
marks and  early  settlers  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Salem  than  any  man  at  present  in  the  township. 
Albert  Stocker,  who  married  Lydia  R.  Peet, 
came  to  Salem  in  1840,  and  purchased  a  farm 
east  of  Little  Meadow,  and  north  of  Bidwell 
Lake,  of  William  Swan,  who  had  shortly 
before  secured  it  of  Isaac  P.  Hewitt.  His 
widow  is  still  living  and  has  been  of  great 
assistance  in  preparing  this  historical  sketch. 

Albert  Stocker  was  born  in  Kent  township, 
Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  July  18,  1811.  His 
father,  James  Stocker,  was  a  shoemaker  and 
farmer.  He  was  an  honest  man  and  made  a 
comfortable  living  for  his  family,  but  never 
acquired  any  property  ;  consequently,  Albert  was 
early  thrown  upon  his  own  resources.  Pie 
worked  for  farmers  and  in  a  stone  saw-mill 
which  his  father  rented.  During  winter 
months  he  attended  school  and  acquired  a  fair 
common-school  education.  He  labored  for 
nine  years,  becoming  part  owner  of  a  shingle 
mill.  In  1838  he  married  Lydia  R.  Peet,  and 
in  1840  bought  the  place  before  mentioned, 
which  then  had  but  a  few  acres  cleared.  He 
immediately  proceeded  to  clear  a  farm,  on 
which  he  resided  until  his  death,  March  23, 
1878.  Pie  was  prompt  and  punctual  in  his 
engagements,  honest  in  his  dealings,  and  out- 
spoken in  his  opinions.  He  was  an  ardent 
Democrat,  and  when  there  was  a  great  prejudice 
among  Americans  against  foreigners  he  extended 
to  them  the  right  hand  of  welcome. 

Albert  Stacker's  four  children  were  Melissa, 
who  died  young  ;  Jerome  T.  Stocker,  farmer 
and  merchant,  who  married  Emma  F.  Walker, 
and  built  on  the  Peet  Hill  road,  about  a  quarter- 
mile  from  his  father's  (he  was  appointed  post- 
master of  Peetona  January  18,  1886);  Rhaman- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


761 


thus  M.  Stocker,  who  retains  the  homestead  ; 
and  James  D.  Stocker,  who  is  in  partnership 
with  Sidney  W.  Cook,  his  brother-in-law,  in 
the  mercantile  business  in  Jermyn,  Lackawanna 
County,  Pa. 

William  Rollison  married  Susanna  Schoon- 
over,  aud  settled  in  Rollisontown  in  1828. 
Mrs.  Rollison  lived  to  be  nearly  ninety-six 
years  of  age.  She  claimed  to  have  lived  in  the 
first  log  cabin  built  in  Bethany,  and  had  seventy- 
one  direct  living  descendants.  Their  sons  were 
John,  Nathaniel  and  Asa.  John  had  a  large 
family, — Enos,  Jehu  (killed  in  the  late  war), 
Otis  and  William.  Merritt  D.  Rollison  mar- 
ried Abigail  Kimble,  and  lives  on  the  home- 
stead, lie  is  postmaster  of  the  place.  Matilda 
married  Edward  Ammerman.  Asa  married 
Rachel  Masten.  They  all  settled  near  their 
father. 

James  Osborne,  aged  seventy-eight,  came 
from  Columbia  County  iu  1828,  and  built  a 
log  cabin  on  the  place  he  now  occupies  in  Rol- 
lisontown. He  married  Rachel  Persing  and 
had  nine  children. 

Peter  Osborne  married  a  daughter  of  William 
Harris,  and  bought  the  Ashbel  Miller  place, 
near  that  of  William  Rollison's.  His  children 
were  Truman,  Oliver,  George,  Wilson,  Mary, 
Matilda,  Lucy  and  Lamira.  Robert  Patten 
came  to  Salem  from  Middletown,  Conn.,  in 
1839,  or  thereabouts,  aad  settled  on  the  place 
now  occupied  by  C.  S.  Cobb.  He  was  a  man 
of  some  wealth,  erected  good  buildings  and  a 
saw-mill  on  the  Paupack.  He  made  a  large 
clearing.  Franklin  Goodspeed  came  about 
the  same  time,  but  returned. 

Samuel  Swingle  married  Catharine  Cobb, 
aud  had  thirteen  children.  Robert.  Enos  and 
James  have  good  farms  in  Lake.  He  bought 
his  farm  of  William  Swann  in  1837. 

John  Van  Camp  came  from  New  Jersey  in 
1826,  and  settled  near  Hollisterville.  He  mar- 
ried Polly  Hales,  and  had  twelve  children, 
among  whom  were  James  Van  Camp,  who  has 
been  justice  of  the  peace  three  terms,  and  Henry 
and  Aaron,  who  located  near  home.  James 
Van  Gorder,  who  also  lives  in  that  vicinity, 
came  in  1825.  His  children  were  Samuel, 
Sally,  Aaron  and  Cyprian.  George  Foote 
74 


bought  the  old  freehold  place  in  1842.  He  was 
a  brick-layer  and  plasterer  by  trade,  and  com- 
missioner during  the  anti-court-house  troubles. 
He  married  Anner  Moorehouse,  who  is  living, 
aged  eighty-two.  Francis  Chapman  married 
Sarah  Foote,  and  lives  in  Lake.  George  M. 
Foote,  a  mason,  also  lives  in  Lake.  C.  R. 
Spangenberg,  who  married  Esther,  the  youngest 
daughter,  lives  in  the  homestead,  while  the 
widow  and  two  daughters — Catharine  and 
Lamira — are  at  Hamlinton.  Ralph  Foote,  the 
youngest  son,  lives  west  of  Salem  Corners. 

Curtes  E.  Lamson  came  from  Connecticut, 
and  located  on  the  Five  Mile  Creek,  two  miles 
cast  nf  Albert  Stocker's,  where  he  built  a  saw- 
mill, and  started  the  first  marble-works  in 
Salem.  Ralph  Chapman  came  to  Salem  about 
1840,  and  bought  the  Major  Woodbridge  place 
of  William  Hollister.  lie  carried  on  black- 
smithing  and  farming,  and  had  a  large  family. 
Oliver  lives  in  Prompton,  and  was  once  county 
commissioner.  Orlando,  Ralph,  Edgar  and 
Francis  arc  not  in  the  township.  Ezeriah  mar- 
ried Harriet  Polly,  and  lives  on  the  Amos  Polly 
place.  George  Chapman  married  Eunice  Buck- 
ingham, and  is  on  the  Henry  Avery  farm. 
Laura  married  Captain  G.  C.  Davenport,  and 
moved  West.  Russell  Indwell  married  Marietta, 
and  reared  a  large  family.  Jeremiah  Fessenden 
settled  on  the  back  road  from  Salem  to  Hollis- 
terville in  1840.  His  son,  Elizur,  married 
Louisa  ( 'lmpman,  and  has  two  children — <  reorge 
and  Floyd.  He  runs  a  carding-works  and  grist- 
mill near  Hollisterville.  Ralph  Chapman's 
second  wife  was  Mrs.  Ames.  Of  her  children, 
Warner  Ames  died  a  bachelor,  and  Lorenzo 
Ames,  who  is  a  blacksmith,  has  a  large  family. 
Daniel  Potter  settled  in  Pucker  Street  about 
1840,  and  had  a  number  of  daughters,  all  of 
whom  were  good  singers.  E.  B.  Smith,  who 
married  Eugenia,  lives  on  the  old  farm. 

Amos  Polly,  son  of  Esquire  Polly,  married 
Mary  Jane  Woodbridge,  and  lived  on  the  place 
first  occupied  by  P.  G.  Goodrich,  in  Packer 
Street.  Of  their  children,  Evaline  married  S. 
M.  Peet,  and  is  deceased.  Ezeriah  Chapman 
married  Harriet,  and  lives  on  the  old  place,  and 
Elbert  Polly  died  in  the  army  and  Edward 
went  West.    Daniel  Chapman,  who  lived  north 


762 


WAYNE,  PIKE,  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


of  John  Glossenger,  had  two  wives  and  fifteen 
children.  Leander  and  Horace  settled  in 
Chapmantown  in  Lake;  Leveret  is  in  Salem. 

Thomas  J.  Watson  lived  and  died  on  the 
Major  Woodbridge  place,  now  owned  by  Henry 
Conklin.  R.  M.  Knox  married  one  of  the 
daughters. 

John  Brown,  a  carpenter,  bought  the  Luman 
Andrews  farm  in  1819,  and  married  Maada 
Page.  Their  children  were  Pamelia,  married 
to  Henry  Waite  ;  Orlander  Brown,  married 
to  Martha  Dickens,  who  lives  on  his  father-in- 
law's  farm,  back  of  Hollisterville.  Richard 
Dickens  had  six  sons,  of  whom  one  died  in  the 
army,  another  starved  to  death  in  Anderson- 
ville,  and  another  killed  by  a  cannon  explosion. 

Rev.  Edwin  E.  Mendenhall  was  rector  of 
St.  John's  Church  in  Salem  for  twelve  years, 
and  founded  Zion  Church  in  Sterling.  He  was 
also  a  surveyor,  acted  as  school  director,  and 
generally  participated  in  the  affairs  of  the  town- 
ship Rev.  R.  H.  Brown  was  rector  of  the 
same  church  for  about  fourteen  years.  He  had 
a  number  of  preaching-places,  and  worked  with 
energy  until  he  died. 

Anson  Abbey  settled  on  the  place  now  occu- 
pied by  his  son,  Ralph  Abbey,  in  1833.  His 
widow,  whose  maiden-name  was  Clarissa  Taylor, 
is  still  living,  aged  eighty-three.  Jared  Taylor, 
her  brother,  built  a  stone  house  about  one-half 
mile  north  of  Hamlinton,  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  G.  W.  Walker  (2d).  Anson  Abbey's 
children  were  Russell,  David,  Ralph,  Mary  and 
Lucy.  Daniel  Gorman  came  to  Salem  in  1838, 
and  bought  the  Luther  Bidwell  place.  He 
occasionally  preached  for  the  Methodists.  Daw- 
son Bortree  married  Elvira,  one  of  his  daughters, 
and  lived  for  many  j'ears  near  the  forks  of  the 
Paupack.  Hiram  Clements,  a  blacksmith, 
worked  with  Thornton  at  Hamlinton  in  1833. 
Of  his  children,  Rebecca  married  Charles  Van 
Tassell  ;  Wilbur  F.  Clements  is  a  leading  mer- 
chant in  Moscow.  Edwin  E.  Blake  came  to 
Salem  in  1843,  and  taught  school  for  five  years. 
He  was  justice  of  the  peace  from  1870  to  1880. 
John  Elliott,  a  blacksmith,  has  a  good  farm  one 
mile  north  of  Hamlinton.  His  son,  John  E. 
Elliott,  married  Nellie  Waite.  Irene  is  a  school- 
teacher,    Thomas  Edwards,  who  lived  until  he 


was  seventy-seven  years  of  age,  hunter  and 
fisherman,  reared  a  large  family,  and  his  widow 
still  lives  in  Osgood  District.  Richard  H. 
Simons,  constable  and  collector,  resides  one- 
half  mile  south  of  East  school-house.  Ad- 
joining him  on  the  south  lives  William  E. 
Simons,  his  cousin,  who  has  three  sons, — James, 
Walter  and  Thomas.  J.  L.  Brown  lives  at 
Paupack  Forks.  Mark  Ayres  came  from  New 
Jersey.  He  married  Loretta  Van  Auken,  her 
grandfather  being  a  hero  of  the  battle  of  Min- 
isink.  Her  mother  was  among  the  school  chil- 
dren saved  by  Brandt,  who  came  to  the  school- 
house  and  had  the  girls  stand  in  a  row  and 
painted  their  aprons  red,  so  that  his  braves 
would  spare  them. 

E.  J.  Ayres,  a  son,  is  a  school-teacher.  Lewis 
Moore  lives  on  the  road  to  Hollisterville. 
James  Cornell,  a  cabinet-maker  and  undertaker, 
lived  and  died  in  Hollisterville.  Richard 
Evans  followed  the  same  , business  at  Hamlin- 
ton. Sabinus  Walker  came  to  Salem  in  1841, 
from  Susquehanna  County,  and  started  a  store 
in  Aaron  Morgan's  house,  and  later  engaged  in 
the  shovel  handle  business  at  Edmund  Hartford's. 
Soon  after  A.  B.  Walker  became  associated  with 
him,  which  business  they  conducted  for  five 
years.  They  bought  the  Salem  Hotel  and  the 
store  on  the  corner,  now  owned  by  Sabinus 
Walker,  in  1851.  The  latter  was  built  by 
Luther  Wreston,  and  had  a  Sons  of  Temperance 
Hall  overhead.  The  hotel  was  sold  to  Abram 
Clearwater,  May  1,  1859.  Marshall  K.  Walker 
married  Ann  Hawley,  and  had  fourteen  chil- 
dren. He  was  a  kind-hearted  old  gentleman, 
and  eighty-three  years  of  age  when  he  died. 
His  wife,  who  was  a  mother  in  Israel  among 
the  Methodists,  lived  to  be  seventy-seven  years 
old.  John  B.  Walker,  the  oldest  son,  lives  on 
the  old  Nathan  S.  Wright  farm.  He  has  a 
large  family.  George  Walker  is  at  Nicholson. 
Sabinus  Walker  is  a  merchant  at  Hamlinton. 
His  son,  George  W.  Walker  (2d),  had  the 
store  a  number  of  years.  He  was  elected  for 
one  year  as  Representative  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature for  Wayne,  and  he  subsequently  moved 
to  Nicholson,  and  represented  Wyoming  County 
in  the  Legislature.  Solomon  T.  Walker  lived 
in  the  township  a  number  of  years,  and  Nelson 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


763 


S.  Walker  was  in  the  store  for  a  season.  Rev. 
Ira  T.  Walker  is  a  Methodist  preacher,  and  was 
at  one  time  presiding  elder. 

Burton  G.  Morss  purchased  nine  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  Wayne  and  Pike  Counties,  of 
R.  H.  Powell  and  John  Torrey,  in  1849,  and 
began  work  at  the  tannery  in  the  fall  of  that 
year.  January  16,  1850,  he  formed  a  co-part- 
nership with  D.  F.  Morss,  C.  J.  E.  Martin  and 
John  A.  Cook,  under  the  name  of  Morss,  Mar- 
tin &  Co.  Martin  managed  the  business, 
and  later  D.  F.  Morss  and  John  A.  Cook  came 
to  Tannerytown  (so-called).  The  workmen 
blasted  through  a  ledge  of  rocks  to  build  a  tail- 
race  ;  hence  it  was  afterward  called  "  The 
Ledges"  and  Ledgedale.  In  1858  B.  G.  Morss 
bought  Martin's  interest,  and  about  one  year 
afterward  D.  F.  Morss  returned  to  New  York, 
leaving  the  management  in  the  hands  of  John 
A.  Cook,  who  conducted  the  business  with 
ability  until  his  death,  in  1864,  when  Leonidas 
W.  Morss  assumed  charge,  and  has  continued 
as  manager  since.  In  1865  B.  G.  Morss  bought 
the  interest  of  D.  F.  Morss  and  of  the  John  A. 
Cook  estate,  and  gave  his  son,  L.  W.  Morss,  a 
share  in  the  business.  The  tannery  was  burned 
in  1879,  rebuilt  in  1880,  and  steam-power  in- 
troduced. It  consumes  five  thousand  cords  of 
bark  per  year,  and  turns  out  fifty  thousand 
sides  of  sole  leather.  They  have  secured  ten 
thousand  acres  of  land  since  the  first  purchase, 
and  sold  to  settlers,  reserving  the  bark,  until  six 
thousand  acres  are  left.  There  is  a  store  in 
connection  with  the  tannery,  a  grist-mill  and 
houses  for  their  men.  There  is  also  a  large 
farm  under  the  management  of  L.  W.  Morss. 
About  1845-50  the  emigration  from  Connecti- 
cut ceased,  and  the  building  of  the  tannery 
brought  a  large  number  of  thrifty  Irish  and 
Germans  into  the  township,  who  have  cleared 
farms  and  erected  buildings.  John  A.  Cook 
was  an  elder  in  the  Salem  Presbyterian  Church 
and  a  leading  man  in  the  township. 

Captain  Darwin  Cook  and  George  Cook  live 
in  Chicago,  111.  Dr.  Curtis,  of  Hawley,  mar- 
ried Augusta,  and  Captain  Joseph  Atkinson 
married  Helen. 

James  M.  Fanning  and  Ira  Kellam  have 
been  clerks  for  many  years.     John  Becker  is 


outside  boss  and  bark  measurer.  Robert  Wal- 
ker settled  west  of  Ledgedale.  His  son,  Ben- 
jamin Walker,  lives  on  the  old  Jabez  Bidwell 
place.  There  is  a  German  settlement  north  of 
Ledgedale,  about  Razor  Hill.  Christian  Razor 
(or  Rose),  John  Razor,  Henry  Creeger,  John 
Shrader  and  Philip  Stermer  came  from  Waldeck, 
Germany,  and  live  near  together.  Daniel 
Martin  and  William  Patterson  have  farms  in 
the  vicinity.  John  Catterson  lives  on  a  road 
leading  to  Ledgedale  from  the  East  and  West 
road.  He  has  cleared  a  good  farm.  John 
Sosenhamer,  an  ingenious  blacksmith,  married 
one  of  his  daughters.  Going  east  from  Abel 
Wright's,  about  half  a  mile,  is  David  Patterson, 
who  has  a  large  farm  well  walled  up.  James 
M.  Sheffield  lives  on  the  Lamsou  place.  Far- 
ther east  James  Finlay  and  William  Finlay 
each  cleared  large  farms.  John  Altemeier,  a 
Prussian,  has  improved  a  farm  on  a  cross-road 
towards  Rollisontown.  He  has  thirteen  acres  of 
apple  orchard.  Samuel  Marshall,  Francis,  John 
and  James  Hopkins  and  John  Hanlou  have  all 
contributed  toward  the  development  of  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  township.  Richardson  Simons 
and  James  Simons  live  on  a  road  running  along 
the  Five-Mile  Creek. 

Thomas  Bortree  lived  and  kept  tavern  on  a 
spot  near  the  line  between  Paupack  and  Salem, 
on  the  East  and  West  road. 

Lewis  built  a  saw-mill  on  the  Five-Mile 
Creek,  but  afterwards  sold  it  to  Roswell  & 
William  Noble,  who,  in  turn,  sold  to  John 
Layman. 

Benjamin  K.  Bortree  lived  adjoining  the 
Gabriel  Davis  place,  near  Ledgedale. 

Lewis  Longstreet  resided  in  Rollisontown  a 
number  of  years.  Keturah,  his  daughter, 
graduated  at  Mt.  Holvoke  and  taught  school  in 
Hawley  a  number  of  years.  She  is  now  the 
wife  of  James  T.  Rodman,  of  Hawley.  Red- 
ford  Longstreet  reared  a  family  of  bright  chil- 
dren. 

Emma  May  Buckingham,  the  authoress,  and 
her  mother  live  at  Hamlinton. 

George  Harberger  kept  the  first  store  in 
Salem,  in  a  part  of  Major  Woodbridge's 
house.  Nancy  Wright,  aged  nearly  eighty-four, 
says  he  sold  a  calico  dress  to  her  mother  in  1810, 


764 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


at  seventy-five  cents  per  yard.  He  kept  salt  at 
five  dollars  per  bushel,  leather,  paper,  Bohea  tea 
and  pepper,  and  took  pay  in  fox  and  deer-skins. 
Major  Woodbridge  was  the  first  postmaster, 
succeeded  by  his  son  William.  There  were  two 
copies  of  the  Hartford  Courant  taken  in  1815. 
Mr.  Searle  carried  the  mail  on  horse-back  from 
Milford  through  Salem  to  Wilkes-Barre  every 
fortnight.  He  blew  a  horn  as  he  passed  a  set- 
tler's house.  When  the  papers  came  the  men 
gathered  to  hear  the  news.  About  1816  Rev. 
George  Lane  built  the  first  house  at  Salem  Cor- 
ners, the  site  of  Walker's  present  headquar- 
ters.  He  was  succeeded  by  Oliver  Hamlin,1 
who  was  the  first  postmaster  at  Hamlinton. 
He  associated  Butler  Hamlin  with  him  in  the 
business  and  finally  sold  to  him.  Butler 
Hamlin  was  appointed  postmaster  and  con- 
tinued the  business  at  this  statu!  until  about 
1839,  when  he  built  a  store  near  his  present 
house  aud  occupied  it  until  about  1808,  when 
he  built  the  store  occupied  by  B.  F.  Hamlin, 
his  son,  G.  A.  Clearwater,  his  son-in-law,  being 
also  associated  in  the  business.  The  property 
mi  the  corner  fell  into  the  hands  of  Luther 
Weston,  his  brother  Elijah  conducting  a  store 
for  a  few  years.  Richard  Evans  removed  this 
building  to  the  place  occupied  by  A.  J.  Andrew. 
Luther  Weston  built  the  present  store  and  hall 
in  1850  and  sold  to  the  Walkers,  who  have  oc- 
cupied it  since.  The  rear  part  was  built  by  A. 
B.  Walker,  with  a  Masonic  hall  overhead.  The 
hall  over  the  first  building  was  first  used  by  the 
Sons  of  Temperance,  then  by  the  Odd-Fellows 
and  Masons. 

In  1827  Anson  Northum  had  a  store  on  the 
southeast  corner  and  a  dwelling-house  on  the 
site  of  George  Walker's  house.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Charles  Roosa,  John  Raymond  and 
Seth  G.  Nicholson,  who  built  the  store  now  oc- 
cupied by  G.  W.  Simons,  about  1857.  John 
Nash  has  a  handsome  store  in  the  village. 

Loihjes. — The  Sons  of  Temperance  was  the 
first  organization  of  the  kind  in  Salem.  This 
was  followed  by  Good  Templars  and  the  Band 
of  Hope.  Luther  and  Elijah  Weston  were  the 
first  prominent  temperance  men  in  the  township. 


1  Ambrose  Nh;hulson  writes  me   that   H.  Heermans  was 
first  postmaster  at  Salem  Corners. 


Joseph  Woodbridge's 2  account  book  from 
1804  till  1812  shows  that  the  settlers  for  ten 
miles  around  bought  whiskey  by  the  quart, 
gallon,  half-barrel  and  barrel.  They  could  not 
have  a  logging  bee,  raise  a  house  or  gather  a 
hay  crop  without  whiskey,  and  all  drank  it. 
Alanson  Hollister  and  Anson  Goodrich  each 
had  difficulty  in  raising  buildings  without  its 
use. 

Amphyctine  Lodge,  No.  356, 1.  O.  of  O.  F., 
was  organized  July  12,  184S),  with  seven  char- 
ter members — Alpheus  Hollister,  D.  J.  Ostrau- 
der,  A.  B.  Walker,  Roswell  Morgan,  J.  Alden 
Williams,  Jeremiah  Fessenden  and  Anson 
Abbey. 

Wayne  Encampment  was  organized  in  1867. 
Charter  members:  John  B.  Walker,  G.  O. 
Mott,  F.  B.  Moss,  Augelo  Brown,  Ebenezer  R. 
Jones,  George  Foote  and  Edwin  E.  Blake.  The 
Odd-Fellows'  Encampment  societies  built  a  hall 
in  1882.  The  Salem  Lodge,  No.  330,  F.  and 
A.  M.,  was  organized  May  23,  1859,  by  Sharp 
D.  Lewis,  D.  D.  G.  M.  of  Luzerne  County. 
The  charter  members  were  Thomas  Nichols,  W. 
D.  Curtis,  Dr.  J.  N.  Wilson,  E.  B.  Hollister, 
A.  B.  Walker,  Stanley  Day,  Marcus  Day  and 
James  Searles. 

The  Captain  Warren  G.  Moore  Grand  Army 
Post  has  been  organized  recently  at  Hollister- 
ville  and  is  composed  of  soldiers  of  the  late  war. 

Post-Offices. — There  are  five  post-offices  in 
Salem.  The  first  office,  established  about  1812, 
was  called  Salem  post-office,  with  William 
Woodbridge  as  postmaster  and  Ashbel  Wood- 
bridge  assistant,  as  near  as  the  writer  can  ascer- 
tain. It  was  adjacent  to  the  East  school-house, 
at  Major  Woodbridge's  house.  This  office  was 
moved  to  Salem  Corners,  with  Henry  Heermans 
as  postmaster.  He  was  succeeded  by  Oliver 
Hamlin,  he  by  Butler  Hamlin,  the  present  in- 
cumbent being  B.  F.  Hamlin.  Some  time  after 
the  office  was  moved  the  name  was  changed  to 
Hamlinton.  A.  B.  Walker  aud  Dr.  J.  N.  Wil- 
son each  held  the  office  for  a  short  time.  The 
Hollisterville  post-office  was  established  in 
1857  with    Alanson    Hollister    as    postmaster. 

-Joseph  Woodbridge  was  a  conscientious  man  and 
stopped  the  distillery  before  he  died,  and  Sally  Case  taught 
a  school  in  the  building  about  1812. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


7(>f: 


Since  then  James  Waite,  Thomas  Baker  ami 
Ernest  Stevens  have  held  the  office.  John 
Becker  was  postmaster  at  Ledgedale  a  number 
of  years.  L.  W.  Moras  now  holds.  Simon  P. 
Lutz  was  the  first  postmaster  at  Arlington,  and 
Merritt  D.  Rollison  now  has  the  office.  Jerome 
T.  Stocker  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Peetona 
January  18,  1886,  and  the  first  mail  was  re- 
ceived February  9,  1886. 

The  Methodist  Church  in  Salem. — An- 
son Goodrich,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Peck,  says: 
"  Ephraim  Bidwell  and  Dorcas,  his  wife,  came 
to  Salem — then  Canaan — in  the  year  1800. 
They  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  It  was  by  iuvitation  from  Mr.  Bid- 
well  that  year,  or  the  following,  that  two 
preachers,  Chambers  and  Polemus,  held  ser- 
vices. Dr.  Peck  says  they  came  from  Wyo- 
ming,— Chambers  probably  in  1801  or  1802, 
and  Polemus  in  1803."  Mr.  Goodrich  contin- 
ues :  "  I  recollect  hearing  Mr.  Owen,  Christo- 
pher Erye  and  Alfred  Griffeths  preach  in 
barns,  dwelling-houses  and  a  log  school-house 
(probably  the  East  school-house)  ;  in  fact,  the 
only  school-house  in  what  is  now  Salem.  Be- 
fore Bishop  Asbury  left  Wyoming  he  directed 
Gideon  Draper  to  spend  the  rest  of  the  year  in 
what  afterward  became  Canaan  Circuit.  Mr. 
Draper  found  Major  Woodbridge  in  his  log 
mill,  at  what  is  now  called  Moss  Hollow.  Mr. 
Woodbridge  was  a  Congregationalist  of  many 
years'  standing,  but  not  so  bigoted  as  to  decline 
his  aid  in  establishing  meetings  for  the  good  of 
the  new  settlement.  He  was  a  little  slow  to 
pledge  himself  to  the  new  sect,  but  lent  an  ear 
and  proceeded  as  he  saw  light.  He  invited  Mr. 
Draper  to  partake  of  the  hospitalities  of  his 
house,  but  said  nothing  about  his  having  a  reg- 
ular appointment  in  the  place  until  he  had  heard 
him  preach  on  the  Sabbath.  Subsecpiently  Mr. 
Draper  appointed  a  love  feast  to  be  held  in 
Major  Woodbridge's  barn.  They  admitted  all 
who  wished  to  come,  and  the  barn  was  full. 
Major  Woodbridge,  his  wife  and  a  Dutch  wo- 
man assisted  Mr.  Draper.  Many  were  awakened 
and  the  meeting  continued  late  at  night.  An 
old  raftsman,  seventy  years  of  age,  was  con- 
verted. Mr.  Draper  asked  the  major  to  take 
the  names  of  all  who  wished  to  join  the  society. 


Twenty-two  persons  gave  their  names,  and  he 
was  regularly  installed  as  a  class-leader  in  the 
Methodist  Church,  almost  before  he  was  aware 
of  it." 

In  this  account  we  have  followed  Dr.  Peek's 
"  History  of  Early  Methodism."  Anson  Good- 
rich, in  his  letter,  says :  "  The  first  class  was 
formed  in  1807,  under  Gideon  Draper  and 
William  Butler.  Major  Woodbridge  was  ap- 
pointed the  first  class-leader  and  continued  in 
that  position  till  his  death,  in  1811  or  1812. 
The  following  persons  were  members  of  the  first 
class  formed  in  Salem  :  Theodore  Woodbridge, 
Ephraim  Bidwell,  Dorcas  Bidwell,  Harris  and 
Ruey  Hamlin,  Ruey  Hamlin  Baldwin,  Michael 
Mitchell,  Lucy  Mitchell,  Catharine  Hamlin 
Lee,  Irena  Potter,  Dorcas  Miller,  Charles  Good- 
rich, Ann  Goodrich,  Charles  Goodrich,  Jr , 
Timothy  Hollister,  Betsey  Hollister,  Josiah 
Curtis,  Eunice  Curtis,  Gideon  Curtis,  Ann 
Curtis,  Fitch  H.  Curtis,  William  Cobb,  Salmon 
Jones,  Sally  Jones,  Joseph  Miller,  William 
Dayton,  Ann  Dayton,  Nathan  S.  Wright,  La- 
menta  Wright,  Jeremiah  Osgood,  Ruth  Osgood, 
Edmund  Nicholson,  Rebecca  Nicholson  and 
Oliver  Hamlin.  In  1812  we  find  in  the 
steward's  book  kept  by  Henry  Avery  the  fol- 
lowing additional  names  :  Luther,  Polly,  Pru- 
dence, Jabez,  Oren  and  Sally  Bidwell,  Sophia 
Curtis,  Sally  Hamlin,  Lueena  Wright,  Polly 
and  Joel  Potter,  Hannah  Wheatcraft,  Henry 
and  Lucy  Avery,  Adrial  and  Achsah  Andrews, 
Samuel  Harford,  John  Andrews,  Lucy  An- 
drews, Lamira  Avery,  Benjamin  Harrison. 
Later  we  find  John  Glossenger,  Betsey  Ryon, 
Sally  Brown,  Cyprian  Cobb,  Mary  Glossenger, 
Nancy  London,  Eli  Mitchell.  Aiming  Owen 
appears  to  have  been  presiding  elder  in  1807. 
He  held  the  first  quarterly  meeting  held  in 
Salem  in  Major  Woodbridge's  barn.  This  barn 
stood  on  the  south  side  of  the  road,  a  little  east 
of  the  house.  Thomas  Elliott  is  spoken  of  as  a 
preacher  in  1808  on  Canaan  Circuit.  Loring 
Grant  ministered  in  Salem  in  1812,  according 
to  Henry  Avery's  book.  From  Fitch  H.  Cur- 
tis and  John  Andrew's  class-book,  the  recollec- 
tion of  Jemima  Peet  and  records  in  the  hands 
of  Andrew  Andrews,  it  appears  that  Israel 
Cook  preached  in  1816.     Ebenezer  Dillitts  and 


700 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Robert  Montgomery  are  mentioned.  Isaac 
Grant  preached  in  1817  and  1818,  Dr.  George 
Peck  in  1820,  John  I).  Gilbert  in  1821,  Elisha 
Bibbings  and  Solon  Stocking  in  1821  and  1823, 
Sophronius  Stocking  from  1824  to  1826,  John 
Sayre  and  Silas  Comfort,  1826-27.  Among 
the  men  that  were  prominent  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  church  were  Harris  Hamlin,  Eph- 
raim  Bidwell,  Timothy  Hollister,  Henry 
Avery  and  Fitch  N.  Curtis;  later,  Anson 
Goodrich,  Hiram  Clements,  Andrew  Andrews 
and  Hiram  Goodrich  were  prominent  class- 
leaders.  In  1820  Rev.  George  Peck  was  on 
Canaan  Circuit,  which  then  included  Salem, 
Bethany  and  the  region  known  as  the  Beech 
Woods  generally.  It  was  a  two  weeks'  circuit, 
with  a  membership  of  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
three  and  twelve  preaching-places,  one  of  them 
being  the  court-house  at  Bethany,  three  or  four 
school-houses,  the  rest  private  houses — not  one 
church.  Dr.  Peck  says,  after  attending  camp- 
meeting  at  Carpenter's  Notch,  Father  Hamlin 
took  his  wife  and  child  in  his  lumber  wagon, 
while  he  rode  behiud  on  horseback,  over  Cobb's 
Mountain  to  Salem,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles. 

"  He  offered  us  a  part  of  his  house  for  the 
year  and  we  gladly  accepted  it.  We  boarded 
with  him  a  part  of  the  time  and  he  also  kept 
my  horse  when  I  was  at  home  and  he  refused 
to  take  any  pay  for  all  that  he  had  done  for  us." 
The  infant  mentioned,  twenty-five  years  after- 
ward stood  before  the  people  of  Salem  as  their 
pastor — Rev.  George  M.  Peek.  Subsequently  he 
was  presiding  elder  over  Honesdale  District. 
Still  later,  he  preached  again  in  Salem,  for  two 
years.  They  had  two  preachers  for  a  number 
of  years,  one  living  at  Canaan  and  the  other 
at  Salem.  The  Salem  man  would  preach  in 
Canaan  every  alternate  Sabbath,  and  the  Canaan 
man  in  Salem,  till  1841-42,  when  Paupack 
Mission  was  annexed.  Shortly  after  there  were 
two  preachers  again, — one  in  Salem  and  one  in 
Sterling.  Their  arrangements  were  the  same 
as  between  Salem  and  Canaan.  In  1859  Ster- 
ling was  taken  off,  leaving  Salem  with  one 
preacher.  Salem  charge  now  has  five  preaching 
points, — Hamlinton,  Hollisterville,  Maplewood, 
LittleChapel  and  Bidwell  Hill, — with  about  two 
hundred    members,    five   Sunday-schools,  with 


thirty-eight  teachers  and  over  two  hundred  pu- 
pils. There  have  been  many  revivals  among 
them,  notably  in  1837-38,  when  Rev.  William 
Readdy  was  on  the  charge.  It  started  in  the 
prayer-meetings  at  Bidwelltown.  Aaron  Gillett 
exhorted.  The  preacher  did  not  attend  often, 
and  forty  or  fifty  joined  the  church.  In  1859- 
60  the  greatest  revival  occurred  known  in  the 
history  of  the  Salem  Church,  during  Rev.  Jacob 
Miller's  pastorate,  about  one  hundred  and  sixty 
professing  conversion.  The  Salem  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  is  the  oldest  of  that  denomi- 
nation in  the  county  and  the  parent  church  of 
all  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Churches  for  ten 
miles  around.  It  has  contained  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  earnest  workers,  who  have  passed  on  to 
their  reward.  Benjamin  Ryon,  Sabin  Andrews, 
Hiram  Clements,  Fitch  H.  Curtis,  and  scores  of 
others  who  might  be  mentioned,  will  be  remem- 
bered for  their  devotion.  Their  preachers  are 
zealous,  warm-hearted  men,  for  the  most  part, 
who  have  waged  aggressive  warfare  for  their 
church.  Among  those  who  have  come  down  to 
us  as  earnest  preachers  are  Isaac  Grant,  Elder 
Bibbings,  Solon  and  Sophronius  Stocking,  Dr. 
George  Peck  and  his  son,  George  M.  Peck.  The 
number  of  zealous  preachers  who  have  labored 
here  are  too  numerous  to  mention.  The  first 
services  were  held  in  barns,  private  houses  and 
school-houses.  The  East  school-house  was  built 
about  1807  or  1808,  aud  the  West  school-house 
a  little  later.  In  1815  Charles  Goodrich  deeded 
the  land  where  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  Hamlinton  now  stands  to  Gideon  Curtis, 
Adrial  Andrews,  Edmund  Nicholson,  Charles 
Goodrich,  Jr.,  and  Fitch  H.  Curtis,  evidently 
for  school  and  meeting  purposes,  this  being  the 
lot  upon  which  the  old  school-house  stood.  In 
1829  this  same  land  is  deeded  by  the  above 
grantees  to  William  T.  Noble,  Timothy  Hollis- 
ter, Anson  Goodrich  and  Oliver  Hamlin,  trust- 
ees of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Salem.  In  1830  these  same  trustees,  with 
the  additional  name  of  Samuel  Harford, 
obtained  a  charter  for  the  Salem  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  A  Union  Church  had  been 
built  on  this  ground  and  was  dedicated  August 
18,1827.  The  Methodists  gave  one-half  and 
the   Presbyterians  and   Protestants   the   other 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


767 


half,  with  the  understanding  that  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  should  have  the  church  every  alter- 
nate Sabbath  in  the  morning  and  contra  in  the 
afternoon.  The  Presbyterians  and  Protestants 
divided  the  alternate  Sabbaths.  One  Sunday  the 
Protestants  took  possession  one-half  hour  earlier 
than  the  regular  hour,  when  it  was  not  their 
turn.  The  Methodists  got  the  keys  and  locked 
them  out.  These  difficulties  culminated  in  a 
lawsuit  between  the  Presbyterians  and  Method- 
ists, in  which  the  Presbyterians  were  success- 
ful, when  the  Methodists  bought  out  the  interest 
of  such  individual  Presbyterians  as  would  sell, 
but  Dr.  Wright  and  some  others  would  not  sell 
and  always  claimed  their  rights.  In  1832-33, 
when  the  Presbyterians  built  their  church,  some 
of  the  Methodists  aided  the  enterprise.  What- 
ever the  difficulties  which  marred  the  harmony  of 
the  early  church,  they  have  long  since  vanished, 
and  peace  and  good-will  now  prevails.  This  old 
Union  Church  was  thirty-eight  by  forty,  with 
two  entrance  doors  in  the  south  end,  a  pulpit 
between  galleries  on  the  sides  and  north  end 
supported  by  large  round  pine  pillars.  It  would 
seat  six  hundred  people.  The  women  all  en- 
tered the  west  door  and  occupied  that  side  of 
the  church,  the  men  taking  the  east  side.  Dr. 
George  Peck  preached  the  last  sermon  in  the 
old  church  and  also  laid  the  corner-stone  of  the 
present  Centennial  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  1866.  The  Rollisontown  inhabitants  built 
a  log  school-house  in  1838,  near  the  lane  that 
(•nines  to  the  road  from  Arthur  Rollison's  house. 
Before  the  school-house  was  built  there  M-as 
preaching  occasionally  at  William  Dayton's. 
Nathaniel  Rollison  was  the  first  class-leader,  as 
John  William  Bidwell  is  at  present,  They  have 
just  completed  a  beautiful  little  church,  James 
Osborne  giving  the  ground.  It  was  dedicated 
December  19,  1885,  by  Rev.  W.  M.  Hiller, 
Rev.  J.  O.  Woodruffe,  Rev.  C.  L.  Pice  and 
Rev.  D.  A.  Sandford.  Arthur  Rollison,  George 
M.  Bidwell  and  J.  W.  Bidwell  are  the  leading 
members.  Rollisontown,  Centre ville  and  Ledge- 
dale  are  in  the  Paupack  Circuit.  The  first 
woods-meeting  was  held  in  Timothy  Hollister's 
jam  and  the  woods  adjoining  in  1815,  accord- 
ing to  the  recollection  of  Abner  Collius.  Polly 
Bidwell,  aged    eighty,    Joseph    Osgood,  aged 


eighty-one,  and  Sally  Weston,  aged  eighty- 
two,  say  they  were  present  at  the  first  regular 
camp-meeting  ever  held  in  Salem,  in  1818. 
Marmaduke  Pierce  was  presiding  elder  and 
Isaac  Grant  preacher  in  Salem.  It  was  held  in 
the  woods  on  the  west  side  of  the  road,  back  of 
Adrial  Andrews',  near  a  spring.  About  L825 
they  held  camp-meetings  in  Canaan,  and  the 
Protestant  Methodists  had  camp-meetings  near 
Hollisterville.  The  present  Salem  Camp-Meet- 
ing Association  was  chartered  February  2, 1875, 
by  Judge  Waller.  Capital  stock,  one  thousand 
dollars,  with  the  privilege  of  increasing  it  to 
twenty  thousand  dollars.  It  is  controlled  by  a 
board  of  fifteen  directors  chosen  from  the  stock- 
holders, u  Inch  directors  shall  choose  a  president, 
vice-president,  secretary  and  treasurer.  The 
stockholders  purchased  ten  acres  of  ground  on 
the  south  side  of  the  road,  about  one-half  mile 
west  of  Salem  ( lorners,  of  A.  J.  Andrews,  em- 
bracing a  beech  and  birch  grove,  with  a  few 
hemlock  trees  scattered  among  them.  The 
association  have  erected  a  rostrum  or  preacher's 
stand,  a  prayer-meeting  tent  with  the  prophets' 
rooms  overhead,  and  a  boarding-house  and 
sandwich  stand.  About  fifty  cottages,  owned 
by  individuals,  are  ranged  in  circular  form 
around  the  audience  ground.  The  first  board 
of  directors  were  Rev.  S.  F.  Wright,  Rev.  W. 
G.  Queal.  Rev.  H.  M.  Crydenwise,  Rev.  Ste- 
phen Jay  and  Rev.  Jonas  Underwood  ;  and  the 
following  laymen  :  Gilbert  White,  Sauford 
Williams,  A.  J.  Andrew,  J.  1*.  Mitchell,  J.  W. 
Bidwell,  James  Van  Camp,  William  D.Curtis, 
George  Williams,  John  H.  Williams  and  O.  H. 
Pease.  There  has  been  a  camp-meeting  held 
annually  since  the  charter  was  granted. 

On  John  Andrews'  and  Fitch  H.  Curtis'  class- 
book  for  1816  it  is  written,  "  Be  Partickular 
Every  friday  Preceding  quarterly  Meeting, 
Must  be  observed  As  a  day  of  fasting  and 
Prayer  For  the  prosperaty  of  Zion  ;"  also  "  keep 
close  to  the  Lord,  keep  close  Class-Meetings," 
and  they  did  keep  close  class-meetings.  Sinners 
were  sometimes  admitted  whom  they  supposed 
seekers  ;  afterward  they  had  written  permits. 
They  have  been  known  to  reject  their  own 
members  when  they  had  not  these  permits. 
After  the  Protestants  retired  they  became  more 


768 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


liberal  in  these  matters.  If  members  were  ab- 
sent for  three  consecutive  class-meetings  they 
rendered  a  reasonable  excuse  therefor.  Falling 
or  losing  their  strength  was  a  phenomenon  of 
early  Methodism  in  Salem,  as  elsewhere.  Dr. 
Peck  says  sinners,  as  well  as  professors  of 
religion,  used  to  fall.  He  thinks  it  was  a 
practice  to  be  discouraged.  There  are  two 
Protestant  Churches  in  Salem,  one  at  Hollister- 
ville,  built  about  1840, — and  one  near  the  town- 
ship line,  built  in  1884.  Res'.  Joseph  Barlow 
and  Bern  B.  Doty  were  among  the  first  Pro- 
testant preachers.  About  1828  Amasa  Hollis- 
ter  and  wife,  John  Andrews,  Sr.,  and  wife, 
Conrad  Swingle  and  wife,  Jeremiah  Osgood 
and  wife,  and  John  Cobb  and  wife  organized 
the  Protestant  Methodist  Church.  Among  the 
preachers  were  John  Smith,  Ambrose  Abbott, 
James  K.  Helmbold  and  Dr.  Payne. 

Asa  Cobb,  Jr.,  and  Aaron  Gillett  were  local 
preachers ;  E.  S.  H.  Cobb  and  Joseph  Watrous 
were  ordained  elders;  Joseph  Watrous  was 
president  of  the  district  at  one  time. 

(  (ONGBEGATIOSTAL-PfiESBYTEBIAN  CHURCH. 
— A  number  of  the  early  settlers  were  of  Puri- 
tan Congregational  proclivities,  and  the  Con- 
necticut Congregationalists  bad  missionaries  on 
the  ground  at  an  early  date.  Among  these 
missionaries  were  Rev.  Seth  Williston,  Rev.  E. 
Kingsbury  and  Rev.  David  Harroway.  It  ap- 
pears from  the  old  church  records  that  a  Con- 
gregational Church  was  formed  in  Salem, 
August  15,  1808,  by  David  Harroway.  The 
following  is  the  list  of  those  who  united  at  that 
time:  Hezekiah  Bingham,  Hezekiah  Bingham, 
Jr.,  Joseph  Woodbridge,  Ashbel  Woodbridge, 
Jesse  Miller,  Rachel  Weston,  Martha  Stevens, 
Ann  Woodbridge.  Subsequently  we  find  the 
names  of  Elijah  Weston,  Nancy  Pellet,  Eunice 
Bingham,  Almira  Woodbridge,  Polly  Ansley, 
William  Woodbridge,  Elijah  Weston,  Jr., 
Luther  Weston.  Rev.  Daniel  Waldo  is  men- 
tioned among  the  early  missionaries.  When 
they  had  no  preacher,  sermons  were  read. 
People  used  to  remark  that  they  would  as 
willingly  hear  .Joseph  Woodbridge  read  a 
sermon,  as  to  hear  a  preacher.  Rev.  Worthing- 
ton  Wright  was  the  first  settled  pastor  over  the 
churches  in  Wayne  County   in  1812.     He  re- 


sided at  Bethany.  Joseph  Woodb  ridge  con- 
tributed ten  dollars;  Seth  Goodrich,  six;  Ashbel 
Woodbridge,  six  ;  Jesse  Miller,  three  ;  William 
Woodbridge,  five;  and  Elijah  Weston,  three. 
They  agreed  to  double  their  subscription  if  the 
minister  would  live  in  Salem.  In  1815,  having 
lost  his  wife  and  his  health  failing,  Rev.  W. 
Wright  asked  dismission  and  left  the  county. 
Rev.  PhineasCamp  preached  occasionally  about 
1818.  The  Salem  and  Palmyra  Congregational 
Church  was  re-organized  at  the  East  school- 
house,  February  2,  1832,  as  a  Presbyterian 
Church.  Rev.  Joel  Campbell,  of  the  Hones- 
dale  Presbyterian  Church,  was  chosen  moderator, 
and  Stephen  Torrey,  a  ruling  elder  of  the  same 
church,  clerk.  Of  the  old  members  there  were 
the  following  present:  Luther  Weston,  Elijah 
Wreston,  Nancy  Pellet,  William  Woodbridge, 
Almira  Woodbridge,  Polly  Ansley  (absent), 
Ashbel  Woodbridge,  Henry  Stevens,  Martha 
Stevens,  Eunice  Bingham  and  Dolly  Roosa. 
Marilla  Curtis  and  Lydia  Wright  were  ad- 
mitted by  letter.  George  Goodrich,  Alanson 
Hollisterand  Miss  Arrian  Corbin  were  admitted 
on  profession  of  faith.  Also  Minerva  T.  Weston, 
Nancy  Nicholson,  John  H.  Bullen  and  Hannah, 
his  wife,  were  admitted  February  19,  1832. 
Also  at  this  meeting  Luther  Weston,  Elijah 
Weston  and  ( ieorge  Goodrich  were  ordained 
ruling  eiders  by  Rev.  Joel  Campbell.  Subse- 
quently we  find  the  names  of  John  Roosa,  Jared 
Taylor,  Horatio  Nicholson,  Sally  Hollister, 
Eliza  Wheeler,  Laura  Weston,  Dr.  Erastus 
Wright,  Catharine  Northam,  Zenas  Nicholson, 
Margaret  Adams,  Edmund  Brown,  Jonathan 
B.  Watrous,  Matilda  Watrous,  Lucy  Moore, 
Laura  Matthews,  Daniel  Noble,  Erastus  Noble, 
Fanny  Wheeler,  Ambrose  Nicholson,  Minerva 
Nicholson,  Ellen  Andrews,  Maria  Woodbridge, 
Mary  L.  Raymond,  Dr.  Burr,  Mary  Leonard, 
Jane  Butler,  P.  Howe,  A.  Howe,  Mary  A. 
Howe,  Abigail  Watrous,  Mahala  Jones,  John 
A.  Cook  and  family,  Arselia  Brown,  and  still 
later,  Thomas  Cook,  Amos  Polly,  Austin  M. 
Nicholson,  John  Nash,  E.  J.  Ayers,  R,  M. 
Stacker,  E.  B.  Polley,  Lewis  Cook,  J.  T. 
Stacker,  James  D.  Stacker,  Henry  Cook.  The 
Presbyterians  built  a  church  in  1833,  in  which 
they    worshipped     until     1852—34,   when    the 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


769 


present  church  was  erected.  Rev.  David  R. 
Gilmer,  Rev.  D.  R.  Dickson  and  Rev.  Lyman 
Richardson  supplied  the  pulpit  until  Rev. 
Moses  Jewell  was  installed  pastor  of  the  church 
and  congregation  of  Salem,  by  Rev.  Adam 
Miller,  September  24,  1833.  He  left  March  23, 
1834,  and  Rev.  Joel  Barlow  preached  from 
1837  till  1844;  Rev.  Albert  R.  Raymond,  from 
September,  1844,  until  June,  1863;  Rev.  E. 
Merriam,1  two  years;  Rev.  R.  Crossett,  two 
years;  Rev.  Samuel  Hutchings,  one  year;  and 
Rev.  C.  M.  Des  Islet,  about  three  years,  since 
which  date  students  have  supplied  the  pulpit 
during  the  summer.  John  A.  Cook  was  made 
ruling  elder  during  Rev.  A.  R.  Raymond's 
time.  Thomas  Cook,  John  Nash  and  Austin 
Nicholson  were  made  ruling  elders  about  1866, 
and  Jerome  T.  Stocker  became  a  ruling  elder 
October  12,  1872.  Of  these,  A.  M.  Nicholson 
removed  to  the  West  and  John  Nash  joined  the 
Methodists.  As  early  as  1832  candidates  be- 
fore the  session,  in  answer  to  questions  put  by 
the  session,  "express  their  determination  to  ab 
.stain  from  the  traffick  and  use  of  ardent  spirits 
as  an  article  of  luxury."  The  following  is  a 
specimen  of  old-time  discipline  copied  from  the 
minutes  of  the  session,  as  kept  by  George 
Goodrich,  clerk.     Charges  had   been   preferred 

against    Mr.    B for    unchristian    conduct. 

The  minutes  say  :   "  The  Session   having  had 

two  interviews  with  Mr.  B ,  and  lie  having 

acknowledged  that  the  charges  were  true,  and 
has  neglected  to  make  such  satisfaction  as  the 
Gospel  requires,  it  was  voted  by  the  Session 
that  a  written  notice  be  served  on  him  inform- 
ing him  that  he  stands  suspended  from  all 
the  privileges  of  the  church  until  he  make  such 
satisfaction  as  the  Gospel  requires ;  and  as  he 
has  of  late  expressed  a  willingness  to  make  a 
Public  Confession  of  his  faults,  that  he  also  be 
notified  that  an  opportunity  for  this  will  be 
given  him  on  the  coming  Sabbath  or  at  any 
other  Public  Meeting  of  the  church  within 
fifteen  days  from  this  date."     A  notice  was  ac- 


1  Rev.  E.  Merriam  was  a  young  man  who  had  just  com- 
pleted his  studies,  and  was  installed  pastor  of  Salem 
Church,  where  he  died,  aged  twenty-eight,  much  be- 
loved by  his  congregation  for  his  devotion  and  real  worth 
as  an  unassuming,  scholarly  man. 
75 


cordingly  prepared  and  served  on  Mr.  B , 

giving  him  an  opportunity  to  publicly  confess 
or  stand  suspended. 

The  Episcopal  Church  was  built  in 
1847.  Rev.  Mr.  Cushman  conducted  service 
in  the  East  school-house  about  1840,  before  the 
church  building  was  erected,  Mrs.  Robert 
Patten  being  the  leading  spirit  in  the  enter- 
prise. The  leading  members  were  Robert 
Patten  and  wife,  Franklin  Goodspeed,  John 
Raymond,  Caleb  B.  Hackley,  Daniel  Potter, 
Gains  Moss,  Mrs.  Anson  Abby.  Among  others 
are  Richard  Evans,  Russell  Bidwell,  George 
Simons,  Catharine  Foote,  Lucy  Walker.  Rev. 
Edwin  Mendenliall -' was  their  first  rector  and 
officiated  about  fourteen  years.  After  his 
death  Rev.  Mr.  Cowpland  occupied  the  pulpit 
for  two  or  three  years,  when  Rev.  R.  H.  Brown 
preached  for  fifteen  years.  There  has  been  no 
rector  since.  The  Baptist  Church  in  Hollister- 
ville  was  orgauized  in  1854-55,  by  Rev. 
Newel  Callender,  the  prominent  members  being 
Alanson  Hollister  and  wife,  Piatt  Stevens, 
William  Hollister  and  wife,  James  Waite  and 
wife,  James  Rockaf'eller,  Asa  Hollister  and 
wife,  M.  H.  Race.  The  Catholics  had  preach- 
ing occasionally  in  Ledgedale  school-house 
from  1851  until  1877,  when  they  built  St. 
Mary's  Church  near  the  township  line.  They 
draw  their  congregations  from  Paupack  aud 
East  Salem.  The  Christians  have  some  mem- 
bers who  have  preaching  occasionally  at 
Osgood's  school-house.  The  Christian  Church 
at  Osgood's  was  organized  November  26,  1866, 

2  Rev.  Edwin  Mendenliall  was  born  of  Quaker  parents,  in 
Chester  County,  Pa.,  February  27,  1803.  In  1831  he 
married  Elizabeth  Culbertson.  Of  their  children,  Elizabeth 
married  Thomas  B.  Townsend,  of  Chicago ;  Ellen  married 
Horace  A.  Beal,  and  lives  at  Parkesburg,  Pa.  September 
28,  1841,  Mr.  Mendenliall  entered  the  Theological  Semin- 
ary at  Alexandria,  Va.,  was  ordained  July  14,  1844,  and 
he  was  shortly  after  sent  to  Salem,  where  he  organized 
a  parish  in  1845.  He  made  personal  application  to 
friends  for  assistance  from  Philadelphia  in  erecting  St. 
John's  Church,  which  was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Alonzo 
Potter,  August  5,  1850.  Gaius  Moss  was  senior  warden 
and  Daniel  Potter  was  junior  warden  ;  F.  B.  Moss  was 
leader  of  a  volunteer  choir,  which,  according  to  the  testi- 
mony of  the  bishop  and  visiting  clergymen,  rendered  the 
best  music  they  heard  outside  of  city  choirs. — From  Ellen 
Beat's  letter. 


770 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


by  Elder  Henry  Black,  of  New  Jersey.  The 
first  members  were  James  Swingle,  Enos 
Swingle,  George  Edwards,  David  P.  Edwards, 
Eugene  Goodrich,  Jeremiah  Wilcox,  Adnia 
Wilcox  and  Eliza  Edwards.  They  have  since 
added  thirty-four  members.  C.  E.  Wells, 
pastor;  Samuel  Swingle  and  James  Swingle, 
elders. 

Sunday-Schools.  —  Ann  Woodbridge,  the 
widow  of  Joseph  Woodbridge,  after  her  hus- 
band's  death,  in  1816,  went  to  Connecticut  and 
attended  Sunday-school  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  and 
in  New  York.  On  her  return,  in  1817  or 
1818,  she  asked  Sally  Brown,  then  fourteen 
years  of  age,  to  notify  her  young  friends  and 
come  to  her  house  the  following  Sunday  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  a  Sunday-school.  She 
agreed  to  it  and  kept  her  promise,  but  not 
without  misgivings,  and  was  troubled  all  the 
week  to  know  how  they  could  have  a  school  on 
Sunday  without  breaking  the  Sabbath.  The 
next  Sunday,  however,  Sally  Brown,  Laura 
Goodrich,  Ambrose  Nicholson,  Malvina  Potter, 
Betsy  Hollister,  Abigail  Hollister  and  Anna 
Wright  appeared  in  the  Widow  Ann  Wood- 
bridge's  '  log  house,  which  stood  on  the  corner 
opposite  the  present  stone  house.  She  had  them 
all  stand  in  a  row  and  read  the  Testament,  of 
which  they  had  two  or  three  copies.  She  had 
several  John  Rogers  primers,  containing  Cate- 
chism and  commandments,  which  she  loaned 
them.  Shortly  after  we  find  William  Wood- 
bridge  superintending  a  school  at  East  school- 
house,  and  every  alternate  Sunday  was  spent  at 
the  West  school-house.  February  5,  1832,  the 
Salem  Sunday-School  Society  was  formed  at  the 
West  school-house,  Zenas  Nicholson  being 
president;  George  Goodrich,  secretary  ;  Elijah 
Watson,  treasurer ;  Alauson  Hollister,  Amos 
Polly,  Esq.,  and  George  Goodrich,  directors. 
They  adopted  a  constitution  and  effected  a 
regular  organization,  making  it  auxiliary  to  the 
American  Sunday-School  Union  Society.  Luther 
Weston,  Dr.  Erastus  Wright,  Medad  Walters, 
Amasa  Jones,  J.  B.  Watrous,  Jared  Taylor, 
Ambrose  Nicholson,    Palmer   Miller  and  Dr. 


'This  was  probably  the  first.  Sunday-school  ever  held  : 
Wayne  County. 


Chas.  Burr  were  connected  with  that  society. 
Hiram  Clements,  Thomas  K.  Benson,  Mat- 
thias Haag,  Sandford  Swingle  and  John  Nash 
have  been  prominent  Sunday-school  workers. 
Rev.  A.  R.  Raymond  is  an  excellent  Bible- 
class  teacher.  Mary  L.  Raymond,  his  wife, 
has  taught  for  many  years.  There  was  a  Sun- 
day-School Association  auxiliary  to  Wayne 
County  Sunday-School  Association  organized  at 
Salem  in  1872,  or  about  that  time.  Rev.  C. 
M.  Des  Islets  was  first  president  and  Jerome 
T.  Stocker  secretary.  A  number  of  Sunday- 
school  conventions  were  held  every  year.  There 
are  usually  ten  Sunday-schools  in  operation  in 
the  township. 

The  first  school-house  in  the  township  was 
the  East  school-house,  which  stood  on  the  cor- 
ner just  west  of  Major  Woodbridge's  house.  It 
was  built  about  1805-8  of  hewn  logs,  with  a 
door  in  the  south  end,  a  stone  chimney  on  the  west 
end  and  the  teachers'  desk  opposite.  The  desks 
were  against  the  wall,  the  sharp  edges  of  which 
served  as  a  back-rest  when  the  pupils  were  not 
writing.  The  seats  were  thick  plank,  with  sap- 
ling legs.  Berkely,  one  of  the  first  teachers  in 
this  school,  was  a  college  graduate  and  so  was 
Rev.  William  Woodbridge,  who  taught  later. 
Children  came  for  five  miles  around  to  the  East 
school.  The  West  school  was  at  Salem  Cor- 
ners. The  London  House  and  Charles  Good- 
rich's house  were  used  for  school  purposes  until 
1814,  when  a  frame  school-house  was  built. 
There  was  also  a  school-house  near  Elizur  Mil- 
ler's, made  of  basswood  boards,  for  summer 
schools.  P.  G.  Goodrich  says  he  attended 
about  1810,  Irene  Potter  being  teacher.  In 
1827  a  school-house  was  built  on  the  knoll 
above  L.  A.  Griffin's  carriage  shop  in  Hollis- 
terville,  Phineas  Howe  being  the  first  teacher. 
Bidwelltown  school-house  was  built  about  1838 
and  Daniel  Gorman  taught  two  or  more 
years. 

A  log  school-house  was  built  on  the  lane  that 
comes  from  A.  J.  Rollison's  in  1838.  Tryphena 
Lee  was  the  first  teacher.  Osgood's,  Ledgedale, 
Centreville,  No.  20,  and  Razor  Hill  schools 
came  later.  There  are  ten  schools  in  Salem. 
Sally  Hamlin  Bon  ham  taught  the  first  school 
in  1804,  when  she  was  fourteen  years  old.    She 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


771 


received  a  two-dollar  bill  for  three  months  ser- 
vice, which  was  placed  in  an  open  book.  As 
she  sat  before  the  fire-place,  a  gust  of  wind 
blew  the  bill  into  the  fire  and  reduced  her 
three  months'  labor  to  smoke  and  ashes  before 
her  eyes.  Ashbel  Woodbridge,  Samuel  Mor- 
gan, Mary  Ann  and  Egbert  Woodbridge,  R. 
G.  and  George  Goodrich,  Sally  Case,  Mr.  Bene- 
dict, Jason  Bradley,  Timothy  Morgan,  John 
W.  Gordon,  Oliver  Hamlin  and  Joseph 
Moore,  Jr.,  were  among  the  early  teachers. 

An  academy  was  built  in  Hollisterville  in 
1862.  M.  H.  Race  taught  a  number  of  years 
as  did  also  E.  J.  Ay.res.  It  is  now  used  for  a 
Methodist  Church.  Butler  Hamlin  placed 
seats  over  his  new  store  and  schools  were 
taught  there  by  E.  D.  F.  Brownell,  R.  M. 
Stocker  and  F.  J.  Foley. 

Roads. — From  old  records  of  Westmoreland 
County  we  find  Esquire  Tryp  appointed,  Octo- 
ber 19,  1772,  to  oversee  men  working  on 
"  Rode  from  Dilleware  River  to  ye  westermost 
part  of  ye  Great  Swamp  to  Pittstown."  The  first 
roads  were  mere  bridle-paths  through  the  forest, 
indicated  by  marked  trees.  Later  the  swampy 
places  were  bedded  with  poles,  called  corduroy 
roads,  pole  bridges  being  made. 

Nathan  G.  Wright  signed  a  contract,  October  8, 
1818,  with  Samuel  Morgan  and  Vene  Lee,  a 
committee  appointed  by  the  managers  to  con- 
struct the  Belmont  and  Easton  turnpike,  to 
build  one  hundred  and  fifteen  rods,  commencing 
at  Ann  Woodbridge's,  thence  north  one  hundred 
and  fifteen  perches,  to  be  completed  September 
1,  1819.  They  gave  him  six  shares  of  stock 
for  building  it,  and  bound  him  under  six  hun- 
dred dollars  forfeiture  to  keep  it  in  repair.  This 
road  was  a  great  thoroughfare  for  travel,  and 
droves  of  cattle  and  sheep,  amounting  to  a 
number  of  thousands  annually,  passed  over  it 
to  market.  The  stock  was  gathered  up  north 
as  far  as  the  lake  region  of  New  York  and 
driven  to  Easton  and  Philadelphia  markets. 
The  road  was  divided  into  sections  about  fifteen 
or  twenty  miles  long,  and  a  four-horse  tally-ho 
coach  passed  both  ways  daily.  The  section 
passing  through  Salem  Corners  extended  from 
Canaan  Corners  to  Captain  Howe's,  a  distance 
of  eighteen    miles.     John    P.    Mitchell    drove 


stage  a  number  of  years.  The  East  and  West 
road,  which  extended  from  Milford  to  Salem 
('diners,  thence  through  Cobb's  Gap  to  the 
Lackawanna  Valley,  was  built  in  1825.  At 
that  time  Hamlinton  was  a  place  of  some  im- 
portance, but  the  railroads  have  left  the  towns 
situated  on  hills  and  passed  through  the  valleys. 
The  oldest  settlers  of  Salem  were  nearly  all 
Revolutionary  soldiers  and  from  Connecticut. 
The  town  is  more  thoroughly  New  England 
than  any  in  the  county.  The  pioneers  met 
many  obstacles.  They  made  logging- bees  and 
house-raisings  ;  thus,  by  associated  labor,  they 
helped  one  another  to  clear  their  farms  and 
build  their  houses. 

"  There  are  no  times  like  the  old   times — they  shall 

never  be  forgot ! 
There  is  no  place  like  the  old  place — keep  green  the 


dear  old 


["■I 


riends — may  lleav'n 


-to    ,|. 


the 


There  are  no  friends  like  our  old 

their  lives  prolong, 
And   bring   us   all — life   ended- 

throng." 

John  Bunting  assessed  Canaan  in  1799.  It 
had  twenty-eight  taxables,  five  of  whom  be- 
longed in  Salem.  John  Bunting  was  also  the 
first  justice  of  the  peace. 

Josiah  Curtis  assessed  Salem  in  1809,  after  it 
was  set  off  from  Canaan.  He  returned  sixty 
taxables.  In  1810  there  were  fifty-seven.  In 
1811  fifty-four,  Joseph  Woodbridge  and  Salmon 
Jones  assessors.  In  1812  fifty-eight  taxables. 
In  181  (3,  after  Sterling  was  formed,  Elijah  Wes- 
ton, assessor,  returned  fifty-four  taxables,  and 
in  1.X24  there  were  eighty-eight  taxables.  In 
1880,  after  Lake  was  formed,  there  were  sixteen 
hundred  and  thirty-five  inhabitants  in  Salem. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

.It'DGE    HUTLER    HAMLIN. 

Harris  Hamlin,  father  of  Judge  Hamliu,  of 
English  origin,  was  born  in  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut April  27,  1767,  and  married  Rue  Eas- 
ton, a  native  of  the  same  State,  August  22, 
1787,  who  was  born  February  28,  1770.  They 
left  their  native  State  in  1801,  and,  with  nine 
children,  came  to  the  then  wilderness  country 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


of  Eastou,  Pa.,  and  settled  one  and  a  quarter 
mile  west  from  Salem  Comers,  in  Salem  town- 
ship, Wayne  County.  Here  they  built  a  log 
house  in  which  they  resided  for  some  eight 
years,  when  they  erected  a  framed  house — the 
first  one  built  in  the  township.  Harris  Hamlin 
was  a  farmer  and  brick  manufacturer,  and  both 
himself  ami  wife  were  consistent  Christians 
and  members  of  the   Methodist  Church.     Dr. 


Almira,  Butler  and  Philena  (who  married  Vol- 
ney  Cortright).  The  latter  is  the  only  one  sur- 
viving in  1886 — a  widow  and  resides  in  Scran- 
ton,  Pa.  Judge  Butler  Hamliu,  youngest  son 
of  Harris  Hamlin,  was  born  in  Salem  township 
April  17,  1808.  His  early  life  was  spent  on 
the  farm  at  home,  and,  in  common  with  the 
other  boys  during  the  early  history  of  the 
county,  he  knew   what   hard    work   meant  and 


AjujI^y-  ^/tcli^Ll. 


Peck  says  of  him:  "  He  was  a  man  of  generous 
impulses  and  solid  worth,  an  earnest  Christian 
and  a  thorough  Methodist."  He  died  August 
4, 1854 ;  his  wife  died  December  5, 1833.  Their 
children  are  Rue,  Sarah  (wife  of  John  Bonham, 
recently  died  in  Wayne  County  at  the  age  of 
ninety-four),  Catherine  (wife  of  Horace  Lee, 
resided  in  Canaan,  and  her  son  John  F.  Lee  is  a 
farmer  in  the  township),  Ruey  (the  2d,  married 
Daniel  Baldwin  and  moved  to  Minnesota;  she 
was  a  talented  and  pious  lady),  Oliver,  Amanda 
(wife  of  John  Andrews),  Harris,  Ephraim  W., 


had  little  opportunity  for  obtaining  an  education 
from  books,  being  only  allowed  three  months' 
schooling  during  the  winter  months  each  year, 
until  the  age  of  sixteen.  His  practical  ideas 
in  after-life,  his  general  intelligence,  his  devo- 
tion to  principle,  integrity  of  purpose  and 
sympathy  for  all  worthy  objects,  however,  be- 
speak how  thoroughly  he  was  educated  in 
youth  in  all  that  made  him  the  man  so  much 
esteemed  by  his  fellow-citizens.  For  two  years- 
following  1827  he  worked  at  the  trade  of  a 
hatter    with    his    brother-in-law    at  Montrose, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


773 


Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  for  an  annual  sti- 
pend of  thirty  dollars,  one-half  of  which,  by 
strict  economy,  he  saved,  and  now  had,  on 
reaching  his  majority.  He  spent  two  years 
more  as  a  clerk  in  his  brother's  store  and  post- 
office  at  ten  dollars  per  month,  when  he  became 
a  partner  in  the  concern  and  continued  this 
business  relation  until  1837,  when  he  became 
sole  owner  of  the  store,  was  appointed  post- 
master and  held  the  place  with  slight  interruption 
through  the  various  administrations  and  changes 
in  political  organizations  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  December  10,  1883.  In 
1861  he  was  elected  associate  judge  on  the  bench 
with  Judge  Barrett.  The  two  offices  being  in- 
compatible, he  resigned  as  postmaster,  but  was 
reinstated  upon  the  petition  of  the  patrons  of  the 
office  as  soon  as  his  term  as  judge  was  completed. 
Again,  during  the  Presidency  of  James  Buchan- 
an, he  was  removed  for  political  reasons,  but 
after  a  little  more  than  a  year  he  was  reinstated 
during  the  same  administration,  through  the 
petition  of  the  patrons  of  the  office,  comprised 
of  both  political  parties. 

Judge  Hamlin's  political  affiliations  were 
with  the  Whig  and  Republican  parties,  and  as 
a  member  of  those  he  was  a  safe  counselor  and 
sought  to  support  the  principles,  of  reform, 
rather  than  the  men  who  represented  party 
alone.  It  may  be  truly  said  that  he  acted  justly 
and  honestly  toward  all  men  in  all  the  relations 
of  life,  and  during  his  business  career  as  a  mer- 
chant, which  continued  for  nearly  a  half-century 
in  the  same  place,  all  who  knew  him  accord  to 
him  sterling  characteristics.  Although  he  never 
united  with  any  church  organizations,  he  was  a 
prayerful  man,  a  constant  and  studious  Bible 
reader  and  a  supporter  of  all  church  work  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  home. 

In  1838  Judge  Hamlin  formed  the  acquaint- 
ance of  a  Miss  Sallinda  Rathbone,  daughter  of 
Abel  and  Alice  Rathbone,  who  came  to  Salem, 
Wayne  County,  that  year  on  a  visit  to  friends, 
and  during  the  summer  taught  the  school  in 
the  neighborhood.  They  were  married  in  Oc- 
tober of  that  year,  and  their  children  who  grew 
to  man's  estate  are  Lenora  F.  (wife  of  George 
A.  Clearwater),  Florence  B.  (died  in  1875), 
Delia  P.,  Frank  B.  and  Charles  E.  Hamlin. 


HOWEL  WOODBRIDGE 

Joseph  Woodbridge  and  his  wife,  Ann  Hol- 
lister,  both  natives  of  Glastonbury,  Conn.,  soon 
after  their  marriage,  December  30,  1802,  set- 
tled in  Salem  township,  Wayne  County,  Pa., 
on  land  heretofore  described,  a  part  of  which 
remains  in  the  family  in  1885. 

He  spent  his  life  as  a  farmer,  was  ap- 
pointed the  first  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  town- 
ship, and  held  the  office  until  his  death,  October 
14,  1816,  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  years.  He 
was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  and 
was  about  to  engage  in  mercantile  operations 
when  death  came  so  prematurely,  and  cut  his 
life  short..  He  was  identified  with  the  pre- 
liminary work  in  organizing  the  Presbyterian 
( Ihurch  of  Salem,  yet  he  did  not  live  to  see  the 
fruits  of  his  labor.  His  wife,  a  woman  of  cul- 
ture and  Christian  fortitude,  the  first  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday-school  at  Salem,  was 
left  with  seven  children, — Egbert,  Wells, 
Howel,  Mary  Ann  (wife  of  John  Kelsey), 
John,  Eliza  (wife  of  William  C.  Gridley)  and 
Ebenezer,  of  whom  only  three  survive  in  1885, 
— John,  on  a  part  of  the  old  homestead  ;  Eliza, 
in  West  Candor,  Tioga  County,  N.  Y.  ;  and 
Ebenezer,  at  Lee  Centre,  Lee  County,  111.  Of 
these  children,  Egbert  Woodbridge  lived  to  a 
good  age,  and  died  November  27,  1866,  having 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Salem  township 
for  many  years,  and  filled  other  important 
positions  of  trust.  By  her  second  husband, 
Joseph  Moore,  Mrs.  Woodbridge  had  three 
children.  She  died  July  2, 1860,  aged  seventy- 
six  years. 

Howel  WToodbridge,  third  son  of  Joseph, 
born  at  Salem,  January  28,  1808,  spent  a  part 
of  his  early  life  in  Connecticut  and  acquired  a 
practical  education.  He  married  Maria,  daugh- 
ter of  Captain  Jared  Strickland,  of  Glaston- 
bury, and  settled  upon  a  part  of  the  homestead 
in  Salem,  which  he  afterward  inherited,  and 
there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Their 
children  were  Hosmer,  born  January  1,  1838, 
died  December  30,  1859;  Henry,  born  Sep- 
tember 5,  1840,  served  nine  months  in  the 
late  Civil  War  and  until  its  close,  and  was 
killed  by  a  falling  tree  July  11,  1869  ;  Joseph, 
born  January   17,   1843,  served   in  the  Second 


774 


WAYNK,   PIKE  AND  MOXKOK  COUNTIKS,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Heavy  Artillery  in  the  late  war  and  was  hon- 
orably discharged  (he  married  Elizabeth  Van 
Norsdel  February  22,  1870,  and  resides  in 
Melborne,  Marshall  County,  Iowa,  and  have 
children — Minnie  A.,  Frank  H.  (deceased), 
Mary  E.  (deceased),  William  E.  and  Clarence 
L.  Woodbridge) ;  Sarah  Ann,  born  December 
1,  1849,  a  teacher  for  fifteen  years,  resides  on 
the  homestead ;  Mary  W.,  born  July  11,  1848, 


died  at  quite  an  advanced  age,  leaving  as  their 
successor  their  son  John,  who  was  born  in 
Orange  County,  N.  Y.  John  was  a  man  of 
universal  attainments.  Besides  conducting  the 
old  home  farm  successfully,  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  theology,  and  for  many  years  repre- 
sented in  the  pulpit  the  doctrines  laid  down  by 
the  Protestant  Methodist  denomination.  Having 
acquired  a  competency,  he  contributed  liberally 


gt^t  w^-y^J^- 


on  the  homestead  ;    Jared,   born  October    13, 
1850,  resides  in  Arizona  Territory. 

Howel  Woodbridge  was  a  farmer,  a  highly 
respected  citizen,  and  served  a  short  time  in  the 
late  Rebellion.  He  died  August  29,  1878. 
His  wife  died  April  24,  1871. 


C.    S.    COBB. 

C.  S.  Cobb  kept  a  public-house  (log  tavern) 
for  the  entertainment  of  the  traveling  public. 
Both  himself  and   wife,    Mary  (Stevens)  Cobb, 


to  all  worthy  local  objects,  and  was  especially 
generous  with  those  in  need  of  pecuniary  aid. 
In  politics,  he  was  first  an  Old  Line  Whig,  but 
subsequently  became  a  Democrat,  which  he  re- 
mained until  Lincoln's  administration,  when  he 
identified  himself  with  the  Republican  party. 
He  was  many  times  chosen  by  the  people  of  his 
township  to  fill  positions  of  trust,  such  as  justice 
i  of  the  peace,  etc.  His  wife  was  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Conrad  and  Lucy  (Bunting)  Swingle.  He 
died  August  16, 1866,  aged  seventy-seven  years, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


r-5 


eight  months  and  six  days ;  and  his  wife  died 
December  13,  1874,  at  an  advanced  age.  Their 
children  were  eight  in  number,  of  whom  Con- 
rad S.  was  fifth  in  line.  He  was  born  Febru- 
ary 8,  1825,  in  Luzerne,  now  Lackawanna 
County,  Pa.,  Jefferson  township.  He  remained 
in  that  locality  until  March,  1867,  engaging  in 
farming,  carpenter  and  joiner  work,  etc.,  and 
having  received  a  good  English  education,  also 
engaged  in  teaching  school   and    practiced    sur- 


March,  1877,  removed  to  Salem  township, 
Wayne  County,  Pa.,  and  settled  upon  land  he 
had  purchased  but  a  short  time  previously,  and 
here  he  continued  his  active  career  on  what  was 
known  as  the  Robert  Patten  farm,  the  condition 
of  which  was  such  as  to  require  an  immediate 
outlay  of  money  and  labor.  Mr.  Cobb  has,  by 
industry  and  good  management,  placed  the 
premises  in  such  a  state  of  improvement  as  to 
be    second  to    none    in    Wayne   County.     His 


e  <?  e^&L. 


I 


veying  to  a  considerable  extent.  In  politics, 
he  is  an  independent  Republican,  and  has  been 
several  times  chosen  to  fill  township  offices, 
such  as  justice  of  the  peace,  school  director,  etc. 
While  a  resident  of  Lackawanna  County  he 
was  largely  instrumental  in  making  extensive 
and  valuable  improvements  in  the  vicinity  of 
his  residence,  but  the  facilities  offered  there  be- 
ing insufficient  to   gratify  his    ambition,  he,  in 


buildings  are  tastefully  and  substantially  con- 
structed, and  the  home  of  C.  S.  Cobb  is  one  of 
the  most  sightly  and  picturesque  places  in 
Northern  Pennsylvania.  He  was  married  to 
Laura  J.,  daughter  of  Moses  and  Elizabeth 
(Cobb)  Swingle,  December  10,  1846.  The 
children  born  to  this  union  are  as  follows  : 
John  M.  (deceased) ;  Moses  I.,  now  residing  in 
Hillsdale   County,  Mich.;    Amy  A.  (deceased) ; 


776 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONRO K  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Velma  E.  (deceased)  ;  Jessie  L,  wife  of  Charles 
Uban  ;  Polly  A.  (deceased)  ;  and  Lucy,  who 
resides  at  home. 

Mr.  Cobb  is  liberal  in   his  religious  views, 
but  rather  inclines  to  the  faith  of  the  discipL 


After  his  return  from  the  College  Natural 
History  Society's  Scientific  Expedition,  in  Sep- 
tember of  that  year,  he  was  employed  in  his 
father's  cotton- factory  and  store  till  November, 
1864,  when  he  removed  to  Ledgedale,  Pa.,  and 


He  has  been  a  liberal  contributor  to  all  church    since  then  he  has  been  the  managing  partner  of 
organizations  in  the  neighborhood.  '  the  extensive  business  of  tanning,  merchandising, 


LEttNIDAS    WILLIAM    MORSS. 

Leonidas  William  Mores,  of  Ledgedale, 
Wayne  County,  Pa.,  second  son  of  Benton 
Gilbert  Morss  and  Caroline  Amelia  (Kirtland) 
Mores,  was  born  at  Red  Falls,  Greene  County, 
N.  Y.,  January  17,  1838. 

He  was  fitted  for  college  at  Davenport  and 
Prattsville,  N.  Y.,  and  at  Gleudale,  Mass.,  en- 
tered Williams  College  in  1856,  and  was  grad- 
uated in  1860. 


farming  and  lumbering,  which  was  established 
at  that  place  by  his  father  in  the  years  1849-50. 

He  is  a  thorough-going  business  man,  and 
understands  what  is  being  done  about  the  tan- 
nery, in  the  store,  and  on  the  farm  down  to  the 
minutest  details. 

He  was  married,  in  October,  1866,  to  Minnie 
E.  Morse,  of  Carbondale,  Pa.,  and  has  had  by 
this  marriage  seven  children,  six  of  whom  arc 
now  living:. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


777 


A.  J.  ROLLISON. 

His  grandparents,  William  Rollison  and  Su- 
sana  Schoonover,  were  natives  of  New  Jer- 
sey, where  they  were  married  and  reared  a 
family,  and  at  quite  an  early  day  settled  in 
Cherry  Ridge  township,  Wayne  County,  Pa. 
They  shortly  thereafter  removed  to  Salem  town- 
ship, where  the  remainder  of  their  lives  were 
spent.  He  was  a  farmer  and  cooper  by  occu- 
pation, and  both   himself  and  wife  were  mem- 


he  could  towards  the  support  of  his  father's 
family.  He  was  married  to  Rebecca,  daughter 
of  John  and  Rebecca  (McCabe)  Osborn.  Their 
children  were  Arthur  James,  Matilda  W.,  de- 
ceased, who  became  the  wife  of  Edward  Am- 
merman),  Zilpha,  deceased,  and  Merritt  D. 
Nathaniel  Rollison  made  his  first  purchase  in 
the  fall  of  1827,  in  Salem  township.  This  land 
he  subsequently  exchanged  for  a  larger  tract  in 
the  same  neighborhood,  and   there  he  spent  the 


bers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  They 
died  at  quite  an  advanced  age,  leaving  a  large 
family  of  children,  among  whom  was  Nathan- 
iel, father  of  the  subject  of  this  notice.  He 
was  born  August  24,  1805.  When  a  "  lad  "  he 
went  to  live  with  his  uncle,  but  only  remained 
with  him  until  he  was  old  enough  to  make  him- 
self useful.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of  dif- 
ferent ones,  contributing  such  of  his  earnings  as 
76 


remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  a  supporter  of 
all  worthy  local  objects,  a  consistent  Christian 
and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  which  he  took  an  active  part.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat  until  the  nomina- 
tion of  John  C.  Fremont  for  President,  when 
he  became  a  Republican,  which  he  ever  after 
remained.  He  died  April  28,  1876.  His  wife, 
who  survived  him  resided  with  her  son,  Arthur 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


J.,  until  her  death,  in  February,  1886,  at  seven- 
ty-seven years  of  age. 

Arthur  James  Rollison  was  born  September 
20,  1828,  in  Salem  township,  Wayne  County, 
Pa.  His  early  life  was  spent  at  home  upon 
the  farm,  where  the  usual  routine  was  pursued 
incident  to  farm-life.  He  acquired  such  an  ed- 
ucation as  the  neighborhood  school  afforded. 
Upon  reaching  his  majority  he  took  upon  him- 
self the  responsibility  of  purchasing  a  farm, 
incurring  a  debt  covering  the  whole  of  it,  which, 
by  dint  of  courage,  energy,  and  economy,  he  paid 
off'  in  due  time,  and  made  additional  purchases, 
until  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and  five  acres 
of  as  finely-improved  land  as  Wayne  County 
affords.  His  entire  life-work  thus  far  has  been 
devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  three  years  he  spent  in  merchandising. 
Mr.  Rollison  has  ever  taken  an  active  interest 
in  the  neighborhood,  township,  elc.  ;  has  con- 
tributed liberally  of  his  time  and  means  to  the 
support  of  church  and  kindred  interests;  was 
largely  instrumental  in  the  erection  of  the  hand- 
some church  edifice  recently  built  by  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  organization  in  the 
neighborhood,  of  which  he  is  a  member  and  with 
which  he  is  officially  connected.  He  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  school  matters,  and 
was  for  sis  years  school  director.  He  was  mar- 
ried, January  1,  1852,  to  Lovina  Ammerman. 
She  died  January  21,  1874,  without  issue.  His 
second  marriage  occurred  August  19,  1874,  to 
Margaret  A.,  daughter  of  Thomas  Bortree.  The 
children  born  of  this  union  are  Matilda  E., 
Orra  M.  and  Leroy  L.  Besides  this,  he  has 
added  to  his  family  by  adoption  Aaron  Cramer, 
William  E.  Woodward,  Lafayette  Ammerman, 
Orpha  Ammerman  and  Annie  E.  Cole.  The 
two  latter  reside  with  him  at  the  present  time. 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

LAKE    TOWNSHIP.i 

Lake  Township  was  erected  in  1877  out  of  the 
northern  part  of  Salem  and  a  small  strip  of  South 


From  matter  supplied    by  P.   W.   Collins  and  Homer 
Green,  Esq. 


Canaan.  The  dividing  line  from  the  former  town- 
ship is  substantially  that  run  by  L.  S.  Collins, 
R.  S.  Doren  and  J.  R.  Hoadley,  commissioners 
appointed  by  the  Court  of  Quarter  Sessions,  in 
June,  1874,  to  divide  Salem  into  two  election 
districts,  in  response  to  a  petition  signed  by  most 
of  the  residents  of  the  upper  portion  of  the  town. 
The  election-house  was  then  located  at  Ariel,  and 
has  since  become  the  town-house.  The  excision 
of  the  new  district  as  a  separate  township  took 
place  in  1877,  though  the  lines  were  not  finally 
determined  upon  until  two  or  three  years  later. 
The  first  assessment  was  made  in  1878,  and  at 
that  time  the  township  had  taxables.  The  line 
which  divides  it  from  Salem  commences  near  the 
west  side  of  W.  H.  Sharp's,  and  runs  east  so  as  to 
cross  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company's  track 
southwest  of  Simon  Moore's  house.  Thence  it 
runs  over  what  is  known  as  "  Morgan  Hill," 
crossing  the  township  road  near  Joseph  Cobb's ; 
thence  across  the  old  Salem  road,  between  the 
farms  of  Horace  Bell  and  J.  L.  Miller ;  thence 
across  the  lands  of  W.  B.  France ;  thence  across 
the  Chapmantown  and  Rollinsonville  road,  near  the 
house  of  D.  Lockcord,  and  thence  south  of  Day- 
ton Pond  to  the  Rollinsonville  and  Purdytown 
road,  near  Hemlock  Hollow,  leaving  Marcus 
Killam's  farm  buildings  on  the  east  side  of  the 
line  and  in  Salem  township.  The  South  Canaan 
line  was  also  straightened  at  the  same  time,  so 
that  a  small  strip  of  territory  that  formerly 
belonged  to  that  township  was  included  in  the 
boundaries  of  Lake.  The  first  election  held  in 
"Salem  No.  2,"  as  the  district  was  first  called, 
took  place  in  February,  1875,  and  one  hundred 
and  seventy-three  votes  were  cast,  the  first  being 
polled  by  Samuel  Saffbrd. 

The  topography  of  Lake  is  much  broken  with 
large  areas  of  sterile,  rock-bound  spurs  of  the 
Moosic  Mountains,  and  several  formidable  swamps 
surrounded  by  almost  impenetrable  thickets  of 
laurel,  extending  back  from  a  few  rods  to  a 
quarter  of  a  mile.  The  morass  in  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  township  is  part  of  the  great  swampy 
region  that  extends  over  into  Paupack,  and  is 
historic  as  "  The  Shades  of  Death,"  made  memor- 
able by  tragedy  and  suffering,  as  the  settlers  who 
escaped    the    tomahawk     and    scalpiug-knife    at 


WAYNE    COUNTY. 


Wyoming  fled  to  the  Delaware.  There  is,  per- 
haps, as  much  waste  land  in  the  township  as  in 
any  equal  area  in  the  county,  yet  the  central 
portion  contains  some  good  farms  and  is  well 
populated.  The  proportion  of  uncleared  land  is 
large,  much  from  which  the  timber  has  been  felled 
being  so  covered  with  boulders  and  broken  stone 
as  to  render  it  useless  for  agricultural  purposes, 
and  it  remains  a  forbidding  wilderness  of  decay- 
ing logs,  brush  and  scrub  oak,  penetrated  only  by 
hunters  and  fishermen. 

As  late  as  1850  probably  two-thirds  of  the  town- 
ship was  covered  with  heavy  timber,  hemlock 
predominating  amid  a  valuable  growth  of  hard- 
wood and  some  white  pine.  The  hardwood  con- 
sisted chiefly  of  hard  and  soft  maple,  beech,  birch, 
hickory  in  a  few  localities,  considerable  chestnut, 
black  cherry,  black  oak,  tulip  tree  and  poplar. 
In  1851  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company's  Rail- 
road was  completed,  and  an  outlet  thus  given  to 
these  hitherto  almost  inaccessible  lumber  regions. 
Soon  axes  were  swinging  busily  in  the  forest,  and 
tanneries  sprang  up  to  utilize  the  hemlock  bark. 
As  prices  increased,  still  greater  inroads  were 
made  on  the  mountain  tracts,  until  now  there  is 
but  little  of  the  original  unbroken  forest  left,  and 
in  its  place  are  long  stretches  of  ragged  land 
covered  with  briar  and  brush,  with  here  and  there 
a  solitary,  fire-blackened  tree  standing  guard  over 
the  abandoned  field. 

Although  there  is  much  land  that  will  hardly 
be  utilized  for  several  generations,  the  township 
•contains  some  as  fine  farms  as  will  be  found  any- 
where in  the  county;  these  are  not,  however, 
adapted  to  wheat  or  winter  grains  of  any  kind, 
though  excellent  for  grazing.  Those  who  make 
a  specialty  of  stock-raising  may  be  reckoned  among 
the  most  successful  farmers  of  the  township,  and 
corn,  oats  and  potatoes  are  staple  crops  and  give 
good  returns.  There  are  certain  ridge  farms,  con- 
taining what  is  known  as  "  red  shale  soil,"  which 
are  better  adapted  to  grain  than  grass.  The 
Morgan  farm,  first  occupied  by  Samuel  Morgan, 
and  now  occupied  by  his  son  and  daughter,  is  one 
of  these,  and  has  the  reputation  of  being  the  best 
in  the  township  for  both  crops. 

Early  Settlement. — Seventeen  pioneers 
came  into  Salem  township  prior  to  1803,  and 
those  who  settled  in  the  northern  portion  were,  of 


course,  the  first  settlers  of  Lake.  The  country  in 
the  vicinity  of  Jones  Lake,  being  fertile  land  and 
comparatively  free  from  large  stone,  was  selected 
as  the  place  for  their  clearings,  and  they  and  their 
descendants  gave  rise  to  two  settlements  which 
antedate  all  others  in  the  township.  Jonestown, 
the  first  of  these,  is  a  short  distance  east  of  the 
lake,  and  Elizur  Miller  was  the  first  settler.  He 
was  the  father  of  Joseph,  Jesse,  Ashbel  and  Hervy. 
The  homestead  descended  to  Jesse,  who  married 
Margaret  Bishop,  and  was  the  father  of  five  sons, 
—  Palmer,  John  B.,  Jesse,  Joseph  and  Jason.  His 
wife,  who  lived  to  be  a  very  aged  woman,  died  but 
a  few  years  ago.  John  B.  Miller  was  the  first  to 
take  up  land  in  what  is  now  known  as  the  "  Chap- 
man District,"  about  two  miles  east  of  Jonestown, 
on  the  Purdytown  road.  He  married  Nancy,  a 
daughter  of  James  Stone,  of  Arlington,  who  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Luzerne  County.  Mr. 
Miller  had  six  children, — three  boys  and  three 
girls.  George,  the  youngest,  who  is  the  only  son 
living,  has  the  homestead.  James  Wiley,  who 
married  one  of  the  daughters,  lives  on  a  part  of 
the  old  place,  and  Silas  Clark,  the  husband  of 
another  sister,  has  a  place  near  by.  The  third 
daughter  married  Benjamin  West,  and  has  been 
dead  several  years. 

Joseph  L.  Miller  also  settled  in  Chapmantown 
at  first,  but  afterwards  sold  to  George  Killam  and 
Silas  Clark  and  went  back  on  the  Miller  estate. 
He  died  in  1883,  and  Jesse  Q.  Miller,  his  son,  has 
his  homestead.  In  1860,  Jesse  Miller,  Sr.,  sold 
fifty  acres  of  the  estate  to  S.  B.  Dolph.  of  Luzerne 
County,  who  now  resides  on  the  north  side  of  the 
place. 

The  Polly  farm,  which  is  north  of  the  Miller 
estate,  was  first  owned  by  Salmon  Jones,  a  brother 
of  Deacon  Asa  Jones.  Salmon  was  elected 
sheriff  in  1816,  and  moved  to  Bethany;  but  he 
must  have  sold  the  place  before  that,  as  it  was 
assessed  to  Amos  Polly  in  1815.  Esquire  Polly 
was  the  second  justice  of  the  peace  in  Salem  town- 
ship, and  held  office  until  1839.  He  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade,  and  for  a  number  of  years  the 
only  one  in  Jonestown  or  vicinity,  and  many  of 
the  first  buildings  were  erected  by  him.  He  was 
also  interested  with  Deacon  Jones  in  a  saw-mill 
referred  to  elsewhere,  and  was  a  valuable  man  in 
the  community.     His  wife  was  a  sister  of  Joseph 


780 


WAYNE.  PIKE  AND  MONliOE  COCNTIKS.   PENNSYLVANIA. 


Headley,  of  Prompton,  and  he  had  six  children, — 
three  boys  (Amos,  Horace  M.  and  Horton  W.)  and 
three  girls  (Sophia,  the  wife  of  Hiram  Blois,  who 
is  still  living  at  Hamliutou,  aged  eighty  years; 
Hannah,  the  wife  of  Robert  Headley;  Electa,  who 
married  Edwin  Haling).  Most  of  them  are  now 
dead. 

On  the  adjoining  farm  Deacon  Asa  Jones  and 
Polly,  his  wife,  settled  in  1803,  having  come  from 
the  town  of  Newfoundland,  Conn.,  by  the  way  of 
New  Jersey  and  the  Delaware  River.  They  had 
been  recently  married  and  Mrs.  Jones  had  one 
grown  son,  afterwards  Esquire  Polly,  by  her  first 
husband,  Amos  Polly,  Sr.  Deacon  Jones  had 
eight  children, — Asa,  Amasa,  Joel,  Polly,  Hannah, 
Lury,  Electa  and  Vesta. 

Asa  was  a  great  hunter  and  trapper,  and  it  is 
said  of  him  that  there  was  no  man  in  the  county 
who  could  infuse  greater  expectations  into  a  party 
of  hunters  at  the  commencement  of  the  chase,  or 
bring  about  more  satisfactory  realizations  at  its 
close.  He  married  Lucinna  Buckingham  and 
settled  between  the  homestead  and  the  farm  of  his 
brother  Amasa.  All  of  his  seven  children  are 
dead  except  the  youngest  son,  Anion,  who  has  the 
old  place. 

Amasa  Jones  bought  of  Esquire  Amos  Polly 
when  the  latter  moved  to  Hamilton  and  settled 
on  the  old  Bethany  road,  near  the  Bethuel  Jones' 
farm.  Amasa  was  counted  as  a  very  successful 
farmer  in  the  early  days,  and  had  one  of  the  best 
appointed  places  in  the  locality.  He  married 
Morilla,  a  daughter  of  Josiah  Curtis,  of  Salem 
Corners,  and  had  five  daughters, — Eliza,  Mahala, 
Harriet,  Vesta  and  Adaline.  Washington  Hoel, 
a  son  of  Captain  Charles  Hoel,  of  Bethany, 
married  Vesta,  and  now,  with  his  family  of  three 
children,  lives  at  the  homestead. 

Joel  Jones  married  Delinda  Purdy,  a  daughter 
of  Reuben  Purdy,  of  Paupack,  and  had  five 
children, — Byron,  who  married  Lucy  Allen,  of 
Luzerne  County,  and  is  one  of  the  present  justices 
of  the  peace  for  Lake  township  ;  Caliuda,  the  wife 
of  Charles  Purdy,  of  Dalton,  Lackawanna  County  ; 
Melissa,  who  married  S.  T.  Walker,  and  lives  at 
Nicholson,  Wyoming  County  ;  Reuben  ;  and  Polly, 
who  married  W.  H.  Bidwell,  and  lives  near  Sand 
Pond.     Reuben  married  Abby  Cobb,  of  Canaan, 


and  lives   at  the  homestead.     His  mother  is  still 
alive  and  resides  with  him. 

Polly,  Deacon  Jones'  eldest  daughter,  married 
William  Hollister,  and  had  a  numerous  family, 
most  of  whom  reside  in  the  township. 

Lucy  married  Luther  Weston,  of  Salem,  and 
left  no  issue. 

Electa  was  the  wife  of  Joseph  Moore,  of  Salem, 
and  left  only  one  son,  who  is  now  dead. 

Vesta  became  the  wife  of  Horace  Moore,  who, 
in  1827,  bought  of  Timothy  Hollister  two  hundred 
acres  on  the  Salem  and  Cherry  Ridge  road,  adjoin- 
ing the  farms  of  Amasa  and  Bethuel  Jones.  Mr. 
Moore  had  four  children,  and  is  still  living,  an 
aged  man,  and  a  deacon  in  the  Jones  Lake 
Baptist  Church. 

Hannah  married  Abner  D.  Collins,  a  son  of 
Lewis  Collins,  of  Cherry  Ridge,  and,  in  1853, 
settled  on  lands  lying  between  the  old- Asa  Jones 
estate  and  the  farm  of  Elder  G.  Dobell,  on  the 
place  now  occupied  by  P.  W.  Collins.  They  had 
six  children, — Lysander  Y.,  who  married  Eliza 
Brown,  of  Paupack,  and  removed  to  California  in 
1860 ;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Alva  Harding,  of 
Susquehanna  County;  Julia  A.,  who  married 
Thomas  Cook,  and  lives  in  New  York  State ; 
Haunah  M.,  the  wife  of  Warren  Slocum,  of  Scran- 
ton  ;  Philander  W.,  who  married  Susan  E.  Lon- 
don, and  resides  at  the  homestead;  Calista  H., 
who  married  Warren  Moore,  and  afterwards 
Edward  W.  Moore. 

Ambrose  Buckingham  bought  a  few  acres  of 
Asa  Jones,  Jr.,  and  built  to  the  north  of  the 
latter's  farm.  After  a  few  years  he  traded  with 
Nathaniel  Whitmore  for  two  hundred  acres  in 
Paupack.  Whitmore  was  a  shoemaker,  and  one 
of  the  best  in  the  county  at  that  time,  having 
owned  a  large  manufacturing  establishment  in 
Connecticut  previous  to  his  removal  to  Pennsyl- 
vania. Besides  the  wide  experience  thus  gained, 
he  was  a  man  of  excellent  education,  and  taught 
the  winter  schools  several  years. 

Bethuel  Jones  came  from  Hebron,  Conn.,  in 
1822,  arriving  in  Salem  early  in  April  in  company 
with  Lawrence  Tisdel.  The  East  and  West  turn- 
pike was  then  in  process  of  construction,  and  they 
came  along  the  new  road,  staying  the  first  night 
I  after   their   arrival    with  Seth  Goodrich,  on   the 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


781 


Little  Meadows  place.  Bethuel  bought  the  place 
now  occupied  by  his  son,  E.  Z.  Jones,  from 
Jonathan  Watrous,  who  had  purchased  from 
E.  Flint  and  Jesse  Miller.  Bethuel  was  a  brother 
of  Asa  and  Salmon  Jones,  and  was  considered  one 
of  the  most  enterprising  men  of  his  time.  He  was 
a  blacksmith,  and  had  the  only  shop  in  the 
vicinity.  He  was  three  times  married,  — his  first 
wife  being  Hannah  Church,  his  second  Lydia 
Rogers,  and  his  third  Betsy  Isham.  The  latter 
survived  him  a  number  of  years.  He  had  six 
children, — E.  R.  Jones,  Bethuel,  Jr.,  Gates,  Eliza- 
beth, Lydia  and  Hannah.  The  eldest  of  these,  E.  R. 
seems  to  have  inherited  the  enterprise  of  his  father. 
He  was  a  very  successful  lumberman  in  the  early 
history  of  that  industry,  and  enjoyed  the  confi- 
dence of  all  who  knew  him.  He  has  been  twice 
commissioner  of  Wayne  County. 

Lawrence  Tisdel,  who  was  a  son-in-law  of 
Bethuel,  settled  just  north  of  him,  and  is  still 
living,  in  his  eighty-ninth  year.  Hannah,  his 
wife,  is  eighty-four,  and  both  are  cared  for  by 
their  son,  George  W.,  who  lives  at  the  homestead. 
Mr.  Tisdel  had  a  number  of  sous,  all  of  whom 
have  shown  great  constructive  ability,  and  become 
noted  for  their  skill  in  the  avocations  they  have 
adopted.  L.  W.  Tisdel  is  widely  known  among 
sportsmen  as  the  ingenious  gunsmith  of  Scranton. 
A.  G.  is  a  resident  of  Brooklyn,  and  has  the 
reputation  of  being  one  of  the  best  photographic 
and  stereoscopic  instrument  makers  in  the  country. 
Bethuel,  who  is  a  fine  workman  on  calender 
clocks,  is  the  foreman  of  a  large  establishment  in 
Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  where  another  brother  is  also 
employed ;  while  Frederick,  the  oldest  son,  has  a 
very  successful  truck  farm  at  Pittston. 

John  Watrous,  a  son  of  Jonathan,  an  early  set- 
tler at  Salem  Corners,  and  a  skillful  shoemaker  in 
his  day,  owns  the  farm  adjoining  the  Tisdel  place. 

Chapman  town,  the  second  of  the  early  settle- 
ments, was  begun  about  1828,  when  Elder  George 
Dobell  moved  from  Sterling  and  located  on  a  tract 
east  of  the  old  Jones  place,  on  the  Purdytown 
road.  He  had  moved  from  England  ten  years 
before.  Some  improvements  had  been  made  on 
the  tract  by  Jesse  Miller,  and  as  Mr.  Dobell  was 
very  energetic  he  soon  had  a  fine  clearing  that 
proved  so  productive  as  to  attract  others  to  the 
neighborhood.     His  early  life  was  filled  with  do- 


mestic affliction.  His  first  wife,  a  bride  of  a  short 
time,  died  just  before  he  sailed  for  America.  In 
1820,  he  married  Catharine  Smith,  of  Sterling,  who 
also  lived  but  a  few  years.  His  only  son,  John,  was 
drowned,  and  sickness  visited  his  children.  In 
spite  of  all  these  discouragements,  he  was  always 
cheerful  in  his  activity,  and  uncompromising 
in  integrity,  and  consistent  in  his  Christian  life. 
He  held  firmly  to  the  old  school  Baptist  doc- 
trines, and,  after  having  preached  as  a  licen- 
tiate for  a  number  of  years,  was  ordained  to 
the  ministry,  by  Rev.  Zelotes  Grenell,  in  1828-9. 
In  1824  he  had  preached  the  funeral  sermon  of 
Rev.  William  Purdy,  the  pioneer  minister  of  the 
Baptists  in  Wayne,  who  organized  the  Palmyra 
Church  in  1801,  and  was  its  pastor  from  that  date. 
Mr.  Dobell  succeeded  him,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  was  closely  identified  with  the  congregation. 
He  was  a  prominent  figure  in  the  controversy  be- 
tween the  old  and  new  school  doctrines,  and  the 
disagreements  growing  out  of  it  led  him  to  resign 
his  pastorate.  Elder  Dobell's  third  wife  was  Eliza 
Lawrence,  whom  he  married  in  1833  ;  she  died 
only  a  few  months  ago,  aged  nearly  ninety  years. 
His  children  were  as  follows  .  Eliza,  who  married 
Albert  Purdy,  and  was  the  mother  of  George 
Purdy,  Esq.,  of  the  Wayne  County  bar ;  Hannah, 
wife  of  Joseph  L.  Miller ;  Sarah,  who  married 
Henry  Stevens,  of  Sterling ;  Frances,  the  wife  of 
William  Ramble ;  Martha  ;  Mary  Ann,  the  wife 
of  Edward  Smith  ;  Charlotte,  who  married  Wil- 
liam Simmons,  of  Sterling. 

William  Ramble,  who  was  skilled  as  a  mill- 
wright, came  from  Northampton  County,  Pa., 
about  1847,  and  worked  at  his  trade  for  many 
years  on  mills  in  the  vicinity.  In  1849  he  bought 
the  farm  adjoining  the  Dobell  place,  and  now  has 
one  of  the  best  improvements  in  the  district.  He 
married  Frances  Dobell,  as  has  been  stated,  and 
has  six  children  ;  William,  the  eldest,  owns  the 
original  Dobell  place. 

East  of  Mr  Ramble's  is  a  farm  owned  by 
Edwin  Haling,  whose  father  came  from  Connec- 
ticut to  Salem  in  1844,  and  commenced  clearing 
up  a  farm  south  of  Jones'  Lake,  which  is  now 
owned  by  James  Swingle.  Mr.  Haling  married 
Electa  Polly,  and  settled  in  Chapmantown  in  1855. 

The  Chapmans  who  gave  the  name  to  this  set- 
tlement, did  not  locate  there  until  1851.     There 


782 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


were  three  of  them— Leander,  Horace  and  Alfred 
— brothers,  and  sons  of  Daniel  Chapman,  an  old 
resident  of  Salem.  They  took  up  large  tracts 
about  a  mile  east  of  Jones'  Lake,  and  were  soon 
followed  by  others,  among  whom  are  W.  B.  Lesher, 
James  Lesher  aud  George  Killam,  who  all  occupy 
farms  that  compare  favorably  with  those  of  the 
older  settlers.  On  the  new  cross-road  are  some 
excellent  farms,  which  have  been  quite  recently 
cleared — notably,  those  of  William  Finn,  W.  B. 
Lesher,  James  Lesher  and  Hoarce  Butler.  Two 
other  farms — the  Ammerman  and  Daniels  places, 
both  settled  much  earlier — are  now  occupied  by 
other  than  the  original  owners  and  their  descend- 
ants. 

In  1845  the  turnpike  from  Salem  to  Cherry 
Ridge  was  completed,  reducing  the  journey  to 
Honesdale  more  than  one  half.  The  road  led 
through  what  was  at  that  time  almost  an  unbroken 
forest,  but  as  it  became  at  once  the  main  highway 
lands  were  quickly  taken  up  and  cleared,  a  paying- 
market  being  found  for  both  bark  and  lumber  at 
Honesdale.  Lewis  Leonard  had  previously  settled 
at  Sand  Pond,  and  it  was  through  him  and  his 
son-in-law,  Charles  Washburn,  that  the  road  was 
so  expeditiously  opened.  He  was  an  oar-maker, 
who  came  from  the  State  of  Maine,  in  1840,  and 
settled  on  the  place  commenced  by  one  Moore  ;  and 
as  the  forest  abounded  with  the  best  ash  it  was  but 
a  short  time  before  he  had  a  saw-mill  and  turning 
lathe  at  work. 

George  Leonard,  a  son  of  Lewis,  settled  next  to 
his  father,  and  has  been  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful and  scientific  farmers  in  the  township.  He  is 
a  man  of  broad  technical  knowledge  and  good 
constructive  ability,  and  has  been  awarded  several 
patents  on  water-wheels,  ploughs,  torpedoes  and 
other  useful  inventions.  He  had  until  quite  re- 
cently one  of  the  most  complete  maple  sugar 
camps  in  the  county,  and  his  apiary  will  compare 
favorably  with  any  in  the  State.  Mr.  Leonard  is 
an  authority  on  bee-keeping,  and  elsewhere  con- 
tributes to  this  work  a  valuable  chapter  on  the 
industry.  He  is  also  a  noted  fruit  raiser,  and  has 
the  only  power  wind-mill  in  the  township. 

John  Leonard,  another  son  of  Lewis,  settled  on 
the  pike  at  the  place  now  called  "No.  17,"  and 
erected  first  a  water-power  saw  mill,  and  afterwards 
applied  steam.     He  at  one  time  owned  large  and 


valuable  tracts  of  timber  land,  but  the  estate,  after 
passing  through  several  hands,  is  now  owned  by 
Judge  Giles  Green,  of  Ariel.  Charles  Washburn, 
who  has  already  been  mentioned,  settled  near  his 
brother-in-law,  along  the  loaded  track  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Coal  Company's  railroad,  two  or  three 
miles  above  Middle  Valley.  He  was  not  very 
successful  as  a  lumberman,  and  finally  sold  out 
and  went  to  Minnesota,  where  he  died  a  few  years 
ago. 

Among  the  others  who  settled  in  this  locality 
are  Charles  Farrer,  Emory  E.  Jones,  Daniel 
Brundage,  Jacob  Curtis,  Samuel  Elliston,  Daniel 
and  William  Evarts,  and  the  late  Laurain  Moore. 

Salmon  Jones,  a  brother  of  Deacon  Asa  Jones, 
came  to  Salem  some  years  before  Asa.  He  had 
seven  children — three  sons  and  four  daughters  ; 
Albert,  the  father  of  three  children  ;  Irving,  who 
had  six ;  Norton,  who  died  in  California  ;  Evaline, 
Adaline,  Caroline  and  Sarah.  Salmon,  the  only 
son  of  Albert,  was  for  many  years  a  successful 
raftsman  on  the  Lackawaxen. 

Adventures  of  Early  Settlers. — The  dense 
forests  into  which  the  early  settlers  moved  were 
filled  with  game ;  the  ponds  and  streams  abounded 
with  fish,  and  the  thickets  were  the  home  of  the 
bear,  the  panther  and  the  wolf.  These  latter  ani- 
mals proved  exceedingly  troublesome  to  the  pio- 
neers, and  made  it  necessary  to  watch  for  the 
safety  of  the  sheep  and  stock  continually.  On 
some  of  the  clearings  nearest  to  the  swamps  it 
was  necessary  to  build  strong  stockades  in  which 
to  fold  the  sheep  and  cattle  during  the  night;  and 
ofttimes,  even  then,  a  midnight  sally  of  the  gray 
pests  would  call  the  farmer  from  his  bed  to  rescue 
his  flocks.  Not  only  were  the  sheep  to  be  guarded, 
but  young  children  had  to  be  closely  looked  after, 
particularly  in  the  winter,  when  the  wolves  were 
half  famished ;  and,  in  more  favorable  seasons, 
giown  people  were  not  safe  in  the  woods  after 
nightfall,  unless  well  armed.  At  one  time,  Mary 
Ann,  a  daughter  of  Elder  Dobell,  accompanied 
by  her  half-brother,  went  to  the  woods  that  skirted 
their  father's  clearing  to  drive  in  the  cows  just 
after  sunset.  They  had  found  the  cattle,  and  had 
turned  their  faces  toward  the  house,  when  they 
heard  the  wolves  howling  just  behind  them.  The 
children  were  in  sight  of  the  house,  and  felt  quite 
safe ;  so  they  began  to  mock  the  wolves.     Scarce 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


7SH 


had  they  uttered  the  first  sound,  when  the  infu- 
riated pack  dashed  from  the  laurels,  and  rushed 
at  them.  Fortunately,  the  children  were  close  to 
the  cabin,  into  which  they  escaped,  while  the 
wolves  howled  around  the  house,  and  attacked  the 
sheep-fold.  None  of  the  older  members  of  the 
family  were  at  home,  and  the  frightened  children 
did  not  dare  to  go  to  the  rescue.  The  bleating  of 
the  terrified  lambs  iucreased  the  fury  of  the  pack, 
which  was  augmented  by  reinforcements  from  the 
swamp  until  it  numbered  forty  or  fifty.  The 
children  saw  that  the  situation  was  desperate,  and 
at  last  plucked  up  courage  to  go  to  the  rescue. 
There  were  no  guns  about  the  house,  all  the  arms 
having  been  taken  by  the  older  members  of  the 
family  as  a  protection  in  a  journey  through  the 
woods ;  but  the  lad  had  not  lived  ten  years  on  a 
clearing  without  gaining  both  courage  and  saga- 
city to  protect  the  place.  Each  of  the  children 
caught  up  a  splint  broom,  dipped  it  into  some  tar 
that  there  happened  to  be  about  the  place,  and 
igniting  this  rude  torch,  rushed  out,  brandishing 
the  flames  at  the  wolves.  Snarling  and  growling, 
the  wolves  gazed  in  surprise  at  the  strange  method 
of  attack,  though  scarce  retreating  as  the  bran- 
dished flames  drew  nearer.  At  last,  when  the 
burning  pitch  was  within  but  a  few  feet  of  the 
foremost  of  the  pack,  the  light  breeze  blew  the 
flames  in  his  face,  and,  with  a  howl  of  pain,  he 
turned  and  dashed  into  the  woods,  followed  by 
the  others. 

Some  years  afterward,  relates  Mrs.  Frances 
Ramble,  who  was  another  daughter  of  Elder 
Dobell,  the  sheep-fold  was  again  robbed.  The 
pen  was  composed  of  stout  poles  so  high  that  it 
was  believed  to  be  impossible  for  a  wolf  to  get  in, 
or,  if  in,  to  get  out,  and  for  several  days  it  was 
thought  that  a  two-legged  wolf  was  committing 
depredations.  Soon,  however,  unmistakable  signs 
of  a  genuine  wolf  were  discovered,  and  the  pen 
was  built  a  little  higher.  The  next  morning  an- 
other sheep  had  disappeared.  Grandfather  Jones, 
as  the  deacon  was  always  called,  was  consulted, 
and,  at  his  suggestion,  a  big  bear  trap  was  set  on 
what  was  considered  the  best  side  of  the  pen. 
The  next  morning  the  trappers  were  on  hand  as 
soon  as  it  was  light,  and,  to  their  surprise,  found 
the  trap  missing,  though  all  the  sheep  were  there. 
The  dogs  were  called  and  given  the  trail.     After 


sniffing  a  moment,  off  they  started  to  the  woods, 
followed  by 'half  the  male  population  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. About  nine  o'clock  notice  was  given 
that  game  was  ahead,  and  soon  hoarse  growls 
from  a  dense  laurel  thicket  showed  that  the  wolf 
was  found.  The  clump  of  bushes  was  carefully 
surrounded,  and  when  the  huge  animal,  with  the 
trap  still  attached  to  one  of  its  legs,  was  driven 
out  of  her  hiding-place,  five  bullets  finished  it. 
The  wolf  was  the  largest  ever  caught  in  that  part 
of  the  township,  and  probably  in  the  county.  It 
measured  twelve  feet  and  an  inch  from  tip  to  tip. 

Ettrly  Industries. — The  first  saw-mill  erected  in 
what  is  now  Lake  township,  of  which  there  is  any 
record,  is  one  which  Amos  Polly  and  Asa  Jones 
built  on  Five  Mile  Creek,  the  outlet  of  Jones 
Lake,  as  early  as  1816.  Subsequently  Joel  Jones 
built  a  second  mill  on  the  same  stream,  but  much 
nearer  the  lake,  and  after  that  the  mill  now  owned 
by  H.  W.  Polly  and  J.  S.  Smith  was  put  up. 
The  first  permanent  dam  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake 
was  constructed  by  Joel  and  E.  R.  Jones  in  1829. 
There  had  been  a  temporary  structure  put  up  by 
Asa  and  Salmon  Jones,  who  also  had  built  a  rude 
saw  mill ;  but  it  was  so  inefficient  that  when  E. 
R.  Jones  and  Lawrence  Tisdel  came  to  the  town- 
ship in  1822  they  found  it  necessary  to  go  to  the 
saw-mill  of  Moses  Shaffer,  in  South  Canaan,  for 
lumber  for  building  purposes.  The  early  settle- 
ments were  so  identified  with  Salem  that  little  was 
done  in  the  way  of  home  industries  until  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company  s  mad. 
Prior  to  that  (in  1846)  Elder  Dobell  bought  a 
tract  of  land  on  the  head-waters  of  Five  Mile 
Creek,  and  built  a  saw-mill.  After  his  death,  in 
1867,  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Walker  Brothers, 
who  put  in  a  steam  engine  and  circular  plant. 
Subsequently  the  mill  took  fire,  and  was  entirely 
destroyed.  The  property  is  occupied  by  Amos 
Belcher  at  present. 

Forest  Mills  is  a  busy  hamlet  near  the  western 
edge  of  the  township,  that  has  grown  up  through 
the  large  lumber  and  manufacturing  interests  that 
have  centred  there.  The  place  is  pleasantly  situ- 
ated on  the  line  of  the  Erie  and  Wyoming  Valley 
Railroad,  and  is  connected  by  a  branch  road  with 
the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company's  road.  The 
hamlet  has  two  stores,  a  church,  a  school-house 


784 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  a  number  of  neat  dwellings,  and  bids  fair  to 
be  a  thriving  place  in  the  near  future.  • 

In  the  fall  of  1866,  J.  T.  Barnes  bought  a  large 
tract  of  excellent  timber  land  from  the  Cadwalla- 
der  estate,  and  erected  a  large  saw-mill,  taking  his 
water-supply  from  the  Cobb  Pond,  which  is  near 
by.  In  1867  and  1868  he  built  a  branch  to  con- 
nect with  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company's  road, 
and  increased  the  capacity  of  his  mills  until  the 
output  was  over  three  million  feet  annually.  By 
an  arrangement  with  Messrs.  Robertson  and  Gale, 
who  were  then  running  a  large  tannery  at  Middle 
Valley,  he  controlled  the  lumber  on  two  hundred 
thousand  acres,  including  the  fine  water  power 
afforded  by  the  Cobb  Pond,  or,  more  properly, 
Moosic  Lake.  This  beautiful  spring-fed  sheet  of 
water  is  on  the  summit  of  the  Moosic  Mountain, 
and  is  nearly  two  miles  long.  So  clear  are  its 
waters  that  the  fine  sand  and  white  pebbles  on  the 
bottom  can  be  seen  many  feet  below  the  surface. 
The  lake  is  just  on  the  edge  of  Lackawanna 
County.  The  land  on  the  west  side  of  the  pond 
is  excellent  for  grazing,  and  contains  some  good 
farms  owned  by  Theodore  Mitchell,  Z.  Keizer, 
Garrett  Sickles,  J.  S.  Collins,  William  Black, 
Abraham  Bullard,  Henry  Halleck  and  others. 
The  Collins  place  was  taken  up  by  Alonzo  Col- 
lins, one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Bethany.  The 
north  and  west  sides  of  the  pond  have  been  taken 
up  chiefly  by  employees  of  the  Pennsylvania  Coal 
Company,  of  whom  there  is  quite  a  little  settle- 
ment. A  school-house  near  the  county  line  is  the 
regular  meeting  place  for  two  denominations  who 
have  stations  there,  and  Rev.  Jacob  Harris,  a  noted 
itinerant  worker  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
lives  near  by  and  keeps  up  regular  preaching. 

In  the  hamlet  of  Forest  Mills  there  is  a  branch 
of  the  Evangelist  Church,  which  has  also  a  camp- 
ing-ground, where  meetings  are  held  annually. 
The  industry  which  has  given  the  place  its  impetus 
was  commenced  by  a  company. 

There  also  have  been  other  lumber  interests.  In 
1870  W.  Sharp  and  W.  S.  Gibbs  built  a  saw  mill 
about  a  mile  from  Forest  Mill,  on  the  Hollisterville 
and  Canaan  road.  It  was  burned  shortly  after, 
and  has  never  been  rebuilt.  In  1883,  H.  Masters 
and  J.  Gromlich  erected  a  new  mill  that  puts  out 
7,000  feet  daily.     It  is  a  mile  from  the  Sharp  mill. 

Gravity  is  a  small  village  that   has  grown  up 


at  the  head  of  Plane  No.  12,  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Coal  Company's  railroad,  and  has  been  settled  since 
the  beginning  of  that  enterprise.  The  first  inhabi- 
tants were  from  Canaan.  Beazilla  Shafer  had  lo- 
cated there  a  short  time  before  the  railroad  was 
surveyed,  and  was  soon  followed  by  Eli  and  John 
Shafer,  Asher  Enslin,  Joseph  McCoy  and  others. 
The  first  store  in  the  place  was  kept  by  Edward 
Rogers,  and  the  first  tavern  opened  by  John  Shafer. 
A  new  hotel  has  been  recently  erected  by  Charles 
Masters.  Since  the  opening  of  the  Erie  and  Wy- 
oming Valley  Railroad,  during  the  past  few  months, 
a  commodious  depot  has  been  built,  and  Gravity 
promises  to  become  an  important  shipping  point. 
There  are  several  excellent  farms  in  the  vicinity. 
G.  M.  Patterson  is  the  postmaster,  having  been  ap- 
pointed this  year,  when  the  office  was  established. 

Tresslerville,  a  hamlet  near  the  Lake  and 
Canaan  line,  owes  its  origin  to  the  building  of  a 
small  tannery  at  the  junction  of  Halsey  Brook  and 
Middle  Creek  by  Benjamin  Kelley,  Jr.,  in  1822. 
He  afterwards  sold  to  Samuel  Shatter,  who  enlarged 
the  plant  and  did  a  large  business  for  a  number  of 
years.  Mr.  Kelley,  afterwards,  about  1837,  started 
a  second  tannery  a  mile  further  south  on  the  North 
and  South  Turnpike,  near  the  farms  now  occupied 
by  0.  Miller  and  Benjamin  Jackson. 

About  1850  David  Tressler  built  a  stone  house 
south  of  Light  Track  of  the  Pennsylvania  Coal 
Company's  Railroad,  and  gave  a  name  to  the  place. 
Since  then  a  number  of  houses  have  been  built  there, 
and  the  hamlet  has  a  school  house,  and  an  Evan- 
gelist Church  edifice,  which  was  erected  last  year. 

In  1844  Edward  Andrews  erected  a  water  saw 
mill  about  a  mile  west  of  the  Light  Track.  This 
mill,  after  passing  through  the  hands  of  George 
Kimble  and  Charles  Masters,  has  been  converted 
into  a  steam  mill,  and  is  now  owned  by  Harvey 
Bishop.  Benjamin  Jackson,  who  has  been  several 
terms  a  justice  of  the  peace  here,  lives  on  a  portion 
of  the  old  Kelly  farm. 

The  Village  of  Ariel  owes  its  existence  to 
the  building  of  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company's 
Railroad,  and  has  sprung  up  about  Plane  No.  19 
on  the  light  track.  It  was  considered  an  import- 
ant station  from  the  first,  being  midway  between 
Hawley  and  Duumore,  and  also  the  terminus  of 
the  branch  road  that  leads  from  Plane  No.  12. 
Within  the  past  few  years  it  has  become  quite  a 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


785 


favorite  summer  resort  for  visitors  from  up  and 
down  the  Lackawanna  Valley,  and  its  two  hotels 
are  well  filled  with  pleasure  seekers  the  season 
through.  The  village  is  within  a  few  hundred 
yards  of  Jones'  Lake,  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
beautiful  natural  ponds  in  Wayne  County.  It  is 
a  little  less  than  a  mile  in  length  from  north  to 
south,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width  ;  at 
its  southern  extremity,  it  bows  out  to  the  west  for 
half  a  mile  farther.  In  some  spots  a  line  will  run 
down  for  sixty  feet,  but  for  the  most  part  it  is 
only  of  ordinary  depth.  The  shores  were  formerly 
wooded  down  to  the  very  water's  edge,  but  a  few 
years  ago,  a  forest  fire  got  into  the  timber  on  the 
west  side,  and  destroyed  several  very  beautiful 
groves,  while  the  lumberman's  axe  has  done  much 
more  damage.  The  east  shore  is  still  covered 
with  a  fine  growth  of  hemlock  and  hard  wood,  as  is 
too  a  large  point  near  the  outlet,  known  as 
"  Plumley's  Point,"  a  gentleman  of  that  name 
having  there  erected  the  first  permanent  lodge  for 
summer  sojourners.  The  lake  is  remarkably  free 
from  snags  and  other  obstructions,  and  a  pretty 
islet  dots  the  western  arm.  On  this  were  found 
many  Indian  relics,  a  number  of  which  are  in  the 
collection  of  Mr.  Sandercock,  a  merchant  of  the 
place,  and  seem  to  bear  out  the  tradition  that  this 
was  a  favorite  camping-ground  for  the  aborigines. 
The  lake  was  filled  with  fine  fish  in  the  early  days 
and  though  most  persistently  fished,  is  still  well 
stocked.  Of  late  years,  the  fish  have  been  cared 
for,  and  several  new  varieties  added  ;  but  before  it 
passed  into  the  hands  of  its  present  owner,  it  was 
no  unusual  thing  for  several  tons  of  pickerel  to  be 
taken  through  the  ice  in  a  single  week. 

The  first  house  built  in  Ariel  was  that  still  oc- 
cupied by  Judge  Giles  Greene.  It  was  erected 
about  1848,  by  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company, 
at  the  time  the  road  was  built,  and  was  first  occu- 
pied by  a  man  named  "Wilcox,  who  was  one  of  the 
early  employees  of  the  company.  Giles  Greene 
was  born  in  Clifford,  Susquehanna  County,  and  in 
common  with  General  Nathaniel  Greeue,  of  Revo- 
lutionary fame,  is  descended  from  an  English 
family  that  came  to  Rhode  Island  at  an  early 
date.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  a  farm,  and  on 
arriving  at  manhood,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Coal  Company,  and  was  appointed 
engineer  in  charge  of  Plane  No.  19.     He  married 


Harriet  L.  Schenck,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Jacob 
Schenck,  of  Cherry  Ridge,  and  located  at  Ariel 
with  his  wife,  in  November,  1850.  Early  in  the 
history  of  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company,  its 
freight  business  was  leased  to  Coe  F.  Young,  of 
Honesdale,  and  Mr.  Greene  was  employed  to  take 
charge  of  the  business  at  No.  19,  though  he  still 
continued  to  run  the  engine  at  the  Plane.  In 
1861  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  and  in  1864 
made  general  lumber  agent  for  the  company.  In 
1870  Mr.  Greene  purchased  large  tracts  of  timber 
land,  near  No.  1 7,  where  he  had  a  saw-mill  and 
went  extensively  into  the  lumber  business.  Subse- 
quently he  resigned  his  position  with  the  company, 
and  devoted  all  his  time  to  the  mill.  He  had 
served  several  terms  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  in 
1876  was  elected  associate  judge  of  Wayne  County. 
He  has  two  children,  Homer  Greene,  Esq.,  who 
has  been  district  attorney,  and  a  daughter,  Sarah 
S.,  the  wife  of  J.  S.  Sandercock. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greene  began  keeping  house  in  the 
only  frame  dwelling  in  the  place.  The  other 
buildings  were  the  engine-house  and  two  or  three 
board  shanties  occupied  by  the  workmen,  and  the 
nearest  clearing  was  at  Jonestown,  a  mile  across 
the  lake.  A  road  had  been  cut  from  near  the  en- 
gine-house to  the  turnpike  near  the  house  of  Joel 
Junes.  This  was  used  but  a  few  years,  until  the 
road  now  in  use  was  laid  out.  The  clearing  at 
Ariel  was  only  large  enough  for  the  few  buildings 
mentioned,  and  now  and  then  a  deer  would  come 
out  of  the  woods  to  gaze  on  the  innovation  of 
steam.  But  it  was  an  important  station,  and  the 
little  clearing  was  speedily  enlarged.  Soon  the 
company  erected  the  residence  still  occupied  by 
Dwight  Mills,  superintendent  of  engines  on  the 
eastern  section  of  the  road.  In  1851  he  added  to 
his  improvements,  and  is  now  the  largest  holder  of 
real  estate  in  the  place.  Mr.  Mills  is  a  man  of 
strong  opinions  and  much  energy.  He  has  four 
children :  Elizabeth,  wife  of  James  A.  Bigart,  of 
Sand  Pond ;  William  W.,  of  Dunmore ;  Frances, 
the  late  wife  of  Jonathan  Brown ;  and  Charles, 
who  is  also  an  employee  of  the  company. 

Ralph  Potter  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
at  Ariel  built  the  first  tavern,  on  the  spot  now  oc- 
cupied by  Smith's  Hotel.  It  was  rather  a  primi- 
tive structure,  and  depended  chiefly  for  custom 
upon  the  "  ruuuers,"  or  trainmen,  who  were  de- 


786 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


layed  at  No.  19  over  night.  This  hotel  was  burned 
in  1860,  and  Mr.  Potter  rebuilt.  About  1870  J. 
S.  Smith  bought  the  property,  Potter  having  sold 
out  to  Dwight  Mills  and  moved  west.  Another 
fire  occurred  in  1876,  destroying  the  hotel  and 
Sandercock's  store.  The  present  commodious 
building  rose  up  on  the  old  site  the  following  year, 
and  has  been  well  patronized  since  then.  J.  S. 
Smith .  the  proprietor,  moved  from  Windsor,  Broome 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1858,  and  settled  at  Middle 
Valley,  where  he  was  in  the  employ  of  Robertson, 
Gale  and  others  connected  with  the  tannery  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  is  assisted  in  the  hotel 
business  by  his  two  sons,  Lee  and  Orr. 

C.  H.  Mills  came  from  New  York  City,  in  1859, 
and  was  for  a  number  of  years  employed  as  a 
measurer  of  lumber  for  the  Pennsylvania  Coal 
Company.     He  has  several  sons. 

Dr.  William  L.  Marcy  moved  from  Hawley  in 
1873,  and  has  since  practiced  medicine,  and  car- 
ried on  a  drug  store.  He  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Mar- 
cy, who  with  Lorenzo  Collins  took  a  sub-contract 
to  build  the  first  court-house  at  Bethany. 

Among  the  other  well  known  residents  of  Ariel 
are:  E.  G.  Stevens,  postmaster  and  merchant, 
who  moved  from  Sterling  in  1875  ;  William  J. 
Hand,  engineer  in  charge,  who  was  for  many  years 
at  Plane  No.  15 ;  J.  W.  Sandercock,  merchant, 
who  came  from  Cherry  Ridge  ;  Sylvanus  Osborn, 
for  many  years  the  company's  architect  and 
builder,  and  S.  L.  Dart.  The  latter  moved  from 
Canaan  in  1875,  having  bought  Jones  Lake.  Up 
to  this  time,  the  lake  had  been  common  property 
and  was  a  fishing  resort  for  people  for  miles 
around.  Mr.  Dart  forbade  trespassing,  and  as  his 
orders  were  disobeyed,  considerable  litigation  fol- 
lowed. He  was  victorious,  and  has  since  stocked 
the  lake  with  bass  and  landlocked  salmon,  and 
much  improved  the  property.  In  1876  he  erected 
his  residence,  which  has  since  been  enlarged  for 
summer  boarders,  and  during  the  past  year  he  has 
completed  a  fine  hotel  building,  forty  by  sixty- 
four,  and  four  stories  high,  which  stands  in  a  fine 
grove  on  the  lake  shore.  There  are  fleets  of 
boats,  fishing  camps  and  other  facilities  for  outing 
on  the  lake,  and  several  parties  near  by  have 
pleasure  groves. 

Schools  and  Churches. — The  first  school  of 
which   there  is  any  record  was  one  held  in  the 


barn  of  Amasa  Jones,  during  the  summer  of  1823. 
Rebecca  Goodrich,  a  daughter  of  Seth  Goodrich, 
of  Salem,  was  the  teacher.  It  is  probable  that 
this  was  the  means  of  interesting  the  people  in  the 
subject  of  education,  and  led  to  the  erection  of  a 
school- house  the  following  year.  This  was  known 
as  "  the  Block  School-house"  from  the  fact  that  it 
was  made  of  square  timber  laid  up  block  fashion, 
and  was  built  by  Esquire  Polly  and  Lawrence 
Tisdel.  It  was  subsequently  replaced  by  the 
octagon  stone  building  now  in  use. 

The  school-house  at  No.  17  district  was  built 
by  the  Leonards  soon  after  they  located  at  Sand 
Pond,  probably  about  1840,  and  is  still  used  for 
religious  and  school  purposes. 

Jones  Lake  stone  school-house  was  erected  by 
subscription  in  1851-52,  Messrs.  Megargle,  of 
Sterling  doing  the  masonry,  and  R.  D.  Lesher 
the  wood  work.  It  was  used  until  1878  for  relig- 
ious and  other  meetings.  The  school-house  at 
Ariel  was  put  up  by  subscription  in  1852.  The 
first  teacher  was  Miss  Emma  May  Buckingham, 
and  Rev.  G.  B.  Arnold  preached  the  first  sermon 
in  it. 

Jones  Lake  Baptist  Church  was  organized  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1854,  fifteen  members  received,  chiefly 
by  letter  from  the  church  at  Purdytown.  The 
Council  of  Organization  consisted  of  Revs.  Sanford 
Leach,  Zelotes  Grennell,  J.  Ross  and  Newell  Gal- 
lender.  The  church  edifice  was  enclosed  in  1875, 
and  was  sufficiently  completed  in  1878  to  admit 
of  its  use  for  the  first  meeting  of  the  Baptist  Asso- 
ciation, held  in  Lake.  The  following  have  been 
the  pastors  of  the  church  in  the  order  of  their  suc- 
cession,— Reverends  Sanford  Leach,  O.  L.  Hall, 
Bullafant,  Silas  Coontz,  T.  M.  Grennell,  Ben- 
jamin Miller,  William  Jones,  D.  W.  Halstead,  S. 
B.  Maryott,  the  present  pastor. 

The  Post-Office. — The  post  office  was  estab- 
lished at  Ariel  in  1851,  William  Lesher  being  the 
postmaster.  He  kept  the  office  until  1857  or 
1858,  when  Joel  Jones  succeeded  him.  Jones  and 
many  of  his  family  were  southern  sympathizers, 
and  when  the  war  broke  out,  a  Confederate  flag 
was  flung  to  the  breeze  over  the  post-office.  Lin- 
coln removed  Jones  and  appointed  Giles  Green, 
who  was  a  strong  Union  man,  so  that  in  1861,  the 
office  was  moved  to  No.  19.  It  remained  there 
until  Johnson's  accession  to  the  Presidential  chair, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


and  was  then  removed  to  the  house  of  E.  R.  Jones, 
who  was  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  lived  at  Jones- 
town. As 'the  business  of  No.  19  continued  to 
grow,  the  location  became  more  and  more  incon- 
venient, and,  in  1877,  E.  G.  Stevens  was  ap- 
pointed, and  the  office  once  more  returned  to  a 
central  location.  It  is  at  present  in  Mr.  Stevens' 
store,  and  there  is  a  daily  mail  in  both  directions. 

The  post-office  at  Gravity  was  established  in 
1884,  with  G.  M.  Patterson  as  postmaster.  There 
is  also  at  Forest  Mills  a  post-office. 

The  Second  Christian  Church  is  located  at 
Chapmantown.  It  was  organized,  December  15, 
1867,  by  Elder  Henry  Black,  being  composed 
partly  from  members  of  the  First  Church  and  partly 
from  new  converts  in  the  vicinity  of  its  location. 

Among  its  first-members  were, — Enos  Swingle' 
Elizabeth  Swingle,  Mary  Bell,  Rosa  Keesler' 
Robert  Swingle,  Caroline  Swingle,  Leander  Chap- 
man, Mrs.  L.  Chapman,  Esther  Sheik,  Mrs. 

Bishop,  Alfred  Chapman,  Mrs.  Alfred  Chapman, 
W.  B.  Lesher,  Maria  Lesher,  Jas.  Lesher,  Adaline 
Lesher,  etc. 

The  pastors  who  have  served  this  church  are 
Henry  Black,  served  about  ten  years;  Geo.  W. 
Headly,  served  about  three  years  ;  J.  J.  Harvey, 

served   about   one   year ;    Wallace,   served 

about  one  year  ;  J.  W.  Lowber,  served  about  one 
year  ;  C.  E.  Mills,  served  about  four  years. 

Their  house  of  worship  was  built  in  1870,  and 
dedicated  January  15, 1871.  Elder  Milton  Clark, 
of  Madisonville,  Lackawanna  County,  Pa.,  preached 
the  dedication  sermon.  Its  value  is  estimated  at 
one  thousand  six  hundred  dollars. 

Some  time  in  June,  1885,  steps  were  taken  to 
have  the  church  legally  formed  as  a  corporate 
body,  accordingly,  on  the  15th  of  July,  18S5, 
papers  of  incorporation  were  granted  by  the  court 
of  Wayne  County. 

The  trustees  are  Jas.  Swingle,  Conrad  Swingle, 
Enos  Swingle,  Robert  Swingle  and  James  Lesher. 
This  church  has  passed  through  many  trials 
and  vicissitudes,  but  is  now  laboring  harmoniously 
with  the  other  two  churches,  under  the  care  of  the 
present  pastor,  who  preaches  alternately  for  each. 
It  has  now  upon  its  roll  sixty-five  names.  Its 
present  officers  are  C.  E.  Mills,  pastor ;  Enos 
Swingle,  elder;  Leander  Chapman,  deacon ;  George 
H.  Swingle,  clerk  and  treasurer. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

HON.    GILES   GREENE. 

Hon.  Giles  Greene,  of  Lake  township,  though 
not  one  of  the  "  early  settlers,"  has  been,  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  one  of  the  prominent  citizens 
of  Wayne  County,  and  an  important  factor  in  its 
progress  and  history. 

He  comes  from  the  Rhode  Island  family  of 
Greenes,  of  whom  General  Nathaniel  Greene,  of 
Revolutionary  fame,  was,  perhaps,  the  most  illus- 
trious representative. 

His  father,  James  Greene,  came  from  Coventry, 
R.  I.,  in  the  year  1820  and  settled  at  Clifford,  Sus- 
quehanna County,  Pa.  James  Greene's  wife  was 
Susan  Westgate,  who  belonged  to  a  Coventry 
family  of  Quakers.  He  died  at  Clifford  in  1858, 
and  his  wife  died  at  the  same  place  in  1874.  Giles 
was  the  fifth  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  all  of 
whom  grew  to  mature  years.  He  was  born  at 
Clifford,  on  the  9th  of  November,  in  the  year  1823. 
His  father's  farm  was  small,  the  family  was  large, 
a'.id  the  children  were  put  to  work  so  soon  as  they 
arrived  at  an  age  when  their  labor  was  of  any 
practical  value.  No  exception  was  made  in  the 
case  of  Giles,  and  the  two  or  three  months  of  at- 
tendance at  the  district  school  each  winter  was  all 
of  his  time  that  could  be  spared  for  educational 
purposes.  Even  this  ceased  when  he  grew  old  and 
strong  enough  to  make  his  winter  work  of  value. 
In  November,  1843,  on  the  day  when  he  became 
twenty  years  of  age,  his  father  gave  him  a  new  suit 
of  clothes  and  his  time  during  the  remaining  years 
of  his  minority.  That  winter  he  attended  school 
at  the  academy  in  Dundaff  a  few  miles  from  Clif- 
ford, and  the  following  spring  he  went  to  Carbon- 
dale,  and  began  work  as  a  teamster,  drawing  sup- 
plies for  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Co.'s 
railroad  which  was  then  in  process  of  construction. 
At  the  end  of  three  or  four  years  he  had,  by  the 
practice  of  strict  economy,  accumulated  enough  to 
purchase  for  himself  a  full  teaming  outfit,  includ- 
ing a  span  of  excellent  horses.  About  this  time 
"  The  Washington  Coal  Company,"  the  name  of 
which  was  soon  afterward  changed  to  "  The  Penn- 
sylvania Coal  Company,"  began  the  construction 
of  their  gravity  railroad,  from  Pittston  to  Haw  ley, 
and  the  young  teamster  readily  found  employment 
with  this   company  for  himself  and   his  team   in 


788 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


hauling  machinery  and  supplies  from  Honesdale 
to  the  various  stations  along  the  line  of  the  new- 
railroad.  The  work  of  construction  was  completed 
in  1849,  and  John  B.  Smith,  the  company's  effi- 
cient general  manager  from  the  beginning,  placed 
Giles  Greene  in  charge  of  the  stationary  engine  at 
inclined  plane  No.  19,  with  supervision  of  the  local 
freight  traffic  and  other  interests  of  the  company 
at  that  point.  This  village,  which  soon  grew  up 
about   their   station,  was   known  for  many  years 


L.,  one  of  the  comely  daughters  of  Colonel  Jacob 
Schenck,  of  that  town. 

Colonel  Schenck  was  the  only  son  of  General 
John  H.  Schenck,  one  of  the  six  children  of  Henry 
Schenck,  who  came  from  Holland  to  America  in 
the  year  1720.  Henry  Schenck's  father  was 
Johann  I.  Schenck,  who  lived  and  died  in  Hol- 
land. Gertrude,  a  sister  of  General  John  H. 
Schenck,  was  the  wife  of  General  Frederick  Fre- 
linghuysen,  whose  second  son,  Theodore,  attained 


yv~t^n-^ 


simply  as  "No.  19,"  but  later  on  it  took  the  name 
of  the  post-office  "  Ariel,"  and,  still  later,  is  equal- 
ly well  known  as  "  Jones'  Lake," — the  name 
of  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  on  the  northern  shore 
of  which  the  village  lies,  and  which  has,  of  late 
years,  rendered  the  place  popular  and  famous  as  a 
summer  resort. 

'While  the  young  man  was  still  teaming  from 
Honesdale,  he  boarded  at  the  farm  house  of  J.  P. 
Darling  at  Cherry  Ridge,  and  it  was  here  that 
he  first  met  his  destiny  in  the  person  of  Harriet 


distinction  as  a  lawyer,  as  chancellor  of  the  College 
of  New  Jersey,  and  as  Vice-presidential  nominee, 
with  Henry  Clay,  on  the  Whig  ticket  of  1844. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  John 
H.  Schenck  placed  his  entire  fortune  by  inherit- 
ance, amounting  to  some  twelve  or  fifteen  thou- 
sand dollars,  into  the  hands  of  General  George 
Washington,  as  a  Revolutionary  fund,  and,  enter- 
ing the  army  as  a  private,  came  out  of  it,  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  with  the  rank  of  major  general. 
In  1796  he  came  from  Newburg,  N.  Y.,  the  an- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


cestral  home  of  his  family,  and  located  on  a  tract 
of  land  in  Cherry  Ridge  township.  He  died  at 
his  residence  in  Canaan,  Wayne  County,  March  5, 
1845,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one  years.  His  son, 
Jacob,  remained  on  the  Cherry  Ridge  property  to 
the"  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  April  26, 
1846. 

Colonel  Jacob  Schenck  had  eleven  children,  of 
whom  Harriet  was  the  youngest  but  one.  She  was 
born  at  Cherry  Ridge,  January  14,  1827,  and  led 
the  quiet  life  of  a  farmer's  daughter  and  a  village 
school-mistress  until  the  young  teamster  crossed  her 
path  in  the  energetic  search  for  his  bread  and  his 
fortune.  In  February,  1850,  Giles  was  called 
upon  to  act  as  best  man  for  Harriet's  youngest 
brother.  Isaac  R.,  who  was,  at  that  time  married 
to  Rebecca  Bonear,  and  Giles  and  Harriet  "  stood 
up "  with  the  bride  and  groom.  The  effect  was 
presumably  a  happy  one,  for,  on  the  afternoon  of 
Saturday,  September  21st  of  the  same  year,  after 
his  day's  work  at  stationary  engine  No.  19  was 
done,  the  young  engineer  donned  his  best  suit  of 
clothes,  mounted  his  fleetest  horse,  and  made  all 
haste  toward  the  residence  of  Colonel  Jacob 
Schenck  in  Cherry  Ridge  town,  some  eight  miles 
away.  Before  the  assembled  guests  sat  down  to 
supper  that  night  Giles  and  Harriet  had  stood  be 
fore  the  Rev.  Darwin  Chichester,  and  promised 
love  and  fealty  to  each  other  until  death  should 
them  part.  On  the  18th  of  the  following  Novem- 
ber the  young  couple  began  house-keeping  in  the 
only  frame  dwelling  house  in  the  clearing  at  No. 
19.  The  first  day  of  May  has  had  no  terrors  for 
them — they  have  never  moved.  The  same  roof 
that  arched  above  them  in  the  brighter  days  of 
their  honeymoon  has  sheltered  them  from  the 
snows  and  rains  of  five  and  thirty  years.  In  those 
early  days  at  No.  19  the  thick  forest  that  sur- 
rounded the  settlement  and  hid  even  the  waters  of 
the  lake  from  view,  abounded  in  wild  beasts  and 
birds  of  many  kinds.  The  dismal  hooting  of  the 
owl  and  barking  of  the  fox  at  night,  varied  with 
the  rumble  of  the  cars  and  the  puffing  of  the 
steam-engine  by  day.  Not  infrequently  were  the 
bear's  tracks  seen  in  the  soft  snow  at  Candlemas, 
and  once  as  the  young  wife  looked  out  at  her  door, 
a  noble  buck  came  out  from  the  forest's  edge,  close 
by,  and  stood  gazing  with  wide  eyes  on  the  dusky 
lines   of  moving   cars   and   the   white   clouds  of 


ascending  steam,  and  then,  turning,  walked  slowly 
back  into  the  shadows  of  the  fast  disappearing 
woods. 

It  was  here,  as  time  passed  on  and  the  village 
grew,  that  Giles  Greene  spent  the  uneventful 
years,  holding  steadfastly  to  his  work,  practicing 
all  the  economy  consistent  with  good  cheer  and 
good  charity,  contented  with  his  lot,  happy 
with  his  wife  and  children,  and  rejoicing  in  the 
love  of  labor  as  well  as  the  labor  of  love.  His 
political  convictions  were  strong  and  well  backed 
by  both  word  and  deed.  He  embraced,  with  en- 
thusiasm, the  political  principles  of  the  Republi- 
can party  at  its  birth,  and  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  the  organization  and  perpetuation  of 
that  party  in  Wayne  County.  In  the  stirring 
times  that  preceded  the  war  he  was  active  and 
outspoken,  and  when  war  came  he  left  nothing 
undone  to  cheer  and  encourage  those  who  went 
down  to  the  battle-field  and  to  comfort  their  fami- 
lies at  home.  He  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  plan- 
ning ways  and  means  for  Wayne  County's  share 
in  the  struggle,  and  not  only  planned  but  devel- 
oped. 

In  1861  he  was  appointed  postmaster  by  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  and  established  the  post-office  at  his 
residence,  where  k  remained  until  the  incoming  of 
the  Johnson  administration  and  the  change  of  the 
executive  policy  of  the  government.  By  reason 
of  his  position  of  postmaster  he  was  relieved  from 
the  operation  of  the  draft,  and  was  never  drafted,, 
but  feeling  that  he  had  not  yet  measured  up  to 
his  full  duty  to  his  country  he  went  to  Harris- 
burg  in  1863  and  procured  a  substitute  to  fight  in 
his  place,  paying  therefore  one  thousand  dollars  of 
his  hard-earned  money.  In  the  fall  of  1864  the 
Pennsylvania  Coal  Company  recognized  his  faith- 
ful service  and  ability  by  making  him  their  gen- 
eral lumber  agent,  which  position  he  held  until 
the  fall  of  1873.  In  this  capacity  he  had  charge 
of  the  purchase,  manufacture  and  shipment  of  the 
immense  quantities  of  lumber  used  by  the  company 
in  the  building  of  their  coal-breakers  and  the 
opening  of  their  mines  during  the  era  of  prosperity 
that  succeeded  the  war.  In  1870  he  purchased  of 
Butler  Hamlin  about  eight  hundred  acres  of  land, 
mostly  well  timbered,  near  No.  17,  including  the 
Leonard  Saw-Mill  property,  and  since  then  has 
been  actively  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  sale 


790 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


of  his  own  lumber  until  within  a  very  recent 
period.  During  this  time  his  steam  saw-mill  has 
been  twice  destroyed  by  fire  and  twice  rebuilt. 

For  many  years  he  served  the  public  as  school 
director  in  Salem  township,  and  for  two  terms,  of 
five  years  each,  he  was  justice  of  the  peace.  In 
the  fall  of  1876  he  was  elected,  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  to  the  office  of  associate  judge  of  the  courts 
of  Wayne  County  ;  the  Hon.  Michael  Brown,  who 
wa-i  elected  five  years  later  to  the  same  position, 
being  his  oppouent.  The  fact  that  at  that  time 
the  usual  Democratic  majority  iu  the  county  was 
from  five  to  seven  hundred,  attests,  to  some  extent, 
his  popularity.  He  was  on  the  bench  during  the 
celebrated  anti-court-house  struggle,  and  though 
the  exigencies  of  the  bitter  and  exciting  contest  re- 
quired large  judgment  and  great  firmness  on  the 
part  of  the  judiciary,  no  word  was  spoken  by  any 
party  against  the  ultimate  wisdom,  integrity  and 
fairness  of  his  judicial  action,  and  he  retired  from 
the  bench  at  the  close  of  his  term  with  the  hearty 
respect  and  good  will  of  all.  His  labor,  foresight 
and  economy  have  gained  for  him  a  handsome 
competence,  and  his  kindly  manner,  pure  living 
and  upright,  Christian  conduct  have  made  a  warm 
place  for  him  in  the  hearts  of  his  neighbors  and 
friends.  The  measure  of  Judge  Greene's  success 
in  life  is  due,  nevertheless,  in  no  small  degree  to 
the  intelligent  counsel  and  devoted  assistance  of  his 
wife,  a  woman  of  more  than  ordinary  strength  of 
character  and  intellectual  attainment,  and  of  fine, 
poetic  feeling,  but  withal,  of  the  most  quiet,  do- 
mestic habits  and  unselfish  devotion  to  her  house- 
hold and  family.  They  have  two  children,  Susan 
S.,  bom  November  6,  1851,  who  is  married  to  J. 
W.  Saudercock,  a  merchant  doing  business  at 
Ariel;  and  Homer,  born  January  10,  1853,  a 
member  of  the  Wayne  County  bar,  residing  at 
Honesdale. 

Judge  Greene  has  recently  retired  from  active 
business,  but  rarely  goes  f«r  from  his  home.  His 
vigorous  frame,  his  white  hair  and  beard  and  his 
kindly  face  are  a  familiar  picture  to  the  residents 
and  visitors  at  Jones'  Lake.  Surrounded  with 
scenes  familiar  to  him  by  daily  contact  through 
the  best  and  longest  period  of  his  life,  he  enjoys 
the  comforts  of  declining  years  and  looks  calmly 
ahead  to  the  quiet  of  a  serene  old  age. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


STKliLINii    TOWNSHIP. 


Sterling  was  set  off  from  Salem  April  25, 
1815,  and  Dreher,  including  Lehigh,  was  taken 
therefrom  Sept.  7,  1877.  It  is  bounded  north  by 
Salem,  northeast  by  Greene,  southeast  by  Dreher, 
south  by  Lehigh  and  west  by  Madison,  Lack- 
awanna County.  The  Webster,  Wilcox  and 
Horubaker  runs  flow  into  Hartford's  pond  and 
the  Butternut  and  Mill  Creeks  into  the  Paupack. 
There  are  no  lakes.  There  is  a  range  of  hills 
along  the  western  side  of  the  township  that  form 
the  water-shed  between  the  Paupack  and  Roaring 
Brook.  Sterling  is  broken  by  hills  and  valleys 
and  well  adapted  for  grazing  and  the  cultivation 
of  such  crops  as  grow  in  Wayne  County.  George 
D.  Lee,  John  Gilpin,  Lyman  Noble  and  some 
others  have  large  maple  groves  where  much 
maple  sugar  is  made.  Henry  Stevens,  a  Hol- 
lander, married  an  English  woman  and  settled  on 
the  North  and  South  road  on  a  little  hill  near  the 
Butternut  about  one  half  mile  south  of  Noble 
Hill.  In  1800  he  was  taxed  as  a  laborer  and  in 
1803  paid  taxes  on  two  hundred  acres  of  land. 
He  had  received  a  good  education  in  his  native 
country,  was  an  honest,  upright  man,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  first  Congregational  Church  organized 
in  Wayne  County,  in  Salem,  in  1808.  His  chil- 
dren were  Valentine,  who  married  Sally  Frasier 
and  lived  on  part  of  the  homestead  ;  Jane,  wife 
of  Charles  Cliff;  George,  who  married  Rachel 
Weeks  ;  Nicholas,  married  to  Nancy  Catterson  ; 
Mary  and  Martha,  successively  wives  of  William 
Catterson ;  Ann,  wife  of  John  Catterson,  and 
Henry,  who  married  Sarah  Dobell  and  lived  on 
the  homestead.  These  settlers  are  nearly  all 
dead,  but  have  left  a  numerous  offspring  who 
are  among  the  active  farmers  and  business  men  ot 
Sterling  and  adjoining  townships.  When  Jane 
was  eight  years  old  and  George  six  they  were  lost 
in  the  woods.  Mr.  Stevens  rallied  what  few 
neighbors  he  had  and  searched  far  and  wide,  but 
did  not  find  them  till  the  fourth  day,  near  the 
Lackawanna  County  line.  While  they  were  lost 
the  pious  old  Hollander  prayed  in  broken  English, 
"  Lord  Gott,  give  me   niein   kinder  uud  Ich  starb 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


791 


in  ein  minut."  (^Give  me  my  children  and  I  will 
die  in  a  minute.) 

John  Clements  came  to  Sterling  about  1804  or 
1805  and  first  settled  where  Samuel  Bortree's  mill 
now  is.  He  sold  this  place  in  1810  to  Benjamin 
Beach,  and  located  on  the  place  now  occupied  by 
his  son-in-law,  William  Edward  Bortree,  near 
Zion  Church.  His  children  were  Hiram,  a  black- 
smith, who  lived  in  Salem ;  John  P.  Clements, 
who  lives  in  Minnesota  and  Thomas  and  William 
who  are  in  Stroudsburg. 

Captain  Phineas  Howe  came  from  Connecticut 
about  1802  and  first  settled  or  squatted  in 
Dreher,  on  the  flats  near  Thomas  Madden's  home. 
He  and  Denman  Coe,  William  Akers  and  Gabriel 
Davis  probably  cleared  a  portion  of  what  was  af- 
terwards called  the  Dutch  Flats  He  settled  in 
Howe's  Valley  about  1810.  He  built  a  log  tavern 
under  the  0118"  or  Howe  Mountain,  on  the  old 
State  road,  which  ran  about  one  half  mile  west 
of  the  present  locality.  The  road  was  more  con- 
venient formerly  than  at  present,  but  the  Captain 
had  its  course  changed  because  by  some  arrange- 
ment with  the  government  he  was  to  have  land 
lying  west  for  working  it.  He  thus  obtained  bet- 
ter land.  After  this  he  built  a  large  tavern 
on  the  road,  which  burned  down  about  1826, 
and  became  a  large  land-holder.  When  the 
North  and  South  road  was  the  main  thoroughfare 
from  Philadelphia  to  Easton  northward  into  New 
York  State,  Howe's  tavern  was  a  noted  stopping 
place.  In  fact  taverns  situated  eight  or  ten 
miles  apart  on  this  road  resembled  railroad  sta- 
tions of  the  present  day.  Captain  Howe  married 
Lepha  Hall,  his  children  living  being  Phineas, 
who  remained  on  the  homestead  and  succeeded  his 
father  in  the  business.  He  was  once  associate 
judge  of  Wayne  County,  and  married  Mary  Ann 
Hewitt,  who  is  still  living,  aged  seventy-six.  Their 
children  were  Lepha  Angeline,  wife  of  Roswell 
Noble,  who  lives  on  the  old  place, — Morilla,  who 
was  unmarried  ;  Emeline,  wife  of  Theodore  Brod- 
head,  of  Delaware  Water  Gap ;  Hewitt,  who  mar- 
ried Emeline  Noble  and  lives  at  Nobletown ; 
Elbert,  who  died  unmarried ;  Windsor  M.,  who 
married  Emily  Lamson ;  Almeron,  who  married 
Orra  Hamlin,  was  register  and  recorder  of  Wayne 
County  and  a  member  of  the  Legislature  and 
Mary,  wife   of  Eugene  Brodhead.     Almeron  and 


his  sister  Mary  possessed  fine  voices  and  took  a 
prominent  part  in  musical  conventions  and  can- 
tatas. 

(2).  Abram,  another  son  of  Captain  Howe, 
located  about  one  mile  west  of  his  father. 

(3).  James  Woodbridge  married  Polly,  lived 
in  Sterling  a  while  and  afterward  removed  to  the 
West. 

(4).  Sarah  was  the  wife  of  Ezra  Wall. 

Captain  Hamilton  Avery  married  Elsie  and 
lived  in  Salem  neighbor  to  Albert  Stocker  till  1854, 
when  he  moved  to  Illinois. 

Orlando  Avery,  the  oldest  son,  was  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  the  Rebellion ;  after  its  close  took  a 
soldier's  claim  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Nebraska;  subsequently  purchased  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  more  and  is  farming  extensively. 

Burrowes  Lee  was  a  farmer  in  Ireland.  His 
children  were  Dawson,  James,  John,  Thomas, 
Simon  and  George.  Thomas  Lee  sailed  from 
Belfast,  Ireland,  in  the  ship  George,  August  17, 
1815,  and  arrived  in  New  York  October  15.  He 
came  to  Sterling  and  settled  on  the  Newfoundland 
turnpike  one  half  mile  southeast  of  Thomas  Bor- 
tree, Sr.  He  married  Maria  Allen.  His  chil- 
dren were  William  A.  Lee,  an  honest  bach- 
elor, who  bought  the  Asa  Dickinson  im- 
provement and  owns  the  Patten  saw  mill  on 
the  Paupack,  adjoining  his  farm.  John  H. 
Lee  lives  about  one  mile  west  of  Nobletown. 
George,  one  of  the  original  brothers,  was  a  flori- 
culturist and  built  a  log  house  on  the  Pucker 
Street  road,  in  Salem.  On  the  opposite  side  of 
the  road  from  his  cabin  there  is  a  beautiful  ledge 
of  rocks  supporting  a  hill  which  sheltered  him 
from  the  northwest  winds.  He  planted  balsams 
and  two  rows  of  locusts  in  front  and  had  shrub- 
bery and  flowers  For  years  after  the  house  was 
tenantless  and  fell  into  decay  though  the  flowers 
bloomed  and  made  it  one  of  the  most  romantic 
places  in  the  township.  He  went  to  California 
and  was  lost  on  the  Pacific  in  the  ship  Central 
America. 

Dawson  Lee  settled  on  the  Newfoundland  turn- 
pike. His  children  were  John,  a  bachelor; 
George  W.  Lee,  who  was  justice  of  the  Peace  for 
a  number  of  years :  Dawson  W.  Lee,  who  fives 
near   Paupack  forks,  in   Salem  ;  Anna  Jane,  who 


T!t-' 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


is  the  wife  of  Lyman  Noble  ;  Thomas  M.,  Robert 
J.  and  William  F.,  who  all  moved  elsewhere. 

Simon  Lee  married  Mary,  a  daughter  of  John 
Clements.  He  settled  on  the  place  now  owned  by 
John  Simons.  Burrowes  lived  on  the  present 
George  D.  Lee  place :  Harriet  E.  married  Alonzo 
Bortree ;  John  C. ;  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Doctor 
Loomis  and  Sarah  J.,  wife  of  David  C.  Perry,  live 
in  Susquehanna  County  ;  Simon  C.  Lee  lives  in 
Jersey  City  and  George  D.  Lee  is  a  leading  farmer 
in  Sterling.  Sally  Lee  came  from  Ireland  with 
her  children  and  lived  with  her  sou  Thomas  to 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five.  Dawson  Lee 
was  a  stone-cutter  and  a  shrewd,  witty  man. 

Simons. — There  were  six  Simons  brothers  and 
one  sister  who  came  to  Greene  and  Sterling  town- 
ships at  an  early  date.  Their  names  were  Joseph, 
Fannie,  Abram,  James,  Thomas,  Richard  aud 
Henry. 

(1).  Joseph  married  Mary  Hazleton  and  set- 
tled in  Greene,  Pike  County.  His  children  were 
Edward,  a  blacksmith,  who  located  in  Pike 
County ;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  sheriff  J.  Buck- 
ley, of  Luzerne  County  ;  William,  a  wheelwright ; 
Mary  Ann,  Frances,  Charlotte,  Joseph,  Thomas 
and  Jane  moved  away. 

(2).  Fannie  became  the  wife  of  Edward  Cross, 
who  came  to  Sterling  about  1808  and  settled 
about  one  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Nobletown, 
on  the  place  now  occupied  by  Thomas  Cross,  one 
of  his  sons.  His  children  were  Robert,  James, 
Judith,  William,  Mary  Ann,  Rachael,  Thomas, 
Jemimah,  Elizabeth  and  Frances  Jane  Cross. 
These  children  are  all  dead  but  Thomas  and 
Jemimah.     They  married  and  raised  families. 

James  Cross  settled  near  the  homestead  and 
married  Mary  Ripp.  His  children  are  Samuel, 
Albert  and  Joseph,  who  constitute  the  firm  of 
Cross  Bros,  merchants  at  Nobleville. 

(3.)  Abram  Simons  was  killed  by  the  falling  of  a 
limb  when  building  the  North  and  South  road. 
He  settled  in  what  is  now  Dreher,  near  the  Wal- 
lenpaupack.  His  wife  and  family  moved  to 
Philadelphia  after  his  death. 

(4.)  James  Simons  located  in  Greene.  His  child- 
ren were  Silas,  who  moved  to  Philadelphia  and 
learned  the  tailor's  trade ;  Henry,  a  wheelwright, 
who  moved  to  New  Orleans.  By  his  second  wife 
James'  children  were  George  B.,  of  Dreher;  Wil- 


liam, of  Salem  ;  Abram,  Jabez,  Thomas,  James 
and  Samuel,  of  Greene ;  Elizabeth,  Frances  and 
Mary. 

(5.)  Richard  Simons  came  to  Philadelphia  from 
Tyrone,  Ireland,  in  1800,  and  to  Greene  township 
about  1807  or  1808,  where  he  bought  two  hundred 
acres  of  land,  partly  paid  for  it  and  gave  a  mort- 
gage for  the  balance.  He  returned  to  Philadel- 
phia, and  worked  at  nail-making  when  they  were 
cut  by  horse-power  and  headed  by  hand.  He 
moved  into  Greene,  with  his  family,  about  1819, 
paying  four  dollars  per  hundred  to  have  his  goods 
brought.  They  came  by  way  of  Easton  and 
Stroudsburg,  and  probably  by  the  old  Wissemore 
road.  John  Simons,  who  gave  the  writer  these 
facts,  was  then  an  infant  in  his  mother's  arms. 
She  rode  on  horseback,  while  her  husband  fol- 
lowed behind.  After  living  in  Greene  about 
seven  years,  he  moved  to  the  place  now  owned  by 
his  son  William,  just  south  of  Zion  Church.  His 
children  were  Eliza,  wife  of  John  H.  Bortree ; 
John  Simons,  who  married  Ann  Dobson  aud  lives 
on  the  Simon  Lee  place ;  Annette,  wife  of  Oatley 
Harding ;  Lewis  Simons,  who  has  a  saw-mill  on 
the  Butternut ;  George  W.,  Frances,  Catharine 
and  Richard,  of  Salem,  and  there  mentioned, 
William,  who  has  the  homestead,  and  Mary,  wife 
of  Gabriel  Walrath.  The  Simons  are  a  hardy, 
industrious  and  prolific  family. 

Bortree. — There  is  a  tradition  in  the  Bortree 
family  that  their  ancestor  in  Ireland  was  a  found- 
ling not  many  generations  back,  and  found  under 
a  bush  something  like  our  elder  called  bore  tree  ; 
hence  the  name,  Bortree.  Their  family  is  pre- 
sumably the  only  family  of  that  name  to  be  found. 
However  little  the  name  is  known  elsewhere,  it  is 
not  uncommon  in  Sterling  and  Dreher.  There 
were  four  brothers  in  Ireland — Robert,  Thomas, 
John  and  Simon.  Robert  came  first,  about  1806, 
and  will  be  noticed  in  the  history  of  Dreher. 
Thomas  Bortree,  Sr.,  came  to  Sterling  May  7, 
1808,  and  settled  not  far  from  the  Paupack.  He 
lived  to  be  eighty-four  years  of  age,  and  his  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Ann  Hazleton,  was 
ninety-nine  years  and  nine  months  old.  Their 
children  were  William,  who  settled  below  Moscow  ; 
Simon,  who  settled  about  one  half-mile  east  of 
Nobletown  ;  Rebecca,  wife  of  Abram  Howe ; 
Susanna,    wife   of  J.    R.    Gilpin,   who    lived  Jin 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


793 


Dreher  ;  Dawson,  who  settled  in  the  south  part  of 
Salem,  near  the  Paupack  forks ;  John  H.  re- 
mained on  the  homestead ;  Allan,  Mary  Ann, 
Elizabeth  and  Alonzo  all  located  near  the  home- 
stead ;  lastly,  John  Bortree's  widow  (Maria)  came 
from  Ireland,  with  her  two  sons,  Thomas  and 
Robert,  and  two  daughters,  Maria,  wife  of  John 
Phillips,  and  Ann,  wife  of  James  Carruth,  who 
located  in  Sterling  and  vicinity.  She  died  June 
10,  1864,  aged  ninety-six.  Simon  married  an 
elderly  lady  of  some  means  in  Ireland,  and  was 
assassinated  when  riding  in  his  carriage.  Robert 
Bortree  went  to  Ireland  and  brought  back  money 
from  his  estate  to  the  brothers  here. 

David  Noble  married  Sarah  Gruramond  and 
came  to  Sterling  about  1816.  He  bought  a  large 
tract  of  land  and  settled  on  Noble  Hill,  or  at 
Noblesville,  which  was  founded  by  him  and  his 
sons.  William  T.  Noble,  a  brother  of  David, 
came  to  Sterling  in  November,  1821,  shortly 
after  built  the  first  store  at  Nobletown,  where  B. 
E.  Hamlin's  store  now  stands,  and  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits  for  nineteen  years,  when  he 
sold  to  James  M.  Noble  and  William  E  Hamlin 
in  1840,  who  conducted  the  business  in  partner- 
ship for  twenty-four  years  In  18(i4  Thomas  M. 
Noble  became  partner  in  his  father's  place,  which 
partnership  continued  till  1869,  when  William  E. 
Hamlin  and  his  son,  B.  E.  Hamlin,  took  charge  of 
the  business. 

David  Noble  built  a  store  in  1827  at  Noble- 
town  in  the  house  now  occupied  by  John  Wil- 
liams, and  continued  business  till  1831,  when  he 
died,  and  the  store  was  converted  into  a  dwelling. 
Isaac  F.  Megargel  built  a  store  in  Nobleville  in 
1861,  which  was  occupied  by  Ernest  Stevens  for  a 
Few  years,  and  is  now  occupied  by  Cross  Brothers, 
who  have  recently  completed  a  large,  new  struc- 
ture. Dr.  Charles  E.  Bun-  was  the  first  resident 
physician,  but  did  not  remain.  The  people  have 
generally  sent  to  Salem  for  medical  attendance. 

The  first  school-house  in  Nobleville  was  built 
in  1837,  Nancy  Dayton  being  the  first  teacher  in 
1838.  David  W.  Noble,  son  of  William  T. 
Noble,  taught  the  next  winter.  David  Noble's 
children  were  James  M.  Noble,  who  lived  in 
Nobleville,  and  was  for  many  years  a  leading  mer- 
chant of  the  place.  His  wife  was  Eliza,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  Asa   Hamlin.     Thomas  M.  Noble,  his 


son,  is  justice  of  the  peace,  and  lives  in  the  village  ; 
Sarah  Noble  is  the  wife  of  Maberry  Megargel  ; 
David  Lyman  Noble  married  Ann  Jane  Lee,  and 
lives  a  short  distance  north  of  the  village;  Wil- 
liam W.  Noble  married  Mary  A.  Patten,  and  en- 
gaged, in  connection  with  his  brothers  Lyman  and 
Roswell,  in  lumbering  business  in  Salem  and  Mos- 
cow, and,  finally  returning,  located  in  Nobleville, 
where  he  acted  as  inn- keeper  for  the  place, 
though  he  never  took  a  license  to  sell  intoxicants. 
There  is  no  driuking-place  in  Sterling  township. 

Deborah  Ann  became  the  wife  of  William  E. 
Hamlin,  who  has  been  for  many  years  postmaster 
and  a  prominent  merchant  of  the  place.  Roswell 
W.  Noble  purchased  that  portion  of  the  old  Howe 
place,  which  lies  west  of  the  North  and  South 
road,  has  built  a  large  house  and  otherwise  im- 
proved the  property.  His  son  Oscar  resides  with 
him. 

James  Dobsou  came  from  Ireland  to  Sterling 
about  1817,  and  settled  on  the  North  and  South 
road,  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  north  of  Noble- 
ville. His  wife  was  Susan  Hazelton.  His  chil- 
dren were  William,  John,  Mary,  Fannie,  Eliza, 
James  and  Ann. 

John  Gilpin,  who  lives  on  the  North  and  South 
turnpike  and  kept  the  toll-gate,  says,  "  We  used 
to  calculate  there  were  about  fifty  head  of  cattle 
passing  through  the  gate  per  day  in  July,  about 
two  hundred  per  day  during  August  and  Septem- 
ber, and  one  hundred  per  day  in  October,  August 
and  November  being  the  sheep  months,  and  the 
same  number  of  sheep  were  driven.  They  came 
from  New  York  and  Ohio.  Raftsmen  in  return- 
ing came  on  this  road,  which  was  a  great  thor- 
oughfare before  the  railroads.  The  turnpike  was 
abandoned  in  1868. 

Joseph  and  Allen  Megargel  were  brothers. 
Joseph  came  to  Sterling  about  1818.  His  sons 
were  Amasa,  James,  Joseph,  Jesse  and  John,  all  of 
whom  lived  in  Sterling  for  a  number  of  years. 
Amasa  Megargel  settled  on  the  North  and  South 
road  about  one-half  mile  north  of  Howes  at  a 
place  since  called  Jericho.  He  was  a  mason  by 
trade.  His  son  Maberry  is  a  farmer  and  lives  on 
the  homestead.  Charles,  another  son,  is  a  black- 
smith at  Nobleville. 

The  Howe  school-house  was  built  in  1831.  E. 
Mullensford  held  the  first  Sunday-school  in  Joseph 


794 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Megargel's  house  in  1831.  Tryphena  Lee  and 
James  Woodbridge  were  among  the  first  school 
teachers.  Elder  George  Dobell  and  Edward 
Mullensford  came  to  Sterling  from  England  about 
1818.  Mr.  Dobell  moved  to  Salem  (now  Lake) 
in  1829.  He  was  a  Baptist  preacher  and  offici- 
ated at  Henry  Stevens'  as  early  as  1825.  The 
Stevens  saw-mill  on  the  Butternut  was  built  about 
1821.  Giles  Dayton,  a  Methodist  local  preacher, 
came  to  Sterling  about  1821,  and  built  a  saw-mill 
in  1825.  Previous  to  this  the  mills  of  Edmund 
Hartford  and  Robert  Bortree  were  frequented. 
Edmund  Hartford  lived  to  be  ninety-four,  and 
was  a  man  of  remarkable  strength  and  suppleness. 
Lester  B.  Adams  came  to  Sterling  about  1825. 
He  married  Margaret  Noble  and  purchased  a  place 
of  Charles  Cliff  in  Jericho.  His  sons  were  Henry, 
N. ,  Enoch,  Thaddeus,  Theophilus  and  S.  A.  Adams. 
Benjamin  Yates,  a  shoemaker,  lived  in  a  log  house 
near  Allen  Bortree's  in  1848.  His  sons  William 
and  Benjamin  are  in  Sterling.  Mr.  Yates  was  an 
Englishman.  He  learned  to  read  from  the  guide 
boards  and  became  a  reader  of  history.  He  was 
of  a  roying  disposition,  traveled  much  and  was  a 
man  of  observation  and  reflection.  He  moved  to 
Salem,  where  his  death  occurred.  J.  R.  Sinquet 
lives  in  the  vicinity  of  Jericho,  on  the  Charles 
Angel  place.  Daniel  Sloats  was  at  Nobleville. 
His  sons  were  George,  John,  James  and  Daniel 
Sloats,  Jr.,  who  lives  on  the  old  place. 

Patrick  and  Bernard  McCabe  were  squatters  on 
a  place  west  of  Stevens',  under  the  mountains,  at 
an  early  day.  They  are  assessed  as  early  as  1810, 
but  abandoned  their  clearing  and  about  18;>5 
Thomas  Ferguson  bought  the  place  and  cleared  a 
large  farm.  Mr.  Ferguson  was  a  farmer  and 
drover  and  county  commissioner  for  one  term. 
His  children  were  George,  Edward,  Jolin,  Thomas, 
Joseph,  William  and  Margaret,  wife  of  Nicholas 
Stevens. 

Charles  Wildash  located  at  Jericho  in  1840  on 
the  place  now  occupied  by  James  Kerr.  Jonathan 
Richardson,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  from  Philadel- 
phia, was  a  man  of  capacity.  None  of  his  descend- 
ants remain  in  the  township. 

Levi  A.  Webster  married  Martha  Munn,  came 
to  Salem  in  December,  1817,  and  remained  with 
John  Andrews,  Jr.,  until  October,  1818,  when  he 
moved  into  West  Sterling  and  built  the  log  house 


his  son  Hubbel  occupies,  near  Webster  Creek. 
His  wife  was  Emaline  Beardsley.  Benjamiu  and 
Daniel  live  in  Tioga  County,  N.  Y.  Conrad  D. 
Webster  is  in  Hollisterville,  and  was  constable  and 
collector  for  seven  years.  Lucy,  wife  of  John 
Conyne,  lives  in  Carbondale,  Gustavus  is  in  Ster- 
ling, and  Gilbert  a  blacksmith  in  South  Canaan. 

Lewis  Barnes  located  about  one  mile  south  of 
E.  Hartford's,  in  1818.  He  has  a  family  of  ten 
children,  some  of  whom  were  in  the  army.  Port 
Barnes  is  a  noted  fiddler  at  country  dances. 

Robert  Catterson  came  from  Donegal  County, 
Ireland,  to  Philadelphia,  in  1811  and  to  Sterling 
in  December,  1822.  He  settled  on  the  Moscow 
road  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  west  of  Noble- 
town  and  built  a  log  cabin  where  John  Hawk 
now  lives.  He  was  seventy-six  and  his  wife  Ann 
at  his  death  survived  until  her  ninety-third  year. 
Their  children  were  William,  who  married  Martha 
Stevens  and  located  one-fourth  mile  south  of  the 
homestead.  He  died  recently,  aged  eighty-four; 
Ann,  the  wife  of  N.  Stevens,  who  lived  north  of 
the  homestead  ;  John  Catterson,  aged  eighty-two, 
from  whom  the  writer  obtained  these  facts,  residing 
west  of  the  homestead.  He  says  he  and  his 
wife,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Stevens,  were  not 
worth  twenty-five  dollars  when  they  were  mar- 
ried. "  I  put  up  a  log  cabin  and  was  just  as  happy 
as  the  day  was  long.  I  erected  a  frame  next 
year  and  the  high  winds  blew  it  down.  We  had 
a  family  of  nine  children,  some  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing in  the  neighborhood."  As  the  old  gentleman 
smoked  a  stub  of  a  clay  pipe  and  talked  of  old 
times  he  seemed  perfectly  contented  and  happy. 

William  Catterson,  a  brother  of  Robert,  lived 
in  Philadelphia  for  many  years  and  came  to  Ster- 
ling about  1845.  He  bought  the  Enoch  Noble 
place  one  half  mile  west  of  Noble  Hill.  Of  his 
children,  Alexander,  who  lives  on  the  homestead 
and  Isabella,  the  second  wife  of  Nicholas  Stevens, 
are  all  who  married  in  Sterling 

The  Catterson  school- house  was  built  just  west 
of  John  Catterson 's  house,  about  1882.  One  dol- 
lar per  week  and  board  were  paid  female  teachers. 
Mary  Ann  Cross  was  one  of  the  first  teachers. 
James  Van  Camp  taught  there  about  1840. 

William  W.  Hawk  came  to  Sterling  from  New 
Jersey  and  worked  on  the  Pennsylvania  Kail  road 
for  two  years,   when   he    purchased  one  hundred 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


:\k, 


and  eighty  acres  of  land  near  the  head-waters  of 
the  streams  that  flow  into  Hartford's  pond, 
cleared  a  farm  and  built  a  good  house.  He  has 
one  of  the  finest  apple  orchards  in  the  county, 
from  which  he  obtains  from  ten  to  fifteen  hun- 
dred bushels  of  good  merchantable  fruit  per 
year. 

Piatt  Stevens  located  mi  the  farm  adjoining 
Hawks'  about  1850. 

Benjamin  Correll  came  to  Sterling  about  1810. 
His  children  were  William,  Benjamin,  Ervin, 
Elias,  Theodore  Alexander,  Hannah,  Mary, 
'Emeline,  Margaret,  Carrie,  Harriet.  One  winter 
he  kept  eleven  deer  in  his  cellar  on  potatoes  and 
let  most  of  them  go  in  the  spring. 

Benjamin  Correll  was  born  at  Montrose,  July 
18,  1801.  He  married  Dorothy  Mettz,  moved  to 
Howetown  when  twenty-one  years  of  age  and 
became  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county.  When 
the  Belmont  and  Easton  turnpike  was  being  built 
he  was  one  of  the  foremen  and  also  tilled  the  same 
position  on  the  old  Drinker  turnpike  when  that 
road  was  constructed.  He  was  captain  of  a  boat 
owned  by  David  Noble,  used  to  convey  lumber 
from  the  forks  on  the  Wallenpaupack  to  Wilson- 
ville,  and  the  first  man  who  steered  a  raft 
over  Clements'  Falls,  on  the,  Paupack  creek,  as 
also  one  of  the  first  men  to  run  the  narrows  on 
the  Lackawaxen.  He  was  miller  for  Robert  Bor- 
tree  and  Edmund  Hartford  for  a  number  of  years 
and  afterward  settled  on  his  farm  at  Howetown. 
His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Mary  Stucker,  who  sur- 
vives, aged  eighty-seven.  He  died  at  John 
Kipps',  in  Greene  township,  aged  eighty-four. 
He  had  fourteen  children  by  his  first  wife,  nine  of 
whom  were  living  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in 
1886,  and  left  eighty-two  grandchildren,  eighty- 
four  great-grandchildren  and  one  great-great- 
grandchild 

George  W.  Butler,  Sr.,  settled  in  Sterling  about 
1835,  on  the  road  from  the  forks  to  Zion  Church. 
He  married  Sylva  Jones,  his  children  being  Elisha 
J.  Butler,  who  lives  on  the  homestead  ;  Horace 
L.  Butler,  of  Lake ;  John  Butler,  of  Greene  ; 
Sally,  wife  of  George  Chamberlain,  of  Lehigh  ; 
Charles,  who  was  killed  on  the  Allegheny  Mount- 
ains; Manda,  wife  of  James  Hineline ;  Maria, 
wife  of  Joseph  Ferguson  ;  Angeline,  wife  of  John 
L.  Brown,  who  resides  near  the  Paupack  Forks,  in 


Salem  ;  Sylva,  wife  of  Thomas  Neville;  and  <  reorge 
W.,  Jr.,  lately  deceased. 

John  Phillips  came  from  Ireland  to  Sterling, 
September  15,  1830.  He  took  up  one  hundred 
acres  of  laud  near  Zion  Church  and  cleared  a 
good  farm.  His  children  were  Samuel  Phillips, 
of  Clinton;  John  B  Phillips,  who  lives  on  the 
John  Bortree  place ;  Mary  A.,  wife  of  Herman 
Bartleson  ;  Richard  G.  Phillips,  who  lives  on  the 
William  Burtree  place  ;  Absalom,  who  lives  in 
Dreher;  and  George  W.  Phillips,  who  lives  on  the 
homestead. 

Edward  Mullensford,  who  resided  one  mile  east 
of  the  Howe  place,  died  February  24,  1858,  aged 
seventy-four.  His  wife  preceded  him  eight  days, 
aged  eighty-seven,  their  only  daughter  having 
died  only  a  few  months  before.  He  left  one 
thousand  dollars  to  the  Methodist  society  to  build 
a  parsonage,  besides  several  other  charities. 

Franklin  Coggins  resided  in  Sterling,  but  left 
no  descendants.  Aaron  Nelson,  an  old  colored 
man,  lived  and  died  not  far  from  Zion  Church. 
He  was  a  great  fisherman. 

Jeremiah  Bennett  named  Sterling,  or  suggested 
that  name  for  the  township.  He  was  also  the 
first  assessor.  Richard  Lancaster  was  the  first 
justice  of  the  peace. 

There  are  six  schools  and  four  churches  in  Ster- 
ling. The  Methodist  class  at  Nobleville  was 
formed  about  1822,  William  T.  Noble,  who  was 
an  exhorter,  being  the  first  class  leader.  The  first 
members  were  William  T.  Noble  and  wife,  Charles 
Cliff  and  wife,  Lyman  Noble,  William  E.  Ham- 
lin and  wife,  Simon  Bortree  and  wife,  Edward 
Mullensford  and   wife  and  Mary  A.  Mullensford. 

William  T.  Noble  led  the  class  a  few  years, 
when  it  was  divided,  and  Edward  Mullensford  and 
Isaac  Megargel  were  leaders.  They  were  associ- 
ated with  Salem  Church  till  1859,  when  Sterling 
became  an  independent  charge.  The  Methodist 
Church  at  Noble  Hill  was  built  in  1848  ;  Pierce 
Coston  and  Roswell  Noble  were  the  carpenters 
who  constructed  it.  The  West  Sterling  Protestant 
Methodist  Church  was  organized  in  1879  and  the 
edifice  built  about  the  same  time.  The  first  class 
was  organized  in  1855,  Alanson  Gregory  being  the 
first  class  leader.  Robert  Catterson,  Eli  S.  Barnes, 
John  Wallace,  Cyprian  Van  Gorder  and  James 
Carruth  were  the  first  members. 


790 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Presbyterian  Ciukch. — Rev.  Joseph  Barlow, 

the  Salem  preacher,  ministered  in  Sterling  about 
1*37.  The  Presbyterians  or  Congregationalists 
were  Phiueas  Howe,  Mary  Ann  Howe,  Lester  B. 
Adams,  Margaret  Adams  and  Henry  Adams. 
During  Rev.  A.  R.  Raymond's  time  Gabriel 
Brown,  Margaret  Brown,  Joseph  Megargel, 
Abigail  Megargel,  Abram  Howe,  Rebecca  Howe, 
Morilla  Howe,  Alexander  Ore  and  wife,  William 
Ore  and  wife,  Nathaniel  Martin  and  wife,  Thomas 
Brown,  Isabella  Brown,  Tryphena  Howe,  Almeron 
Howe,  Tryphena  Adams,  James  Kerr  and  wife, 
Mary  H.  Howe  and  Benjamin  Correll  united  with 
the  church.  The  church  had  existed  as  a  Con- 
gregational Church  till  September,  3,  1871,  when 
Rev.  Yates  Hickey,  presbyterial  missionary,  and 
Rev.  C.  M.  Des  Islets,  of  Salem  Church,  re- 
organized it  as  a  Presbyterian  Church,  with  P. 
Howe  and  wife,  Miss  Mary  H.  Howe,  W.  M. 
Howe,  A  R.  Howe,  Thomas  Brown,  Benjamin 
Correll,  Margaret  T.  Adams,  Amelia  Cliff,  Joseph 
Megargel,  Abigail  Megargel,  Tryphena  Megargel 
and  Adelbert  Howe  as  members.  Lester  B. 
Adams  had  been  ruling  elder  of  the  old  church 
and  Benjamin  Correll  was  made  elder  of  the  re- 
organized church.  The  church  building  was 
erected  in  1850.  The  pulpit  had  always  been 
supplied  from  Salem  Church  till  1884,  when  Rev. 
Norman  Skinner,  a  student  from  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  came  and  preached  during  that 
summer  and  the  summer  following.  He  found 
the  church  in  a  dilapidated  condition,  but  the 
congregation  rallied  to  his  support  in  connection 
with  the  help  of  Roswell  Noble,  Oscar  Noble, 
Charles  Stratton,  the  Cliffs,  Stevenses,  Yateses  and 
the  community  generally.  The  building  was 
repaired  and  fifteen  members  added  to  the  church. 
The  Sunday-school  is  in  a  flourishing  condition 
under  the  superintendence  of  E.  T.  Bone. 

Zion  Episcopal  Church  had  its  corner-stone 
laid  October  2"),  1851,  by  Bishop  Alonzo  Potter, 
during  Rev.  Edwin  E  Mendenhall's  rectorship. 
The  wardens  were  Richard  Simons  and  John 
Phillips.  The  vestrymen  were  Edward  Cross, 
Charles  F.  Clements,  Ezekiel  Ellsworth,  John 
Phillips,  John  H.  Bortree,  Richard  Simons,  Eras- 
tus  Jones,  James  Cross,  James  Simons,  and  after- 
wards    Charles     Wildash,     William    Catterson, 


William  B.  Simons,  Joshua  Neville  and  Robert  J. 
Bortree  were  prominent  members. 

The  early  settlers  of  Sterling  were  nearly  all 
Irish  descent,  and  came  by  way  of  Philadelphia. 
Some  of  them  came  tip  by  the  North  and  South 
State  road  and  others  ria  Stroudsburg  and  through 
Monroe  by  the  Wismere  road.  The  Wallenpau- 
pack  seems  to  have  been  the  dividing  line  between 
the  emigrants  from  Connecticut,  who  came  by  way 
of  Newburgh  and  Carpenter's  Point,  and  the  Penn- 
sylvanians  from  Philadelphia.  They  founded  a 
quiet  community  of  peacably  disposed  farmers. 
They  suffered  hardships  and  privations,  but  by 
persevering  industry  have  built  up  comfortable 
homes  for  themselves  and  their  children. 

In  1880  Winter  &  Ball,  of  Jersey  City,  N.  J., 
purchased  what  was  known  as  the  Pethic  property, 
containing  about  one  thousand  three  hundred 
acres,  and  commenced,  under  the  superintendency 
of  Charles  H.  Stratton,  the  erection  of  a  mill  and 
factory  for  the  manufacturing  of  umbrella  and 
parasol  handles  and  other  turned  goods.  They 
built  a  very  superior  factory  of  its  kind,  employ- 
ing twenty  to  twenty-five  hands.  Mr.  Stratton, 
who  superintended  the  mill  for  five  years,  pur- 
chased the  Daniel  Bortree  place  of  B.  E.  Hamlin 
in  1886  and  has  gone  to  farming,  being  succeeded 
as  superintendent  by  his  son-in-law,  F.  B.  Weed. 

Lyman  Noble  died  recently,  aged  seventy-eight. 
He  was  a  man  of  fine  presence  and  bland  in 
manner.  He  had  a  fine  farm  a  little  north  of  the 
village  of  Nobleville,  and  was  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  the  place. 

John  Gilpin,  who  also  died  recently,  aged  fifty- 
nine,  lived  still  farther  north  on  the  North  and 
South  road,  and  had  just  completed  a  comfortable 
farm-house,  which  he  was  not  permitted  long  to 
enjoy.     He  was  an  energetic  farmer. 

The  village  of  Nobleville  is  beautifully  located 
on  rising  ground  on  the  North  and  South  road, 
among  the  green  fields  of  the  surrounding  farms  ; 
taken  with  its  white  residences  and  shaded  roads, 
it  is  a  very  pleasant  little  country  village.  It  con- 
tains three  stores,  a  blacksmith  shop,  shoe  shop, 
wagon  shop,  post-office,  church  and  school-house. 
.  Sterling  Lodge,  No.  959,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was 
organized  in  September,  1879,  with  the  following 
charter  members  :  Rev.  J.  F.  Warner,  B.  E. 
Hamlin,  W.  J.  Wallace,  Lewis  Simons,   George 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


E.  Cliff,  Willam  Yates,  Daniel  Bortree,  R  W. 
Balckom,  A.  C.  Angel,  B.  L.  Deckard,  William 
Stevens,  A.  C.  Howe,  John  H.  Catterson,  John  J. 
Frey,  M.  J.  Webster,  P.  T.  Howe,  J.  R.  Sinuuet, 
S.  T.  Olmstead,  Robert  McLaiii  and  J.  R.  Osgood. 
The  lodge  is  in  good  financial  condition  and 
meets  over  Hamlin's  store.  They  contemplate 
building  a  hall  for  lodge  purposes. 


1830  came  to  Sterling  and  engaged  in  the  Lumber 
business,  forming  a  partnership  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  the  lamented  James  M.  Noble,  whose  su- 
perior qualities  of  mind  and  heart  rendered  their 
intimate  association  for  a  long  term  of  years  most 
agreeable. 

In  March,    1840,  the  lumber  firm   of  Noble  & 
Hamlin   bought   the  mercantile  business  of  Wil- 


4fr#.J&t 


^c^; 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


WILLIAM  E.   HAMLII 


William  E.  Hamlin  was  born  in  Litchfield, 
Herkimer  County,  N.  Y.,  June  7,  1811,  and  came 
to  Wayne  County  when  his  father,  Dr.  Asa  Ham- 
lin, moved  into  Salem  township,  in  181(5.  His 
brothers,  the  late  Hon.  O.  J.  Hamlin,  Darwin 
Hamlin,  and  his  surviving  brother,  Hon.  B.  D. 
Hamlin,  had  located  at  Smithport,  McKean  Coun- 
ty, Pa.,  and  while  still  in  his  teens  he  went  there 
with  a  view  of  making  that  his  permanent  home, 
but  liking  Wayne  County  best,  he  returned,  and  in 


liam  T.  Noble,  and  commenced  merchandising,  and 
from  this  time,  with  the  exception  of  about  two 
years,  he  continued  in  the  mercantile  business 
until  January  1,  1879,  at  which  time  he  sold  his 
interest  to  his  son,  with  whom  he  formed  a  part- 
nership in  1869.  October  18,  1840,  he  married 
Deborah  Ann  Noble,  of  Sterling.  He  was  com- 
missioned postmaster  at  Sterling  in  1849,  holding 
the  office  without  interruption  through  all  the 
changes  of  administration,  and  at  this  writing  is 
one  of  the  oldest  postmasters  in  the  United  States, 
the  citizens,  without  regard  to  party,  recently 
joining  in  a  petition  asking  that  at  Sterling  no 
change  be  made.      In  1854  he,  with  his  partners 


798 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


in  the  lumber  business,  built  the  first  steam  mill  in 
Wayne  County,  and  for  many  years  he  engaged 
in  manufacturing,  buying  and  shipping  hard-wood 
lumber.  His  industry  and  energy  have  only  been 
limited  by  his  ability  to  endure;  his  tastes  were 
for,  and  he  enjoyed  most  agricultural  pursuits — 
gardening  and  fruit-growing — taking  great  pleas- 
ure, in  hie  later  years,  with  his  garden  and  fruit, 
reaping  the  benefits,  with  friends,  of  many  hours 
of  labor,  in  years  gone  by,  in  the  planting  and 
rearing  of  the  fruits  best  adapted  to  their  climate. 
He  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  early 
life,  and  has  ever  since  been  connected  with  it, 
holding  for  many  years  the  various  offices  of  the 
church,  and  supporting,  by  a  conscientious  liberal- 
ity, all  the  departments  of  its  work.  During  the 
winter  of  1884  and  1885  the  health  of  his  beloved 
wife  failed,  and  in  March,  1880,  she,  who  for  so 
many  years  had  been  his  constant  companion, 
passed  from  earth.  His  was  a  nature  to  keenly  ap- 
preciate the  loss  of  one  of  the  noblest  and  most  un- 
selfish, Christian  wives,  the  influence  of  whose  life 
upon  himself,  his  children  and  all  that  knew  her 
had  been  the  greatest  blessing.  He  has  three 
children,— Harriet  A.,  Orra  J.,  who  married  the 
late  A.  R.  Howe,  and  B.  E.  Hamlin. 

It  is  rare  to  find  a  person  who  possessed  so  many 
of  the  better  qualities,  and  has  been  able  to  avoid 
so  many  of  the  bad.  His  character  and  conduct 
are.  well  worthy  of  imitation,  and  can  be  studied 
with  profit.  A  conscience  moulded  in  Christian 
aspiration  and  trained  by  Christian  practices  has 
been  his  guide;  what  it  bids  him  do,  he  does, 
whether  hard  or  easy ;  what  it  bids  him  avoid,  is 
avoided,  whatever  the  seeming  sacrifice.  With 
good,  natural  endowments,  and  a  mind  well  stored 
with  knowledge  derived  from  the  pursuit  of  litera- 
ture and  the  best  companionship,  he  has  chosen  to 
be  a  listener  rather  than  a  teacher  by  words.  His 
life  has  been  one  of  physical  labor,  performed  from 
a  sense  of  duty  to  his  fellows.  He  has  acted  on 
the  belief  that  some  must  toil  with  their  hands,  and 
while  himself  competent  to  ride,  yet  willing  to 
walk  because  others  choose  to  ride.  Of  ambition 
he  has  had  his  full  share,  but  it  was  an  ambition 
to  be  felt  rather  than  seen.  His  devotion  of  his 
kindred,  great  as  any  loving  son,  brother,  husband 
and  father  ever  had,  has  not  limited  his  good  deeds 
and  their  influences  on  all   who  have  come  within 


the  circle  of  his  acquaintance.     The  world  is  bet- 
ter for  his  having  lived  in  it. 


B.  E.  Hamlin,  only  son  of  W.  E.  Hamlin,  in 
October,  1869,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  left  the 
Philadelphia  High  School  and  engaged  with  his 
father  in  the  mecantile  business,  occupying  the 
storehouse  built  by  William  T.  Noble  in  the  early 
history  of  Sterling.  In  1874  the  present  commo- 
dious building  was  erected.  The  partnership  con- 
tinued until  January  1,  1879,  under  the  firm-name 
of  W.E.  Hamlin,  Hamlin  it  Son  and  B.  E.  Ham- 
lin &  Co.,  at  which  time  he  purchased  his  father's 
interest  in  the  business.  He  has  been  extensively 
engaged  in  lumbering,  mainly  in  hard  wood,  in 
addition  to  merchandising.  In  February,  1883,  he, 
with  Henry  Gilpin,  of  Pike  County,  made  a  large 
purchase  of  bark  and  timber  land  in  Elk  County, 
Pa.,  and  the  firm  of  Hamlin  &  Gilpin  have  since 
built  a  modern  and  fully  equipped  steam  mill,  and 
are  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  hard  wood 
lumber,  they  having  cut  from  their  lands  about 
ore  million  five  hundred  thousand  feet  of  cherry 
lumber  that,  from  their  siding  on  Pittsburgh  and 
Western  Railroad,  is  shipped  to  Chicago  and  the 
Eastern  markets. 


NICHOLAS    STEVENS. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Sterling  township, 
in  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  was  Henry  Stevens,  who 
came  from  Germany.  He  came  to  Sterling 
in  1800,  and  bought  four  hundred  acres  of  wild 
land,  on  which  he  built  a  log  house  and  which  he 
partly  cleared  and  improved.  He  became  a  pros- 
perous farmer,  and  the  log  house  in  time  gave 
way  for  one  of  the  finest  residences  in  all  the 
country  around.  Both  he  and  his  wife  Martha 
lived  to  a  great  age,  and  died  on  the  farm  their 
industry  and  energy  had  redeemed  from  the  wild- 
erness. Their  children  were  Valentine,  George, 
Jane,  Nicholas,  Martha,  Mary,  Ann  and  Henry. 

Nicholas  Stevens,  our  subject,  was  born  March 
9,  1798,  at  Old  Paltz,  not  far  from  Poughkeepsie, 
N.  Y.  He  was  but  two  years  old  when  his 
father's  family  moved  into  the  woods  of  Wayne 
County,  and  his  earliest  recollections  were  of  the 
howling  of  wolves  and  the  sight  of  deer  and  other 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


wild  game.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  Sterling,  re- 
ceiving a  better  education  than  was  generally  ob- 
tained by  the  youth  of  that  day.  His  father 
hired  teachers  to  come  to  his  house  and  teach  his 
children,  an  advantage  enjoyed  by  but  few  in 
those  early  days.  Nicholas  remained  with  his 
father  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  old,  and 
with  his  father  and  brothers  built  sections  of  the 
North  and  South  turnpike,  and  for  their  services 


and  held  only  township  offices.  He  never  used 
tobacco  in  any  way,  and  drank  no  liquor  as  a 
beverage,  and  was  never  heard  to  use  profane  lan- 
guage. Mr.  Stevens  married,  in  1823,  for  his  first 
wife,  Nancy  Catterson,  daughter  of  Robert  and 
Nancy  Catterson.  She  was  born  July  28,1801, 
and  died  in  1844.  Their  children  were  Ann,  born 
December  11,  1824  (she  married  Weston  Wood- 
bridge  ;  children, — Clarence,  who  died  in  the  army 


never  received  a  dollar.  Arrived  at  the  age  | 
above  named,  he  commenced  life  on  his  own  ac- 
count  mi  a  piece  of  wild  land  on  which  he  erected 
buildings  and  on  which  lie  made  the  first  clearing 
To  this  farm  he  added  until  he  owned  four  hun- 
dred acres,  of  which  he  improved  something  over  a 
hundred  acres,  and  on  which  he  resided  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  July  28, 1880.  Mr.  Stevens 
was  for  a  number  of  years  preceding  his  death  a 
member  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  an  ar- 
dent Republican  for  years.    He  was  not  a  politician, 


during  the  Rebellion,  Theodore,  Emma,  Mary, 
William  and  Laura)  ;  Henry,  born  June  4,  1826  ; 
Martha,  born  October  7,1828,  married  Jacob 
Rosencrans  (children, — Mary  and  Frank)  ;  Robert, 
born  December  25,  1880,  married  Margaret  Fer- 
guson (children, — Alice,  Everet  and  Clarence  ; 
Robert  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  in  the  early  part 
of  the  Rebellion,  and  served  till  spring  of  1865, 
when  he  was  sent  home  sick  and  soon  after  died)  ; 
William  J.,  born  April  16,  1838;  Nicholas  D., 
I). .in    August   28,    1835,  married   Arabell    Burton 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


( one  child,— Wade) ;  Isaac  E.,  born  April  1,  1839, 
married  Emma  Swartz ;  Mary  J.,  horn  May  2, 
1842,  married  William  Percy. 

For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Stevens  married  Isabell 
(daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Catterson), 
who  was  born  December  25,  18-3.  To  them  were 
born  Elbert  G.,  August  2*,  1*47;  married,  April 
10,  1871,  Miss  Alice  McFarland,  who  was  born 
January  7,  1854,  in  Paupack,  Wayne  County, 
Pa.  (children, — Selton  W.,  born  January  24, 
1872;  Burten  E.,  born  August  18,  1875).  In 
1875  Mr.  Stevens  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  Ariel,  Wayne  County,  and  is  doing  a 
prosperous  business. 

Ernest  A  ,  born  September  11,  1849  ;  married, 
September  18,  1875,  Irene  M.  Noble,  who  was 
born  in  Sterling,  September  23,  1 852 ;  their  chil- 
dren are  Clinton  C,  born  July  26,  1876  ;  Wilmer 
N.,  born  September  9,  1877 ;  Fred,  born  Decem- 
ber 25,  1881.  Mr.  Stevens  is  now  a  resident  of 
Hollisterville,  where  he  has  built  a  new  store  and 
has  just  opened  a  general  mercantile  business. 

Atherton  B.,  born  June  IS,  1857.  He  graduated 
at  Jefferson  College,  Philadelphia,  and  is  now 
practicing  medicine  at  South  Canaan,  Wayne 
( 'ounty,  where  he  has  a  large  and  growing  prac- 
tice..  William  A.,  born  June  15,1864.  He  is 
now  attending  Jefferson  College,  and  expects  to 
follow  the  medical  profession.  As  stated  in  the 
beginning  of  this  sketch,  Mr.  Stevens'  earliest  recol- 
lections were  of  wolves  and  other  game  of  which 
he  became  a  successful  hunter.  He  killed  two 
panthers  and  a  good  many  wolves  and  bears,  as 
well  as  deer  and  smaller  game.  The  wolves  used 
often  in  his  younger  days  to  enter  his  father's  fields 
and  kill  their  sheep  ;  and  one  of  his  amusements 
was  the  trapping  and  killing  wolves. 


.JOHN    WALLACE. 

John  Wallace,  a  native  of  <  'ounty  Tyrone,  Ire- 
land, but  of  Scotch  descent,  is  one  of  the  thrifty 
and  progressive  agriculturists  of  Wayne  County, 
Pa.  He  was  bom  March  1,  1*13,  and  reared  on 
the  home  farm,  where  he  assisted  his  father  until 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  when  he,  with  his 
parents,  embarked  for  America.  His  mother 
died  (in  board  of  ship,  and  the  survivors  landed  in 
New  York  City  June  3,  1832.      His  father   being 


advanced  in  years,  and  his  pecuniary  possessions 
being  limited,  a  double  responsibility  awaited 
young  John,  and,  to  prove  himself  equal  to  the 
emergency,  he  immediately  sought  employment, 
which  was  soon  furnished  him  on  the  docks  in 
New  York  Harbor.  He  subsequently  removed  to 
Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  and  there  served  four 
years  at  brick-making,  when  he  again  removed — 
this  time  settling  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
resided  until  April  1,  1840,  at  which  time  he  pur- 
chased and  located  upon  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-six acres  of  land,  his  present  homestead,  in 
Sterling  township,  Wayne  County,  Pa.  He  was 
married  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y..  May  2,  1837,  to 
Mary  McDevit,  who  was  born  in  County  Derry, 
Ireland,  February  1,  1812.  She  came  to  America 
June  10,  1832.  The  children  born  of  this  union  are 
Elizabeth  (deceased),  who  became  the  wife  of  W. 
W.  R.  Gilpin;  Joseph  W.  (deceased);  Mary  L. , 
wife  of  John  D.  Houck  ;  Joanna,  wife  of  George 
W.  Weldy ;  Sarah  A.,  wife  of  Henry  Benjamin  ; 
and  Martha  J.  (deceased).  Mr.  Wallace,  now  in 
the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age,  and  his  wife,  a 
little  over  a  year  his  senior,  are  both  hale  and 
hearty,  and  are  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  hard- 
earned  competency,  surrounded  by  loving  chil- 
dren and  grandchildren,  and  many  friends  who 
bear  evidence  to  their  meritorious  traits  of  charac- 
ter. They  are  both  members  of  the  Protestant 
Methodist  Church,  and  Mr.  Wallace  is  an  active 
Republican.  Lieutenant  Joseph  W.  Wallace, 
son  of  John  and  Mary  (McDevit)  Wallace,  was 
born  September  13,  1841.  He  spent  his  boyhood 
at  home  with  his  parents,  who  gave  him  a  liberal 
education,  thus  qualifying  him  for  the  higher 
duties  of  life.  He  taught  school  for  several 
terms,  and,  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  Rebel- 
lion, was  one  of  the  first  to  offer  his  services  to  the 
Union.  He  enlisted  April  20,  1861,  in  the  three 
mouths'  service,  Company  B,  Eighth  Regiment 
of  Pennsylvania  Infantry.  He  was  regularly  and 
honorably  discharged  at  the  expiration  of  the 
time,  and  re-enlisted  September,  1861, in  Company 
H,  Forty-ninth  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  In- 
fantry for  three  years  or  during  the  war.  In  1864, 
January  1st,  he  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity 
offered  to  again  enlist  for  the  veteran's  bounty, 
with  an  allowance  of  thirty-five  days'  furlough. 
He  was  again  mustered  into  service  and  promoted 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


SOI 


to  a  first  lieutenancy,  which  commission  he  held 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  in  many  of  the 
principal  engagements  during  the  war,  among 
which  were  Yorktown,  Antietam,  Fredericksburg, 
Gettysburg,  Rappahannock,  etc.  He  was  killed  by 
a  bursting  shell  at  the  battle  of  Winchester,  Sep- 
tember 19,  1804.  His  remains  were  brought 
home  and  deposited  in  the  family  burying-ground 
at  Nobletown,  Sterling  township,  Wayne  County, 


child,  they  embarked  for  America,  and  after  a 
voyage  of  over  two  months  landed  in  Philadelphia 
August  6,  1815.  They  remained  there  until  the 
following  summer,  when  they  removed  to  Sterling 
township,  Wayne  County,  Pa.  It  was  here  that 
Mr.  Cliff  pitched  his  tent,  about  one-half  mile  east 
of  the  present  Presbyterian  Church,  in  the  woods, 
with  a  fixed  determination  to  make  the  then 
almost  unbroken  wilderness  give  way  to  his  ambi- 


/7^w     /^4^^_ 


Pa.  To  say  that  he  was  a  young  man  of  fine  I 
parts  but  feebly  expresses  the  honor  due  him.  He 
was  noble,  generous  and  brave,  and  the  space  j 
given  him  in  the  history  of  his  native  place  is  I 
very  creditably  filled. 

GEORGE    E.    CLIFF. 

His  parents,  Charles  and  Seline  Inkpen  Cliff, 
were  born  in  England, — himself  in  Nottingham- 
shire, October  22,  1786,  and  herself  in  the  city  of 
London  about  the  year  1792.  Their  marriage  oc- 
curred in  1814,  and  the  year  following,  with  one 


tion.  His  first  purchase  consisted  of  about  sixty- 
four  acres.  He  subsequently  bought  lands  contig- 
uous to  this  and  when  he  died  had  acquired  a 
competency.  His  chief  occupation  was  farming. 
He  was  also  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  but  only 
worked  at  the  latter  at  such  times  as  seemed  nec- 
essary to  assist  in  the  construction  of  buildings  for 
himself  and  neighbors.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republi- 
can and  was  several  times  elected  to  fill  township 
offices,  etc.  He  died  in  April,  1863.  His  wife 
died  July  28,  1828.     Their  children  were  Selina, 


802 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Stephen,  Charles  F.  (located  in  Jericho  on  the 
North  and  South  road),  George  E ,  John  Wesley, 
Isaac  F.,  A.  J.  and  Jesse  O.  Cliff. 

George  E.  Cliff,  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born 
at  the  old  homestead  in  Sterling  township  July  10, 
1820.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  reached  his 
majority.  For  a  couple  of  years  thereafter  he  en- 
gaged in  odd  jobs,  and  in  1843,  in  company  with 
his  brother,  Charles  F.,  purchased  a  portion  of  the 
old  homestead  farm    and  continued   with   him   in 


1861,  to  Elizabeth  A.,  daughter  of  George  and 
Rachel  Stevens.  Her  grandfather,  Henry  Stevens, 
was  the  first  settler  in  this  neighborhood.  To 
George  E.  and  Elizabeth  Cliff  have  been  born 
Theresa,  who  died  in  infancy,  Effie  S.  and  Ella  M. 
Cliff. 


farming  and  lumbering  pursuits  until  about  1858. 
He  then  sold  his  interest  to  his  brother  Charles 
and  bought  a  portion  of  what  was  known  as  the 
Howe  estate,  in  the  same  township,  under  Cliff 
Mountain.  This  he  still  owns  and  occupies,  being 
successfully  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  has  held  minor  positions 
of  trust.  He  is  at  present  poormaster  and  school 
director.     His   marriage  occurred  November  27, 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

LEHIGH  TOWNSHIP. 

Lehigh  Township  was  taken  from  Dreher, 
December  15,  1883.  It  is  the  southwestern  town- 
ship of  Wayne  County,  and  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Sterling,  on  the  east  by  Dreher.  The  township 
is  triangular-shaped,  terminating  at  a  point  west  of 
Sand  Cut.  There  were  no  settlements  in  Lehigh 
until   the    Delaware,   Lackawanna  and   Western 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


803 


Railroad  ran  through  the  southwestern  part  of  the 
township,  and  Gouldsborough  Station  was  estab- 
lished at  Sand  Cut.  In  1856  Jay  Gould  contracted 
for  one  acre  of  land  of  Selden  Seranton,  sold  that 
contract  to  Jacob  Coon,  who  was  constructing  a 
plank  road  from  Gould's  tannery  to  Gouldsborough 
Station.  J.  Coon  sold  this  contract  to  Solomon 
Edwards,  who  with  Jay  Gould,  William  D.  Brown 
and  Peter  Winnie,  met  to  locate  that  acre.  Pratt 
and  Gould  did  not  wish  those  parties  to  build  at 
the  station  ;  consequently  Gould  wrote  J.  L.  Si- 
mons, of  Tobyhanna,  to  meet  him  at  the  Sand  Cut. 
Edwards  was  undecided  where  to  build,  and  the 
matter  was  referred  to  Simons,  who  suggested  a 
good  location  for  a  hotel.  Edwards  chose  his  acre, 
and  it  was  surveyed  to  him.  Gould,  after  he  had 
Edwards  located,  said  to  Simons,  "Now  the  coast 
is  clear,  go  ahead  and  build  a  hotel ;  Colonel  Pratt 
will  be  up  next  week  and  see  you."  Colonel  Pratt 
came  and  instructed  him  "  to  see  the  house  built, 
and  when  he  lacked  funds  to  call  on  him."  On 
the  strength  of  this,  Simons  erected  a  large  hotel  at 
Sand  Cut,  which  was  the  first  house,  except  some 
workingmen's  shanties,  erected  in  the  township  of 
Lehigh.  He  ran  the  hotel  twenty  years,  then 
leased  it  to  E.  L.  Harvey.  He  also  ran  the  stage 
lines  and  was  the  first  postmaster  and  station 
agent.  He  subsequently  married  the  woman  who 
figured  conspicuously  in  the  building  of  the  hotel, 
for  there  was  a  woman  in  the  case,  and  has  re- 
tired from  active  business  with  a  big  lawsuit  in 
connection  with  that  acre. 

George  G.  Smith  came  to  Sand  Cut  in  18(52  to 
load  lumber  for  W.  D.  Brown,  of  Gouldsborough. 
William  Wallace  and  Abram  Coon  built  a  store 
opposite  the  Simons  House  about  1862  G.  G. 
Smith  is  now  conducting  the  business  at  this  store. 
He  is  also  justice  of  the  peace. 

In  the  spring  of  1863  S.  H.  Rhodes  came  to 
Sand  Cut  to  superintend  William  Wallace's  busi- 
ness. Afterward  he  became  associated  with  E. 
Rosenburg,  in  the  lumbering  business.  They  es- 
tablished a  store  near  their  mills,  and  conducted 
business  until  1876,  when  S.  H.  Rhodes,  who  had 
purchased  Rosenburg's  interest,  built  a  store  in  the 
Sand  Cut,  where  he  is  at  present  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business,  in  connection  with  his  lum- 
bering.     He   was  postmaster   for   a   number   of 


Simons  built  a  storehouse  which  has  been  occu- 
pied by  many  persons.  It  is  now  used  as  a  dwell- 
ing-house. 

G.  B.  Herbine  also  had  a  store  in  the  place  and 
was  succeeded  by  S.  S.  Hager. 

S.  A.  Adams  built  a  house  which  was  used  as  a 
hotel  for  awhile,  but  has  since  been  converted  into 
a  store.  Mr.  Adams  is  the  present  postmaster. 
S.  S.  Hager  is  station  agent  at  Gouldsborough. 
L.  L.  Heller  was  among  the  the  first  settlers.  His 
son,  O.  S.  Heller,  is  a  lumberman  and  .butcher, 
and  another  son,  Dr.  J.  A.  Heller,  is  the  physician 
of  the  place.  Dr.  Jackson  was  the  first  physician. 
Sarah  A.  Croft  was  the  first  school-teacher,  about 
1865,  and  taught  in  a  dwelling-house.  The  school- 
house  was  built  in  1870.  Toe  Lutheran  Church 
was  erected  in  1876.  It  whs  organized  by  Rev. 
George  Rhodes,  its  first  members  being  O.  S.  Hel- 
ler and  wife,  R.  E.  Willard  and  wife,  A.  D.  Dutol 
and  wife,  Mrs.  Croft,  S.  H.  Rhodes,  Joseph 
Rhodes,  Anna  Rhodes  and  Mrs.  Decker.  The 
first  Sunday-school  was  organized  about  1868  by 
S  H.  Rhodes,  E.  M.  Price,  L.  R.  Smith  and  G. 
G.  Smith,  on  the  property  now  occupied  by  Adam 
Gallomer. 

The  Gilpin  brothers  bought  a  large  tract  of  tim- 
ber land  at  the  Marsh,  four  miles  from  Sand  Cnt. 
In  1875,  or  about  that  time,  they  sold  the  timber 
to  Wagenhorst,  who  built  a  saw-mill.  The  bark 
was  sold  to  Stephen  Kistler.  Wagenhorst  became 
involved  and  the  property  was  turned  over  to 
Kistler,  who  sold  to  Andrew  Sebring  for  $22,500, 
and  who  had  it  two  years  and  sold  to  John  Calla- 
han for  $34,000.  Callahan  employs  about  twenty 
men,  likewise  S.  H.  Rhodes  about  the  same  num- 
ber.    Wallace  employs  about  twelve  men. 

Enoch  Adams  owns  the  farm  formerly  occupied 
by  A.  J.  Pace.  R.  B.  Decker,  a  shoemaker,  was 
also  oue  of  the  first  residents. 

There  are  two  Sunday-schools,  the  Lutheran 
and  the  Union,  and  two  schools,  one  at  Sand  Cut 
and  one  at  the  Marsh.  The  township  is  seven 
miles  long  to  the  extreme  point  and  has  Lehigh 
River  and  Clifton  township  of  Lackawanna  County 
on  the  northwest  and  Coolbaugh  of  Monroe  on  the 
south.  There  are  about  seventy  voters  and  three 
hundred  and  fifty  inhabitants.  Henry  Hefferly 
lives  in  the  woods  at  the  Half-Way  House.  The 
township  is  mostly  a  slashing,  having  been  lum- 


S04 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


bered  off  of  and  allowed  to  grow  up.  It  is  quite 
stony,  but  the  soil  is  of  good  quality  when  culti- 
vated. Three  bears  have  been  killed  this  winter 
of  1885  within  two  or  three  miles  of  Gouldsbor- 
ough  Station.  G.  G.  Smith,  Esq.,  took  the  writer 
to  a  trap  where  he  had  caught  a  bear  five  days 
before.  Although  the  land  is  stony,  its  nearness 
to  the  railroad  will  cause  it  to  be  improved,  espe- 
cially in  the  vicinity  of  Sand  Cut,  and  the  future 
historian  will  doubtless  see  good  farms  in  place  of 
bear  swamps  and  slashings. 


CHAPTER    XXXV 


Dkeher  was  named  in  honor  of  Judge  Samuel 
S.  Dreher,  at  one  time  presiding  judge  of  the 
Twenty-second  Judicial  District.  It  was  separated 
from  Sterling,  September  7, 1877,  and  Lehigh  was 
taken  from  it  December  15,  1883.  Dreher  is  a 
southern  township  of  Wayne  County  and  is 
bounded  on  the  northwest  by  Sterling,  on  the  east 
by  Green  and  the  south  branch  of  the  Wallenpau- 
pack,  which  also  forms  the  boundary  line  between 
Wayne  and  Pike  at  this  point.  On  the  south  is 
Coolbaugh  of  Monroe  County,  aud  Lehigh  town- 
ship is  on  the  southwest.  The  early  history  of 
Dreher  and  Greene  is  closely  blended,  as  the 
South  Branch  of  the  Wallenpaupack  flows  north 
between  the  two  townships  through  a  fine  fertile 
valley  about  five  miles  in  length  and  from  eighty 
to  three  hundred  and  twenty  rods  in  width, 
hemmed  in  by  the  receding  hills  of  Dreher  on  the 
west  and  the  hills  of  Greene  on  the  east.  This  flat 
land  has  been  known  as  Newfoundland,  so  named 
by  Daniel  Stroud,  who  was  informed  by  some 
hunters  that  they  had  found  a  tract  where  there 
were  no  marked  trees  for  a  long  distance. 

He  investigated  the  matter  and  found  one 
thousand  nine  hundred  acres  unsurveyed,  which 
he  called  Newfoundland.  After  the  Germans 
came  it  was  called  the  "  Dutch  Flats."  The 
southern  part  of  Dreher  was  called  South  Ster- 
ling, and  the  northern  part,  where  Robert  Bor- 
tree  settled,  East  Sterling.  Mill  Creek,  Bortree 
Creek  and  some  other  runs  flow  into  the  Paupack 
through  Dreher,  and  there  are  several  tributaries 


from  Greene,  all  of  which  have  been  noted  trout 
streams.  This  sheltered  valley  once  abounded  in 
wild  game  and  fur-bearing  animals. 

The  first  white  man  who  visited  this  beautiful 
sequestered  vale  was  a  shrewd  Yankee  school- 
teacher by  the  name  of  Denman  Coe.  He  evi- 
dently came  to  Paupack  settlement  about  1794, 
and  followed  the  stream  to  this  point,  and  erected 
a  cabin  on  a  little  rise  of  ground  back  of  F.  A. 
Oppelt's  residence.  Here  he  brought  his  family, 
hunted,  trapped  and  lived  a  Robinson  Crusoe  life. 
He  was  a  stern  and  powerful  man,  and  for  a 
radius  of  about  ten  miles  around  was  "  lord  of  the 
fowl  and  the  brute."  He  conveyed  two  or  three 
hundred  dollars'  worth  of  furs  to  Connecticut  on 
his  back  every  year.  He  cleared  up  part  of 
the  fiats,  and  was  soon  joined  by  William  Akers, 
his  son-in-law,  Gabriel  Davis,  Phineas  Howe  and 
Andrew  Corey.  Tradition  has  woven  a  romance 
around  William  Akers'  marriage  with  Polly  Coe. 
William  Akers,  a  hunter  from  Stroudsburg,  in  his 
rambles  in  the  wilderness,  was  startled  one  day  to 
find  himself  near  a  human  habitation.  He  ap- 
proached to  investigate.  Denman  Coe  lived  a 
long  distance  from  any  mill,  and  his  daughters  in 
turn  broke  the  grain  with  a  pestle  and  mortar. 
It  happened  that  this  day  it  was  Polly's  turn  to 
pound  the  grain.  She  was  but  a  young  girl  and 
was  crying  over  her  task.  As  Akers  drew  near 
he  asked  the  cause  of  her  grief,  which  she  ex- 
plained. His  heart  was  touched  by  the  girl's 
story,  and  shortly  after  he  took  her  to  Strouds- 
burg and  was  married.  But  Rebecca  Kayser,  now 
nearly  eighty  years  of  age  is  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Akers,  and  says  "  that  her  grandfather  was 
a  stern  man,  and  would  have  kicked  Akers  out  of 
the  cabin  had  he  proposed  the  thing  to  him  ;  that 
her  mother  never  used  the  pestle  and  mortar,  but 
that  her  aunt  was  made  a  cripple  for  life  as  the 
result  of  that  work  when  young."  She  says  "  her 
mother  Mary  Coe,  or  Polly,  as  she  was  generally 
called,  lived  in  Connecticut  for  five  years  after  her 
father  came  here.  About  1799,  when  fourteen 
years  old,  she  came  from  Connecticut  on  foot  with 
her  father,  and  carried  a  bundle  besides.  One 
year  later  her  father  placed  her  in  a  weaver's  es- 
tablishment in  Stroudsburg — probably  at  William 
Akers,  Sr.  Here  William  Akers  married  her 
when  sixteen  years  old,  whereat  her  father  was 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


SI  If) 


very  angry."  Abuut  1800  William  Akers  came 
to  the  flats  and  built  a  cabin  south  of  his  father- 
in-law,  on  the  place  afterward  owned  by  Francis 
Rohrbacher.  He  built  the  cabin  with  a  door  so 
low  that  it  was  necessary  to  stoop  to  enter  it.  He 
had  no  chairs,  no  floor,  no  fire-place.  The  fire 
was  built  on  the  ground  ;  his  table,  some  say,  was 
a  stump,  but  his  daughter  declares  it  was  a  large 
ash  log  split  in  the  middle.  He  bored  holes  on 
the  bark  side  and  stuck  poles  in  for  legs,  with  the 
flat  surface  up.  Here  was  born  the  first  white 
child  in  Dreher — John  Clements  Akers,  about 
1805,  named  in  honor  of  John  Clements,  who  had 
recently  come  into  the  township.  William  Akers 
and  his  wife  were  known  as  "Uncle  Bill"  and 
"Aunt  Poll."  Gabriel  Davis  was  doubtless  the 
third  settler.  He  came  in  1802  or  1803  and  erected 
his  cabin  near  an  excellent  spring  of  water,  where 
the  old  Bennett  house  stood.  The  wife  of  Gabriel 
Davis  was  William  Akers'  sister. 

Andrew  Corey  came  with  his  family  from 
Connecticut  about  the  same  time.  He  broke  the 
stillness  of  the  forest  near  the  Tremper  spring,  on 
what  was  afterward  the  Tremper  farm,  at  the 
northern  and  lower  end  of  the  valley,  he  erecting 
a  comfortable  log  cabin  for  his  family. 

In  or  about  the  year  1806  Rev.  Gideon  Draper 
traveled  through  this  valley,  and  dined  with  one 
of  the  families  then  residing  here.  His  repast 
consisted  of  mush  and  milk,  and  served  in  a 
squash  shell,  which  he  ate  with  a  wooden  spoon. 
He  heartily  relished  his  meal,  and  in  1807  came 
back  accompanied  by  Rev.  William  Butler,  a  de- 
voted young  man  who  preached  only  to  save  souls, 
and  was  much  beloved.  Mr.  Draper  was  of  a 
more  excitable  mind.  They  traveled  on  foot, 
there  being  few  roads  other  than  foot  paths.  In 
1810  Bartle  Bartleson,  who  had  married  Elsie, 
another  sister  of  William  Akers,  came  from  Mon- 
roe County.  He  was  the  father  of  Thomas, 
Gabriel  and  Bartle  Bartleson,  all  of  whom  are 
now  living,  the  youngest,  Bartle  Bartleson,  Jr., 
being  eighty-three,  Gabriel  eighty-five,  and 
Thomas,  ninety  or  ninety-five.  At  the  time  the 
Bartlesons  came  there  were  but  five  families  in 
the  place  The  woods  abounded  in  deer,  bear, 
turkey  and  wild  ducks,  and  the  streams  were 
alive  with  trout.  John  Bennett  and  Herman 
Newton  came  from  Connecticut  in  or  about  1814, 


Benjamin  Beach  in  181-6,  William  Lancaster, 
Jos.  Williams,  Win.  and  Isaac  Long  before  1820. 

Denmau  Coe  followed  the  old  Indian  trail  up 
the  Paupack,  and  found  what  was  formerly  called 
the  "  Big  Island ' '  cleared  when  he  came.  This 
clearing  may  have  been  made  by  the  Indians  or 
caused  by  overflowing  water.  Mr.  Coe  and  others 
added  to  the  clearing  till  he  kept  seventeen  head 
of  cattle.  His  hay  was  stacked  on  the  flats  when 
a  freshet  came  and  carried  away  his  fodder,  so  that 
the  cattle  were  obliged  to  browse.  This  reverse 
disheartened  him  and  caused  his  removal  to  Ohio. 
His  children  were  Dudley,  Ransom  and  Harvey, 
who  removed  to  the  West,  and  Polly,  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Akers,  and  Ada,  wife  of  Moses  Chapman,  of 
Paupack.  Years  afterwards  Denman  Coe  wandered 
back  to  Dreher. 

WTilliam  Akers,  Sr.,  was  an  Englishman,  and  a 
weaver  by  trade.  He  came  to  Dreher  and  lived  with 
his  son-in-law,  Bartle  Bartleson,  Sr.,  being  ninety- 
nine  years  old  when  he  died.  His  wife  was  Re- 
becca Fish,  and  his  children  were  John,  William, 
Polly,  wife  of  Gabriel  Davis,  and  Elsie,  wife  ot 
Bartle  Bartleson.  Of  John  Akers'  children,  Eliz- 
abeth married  John  Sheerer,  and  lives  in  Jefferson 
township,  aged  eighty-six,  and  John  M.  is  a  black- 
smith in  Dreher. 

William  Akers,  Jr.,  was  a  great  hunter,  and 
killed  panthers,  bears  and  every  kind  of  game. 
His  children  were  Clements,  who  has  one  son  in 
Dreher,  and  Rebecca,  who  married  Frederick 
Kayser,  who,  after  living  in  Honesdale  and  New 
Y'ork,  finally  settled  in  Greene,  about  one  half- 
mile  east  of  the  Paupack.  She  is  nearly  eighty 
years  of  age  and  able  to  walk  ten  miles  a  day. 
She  and  her  sister  spun  and  wove  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds  of  wool  in  one  year.  Her  son-in-law, 
Tunis  Smith,  killed  the  bear  that  was  stuffed  for 
the  New  Orleans  Exposition.  She  has  fifty  grand- 
children and  twenty-five  great-grandchildren  liv- 
ing, making,  with  her  children,  about  eighty  living 
descendants.  There  was  not  a  death  in  the  family 
for  fifty  years.  Her  husband  died  recently,  their 
children  being  William  F.  Kayser,  who  lives  in 
Delaware,  Charles  F.,  in  Iowa,  Mary,  wife  of  A.  B. 
Drake,  of  Stroudsburg,  Julia  A.,  wife  of  Tunis 
Smith,  of  Dreher,  Miranda,  wife  of  Wien  Forney, 
an  editor  in  Harrisburg,  and  Sarah  E.,  married  to 
Theodore  Correll,  who  lives  on  the  homestead. 


806 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Sybil,  another  daughter  of  William  Akers,  mar- 
ried John  Decker,  who  formerly  kept  tavern  be- 
yond Tafton,  in  Palmyra  township. 

Gabriel  Davis  sold  his  place  to  John  Bennett  in 
1814  and  moved  to  Salem,  where  his  family  are 
mentioned. 

Of  Bartle  Bartleson's  children,  Rebecca  mar- 
ried John  Burns,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Greene 
township.  Thomas  Bartleson,  who  is  living  in 
Greene,  worked  for  Abel  Kimble  when  he  built 
his  grist  mill  in  Paupack  settlement.  Abel  Kimble, 
Uriah  Kimble  and  Thomas  Bartleson  got  the  mill- 
stones out  of  Cobb  mountain,  two  spans  of  horses 
being  required  to  draw  them.  They  cut  their  own 
road  part  of  the  way.  Bartle  Bartleson,  Sr.,  and 
William  Akers,  Jr.,  cut  the  road  from  the  north 
and  south  state  road  to  the  south  branch  of  the 
Wallenpaupack.  Bartle  Bartleson,  .Sr.,  settled  on 
the  place  now  occupied  by  Bartle  Bartleson,  Jr. 
Gabriel  Bartleson  has  killed  more  than  one  hun- 
dred deer,  and  the  first  when  a  barefooted  boy. 

Andrew  Corey  was  a  fleshy  man  and  not  very 
energetic.  His  children  were  Job,  who  was 
drowned  in  the  Paupack  while  rafting  ;  Peter,  who 
fell  from  the  piazza  of  Howe's  tavern  and  was 
killed  ;  John,  who  settled  Coreyville,  in  Greene ; 
Polly,  married  to  Asa  Brundage  ;  Olive  and  Patty 
who  removed  from  the  township.  John  and 
Thomas  Dickinson  are  assessed  as  early  as  1809. 

Jacob  Long  settled  one  mile  west  of  the  Paupack. 
His  children  were  George  and  Henry  who  lived 
in  Greene  ;  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Harris  Hamlin, 
Jr. ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John  Mitchell ;  Sophia, 
wife  of  Abner  Eighmey. 

Joseph  Williams,  in  1818,  settled  one  fourth 
mile  from  the  Paupack,  where  his  son  Jeremiah 
now  lives.  He  was  ninety-seven  and  his  wife 
eighty-four  when  they  died.  His  children  were 
Martha,  wife  of  Benjamin  Sheerer ;  Jeremiah 
married  Susan  Bartleson  who  has  a  large  family, 
among  them  John  Williams,  attorney-at-law,  in 
Stroudsburg.  Herman  Newton  came  to  Dreher 
from  Connecticut,  likewise,  John  Bennett  who 
bought  the  Gabriel  Davis  place  in  1N14  His 
sons  were  Jeremiah  and  Nathaniel.  Nancy  Ben- 
nett, his  daughter,  taught  the  first  school  in  1812, 
in  a  school-house  erected  by  Capt.  Howe,  near  the 
residence  of  Denman  Coe,  at  the  rear  of  the 
Moravian  parsonage.      It  was   a   square   edifice, 


with  a  roof  from  each  side  running  up  to  a  point. 
Betsey  Clements  was  one  of  the  first  teachers. 
She  became  the  wife  of  Jeremiah  Bennett.  Nancy 
Bennett  married  Joshua  Price  and  finally  went 
West.  Betsy,  another  daughter,  was  the  wife  of 
Ambrose  Kellam.  Jeremiah  Bennett  was  the 
first  hotel-keeper  in  South  Sterling.  He  built  the 
Lancaster  saw-mill  in  1819.  His  son  Perry  lived 
on  Sugar  Hill,  in  Greene  township.  Thomas  C. 
Madden,  who  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  late  war,  and 
is  now  justice  of  the  peace,  owns  the  property. 

Benjamin  Beach  came  to  Sterling  from  Bucks 
County  in  1816.  He  lived  with  John  Clements 
two  years  and  then  took  up  fifty  acres  of  land  on 
the  Paupack,  which  he  increased  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres.  He  built  a  saw-mill  near  his 
house  in  1835.  He  was  a  great  hunter.  His  son 
Isaac  thinks  he  has  killed  four  hundred  deer. 
Benjamin  Beach  was  seventy-five  when  he  died. 
His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Rush,  and  his  children, — 
Christina  who  married  John  Dunning,  a  sou  of 
John  Dunning,  Sr.,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
Greene ;  Jonas,  who  died  a  bachelor  in  Greene ; 
Isaac,  who  lives  on  the  homestead  and  is  now 
seventy-seven,  married  Eliza  Connery  and  raised  a 
large  family  ;  Eliza,  wife  of  Johnson  Dickerson, 
who  lived  in  Greene ;  Susan,  wife  of  Nathaniel 
Oney,  a  great  hunter  ;  George,  of  Scranton  ;  Ben- 
jamin, of  Salem  ;  and  Philena,  wife  of  Job  Bartle- 
son. 

William  Lancaster,  an  Englishman  and  a  car- 
penter by  trade,  first  came  to  Sterling  to  assist 
Robert  Bortree  build  his  grist-mill  in  1816.  He 
and  his  son  Richard  came  to  Dreher  in  1819  and 
bought  the  interest  of  a  squatter,  took  up  two 
hundred  acres  of  land  one-half  mile  west  of  the 
Wallenpaupack,  and  cleared  up  the  place  now 
owned  by  C.  W.  Gilpin.  Richard  Lancaster  was 
a  jeweler  by  trade.  He  was  appointed  justice  of 
the  peace  in  1823,  and  held  that  position  until 
1840,  when  he  was  elected  sheriff,  and  was  the 
last  sheriff  during  the  sessions  of  the  court  in 
Bethany.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Assembly, 
county  treasurer  and  county  commissioner.  He 
was  at  a  late  date  again  elected  justice  of  the 
peace.  After  holding  all  these  offices,  his  vote 
being  challenged,  he  was  unable  to  find  his 
father's  naturalization  papers,  and  the  Legislature 
passed  an  act  legalizing  his  official  acts.    He  mar- 


WAYNE  COUNT  V. 


807 


ried  Frances  Mclhvaine,  his  children  being 
Richard,  William,  George,  John  (who  married 
Amanda  Barnes  and  lives  in  Greene),  Franklin 
(in  Moscow)  and  Hugh  (who  has  a  stick-factory 
and  saw-mill  on  the  Paupack).  He  had  a  shovel- 
handle  factory  in  1851  and  a  stick-factory  in  1857, 
which  was  burned  in  1885,  and  is  being  rebuilt. 
He  started  a  store  in  1844.  The  South  Sterling 
post-office  was  established  in  1848,  with  Richard 
Gilpin  as  postmaster.  In  1851  Hugh  Lancaster 
was  appointed  and  held  the  office  till  1885,  when 
Josiah  Whittaker  was  the  incumbent.  Robert 
and  Christopher,  two  other  sons  of  Richard  Lan- 
caster, live  in  Sullivan  County.  Margaret  Ann  is 
the  wife  of  Charles  W.  Gilpin. 

Richard  Gilpin  married  Mary  Bortree,  sister  of 
Robert  Bortree,  Sr.  He  came  to  New  York  from 
Ireland,  crossed  New  Jersey  to  Eastou,  and  in  1810 
arrived  in  Dreher,  where  he  took  up  four  hundred 
acres  of  land  on  the  Wallenpaupack,  one  mile  east 
of  his  brother-in-law,  Robert  Bortree.  His  oldest 
child,  Sally,  married  Abraham  Heazelton  in  Ire- 
land, and  came  to  Dreher  in  1820.  Her  children 
were  Abraham,  Richard,  William,  John,  Thomas 
and  Edward,  sons.  The  daughters  were  Eliza 
(wife  of  William  Skelton),  Mary  Jane  (wife  of 
William  Cross)  and  Ann  (wife  of  Dilworth  Cross). 
The  remaining  children  were  Eliza  (wife  of  Ed- 
ward Bortree)  and  Ann  (wife  of  John  Bortree). 

William  married  Sarah  Bortree,  among  whose 
children  were  John  B.  Gilpin,  who  lives  on  the 
Ransberry  place  ;  Mary  Jane,  wile  of  Jesse  Rans- 
berry,  who  was  for  many  years  blacksmith  for  the 
settlement. 

Richard,  Jr.,  who  married  Eliza  Bennett,  had 
the  following  children  :  Charles  W.  Gilpin,  wrho 
has  been  school  director  for  twenty-six  years,  lives 
on  the  old  Lancaster  homestead  and  is  an  influen- 
tial farmer ;  John,  who  was  once  county  auditor  ; 
Jeremiah;  William  R.,  of  Greene ;  Emory,  of 
Houcktown;  Lydia,  wife  of  Isaac  Barnes;  Fletcher, 
M.D.;  and  James,  who  lives  on  the  homestead. 

John  Robert  Gilpin  lived  near  the  Paupack  and 
had  a  saw-mill  on  the  East  Branch.  His  son, 
Thomas  H.  Gilpin,  operates  a  saw-mill  in  Greene 
township. 

Thomas  Gilpin  cleared  a  place  and  built  a  stone 
house  now  occupied  by  Simon  Gilpin's  widow. 
Another  son,  James  D.  Gilpin,  lives  in  Nobletowu. 


John  Nevins  came  to  Dreher  about  1*20,  and 
settled  two  miles  west  of  the  Paupack.  He  and 
his  wife  were  hard-working  people  and  cleared  a 
good  farm.  Their  children  were  Bernard,  a 
bachelor,  who  lives  on  the  homestead,  in  the  log 
house  built  by  his  father ;  Thomas,  who  located 
west  of  the  homestead ;  Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of 
John  M.  Akers ;  and  Jeremiah,  who  has  been  an 
invalid  for  forty  years,  living  with  his  bachelor 
brother  and  maiden  sister,  Hannah. 

Simon  Todd  cleared  a  place  near  Lancaster.  His 
son  Charles  Todd  became  a  Methodist  minister. 

Robert  Bortree,  Sr.,  came  to  Dreher  in  1806, 
and  settled  what  was  formerly  called  East  Sterling. 
It  is  now  the  northern  part  of  Dreher.  He  built 
a  grist-mill  on  Bortree  Creek,  near  his  place,  in 
1812,  and  had  a  native  stone  for  grinding.  In 
18H>  he  secured  a  stone  from  Philadelphia. 

Robert  Bortree,  Sr.,  "  was  an  open-handed,  free- 
hearted Irishman."  He  and  Richard  Gilpin,  Sr., 
occasionally  preached  to  the  early  settlers.  There 
are  persons  still  living  who  remember  the  rich 
Irish  brogue  with  which  Robert  Bortree  announced 
the  old-time  Methodist  hymns  : 

"The  Lord's  into  his  garden  come, 
The  spices  yield  a  rich  perfume." 

"  Brother  John  Bortree,  will  you  start  that 
tune  ?" 

Mrs.  Bortree  was  not  a  member  of  the  church, 
and  would  give  no  heed  to  the  old  man's  admoni- 
tions. One  day  a  fearful  wind  storm  arose;  the 
old  lady  was  terrified,  and  thought  the  world  was 
about  coming  to  an  end.  In  this  extremity  she 
besought  the  old  gentleman  to  pray  for  her.  His 
sense  of  infinite  justice  was  insulted  by  the  propo- 
sition, and  he  replied,  "  Indade  and  I  won't ;  this 
is  what  I  have  been  telling  you  for  this  forty 
years,  and  now  that  the  devil  has  come,  it  is  too 
late." 

His  children  were  William,  John,  Edward, 
Thomas  (2d)  and  Robert.  William  settled  one- 
fourth  mile  northeast  of  the  Bortree  or  East  Sterling 
Church.  His  children  were  Charles  ;  Mary  Ann, 
wife  of  S.  G.  Nicholson  ;  Samuel  Bortree,  who 
runs  the  grist-mill  built  by  his  grandfather ;  and 
Daniel.  John  Bortree  settled  one-half  mile  north 
of  the  East  Sterling  Church.  Edward  built  a 
stone  house  on  a  hill  one-half  mile  west  of  the 


MIS 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Bortree  Church.  His  children  were  Robert  John 
Bortree,  who  settled  north  of  Zion  Church  ;  Richard, 
who  lives  on  the  homestead  ;  William  Edward,  who 
is  on  the  John  Clements  place ;  and  Mary  G.,  wife 
of  Jabez  Simons.  Thomas  Bortree  built  a  house 
and  saw-mill  near  his  father's  grist-mill,  both  of 
which  have  fallen  to  decay.  He  finally  moved  to 
the  Ashbel  Miller  place,  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Salem,  on  the  old  East  and  West  turnpike,  and 
kept  tavern  for  many  years.  Robert  settled  in 
Greene,  opposite  the  Robert  Bortree  grist-mill. 

Joseph  Simpson  located  about  one  mile  west  of 
Robert  Bortree.  His  sons  were  William,  James, 
Abram,  Thomas,  John  and  Daniel. 

Josiah  Whittaker,  an  Englishman,  bought  John 
Eck's  place  and  started  a  store  in  South  Sterling 
in  1861  and  now  has  the  post-office;  his  son, 
John  J.  Whittaker,  was  county  auditor.  When 
Robert  Bortree  went  to  Ireland  to  settle  his 
brother  Simon's  estate,  Robert  and  Thomas 
Cross,  brothers  of  Edward  Cross,  returned  with 
him.  Robert  settled  about  two  miles  south  of 
Robert  Bortree,  his  brother  locating  next  him. 
Robert's  children  were  Dilvvorth,  Mary  Jane,  Ed- 
ward and  Samuel,  who  died  in  the  army.  Thomas' 
children  were  Abraham  and  Nathan,  who  live  in 
Greene;  William,  Mary  A.,  wife  of  Simon  Dil- 
worth;  and  Sarah,  wife  of  Nathaniel  Martin,  who 
located  in  Dreher. 

Although  the  flats  had  been  partly  cleared  by 
squatters,  the  title  was  vested  in  Abraham  Singer, 
and  George  Schively,  who  rented  the  cleared  por- 
tion to  different  persons.  In  1828  twenty-two 
German  families  from  Gundlesheim  and  Wein- 
garden  came  to  Eastou.  Charles  David  Wolfe, 
Charles  Raetz  and  Jacob  Rohrbacher  bought 
about  two  thousand  acres  of  Singer  and  the  widow 
of  George  Schively.  In  1829  Philip  Krause, 
Charles  Raetz,  John  A.  Raetz,  Michael  Beeler  and 
Magdalene  Beehn  came  with  her  sons,  Adam, 
John  and  Charles.  Philip  Heck,  Christian  Fri- 
bilie,  Charles  D.  Wolf,  Jacob  Rohrbacher,  Philip 
Able  and  Christof  Snyder  were  the  original  colony. 
Jacob  Heck,  George  A.  Wolf,  C.  T.  Heflerle, 
John  I.  Ziegler,  Frederick  Meyer,  John  Mesnart, 
Peter  Hebberle  and  John  Straub  came  later.  This 
constituted  the  German  settlement  of  Newfound- 
land, or  the  Dutch  Flats.  They  each  built  a  hut 
on  the  old  road  which  ran  alon>'  the  side  hill.  The 


Newfoundland  turnpike  was  built  in  1840.  It 
leaves  the  north  and  south  below  Hartford's  mill, 
and  passes  southeast,  then  south  through  the  flats 
up  the  south  branch  of  the  Wallenpaupack,  and 
thence  across  southwest  into  the  north  and  south 
again  at  Labar's.  The  Germans  then  built  on  the 
flats  along  the  road.  They  all  wanted  a  piece  of 
the  flat  land  and  to  that  end  the  farms  were  sur- 
veyed long  and  narrow,  running  across  the  road. 
They  are  from  seventeen  to  forty-eight  rods  wide 
and  four  hundred  and  eighty-two  rods  long.  By 
this  arrangement  each  one  had  a  portion  of  the 
flat  and  side  hill  on  both  sides,  thus  bringing  their 
houses  close  together  along  the  road,  which,  with 
stores  and  shops,  made  a  farmer's  village.  Among 
them  were  tradesmen,  such  as  coopers,  millers, 
tailors,  shoemakers  and  carpenters.  They  were 
all  musical.  Originally  Lutherans,  the  Moravians 
at  Bethlehem  loaned  the  money,  bought  fifty  acres 
of  land  for  the  minister  and  helped  them  build  a 
church.  Strangers  in  a  strange  land,  it  is  not 
singular  that  the  kindness  of  the  Moravians 
won  them  to  that  faith.  They  built  a  church,  in 
1840,  of  peculiar  construction.  It  was  thirty-five 
by  forty  feet,  two  stories  high  and  designed  for  a 
church  and  dwelling  for  the  minister.  It  was  built  of 
hewn  timber,  about  six  inches  thick,  standing 
about  four  feet  apart,  with  cross-pieces  well 
braced  and  filled  in  with  stone  and  clay  in  the 
lower  stories.  Withed  sticks  in  the  upper  story 
held  the  clay  and  plaster.  The  new  church  was 
built  about  1853.  Abram  Brinninger  gave  five 
hundred  dollars  to  the  Moravian  Society  for  the 
erection  of  the  first  edifice.  Nearly  all  of  the 
German  immigrants  belonged  to  the  church.  Rev. 
Chr.  Trager  was  the  first  preacher,  and  organized 
the  church  August  13,  1837.  He  has  been  fol- 
lowed in  the  ministry  by  Revs.  Lambert,  Seidel, 
Simon,  Ricksecker,  Smith,  Oehler,  Praeger,  Det- 
terer,  Nagel,  Neu,  Rommel  and  Charles  Moench. 
There  are  two  hundred  and  one  members,  with  a 
Sunday-school  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
members,  which  the  pastor  superintends. 

When  the  Germans  first  came  to  the  flats  they 
lived  within  themselves  and  had  little  intercourse 
with  their  neighbors.  An  outsider  admired  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  Raetz,  but  the  young  Germans,  who 
were  jealous,  caught  the  intruder  one  night  as  he 
was  returning  from  a  call  on  his  German  Dulcinea, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


and  whipped  him  with  a  butternut  root,  for  which 
offense  six  of  them  were  fined  five  dollars  apiece 
by  'Squire  Lancaster.  This  illibcrality  has  worn 
away,  and  the  Germans  have  since  intermarried 
with  others.  They  are  an  industrious  people,  have 
made  great  improvements  and  their  descendants 
have  helped  to  populate  Greene  township  and  vi- 
cinity. ( 'harles  David  Wolfe,  one  of  their  leaders, 
was  not  permitted  to  share  in  the  triumphs  of  the 
colony.  While  felling  trees  he  was  killed  by  an 
accident.  His  was  the  first  grave  in  the  German 
burying-ground.  Mrs.  Christina  Wolfe  found  her- 
self a  widow  in  a  strange  laud  with  ten  children, 
the  oldest  being  but  seventeen, 

Of  these  children,  (1)  Charles  D.  Wolfe,  Jr., 
married  Catherine  Kobacker,  and  settled  in 
Greene;  (2)  Frederick  lives  in  Easton  ;  (3)  Chris 
tian  ( !.  Wolfe  married  Rebecca  Long,  their  chil- 
dren being  Oliver  D.  and  Eliza,  wife  of  J.  R. 
Smith;  he  married  Narcelia  Gorman  fur  a  second 
wife,  their  children  being  Leroy  D.  Wolfe,  who 
has  been  of  assistance  to  the  write]-  in  preparing 
this  sketch  ;  Myra,  who  married  Prof.  J.  F.  Doo- 
lev  ;  Adelia,  wife  of  John  A.  Kipp;  and  Celinda, 
wife  of  R.  Bartlesou  ;  Olin,  Laura  and  Nellie  are 
unmarried.  (4)  The  fourth  son  was  David  Wolfe; 
then  followed  (5)  Elizabeth,  wife  of  James  Hess  ; 
(6)  Catherine,  wife  of  Adam  Hebberling ;  (7) 
( Ihristiana,  wife  of  George  Waltz  ;  (8)  Louisa,  wife 
of  Henry  Buzza  ;  and  (9)  Christina,  of  Easton. 

Francis  A.  Oppelt  came  to  Dreher  in  April, 
1840,  from  Northampton  County.  He  was  justice 
of  the  peace  for  thirty  years,  census  taker  in  1850, 
county  commissioner  in  anti-court-house  times  and 
a  good  auctioneer.  His  childreu  are  Augeline,  who 
married  Frederick  Ehrhardt,  a  leading  merchant 
on  the  flats,  who  commenced  business  in  1860  ; 
Caroline  married  Christian  Lange,  a  store-keeper 
in  partnership  with  Emier  Welter,  who  married 
Mary  Oppelt;  Lauge  was  also  undertaker  and 
postmaster  for  a  number  of  years  ;  Isadore  Kast- 
ner,  of  Hawley,  married  Anna ;  Sarah  lives  in 
Philadelphia  ;  William  Hebberling  married  Cilia; 
Henry  is  unmarried  ;  and  Edward  lives  in  Greene. 
George  L.  Waltz  started  a  store  in  Greene  in  1866 
and  in  1868  commenced  on  the  flats.  After 
Charles  died  George  continued  the  business  alone. 
They  also  built  a  hotel  on  the  East  Branch  in 
Greene. 
79 


Smith.  Stirling  Mrlhoditst  Episcopal  Church. — 
Mrs.  Gilpin  says  "she  remembers  that  William 
Akers  and  his  wife  and  .Mr.  Eldridge  belonged  to 
the  first  class.  Edward  Bortree  was  the  first  class- 
leader  and  after  him  Richard  Gilpin.  Rev.  Ben- 
jamin Kellani,  Elder  Dobell  and  Rev.  Mr.  Purdy 
were  among  the  first  preachers.  Sophronus 
Stocking  organized  the  first  class." 

The  South  Sterling  Methodist  Church  was  ded- 
icated January  1,  L857,and  is  thirty  by  forty  feet, 
with  a  stone  basement  anil  class-rooms.  It  cost 
fourteen  hundred  dollars  and  is  located  on  a  little 
spur  of  the  hill  below  Gilpin's. 

The  East  Sterling  Protestant  Methodist  Church 
was  dedicated  November  is,  1855.  The  first 
members  were  William,  Edward,  John  and  Rob- 
ert Bortree  and  John  K.  Gilpin. 

The  Albright  or  Evangelical  Church  was  built 
about  1854.  The  ti  1st  preacher  was  Rev.  William 
Mines.  The  first  circuit  preacher  was  Rev.  J. 
Hess.  The  constituent  members  were  George 
Waltz,  John  Krau.-e,  Charles  Wolfe,  William  Ro- 
backer,  Christopher  Kobacker,  Christopher  Neck 
and  Jacob  M.  Schall. 

I>r.  Dietz  was  the  first  physician  and  Dr. 
Fletcher* Gilpin  the  first  resident  physician.  Wil- 
liam Bortree  was  first  postmaster  at  East  Sterling 
and  held  the  office  till  Polk's  administration,  when 
Charles  Raetz  was  appointed.  Afterward  S.  G. 
Nicholson,  who  had  a  store  where  Blankenbush 
now  resides,  received  the  commission.  About  1856 
there  was  a  post  office  established  on  the  flats, 
called  Hopedale,  Rev.  Mr.  Oehler  being  the  first 
postmaster.  Charles  Tremper  was  made  postmas- 
ter in  1858,  as  F.  A.  Oppelt  also  at  Hopedale. 
They  were  so  close  together  that  Mr.  Oppelt  relin- 
quished the  office  and  East  Sterling  absorbed 
Hopedale.  When  Mr.  Tremper  failed  Mr.  Oppelt 
took  it  again.  In  1858  H.  A.  Lancaster  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  of  Newfoundland  and  this 
absorbed  East  Sterling.  Afterward  C.  Lange 
held  it  for  twenty-three  years.  F.  Ehrhardt  now 
holds  the  office.  John  Bortree  sold  goods  from  his 
house  in  1812  and  William  Bortree  had  a  store  in 
his  house  in  1818. 

Wallenpaupack  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  No.  478, 
was  organized  December  18,  1852,  by  D.  D.  G. 
M.  Jackson  Woodward.  The  charter  members 
were  Ezekiel  Ellsworth,  F.  A.  Oppelt,  C.  W.  Gil- 


810 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


pin,  Daniel  Bortree,  Erastus  Jones,  Jacob  Seig, 
John  Uban,  Thomas  V.  Kipp,  Hugh  Lancaster, 
Thomas  Nevin,  Ehrgood  Wolfe.  There  are  now 
about  two  hundred  members.  The  lodge  meets 
every  Saturday  evening.  They  have  their  own 
quarters  and  three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars 
in  money  in  the  treasury. 

Allen  Megargel  built  a  grist  mill  about  1825, 
which  Isaac  Megargel,  bis  son  and  heir,  sold  to 
William  Ehrgood  in  1830,  and  his  son  Jacob 
Ehrgood  operates  the  mill  now. 

John  Haag  built  a  steam  grist-mill  in  1857.  L.  D. 
Wolfe,  iu  his  sketch,  in  1878,  speaks  of  the  Wolfe 
saw-mill  and  store,  Lambert  Frey's  shop,  R.  L.  Sieg 
&  Co.'s  and  C.  W.  Akers'  blacksmith  shop.  The 
Hopedale  Hotel  was  then  kept  by  J.  J.  Laager ;  it 
is  now  presided  over  by  L.  R.  Smith.  Dreher 
has  five  schools. 

Gabriel  Brown  came  to  Sterling  (now  Dreher) 
from  Scotland  in  1842  and  settled  two  miles  south 
of  Howe's,  on  the  North  and  South  road.  His 
children  were  George  Brown,  of  Salem,  and 
Thomas  Brown,  who  lives  on  the  homestead  ;  Isa- 
bella lived  with  Thomas.  Thomas  Thompson 
married  Agnes  and  resides  about  one  mile  west  of 
Jericho. 

Owl  Hoot  or  Angel's  was  first  occupied  by  Mr. 
Webb,  after  which  Mr.  Sperry  made  butter  boxes 
and  veneering,  employing  a  number  of  hands. 
These  mills  burned  and  Angel  &  Kerr  now  run 
a  saw-mill.  There  is  a  post-office  at  Angel's  on 
the  same  spot. 

The  Newfoundland  Encampment,  No.  219,  I. 
O.  of  O.  F.,  was  instituted  at  Newfoundland, 
Wayne  County,  Pa.,  November  20,  1871.  The 
following  were  the  first  officers ;  C.  W.  Gilpin, 
C.  P. ;  L.  R.  Smith,  H.  1'. ;  C.  W.  Down,  S.  W. ; 
H.  C.  Lancaster,  J.  W. ;  F.  A.  Oppelt,  Scribe; 
R.  B.  Dunning,  Treasurer ;  A.  H.  Roemer,  I.  S.  ; 
C.  W.  Akers,  O.  S. 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

TEXAS    TOWNSHIP. 

The  erection  of  Texas  township  out  of  the  lower 
portion  of  Dyberry  took  place  toward  the  close  of 
the  year  1837,  and  was  brought  about  by  the 
difficulty,    which    a  scattered   population,    remote 


from  the  place  where  business  was  transacted, 
experienced  in  conforming  to  the  provisions  of  the 
new  school  law  and  the  statutes  relating  to  town- 
ship accounts.  At  the  January  Term  of  the  court 
a  petition,  setting  forth  the  inconveniences  of  the 
existing  boundary  lines,  resulted  iu  the  constitution 
of  Warner  M.  Preston,  Virgil  Grenell  and  Thomas 
Clark  a  committee  of  viewers  instructed  to  report 
at  the  next  term  of  court.  They  were  favorable 
to  the  erection  of  the  new  township,  and,  after  the 
usual  delay  entailed  by  surveying  and  plotting, 
the  final  order  for  the  township  of  Texas  was 
made  November  23,  1837.  The  territory  thus  set 
off  included  a  large  portion  of  what  is  now  Cherry 
Ridge,  and  its  northern  line  divided  the  township 
of  Dyberry  into  two  nearly  equal  portions.  Thus 
it  remained  until  1843,  when  the  excision  of 
Cherry  Ridge  took  place  and  Texas  assumed  its 
present  limits.  It  is  now  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Dyberry  and  Prompton,  east  by  Berlin,  south 
by  Palmyra  and  Cherry  Ridge,  and  west  by 
Cherry  Ridge,  Canaan  and  Prompton.  Its  topog- 
raphy is  irregular,  and  the  valleys  of  the 
Lackawaxeu  and  Dyberry,  the  streams  which 
water  it,  are  walled  in  by  high  hills  and  bold 
cliff's.  The  Lackawaxeu  (lows  southeasterly 
nearly  through  the  centre  of  the  township  and  at 
Honesdale  is  joined  by  the  Dyberry,  which  flows 
from  the  north.  The  bottom  lands  on  each  stream 
are  rich  alluvial  deposits,  easily  cultivated  and 
very  productive.  Walled  up  by  the  cliffs,  and 
stretching  away  into  the  adjacent  townships  on  the 
east,  is  a  large  plateau  many  feet  above  the  water 
level  of  the  Lackawaxeu.  This  table  land  is 
watered  by  several  brooks  that  descend  rapidly  to 
the  river,  and  form  many  available  water-powers 
for  saw  and  grist-mills,  and  were  powerful  auxil- 
iaries in  the  early  settlement  of  the  region. 

The  population  of  Texas  was  not  large  at  the 
time  of  its  erection,  but  has  increased  rapidly  in 
the  past  two  decades.  The  assessment  taken  in 
1840,  some  two  years  after  the  township  was  set 
off,  shows  the  following  names  : 

Robert  Arnold.  Samuel  Barnard. 

Thomas  Arnold.  Bulkley  Beardslee. 

Phineas  Arnold.  William  Bate. 

George  Alvord.  Thomas  Bulermy. 

Hiram  Bishop.  Hiram  Bardslee. 

Walter  Beardslee.  David  Bunnell. 

Frederick  Beamer.  Charles  Brink. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


811 


William  Brownsoomb. 
Thomas  Baker. 
James  Blackington. 
David  Blanding. 
Spencer  Blanding. 
Lyman  Bronson. 
Seth  Benedict. 
John  W.  Bass. 
Levi  Bronson. 
Francis  Bnrnes. 
David  Burch. 
William  Bui  ton. 
James  Bedient. 
David  Blowers. 
Decius  Collins. 
Lorenzo  Collins. 
Charles  Clark. 
John  Calloway. 
Robert  Compton. 
Cornelius  Corryelle. 
Lucius  Collins. 
Alonzo  Collins. 
Josiah  Cole. 
William  Curtice. 
William  Conaviu. 
Thomas  Cotweil. 
Isaiah  D.  Conyne. 
Zibron  Case. 
Thomas  Collins. 
Elias  Drake. 
John  Doney. 
John  P.  Darling. 
Siah  R.  Decker. 
Isaac  Decker. 
Christopher  Dailey. 
Samuel  Darling. 
John  C.  Dunn. 
William  Dickey. 
B.  I.  Dimmock. 
James  David. 
Hiram  Dible. 
Daniel  Drake. 
Farnhaui  &  Clark. 
Isaac  P.  Foster. 
Foot  &  Knapp. 
Wm.  L.  Gainford. 
William  Griffin. 
Jacob  Gage. 
Stephen  W.  Gennung. 
John  D.  Graham. 
John  H.  Gill. 
Samuel  Gasley. 
John  R.  Hoadley. 
Henry  Heath. 
George  Hoagland. 
Thomas  Ham. 
William  Holbert. 
Richard  Henry. 
George  W.  Hall. 


John  Harvey. 
Robert  Hawkey. 
John  Hazlett. 
Ira  Hasserman. 
John  Inch. 
Benjamin  Jenkins,  Jr. 
Benjamin  Jenkins,  Sr. 
Edward  Jenkins. 
John  Jenkins. 
Asa  Jenkins. 
Benj.  Jenkins,  (3d.) 
John  Kerby. 
James  Kerby,  Jr. 
David  Kerby. 
Simeon  Kimble. 
B.  F.  Kimble. 
Alpheus  Kellogg. 
Jacob  Kimble. 
John  Keyes. 
Matbias  Keen. 
George  W.  Kun. 
Stephen  Kimble. 
Solomon  Lyman. 
John   Law. 
Thomas  Lindsley. 
Lord,  Farnbam  &  Tra- 
Asa  Moon.  [fey. 

Hopkins  Moon. 
Thomas  Matthews. 
Wm.  P.  McLaurey. 
David  Mapes. 
Samuel  Manchester. 
D.  M.  Mandeville. 
Owen  McCue. 
John   Mason. 
Samuel  McClen. 
Harvey  Manchester. 
Cornelius  C.  Neil. 
Sylvanus  Osborn. 
William  O'Brien. 
James  Pern. 
William  Palmer. 
Stephen  Piper. 
Simon  Plum. 
Emory  Prescott. 
Jacob'  Plum. 
Hiram  Plum. 
R.  W.  Powell. 
John  Patton. 
Henry  Phillips. 
James  Quinley. 
Augustus  Rogers. 
Jabez  Rocknell. 
Daniel  Rutan. 
George  Roney. 
Alfred  Remer. 
Gay  lord  Russel. 
Thomas  Reid. 
William  Robinson. 


James  Robinson. 
Jacob  Scank. 
John  I.  Scank. 
Benson  Swingle. 
Richard  Sanguine. 
Ephraim  Slack. 
Stephen  Sharpstone. 
William  Shearer. 
George  Spragle. 
John  W.  Seeley. 
Joseph  Spangenberg. 
I.  D.  Simpson. 
Cyrus  Sweet. 
Abraham  Swartz. 
Jesse  Schoonover. 
( 'barbs  Smith. 
Justus  Seers. 
Tinson  Smith. 
Daniel  Schoonover. 
R.  L.  Seeley. 
Benjamin  Titsner. 
Jose] ib  Titsner. 
John  Torrey. 


Jason  Torrey. 
David  V.  Twitchell. 
Joseph  Vanco. 
Richard  Vanco. 
Thomas  Van  Camp. 
Kesiah  Woodward. 
Adiah  Willson. 
John  Woodson. 
Asher  Woodson. 
Abiram  Winton. 
John  Woodward,  Jr. 
Daniel  Woodward. 
John  Writer. 
Aaron  Writer. 
Francis  Whitaker. 
Robert  Westlake. 
Ambrose  Wboeler. 
Harry  Wheeler. 
Ephraim  White. 
Thomas  Wilber. 
Putnam  Williams. 
John  Westlake. 
Daniel  West. 


The  earliest. settlement  iu  Texas  was  on  the  Indian 
Orchard,  a  body  of  land  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
township  which  took  its  name  from  a  row  of  one 
hundred  apple-trees  that  were  planted  at  regular 
distancesalong  the  river-bank  and  a  tradition  among 
the  early  settlers  has  it  that  there  were  ninety  and 
nine  trees  which  bore  sweet  fruit  and  one  only 
which  every  other  year  was  covered  with  sour 
apples.  At  this  time  certain  ceremonies  were 
performed  by  the  tribe,  and  the  dancing-ground,  a 
large  clearing  on  the  bauk,  paved  with  flat  stones, 
was  the  scene  of  special  rites.  The  dancing- 
ground  has  long  since  disappeared  and  but  one  of 
the  hundred  trees  remains  to  trail  its  gnarled  and 
decrepit  branches  over  the  stream  ;  but  now  and 
then  the  plow-share,  turning  up  the  rich  alluvium, 
brings  to  light  broken  flints  and  fragments  of  the 
rude  implements  with  which  the  ground  was  strewn 
when  by  their  fantastic  dances  the  simple  Indians 
invoked  the  aid  of  Manito,  the  great  spirit,  two 
centuries  ago. 

From  '  this  old  orchard  one  of  the  earliest 
grants  to  individual  owners  took  its  name,  and  the 
changes  in  the  ownership  and  the  circumstances 
that  attended  them  form  a  part  of  the  history  of 


1  The  writer  would  acknowledge  his  indebtedness  to 
Mr.  Thomas  J.  Ham,  of  Honesdale,  who  kindly  permitted 
the  use  of  many  valuahle  original  notes  which  he  had 
made  on  the  history  of  the  Indian  Orchard  tract. 


812 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


several  adjacent  localities.  Early  in  1763  the 
complaints  that  poured  in  upon  the  proprietary 
Governors  and  the  Assembly  stimulated  them  to 
take  some  immediate  measures  for  the  suppression 
of  the  terrible  depredations  of  the  Indians  along 
the  entire  frontier  line  of  the  State.  It  was  ap- 
parent that  unless  something  decisive  was  done 
without  delay  the  scattered  whites  would  be  driven 
from  their  homes  to  escape  entire  annihilation  at 
the  hands  of  the  merciless  savages.  It  was  a 
year  of  terror  in  all  the  outlying  settlements  of 
the  province.  Upon  the  unsuspecting  settlers  at 
work  in  their  fields  there  broke  a  savage  tide  of 
slaughter  which  wreaked  indiscriminate  vengeance 
all  along  the  border.  The  whole  frontier  was 
ablaze  with  the  torch  and  musket  of  the  savage, 
and  in  the  woods  for  some  miles  on  either  side  of 
the  Susquehanna  families  with  their  cattle  sought 
the  safety  that  the  towns  did  not  afford. 

Seven  hundred  men  were  immediately  enlisted 
and  sent  into  active  service,  protecting  the  settlers 
and  especially  defending  during  harvest  those  in 
the  most  exposed  situations.  Among  the  officers 
who  were  sent  to  recruit  the  "  back  inhabitants  " 
was  Colonel  John  Seeley,  of  Berks  County,  and 
this  officer  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  became 
acquainted  and  favorably  impressed  with  this  sec 
tion  of  the  country.  After  the  campaign,  on 
being  relieved  of  his  command,  he  made  applica- 
tion for  a  large  tract  on  the  frontier,  pledging 
its  early  settlement  from  the  adjoining  provinces. 
As  it  was  the  policy  of  the  proprietaries  to  en- 
courage the  speedy  development  of  the  province 
at  the  expense  of  rival  colonies,  his  application 
received  favorable  consideration,  and  mi  the  30th 
of  July,  1765,  a  warrant  in  Colonel  Seeley's 
behalf  was  issued  to  the  surveyor-general  direct- 
ing him  to  survey  ten  thousand  acres,  in  one  or 
two  tracts,  on  or  near  the  north  branch  of  Lack- 
awaxen  Creek,  beginning  about  a  mile  above  the 
forks  of  the  creek  and  going  near  the  tract  already 
surveyed  to  the  use  of  the  proprietaries  (i.e.,  the 
Wallenpaupack  Manor).  It  was  conditional  that 
Colonel  Seeley  should  secure  thirty  families  of  bona 
fide  settlers  on  this  tract  within  three  years,  or, 
in  the  event  of  war  or  other  disturbing  causes, 
within  three  years  after  the  termination  of  such 
disruption.  The  survey,  which  was  made  by 
Scull,  was  returned  in  February,  1769,  and 


all  the  land  surrounding  the  tract  was  marked  as 
"vacant."  The  northwestern  corner  was  at  a 
birch-tree  on  the  hillside,  a  little  south  of  "the 
old  burying-ground,"  in  the  present  borough  of 
Honesdale.  A  large  portion  of  the  tract  lay  in 
the  form  of  a  square,  with  its  southern  limit  a  lit- 
tle below  the  old  Indian  Orchard,  while  a  portion 
of  it  extended  down  the  Lackawaxen  to  a  point 
below  White  Mills. 

Colonel  Seeley  did  not  fulfill  his  engagement 
with  Governor  Penn  in  the  matter  of  obtaining 
settlers,  and  financial  embarrassment  coming  upon 
him,  in  March,  1779,  he  conveyed  the  Indian 
Orchard  tract  to  Mark  Bird  and  James  Wilson  in 
fee  as  tenants  in  common,  excepting  and  reserving 
one  thousand  acres  at  the  north  end  of  the  tract. 
Mark  Bird  released  and  conveyed  his  share  to 
Judge  Wilson  soon  after,  and  in  due  time  the 
latter  paid  the  purchase-money  and  obtained  a 
patent.  Meanwhile  other  creditors  of  Colonel 
Seeley  had  taken  measures  to  secure  their  claims, 
and  the  tract  was  levied  on  by  Sheriff  George 
Graff,  of  Northampton  County,  as  the  property  of 
Colonel  Seeley,  by  virtue  of  an  execution  issued  at 
the  instance  of  Isaac  Levan  in  the  interest  of  the 
estate  of  James  Hamilton,  deceased.  Judge 
Wilson  made  two  unsuccessful  attempts  to  recover 
possession,  once  taking  the  ease  to  the  higher 
court. 

Nearly  thirty  years  elapsed  after  Penn  issued 
the  first  warrant  in  favor  of  Jonas  Seeley  be- 
fore any  of  the  land  was  sold  in  small  parcels 
with  a  view  to  actual  occupancy.  When  the 
courts  were  located  at  Bethany,  in  1805,  the  best 
portions  of  the  tract  were  in  the  possession  of 
half  a  dozen  individuals,  either  as  "  squatters  "  or 
under  contracts  from  .lames  Pell,  agent  for  Mr. 
Hamilton.  In  1810  Mr.  Hamilton  acknowledged 
deeds  for  six  tracts  which  he  had  sold  to  Walter 
Kimble  and  others,  the  first-named  securing  the 
portion  of  the  property  which  contained  the  old 
Indian  Orchard. 

Who  was  the  first  settler  at  the  Indian  <  Orchard 
is  now  a  matter  of  uncertainty.  Tradition  has  it 
that  one  of  the  Holberts  lived  on  the  Walter 
Kimble  place  before  he  went  there,  and  David 
Ford  and  James  Hough  both  lived  in  the  vicinity, 
Ford  having  a  cabin  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Lackawaxen,   nearly   opposite   the  old    mill  site. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


813 


Amoug  those  who  came  from  Cochecton  to  the 
Wallenpaupaek  settlement  were  Jacob  Kimble 
and  his  two  sons,  Abel  and  Walter.  Jacob  was 
then  fifty-one  years  of  age,  and  his  boys  just  at- 
taining manhood.  They  came  from  vigorous,  self- 
reliant  Connecticut  stock,  and  were  identified  with 
all  the  varying  fortunes  of  the  settlement,  endur- 
ing manfully  the  incredible  hardships  to  which 
the  pioneers  were  continually  subjected.  Jacob 
was  made  the  ti thing-man  of  the  settlement  in 
1775. 

Stephen  Kimble,  his  nephew,  was  one  of  the 
three  men  who,  when  the  news  of  the  Wyoming 
massacre  reached  the  settlement,  in  1778,  started, 
all  haste,  to  notify  the  families  of  Benjamin 
Haynes,  James  Hough  and  David  Ford,  who 
lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Indian  Orchard  and 
White  Mills,  of  the  catastrophe  and  the  impending 
danger  to  the  other  settlements.  They  never 
reached  their  destination,  being  captured  by  the 
Indians  near  Paupack  Falls  and  carried  into  cap- 
tivity, where  Kimble  died.  Walter  Kimble  was 
a  participant  in  the  exciting  events  that  trans- 
pired when  the  settlers  attempted  to  return  from 
Milford  and  gather  their  crops  in  1778-79,  and 
his  adventures  at  that  time  are  narrated  in  the 
history  of  the  Wallenpaupaek  settlement.  The 
Kimbles  located  at  the  Indian  Orchard  shortly 
after  the  close  of  the  Revolution.  At  this  time 
Find  had  a  cabin  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  and,  as  he  was  suspected  of  being  a  Tory, 
was  a  source  of  terror  to  all  the  women  in  the 
neighborhood  when  their  husbands  were  away  from 
home.  Ford's  Eddy,  which  was  just  below  his 
cabin,  took  its  name  from  him.  Walter  Kimble 
built  on  what  was  afterwards  the  site  of  the  old 
Beardslee  house,  and  commenced  his  clearing. 
"Jersey"  was  the  base  of  all  supplies  except 
coarse  meal  and  the  barest  necessities  of  life, 
which  were  procurable  from  Milford  and  the  Wal- 
lenpaupaek and  Wilsonville  settlements. 

When  he  found  it  necessary  to  go  after  his 
grist,  his  wife  took  refuge  in  a  cave  on  the  river- 
bauk  that  is  now  covered  by  the  bed  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  Canal,  and  there  remained  in 
safety  until  her  protector  returned.  Besides  Wal- 
ter, Jacob  Kimble  was  the  father  of  four  other 
sons — Ephraim,  Abel,  Benjamin  and  Daniel. 
These  located  some  on  the  Indian  Orchard  tract, 


and  some  in  adjacent  townships,  and  were  among 
the  first  settlers  of  Wayne  County. 

The  first  saw-mill  at  Indian  Orchard  was  built 
by  Walter  Kimble  about  1790,  and  was  located  a 
few  rods  below  the  cemetery.  It  was,  of  course, 
an  up-and-down  saw,  and  had  but  a  very  limited 
capacity ;  nevertheless,  it  met  the  demand  for 
lumber,  and  was  for  a  number  of  years  a  profit- 
able investment. 

Ephraim  Kimble  married  p]unice  Ainsley,  and 
was  the  father  of  William,  Asa,  John,  Ephraim 
and  eight  daughters.  Abel  was  united  to  Sibyl 
Conant,  and  their  children  were  Uriah,  Erastus, 
Philip,  Arthur,  Betsy,  Clara,  Sarah  and  Mahala. 
Jacob  married  Annie  Ainsley,  and  of  this  union  Mo- 
ses, James,  Jacob,  Walter  and  Milton  were  born. 
Benjamin's  wife  was  Elizabeth  Cole,  and  his  chil- 
dren were  Amelia,  Fannie,  Dency,  Phoebe,  Abra- 
ham, Ira,  Jacob  and  Simon.  Daniel  married 
Jane  Koss,  and  there  were  born  to  him  Samuel, 
Benjamin,  Daniel,  Joseph,  Abisha,  Percy,  Scott, 
Amanda,  Milly  and  Lucretia. 

Walter  Kimble  was  married  to  Betsy  Jennings 
before  he  came  from  Connecticut,  and  had  seven 
children, —  Stephen,  Hiram,  George,  Charles, 
Phcebe,  Lucretia  and  Lucinda.  Stephen  mar- 
ried Catherine  Davis,  and  lived  at  Traceyville,  on 
what  is  known  as  the  Oarley  Brook  property. 
He  left  eight  children — Jacob,  George,  Stephen 
1).,  Polly,  Esther,  Minerva,  Lucinda  and  Betsy. 
Hiram  and  George,  the  second  and  third  sons  of 
Walter  Kimble,  moved  to  Ohio,  where  they  mar- 
ried and  left  many  descendants.  Charles,  the 
fourth  son,  married  Margaret  Cole,  and  his  survi- 
ving children  are  Louis,  David,  Esther,  Lavinda, 
Betsy.  All  of  them  reside  in  Michigan.  Polly, 
the  first  daughter,  married  Robert  Beardslee,  and 
their  children  were  Charles,  Hiram,  David,  Rob- 
ert, Lewis,  Jackson  and  Sadie.  Lucretia,  the 
second  daughter,  married  Bulkley  Beardslee,  and 
the  children  from  this  union  were  Eliza,  Walter, 
Howkin,  Bulkley,  Abby,  Phiebe,  Andrew,  Sarah 
and  Charles.  Lucinda,  the  youngest  daughter, 
married  a  Howard,  and  left  several  children, 
among  whom  were  Frank  and  James.  In  1835 
Walter  Kimble  sold  his  property  to  Bulkley 
Beardslee,  and  moved  to  Ohio,  where  he  died. 

Thomas  Schoonover  was  almost  contemporary 
with  the  Kimbles.  He  came  from  New  Jersey,  where 


814 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


he  had  previously  married  Margaret  Cadrow,  and 
settled  on  the  Holbert  farm,  near  the  junction  of 
Holbert  Brook  with  the  Lackawaxen.  His  chil- 
dren were  William,  Elijah,  Polly  and  Margaret. 
William  married  Lizzie  French,  and  left  a  number 
of  children.  Elijah  wedded  Rachel  Bishop.  Their 
children  were  Maria,  Thomas,  Amelia,  John, 
George  and  Elijah.  Polly  married  Lester  Adams, 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Oregon,  and  their  chil- 
dren were  William,  Elijah,  George  and  Lester. 
Margaret  married  Jacob  Kimble,  and  moved  with 
him  to  Michigan,  where  their  descendants  now  live. 

William  Schoonover  was  one  of  the  first  settlers 
on  the  Dyberry,  and  took  up  and  patented  a  large 
trait  of  land,  which  included  all  of  the  upper 
portion  of  Honesdale.  Me  located  at  the  place 
afterward  occupied  by  Daniel,  as  early  as  1794, 
and  was  the  father  of  Levi,  the  first  white  child 
born  on  the  Dyberry.  His  descendants  were 
Daniel,  Levi,  Jacob  and  Simon. 

About  17H6,  Cornelius  Corryelle  came  from 
Lambertville  and  located  on  the  place  now  occu- 
pied by  Christian  Dorflinger,  at  White  Mills.  At 
this  time  he  was  a  widower  with  one  daughter, 
who  subsequently  married  a  Mr.  Byles,  and  moved 
West.  Mr.  Corryelle  was  married  a  second  time 
to  Catherine  Consaulus,  and  there  were  born  of 
this  union:  John,  who  married  Eliza  Coinpton ; 
Sarah  ;  Nancy,  wife  of  Frederick  Seward  ;  Amelia, 
wife  of  Lyman  Solomon  ;  and  Lewis,  who  married 
Olive  Bishop.  Lewis  Corryelle  figured  in  a  law- 
suit that  was  quite  notorious  during  the  first  decade 
of  the  present  century,  when,  in  company  with 
Daniel  Kimble,  he  brought  an  action  against 
Jonathan  Prink  for  erecting  a  dam  in  the  Lacka- 
waxen, just  below  the  site  occupied  by  White  Mills 
saw-mill. 

Bulkley  Beardslee  came  to  Indian  Orchard  in 
1811,  from  the  home  of  his  father,  Robert  Beards- 
lee, one  of  the  i  arly  settlers  of  Bethany.  He  was 
married  to  Lucretia  Kimble  in  1815,  and  was  the 
father  of  Hon.  Howkin  B.  Beardslee,  who  was 
elected  register  and  recorder  of  the  county  in  1 845. 
Afterwards  he  edited  the  Wayne  County  Herald, 
and  was  elected  first  Representative  and  then  State 
Senator.  Mr.  Beardslee  is  now  the  editor  of  the 
Luzerne  Union,  a  Democratic  paper  of  Wilkes- 
Barre. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  IS]:!,  Peter  Cole,  his  wife 


and  his  s  >n  Josiah,  came  from  New  Jersey  ai  d 
settled  in  the  woods  on  what  has  sioce  been  known 
as  Cole's  Hill,  one  mile  northwest  of  Honesdale. 
For  miles  around  there  was  only  dense  forest, 
infested  by  wolves  and  bears.  Assisted  by  his  sou, 
who  was  then  but  sixteen  years  old,  Mr.  Cole 
built  a  cabin  without  windows,  and  hung  up  a 
bed-quilt  for  a  door.  Then  he  and  his  son  went 
back  to  New  Jersey  to  assist  in  the  harvesting ; 
and  Mrs.  Cole  was  left  with  only  a  faithful  dog  for 
companionship  and  defense.  Mrs.  Cole  was  more 
than  equal  to  the  task  that  circumstances  imposed 
upon  her,  and  not  only  guarded  the  cabin,  but 
found  time  to  do  much  to  increase  the  comfort  of 
the  male  members  of  the  family  on  their  return 
several  weeks  after.  Peter  Cole  was  succeeded  in 
his  estates  by  Josiah,  who  had  four  children.  One 
of  his  sons,  Lewis  R.  Cole,  was  wounded  at  Fort 
Fisher,  and  died  in  the  hospital  in  1865  ;  the  other 
son,  P.  J.  Cole,  rents  and  conducts  the  Honesdale 
Mill.  One  of  Peter  Cole's  daughters  married 
Reynolds  Case,  and  is  now  dead  ;  the  other  is  the 
wife  of  Charles  H.  Peck,  and  resides  in  Preston 
township.  Elizabeth  Cole,  who  married  Benjamin 
Kimble,  Sr.,  was  a  sister  of  Peter  Cole,  and  the 
mother  of  Mrs.  Fanny  Atkinson,  of  Paupack  Eddy. 

Robert  Beardslee  settled  on  lands  adjoining 
Peter  Cole  about  1812,  and  was  identified  with 
the  early  history  of  the  township.  He  married  a 
sister  of  Charles  Kimble,  and  had  two  sons,  Lewis 
and  David.  The  family  was  originally  from 
Litchfield  County,  Connecticut. 

Robert  Compton,  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  the 
vicinity  of  AVhite  Mills,  is  a  son  of  John  R. 
Compton,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Palmyra. 
Robert  came  with  his  father  from  New  Jersey  in 
1838,  and  settled  on  the  edge  of  Texas.  He  has 
four  children, — Frank  H,  who  lives  at  the  home- 
stead with  his  family  ;  Edward  and  Mary,  wife  of 
John  McCarty,  both  of  Texas ;  and  Ellen  D.  A. 
Compton,  who  lives  near  Hawley. 

One  of  the  oldest  living  pioneers  in  what  is  now 
Texas  is  Thomas  Loud,  who  came  to  White  Mills 
in  1*27  from  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  and 
was  employed  on  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
until  its  completion.  In  1832  he  married  Eliza, 
the  oldest  daughter  of  Jonathan  Brink,  and  of 
this  union  there  were  born  four  children, — Helen, 
who  married  Hiram  Bishop,  and  lives  at  Hawley  ; 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


SI  5 


Janett  D.,  now  a  resident  of  Honesdale;  Ophelia, 
the  wife  of  Edward  Rosekranz,  of  Port  Jervis ; 
Parnielia  D.  (Mrs.  Frank  Westfall),  of  Honesdale. 
Mr.  Loud  is  now  in  his  seventy-ninth  year,  and  is 
in  full  possession  of  all  his  faculties.  His  recol- 
lections  of  early  events  are  vivid  and  accurate,  and 
much  information  concerning  the  early  settlers  was 
obtained  from  him. 

The  Dyberry  assessment  list  for  1805  shows  that 
the  lands  adjacent  to,  and  now  occupied  by  Daniel 
M.  Eno  were  assessed  to  Isaac  Seaman,  the  father 
of  Charles  W.  Seaman.  This  property  was  after- 
wards sold  to  Peter  Smith,  who  in  turn  disposed  of 
it  to  Deming  &  Eno. 

Seelyville. — It  was  a  summer  day  in  the 
year  1700  that  Rev.  Jonathan  Seely,  a  clergy- 
man of  Connecticut,  who  seems  to  have  been 
imbued  with  a  spirit  of  speculation  and  adventure, 
piloted  by  an  Indian  guide,  threaded  his  way 
through  the  dense  forests  of  the  Lackawaxcn 
Valley,  and  from  a  jutting  rock  on  the  bank 
surveyed  the  picturesque  wilduess  of  the  spot 
where  Seelyville  now  stands.  The  whilom  hills 
of  gray  were  emerald  with  the  luxuriant  foliage  of 
June,  and  the  free  banners  of  the  forest  were  flung 
from  a  thousand  airy  battlements  under  a  perfect 
sky.  Here  the  silvery  stream  came  tumbling  over 
the  rocks,  and,  broken  into  long  lines  of  skurring 
foam,  fretted  the  fern  fringes  of  the  bank  at  their 
feet.  Beyond  the  boisterous  falls  the  hills  stretched 
gently  upward,  laden  with  the  forest  growth  of 
many  centuries,  the  dense  foliage  of  laurel  and 
rhododeuron  pressed  close  to  the  trunks  of  the 
hemlocks  and  pines,  and  the  air  was  perfumed 
with  the  breath  of  half  hidden  wild  flowers.  They 
had  come  through  acres  of  majestic  solitude,  where 
the  air  was  silent  save  for  the  music  of  the  birds  and 
the  crackling  of  the  twigs  under  their  moccasined 
feet,  and  now  stood  where,  fifty  years  afterward, 
the  murmur  of  the  creek  and  the  singing  of  the 
zephyr  was  destined  to  be  broken  by  the  whir  of 
the  mill-stone  and  the  fret  of  the  saw. 

Jonathan  Seely  is  believed  to  have  been  the 
first  white  man  to  set  foot  on  the  virgin  soil  of  the 
Lackawaxen  Valley,  and,  accompanied  by  his 
friendly  guide,  he  visited  other  localities  in  the 
vicinity.'       His  object,  as  is  shown  by  the  record 

1  From  a  newspaper  sketch  by  T.  J.  Ham. 


of  his  operations,  was  to  secure  large  tracts  of  land 
contiguous  to  and  including  valuable  water 
privileges,  with  a  view  to  their  greatly  enhanced 
value,  when,  in  the  progress  of  time,  the  country 
should  have  become  developed  and  mills  of  various 
kinds  become  a  necessity  to  the  growing  popula- 
tion. Lands  at  Wilsonville,  on  the  falls  of  the 
Dyberry,  and  those  of  Middle  Creek  and  Jennings 
Brook  were  thus  taken  up,  generally  by,  or 
in  the  names  of,  some  of  his  children,  as  was  the 
case  with  the  Indian  Orchard  tract  by  Colonel 
Jonas  Seely,  as  is  elsewhere  narrated. 

The  Seelyville  tract  was  taken  out  by  virtue  of 
a  warrent  issued  to  Colonel  Sylvanus  Seely, 
August,  6,  176H,  and  was  surveyed  October,  30, 
1790.  Thirty  years  afterward,  1820,  tin-  patent 
was  issued.  The  tract  was  surrounded  by  almost 
impenetrable  forest,  and  a  faintly  marked  trail 
was  the  only  route  by  which  chattels  could  be 
transported  to  the  location  the  pioneer  had  decided 
upon  as  his  future  home.  Nothing  daunted  by 
the  isolation  of  the  place,  and  the  hardships  that 
settlement  in  so  remote  a  region  would  entail,  he 
went  energeticlly  to  work.  It  is  not  accurately 
known  just  when  Colonel  Seely  commenced  his 
improvements,  but  it  was  probably  about  the  close 
of  the  last  century.  According  to  the  recollec- 
tions of  Esquire  Thomas  Spangenburg,  there  were 
no  mills  in  operation  above  Wilsonville  when  he 
first  visited  this  part  of  the  county,  in  1 794. 
After  Bethany  was  made  the  county  seat,  and 
lumber  was  required  for  the  first  buildings  erected 
there,  the  mills  were  in  operation  at  Seelyville. 
It  is  probable  that  the  saw-mill  was  erected  in 
1802.  It  was  located  just  below  the  falls,  and 
afterwards  he  built  a  little  log  cabin,  into  which 
he  moved  his  family  three  years  later.  They 
came  from  New  York  to  the  Cherry  Ridge  settle- 
ment, and  from  that  point  Colonel  Seely  cut  a 
road  to  Seelyville  which  he  then  called  "Jane 
Mills."  The  grist-mill  was  erected  a  few  years 
afterward,  and  was  located  just  below  the  saw- 
mill. The  stones  which  did  the  first  grinding 
were  obtained  on  the  top  of  the  Moosic  Mountain, 
and  were  of  the  hard  white  conglomerate  that 
forms  some  of  the  highest  ledges  of  that  range. 
A  portion  of  one  of  these  stones  is  now  used  as  a 
carriage-block  in  front  of  the  residence  of  Mr. 
W.  S.  Birdsall,  and  the  marks  of  the  burr-pick 


816 


WAYNE.  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


made  seventy  five  years  ago  are  still  quite  dis- 
tinct. 

The  only  lumbering  that  would  pay  at  this 
time  was  the  sawing  of  pine  and  hard  woods. 
Small  rafts  of  curled  maple  and  cheery,  containing 
seven  or  eight  thousand  feet  each,  were  floated  to 
the  ground  where  Birdsall  Bros,  woolen  factory 
now  stands,  and  were  their  sawn,  made  into  still 
more  compact  raits,  and  scut  down  to  Philadelpia. 
Colonel  Seely  had  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  was 
the  leading  spirit  of  the  place,  which  had  by  this 
time  become  a  prosperous  settlement;  but,  as  he 
devoted  most,  of  his  attention  to  milling  and  lum- 
bering, little  was  done  toward  the  development  of 
the  agricultural  resources  of  the  vicinity.  Toward 
the  close  of  his  lite,  Colonel  Seely  became  finan- 
cially involved,  and  at  his  death,  in  1821,  his 
entire  estate,  including  the  mills,  was  sold. 

There  was  then  an  interim  when  the  growth  of 
the  village  ceased,  and  though  the  mills  were  kept 
in  operation,  there  was  little  sign  of  growth  or 
progress.  It  was  during  this  time  that  It  L 
Seely,  of  Warren,  Triun bull  County,  Ohio,  came 
east  on  a  visit,  and,  a  year  later,  in  1825,  returned 
with  his  father,  John  W.  Seely,  and  bought  the 
property,  consisting  of  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  acres,  for  nine  hundred  dollars.  He  arrived 
to  take  possession  on  March  1(5,  1826,  coming  by 
the  way  of  Cherry  Ridge,  over  the  road  that  Col. 
Sylvanus  Seely  had  cut.  This  went  on  to 
Bethany,  and  was  the  only  road  to  the  mills. 
The  uninviting  isolation  of  the  place  did  not  dis- 
courage him,  however,  and  he  went  briskly  to 
work.  A  new  saw-mill  was  built,  and  the  grist- 
mill was  repaired.  His  aid  and  advisor  at  this 
time  was  Jonathan  1).  Simpson,  and  under  disad- 
vantages that  would  have  overpowered  most  men, 
he  showed  pluck  and  enterprise.  The  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  and  the  line  of  the  railroad 
were  located  in  1827,  and  this  infused  new  life 
into  business.  Hundreds  of  laborers  were  soon 
employed  on  the  new  work,  and  the  products  of 
Seely's  mills  were  in  demand.  Not  only  was 
there  closer  and  better  connection  with  the  eastern 
market ;  but,  better  still,  Honesdale  began  to 
flourish,  and  the  impetus  of  a  new  town  within  so 
short  a  distance  of  the  mills,  made  Seelyville  an 
important  location. 

The  year  1830  brought  several   new  enterprises. 


Ross,  Baldwin  &  Co.  began  the  manufacture  of 
edged  tools;  Casper  Hollenback  started  a  small 
foundry  ;  and  John  H.  Bowers  commenced  build- 
ing a  turning-shop.  These  improvements,  together 
with  the  saw  and  grist-mills,  gave  the  place  a  busy 
aspect.  The  next  year  brought  some  changes : 
the  Ross  interest  in  the  edged  tool  works  was  sold 
to  Joseph  Whitmore  and  the  firm  became  Whit- 
more,  Baldwin  &  Co.,  Col.  R.  L.  Seely  being  the 
"  Co.,"  early  in  February,  and  the  shop  was  en- 
larged the  next  summer;  a  number  of  new  settlers 
also  came  in.  In  1832,  Levi  Bronson  started 
a  shovel  handle  factory  in  the  loft  over  John  H. 
Bowers' turning-shop,  which  had  meanwhile  been 
bought  out  by  Gilbert,  Knapp  &  Co.  The  firm 
of  Thomas  T.  Hoyt  it  Co.  also  succeeded  the  firm 
of  Whitmore,  Baldwin  &  Co.  in  the  tool  business, 
and  soon  gave  place  to  Burk,  Story  it  Co.  It 
was  this  year  too,  that  Isaac  P.  Foster,  Ezra 
Hand.  Daniel  P.  Kirt.Iand  and  John  F.  Roe 
started  a  tannery  on  a  tract  of  land  that  I.  P. 
Foster  had  bought  from  Jonathan  D.  Simpson,  in 
1829.  It  was  part  of  the  Stephen  Day  warrant, 
and  had  been  patented  to  Col.  Sylvanus  Seely. 
After  a  few  months,  the  firm  was  changed,  and  I. 
P.  Foster  bought  out  the  interest  of  his  partners. 
He  continued  to  run  the  business  until  1848, 
when  it  became  I.  P.  Foster  &  Sons,  and  so  con- 
tinued until  1861,  when  Foster  Brothers  &  Co. 
succeeded,  in  whose  hands  the  business  remained 
until  1874,  when  it  was  abandoned. 

In  1833  the  old  edged  tool  shop  was  torn 
down  and  Col.  R.  L.  Seely  erected  a  new  one, 
thirty  by  thirty-six,  two  stories  high,  and  leased 
it  for  ten  years  to  Burk  &  Story.  A  few  months 
afterwards,  David  Burbaiik  took  Story's  interest, 
and  the  style  was  changed  to  Burbauk  &  Burk. 
Mr.  Burbank  lived  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  his 
interests  were  looked  after  by  Abi  Marsh. 

Early  in  1834  Daniel  C.  and  Bester  Payne 
leased  the  second  story  of  the  axe  factory  for 
chawing  lead  pipe.  The  same  year  Jason  Torrey 
and  R.  L.  Seely,  who  commenced  the  manufac- 
ture of  scoop  shovels,  and  two  years  afterwards 
the  Paynes  gave  up  the  pipe  business  and  took 
charge  of  the  shovels  to  finish  them. 

Omitting  a  number  of  minor  business  changes, 
we  find  that  in  1838,  Simpson  and  Gill  were  run- 
ning the  turning-shop,  and   Hand  and   Kirtland 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


817 


had  leased  the  loft  over  the  axe  shop  as  a  sash-fac- 
rory.  D.  C.  White  had  succeeded  Burbank  A 
Burk  in  the  tool  business.  A  new  industry  was 
given  to  the  place  in  1841,  when  Leonard  &  Bart- 
lett  started  a  pail-factory  ;  they  did  quite  a  busi- 
ness for  two  or  three  years  In  1844  John  H. 
Gill,  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  started  a 
foundry  at  Seelyville.  He  had  come  to  the  place 
many  years  before,  and  was  the  builder  of  the 
new  mill  and  several  other  buildings  in  the  village. 
This  foundry  is  still  carried  on  by  B.  F.  Gill,  and 
keeps  half  a  dozen  men  employed. 

The  year  1847  witnessed  the  starting  of  two 
important  industries.  M.  F.  Van  Kirk  and  Wal- 
ter Knight  started  an  umbrella  stick  manufactory, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  ran  it  for 
several  years.  The  firm  was  dissolved  in  1853, 
and  Mr.  Van  Kirk  then  moved  to  Tyler  Hill,  in 
Damascus  township.  He  re-located  in  Honesdale.in 
185(3,  and  is  still  carrying  on  the  business  there. 

The  second  enterprise  was  the  starting  of  the 
Birdsall  woolen-mill,  now  the  most  important 
manufactory  in  the  place.  James  Birdsall,  its 
founder,  came  to  Seelyville  in  1846,  having  for 
several  years  previous  resided  in  Carboudale.  He 
leased  land  of  Col.  R.  L.  Seely,  and  started  card- 
ing rolls  as  first  machinery.  The  mill  was  burned 
on  December  24,  1850,  entailing  a  serious  loss,  as 
there  was  no  insurance,  but  a  new  mill,  four 
stories  high  and  sixty  by  thirty-six  was  soon  com- 
menced, and  Mr.  Birdsall  was  ready  for  business 
a  few  months  after.  By  good  management  the 
business  continued  to  grow,  and  he  was  constantly 
making  improvements  until  his  death  which  oc- 
curred in  January,  1857,  when  the  business 
descended  to  his  sons,  William  S.  and  James  C. 
Birdsall,  the  present  owners.  When  the  mill  was 
first  started  it  used  probably  ten  thousand  pounds 
of  wool  per  year,  and  employed  ten  or  twelve  hands ; 
to  day  it  is  spinning  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
thousand  pounds  a  year,  and  there  are  nearly  a 
hundred  employees  on  the  pay  roll.  The  mill  is 
what  is  known  as  a  "  two  set  "  mill,  and  manufac 
tures  cassimeres,  flannels,  yarns  and  blankets. 

Colonel  Seely  rebuilt  his  saw-n  ill  in  1849,  and 
the  same  year  Christian  Erk  started  the  umbrella 
stick  manufactory  he  is  still  running.  The  first 
firm  was  Erk,  Merz  &  Co.,  and  the  machinery  was 
in  the  sash  and  blind  shop  of  Hand  &  Kirtland. 


This  building  was  burned  in  September,  1855,  and 
the  present  factory  was  erected  on  its  site.  This 
same  year  M.  B.  Bennett  &  Co.  started  a  foundry 
and  machine  shop  in  a  large  frame  building  erected 
by  Colonel  Seely  on  the  south  side  of  the  stream. 
This  was  occupied  by  various  firms  and  finally 
burned,  and  was  replaced  by  the  substantial  brick 
building  standing  at  present.  Seelyville  has  a 
number  of  other  industries  of  more  recent  date. 

The  first  school  in  Seelyville  was  held  in  an  old 
log  building  which  stood  on  a  spot  now  in  Mr. 
BirdsalPs  orchard,  and  was  on  the  old  road  to 
Bethany.  It  was  erected  about  1835  or  1836. 
In  1842  the  building  now  used  by  Mrs.  Bissell  as 
a  residence  was  erected  for  a  school  house,  and  was 
occupied  until  the  present  central  building  was  put 
"up,  in  1858.  Seelyville  was  at  first  an  independ- 
ent school  district,  including  a  portion  of  Texas 
township,  and  when  this  was  erected  in  1857  Prof. 
G.  W.  Trim,  now  of  Jermyn,  Pa.,  was  engaged  to 
teach  in  the  new  building.  He  filled  the  position 
acceptably  for  fourteen  years,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Miss  E.  J.  Avery  and  late  by  W.  T.  Butler. 
In  I860  the  village  of  Seelyville  was  cut  off  from 
the  Texas  district  before  referred  to  and  erected 
as  an  independent  district.  The  average  number 
of  pupils  on  the  roll  is  one  hundred. 

The  post-office  was  established  in  1874  and  G. 
Smith,  the  first  appointee,  is  still  postmaster. 

Tkaceyville. — Although  just  outside  the 
limits  of  the  borough  of  Honesdale,  Traceyville 
had  settlers  long  before  the  hemlocks  and  laurels 
at  the  confluence  of  the  two  branches  of  the  Lack- 
awaxen  disappeared  before  the  axes  of  the  pio- 
neers. The  main  settlements  were  at  the  mouth  of 
Carley  Brook,  and  at  this  point,  it  is  stated  on  the 
authority  of  Esquire  Thomas  Spangenberg,  there 
was,  in  1794,  a  tub-mill  built  by  Israel  Kelly.  So 
sparsely  was  the  country  inhabited  at  this  time 
and  so  small  the  production  of  grain  that  the  mill 
would  not  pay  for  the  tending,  and  each  pioneer 
came  and  ground  his  own  corn.  This  old  mill 
remained  standing  until  the  Honesdale  Glass 
Company  erected  its  works,  and,  when  it  was  torn 
down,  meal  was  found  on  some  of  the  rafters  that 
was  ground  perhaps  during  the  first  year  of  this 
century.  In  1812  Stephen  Kimble  built  a  saw- 
mill on  Carley  Brook  and  ran  it  for  many  years. 
It  was  finally  torn  down  in  1846,  when  Ephriam 


818 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


V.  White  erected  his  axe-factory  there.  The  latter 
business  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Wayne  County,  and 
was  established  soon  after  the  summer  of  1820. 
During  that  year  E  V.  White  accompanied  his 
father,  who  walked  from  Massachusetts  to  Wayne 
County.  They  first  stopped  at  a  small  blacksmith 
shop  in  Damascus,  and  after  a  few  months  located 
at  Mount  Pleasant.  In  162(5  they  moved  to  Duu- 
daff,  and  from  there  came  to  Seelyville  in  1835. 

Three  years  after  this  a  place  on  the  road  be- 
tween Prompton  and  Honesdale  was  selected,  and 
here  the  works  were  carried  on  until  1846,  when 
the  present  location  was  secured.  The  founder  of 
the  industry  was  succeeded  by  his  sons  Gilbert  G  , 
Joseph  and  C  J.,  in  1857,  under  the  firm  name 
of  G.  White  &  Brothers,  and  the  business  was  SO 
conducted  until  1862,  when  the  brothers  rehired,, 
and  Gilbert  White  became  sole  owner.  In  1872 
R.  W.  Ham  was  admitted  to  a  partnership,  and 
the  style  assumed  was  G.  White  &  Co.,  the  firm 
which  is  now  conducting  the  business.  The 
present  capacity  of  the  works  is  twenty  dozen 
axes  a  day,  and  between  twenty  and  twenty-five 
men  are  employed. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  present  century 
what  was  afterwards  known  as  the  Earl  Mill  was 
built  just  below  where  Saunders'  tannery  now 
stands.  It  was  a  very  small  affair,  and  did  little 
until  it  was  rebuilt  by  Mr.  Earl  in  1828.  About 
1849  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Tracey  for 
the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Companv,  and,  after 
the  destruction  of  the  mill,  the  dam  was  retained 
as  a  reservoir  for  the  Canal. 

One  of  the  early  industries  of  the  place  was  a 
small  axe  and  scythe-shop,  which  John  Bangs 
started  near  the  site  of  the  old  tub-mill  about 
1832.  It  was  afterwards  closed,  and  what  remained 
of  the  plant  sold  to  the  Whites. 

The  Honesdale  Glass  Works  had  their  genesis 
at  Bethany,  where  Christian  Faatz,  one  of  the  first 
glass  manufacturers  in  this  county,  commenced 
operations  in  1816.  After  various  vicissitudes  re- 
lated in  the  history  of  that  town,  the  establishment 
passed  into  the  hands  of  his  son,  Jacob  Faatz,  who 
removed  the  works  to  Traceyville  in  1847,  the 
first  stake  being  driven  on  June  4th.  During  the 
next  three  years  Mr.  Faatz  lost  money,  and,  in 
1840,  Henry  Dart  and  James  R.  Dickson  became 
the  owners.     They  made  a  large  shipment  of  glass 


to  California  overland,  and  it  was  nearly  a  year 
on  the  way  and  seemed  to  be  a  dead  loss,  occa- 
sioning embarrassment  which  caused  the  works  to 
pass  into  the  hands  of  R.  F.  Lord  and  T.  H.  R. 
Tracey,  who  managed  the  business  until  they  were 
succeeded  by  James  Brookfield,  who  purchased 
the  works  in  1849,  and  engaged  J.  Sloan  as  his 
general  manager.  A  number  of  improvements 
followed,  and  the  next  year  Mr.  Brookfield 
erected  a  store  and  a  number  of  dwellings  for  the 
use  of  his  employees.  It  was  at  this  time  that 
H.  A.  Clark  erected  a  new  dwelling  and  store,  and 
Mr.  Gilbert,  of  Oregon,  made  some  improvements. 
Traceyville  was  a  busy  place,  and  during  the  next 
year  the  glass  works  employed  between  fifty  and 
sixty  men,  and  were  making  from  eighteen  to 
twenty  thousand  boxes  of  window-glass  a  year. 
Mr.  Brookfield  also  had  a  shop  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  a  patent  pump. 

During  the  great  storm  of  1861  the  dam  of  a 
reservoir  belonging  to  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal  Company,  far  up  the  Carley  Brook,  gave 
way  and  carried  the  works  of  Mr.  Brookfield 
into  the  river.  For  ten  years  nothing  was  done 
with  the  works,  and  then,  under  the  firm  name  of 
The  Honesdale  Glass  Works,  Christian  Dorflinger, 
W.  W.  Weston,  C.  S.  Minor,  William  Weiss,  W. 
II.  Ham  and  S.  A.  Tyrrell  bought  the  property 
and  rebuilt  the  works.  During  this  work  of  re- 
building, in  1873,  the  old  tub-mill,  the  first  indus- 
try of  the  place,  was  torn  down  to  make  room  for 
one  of  the  wings  of  the  glass  house.  In  former 
years  the  plant  was  used  for  the  production  of 
both  bottle  and  window  glass,  but  now  only  the 
latter  is  manufactured.  The  equipment  consists 
of  two  five-pot  furnaces,  with  a  capacity  of  four 
tons  daily,  and  facilities  for  shaping  that  much 
material,  a  saw-mill  and  a  box-factory.  Both 
steam  and  water-power  are  used,  and  the  capacity 
of  the  works  has  been  cpiadrupled  since  1873. 
About  one  hundred  and  fifty  hands  are  employed, 
and  the  annual  disbursement  for  wages  is  over 
fifty  thousaud  dollars. 

In  1845  or  1846  Robert  J.  Knapp  and  Lewis  M. 
Sears  started  a  wheel-barrow-factory  on  Carley 
Brook,  just  above  the  axe-factory,  and  met  with 
fair  success.  The  business  was  carried  on  by  this 
firm  until  April,  1864,  when  B.  F.  Frailey,  a  na- 
tive of  Ulster  County,  N.  Y.,  bought  the  establish- 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


819 


ment  and  added  to  the  plant  machinery  for  the 
manufacture  of  hay  rakes  and  other  agricultural 
implements.  The  establishment  now  consists  of  a 
large  saw-mill  and  factory  driven  by  Water-power, 
and  makes  a  specialty  of  building  lumber,  boxes, 
wire  mattress  frames  and  agricultural  implements. 

Just  above  the  upper  bridge  over  Carley  Brook 
is  the  tannery  which  Samuel  Saunders  built  in  1858. 
It  is  a  thirty  vat  plant,  and  ran  full  capacity  until 
two  years  ago,  when  the  heavy  competition  of  the 
large  establishments  in  the  New  England  States 
absorbed  the  profit  of  smaller  concerns.  At  pic- 
sent,  the  operations  are  limited  to  the  pulling  and 
pickling  of  sheep-skins,  and  dealing  in  hides  and 
calf-skins.  Just  below  the  tannery  is  a  large  reser- 
voir for  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal. 

In  182-2  or  1823,  Benjamin  F.  Kimble,  a  son  of 
Daniel  Kimble,  commenced  a  grist  mill  at  Tracov- 
ville.  It  was  of  very  primitive  construction,  and 
had  one  run  of  stone,  which  he  brought  from 
Easton,  having  rafted  lumber  to  that  point  to  pay 
for  them.  The  mill  was  built  almost  entirely  by 
Mr.  Kimble's  own  hands,  and  its  construction  occu- 
pied him  for  nearly  a  year.  In  1829,  the  mill  was 
completely  rebuilt,  and  its  capacity  was  doubled; 
it  did  service  until  the  new  steam  mill  was  erected. 
The.  old  mill  was  burned  in  1881.  In  the  full  of 
1868,  J.  I'.  Kimble,  a  son  of  Asa,  went  into  busi- 
ness with  Benjamin  F.  Kimble,  and  that  year  the 
steam  mill  was  built.  Later  on.  Wyman,  a  son  of 
Benjamin  F.,  succeeded  to  his  father's  interest,  and. 
in  1876,  sold  it  to  J.  P.  Kimble,  the  present  owner. 
The  mill  has  four  run  of  stone,  and  is  driven  by  a 
forty  horse-power  engine.  It  does  a  thriving  custom 
business.  Benjamin  F.  Kimble  married  Prudence 
Vastbinder,  and  his  children  were,  Ellen  .1.  (Mrs. 
R.  E.  Bailey),  Olive  (Mrs.  Jerry  E.  Hawker),  Ben- 
jamin F.,  of  Damascus,  Wyman  and  Clarence,  who 
live  in  Honesdale. 

Lei  inahdsville  owes  its  name  to  John  Leonard' 
who  settled  there  soon  after  the  Delaware  and  Hud- 
son Canal  was  finished,  and  commenced  the  build- 
ing and  repair  of  canal  boats.  The  favorable  loca- 
tion for  this  business  soon  led  other  good  mechanics 
to  locate  near  him,  and  for  a  number  of  years  con- 
siderable business  was  done  there.  In  1835  Mr. 
Leonard  built  the  dry  dock,  and  ran  it  but  a  short 
time,  when  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  W.  M.  Tur- 
ner, who  did  a  thriving  business  until  1851,  when 


James  Pinkney  bought  it.  It  was  operated  under 
his  direction  until  1866,  when  Mr.  C.  C.  Lane  pur- 
chased it  and  has  conducted  the  business  up  to  the 
present  time.  The  growth  of  Honesdale  effectually 
killed  the  prosperity  of  Leonardsville,  and  little 
business  beyond  the  dock  is  now  carried  on  there. 
One  of  the  earliest  settlers  was  John  Whittaker, 
who  moved  from  Pike  County  in  1835,  and  erected 
the  first  frame  house  in  the  hamlet,  near  the  site  of 
his  present  residence.  The  school-house  was  built 
in  L839,  and  services  are  occasionally  held  thereby 
several  of  the  evangelical  denominations. 

A  central  figure  in  the  history  of  Leonardsville, 
IS  that  of  JabeZ  Rockwell,  whose  grave  is  in  the 
Methodist  cemetery  al  Honesdale.  He  was  born 
near  the  town  of  Ridgeway,<  lonn.,  <  (ctober  3, 1761. 
When  but  little  more  than  fifteen  years  old,  he  en- 
listed in  a  regiment  that  was  recruiting  under  the 
supervision  of  Benedict  Arnold,  in  whose  division 
he  fought  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga,  ami  was  there 
wounded.  He  was  afterwards  transferred  to  a  part 
of  the  army  under  General  Putnam,  near  New- 
York  City,  and  later  went  under  the  direct  com- 
mand of  Washington,  and  with  him  passed  the 
winter  at  Valley  Forge.  During  the  following 
year  Mr.  Rockwell  was  wounded  again,  receiving 
a  slight  hurt  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  and  after 
a  short  furlough  returned  to  the  ranks,  and  was  at 
the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Connecticut,  and  on 
July  4,  1784,  was  married  to  Sarah  Rundel.  He 
emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  in  1795,  and  located 
near  the  present  site  of  Milford,  in  Pike  County. 
He  had  seven  children  by  his  first  wife,  and  one  of 
them,  Lewis,  was  the  sheriff  of  Pike  County  from 
1844  to  1847.  Mrs.  Anna  Wells,  the  youngest 
child  of  that  marriage,  is  still  living  at  Milford, 
and  celebrated  her  eighty-seventh  birthday  in 
March  last,  surrounded  by  all  her  children.  In 
1799  Mr.  Rockwell  was  married  a  second  time. 
Elizabeth  Mulford,  daughter  of  the  third  sheriff  of 
Wayne  County,  becoming  his  bride.  He  had  served 
as  deputy  under  her  father  for  three  years.  Seven 
children  were  born  of  this  union  also,  some  of  whom 
are  still  living,  Miss  Sally  Rockwell  and  Mrs. 
Catheiine  Broden,  of  Stroudsburg;  Mrs.  Gainford, 
of  Ellenville ;  Mrs.  Harrisou  Valentine,  of  New 
York,  Henry  Wells  (of  Milford),  Edgar  and 
Peter  Wells  (of  Port  Jervis),  Moses  B.  Rockwell 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


(of  Milford)  and  ex-Treasurer  Charles  F.  Rockwell 
(of  Houesdale),  are  grandchildren  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary hero. 

In  1824,  accompanied  by  Samuel  Whitehead 
and  Joshua  Hutchings,  two  companions-in-arms, 
Mr.  Rockwell  walked  from  Milford  to  New  York, 
to  see  Lafayette,  by  whom  they  were  warmly  Wel- 
comed. The  last  years  of  Mr.  Rockwell's  life  were 
spent  in  Leonardsville,  to  which  village  he  moved 
in  1837.  He  died  in  January,  1847,  and  was 
buried  with  military  and  Masonic  honors. 

White  Mills. — The  first  settler  of  whom  there 
is  any -authentic  record  is  Cornelius  Corryelle,  who 
came  from  Lambertville,  N.  J.,  and  located  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Christian  Dorflinger.  He 
owned  a  large  tract  of  land  and  was  a  man  of  much 
energy  and  enterprise,  so  that  in  a  few  years  he  had 
made  a  considerable  inroad  on  the  virgin  forest 
that  covered  the  entire  region.  Soon  other  settlers 
came,  and,  in  the  course  of  time,  Daniel  Kimble 
and  Mr.  Corryelle  became  jointly  interested  in  the 
property  adjacent  to  the  site  of  the  present  saw-mill. 
This  tract,  as  is  stated  in  the  records  of  the  lawsuit 
before  referred  to,  contained  three  acres,  and  was 
bought  September  14,  1816.  About  the  time  thai 
the  transfer  took  place,  Jonathan  Brink,  who 
owned  the  property  adjoining  them  on  the  lower 
side,  erected  a  dam,  which  caused  the  Lackawaxen 
to  overflow  the  Kimble  mill  site,  and  render 
valueless  the  improvements  that  had  already 
been  made  on  the  property.  The  facts  in  the 
case  very  ably  set  forth  and,  on  trial  of  the 
case  at  the  next  sessions,  the  plaintiffs  were  suc- 
cessful, and  were  awarded  damages.  Brink  re- 
moved the  objectionable  d;un  in  a  short  time  and  the 
mill  was  commenced  shortly  after.  In  182.']  Daniel 
Parry  came  from  New  Hope,  Bucks  County,  Pa., 
and  bought  the  mill  property,  completing  the  struc- 
ture which  had  been  begun  a  few  mouths  previous. 
Lewis  Corryelle,  a  son  of  Cornelius,  was  associated 
with  him  in  this  undertaking,  the  firm  being  1  >aniel 
Parry  &  Co.  Although  the  owner  of  considerable 
property,  Mr.  Parry  did  not  reside  in  White  Mills, 
but    had    for   the    manager   of  his  interests  Enos 

W Iward,  who  built  and   laid  out  the  handsome 

place  now  occupied  by  Hon.  F.  W.  Farnham. 
About  1854  the  mill  property  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Cornelius  Humbert,  and  in  1854  was  sold  to  Mr. 
Farnham,  thejjresent  owner.    It  was  then  a  double 


up  and  down  mill,  but,  perceiving  the  great  ad- 
vantage to  be  derived  from  the  change,  the  new- 
owner  converted  it  into  a  circular  mill,  one  of  the 
first  successful  ones  in  Wayne  County,  in  1857. 

Enos  Woodward,  who  carried  on  the  business 
for  Daniel  Parry,  was  a  son  of  John  Woodward, 
and  a  grandson  of  Enos  Woodward,  the  Revolu- 
tionary soldier.  In  1836  he  erected  the  house  on 
the  Farnham  place,  and  two  years  later  was  elected 
county  commissioner,  in  which  office  he  was  very 
popular.  More  concerning  him  will  be  found  in 
the  chapter  devoted  to  Cherry  Ridge. 

Hon.  F.  W.  Farnham  came  from  Oxford,  She- 
nango  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1832,  and  in  1840  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  E.  A.  Gunn,  of  Oneida 
County  in  the  same  state.  Three  sons  were  born 
of  this  union,  and  reside  near  the  homestead.  In 
1872  Mr.  Farnham  was  appointed  an  associate 
judge  of  Wayne  County,  to  till  out  the  unexpired 
term  caused  by  the  death  of  Judge  Arnold,  and 
filled  the  office  much  to  the  satifaction  of  the 
people. 

The  first  frame  house  in  the  village  proper  was 
erected  in  1846  by  Daniel  Kimble,  and  stands  on 
the  hill  just  beyond  the  glass  works.  It  is  now  oc- 
cupied by  Patrick  Slavin.  B.  F.  Daniels  opened 
the  first  store  on  the  place  in  1854.  He  occupied 
a  small  building  near  the  canal  lock,  and  con- 
ducted business  there  for  two  years.  The  post 
office  was  established  in  1850,  and  A.  M.  Atkinson 
was  the  first  postmaster. 

The  Dorflinger  Glass  Works.— The  large 
and  interesting  industry  carried  on  by  Christian 
Dorflinger  A*  Sons  at  this  place  had  its  inception 
in  1865,  the  senior  member  of  the  present  firm  (of 
whom  a  biographical  sketch  is  appended)  being  its 
founder.  He  began  making  glass  in  the  fall  of  the 
year  in  what  is  known  as  a  "  five-pot  furnace,"  and 
employed  a  small  force  of  men.  In  the  second 
year  he  had  fully  a  hundred  men  and  boys  at 
work,  and  in  1867  he  introduced  a  glass-cutting 
establishment,  which  was  carried  on  in  a  small 
way  and  gave  employment  to  half  a  dozen  men. 
From  the  beginning  even  a  careless  observer 
would  not  have  failed  to  notice  that  the  proprietor 
of  the  glass  works  was  a  man  of  progressive  ideas, 
for  improvements  were  constantly  made,  and  the 
capacity  of  the  works  gradually  increased  until 
the  establishment  was  made,  perhaps,  the  largest 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


821 


in  the  world.  The  works  which  have  been  in  use 
for  the  past  twenty  years  have  just  been  supple- 
mented by  new  ones  built  in  the  most  substantial 
manner,  and  embodying  every  possible  convenience 
which  a  life-long  study  of  glass  manufacture, 
coupled  with  a  high  degree  of  ingenuity,  could 
suggest.  What  are  now  called  the  "  old  works  " 
comprise  a  "  glass-house,"  in  which  the  furnaces 
are  located  and  the  various  forms  of  glassware  are 
blown  by  the  workmen,  and  a  cutting  room,  now 
used  for  packing  and  other  purposes.  The  glass- 
house proper  is  one  hundred  by  fifty  feet  in  dimen- 
sions, and  contains  two  seven-pot  furnaces,  a  fin- 
ishing furnace,  and  two  annealing  ovens.  The 
building  in  which  the  cutting-room  is  located  is  one 
hundred  and  seventy-six  by  forty  feet,  and  two 
stories  high.  There  is  also  a  three-story  wing, 
eighty  by  thirty-five  feet,  and  a  building  in  which 
the  great  glass  crucibles  or  pots  are  made,  which 
is  thirty  by  fifty  feet.  These  figures  give  some 
idea  of  the  space  which  has  been  necessary  for 
carrying  on  the  complicated  manufacture,  but  the 
dimensions  of  the  new  works  show  how  materially, 
in  view  of  increasing  business,  it  has  been  deemed 
advisable  to  enlarge  the  plant.  The  new  glass" 
house  is  quite  an  imposing  structure,  fifty  to  sixty 
feet  high  and  eighty  feet  long  by  sixty  in  width. 
A  basement  built  of  iron  and  Stone  extends  under 
the  whole  building.  This  house  contains  one  eight- 
pot  furnace,  three  annealing  ovens  and  other 
devices  essential  to  the  work  to  be  carried  on 
there.  The  building  in  which  the  new  cutting- 
room  is  located,  is  three  stories  in  height,  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  feet  long  by  thirty-five  in  width' 
built  in  solid  fashion  of  stone  and  made  fire-proof 
throughout,  There  is  a  seventy-five  horse-power 
engine  on  the  second  floor  which  turns  the  hun- 
dred or  more  wheels  in  the  cutting-room,  and  has 
been  made  by  thoughtfulness  to  perform  some 
other  work. 

To  this  cutting-room  from  whence  comes  the 
flashing,  chaste  and  beautiful  ware,  which  now  more 
than  ever,  is  fascinating  the  artistic  and  fashionable 
world,  we  shall  in  due  time  return.  For  the  pres- 
ent let  the  reader  take  a  glance  at  the  genesis  of 
glass. 

The  process  of  manufacture  savors  a  little  of 
magic,  or  at  least  the  marvelous,  for  who,  without 
previous   knowledge,   looking   at    a   pile  of  sand, 


another  of  oxide  of  lead,  and  a  third  of  pearl  ash, 
would  imagine  that  such  coarse,  opaque,  and  sodden 
materials  could  be  transformed  by  fire  into  the 
most  transparent,  glittering  flint  glass.  Yet  such 
is  the  fact,  The  workmen  in  the  mixing  room 
take,  tor  instance,  six  hundred  pounds  of  sand  (it 
is  from  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  and  no- 
where else  is  found  so  good)  with  which  he  mixes 
four  hundred  pounds  of  oxide  of  lead,  and  two 
hundred  pounds  of  pearl  ash.  To  this  compound 
he  adds  very  small  proportions  of  saltpetre,  arsenic 
and  manganese,  and  the  whole,  well  stirred  together, 
goes  into  one  of  the  pots  or  crucibles  set  in  a  huge 
furnace  of  terrific  heat.  These  pots  hold  from 
fifteen  hundred  to  three  thousand  pounds.  The 
mass  is  subjected  to  the  influence  of  the  roaring 
fire  for  forty  hours,  and  then  the  "  metal,"  as  it  is 
called,  is  ready  for  the  deft  manipulations  of  the 
skilled  blowers,  who  hover  about  the  furnace,  and 
remove  small  portions  of  it  at  intervals  upon  long 
tubes  or  "blowers'  pipes,"  something  as  a  child 
might  boiling  sugar  upon  a  stick.  The  glass  blower 
handles  his  long  tube  as  a  fairy,  or  at  least  a  colum- 
bine, does  her  wand,  and  with  more  of  marked  and 
marvelous  result.  His  graceful  sweeps  and  twirl- 
ings  of  the  rod  are  not  for  appearance,  but  im- 
practical effect  in  giving  the  bit  of  molten  glass 
some  peculiar  desired  shape,  dependent  upon 
whether  it  is  to  be  a  bottle,  a  pitcher,  a  punch- 
bowl, a  wine-glass,  or  any  one  of  a  hundred  other 
things.  He  swings  the  tube,  blows  through  it 
carefully,  expanding  the  red-hot  bubble  to  the 
proper  proportion,  rolls  it  upon  an  iron  plate, 
revolves  the  rod  while  he  holds  a  tool  against  the 
pliant  mass  to  give  it  form,  heats  it  again  and 
repeats  the  process,  or  delicately  and  rapidly  touches 
it  with  two  or  three  other  tools,  perhaps  being 
assisted  by  a  "helper"  in  some  of  these  rapid 
manoeuvres — and  lo  !  the  shapeless  lump  has  become 
a  wine  decanter  or  a  salad  dish,  or  something  else 
of  mosl  graceful  form.  Then  away  it  goes  to  the 
finishing  furnace,  and  finally  to  the  annealing  fur- 
nace, where,  with  hundreds  of  other  pieces,  it  is 
very  gradually  cooled  by  being  drawn  slowly  from 
the  fire  through  fifty  or  sixty  feet  of  brick  arching. 
The  whole  process  is  more  in  the  nature  of  an  ex- 
quisite art,  with  something  of  sorcery  about  it, 
than  a  trade  or  manufacture.  Yet  it  is  hard  work, 
and  has  mure  of  utility  in  it  than  of  the  poetic  or 


822 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


picturesque,  for  the  busy  groups  of  skilled  men 
surrounding  the  furnaces.  Their  tools  are  simple 
— a  few  rude  iron  implements,  a  stick,  a  heavy, 
uncouth  pair  of  iron  shears,  and  his  blow-pipe,  are 
all  that  the  glass-blower  needs  to  perform  his 
wonders.  His  work  must  be  done  while  the  glass 
is  hot,  and  so  there  is  intense  activity,  relieved 
only  by  the  occasional  waiting  for  the  reheating  of 
a  half-formed  object. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  glass  manufactured 
here  is  white,  or  rather  transparent.  If  color  is 
desired  it  is  made  by  throwing  in  various  minerals. 
To  produce  the  beautiful  ruby  color,  which  is  so 
much  admired  by  connoisseurs  in  glass,  gold  must 
he  used,  ami  into  a  pot  of  the  sand  and  lead  and 
potash  mixture  is  thrown  a  hundred  and  forty 
dollars  worth  of  the  virgin  yellow  metal. 

Even  the  construction  of  the  puts  in  which  the 
glass  is  made  is  an  art  and  mystery,  and  requires 
knowledge  and  skill  which  only  a  very  few  work- 
men possess.  At  the  Dorflinger  works  they  are 
made  in  a  long,  law  room — heretofore  mentioned— 
which  is  kept  at  an  equal  temperature,  that  the 
great  dome-shaped  crucibles  may  become  tl ion mghly 
seasoned  or  dried.  The  clay  for  their  manufacture 
eomes  principally  from  Germany,  though  an  article 
from  Missouri  is  used  with  some  success.  This  clay, 
properly  moistened,  is  kneaded  in  a  huge,  box  by  a 
man  with  bared  feet,  wlio  treads  it  back  and  forth 
with  peculiar  sidelong  steps,  ten  hours  a  day,  for 
ilnee  weeks.  No  machinery  has  been  invented 
which  can  take  the  place  of  this  odd  method  in 
giving  the  clay  the  required  tenacity.  Another 
man  builds  up  the  pots  in  lots  of  eight,  very  much 
as  a  rubble  house  is  built,  making  his  circular  wall 
of  clay  a  few  inches  high,  and  then  awaiting  the 
drying  process  before  carrying  the  wall  higher. 
The  pots  are  four  feet  high.  .It  takes  about  three 
weeks  to  build  a  set  of  eight;  often  the  clay  is 
kneaded  three  days  to  heat  them,  and  then  they 
last  but  three  months  in  the  intense  heat  of  the 
furnace. 

From  the  glass-house  the  various  objects  or 
"  blanks,"  as  the'y  are  technically  termed — decant- 
ers, bottles,  bowls — a  hundred  styles  of  ornamental 
and  useful  dishes  are  taken  to  the  cutting-room. 
They  have  the  grace  of  shape,  but  lack  the  lustre 
and  brilliancy  that  cutting  will  give.  A  hundred 
workmen  are  ready  to  make  them  flash  and  gleam 


with  prismatic  light.  Here  again  the  tools  are 
simple — the  skill  of  the  workmen  everything.  A 
long  shaft,  running  through  the  narrow  room, 
whirls  a  hundred  wheels  placed  in  frames  down 
each  side  of  the  well-lighted  work-shop.  At 
each  one  sits  an  operator.  Many  of  them  are 
young,  scarcely  beyond  boyhood,  but  young  eyes 
are  good  for  the  kind  of  work  that  is  done  here. 
The  men  work  in  three  divisious,  and  there  are 
three  distinct  processes  in  the  cutting.  First  comes 
the  "roughing,"  the  deep  cutting  or  grinding  of 
the  pattern,  of  which  the  principal  points  have 
first  been  marked  upon  the  glass  with  red  paint, 
For  this  work  a  thin  iron  wheel,  to  which  sand  and 
water  are  applied,  is  employed.  The  workman 
needs  perfect  eyesight,  perfect  nerves  and  much 
skill  of  hand,  for  the  pattern  must  be  cut  with  geo- 
metric precision.  The  second  process,  "smooth- 
ing," is  done  with  fine,  stone  wheels,  of  which,  as  of 
the  iron  ones,  there  are  a  great  variety  for  different 
kinds  of  work.  From  the  "  smoothers  "  the  arti- 
cles are  passed  to  the  polishers,  who  use  wheel- 
brushes  and  wooden  wheels,  kept  constantly 
smeared  with  what  looks  like  yellow  mud,  but  is  in 
reality  a  compound  of  finely-ground  oxide  of  zinc 
and  lead  called  "  putty."  These  leave  the  deeply 
cut  lines  and  the  facets  of  the  glass  as  smooth  as 
diamonds  and  almost  equaling  them  in  brilliancy 
i  f  glitter  and  purity  of  light. 

After  careful  washing  the  finished  goods  are 
taken  to  the  stock  or  show-room,  or  shipped  to  the 
New  York  or  Philadelphia  market.  In  the  show- 
room alluded  to,  in  comparatively  small  space, 
may  be  seen  from  forty  to  fifty  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  this  beautiful  ware,  and  upon  a  single 
table  there  is  over  three  thousand  dollars'  worth. 
The  variety  of  articles  is  almost  bewildering,  and 
there  is  also  wide  variance  in  the  styles  of  cutting. 
There  are  ice  cream  and  salad  sets  in  the  cut 
known  as  "the  Parisian  "  vases,  fancy  dishes  and 
bon  bons  in  the  "  hob-nail  "  cut  with  double  star, 
punch-bowls,  etc.,  in  the  "  brilliante "  cut,  with 
glass-handled  ladles  to  match,  and  cut-glass,  table- 
bells  in  various  colore,  which  give  forth  a  very 
musical  tinkle.  Special  mention  should  be  made 
of  the  Russian  stem-ware  and  the  line  of  elegant 
lamps,  cut-glass  throughout,  with  dome  shades. 
There  are  also  flower-vases,  decanters,  water  bottles, 
jugs  (the  new  "  tusk  "  and  "  Flemish  "  styles  par- 


^^Z2-  ^^— -^ 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


ticularly),  cologne  bottles  and  other  vessels  in 
almost  endless  profusion.  These  goods  are  com- 
prised in  those  general  lines  or  classes  known  as 
"  rich-cut  table  and  toilet  glass,  "  druggist's  "  and 
"  lamp  goods."  Almost  daily  new  designs  arc 
brought  out  and  new  ones  found  for  cut-glass,  and 
the  taste  of  the  public  for  this  elegant  line  of 
things  useful  and  things  beautiful  is  fast  growing, 
so  that  the  demand  promises  to  be  much  larger 
than  heretofore. 

Since  1881  Mr.  Dorflinger's  sons,  William, 
Louis  J.,  and  Charles,  have  been  in  partnership 
with  him,  and  each  one  occupies  a  position  of  prac- 
tical usefulness  in  the  management  of  the  large 
business.  William  is  at  the  store  of  the  firm,  No. 
36  Murray  Street,  New  York,  Louis  J.,  and 
Charles  at  the  works,  the  former  residing  at 
Honesdale. 

The  works  give  employment  to  about  three  hun- 
dred persons,  and  the  pay-roll  amounts  to  ten 
thousand  dollars  or  thereabouts  per  month,  a  sum 
sufficient  to  support  (as  it  does  almost  entirely)  the 
village  of  White  Mills. 

Christian  Dorflinger,  the  founder  and  con- 
tracting genius  of  these  works,  is  one  of  the  vast 
number  of  foreign  birth  whose  energies  and  skill 
have  contributed  to  the  sum  of  America's  pros- 
perity. He  was  born  in  the  Canton  De  Bitsche, 
in  Alsace,  France,  March  16,  1828.  His  parents 
were  Francis  and  Charlotte  (Clemens)  Dorflinger. 
He  early  left  them  to  join  an  uncle  over  the  line 
in  the  province  Loraine,  city  of  St.  Louis,  where 
he  learned  the  trade  of  glass- making  in  one 
of  the  largest  establishments  in  Europe.  He 
remained  there  eight  years,  becoming  a  master  in  his 
chosen  art,  and  then,  desiring  a  field  for  more  in- 
dependent action  and  broader  achievement,  decided 
to  come  to  America.  This  was  in  1845.  His 
father  had  died,  and  he  brought  his  mother  and 
other  members  of  the  family  with  him.  They  re- 
moved to  the  West,  where  his  mother  is  still 
living,  and  the  young  man  who  is  our  subject  went 
to  Philadelphia,  where  he  worked  as  a  journeyman 
glass-blower.  In  1852  he  removed  to  Brooklyn, 
where  he  established  the  Long  Island  Flint  Glass 
Works,  a  comparatively  small  concern,  having 
what  is  known  as  a  five-pot  furnace.  His  first 
year's  business  amounted  to  thirty  thousand  dollars  ; 
the  third  year's  to  fifty  thousand  dollars.     In  1858 


he  built  a  new  factory  at  a  cost  of  thirty  thousand 
dollars,  and,  in  1860,  a  second  one  at  a  cost  of  sev- 
enty-five thousand  dollars.  He  then  carried  on 
both,  and  did  a  business  amounting  to  three  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  per  year.  The  latter  estab- 
lishment, known  as  the  Green  Point  Glass  Works 
(in  Brooklyn,  E.  I).),  he  still  owns,  and  leases  to 
E.  P.  Gleason.  Mr.  Dorflinger  conducted  both 
factories  until  1863,  when  he  sold  the  one  first 
built — the  Long  Island  works,  and,  with  a  view  of 
partial  retirement  from  business  and  of  establish- 
ing a  summer  retreat,  came  to  the  picturesque 
banks  of  the  Lackawaxen,  and  bought  of  Captain 
Fowler  the  three  hundred-acre  tract  of  land  east  of 
White  Mills,  which  formed  the  nucleus  of  his 
present  estate  of  about  one  thousand  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres.  This  step,  taken  with  a  view  of 
seeking  rest,  resulted  in  larger  activity,  and  ulti- 
mately in  the  great  establishment  of  to-day.  He 
came  out  to  his  farm-home  again  in  1864,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1865  began  building  a  glass-factory, 
in  which  an  industry,  entirely  new  to  this  half-wild 
region,  was  begun  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  The 
story  of  the  development  of  the  works,  from  the 
first  pot-furnace  to  their  present  extent,  has  already 
been  told.  It  is  a  story  involving  the  persistent 
applications  of  thorough,  practical  knowledge  and 
of  business  acumen.  But  Mr.  Dorflinger's  en- 
ergies were  not  confined  to  the  management  of 
the  works  and  their  improvement.  He  built 
seven  dwellings  the  first  year  that  he  carried  on 
business  here,  erected  a  hotel  in  1867  and  his 
present  dwelling  (suggesting  by  its  appearance  the 
easy  hospitality  for  which  it  is  widely  known)  in 
1870.  Altogether,  he  has  built  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  factory  seventy-five  houses,  and  he  has  aided 
many  of  his  operatives  to  make  houses  by  advan- 
cing them  money.  He  now  owns  about  fifty 
houses.  His  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  em- 
ployees has  been  manifested  in  various  ways,  and 
he  liberally  aided  local  institutions  for  their  benefit. 
Mr.  Dorflinger  is  not  pronounced  in  politics  or 
dogmatically  assertive  in  religion,  yet  holds  intelli- 
gent and  thoughtfully-constructed  opinions  on  these 
and  other  topics  of  vital  interest.  His  energies 
have  been  largely  absorbed  by  the  building  up  of 
what  is  probably  the  largest  glass-works  of  the 
kind  in  America,  if  not  in  the  world.  There  is  a 
generous  proportion   of  domesticity  in  his  nature, 


i-H 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  he  has  found  relief  from  extensive  and  intricate 
business  cares  in  the  comfort  and  cheer  afforded  by 
his  family,  the  oldest  members  of  which  have  been 
for  several  years  his  aids  as  well  as  companions. 
He  was  married  in  Brooklyn,  April  25,  1852,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Hag-en,  a  native  of  New  York. 
Their  children  are  William  F.,  Louis  J.,  Charles 
H.,  Mary  E.,  Nellie  J.,  Katharine  and  Lottie. 

Churches  and  Schools. — It  is  very  difficult  to 
determine  when  and  by  whom  the  first  religious 
services  were  held,  as  the  gatherings  were  very 
informal,  no  records  were  made,  and  most  of  those 
who  participated  have  passed  to  another  world. 
Among  the  early  workers  in  the  field  were  (pre- 
sumably) Rev.  Joseph  Seely,  the  Methodist  clergy- 
man first  to  set  foot  in  Seely ville,  Elder  Peck,  of 
Mount  Pleasant,  Elder  Curtis,  of  Clinton,  and 
Elder  Chase,  of  Damascus.  The  three  latter  gen- 
tlemen were  frequent  visitors  at  Daniel  and  Walter 
Kimbles',  and  Cornelius  Corryelle's,  and  on  pleasant 
Sunday  afternoons  a  handful  of  hardy  men  and 
women  assembled  to  hear  the  Word  of  God,  and 
listen  to  exhortation  to  a  higher,  holier  life.  Before 
1811,  the  old  plank  school-house  at  Indian  Orchard 
was  built,  and  after  that,  meetings  were  held  once 
in  two  months,  or  oftener.  Mr.  Henry  Bishop,  of 
Berlin,  who  is  now  in  his  ninetieth  year,  says  that 
the  meetings  here  were  the  first  that  he  can  remem- 
ber, except  those  held  in  private  houses.  This  was 
the  first  school-house  in  the  territory  now  included 
in  the  limits  of  Texas  township,  and  Robert 
Beardslee  was  one  of  the  first  teachers  employed 
there.  This  school  was  supported  by  private  sub- 
scription, and  under  the  school  law  passed  in  1809, 
.the  county  commissioners  were  obliged  to  return 
the  names  of  all  the  children  whose  parents  were 
too  poor  to  pay  for  their  schooling,  and  have  them 
taught  in  the  regular  subscription  schools.  The 
bills  were  made  out  by  the  teacher  for  the  stationery 
he  had  supplied,  as  well  as  the  tuition,  and  when 
this  had  been  approved  by  the  trustees,  if  there 
were  any,  otherwise  by  three  citizens,  subscribers 
of  the  school,  and  duly  sworn  to,  an  order  for  the 
amount  was  drawn  by  the  commissioners.  One  of 
the  first  bills  presented  under  this  law  was  that  of 
Robert  Beardslee.  It  is  for  the  schooling  of 
Abraham,  Altram  and  Roger  Haynes,  and  tuition 
and  board  together  bring  the  amount  to  $12.91. 
The   bill   is   approved    by  Ben.    Kimble,  Walter 


Kimble  and  Thcpias  Schoouover.  It  is  an  inter- 
esting fact,  attested  by  this  signature,  that  both 
names  have  undergone  orthographic  change  since 
that  time.  Walter  Kimble  signed  himself  Kimbale, 
and  Mr.  Schoouover  wrote  his  name  as  Schoon- 
hover.  In  1835  or  1836,  the  old  school-house  on 
the  road  to  Bethany  was  built  on  land  that  is  now- 
included  in  the  Seely  orchard,  at  Seelyville. 
Who  first  taught  there  is  not  now  known,  but  a 
number  of  men  who  have  since  become  prominent 
in  the  county,  sat  on  its  pegged  seats  and  wrestled 
with  the  three  R's.  The  school-house  at  Leonards- 
ville  was  built  in  1839,  and  has  since  been  the 
place  at  which  occasional  religious  meetings  are 
held. 

Until  1857,  a  district  school  was  the  only  educa- 
tional facility  afforded  to  the  people  of  Saelyville. 
This  was  first  held  in  the  old  log  school-house  that 
stood  in  Col.  Seely's  orchard,  and,  in  1842,  was 
moved  to  a  frame  building,  now  occupied  by  Mrs. 
Margaret  Bissle  as  a  residence.  The  latter  build- 
ing was  used  until  1858,  when  the  present  graded 
school  was  completed.  Seelyville  was  made  an 
independent  district  the  preceding  year,  •  and 
Prof.  W.  G.  Trim,  now  of  Jermyn,  was  the  first 
teacher.  After  serving  faithfully  for  fourteen 
years,  he  gave  place  to  Miss  E.  J.  Avery,  who  in 
turn  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  W.  T.  Butler,  the 
present  incumbent.  In  1885,  about  one  hundred 
scholars  were  enrolled. 

The  early  records  of  Texas  school  district  have 
not  been  preserved,  and  few  details  of  the  early 
history  of  free  education  are  known.  The  first 
election  return  on  record  is  that  of  1839,  two  years 
after  the  erection  of  the  township,  and  no  school 
directors  appear  in  the  list.  The  following  were 
elected  after  that  time : 

List  of  school  directors  in  Texas  township,  from 
1840  to  1876. 

1840.— William  R.  McLaury,  Benj.  F.  Kimble. 

1841. — Russell  Spencer,  James  Miller  Harvey. 

1842. — Putnam  R.  Williams,  David  Kirby,  John 
P.  Darling  (for  one  year). 

1843.— Richard  L.  Seely,  Daniel  P.  Woodward. 

1844. — Benj.  F.  Kimble,  Phineas  Arnold. 

1845.— Daniel  Eno,  Daniel  Blandin. 

1846.— Michael  O'Neil,  Chapman  N.  Root. 

1847.— Joseph  C.  Rundlett,  David  W.  Hoyt. 

1848.— Daniel  Blanding,  Levi  S.  Demming. 

1849. — Daniel  Schoonover,  Ezra  Genung. 

1850.— Ezekiel  G.  Wood,  Robert  J.  Knapp. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


S25 


1851. — David  Beardslee,  George  Mauer. 

1852.— Hiram  Dibble,  David  Beere. 

1853.— Putnam  R.  Williams,  Ezra  M.  Genung. 

1854.— William  L.  Gainford,  Amory  Prescott. 

1855. — David  Blandin,  Asher  M.  Atkinson. 

1856. — George  Menna,  Samuel  B.  Coston. 

1857. — Amory  Prescott,  Ephraim  Wbite,  Robert  J. 
Knapp  (two  years). 

1858.— Thomas  Grier,  Daniel  Schoonover. 

1859.— Samuel  B.  Coston,  Marcus  B.  Keen. 

I860.— W.  W.  Holbert,  A.  Prescott, 

1861.— Timothy  Fox,  E.  V.  Clark. 

1862.— Edward  Baker,  Robert  Hawkey. 

1863.— Amory  Prescott,  Walter  Beardslee. 

1864.— Gilbert  White,  Henry  Winter,  John  Henni- 
gan  (one  year). 

1865. — John  Hennigan,  William  Dodge. 

1866.— Lewis  M.  Sears,  Walter  Beardslee. 

1867. — James  C.  Birdsall,  Samuel  Saunders. 

1868.— John  Hennigan,  John  Schriner. 

1869.— Lewis  M.  Sears,  J.  E.  Mandeville. 

1870. — John  Hennigan,  John  Gallagher. 

1872. — Jacob  Laus,  Richard  Bryant. 

1873.— Eugene  Dorflinger,  Gilbert  White. 

1874. — John  Hennigan,  Samuel  Saunders. 

1875.— Robert  E.  Bailey,  Albert  B.  Ward. 

1876. — Wyman  Kimble,  Andrew  Coar. 

The  Texas  school  district  has  nine  buildings, 
and  last  year  five  hundred  and  forty  pupils  were 
enrolled.  The  tax  levied  amounted  to  $3,310.80, 
of  which  amount,  one  thousand  dollars  was  for 
building  purposes.  Twelve  teachers  are  employed, 
and  the  township  will  bear  a  fair  comparison  with 
others  in  the  county.  The  present  directors  are 
Philip  Ryan,  president ;  Michael  Heermann,  Treas- 
urer ;  J.  Adam  Kraft,  secretary ;  Samuel  H.  Brown, 
Lawrence  McGuiness  and  Fred.  Horst. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

DAVID  BUNNELL. 

David  Bunnell  (1783-1855),  a  native  of  Middle 
Smithfield,  Monroe  County,  Pa.,  came  from  Wall- 
pack,  N.  J.,  in  1804  and  settled  at  Bethany,  Pa. 
on  the  place  now  owned  by  William  Stephens, 
where  he  erected  the  residence  found  there  in  1886. 
On  March  5,  1805,  he  married  Parthenia  Kellam 
(1786-1875),  of  Palmyra,  Pike  County,  and  re- 
moved to  his  new  home  at  Bethany,  Wayne 
County.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  is 
said  to  have  been  the  first  of  that  trade  to  settle  at 
that  place.  He  cleared  much  of  the  timber  from 
81 


bis  farm,  and  carried  on  blacksinithing  in  the  shop 
which  be  built  in  settling  there,  while  he  resided  at 
Bethany.  There  being  meager  accommodations 
for  strangers  visiting  the  place  at  court-time,  Beth- 
any being  then  the  county  seat,  he  used  to  accom- 
modate boarders  at  his  house  on  these  special  oc- 
casions. For  many  years  lie  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace.  Both  himself  and  wife  were  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Bethany,  and  their  gener- 
ous hospitality,  intelligence  and  support  of  every 
good  work,  arc  remembered  by  those  now  surviv- 
ing, who  were  their  neighbors.  In  1839  he  sold 
his  property  at  Bethany,  and,  with  his  sons  (Henry, 
Pike  and  John  K.),  bought  some  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  mostly  a  wild  tract  of  land,  partly 
in  Dyberry,  and  partly  in  Texas  townships,  upon 
which  he  settled.  For  one  summer  he  resided  on 
the  most  improved  part  of  it,  where  his  son,  Pike, 
afterwards  resided,  in  Dyberry  township,  and  he 
erected  in  1840,  the  present  residence  of  his  son 
John  K.  Bunnell,  at  Bunnell's  Pond,  on  another 
part  of  this  tract  in  Texas  township,  to  which  he 
removed,  and  at  the  outlet  of  this  pond  with  his 
sons,  the  same  year  he  erected  a  saw-mill,  and  be- 
gan lumbering  and  clearing  off  their  land,  and  fit- 
ting the  soil  for  crops.  Fifteen  years  after  this 
David  Bunnell  died.  His  wife  survived  him 
twenty  years,  and  died  at  the  residence  of  her 
daughter,  Eunice  B.,  at  Bethany.  Both  were  in- 
terred at  Honesdale.  Their  children  are  as  follows : 
Rockwell,  born  April  2,  1806,  survives  in  1886 
and  resides  at  Prompton,  Pa.;  Eleanor  (1807- 
1843),  was  the  wife  of  Isaac  Olmstead  and  resided 
at  Bethany;  Eunice  B.,  born  January  6,  1810, 
now  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Brooks  Lavo,  of 
Bethany ;  (1811-1872) ;  Zebulon  Montgomery 
Pike  (1813-1856) ;  Charles  F.  (1815-1868),  re- 
sided in  Oxford,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  ;  John  Kel- 
lam, born  January  14,  1817  ;  Sarah  E.,  born  De- 
cember 11,  1820,  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  Gilbert  Bailey, 
D.D.,  of  California ;  David  S.,  born  November  19, 
1821,  is  a  contractor  in  Philadelphia ;  Harriet 
A.,  born  May  21,  1824,  died  a  young  woman ; 
Abigail  Jane,  born  October  9,  1826,  is  the  widow 
of  William  Stockdale,  who  was  a  merchant  of 
Springfield,  111. 

Henry  Bunnell,  second  son  of  David,  was  born 
at  Bethany,  October  17,  1811,  had  the  usual  op- 
portunities  for  an  English    education,  with  other 


WAYNE,   I'IKK  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.    PENNSYLVANIA. 


boys,  at  his  native  place,  but  was  taught  in  early 
life  that  industry,  economy  ami  a  purpose  in  life, 
are  necessary  elements  of  character  to  succeed  in 
business  ami  to  make  a  good  citizen.  In  1836  he 
married  Amanda  Page,  at  Harford,  Pa.,  ami  for 
some  time  after  his  marriage  resided  at  Montrose, 
Pa.  About  1839  he  joined  his  father  ami  brothers 
in  the  purchase  of  the  large  tract  of  land  herein 
referred  to,  and  from  that  time  until  his  death 
made    his    home    on  a   portion  of  it,  at  Bunnell's 


of  Mr.  Bunnell,  got  a  start  for  his  present  large  for- 
tune. During  Mr.  Bunnell's  life- time  the  families 
were  very  intimate  friends. 

Henry  Bunnell  was  a  man  of  large  business  ca- 
pacity, a  friend  to  the  poor  man,  and  always  ready 
to  lend  them  any  assistance  that  would  better  their 
condition,  and  he  sought  to  fulfil  the  full  duties  of 
the  citizen.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church  at  Ilouesdale,  to  which  he  gave  liberally, 
and  was   active   ill   the   work  of  the  church.     His 


HENRY    BUNNELL. 


Pond.  He  was  more  largely  engaged  in  lumber- 
ing than  farming,  and  in  1860,  after  the  great 
freshet  that  swept  away  the  old  saw-mill,  he  built 
another  upon  the  same  site,  also  a  tannery,  and  he 
also  erected  the  pleasant  residence  now  occupied  by 
his  widow,  adjacent  to  the  saw-mill  grounds. 
Many  years  ago  he  purchased  a  timber  tract  in 
Oregon  township  of  five  hundred  acres,  upon 
which  he  erected  a  saw-mill,  and,  after  carrying  on 
the  lumber  business  there  for  several  years,  he  sold 
the  property  to  William  Penwarden,  giving  him 
ample  time  for  payment.  Mr.  Penwarden  was 
then  a  man  without  wealth,  and,  by[the  timely  aid 


wife  died  in  1853.  Their  children  are  David 
Montgomery,  residing  at  Bunnell's  Pond,  owns  the 
saw-mill,  and,  in  1869,  built  a  grist-mill  near  it  on 
the  site  of  the  tannery,  which  had  been  built  by 
his  father  about  1860,  and  was  burned  in  1869 ; 
Louise  Priscilla,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years ; 
George  F.,  deceased ;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Romain 
Bump,  of  Kansas;  William  H,  deceased  ;  Calvin 
P.,  resides  at  Tanner's  Falls  ;  and  Amanda  (1853- 
1880),  who  was  the  wife  of  John  Bellamy. 

Henry  Bunnell  married  for  his  second  wife,  in 
1855,  Lydia  A.  Schofield,  who  died  in  1859,  leav- 
ing  children, —  Judson    Willard,   a    merchant   of 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


827 


Honesdale,  and  Irving  Washington  Bunnell,  of 
Aldenyille,  Pa.  His  third  wife,  who  survives  him 
in  1886,  and  causes  his  engraving  to  be  placed  in 
this  work,  whom  he  married  in  September  26, 
1861,  is  Mary,  a  daughter  of  Gershom  Bunnell 
(180-1— 186!)),  and  Anna  ('.  Bergstrasser,  born  in 
1808,  and  now  survives,  of  Wallpack,  N.  J.,  to 
which  place  Henry,  father  of  Gershom  Bunnell, 
removed  from  Middle  Smithfield,  Pa.,  with  his 
lamilv  about  1808.      This  Henry  Bunnell  was  a 


John  Kellam  Bunnell,  fifth  son  of  David  and 
I'arthenia  (  Kellam  )  Bunnell,  was  born  in  Bethany, 
Wayne  County,  Pa.,  January  14,  1817,  and  was 
the  youngest  of  the  three  suns  who  joined  their 
father  in  the  purchase  of  the  large  tract  of  land 
in  1839,  herein  described. 

In  common  with  all  the  children  of  this  large 
family,  he  in  early  life  became  inured  to  hard 
work,  and  learned  from  the  best  of  tutors — his 
parents — that  those  who  succeed  in  life  must  lay 


brother  of  David  Bunnell,  who  settled  at  Bethany 
in  1804,  and  their  ancestry  may  lie  further  traced 
in  an  account  written  by  Thomas  G.  Bunnell, 
editor  of  the  New  Jersey  Herald,  at  Newton,  N.  J., 
and  published  iu  the  history  of  Sussex  County,  of 
that  State,  by  Everts  &  Peck.  Mary  Bunnell  was 
born  in  August,  1834,  and,  by  her  marriage  to 
Heury  Bunnell,  has  children, — Edward  Elmer, 
William  Fletcher,  Ida  Belle,  Harry  Horatio  and 
Elorv  Pike  Bunnell. 


the  foundation  for  success  in  their  industry,  correct 
habits,  energy  and  good  judgment.  All  these 
things  John  K.  Bunnell  observed  in  boyhood,  and 
added  to  them  such  an  education  from  books  as 
the  school  of  his  native  place  afforded. 

He  succeeded  to  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
of  land  of  this  purchase  at  Bunnell's  Pond,  upon 
which  is  the  residence  built  by  his  father  and  sons 
in  1*40.  Besides  engaging  in  the  general  clearing 
up  and  improvement  of  this  farm,  and  iu  the  con- 


Sl'S 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


struction  of  suitable  buildings  thereon  for  farm 
purposes,  he  has  for  over  twenty  years  past  given 
his  attention  to  dairying,  selling  the  products  of 
his  dairy,  iu  milk,  in  Honesdale  and  vicinity. 

He  averages  to  keep  on  this  farm  from  twenty- 
five  to  thirty-five  well-bred  dairy  cows,  and  by  ex- 
cellent care  of  his  stock,  and  good  quality  of 
fodder  supplied  them,  he  has  been  able  to  furnish 
his  patrons  the  richest  quality  of  milk.  It  is  safe 
to  class  Mr.  Bunnell  along  with  the  intelligent 
farmers  of  Wayne  County  in  everything  that  per- 
tains to  agriculture  and  dairying.  He  has  served 
his  township  (Texas)  as  supervisor  and  been  other- 
wise officially  identified  with  its  interests,  and  he 
has  for  many  years  served  on  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  Methodist  Church  at  Honesdale,  of  which 
both  himself  and  wife  have  been  members  for  over 
thirty-five  years.  He  married  in  1X41,  Ann  S., 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Joanna  (Spettigue)  Brons- 
combe,  who  is  a  native  of  Devonshire,  near  Corn- 
wall, England,  born  on  New  Year's  Day,  1823. 
John  Bronscombe  (1790-1863)  and  his  wife,  Joanna 
Spettigue  (1788-1858)  came  with  their  family  to 
Berlin  township,  Wayne  County,  from  England  in 
1830,  resided  there  eleven  years,  and  then  settled 
at  Bunnell's  Pond  where  they  died.  He  was  a 
well-educated  man,  was  a  teacher  for  many  years 
before  coming  to  this  country,  and  here,  was  almost 
invariably  selected  as  clerk  at  the  polls  on  election 
day,  and  on  other  occasions  when  accuracy,  neat- 
ness and  dispatch  in  business  were  necessary.  The 
other  children  of  John  Bronscombe  are  Rev.  Henry 
Bronscombe,  an  eminent  clergyman  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  for  forty-four  years  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Seth  G. 
Whiting,  of  Colebrook,  Conn.  The  children  of 
John  K.  and  Ann  S.  Bunnell  are  Carrie  Amelia, 
wife  of  Oliver  W.  Stanton,  of  Tunkhannock,  Pa. ; 
Hattie  E.,  wife  of  Henry  Webb,  a  fanner  at 
Bethany  ;  Frank  C,  a  farmer  in  Texas  township  ; 
Emma  E.,  wife  of  Charles  R.  Brady,  D.  D.  S.,  of 
Honesdale ;  and  John  Kellam  Bunnell  at  home. 
One  son,  George  G.,  born  in  1844,  died  in  1863, 
and  another,  William  B.  Bunnell,  born  in  1X47, 
died  in  1860. 

WILLIAM   L.    FERGUSON. 

William  L.  Ferguson  was  born  in  Barnet  town- 
ship, Caledonia  County,  Vt.,  July  9,  1818.     His 


father,  James  Ferguson,  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland, 
August  16,  1771,  came  to  Barnet  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  years,  with  his  mother,  a  brother  (Alex- 
ander) and  sister.  The  mother  married  again  a 
Mr.  Mclndoe,  and  resided  at  Mclndoes,  on  the 
Connecticut  River,  and  died  at  her  son  Alexander's 
at  Lyman,  New  Hampshire,  at  nearly  one  hundred 
years  of  age.  James  was  a  farmer  in  Barnet,  mar- 
ried Margaret,  daughter  of  Andrew  Lackie  of  the 
same  place,  who  was  born  July  12,  1788,  and  died 
April  14,  1878.  He  reached  the  remarkably  great 
age  of  one  hundred  years  and  nearly  six  months, 
dying  February  4,  1872.  Both  himself  and  wife 
belonged  to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  reared 
their  children  under  Christian  influences.  Their 
children  were  James,  a  farmer  of  Barnet  township 
Vt. ;  William  L. ;  Alexander,  a  millwright,  went 
West ;  and  Jennette,  wife  of  Alexander  Summers, 
of  Barnet. 

William  L.  Ferguson  was  reared  on  the  home- 
farm  and  became  inured  to  hard  work.  His  early 
education  was  confined  to  the  district  school.  At. 
the  age  of  seventeen  he  left  home  to  carve  out  a 
fortune  for  himself,  and,  traveling  some  two  hun- 
dred miles  to  the  north  of  the  White  Mountains, 
through  a  wilderness  country,  with  his  pack  on  his 
back,  reached  Bangor,  Me.,  where  he  was  engaged 
as  a  carpenter  on  the  Bangor  and  Old  Town  Rail- 
road for  one  summer  in  building  bridges  and  cul- 
verts. He  was  also  engaged,  iu  like  manner,  on  the 
Boston  and  Lowell  Railroad  a  few  years  afterwards. 
He  further  prosecuted  his  book  education  at  New- 
bury and  Concord  academies,  and  by  faithful  ef- 
fort was  soon  found  proficient  enough  to  be  a 
teacher,  and  taught  for  several  terms  in  Vermont. 
In  1839  he  left  his  native  State,  came  to  Wayne 
County,  Pa.,  and  for  several  winter  terms  taught 
school  in  various  places  in  the  county.  As  a  bo; 
he  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Laura  L., 
daughter  of  Oliver  T.  and  Martha  (Dutton)  Spald- 
ing, who  was  born  in  Waterford  township,  Vt., 
June  16,  1831.  Their  school-day  acquaintance 
ripened  as  years  went  on,  and  on  December  7, 
1853,  they  were  married  at  Lowell,  Mass.,  and  im- 
mediately settled  in  Dyberry  township,  Wayne 
County.  Here  he  engaged  in  farming  and  lumber- 
ing. He  continued  there  in  the  lumber  business 
for  five  years,  rafting  his  lumber  from  the  head- 
waters   of  Dyberry    Creek    to  Honesdale,   thence 


lie 

:ht 

oy 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


829- 


down  the  Lackawaxen  to  its  confluence  with  the 
Delaware,  and  via  that  water  route  to  Philadel- 
phia, the  great  market  for  the  large  quantities  of 
lumber  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania. 

In  1858  he   removed    to    Cherry  Ridge    town- 
ship,   at   what   is    now    called   Collins'  Mills,  and 


ship.  Mr.  Ferguson  w:is  originally  identified  with 
the  Democratic  party,  hut  allied  himself  with  the 
Republican  party  soon  after  its  organization.  His 
children  are  Harvey  H.,  of  Mount  Pleasant  town- 
ship, and  Elmer  E.  and  Flora,  at  home.  Mrs. 
Ferguson's  father  died  in  Waterford,  where  he  had 


was  there  engaged  in  manufacturing  and  shipping    spent   his    life,  a  farmer,  in    1859,  aged   sixty-two 
lumber  for  twelve  years.     In  1870  he  settled  in  J  years,  and  her  mother  died  four  years  later,  at  the 


Equinunk,  and  continued  for  fifteen  years  more  in 
the  same  business.  He  was  therefore  engaged  in 
the  lumber  trade  in  Wayne  County  for  a  period  of 
thirty-two  years,  and  is  well  known  throughout 
this  section  of  the  State  as  an  active  and  through- 
going  businessman.  In  1885  Mr.  Ferguson  settled 
at  Seelyville  and  retired  from  active  business. 
While  a  resident  of  Buckingham  and  Dyberry 
townships  he  served  several  terms  as  school  director, 
and  he  also  served  as  supervisor  of  the  former  town- 


age  of  sixty-one  years.  Their  children  areSophro- 
nia,  wife  of  Nathaniel  Olcott,  of  Concord,  Vt.  ; 
John  W.,  of  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt. ;  Laura  L. ;  Cur- 
tis R.,  of  Lunenburgh,  Yt. ;  and  Martha  Jane,  wife 
of  Samuel  P.  Kneeland,  a  civil  engineer  in  the 
South,  who  served  in  the  laying  out  and  construc- 
tion of  railroads  during  the  late  Civil  War ;  and 
one  son,  Oliver  T.  Spalding,  Jr.,  who  died  a  young 
man,  in  1863. 


HISTORY  OF  PIKE  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Civil  History — Taxables  in  1814 — Erection  of  the  County 
— Public  Buildings — Effort  to  Remove  Seat  of  Justice  to 
Blooming  Grove — Lists  of  County  Officials. 

A  very  considerable  portion  of  the  history 
of  Pike  County  is  contained  in  the  first  section 
of  this  volume — the  first  seven  chapters,  which 
apply  to  the  territory  herein  treated,  as  a 
whole,  and  in  Chapter  I.  of  that  portion  of  the 
work  devoted  to  the  history  of  \\  ayne  County 
(of  which  Pike  was  an  integral  part  from 
1798  to  1814).  The  county  was  erected  by  an 
act  approved  March  26,  1814,  and  then  in- 
cluded a  portion  of  what  is  now  Monroe,  and 
which  was  set  off  in  1836. 

There  is  some  early  documentary  history 
pertaining  to  Pike  County  which  is  of  interest, 
and  has  not  heretofore  been  given  publicity. 

The  old  township  of  Upper  Smithfield  was 
practically  co-extensive  with  the  county  as  at 
present  constituted,  and,  therefore,  we  present 
the  record  of  the  earliest  action  tending  toward 
the  settling  of  that  township,  which  contains 
the  names  of  the  most  prominent  residents  in 
1750. 

Petition  for  township  in  what  afterward  became  Upper 
Smithfield. 

"To  the  whershipful  (worshipful)  the  Judges  of  the 
Court  of  General  Sessions,  held  at  Newton,  in  the 
County  of  Bucks,  the  4th  day  Dee.,  1750.  The  peti- 
tion of  the  inhabitants  of  Minisink  and  others  humbly 
sheweth,  That,  whereas,  your  petitioners  in  general 
are  the  remotest  livers  from  ihe  Honorable  Court, 
and  on  account  of  the  want  of  a  road,  not  only  the 
inhabitants,  your  petitioners,  are  sufferers,  when  .  .  . 
requires  them  heard  down  to  or  above  Andrew  Ding- 
man's,  to  whose  place  on  Delaware  there  is  already  a 
road  laid  out,  distant  from  the  upper  inhabitants 
about  15  miles  ;  and  whereas,  it  is  evident  that  a  road, 


although  laid  out  according  to  law,  is  little  regarded 
unless  included  under  a  township,  your  petitioners 
humbly  pray  that  there  (their)  case  may  be  taken  into 
consideration;  that  a  road  be  ordered  to  be  laid  out 
from  near  Tunis  Madock'sin1  Delaware,  to  Andrew 
Dingman's  aforesaid,  and  a  township  to  be  bounded 
by  Bushkill  on  the  south,  to  which  creek  there  is  a 
township,  by  Delaware  (river)  on  east,  and  by  land 
belonging  to  the  .  .  .  the  N.  and  W. — and  your  pets. 
(petitioners). 

"  Cornelius  Van  Aken.  Herman  Bosen  Kranz. 

Dan'l  Brodhead.  John  Quick. 

J.  Swartwoudt.  Samuel  Dupue. 

Edwn.  Scull.  Aaron  Dupue. 

Jno.  McMichle.  Cornelius  Dewitt. 

John  Pierce.  Herman  Bosa  Kranze. 

John  Van  Etten.  Derriek  Bush. 

Temau  Middagh.  Andrew  Dingman. 

"As  to  the  twt.  (township),  it  is  ordered  that  the 

pets,  (petitioners)  do  exhibit  a  Plan  of  the  twpt.,  as 

they  propose  it  to  the  next  court  that  the  court  may 

be  better  judge  thereof." 

As  Upper  Smithfield  appears  in  the  list  ot 
townships  in  1752,  it  would  appear  that  it  was 
erected  about  the  same  time  that  Northampton 
county  was. 

The  following  petition  for  the  division  of 
Upper  Smithfield  township,  which  then  in- 
cluded nearly  all  of  Pike  County,  appears  on 
the  Road  Book  of  Northampton  County  in 
1766: 

"  Upon  the  petition  of  divers  Inhabitants  of  the 
township  of  Upper  Smithfield,  setting  forth  that  the 
said  petitioners  labor  under  great  inconveniences  upon 
the  account  of  the  largeness  of  the  said  township, 
which  renders  it  inconvenient  and  expensive  for  the 
Inhabitants  to  assemble  upon  the  necessary  business 
of  the  township  :  Praying  the  Court  to  divide  the  said 
township,  and  for  that  purpose  to  appoint  proper  per- 
sons to  make  such  division,  whereupon  it  is  considered 


Undoubtedly  "  in  ''  should  here  be  read 


\ 


OUTLINE      MAP     OF 

Pike  County, 

P  E  X  N    S  Y"  L  V  A  X  L  A . 


/ 


PIKE  C01  TN,i. 


831 


and  ordered  by  the  court  that  Benjamin  Shoemaker, 
Hanes  Van  Etten,  William  Jeans,  Andrew  Dingman, 
Emanuel  Gonzales  and  Abraham  Westbrook,  or  any 
four  of  them,  do  view,  and  if  they  see  occasion,  to 
divide  said  township  according  to  the  prayer  of  the 
said  petition." 

These  viewers  probably  favored  the  division, 
as  Delaware  appears  among  the  townships  there- 
after. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  taxables  in 
Upper  Smithfield  and  Delaware  townships 
(which  then  included  nearly  all  of  that  part  of 
Pike  County  which  was  then  inhabited)  for 
1781: 

UPPER  SMITHFIELD. 

Josephus  Cole.  John  Quick. 

Leonard  Cole.  James  Kosencrance. 

Cornelius  Dewitt.  Joseph  Reeder. 

Jacob  Dewitt.  John  Steward. 
Cornelius  Dewitt,  Jr.         Joseph  Shobes. 

Reiner  Dewitt.  John  Van  Auken. 

Abraham  Dutcher.  Levi  Van  Auken. 

Morgan  Dushay.  James  Van  Auken. 

Henry  Decker.  John  Van  Sickle. 

James  Decker.  Simon  Westfall. 

Casper  Edwards.  James  Wells. 

Elias  Middagh.  James  Wells,  Jr. 

C.  H.  Middagh.  William  Wells. 

Elisha  Middagh.  Israel  Wells. 

William  McCarty.  Jchn  Rvans. 
James  Quick,  Jr. 

Single  Freemen. 
Herman  Rosencrance.         Philip  McCarty. 

Lewis  Conklin.  John  Van  Auken. 
James  Reeder. 

DELAWARE. 


John  Brink. 
Benjamin  Brink. 
Daniel  Courtright.1 
Benjamin  Courtright. 
William  Castor. 
Henry  Courtright. 
Henry  Courtright,  Jr. 
Samuel  Decker. 
Andrew  Dingman. 
Abraham  Derwin. 
Elias  Decker. 
Cornelius  Decker. 
Ezekiel  Decker. 
John  Decker. 
Henry  Decker. 
John  Emons. 
Emanuel  Gonsaulis. 
Ludwig  Hover. 
James  Mulling. 
William  Nyce. 


John  Rosencrance. 
Adam  Shick. 
James  Swartwood. 
Bernardus  Swartwood. 
Thomas  Swartwood. 
Helmas  Chambers. 
Ebenezer  Taylor. 
Jeremiah  Vandemark. 
Isaac  Van  Cam  pen. 
David  Van  Auken. 
Elias  Van  Auken. 
Alex.  Van  Gordon. 
Gilbert  Van  Gordon. 
James  Van  Gordon. 
Isaac  Van  Gordon. 
John  Van  Etten. 
John  Scott. 
Widow  Westfall. 
Ezekiel  Schoonover. 


Single  Freemen. 
Emanuel  Van  Etten.  Isaac  Decker, 

r^zekiel  Decker.  Levi  Courtright. 

Abraham  Decker.  Abraham  Van  Gordon. 

I'|>j'it  Smithfield  in  1811 — the  year  that 
Pike  County  was  organized — contained  the  fol- 
lowing t\axable  inhabitants  : 


Spelled  Curtwright. 


Samu  el  Anderson. 
Georg)i  Biddis. 
John  Brink. 
William  Brink. 
Alviu  Brown.1 
George  Bbhannon.2 
Francis  Buirns. 
John  BiddisL 
Arthur  Bohannon. 
Ira  Belknap. 
John  Blockmark 
John  Broadhead.. 
Benjamin  Balie. 
John  Brown. 
William  Camron. 
Enos  Cook. 
David  Cook. 
John  Cross. 
Abraham  Cole. 
Peter  Curtuto. 
Benjamin  Carpenter. 
Gabriel  Cory. 
James  Barton. 
David  Jennings. 
Daniel  Rowley. 
John  ,,".!!:e'-3 
Joseph  Connor. 
William  Donnelly. 
William  Landing. 
Samuel  Vangood. 
Fram  Monroe. 
Theodore  Norton. 
Jobias  Hornbeck.,- 
Garrett  Van  Auken. 
John  Van  Auken. 
Solomon  Van  Auken. 
Joshua  Vanzant. 
Wilh.  Van  Gordon. 
Jacob  Van  Sickle. 
Thomas  Vansickle 
Henry  Van  Campen. 
David  Wheeler. 
Samuel  Whithead. 
Amos  Wood. 
Meckle  Wolf. 
John  Watson. 
Menod  Westbrook. 


Sanford  Clark.* 
Thomas  Gay. 
Justice  Overton. 
William  Patterson. 
John  Paterson. 
John  Poth. 
Jacob  Quick.5 
Cornelius  Quick. 
Henry  Quick. 
Matthew  Ridgway. 
Abraham  Rockwell. 
Lucius  Rockwood. 
Jabez  Rockwood. 
Charles  Rigway. 
Jonathan  Rosencranse 
James  Rosencranse. 
John  Rurson. 
Hugh  Ross. 
Jonathan  Seeley.    - 
William  Stone. 
Henry  Snoak. 
Henry  Smith. 
James  Shelby. 
Jonas  Simons. 
Fames  A.  Smith. 
Abraham  Thorn. 
Robert  L.  Travers. 
William  Watson. 
John  Cox. 
William  Cox. 
Cornelius  Cox. 
Catherine  Conselus. 
Daniel  Dimmick. 
Jacob  Dewitt,  Jr. 
Ann  Dewitt. 
Joshua  Dewitt. 
Joshua  Drake. 
Alexander  Ernest. 
John  Folk. 
Nehemiah  Huntly. 
Joseph  Jackson. 
Joshua  Jackson. 
John  Johnson. 
Matthew  Kerr. 
John  Maforg.6 
Joseph  McCarty. 
Henry  C.  Middaugh. 


'Shoemaker. 

2  Inn-keeper. 

3  Gunsmith. 


4  Attorney. 

5  Justice  of  pence. 

6  Merchant. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  \t]      10E  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


George  Westfall.  Corn.  Middaugjjl    Sr. 

Silas  Wells.  Williamas  Middif.ugh. 

Abraham  Wells.  Samuel  MateerV 

Abraham  Westfall.  James  McKeecj. 

Simeon  Westfall.  Henry  Mestau/gh. 

David  Westfall.  Edward  MottJ  Jr. 

Ephliet  Wood.  James  McCarthy. 

Joshua  Wering.  Corn.  Middfldigh,  Jr. 

Jacob  Westbrook.  Phillip  M;v  kly. 

John  Bogart.  James  MeCWty. 

Creser  Bull.  Wm.  MeCkrty,  Sr. 

■George  Hector,  Sr.  Wm.  M<^  Carty,  Jr. 

George  Hector,  Jr  John  MiKeen. 

Anthony  Hector.  Jesse  M/cKean. 

Joseph  Lord.  Joseph  Middaugh. 

David  Mead.  Thomias  Newman. 
Ira  Newman. 

Erection*  of  the  Cotjmty. — The  causes 
which  led  to  the  erection  of;  Pike  County  have 
already  been  set  forth  (in  Chapter  I.  of  Wayne 
County),  and  we  therefore  present  here  without 
comment,  that  it  would  otherwise  need,  the  act 
of  the  Legislature,  which  brought  the  county 
into  existence,  approved  March  26,  1814. 
"An  Act  erecting  part  of  Wayne  County  into  a  Separate 

I  'llll  III  I/. 

-  "  Sec.  I.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, in  general  Assembly  met,  and  it  is  hereby  en- 
acted by  the  authorities  of  the  same.  That  all  that 
part  oi°  Wayne  County  lying  South  and  efcst&i  a  di- 
fectfftne  from  the  lower  end  of  Big  Eddy,  on  Delaware 
river,  to  the  mouth  of  Wallenpaupack  Creek  and 
thence  up  the  same  to  the  main  forks  thereof,  thence 
up  the  South  branch  to  where  the  most  Southern 
branch  crosses  the  North  and  South  road,  from  thence 
due  west  to  the  line  of  Luzerne  County,  be  and  the 
same  is  hereby  declared  to  be  erected  into  a  county, 
henceforth  to  be  called  Pike. 

"  Sec.  II.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  author- 
ity aforesaid,  That  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  county 
of  Pike,  from  and  after  the  first  day  of  October  next, 
shall  be  entitled  to  and  at  all  times  thereafter,  shall 
have  all  and  singular,  the  courts,  jurisdictions,  offices, 
rights  and  privileges  to  which  the  inhabitants  of  the 
counties  of  other  States  are  entitled  by  the  constitu- 
tion and  laws  of  this  commonwealth,  excepting  that 
there  shall  be  but  two  Courts  of  Common  Pleas  and 
general  quarter  sessions  held  in  and  for  said  county 
of  Pike  in  each  year. 

"  Sec.  III.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  author- 
ity aforesaid,  That  from  and  after  the  first  Monday  of 
October  next  the  Courts  of  Common  Pleas  and  gen- 
eral quarter  sessions  in  and  for  the  said  county  of 
Pike  shall  be  opened  and  held  at  such  house  as  may 
he   designated  by  the  Commissioners  of  said   county 


to  be  elected  at  the  next  general  election  in  the  town 
of  Milford,  in  the  county  of  Pike,  until  a  Court-House 
shall  be  erected  in  and  for  said  county,  as  hereinafter 
directed,  and  shall  then  be  held  at  said  Court- 
House. 

"  Sec.  IV.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  author- 
ity aforesaid,  That  no  suit  or  prosecution  which  has 
been  heretofore  commenced,  or  which  shall  be  com- 
menced at  the  Courts  of  the  County  of  Wayne  before 
the  first  Monday  of  October  next,  shall  be  delayed, 
discontinued  or  affected  by  this  act,  but  the  same  shall 
be  completed  and  carried  into  execution  by  the  Sher- 
iff and  Coroner  of  Wayne  County,  as  if  this  act  had 
not  been  passed. 

"  Sec.  V.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  author- 
ity aforesaid,  That  all  taxes  or  arrears  of  taxes  laid, 
or  which  have  become  due  within  the  said  county  of 
Pike,  before  the  passing  of  this  act,  and  all  sums  of 
money  due  to  this  commonwealth  for  militia  fines  in 
the  said  county  of  Pike,  shall  be  collected  and  re- 
corded as  if  this  act  had  not  been  passed. 

"  Sec  VI.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  author- 
ity aforesaid,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Com- 
missioners of  the  county  of  Wayne,  on  the  second 
Monday  of  November  next,  to  make  out  a  statement 
exhibiting  the  amount  of  taxes  levied  before  the  pas- 
sage of  this  act,  and  not  paid  in,  and  the  monies  in 
the  treasury,  collected  for  taxes  levied  as  aforesaid, 
and  shall  deduct  from  said  amount  all  debts  due  from 
said  county  at  this  time,  and  after  ascertaining  the 
surplus  funds,  shall  direct  their  treasurer  to  pay  over 
to  the  tresfsw  «?  the  count)  of  x'ike,  when  appoint- 
ed, one-half  thereof,  deducting  therefrom  the  lawful 
expense  of  collecting  the  same:  provided  always,  that 
if  the  said  surplus  shall  not  all  at  that  time  have  been 
received  into  the  treasury,  the  said  treasurer  shall 
make  payment  as  aforfsaid,  only  on  such  part  as  has 
been  received,  and  shall  thereafter  render  to  the  treas- 
urer of  the  county  of  Pike,  within  one  year,  a  regular 
statement  of  all  expenses  for  collecting,  and  pay  over 
the  one-half  thereof,  as  aforesaid. 

"Sec  VII.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  au- 
thority aforesaid,  That  the  sheriff,  coroner  and  other 
officers  of  the  county  of  Wayne,  shall  continue  to  ex- 
ercise the  duties  of  their  respective  offices  within  the 
county  of  Pike,  until  similar  officers  shall  be  ap- 
pointed agreeably  to  law,  within  said  county. 

"  Sec  IX.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  etc.,  That 
John  K.  Woodward  be,  and  he  is  hereby  authorized 
and  required,  to  run  and  mark  the  division  line  be- 
tween the  counties  of  Wayne  and  Pike,  and  shall,  on 
the  second  Monday  in  September  next,  commence  the 
said  line  at  the  lower  end  of  Big  Eddy,  on  Delaware 
river,  and  run  thence  according  to  the  true  intent 
and  meaning  of  this  act,  or  in  case  of  the  death,  re- 
moval or  inability  of  the  said  John  K.  Woodward, 
then  and  in  such  case  the  vacancy  so  caused  shall  be 
supplied  by  the  Commissioners  of  the  county  of  Wayne 
and  Pike,  for  which  service  he  shall  be  paid  at  the 


pike  cor 


rate  of  three  dollars  per  diem,  with  the  necessary  ex- 
penses, out  of  the  treasury  of  the  county  of  Wayne. 

"Sec.  X.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  etc.,  That 
when  the  division  line  shall  divide  a  township,  the 
part  of  the  township  thus  divided  which  shall  remain 
in  Wayne  county  shall  he  a  township,  and  the  part 
of  the  township  thus  divided  which  shall  be  in  the 
county  of  Pike  shall  be  a  township,  and  each  part 
shall  retain  its  original  name  until  the  same  shall  be 
altered  by  the  courts  of  general  quarter  sessions  of 
the  said  counties  respectively. 

"Sec.  XI.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  etc.,  That 
the  several  election  districts  which  shall  be  in  the 
county  of  Pike,  which  were  erected  before  the  passage 
of  this  act,  be  and  the  same  are  hereby  erected  into 
election  districts  for  the  county  of  Pike,  and  that  the 
townships  of  Salem,  Palmyra  and  Lackawaxcn  be 
and  they  are  hereby  erected  into  a  separate  election 
district,  and  the  electors  thereof  shall  hold  their  elec- 
tions at  the  house  of  Ephraim  Kimble,  in  Palmyra 
township. 

"  Sec.  XII.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  etc.,  That  the 
inhabitants  of  the  county  of  Wayne,  and  of  the  coun- 
ty of  Pike,  shall  elect  members  of  Congress  and  mem- 
bers of  the  legislature  of  this  commonwealth,  and  shall 
hold  their  elections  in  the  same  mode,  under  the  same- 
legislations,  and  make  return  in  the  same  manner  as 
is  directed  by  the  laws  of  this  commonwealth,  for  con- 
ducting and  making  returns  of  the  elections  of  the 
county  of  Wayne  ;  pmriili-il  a/irai/s,  that  the  returns 
from  the  several  election  districts  in  the  county  of 
Wayne  shall,  instead  of  being  transmitted  directly  to 
Easton,  as  heretofore,  be,  on  the  Saturday  next  after 
such  election,  forwarded  to  the  Seat  of  Justice  of  the 
County  of  Pike,  there  to  be  received  by  a  person  ap- 
pointed in  the  same  manner  and  for  the  same  purposes 
as  is  at  the  time  of  passing  this  act  provided  by  law 
for  transmitting  election  returns  for  the  county  of 
Wayne  to  the  Court-House  in  the  borough  of 
Easton. 

"Sec.  XIII.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  etc.,  That 
the  governor  be  and  he  is  hereby  authorized  and  re- 
quired, after  the  first  day  of  June  next  ensuing,  to 
appoint  three  discreet  and  disinterested  persons,  not 
resident  in  the  counties  of  Northampton,  Wayne  or 
Lehigh,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  fix  upon  a  proper 
and  convenient  site  for  a  Court-House,  prison  and 
county  offices,  within  the  aforesaid  county  of  Pike,  as 
near  the  centre  thereof  as  circumstances  will  admit, 
having  regard  to  convenience  of  roads,  territory,  pop- 
ulation and  the  accommodation  of  the  people  of  the 
said  county  generally,  and  said  persons,  or  a  majority 
of  them,  having  viewed  the  'relative  advantages  of 
the  several  situations  contemplated  by  the  people, 
shall,  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  August  next,  by  a 
written  reportunder  their  hands,  or  a  majority  of  them, 
certify,  describe  and  limit  the  site  orlotof  land  which 
they  shall  have  chosen  for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  and 
shall  transmit  the  said  report  to  the  governor  of  this 
82 


con 

poii 

their 

Waynt 

sioners 

on  them 

niation,  ^ 

town  oi'iM 
of  June  1 

surety  of  1 

of  the  count,) 

hundred  dolli* 
aid  of  funds  ft, 
county,  then  th 
shall  be  the  site 
case    the    coram, 
pointed. 
"Sec.  XIV.  And 

the  commissioners   o 
be  elected  at  the  next 
thirty  days  from  and   a 
make  the  necessary  arra 
erection    of  a    court-house, 
courts  until  the  said  court-h 
erected,  the   commissioners 
ately  provide  for  that  purpi       k  6 
nient  house  in   the   said  fcoi       01 
immediately  proceed   to  ere  t  a  go 
jail    in   the   said    town   of   Milford,  : 
suitable  officers  for  the  safe  keeping 

"Sec.  XV.  And  be  it  further  enact, 
order  that  the   county  of  Wayne  shai 
may  be,  bs  ar  one-half  of  the  expense  <>i 
lie  buildings  in  the  county  of  Pike  equal  to  >m<>,  „i 
Bethany,  the  commissioners  of  the  county  of  Wayne 
shall  direct  their  treasurer  to  pay  over  to  the  treas- 
urer of  the  county  of  Pike,  in  four  equal  quarterly 
payments,  the  sum  of  one  thousand   seven  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars. 

"Sec.  XVI.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  etc.,  That 
the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  shall  have  like  pow- 
ers, jurisdictions  and  authorities  within  the  said 
county  of  Pike  as  by  law  they  are  vested  with  and 
entitled  to  have  and  exercise  in  other  counties  of 
this  State,  and  the  said  county  is  hereby  annexed  to 
the  eastern  district  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

"Sec.  XVII.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  etc,  That 
the  county  of  Pike,  after  the  1st  of  October  next,  shall 
be  and  is  hereby  attached  to  and  made  a  part  of  the 
eleventh  judicial  district,  and  after  the  present  year 
the  courts  of  Quarter  Sessions  and  Common  Pleas  in 
said  district  shall  be  held  as  follows,  to  wit. :  .  .  , 
in  the  county  of  Pike  on  the  third  Mondays  of  Jan- 
uary, April,  August  and  November.1 

"  Sec.   XVIII.    And   be  it   further   enacted,   etc., 


1  The   other  counties  of  the  old  eleventh  district  were 
Luzerne,  Wayne,  Susquehanna,  Bradford  and  Tioga. 


10E  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


sals 

e  of 
yhich 

st   day 

in     as 

as     and 

,   and  all 

A  county 

.id  county, 

ober  next. 

,  etc.,  That 

r  the  sheriff, 

Pike  to  hold 

n  in    the  cotn- 

lcli  jail  were  at 

.nty  of  Pike,  all 

and  kept  in  (lose 

..  prison-keeper  of 

and   the    sheriff  of 

t  of  the  county  stock 

mile  as  a  full  compen- 

,iay  deliver  to  the  jail  of 

this  act  on  orders  drawn 

ke  County  on  the  treasurer 

i  further  enacted,  etc.,  That 
oi        iscounty  of  Wayne  shall  re- 
i  as  i      vnaid,  and  shall  provide  for 
to   law    iv'iid  shall  be  entitled  to   the 
them,     .     .     which  allowance  shall 
I   paid  by  the  commissioners  of  the 
md  out  of  the  county  stock. 
.    provided   that    the   nineteenth    and 
-ions  of  the  act  should  be  limited   in 
,    ....ion  to  three  years,  or  until  the  commis- 
sioners of  Pike  should  certify  to  the  sheriff  that  a  jail 
was  in  readiness  for  the  reception  of  prisoners  and 
approved  of  by  the  court  and  grand  jury. 

"  Sec.  XXII.  enacted  that  it  should  be  the  duty  of 
the  commissioners  of  the  county  of  Wayne  to  deliver 
to  the  commissioners  of  the  county  of  Pike,  when 
elected,  all  maps,  charts,  records  and  papers  which 
may  of  right  belong  to  the  county  of  Pike  or  any 
office  therein." 

The  Counts. — The  first  court  "  in  and  for 
the  county  of  Pike  "  was  held  in  the  house  lat- 
terly occupied  by  Mrs.  Lee,  in  a  room  of  good 
size  up-stairs,  and  the  county  offices  were 
crowded  into  the  same  house.  The  earliest  en- 
try that  can  be  found  upon  the  oldest  book  of 
records  in  existence  is  that  of  a  court  December 
6,  1814,  Associate  Judges  John  Coolbaugh  and 
Daniel  W.  Dingmau  "  being  present."  The 
case  entered  was  that  of  James  Wallace  against 
John  Barnes.  The  action  was  made  return- 
able January  16,  1815.      A  transcript  from  a 


justice's  docket  was  entered,  showing  judgment 
for  the  plaintiff  of  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
eight  dollars. 

At  the  January  Term  (1815)  the  first  suit  en- 
tered upon  the  docket  was  that  of  Samuel  B. 
Stickney  against  William  Halbert.  Edward 
Mott,  destined  to  be  for  many  years  a  practi- 
tioner at  the  courts  of  Pike  (and  of  whom  a  bi- 
ography is  given  elsewhere),  appeared  for  the 
plaintiff,  and  John  Cross  for  the  defendant. 
The  case  was  continued. 

A  number  of  eminent  lawyers  practiced  in 
the  court  in  after-years,  and  sketches  of  them 
will  be  found  in  the  succeeding  chapter. 

The  Pike  County  Court  was,  in  many  respects 
a  peculiar  one.  Judge  Daniel  W.  Dingman 
sat  upon  the  bench  as  associate  judge  for  a  per- 
iod of  twenty-six  years,  dating  from  the  erection 
of  the  county,  and  his  confrere,  Associate  Judge 
John  Coolbaugh,  held  his  exalted  position 
nearly  as  long.  The  latter  was  commonly  ad- 
dressed by  Dingman,  both  in  private  and  offi- 
cial capacity,  by  the  slightly  undignified  nick- 
name of  "  Bub."  Dingman  was  a  very  eccen- 
tric man,  of  large  native  intellect  and  great 
force  of  character,  lint  uneducated.  Pike 
( 'oiintv  will  never  see  his  like  again.  He  be- 
longed to  an  era  that  has  passed  away.  Judge 
Dingman  did  not  hesitate  to  appear  on  the 
bench  in  the  august  courts  of  Pike  in  his  shirt- 
sleeves and  with  bare  feet.  A  volume  might 
be  written  upon  his  peculiarities,  his  humor, 
his  whimsicalities  and  the  exhibition  of  his 
strength  and  shrewdness.  Some  of  his  decisions 
and  rulings  were,  to  say  the  least,  unique  in  the 
annals  of  American  jurisprudence.  His  action 
in  the  celebrated  Smithfield  election  board  pros- 
ecution case,  which  arose  in  1836  from  the  al- 
leged fraudulent  return  of  the  vote  for  the  lo- 
cation of  Monroe  County's  seat  of  justice,  was 
one  of  the  most  peculiar  and  characteristic.1  An 
often-told  story,  illustrative  of  his  judicial 
method,  which,  as  it  is  true,  will  bear  repeti- 
tion, is  that  of  the  sentence  which  he  once  im- 
posed upon  a  vagabond  negro,  who  had  been 
imprisoned  in  the  jail  for  some  time  on  a  charge 
of  petit  larceny.     When  he  was  brought  into 


ill  be  found  in  the  Monroe  County  division  of  this 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


the  presence  of  the  judiciary,  in  the  old  stone 
temple  of  justice,  the  court  and  bar,  after  con- 
sultation, requested  Judge  Dingman  to  dispose 
of  the  prisoner.  The  judge  thereupon,  looking 
severely  at  the  culprit,  said, — 

"  Nigger,  stand  up.  You  are  charged  and 
are  guilty  of  the  crime  of  larceny.  You  are  a 
bad  nigger.  I  know  all  about  niggers.  You 
ought  to  he  hung,  but  the  sentence  of  this  court 
is  that  you  be  banished  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.     Go  get  off  the  face  of 'the  earth." 

"  Why  massa,"  said  the  darkey,  "  how  ken  1 
git  off  de  face  of  dis  yere  earth  ?" 

"You  can  go,"  said  Dingman,  "to  Jersey. 
The  sentence  of  tins  court  is  that  you  have 
fifteen  minutes  to  get  out  of  the  county  of  Pike 
and  into  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  and  if  you 
ever  come  hack  we  will  hang  you." 

Thereupon,  it  is  traditionally  asserted  the 
offender  ran  to  the  bank  of  (he  Delaware  and 
swam  to  the  Jersey  shore. 

Early  Affairs  of  the  Commissioners. — 
The  county  commissioners  first  elected — 
Ilezekiah  Bingham,  Cornelius  Case  and  John 
Lattimore — held  their  initial  meeting  November 
2,  1814,  and  after  producing  and  filing  their 
certificates  and  qualifications  according  to  law, 
elected  John  Cross  their  clerk,  at  a  salary  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  year,  and 
Francis  A.  L.  Smith,  treasurer. 

When  they  came  to  the  consideration  of  the 
probable  expenses  of  the  county  for  the  ensuing 
year,  the  board  resolved  to  levy  a  tax  of  half  a 
cent  upon  the  dollar  on  all  taxable  property  in 
the  county.  They  theii  proceeded  to  the  ap- 
pointment of  assessors  in  those  townships,  in 
which  none  had  been  elected  according  to  law, 
viz.  :  in  Palmyra,  Moses  Killam,  Jr.,  with 
Erastus  Kimble  and  Simeon  Chapman  as  assis- 
tants ;  in  Lackawaxen,  John  Crissman,  with 
Mordecai  Roberts  and  Jeremiah  Barnes,  assist- 
ants ;  in  Upper  Smithfield,  Edward  Mott,  Jr., 
with  Jacob  Quick  and  George  Westfall,  assist- 
ants; in  Delaware,  Solomon  Westbrook  Jr., 
with  Cooper  Jagger  and  Everett  Hornbeek, 
assistants  ;  Middle  Smithfield,  Alexander  Biles, 
with  Daniel  Jaynes  and  Andrew  Eighlenbergh, 
as  assistants. 

At  their  meeting   of   November   23,    1814, 


tin1  commissioners,  with  the  assessors,  under  the 
provisions  of  the  act  passed  by   the    Assembly 
April  11,  1799,  made  the  following  schedule  of 
valuations  for  the  purposes  of  taxation: 
"First  quality  of  improved  land,  per  acre...  $20.00 
Second    quality    of    improved    land,  per 

acre 12.00 

All  other  improved  land,  per  acre 5.00 

Unimproved   land  on  seated  tracts  to  be 
assessed,  per  acre,  at  the  discretion  of 
the  assessors  and  assistants. 
Unseated  lands   in  the  '  barrens  '  to  aver- 
age, per  acre 50 

Unseated  lands  in  the  'beech'  to  average, 

per  acre 1.50 

Houses,  grist-mills,  saw-mills,  distilleries, 
tan-yards,  ferries,  manufactories  of  all 
kinds  to  be  assessed  at  the  discretion 
of  the  respective  assessors  and  assist- 
ants. 
All  negro  and  mulatto  slaves,  per  head....    40.00 

All    middling   horses     to   be    valued    each 

one  at 40.00 

Oxen,  per  head,  middling 25.09 

Cows  of  milking  si/e,  per  head 12.00 

Judges  of  the  court,  each  one 100.00 

Prothonotary,  etc 200.0(1 

Sheriff. 100.00 

Attorneys-at-law 100.00 

Justices  of  the  peace,  each  one 25.00 

Treasurer  of  the  county 100.00 

Physicians  and  surgeons,  each  one  who 

practices 100.00 

Carpenters  and  joiners,  shoemakers,  ma- 
sons and  bricklayers,  tailors,  black- 
smiths, glass-blowers,  coopers,  gun- 
smiths, sawyers,  weavers,  each  one  at..  20.00 
Tavern-keepers  to  be  assessed  at  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  assessors. 
Single  men   above  the  age  of  twenty-one 

years,  each  one 100.00 

Deputy  and  other  surveyors 100.00" 

The  first  improvement  which  there  is  any 
record  of  the  commissioners  making  or  causing 
to  be  made  was  the  building  of  a  bridge  over 
Vandermark  Creek,  the  contract  for  which 
was  let  August  23,  1816,  to  Samuel  Churchill. 
On  October  5, 1817,  the  commissioners — Cor- 
nelius Cox,  Matthew  Winans  and  William  Nyce 
— met  and  proceeded  to  Bethany — the  county- 
seat  of  Wayne,  where  they  remained  until  the 
10th  to  settle  with  the  commissioners  of  that 
county  the  affairs  growing  out  of  the  division 
in  1814.  They  reported  a  balance  due  Pike  by 
Wayne  County  of  $640.61,  "besides  the  equal 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA- 


half  of  moneys  which    may   hereafter  he   col- 
lected on  what  is  termed  doubtful  debts."  ' 

It  appears  that  the  commissioner's  office  was 
for  a  period  during  the  early  days  of  Pike  a 
resort  for  those  who  would  indulge  in  wine  and 
wassail  and  ungodly  glee.  In  1821  an  attempt 
was  made  to  correct  this  abuse,  for  on  January 
4th  of  that  year,  the  same  day  that  Jesse  Olm- 
stead  was  appointed  clerk,  the  commissioners 
deemed  it  necessary  to  pass  the  following  reso- 
lution : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  clerk,  for  the  time  heing, 
shall  prohibit  all  Gambling,  Drinking  (illegible — 
probably  "carousing"),  etc.,  in  the  commissioners' 
office,  but  in  all  respects  to  keep  the  same  in  good 
order." 

A  second  resolution  gives  a  hint  as  to  who 
were  the  persons  in  part  responsible  for  the  sin 
that  had  crept  into  the  office.     It  reads  : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  said  office  shall  not  be  kept  as 
an  attorney's   office,    excepting  on  business  for  the 

county." 

Public  Buildings. — As  the  act  creating 
the  county  provided  that  Milford  could  only  be 
the  county-seat  ou  condition  of  the  payment  of 
at  least  fifteen  hundred  dollars  by  her  people 
towards  the  erection  of  public  buildings,  they 
went  immediately  to  work  and  raised  that  sum. 2 

The  work  of  erecting  the  court-house  was 
begun  in  1814  and  the  stone  building  still 
standing  and  used  as  a  jail  was  completed  in 
1815.  It  was  substantially  constructed  of 
native  boulders  hewn  square  ou  the  outer  side, 
and  the  thoroughness  with  which  its  walls  were 
laid  puts  to  shame  much  more  recent  workman- 
ship. The  contractors  were  Dan.  Dimmick, 
Jacob  Quick  and  Samuel  Anderson.  At  first 
there  was  no  bell  upon  the  court-house,  and 
when  the  judges  and  lawyers  and  persons  in- 
terrested  were  to  be  summoned,  the  sheriff 
mounted  the  cupola  and  blew  most  piercing 
blasts  upon  a  huge  tin  horn.  This  was  super- 
seded by  a  huge  triangle,  upon  which  the  sheriff 
or  a  tipstaff  dealt  resounding  blows  that  were 
not   unmusical,  and  tin's,  in  turn,  gave  way  in 


■See  the  chapter  on  Civil   History  of  Wayne  County. 
2For  a  fuller   account  of  this  matter  and  the  part  boi-i 
by  Wayne,  see  chapter  on  Civil  History  of  that  county. 


1844  or  1845  to  the  bell  which  for  many  years 
announced  at  proper  seasons  that  justice  was 
about  to  be  judicially  administered. 

This  building  served  as  court-house  and  jail 
until  1873,  when  the  present  court-house  was 
constructed,  and  the  county  offices  were  within 
its  walls  until  1851,  when  a  small  brick  build- 
ing was  erected  in  front  of  the  site  occupied  by 
the  present  court-house.  This  was  built  under 
contract  by  George  P.  Heller.  It  served  its 
purpose  until  after  the  completion  of  the  court- 
house and  was  sold  in  1874  to  John  Gaillard, 
who  subsequently  sold  to  H.  B.  Wells.  It  was 
then  removed. 


The  present  handsome  brick  court-house,  con- 
taining all  of  the  county  offices  and  a  com  mo- 
dioli.-; court-room,  was  built  in  the  years  1872-7;!, 
the  first  action  being  taken  at  the  February 
and  September  Sessions  of  court  in  1871. 

The  contract  for  the  foundations  was  let  to 
S.  S.  Van  Auken,  but  afterwards  rescinded  and 
the  work  was  done  by  the  commissioners  and 
sub-contractors. 

The  contract  for  building  was  let  March  2, 
1872,  to  A.  D.  Brown,  for  $20,096.  He  was 
afterwards  allowed  considerable  sums  for  extra 
work.  The  cost  of  this  edifice  as  completed 
has  been,  after  careful  computation  by  compe- 
tent persons,  fixed  at  about  $45,000. 

The   people  of  Milford  raised  about  $1000, 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


s?A 


purchased  two  town  lots  adjoining  the  public 
square  and  donated  them  to  the  county  as  a 
proper  site  for  the  building. 

Effort  to  Remove  County-Seat. — The 
building  of  the  new  court-house  was  violently 
opposed  in  various  ways.  The  project  afforded 
an  opportunity  for  the  friends  of  Blooming 
Grove  to  inaugurate  a  movement  in  favor  of 
making  that  place  the  county-seat,  and  a  bill 
authorizing  an  election  to  be  held  relative  to 
such  a  change  and  the  erection  of  new  county 
buildings  was  introduced  in  the  Assembly  in 
the  session  of  1871-72.  A  petition  urging 
the  passage  of  the  act  was  signed  by  at  least 
seven  hundred  residents  of  the  county,  though 
it  was  alleged  many  of  the  signers  appended 
their  names  under  the  misapprehension  that  the 
purpose  of  the  act  was  simply  to  put  a  stop  to 
the  erection  of  the  new  court-house.  As  a 
matter  of  general  interest,  the  act  is  here  re- 
produced : 

"An  act  authorizing  an  election  to  be  held  in  the 
County  of  Pike  relative  to  a  change  of  the  County- 
seat  of  said  County  and  the  erection  of  new  county 
buildings  : 

"  IP/teww,  Great  dissatisfaction  exists  in  regard  to 
the  present  location  of  the  county-seat  of  Pike  County, 
and 

'•  Whereas,  Two  successive  Grand  Juries  of  said 
county,  at  the  February  and  September  Sessions,  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-one,  reported  in 
favor  of  and  recommended  the  erection  of  a  new 
Court-House,  and 

"  Whereas,  New  county  buildings  must  necessarily 
soon  be  erected  and  it  is  desirable  to  locate  the  same 
in  a  more  central  and  convenient  place;  therefore. — 

"Sec.  1.  Be  it  enacted,  d/c,  That  the  qualified  voters 
of  the  County  of  Pike  shall,  at  their  respective  places 
of  voting,  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  October  in  the 
year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-two, 
vote  for  or  against  the  removal  of  the  county-seat 
from  Milford  to  Blooming  Grove,  in  said  County,  in 
the  following  manner,  to  wit :  All  in  favor  of  removal 
shall  vote  by  a  ballot  on  a  written  or  printed  ticket, 
labelled  on  the  outside  'County-seat,'  and  on  the  in- 
side '  for  removal ; '  and  those  opposed  to  removal 
shall  vote  by  ballot  with  a  similar  label  on  the  out- 
side, and  on  the  inside  'against  removal;'  and  the 
tickets  thus  polled  shall  be  counted  out  and  returned 
in  like  manner  by  the  return  judge  as  those  for  the 
county  officers,  and  be  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Clerk 
of  the  Court  of  Quarter  Sessions  of  the  said  county, 
who  shall  also  certify  the  number  of  votes  polled  as 
aforesaid  in  the  several  districts  of  said  county  to  the 


County  Commissioners,  agreeably  to  the  ninth  section 
of  the  Act  of  June  thirteenth,  Anno  Domini  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty,  relating  to  the 
election  of  Assessors  and  Assistant  Assessors. 

"Sec.  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Sheriff  of  said 
county  to  give  notice  of  said  election  as  is  now  pro- 
vided for  by  law  for  the  election  of  State  and  county 
officers. 

"Sec.  3.  If  the  majority  of  votes  polled  shall  be 
against  removal,  then  it  shall  not  be  lawful  for  the 
Commissioners  named  in  this  Act  to  locate  the  county 
buildings  at  Blooming  Grove,  but  the  county-seat  of 
Pike  County  to  be  and  remain  at  Milford,  where  it 
now  is,  but  in  case  a  majority  of  the  votes  polled  shall 
be  for  removal,  then  the  county-seat  of  said  ei  unity  of 
Pike  shall  be  located  at  Blooming  Grove,  in  said 
county. 

"  Sec.  4.  That  in  case  a  majority  of  the  votes  polled 
as  aforesaid  shall  be  for  removal,  John  Kipp,  Marcus 
N.  B.  Kellam  and  Jacob  Klienhans,  of  said  county,  be 
and  they  are  hereby  appointed  Commissioners  to 
select  at  Blooming  Grove,  in  the  said  county  of  Pike, 
suitable  grounds  on  which  to  erect  the  necessary 
county  buildings  and  cause  a  good  and  valid  deed  or 
deeds  of  conveyance  in  fee  simple  for  the  same,  with- 
out cost  or  expense  to  the  said  county,  to  be  made  and 
delivered  to  the  County  Commissioners  for  the  use  of 
said  county  whereon  to  erect  a  Court-House,  jail  and 
necessary  county  buildings,  said  deed  or  deeds  to  be 
approved  by  the  President  Judge  of  said  county. 

"  Sec.  5.  That  as  soon  as  the  deed  or  deeds  for  said 
site  or  plot  of  ground  as  provided  for  in  section  four 
of  this  Act  shall  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  County 
Commissioners  after  the  question  of  removal  shall 
have  been  decided,  they  shall  proceed  without  un- 
necessary delay  to  erect  all  the  required  county 
buildings  on  said  site  selected  as  provided  for  in  sec- 
tion four  of  this  Act,  said  Court-House  to  be  built  of 
brick,  with  the  necessary  fire-proof  rooms  or  vaults 
for  the  safe  keeping  of  papers  and  records,  and  large 
enough  to  accommodate  the  wants  of  said  county,  and 
that  immediately  after  said  buildings  shall  be  com- 
pleted and  approved  by  a  Grand  Jury  of  said  county 
and  a  majority  of  the  Judges  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  of  said  county,  the  county-seat  of  Pike  County 
be  and  the  same  is  hereby  fixed  and  located  at 
Blooming  Grove,  and  the  public  records  shall  be  re- 
moved by  the  officers  in  charge  thereof  from  Milford 
to  the  new  county  buildings  at  Blooming  Grove. 

"Sec.  (>.  That  the  Commissioners  of  said  county  are 
hereby  authorized  to  borrow  not  exceeding  twenty 
thousand  dollars  for  building  purposes,  and  they  are 
hereby  authorized  to  issue  books  for  the  same  in 
sums  not  less  than  one  hundred  dollars  each  at  a  rate 
of  interest  not  exceeding  seven  per  centum  per  annum, 
said  bonds  to  mature  in  twenty  years. 

"  Sec.  7.  That  in  the  event  the  county-seat  is  re- 
moved to  Blooming  Grove  in  accordance  with  the 


s";s 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


provisions  of  this  Act,  then  the  County  Commis- 
sioners of  the  sakl  county  of  Pike  are  hereby  author- 
ized, immediately  after  the  removal  of  the  county-seat 
to  Blooming  Grove,  to  sell  and  convey  whatever 
right,  title  or  interest  said  county  of  Pike  may  have 
in  and  to  the  grounds  and  county  buildings  now 
located  in  Mil  ford,  at  public  sale  to  the  highest  and 
best  bidder,  after  giving  due  public  notice  of  said 
sale,  and  apply  the  proceeds  thereof  to  the  liquidation 
of  the  bonds  authorized  in  section  six  of  this  Act. 

"Sec.  8.  That  the  County  Commissioners  of  said 
county  are  hereby  restrained  and  prohibited  from  en- 
larging and  improving  the  old  buildings  or  erecting 
new  buildings  at  Milford  unless  a  majority  of  the 
votes  at  the  election  to  be  held  under  this  Act  shall 
be  against  removal. 

"  Sec.  9.  That  if  a  majority  of  the  votes  as  provided 
for  iu  this  act  shall  be  for  removal,  and  the  County 
Commissioners  shall  fail  to  have  the  county  buildings 
to  be  erected  under  the  provisions  of  this  Act  under 
contract  within  sixty  days  after  the  deed  or  deeds  for 
the  grounds  shall  have  been  executed  and  approved 
according  to  the  provisions  of  this  Act  and  delivered 
to  them,  then  the  Commissioners  named  in  section 
four  of  this  Act  to  procure  and  select  a  location  for 
said  county  buildings  are  hereby  authorized  and  re- 
quired to  carry  out  all  provisions  of  this  Act  enjoined 
upon  the  County  Commissioners  as  fully  and  effect- 
ually as  the  County  Commissioners  themselves  could 
have  done." 

Civil  List  of  Pike  Couxty. — Following 
are  the  chief  officials  of  Pike  County,  and  Rep- 
resentatives in  the  State  Assembly,  as  nearly  as 
they  can  be  discovered  : 

STATE  SENATORS. 
1861.  Henry  8.  Mott.  I  1878.  Allen  Craig. 

1872.  Geo.  H.  Rowland.        1882.  John  D.  Biddis. 
1875.  Charlton  Burnett.      |  1885.  Geo.  H.  Rowland. 

REPRESENTATIVES    IN    LEGISLATURE. 


1815.  John  Brodhead. 
1824.  Win.  Overfield. 
1828.  Wm.  Overfield. 
1832.  John  Westbrook. 
1836.  OliverS.  Dimmick. 
1840.  John  H.  Brodhead. 
1842.  George  Bush. 
1846.  Pope  Bushnell. 

1849.  Thos.  E.Grier. 

1850.  John  D.  Morris. 

1852.  Henry  S.  Mott. 

1853.  Abraham  Edinger. 
1856.  Lafay.  Westbrook. 

[Under  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution  of  1874 
Pike  was  constituted  a  district,  and  since  has  been 
represented  by  its  own  citizens.] 


1858.  Chas.  D.  Brodhead. 

1862.  Geo   H.  Rowland. 

1863.  Richard  S.  Staples. 

1864.  Wm.  M.  Nelson. 
1866.  Lafay.  Westbrook. 

1868.  Wm.  M.  Nelson. 

1869.  Wm.  H.  Dimmick. 

1870.  David  A.  Wells. 

1871.  J.  Howard  Beach. 

1872.  J.  Howard  Beach. 

1873.  Wm.  If.  Dimmick. 

1874.  Edwin  B.  Eldred. 


1876. 

Lafay.  Westbrook. 

1882.  George  Geyer. 

1878. 

Carlton  A.  Smith. 

1SS4.  Milton  D  Mott. 

1880. 

Wm.  Westfall. 

PRESIDENT   JUDGES. 

1814. 

David  Scott. 

1853.  Geo.  R.  Barrett. 

1838. 

Wm.  Jessup. 

1870.  Samuel  S.  Dreher. 

1849. 

Nath.  B.  Eldred 

1S75.  Chas.  P.  Waller. 

1853. 

James  M.  Porter. 

1883.  Henry  M.  Seely. 

ASSOCIATE   JUDGES. 

1814. 

D.  W.  Dingman. 

1856.  John  H.  Brodhead. 

John  Coolbaugh. 

John  Heller. 

1836. 

Wm.  Brodhead. 

1861.  Thos.  J.  Ridgway. 

D.  W.  Dingman. 

John  Shouse. 

1840. 

OliverS.  Dimmick. 

1865.  George  P.  Heller. 

Wm.  Brodhead. 

Wm.  Westfall. 

1843. 

John  H.  Brodhead. 

1871.  George  P.  Heller. 

Oliver  S.  Dimmick. 

F.  R.  Olmstead. 

1845. 

Harvey  Roys. 

1876.  George  P.  Heller. 

John  H.  Brodhead. 

Wm.  Cromwell. 

1847. 

Henry  M.  Labar. 

1880.  Edwin  J.  Baker.1 

John  H.  Brodhead. 

Wm.  Cromwell. 

1851. 

Henry  M.  Labar. 

1881.  Everett  Hornbeck. 

Wm.  H.  Nyce. 

Edwin  J.  Baker. 

SHERIFFS. 

1814. 

William  Overfield, 

1853.  James  S.  Smith. 

1817. 

John  Westbrook. 

1856.  Johu  Cornelius. 

1820. 

P.  A.  L.  Smith. 

1859.  F.  R.  Olmstead. 

1823. 

Sol.  Westbrook. 

1862.  John  Cornelius. 

1826 

( 'lias.  B.  Seaman. 

1865.  Chas.  R.  Biddis. 

L829 

James  Watson. 

1868.  John  Cornelius. 

1832 

Jeffrey  Wells. 

1871.  C.  W.  Dimmick. 

1835. 

James  Watson. 

1874.  C.  A.  Smith. 

1838. 

Jno.  M.   Heller. 

1877.  W.  K.  Ridgway. 

1841. 

James  Watson. 

1880.  J.  W.  Van  Gordon. 

1S44 

Lewis  Rockwell. 

1883.  J.  M.  Williamson 

1847 

Jacob  Kimble. 

(present  incumbent). 

1850. 

James  Watson. 

TREAs 

ORERS. 

L815 

F.  A.  L.Smith. 

1851.  Daniel  Decker. 

1X17 

John  Nye. 

1853.  J.  H.  Broadhead. 

1819 

Jacob  Westbrook. 

1855.  Warren  Kimble. 

1821 

Daniel  Jayne. 

1857.  Wm.  Westfall. 

1823 

James  Wallace. 

1859.  Horace  L.  West. 

1825 

Jacob  Hornbeck. 

1861.  William  Peace. 

1827 

D.  M.  Brodhead. 

1863.  Wm.  Westfall. 

1829 

Oliver  S.  Dimmick. 

1865.  Jeffrey  Wells. 

1831 

Jacob  Shoemaker. 

1867.  J.  W.  Van  Gordon. 

1833 

Samuel  Dimmick. 

1869.  Chas.  R.  Biddis. 

1835 

Lewis  Cornelius. 

1871.  James  W.  Quick. 

1837 

Jno.  J.  Linderman. 

1873.  L.Rowland. 

1839 

M.  W.  Dingman. 

1875.  James  W.  Quick.2 

1841 

Otto  Kimble. 

1878.  Chas.  R.  Biddis. 

1843 

Thos.  J.  Ridgway. 

1881.  J.  M.  Van  Aken. 

1 845 

Stephen  Drake. 

1884.  Chas.  R.  Biddis 

1847 

John  Heller. 

(present  incumbent). 

1849 

John  M.  Heller. 

'  Elected    to   fill  the  vacancy  caused    by    the    death    of 
Judge  George  P.  Heller. 

2  Elected  for  three  years,  under  the  new  Constitution. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


PnoTHONOTARIES,  CLERKS  AND  RECORDERS. 

1840-41.  James  Nyce. 

1859-60.  W.  Brodhead. 

1814.  Daniel  Dimmick. 

1836.  Dan.  W.  Dingmau, 

Benj.  Drake. 

A.  Van  Auken. 

1818.  Daniel  Jayne. 

Jr.,  recorder. 

A.  B.  Decker. 

Wm.  Smith. 

1821.  Rich.    Brodhead, 

1839.  Henry  S.Mott. 

1841-42.  Moses  Brink. 

1860-61.  T.J.Dickinson. 

prothonotary. 

1842.  Henry  S.  Mott. 

Benj.  Drake. 

Wm.  Brodhead. 

1821.  John    Brink,  regis- 

1845. J.  C.  Westbrook. 

James  Nyce. 

Wm.  Smith. 

ter  and  recorder. 

1848.  J.  C.  Westbrook. 

1842-43.  D.  Burrell. 

1861-62.  J.  W.  Van  Gor- 

1823.  Samuel  Depuy. 

1851.  James  E.  Eldred. 

Moses  Brink. 

den. 

1826.  Samuel  Depuy. 

1854.  James  E.  Eldred. 

James  Nyce. 

T.  J.  Dickenson. 

1830.  Chas.    B.    Seaman, 

1857.  Oscar  H.  Mott. 

1843-44.  James  Simons. 

W.  Brodhead. 

prothonotary. 

1860,  Oscar  H.  Mott, 

Moses  Brink. 

1862-63.  Wm.  Finger. 

1830.  Samuel   Depuy,  re- 

1863. J.  C.  Westbrook. 

Daniel  Burrell. 

W.  Brodhead. 

corder. 

1866.  J.  C.  Westbrook. 

1844-45.  Benj.  Frazier. 

J.W.Van  Gorden. 

1833.  J.  H.  Brodhead. 

1869.  W.  K.  Ridgway. 

Daniel  Burrell. 

1863-64.  George  Hess. 

1836.  Daniel     E.   Lahar- 

1872.  W.  K.  Ridgway. 

James  Simons. 

J.W.Van  Gorden. 

prothouotary. 

1875.  J.  C.  Westbrook.1 

1845-4(5.   W.  Kimble. 

T.  J.  Dickenson. 

COMMISSIONERS. 

James  Simons. 

1864=65.  S.  D.  Van  Etten- 

1814-15.  11.  Bingham. 

1827-28.  John  Place. 

Benj.  Frazier. 

1  teorge  Hess. 

Cornelius  Cox. 

M.  Dimmick. 

lS4i>— 47.  Jacob  Bensley. 

T.  J.  Dickenson. 

J.  Lattimore. 

F.  A.  L.  Smith. 

Benj.  Frazier. 

1865-66.  W.  Brodhead. 

1815-16.  11.  Bingham. 

1828-29.  J.  Wallace. 

W.  Kimble. 

S.  D.  Van  Etten. 

Cornelius  Cox. 

M.  Dimmick. 

1S47-4.S.  ,S.  Wcstt'all. 

T.  J.  Dickenson. 

Wm.  Nyce. 

J.  dm    Place. 

Jacob  Bensley. 

1866-67.  J.  Hornbeck. 

1816-17.  Cornelius  Cox. 

1829-30.  R.  Bingham. 

W.  Kimble. 

W.  Brodhead. 

M.  Winans. 

J.  Wallace. 

1848-19.  J.  W.  Hunt. 

S.  D.  Van  Etten. 

Wm.  Nyce. 

John  Place. 

S.  Westfall. 

1867-68.  H.  M.Kimble. 

1817-18.  H.  Bingham. 

1830-31.  J.  Swartwood. 

Jacob  Bensley. 

W.  Brodhead. 

Win.  Nyce. 

J.  Wallace. 

1849-50.  P.  McCarty. 

J.  Hornbeck. 

M.  Winans. 

R.  Bingham. 

J.  W.  Hunt. 

1868-69.  W.  Brodhead. 

1818-19.  G.  Bowhaunan. 

1831-32.   Harvey  Roys. 

S.  Westfall. 

J.  Hornbeck. 

M.  Winans. 

J.  Swartwood. 

1850-51.  H.  Lattimore 

H.  N.  Kimble. 

H.  Bingham. 

R.  Bingham. 

P.  McCarty. 

1869-70.  R.  W.  Hoffman. 

1819-20.  John  Turn. 

1832-33.  Jacob  Bunnell. 

J.  W.  Hunt. 

H.  N.  Kimble. 

G.  Bowhannan. 

Harvey  Roys. 

1851-52.  S.  Westfall. 

W.  Brodhead. 

H.  Bingham. 

J.  Swartwood. 

H.  Lattimore. 

1870-71.  A.  Griswold. 

1820-21.  M.Roberts. 

1833-34.  Benj.  Hanna. 

P.  McCarty. 

R.  W.  Hoffman. 

G.  Bowhaunan. 

Harvey  Roys. 

1852-53.  J.  Hornbeck,  Jr. 

W.  Brodhead. 

H.  Bingham. 
1821-22.  R.  Smith. 

G.  Bowhaunan. 

Jacob  Bunnell. 
1834-35.  R.  Brodhead. 
Benj.  Hanna. 

H .  Lattimore. 
S.  Westfall. 

1871-72.  L.  J.  Van  Gor- 
den. 

M.  Roberts 

Jacob  Bunnell. 

1853-54.  Ira  Crissman. 

R.  W.  Hoffman. 

1822-23.  S.  S.  Thrall. 

1835-36.  Benj.  Holbert. 

J.  Hornbeck,  Jr. 

A.  Griswold. 

M.Roberts. 

R.  Brodhead. 

S.  Westfall. 

1872-73.  Ira      B.    Rose- 

R.  Smith. 

Benj.  Hanna. 

1854-55.  D.  H.Carlton. 

crance. 

1823-24.  M.  Gunsales. 

1836-37.  J.  T.  Quick. 

J.  Hornbeck,  Jr. 

L.  J.  Van  Gorden. 

R.  Smith. 

R.  Brodhead. 

Ira  Crissman. 

A.  Griswold. 

S.  S.  Thrall. 

Benj.  Holbert. 

1853-56.  W.  T.  Wilson. 

1873-74.  S.  W.  Drake. 

1824-25.  E.  Kimble. 

1837-38.  M.  Bingham. 

Ira  Crissman. 

S.  J.  Van  Gorden. 

M.  Gunsales. 

J.  T.  Quick. 

D.  H.  Carlton. 

LB.  Rosencrance. 

Samuel  S.  Thrall. 

Benj.  Holbert. 

1856-57.  S.  Dimmick. 

1875.    George  Geyer. 

1825-26.  S.S.  Thrall. 

1838-39.  A.  B.  Decker. 

Ini  Crissman. 

S.  D.  Drake. 

Erastus  Kimble. 

J.  T.  Quick. 

Wm.  T.Wilson. 

I.  B.  Rosencrance- 

F.  A.  L.  Smith. 

M.  Bingham. 
1839-10.  Benj.  Drake. 

1826-27.  M.  Dimmick. 

1857-58.  A.  Van  Auken. 

1876.     George  Geyer. 

F.  A.  L.  Smith. 

A.  B.  Decker. 

S.  Dimmick. 

E.  B.  Quick. 

Erastus  Smith. 

M.  Bingham. 

Wm.  T.  Wilson. 

Oliver  Cressman. 

1858-59.  Wm.  Smith. 

1879.     Henry  De  Witt. 
George  Geyer. 

'  Twice  since  re-elected,  an 

d  the  present   incumbent   of 

S.  Dimmick. 

the  office. 

A.  Van  Auken. 

Oliver  Cressman. 

WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


1882.     J.  H.  Newman.       I  1885.     James  Gale. 

J.  M.  Bensley.  Henry  De  Witt. 

Henry  De  Witt.    I  J.  M.  Bensley. 

COMMISSIONERS'  CLEKKS. 


1811. 

JohnT.  Cross. 

1853.  Horace  L.  West. 

1820. 

Richard  Eldred. 

1860.  M.  D.  Newman. 

1821. 

Jesse  Olmsted. 

1861.  B.  Halsey  Cox. 

1823. 

John  B.  Rockwell. 

1862.  David  A.  Wells. 

1828. 

Samuel  Dimmick. 

1863.  H.  L.  West. 

L829. 

Edward  Mott. 

1872.  Charles  R.  Biddis. 

1832. 

John  Brink. 

1875.  H.  L.  West. 

1834. 

William  Brodhead. 

L876.  Charles  R.  Biddis. 

1837. 

Horace  L.  West. 

1ST!).  George  Slauson. 

1852. 

Edgar  Pinchot. 

1882.  George  Dauman. 

DISTRICT    ATTORNEYS. 

1841. 

Wm.  H.  Dimmick. 

1861.  Oliver  S.  Dimmick 

1850. 

Edwin  B.  Eldred. 

1865.  Lucian  F.  Barnes. 

1852. 

William  Smith. 

1867-76.  John  D.  Biddis 

1855. 

D.  M.  Van  Aukcn. 

1879.  John  W.  Nyce. 

1858. 

John  II.  Vincent. 
COK< 

1881-83.  C.  A.  Newman 
ESTERS. 

1845. 

George  Biddis. 

1865.  Gregorie  Loreaux. 

1847. 

David  W.  Hagerty. 

1867.  Chas.  C.  Campbell 

1850. 

Gregorie  Loreaux. 

1870.  L.  M.  VanGorden 

1852. 

Solomon  Dunning. 

1871.  George  Geyor. 

1855. 

Wm.  Cornelius. 

1874.  11.  C.  Knealing. 

1858. 

J.  M.  Williamson. 

1877.  Ralph  It.  Thrall. 

1859. 

Jacob  C.  Westlall. 

1880.  James  Hutchinson 

1862 

James  W.  Decker. 

1883.  Wm.  M.  Watson. 

CHAPTEE    II. 

THE       BENCH       AND        BAR.  BIOGRAPHICAL 

SKETCHES. 

The  legal  profession  has  had  comparatively 
few  votaries  resilient  in  the  county,  a  large 
portion  of  the  court  business  having  been  at- 
tended to  by  attorneys  from  Easton,  Strouds- 
burg,  Honesdale  and  other  places  in  the  region. 
Nevertheless,  Milford  has  been  (and  is  now)  the 
home  of  some  lawyers  of  prominence  and 
ability. 

Most  active  and  well-known  among  the  early 
attorneys  was  Edward  Mott,  progenitor  of  all 
of  that  name  now  in  Milford. 

Edward  Mott  was  born  in  the  parish  of 
St.  James,  Westminster,  London,  on  October 
31,  1780,  and  came  to  this  country  in  171)8, 
with  his  father,  Edward  Mott,  his  mother,  Sarah 


(Beckett)  Mott,  and  brother,  William  B.  Mott. 
His  father-in-law,  Jarvis  Beckett,  at  that  time 
about  seventy-five  years  of  age,  was  also  of  the 
party.  This  old  gentleman,  born  July  19, 
1723,  had  enlisted  in  1744  in  the  "Second 
Troop  of  Life  Guards,"  then  commanded  by 
Lord  Amherst,  and  had  remained  in  the  service 
forty-four  years,  having  been  discharged  on  a 
pension  in  1788,  as  being  "unfit  for  duty  and 
entirely  worn  out,"  as  his  discharge,  now  in  the 
hands  of  his  descendants,  will  attest.  He  died 
December  23,  I80(j,  and  was  buried  at  Easton, 
Pa. 

Ed  ward  Mott,  the  elder,  born  May  3,  1752, 
was  indentured,  January  24,  1763,  as  an  ap- 
prentice in  the  grocer  and  chandlery  trade  to 
one  Wm.  Horons,  of  Coventry,  England,  to 
which  place  his  widowed  mother,  Jane  (Stiles) 
Mott,  had  removed  from  London  a  short  time 
before.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  also 
enlisted  in  the  "Second  Troop  of  Life  Guards," 
and  served  as  a  "  private  gentleman  "  for  seven 
years  and  five  months.  He  married  Sarah 
Beckett,  October  20,  1776',  and  had  issue  but 
two  children, — Edward,  the  subject  of  our 
sketch,  and  William  B.,  who  settled  in  Phila- 
delphia and  left  almost  as  numerous  a  progeny 
as  his  brother.  He  came  to  this  country  pos- 
sessed of  means,  and  with  the  intention  of  form- 
ing an  agency  for  the  sale  of  English  hardware 
and  cutlery.  Remaining  in  New  York  until 
1803,  he  moved  to  Philadelphia,  and  after  a 
short  stay  settled  in  Easton,  Pa.,  purchasing  a 
house  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Second  and 
Northampton  Streets.  His  ancestors  can  be 
traced  in  a  direct  line  from  1622,  from  entries 
in  an  old  family  Bible  which  he  brought  from 
England  and  which  still  remains  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation  in  the  possession  of  Mrs. 
Henry  K.  Eox,  of  Philadelphia,  one  of  his  de- 
scendants. 

Edward  Mott  studied  law  in  Easton,  Pa.,  and 
in  1805  married  Faithful  Slaymaker,  of  Easton, 
Pa.,  and  moved  to  Milford.  She  died  shortly 
after  their  child,  Jarvis  Beckett  Mott,  was  born, 
March  26,  1806. 

About  1810  he  married,  second,  Elizabeth 
Spering,  daughter  of  Henry  Spering,  who,  from 
the  rank  of  fifer   in   the   Revolutionary  army, 


PIKE  COUNTY'. 


841 


rose  tn  the  rank  of  general  in  the  War  of  1812, 
besides  holding  the  offices  of  sheriff  and  pro- 
thonotary  of  Northampton  Couuty. 

By  his  second  marriage  he  lia<l  issue — Sarah 
Markrina  Mott,  who  died  young;  Henry 
Spering  Mott,  born  November  11,  1811,  at 
Easton,  Pa.,  who  eventually  became  one  of  the 
most  prominent  Democratic  politicians  in  the 
northeastern  section  of  Pennsylvania  ;'  Edward 
Mott,  horn  1814;  William'  Pitt  Mott,  died 
young,  horn  June  28,  1818;  Charles  Fox  Mott, 
horn  June  28,  L818;  Oscar  Harold  Mott,  horn 
October  8,  1821. 

Edward  Mott  died  January  Pi,  1834,  at  Mil- 
ford,  Pa.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  survived  him 
until  November  2r>,  1857. 

Jarvis  Beckett'Mott  married  Isabella  Jane 
Henderson,  May  31,  1831,  and  had  issue, — 
Eliza  11.  Mott,  Fidelia  11.  Mott,  .Barton  H. 
Mott  (married  Sallie  Shepherd),  Amos  Mott, 
Henry  Mott,  Harriet  A.  Mott,  Estelle  S.  Mott, 
Oscar  Mott,  Charles  S.  Mott.  He  died  Janu- 
ary 26,  1863,  at  Jersey  City,  N.  J. 

Henry  Spering  Mott,  married,  first,  Hannah 
R.  Bull,  daughter  of  Crissy  and  Catharine 
Bull,  of  Orange  County,  N.  Y.  and  had  issue, 
— Sarah  Jane  Mott  (died  young),  Jarvis  Crissy 
Mott,  John  Clarence  Mott  (married  Lizzie 
Efcidgway),  Mary  Eliza  Mott  (married  Jacob 
Kleinhaus).  His  wife,  Hannah  R.  Mott,  died 
April  23,  1842,  and  he  married  as  his  second 
wife,  in  1842,  Delinda  Peters,  of  Bushkill, 
Pike  County,  Pa.,  and  had  issue, — Andrew 
Jackson  Mott  (died  young),  Charles  Peters 
Mott  (married  Marie  J.  Schimnel),  Henry  L. 
Mott  (who  died  young),  Samuel  Dimmick 
Mott.  Henry  S.  Mott  died  June  7,  1877,  at 
Milford,  Pa.  ' 

Edward  Mott  married  Letitia  Ink,  daugh- 
ter of  George  and  Elizabeth  Ink,  of  North- 
ampton Couuty,  Pa.,  and  had  issue, — Elizabeth 
Mott  (married  Levi  Smith),  Susan  Mott 
(married  Alonzo  G.  Drum),  Sarah  Mott  (died 
young),  Mary  Mott  (married  Thomas  McIIugh), 
Edward  Mott  (died  young).  He  died  April  3, 
1877,  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa. 

Oscar     Harold    Mott,     married     Theodosia 

'See  Milford  history. 


('lark,  daughter  of  John  and  Ann  Clark,  and 
granddaughter  of  James  Barton,  of  Milford, 
and  had  issue, — Ann  Barton  Mott  (married 
Daniel  A.  Wells),  Sarah  A.  Mott,  Milton 
Dimmick  Mott,  Edward  Charles  Mott,  Henry 
Spering  Mott,  Elizabeth  Spering  Mott,  O.  II. 
Mott  was  a  captain  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifty-first  Pennsylvania  Regiment  during  the 
Civil  War,  and  died  January  4,1864,  from 
disease  contracted  during  his  service  in  the 
field. 

Charles  Fox  Mott  married,  first,  Eliza 
Smith,  daughter  of  Ludwig  Smith  and  Mary 
Meehalls,  of  Bushkill,  and  had  issue, — Amzi  S. 
Mott  (married  Callie  Landis),  Agnes  M.  Mott 
(married  M.  S.  Smith),  Edward  Harold  Mott 
(married  Mattie  X.  Valentine),  Alice  C.  Mott 
(died  young),  Hannah  E.  Mott  (married  John 
M.  Baldwin),  William  L.  Mott,  Bessie  Mott 
(died  young),  Jessie  Mott  (died  young).  His 
wife,  Eliza,  died  January  11,  1857.  He 
married,  second,  1859,  Deborah  A.  Hall,  of 
Philadelphia,  and  died  September  20,  L 862,  at 
Philadelphia. 

Hit(;h  Ross  was  one  of  the  first  members  of 
the  Pike  County  bar  and  was  a  Methodist 
preacher.  If  his  legal  ability  had  been  equal 
to  his  eccentricity,  he  would  have  been  a  very 
able  man. 

John  Thompson  Cross  was  an  early  mem- 
ber of  the  bar.  He  was  also  a  land  speculator. 
His  wife  was  Julia  Ann  Smith,  daughter  of  old 
Francis  J.  Smith  or  De  Aerts.  His  son,  John 
Thomson  Cross,  was  married  to  Helen  M.  Wal- 
lace, and  his  daughter  was  the  second  wife  of 
C.  C.  D.  Piuchot. 

Richard  Eldred  came  to  Milford  about 
1818,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1820. 
He  married  Harriet  Baldwin,  who  is  still  liv- 
ing, aged  ninety.  He  built  a  large  farm-house 
near  the  Vandemark  bridge  in  1828,  which 
was  the  finest  house  iu  Milford  at  that  time. 
He  continued  to  practice  law  in  Milford  until 
1863,  when  he  removed  to  Warren  County,  Pa., 
where  he  died  in  1865.  During  his  practice,  if 
any  poor  person  that  could  not  pay  had  a  case, 
they  brought  it  to  him.  He  was  also  a  major 
in  the  militia.  Their  children  were  E.  B. 
Eldred,    a     lumberman     in    Warren     ( 'ounty  ; 


842 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AN1>  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Edwin  Eldred,  who  was  admitted  to  the  !>ar  in 
Milford,  and  practiced  law  in  the  western  part 
of  the  State  ;  Everett  Eldred,  who  died  in  the 
army  ;  Captain  John  Eldred,  who  organized 
the  Buektail  Rangers  in  Cameron  County 
(lie  was  the  first  man  that  put  a  buck-tail  in 
his  hat;  the  Buektail  Rangers  gained  con- 
siderable celebrity  during  the  War  of  the  Re- 
bellion ;  he  is  now  a  lumberman  in  Wisconsin) ; 
Henry  Eldred  isinthe  Treasury  Department  at 
Washington;  Miranda  was  the  wife  of  Dr. 
John  Schunmel. 

Dan  Dimmick,  one  of  the  first  attorneys  at 
the  Pike  County  liar,  was  a  son  of  Deacon 
Oliver  Dimock1  and  Sarah  (Gurley)  Dimoek, 
of  Mansfield,  Conn.,  and  was  horn  March  1, 
1775.  He  came  to  Pennsylvania  in  1800,  and 
studied  law  at  Milford,  where  he  practiced  the 
profession,  after  his  admission  as  an  attorney,  un- 
til bis  death,  in  February,  J  825.  He  was  a  man  of 
unusual  strength  of  character  and  large  ability. 
During  the  whole  course  of  his  professional 
life  he  maintained  a  high  position  among  the 
lawyers  of  his  day.  Men  like  Mallery  and 
Woodward,  and  others  of  their  calibre,  admit- 
ted his  power  and  ability.  Judge  Mallery  said 
of  him,  that  he  never  knew  a  man  so  well  cal- 
culated to  impress  a  jury,  and  Judge  Wood- 
ward spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  his  success 
as  an  advocate.  He  was  a  leading  politician, 
and  represented  his  district  many  years  in  the 
Legislature  of  the  State.  He  was  devotedly 
attached  to  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party, — a  faith,  by  the  way,  in  which  all  of  his 
children,  and  his  children's  children,  remained 
steadfast.  His  brother  Alpheus  thus  wrote  of 
him  in  1825: 

"  His  calling  in  life  was  that  of  an  attorney  and 
advocate,  in  which  character  he  had  served  the  pub- 
lic about  twenty  years,  and  held,  during  that  period, 
many  places  and  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility 
under  the  State  government  of  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  bold  and  forward  in  youth,  and  took  and  main- 
tained his  station  among  the  young  men  of  his  native 
place  while  unusually  young.  In  stature  he  was  tall 
and  of  large  frame.  In  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he 
was  corpulent  and  fleshy.  His  frame  was  well-pro- 
portioned throughout.     Being  not  as  successful  in  his 


1  For  genealogy  and  original  forn 
on  the  Wayne  County  Bar. 


see  chaptc 


first  exertions  for  himself  as  he  wished,  and  probably 
expected,  he  left  his  native  State  when  about  eighteen 
years  of  age,  and  went,  first,  to  reside  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  near  the  Pennsylvania  line.  He  soon 
turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of  law,  for  the  prac- 
tice of  which  he  soon  qualified  himself  and  com- 
menced his  professional  labors  at  Milford.  .  .  .  He 
appeared  to  entertain  feelings  hostile  to  the  regimen 
and  discipline  of  his  native  place.  This  was  probably 
owing  to  the  checks  and  restraints  laid  before  him 
when  his  youthful  ardor  could  not  well  brook 
(hem.  He,  however,  entertained  much  regard 
for  the  habits  of  industry  and  the  means  of  education 
in  las  native  State.  He  was  liberal  and  generous, 
perhaps  to  a  fault.  He  enjoyed  the  most  explicit 
confidence  in  his  integrity  from  all,  and  was  at  the 
head  of  the  bar  where  he  practiced.  Not  being  par- 
ticularly acquainted  with  his  forensic  talents,  I  can 
only  observe  that  his  manner  and  mien  were  well 
calculated  to  command  attention  and  respect.  He 
never  leaned  upon  quibbles  and  hair-breadth  distinc- 
tions. He  generally  prepared  his  causes  with  much 
attention,  and  showed,  while  discharging  his  duties 
as  an  advocate,  that  he  viewed  the  whole  ground." 

He  married  Jane,  daughter  of  Josephus  Jaco- 
bus Aerts,  better  known  as  Dr.  Francis  J. 
Smith,2  of  Stroudsburg.  She  survived  her  hus- 
band many  years,  dying  in  March,  1842. 
Their  children  wrere  Lucinda,  who  was  the  first 
wife  of  Judge  Nathaniel  B.  Eldred ;  Sally, 
who  married  C.  C.  D.  Pinchot ;  Oliver  S.,  of 
whom  a  sketch  appears  in  this  chapter;  Dan  ; 
Milo  Melancthon,  of  whom  a  sketch  appears  in 
the  Monroe  County  bar  chapter ;  Milan  ; 
William  H,  of  whom  an  extended  biography  is 
given  in  the  chapter  on  Bench  and  Bar  of 
Wayne  County  ;  Milton  ;  and  Lavinia  E. 

Oliver  S.  Dimmick,  for  many  years  a  lead- 
ing attorney  at  this  bar  and  those  of  the  neigh- 
boring counties,  was  the  third  child  and  first 
son  of  Dan  and  Jane  (Aerts  or  Smith  3)  Dim 
mick,  and  was  born  in  Milford  June  11,  1804. 
He  read  law  with  his  uncle,  Alpheus  Dimmick', 
at  Bloomingburg,  N.  Y.,  and  entered  practice 
at  Milford.  In  1836  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Legislature,  and  served  in  that  position  for  two 
terms.  He  was  afterwards  chosen  as  associate 
judge  of  Pike  County,  which  office  he  held  for 
several    years.     He    was    the    founder    of  the 

2  For  a  sketch  of  this  eccentric,  but  distinguished  char- 
acter, see  the  chapter  upon  Stroudsburg. 

•■"See  sketch  of  Dan  Dimmick  in  this  chapter  and  of  J.  J. 
Aerts  or  Dr.  Francis  J.  Smith,  in  chapter  on  Stroudsburg. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


843 


flourishing  village  of  Matamoras,  and  through 
his  efforts  the  fine  bridge  across  the  Delaware 
at  that  place  was  erected. 

He  married  Maria,  daughter  of  Jacob  Horn- 
beck,  February  19,  182(5.  lie  died  at  Port 
Jervis,  N.  Y.,  in  October,  1877,  his  wife  sur- 
viving him.  Their  children  were  Lucinda,  wife 
of  S.  ().  Dimmick,  of  Port  Jervis;  Milo  H.; 
Mary,  who  married  Lucien  F.  Barnes,  a  law- 
yer of  Milford,  deceased  (they  were  the  parents 
of  Edward  Barnes,  who  is  now  an  attorney-at- 
law);  Priscilla,  deceased  ;  Jacob  H.,  of  Port 
Jervis;  and  William  H.,  an  attorney,  living  at 
Honesdale.1 

Milton  Dimmick  was  born  in  Milford  June 
26,  1816,  and  was  the  eighth  child  and  sixth 
son  of  Dan  and  Jane  (Aerts  or  Smith)  Dimmick. 
After  receiving  an  excellent  education  he  read 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  his  native 
county  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  (1837).  He 
continued  in  active  practice  up  to  the  time  of 
his  death,  April  3,  1851.  He  was  a  good  law- 
yer and  much-loved  man.  The  Doylestown 
Democrat,  shortly  after  his  death,  said  of  him  : 
"  We  shall  long  remember  the  happy  and  agree- 
able hours  passed  in  Mr.  Dimmick's  society. 
He  was  a  ripe  scholar,  a  profound  lawyer  and  a 
kind  and  affectionate  husband  and  father.  He 
has  not  left  behind  him  one  living  soul  that  re- 
calls his  memory  with  unkind  feelings." 

Mr.  Dimmick  married,  in  1842,  Sarah  Eliz- 
abeth, daughter  of  the  Rev.  Edward  Allen,  a 
Presbyterian  clergyman.  Their  children  were 
Edward  C,  who  removed  to  Honesdale  and 
later  (18(52)  to  Mauch  Chunk,  where  he  became 
an  attorney  ;  Alice,  who  married  J.  S.  Carpen- 
ter, of  Newark,  N.  J.;  and  Kate. 

MILFORD    BAE. 

Nathaniel  B.  Eldred  was  admitted  No- 
vember 16,  1816.  He  moved  to  Bethany  and 
became  presiding  judge  of  the  courts. 

JESSE  <  fcLMSTEAD  came  from  Connecticut  and 
was  admitted  November  19, 181(5.  After  prac- 
ticing law  a  few  years  in  Milford  he  left  the 
place. 

Hon.  Benjamin    A.  Bidlack  came  from 


1  See  Wayne  County  Bench  and  Bar. 


Wilkes-Barre  to  Milford,  where  he  practiced 
a  few  years.  He  was  twice  a  member  of  Con- 
gress and  died  in  New  Grenada,  while  United 
States  minister  to  that  republic. 

Daniel  Mifflin  Brodhead  was  a  well- 
known  and  successful  practitioner  at  the  Pike 
County  bar,  and  one  of  the  best-known  citizens 
of  Milford  of  his  time.  He  was  born  in  1796, 
probably  at  Kittanning,  Pa.  He  went  to 
school  at  Morristown,  N.  J.,  then  studied  law 
and  began  its  practice  at  Milford.  He  remained 
there  until  1832,  and  then  removed  to  Phila- 
delphia, and  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade  and 
real  estate  business.  At  onetime  he  owned  the 
American  Sentinel,  a  Democratic  newspaper  of 
Philadelphia.  In  1842  he  removed  to  Forest- 
burg,  Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.,  and  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  lumber.  He  was  there 
offered  the  nomination  as  district  judge  by  both 
parties,  but  declined  office.  He  was  a  Douglas 
Democrat  and  earnest  supporter  of  the  Union 
cause  during  the  war.  From  Forestburg  he 
removed  to  Port  Jervis,  N.  Y.,  in  1848,  and 
from  there  he  removed  to  Black  Lake,  Sullivan 
County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  had  purchased  an  ex- 
tensive tract  of  lumber  land.  In  (  tetober,  1 864, 
he  died  while  on  a  visit  to  his  son-in-law,  Col. 
Samuel  Fowder,  at  Franklin  Furnace,  Sussex 
County,  N.  J.  He  was  buried  at  Port  Jervis, 
N.  Yr.' 

Mr.  Brodhead  was  an  able  lawyer  and  a 
strong  man  in  general  intellect.  He  was  both 
a  safe  counselor  and  effective  pleader.  He  was 
noted  for  his  courtesy  and  affability.  He  was 
a  shrewd  politician  of  decided  influence.-  and  a 
patriotic  citizen.  He  was  a  hospitable  man, 
and,  particularly  while  living  in  Philadelphia, 
entertained  many  distinguished  men.  He  held 
intimate  relations  with  James  Buchanan,  Gov- 
ernor D.  R.  Porter,  Simon  Cameron,  Commo- 
dore Charles  Stewart,  of  the  United  States 
navy,  and  other  prominent  Pennsylvanians. 

He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  to 
whom  he  was  united  just  after  coming  to  Mil- 
ford, was  Eliza,  daughter  of  James  Barton, 
Esq.,  of  that  place,  she  being  sixteen  years  of 
age,  and  he  only  about  twenty.  They  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children.  These  were  Catha- 
rine Elizabeth;  John,  a  lawyer  of  Philadelphia; 


844 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Barton;  Henrietta  Laura,  who  married  Col. 
Satuuel  Fowler,  of  Sussex  County,  N.  J.  ;  Ed- 
gar, who  served  through  the  Mexican  War  and 
the  Rebellion  ;  George,  of  Port  Jervis;  Thomas, 
of  Philadelphia;  Henry,  an  attorney  of  New 
York  City  ;  and  Daniel  Mifflin,  Jr.,  who  was 
first  lieutenant  of  the  Fourteenth  Regiment 
United  States  Infantry,  and  mortally  wounded 
at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness.  All  of  these 
children  were  born  at  Milford. 

Mrs.  Brodhead  died  at  Port  Jervis  in  the 
spring  of  1852,  and  Mr.  Brodhead  was  married 
again,  in  1854,  to  Mrs.  Margaret  E.  Clinton, 
widow  of  Hon.  James  Clinton,  of  Orange 
County,  X.  Y.  She  died  about  a  year  previous 
to  her  husband,  in  1863. 

William  C.  Salmon  was  born  in  Montrose, 
and  read  law  in  his  native  village  with  Colonel 
Lusk,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Shortly  after  September  13,  1842,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Pike  County  bar,  and  immediately 
entered  the  active  practice  of  his  profession, 
which  he  continued  until  his  death,  in  185(3. 
During  the  time  covered  by  his  practice  he  was 
one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  in  the  place,  and  lie 
was  so  regarded  by  the  public  generally,  as  he 
had  a  good  practice.  His  wife  was  S.  Augusta 
Clark,  a  granddaughter  of  .lames  Barton,  who 
lived  adjoining  the   Sawkill   House.     Mr.   Sal- 

ii lived  on  the  homestead,  which  is  occupied 

by  his  widow  now. 

JOHN  STROUSE,  a  lumberman  from  Wilson- 
ville,  was  admitted  to  the  Pike  bar,  and  was 
associate  judge  one  term.  He  subsequently 
moved  to  Easton,  where  he  became  interested 
in  iron-works  and  bauking,  to  his  pecuniary 
loss.  He  died  in  Easton,  and  his  widow,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Judge  Halsey,  lives  with  her 
brother-in-law,  Colouel  John  Nyee,  of  Ilawley. 

Lucikn  F.  Barnes  studied  law  with  Wil- 
liam C.  Salmon,  in  Milford,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  Pike  County  bar  about  1860,  and  prac- 
ticed his  profession  successfully  until  lie  died, 
August  1,  1868.  He  was  considered  the  most 
brilliant  member  of  the  Milford  bar  during  his 
practice. 

Honorable  Daniel,  M.  Van  Auken  was 
born  in  New  Jersey  January  15,  L826,  was 
graduated    at     Union     College    in     1852,    and 


studied  law  with  John  B.  La  Forge,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1855,  and  the  same 
fall  was  elected  district  attorney.  He  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Fortieth  Congress  in 
18(38,  and  re-elected  to  the  Forty-first  Congress, 
receiving  seventeen  thousaud  nine  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  votes  against  ten  thousand  three 
hundred  and  twenty-three  votes  for  John  Tor- 
rey,  Republican.  In  1874  he  was  a  candidate 
from  Pike  County  for  presiding  judge  of  the 
Twenty-second  Judicial  District  of  Pennsylva- 
nia. The  conferees,  after  balloting  several 
thousand  times,  finally  nominted  Van  Auken, 
William  H.  Dimmick  permitting  him  to  be 
nominated  after  the  Wayne  Count;/  Herald  and 
the  leading  Democrats  of  Wayne  County  had 
hoisted  the  name  of  Honorable  Frederick  M. 
Crane  for  that  office.  This  action  produced  a 
split  in  the  Democratic  vote,  and  insured  the 
election  of  Charles  P.  Waller,  the  Republican 
candidate,  by  a  small  majority  over  Crane. 
Judge  Waller  died  after  about  seven  years  ot 
his  term  had  expired,  and,  in  1882,  Van  Auken 
again  received  the  indorsement  of  Pike  ( 'ounty 
Democracy  for  the  judgeship.  George  S.  Purdy, 
after  a  severe  contest  with  W.  H.  Dimmick, 
received  the  indorsement  of  the  Wayne  ( 'ounty 
Democracy  for  the  same  office.  The  conferees 
representing  the  two  contestants,  after  balloting 
a  great  many  times,  finally  disagreed,  and,  as  a 
result  of  this  division,  Henry  M.  Seely  was 
elected  presiding  judge  by  a  small  majority 
over  Purdy.  Mr.  Van  Auken  is  the  oldest 
member  of  the  Milford  bar  now  living. 

John  D.  Biddis,  son  of  ('has.  R.  Biddis, 
read  law  with  Lucien  Barnes  and  was  admitted 
to  the  Pike  County  bar  in  1867.  He  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  district  attorney  and 
held  that  position  by  re-elections  for  thirteen 
years.  He  was  elected  State  Senator  in  1882 
for  a  term  of  four  years.  After  serving  in  the 
two  regular  biennial  sessions  he  resigned  in 
order  to  accept  a  position  in  the  International 
Revenue  Department  at  Washington. 

Cornelius  W.  Bull  is  a  native  of  Pike 
County  and  was  born  in  Wcstlall  township 
January  5,  1845.  His  inclinations  in  boyhood 
were  toward  a  professional  rather  than  a  busi- 
ness life,  and,   although    most    of  his   minority 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


S45 


was  spent  on  his  father's  farm,  and  attending 
the  district  school,  both  proved  in  his  case,  as 
in  the  case  of  many  others,  a  sure  foundation 
for  practical  ideas  and  a  successful  professional 
and  business  life.  He  completed  his  prelimi- 
nary education  at  the  "Eclectic  Hall,"  at  Mil- 
ford,  and  at  "  Mount  Retirement  Academy,"  in 
Sussex  County,  N.J.  In  1863  he  began  teach- 
ing school  and  for  two  terms  taught  the  school 
in  Milford.  In  the  same  year  he  began  reading 
law  with  the  Hou.  D.  M.  Van  Aukeu,  of  Mil- 
ford,  and,  after  prosecuting  his  studies  for  four 
years,  in  connection  with  his  school-work,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Pike  County  in 
1867,  and  at  once  entered  upon  a  partnership 
with  his  preceptor,  which  continued  until  1871. 
Mr.  Bull  then  opened  a  law-office  in  Milford 
for  himself,  where  he  has  since  practiced  his 
profession.  He  lias  taken  an  active  part 
in  the  political  arena  of  his  county,  lias  several 
times  been  elected  a  delegate  to  the  State  Con- 
vention and  was  once  chosen  a  member  of  the 
State  Democratic  Committee. 

His  first  wife,  Julia  A.,  a  daughter  of  John 
T.  Cross,  whom  he  married  in  1870,  died  in 
1871.  In  1877  he  married  Anna  H.,  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  Nyce,  by  which  union  he  had 
children — George  R.  and  Jemima  Bull. 

His  father,  Rosencranse  C.  Bull,  of  Holland 
origin,  was  born  in  Pike  County  June  10,  1816, 
and  resides  in  Westfall  township.  His  mother, 
Jemima  Westfall,  of  French  Huguenot  extrac- 
tion, was  born  June  21,  1817,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  Cornelius  Westfall. 

Colonel  John  Nyce  was  born  in  Sandy- 
ston  township,  Sussex  County,  N.  J.,  July  22, 
1831.  His  father,  Major  John  W.  Nyce,  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  of  a  farmer,  and  in  early 
training-days  was  connected  with  the  militia 
organizations  of  the  State,  where  he  earned  his 
title.  The  son  followed  the  routine  of  farm- 
life,  attending  the  public  schools  of  the  day, 
where  the  foundation  of  his  education  was  laid. 
He  was  united  in  marriage,  December  28,  1853, 
to  Martha  Allen.  He  moved  to  Monroe  County, 
and  at  Stroudsburg  studied  law  with  the  Hon. 
Charlton  Burnett.  War  having  been  declared, 
he  was  active  in  organizing  men  to  put  down 
the  Rebellion,  and  went   into  service   June  11, 


1861,  as  second  lieutenant  of  Company  F, 
Thirty-third  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Reserves. 
His  first  promotion  was  adjutant  of  the  regi- 
ment ;  June  1,  1862,  promoted  major;  No- 
vember 9th  of  the  same,  for  meritorious  service, 
was  appointed  colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Seventy-fourth  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Militia. 
Mustered  out  with  regiment  August  7,  1863,  at 
Philadelphia.  The  war  record  of  Colonel  Nyce 
was  most  honorable,  and  he  carried  the  scars  of 
many  battles  to  his  death.  At  Charles  City 
Cross-Roads  he  received  a  sabre  stroke  across 
his  right  arm  ;  at  Malvern  Hill  was  shot  through 
right  arm  and  received  a  shell  wound  in  the 
knee  ;  at  the  battle  of  Antietam  was  shot 
through  the  right  lung,  and  injured  his  hip  by 
falling  from  his  horse  when  shot.  The  soldiers 
appreciated  the  worth  of  their  gallant  com- 
mander and  presented  him  with  a  valuable  chro- 
nometer, which  he  highly  prized  and  always 
carried. 

Colonel  Nyce  returned  to  Stroudsburg  for  a 
few  months,  and,  in  April,  1864,  came  In  Mil- 
ford with  his  family  and  entered  the  profession 
of  law,  having  been  admitted  to  practice  in  the 
Monroe  County  courts  in  February  of  the 
above  year.  He  was  successful,  and  enjoyed  a 
large  and  growing  business.  In  polities  he  was 
a  Democrat,  but  accepted  the  Greenback  nomi- 
nation for  State  Senator  against  Hon.  Allen  <  !raig, 
of  Carbon  County,  in  1878.  Although  defeated 
in  the  district,  he  polled  a  flattering  vote  in  this 
county.  He  was  elected  chief  burgess  of  Mil- 
ford a  year  ago  (February),  and  was  re-elected 
at  the  last  local  election  without  opposition.  In 
the  Methodist  Church,  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber, he  was  an  active  worker,  and  was  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday-school  until  failing 
health  prevented  his  attending  to  the  duties. 
He  died  several  years  ago. 

Jonx  II.  Van  Etten  was  admitted  to  the 
Pike  County  bar  in  September,  1870.  He 
came  from  an  old  Pike  County  family.  His 
wife  is  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Peter  Kanouse. 

J.Augustus  Pack  was  admitted  December 
20,  1876,  and  died  in  Milford  in  1883. 

Harry  T.  Bakee  read  law  with  his  brother 
in-law,  J.  Sergeant  Price,  in  Philadelphia,  ami 
Hon.  I).  M.  Van  Auken,  in  Milford, and    was 


846 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


admitted  to  the  bar  at  May  Term,  1876.  He 
has  resided  in  Milford  since  1871,  where  he  has 
a  fine  residence  and   office  at  Third    and    Ann 

Streets. 

John  W.  Nyce  and  Hamilton  Armstrong 

were  admitted  to  the  bar  September  24,  1877. 

M.  M.  Van  Etten  was  admitted  February 
25,  1878.  C.  A.  NEWMAN  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  September,  1880,  and  is  now  district 
attorney  for  Pike  County. 


CHAPTER    III. 

MILITARY — SOLDIERS  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812  AND 
WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION. 

Wai;  of  1812-14.— There  were  a  few 
soldiers  from  Pike  County  in  the  War  of  1812, 
but  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain  the  names  of  all. 
The  following  were  chiefly  from  Pike  and  that 
portion  of  Northampton  County  which  is  now 
Monroe.  Some  whose  names  are  included  in 
the  roster  were  from  Lehigh  County,  but  as  it 
is  impossible  to  effect  a  thorough  separation, 
the  entire  roll  is  presented  : 
Roll  of  Capt.  John  Dornblasers  Com  cany. 
Muster-roll  of  Captaiu  John  Dornblaser's  company, 
belonging  to  a  detachment  of  Northampton,  Lehigh 
and  Pike  County  militia,  commanded  by  Lieut.-Col. 
Christopher  J.  Hutter. 

Captain, 

Dornblaser,  John. 

First  Lieutenant, 

Hush,  John  V. 

Second  Lieutenant, 

Winters,  John. 

Third  Lieutenant,. 

Fenner,  Frederick   (elected  Kith  October,  1814). 

Ensign, 

Smith,  David. 


Morrison,  John  W 
Hartzell,  John. 


feel,  Nicholas. 

Barret,  Henry. 


Sergeants, 

Hartzell,  Jacob. 

Fenner,  Fred'k, 
Corporals, 

Stocker,  Samuel 

Brady,  William. 
Drumnu  r, 
Saylor,  [sane. 

Fifrr, 

Hockman,  Jonas. 


Privates, 

Miller,  Henry. 

Morris,  Obed. 

Van  Horn,  Cornelius. 

Barr,  Adam. 

Cooper,  Joseph. 

Davis,  William. 

Clark,  John. 

Bureau,  William. 

Arndt,  Jacob. 

Smell,  Samuel. 

Erie  (or  Ihrie),  Conrad. 

<  rower,  John. 

Myer,  Henry. 

Serfas,  George. 

Serfas,  John. 

Fisher,  Dewald. 

Crisman,  Jacob. 

Klinetrup,  John. 
Oct.  Mack,  John. 

Posty,  Thomas. 

Miller,  George  (disch.  Oct. 
17,  1814). 

Swenk,  John. 

Brewer,  James. 

Smith,   Christopher. 

Merwine,  Jacob. 

Huston,  John. 
<  )ct.  Rinker,  George. 

Rees,  Samuel. 

McGammon,  Alexa 

Strunk,  Peter. 

Faulk,  John. 

Ooolbaugh,  Garret. 

Jayne,  Peter. 

Bunnel,  Barnet. 

Place,  Jacob. 

Adams,  John. 

Horman,  Frederick. 

Winans,  Samuel. 

Kincaid,  Sylvester. 

Vandemark,  Peter. 

Vanetter,  Anthony. 

Howe,  John. 

Impson,  Robert. 

Vansickle,  William. 

Steel,  Isaac. 

Courtwright,  Levi. 

Watson,  ( }eorge. 


Deitz,  John. 
Rape,  George. 
Snyder,  Peter. 
Ward,  John. 
Ostertack,  John. 
Young,  John. 
Shafer,  Joseph. 
Nolf,  George. 
Hoffert,  Samuel. 
Bunstein,  Jacob. 
Walter,  Conrad. 
Young,  Adam. 
Stocker,  David. 
Willower,  George. 
Miller,  Abraham. 
Wimmer,  Joseph. 
Price,  Freeman. 
Kehler,  Leonard. 
Hutmacher,  J.  (discb. 

17, 1814). 
Kehler,  Daniel. 
Wineland,  Christian. 
Stoufer,  John. 
Stocker,  Jacob. 
Gangwehr,  Jacob. 
Holman,  Jeremiah  R 
Nye,  Lawrence. 
Nye,   Andrew  (disch. 

20,  1814). 
Steiner,  Joseph. 
Miller,  Daniel. 
Hahn,  Peter. 
Hahn,  George. 
Myer,  George. 
Schick,  Peter. 
Keyser,  Jacob. 
Geres,  Frederick. 
Swartwood,  Jacob. 
Winner,  John. 
Fisher,  Philip. 
Crawford,  John. 
Beard,  John. 
Shepperd,  David. 
bowman,  John. 
Evans,  David. 
Stine,  John. 
Barr,  James. 
Kester,  Philip. 
Kester,  Leonard. 


"  Camp  Marcus  Hook,  October  21,  1814. 
"  I  certify,  on  honor,  that  this  muster  or  pay-roll 

exhibits  a  true  state  of  the  company, Regiment, 

Pennsylvania  militia,  now  in  service  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  remarks  set  opposite  the  names  are  ac- 
curate and  just,  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge. 

"John  Dornblaskr, 
"  Captain. 


der. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


"  I  believe  the  above  to  be  a  correct  muster,  or  pay- 
roll. 

"Christ.  J.  Hitter, 
"  Lieutenant- Colonel  <  tommanding." 

Soldiers  in  the  War  ok  the  Rebellion. 
— The  only  full  company  of  volunteers  from 
Pike  County  in  the  Union  army  during  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion  (1861-65),  was  Com- 
pany B,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-First  Regi- 
ment, nine  months'  service. 

(  Ink  Hundred  and  Fifty-first  Reuimkxt, 
C<  )MI'ANY  B. — The  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-first 
Regiment  (nine  months')  was  recruited  and  or- 
ganized in  the  fall  of  18(32  at  Camp  Curtin.  The 
commanding  officer  of  the  regiment  was  Colonel 
Harrison  Allen,  of  Warren  County,  and  the 
lieutenant-colonel  was  George  F.  McFarland, 
of  Juniata.  Companies  A  and  C  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-first  were  recruited  in  Sus- 
quehanna County,  B  in  Pike,  F  in  Warren,  D 
in  Juniata,  E,  G,  H,  K  and  part  of  I  in  Berks, 
and  the  remaining  part  of  I  in  Schuylkill. 
Company  B  was  mustered  into  service  October 
20,  1862,  to  serve  nine  months. 

The  regiment  left  Harrisburg  on  the  26th  of 
November,  1862,  and  proceeded  to  Washing- 
ton, and  from  thence  crossed  the  Potomac  into 
Virginia,  first  camping  at  Arlington,  and,  a 
few  days  later,  marching  to  Alexandria  and 
Union  Mills,  more  than  twenty  miles  out, 
where  it  was  placed  on  picket  and  the  duty  of 
watching  the  movements  of  guerrillas,  who  then 
infested  that  region.  In  February  following, 
it  was  transferred  from  that  duty,  and  marched 
to  Belle  Plain,  where  it  was  attached  to  the 
First  Brigade  of  the  Third  (Doubleday's)  Divi- 
sion of  General  Reynolds'  army  corps.  The 
camp  which  it  occupied  at  this  place  was  a  very 
exposed  one,  and  much  sickness  among  the 
members  of  the  regiment  was  the  result. 

In  the  Chancellorsville  campaign  of  1863 
the  regiment,  with  its  divisions  and  corps, 
crossed  the  river,  on  the  2d  of  May,  at  United 
States  Ford,  and  at  once  moved  to  the  battle- 
ground, to  occupy  that  part  of  the  line  from 
which  the  Eleventh  Corps  had  been  hurled  by 
the  terrific  onslaught  of  the  forces  of  Stonewall 
Jackson.  During  the  heavy  fighting  on  Sun- 
day, the  3d,   the  regiment   was  posted  between 


Germania  and  Fly's  Fords,  confronting  the 
enemy,  and  much  of  the  time  under  ;i  very 
heavy  fire,  but  not  otherwise  actively  engaged. 
This  position  it  continued  to  hold  through  the 
remainder  of  the  battle.  On  Wednesday,  the 
6th,  it  moved  back  to  the  north  side  of  the 
Rappahannock,  and  encamped  near  White  Oak 
Church. 

From  this  point  it  moved  northward  early 
in  June,  and  marched  to  meet  the  columns  of 
General  Lee's  army  in  its  invasion  of  Mary- 
land and  Pennsylvania.  It  reached  Gettysburg 
on  the  1st  of  July,  just  when  Buford's  cavalry 
opened  the  battle.  The  regiment,  then  under 
command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  McFarland, 
was  at  once  placed  in  position  on  the  left  of  the 
corps  line,  and  soon  afterwards  moved  forward 
into  the  conflict.  Several  changes  of  position 
followed,  and  regiment  after  regiment  was 
forced  back  by  the  withering  fire ;  but  the 
One  Hundred  and  Fifty-first  steadfastly  held 
its  place  till  more  than  one-half  its  number  had 
fallen,  when  it,  too,  was  compelled  to  retire, 
which  it  did  with  deliberation  and  in  order, 
taking  a  new  position  in  the  rear  of  the  semi- 
nary. This  position  was  also  found  untenable, 
and  it  then  retreated  somewhat  precipitately 
through  the  streets  of  the  town,  losing  a  num- 
ber of  men  taken  prisoners  on  the  way,  and 
finally  halting  at  Cemetery  Hill,  where,  on  its 
arrival,  its  strength  was  only  ninety-two  men, 
though  this  was  soon  aftewards  increased  by 
the  coming  in  of  about  twenty  men  who  had 
been  cut  off  during  the  retreat  from  the  semi- 
nary. In  this  new  position  the  regiment  re- 
mained until  nearly  the  close  of  the  second 
day's  fight,  when  it  was  ordered  to  the  support 
of  the  Third  Corps  ;  but,  in  the  confusion  of 
the  field,  it  became  separated  from  its  com- 
mand, and,  with  the  Twentieth  New  York, 
which  was  in  a  similar  dilemma,  it  moved  to 
the  left  of  the  Second  Corps  and  took  a  posi- 
tion which  the  two  regiments  held  until  the 
afternoon  of  the  following  day,  when  they 
moved  rapidly  in  to  help  repel  the  final  grand 
charge  of  the  Confederates,  which  closed  the 
battle. 

The  services  and  conspicuous  gallantry  of  this 
regiment   in  the  great  struggle  at  Gettysburg 


SIS 


WAYN'F.   I'IKH  AND  MO.XKOK  COUNTIES    I'KNXSV  LV  A  M  A. 


were  thus  set  forth  in  the  report  of  the  corps 
commander,  General  Abner  Doubleday  : 

"At  Gettysburg  they  won,  under  the  brave  Mc- 
Farland, an  imperishable  fame.  They  defended  the 
left  front  of  the  First  Corps  against  vastly  superior 
numbers;  covered  its  retreat  against  the  overwhelm- 
ing masses  of  the  enemy  at  the  seminary  west  of  the 
town,  and  enabled  me,  by  their  determined  resist- 
ance, to  withdraw  the  corps  in  comparative  safety. 
This  was  on  the  tirst  day.  In  the  crowning  charge 
of  the  third  day  of  the  battle  the  shattered  remains 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-first  Pennsylvania, 
with  the  Twentieth  New  York  State  Militia,  (lung 
themselves  upon  the  front  of  the  rebel  column,  and 
drove  it  from  the  shelter  of  a  slashing,  in  which  it 
had  taken  shelter  from  a  Hank  attack  of  the  Vermont 
troops.  I  can  never  forget  the  services  rendered  me 
by  this  regiment,  directed  by  the  gallantry  and  ge- 
nius of  McFarland.  I  believe  they  saved  the  First 
Corps,  and  were  among  the  chief  instruments  to  save 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  the  country  from  un- 
imaginable disaster." 

The  losses  of  the  regiment  at  Gettysburg 
amounted  to  three-fourths  of  its  total  effective 
strength, — sixty-six  men  and  two  officers  being 
killed,  twelve  officers  and  one  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  men  wounded  and  one  hundred 
missing,  out  of  a  total  of  four  hundred  and 
sixty-five  men  and  twenty-one  officers,  who 
entered  the  fight.  Among  the  wounded  were 
Lieutenant  Benjamin  F.  Oliver,  of  Com- 
pany D,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  George  F. 
McFarland,  whose  wound  resulted  in  the  loss 
of  one  leg  (which  was  amputated  on  the  field) 
and  the  severe  mutilation  of  the  other. 

From  the  field  of  Gettysburg  the  remnant 
of  the  regiment  moved  with  the  other  troops  in 
pursuit  of  the  enemy,  on  the  6th  of  July,  and 
reached  Williamsport,  Md.,  just  as  the  beaten 
army  of  General  Lee  was  commencing  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Potomac  into  Virginia.  Five  days 
later  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-first,  whose 
term  of  enlistment  had  then  nearly  expired, 
was  relieved  at  the  front,  and  moved  to  Harris- 
burg,  where,  on  the  27th,  it  was  mustered  out  of 
service  and  disbanded. 

Following  is  the  roster-  of  the  Pike  County 
company  (B)  : 

Officers. 
Oscar  H.  Mott,  capt.,  disch.  .March  8,  L863. 
Lafayette  West  brook,  1st  lieut.,  pro.  to  capt.  March  9, 
1863. 


.)<>li I)  H.  Vincent,  2d  lieut.,  pro.  to  1st  lieut.  March  t», 
1863. 

Robert  M.  Kellogg,  1st  sergt.,  pro.  to  2d  lieut.  March 

9,  1863. 
Herman    Frank,    pro.    to    1st   sergt.  March  9,   1863; 

wounded  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  duly  1,  1*63. 
Stephen  Hezard,  sergt. 
Henry  Cuddeback,  sergt. 
William   A.  Salmon,  sergt.,  disch.  by  S.  O.  Feb.  10, 

1863. 
Thos.  M.  Beardsley,  sergt.,  pro.  from  private  March  i», 

1863;  killed  at  Gettysburg. 

Henry   Smith,   sergt.,  pro.    from    Corp.   Feb.  11,  1863; 

killed  at  Gettysburg. 
William  Sutton,  eorp.,  captured  at  Gettysburg. 
Ira  Pellett,  corp. 
George  W.  Kimble,  corp. 
.lames  Hatten,  corp. 
Nelson  De  Witt,  corp. 
Wesley  Watson,  corp.,  pro.  Jan.  5,  1863. 
Jacob  C.  Schorr,  corp.,  pro.  Jan.  5,  lS(i:i. 
Charles  Hates,  corp.,    pro.  Jan.  5,  1863;    wounded  at 

Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1,  1863. 
Francis  E.  Hazen,  corp.,   pro.  Feb.  11, 1863 ;   died  at 

Acquia  Creek,  Va.,  June  4,  1863. 
David  Miller,  corp. 
James  S.  Smith,  Corp.,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.  April  14, 

1863. 

Privates. 
Robert  J.  Andrews. 
Andrew  .1.  Appleman. 
E.  C.  Appleman,  died  at  Belle  Plain,  Va.,  April  15, 

1863. 
Jesse  R.  Burrus. 
John  Blackmore. 
Simeon  Brink. 
Benjamin  C.  Bonnell,  captured  at  Gettysburg,  Pa., 

July  1,  1863. 
John  Buckingham,  captured  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July 

1,  1863. 
Joseph  A.  Brickley. 
George  Burrus,  captured  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1, 

1863. 
Charles  Barrell,  died  at  Union   Mills,  Va.,  Dec.  10, 

1862;  buried  at  Nat.  Cem.,  Arlington. 
Charles  Blackmore,  killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1, 

1863. 
Solomon  D.  Brink,  killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1, 

1863. 
Ira  B.  Case. 
David  Can  field. 
Janson  Cole. 
John  Cortright,  Jr. 
Wesley  C.  Cron. 
Peter  Cron,  wounded  and  captured  at  Gettysburg,  Pa., 

July  1,  1863. 
James  P.  Crone. 

Cornelius  Case,  disch.  on  surg.  certif.   April  13,  1863. 
Isaac  S.  Decker. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


George  M.  Decker. 
Benjamin  Degroat. 
D.  W.  J.  Dingman,  captured  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July 

1,  1863. 
Adonijah  B.  Drake. 
Seley  S.  Drake. 
William   F.  Fulkerson,  captured  at  Gettysburg,  Pa., 

July  1,  1863. 
Charles  L.  Frank,  captured  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July 

1,  1863. 
Nelson  Garris. 
Christian  Grim. 
Conrad  Happ. 
Edward  R.  Hazen. 
John  Henry. 
Nicholas  Hess. 
Valentine    Hipsman,  wounded,  with  loss  of  arm,  at 

Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1,  1863. 
Michael  Hissam,  wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  Va., 

May  3,  1863. 
Rush  K.  Kellam,  wounded  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1, 

1863. 
Robert  A.  Kayser,  wounded  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July 

1,  1863. 
Jonas  Kettle. 
John  Kleinstuber. 
Levi  Labar. 

Levi  Losey,  wounded  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1, 1863. 
Casper  Madden. 
Euos  B.  Mapes. 
Peter  Mager. 
Abraham  Masker,  captured  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July 

1,  1863. 
Warren  Masker,  captured  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1, 

1863. 
Mordecai  M.  Mott. 
Jiimcs  W.  Morrison,  killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1, 

1863. 
Samuel  McCormick,  died  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  August 

3,  1863. 
Charles  M.  Carter,  wounded  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July 

1,  1863. 
James  Nyce,  captured  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1, 1863. 
John  L.  Pearson,  wounded  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1, 

1863. 
Burnham  K.  Pellet. 
Josiah  Perry. 
Michael  B.  Pitney. 
George  W.  Parr,  killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1, 

1863. 
Nelson  Reaser,  wounded  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1, 

1863. 
Francis  Rolle. 
Silas  Rosencrance. 
Randall  D.  Sayre. 
Charles  D.  Schmalzler. 
Reuben  Seig. 
Gilbert  Shaffer. 
Edward  Stidd. 


Isaac  Shearer. 

Jacob  C.  Van  Gorden,    disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Feb.  25, 

1863. 
Amos  Van  <  rorden. 
William  M.  Watson. 
Patrick  White. 
Ziba  B.  Williams. 
George  G.  Worzle. 
Henry  P.  Worzle. 
Joseph  /.rimer,  died  at  Belle  Plain,  Va.,  April  1,  1863. 

In  addition  to  this  company,  many  men  went 
from  Pike  County  in  small  squads,  some  in 
Pennsylvania  regiments,  others  in  those  organ- 
ized in  New  Jersey,  and  still  others  in  New 
York  organizations.  Of  many  of  them  it  is 
impossible  to  trace  or  obtain  any  information. 
The  names  of  a  considerable  number  of  these 
scattering  men,  however,  in  the  Thirty-fifth, 
Forty-fifth,  Sixty-seventh,  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-second  and  One  Hundred  and  Seventy- 
ninth  Pennsylvania  Regiments  have  been  pro- 
cured and  are  here  given  : 

Thiety-fifth  Regiment  (Sixth  Reserves). 
Company  C. 
John   S.  Reed,  private,  must,  in  May  13,1861  ;  killed 
at  South  Mountain  Sept.  14,  1862. 

Forty-fifth  Regiment. 
Company   A. 
Peter    Roach,    drafted;     must,  in    Nov.    12,   1864; 
must,  out  with  company  July  17,  1865. 

Company  D. 
Daniel   V.  Drake,  drafted;  must,   in  Nov.  12,  1864 

disch.  March  27,  1865,  by  order  of  War  Dept. 
Conrad  Gumble,  drafted;  must,  in   Sept.   22,   1864 

disch.  by  S.  0.  June  7,  1865. 
Josiah    Hinzey,  substitute,  must,  in  Dec.  15,  1864 

must,  out  with  company  July  17,  1865. 
Milo   S.   Hobbs,  drafted;  must,   in   Nov.    11,    1864 

must,  out  with  company  July  17, 1865. 
Daniel  W.  King,  drafted ;  must,  in  Nov.  11,  1864 

must,  out  with  company  July  17,  1865. 
Orlando  Kindred,  substitute,  must,  in  Dec.  16, 1864 

must,  out  with  company  July  17,  1865. 
William  L.  Marcy,  drafted;  must,  in  Nov.  11,  1864 

must,  out  with  company  July  11,  1865. 
Robert  M.  Martin,  drafted  ;  must,  in  Nov.  12,  1864 

died  June  16,  1865 ;  buried  at  Alexandria,  Va. 

grave  3235. 
William  M.  Watson,  drafted  ;  must,  in  Nov.  12, 1864 

must,  out  with  company  July  17,  1865. 
Company  I. 
Dwight  Blackmore,  drafted;  must,  in  Sept.  22,  1864; 

disch.  by  S.  <J.  June  7,  1865. 


850 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Theodore  Halter,  drafted;  must,  in  Sept.  22,1864; 
diseh.  by  S.  O.  June  7,  1865. 

Sixty-seventh  Regiment. 

Company   C. 
(Mustered  out  July  14,  1865.) 
James  E.  Eldred,  2d  lieut.,    must,  in  No*.  15,  1861 ; 
pro.    from   sergt-    Co.    I   Jan.  4,    1862;  died   at 
Annapolis,  Md.,  June  17,  1862. 
Morris  B.  Van  Auken,  2d  lieut.,  must,  in  Nov.  23, 
1S61 ;  pro.  from  1st  sergt.  June  28,  1865 ;  must. 
out  with  company ;  vet. 
Francis  R.  Kellam,  sergt.,  must,   in  Nov.  25,  1861 ; 

died  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  Sept.  10,  1862. 
A.  C.  Rosencrance,  sergt.,  must,  in  Nov.  4, 1861. 
Francis   S.    Roys,   sergt.,    must,  in   Nov.    25,  1861 ; 

must,  out  Nov.  24,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
David    B.   Swezey,   Corp.,    must,  in  Nov.   14,  1861 ; 
disch.  on  surg.  certif.  Dec.  28,  1864;  vet. 
Privates. 
David  Kelly,  must,  in  Nov.  29,  1861 ;  must,  out  Dec. 

2,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Dese   Knapp,  must,  in  Nov.  14, 1861  ;  must,  out  Nov. 

24,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Francis  R.   Killam,  must,  in  Nov.  25,  1861  ;  not  on 

muster-out  roll. 
Isaac  Puderbaugh,  must,  in  Nov.  4,  1861. 
George  M.  Roys,  must,  in  Jan.  4,    1862  ;  died  Dec. 

2,  1863,  of  wounds  received  in  action. 
William  H.  Russell,  must,  in   Nov.   15,  1861 ;  killed 
by  guerrillas  May  25,  1863,  near  Winchester,  Va. 
John   C.   Thomas,  must,  in  Nov.  25,  1861 ;  must,  out 

Nov.  24,  1864,  exp.  of  term. 
Bratton  B.  West,   must,  in   Nov.  4,  1861 ;  killed  at 

Winchester,  Va.,  Sept.  19,  1864;  vet. 
George  Canfield,  must,  in    Nov.  14,  1861;  killed  at 

Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  1,  1864. 
Charles  W.  Canfield,  must,  in  Nov.  14,  1861;  died  at 

Annapolis,  Md.,  Sept.  11,  1S62. 
Edward  R.  Campfield,  must,  in  Dec.  12,  1861 ;  must. 

out  Dec.  31,  1864. 
William  T.  L.  Houtig,  must,  in  March  2, 1862  ;  must. 

out  with  company  July  14,  1865. 
John  J.  Quick,  must,  in  Nov.  4,  1861. 
John  Kilsby. 
One  Hundred  and  Forty-second  Regiment. 
( 'ompany  G. 
George   Le   Bar,   2d   lieut,,  must,  in  Aug.  31,  1862 ; 

diseh.  by  S.  O.  Oct.  24,  1862. 
Amzi  Le   Bar,  1st  lieut.   must,    in  Aug.   31,    1862; 

disch.  on  surg.  certif.  July  1,  1863. 
Peter  F.  Wagner,  Corp.,  must,  in  Aug.  31,  1862  ;  pro- 
to  corp.  Oct.  31,  1864 ;  must,  out  with  company 
May  29,  1865. 
Henry  Palmer,  corp.,  must,  in  Aug.  31,  1862  ;  pro.  to 
corp.  May  25, 1863 ;  wounded  at  Gettysburg,  Pa., 
July  1,  1863;  trans,  to  3d  Co.,  2d  Bat.,  V.  B.C., 
date  unknown;  disch.  Aug.  16,1865. 


Matthew  G.  Allegar,  corp.,  must,  in  Aug.  31,  1862  ; 
pro.  to  corp.  May  25,  1863;  died  Aug.  6th,  of 
wounds  ree'd  at  Gettysburg  July  1, 1863. 

James  Ferguson,  corp.,  must,  in  Aug.  31,  1862  ;  died 
at  Washington,  D.  C,  June  23,  1863,  of  wounds 
ree'd  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Dec.  13,  1862. 

N.  S.  Van  Auken,  corp.,  must,  in  Aug.  31,  1862;  died 
at  Brook's  Station,  Va.,  Nov.  25,  1862. 

Oliver  Pitney,  corp.,  must,  in  Aug.  31,  1862. 

Privates. 

Charles  Bensley,  must,  in  Aug.  31,  1862 ;  died  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  Jan.  12,  1863 ;  buried  in 
Mil.  Asy.  Cem. 

Daniel  Countryman,  must,  in  Aug.  31,  1862  ;  trans, 
to  75th  2d  Bat.  V.  R.  C,  Sept.  23,  1864 ;  disch. 
by  G.  O.  June  28,  1865. 

Morris  H.  Layton,  must,  in  Aug.  31,  1862;  trans,  to 
Vet.  Res.  Corps,  date  unknown. 

Levi  La  Bar,  must,  in  March  16,  1864 ;  trans,  to  190th 
Regt.  P.  V.  May  29,  1865. 

Linford  La  Bar,  must,  in  Aug.  31,  1862;  killed  at 
Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Dec.  13,  1862. 

Joseph  Nuttall,  must,  in  Aug.  31,  1862 ;  captured  at 
Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  1,  1863  ;  wounded  at  Five 
Forks,  Va.,  April  1,  1865  ;  must,  out  with  com- 
pany May  29,  1865. 

Moses  D.  Van  Auken,  must,  in  Aug.  31,  1862  ;  must, 
out  with  company  May  29,  1865. 

One  Hundred  and  Seventy-ninth 
Regiment,  Company  B. — A  portion  of  this 
company  was  from  Pike  County.  The  regi- 
ment was  drafted  militia,  and  served  nine 
months.  The  men  were  mustered  in  Novem- 
ber 5,  1862,  and,  excej)t  where  otherwise  indi- 
cated, Mere  mustered  out  at  the  expiration  of 
their  term  of  service,  July  27,  1863. 

Officers. 
John  B.  Frazier,  captain. 
Alfred  S.  Dingman,  1st  lieut. 
Charles  L.  Heller,  2d  lieut. 
Thomas  A.  Heller,   1st  sergt.,  disch.  on  surg.  certif. 

Nov.  17,  1862. 
H.  L.  Swartwood,  sergt. 
John  Lattimore,  sergt. 
John  J.  Depue,  sergt. 
William  E.  Sigler,  sergt. 
D.  D.  Roseucrans,  sergt.,  trans,  to  Co.  M,  163d  Regt. 

P.  V.,  Nov.  15, 1862. 
Palmer  Depue,  corp. 
John  Armstrong,  corp. 
John  McCarty,  corp.,  disch.  Nov.  24,  1862. 
Lawrence  Andrews,  musician. 
Privates. 
George  W.  Benson. 
Darin  Blackmore,  trans,  to   Co.  M,  163d  Regt.  P.  V., 

Nov.  20,  1862. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


851 


Jesse  Crane. 

Moses  K.  Carlton,  disch.  by  S.  O.  Nov.  20,  1862. 

Samuel  J.  CarhurT. 

James  M.  Depue. 

James  H.  Depue,  trans,  to  Co.  M,  163d  Regt.  P.  V., 
Nov.  23,  1862. 

Samuel  E.  Filley. 

Jacob  Finger,  disch.  by  S.  O.  Nov.  27,  1862. 

William  Gannon. 

Wesley  Greening. 

John  Greening. 

Jesse  E.  Gunn. 

Isaac  Heater. 

George  Heater. 

Anthony  Heater,  trans,   to   Co.  M,  163d   Regt.  P.  V., 
Nov.  17,  1862. 

Joseph  Holbert,  died   at   Yorktown,   Va.,    April   27, 
1863. 

David  S.  Jagger. 

John  Klear. 

Solomon  S.  Labar. 

Levi  Lord. 

Samuel  Lambert. 

Edward  Loreaux. 

John  W.  Litts,  trans,  to  Co.  M,   163d  Regt.  P.  V., 
Nov.  13,  1862. 

Josiah  McKane. 

James  H.  McCarty,  disch.  by  S.  O.  Nov.  19,  1862. 

Benjamin  Posteus. 

John   Puderbaugh,   trans.   Nov.    19,  1862,  organiza- 
tion unknown. 

George  W.  Quick. 

Charles  Quinn. 
Aaron  Runiou. 

Charles  Titman. 

A.  J.  Vaninwegen. 

Isaac  Watson. 

James  Walker. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

RAILROADS —   EFFORTS  TO    CONSTRUCT    THEM 
— ADVANTAGES   OFFERED. 

It  was  a  writer  on  the  natural  history  of  Ire- 
land who,  under  the  conspicuous  caption  Snakes 
of  Ireland,  wrote  a  chapter  consisting  solely  of  the 
declaration  "There  are  no  snakes  in  Ireland.5'  So 
it  may  be  said  of  the  railroads  of  Pike  County 
— there  are  no  railroads  in  Pike  County — ex- 
cepting, of  course,  the  Honesdale  Branch  of  the 
Erie,  which  cuts  off  a  northern  corner,  but  in  no 
adequate  manner  serves  the  people  of  the  coun- 
ty- 


Nevertheless,  it  will  prove  interesting  to  ex- 
amine briefly  the  advantages  which  the  county 
offers  for  the  building  of  a  railroad  and  to  re- 
view the  several  projects  for  providing  one 
which  have  proved  futile,  it  is  true,  but  may  at 
least  afford  some  suggestion  of  the  final  solution 
of  the  problem. 

The  valley  of  the  Delaware  River  from  the 
Water  Gap  to  Port  Jervis  affords  to  the  en- 
gineering eye  a  plane  upon  which  some  day, 
sooner  or  later,  the  iron  horse  will  draw  with- 
out breakage  of  bulk  the  wealth  of  the  coal 
fields  of  Central  Pennsylvania  to  the  manufac- 
tories of  the  New  England  States  ;  returning 
with  the  products  of  the  loom,  it  will  distribute 
the  same  on  their  way  to  the  far  West.  First, 
because  it  is  the  most  direct  and  therefore  short- 
est air  line  between  the  East  and  West,  and 
secondly  because  the  descent  from  Port  Jer- 
vis, Orange  County,  New  York,  on  the  east, 
to  Stroudsburg,  Monroe  County,  Pa.,  on  the 
west,  is  only  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
feet,  or  three  feet  per  mile  of  the  forty-three 
miles  to  be  traversed  in  closing  the  gap  between 
the  New  York,  Lake  Erie  and  Western  Rail- 
road, with  its  eastern  connections,  and  the 
Delaware,  Lackawanna  and  Western  Railroad 
and  other  coal  roads  running  into  Stroudsburg. 
Again,  the  wealth  of  "  blue-stone,"  as  it  is 
now  known  in  the  market,  of  which  there  is  an 
inexhaustible  supply  in  Pike  County  along  the 
Delaware  River,  will  be  a  further  source  of 
profit  to  the  carrying  trade  of  such  a  railroad. 

Professor  J.  P.  Lesley,  State  geologist,  in 
his  report  of  1881,  says  :  "  The  whole  Caiskill 
formation  measures  3430  feet  in  northern  and 
eastern  Pike  as  exposed  in  the  cliffs  and  slopes 
of  the  long  canal — like  gorges  of  the  Paupack 
and  Delaware."  "  The  flagstone  belt  is  very 
broad  and  crosses  the  county." 

Where  accessible  to  the  Erie  Railroad,  quar- 
ries have  been  operated  and  on  an  average  fifty 
car-loads  are  shipped  weekly  to  New  York 
City  alone.  Should  a  railroad  be  opened  up 
the  length  of  the  Delaware  River  from  Strouds- 
burg to  Port  Jervis,  immense  quarrying  interests 
would  start  into  being  and  the  traffic  in  blue 
stone  become  a  matter  of  much  moment  to 
the  railroads. 


852 


WA1NE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Blue-stoue  flagging,  worth  to-day  in  Phila- 
delphia from  thirty-five  to  fifty  cents  per  square 
foot,  is  worth,  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware 
River  at  Mil  ford  ten  cents  per  square  foot.  All 
the  way  up  the  Delaware  River,  on  the  Jersey 
side,  smoke  can  be  seen  day  and  night  issuing 
from  the  many  lime-kilns  dotting  the  hillsides, 
hardly  a  farm  being  without  its  own  kiln,  lime- 
stone of  excellent  quality  cropping  out  all  along 
the  river. 

The  abutments  of  the  wagon  and  foot-bridge 
crossing  the  Delaware  River  a  mile  below  Mil- 
ford,  quarried  on  the  Jersey  bank,  are  a  witness 
to  the  quality  of  the  stone. 

The  many  mountain  streams  emptying  into 
the  Delaware  River  for  the  whole  length  of 
these  forty  miles  will  afford  in  the  future  most 
valuable  water-power  for  manufactories  when 
once  a  railroad  opens  up  this  county  to  marts 
of  commerce. 

The  Paupack  stream,  on  the  northern  border 
of  Pike  County,  has  already  been  utilized  by 
the  Lambert  Silk  Company,  who  have  impos- 
ing mills  and  a  water-power  of  the  greatest 
advantage.     . 

This  stream  is  only  a  sample  of  the  many  in 
the  county  plunging  over  cascades  from  five  to 
sixty  feet  high,  until  they  accomplish  a  descent 
of  two  hundred  and  sixty  feet  in  a  distance  of 
only  one  mile. 

The  next  stream  flowing  into  the  Delaware, 
the  Blooming  Grove,  rushes  along,  making  fre- 
quent cascades  over  its  rocky  bed,  falling  at  the 
rate  of  one  hundred  feet  per  mile.  The  Shohola 
descends  at  a  very  rapid  rate,  falling  five  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  in  five  miles. 

Next,  the  Sawkill  enters  the  Delaware  at 
Milford,  rising  in  the  Sawkill  Pond,  some  ten 
miles  back,  with  a  fall  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  to  the  mile.  From  a  score  of  others  on 
down  the  valley,  which  we  will  not  minutely 
describe,  unlimited  power  can  be  obtained,  and 
in  the  near  future  will  be  utilized  for  manufac- 
turing purposes. 

The  passenger  traffic  of  our  ideal  railroad 
will  include,  beside  those  who  will  travel  on  it 
as  a  through  line,  the  many  summer  tourists 
who  now  visit  this  wild  and  rugged  county  in 
search  of  health  and  recreation. 


Under  the  influence  of  these  many  advan- 
ages  by  the  lumber  interest  and  others,  as  far 
back  as  the  year  1848  a  charter  was  sought  and 
obtained  from  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania 
to  build  a  railroad  from  Milford  to  Port  Jervis. 

The  breaking  of  ground  for  this  early  enter- 
prise has  been  followed  up  to  the  present  time 
by  plots  and  counter-plots,  by  efforts  of  igno- 
rant and  shrewd  railroad  builders  and  specu- 
lators and  by  internal  dissensions  of  the  boards 
of  directors  of  the  various  companies  chartered, 
etc.,  until  it  would  seem  almost  a  miracle  to  the 
inhabitants  of  Pike  County  were  the  project  to 
be  taken  hold  of  in  earnest  by  honest  men  and 
the  gap  between  the  railroads,  east  and  west,  now 
existing,  be  filled  up  by  the  extension  of  some 
one  of  the  present  lines  so  as  to  reach  the  head- 
waters of  the  Delaware  River. 

By  the  original  route  of  the  New  York  and 
Eric  Railway,  that  road  was  to  cross  the  Dela- 
ware into  Pennsylvania  by  a  bridge  opposite 
Port  Jervis  to  a  little  hamlet  on  the  Pennsyl- 
vania side  known  as  Matamoras,  a  town  now  of 
some  fifteen  hundred  inhabitants. 

In  consideration  of  an  annual  payment  of 
ten  thousand  dollars  to  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  right  to  enter  the  State  at  that  point 
was  granted  the  company  by  the  Legislature. 
Finding  their  proposed  route  was  impracticable, 
the  New  York  and  Erie  applied  to  the  Legisla- 
ture of  Pennsylvania  for  the  privilege  of  chang- 
ing the  place  of  entrance  of  the  road  into  the 
State  from  Matamoras  to  Sawmill  Rift,  farther 
up  the  river.  This  change  was  disastrous  to 
the  projected  Milford  aud  Port  Jervis  Railroad, 
as  it  depended  upon  the  bridge  to  be  built  by 
the  Erie  to  cross  the  Delaware  River.  But  the 
Erie,  in  consideration  of  the  change,  agreed  to 
construct  a  wagon  and  railroad  bridge  across 
the  Delaware  at  Matamoras  and  to  maintain 
the  same  forever.  Failure  to  keep  a  bridge 
across  the  river  at  the  point  named  rendered  the 
company  liable  to  a  forfeiture  of  all  its  rights 
in  Pennsylvania. 

The  bridge  was  built  in  the  year  1852.  Con- 
flicting  interests  and  jarring  directors  delayed 
the  building  of  the  Milford  and  Port  Jervis 
Railroad,  the  charter  allowing  twenty-five 
years  for  building,  etc. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


Early  in  1870,  however,  measures  were  taken 
looking  to  an  early  completion  of  the  road,  but 
in  March  the  bridge  was  wrecked  and  destroyed 
in  a  terrible  gale. 

As  under  the  act  allowing  the  Erie  Railroad 
a  change  of  entrance  to  the  State,  that  company 
was  bound  to  maintain  this  bridge,  it  was 
supposed  it  would  be  speedily  rebuilt. 

Precious  time  was  lost,  and  when  at  last  an 
effort  was  made  to  compel  the  Erie  to  rebuild 
the  bridge  it  was  found  that  a  company,  called 
the  Lamonte  Miniug  and  Railroad  Company, 
had  been  incorporated  by  an  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  Pennsylvania,  for  the  purpose  of 
mining  in  Pike  County,  and  was  authorized  to 
purchase  all  the  right,  title  and  franchise  of  any 
other  company  in  all  bridges,  etc.,  in  the 
county.  To  this  company  the  Erie  Railroad 
had  sold  all  its  rights  pertaining  to  the  bridge 
in  question,  and  claimed  that  the  responsibility 
of  maintaining  it  hereafter  lay  with  the 
Lamonte  Mining  Company. 

It  was  found  that  the  names  of  the  incorpor- 
ators of  the  Lamonte  Mining  and  Railroad 
Company  were  fictitious,  and  no  information 
could  be  obtained  of  who  introduced  the  bill 
or  anything  in  regard  to  it. 

In  the  same  year  the  Legislature  of  Penn- 
sylvania appropriated  to  the  Milford  and  Mata- 
moras  and  Port  Jervis  Railroad  for  ninety-nine 
years  the  ten  thousand  dollar  annual  payment 
made  to  the  State  by  the  Erie  Railroad. 

At  last  another  effort  was  made  to  build  the 
long-talked-of  first  ten  miles  of  the  railroad 
which  would  in  the  future  open  up  the  valley, 
trusting  that  time,  etc.,  would  remedy  the  lost 
bridge,  etc. 

But  internal  dissensions  in  the  board 
of  directors,  and  plots  of  scheming  men, 
rendered  all  efforts  futile.  The  original  stock- 
holders of  the  road  were  pushed  aside,  and  the 
brother  of  the  member  of  Assembly  from  this 
district,  when  all  the  nefarious  legislative  work 
was  accomplished,  was  elected  president  of  the 
road,  and  was  henceforth  to  look  after  the 
State  appropriation.  The  matter  was  laid 
before  the  State  authorities  by  the  original 
stockholders,  and  before  long  the  act  of  appro- 
priation was  repealed. 


Unfortunately,  this  had  its  bad  effect  upon 
the  genuine  and  honest  promoters  of  the  rail- 
road, and  the  bridge  matter  had  in  the  mean- 
time undergone  further  changes. 

An  incorporated  company  of  New  York 
State,  entitled  the  Barret  Bridge  Company, 
had  purchased  of  the  Lamonte  Mining  Com- 
pany, and  a  bridge  was  speedily  promised. 

Work  was  immediately  begun,  and  travelers 
up  the  Delaware  River  Valley  and  inhabitants 
of  the  county  were  gladdened  by  the  sight 
of  the  actual  work  being  prosecuted.  But  lo  ! 
in  the  kaleidoscopic  changes  which  had  occurred 
one  could  hardly  recognize  any  trace  of  the 
former  valuable  bridge  liabilities  and  fran- 
chises. In  this  instance  the  soul  and  living 
spirit  of  the  matter  had  departed  ;  nothing  was 
left  but  what  was  of  value  to  a  "soulless 
corporation." 

The  Barret  Bridge  Company,  under  its  New 
York  charter,  built  only  a  wagon  bridge,  and 
has  since  levied  a  heavy  toll  upon  all  passen- 
gers. Stock  of  this  bridge  is  all  in  the  hands 
of  a  few  Port  Jervis  capitalists,  and  pays  an 
enormous  dividend. 

In  the  year  1873,  the  advantages  of  the 
plane  of  the  Delaware  River  for  a  railroad  bed 
again  aroused  attention,  and  a  company, 
known  as  the  Lehigh  and  Eastern  Railroad 
Company,  having  a  charter  for  a  railroad  from 
Hazelton,  Pa.,  to  the  Delaware  River,  at  Port 
Jervis,  began  operations. 

Again  a  survey  was  made,  ground  was 
broken,  fences  torn  clown,  etc.,  and  a  railroad 
up  the  valley  was  an  assured  fact ;  but  when 
the  matter  of  the  old  bridge  at  Matamoras, 
which  the  Erie  should  have  kept  and  main- 
tained, was  examined,  and  it  was  discovered  that 
Credit  Mobilier  methods  were  to  be  used  in  the 
construction  of  the  road,  the  whole  matter 
assumed  a  new  aspect,  and  the  work  was 
abandoned  in  the  hopeless  depths  of  rascality. 

Legislative  enactments  and  inquiries,  Erie 
opposition,  local  dissensions  and  rascality,  etc., 
wore  out  the  patience  of  stockholders,  and  all 
that  remains  of  the  much-talked-of  project  is, 
here  and  there  along  the  line,  surveyors'  stakes, 
a  culvert  or  two  and  graded  stretches. 

Some  three  or  four  years  later  an  abortive 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


attempt  was  made  to  carry  out  the  project  by 
the  chartering  of  the  Delaware  Valley  Rail- 
road, but  this  effort,  too,  came  to  naught.  It 
followed  in  the  old  ruts  and  no  mind  con- 
nected with  it  seemed  to  have  the  ability  to 
straighten  its  affairs  out. 

Products  of  the  county  in  this  year  of  grace 
1886  are  carted  fifteen  and  twenty  miles,  as  in 
"ye  olden  time."  The  Erie  at  Port  Jervis 
receives  the  heavier  freight  of  blue-stone, 
lumber,  ties,  hoop-poles,  etc.,  whilst  farm- 
ing products  are  carted  to  the  Delaware,  Lacka- 
wanna and  Western  Railroad,  at  Stroudsburg, 
or  cross  the  Delaware  River,  either  at  Mil  ford 
or  Dingman's,  to  reach  the  New  York,  Ontario 
and  Western  Railroad,  at  Brauchville,  Decker- 
town  or  Newton,  fifteen  and  more  miles  away. 

In  the  past  ten  years  large  hotels  have  been 
built  in  Milford,  Dingman's,  etc.,  and  the  neces- 
sity of  rapid  communication  with  New  York  and 
Philadelphia  is  much  more  urgent  than  when,  in 
1848,  the  original  projectors  of  a  railroad  laid 
their  plans,  which  have  been  so  violently 
distorted  and  set  at  naught. 


CHAPTER    V. 

borough  of  milford. 

Pioneer  History  and  Tradition  a  i.  Mat- 
ter.—  About  the  year  1733  a  Hollander  named 
Thomas  Quick  emigrated  from  the  Fatherland 
to  the  colony  of  New  York,  and  not  long  after- 
wards located  on  the  Delaware,  in  what  after- 
wards became  known  as  Upper  Smithfield,  and 
still  later  as  Milford,  Pennsylvania.  His  cir- 
cumstances were  equal  to  those  of  the  affluent 
Dutch  immigrants  of  that  period.  He  pitched 
his  tent  considerably  in  advance  of  his  prede- 
cessors, and,  according  to  the  testimony  of  his 
descendants,  was  the  pioneer  settler  of  Milford. 
Quick  erected  a  log  cabin,  cleared  land  and 
built  a  barn,  which  he  stored  with  wheat  and 
maize,  the  fruits  of  his  industry.  Iu  1734, 
Thomas  Quick,  the  Indian  killer,  was  born. 
He  was  the  pet  of  the  household,  and  the  In- 
dians who  frequented  Quick's  house,  where 
.they  found  a  friendly  shelter  whenever  they  de- 


sired, admired  the  fine,  healthy  boy,  and  often 
made  him  presents  of  plumes  of  feathers  and 
other  articles.  As  he  grew  up  among  the  In- 
dians he  learned  to  speak  their  language,  and 
was  also  taught  how  to  take  the  otter,  beaver, 
etc.  He  thus  imbibed  a  liking  for  the  savage 
life  of  a  hunter,  trapper  and  fisherman,  and 
could  not  be  induced  to  follow  regularly  any 
other  occupation.  He  had  two  brothers,  James 
and  Cornelius,  and  two  sisters  who  became  the 
wives  of  Solomon  Decker  and  Francis  Magee. 
A  Dutch  school  was  established  iu  the  neigh- 
borhood, to  which  the  children  were  sent,  but 
Thomas  had  become  so  much  of  an  Indian  in 
his  instincts  and  habits,  that  he  could  with  dif- 
ficulty be  induced  to  attend  school,  and  thus 
learned  but  little. 

Meanwhile,  Thomas  Quick,  Sr.,  continued  to 
prosper  and  erected  a  saw-mill  and  grist-mill 
on  a  stream  entering  the  Delaware  near  Mil- 
ford, probably  the  Vandemark. 

While  Tom's  brothers  were  poring  over  the 
Dutch  alphabet,  he  was  shooting,  trapping, 
wrestling  and  jumping  with  the  young  Indian 
braves.  •  During  these  years  he  roamed  over 
all  the  region  of  country  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
father's  cabin,  and  made  himself  familiar  with 
the  hunting-grounds  and  rivers  in  Minisiuk, 
Mamecotiuk,  the  Shawanguuk,  the  Wawasink, 
the  Mahackamack  or  Neversink,  the  Mangaw- 
ping  or  Miugwing,  etc.  This  knowledge  after- 
wards became  of  great  service  to  him  iu  way- 
laying and  murdering  Indians.  The  Lenni 
Lenape  or  Delaware  Indians,  who  inhabited 
the  Minisink,  through  which  ran  the  Lenape 
Wihittuck  or  Delaware  River,  looked  with 
alarm  on  the  increasing  number  of  white  men 
who  invaded  their  favorite  hunting-grounds, 
and  took  possession  of  the  ancient  home  of  the 
Lenni  Lenape  or  original  people,  by  an  over- 
reaching policy.  During  the  French  and  In- 
dian War  these  jealousies  were  easily  kindled 
into  a  flame  by  French  emissaries,  who  induced 
the  Six  Nations  and  other  powerful  tribes  to 
make  common  cause  with  them  against  the 
English.  The  Quicks  had  been  kind  to  the 
Indians,  but  they  were  the  first  to  encroach 
upon  them  at  Milford,  and  the  prospect  of 
1  plundering    an  opulent  man   like  Quick    was 


PIKE  COUiNTY. 


sufficient  to  weaken  any  ties  of  gratitude  that 
might  linger  in  the  savage  breast.  When  hos- 
tilities commenced,  the  Quicks  and  their  friends 
became  uneasy.  The  natives  were  less  sociable 
and  finally  withdrew  from  the  Delaware  Valley 
altogether.  Each  party  distrusted  the  other; 
the  Indians,  feeling  they  had  been  wronged,  de- 
termined to  drive  every  Englishman  off  of 
their  lands.  Quiet  reigned  after  the  Indians 
departed  until  the  Quicks  and  their  neighbors 
became  careless.  One  day  the  old  man  crossed 
the  Delaware  to  procure  hoop-poles,  others  say 
to  grind  a  grist,  Tom  and  his  brother-in-law 
accompanying  him,  all  unarmed.  As  they 
were  proceeding  leisurely  round  a  point  or 
ridge  near  the  river,  they  were  fired  upon  by 
ambushed  Indians  and  the  old  man  fell,  mor- 
tally wounded.  The  young  men,  who  were  un- 
hurt, endeavored  to  drag  him  after'  them  as 
they  fled. 

The  savages  did  not  make  immediate  pursuit, 
probably  waiting  for  the  main  body  to  come  up. 
They  soon  arrived,  however,  and  the  young 
men,  who  were  bearing  their  father  to  a  place 
of  safety,  abandoned  him  when  he  could  go  no 
farther,  even  with  their  assistance,  as  he  ex- 
claimed, "  I  am.  dying  ;  leave  me  and  run  for 
your  lives  !  "  After  much  urging  they  finally 
left  him  and  on  the  way  across  the  Delaware, 
which  was  then  frozen,  they  were  fired  upon 
and  young  Tom  was  thrown  down  by  a  ball 
which  took  the  heel  off  his  boot,  and  the  Indians 
shouted,  "  There  lies  Tom  Quick,"  but  he  was 
soon  up  and  out  of  danger,  as  the  savages  did 
not  dare  to  pursue  across  the  Delaware.  Tom 
and  his  brother-in-law  finding  that  they  were 
not  pursued, crept  back  near  enough  to  hear  the 
scalp-whoop  of  the  Indians.  Young  Tom  was 
frantic  with  grief  and  rage,  and  swore  that  he 
would  never  make  peace  with  the  Indians  as 
long  as  one  could  be  found  upon  the  banks  of 
the  Delaware.  From  this  time  forth  the  demon 
of  unrelenting  savage  hatred  took  possession  of 
Tom  Quick,  and  he  became  more  like  the  sav- 
ages he  hunted  than  like  a  civilized  man.  He 
did  not  enter  the  army,  but  waged  ceaseless 
warfare  upon  the  Indians  wherever  he  found 
them,  both  in  times  of  profound  peace  and  war. 
He  regarded  neither  age  nor  sex  in   his   relent- 


less warfare.  The  time  has  long  since  ceased 
when  any  such  cold-blooded  murderer  can  be 
exalted  to  the  rank  of  a  hero ;  but  as  his  repu- 
tation as  an  Indian  slayer  is  far  extended,  we 
will  condense  from  a  life  of  "  Tom  Quick,  the 
Indian  Slayer,"  by  James  E.  Quintan,  a  brief 
account  of  some  of  his  exploits.  It  does  not 
appear  that  he  signalized  himself  in  any  way 
during  the  French  and  Indian  War;  but  after 
peace  was  declared  and  the  hatchet  buried,  he 
commenced  operations  independently.  Such  of 
the  former  inhabitants  of  the  Neversink  and 
Delaware  as  were  living  returned  to  their  clear- 
ings and  possessions.  The  Indians,  too,  began 
to  revisit  their  old  haunts,  supposing  they  would 
be  well  received  by  the  whites,  but  the  fire  and 
the  scalping-knife  yet  retained  a  vivid  place  in 
the  recollection  of  the  settlers,  and  in  the  hearts 
of  many  of  the  pioneers  there  rankled  undying 
hatred.  Notwithstanding  this  aversion,  nearly 
all  the  settlers  were  careful  to  avoid  all  cause  of 
offense.  Among  the  Indians  who  came  back 
was  a  drunken  vagabond,  named  Muskwink  or 
Modeline,  who  had  assisted  in  murdering  Tom's 
father.  About  two  years  after  the  war  Tom 
went  to  Decker's  tavern,  on  the  Neversink. 
Muskwink  was  there,  somewhat  intoxicated, 
very  bold  and  .talkative,  claiming  Tom's  ac- 
quaintance and  desiring  him  to  drink  with  him. 
Tom  refused  and  bestowed  a  contemptuous 
epithet  upon  the  Indian,  which  caused  the  snake- 
like eyes  of  the  latter  to  glitter  with  rage.  A 
conversation  of  an  irritating  character  passed 
between  them,  during  which  Modeline  gave  a 
detailed  account  of  the  killing  of  Thomas 
Quick,  Sr.,  asserting  that  he  scalped  him  with 
his  own  hands,  at  the  same  time  mimicking 
the  grievances  of  the  dying  man,  and,  to  corrob- 
orate his  assertion,  exhibited  the  silver  sleeve 
buttons  worn  by  his  victim  at  the  time.  This 
brutal  i-ecital  aroused  the  devil  in  Tom's  heart. 
He  was  unarmed,  but  there  was  a  French  mus- 
ket in  the  bar-room,  hanging  on  pegs  driven  into 
a  beam  directly  over  the  hearthstone.  Tom 
quickly  took  this  musket  from  its  place,  ascer- 
tained that  it  was  loaded  and  primed,  cocked  the 
gun  and  placing  the  muzzle  within  a  few  feet  of 
Modeline's  breast,  ordered  him  to  leave  the 
house.     He  arose  slowly  and  sullenly  from  his 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


seat  and  proceeded  to  the  door,  Tom  following 
after  him.  He  drove  the  savage  into  the  main 
road  between  Wurtsborough  and  Carpenter's 
Point.  After  proceeding  about  a  mile  toward 
the  latter  place  he  exclaimed,  "  Indian  dog, 
you'll  kill  no  more  white  men  !  "  and  aiming 
the  musket,  which  was  loaded  with  a  heavy 
charge  of  slugs,  shot  the  savage  in  the  back  be- 
tween the  shoulders.  Modeline  jumped  two  or 
three  feet  from  the  ground  and  fell  upon  his 
face  dead.  Tom  took  from  him  the  buttons 
which  had  belonged  to  his  father,  drew  the  body 
to  a  tree  that  the  wind  had  torn  up  by  the  roots, 
and  kicking  some  leaves  and  dirt  over  it,  left  it 
there.  Some  say  that  he  severed  the  head  from 
the  body,  stuck  it  on  a  stake  by  the  road  and 
left  it  there. 

After  the  assassination  of  Modeline,  Tom  re- 
turned to  Decker's  tavern,  put  the  musket  in 
its  proper  plaee,  drank  a  glass  of  rum  and  left 
the  neighborhood.  Several  years  afterward 
Philip  Decker  cleared  the  laud  and  in  plowing 
turned  up  the  Indian's  bones.  A  pair  of  bars 
in  the  fence  at  that  place  are  known  as  Mode- 
line's  bars  to  this  day.  This  transaction  caused 
considerable  excitement  at  the  time,  some 
holding  that  Tom  should  be  arrested  and  sent 
to  prison,  others  contending  that  he  had  per- 
formed a  meritorious  act.  Tom  was  certainly 
laboring  under  great  provocation,  and  wre  can 
find  greater  excuse  for  this  transaction  than  for 
many  which  followed.  His  next  exploit,  which 
occurred  shortly  after,  was  the  murdering  of  an 
Indian  family,  consisting  of  a  man,  his  wife 
and  three  children,  who  were  in  a  canoe  on  the 
Delaware,  near  Butler's  Rift. 

The  Indian  seemed  to  be  unarmed,  and,  with 
the  others,  was  evidently  not  apprehensive  of 
danger.  They  were  on  the  same  side  of  the 
river  with  Tom,  and  proceeded  leisurely  along, 
the  children  enjoying  the  journey  and  seeming 
very  happy.  When  Quick  saw  them  he  con- 
cealed himself  in  the  long  reed  grass  which 
grew  on  the  shore,  and  as  they  approached  near 
he  recognized  the  Indian  as  one  who  had  visited 
his  father's  house  before  the  war,  and  been  en- 
gaged in  several  outrages  on  the  frontier.  When 
within  gunshot  Tom  rose  up,  and  in  the  In- 
dian tongue,  ordered  them  to  come  ashore.  The 


Indian  turned  pale,  but  dared  not  disobey.  He 
then  inquired  where  they  were  going,  to  which 
answer  was  made.  He  then  remarked 
they  had  reached  their  journey's  end.  The 
Indian  answered  that  it  was  "  peace 
time,"  that  "  the  hatchet  was  buried."  But  Tom 
replied  that  there  could  be  no  peace  between  the 
red-skins  and  him,  and  that  he  would  wage 
eternal  war  with  them.  He  then  shot  the  man 
and  tomahawked  the  squaw  and  her  children.  The 
two  eldest  "  squeaked  like  young  crows,"  so 
Tom  said.  He  had  proceeded  thus  far  without 
compunctions  of  conscience,  or  feeling  that  he 
was  committing  a  most  horrible  massacre.  But 
as  he  raised  the  tomahawk  to  give  the  fatal 
blow  to  the  youngest,  the  babe — for  it  was 
nothing  more — looked  up  wonderingly  into 
his  face  and  smiled.  The  innocence  and  un- 
consciousness of  danger  beaming  from  its  sunny 
childish  eyes  caused  him  to  relent.  His  arm 
fell  to  his  side.  He  could  not  strike  it.  But 
the  fact  suddenly  thrust  itself  upon  him  that 
the  child  would  in  a  few  years  become  an  In- 
dian, and  this  so  enraged  him  that  he  dashed 
out  its  brains.  He  sank  the  bodies  in  the  river 
and  destroyed  the  canoe.  He  did  not  tell  of 
this  deed  until  years  afterwards.  When  asked 
why  he  killed  the  children,  he  would  reply 
"  Nits  make  lice."  The  foregoing  murders  are 
as  well  authenticated  as  any  of  his  numerous 
exploits. 

There  are  many  wonderful  stories  told  of 
him  which  have  been  preserved  by  tradition 
and  which  are  firmly  believed  by  the  oldest 
members  of  the  Quick  family  and  other  families 
who  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home  in  West- 
fall  township,  at  Rosetown,  where  he  now  lies 
buried  ou  part  of  the  old  James  Rosenkrutz 
property. 

Among  the  improbable  stories  is  the  one 
concerning  rail-splitting.  It  is  alleged  that  seven 
Indians  caught  him  splitting  rails  and  told  him 
he  must  go  along  with  them.  He  said  he  would 
if  they  would  help  him  get  the  log  split  in  two. 
They  put  their  fingers  in  the  crack  on  either 
side  to  assist  him  and  he  knocked  the  wedge 
out,  and  as  their  fingers  were  all  fast  in  the  log 
he  knocked  their  brains  out  at  his  leisure.  The 
buck  with  seven  skins  is  more  like  Tom.     On 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


857 


hunting  with  an  Indian  with  the  understanding 
that  he  was  to  have  the  meat,  while  the  Indian 
had  the  skins,  they  killed  seven  deer.  Tom 
fell  behind  the  Indian,  who  had  the  skins  on 
his  back,  shot  him  and  took  the  skins,  along 
with  the  meat,  which  was  hung  up  in  the  woods, 
saying  that  he  had  .shot  a  buck  with  seven 
skins. 

Tradition  says  that  on  his  death-bed  he  claimed 
to  have  killed  ninety-nine  Indiaus  and  begged 
them  to  bring  an  old  Indian  who  lived  in  the 
settlement  that  he  might  kill  him  before  hedied 
and  thus  make  an  even  hundred.  After  partici- 
pating in  the  murder  of  Canope  at  Handsome 
Eddy,  he  had  no  more  Indian  adventures.  His 
last  episode  was  with  the  panthers.  He  and  his 
dogs  killing  two  old  and  two  young  ones  in  one 
day.  His  headquarters  in  the  summer  were 
generally  at  the  house  of  Showers,  near  Mon- 
gaup  Island,  or  at  a  hut  near  Hagen  Pond, 
where  he  hunted  and  trapped.  He  never  mar- 
ried. He  was  outlawed  by  the  government,  it 
being  an  understood  thing  that  no  Indian  who 
killed  him  would  be  held  accountable  by  the 
whites. 

In  his  old  age  he  was  looked  upon  as  a  hero  by 
the  pioneer  hunters  and  trappers.  He  died  at 
James  Rosencrance's,  in  the  year  1795  or  1796, 
and  was  buried  ou  his  farm. 

During  his  last  illness  he  never  expressed  a 
regret  that  he  had  killed  so  many  Indians,  but 
was  sorry  he  had  not  killed  a  greater  number. 
Those  who  knew  Tom  in  his  latter  days  say  he 
had  carried  his  favorite  rifle  until  the  stock 
where  it  rested  on  his  shoulder  was  worn 
through,  so  that  the  ramrod  was  visible  at  the 
place. 

The  Indian  slayer,  weather-beaten,  with 
worn-out  accoutrements  and  dogs  in  keeping, 
would  have  formed  no  bad  subject  for  the  pen- 
cil. It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  parallel  to 
the  life  of  Tom  Quick.  Waging  a  relentless 
warfare  against  a  savage  foe,  outlawed  by  his 
own  government,  he  still  continued  to  murder 
his  victims  until  his  name  became  a  terror  to 
his  foes,  and  at  last  died  unrepentant  and 
handed  down  to  posterity  by  contemporary 
frontiersmen  as  a  hero. 

Early  Settlers. — Among  the  pioneers  at 


Milford  before  the  town  was  laid  out  or  named 
were  the  names  of  Wells,  Newman,  Seely, 
Harford,  Vandemark  and  Brodhead.  The 
place  was  known  as  Wells'  Ferry  dur- 
ing the  Revolutionary  struggle,  three  Wells 
brothers  having  come  from  Connecticut. 
Their  names  were  Jesse,  James  and  Israel. 
Jesse  Wells  built  a  grist-mill  ou  the  Sawkill, 
where  Jacob  Klaer's  mill  now  is,  the  people 
from  across  the  river  fording  the  creek  below 
the  mill  ;  hence  it  became  known  as  Mill-ford. 
General  Samuel  C.  Seely  is  sometimes  men- 
tioned as  having  been  connected  with  this  mill, 
which  is  denied  by  others.  He  may  have  had 
an  interest  in  a  grist-mill  at  this  point  for  a 
short  time.  There  was  also  a  saw-mill  near  the 
grist-mill.  The  Sawkill  and  Vandemark 
Creeks  furnish  good  water-power,  and  saw-mills 
and  grist-mills  were  erected  on  these  streams 
from  the  earliest  settlement  of  the  place.  Even 
old  Tom  Quick  is  said  to  have  had  a  grist-mill 
and  a  saw-mill  here  in  173.'!-54.  We  find  tradi- 
tionary history  and  documentary  evidence  have 
alike  connected  the  pioneer  history  of  Milford 
with  grist-mills.  The  reader  must  not  infer 
they  were  very  extensive  enterprises,  but  simply 
little  "Tub  Mills,"  as  they  were  called,  with  a 
single  run  of  native  stone,  capable  of  grinding 
about  as  much  as  a  good-sized  coffee-mill.  Even 
this  slow  process  was  better  than  beating  it  with 
a  pestle  and  mortar.  The  Wellses  undoubtedly 
had  a  ferry  here.  Old  people  remember  that 
Jacob  Kittle  was  a  ferryman  at  Milford  in  the 
year  1808.  James  Wells  lived  at  Panther 
Brook  or  Shohola.  Israel  Wells  was  drowned 
in  the  Delaware,  below  Moses  Dietrick's  place, 
about  1803.  He  lived  on  the  hill  south  of  the 
Sawkill,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Mrs.  John 
Heller  and  John  Wallace.  His  children  were 
Benjamin,  Abram,  Jesse,  Lydia,  Nathan,  David, 
Peter,  Harriet  and  Sally.  Abram  and  Jesse 
lived  on  the  turnpike  on  farms,  and  raised 
large  families,  who  have  since  departed.  Nathan 
was  a  cabinet-maker  and  lived  in  Milford.  He 
invented  the  Wells  Fanuing-Mill,  and  estab- 
lished a  factory,  which  is  now  operated  by 
Henry  Wells.  Nathan  Wells  married  Ann 
Rockwell.  Of  their  children,  Edgar  is  ticket 
agent  and  Frank  is  baggage-master  on  the  Erie 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Railroad  at  Port  Jervis ;  Peter  is  a  merchant  in 
the  same  village  ;  Mary  lives  on  the  homestead, 
opposite  the  Sawkill  House,  with  her  mother, 
who  is  now  eighty-eight  years  of  age. 

David  Wells  married  Caroline  Austin,  and 
was  a  cabinet-maker  and  undertaker  in  Milford. 
His  children  were  Helen,  wife  of  Charles  Biddis 
and  mother  of  Senator  Biddis ;  Halstead,  who 
remained  at  home  until  his  death ;  Caroline, 
wife  of  William  H.  Armstrong,  attorney-at-law, 
who  had  been  in  the  Internal  Revenue  Depart- 
ment at  Washington  for  eighteen  years,  and 
resigned  when  the  Democrats  came  into  power 
(John  D.  Biddis,  his  brother-in-law,  now  has 
the  office).  David  A.  Wells  represented  Wayne 
and  Pike  in  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania 
oue'term.  He  finally  kept  the  Glen  House, 
where  he  died. 

Isaac  Newman  came  from  Connecticut  about 
1765,  located  on  a  meadow  just  below  the  spot 
where  James  Pinchot  is  now  building,  and 
engaged  in  farming.  His  children  were  Asa, 
Isaac,  Thomas,  Ira,  Susanna,  Rebecca  and 
Hannah.  Of  these,  Asa  and  Isaac  went  to 
Montgomery  County;  Thomas  removed  to 
New  Jersey  ;  Ira  married  Mary  Bross,  a  sister 
of  Abram  Bross,  one  of  the  old  settlers  of 
Lackawaxen.  She  lay  in  the  lap  of  her  mother 
in  a  swamp  about  three  miles  from  the  Dela- 
ware, in  New  Jersey,  when  the  Indians  raided 
that  vicinity.  Mrs.  Bross  muzzled  the  dog 
when  the  savages  passed,  who  were  in  sight  of 
the  anxious  mother,  but  did  not  see  her  and  her 
infant  daughter.  Mr.  Newman  built  a  house 
in  Milford,  where  Archie  Brink  now  lives,  in 
1807.  He  was  eighty  and  his  wife  eighty-six, 
when  they  died.  His  children  were  Laura, 
who  married  William  Brink,  and  lived  in 
Dingman  township,  where  she  still  resides  with 
her  son,  aged  eighty-eight.  Nancy  married 
John  M.  Heller;  their  son,  Martin  V. Heller,  is 
a  railroad  superintendent.  Solomon  Newman 
lived  in  Milford ;  his  son ,  John  B.  Newman,  now 
has  a  store  in  the  place. 

Thomas  Newman  lives  in  Milford,  and 
served  as  constable  for  forty-four  years,  in 
which  capacity  he  has  been  called  into  all  parts 
of  Pike  County  to  serve  processes.  Living  at 
the  county-seat,  he  was  called  before  justices  of 


the  peace  in  various  parts  of  the  county. 
Among  others  he  often  appeared  before  Mason 
Dimmick,  Esq.,  who  then  kept  tavern  at 
Mellener's  Eddy,  where  William  Place  now  has 
a  stand,  and  there  Thomas  Newman  secured  for 
his  life  partner  Dimmick's  only  daughter.  Their 
son,  Charles  B.  Newman,  is  now  district  attorney 
of  Pike  County.  Mr.  Newman  is  nearly 
eighty  years  of  age,  and  has  a  distinct  recollec- 
tion of  many  of  the  old  residents  of  Milford 
who  now  sleep  in  Milford  Cemetery.  Ira  B. 
Newman  lived  in  Milford,  and  taught  school 
until  he  died,  when  a  middle-aged  man.  Cath- 
arine married  David  Howell  and  lives  in 
Lehman.     Malenna  was  unmarried. 

One  of  the  early  settlers  of  what  is  now  Mil- 
ford was  Samuel  C.  Seely.  He  obtained  war- 
rants for  and  located  two  tracts  of  land,  one  in 
his  own  name  and  the  other  in  that  of  his  wife, 
Patience  Seely.  These  tracts  included  both 
sides  of  the  Sawkill  Creek,  from  the  "  river 
flats"  up-stream  about  a  mile,  covering  the  sites 
for  water-power  on  that  creek  for  that  distance. 
Soon  after  the  surveys  were  made  he  settled 
upon  the  land  and  erected  a  grist-mill,  which  is 
said  to  have  been  on  the  site  of  the  Klaer 
mill,  that  Wells'  mill  is  said  to  have  occupied. 
It  is  probable  that  one  of  these  parties  had  the 
mill  for  a  short  time  and  then  sold  it  to  the 
other.  Seely's  residence  was  on  the  old  "  Wil- 
derness Road,"  which  was  opened  through  to 
Wyoming  by  Connecticut  colonists  in  1762. 
Old  people  say  that  he  had  a  store  here,  it  be- 
ing the  first  store  in  all  this  region  of  country. 
His  wife  was  Miss  Patience  Morrell,  of  New 
York,  a  woman  of  refinement  and  possessing 
property. 

When  he  brought  his  wife  to  the  wilderness 
home,  at  Minisink,  their  dwelling  was  a  log 
cabin,  and  their  oven  out  of  doors,  being  built 
upon  a  level-topped  rock  of  suitable  height  to 
form  the  oven  floor.  The  first  time  the  young 
wife  heated  the  oven  for  baking,  she  was 
greatly  startled,  while  at  her  work,  by  the  sight 
of  six  or  eight  large  rattlesnakes,  that  crawled 
out  from  under  the  rock  as  it  had  warmed  by 
fire.  Samuel  C.  Seely  was  one  of  the  four 
judges  commissioned  to  hold  office  during  good 
behavior,  shortly  after  the  act  of  21st  March, 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


859 


1798,  erecting  Wayne  County.  Samuel  Pres- 
ton, John  Ryersou,  Samuel  C.  Seely  and  John 
Biddis,  although  not  lawyers,  were  commissioned 
to  hold  Courts  of  Common  Pleas.  Judge  Ryer- 
son  was -removed  March  30,  1803,  and  Richard 
Brodhead  the  next  day  commissioned  as  judge 
in  his  place.  Judge  Seely  resigned  May  13, 
1803,  and  was  the  same  day  admitted  to  the 
bar  as  an  attorney-at-law.  It  does  not  appear 
that  he  ever  practiced  before  the  courts. 

These  early  judges  were  of  about  the  same 
mental  calibre  as  an  ordinary  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  their  decisions  were  based  upon  the 
principles  of  natural  justice,  as  it  appeared  to 
men  of  good  common  sense.  They  held  the 
first  courts  in  Wayne  County  at  Milford,  Wil- 
sonville  and  Bethany,  during  the  long  contro- 
versy, ending  in  the  permanent  location  of  the 
seat  at  the  last-named  place,  and  finally  in  the 
erection  of  Pike  into  a  new  county,  in  1814. 

Samuel  Seely,  son  of  Rev.  Christopher  Seely, 
was  born  in  1756,  probably  at  Morristown, 
N.  J.  Though  only  a  boy  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
Revolution,  he  early  bore  an  active  part  in  the 
conflict.  His  name  appears  for  the  first  time  in 
the  list  of  officers  and  men  of  the  militia  of 
Elizabeth  Town,  who  entered  on  board  a  num- 
ber of  shallops,  January  22,  1776,  in  order  to 
take  the  British  ship  "  Blue  Mountain  Val- 
ley." 

He  held  commissions  in  the  three  successive 
organizations  of  Continental  troops,  known  as 
First,  Second  and  Third  Establishments.  His 
final  rank  was  first  lieutenant  of  the  First  Regi- 
ment of  the  New  Jersey  Line.  In  this  he  served 
to  the  end  of  the  war,  and  was  honorably 
discharged  with  the  brevet  rank  of  captain. 
He  probably  obtained  the  title  of  general  from 
some  militia  organization.  General  Seely  had  his 
slaves,  in  common  with  the  prominent  early 
settlers  in  the  Minisink,  and  drove  with  his 
coach-and-four  in  much  style,  but  during  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  lost  his  property  and  lived 
with  his  son-in-law,  Judge  Dingman,  who  had 
married  his  daughter,  the  Widow  Burrell,  for  a 
second  wife.  He  died  September  28,  1819, 
aged  sixty-three,  and  is  buried  in  Delaware 
Cemetery,  at  Dingman's  Ferry.  He  had  a 
large    family  of  children.      Of  these  children, 


Samuel  and  Christopher  and  Charlotte,  wife  of 
John  Thompson,  lived  in  New  York  ;  William 
went  to  sea;  Cornelia  and  Maria  were  twins 
(Cornelia  was  the  wife  of  Paschal  Wells,  of 
Brooklyn,  and  Maria  married  John  Enuis,  who 
lived  just  across  the  river  from  Dingman's 
Ferry) ;  Harriet  married  Isaac  Burrell,  and 
resided  in  Sandyson,  N.  J.  ;  Sarah  H.  Burrellr 
the  oldest  daughter,  was  the  wife  of  Abrani 
Decker,  who  lived  in  Delaware  township ; 
Daniel  Burrell  is  there  also  ;  Rev.  William 
H.  Burrell  is  a  Methodist  preacher;  and  Charles 
S.  Burrell  resides  in  Chicago. 

John  Biddis,  Sr.,  a  resident  of  Philadelphia, 
of  Welsh  descent,  bought  the  land  where  Mil- 
ford  now  stands,  in  the  year  1793,  or  there- 
abouts, had  the  town  laid  out  into  building  lots,, 
etc.  He  built  a  grist  and  saw-mill,  and  carried 
on  an  extensive  business.  His  children  were 
Catharine,  wife  of  Hugh  Ross,  an  eccentric 
preacher  and  lawyer.  Edward,  a  graduate  of 
West  Point,  and  in  the  Seminole  War.  Sarah 
Biddis,  married  James  Barton,  who  built 
the  first  Milford  water-works,  the  upper  or 
Barton's  grist-mill,  now  owned  by  Jervis  Gor- 
don, and  the  Biddis  mill,  which  was  on  the  old 
Wells  &  Seely  mill-site,  and  is  owned  by  Jacob 
Klaer.  Barton  had  three  daughters.  Ann,  who 
was  the  wife  of  John  Clark,  who  furnished  the 
Pike  County  House  and  kept  tavern  there  a 
number  of  years.  Of  Clark's  children,  Theodosia 
was  the  wife  of  Oscar  Mott,  and  Augustus  the 
wife  of  William  E.  Salmon,  Esq.  George 
Biddis  and  John  Biddis  were  in  partnership  in 
the  mill  and  a  store,  which  they  established  in 
Milford,  until  John  Biddis  died.  George  Biddis 
was  a  bachelor.  John  Biddis'  wife  was  Martha 
Britton,  and  his  children  were  George  Biddis 
and  Britton  A.  Biddis,  who  are  deceased,  and 
Charles  Ross  Biddis,  who  has  been  sheriff  of 
Pike  County  one  term,  and  county  treasurer 
three  terms.  Charles  R.  Biddis  is  one  of  those 
irrepressible  men  who,  if  put  down  at  one  point, 
will  rise  at  another.  His  predecessors  had  used 
up  in  one  way  or  auother  nearly  all  of  the  an- 
cestral inheritance,  so  that  Charles,  left  to  his 
own  resources,  took  the  contract  for  carrying  the 
mail  from  Milford  to  Hamlinton,  by  way  of 
Blooming  Grove  and  Hawley,  making  a  round 


860 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


trip  of  one  hundred  miles  once  a  week.  He 
carried  this  mail  for  eight  years  and  rarely 
missed  a  trip.  "  Uncle  Ira  Crissman  "  kindly 
took  his  note  for  one  hundred  and  seventy  dol- 
lars for  a  large,  iron-gray  horse,  which  Biddis 
drove  for  seven  years  without  missing  a  single 
trip.  Mr.  Biddis  now  lives  comfortably,  the 
result  of  his  untiring  industry.  His  wife  was 
Helen  R.,  a  daughter  of  Caroline  Wells.  His 
only  son,  John  D.  Biddis,  is  a  clerk  in  the 
Internal  Revenue  Deparment  at  Washington. 
John  Biddis,  Sr.,  was  one  of  the  first  four 
judges  appointed  by  the  Governor  to  hold  a 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  Wayne  County. 

The  Town  Laid  Out. — As  already  men- 
tioned, it  was  John  Biddis,  Sr.,  who  planted  the 
town  of  Mil-ford  and  placed  its  lands  in  the 
market.  It  appears  that  he  entered  upon  this 
project  in  1793,  but  that  it  was  not  consum- 
mated until  1796.  His  plan  involved  the 
operation  of  a  lottery,  which  he  advertised 
widely,  together  with  a  description  of  the  town 
site.  Following  is  the  advertisement  which  he 
issued  : 

"  To  the  Public. 

"  Proposals  for  establishing  a  town  on  the  River 
Delaware  at  the  distance  of  120  miles  from  Philadel- 
phia. 

"  The  proprietor  of  that  noted  situation  in  Upper 
Smithfield  township,  in  the  county  of  Northampton, 
bounded  on  the  River  Delaware  and  Saw  creek,  gen- 
erally known  by  the  name  of  Wells  Ferry,  having 
laid  out  a  town,  consisting  of  five  thousand  and  thirty 
lots,  where  the  road  from  Wyoming,  Shoholy  and 
Lechawaxen  to  the  northward  and  to  the  Eastern 
States  intersect  on  an  elevated  situation  and  com- 
manding eminence,  so  that  it  is  effectually  secured 
from  inundation  when  there  are  freshes  in  the  river, 
added  to  which,  its  fine,  level  surface  or  plain  of  a 
very  considerable  extent,  over  the  whole  of  which,  or 
town-flat,  a  never-failing  supply  of  most  excellent 
water  can  be  introduced  from  a  neighboring  spring, 
the  expense  of  which  will  be  but  trifling.  Fronting 
the  town,  the  River  forms  a  natural  cove  or  Eddy, 
possessing  singular  advantages  for  the  sheltering  of 
Boats  and  Lumber.  Its  prospects  also  of  forming  a 
capital  seat  for  trade  with  the  interior  parts,  as  well 
of  the  State  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey  as  of  Penn- 
sylvania, to  a  very  considerable  extent,  and  the  meas- 
ures adopted  by  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  for 
rendering  the  Delaware  a  safe  navigation  will,  of 
course,  turn  those  advantages  of  commerce  which 
have  heretofore  proceeded  to  New  York,  to  the  city 
of  Philadelphia.     The  streams  which  nearly  form  the 


boundaries  of  this  Town  on  the  northwest  and  south- 
east are  well  known  for  their  regular  supplies  of 
water,  and  must  have  their  influence  to  prove  the  eli- 
gibility of  situation  for  almost  every  manufacturing 
purpose.  Its  central  situation  renders  it  almost  evi- 
dent that  whenever  a  division  of  the  county  north  of 
the  Blue  Mountain  shall  take  place,  which  period 
cannot  be  far  Distant,  it  will  become  the  Seat  of  Jus- 
tice. The  peculiar  advantages  in  erecting  Buildings 
at  this  place  must  be  obvious,  when  the  saw-mills 
already  erected  on  the  above-mentioned  stream  are 
taken  into  consideration.  By  taking  the  whole  of  the 
above  into  a  general  view,  it  is  conceived  that  there 
are  tew  situations  on  the  River  possessed  of  so  many 
natural  advantages,  and  for  the  Better  promoting  the 
same,  the  Proprietor  offers  the  following  advantages  : 
To  erect  one  paper-mill,  on  an  extensive  plan,  for  the 
manufacture  of  Sheathing-Paper  and  Paste  Boards, 
and  all  such  kinds  of  paper  as  shall  be  deemed  most 
advantageous,  agreeable  to  a  late  important  discovery 
of  his  own,  and  also  to  add  five  hundred  dollars  in 
Stock  for  carrying  on  the  said  manufactory  for  the 
term  of  seven  years,  for  the  benefit  of  the  subscribers 
who  shall  appoint  a  Superintendent  for  the  same,  and 
also  a  factor  to  Reside  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia  to 
receive  and  dispose  of  the  productions  thereof. 

"  By  referring  to  the  annexed  certificate,  the  Pro- 
prietor presumes  that  there  needs  nothing  further  to 
convince  Subscribers  of  the  advantage  that  may  arise 
from  the  said  Manufactory,  but  to  assure  them  that 
the  materials  for  the  sheathing-paper  is  only  Bark 
and  hair,  and  that  of  Pasteboard,  Saw-Dust  and  Bark, 
with  a  small  proportion  of  Junk. 

"To  each  Town  Lot  there  will  be  a  proportion  of 
two  acres.  This  land  lies  situated  without  the  Town, 
as  will  appear  by  referring  to  the  plan  to  be  seen  at 
the  City  Tavern,  and  at  the  Dwelling  of  the  Proprie- 
tor, adjacent  to  the  premises.  The  number  of  Lots 
will  be  considered  as  so  many  Shares,  for  the  dispos- 
ing of  which  a  subscription  is  opened  at  twenty  Dol- 
lars per  share,  to  be  paid  in  four  quarterly  install- 
ments, and,  previous  to  any  money  being  advanced, 
vouchers  shall  be  produced  for  the  performance  of 
every  matter.  And  all  that  would  wish  to  promote 
the  progress  of  Settling  the  Uuimproved  Lands  North 
of  the  Blue  Mountains,  and  also  become  instrumental 
in  preserving  the  advantages  of  Commerce  of  a  Large 
Scope  of  Country,  to  the  City  of  Philadelphia,  'tis 
hoped  will  become  Subscribers. 

"  Tlie  Mode  for  Settling  the  Town  in  Deeds  will  be 
given  to  the  Subscribers  for  the  holders  thereof  to 
make  choice  of  any  vacant  Lot,  whenever  they  shall 
be  ready  to  erect  tenantable  Buildings  thereon,  and 
the  out  Lots  to  be  numbered  1,  2,  3,  &c,  and  whoever 
erects  the  first  Building  on  a  Town  Lot  takes  No.  1 
of  the  former,  and  so  on  in  rotation. 

"John  Biddis. 

"  We,  the  subscribers,  being  well  acquainted  with 
the  Situation  of  the  Premises  of  the  foregoing  Publi- 


PIKE  COT-NT V. 


cation,  do  hereby  certify  that  the  description  therein 
given  is  founded  on  truth, — 

"Isaac  Sidman.  Garret  Brodhead. 

George  Markley.  Francis  J.  Smith. 

Jacob  Binder.  James  Chapman. 

Samuel  Wigton.  B.  W.  Ball. 

Daniel  Buckley.  Joseph  Scull. 

Edward  Evans.  Lawrence  Erb. 

Solomon  Bush. 
"  We,  the  Subscribers,  Shipwrights,  having  ex- 
amined the  specimen  of  Paper  manufactured  by  Mr. 
John  Biddis,  of  Northampton  County,  for  the  purpose 
of  Sheathing  vessel's  bottoms,  find  the  same  strong, 
good  and  superior  to  any  Paper  imported  for  that 
use. 

"  Witness  our  hands  at  Philadelphia,  June  13, 
1793  — 

Samuel  Crawford.  Manuel  Eyre. 

Peter  Aston.  George  Baker; 

George  Eyre.  Joseph  Bower. 

"  Having  examined  a  specimen  of  Paste  Board 
manufactured  by  John  Biddis,  we.  are  of  opinion  it 
will  be  suitable  for  Book  binding  and  other  pur- 
poses,— 

'■'Robert  Patton,  1 

"Wm,  Woodhouse, 
"Thomas  Dobson,  Printers 

"William  Wilson,  J.         ancj 

"  Philip  Lunebumer,       j   Stationers. 
"James  T.  Peters, 
"  Frederick  Newman,     j 
"Subscriptions  will  be  received  by  Peter  L.  Bar- 
bier  Duplesis,  No.  86  Chestnut  Street ;  Edward  Bon- 
sall  &  Co.,  at  their  office,  in  Fourth,  near  Walnut 
Street;  B.    Johnson,   No.   147   Market  Street;  John 
Jarvis,  No.  126  North  Third  Street,  and  by  the  Pro- 
prietor." 1 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  one  of  the  lottery 
tickets  or  certificates : 

"This  certificate  shall  obligate  the  Subscriber,  his 
Heirs,  Executors,  or  Administrators,  to  convey  to  the 
Holder  such  Lot,  with  its  Improvements,  in  the 
Town  of  Milford,  laid  out  in  the  county  of  Northamp- 
ton and  State  of  Pennsylvania,  as  shall  be  drawn 
against  its  number  agreeably  to  his  Proposals.  Set 
forth  to  the  Public  the  12th  day  of  January,  1796. 
"  John  Biddis. 

"  No.  402." 

This  particular  certificate  or  ticket  drew  lot 
51,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Vaudermark  Creek, 
on  which  was  a  saw-mill. 

A  large  portion  of  the  town  plat  passed  into 
the   possession  of  John  Crosby,  and,  in   1797, 


i  Recorded  in  Letter  of  Attorney,  Book  No.  4,  pages  310 
et  seq.  in  Surveyor-General's  Office  of  Pennsylvania. 


was  sold  by  the  sheriff  in  accordance  with  the 
following  announcement : 

"By  virtue  of  two  certain  writs  of  Venditioni  Ex- 
ponas to  me  directed,  issued  from  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Pennsylvania,  will  be  exposed  for  sale  at  the 
house  of  John  Shock,  Inn-keeper,  in  Easton,  on  Fri- 
day, the  26th  day  of  May  instant,  at  12  o'clock  of  the 
day.  137  lots  in  the  town  of  Milford,  situate  on  the 
river  Delaware,  in  Upper  Smithfield  township,  with 
two  acres  of  land  attached  or  pertaining  to  each  of 
said  town  lots  ;  on  lot  No.  51,  agreeably  to  the  plan 
of  the  town,  is  erected  a  dwelling-house  and  saw-mill, 
and  on  No.  375  a  water  grist-mill,  seized  and  taken  in 
execution  as  the  property  of  John  Crosby. 

"  Henry  Spering,  Sheriff. 

"  May  the  9th,  1797." 

The  first  house  on  the  site  of  Milford  borough 
was  built  by  Robert  Harford,  on  the  east  cor- 
ner of  the  lot  now  owned  by  Mrs.  E.  A.  Lewis. 
It  is  the  house  in  which  Dr.  Francis  Al.  Smith 
died,  and  in  which  Lewis  Cornelius  formerly 
kept  tavern.  The  second  was  built  by  John- 
son, a  New  Englander,  is  a  part  of  the  house 
in  which  George  Bowhanan  died,  and  in  which 
a  part  of  his  family  now  live.     The  third  was 

commenced   by Lee,  and   was  a   hemlock 

frame,  raised  and  abandoned,  near  where  the 
barn  of  Jacob  Klaer,  Jr.,  now  stands.  A  part 
of  the  house  in  which  D.  M.  Van  Auken  now 
lives  was  an  old  dwelling  many  years  ago. 
Frederick  ATandemark  occupied  it.  He,  his 
wife  and  one  son  died  there.2 

The  Vandemark  house  referred  to  in  Mc- 
Carty's  recollections  is  now  within  the  borough 
limits,  the  old  house  being  used  as  a  kitchen  by 
Van  Auken.  #  The  boards  of  the  ceiling  are 
fastened  with  wooden  pins  instead  of  nails, 
But  little  is  known  of  Vandemark.  The  creek 
near  this  house  is  named  in  his  honor.  John 
H.  Brodhead,  father-in-law  of  D.  M.  Van 
Auken,  thought  the  house  existed  before  the 
Revolution,  and  it  is  claimed  that  bullet-marks 
have  been  found  on  the  door.  William  Mc- 
Carty,  who  made  the  statements  preserved  by 
Jenny  Bross,  said  that  "  time  began  to  count 
with  him  in  1791."  He  was  a  son  of  old  Philip 
McCarty,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Dingman 
township. 


2  Recollections  of  William  McCarty,  father  of  John 
McCarty,  constable,  July  11,  1878,  in  presence  of  Jenny 
A.  Bross,  of  Morris,  Grundy  County,  111. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


It  has  generally  been  claimed  that  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Vandemark  was  the  first  settler  on 
the  present  site  of  Milford.  The  Vaudemarks 
are  found  early  in  the  Smithfield  settlement, 
At  an  Orphans'  Court,  held  at  Easton,  July  1 9, 
1766,  Benjamin  Vandemark,  of  Upper  Smith- 
field,  petitioned  for  an  inquest  on  the  estate  of 
Garret  Brink,  who  had  died  about  eleven  years 
before  intestate,  leaving  sundry  lands  in  Upper 
Smithfield  and  five  children, — Sarah,  wife  of  pe- 
titioner ;  Charity  Van  Gorden,  widow  of  Peter 
Van  Gorden;  Mary,  Lydia  and  Jannicha.  Ben- 
jamin Vandemark  sold  land  in  Lower  Smith- 
field  to  John  Vandemark,  August  1,  1771,  ad- 
joining John  McMichael  and  John  Drake,  which 
was  near  Stroudsburg.  Joseph  Rider,  of  Up- 
per Smithfield,  sold  one  hundred  and  three 
acres  and  one  hundred  and  fifteen  perches  of 
land  to  Frederick  Vandemark,  of  the  same 
place,  bounded  on  one  side  by  the  Delaware 
River,  May  10,  1784.  Rider  claims  to  have 
patented  the  land  that  year.  This  land  was 
evidently  the  site  of  Milford.  Frederick  Van- 
deuiark  and  his  wife  and  child  died,  according  to 
McCarty's  recollections,  and  probably  whatever 
title  he  had  was  lost. 

Later  Settlers. — John  Brodhead,  son  of 
Garret  Brodhead  and  brother  of  Sheriif  Rich- 
ard Brodhead,  was  born  March  3,  1766,  at 
East  Stroudsburg.  He  married  Catharine 
Heiner,  and  moved  to  Milford  at  an  early  day. 
He  was  the  first  clerk  of  the  courts  on  the  or- 
ganization of  Wayne  County,  September  10, 
1798.  This  court  was  held  at-first  in  George 
Bowhanan's  house,  in  Milford.  At  that  time 
the  offices  of  prothonotary,  register,  recorder 
and  clerk  of  the  courts  were  held  by  one  per- 
son. He  studied  surveying  under  Colonel 
William  Wills,  March  27,  1792,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  in  1812.  He  died 
September  15,  1821.  His  children  were  Dan 
M.  Brodhead,1  who  is  the  father  of  Edgar 
Brodhead,  of  Port  Jervis,  and  John  Heiner 
Brodhead,  who  was  born  at  Milford,  January 
5,  1802.  On  the  3d  of  April,  1833,  he  was 
appointed  prothonotary,  recorder,  etc.,  of  Pike 
County,    and    served    three  years.       In    1839 


1  See  chapter  upon  the  Bench  and  Bar. 


Governor  Porter  made  him  one  of  his  aides, 
with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel.  In  1841 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature.  In 
1843  Governor  Porter  appointed  him  associate 
judge  for  five  years.  In  1843  he  was  elected 
county  treasurer;  in  1856  elected  associate 
judge,  and  appointed  collector  on  the  State  im- 
provements at  Harrisburg  in  1858-59.  From 
1860  to  1867  he  was  clerk  in  the  Interior  and 
War  Departments  at  Washington.  President 
Johnson  appointed  him  one  of  the  commission- 
ers to  locate  the  county-seats  of  Carbon  and 
Wyoming  Counties.  In  1878  he  was  a  clerk 
in  the  Treasury  Department  at  Washington. 
His  wife  was  Louisa  Ross,  their  children  being 
Louisa,  wife  of  Dr.  Carpenter,  of  Brooklyn  ; 
Rev.  Dr.  Augustus  Brodhead,  who  has  been  a 
missionary  to  India  twenty  years,  and  is  now 
preaching  the  gospel  at  Bridgeton,  N.  J. ;  Mary 
G.  Brodhead,  of  Milford  ;  John  F.  Brodhead, 
who  married  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Avery,  of 
Honesdale ;  Ross  Brodhead,  who  went  to 
China,  or  it  was  so  supposed,  and  was  never 
heard  of  afterward  ;  Maria,  wife  of  Hon.  D. 
M.  Van  Auketi ;  Mark  Brodhead,  a  merchant 
in  Washington  ;  and  Catharine,  wife  of  Senator 
Van  Wyck,  of  Nebraska. 

Constantitie  Pinchot  was  a  merchant  in  Bre- 
tielle,  an  inland  village  about  sixty  miles  from 
Paris,  where  Cyville  Constantine  Desire  Pin- 
chot, the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  the 
eighth  year  of  the  republic.  When  a  mere 
lad,  he  espoused  the  cause  of  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte, and  wished  to  enlist  in  the  army  of  the 
"  Man  of  Destiny,"  but  was  too  young.  After 
Napoleon's  defeat  at  Waterloo,  his  adherents 
were  hunted  down  by  the  Bourbons,  who  had 
assumed  control.  Party  spirit  ran  high  and 
ties  of  kindred  found  no  protection.  Cyville's 
cousin,  a  Bourbon,  reported  the  zealous  young 
Bonapartist  to  the  authorities,  when  Cyville 
and  his  father  thought  it  politic  to  leave 
France,  which  they  accordingly  did  in  1816, 
bringing  their  stock  of  goods  with  them  to 
New  York,  from  whence  they  came  to  Mil- 
ford, and  built  a  house  and  store  where  Oscar 
Mott's  widow  now  resides.  Mr.  Pinchot 
cleared  the  ground  where  he  built  his  house, 
his  store  being  a  long  building,  part  of  which 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


is  still  standing.  Constantine  Pinchot  had  pur- 
chased four  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Diugman 
township,  still  known  as  the  French  lot,  while 
he  was  in  New  York,  which  first  led  him  to 
Milford,  although  he  never  occupied  the  farm, 
but  lived  in  Milford.  He  had  one  daughter, 
Hortense,  born  in  Milford,  who  married 
George  Stoll,  son  of  Judge  James  Stoll,  of  New 
Jersey,  who  died,  when  she  became  the  wife  of 
John  I.  Westbrook,  of  the  firm  of  Westbrook 
&  Stoll,  of  Port  Jervis.  Constantine  Pinchot 
did  not  long  survive  his  settlement  in  Milford, 
and,  upon  his  death,  young  Cyville  took  charge 
of  his  business,  which  he  conducted  with  energy 
aud  untiring  industry  until  he  had  acquired 
a  competence,  when  he  gradually  retired  from 
active  life  and  gave  his  four  sons  an  interest  in 
the  store.  Cyville  D.  Pinchot  was  active  in 
all  matters  that  interested  the  public.  He  be- 
lieved that  farming  could  be  made  to  pay,  and 
spent  some  thirty  thousand  dollars  on  the  prop- 
erty known  as  the  "  Stone  House  Farm,"  in 
Diogman  township.  He  was  passionately  fond 
of  a  good  horse,  and  his  stable  contained  some 
of  the  finest  specimens  of  that  noble  animal  to 
be  found  in  the  county.  The  only  pastime  he 
allowed  himself  was  to  occasionally  hold  the 
reins  on  one  of  his  fine  horses.  He  was  a 
Huguenot,  and,  consequently,  a  Calvinist. 
He,  accordingly,  identified  himself  with  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Milford,  while  in  its 
in  fancy,  in  August,  1832.  From  that  time 
forward,  for  forty  years,  he  was  an  earnest 
working  member  of  the  church  and  one  of  its 
most  liberal  supporters.  He  is  remembered  as 
an  honest,  enterprising  man,  whose  success  was 
the  just  reward  of  his  untiring  industry  and 
fair  dealing.  His  first  wife,  a  daughter  of  Dan 
Dimmick,  Esq.,  of  Milford,  died  young,  with- 
out issue.  His  second  wife,  a  cousin  of  the 
first,  was  a  daughter  of  John  T.  Cross,  Esq., 
also  a  member  of  the  Milford  bar.  Both  were 
grandchildren  of  De  Aerts,  whose  father  was 
Lord  of  Opdorf  and  Immerseele,  in  Belgium. 
Their  children  were  Edgar,  James  W.,  John 
F.,  Mary  A.  (wife  of  George  W.  Warner,  a 
lawyer  at  Bridgeport,  Conn.)  and  Cyville  (now 
dead.) 

Edgar  Pinchot  and,  in  fact,  all  the  sons  were 


engaged  in  business  with  their  father  for  a  time, 
and  John  F.  Pinchot  still  continues  the  mer- 
cantile business  at  Milford,  there  being  a 
continuous  succession  in  the  family  since  the 
business  was  first  started,  in  1816,  till  the  pres- 
ent time.  Edgar  Pinchot  was  a  merchant  from 
the  age  of  nineteen  until  1875,  being  twenty- 
five  years  in  New  York  City,  in  the  wholesale 
drug  firm  of  Pinchot  &  Bruen.  He  retired 
from  active  business  in  1875,  returned  to  his 
native  place  and  built  an  elegant  brick  residence 
on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Ann  Streets,  which 
he  now  occupies.  He  was  appointed  associate 
judge  of  Pike  County  by  Governor  Hoyt,  and 
resigned  to  act  as  Presideutal  elector  for  James 
A.  Garfield.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
State  Central  Committee,  and  chairman  of  the 
Republican  County  Committee  a  number  of 
times  since  he  came  to  Milford.  His  wife  is  a 
daughter  of  Darius  Maples,  of  Delaware 
County,  N.  Y. 

James  W.  Pinchot  was  a  wholesale  manu- 
facturer and  dealer  in  wall  paper,  in  the  firm  ot 
Pinchot,  Warren  &  Co.,  until  he  became 
wealthy,  aud  retired  from  the  firm  a  few  years 
ago.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Amos  R.  Eno, 
and  is  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  New  York 
City.  He  is  erecting  an  elegant  stone  castle  on 
a  commanding  eminence  overlooking  the  beau- 
tiful town  of  Milford  and  the  noble  Delaware 
River,  as  it  winds  through  the  historic  Mini- 
sink  Valley,  with  its  rocky  encarpment  of 
abrupt  bluffs  that  support  the  highlands  of 
Pike  County  on  one  side  and  the  receding  and 
cultivated  hills  of  New  Jersey  on  the  other. 
Ascending  the  hill-side  a  short  distance 
above  the  building  by  a  forest  path  through 
pine  and  oak,  the  ear  catches  the  sound  of  the 
falling  waters  of  the  beautiful  Sawkill  Falls  as 
they  tumble  over  rocks  a-  distance  of  ninety 
feet  into  the  deep  gorge  below. 

The  castle  is  built  after  a  Norman-Breton 
model  found  in  the  Scottish  highlands.  The 
main  building  is  eighty-one  by  fifty-two  feet, 
and  the  wing  twenty-seven  by  fifty-seven. 
There  are  three  turrets  or  towers  on  three 
corners  of  the  main  building,  each  twenty  feet 
in  diameter  and  sixty-three  feet  high.  The 
building  is   of  native  stone  aud  is  two  stories 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


high,  with  an  attic.  It  contains  twenty-three 
fire-places,  a  large  dining  hall  and  easy  stairway 
to  numerous  cosy  rooms  finished  in  imitation  of 
the  old  baronial  style.  The  Delaware  and  the 
distant  mountains  rising  in  the  background 
form  a  magnificent  landscape  as  seen  from  the 
castle. 

James  Wallace  came  to  Maryland  from  Scot- 
land and  thence  to  Milford  at  an  early  day  and 
built  a  house  where  De  Behrle's  hotel  now  is. 
He  was  evidently  poor,  commenced  mercantile 
life  as  a  pack  peddler  and  soon  opened  a  store  in 
Milford.  He  was  an  enterprising  man  and  by 
strict  integrity  and  fair  dealing  gained  a  good 
trade  and  became  a  wealthy  man  for  his  day. 
He  was  modest  and  unassuming  in  his  de- 
meanor, and,  although  not  a  church  member  at 
the  time,  was  elected  the  first  superintendent  of 
the  Presbyterian  Sunday-school,  organized  in 
Milford  in  1823,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers 
and  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
organized  in  1825.  During  his  life  he  was  one 
of  its  main  pillars  and  supporters.  He  was  very 
strict  in  his  Sabbath  observance  and  had  rather 
entertain  a  traveler  over  Sunday,  free  of 
charge,  than  have  him  travel  on'  that  day.  He 
frequently  stopped  strangers  Saturday  nights 
and  either  kept  them  at  his  own  house  or  sent 
them  to  the  Sawkill  and  paid  their  bills.  The 
wayfaring  man  ever  found  a  lodging-place  with 
him  when  he  needed  shelter  and  food.  Some- 
times his  family  would  remonstrate  with  him 
for  keeping  so  many  wandering  travelers,  or 
tramps,  as  they  are  now  called,  when  he  replied : 
"  Entertain  strangers,  for  thereby  you  may  enter- 
tain angels  unawares."  "But,"  said  his  family, 
"  you  may  sometimes  entertain  devils."  Once 
he  sheltered  a  boy  for  a  number  of  days. 
Meantime  a  man  came  whom  Mr.  Wallace  sent 
to  the  hotel  for  lodging,  which  he  often  did,  and 
paid  his  bills.  During  the  night  the  boy  whom 
he  had  befriended  stole  the  man's  satchel  and 
his  benefactor's  overcoat  and  fled.  Next  day 
the  man  tried  to  secure  a  warrant  for  the  arrest 
of  Mr.  Wallace  for  stealing,  but  could  not  find 
an  officer  who  would  grant  it.  They  replied 
that  Mr.  Wallace  would  pay  him  if  he  owed 
him  anything,  and  he  did  give  the  man  ten  dol- 
lars for  what  there  was  in  his  valise,  which  was  | 


probably  more  than  it  was  worth.  Another 
boy  set  the  mountain  on  fire  and  the  whole  vil- 
lage turned  out  to  fight  the  tire  and  save  their 
homes.  Notwithstanding  all  this  abuse  of  his 
generosity,  Mr.  Wallace  never  ceased  to  be  kind 
to  the  poor  and  wayfaring  man,  and  doubtless 
entertained  many  who  were  worthy  of  his  kind- 
ness. His  house  was  the  home  of  the  preach- 
ers. He  was  one  of  the  most  substantial 
Christian  business  men  in  Milford.  He  left 
his  children  a  good  business  start  in  life  and  an 
honest  name.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  De  Aerts  Smith,  of  Smithfield.  His 
children  were  John  H.,  Amanda,  James  S.,  Matil- 
da, William,  Francis  B.  and  Helen  M.  John  H. 
Wallace  was  a  merchant  in  Milford  and  a  very 
substantial  man.  His  son,  John  C.  Wallace,  is 
a  merchant  and  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
village,  and  his  daughter,  Helen  M.,  was  the 
wife  of  Judge  Geo.  P.  Heller.  James  S.  Wal- 
lace died  in  1884,  aged  seventy-four.  His 
life  was  one  of  strict  integrity  and  unblemished 
honor.  His  charities  were  so  manifold  that, 
though  unostentatious,  they  could  not  fail  to  be 
known.  His  moral  character  was  a  shining 
example.  His  first  business  venture  after  a  long 
clerkship  with  the  old  firm  of  Pinchot  &  Mau- 
clere  was  mercantile  partnership  with  James 
Bassett  at  Paupack  Eddy  (now  Hawley).  In 
1836-37  he  entered  into  partnership  with  John 
H.  Wallace,  his  brother,  in  the  store(now  moved 
away)  nearly  opposite  the  Sawkill  House  in 
Milford.  Both  were  successful.  He  afterward 
built  and  for  a  number  of  years  kept  store  in 
the  building  on  Harford  street,  lately  occupied 
by  N.  Revoyre  as  a  hotel,  during  a  portion  of 
which  time  he  was  postmaster  of  Milford. 
Afterward,  for  a  long  period,  he  coutinued  the 
mercantile  business  in  a  quaint  old  store  on  the 
corner  opposite  the  Crissman  House,  where  now 
stands  the  handsome  stone  building  of  James 
W.  Pinchot.  After  that  he  occupied  a  build- 
ing on  Centre  Square,  opposite  the  court-house. 
In  1881  he  removed  to  his  handsome  brick 
residence  nearly  opposite  the  Sawkill  House, 
and  almost  on  the  site  of  his  first  store  in  Mil- 
ford, where  his  estimable  wife,  wTho  was  a 
daughter  of  Jeffrey  Wells,  now  lives.  Matilda 
Wallace  was  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Alden  Bid- 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


lack,  attoraey-at-law  in  Wilkes-Barre.  He 
came  to  Milford  for  a  short  time  with  his  wife 
and  finally  died  while  United  States  minister, 
resident  at  Bogota.  His  widow  subsequently 
married  Charles  S.  Miner,  the  careful  historian 
of  Wyoming  Valley,  who  died  October  26, 
1865,  aged  eighty-six.  His  widow  still  sur- 
vives at  an  advanced  age  in  Philadelphia. 
Francis  B.  Wallace  was  a  broker  iu  New  York 
City.  Helen  M.  Wallace  was  the  wife  of  John 
T.  Cross. 

Jabez  Rockwell,  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and 
shoemaker  by  trade,  came  to  Milford  about 
1797.  He  was  sheriff  of  Wayne  County  one 
term.  His  son,  Lewis  Rockwell,  was  sheriff  of 
Pike  County  one  term,  lived  to  a  great  age  and 
died  in  Palmyra  township.  Polly  Rockwell, 
one  of  Jabez  Rockwell's  daughters,  was  wife  of 
-lames  Watson,  one  of  Pike  County's  most 
popular  sheriffs.  William  Watson,  a  car- 
penter, is  the  only  descendant  now  living 
in  Milford.  Anna  was  the  wife  of  Nathan 
Wells,  and  John  B.  Rockwell  was  a  merchant 
in  Milford. 

Andrew  Armstrong  came  to  Milford  shortly 
after  1816.  He  was  followed  by  his  brothers 
James,  Thomas  and  John,  lastly  by  William, 
who  came  in  1  <S3-*1.  The  Armstrong  brothers 
were  masons  and  contractors,  and  in  that  capac- 
ity, as  first-class  mechanics,  have  worked  on  or 
built  most  of  the  important  buildings  iu  Mil- 
ford, Port  Jervis  and  vicinity,  besides  doing 
work  in  New  York  City.  The  brothers  all 
died  in  Milford,  with  the  exception  of  William 
who  survives.  Among  the  descendants  living 
iu  Milford  are  Andrew  and  John  Armstrong, 
masons,  and  Hamilton  Armstrong,  a  school- 
teacher and  member  of  the  bar.  Lancelot  W. 
Armstrong  and  Thomas  Armstrong  are  build- 
ers in  New  York  and  were  contractors  on  the 
Produce  Exchange,  the  art  gallery  in  Central 
Park  and  Orlando  B.  Potter's  eleven-story 
building  in  Park  Row.  The  family  originally 
came  from  the  north  of  Ireland. 

Thomas  O.  Hazen,  who  was  an  early  settler 
of  the  vicinity  of  Milford,  died  in  July,  1385, 
and  was  then  the  oldest  resident  of  the  place. 
He  was  born  in  Orange  County,  New  York, 
December  4,  1793,  and  died  July  6,  1885. 
85 


He  enlisted  iu  the  War  of  IS  12,  at  the  age  of 
nineteen,  for  which  service  he  drew  a  pension 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  Mr.  Hazen  moved 
to  Pike  County  in  1824,  on  a  farm  near  the 
Sawkill  Pond,  and  followed  the  pursuit  of 
farming  all  his  life  until  declining  health  pre- 
vented him  from  performing  work.  He  had 
fivechildren,  of  whom  two  survive, — Mrs.  Juba 
A.  Crawford  and  Daniel  Hazen,  of  Sparrow- 
bush,  New  York. 

Who  the  male  residents  of  the  village  were 
in  1806  is  shown  in  the  following  fall  list  taken 
at  the  general  election  of  that  year,  held  at  the 
house  of  Samuel  Grandin  on  October  14th: 

Thomas  Newman.  Jacob  Dewitt. 

John  Brodhead,  Esq.  Henry  Van  Campen. 

James  McKean,  Mr.  Mathew  Clark. 

John  F.  Randolph.  Jacob  Von  Sekle. 

Haramones  Brink.  Samuel  Brink.   - 

John  Hill.  John  Biddis,  Jr. 

Francis  A.  .Smith.  Joshua  Johnson. 

Cornelius Meddangh,  Jr.     Absalom  Von  Auker. 

Jabez  Rockwell.  Lewis  Rockwell. 

Matthew  Ridgeway.  John  Von  Leakle  (3d). 

Dan  Dimmick,  Esq.  William  Watson. 

George  Bowhannan.  John  Brink,  Esq. 

Jacob  Robinson.  Mrs.  Sol.  Newman.  .. 

Moses  Brink.  -  Samuel  Grandin. 

Jacob  Quick.  Benjamin  Ransom. 

John  Johnson.  Samuel  Edsali. 

Jesse  McCane.  James  Hornbeek,  Jr. 

Isaac  Blackmore.  Thomas  Vanseakle. 

Levi  Von  Auker.  John  B.  Quick. 

Abraham  Mufford,  Esq.      Johile  Fuller 

George  Westf'all.  Garret  Von  Auker. 

Caleb  Hill.  Charles  D.  Wallace. 

William  Donelly.  Joshua  Dewitt. 

Josiah  McCane.  Eli  Fuller. 

Abraham  Wells.  Isaac  Newman. 

.  WilhelamesCourtright.       Josephus  McCarty. 
•     Tobias  Hornbeek.  Ira  Newman. 

David  West  fall.  George  Biddis. 

Cornelius  Meddaugh.  James  Wallace. 

Samuel  Johnson.  James  Rosengraut. 

John  F.  Waggoner.  Robert  L.  Traues. 

Edward  Cohean.  James  McCarty. 

Hi  itei.s. — Thomas  Newman,  Sen.,  kept  tavern 
near  where  Le  Clerc  now  is  in  1800,  and  Sam- 
uel Thrall  presided  there  in  1821.  Thomas 
Clark  had  a  tavern  on  the  same  site  in  1825, 
and  James  Barton  built  the  house  now  occu- 
pied by  Le  Clerc.  Tobias  Hornbeek  had  a 
tavern  where  Mrs.  Page's  house  is  located  as 
early  as  1  790.     The  George   Bowhanan    house 


866 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


was  used  as  a  hotel  for  a  number  of  years  and  is 
claimed  by  his  descendants  as  the  first  tavern 
in  Milford.  The  first  courts  in  Milford  for  the 
county  of  Wayne,  in  1798,  by  Judge  Samuel 
Preston  and  associates  were  held  in  this  house 
which  is  still  standing  and  occupied  by  Louisa 
Bowhanan,  one  of '  George  Bowhanan's  daugh- 
ters. Manual  Brink  built  the  house  where  Dr. 
Emerson  now  lives,  which  was  once  used  as  a 
hotel,  and  John  Randolph  had  a  hotel  called 
"  Flat  Roof  House,"  where  Mrs.  Eldred  now 
resides. 

The  frame  to  the  Crissman  House  was  raised 
about  1820  by  Timothy  Candy  and  the  build- 
ing completed  by  John  Clark.  The  Crissman 
House  was  .  originally  called  the  Pike  County 
House.  It  is  well  located  for  business,  being 
on  the  corner  where  the  road  from  Port  Jervis 
aud  the  main  road  leading  into  the  country 
intersect  each  other.  Clark  ran  the  hotel  for  a 
while  and  sold  it  to  Col.  H.  S.  Mott,  a  noted 
politician  in  his  day.  In  1853  Col.  Mott  sold 
the  property  to  Cyrus  Crissman  who  enlarged 
and  otherwise  improved  the  house.  After  the 
latter  died  his  widow  continued  the  business 
through  Ira  Crissman,  her  brother-in  law,  who 
is  still  living  at  the  hotel,  aged  seventy-eight. 
John  Jones,  Henry  Bull,  her  son-in-law,  and  Par- 
mer had  the  house  until  Frank  Crissman,  a  son  of 
Crissman's,  took  charge  in  187(3.  TheCrissman 
House,  in  common  with  other  hotels  in  Milford, 
is  largely  patronized  in  summer  by  boarders 
from  the  cities  of  Philadelphia  and  New  York. 
The  house  will  accommodate  sixty  guests  com- 
fortably, aud  one  hundred  have  been  fed  at 
their  tables.  The  Crissman  House  is  now.  the 
Democratic  headquarters  aud  is  much  frequented 
by  local  politicians.  During  the  long  winter 
evenings  the  Crissman  House  is  the  resort  of 
the  villagers.  Ira  Crissman  sits  there,  as  com- 
placently as  ever,  although  his  dog  Cesar  no 
longer  bears  him  company.  Uncle  Ira  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  until  he  refused  the 
honor  longer.  He  is  now  a  retired  veteran, 
living  on  the  honors  and  emoluments  of  the 
past.     Frank  Crissman   is  a   popular  landlord. 


1  For  full 
township. 


of   liowhfinan's   family, 


Dingma 


His  table  contains  all  that  one  desires  and  the 
comfort  of  the  guests  is  well  considered. 

Mason  Dimmick  came  to  Milford  first  aud 
taught  school.  Samuel  Dimmick  arrived  next 
aud  built  the  Dimmick  House.  He  first  com- 
menced hotel-keeping  in  the  house  now  occu- 
pied by  Mrs.  Pinchot,  and  while  there,  in 
1828-29,  built  the  house  on  the  corner  opposite 
the  Crissman  House,  now  known  as  the 
Dimmick  House.  Mr.  Dimmick  was  an  en- 
terprising man  and  bought  an  interest  in  the 
stage  line  on  the  Milford  and  Owego  turnpike. 
These  stage  lines  were  important  in  their  day, 
and  took  the  place  of  the  railroad.  The  old 
Milford  aud  Owego  line  made  connections  with 
Xewburgh  by  stage  and  from  thence  to  New 
York  by  boat,  persons  traveling  West  taking 
this  line  ;  but  the  Erie  Railroad  superseded  the 
stage  lines  and  the  turnpike.  When  Dimmick 
abandoned  staging  he  had  forty  or  fifty  horses 
and  a  number  of  coaches  which  were  sent  far- 
ther West.  During  these  staging  days,  about 
1840,  while  Greeley  was  visiting  Pike  County 
in  connection  witli  the  Sylvania  Phalanx  So- 
ciety, which  he  and  others  had  established  in 
Lackawaxen  township  to  test  Fourierism, 
an  occurrence  happened  which  has  often  been 
alluded  to  in  the  newspapers  and  which  we 
give  in  the  language  of  Charles  F.  Rockwell 
who  was  an  eye-witness  to  the  whole  transac- 
tion. He  says  :  "  The  exact  year  I  do  not  re- 
member ;  it  was  somewhere  in  the  forties. 
Horace  Greeley  had  money  invested  in  theSvl- 
vania  Society  and  was  on  his  way  to  that  point. 
The  Erie  Railroad  then  ended  at  some  point 
east  of  Port  Jervis — either  Middletown  or 
Otisville  ;  from  that  point  travel  was  continued 
by  stage.  I  think  the  time  was  in  the  spring  ; 
at  all  events  it  was  very  wet  and  the  roads  were 
muddy.  The  stage  broke  down  out  of  town 
between  the  "William  Brodhead  and  James 
Wallace  farms  and  the  passengers  walked  into 
town,  Greeley  among  them,  with  his  pants 
tucked  in  his  boots  aud  valise  in  his  hand.  The 
Dimmick  Hotel,  then  called  the  '  Centre  Ho- 
tel,' was  kept  by  Samuel  Dimmick,  father  of 
Milford's  present  postmaster,  C.  W.  Dimmick, 
and  was  the  stage-house. 

"Mr.  Dimmick  was  in  the  bar.  The  fire-place, 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


I  remember,  was  an  open  stove,  called  in  those 
days  a  Franklin  stove,  and  behind  it  was  a 
long  covered  wood  box,  with  lids.  Greeley  set 
his  valise  and  himself  on  the  wood  box  until 
those  at  the  bar  had  got  through,  when  he  told 
Mr.  Dimmick  that  he  would  like  to  have  the 
mud  washed  off  his  boots.  Dimmick  answered 
that  he  could  accommodate  himself  at  the  pump- 
trough,  which  then  stood  at  the  centre  of  the 
intersection  between  Broad  and  Harford  Streets. 
Greeley  had  hardly  begun  when  he  was  recog- 
nized by  Cornelius  W.  De  Witt  from  his  store 
across  the  way.  De  Witt  knew  him,  for  he  was 
then  the  head  and  front  of  the  Whig  party, 
which  consisted  of  about  one  hundred  and  forty 
voters.  De  Witt  went  over,  shook  hands  with 
Greeley  and,  when  told  by  him  of  the  situation, 
at  once  ordered  a  halt,  and  taking  Greeley  by  the 
arm,  led  him  back  to  the  bar-room,  and  bringing 
him  face  to  face  with  Dimmick,  he  said,  '  Mr. 
Dimmick,  I  will  make  you  acquainted  with 
Horace  Greeley.'  Dimmick  was  dumfounded 
for  a  moment,  but  after  recovering  from  his 
confusion  said,  '  Is  it  possible — and  it  was 
Horace  Greeley  I  sent  to  wash  his  own  boots.' 
It  is  needless  to  add  that  Greeley's  boots  were 
taken  off,  washed  and  a  pair  of  slippers  were 
furnished  and  a  place  in  the  sitting-room  given 
to  him." 

The  Dimmick  house  burned  down  about 
1856,  when  it  was  rebuilt  with  brick.  After 
the  death  of  Samuel  Dimmick,  in  1866,  the 
business  was  continued  by  the  family  until 
1870.  It  still  belongs  to  the  estate,  but  has 
been  rented  for  a  number  of  years.  Abrain 
Bronson  now  has  it.  The  house  will  accommo- 
date about  fifty  guests  comfortably.  Chief  -Jus- 
tice Sliarswood,  of  Philadelphia,  and  Horace 
( Jreeley  have  made  this  a  stopping-place  in  years 
gone  by.  Samuel  Dimmick's  son,  C.  W.  Dim- 
mick, is  postmaster,  and  Fannie  Dimmick,  his 
sister,  assistant  postmaster  at  Milford. 

The  Sawkill  House,  which  is  named  after 
the  beautiful  falls  of  that  name  near  Milford, 
was  built  by  Lewis  Cornelius,  about  1823.  Mr. 
Cornelius  first  commenced  hotel-keeping  in  the 
old  Harford  House,  and  during  that  time  built 
what  is  now  the  parlor  and  sitting-room  and  a 
portion  of  the  dining  r n.       lie  was  an  ener- 


getic business  man,  soon  added  a  store-room  to 
the  hotel,  got  in  a  stock  of  goods  and  engaged 
in  merchandising  along  with  hotel-keeping, 
but  later  abandoned  store-keeping  and  used  a 
portion  of  that  room  for  a  bar-room.  Since 
then  a  three-story  building,  containing  a 
Masonic  Hall,  public  hall  and  sleeping-rooms, 
has  been  added.  The  Sawkill  House  has  al- 
ways enjoyed  a  well-deserved  reputation  for 
good  aoccommodations  and  skillful  cooks.  It 
was  formerly  patronized  by  wealthy  Philadel- 
phians,  such  as  Anthony  and  Frank  Drexel 
(bankers)  James  Smith,  Dr.  Neidhard  and 
many  others.  Allen  Cuthbert  came  to  the 
house  for  forty  years.  George  H.  Boker,  the 
poet,  also  made  it  his  headquarters.  Judges 
Waller  and  Seely  always  stop  here,  and  George 
G.  Waller,  Esq.,  lias  made  it  a  stopping-place 
for  twenty-live  years.  The  rooms  were  let  in 
advance.  Of  late  years,  New  Yorkers  have 
been  patrons  of  the  Sawkill.  After  Lewis 
Cornelius'  death,  in  1841,  his  sons — James, 
William  and  John — and  his  daughters— Catha- 
rine, Maria,  Emily  and  Martha — continued  the 
business.  James  Cornelius  had  principal  charge, 
while  John  Cornelius  was  more  of  a  politician — 
and  sheriff  of  Pike  County  for  three  terms. 
After  James'  death,  John  gave  up  politics  and 
attended  to  the  hotel,  where  he  became  a  popu- 
lar landlord. 

The  sons  are  all  dead  and  the  three  living 
sisters — Maria,  Martha  and  Emily — have  since 
1882  continued  the  business.  The  Cornelius 
sisters  are  noted  cooks  and  the  Sawkill  House  is 
second  to  none  in  Milford,  for  genteel  enter- 
tainment and  home-like  quietness.  The  Sawkill 
House  will  accommodate  about  sixty  boarders. 

The  Bluff  House  was  built  about  1876,  by 
H.  B.  Wells,  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware. 
It  is  beautifully  located  and  commands  a  fine 
view  of  the  Delaware  and  surrounding  hills. 
It  will  accommodate  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  persons. 

Walter  Mitchell  is  building  a  house  that  will 
accommodate  one  hundred  persons. 

The  Fauchere  House  is  on  the  site  of  the 
old  Van  Gordon  and  La  Bar  stand.  It  accom- 
modates about  forty  guests. 

The  Vandemark    House   has    a  capacity  for 


WAYNE,  PIKK  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,   PENNSYLVANIA. 


about  twenty-five  persons  and  is  kept  by  Ernest 
Beck.     Many  jurymen  stop  there. 

There  were  fifteen  licensed  hotels  in  the  place 
a  few  years  ago,  but  there  are  not  as  many  at 
present. 

Milford  is  a  desirable  summer  resort,  a  fact 
which  is  appreciated  by  city  people. 

Business  Men  of  Milford. — Albert 
Sherman  had  a  tannery  on  the  site  now 
occupied  by  A.  D.  Brown,  which  the  latter  has 
converted  into  a  saw-mill.  Jesse  Belknap  had 
a  tannery  on  the  'Vandeniark  above  Van  Auken's, 
as  early  as  1800.  He  was  succeeded  in  the 
tanning  business  by  Josiah  Foster  and  Franklin 
Brodhead.  Among  the  early  grist-mill  owners 
may  be  mentioned  John  Biddis  &  Sous  and 
James  Barton.  Among  the  early  merchants  were 
James  Wallace  <&  Sons,  Pinchot  &  Mauclere, 
who  were  succeeded  by  ('.  C.  D.  Pinchot  & 
Sons,  John  Lafarge,  John  B.  Rockwell,  Ed- 
mund Power,  Lewis  Cornelius,  Thomas  New- 
man, Sr.,  and  others  elsewhere  noticed.  The 
present  business  men  of  Milford  are  William 
&  George  Mitchell,  John  F.  Pinchot,  John  B. 
Newman,  Ryman  &  Wells,  John  McCarty,  C. 
P.  Mott,  Geo.  Danman,  A.  D.  Brown,  Lewis 
Rushitt,  Clinton  O.Armstrong,  druggist;  T. 
R.  Julius  Kline,  tinsmith ;  L.  F.  Hafner, 
harness-maker ;  James  Hutchinson,  tailor ; 
Jervis  Jordan  and  Jacob  Klaer,  grist-mills  ;  A. 
D.  Brown,  saw-mill  ;  Van  Gamp  &  Newman, 
carriage-painters;  Herman  K holer  and  John 
Dagon,  barbers. 

Silver  Watch-Cask  Factory. — Desire 
Bournique  established  a  silver  watch  case 
factory  in  Milford  in  June,  1864.  He  com- 
menced in  a  kitchen,  with  two  or  three  hands,  and 
developed  the  business  until  it  required  fifty- 
five  men  and  boys,  and  made  four  hundred  cases 
per  week.  These  cases  ranged  from  two  or 
three  ounces  in  weight  to  sixteen-ounce  cases. 
The  cases  were  made  and  engraved  ready  for 
use.  He  made  two  thousand  one  hundred  cases 
one  year.  In  the  fall  of  1884  Mr.  Bournique 
died  and  the  factory  closed  shortly  after. 

Mr.  Bournique  was  born  at  Abushville, 
Loraine,  France,  December  26,  1833,  and  came 
to  America  when  young.  October  10,  1855,  he 
married  Emily,  daughter  of  Remy  Loreaux,  of 


Milford,  and  reared  a  large  family.  He  was 
respected  by  all  classes  as  a  quiet,  industrious, 
progressive,  generous-hearted  man,  devotedly 
attached  to  his  family,  and  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  He  would 
never  consent  to  move  his  factory  from  Milford, 
though  flattering  offers  were  made  by  other 
towns. 

Gold  Watch-Case  Factory. — Ferdinand 
Berthoud  and  J.  F.  Courvoisier'were  in  part- 
nership for  five  years,  from  1878  to  1883,  and 
established  the  Milford  Gold  Watch-Case  Fac- 
tory. Since  1883  Ferdinand  Berthoud  has 
earned  on  the  business  alone.  He  employs 
about  twenty-eight  men  and  uses  thirty-six 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  gold  per  year.  He 
makes  only  gold  cases  to  order,  from  fourteen 
carats  to  eighteen  carats  fine,  using  silver  and 
copper  alloy.  It  requires  complicated  and 
delicate  machinery  aud  careful  manipulation  to  do 
the  work  required.  The  turning  and  engrav- 
ing is  all  neatly  and  handsomely  done  at  this 
factory.  They  make  no  filled  eases,  all  their 
work  being  solid  gold  from  fourteen  to  eighteen 
carats  fine. 

THE    PRESS. 

The  Eagle  of the ■North  was  published  in  1827, 
and  its  first  issue  must  have  been  about  the  1st 
Juue.  In  a  copy  of  the  paper,  Vol.  I.,  No.  27, 
issued  December  '21,1827,  it  is  stated  that  the 
paper  is  "  printed  for  the  proprietor  by  T.  A. 
Wells,  for  two  dollars  per  annum,  payable  in 
advance."  Who  the  proprietor  was  is  not  stated  ; 
possibly  B.  A.  Bidlack  or  Francis  Al.  Smith. 
It  was  a  four-column  folio,  eleven  by  seventeen 
inches,  with  a  motto  from  Shakspeare,  "  O,  that 
cstali's  and  degrees  and  offices  were  not  derived 
corruptly,  and  that  clear  honor  were  purchased 
by  the  merit  of  the  wearer  !  "  The  first  printing- 
office  was  in  Francis  Al.  Smith's  house,  when 
he  lived  at  the  old  Harford  place,  on  a  corner 
of  the  lot  now  owned  by  Colonel  Lewis.  This 
issue  of  December  21,  1827,  is  severe  on  John 
Quincy  Adams,  and  publishes  documents  to 
show  that  he  was  educated  a  monarchist,  etc.  One 
dollar  reward  is  offered  by  C.  B.  Seaman,  sheriff, 
for  the  return  of  two  debtors,  who  had  escaped 
from  the  Milford  jail,  fifty  cents  for  either  of 
them,  but  will  pay  no  charges.      He  also  issues 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


his  court  proclamation  for  the  Eleventh  Judicial 
District, — Judge  David  Scott,  presiding  judge, 
and  John  Coolbaugh,  and  Daniel  W.  Dingman, 
associates.  Samuel  De  Puy  appears  as  clerk 
of  the  court,  and  Joseph  Miller,  sheriff  of 
Wayne  County,  advertises  land  in  Sterling 
township.  Jacob  Hornbeck,  treasurer,  gives 
the  list  of  retail  merchants  in  Pike  County,  as 
follows  : 

Delaware  township. — John  Hall  and  John  Lodee. 

Laekawaxen. — .lames  R.  Kern,  Frederick  Billinger, 
Charles  Cook,  Philips  &  Tigue,  Morris  &  Henderson, 
John  Le  Forge  and  John  Armstrong. 

Middle  Smithfield.— John  Malvin. 

//■/«/■  Smithjield. — Lewis  Cornelius,  Joseph  A. 
Bonnel  and  Horace  E.  Denton,  J.  Brink  and  John  B. 
Rockwell,  John  Leforge  and  John  B.  Leforge,  John 
Leforge,  Jeffrey  Wells,  Pinchot  &  Manalure. 

Palmyra. — James  Philips,  Leonard  Lebar. 

James  Barton  offers  firewood  Cur  sale.  John 
B.  Rockwell  offers  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  acres,  two  miles  from  Milford,  with 
eighty  acres  cleared  and  a  log  house  and  frame 
barn.  James  Broas  advertises  tailoring  and 
Muses  Bross  shoemaking. 

Samuel  J.  Brodhead  appears  as  commission- 
er's clerk,  and  B.  A.  Bidlack  as  agent  for  eight 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  Middle  Smithfield. 
The  editorial  comes  out  strongly  in  favor  of 
General  Jackson  and  a  celebration  on  the  8th 
of  January,  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of 
New  <  Means. 

At  a  large  and  respectable  meeting  held  at 
the  house  of  Daniel  W.  Dingman,  Esq.,  in 
Delaware  township,  John  Nyce  was  called  to 
the  chair,  and  William  Mapes  and  Jacob  West- 
brook  appointed  secretaries,  when  the  follow- 
ing resolution  was  passed : 

"Resolved,  That  the  friends  of  General  Jackson  in 
the  county  of  Pike,  or  elsewhere,  are  invited  to  meet 
at  the  bouse  of  Daniel  W.  Dingman  on  the  8th  of 
Jan.  next,  to  celebrate  the  glorious  victory  of  Gen. 
Andrew  Jackson  over  the  British  at  New  Orleans." 

William  Hooker,  Nathan  Emery,  Jacob 
Westbrook,  William  C.  Jailer,  Benjamin  Fra- 
zer,  Garrett  Brodhead,  Jr.,  and  James  Nyce 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  carry  out  the 
proposition.  Administration  meeting.  The 
friends  of  John  Q.  Adams  met  at  the  house  of 
John  Clark,    in    Milford.      John    Leforge   was 


appointed  chairman  and  Edward  Mott 
tary.  James  M.  Porter,  delegate  from  North- 
ampton, was  chosen  to  represent  Pike  in  the 
convention  to  be  held  at  Harrisburg,  January 
1,  and  instructed  to  support  Adams  for  the  Pres- 
idency. Richard  Brodhead,  Esq.,  Moses  Kil- 
lam,  Jr.,  Esq.,  Samuel  L.  Roberts,  John  Leforge, 
Mason  Pimmiek,  Lewis  Rockwell,  Samuel 
Darling,  Esq.,  and  Samuel  S.  Thrall  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  of  correspondence,  and  it 
was  resolved  that  the  proceedings  of  the  meet- 
ing be  published  in  the  Eagle  of  the  North, 
Belvidere  Apollo  and  Democratic  Press. 

The  following  editorial  appears,  headed, 
"  Characteristic  coincidence": 

"On  the  4th  of  January,  1815,  the  enemies  of  our 
country  assembled  below  New  Orleans,  under  the 
direction  of  Packenham.  On  the  8th  of  January 
following  they  were  overwhelmingly  defeated  and 
confounded.  <  >n  the  4th  of  January,  1828,  the  ene- 
mies of  Jackson  in  Pennsylvania  met  at  Harrisburg 
under  the  direction  of  John  Binns.  On  the  8th  of 
January  following  they  will  be  overwhelmed,  defeated 
and  confounded.  Packenham  had  his  Jackson  and 
Adams  may  profit  by  his  example.  If  this  be  treason, 
make  the  most  of  it." 

After  continuing  for  a  year  or  more  as  the 
Eagle  of  the  North,  the  name  of  the  paper  be- 
comes The  Northern  Eagle  and  Milford  Moni- 
tor,  under  the  editorship  of  Benjamin  A.  Bid- 
lack,  in  1828. 

The  Northern  Eagle  and  Milford  Monitor 
of  December  11,  182il,  is  a  five-column 
folio  published  by  Francis  Al.  Smith.  It 
contains  an  account  of  a  public  meeting  of 
citizens  of  Pike  residing  in  the  northwest  part 
of  Upper  Smithfield,  held  at  the  house  of  Nich- 
olas Wheeler,  for  the  purpose  of  protesting 
against  the  methods  by  which  appointments  are 
procured,  showing  there  were  "  rings  "  in  Pike 
County  at  an  early  day.  The  meeting  organ- 
ized by  choosing  Roger  Allen  chairman,  Wil- 
liam Bowhannan  secretary  and  David  Kerby 
clerk.  After  an  interchange  of  sentiment  as  to 
the  manner  in  which  appointments  from  the 
Governor  are  procured  and  candidates  elected 
to  office,  a  committee  was  appointed,  consisting 
of  Isaiah  Hazen,  Samuel  Thomas,  Nicholas 
Wheeler,  Nathan  N.  Carey  and  Edmund 
Power,  to   draft    resolutions   expressive  of  the 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


sense  of  the  meeting.  In  these  resolutions  they 
say  "that  the  few  in  this  county  have  adopted 
means  to  control  the  many.  That  appointments 
are  procured  and  the  appointed  in  the  actual 
execution  of  their  offices  before  it  is  known  to 
the  people  generally  that  an  appointment  was 
to  be  made."  They  complain  of  "  a  well-organ- 
ized Intrigue." 

TJie  Northern  Eagle  and  Milford  Monitor 
of  July  23,  1830,  Vol.  III.,  new  scries, 
No.  47,  with  Francis  Al.  Smith  still  ed- 
itor, says  :  "  A  gentleman  who  recently  passed 
through  Honesdale,  a  small  village  at  the  ter- 
mination of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal, 
informs  us  that  it  is  in  a  thriving  condition, 
and  bids  fair  to  be  a  place  of  considerable  busi- 
ness and  importance.  He  likewise  stated  that 
he  saw  forty  cars  in  one  connected  chain  loaded 
with  one  hundred  and  thirty  tons  of  coal  and 
carrying  quite  a  number  of  passengers.  We  do 
indeed  wish  our  sister  prosperity  and  hope  she 
will  reciprocate  the  feeling  towards  us  with  re- 
gard to  our  contemplated  railroad." 

The  Eagle  and  Monitor  appears  in  1831 
with  J.  H.  Westfall  printer  and  publisher.  The 
eagle  is  taken  down  aiul  the  motto  is  "  The 
union  of  the  States  and  the  sovereignty  of  the 
States."  The  issue  before  us  is  Vol.  V.,  No. 
2,  Milford,  Pa.,  October  14,  1831  (whole  No. 
'210).  The  paper  is  a  five-column  folio,  printed 
on  good  paper  and  much  improved  in  appear- 
ance. It  contains  the  October  elections,  which 
show  that  Upper  Smithfield  had  184  voters, 
Lackawaxen  44,  Palmyra  39,  Delaware  95, 
Lehman  80,  Middle  Smithfield  151,  Price  36,— 
total,  629.  The  paper  claims  that  two-thirds 
of  this  vote  is  Democratic  and  that  the  Demo- 
cratic majority  would  have  been  larger  had 
there  not  beeu  sickness  in  Palmyra  and  Lacka- 
waxen to  prevent  one  hundred  voters  from 
going  to  the  polls.  (This  was  the  year  of  the 
great  epidemic  or  fever  that  prevailed  in  the 
Paupack  settlement.) 

The  Eagle  and  Monitor  was  strongly  in 
favor  of  General  Jackson  for  a  second  term, 
and  approved  the  course  of  Governor  Wolf. 
It  was  opposed  to  the  Anti-Masons,  who  had 
just  nominated  William  Wirt,  an  unrenouncing 
Mason,  for  the  Presidency,  and  Amos  Ellmaker, 


an  Anti-Mason  of  Pennsylvania,  for  the  Vice- 
Presidency.  This  paper  was  continued  for  a 
time  and  possibly  changed  hands.  At  any  rate 
its  publication  was  discontinued.  The  next 
newspaper  venture  in  Pike  was  made  by  C.  W. 
De  Witt,  who  was  at  that  time  the  leader  of 
the  Whig  party  in  Pike  County.  The  Northern 
Eagle  and  Milford  Monitor  was  no  longer  pub- 
lished, and  there  was  no  paper  in  Pike  County 
to  publish  sheriff  sales  or  to  do  any  other  ad- 
vertising. At  this  juncture  several  Whigs  of 
Pike  and  Monroe  Counties  organized  a  joint- 
stock  company,  and  Richard  Nugent  came  down 
to  Stroudshurg,  from  Honesdale,  to  issue  the 
first  number  of  the  Jeffer.soii.ian,  January  15, 
1X40.  A  number  of  copies  were  dated  Milford, 
with  0.  W.  De  Witt's  name  added  as  one  of 
the  editors,  and  circulated  as  a  Pike  County 
paper,  which,  by  permission  of  Judge  Jessup 
and  the  Pike  County  bar,  became  the  medium 
of  (he  legal  advertising  of  Pike  County.  This 
condition  of  things  continued  for  about  four 
years.  Richard  Nugent  removed  to  Nova  Sco- 
tia, published  a  paper  and  got  into  difficulty 
for  reflecting  too  severely  upon  some  of  Queen 
Victoria's  subjects.  Theodore  Schoch  com- 
nieneed  to  publish  the  Jeff'ersonian  February 
24,  1841,  and  is  still  its  veteran  editor. 

In  184(>-47  there  was  no  paper  in  Pike 
County,  and  James  J.  McNally,a  young  printer 
working  in  Newton,  N.  J.,  believing  the  field  a 
good  one,  purchased  the  material  of  the  Goshen 
Sentinel  office  and  moved  it  to  Milford,  where 
he  started  the  Pike  County  Democrat  July  14, 
1849.  It  was  a  seven-column  folio,  of  the 
same  size  as  the  present  Milford  Dispatch,  and 
McNally  claimed  in  his  introductory  editorial 
that  it  was  the  largest  paper  published  in  the 
State  outside  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  Ed. 
Mott  says :  "  It  was  a  very  superior  journal, 
few  local  papers  equaling  it  in  ability."  He 
also  announced  in  his  salutatory  that  "this 
paper  will  support  the  principles  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Republican  party."  He  changed  the 
name  of  the  paper,  in  1852,  to  the  Milford 
Herald.  Shortly  after  the  office  was  purchased 
by  John  M.  Heller.  He  placed  the  paper  in 
charge  of  John  B.  Adams  and  Harvey  Heller, 
his  sou.     This  paper  was  remarkable  under  the 


IMKIO  COUNTY. 


871 


management  of  Adams  &  Hellerforthe  amount 


of  labor  bestowed   u 


pon 


it,    both    mental    and 


material.     Its  editorial  columns  were  character- 
ized by  a  sprightliness,  dash  and  clearness  that 

gave  the  paper  a  wide  reputation.  Harvey 
Heller  soon  withdrew  from  the  management, 
and  Mr.  Adams  continued  to  edit  and  publish 
it  alone.  The  late  Lucien  F.  Barnes,  of  Mil- 
ford,  was  then  editing  the  Tri-Skdes  Union  at 
Port  Jervis,  and  the  personal  newspaper  war 
that  was  waged  between  him  and  Adams  for 
several  weeks  in  1853  is  still  remembered  by 
the  oldest  residents  of  the  county.  Adams  ran 
the  Herald  until  1855,  when  he  removed  to  the 
coal  regions,  and  the  paper  passed  into  the  hands 
of  John  A.  Daniels,  a  son-in-law  of  the  late 
David  Van  Gordon,  one  of  Milford's  promi- 
nent old-time  residents.  Daniels,  although  a 
man  of  good  education,  was  not  fitted  for  jour- 
nalism, and,  in  185(5,  the  printing-office  having 
passed  into  the  possession  of  the  late  Henry  S. 
Mott,  his  brother,  Oscar  H.  Mott,  became  the 
editor.  The  Herald,  under  his  administration, 
was  one  of  the  neatest  and  ablest  local  papers 
in  the  State.  Hecontinued  as  editor  until  May, 
1861.  Oscar  H.  Mott  held  views  as  to  the  con- 
duct of  the  paper  on  questions  growing  out  of 
the  late  war  different  from  his  brother,  Colonel 
Mott,  the  owner  of  the  paper,  who  was  then 
representing  the  Wayne,  Pike,  Carbon  and 
Monroe  District  in  the  State  Senate.  These 
differences  resulted  in  the  resignation  of  the 
editorial  chair  by  O.  H.  Mott  and  the  employ- 
ment, by  Colonel  Mott,  of  Charles  1>.  ( lolton, 
a  veteran  Pennsylvania  journalist,  to  edit  the 
Herald.  Mr.  Colton  conducted  the  paper  with 
ability  until  April,  1865,  when  E.  II.  Mott,  a 
nephew  of  Colonel  Mott,  assumed  charge  and 
edited  it  until  January  1,  lSb'G,  when  the  office 
was  purchased  by  F.  A.  &  J.  H.  Doney,  of 
Wayne  County,  and  J.  H.  Doney  soon  after- 
ward became  sole  proprietor.  He  ran  the  Her- 
ald with  unvarying  success  until  January  1, 
1878,  when  M.  I).  Mott,  the  present  proprietor, 
who  is  a  son  of  O.  H.  Mott,  its  former  editor, 
took  charge  and  changed  the  name  to  the  Mil- 
fun!  Dispatch.  The  following  is  his  salutatory  : 
"As  announced,  this  office  has  changed  proprietors, 
and  the  undersigned  will  hereafter  assume   control. 


Although  from  boyhood  we  have  been  connected  wilh 
the  typographical  art,  this  is  our  first  venture  as 
journalist,  and  it  is  with  diffidence  we  undertake  the 
editing  of  the  Dispatch.  We  shall  do  our  utmost, 
however,  to  give  a  readable  paper,  and,  by  attending 
strictly  to  business,  look  for  a  support  that  will  enable 
us  to  enlarge  and  improve  this  journal. 

"  Instead  of  the  familiar  faces  of  the  Herald  Coming 
to  its  subscribers  in  the  future,  its  successor,  the  Dis- 
patch, will  take  its  place,  and  we  trust  will  prove  as 
welcome  a  visitor.  For  various  reasons,  which  are 
immaterial  to  here  mention,  the  name  of  the  paper 
has  been  changed.  While  this  change  has  taken 
place,  it  will  not  affect  the  patrons  of  the  Herald  in 
the  least;  the  volume  and  number  will  remain  the 
same,  and  all  who  have  paid  up  subscriptions  will  re- 
ceive the  Dispatch  in  place  nf  the  Herald;  all  adver- 
tising contracts  will  lie  carried  out  the  same;  and 
likewise  all  accounts  owing  to  the  Herald  will  be  by 
us  collected. 

"  In  politics,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say,  the  Dis- 
patch  will  be  Democratic.  The  use  of  its  columns 
will  beopen  to  that  party,  and  it  will  work,  at  all 
times,  for  the  principles  and  nominees  of  the  Democ- 
racy. 

"  ( lur  chief  aim  will  be  to  give  a  first-rate  local 
family  paper,  so  that  it,  will  lie  needless  fur  any  to 
take  outside  papers  to  get  home  news.  With  the 
help  of  good  correspondents  there  is  no  reason  why 
the  local  page  of  the  Dispatch  should  not  be  made  to 
suit  the  most  critical,  and  it  will  be  gotten  up  with 
that  object. 

"In  conclusion,  we  return  sincere  thanks  to  many 
friends,  in  and  out  of  the  county,  who  have  wished 
us  success,  assuring  them  that  we  shall  always  en- 
deavor to  merit  their  tidiest  approbation. 

"M.  D.  Mott." 

M.  D.  Mott  still  continues  proprietor,  and 
Colonel  Charles  N.  Pine,  a  veteran  editor  of 
Philadelphia,  is  editing  the  paper  and  acting  as 
Milford  correspondent  of  the  l'ort  Jervis  Ga- 
zette. 

The  first  number  of  the  Northern  Eagle,  a 
paper  in  the  interest  of  Lincoln's  administra- 
tion and  the  Republican  party,  was  issued 
February  Ij,  1864,  by  Dr.  Edward  Halidav  and 
Pettit,  editors  and  proprietors.  Dr.  Halidav  at 
that  time  was  a  wealthy  man  of  Milford,  and 
spared  no  pains  or  expense  to  make  a  success  of 
the  paper.  His  object  was  to  convert  this 
stronghold  of  Democracy  to  Republicanism.  To 
that  end  he  sent  a  paper  to  every  voter  in  the 
county,  and  the  veteran  soldiers  were  all  to  have 
it  free.     He  thus  worked   up   a  circulation  of 


872 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


one  thousand  copies.  It  was  printed  on  the 
first  quality  of  sized  and  calendered  paper, 
costing  at  that  time  nine  dollars  a  ream.  Some 
of  the  best  metropolitan  writers  were  employed 
to  contribute  to  its  columns,  George  Arnold, 
Charles  Dickson  (now  editor  of  the  Binghamtcm 
Republican)  and  others  of  note  writing  its 
stories  and  poems.  Colonel  Thomas  Picton,  at 
that  time  the  best  general  editorial  writer  on  the 
New  York  press,  wrote  its  leading  editorials. 
Dr.  Haliday  was  that  year  Presidential  elector 
for  Mr.  Lincoln  for  this  Congressional  district. 
He  was  a  large,  tine-looking  man  of  considerable 
ability,  and  waged  a  lively  warfare  against  the 
Pike  County  Democracy  while  his  paper  lasted. 
Me  inaugurated  a  Republican  mass-meeting  in 
Milford;  had  Horace  Greeley  present  to  make  a 
speech  ;  hired  every  livery  equipment  in  Port 
Jervis,  and  brought  men  from  a  distance  to 
swell  the  numbers,  and  paid  the  whole  hill 
himself.  lie  had  fully  adopted  the  views  of  the 
late  Horace  Greeley  about  Pike  County,  "  That 
it  was  a  land  of  Democrats  ami  the  home  of 
the  rattlesnake,  and  that  it  contained  ten  gallons 
of  whiskey  to  every  Webster's  Spelling-Book," 
but  in  his  warfare  against  Pike  County  Democ- 
racy he  was  overcome  by  Pike  County  whiskey. 
The  paper,  after  an  interval  of  rest,  in  May, 
isdo,  was  secured  by  Britton  A.  Barnes.  The 
paper,  having  no  county  patronage,  languished 
and  was  discontinued  about  January  1,  1866. 
It  was  printed  in  the  building  which  had 
formerly  been  used  as  a  law -office  by  William 
Smith,  where  William  McCarty  has  his  store. 

In  1*72  E.  H.  Mott,  who  was  then  interested 
in  the  Port  Jervii  Gazette,  but  lived  in  Mata- 
moras,  printed  a  paper  called  the  Pike  County 
Democrat.  Jt  was  popular,  but  with  the  sale 
of  the  Gazette  to  other  parties  it  was  discon- 
tinued. The  editors  of  the  Milford  papers  were 
T.  A.  Wells,  Benjamin  Alden  Bidlack,  a  son  of 
Rev.  Benjamin  Bidlack,  of  Wyoming,  a  lawyer, 
twice  a  member  of  Congress  and  afterwards  ap- 
pointed minister  resident  at  Bogota,  to  the  re- 
public of  New  Granada,  now  United  States  of 
Columbia,  by  President  Polk,  in  1845,  and 
there  he  died.  His  son,  Dr.  Bidlack,  lives  in 
Milford. 

One  of  the  best  known  men   ever  connected 


with  the  .Milford  pros  is  Edward  Ilerold  Mott. 
He  was  born  in  Milford,  Pike  County,  Pa.,  in 
1845,  son  of  Charles  F.  and  Eliza  Smith  Mott. 
Went  to  Piqua,  Ohio,  when  nine  years  old,  and 
in  1856,  after  the  Presidential  election,  sold  on 
the  streets  there  the  first  New  York  papers  ever 
sold  by  a  newsboy  west  of  Cincinnati — the 
Tribune  and  the  Herald.  He  got  his  copies 
from  a  subscriber  who  had  finished  reading 
them.  He  attended  the  common  schools  of 
Piqua  for  two  years.  After  his  mother's  death, 
in  1857,  returned  to  Milford  and  learned  the 
printer's  trade  in  the  Milford  Herald  office. 
In  L862  entered  St.  John  A'  Malvin's  foundry 
in  Port  Jervis  to  learn  the  moulder's  trade. 
He  worked  five  weeks,  then  ran  away,  went  to 
Easton  on  a  raft  down  the  Delaware;  in  Mauch 
Chunk  got  a  place  in  the  Carbon  Democrat 
office,  worked  six  months,  went  to  Philadelphia 
and  learned  the  job  printing  business  ;  after 
staying  there  three  years  he  returned  to  Milford 
and  edited  the  Milford  Herald  until  January, 
1866,  then  went  to  Scranton  and  became  cr- 
editor of  tin'  Scranton  Register;  he  next  joined 
the  stall'  of  the  Honesdale  Herald,  bought  an 
interest  in  the  Port  Jervis  Gazette  and  conducted 
the  Pike  County  Democrat  until  after  the  Presi- 
dential election  of  1X72.  Left  the  Gazette  in 
that  year.  Meantime  he  had  been  sending 
articles  to  various  New  York  papers.  His  first 
humorous  sketch  of  special  merit  was  "Taylor's 
Shot  at  a  Ground  Hog,"  published  in  the  New 
York  Sun    in  1  S74  ;  it  made  a  hit. 

In  L876  started  the  Honesdale  Morning 
Chronicle.  Discontinued  it  to  devote  his  time 
to  other  literary  work,  chiefly  for  the  Erie  Pail- 
way  Company.  Remained  in  the  company's 
employ  for  seven  years,  during  which  time  he 
also  occupied  a  confidential  position  in  the  office 
of  John  D.  Rockafellow,  president  of  the 
Standard  Oil  Company,  and  continued  his  gen- 
eral newspaper  work.  In  1881  he  resigned  his 
position  with  the  Standard.  Oil  Company  to 
take  the  general  management  of  the  Erie  Kail- 
way  Company's  advertising  and  literary  bureau, 
which  place  he  left  in  1883  to  give  all  his  time 
to  more  congenial  work  as  a  writer.  In  1879 
he  had  hit  on  the  idea  of  Cockwood's  dialect 
stories  and  carried  it  out  in  the  New   York  Sun 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


by  the  "  Tales  of  the  Old  Settler."  The  large 
circulation  with  which  they  met  gave  to  Pike 
County  and  Milford  a  wide  reputation.  Some 
of  these  sketches  were  published  in  book-form 
in  1883.  The  book  was  republished  in  Eng- 
land, under  the  title  of  "Cream  of  American 
Humor."  His  drunken  dialect  stories,  "His 
name  was  Johnson"  and  "  He  wanted  a  Web- 
ster Punch,"  convulsed  the  town.  Dialect  is 
natural  to  him.  His  education  is  desultory, 
being  self-acquired.  In  his  field  he  is  a  genius. 
He  has  done  all  kinds  of  writing  for  the  Sun, 
besides  much  important  special  work  by  assign- 
ment for  the  World,  Times  and  Herald. 

Colonel  Charles  Ncwbold  Pine,  the  present 
editor  of  the  Dispatch,  was  born  in  Camden, 
N.  J.,  November  5,  1822,  but  his  family  be- 
longed to  Evesham,  Burlington  County.  He 
was  connected  with  the  Philadelphia  Saturday 
Evening  Post,  when  published  by  Deacon  it 
Peterson,  1850-51.  He  served  three  years  in 
the  post-office  at  Philadelphia  and  in  1854 
started  the  Jersey  Blue,  at  Camden.  In 
September,  1855,  he  removed  to  Illinois,  and  on 
the  28th  of  March,  185(3,  issued  the  first  num- 
ber of  the  Bureau  County  Democrat,  at  Prince- 
ton. He  was  appointed  postmaster  at  that 
place  by  President  Pierce  in  June,  1856.  In 
August,  1858,  he  started  the  Chicago  Daily 
Herald  in  the  interest  of  Buchanan's  adminis- 
tration, and  in  September,  1858,  was  appointed 
United  States  marshal  of  the  Northern  District 
of  Illinois,  his  commission  dating  just  three 
years  from  the  day  of  his  arrival  in  that  State. 
He  returned  to  Philadelphia  in  spring  of  1862, 
edited  the  Democratic  Leader,  a  campaign  paper 
for  that  year,  Honorable  Francis  W.  Hughes 
being  chairman  of  the  Democratic  State  Com- 
mittee. Edited  also  the  Philadelphia  Evening 
Journal,  owned  by  Albert  D.  Boileau  and 
wrote  Boileau  into  Fort  McHenry  in  February 
1863.  Boileau  recanted,  repented  and  capitu- 
lated to  the  enemy,  came  home  and  resumed 
publication  of  the  Journal  with  another  edition, 
eating  dirt  for  some  six  weeks,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  "  the  subject  of  this  sketch  "  bought 
the  establishment  and  ran  it  as  long  as  pecuni- 
ary circumstances  would  permit — about  a  year. 
He  then  wrote  for  the  Sunday  Dispatch,  Sun- 


day Mercury,  and  during  the  gubernatorial 
campaign  of  1865  edited  the  Camden  Democrat. 
In  November,  1869,  he  was  chosen  editor-in- 
chief  of  The  Day,  a  new  morning  paper  pub- 
lished by  a  company  of  gentlemen,  Alexander 
Cummings  (who  established  the  Philadelphia 
Keening  Bulletin  and  the  New  York  World) 
Benj.  Harris  Brewster,  James  L.  Freeman, 
Thomas  L.  Scott,  Lewis  C.  Cassidy  and  others, 
until  it  was  bought  by  Mr.  Cassidy  and  changed 
to  an  evening  paper,  and  for  several  years  after 
was  editor-in-chief  of  the  Philadelphia  Record. 
In  a  year  or  two  after,  Mr.  Swain  sold  it 
to  Singerly,  Cassidy  and  others,  editing  The 
Evening  Day  for  some  time  also.  He  left 
Philadelphia  in  June,  1881,  and  had  nothing  to 
do  with  newspapers  till  October,  1883,  when  he 
was  induced  to  go  to  East  Stroudsburg  on  an 
unwise  venture.  Then  Mr.  Mott,  of  the  Mil- 
ford  Dispatch,  having  been  elected  to  the  Leg- 
islature, wrote  Colonel  Bine,  asking  him  to  edit 
his  paper  during  his  absence.  He  has  remained 
in  Mil  find  and  continued  to  edit  the  Dispatch, 
believing  Milford  to  be  the  most  healthful  and 
charming  spot  in  America. 

CHURCHES  OF  MILFORD. 

Bartholomew  Weed,  a  blacksmith,  was  the 
first  praying  man  in  Milford.  He  lived  below 
the  court-house,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street,  in  a  house  with  two  rooms.  He  estab- 
lished a  family  altar  and  kept  sacred  the  Sab- 
bath day,  much  to  the  astonishment  of  his 
neighbors,  occasionally  holding  services  at  his 
house,  where  he  talked  to  the  people  as  best  he 
could,  which  provoked  derision  manifested  by 
hurling  missiles  at  his  house  and  singing  songs. 
He  lived  here  about  1813,  and  three  or  four 
years  later  moved  to  Philadelphia,  where  he 
was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Methodists, 
which  calling  he  pursued  for  sixty-two  years, 
until  his  death  in  1879,  at  Newark,  N.  J., 
aged  eighty-six.  Milford,  in  Weed's  time  and 
for  a  number  of  years  afterward,  was  a  godless, 
prayerless,  Sabbath-breaking  village. 

The  Dutch  Reformed  Church  of  Minisink, 
established  in  1773,  was  just  across  the  Dela- 
ware, in  what  is  now  Montague,  N.  J.,  but 
there  was  an  illiberal  jealousy  existing  between 


874 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COIXTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  comparatively  new  settlement  of  Yankees, 
as  they  called  them  at  Milford,  and  the  old 
Dutch  settlers,  who  were  strongly  entrenched  in 
the  Minisink,  and  who  looked  upon  this  new 
town,  peopled  by  Philadelphians,  Yankees,  etc., 
as  an  invasion  of  their  ancient  rights.  These 
invaders  did  not  take  pains  to  allay  the  feeling 
of  disquiet  produced  by  their  presence  ;  on  the 
contrary,  they  lured  the  negro  slaves  across  the 
river,  gave  them  liquor  and  induced  them  to 
run  away  from  their  masters.  With  such  a 
feeling  engendered  between  the  communities 
there  could  be  no  religious  communion  among 
them,  and  to  this  day  there  is  but  one  living 
member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  on  this 
side  the  river  at  Milford, — Mrs.  Caroline  Wells, 
now  aged  eighty -four,  who  was  converted,  how- 
ever, under  the  preaching  of  Rev.  Phineas 
Camp,  a  Congregationalist,  who  passed  through 
about  1814,  and  preached  among  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Churches.  Mrs.  Wells  united  with 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  wheu  Rev.  C.  C. 
Elting  was  pastor,  and  it  is  proper  here  to  state 
that,  as  the  result  of  the  labors  commenced  by 
Rev.  Phineas  Camp,1  and  carried  on  by  Elting, 
there  were  one  hundred  and  seventeen  members 
gathered  into  the  Reformed  Churches  along  the 
Delaware.  Twenty  members  were  received 
into  the  Minisink  Church,  just  across  the  river, 
the  first  communion  after  Mr.  Elting  came 
to  the  place,  and  among  these  converts  was 
Moses  Bross,  who  moved  to  Milford  in  1823, 
and  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Milford.  In  1823  Moses 
Bross  established  a  prayer-meeting  in  the 
court-house  by  permission  of  the  authorities, 
and  out  of  this  movement  a  Sunday-school  was 
started. 

Presbyterian  Church.— On  September  1, 


1  Rev.  Phineas  Camp  was  born  at  Durham,  Conn.,  Feb- 
ruary 18,  1788.  He  graduated  from  Union  College  in 
1811,  and  studied  theology  at  Princeton.  After  complet- 
ing his  studies  he  taught  a.  classical  school  in  Orange 
County.  July  15,  1817,  he  was  ordained  asan  evangelist 
by  the  Presbytery  of  North  River,  and  was  sent  into 
Wayne  County  about  1818,  where  he  labored  for  a  time  at 
Bethany  and  Salem.  He  labored  within  the  bounds  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Erie  part  of  the  time  as  an  evangelist  and 
part  of  the  time  as  settled  pastor  ;  then  he  moved  to  Dixon, 
111.,  where  he  died  January  30,  1868,  aged  eighty. 


1825,  so  the  church  records  runs,  the  citizens  of 
the  town  of  Milford,  desirous  of  having  the 
gospel  statedly  administered,  assembled  accord- 
ing to  previous  notice.  Of  this  meeting  James 
Wallace  was  chairman  and  Moses  Bross  secre- 
tary. It  was  resolved  to  apply  to  the  Presby- 
tery of  Hudson  for  the  organization  of  a  Chris- 
tian Church.  Moses  Bross  was  appointed  to 
make  the  application.  Sept.  16th  the  Presby- 
tery of  Hudson  appointed  one  of  their  number, 
Rev.  Thomas  Grier,  to  organize  a  church  in 
Milford,  Pike  County,  Pa.  In  compliance 
with  the  recpuest,  on  September  23,  1825,  the 
congregation  was  assembled  in  the  old  stone 
court-house  and  proceeded  to  organize.  The 
original  members  were  eight  in  number,  viz.: 
Muses  Bross  and  his  wife  Jean,  Samuel  Depuy 
and  his  wife  Eliza,  Mitty  Watkins,  Elizabeth 
Westfall  and  Jacob  Quick;  James  Wallace 
united  with  them  also  on  profession  of  faith. 

The  name  by  which  the  members  wished  the 
organization  to  be  known  was  the  "  Church 
and  Congregation  of  Milford."  September  24th 
the  first  ruling  orders  were  elected,  and  on  the 
25th  ordained.  The  elders  were  James  Hal- 
lace,  Moses  Brossand  Jacob  Quick.  Decem- 
ber 26,  1825,  Daniel  Judson,  John  Cox,  Silas 
Aber,  Roger  Allen,  Thomas  Hagger,  Mary 
Watson,  William  Cox,  Huldah  Cox,  Dr.  Francis, 
Al.  Smith  and  Margaret  Smith  were  received 
into  the  church.  April  8,  1826,  Samuel  De- 
puy, Daniel  Judson  and  Roger  Allen  were 
chosen  additional  elders.  The  first  had  been  a 
ruling  elder  at  Middle  Smithfield.  The  others 
were  ordained  April  9th.  November  3,  1826, 
there  were  admitted  to  the  church  on  profession 
of  faith,  Olive  Rockwell,  Anu  Cole,  Jane 
Freele,  Jacob  Van  Auken,  Daniel  M.  Brod- 
head,  Oliver  S.  Dimmick,  Solomon  Newman, 
John  Aber,  Lewis  Cornelius,  Jonas  Cart- 
wright,  John  Heller,  Thomas  Newman,  Sarah 
Barton,  Sarah  Decker,  Samuel  Cox,  Elizabeth 
Shower,  John  B.  Rockwell,  Maria  Quick,  Han- 
nah Crawford,  Nancy  Newman,  Maria  Mc- 
Carty,  William  McCarty,  Eleuor  Brink,  Erne- 
line  Cole,  Sarah  Barns,  Katy  I.  Brink,  Harriet 
Smith,  Jas.  Newman,  Abraham  Van  Auken, 
.Margaret  Wiuficld,  Samuel  Duterow,  Sarah 
Newman,  Jas.  P.  Barrett,   Hannah   Bull,  Julia 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


875 


Winfield,  Sarah  Beecher,  John  I.  Smith,  Elenor 
Wainwright,  Joseph  A.  Bonnel. 

After  the  close  of  Rev.  Thomas  Grier's  pas- 
torate a  considerable  interval  elapsed  before 
the  church  was  supplied  with  a  minister.  In 
the  month  of  April,  1832,  arrangements  were 
made  by  the  congregation  with  the  Rev.  Ed- 
ward Allen,  recently  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
congregation  of  Wantage,  New  Jersey,  to  sup- 
ply them  for  the  space  of  one  year.  He  com- 
menced his  labors,  the  1st  of  May  following. 

July  7,  1832,  Stephen  Rose,  Eliphalet  Rose 
and  Catharine  A.  Watson  were  received  into 
the  church.  "  In  view  of  the  low  state  of  re- 
ligion in  this  congregation  and  vicinity,  it  was 
resolved  that  a  protracted  meeting  be  held  in 
this  place.  For  this  important  meeting  the  ne- 
cessary arrangements  were  made.  A  day  >>f 
fasting  and  prayer  was  solemnly  observed  and 
God  was  pleased  in  a  remarkable  manner  to 
own  His  word  by  a  most  copious  effusion  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  The  meeting  was  continued  for 
nearly  two  weeks,  in  which  three  services  were 
attended  daily  in  the  church,  besides  frequent 
prayer-meetings  and  meetings  for  anxious  sin- 
ners. Business  in  the  village  was  nearly  sus- 
pended, and  every  day  appeared  as  a  Sabbath 
of  the  Lord.  The  church  became  humbled. 
Backsliders  were  reclaimed,  and  many  were 
hopefully  brought  to  submit  to  Christ."1 

As  a  result  of  these  meetings,  most  of  the 
leading  business  men  of  the  village  were  brought 
into  the  church.  August  28,  1832,  twenty 
members  were  added,  among  them  Abram  T. 
Seely,  Lucius  D.  Baldwin,  Kichard  Eldred, 
Ducian  Roys,  John  H.  Westfall,  Cyril  1  C.  D. 
Pinchot,  Samuel  Dimmick  and  wife,  Wealthy 
Dimmick.  August  29,  1832,  twelve  persons 
were  admitted  to  membership,  among  them 
William  Bross,  Josiah  H.  Foster  and  John  P. 
Darling.  During  the  whole  of  the  year  1832 
additions  were  made  to  the  church  until  the 
principal  men  of  the  village  were  members. 
Then  followed  a  number  of  years  in  which  the 
session  had  considerable  work,  in  enforcing 
church  discipline.  Several  members  were  cited 
to   answer  for    unchristian    conduct,    such     as 


1  Copied  from  the  session  book. 


hunting  and  fishing  on  the  Sabbath,  profane 
swearing,  becoming  intoxicated,  etc.  A  com- 
mittee was  also  appointed  to  look  after  members 
who  had  engaged  in  dancing  at  a  public  ball. 
It  would  appear,  however,  that  a  large  part  of 
the  members  walked  uprightly  ;  otherwise  they 
would  not  have  escaped  the  vigilance  of  this 
faithful  session.  January  3,  1847,  Theoplulus 
H.  Smith  was  ordained  an  elder.  On  Novem- 
ber 20,  1854,  three  additional  elders  were 
elected,  and  on  the  23d  ordained,  viz.  :  Samuel 
Thrall,  John  H.  Wallace  and  Stephen  Rose. 
On  March  4,  1872,  Samuel  Detrick,  Ebenezer 
Warner,  John  C.  Wallace  and  William  Mit- 
chell were  elected  and  ordained  elders.  On 
January  27,  1884,  George  Mitchell  and  Dr.  I. 
S.  Vreeland  were  added  to  the  eldership. 
John  H.  Wallace  died  January  1,  1872,  Samuel 
Detrick  died  May  14,  1876,  and  Theophilus 
H.  Smith  died  July  6,  1881. 

Rev.  Edward  Allen  supplied  the  pulpit 
from  1832  to  1834  and  again  from  1841  to 
1843.  He  was  at  the  same  time  principal 
of  the  Milford  Academy.  After  Mr.  Allen, 
Rev.  Peter  Kanouse  was  an  occasional  supply. 
Mr.  Kanouse  was  a  man  six  feet  tall,  and  of 
commanding  appearance.  He  afterward  preach- 
ed in  the  West.  Rev.  William  Townley  was 
stated  supply  from  August,  1834,  to  August, 
1835.  From  1836  to  1840  Rev.  Ralph  Bull 
was  stated  supply.  Mr.  Bull  went  from  this 
place  to  Weston,  Orange  County,  where  he 
died.  He  was  very  popular.  Next  to  Mr. 
Bull  was  Rev.  E.  Allen,  stated  supply  in  1841- 
42.  Rev.  William  Beldin  preached  as  supply 
in  1843-44.  From  1844  to  1846  there  is  no 
record.  Rev.  Charles  Miln  preached  as  supply 
1846-47.  No  record  from  1847  to  1849.  In 
1849,  Rev.  T.  S.  Bradner  was  called  as  pastor 
and  continued  till  1852.  From  May,  1853,  Rev. 
Isaac  Todd  occupied  the  pulpit  until  1861. 

Rev.  Isaac  Todd  was  born  near  Morristown 
December  2,  1797.  He  united  with  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Morristown  in  1818,  was 
prepared  for  college  by  James  Johnson  and 
Rev.  Asa  Lyman,  while  Dr.  Barnes  was  his 
pastor,  and  although  he  never  indorsed  Dr. 
Barnes'  theological  views,  he  always  bore  testi- 
mony to  his  Christian  character  and  ability.     He 


876 


WAYNE,  l'IKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


graduated  from  Hamilton  College  in  the  class 
of  1827,  aud  at  Princeton  Seminary  in  1830. 
He  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Sus- 
quehanna, at  Athens,  Pa.,  September  19,  1833. 
He  labored  at  Gibson,  Pa.,  Tuukkannock,  Pa., 
Orwell  and  Troy,  Pa.,  until  1853,  when  he 
came  to  Milford,  where  he  acted  as  stated  supply 
and  tilled  the  pulpit  till  1861,  when  he  took 
charge  of  a  church  in  Hollmanville,  Ocean 
County,  N.  J.,  where  he  labored  until  the  very 
day  of  his  death,  which  occurred  April  12, 
1885,  when  eighty-seven  years  of  age.  His 
last  words  were,  "  Tell  my  people. — In  Christ  is 
our  everlasting  portion  ;  without  Christ,  eternal 
death." 

In  July  18(31  Rev.  R.  R.  Kellog  was  in- 
stalled pastor  and  so  continued  till  September, 
1866.  On  the  25th  of  that  month  he  died 
suddenly  at  his  residence.  His  funeral  sermon 
was  preached  on  the  27th  by  Rev.  S.  W. 
Mills,  of  Port  Jervis.  In  January,  1867,  Rev. 
Robert  N.  Beattie  commenced  his  labors  as 
stated  supply  and  continued  until  June,  1870, 
when  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  Reformed 
Church  of  Bloom  ingburg.  Rev.  Cyrus  Offer 
next  became  stated  supply  for  one  year,  1870- 
71.  In  March,  1872,  Rev.  Mr.  Johnson 
preached.  In  April  arrangements  were  made 
with  Rev.  John  Reid,  of  Princeton  Theological 
Seminary,  to  supply  the  pulpit  during  the  sum- 
mer months.  He  has  since  been  pastor  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  Yonkers,  N.  Y. 
In  December,  1873,  Rev.  L.  C.  Lock  wood  was 
engaged  as  a  supply  for  four  months.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1874,  Rev.  E.  H.  Mateer  was  ordained 
and  installed  pastor.  Rev.  E.  H.  Mateer  was 
born  near  Altoona,  Blair  County,  Pa.,  August 
24,  1844.  On  his  paternal  side  he  is  of  Scotch- 
Irish  and  on  his  maternal  of  pure  Scotch  de- 
scent. He  entered  Washington  and  Jefferson 
College  in  1867,  remained  there  to  the  end  of 
the  sophomore  year,  when  he  entered  Princeton 
at  the  beginning  of  the  second  term  of  the  jun- 
ior year  and  graduated  in  1871.  The  satne  fall 
he  entered  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  and 
graduated  in  April,  1874.  Having  received 
and  accepted  a  call  to  Milford  Presbyterian 
Church  before  graduating,  he  was  ordained  and 
installed  pastor  by  the  Hudson  Presbytery  June 


25,  1874.  Having  received  and  accepted  a 
call  to  McVeytown  Presbyterian  congregation, 
he  resigned,  in  February,  1884,  the  charge  at 
Milford,  after  a  pastorate  of  nine  years  and  niue 
months,  the  longest  in  the  history  of  the  Mil- 
ford Presbyterian  Church.  In  the  summer  of 
1884  Rev.  Abraham  Sylvester  Gardiner  re- 
ceived the  unanimous  call  of  the  Milford  Pres- 
byterian Church  and  is  the  present  pastor.  He 
was  born  at  Sag  Harbor,  Suffolk  County,  N.  Y., 
July  19,  1824.  His  father  was  Rev.  John  D. 
Gardiner,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Sag  Harbor  from  1812  to  1832.  His  mother, 
Mary  L'Homniedieu,  was  a  daughter  of  Hou. 
Samuel  L'Hommedieu,  of  Sag  Harbor,  who 
was  a  grandson  on  his  mother's  side  of  Nathan- 
iel Sylvester,  proprietor  of  the  Manor  of  Shelter 
Island,  N.  Y.j  under  whose  hand  the  perse- 
cuted Quakers  of  Massachusetts  found  protection, 
and  on  his  father's  side  of  Benjamin  L'Hom- 
medieu, one  of  two  brothers  who  were  driven 
from  France  on  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes,  October  18,  1685.  They  first  found 
refuge  in  Holland,  then  in  America.  The  first 
ancestor  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  on  his 
father's  side  was  Lion  Gardiner,  who  came 
from  England  to  Boston,  Mass.,  and  afterward 
to  Saybrook,  Conn.,  in  1634-35.  He  was  a  sol- 
dier, civil  engineer  and  a  lieutenant  in  the  British 
service  in  Holland.  At  the  request  of  Lords 
Say  and  Seal  and  Brook  and  others,  he  built  the 
fort  at  Saybrook,  Conn.,  for  the  protection  of  their 
interests  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  Pe- 
quot  War.  Lion  Gardiner's  son  Ward  was  the 
first  white  child  bom  in  the  colony  of  Connect- 
icut, and  his  daughter  Elizabeth,  born  on 
Gardiner's  Island,  the  first  white  child  of  Eng- 
lish parents  born  in  the  colony  of  New  York. 
This  island  contains  thirty-four  hundred  acres 
and  was  purchased  by  Gardiner  of  the  Mon- 
tauk  Indians  in  1639.  Rev.  A.  S.  Gardiner 
attended  Clinton  Academy  in  1842-43,  and  the 
University  of  New  Yrork  1843-47,  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New 
York  in  1848,  having  read  law  in  the  office  of 
George  Wood,  Esq.  He  practiced  law  at  East 
Hampton,  L.  I.,  and  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis. 
During  the  spring  and  autumn  of  1850-51  he 
was   licensed  to    preach  and  ordained    by   the 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


S77 


Presbyter)'  of  Milwaukee,  since  which  time 
he  has  ministered  at  Greenpoint  a  short  time 
aud  at  Cold  Springs  twelve  years.  He  removed 
to  the  West,  settled  in  Roekford,  111.,  in  18(37, 
and  preached  at  Prospect  (now  Dunlass),  Peoria 
County,  111.  In  1871,  returning  to  the  East, 
he  accepted  a  call  to  Jamaica  Plains,  Boston, 
where  he  was  installed  pastor  of  a  church  of 
which,  under  direction  of  Presbytery,  he  was 
founder.  After  preaching  three  years  he  minis- 
tered two  years  for  the  Congregational  Church 
at  Essex,  Conn.;  from  thence,  in  1877,  he  re- 
turned West  and  took  charge  of  Lena  and  Win- 
slow  Churches,  Stephenson  County,  111.,  for 
three  years.  Educational  considerations  led  him 
East  again,  to  the  Litchfield  (N.  H.)  Presbyter- 
ian Church,  but  the  loss  of  his  daughter  Julia 
Evangeline  so  disarranged  his  plans  that  he 
remained  but  a  short  time.  He  is  now  preach- 
ing at  Milford  and  also  supplying  the  old  Dutch 
Reformed  Church  across  the  river.  His  wife 
was  Caroline  P.  Williams.  Their  children 
were  Maria,  Charles  H.  and  Julia  Evangeline. 

The  first  Presbyterian  house  of  worship  was 
begun  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Mr.  Grier, 
and  stood  where  the  present  Presbyterian 
parsonage  now  stands.  The  first  parsonage, 
on  Ann  Street,  was  built  in  the  time  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Bradner,  about  1850,  and  the  present  one 
during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  E.  H.  Mateer,  the 
corner-stone  of  the  building  being  laid  Sep- 
tember 18,  1874.  The  church  is  of  brick, 
manufactured  by  John  C.  Wallace,  aud  measures 
over  all  forty-four  by  eighty  feet.  Symme- 
trical towers  rise  from  the  four  corners,  and  the 
main  tower,  when  completed,  will  be  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  high.  For  several 
years  the  congregation  have  worshipped  in  the 
basement,  a  room  capable  of  seating  two  hun- 
dred aud  fifty  persons,  adjoining  which  are  two 
smaller  rooms,  used  for  the  infant  class  and 
Sunday-school  library. 

The  first  religious  service  held  in  the  building 
was  a  prayer-meeting,  held  on  the  evening  of 
December  .30,  1875,  and  the  first  Sunday  service 
was  held  Sunday  morning,  January,  2,  1876. 
Mr.  Barton  was  architect,  Edwin  McWilliams 
carpenter  aud  John  Armstrong  mason. 

Rev.  Benjamin  Collins   was  senior  preacher 


and  Rev.  John  K.  Shaw  assistant  on  Hamburg 
Circuit,  which  then  included  the  western  part 
of  Sussex  County  from  Newton  to  the  Delaware. 
They  crossed  the  river  and  preached  at  Milford 
occasionally.  On  one  of  these  occasions  Rev. 
John  K.  Shaw  organized  the  first  Methodist 
class  in  1827-28,  at  the  court -house  probably, 
and,  according  to  the  recollection  of  old  people 
now  living,  it  consisted  of  six  members,  viz., — 
Mrs.  Mary  Olmsted,  Mrs.  John  Brodhead, 
Mrs.  Eliza  Mott,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hand  and  Mrs. 
Sutor.  David  Hand  was  the  first  class-leader. 
Shortly  after,  John  Brink  and  wife,  Benjamin 
Drake  and  wife,  Jonathan  Doolittle  and  wife, 
Mrs.  Guild  and  Hugh  Ross  (who  preached 
occasionally  and  could  be  heard  one-half  mile) 
joined  the  church.  The  first  authentic  records 
commenced  August  12,  1849.  Henry  Bean  is 
mentioned  as  leader  of  the  Sunday  class,  and 
among  the  members  are  Ellen  Bean,  Matilda 
Bowhannan,  James  Bostler,  Louisa  Brodhead, 
Emeline  Brink,  Marietta  Burrell,  Emily 
Blizzard,  Andrew,  Adrian,  William  and  Pru- 
dence Christiana,  Webb  Courtright,  Julia  A. 
Crawford.  Silas  H.  De  Witt,  Jonathan  Weeks 
aud  James  Honeywell  were  also  class-leaders. 
The  McCartys  and  Newmans,  Mary  aud 
Nancy  Olmsted  are  mentioned.  Henry  Wells 
John  Dietrick,  William  Angle  and  John 
Aldrich  are  among  the  prominent  workers  at 
present.  They  have  had  many  Methodist 
preachers  in  Milford  since  the  days  of  Bartholo- 
mew Weed,  who  upheld  the  standard  of  the 
cross  alone  in  1813-15.  Doubtless  other 
zealous  and  worthy  men  have  ministered  to 
this  people,  but  their  stay  was  so  transient,  and 
the  records  so  imperfect  that  we  are  unable  to 
notice  many  of  them.  Rev.  Manning  Force 
was  presiding  elder  of  this  district  for  four 
terms  of  four  years  each.  He  traveled  down 
the  river  on  one  side  and  up  on  the  other. 
Mrs.  Sophia  Sutor  is  worthy  of  mention.  She 
lived  across  the  river  on  the  Jersey  shore,  and 
was  a  mother  in  Israel  in  the  Milford  Method- 
ist Church.  She  had  been  a  school-teacher, 
was  an  intelligent  woman,  and  took  an  active 
part  in  church  work.  Her  house  was  the 
home  of  the  preachers  in  the  early  days  of  the 
church. 


878 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Rev.  George  Winsor  married  Harriet  Olm- 
stead,  of  Milford,  where  he  preached  in  1841- 
43.  During  his  time  over  one  hundred  persons 
professed  conversion  and  many  were  added  to 
the  church.  Rev.  George  Winsor  was  born  in 
Devonshire,  England,  November  13,  1813,  and 
died  in  Milford,  Sunday,  December  28,  1884, 
in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his  age.  Descend- 
ing from  a  pious  ancestry,  he  was  early  trained 
in  the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion  ;  and 
learned  to  prize  in  future  years  the  holy  shrine 
of  a  mother's  knee.  Two  years  subsequent  to 
his  birth  his  parents  moved  to  Bound  Brook, 
N.  J.,  where  he  toiled  on  the  homestead  with 
his  brother  and  attended  the  village  school  and 
academy.  Supplementing  this  instruction  with 
private  tuition  he  obtained  some  knowledge  of 
the  Classis.  In  1839  he  was  converted  at  Somer- 
ville,  under  the  preaching  of  Rev.  George 
Hitchens.  The  same  year,  with  much  fear  and 
trembling,  he  gave  his  name  to  the  New  Jersey 
Conference,  and  commenced  his  life-long  work. 
For  forty  unbroken  and  successive  years  he 
responded  to  the  Conference  roll.  He  was  sel- 
dom depressed  to  an  eclipse  of  faith  or  over- 
joyed by  outbursts  of  transitory  feeling.  Digni- 
fied without  austerity,  sociable  without  levity, 
he  mingled  with  his  brethren,  giving  lustre  to 
his  calling,  and  was  never  known  to  lower  the 
dignity  of  the  pulpit  by  unseemly  remarks,  but 
on  every  occasion  was  the  affable,  courteous, 
Christian  gentleman.  As  a  result  of  his  earnest 
ministrations,  one  thousand  nine  hundred  souls 
were  hopefully  converted.  In  1882  he  asked 
for  supernumerary  relations,  returned  to  Mil- 
ford and  built  a  residence,  now  occupied  by  his 
widow.  There  is  one  son  living,  an  attorney- 
at-law  in  New  York. 

There  are  about  one  hundred  and  thirteen 
members  in  the  Methodist  Church.  The  first 
church  edifice  was  erected  near  the  Delaware 
River,  about  one  mile  from  Milford,  at  a  point 
sometimes  called  Bridgeport.  John  Brink  and 
some  others  thought  it  the  probable  site  of  a 
village,  and  it  was  through  his  and  Mrs.  Sutor's 
influence  that  the  building  was  thus  placed.  It 
was  erected  about  1827-28,  and  moved  up  to 
the  present  site  about  1836.  Since  then  the 
present  church  has  been  erected. 


The  Episcopal  Church. — The  Church  of 
the  Good  Shepherd  was  organized  April  3, 
1871.  The  corner-stone  of  the  edifice  was  laid 
in  June,  1871,  and  the  church  consecrated  Sep- 
tember 14,  1877.  It  was  organized  by  the 
election  of  Edgar  Piuchot,  senior  warden ;  Ed- 
gar Brodhead,  junior  warden  ;  and  John  C. 
Mott,  D.  M.  Van  Auken,  W.  C.  Broome,  C. 
W.  Dimmick,  Sidney  A.  Hanes  and  M.  M. 
Dimmick,  vestrymen.  The  church  has  had  the 
following  rectors  :  Rev.  W.  B.  Hooper,  Novem- 
ber 25,  1872,  served  three  and  one-half  years  ; 
Rev.  A.  H.  Gersner,  about  three  years  ;  Rev. 
Samuel  Edwards,  between  two  and  three  years, 
and  Rev.  D'Estang  Jennings,  two  years.  There 
is  a  Sunday-school  in  connection  with  the  or- 
ganization. 

Saint  Patrick's  Roman  Catholic 
Church  was  built  in  1877,  principally  for  the 
use  of  the  workmen  in  the  silver  watch-case 
factory,  and  since  that  industry  has  declined, 
services  are  seldom  held. 

Sunday-schools  and  Early  Secular 
Schools. — According  to  the  recollection  of 
Mrs.  Caroline  Wells,  the  Presbyterian  Sunday- 
school  was  organized  in  the  old  stone  court- 
house, June  3,  1823.  There  were  present  at 
the  first  organization  James  Wallace,  Samuel 
Depui,  William  Freel  (not  a  professor,  but  a 
good  man),  Louisa  Ross  (a  daughter  of  Hugh 
Ross,  a  Methodist,  afterward  the  wife  of  Colo- 
nel Johu  Brodhead,  and  a  member  of  the  first 
Methodist  class),  Miss  Jane  De  Puy,  Miss  Car- 
oline Wells.  James  Wallace  was  the  first 
superintendent.  There  were  more  than  fifty 
children  present  the  first  Sunday.  Miss  Austin 
had  the  Bible-class,  consisting  of  twenty-five 
pupils.  The  Methodist  school  was  organized 
after  the  Presbyterian,  perhaps  as  early  as  1824. 
The  sessions  were  in  the  afternoon,  and  many 
attended  both  schools.  Miss  Austin  taught  in 
both  for  a  number  of  years.  John  Wallace  had 
a  Bible-class  of  boys.  The  books  used  were 
the  Bible  and  Noah  Webster's  Spelling-Book. 
The  Presbyterian  Church  has  eighty  members 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  Sunday-school  schol- 
ars. The  school,  as  at  present  organized,  has 
George  Mitchell  as  superintendent ;  Miss  Han- 
nah   P.  Nyce    and  John    Warner,    librarians; 


I'IKE  COUNTY. 


879 


John  C.  Wallace,  Bible-class  teacher;  Miss 
Hulda  Bull  and  Miss  Mamie  Dietrick,  infant- 
class  teachers  ;  and  Miss  Blanche  Crissraan, 
Miss  Lizzie  Bull,  Miss  Kate  McCarty,  Mrs. 
Hannah  Williamson,  Mrs.  Josephine  Bensell, 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Van  Etten,  Miss  Bettie  Cornelius 
and  Miss  Lizzie  Finley  are  the  other  teachers. 
The  Methodist  and  Episcopalians  have  Sunday- 
schools  in  connection  with  their  churches. 

Mrs.  Caroline  Wells,  now  eighty-four  years 
of  age,  was  one  of  the  first  teachers  in  this  re- 
gion, and  we  shall  give  her  account  of  these 
schools  nearly  in  her  own  words,  and  in  con- 
nection therewith  reminiscences  of  her  life. 
She  is  the  only  member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
Church  of  Minisink,  on  this  side  of  the  river, 
in  Milford.  Caroline  Austin  was  born  in  Mon- 
tague, N.  J.  Her  father  was  a  New  Englander, 
and  her  mother  of  Dutch  descent.  "  I  lived 
with  my  grandmother  Mullin,  who  was  Dutch 
to  the  foot,  and  an  excellent  woman.  She  was 
eighty-seven  years  old  when  she  died.  He 
used  Webster's  Spelling-Book,  the  American 
Preceptor,  Columbian  Orator,  the  Bible,  Da- 
boll's  Arithmetic  and  Murray's  Grammar. 
Lemuel  Thrall  is  the  first  teacher  I  went  to,  in 
1805,  at  Hainesville,  when  I  was  four  years 
old.  He  was  a  good  man,  and  meant  well.  He 
taught  me  '  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep.'  I 
told  him  I  didn't  want  to  go  to  sleep.  I  told 
him  I  could  learn  '  Our  Father '  as  well  as  the 
older  ones.  My  next  teacher  was  Mr.  Hyde.  I 
went  to  school  to  Mr.  Hamlin,  in  Walpack,  in 
my  tenth  year.  There  I  first  heard  the  gospel 
preached  by  Rev.  George  Banghardt.  He  was 
a  shouting  Methodist,  but  I  liked  him  because 
he  was  handsome,  and  he  knew  it.  He  could 
sing,  and  he  knew  that,  too.  He  told  stories. 
He  would  name  persons  that  he  said  went  to 
hell,  and  that  the  devil  stood  ready  to  take 
them.  He  used  to  scare  me.  We  moved  up 
to  the  '  Brick  House,'  and  I  went  to  school  to 
Erastus  Starkweather.  He  wrote  my  name 
and  date  in  my  geography  June  10,  1810,  and 
I  said,  "  I  thought  the  price  was  fifty  cents,  and 
here  you  have  it  1810  ;  "  then  he  told  me  that 
was  the  date,  which  was  the  first  time  that  I 
ever  knew  what  a  date  was.  I  went  to  Mr. 
Drake  to   school   in  1808-9,  in  Milford.     He 


taught  in  a  little  house  opposite  the  old  court- 
house. My  husband  went  to  school  to  a  Mr. 
Jackson,  upon  a  hill  back  of  the  cemetery,  as 
early  as  1805-6.  The  early  teachers  were  all 
Yankees  but  one,  that  I  went  to,  and  he  was  a 
coarse,  ugly  man.  Some  of  my  teachers  were 
terribly  cross  and  brutish.  It  was  ignorance 
that  made  them  so.  The  people  were  very  igno- 
rant, but  they  were  worse  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Delaware  than  this.  Mason  Dimmick  was  an 
early  teacher.  We  had  to  pay  two  dollars  per 
quarter  for  schooling.  I  went  through  Daboll's 
Arithmetic,  commenced  to  teach  when  I  was 
fifteen  years  old,  and  taught  seven  years.  The 
last  year  I  taught  on  this  side,  down  by 
Dietrick's,  and  I  had  a  school  in  Milford  when 
I  was  married.  Iva  Burral  Newman  taught 
select  school  in  the  De  Berhle  house,  where 
Mrs.  Wm.  Cornelius  lives,  for  about  ten  years. 
Edward  Allen  and  Philetus  Philips  taught  in 
the  academy.  Mason  Dimmick's  nephew  taught 
here  when  the  free  schools  were  first  started,  in 
1835. 

"  In  1815  Bartholomew  West  tried  to  preach 
in  Milford.  He  went  to  Philadelphia  after- 
ward, and  became  a  full-fledged  Methodist 
preacher.  Rev.  Phineas  Camp  preached  here 
in  1815,  and  his  sermon  from  'The  Prodigal 
Son  '  and  '  Mary  hath  chosen  that  better  part ' 
convinced  me,  and  at  fifteen  years  of  age  I 
joined  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  at  Mon- 
tague, when  Rev.  Cornelius  C.  Elting  was 
preacher,  and  he  was  one  of  the  old-fashioned 
kind.  He  believed  in  predestination,  was  strict 
in  Sabbath  observances  and  about  amusements." 
Mrs.  Wells  imbibed  these  doctrines  and  believed 
them  fully. 

Public  Schools. — Milford  since  1877  has 
been  a  special  school  district.  It  has  three 
school-houses,  all  in  good  condition  and  seated 
witli  folding  chairs  and  desks.  There  are  in 
the  two  primary  schools  eighty-four  pupils,  in 
the  intermediate  sixty-six  and  in  the  grammar 
school  forty-six,  making  a  total  of  one  hundred 
and  ninety-six  scholars  in  attendance.  The 
principals  since  the  formatiou  of  the  district 
have  been  as  follows:  1877-78,  J.  S.  Freeman; 
1878-79,  William  Van  Sickle  ;  1879-83,  Ham- 
ilton    Armstrong;    1883-84,    G.    R.    Smith; 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


1-884-85,  I.  C.  Taylor;  1885-86,  Mrs.  C.  M. 
Blanchard. 

physicians. 
Dr.  Francis  Al.  Smith,  oldest  son  of 
Joseph  us  Jacobus  Aerts,  or  Dr.  Francis  J. 
Smith,  as  he  called  himself,  was  born  in  France 
or  the  Netherlands,  and  probably  he  came  to 
America  with  his  father  in  1877,  a  full  ac- 
count of  whom  will  be  found  in  the  history 
of  Monroe  County.  Dr.  Francis  Al.  Smith 
lived  and  died  in  the  old  Harford  house,  where 
he  was  interested  in  the  publication  of  the 
Northern  Eagle  and  Milford  Monitor  for  five  or 
six  years.  He  was  the  first  druggist  in  the 
place  and  one  of  the  earliest  resident  physicians. 
He  taught  his  wife,  Margaret  Quick,  mid- 
wifery. Dr.  Smith  appears  to  have  been  some- 
thing of  a  politician  also,  as  he  filled  the  office 
of  high  sheriff  of  Pike  County  in  1821.  He 
believed,  as  do  some  of  the  descendants,  that 
there  is  an  estate  in  Brussels,  or  near  it,  which 
belongs  to  the  descendants  of  De  Aerts,  who 
claimed  that  his  father  was  Lord  of  Opdorp 
and  Boom,  and  from  letters  of  Dr.  Francis  Al. 
Smith  it  appears  that  he  made  an  effort  to  ob- 
tain his  rights  in  1821,  as  cited  in  a  letter 
written  partly  in  French  and  partly  in  Eng- 
lish, a  copy  of  which  is  in  the  possession  of 
Helen  M.  Cross  and  from  which  the  follow- 
ing extract  is  taken  :  The  letter  is  written  from 
Brussels,  dated  April  26,  1821,  and  addressed 
to  the  United  States  Minister  at  Madrid,  Spain. 
Dr.  Smith  complains  that  his  uncles,  James  De 
Aerts  aud  Canton  De  Aerts,  had  taken  all  his 
grandfather's  and  Uncle  Jean  Baptist  De  Aerts' 
property.  He  wants  the  minister  to  make  some 
search  in  relation  to  his  uucle  Jean,  who  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Royal  Gardes  Walones.  He 
says  his  father,  Josephus  Jacobus  Aerts,  made 
the  acquaintance  of  Dr.  Franklin,  and  being 
recommended  by  him  to  Congress,  was  made  a 
major  in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  and 
that  he  died  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  in 
1802.  He  gives  as  a  reason  why  he  cannot  go 
to  Spain  to  investigate  the  matter,  that  he  must 
return  to  his  family  in  the  United  States,  "  and 
as  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  I  must  attend 
our  August  court  in  Pike  County,  Pa.,  being 
the  high  sheriff  of  said  county."'     His  children 


were  Hannah,  wife  of  Jeffrey  Wells,  who  was 
at  one  time  tavern-keeper  at  Salem  Corners, 
Wayne  County,  and  afterwards  moved  West ; 
and  Jane,  wife  of  Thomas  Clark,  hotel-keeper 
in  Waymart,  Wayne  County,  Pa. 

Dr.  George  F.  Shotwele  was  one  of  the  early 
physicians  in  Milford.  He  lived  on  Hartford 
Street  aud  practiced  medicine  from  about  1827 
till  1841.  His  wife  was  Catharine  Clarke, 
granddaughter  of  James  Bartou.  Sheriff  Wil- 
liamson married  oue  of  his  daughters. 

Dr.  Du  Frene  practiced- medicine  in  Mil- 
ford for  a  number  of  years  and  finally  moved  to 
Port  Jervis,  where  he  died.  Dr.  A.  A.  Lines 
was  a  practitioner  in  Milford  for  a  number  of 
years  and  then  removed  from  the  place.  He 
was  a  skillful  physician. 

Dr.  John  Schimmel  was  born  near  Frank- 
fort-on-the-Main,  in  Germany,  July  11,  1811. 
He  graduated  at  Wurtzburg  University  and 
took  the  medical  course  connected  with  the  uni- 
versity. He  came  to  America  iu  1833  and  con- 
tinued his  medical  studies  at  the  medical  col- 
lege at  Fairfield,  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y., 
where  he  began  the  practice  of  medicine  with 
the  late  Dr.  Stewart.  Dr.  Schimmel  settled  in 
Milford  in  1837,  remaining  there  until  1847, 
when  he  accepted  a  position  as  professor  of 
modern  languages  iu  the  Randolph  Macon 
College,  Virginia.  In  1848  the  development 
of  the  disease  which  ultimately  resulted  in  his 
death,  forced  him  to  give  up  this  position,  when 
he  returned  to  Milford.  In  1 854  he  filled  a 
responsible  place  in  the  United  States  Custom- 
House  at  Philadelphia,  where  he  remained  four 
years.  In  1856  he  returned  to  Milford  and 
again  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death,  in  1882,  aged 
seventy-one  years. 

He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Milford  Cem- 
etery, of  which  he  was  secretary  and  treasurer 
for  sixteen  years.  In  1843  he  married  Miranda 
H.,  a  daughter  of  Richard  Eldred,  who  is  now 
residing  in  Milford,  and  oue  daughter,  Jeanette 
M.,  wife  of  Charles  P.  Mott,  a  merchant  in  Mil- 
ford, resides  with  her. 

Dr.  Vincent  Emerson  wTas  born  near  Do- 
ver, Delaware,  June  1,  1822.  He  studied  medi- 
cine iu  Pennsylvania  College  (Medical  Depart- 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


ment),  graduated  in  1848  and  commenced 
practice  April  1,  1848,  at  Willow  Grove,  Del., 
remaining  there  until  May  1,  1859,  when  he 
removed  to  Milford.  Here  he  has  since  been 
actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. He  was  one  of  the  examining  surgeons 
during  the  draft  in  the  War  for  the  Union.  The 
Emersons  were  originally  Friends,  and  came  to 
this  country  in  1720.  John  Emerson,  from 
whom  Dr.  Vincent  Emerson  sprang,  settled 
near  Frederica,  in  Kent  County,  Del.,  in  a  rich 
agricultural  region. 

Dr.  Emerson's  first  wife  was  Elizabeth  Mar- 
vel, of  Willow  Grove.  Their  son,  Dr.  Gouv- 
erueur  Emerson,  was  born  in  Delaware  township, 
Pike  County.  "  Following  in  the  footsteps  of 
his  father,  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  at  an 
early  age  and  passed  a  most  excellent  examina- 
tion shortly  after  he  reached  his  majority.  He 
was  a  painstaking  student,  in  love  with  his  pro- 
fession, and,  as  a  result,  he  became  a  skillful 
physician  and  his  services  were  in  constant  de- 
mand." He  was  kind-hearted  and  had  a  facil- 
ity of  making  and  keeping  friends.  He  died 
in  the  flower  of  his  manhood  in  the  thirty-third 
year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  I.  B.  Craft  came  to  Milford  township 
from  New  York  in  1865,  and  died  in  1880. 
He  was  succeeded  in  his  practice  by  his  son, 
Dr.  Walter  B.  Craft,  who  died  in  February, 
1886.  He  had  an  extended  practice  and  was 
very  charitable  to  the  poorer  class  of  patients. 
Stephen  D.  Wells,  of  Shohola,  married  one  of 
Dr.  I.  B.  Craft's  daughters.  Another  son  is 
a  Catholic  priest,  or  doctor,  in  Dakota. 

Dr.  John  Sims  was  assessed  as  a  physician 
in  1819.  A  number  of  young  physicians  have 
practiced  medicine  in  Milford  and  vicinity  for 
short  periods,  but  the  oldest  physicians  prac- 
ticing here  lived  in  Port  Jervis  and  across  the 
river  in  New  Jersey.  Among  these  may  be 
mentioned  Drs.  Hornbeck  and  Van  Deusen, 
and  Drs.  Rosecraus  and  Hunt,  who  lived  op- 
posite Dingman's  Ferry. 

Dr.  W.  W.  Bidlack,  son  of  Hon.  B.  A. 
Bidlack,  was  with  his  father  at  Bogota,  United 
States  of  Columbia,  S.  A.,  when  he  died.  He 
returned  to  the  United  States,  graduated  from 
the  University    of  Pennsylvania   in    1852  and 


commenced  practice  in  Luzerne  County.  He 
then  traveled  in  Europe  and  Africa,  where  he 
spent  two  years,  most  of  the  time  in  Africa. 
From  there  he  returned  to  Philadelphia  and 
practiced  medicine  from  1856  till  the  outbreak- 
ing of  the  Rebellion,  when  he  entered  the  army 
as  a  surgeon.  After  the  war  he  went  to  Mis- 
sissippi, attached  to  a  negro  regiment  during 
the  reconstruction  period.  Returning  to  Phil- 
adelphia and  Stroudsburg,  he  practiced  medi- 
cine for  a  short  time  at  each  place,  and  next 
went  as  a  surgeon  under  General  Crook's  com- 
mand in  1872,  when  the  latter  was  sent  to 
Arizona  to  repulse  the  Apache  Indians.  In 
1874  he  removed  to  California  and  practiced 
medicine  at  San  Francisco  and  Santa  Barbara. 
In  1883  he  returned  to  Milford,  where  he  is  now 
in  practice. 

Milford  Lodge,  No.  82,  F.  and  A.M., 
was  the  first  lodge  in  this  county  or  Wayne. 
The  warrant  for  this  lodge  was  granted  April 
25,  1800.  Samuel  C.  Seely  was  W.  M.  ;  John 
Brink,  S.  W.;EliphaletKellog,  Jr.,  J.  W.  The 
charter  for  the  lodge  was  lost  and  the  lodge 
became  extinct.  Years  afterward  the  charter 
was  found  in  New  Jersey  and  when  the  present 
Masonic  lodge  was  organized  in  Milford  they 
petitioned  to  be  restored  to  their  former  num- 
ber, but  the  Grand  Lodge  would  not  permit  it 
and  the  old  charter  was  surrendered  to  them. 

Milford  Lodge,  No.  344,  F.  and  A.  M., 
was  organized  December,  18,  1862,  the  following 
persons  being  present  at  the  organization  of  the 
lodge :  John  C.  Westbrook,  John  Canfield, 
Jeffrey  Wells,  Horace  St.  John,  John  Dekin, 
Henry  S.  Mott,  George  Wiggins,  Erastus 
Slauson,  John  Mahon,  Philip  J.  Fulmer,  _John 
Schunell,  William  Cornelius,  Alexander  Reviere, 
John  C.  Mott,  Daniel  M.  Van  Aukeu,  Eli 
Fuller,  Jacob  Kleinhaus,  Thomas  J.  Ridgway, 
Philip  Lee,  Thomas  Sharpe,  Henry  Stewart, 
John  Leforge,  George  P.  Heller,  Giles  Greene 
and  others. 

The  following  were  the  first  officers:  D.  M. 
Van  Auken,  W.  M.;  George  P.  Heller,  S.  W.; 
John  C.  Mott,  J.  W.;  Eli  Fuller,  Treasurer ; 
William  Cornelius,  Secretary ;  Desire  Culot, 
S.  D.;  A.  Reviere,  J.  D. 

John  B.  Newman  was  also  a  charter  member. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  lodge  meets  every  Wednesday  night,  on 
or  before  the  full  of  the  moon,  in  the  hall  at  the 
Sawkill  House.  There  are  now  fifty-six  mem- 
bers. 

Vandeemark  Lodge,  No.  828,  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  was  organized  in  the  Masonic  Hall,  at 
three  p.m.,  April  24,  1873.  For  the  above 
purpose  the  following  grand  officers  were  pres- 
ent : 

William  Stedman,  M.  W.  G.  M.;  John  W.  Stokes, 
R.  W.  D.  G.  M.  pro  tern..,-  James  B.  Nicholson,  R.  W. 
G.  S.;  John  Sharp,  R.  W.  G.  W.  pro  tern.;  Ira  Olm- 
sted, R.  W.  G.  T.  pro  tern,.;  Daniel  Romaine,  R  W. 
G.  C.pro  tern.;  S.  A.  J.  Conkling,  W.  G.  C.  pro  tern.; 
Tunis  Rowland,  W.  G.  U.  pro  tern.;  Oliver  E.  Wheat, 
W.  G.  G.  pro  (em.;  George  Norris,  W.  G.  H.  pro  tern. 

The  applicants,  nineteen  in  number,  having 
presented  themselves,  were  duly  constituted  a 
Lodge  of  I.  O.  O.  F.,  after  which  the  following 
officers  were  elected  and  installed  : 

N.  G.,  James  H.  Dony  ;  V.  G.,  Thomas  Armstrong ; 
Secretary,  Henry  M.  Beardsley  ;  A.  S.,  Frank  Cooley  ; 
Treasurer,  Vincent  Emerson. 

The  following  officers  were  appointed  and 
installed  : 

C,  Thomas  L.  Armstrong;  W.,  Henry  Beam; 
I.  G.,  John  McCarty  ;  O.  G.,  John  Reasor;  R.  S.  S., 
William  Wood;  L.  S.  S.,  Jacob  De  Witt;  R.  S. 
N.  G.,  M.  W.  Van  Auken ;  L.  S.  N.  G..  W.  H  Court- 
right  ;  R.  S.  V.  G.,  Frederick  C.  Aimer  ;  L.  S.  V.  G., 
Russling  De  Witt;  Chaplain,  Rev.  Theo.  D.  Frazee. 

Highly  interesting  and  appropriate  remarks 
were  then  made  by  the  Grand  Master,  William 
Stedman,  John  W.  Stokes,  P.  G.  M.,  James  B. 
Nicholson,  G.  Sec'y  and  P.  G.  Sire,  and  Bro- 
ther Romaine,  of  Ustayantha  Lodge,  No.  143, 
after  which  a  recess  was  declared  for  the  pur- 
pose of  refreshing  the  inuer  man. 

The  Cornelius  Brothers  proved  themselves 
equal  to  the  occasion,  and  about  seventy  of  the 
order  sat  down  to  one  of  those  suppers  for  which 
the  Sawkill  House  is  so  justly  famous. 

The  lodge  meets  every  Thursday  night  in  the 
hall  over  Wallace's  store,  has  about  seventy 
members,  and  is  financially  in  good  coudition. 

Delaware  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  was  brought 
into  existence  in  February,  1884,  chiefly  through 
the  efforts  of  R.  B.  Thrall.  The  following 
soldiers  eurolled  their  names  and  were  the 
charter  or  original  members  : 


E.  G.  Loreaux,  Co.  B,  179th  Regt.  Pa.  Vols. 
James  Bosler,  Co.  B,  142d  Regt.  N.  Y.  Vols. 
R.  B.  Thrall,  Co.  B,  2d  Regt.  N.  Y.  Vols. 
Jacob  O.  Brown,  Co.  D,  39th  Regt.  N.  J.  Vols. 
Daniel  D.  Rosencrance,  Co.  M,  18th  Regt.  Pa.  Cav. 
Michael  B.  Pitney,  Co.  B,  151st  Regt.  Pa.  Vols. 
Ira  B.  Case,  Co.  B,  151st  Regt.  Pa.  Vols. 
Daniel  V.  Drake,  Co.  D,  45th  Regt.  Pa.  Vols. 
Linford  West,  Co.  A,  41st  Regt.  Pa.  (Col.)  Vols. 
William  E.  Sigler,  Co.  B.  179th  Regt.  Pa.  Vols. 
John  T.  Armstrong,  Co.  B,  179th  Regt,  Pa.  Vols. 
John  C.  Thomas,  Co.  C,  67lh  Regt.  Pa.  Vols. 
William  M.  Watson,  Co.  D,45th  Regt.  Pa.  Vols. 
John  West,  Co.  H,  4th  Regt.  N.  Y.  Art. 
C.  M.  Leidel,  Co.  B,  152d  Regt.  Pa.  Vols. 
M.  H.  Layton,  Co.  G,  142d  Regt.  Pa.  Vols. 
G.  M.  Quick,  Co.  K,  1st  Regt.  N.  Y.  Engineers. 
A.  S.  Dingman,  1st  lieut.,  Co.  B,  179th  Regt.  Pa. 
Vols. 

C.  Hermann,  Co.  B,  142d  Regt.  N.  Y.  Vols. 
Wesley  Watson,  Co.  B,  151st  Regt.  Pa.  Vols. 

Colored  People  in  Milford  and  Vicin- 
ity.— The  old  Dutch  pioneers  of  the  Minisink 
brought  their  slaves  with  them,  and  the  leading 
families  on  both  sides  of  the  Delaware  were 
slaveholders.  There  are  about  fifty  negroes  in 
Milford,  and  in  Port  Jervis  many  more.  They 
are  the  descendants  of  these  former  slaves  and 
have  generally  left  the  country  districts  and 
congregated  in  the  towns,  where  they  serve  in 
hotels  and  are  ready  to  do  odd  jobs  of  work, 
but  they  are  seldom  thrifty  or  frugal.  Some  of 
them  are  more  than  half  white.  Of  this  char- 
actei  arc  Richard  Piggery  and  his  wife,  Ros- 
anna,  an  aged  couple  who  have  a  very  vivid 
recollection  of  the  old  settlers  and  a  very  quaint 
way  of  expressing  their  opinion  of  them,  views 
which  our  researches  verify  most  strikingly. 
Michael  Scott  is  their  preacher  here  and  Lewis 
Milligan  in  Port  Jervis.  Sister  Minor,  a  ne- 
gress  from  Port  Jervis,  sometimes  talks  to 
them. 

"  Old  Black  Jerry  "  lives  in  Delaware  town- 
ship with  the  Widow  Angle.  He  was  born 
a  free  man,  near  Richmond,  and  wheu  eight 
years  of  age  was  brought  to  Delaware  by  Colo- 
nel Brodhead.  When  Brodhead  left,  "  Black 
Jerry  "  went  to  live  with  Cornelius  Angle,  where 
he  stayed  for  forty  years,  and  has  lived  twenty 
years  with  one  of  his  sons.  "  Black  Jerry  " 
has  never  been  married  and  is  quite  a  character 
in  his  way.    He  says  "  he  don't  want  no  woman 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


to  be  bossing  him  around."  He  can  be  seen 
in  liis  shirt-sleeves,  with  his  breast  exposed  in 
cold  winter  weather.  He  is  a  very  respectable 
did  darkey  and  is  now  about  eighty  years  of 


BROSS  S      RECOLLECTIONS    OF    PIKE      COUNTY    AND 
MILFORD.1 

"  My  father,  Moses  Bross,  moved  to  Milford  in 
1821  or  1822,  the  precise  date  I  cannot  determine. 
At  that  time  Milford  was  a  small  but  prosperous 
town.  The  turnpike  came  in  from  the  west,  and  the 
road  from  Carpenter's  Point  from  the  north,  and  the 
two  met,  as  now,  where  Pinchot's store  and  Dimmick's 
Hotel  are  situated.  In  the  town  they  were  dignified 
with  the  name  of  streets,  which  names  they  still  re- 
tain. Besides  these  there  was  a  street  diagonal  most 
of  the  way  from  the  top  of  the  hill,  above  Bidde's  Mill, 
to  the  old  Court-House.  The  fish  on  the  top  of  it 
did  duty  then,  as  now,  as  a  weathercock,  from  which 
for  more  than  three-score  years  it  has  never  been  re- 
lieved. My  father  lived  on  the  point,  at  the  Upper 
Eddy,  immediately  above  the  mouth  of  the  Vander- 
mark  Creek,  and  S.  S.  Thrall  on  or  near  the  high 
point  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware  at  the  Lower 
Eddy.  Both  these  houses  were  hotels  devoted  almost 
exclusively  to  the  entertainment  of  raftsmen,  and  in 
the  raiting  season  were  filled  to  overflowing.  Nearly 
all  the  residences  and  stores  were  on  the  two  streets 
above  named.  In  the  triangle  between  them,  where 
the  academy  used  to  stand,  there  was  quite  a  depres- 
sion, rocky  as  possible,  and  covered  with  scrub  oaks 
wherever  they  could  find  room  to  take  root.  The 
people  were  mainly  from  New  England  and  the  sur- 
rounding districts,  and,  like  most  men  who  settle  new 
countries,  were  intellectual,  enterprising  and  very 
energetic, — -just  the  men  to  achieve  success  wherever 
they  might  settle. 

"Whence  was  the  Prosperity.— It  has  been 
said  the  town  was  prosperous;  for  this  there  were  rea- 
sons not  difficult  to  find.  The  ridges  west  of  it  for 
scores  of  miles  were  covered  with  a  dense  forest,  much 
of  the  timber  being  white  pine  of  an  excellent  quality. 
The  inhabitants  scattered  all  over  these  ridges,  and 
in  the  valleys  manufactured  the  pine  forests  into 
boards,  planks,  scantling  and  shingles,  lath,  etc., 
which  were  in  due  time  carted  to  Milford  and  traded 
with  the  merchants.  At  that  time  the  farmers  in 
Sussex,  Morris  and  perhaps  other  counties  in  New 
Jersey  had  become,  if  not  rich,  at  least  possessed  of  a 
surplus  of  farm  products,  and  these  they  handled  at 
Milford,  and  exchanged  with  our  merchants  for  lum- 
ber to  build  barns  and  more  elegant  homes  for  their 
families.  Any  surplus  that  might  remain  was  rafted 
down  the  Delaware  for  a  market.  The  Milford  mer- 
chants thus  selling  goods  to  the  lumbermen,  and  also 


By  Lieutenant-Governor  William  Bross,  of  Illinois. 


lumber  to  the  Jersey  farmers,  realizing  in  this  way  a 
double  profit,  became  rich,  and  the  town  was  of  course 
prosperous.  The  building  of  the  Delaware  and  Hud- 
son Canal  and  the  Erie  Railway  up  the  Delaware 
also  made  large  demands  upon  Milford  for  supplies. 
As  in  the  distant  past  the  rich  trade  of  Asia  meeting 
at  Palmyra,  Venice  and  Genoa  with  the  demands 
and  wants  of  Europe,  made  them  great  and  prosperous, 
but  when  the  discovery  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
changed  the  traffic  of  the  world  and  diverted  it  from 
its  ancient  channels,  these  great  cities  sank  into  in- 
significance, 80,  when  the  canal  and  the  Erie  Railway 
had  been  built  and  diverted  from  Milford  the  sources  of 
its  wealth,  it  suffered  severely.  It  had  not  then  been 
discovered  that  it  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
healthy  summer  resorts  in  the  whole  Union,  and  since 
then  it  has  grown  and  prospered  wonderfully,  as  its  fine 
hotels,  splendid  streets  and  elegant  dwellings  abund- 
antly testify.  Having  compared  its  situation  with 
most  of  those  in  every  other  State  of  the  Union,  I  am 
sure  it  cannot  be  deprived  of  the  proud  position  it 
has  attained  among  summer  residents  from  New 
York,  Philadelphia  and  other  cities.  The  high,  beau- 
tiful plateau  on  which  it  stands,  the  noble  Delaware 
laving  its  eastern  bluff;  the  scores  of  miles  of  un- 
equaled  drives,  the  bluffs  to  the  north  of  the  moun- 
tains, and  the  hills  that  surround  it,  and  withal  the 
large  spring  that  supplies  the  town  with  water,  sweet 
and  pure  as  crystal,  all  secure  Milford  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  every  enduring  prosperity. 

Morals. — "While  the  town  was  very  prosperous 
in  all  its  early  history,  the  morals  of  the  people  were 
at  a  very  low  ebb.  When  my  father  moved  there 
from  New  Jersey,  in  1821  or  1822,  there  certainly  were 
not  as  many  righteous  men  in  the  town  as  theie  were 
in  Sodom.  The  stores  were  all  open  on  the  Sabbath, 
and  the  streets  were  full  of  teams  loaded  with  lumber 
from  the  back  districts,  or  with  those  from  New  Jersey 
exchanging  their  produce  for  lumber.  In  fact,  Sun- 
day was  the  great  market  and  gala  day  of  the  week. 
Horse-racing,  gambling  and  drinking  were  rife,  and  at 
general  trainings,  elections  and  other  public  occasions, 
personal  encounters  and  black  eyes  were  only  too 
common.  Fortunately  for  myself,  at  least.  I  was  too 
young,  and  had  too  good  an  example  and  instruction 
at  home  to  be  anything  more  than  a  valiant  spectator 
on  all  such  occasions. 

"  Our  politics  are  now  thought  to  be  bad  enough, 
but  they  are  decency  and  honor  compared  with  what 
was  everywhere  seen  in  the  early  days  of  Milford. 
Candidates  were  plenty,  and  as  King  Caucus  had  not 
yet  moved  upon  the  polls — at  least  he  had  never  been 
heard  of  in  Pike  County — each  one  boldly  nominated 
himself.  Standing  on  the  counter,  notably,  of  the 
old  French  store  was  a  bottle  of  apple-jack,  old  rye 
brandy,  in  fact,  that  could  not  fail  to  suit  the  tastes 
of  the  multitude,  with  the  name  of  the  candidate  who 
furnished  the  liquor.  These  bottles  were  kept  full, 
and  the  candidates,  ever  watchful,  would  meet  each 


SS4 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


arriving  voter,  and  with  the  choicest  blandishments, 
lead  him  by  the  arm  to  the  counter  and  his  bottle. 
The  quality  of  the  fluid  being  high — brandy,  for  in- 
stance in  proportion  to  the  dignity  and  the  profit  of 
the  office-hunter's  seeking — so  it  was  that  the  man 
that  had  the  longest  purse  and  shortest  conscience 
was  sure  to  be  elected. 

"  A  Change  for  the  Better. — From  this  sad  and 
truthful— perchance,  disgusting— picture, as  presented 
to  me  when  a  boy,  more  than  sixty  years  ago,  let  us 
turn  to  the  great  changes  for  the  better  that,  a  few 
years  later,  came  over  the  town,  and  the  causes  that 
produced  them.  Before  my  father  moved  to  Milford 
there  was  not  a  male  church-member  in  the  town, 
certainly  not  one  that  made  himself  known  and  his 
influence  felt  as  a  Christian.  There  was  not  a  church 
of  any  kind  whatever.  My  father  was  a  man 
who  had  the  courage  of  his  convictions,  and  coming 
from  the  Dutch  church  across  the  river,  presided  over 
by  Dominie  C.  C.  Elting  of  blessed  memory,  his  first 
move  on  the  forces  of  the  enemy  was  to  establish  a 
prayer- meeting,  by  permission,  in  the  court-house. 
As  a  new  thing  it  attracted  attention,  and  my  father 
often  told  of  his  embarrassment,  and  how  his  knees 
smote  together,  when  a  few  of  what  he  called  the 
'  tall  sons  of  Anak,'  for  the  want  of  amusement,  came 
to  the  meetings.  In  these  efforts  he  was  cordially  and 
ably  seconded  by  James  Wallace,  a  leading  merchant, 
but  not  then  a  member  of  any  church — a  most  excel- 
lent Scotch-Irishman.  Out  of  the  prayer-meetings 
soon  grew  a  Sunday-school,  the  first  in  all  that  country. 
This  writer  was  one  of  its  first  pupils,  and  during  his 
membership  Matthew,  Luke  and  John  were  all 
learned  by  heart,  a  valuable  acquisition  during  all  his 
subsequent  history.  These  Christian  efforts,  and  the 
success  following  them,  induced  other  friends  to  can- 
vass the  prospect  of  engaging  a  minister.  What  con- 
trolled the  selection  I  do  not  know,  but  it  certainly 
proved  to  be  a  most  excellent  one.  How  the  parson 
was  obtained  is  worthy  of  note.  My  father,  then  and 
never  after,  being  blessed  with  much  of  this  world's 
goods,  borrowed  a  horse  from  Mr.  Wallace,  as  I 
remember,  a  harness  of  some  one  else,  and  a  buggy  of 
another,  and  he  and  my  mother  went  over  to  West- 
town  and  presented  the  matter  to  Rev.  Thos.  Grier. 
The  subject  was  laid  before  the  Hudson  Presbytery, 
and  it  was  agreed  that  Mr.  Crier  might  be  spared  from 
that  town  one  Sabbath  in  three,  giving  one-third  of 
his  services  to  the  town  of  Milford.  Mr.  Grier  was  a 
man  of  splendid  presence,  an  excellent  preacher, 
whose  earnest  discussion  and  application  of  gospel 
truth  had  a  marked  effect  upon  the  community.  The 
services  were  held,  as  were  all  other  public  meetings, 
in  the  court-house.  As  an  illustration  of  the  habits 
of  the  time,  it  is  here  mentioned  that  every  Friday 
morning,  when  he  was  expected  to  arrive,  my  father 
would  say  to  me,  'William,  take  the  decanter  and 
go  to  La  Forge's  store  and  get  a  quart  of  his  best 
brandy,'  and  before  every   meal    the  brandy  and   a 


bowl  oi  eggs  would  be  en  the  table,  and  the  Dom- 
inie would  take  an  egg  and  some  brandy  for  the 
good  of  his  health. 

"  My  father  and  mother  both  being  companionable 
people,  they  for  years  kept  the  ministerial  hotel. 
It  should  be  here  mentioned  that  when  the  '  Tem- 
perance Reform '  was  first  agitated,  Mr.  Thrall,  my 
father  and  many  others  banished  liquor  from  their 
homes  forever. 

"  The  ministrations  of  Mr.  Grier  were  greatly 
blessed  and  the  Sunday-school  of  which  this  writer 
was  one  of  the  first  members  was  large  and  suc- 
cessful, and  on  the  25th  of  September,  1825,  the 
Presbyterian  Church  was  organized.  James  Wallace, 
Jacob  Quick  and  my  father  were  the  first  elders, 
with  my  mother  and  three  or  four  other  ladies  as 
members.  The  court-house  soon  became  too  small 
for  the  congregation,  and  I  well  remember  the  earn- 
est conferences  in  regard  to  the  building  of  a  new 
church.  Finally,  Mr.  Grier  preached  a  sermon 
from  the  text  'Go  up  to  the  mountains  and 
bring  wood  and  build  an  house  and  I  will  take 
pleasure  in  it,  and  I  will  be  glorified  saith  the 
Lord.' — Haggai  i.  8.  As  a  result,  to  the  mountains 
did  the  people  go,  and  a  church  very  respect- 
able in  size  and  appointments  was  built  on  the 
spot  where  the  Presbyterian  parsonage  now  stands, 
and  as  a  lad  of  a  dozen  years  I,  with  others,  held 
the  studs  at  '  the  raising '  while  the  frame  was 
going  up.  To  me  it  was  always  one  of  the  most 
interesting  buildings  in  Milford,  for  there  I  heard 
the  gospel  preached  in  its  power  and  there  was  an 
almost  constant  revival,  when,  on  the  29th  of  Au- 
gust, 1832,  this  writer  became  a  member  of  the 
church.  This  was  probably  the  controlling  act  in 
his  personal  history,  for  though  short-comings  have 
marked  my  life-work,  to  it  I  owe  the  small  measure, 
morally  and  otherwise,  of  success  the  Lord  has 
granted  me.  This  remark  is  specially  commended  to 
all  young  people  who  may  chance  to  read  these  lines. 

"  During  the  time  above  referred  to  nearly  all  the 
leading  people  of  the  town  had  become  members  of 
the  church.  A  more  complete  reformation  was,  per- 
haps, never  effected,  and  most  happily  the  influence 
of  those  early  movements  has  continued  down  to  the 
present.  About  1830  or  1831  Mr.  Grier  removed  to 
some  other  charge,  and  Rev.  Edward  Allen  came  from 
New  Jersey,  and  besides  supplying  the  church,  took 
charge  of  the  Academy,  the  building  of  which  had 
followed  that  of  the  church.  Under  his  preaching 
and  that  of  his  most  faithful  associates,  George  and 
Peter  Kanouse  and  others,  nearly  all  the  remaining 
citizens  were  gathered  into  the  Presbyterian  and 
Methodist  Churches,  the  latter  having  been  built  a 
few  years  before.  Many  of  his  pupils  also  joined  the 
church,  and  under  Mr.  Allen  and  his  excellent  broth- 
er-in-law, Dr.  Alexander  Linn,  commenced  a  classical 
education.  As  to  one  of  them,  it  is  here  remarked, 
it  is  charged  that  he  went  through  Williams  College 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


SS5 


a  charity  student.  To  some  extent  this  is  true,  and 
for  this  purpose  Milford  furnished  exactly  one  dollar 
and  credit  for  a  suit  of  clothes.  For  that  dollar  he 
handed  a  leading  lady  of  the  Milford  Church  a  ten- 
dollar  bill  for  benevolent  purposes,  and  the  clothes 
were  paid  for  in  a  month  or  two  after  he  graduated, 
in  1838.  But  the  society  to  which  Rev.  Mr.  Allen, 
one  of  the  ablest  teachers  and  preachers,  and  in  all 
respects  one  of  the  best  of  men,  introduced  me  and 
some  of  his  other  students,  loaned  me  just  $3or>.  In 
addition  to  this,  I  taught  school  in  Massachusetts 
every  winter,  and  yet  I  found  myself  $600  in  debt 
when  I  graduated.  One-half  of  this  was  secured  by 
a  policy  on  my  life,  and  the  other  was  loaned  me  by 
Eastern  friends.  This  was  all  paid  with  interest  in 
two  or  three  years,  and  the  $305  were  paid  with  com- 
pound interest,  amounting  to  some  $2800,  by  consent 
of  the  society  that  loaned  it,  to  two  of  our  colleges.  I 
hope  to  be  able  to  give  two  or  three  times  that  sum  to 
our  Christian  benevolent  and  educational  institutions 
every  year  during  my  life.  For  these  reasons  I  am 
thankful  that  I  was  educated  at  all,  and  have  no  re- 
grets or  false  modesty  to  own  that  I  was  educated  as  a 
charity  student. 

"  In  1834  Mr.  Allen  had  removed  with  his  school  to 
Liberty  ville,  New  Jersey,  and  in  the  opening  of  that 
year,  with  my  small  wardrobe  tied  in  an  old  bandan- 
na handkerchief  swung  on  a  stick  across  my  shoulder, 
I  crossed  the  mountain  on  foot  and  spent  the  summer 
completing  as  best  I  could  my  preparation  for  col- 
lege. Of  course  I  reluctantly  bade  good-by  to  Mil- 
ford as  a  home  forever. 

"  The  Bar.— The  bar  of  Milford  at  this  early  day 
was  composed  of  very  able  and  eloquent  men.  Judge 
Scott,  of  Wilkesbarre,  presided  over  the  court  with 
great  dignity,  with  Associate  Judges  Dingniau  on  his 
right,  and  Coolbaugh  on  his  left.  Judge  Dingman 
was  an  active,  wiry  man,  and  generally  held  a  polit- 
ical meeting  during  court-week,  at  which  resolutions 
were  passed  thoroughly  commending  the  national  and 
State  administrations. 

"Judge  Coolbaugh  was  a  large,  portly  man  and,  so 
far  as  is  now  remembered,  was  very  dignified  and  un- 
obtrusive. Among  our  Milford  lawyers  D.  M.  Brod- 
head  stood  first,  a  man  of  splendid  presence,  able,  elo- 
quent and  commanding  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
the  bar  and  the  public.  He  afterward  figured  largely 
among  the  leading  men  of  the  State.  Richard  Eldred, 
O.'S.  Dimmick,  Edward  Mott  and  some  others  de- 
serve more  extended  mention.  Bethany  sent  us  N. 
B.  Eldred,  one  of  the  most  valuable,  eloquent  and  suc- 
cessful lawyers  of  the  time.  Wilkes-Barre  sent  us  sev- 
eral of  her  most  distinguished  lawyers.  First  in  learn- 
ing and,  it  is  believed,  in  substantial  character  and 
clear  judgment,  was  Garret  Mallory,  afterward  a  lead- 
ing judge  in  Pennsylvania.  Then  there  were  Fuller 
&  Cunningham  (probably  Conyngham),  and  perhaps 
others  should  be  mentioned.  Notably  among  them 
was  Benjamin  F.  Bidlack,  a  splendid   man   in  pre- 


sence, learning  and  ability.  He  was  captured  by 
the  second  daughter  of  Deacon  James  Wallace,  and 
settled  among  us.  Being  ambitious  to  become  widely 
known,  he  established  the  first  newspaper  ever  pub- 
lished in  the  county.  It  was  called  The  Northern 
Eagle  and  Milford  Monitor.  Between  the  first  two 
words  there  was  a  villainous  picture  of  an  eagle,  which 
the  boys,  by  a  very  easy  mental  process,  called  a 
'crow.'  My  father  was  a  great  friend  of  Bidlack's 
and  secured  the  position  of  carrier  for  his  eldest  son. 
As  he  wended  his  way  from  the  house  of  one  Milford 
nabob  to  another,  with  a  bundle  of  papers  under  his 
arm,  he  would  hear  the  cheerful  salutation,  '  There 
comes  the  Northern  crow.'  This  would  often  produce 
a  belligerent  state  of  society  between  the  sturdy  car- 
rierand  his  fellow-urchins,  and  not  seldom  there  were 
blows  to  take  as  well  as  slang  to  hurl  at  him.  From 
this  humble  position  he  found  himself  half-owner  of  a 
paper  in  Chicago  in  1S49,  and  for  more  than  a  third 
of  a  century  he  has  been  connected  with  the  daily 
press  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Bidlack  was  very 
successful.  He  became  member  of  Congress,  and  died 
as  United  States  minister  resident  in  Columbia,  in 
South  America. 

"Personal  Sketches.— Perhaps  some  personal 
sketches  of  the  leading  men  of  Milford  sixty  years  ago 
may  be  of  interest. 

"  I  will  begin  at  the  lower  end  of  the  town,  where, 
upon  the  bluff,  lived  Samuel  S.  Thrall.  He  was  a  large, 
portly  man,  very  kind  and  benevolent,  and  in  all  re- 
spects a  good  citizen.  He  stopped  the  objectionable 
part  of  the  hotel  business,  as  did  my  father,  viz.,  sell- 
ing liquor,  when  temperance  principles  were  agitated. 
He  became  an  elder  in  the  church,  and  was  ever  con- 
sidered one  of  our  best  citizens.  James  Wallace  kept 
store  nearly  across  the  way  from  Mr.  Thrall,  where  the 
streets  fork  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  as  one  then  went 
west  from  Biddis'  mill.  He  was  an  example  of  all 
that  was  dignified  and  good  in  human  character.  A 
man  of  medium  height,  sturdy  frame  and  benevolent 
expression,  he  was  a  man  to  command  the  respect 
and  the  confidence  of  the  entire  community.  He 
spent  the  latter  years  of  his  life  on  a  fine  farm  now 
occupied  by  Mr.  Bull,  some  two  miles  north  of  Mil- 
ford, on  the  Port  Jervis  rpad.  He  had  considerable 
wealth,  which  he  used  as  such  a  man  is  most  likely 
to  do,  for  the  wisest  benefit  of  his  family  and  his  fel- 
low-men. His  two  sons,  John  and  James,  were  al- 
ways leading  men  in  Milford,  and  Frank,  the  young- 
est, became  a  very  successful  and  wealthy  broker  in 
New  York.  Colonel  John  N.  Brodhead  was  a  leading 
merchant,  dealing  largely  in  lumber,  whose  house  was 
on  the  first  corner  west  of  that  of  Mr.  Wallace.  He 
was  a  kind  and  most  excellent  gentleman,  to  whom 
this  writer  was  indebted  when  a  boy  for  some  favors 
that  were  never  forgotten.  He  filled  for  many  years 
of  his  later  life  an  important  position  in  the  Treasury 
Department  at  Washington.  His  youngest  daughter 
is  the  wife  of  Senator  General  Van  Wick,  of  Nebras- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ka.  Next  west,  on  the  south  side  of  the  street,  ever 
to  be  found  on  his  work-bench,  was  Henry  Barnes, 
an  industrious,  pleasant,  honest  man,  with  a  never- 
failing  fund  of  kindly  feeding  which  made  a  chat  with 
him  always  agreeable  and  instructive.  Westward, 
on  the  right-hand  of  the  street,  the  nearest  house  to 
the  Cornelius  Hotel,  lived  James  Barton,  a  marked 
figure  among  the  denizens  of  Milford.  Tall  and  com- 
manding in  figure,  with  a  fine,  open,  benevolent  coun- 
tenance, and  head  as  white  as  snow,  easily  approached 
by  the  humblest  of  the  people,  he  was  always  popular. 
He  was  wealthy  and  very  enterprising,  building  Bar- 
ton's grist-mill,  at  the  west  end  of  the  town,  and  tak- 
ing an  active  interest,  if,  indeed,  he  was  not  the  pro- 
jector and  father,  of  the  Milford  water-works.  These 
facts  made  the  people  forget,  if  it  was  ever  true,  that  he 
received  a  pension  from  the  English  Government  for 
services  rendered  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  he  always  used  his  money  for  the  good 
of  the  community  among  whom  he  lived.  His  family 
of  daughters  were  very  intellectual  and  accomplished 
women,  and  whose  husbands  were  among  our  leading- 
citizens.  Probably  the  most  widely-known  man  Mil- 
ford had  was  Lewis  Cornelius.  He  kept  both  store 
and  hotel  in  the  house  his  family  still  occupy.  Hon- 
est and  socially  an  agreeable  man,  he  was  always  pop- 
ular. His  hotel  attracted  custom  from  far  and  near. 
The  first  and  most  important  requisite  was  that  his 
wife  and  her  daughters  were  among  the  very  best 
cooks  and  housekeepers  that  could  be  found  in  the 
whole  country,  and  Mr.  Cornelius  himself  attracted 
the  travelling  public  by  his  great  size. 

"  At  his  death  he  weighed,  as  I  remember,  six  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  pounds — probably  considerably 
less  than  he  would  tip  the  beam  at  when  in  good 
health.  But  if  people  wanted  to  see  him,  they  must 
give  no  sign  that  they  came  for  that  purpose,  or  he 
would  at  once  become  invisible.  In  spite  of  his  im- 
mense size,  he  always  kept  at  the  head  of  his  busi- 
ness, and  no  one  could  ever  complain  of  negligence 
when  stopping  at  his  hotel.  His  son  John,  now  dead, 
became  sheriff  of  the  county,  and  his  sisters  have 
continued  the  business  down  to  the  present  day. 
Across  the  road  lived  Hon.  D.  M.  Brodhead,  above 
referred  to,  and  opposite,  on  the  main  street,  was  the 
residence  and  drug-store  of  Dr.  Francis  A.  L.  Smith. 
With  his  father,  then  living  in  Belgium,  near  Brus- 
sels, he  escaped  during  the  early  wars  with  France, 
and,  after  many  startling  incidents  and  hair-breadth 
escapes,  they  arrived  in  America.  Being  of  a  leading 
wealthy  family,  they  did  not  wish  their  friends  at 
home  to  know  where  they  were,  and  so  changed  their 
names  De  Aerts  to  Smith,  the  nearest  possible  to  be- 
ing anonymous.  He  was  an  accomplished  scholar, 
speaking  German  and  French  fluently,  and,  being  a 
man  that  everybody  liked,  he  was  always  a  leading 
man  in  the  community.  On  the  same  side  of  the 
street,  and  opposite  from  Port  Jervis,  was  the  hotel  of 
Samuel  Dimmick.     His   active  habits  and  close  at- 


tention to  business,  and  withal  his  great  courtesy  and 
kindness,  made  him  a  popular  landlord  and  a  good 
citizen.  Opposite,  on  the  northeast  corner,  was  the 
residence  of  C.  C.  D.  Pinchot,  his  house  being  in  the 
rear  and  his  store  in  front.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
energy  and  enterprise,  and  accumulated  a  large  for- 
tune. As  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  he 
was  as  earnest  and  his  influence  was  as  widely  felt  in 
religious  as  in  the  business  interests  of  the  town.  Of 
his  sons,  one  has  been  judge  and  another  is  a  leading 
New  York  manufacturer  and  capitalist  of  that  city. 
West  of  the  corner,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street, 
lived  Theophilus  H.  Smith.  He  was  an  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  a  good  business  man  and  an 
excellent  citizen.  On  the  west  side  of  the  street 
(Harford,  I  think  it  is)  was  the  hotel  of  George  Bow- 
hannon,  still  occupied  by  his  daughters.  Opposite 
was  the  store  of  John  B.  Le  Forge.  He  was  a  large, 
fine-looking  gentleman,  and  had  the  reputation  of 
keeping  the  best  and  choicest  goods  in  town.  Taci- 
turn, yet  polite  and  dignified,  he  always  held  a  lead- 
ing place  among  his  fellow-merchants.  Of  course  he 
was  prosperous.  Sheriff  James  Hatson  occupied  the 
court-house.  He  was  popular  and  an  excellent 
officer.  As  to  the  old  court-house,  there  it  has  stood, 
to  my  certain  knowledge,  for  more  than  sixty  years. 
Not  a  change  outwardly,  and  I  presume  internally, 
has  come  over  it,  while  those  eloquent  men  who  once 
waked  the  echoes  within  its  walls  have  all  passed 
away.    Such  is  life. 

"Northward  still,  and  on  the  same  side  of  the 
street,  was  the  '  Old  French  Store.'  The  firm  was 
first  Pinchot  &  Muclare,  but,  both  these  dying,  it  fell 
under  the  direction  of  Madame  Pinchot  and  her  son 
Cyrille.  The  firm  from  the  beginning  was  managed 
with  all  the  tact,  energy  and  shrewdness  always  man- 
ifest in  the  French  character.  It  had  a  marked  suc- 
cess from  the  beginning,  and  it  was  believed  did  a 
larger  and  more  successful  business  than  any  other 
store  in  Milford.  Madame  Pinchot  was  a  courteous, 
excellent  woman,  whose  memory  is  cherished  by  all 
who  knew  her.  An  only  daughter,  Hortense,  the 
wife  of  J.  C.  Westbrook,  of  Port  Jervis,  a  most  ac- 
complished and  excellent  woman,  still  survives  her. 
Westward,  on  the  same  street,  lived  Richard  Eldred. 
He  was  a  successful  lawyer  and  a  good  citizen.  No 
man  ever  had  a  better  wife  '  whose  price  is  far  above 
rubies.'  I  say  this  entirely  without  regard  to  the 
fact  that  she  was  the  woman  that  handed  my  father 
the  dollar  to  assist  me  in  getting  my  education. 
Westward  still,  the  house  standing  directly  next  to 
the  bridge  below  and  across  the  Vandemark  Creek, 
stood  the  house  of  my  uncle,  Daniel  Beecher.  His 
wife  was  my  mother's  oldest  sister.  He  was  a  well- 
known  character,  for  he  utilized,  to  the  best  possible 
advantage  for  himself,  the  tax  deeds  of  the  back 
ridges  of  Pike  County  by  trading  them  oft'  for  goods, 
cattle,  horses,  almost  anything,  with  the  New  England 
people  anxious    to  become   proprietors   of  Western 


ffiffi. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


887 


lands.  Scarcely  any  one  of  theni  ever  occupied  those 
lands,  and  hence  the  population  of  the  county  was 
not  specially  increased  by  his  efforts.  Directly  below 
was  the  expensive  wagon  manufactory  of  Roys  & 
Benton,  two  enterprising  Yankees  from  Connecticut. 
They  did  a  large  and  successful  business.  It  was 
continued  by  John  M.  Heller,  who  afterward  moved 
his  establishment  to  Port  Jervis.  He  was  one  of  the 
best  of  men,  the  father  of  Judge  George  P.  Heller, 
lor  many  years  a  leading  politician  and  judge  in  the 
county.  I  should  have  said  in  the  proper  place  he 
married  Helen,  one  of  the  best  of  her  sex,  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  H.  Wallace,  and  lived  nearly  opposite 
and  near, the  Cornelius  Hotel,  a  righteous  judge  and 
an  honest  man.  Directly  across  the  bridge,  to  the 
left  hand,  lived  Hugh  Ross,  a  lawyer  and  always  a 
man  of  mark.  The  house  is  now  occupied  by  Hon. 
D.  M.  Yan  Auken,  whose  wife  was  his  grand- 
daughter. 

"  My  father  lived,  as  above  stated,  on  the  point  just 
above  the  mouth  of  the  Yandem.irk  Creek.  He  was 
a  tall,  spare  man  of  great  energy  and  wide  intelligence 
in  all  matters  derived  from  books  and  newspapers. 
His  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  was  accurate,  and  em- 
braced nearly  every  fact  brought  out  and  principle 
stated  in  Bible  history.  A  thoroughly  honest  and 
sincerely  religious  man  was  Moses  Bross.  He  lived  a 
life  of  toil  and  devotion  to  his  large  family  and  the 
best  interests  of  the  church  which  he  loved  so  well. 
Regarding  the  church  he  helped  to  organize,  it  has 
often  been  a  matter  of  discussion  in  my  own  mind 
whether  all  his  sons  put  together  can  ever  have  a  tithe 
of  the  influence  for  good  to  which  he  is  justly  entitled. 
He  left  Milford  somewhere  in  the  sixties,  and  moved 
to  Panther  Brook,  a  mile  above  Shohola,  where  he 
lived  till  1865,  when  his  oldest  son  moved  him  and 
his  blessed  mother  to  Morris,  111.  The  mother  died 
February  22,  1808,  and  he  lived  on  in  peace  and  com- 
fort till  August  19,  1882,  when  he  peacefully  passed 
away,  lacking  but  two  months  and  twelve  days  of 
being  ninety  years  old.  Many  others  might  and  per- 
haps ought  to  be  mentioned,  and  it  may  be  asked, 
'  Had  you  no  bad  men  in  those  early  days  ? '  True,  we 
had  ;  but  '  speak  only  good  of  the  departed '  is  a  good 
rule,  old  as  history  and  morals.  Most  of  those  that 
were  worth  saving,  as  above  stated,  reformed  and 
were  gathered  into  the  churches  between  1826  and 
the  few  subsequent  years.  '  Their  works  do  follow 
them,'  and  the  doctrines  of  heredity  are  fully  illus- 
trated in  their  children,  while  I  make  no  invidious 
comparisons  among  them  ;  yet  as  their  fathers  were, 
so  are  they — the  leaders  of  the  people  among  whom 
they  live;  granting  that  their  morals  are  good,  so  will 
they  continue  to  be.  May  I  be  permitted  the  remark, 
in  closing,  that  I  always  visit  Milford  with  thegreatest 
pleasure.  Alas!  the  old  house  on  the  hill,  where 
my  father  lived,  and  where  all  his  younger  children, 
but  one,  were  born,  was  burned  a  few  weeks  ago,  and 
the   church  which   in    my  boyish   days,  I   helped  to 


build,  and  in  which  I  joined  myself  with  the  Lord's 
people,  have  passed  away,  but  in  one  heart,  at  least, 
their  memory  is  precious. 

"  Though  Milford  now  contains,  perhaps,  ten  times  as 
many  people  as  when  I  first  knew  it,  and  the  resi- 
dences are  many,  and  not  a  few  of  them  large  and 
elegant,  there  will  not  be  a  man  sixty  years  hence 
who  will  have  a  more  interested  and  pleasant  memory 
of  it  than  the  writer  of  this  sketch. 

Hon.  William  Bross  is  one  of  the  founders,  edi- 
tors and  proprietors  of  The  Chicago  Tribune.  He  is 
among  the  earlier  graduates  of  Williams  and  one  of 
the  distinguished  alumni  who  have  reflected  lustre 
upon  their  alma  mater.  He  was  born  in  New  Jersey, 
November  4,  1813,  and  was  reared  to  manhood  at 
Milford,  Pa.  His  paternal  and  maternal  ancestors 
were  excellent  people.  He  graduated  with  high 
honors  from  Williams  with  the  class  of  1S3S.  In 
1866  he  delivered  the  alumni  address,  and  has  re- 
ceived numerous  evidences  of  the  high  estimate  in 
which  he  is  held  by  the  friends  of  that  institution, 
which  has  conlerred  upon  him  its  higher  degrees. 
After  graduating  he  taught  an  academy  in  Orange 
County,  New  York,  for  nearly  ten  years,  with  decided 
success.  He  was  a  thorough  classical  scholar,  and  a 
student  of  the  arts,  sciences  and  of  history.  He  came 
to  Chicago  in  1848,  engaged  in  the  book  trade  for  a 
time,  and  bought  out  the  then  Prairie  Herald,  and 
continued  it  two  years,  when  he  united  with  John  L. 
Scripps  in  establishing  the  Democratic  Press,  a  daily 
and  weekly  newspaper,  Democratic  in  politics  up  to 
the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party, 
when  he  championed  that  cause,  and  was  one  of  its 
ablest  and  most  eloquent  advocates,  and  has  been  since. 
He  was  the  first  man  in  the  West  to  indorse  the  nom- 
ination of  John  C.  Fremont  for  President.  In  1859 
he  consolidated  his  paper  with  The  Tribune.  In  1860 
he  was  a  prime  mover  in  securing  the  nomination  of 
Lincoln  for  President,  and  was  among  the  foremost  in 
planning  and  executing  the  remarkable  campaign 
which  resulted  in  his  election,  and  was  one  of  his 
trusted  and  confidential  advisers  during  his  Presi- 
dency. In  1864  he  was  elected  Lieutenant-Governor 
of  Illinois,  and  served  four  years  with  great  credit  to 
himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  people,  and  as  presid- 
ing officer  of  the  Senate  was  the  first  official  in  the 
United  States  to  sign  the  resolution  passed  by  the  Illi- 
nois Legislature  ratifying  the  amendment  to  the  Con- 
stitution prohibiting  slavery,  Illinois  being  the  first 
State  to  take  action.  In  1868  he  visited  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  the  miners  on  a  then  nameless  peak, 
near  Mount  Lincoln,  named  it  Mount  Bross,  in  honor 
of  him  and  his  visit,  and  it  bears  that  name  to-day, 
made  permanent  by  the  map-maker,  by  official  action, 
and  by  the  artist. 

Mr.  Bross  has  led  an  active,  useful,  and  beneficent 
life,  as  teacher,  journalist,  statesman  and  citizen,  and 
there  are  few  men  whose  personal  history  is  so  in- 
separably connected  with  the  history  of  Illinois  dur- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ing  his  time,  the  annals  of  which  he  has  so  conspicu- 
ously illustrated.  He  will  transmit  a  fortune  and  an 
example  of  how  a  guided  mentality  can  assert  a  mas- 
tery over  difficulties  and  even  adverse  circumstances 
in  shaping  the  character  and  destiny  of  a  man,  if 
balanced  by  a  true  manhood  and  a  high  moral  pur- 
pose. His  life  work  is  written  in  the  history  of  his 
time.  All  attempts  to  assail  his  integrity  have  been 
fruitless.  He  has  led  the  life  of  a  Christian  gentle- 
man in  private  and  in  public.  He  has  traveled  ex- 
tensively in  this  and  in  foreign  countries,  and  the 
chronicles  of  his  intelligent  observations  have  graced 
the  columns  of  his  own  paper  and  other  publications. 
In  1839  he  married  the  only  daughter  of  the  late 
Dr.  John  T.  Jansen,  of  Goshen,  N.  Y.,  a  most  estima- 
ble lady.  They  have  had  much  affliction,  having 
buried  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  the  last  resting- 
place  of  the  mortal  remains  of  whom  is  marked  by  a 
beautiful  monument  in  Rosehill  Cemetery.  Only  one 
child  survives,  Mrs.  Henry  D.  Lloyd,  a  lady  of  rare 
mental  endowments,  whose  presence  adorns  polished 
society.  Before  the  recent  death  of  his  father,  four 
generations,  on  both  sides,  were  represented  in  a 
group  at  one  time, — an  isolated  instance  of  the  kind, 
so  far  as  is  known.1 


1  The   following  is   inserted,  as  it  contains  a  condensed 
History  of  Gov    Bross'  family. 

To  My  Wife. 
MRS.  MARY  JANE  BROSS, 

DAUGHTER  OF  THE  LATE  DR.  JOHN  T.  JANSEN,  OF  GOSHEN,  N.  T. 

On  Her  Sixtieth  Birthday. 


Bright  and  blessed  be  the  coming 

Of  thy  sixtieth  birthday  morn. 
Thankful  that  through  joys  s 

By  my  side  thou'st  stood  so  long.* 
'Mid  old  Orange  hills  I  found  thee.f 

There  our  wedded  love  began  ; 
'Mid  Chicago's  surging  progress, 

Pass  we  most  of  life's  short  span, 
Scourgings  oft  have  been  our  portion, 

Toils  and  sorrows  bitter,  deep  ; 
Seven  sweet  babes  in  mercy  sent  us, 

Safe  in  Abraham's  bosom  sleep. J 
From  our  happy  home  in  fire  \ 

Drove  us,  life  to  start  anew  ; 
Worse  than  all  the  loss  we've  suffered. 

Faithless  friends  have  stung  us,  too. 
But  from  sorrows  look  we,  cheerful 

Down  the  rapid  stream  of  time, 
And  whate'er  the  Father  sends  us, 

Bowing  to  His  will  divine  ; 
Thankful  that  our  darling  Jessie  || 

Lives  to  bless  our  waning  years, 


*  Married  October  7, 1839.  J  Interred  at  Rosehill. 

t  Orange  County,  X.  Y.  \  October  9,  1871. 

||  Now  Mrs.  Henry  D.  Lloyd.     Has  two  sons,  William  Bross  Lloyd,  i 
bis  eighth,  and  Henry  Demarest  Lloyd,  Jr.,  in  his  fifth  year. 


Cemetery. — The  beautiful  Milford  Ceme- 
tery^ purchased  aud  laid  out  by  an  association, 
was  dedicated  on  May  26,  1808,  with  appropri- 
ate exercises  in  the  presence  of  a  great  concourse 
of  people.  The  address  was  delivered  by  Lu- 
cicn  F.  Barnes,  who  died  not  long  afterwards 
and  was  the  first  person  buried  in  the  grounds 
he  had  done  so  much  to  provide.  A  poem  was 
read  by  John  D.  Eiddis,  Esq.,  addresses  were 
delivered  by  Eev.  E.  H.  Beattie  and  Eev.  C.  S. 
Eymall  and  a  choir  sang  several  selections  and 
a  hymn  composed  especially  for  the  occasion. 
Following  is  Mr.  Biddis'  jioem  : 

For  half  a  century  back  our  fathers'  bones  have  slept 
In  the  old  orchard,  where  the  little  knot 

Of  cluster'd  pine  trees  have  their  vigils  kept, 
Lonely,  but  watchful  o'er  the  sacred  spot. 

Nought  marks  the  grave  but  the  rude  mound  of  earth,. 

Or  tott'ring  slab  of  marble  or  rough  stone ; 
No  epitaph  to  tell  us  of  their  worth— 

Thai  to  their  deeds  and  time  is  left  alone. 

Deserted  now,  this  first  old  burying-grotind  ; 

Uneared  for  now,  decaying  with  its  dead  ; 
But  many  a  chiseled  shaft  and  tell-tale  mound 

Cluster  about  our  churches  in  its  stead. 
Children  and  friends  have  fallen,  one  by  one; 

Father  and  mother  rest  beneath  the  sod ; 
Their  joys  and  sorrows  felt,  their  journey  done, 

And  their  immortal  spirits  with  their  God. 
But  now  within  the  small  allotted  space, 

Scarce  room  is  left  for  mourning  friends  to  tread, 
Who  fain  with  loving  hands  would  gladly  grace 

With  flowers  the  turf  that  closes  o'er  their  dead. 
The  cheerless  wind  sweeps,  howling,  bleak  and  drear  ; 

The  spectral  army,  only,  points  the  sky ; 
And  no  protecting  tree  or  hill-side's  near 

To  make  the  wind's  loud  roar  a  gentle  lullaby. 
Is  there  nought  left,  when  in  the  narrow  cell 

We've  laid  our  hallowed  dead  and  o'er  them  weep, 
But  for  a  mourning  season  in  our  hearts  to  tell 

To  our  own  selves  their  past,  and  let  them  sleep? 


An  angel  to  th'  poor  and  erring, 

To  soothe  their  cares  and  dry  their  tears. 
Joy  we  then  to  hope  and  labor 

On,  while  life  and  strength  may  last, 
Striving  ever  to  make  better. 

Those  with  whom  our  lot  is  cast. 
And  when  toils  and  cares  are  ended, 

With  our  dear  ones  may  we  sleep 
Side  by  side,  until  th'  Archangel 

Wakes  us  never  more  to  weep. 
Chicago,  January  2,  1873.  W.  B. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


How  doubly  dark,  how  fearful  would  seem  death, 
If  we,  who  living,  look  beyond  life's  end, 

Were  doomed  to  chain  unto  our  parting  breath 
All  that  in  love,  to  life  its  beauties  lend. 

Such  love,  as  that  which  in  a  mother  dwells, 
When  weeping  o'er  the  pillow  of  her  child ; 

Or  from  the  wife's  devoted  bosom  swells, 

When  her  dear  ones  are  toss'd  by  tempests  wild. 

The  memory  of  a  gentle  sister's  thought, 
The  fond  regard  that  lights  the  lover's  eye  ; 

If  with  the  loss  of  these  the  tomb  were  fraught, 
Our  graves  were  all  left  of  us  when  we  die. 

We've  met  to-day  to  consecrate  the  spot 

Where  some  of  us  must  find  our  future  home  ; 

Where  each  of  us  may  choose  the  little  lot, 
Wherein  to  rest  when  death  shall  come. 

Here,  where  yon  mountain  lends  its  grateful  shade  ; 

Here,  by  the  side  of  yonder  gentle  river; 
Where  Nature's  self  a  resting-place  hath  made  ; 

Here  let  our  loved  ones  rest  in  peace  forever. 

Here,  through  the  pines  the  summer  showers   will 
weep, 
And  through  their  branches  birds  will   chirp  and 
sing  ; 
These  hills  as  sentinels  their  vigils  keep  ; 

And  from  the  ground  will  sweetest  violets  spring. 

With   all   that's   cheerful    here   a   solemn    grandeur 
blends  ; 
The  stillness  of  the  scene,   yon  rocks  of  sombre 
grey; 
And  through  the  winding  paths  the  funeral  cortege 
lends 
A  sadness  fitting  to  the  burial  day. 

When  once  loved  forms  are  mouldering  to  dust, 
Let  ties  of  love  that  made  their  lives  so  sweet 

All  centre  here,  and,  faithful  to  our  trust, 
Let  us  keep  tenderly  their  last  retreat. 

'Tis  meet  that  wand'ring  spirits  here  should  dwell, 
And  through  these  trees  the  wind  in  sadness  wail  ; 

The  gentle  dove  her  mournful  story  tell, 
And  with  soft  music  fill  the  echoing  vale. 

How  better  far,  to  feel  that  we  and  ours 
May  sometime  slumber  in  this  lovely  place, 

Than  in  the  crowded  churchyard  where  no  flowers 
Or  trees  or  birds  our  final  couch  can  grace. 

There  are  buried  in  the  cemetery  the  follow- 
ing soldiers,  viz. : 

Col.  John  Nyce,  174th  Regt.  Pa.  Vols. 
Seth  Williamson,  War  of  1812. 
John  Westfall,  4th  Regt.  N.  J.  Artillery. 
Gen.  Dan  Brodhead,  Revolutionary  War. 

87 


Capt.  0.  H.  Mott,  Co.  B,  151st  Regt.  Pa.  Vols. 
George  Royce,  private,  Co.  C,  67th  Regt.  Pa.  Vols. 
Major  Richard  Eldred,  War  of  1812. 
Capt.  J.  Everett  Eldred,  Co.  C,  67th  Pa.  Vols. 
Jacob  Scott,  private  in  a  colored  regiment. 

Mii. ford  Borough  —  Civil  Organiza- 
tion.— The  first  election,  under  the  borough 
charter  was  held  February  1(3,  1875,  when  the 
following  officers  were  chosen  : 

Chief  Burgess.— John   C.   Wallace. 

Town  ( 'ouncil. — John  Gaillard,  Henry  B.  Wells 
Jacob  Klaer,  Peter  A.  L.  Quick,  Desire  Bournique. 

School  Directors. — Charles  D.  Loreaux,  Vincent 
Emerson,  John  Nyce,  F.  H.  Palmer,  David  A.  Wells, 
Frederick  C.  Aimer. 

Overseers  for  the  Poor. — Emanuel  B.  Quick,  John 
B  Newman. 

High   Constable. — Thomas  J.  Newman. 

Assessor- — Chauncy  W.  Dimmick. 

Auditors. — Abram  D.  Brown,  Benjamin  F.  Bennett, 
Edward  Quick. 

Judge  of  Elections. — James  H.  Doney. 

Inspectors  of  Elections. — Oscar  M.  Brink,  George 
Slawson. 

February  23,  1875,  the  first  meeting  of  the 
Town  (  Vtmoil  was  held  in  the  house  of  John  C. 
Wallace,  burgess,  who  presided.  Harry  T. 
Baker  was  elected  secretary  of  the  Council  and 
Samuel  Dietrick  was  appointed  treasurer.  The 
following  persons  have  held  the  office  of  chief 
burgess  since  that  time  : 

1876.  Desire"  Bournique.  |  1881.  J.  R.  Julius  Kline. 

1877.  W.  K.  Ridgway.  I  1882.  C.  W.  Bull. 

1878.  H.  B.  Wells.  1883.  M.  D.  Mott. 

1879.  John  Nyce.  !  1884.  Geo.  E.  Horton. 

1880.  John  Nyce.1  I  1885-86.  J.  Hutchison. 

Scenery  and  Surroundings. — The  rich 
and  varied  scenery  in  the  region  round  about 
Milford  has  made  the  town  famous  and  brought 
it  into  favor  among  artists,  lovers  of  nature, 
tourists  and  summer  sojourners  in  general.  Pike 
County  is  a  district  in  which  nature  is  still 
fresh,  wild,  untrammeled,  unbroken  by  the  works 
of  man,  which,  often  endeavoring  to  increase 
beauty,  only  mar  it.  Large  portions  of  the 
county  are  in  as  rude  and  rough  a  wilderness 
state  as  they  were  a  hundred  years  ago,  and 
this  wildness  forms  one  of  the  chief  charms  of 


'John  Nyce  was  elected  and  died,  and  Walter  Newman 
filled  the  vacancy. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONRO K  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  county.  Yet  some  portions  of  Pike  are 
highly  cultivated  and  afford  a  marked  contrast 
with  the  wild-wood,  mountainous,  rocky  and 
ravine-cleft  regions. 

There  are  refreshing  elements  of  beauty  al- 
most everywhere  in  the  county,  from  the  level 
well-titled  Delaware  bottom  lands  to  the 
wilderness-clad  mountains  in  the  interior.  Per- 
haps the  boldest  and  most  picturesque  scenery 
in  the  vicinity  of  Milford  is  formed  by  the 
cliffs  which  sharply  mark  the  valley  of  the 
river,  and  form,  in  fact,  a  wall  for  many  miles 
along  the  bottom  lands.  The  cliff  is  most 
rugged  and  reaches  its  greatest  height  at  a 
point  about  three  miles  below  Milford,  known 
as  "Utter's  Point,"  '  The  road  leads  aloug  its 
base,  and  the  sight-seer  cannot,  without  leaving 
it  and  going  toward  the  river,  obtain  a  satis- 
factory view  of  this  towering  rock  wall.  A  very 
fine  view  is  to  be  had  from  the  farm-house  of 
Mr.  Warner. 

Of  all  the  varied  sceues  of  loveliness  in 
mountain,  stream  and  lake,  there  is  perhaps  no 
single  feature  so  remarkable  and  popularly 
pleasing  as  the  waterfalls.  Of  these  there  are 
many  in  the  county  (elsewhere  spokeu  of),  but 
those  of  chief  importance  in  the  vicinity  of 
Milford  are  the  Sawkill  and  Raymondskill,  the 
former  only  a  mile  and  a  half  distant  and  the 
latter  about  three  miles.  It  is  not  too  much 
to  say  of  these  that  they  are  among  the 
most  picturesque  in  the  United  States.  Of  the 
Sawkill  Falls  further  mention  is  made,  under 
the  head  of  "Geology."  Of  the  "incomparable 
Raymondskill,"  Edmund  C.  Stedman  has  written 
a  highly  poetical  account,  which  we  here 
abridge, — 

"The  cockney  tourist,  whose  first  inquiry  on  land- 
ing at  New  York  is,  '  Have  you  any  cataracts  near 
by?'  is  guided  to  Trenton  Falls,  or  AVatkins  Glen, 
when  he  might  so  easily  reach  Milford,  just  off  the 
line  of  travel,  and  satisfy  to  the  full  his 
'  hunger  for  the  living  wood, 

The  laureled  crags,  the  hemlocks  hanging  wide, 


1  It  was  in  this  vicinity  that  Squire  Brink,  who,  as  a 
boy,  was  brought  up  by  Judge  John  Brink,  fell  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  and  one-half  feet  and 
rolled  sixty-three  feet  farther,  almost  incredibly  sustaining 
only  sligbt  injuries.  He  was  fourteen  years  of  age  at  the 
time,  and  lived  to  be  an  old  man.  His  portrait  hangs  in 
the  Sawkill  House. 


The  rushing  stream  that  will  not  be  withstood, 
Bound  forward  to  wed  him  with  the  river's  tide.' 

"  Close  against  the  mountain  wall  is  built  the  val- 
ley turnpike,  a  natural  '  Macadam,'  for  the  shale 
thrown  upon  it  from  the  roadside  packs  down  as  hard 
and  even  as  a  mosaic  floor.  Far  above  rise  the  oak, 
maple  and  chestnut,  birch  and  pine,  and  at  intervals 
of  every  league,  I  say,  dark  gaps  open  like  doorways 
in  the  hillside,  through  which  the  trout  streams  are 
plunging,  as  yet  unstained  and  free.  A  land  of 
streams, — 
'  Some,  like  a  downward  smoke  ; 

Slow,  drooping  veils  of  thinnest  lawn  did  go  ; 

And  some  through  wavering  lights   and  shadows  broke, 
Rolling  a  slumbrous  sheet  of  foam  below.' 

"  But  here  is  no  swooning  of  the  languid  air,  and  no 
seeming  always  afternoon.  It  is  a  Morning  Land, 
with  every  cliff  facing  the  rising  sun.  The  mist  and 
languor  are  in  grain-fields  far  below ;  the  hills  them- 
selves are  of  the  richest,  darkest  green  ;  the  skies  are 
blue  and  fiery  ;  the  air  crisp,  transparent,  oxygenated, 
American ;  it  is  no  place  for  lotus-eating,  but  for 
drinking  water  of  the  fountain  of  youth,  till  one  feels 
the  zest  and  thrill  of  a  new  life  that  is  not  unrestful, 
yet  as  far  as  may  be  from  the  lethargy  of  mere  re- 
pose. 

"  The  speckled  trout  of  this  region,  though  not  so 
large  as  their  Long  Island  kindred,  are  more  in  num- 
ber; growing  in  weight  as  the  fisher  wanders  down 
the  current,  and  leaping  at  his  fly  with  a  lusty  moun- 
tain vigor — a  spring  like  the  quiver  of  a  sword-blade. 

"  The  Vandermark  and  Sawkill  flow  through  the 
village  of  Milford  ;  lower  down,  and  at  intervals  of  a 
league,  are  the  Raymondskill,  Adams',  Dingman's  and 
the  Bushkill,  each  with  attractions  peculiar  to  itself. 
The  Sawkill  Falls  are  somewhat  widely  known  ;  their 
grace  is  the  despair  of  the  painter  and  delight  of 
young  and  old.  Sawkill  Glen  is  another  beauty-spot, 
in  the  heart  of  Milford. 

"  But  the  Raymondskill  is  the  acknowledged  mon- 
arch of  our  Milford  fluviarchy.  It  rises  miles  above 
them  all,  in  a  vast  wilderness,  where  the  springs  out- 
last the  summer  drouth  and  winter  cold,  and  yield  a 
constant  torrent  for  its  craggy  bed.  I  have  never 
fished  upward  to  its  source,  choosing  rather  to  think  of 
the  wild  wood  as  perpetual,  stretching  into  trackless 
westering  regions,  the  cover  of  mysteries  and  snares. 
I  am  told  that  venison  and  bears  meat  repay  the 
hunters  who  strike  boldly  out  from  Blooming  Grove 
Park  at  fall-tide  of  the  year.  But  let  my  reader  make 
his  first  acquaintance  with  the  Raymondskill,  where 
it  is  a  swift,  full  stream,  coursing  through  farmers' 
meadows  on  the  upper  plateau.  Drive  thither  at  sun- 
rise of  a  bright,  June  morning,  and  spend  a  golden 
day,  angling,  if  you  like,  along  its  banks.  In  an  hour 
you  reach  the  cataract  and  ruined  dam  at  'Goosey's,' 
below  which  a  series  of  the  loveliest  swift-waters  and 
miniature  cascades  will  tempt  you,  by  another  hour's 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


MH 


journey,  within  sight  of  the  spray  and  sound  of  the 
roar  of  the  greater  Raymondskil]  Falls. 

"  Here  is  a  cleft  in  the  mountain,  wide  and  deep, 
where  the  brook  takes  its  grandest  leaps  from  the 
higher  to  the  lower  world.  The  upper  fall  is  a  double 
cataract,  higher  than  the  broad,  magnificent  fall.  The 
two  are  so  near  each  other  as  to  form  one  picture  to 
the  eye.  I  do  not  know  the  exact  height  of  the  upper 
or  lower  fall,  but  it  is  not  the  dimensions  of  a  cataract 
that  make  it  poetical  and  inspiring.  All  these  mat- 
ters are  relative,  and,  for  one,  I  have  had  more  pleas- 
ure in  gazing  at  the  Raymondskill  Falls  than  at  Ni- 
agara itself. 

"  From  the  cliff,  on  the  left  of  the  dark  pool  below,  is 
shaken  down  the  filmy  transparent '  Bridal  Veil.'  Every 
waterfall  has  a  Bridal  Veil,  but  this  is  the  Laureate's 
veritable  "  slow-dropping  veil  of  the  thinnest  lawn.' 
Here  I  will  leave  my  angler  to  meditate  awhile,  and 
drink  his  fill  of  that  beauty  in  which  Weir  and  Beard 
Whittrege  have  loved  to  dip  their  pencils.  He  has 
still  before  him  a  mile  of  devious  windings — filled 
with  witching  nooks — ere  he  can.  gain  the  river-side, 
and  set  his  feet  toward  Milford." 

GEOLOGY   OF    THE   LOCALITY — MILFORD   AND   DING- 
5IAN  TOWNSHIPS." 

Milford  township  lies  directly  west  from  Westfall, 
and,  like  it,  is  bordered  by  the  Delaware  River  on 
the  south.  It  drains  into  the  Delaware  through 
Sawkill  and  Vandemark  Creeks. 

Between  the  mouths  of  these  streams  at  Milford 
there  is  a  wide  and  beautiful  terrace,  whose  top 
comes  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  Delaware  River,  and  makes  the 
site  of  Milford  the  county-seat.  It  is  a  great  bed  of 
rehandled  morainic  dibris,  and  is  seen  along  the 
river  in  an  almost  vertical  mass  one  hundred  feet  high, 
in  which  occur  boulders  of  Oneida  conglomerate,  Cor- 
ni/erous  limestone,  Hamilton  sandstone,  Chemung  and 
Catskill  rocks,  together  with  much  fine  sand  and 
gravel. 

The  Drift  has  exerted  a  not  inconsiderable  influ- 
ence on  the  topography  of  this  area,  since  a  great  dam 
of  moraine  thrown  across  the  ancient  channel  of  the 
Sawkill  near  Mr.  G.  Hamilton's,  two  and  a  half- 
miles  above  its  mouth ,  caused  it  to  seek  a  new  outlet 
to  the  Delaware  over  the  cliffs  of  the  Hamilton  sand- 
stone, and  thus  resulted  in  producing  the  "  Sawkill 
Falls,"  where  the  stream  passes  over  the  high  escarp- 
ment of  the  Delaware  hills. 

In  pre-glacial  times  the  Sawkill  waters,  instead  of 
going  over  the  present  falls,  passed  by  a  channel  now 
buried  with  Drift,  which  runs  from  where  the  Milford 
and  Owego  pike  crosses  that  stream,  southeastward  to 
the  old  valley  in  which  the  Milford  water-works  are 
situated,  and  then  continuing  along  this  old  valley  it 
received  the  Raymondskill  near  Milford,   the  com- 


From  the  Second  Geological  Survey  of  Pennsylvania. 


bined  streams  finally  emptying  into  the  Delaware  di- 
rectly under  the  present  site  of  that  town. 

This  is  known  to  be  true,  because  the  "  divide  " 
of  Drift  which  now  separates  the  Sawkill  from  the  old 
valley  is  only  twenty-five  feet  high,  and  because  the 
only  water  carried  in  the  old  valley  comes  from  two  or 
three  springs,  and  yet  this  valley  is  cut  down  more 
than  one  hundred  feet  below  the  level  of  the  top  of 
Sawkill  Falls,  through  the  same  series  of  rocks,  while 
the  bed-rock  is  still  concealed  by  an  unknown  thick- 
ness of  Drift.  It  is  simply  impossible  that  a  feeble 
stream,  such  as  now  flows  in  it,  could  ever  have  cut 
out  such  a  deep,  wide,  valley  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  is  equally  improbable  that  the  large  volume  of 
water  carried  by  the  Sawkill  could  rush  over  its  steep 
descent  for  untold  ages  without  cutting  its  channel 
down  to  the  depth  at  least  as  great  as  that  of  small 
streams  like  Vandemark  and  Quick  Creeks,  just  above. 

In  passing  up  the  present  channel  of  the  Sawkill, 
from  the  Delaware  River,  three  hundred  and  eighty 
feet,  A.  T.,  there  occurs  a  succession  of  cascades.  The 
first  one  is  one-quarter  mile  above  the  mouth  of  the 
stream,  and  begins  at  four  hundred  and  ten  feet,  A.  T. 
The  rock  is  a  dark,  sandy  slate  (Marce/liis),  and  a  dam 
thrown  across  its  centre  gives  a  fall  of  20  feet  for  the 
mills  situated  just  below. 

On  above  this  the  stream  meanders  through  a  dense 
grove  bounded  on  either  side  by  steep  banks  of  Drift. 
This  part  of  the  Sawkill  channel  is  known  as  the 
"  Glen,"  and  it  forms  a  delightful  retreat  for  the  sum- 
mer borders  who  throng  Milford  every  year.  At  the 
head  of  the  Glen,  and  directly  opposite  the  •  main 
street  of  Milford,  the  Sawkill  makes  a  second  plunge 
of  eighteen  feet  over  a  dam,  and  the  dark-bluish, 
sandy  slates  of  the  Man-Hlus,  dipping  N.  25°  W.  13'. 
The  channel  below  the  dam  is  a  gorge  only  30  feet  wide, 
with  vertical  walls  of  slate,  but  on  above  this  the  chan- 
nel widens  out  into  a  considerable  valley,  the  ancient 
course  of  the  Sawkill. 

About  one  mile  above  the  mouth  of  the  Sawkill, 
and  just  below  where  the  road  crosses  it,  a  gray,  coarse 
and  somewhat  massive-looking  sandy  rock  comes 
down,  dipping  ^"-l-^N.  20°  W.  Its  bedding  planes 
exhibit  numerous  irregular  layers  with  curly  or  twisted 
structure,  and  it  belongs  to  the  Hamilton  proper,  since, 
just  above,  many  bold,  massive  beds  dip  under  water 
at  an  angle  of  15°  N.  25°  W. 

One  mile  and  a  quarter  above  the  mouth  of  the 
Sawkill  the  base  of  the  third  fall  is  reached  at  an 
elevation  of  five  hundred  and  ten  feet,  A.  T.,  or  one 
hundred  and  thirty  feet  above  the  Delaware.  This  is  a 
constant succession  of  cascades  one  to  twenty  feet  high 
through  a  vertical  distance  of  fifty  feet ;  and,  seen 
from  below,  is  one  of  the  most  fascinating  views  on 
the  stream.  At  the  top  of  this  "  Bridal  Veil  "  fall,  as 
it  is  called,  the  stream  has  cut  a  narrow  channel 
through  the  rock  10  feet  deep,  but  only  5  feet  wide  at 
top,  so  that  one  can  easily  step  across  the  channel, 
even  when  it  is  much  swollen. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


About  one  and  three-quarter  miles  from  the  Dela- 
ware one  comes  to  the  Sawkill  Falls  proper,  the  level 
of  the  water  in  the  pool  at  the  base  being  six  hundred 
feet,  A.  T. 

The  structure  of  this  fall  is  sufficient  evidence  to 
any  one  that  the  Sawkill  has  not  always  flowed  over 
its  walls. 

Beginning  one-quarter  mile  up  the  stream  from  the 
main  falls,  we  find  the  Sawkill  flowing  between 
banks  of  Drift,  which  it  here  cuts  through,  and  rapid- 
ly excavates  a  long,  narrow  canon  out  of  the  Genesee 
shale.  This  trench  is  110  feet  deep  where  the  falls 
begin,  only  about  fifty  feet  wide  at  top  and  ten  to  fifteen 
feet  at  the  bottom. 

The  first  descent  is  a  fall  of  twenty  feet  in  two  cas- 
cades over  the  J'ossil  coral  lied  at  the  base  of  the  Gene- 
see ;  then  the  stream  spreads  out  on  a  broad,  gently- 
sloping  platform  of  gray  Hamilton  rock,  to  fall  into 
the  great  abyss  below  in  a  vertical  plunge  of  sixty 
feet.  Leaving  the  pool  at  the  base  of  the  huge  am- 
phitheatre here  excavated,  the  water  passes  through 
a  channel  only  two  and  one-half  feet  wide,  with  a  fall 
of  fifteen  feet  down  into  a  chasm  only  two  feet  ten 
inches  wide,  but  overhung  with  rocky  walls  seventy- 
five  feet  high. 

The  fossil  coral  bed  at  the  top  of  the  large  fall  is  a 
dark-blue  slaty  rock  filled  with  corals,  and  also  many 
fossil  shells. 

In  Dingman  township  the  effects  of  the  Glacial 
moraine  in  changing  the  course  of  streams  is  also 
plainly  marked  in  for  the  evidence  proving  that  the 
Raymondskill  once  emptied  into  the  Sawkill  above 
Milford  is  complete. 

The  Raymondskill  Creek  now  empties  into  the 
Delaware  three  miles  below  Milford,  but  in  pre-glacial 
times  it  left  its  present  channel  21  miles  west  from 
the  Delaware,  and  going  northeastward,  descended  the 
present  valley  of  Mott's  Run,  uniting  with  the  ancient 
Sawkill  somewhere  under  the  present  site  of  Milford. 
That  the  Raymondskill  once  took  this  course  is  cer- 
tain, because  an  old  drift-buried  valley  leads  across 
from  the  Raymondskill  near  J.  Brink's  to  the  Sawkill 
at  Milford,  and  at  no  point  does  it  rise  higher  than  20 
feet  above  the  bed  of  the  Raymondskill  at  Brink's. 
The  character  of  the  present  Raymondskill  channel 
below  Brink's,  is  also  proof  of  its  recent  origin,  for  it 
descends  about  450  feet  in  two  miles,  being  a  constant 
succession  of  rapids  and  falls,  with  one  grand  leap  (at 
Raymondskill  Falls)  of  125  feet. 

In  ascending  the  Raymondskill  from  its  mouth  to 
the  foot  of  the  Raymondskill  Falls,  one  mile  above, 
the  ascent  of  the  stream  is  only  one  hundred  feet 
above  the  Delaware.  The  stream,  however,  has  cut 
a  deep,  narrow  canon  out  of  the  soft  Marcellus  shite 
all  the  way  from  the  foot  of  the  falls  until  its  chan- 
nel debouches  into  the  Delaware  valley. 

5H<r~Rayni<mdskill  Falls  is  a  spot  of  surpassing 
scenic  beauty.  The  stream  has  there  rut  a  deep, 
narrow  gorge  through  the  Hamilton  r'uhje,  and  at  the 


bottom  of  this  it  descends  through  a  vertical  distance 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  in  two  succes- 
sive leaps,  excavating  a  beautiful  glen,  overhung 
with  vertical  walls  of  pine-clad  rock  two  hundred 
feet  high,  into  whose  depths  the  sun  never  shines. 
The  upper  is  known  as  "  High  Falls  "  and  the  lower 
as  "  Bridal  Veil."  The  water  first  makes  a  plunge 
of  eighty  feet  over  the  "  High  Falls  "  into  a  deep 
pool,  and  passing  out  of  this  in  a  narrow  channel 
worn  into  the  rock,  descends  forty-five  feet  vertically 
over  the  "  Bridal  Veil." 

The  bed  rock  is  hard,  bluish-gray  Hamilton  sand- 
stone, and  dips  N.  25°  W.  15°-17°.  Owing  to  its  de- 
licious coolness  in  the  hottest  weather,  this  locality 
is. a  favorite  resort  of  pleasure  parties,  and  many 
thousands  visit  it  during  the  heated  term. 

From  the  top  of  the  Raymondskill  Falls  up  to 
where  the  road  crosses  it  the  descent  of  the  stream 
is  quite  rapid,  and  cascades  are  frequent,  the  eleva- 
tion at  the  bridge  being  six  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  feet  (A.  T.)  a  fall  of  three  hundred  and  ten  feet 
in  the  one  mile  and  a  quarter  from  this  point  to 
the  Delaware. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


iiknuy  si-Kiaxi;  Moil. 


Henry  Spering  Mott  was  born  at  Easton, 
Pa.,  September  23,  1811,  and  died  in  Milford 
June  1,  1877.  His  father  was  Edward  Mott, 
and  his  mother  a  daughter  of  General  Spering, 
who  was  a  general  of  militia  in  the  War  of 
1812,  and  was  prothonotary  of  Northampton 
County  for  twenty-five  years. 

The  Motts  removed  to  Pike  County  when 
Henry  was  a  young  man,  and  he  became  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  in  Lehman  township  in  1834. 
In  1838  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  the  coun- 
ty, but  the  Governor  (Ritner)  issued  the 
commission  to  John  W.  Heller.  In  1839 
he  was  appointed  prothonotary  by  Gov- 
ernor Porter,  and  was  elected  to  this  office 
in  1842,  but  declined  a  re-election  in  favor  of 
John  C.  Westbrook.  In  1852  he  was  elected 
to  the  Lower  House  of  the  General  Assembly, 
and  again  in  1853.  In  1854  he  was  nomi- 
nated by  the  Democrats  as  land  commissioner, 
against  George  Darsie,  one  of  the  most  respect- 
ed and  popular  Whigs  in  the  State,  and  was 
elected  by  an  unprecedented  majority — 190,- 
743 — the  whole  poll  being  less  than  375,000 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


S!)3 


votes.  James  Pollock,  the  Whig  candidate 
for  Governor  at  the  same  time,  was  elected  by 
a  majority  of  37,007.  Mott  received  more 
than  three  times  as  many  votes  as  were  given 
to  his  opponent,  the  whole  vote  being, — for 
Mott,  274,074;  for  Darsie,  83,331.  Darsie 
being  a  foreigner,  the  Know-Nothings  prefer- 
red Mott,  a  fact  which  subjected  the  latter  to 
the  unjust  suspicion  that  he  was  secretly  affili- 
ated   with     the    Know-Nothing    organization. 


Mr.  Mott  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
being  Hannah  Bull,  whom  he  married  Janu- 
ary 31,  1832  ;  and  his  second,  Delinda  Peters, 
daughter  of  the  late  Henry  Peters,  of  Bush- 
kill,  and  sister  of  Samuel  G.,  Charles  and  Wil- 
liam N.  Peters,  and  of  Mrs.  Henry  M.  La  Bar, 
who  still  survive.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had 
four  children,  only  one  of  whom  survives, — 
Mrs.  Jacob  Kleinhans,  of  Milford.  By  his 
second  wife  he  also  had    four   children,  two  of 


so^t 


This  suspicion,  however,  was  not  entertained 
by  the  Democrats  of  his  own  county,  who  elect- 
ed him  to  the  State  Senate  in  1860,  and  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1873.  In  both 
branches  of  the  Legislature  Mr.  Mott  was  con- 
spicuous and  effective,  by  reason  of  his  strong 
common  sense  and  native  force  of  character. 
During  the  sessions  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention he  was  in  feeble  health,  physically,  and 
unable  to  exert  himself  to  the  extent  of  his  na- 
tural inclination  and  intellectual  ability. 


whom  survive, — Charles  Peters  and  Samuel 
Dimmick  Mott.  Among  the  nephews  of  Mr. 
(usually  called  Colonel)  Mott  are  Milton  Dim- 
mick Mott,  publisher  of  the  Milford  Dispatch, 
and  Edward  H.  Mott,  at  present  connected, 
editorially,  with  the  New  York  Sun, — the 
author  of  "  Pike  County  Folks,"  and  of  a 
great  number  of  amusing  hunting,  fishing  and 
"  old  settler  "  stories  connected  with  the  Pike 
County  region. 

Colonel  Mott  was,  in  many  respects,  a  re- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


markable  man.  Without  early  advantages  of 
education,  such  as  are  now  enjoyed  by  young 
men  of  his  class,  he  was  able,  by  reason  of 
his  natural  ability,  force  of  character,  pleasing 
presence  and  winning  address,  to  outstrip  many 
of  his  compeers,  whose  circumstances  of  fortune 
in  early  life  were  far  more  favorable  than  his. 
He  was  a  man  of  imposing  appearance,  person- 
ally,— both  tall  and  broad,  of  pleasing  counte- 
nance, suave  manner  and  graceful  action.  He 
was  jolly  and  generous,  grave  and  gay,  as  oc- 
casion required  ;  kind  to  the  distressed  ;  soci- 
ally agreeable  to  all  classes,  and,  of  course,  un- 
enviably  popular.  He  was  Pike  County's  fa- 
vorite citizen,  and  his  merits  eventually  became 
known  throughout  the  State,  in  which  but  few 
men  were  more  widely  or  more  favorably 
known  than  was  Colonel  Mott  during  most  of 
the  second  half  of  his  life.  At  Harrisburg, 
when  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and 
ever  after,  he  was  held  in  the  highest  respect, 
and  had  a  host  of  warm  friends  and  admirers 
in  Philadelphia.  His  great  vote  in  1854  made 
him  a  marked  man  ;  but  it  was  soon  learned 
that  he  was  not  a  mere  creature  of  accident,  but 
a  man  of  naturally  broad  gauge  and  genuine 
merit,  who  well  deserved  his  "  big  majority." 
His  official  conduct  as  canal  commissioner  fully 
justified  that  majority  ;  and  in  every  office  he 
held  he  performed  his  duties  with  the  utmost 
integrity,  as  well  as  intelligence  and  efficiency. 
In  his  private  business  and  affairs  he  was  both 
generous  and  just,  though  perhaps  not  always 
just  to  himself,  his  generosity  often  prevailing 
over  prudence  or  proper  regard  for  his  own  in- 
terest. He  was  noted  for  kindness  of  heart, 
and  his  politeness  was  more  than  "  skin  deep," 
being  naturally  prompted  by  good  feeling  for 
all. 

Colonel  Mott  was  a  natural  gentleman,  and 
all  who  knew  him  instinctively  recognized  this 
fact.  He  was  utterly  free  from  hypocrisy,  in 
every  respect,  and  heartily  despised  it  in  others. 
He  did  not  profess  Christianity,  but  practiced 
it  in  all  his  dealings  with  his  fellow-men.  He 
was  a  manly  man  and  a  true  man,  and,  conse- 
quently, a  Christian  man.  He  fulfilled  his 
duty  in  both  private  life  and  public  life,  and 
never  betrayed  a  trust,  great  or  small. 


Colonel  Mott  was  an  honor  to  Pike  County, 
and  it  is  but  proper  that  he  should  be  pro- 
nounced and  set  down  as  such  in  this  history. 


JOHN    C.    WESTKROOK. 

John  Coolbaugh  W  est  brook,  Prothonotary  ot 
Pike  county,  Penna.,  was  born  in  Dela- 
ware township  in  the  same  county,  where  the 
homestead  of  the  family  has  been  for  nearly  a 
century  on  May  24, 1820.  He  is  fifth  in  reg- 
ular line  from  Anthony  Westbrook,  who  came 
from  Ulster  County,  N.  Y.,  about  1737,  and 
settled  in  Montague  township,  N.  J.,  and 
was  a  large  real  estate  owner  along  the  Dela- 
ware and  on  Minisink  Island.  He  was  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  and  left  a  record  of  the  earliest 
marriages  in  the  Minisink  valley.  He  had 
one  son  Jacob,  who  married  Lydia  Westfall, 
March  24,  1746,  by  whom  he  had  a  son 
Solomon,  (1762-1824)  who  married  Margaret 
DeWitt,  and  crossed  to  the  Pennsylvania  side 
of  the  river,  settling  in  Delaware  township, 
where  he  owned  some  seven  hundred  acres  ot 
land.  On  this  property  he  built  a  stone  house, 
which  was  his  residence  and  that  of  the  family 
for  nearly  a  century.  He  is  assessed  with  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  improved  land  in 
1801,  and  was  also  a  justice  of  the  peace.  The 
family  was  well-to-do,  and  owned  slaves  in  the 
early  days.  Solomon  and  Margaret  West- 
brook's  children  were  : — Jacob,  (1786-1847), 
who  resided  on  a  part  of  the  homestead  and 
was  the  father  of  John  I.  Westbrook  of  Port 
Jarvis;  Colonel  John  born  in  1789,  resided  on 
a  part  of  the  homestead  and  was  a  member  of 
Congress  in  1841-43;  Solomon  (1794-1852; 
Soferyne,  and  Margaret  who  was  the  wife  of 
William  H.  Nyce ;  of  these  children,  Solomon 
was  the  father  of  John  C.  our  subject.  He 
married  Hannah  Coolbaugh  (1790-1874)  a 
daughter  of  Judge  John  Coolbaugh  of  Middle 
Smithfield  township,  then  Pike  County.  He 
was  a  man  of  large  business  capacity  and  well 
known  in  the  Delaware  Valley.  He  served  as 
sheriff  of  Pike  County  in  1822-25  for  one 
term. 

In  1819  he  sold  his  farm  to  his  brother 
Jacob,  and  purchased  a   farm  in  Middle  Smith- 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


si»5 


field  where  he  removed,  and  remained  until 
about  the  year  1829,  when  he  sold  his  farm  to 
John  V.  Coolbaugh  and  removed  to  Philadel- 
phia. He  returned  the  following  year,  and  for 
five  years  thereafter  conducted  the  hotel  owned 
by  Judge  Dingman  at  Dingman's  Ferry.  He 
also  opened  a  stoi-e  there  in  1832,  and  besides 
carried  on  mercantile  business  at  Bush  kill  in 
1830-31,  at  Tafton  in  1835-36,  besides  the  lum- 


widow  of  the  late  John  B.  Stoll  of  Branchville, 
resides  iu  Newark,  N.  J.;  John  Coolbaugh 
Westbrook,  subject  of  this  sketch  ;  Hiram,  a 
dealer  in  real  estate  of  Ridgewood,  N.  J.;  La- 
fayette, for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Legislature,  carried  on  the  lumber 
business  at  Blooming  Grove  until  1882,  and 
removed  to  Stroudsburg  ;  Moses  C.  a  farmer  on 
the   homestead    in    Blooming    Grove ;    Susan 


ber  business  at  Blooming  Grove.  In  1835  he 
removed  to  the  old  stone-house  in  Delaware 
township.  In  1837  he  had  a  paralytic  stroke, 
while  yet  in  vigorous  manhood,  which  largely 
incapacitated  him  for  business,  being  deprived 
of  his  speech.  In  1842  the  family  removed  to 
Blooming  Grove  where  his  sons  carried  on  the 
lumber  business  for  many  years,  and  where 
both  himself  and  wife  spent  the  remainder  of 
their    lives.     Their  children    are: — Margaret, 


widow  of  the  late  Theodore   Grandon  of  New 
Jersey,  resides  also  in  Newark. 

John  C.  Westbrook  obtained  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  district  school  of  his  native  place, 
and  completed  it  at  Milford,  under  Rev.  Mr. 
Allen.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  became  a  clerk 
in  his  father's  store  and  upon  the  sudden  illness 
of  his  father,  he  took  charge  of  the  store  at  Ding- 
mans,  assisted  by  Colonel  H.  S.  Mott,  and  of 
the  lumber  business  at  Blooming  Grove,  which 


WAYNE,  PIKE,  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


he  continued  to  conduct  until  1845,  when  he 
was  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket  Prothon- 
otary  of  Pike  county.  After  serving  in  this 
capacity  for  six  years — two  terms — he  returned 
to  Blooming  Grove  and  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  and  in  clearing  up  a  farm.  He  re- 
mained there  for  twelve  years  and  during  this 
time  built  a  saw-mill  and  a  grist-mill.  He  was 
again  elected  prothonotary  in  the  fall  of  18(33, 
and  leaving  his  business  in  the  hands  of  his 
brother  Lafayette,  he  removed  to  Milford,  and 
served  six  years  more.  In  1870  he  removed  to 
Branchville,  N.  J.,  and  during  the  first  year  of 
his  residence  there,  procured  the  land  of  various 
individuals  for  the  Blooming  Grove  Park  Com- 
pany in  Pike  county. 

In  1872  he  went  to  Berks  county,  and  for 
three  years  acted  as  foreman  in  the  construction 
of  the  Boston  &  South  Mountain  Railroad, 
which  was  laid  out  to  run  from  Harrisburg  to 
Poughkeepsie.  In  the  fall  of  1875  Mr.  West- 
brook  returned  to  Milford,  was  elected  prothono- 
tary, and  by  re-election  continues  to  hold  the 
same  office  in  1886,  and  is  now  filling  the 
twenty-third  year  in  the  same  office,  his  present 
term  expiring  January  1,  1888.  He  has  been 
county  auditor  for  several  years  and  has  served 
in  several  other  minor  offices. 

On  December  29,  1850,  he  married  Jane 
Wells  of  Milford,  by  whom  he  has  the  following 
children : — Alice,  widow  of  the  late  Dr.  Gouv- 
erueur  Emerson,  who  died  February  4,  1886  ; 
Hannah,  widow  of  the  late  John  Williamson  of 
Branchville,  N.  J.;  Frank,  Brodhead  (1856- 
1877)  and  Lafayette  Westbrook. 


THOMAS  ARMSTRONG. 

A  careful  research  made  by  Leonard  A. 
Morrison,  and  published  in  The  Massachusetts 
Magazine,  shows  that  the  Armstrongs  of  Pike 
County  are  descended  from  the  Armstrong  clan, 
once  one  of  the  most  numerous  and  powerful 
in  the  Lowlands  of  Scotland.  As  early  as 
1376,  says  M.  Morrison,  their  names  are  identi- 
fied as  belonging  to  Liddesdale,  in  the  "  De- 
batable Country."  In  1377  Robert  Armstrong 
and  Margaret  Temple,  his  wife,  were  in  pos- 
session of  part  of  a  manor,  being  the  town  and 
land     of    Whithaugh,    in    Thorpe,    England. 


The  original  deed  to  the  family  having  been 
lost  or  destroyed,  the  town  and  lands  were 
re-granted  to  Lancelot  Armstrong  on  the  9th  of 
October,  1586,  and  remained  in  possession  ot 
his  descendants  till  about  1730.  Among  the 
Armstrongs  of  that  early  period  was  Johnnie 
Armstrong,  sometimes  called  "  Gilnockie,"  a 
celebrated  border  chieftain,  who,  with  thirty- 
five  of  his  men,  were  treacherously  captured 
.by  King  James  V.,  of  Scotland,  and  hanged  at 
Carlenrig.  His  name  is  still  a  familiar  one  on 
the  border  and  in  border  poetry.  Of  the  imme- 
diate ancestors  of  the  Pike  County  Armstrongs 
of  whom  anything  definite  is  known,  we  find 
the  name  of  Lancelot  Armstrong,  who  was 
born  in  Gortin,  County  Tyrone,  Ireland.  His 
children  were  Andrew,  Thomas,  William,  Mary 
and  Sarah.  Andrew,  the  eldest,  emigrated  to 
America  about  the  year  1787,  and  soon  after  set- 
tled in  Milford,  Pike  County,  Pa.,  where  he  erec- 
ted some  of  the  first  buildings.  William  married 
Miss  Elizabeth  Graham  in  1834,  and  the  day 
he  was  married  started  for  America.  He  also 
settled  in  Milford,  and  worked  at  his  trade 
(a  mason)  until  1876.  He  had  the  reputation 
of  being  one  of  the  best  workmen  in  the  county 
aud,  in  fact,  in  that  part  of  the  State.  He  was 
a  Democrat  in  political  belief,  but  was  never  a 
politician.  He  was  not  a  member  of  any 
church,  though  a  believer  in  the  doctrine  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  He  died  at  Milford, 
May  21,  1886.  His  wife  still  survives  him 
and  resides  in  Milford.  Their  children  were 
Catherine,  Lancelot,  Thomas,  Eliza,  Catherine, 
Sarah,  May,  Annie,  William  and  Wilhelmina. 
Thomas,  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  was  born 
in  Milford,  above-named,  April  11,  1844. 
His  education  was  obtained  at  the  schools  of  his 
native  borough,  which  he  attended  until  he  was 
sixteen  years  old,  when  he  became  a  "  printer's 
devil"  with  the  intention  of  becoming  a  printer. 
He  changed  his  mind,  however,  and  in  1861 
went  to  work  with  his  father,  with  whom  he 
remained  until  he  had  mastered  every  branch 
of  the  mason's  trade.  March  1,  1865,  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  I,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Forty-third  New  York  Regiment  of 
Infantry,  aud  was  sent  to  his  regiment,  which 
was  stationed  at  Raleigh,  N.  G,  and  with  his 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


command  marched  with  Sherman  through  the 
Carolinas  and  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he 

participated  in  the  grand  review  of  the  armies 
in  May,  1865.  The  next  month  he  was  mus- 
tered out,  when  he  returned  to  Milford  and  at 
once  commenced  business  as  a  mason  and 
builder.  For  a  number  of  years  he  did  most 
of  the  building  in  Milford,  meeting  with  un- 
varying success.  In  1876  he  joined  the  firm  of 
Mornn  &  Armstrong,  of  New  York  (Armstrong 


finest  business  blocks  in  the  city.  It  is  eleven 
stories  in  height  and  has  a  frontage  of  one 
hundred  and  forty-four  feet  eight  inches  on 
Beekman  Street,  ninety  feet  on  Nassau  Street 
and  ninety-six  feet  ten  inches  on  Park  Row, 
and  is  built  in  the  most  substantial  and  com- 
plete manner  known  in  modern  building.  Its 
successful  completion  speaks  volumes  for  Mr. 
Armstrong's  skill  and  ability  as  a  builder,  and 
proves  that  a  man  of  talent  and  ability,   when 


being  his  brother,  Lancelot  W.)  and  as  work- 
man and  foreman  became  thoroughly  conver- 
sant with  the  business  of  building  as  carried  on 
in  the  metropolis  of  the  country.  As  foreman 
and  superintendent  of  Mr.  O.  B.  Potter's  fine 
building  at  Broadway  and  Astor  Place,  he  won 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  that  gentleman, 
who,  in  1883,  gave  him  the  entire  supervision 
of  the  erection  of  the  Potter  building  on  Park 
Row,  corner   of  Beekman   Street,    one  of  the 


possessed  with  energy  and  perseverance,  will 
come  to  the  front  whether  his  birth-place  be 
among  the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania  or  in  a 
great  city.  He  is  a  Democrat,  but  not  an  active 
politician,  and  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  term  he 
is  a  temperance  man,  as  he  has  yet  to  taste  beer 
or  liquor.  Mr.  Armstrong  is  a  member  of 
Milford  Lodge,  No.  344,  Ancient  Y'ork  Masons, 
and  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  Vande- 
mark  Lodge,  No.  828,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is  a 


898 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Past  Grand  Master.  On  the  22d  day  of  Novem- 
ber, 1870,  he  was  joined  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Olivia,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Ellen  (Cart- 
right)  Bean.  She  was  born  in  Milford,  No- 
vember 27,  1850.  There  have  been  born  to 
them  children  as  follows:  Lanty,  Harry,  Kittie 
and  Harry,  all  deceased  but  the  youngest,  who 
was  born  December  1,  1883. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


WKsTFAU.    TUWXS1III'. 


Westfall  township  was  set  off  from  Mil- 
ford  January  31,1839.  It  is  named  in  honor  of 
the  Westfall  family,  who  were  among  the  pio- 
neer settlers  within  its  limits.  Westfall  is  the 
eastern  township  of  Pike  County,  and  is  in- 
closed on  the  northeast  and  southeast  by  the 
Delaware  River,  which  makes  a  decided  bend  at 
Carpenter's  Point,  changing  its  general  course 
from  southeast  to  southwest.  New  York  State 
lies  northeast  across  the  Delaware,  and  New 
Jersey  bounds  it  on  the  southeast,  Milford 
township  borders  it  on  the  southwest  and  Sho- 
hola  on  the  northwest.  Across  the  Delaware, 
below  Port  Jervis,  stands  the  Tri-States  Rock, 
at  the  point  of  a  rocky  peninsula,  lying  between 
the  Delaware  and  the  Neversink.  This  rock  is 
the  corner  of  the  three  States,  New  York,  Penn- 
sylvania and  New  Jersey.  The  distance  from 
Matamoras,  situated  on  the  Delaware  just 
across  from  Port  Jervis,  to  Milford  ,  is  seven 
miles,  which  is  traveled  by  stage-coaches.  The 
valley  from  Matamoras  varies  from  a  mile  to 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  in  width,  having  a  high 
bluff  on  the  right,  over  which  the  little  Butter- 
milk Falls  descends  during  a  part  of  the  year. 
The  valley  up  the  Delaware  from  Matamoras 
is  narrow,  and  traversed  by  the  Erie  Railway 
from  Saw-Mill  Rift  to  Pond  Eddy.  The  in- 
terior of  the  township  is  a  rocky  pine  barren 
and  generally  uncultivated. 

The  pioneer  history  of  Westfall  township 
dates  from  the  Revolution,  and  like  most  of  the 
old  settlements  along  the  Delaware,  is  largely 
lost  or  preserved    only    as    a    tradition.     The 


Quicks,  De  Witts,  We*tfalls,  A^an  Akens  and 
Rosecrances  were  the  pioneers  of  Westfall  town- 
ship and  the  Middaghs  and  Carpenters  were 
there  at  an  early  day.  According  to  ex-Lieu- 
tenant-Governor  Bross,  who  is  a  descendant  of 
the  Quicks,  on  his  mother's  side,  Thomas 
Quick  came  from  Holland  and  settled  near  Mil- 
ford, Pa.,  in  1730-35.  He  was  the  father  of 
Tom  Quick,  the  Indian  killer,  and  James  Quick. 
Thomas  Quick  had  a  grist-mill  on  the  Vande- 
mark  before  the  Revolution,  in  Milford  town- 
ship. Peter  Quick,  probably  a  brother  of  his, 
located  in  Westfall  township  and  built  a  grist- 
mill and  saw-mill  either  just  before  or  after  the 
Revolution.1  He  took  up  a  large  tract  of  land 
in  the  vicinity  of  Quicktown.  His  children 
were  Jacob  ;  John ;  Margaret,  wife  of  Dr.  Fran- 
cis Al.  Smith,  who  lived  for  some  time  on  part 
of  the  old  Quick  property;  El  ias  Quick,  who 
emigrated  to  the  West ;  Cornelius,  who  lived  in 
Milford  ;  and  Roger,  who  resided  in  New  Jer- 
sey ;  Jane  married  Cyrus  Jackson  and  Maria 
became  Mrs.  Cornelius  Cox. 

Of  these  sons,  Jacob  Quick,  Esq.,  an  enter- 
prising man,  had  a  grist-mill  and  saw-mill  on 
Quick  Creek,  at  Quicktown,  a  blacksmith  shop 
and  lived  in  a  large  house.  Of  his  children, 
John  married  Maria  Middagh  and  resided  on 
part  of  his  father's  property.  His  widow,  aged 
eighty-eight  years,  still  lives  on  the  property 
with  her  son,  Charles  Quick.  She  is  a  lifetime 
resident  in  this  vicinity  and  remembers  many 
anecdotes  of  the  pioneers.  She  says  her  step- 
father related  that  on  one  occasion  eighteen 
persons  were  in  a  flat-boat  and  the  Indians  shot 
every  one  that  handled  the  oars.  Finally  a 
negress  took  the  oars  and  was  likewise  shot  in 
the  mouth  and  killed.  All  were  slain  with  the 
exception  of  one  child,  who  was  taken  prisoner 
and  did  not  escape  until  he  was  nineteen  years 
of  age.  (This  same  story  has  come  to  the 
writer  in  a  little  different  form  from  other 
sources.)  This  happened  down  on  the  Dela- 
ware,  opposite  Lehman. 

"Sally  Decker  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  In- 


1  Feter  A.  L.  Quick  says  that  Peter  Quick  settled  about 
one-half  mile  from  the  Delaware  in  1770,  and  that  his 
wife  was  Margaret  Westbrook. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


dians  on  the  place  uovv  occupied  by  Soferyne 
Vannoy,  where  the  old  orchard  was  located. 
She  came  over  with  her  brother  to  milk  a  cow, 
bearing  with  her  a  gun,  for  she  could  shoot. 
The  Indians  secured  her,  however,  and  en- 
camped near  by  for  the  night.  Her  Indian 
captor  was  very  unkind,  but  soon  sold  her  to  an 
old  Indian,  who  was  good  to  her.  He  one  day 
asked  her  if  she  would  like  to  return  home. 
She  said  she  would,  but  she  did  not  expect  to 
find  any  of  her  family  alive.  He  took  her  to 
Philadelphia  and  sold  her  to  a  person  who  pur- 
chased her  ransom.  He  dispatched  a  man  on 
horseback  to  her  father  to  inform  him  of  his 
daughter's  liberation.  He  sent  a  span  of  horses 
to  bring  her  back,  and,  on  her  arrival,  all  the 
neighbors  gathered  to  see  her.  They  call  the 
locality  Saunches  Clofee  or  Sally's  Hollow,  to 
this  day.  It  is  just  below  Quicktown."  Mrs. 
Quick  says  "  it  was  a  very  common  thing  to 
see  people  dressed  in  buckskin  clothes.  They 
used  wooden  trenchers,  and  later  pewter  plates." 
Gen.  Samuel  Seely  had  a  store  many  years 
ago  near  the  present  Klaer  mill.  Mrs.  Quick 
remarks,  "  I  have  heard  my  grandmother  tell 
about  buying  coarse  earthenware  dishes  there. 
His  store  and  the  one  Benjamin  Carpenter 
started  at  Carpenter's  Point  were  the  first  stores 
in  all  this  region  of  country,  as  I  have  heard 
from  my  grandmother.  I  never  saw  but 
one  light  wagon  in  my  life  when  I  was  young, 
and  that  was  owned  by  Dick  Westbrook.  He 
was  lame,  and;  being  wealthy,  he  had  .a  two- 
wheeled  light  wagon  and  a  negro  to  wait  on 
him.  About  sixty  years  ago  Courtright  Mid- 
dagh  bought  a  light  wagon  with  wooden  springs. 
His  lines  were  ropes." 

John  B.  Quick,  the  second  son  of  Peter 
Quick,  married  one  of  Jacobus  Rosecrans' 
daughters,  and  remained  on  the  homestead. 
He  was  a  farmer,  lumberman,  and  first  started 
the  "  Half-Way  House,"  and  lived  to  beeighty- 
five  years  of  age.  He  was  an  enterprising  man. 
In  1824  he  purchased  twelve  hundred  acres  of 
anthracite  coal  lands  at  Hyde  Park,  in  Luzerne 
County,  Pa.  He  and  others  got  a  charter  for 
a  railroad  from  Milford  to  the  Lackawanna 
Valley,  but  the  representative  from  Pike  wished 
the  road  to   go   lower  down,  and,  by  inserting 


words  to  that  effect  in  the  charter,  killed  the 
road.1  "  He  burned  the  first  anthracite  coal 
used  in  New  York,  at  the  Orange  County  Hotel, 
on  Cortlandt  Street."  He  took  Gilbert  L. 
Thompson  into  partnership  with  him  in  the 
coal  business,  afterward  sold  a  three-fourths  in- 
terest to  other  parties,  and  a  company  was 
formed  which  undertook  to  mine  coal,  but  they 
did  not,  however,  succeed.  The  company  agreed 
to  give  Quick  fifteen  thousand  dollars  for  the 
three-fourths  interest,  but  only  paid  him  six 
thousand  dollars.  Quick  held  possession  until 
1841,  when  an  ejectment  suit  was  brought 
against  Jacob  It.  Quick,  one  of  John  B.  Quick's 
sons.  Peter  A.  L.  Quick,  another  sou,  who 
also  had  an  interest,  was  not  notified,  and  the 
project  failed.  Peter  A.  L.  Quick  took  up  the 
matter,  which  had  been  pending  in  the  courts 
for  thirty  years.  On  carrying  it  to  the  Supreme 
Court,  Judge  Alfred  Hand,  attorney  for  the 
Susquehanna  and  Wyoming  Valley  Railroad 
( 'ompanv,  settled  with  him  for  forty  thousand 
dollars.  This  arrangement  left  Quick's  law- 
yers unpaid,  as  they  were  to  have  a  certain 
amount  providing  they  were  successful  with  the 
suit.  Quick  claimed  that  he  took  ten  thousand 
dollars  less  than  he  otherwise  should  have  done, 
with  the  understanding  that  Hand  should  pay 
them.  His  attorneys  brought  suit  aginst  him, 
and  after  three  years'  litigation,  Quick  com- 
promised the  matter.  John  B.  Quick's  sons 
are  Martin  C.  Quick,  James  R.  Quick  and  Peter 
A.  L.  Quick,  who  now  owns  the  Newman 
property  in  Delaware  township. 

Jacob  De  Witt  before  the  Revolution  owned 
the  land  along  the  Delaware  River  from  below 
Milford  to  the  Half- Way  House.  He  had  a 
log  fort  on  the  Simeon  Cuddeback  farm,  and 
remained  there  during  the  conflict,  until  taken 
prisoner  by  the  Indians  and  carried  to  Canada. 
He  was  kept  there  for  three  years.  Cornelius, 
his  son,  settled  near  the  Half-Way  House, 
where  he  cultivated  a  large  farm.  He  dressed 
in  buckskin  throughout,  and  was  dubbed 
"  Buckeyhout,"  which  means  "  buckskin  "  in 
Dutch.  The  De  Witts  were  friendly  with  the 
Indians  and  great  hunters.    His  son,  Lodowick 


Peter  A.  L.  Quick's  recollections. 


WAYNE.  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


De  Witt,  owned  about   one    thousand 
land.     Cornelius,  one  of  his  sons,  live; 


icres  of 
on  the 

hills  in  Westfall,  and  Jacob  P.  De  Witt  resides 
near  the  "  Half- Way  House." 

Jacobus  Van  Aken  and  Herman  Rosen 
Krantz,'  lather  of  Jacobus  Rosencrans,  settled 
before  the  Revolution  where  Rosetown  now  is, 
then  known  as  Upper  Smithfield.  Jacobus 
Van  Aken  owned  a  good  farm  on  the  Delaware 
flats.  His  sou,  Garret  Vau  Aken,  was  born 
there  in  1770.  He  was  a  militia  captain  and 
generally  called  Captain  Van  Aken.  John 
Van  Aken,  another  son,  moved  to  Ontario, 
N.  Y.  Of  Garret's  children,  Margaret  was 
the  wife  of  Levi  Middagh,  and  Sally  married 
John  W.  Middagh.  Benjamin  Cole  Van  Aken 
lived  on  part  of  the  homestead  and  Frederick 
A.  Rose  purchased  a  portion  of  it.  Benja- 
min C.  had  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
William  B.  Van  Aken  was  track  supervisor 
on  the  Erie  Railroad  for  twelve  years,  when  he 
removed  to  Wisconsin  and  died  there.  John 
M.  Van  Aken  lives  at  Matamoras.  He  has 
been  treasurer  of  Pike  County,  and  is  now  col- 
lector of  internal  revenue  for  Wayne,  Pike  and 
Monroe  Counties. 

Herman  Rosen  Kranz's  name  appears  on  a 
petition  for  a  township  in  what  afterwards 
became  Upper  Smithfield  in  1750.  His  son, 
Jacobus  Rosencrans,  was  probably  born  in 
what  is  now  Westfall  township,  and  lived 
neighbor  to  old  Jacobus  Van  Aken,  Esq.,  and 
his  son  Garret.  He  owned  a  large  farm  near 
the  Delaware,  now  the  property  of  the  Roses. 
His  farm  was  divided  among  his  five  daughters, 
reserving  a  piece  in  the  centre  for  himself. 
His  daughters  were  Betsey,  who  married 
Manual  Brink  and  lived  atChocopee;  Lena, 
married  Matyne  Cole,  who  resided  in  the  Clove, 
N.  J.  e (Judge  Martin  V.  Cole,  of  Montague, 
is  a  grandson) ;  Catharine,  married  to  1  >aniel 
Decker,  her  first  husband,  who  reared  a  family 
of  children.  Crissie  Bull,  her  second  husband, 
lived  on  part  of  the  Rosencrans  farm.  They  had 
two  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  first  sou 
was  named  James,  iu  honor  of  his  grandfather, 


Herman  Rosen    Krantz  is  the  old  form  of  spelling  the 


and  in  accordance  with  the  plan  of  all  the 
sisters  to  name  one  child  James.  As  a  result, 
they  were  each  presented  with  a  yoke  of  oxen. 
James  Bull  died  in  youth,  and  the  next  son, 
who  was  named  Rosencrans  Bull,  married 
Jennie  Westfall.  They  resided  on  a  farm  in 
Milford  township  until  recently,  when,  on 
leaving  it  in  charge  of  his  son,  he  moved  to 
Milford,  his  present  residence.  Hannah  Bull 
was  the  wife  of  Colonel  Heury  S.  Mott,  of 
Milford,  and  Maria  Bull,  another  daughter 
of  Crissie  Bull's,  married  Eli  Van  Inwegen, 
of  Port  Jervis.  Annchy  Rosencrans  was  the 
wife  of  Saunders  Ennis,  of  New  Jersey,  and 
Polly  was  the  wife  of  John  B.  Quick. 

Simon  Westfall  located  at  Carpenter's  Point 
in  1755,  and  was  among  the  first  settlers.  He 
built  a  stone  house  or  fort,  and  had  also  a  grist- 
mill on  the  Clove  Brook.  It  was  an  import- 
ant position  and  the  Indians  tried  many  times 
to  surprise  the  place.  This  family  were  first 
attacked  by  Brandt  iu  1779.  Simon  Westfall 
moved  his  household  back  farther  in  New 
Jersey  and  laid  up  on  the  hills  with  three 
loaded  guns  to  watch  his  buildings.  He  saw 
the  Indians  firing  his  barn.  Firing  his  guns 
at  them,  he  fled,  but  they  succeeded  in  burning 
all  his  buildings.  His  marriage  is  kept  in  the 
records  of  the  old  Dutch  Reformed  Church, 
among  those  whose  banns  had  been  published, 
as  follows  : 

"  1743,  March  13.  Simon  Westfael,2  young 
man,  born  in  Dutchess  County,  dwelling  in 
Smithfield  in  Bucks  County,  to  Jannetje  West- 
broeck,  young  woman,  born  at  Mormel,  dwell- 
ing at  Menissinck,  married  the  17th  day  of 
April,  by  Peter  Kuyckendal,  justice  of  the 
peace." 

This  shows  that  he  was  a  resident  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  1743,  but  he  appears  to  have  built 
across  the  river  at  Carpenter's  Point  in  1755. 
He  died  1805,  aged  eighty -seven.  He  had  five 
children,  of  whom  Simeon  was  the  only  one 
who  settled  in  Pike  County.  He  built  a  stone 
house  after  the  Revolution  on  the  Delaware 
River  at  a  point  called  Sims  Clip,  where  there 
was  formerly  a  reef  of  rocks  in   the   river  at 


1  Old  spelling  of  Westfall. 


TIKE  COUNTY. 


00) 


that  place,  about  opposite  the  Tri-States  Rock. 
He  was  a  farmer  and  also  kept  a  public-house. 
His  wife,  Sally  Cole,  was  a  daughter  of  Benja- 
min Cole,  of  Deckertown,  She  buried  her 
work-basket  in  the  corn-field  when  the  West- 
fall  family  left  their  homes  on  account  of  the 
Indians.  After  they  returned  she  dug  up  the 
basket,  which  contained,  among  other  things, 
a  pair  of  shears  that  were  in  great  demand 
in  the  neighborhood,  as  they  were  the  only 
pair  in  the  vicinity.  She  lived  to  be  ninety- 
five  years  old,  and  often  talked  with  her 
descendants  about  the  Indian  depredations. 
Their  children  were  Simon,  who  settled  in 
Deerpark  (now  Port  Jervis),  and  kept  a  tavern, 
and  David  Westfall,  who  owned  a  farm  of  about 
two  hundred  acres  where  Matamoras  now 
stands.  His  house  stood  on  a  knoll  in  "Old 
Matamoras,"  back  from  the  Delaware  about 
three  hundred  and  fifty  yards.  He  was  a 
farmer  and  lumberman.  He  married  Jemima, 
a  daughter  of  Captain  Cuddeback,  of  Deerpark. 
His  children  were  Abram,  Simeon,  Cornelius, 
Wilhelmus  and  Jacob,  sons,  and  the  daughters 
Esther,  who  moved  West,  and  Sally,  wife  of 
James  Bennet,  of  Carpeuter's  Point.  She  is 
now  eighty-four  years  of  age,  a  clear-headed, 
well-preserved  old  lady,  who  is  familiar  with 
the  Westfall  pedigree  from  old  Simou  West- 
fall  to  the  present  generation.  Simon  Westfall 
(2d)  was  a  farmer  and  blacksmith.  He 
lived  and  died  at  Matamoras,  August  22, 1878, 
aged  eighty-six.  His  wife  was  Sarah,  daughter 
of  Jacob  Cuddeback.  Their  children  were 
Abram,  Sarah  J.  (wife  of  James  W.  Quick), 
Peter  G.  (who  was  killed  in  Canada  while  serv- 
ing as  fireman).  Simeon  C.  Westfall  inherited 
the  property  where  the  village  of  Matamoras 
now  stands,  and  where  he  at  present  resides. 

Cornelius  Westfall  married  Huklah  Cudde- 
back, and  lived  on  the  Delaware  River  in 
Westfall  township.  He  was  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-three. 
His  children  were  Jemima  (wife  of  R.  C. 
Bull,  of  Milford),  Elizabeth  (wife  of  P.  G. 
Canfield,  who  lives  in  Sullivan  County),  Sarah 
(unmarried).  Jacob  C.  Westfall,  the  only  son, 
lived  on  the  homestead  and  took  his  father's 
place  as  justice  of  the  peace.     George  Westfall, 


a  son  of  old  Simeon,  Sr.,  lived  on  the  home- 
stead for  many  years,  and  later  sold  to  Jacob 
Cuddeback,  when  he  removed  to  the  West. 

Tri-States  R< k  k  and  Carpenter's  Pi  >int. 
— No  history  of  Pike  County  would  be  com- 
plete that  did  not  include  some  account  of  Tri- 
States  Rock  and  Carpenter's  Point.  Tri-States 
Rock  is  located  at  the  point  of  a  rocky  prom- 
ontory formed  by  the  junction  of  the  Never  - 
sink  with  the  Delaware  River.  At  this  point 
a  granite  rock  has  been  established  by  commis- 
sioners appointed  for  that  purpose,  where  the 
States  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania  and  New 
Jersey  converge.  A  little  south  of  the  Tri- 
States  Rock  is  ( 'arpcnter's  Point,  so  named  in 
honor  of  the  Carpenter  family.  The  oldest 
Carpenter  of  whom  any  definite  knowledge  can 
be  obtained  was  Benjamin,  who  lived  on  the 
New  Jersey  side  of  the  river  and  kept  a  store, 
as  also  the  ferry  which  bears  his  name.  The 
village  of  Carpenter's  Point,  half  a  mile  above 
the  mouth  of  the  Neversink,  now  linked  to 
Port  Jervis  by  a  suspension  bridge,  held,  until 
the  opening  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Ca- 
nal, in  1828,  the  position  at  present  occupied 
by  Port  Jervis,  as  the  most  important  place  in 
the  district,  and  was  the  centre  of  business  for 
the  surrounding  country.  Here  was  the  post- 
office,  the  store,  the  mill,  the  blacksmith  shop 
and  the  comfortable  inn,  where  the  traveler, 
after  his  tedious  journey  over  the  old  turnpike, 
found  good  entertainment  for  man  and  beast. 
We  have  been  thus  particular  to  describe  Car- 
penter's Point,  although  it  is  on  the  Jersey  side 
of  the  river,  because  this  ferry  was  the  crossing- 
place  of  the  old  pioneers  who  settled  in  Pike 
and  Wayne.  The  Connecticut  Yankees,  in 
particular,  came  to  Newburgh,  where  they  crossed 
the  Hudson  and  bore  west  until  they  reached 
the  old  "  Mine  Road,"  which  they  followed  to 
Carpenter's  Point.  Here  they  were  ferried 
over  by  the  Carpenters  or  Courtright  Middagh. 
and  his  sons,  who  had  the  ferry  for  many  years, 
to  the  Pennsylvania  side.  They  were  then 
driven  to  Milford.  John  Biddis  had  a  mill 
and  store  near  the  present  Klaer's  mill.  Here 
they   took    the    old  "  Wilderness   road,"1  then 


1  This  rond  was  first  cut  through  by  the  Con 
tiers  in  17H2. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


crossed  the  Sawkill,  passed  up  to  Frank  Olm- 
stead's  present  home  and  thence  through  Bloom- 
ing Grove  to  Major  Ainsley's,  on  the  "  Dolph 
Bingham  "  place,. where  it  crossed  the  Walleu- 
paupack  near  the  Marshall  Purdy  place.  Thus 
on  through  Purdy  settlement,  Little  Meadows, 
in  Salem,  and  Cobb's  Gap  to  the  Lackawanna 
and  Wyoming  Valleys.  Afterward  a  turnpike 
was  built,  as  also  a  turnpike  from  Milford  to 
Carbondale,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  Oswego,  in 
New  York.  Those  were  halcyon  days  for  the 
tally-ho  stage-coach  and  this  was  a  thorough- 
fare of  travel  en  route  for  what  was  then  the 
great  West.  Courtright  Middagh,  a  large, 
coarse-grained,  bony  man,  who  lived  on  the 
Pennsylvania  side,  was  kept  busy  ferrying  trav- 
elers over  the  Delaware  with  his  flat  ferry-boat 
that  would  carry  one  loaded  wagon  with  two 
teams  attached,  propelled  by  paddles  aud  shoved 
by  poles.  All  is  now  changed.  There  is  a  suspen- 
sion bridge  above  the  old  ferryiug-place  that 
connects  Port  Jervis  and  Matamorasandthe  New 
York,  Lake  Erie  and  Western  Railroad  carries 
the  passengers  with  mighty  steam-power,  in 
place  of  the  old  "  tally-ho  "  to  Western  lands 
never  dreamed  of  by  our  ancestors.  Port  Jer- 
vis, with  its  eleven  thousand  inhabitants  and 
constant  puffing  of  engines,  has  superseded  Car- 
penter's Point,  aud  Matamoras,  which  is  in 
Westfall  township,  just  opposite,  is  a  village  of 
some  seven  hundred  inhabitants.  In  1844 
Gabriel  Mapes  built  a  hotel  where  Matamoras 
now  is.  OliverS.  Dimmick,  son  of  Dau.  Dim- 
mick,  purchased  the  hotel  and  ferry  iu  conuec- 
nection  with  it  in  184G.  The  ferry  was  first 
started  by  Simeon  Westfall,  about  1830.  Mr. 
Dimmick  laid  out  the  town  about  the  time  of 
the  Mexican  War,  which  accounts  for  its  name. 
Besides  keeping  a  public-house,  he  carried  a 
stock  of  goods  and  was  the  first  postmaster  of 
the  place.  He  represeuted  his  district  twice  iu 
the  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania  and  was  asso- 
ciate judge  of  Pike  County  for  five  years.  He 
married  a  daughter  of  Major  Horubeck,  and 
had  five  children.  Of  these,  Jacob  Dimmick, 
a  lumber  dealer  in  Port  Jervis,  has  represented 
his  district  twice  in  the  Assembly  of  New  York, 
and  William  H.  Dimmick  is  an  attorney-at-law 
in  Houesdale. 


The  first  bridge  was  built  above  the  present 
location  about  1850,  and  after  its  destruction  by 
high  winds  the  present  suspension  bridge 
was  built.  After  Dimmick,  Adolph  Kessler 
had  a  small  store.  There  are  now  three  stores, 
three  hotels  aud  a  school-house  that  cost  about 
five  thousand  dollars  and  embraces  four  de- 
partments. It  is  too  near  Port  Jervis  to  be  a 
business  centre,  and  is  therefore  more  a  place 
of  residence  for  the  Port  Jervis  overflow. 

A  Philadelphia  company1  had  a  glass  factory 
on  the  Delaware,  above  Matamoras,  about  1800. 
This  was  before  the  days  of  anthracite  coal, 
their  object  in  settling  in  the  wilderness  being 
cheap  fuel.  It  was  less  expensive  to  transport 
material  for  glass  and  the  manufactured  article 
back  again  thau  to  buy  fuel  near  Philadelphia. 
They  blew  window  glass  principally  and  oper- 
ated the  factory  for  a  number  of  years,  but  the 
use  of  coal,  and  the  improved  meaus  of  travel 
consequent  thereon,  changed  the  conditions  un- 
der which  this  factory  was  operated,  and  it  was 
abandoned.  They  transported  their  glass  to 
Philadelphia  with  horse  teams.  There  was 
some  communication  with  Philadelphia  up  the 
Delaware  by  means  of  Durham  boats,  these 
boats  being  propelled  by  paddles  or  shoved  by 
poles.  Merchandise  has  been  brought  to  Car- 
penter's Point  and  vicinity  iu  this  way.  Ben- 
jamin Carpenter  had  a  son  Benjamin,  who  suc- 
ceeded to  his  father's  home,  and  another  son, 
John,  who  lived  on  the  Pennsylvania  side.  Not 
even  a  road  leads  to  the  old  ferry  now,  and 
nothing  but  a  lane  is  seen,  which  goes  past  some 
very  old  apple-trees  and  the  old  foundation  of 
a  house.  Just  above  the  old  ferry,  on  the  old 
Pahaquarry  road,  is  the  burying-ground  where 
the  early  Dutch  pioneers  who  dwelt  in  this 
vicinity  sleep,  with  rude,  unlettered  stones,  in 
most  cases  to  mark  the  spot.  Not  far  away  was 
the  old  log  church  where  Johannes  Casparius 
Fryenmoet  gave  his  people  strong  Calvinistic 
doctrine  in  pure,  unadulterated  Dutch,  as  he 
stood  perched  on  a  single  post,  with  a  sounding- 
board  over  his  head.  This  rude  beginning  has 
resulted  in  the  present  elegant  brick  Reformed 
Church  iu  Port  Jervis,  with  the  proud   inscrip- 


Mathew  Ridgwny  was  the  principal  man  in  it. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


m  )3 


tion  over  the  entrance,  "Founded  in  1737." 
The  people  on  the  Pennsylvania  side  attend 
church  in  Port  Jervis ;  consequently  there  are 
no  church  edifices  in  Matamoras.  It  is  known 
that  a  blacksmith  by  the  name  of  William  Tiet- 
sort,  or  Titsworth,  lived  among  the  friendly 
Indians  near  Carpenter's  Point  as  early  as  L690. 
Here  the  early  Dutch  pioneers  came  down  from 
Esopus  on  the  Hudson,  and  settled  on  the  flat- 
lands  near  the  Delaware.  Their  implements 
were  rude,  their  wagon  wheels  being  entirely  of 
wood.  The  felloes  were  clumsy  wooden  pieces, 
pinned  together,  without  any  tire.  Four  trips 
to  Esopus  and  back  was  considered  good  service 
for  one  of  these  wagons,  and  a  pail  of  water 
often  answered  for  a  mirror  to  the  traveler. 
These  early  settlers  appear  to  have  cultivated 
friendship  with  the  Indians,  and  had  no  par- 
ticular trouble  until  the  "  French  and  Indian 
War"  of  1755,  when  there  were  not  a  great 
many  inhabitants  in  the  valley. 

The  Lenapes  ravaged  the  country  lying 
along  the  line  of  the  Blue  Ridge  from  the  Dela- 
ware to  the  Susquehanna.  The  war-path  of  the 
Minsis  lay  along  the  frontier  of  New  Jersey 
and  Orange  and  Ulster  Counties,  N.  Y.  In 
1758  the  hatchet  was  buried  and  the  pipe  of 
peace  smoked  by  the  Delawares  and  the  pale 
faces  of  the  Minisink  country.  Thus  this  war, 
which  had  been  brought  on  by  the  rapacity  of 
the  English  proprietaries,  but  whose  terrors  had 
been  felt  by  the  peaceful  Dutch  settlers  as  well, 
was  brought  to  a  close  and  the  latter  were  again 
permitted  to  resume  the  pursuits  of  peace. 
During  the  Revolutionary  War  the  Dutch  set- 
tlers were  inclined  to  live  as  peaceably  as  possi- 
ble with  the  Indians.  Not  in  the  sense  of  be- 
ing Tories,  but  because  they  looked  upon  the 
Revolutionary  War  as  a  Yankee  and  English 
.struggle  in  which  they  had  no  interest.  Their 
friends  and  ancestors  in  some  instances,  perhaps, 
had  been  compelled  to  submit  to  English  au- 
thority in  New  Amsterdam,  and  these  Yankees 
were  but  descendants  of  the  English.  This 
was  a  perfectly  natural  view  for  the  Minisink 
settler,  and  that  many  of  them  kept  as  neutral 
as  possible  we  have  abundant  evidence  But 
the  Indians  looked  upon  this  as  an  opportunity 
to  expel  the  white  man,  and  the  Minisink  Val- 


ley became  one  continuous  frontier  line  from 
Port  Jervis  to  Delaware  Water  Gap.  The 
Pennsylvania  side,  in  particular,  was  exposed 
and  raided  by  the  Indians  until  there  were  but 
few  settlers  remaining  within  the  present  bouuds 
of  Pike  County.  This  valley  was  raided  in 
1778,  when  Count  Pulaski  was  sent  with  his 
cavalry  for  its  protection  and  was  engaged  in 
that  service  during  the  winter  following.  In 
the  spring  of  1779  hostilities  were  renewed,  and 
all  the  mills,  stores  and  houses  at  Carpenter's 
Point  and  vicinity  were  burned.  The  school- 
teacher, Jeremiah  Van  Auken,  was  killed,  but 
the  little  girls  were  saved  by  Brant,  who  had 
painted  a  sign  on  their  aprons  which  the  sav- 
ages respected.  July  19,  1779,  the  fatal  battle 
of  Minisink  was  fought  opposite  the  mouth  of 
the  Lackawaxen  River.  The  following  petition, 
which  has  been  preserved  in  the  correspondence 
of  Captain  James  Bonnel,  shows  the  condition 
of  the  Pennsylvania  frontier  in  1782  : 

"  Minisink,  10th  December,  1782. 
"  His  excellency,  Governor  Livingston,  and  the 
Honorable  Legislative  Council  and  General  As- 
sembly of  New  Jersey. 
"  Gentlemen,  we,  the  inhabitants  of  the  frontier 
of  the  County  of  Sussesx,  beg  leave  to  present  our 
petition  to  the  Honorable  Legislature  of  the  State. 
The  Inhabitants  who  formerly  lived  on  the  Pennsyl- 
vania  Side  of  the  river  opposite  to  us  have  Principal- 
ly left  their  Farms  and  moved  into  Jersey  and  other 
places  to  escape  savage  cruelty.  These  Inhabitants 
was  formerly  a  conside  rable  guard  to  us,  but  there  is 
nothing  to  stop  the  Enemy  but  the  river,  which  is 
Fordible  in  a  grate  Number  of  Places  a  considerable 
part  of  the  year,  Particularly  in  Harvest  and  other 
times  when  the  Enemy  can  do  us  the  Gratest  Damage. 
The  Situation  of  this  country  and  the  manner  the 
Savages  Carry  on  the  War  like  a  Thief  in  the  Night, 
renders  it  impracticable  to  depend  on  the  Malitia  for 
Security,  for  before  they  can  be  collected  the  Mis- 
chief is  done  and  the  Enemy  secure  in  the  Wilder- 
ness. Numbers  of  us  have  friends  and  near  relatives 
who  have  been  torn  from  their  familys  and  connec- 
tions and  are  groaning  under  cruel  Savage  Captivity. 
These  labour  under  the  sad  remembrance  of  having 
experienced  the  Truly  Shocking  Spectacle  of  Seeing 
there  Dearest  Connections  Brutally  Murdered  and 
Scalped  before  there  Eyes,  and  we  have  grate  reason 
to  fear  that  we  shall  share  the  same  fate  unless  some 
move  be  adopted  for  our  security.  We  therefore  most 
earnestly  pray  that  a  Law  may  be  passed  by  the  Hon- 
ourable Legislature  before  they  adjourn  for  raising  a 
company  of  about    Eighty    men,    Properly   officered 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  to  be  Stationed  here  for  our  Protection  the  En- 
suing Campaign." ' 

The  signatures  of  the  petitioners  tin  Dot  ap- 
pear in  the  record  that  Captain  Bonnel  has 
made  of  this  petition.  Such,  then,  was  the 
condition  of  the  pioneers  in  Westfall  (then  Up- 
per Smithfield)  and  all  the  townships  bordering 
on  the  Delaware  in  Pike  County,  or  Upper 
Smithfield  and  Delaware  townships.  Among 
the  later  settlers  of  Westfall  are  Benjamin  Van 
Inwegen,  who  located  on  the  river  road,  not  far 
from  Matamoras,  about  1830.  He  was  a  very 
conscientious  man,  and  descended  from  an  old 
family  just  across  the  Delaware.  Eli  Van 
Inwegen,  a  son  of  his,  is  the  vice-president  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Port  Jervis,  and 
his  son  is  cashier  of  the  same  bank.  Benjamin 
Van  Inwegen,  a  descendant  of  Benjamin  Van 
Inwegen,  the  first,  occupies  the  homestead,  and 
Andrew  and  Solomon  Van  Inwegen  live  in 
Matamoras. 

Baltus  Nearpass,  a  descendant  of  Jacob  Near- 
pass,' who  located  in  Montague,  about  two  miles 
below  Carpenter's  Point,  in  1750,  settled  at 
Saw-Mill  Rift,  which  lies  up  the  Delaware  in 
Westfall  township.  (The  Nearpasses  are  of 
German  origin.)  Jacob  Nearpass  went  back  to 
Germany,  expecting  to  get  a  large  amount  of 
gold  and  silver  ;  but,  instead,  he  returned  only 
with  two  guns,  one  of  which  was  used  by  his 
son  Baltus  in  the  battle  of  Minisiuk,  where  he 
was  killed.  Baltus'  sou  John  raised  a  large 
family  of  children,  most  of  whom  settled  in 
Westfall  township.  They  were  Baltus,  of  Saw- 
Mill  Rift ;  Michael ;  William  ;  Jacob  ;  Rachel, 
wife  of  Wm.  K.  Stone,  who  lived  at  the  glass 
factory ;  Polly,  wife  of  Benjamin  Westbrook, 
who  lived  near  Quicktown ;  and  Catharine, 
wife  of  James  Sawyer,  of  Saw-Mill  Rift.  Wm. 
H.  Nearpass,  one  of  Michael  Nearpass'  sons,  is 
editor  of  the  Port  Jervis  Gazette,  is  much  inter- 
ested in  the  history  of  the  Minisink,  and  has 
collected  valuable  information  which  is  accessi- 
ble to  the  writer.  His  labors  in  translating  and 
publishing  old  Dutch  church  records,  have 
shed  much  light  on  the  early  history  of  the 
Minisink. 


'The  above  is  a  literal  copy  of  the  petition. 


Among  others,  we  find  that  the  De  Witts 
were  in  Upper  Smithfield  in  1754,  as  evidenced 
by  marriage  records.  Saw-Mill  Rift  at  present 
contains  about  a  half-dozen  houses.  The 
Erie  Railway  crosses  from  New  York  to  the 
Pennsylvania  side  near  this  place.  The  flat 
between  the  Delaware  and  the  mountain  is  nar- 
row from  Matamoras  to  Pond  Eddy.  The  in- 
habitants are  chiefly  engaged  in  quarrying  along 
the  Delaware,  above  Saw-Mill  Rift. 

Frederick  A.  Rose  was  born  in  Hartford, 
Conn.,  in  1789,  and  was  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  the  New  England  States. 
At  the  age  of  four  years  he  came  with  his  par- 
ents tu  Montague,  N.  J.,  and  eleven  years  after 
the  family  settled  at  Pond  Eddy,  shortly  after 
removing  to  Masthope,  where  they  engaged 
extensively  in  the  lumber  business.  In  1813 
they  repaired  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mongaup 
River,  and  remained  until  1828,  when  Freder- 
ick A.  Rose,  who  was  then  married,  purchased 
the  old  Rosencrans'  farm,  in  Westfall  township, 
and  removed  to  the  same.  Here  he  remained 
until  1839,  when  he  again  went  to  Pond  Eddy, 
and  engaged  extensively  in  the  lumbering  and 
rafting  business.  In  this  he  was  very  success- 
ful. He  was  well  known  in  all  the  lumber 
regions  along  the  Delaware  River,  and  noted  as 
a  bold  lumber  speculator.  After  a  few  years 
he  returned  to  his  farm,  oue  of  the  finest  in  the 
valley,  where  he  remained  until  his  death,  in 
his  eighty-eighth  year.  His  children  were 
Benjamin  H.  Rose  (of  Rosetown),  Elijah  Rose, 
Mrs.  Isaac  Cuddeback  and  Mrs.  E.  P.  Gumaer. 
The  Rosetown  property,  which  consists  of  the 
greater  part  of  the  old  Rosencrance  farm  and 
a  portion  of  the  Van  Aken  farm,  is  held  by  the 
descendants  of  Frederick  A.  Rose. 

William  Brodhead,  a  son  of  Richard  Brod- 
head,  lived  in  Westfall  township,  just  out  from 
Milford,  a  number  of  years,  when  he  sold  the 
property  to  Simeon  Cuddeback,  who  died  re- 
cently, aged  nearly  eighty. 

Soferyne  Vannoy  lives  by  the  river,  on  a 
farm  formerly  occupied  by  Mr.  Van  Gordon. 

The  public  schools  of  Westfall  township  are 
those  of  "Saw-Mill  Rift,"  Stairway,"  Mata- 
moras Graded  School  and  Quicktown  School. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


905 


CHAPTER    VII. 


DIXUMAN    ToWXSIIII'. 


Dim  (MAN  township  was  taken  from  Upper 
Smithfield  April  17,  1832.  It  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Shohola  and  Milford  ;  on  the  east 

by  the  Delaware  River  and  New  Jersey  ;  on  the 
south  by  Delaware  and  Porter,  and  on  the  west 
by  Blooming  Grove.  The  Sawkill  Creek,  which 
Hows  into  the  Delaware  near  Milford,  forms 
part  of  the  boundary  between  Dingman  and 
Milford.  The  Raymoudskill  is  the  outlet  of  the 
Log  Tavern  Ponds  and  breaks  over  its  mountain 
heights  in  the  beautiful  Raymoudskill  Falis, 
which  consists  of  three  parts,  a  fall  of  about 
twenty-five  feet,  a  steep  rapids  of  about  one 
hundred  feet,  and  another  fall,  flowing  onward 
through  a  deep  gorge  to  the  Delaware.  The 
scenery  along  the  Raymondskill,  as  also  along 
the  Delaware,  is  grand.  There  is  a  river  road 
running  along  the  Delaware  from  Milford  to 
Bushkill.  The  Minisink  Valley  consists  of  the 
river  flats  on  both  sides  of  the  Delaware, 
from  Port  Jervis  to  the  Delaware  Water 
(Jap.  These  flats  are  from  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
to  a  mile  wide.  There  are  several  islands  in  the 
river  at  this  point.  On  the  Jersey  side  the 
hills  recede  in  gentle  slopes,  but  on  the  Penn- 
sylvania side  the  cliff  rises  abruptly  from  the 
flat  land,  forming  a  rock-capped  bluff  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet  high, 
from  Milford  to  Bushkill.  These  rocks  have 
crumbled,  leaving  a  steep  side-hill  of  thin  stone 
clippings  banked  against  their  base  to  within 
twenty  feet  of  the  top,  which  makes  excellent 
material  for  roads,  the  river  road  being  one 
of  the  best  in  the  State.  In  some  places  the 
river  hugs  the  base  of  the  bluffs  so  closely  that 
the  roadway  is  dug  out  from  the  hillside,  and 
in  others  there  is  fine  fertile  flatland  varying 
from  a  few  rods  to  a  half-mile  in  width. 

These  flatlands  were  eagerly  seized  ami  first 
occupied  by  the  Holland  immigrants. 

A  ride  from  Port  Jervis  to  Bushkill  is  ex- 
ceedingly pleasant,  with  the  abrupt  bluffs  of 
Pike  County,  whose  steep  slopes  are  covered 
with  scrub  oak  and  pine,  on  the  right,  and  the 
Delaware  River,  flat  land  and  receding  slopes 
of  Jersey  on  the  left. 
88 


The  purest  of  mountain  spring  waters  gush 
from  the  hillsides,  and  the  Sawkill,  Raymonds- 
kill,  Conashaugh,  Adams,  Dingmans,  Hornbeck, 
Mill,  Tom's  and  Bushkill  Creeks,  break  through 
the  bluffs  that  support  the  highlands  of  Pike 
County,  in  many  cascades  and  rapids  through 
deep  gorges,  forming  grand  mountain  scenery, 
into  the  Delaware  River. 

Laura  Brink,  aged  eighty-six,  says  that  Cor- 
nelius Cole,  or  Case  Cole,  as  they  then  called 
him,  built  a  house  under  the  mountains  in  Ding- 
man  township,  where  Poster  Howell  now  lives, 
as  early  as  1750.  He  owned  the  Delaware  flats 
from  the  Raymondskill  to  the  Sawkill,  his  wife 
being  a  daughter  of  Peter  Decker,  who  first  set- 
tled in  Deckerstown,  N.  J.  An  old  squaw 
camped  on  the  land  every  summer aud  fished  in 
the  streams.  She  claimed  the  land  and  told  Mr. 
Cole  he  must  pay  her  for  it.  He  replied  that 
he  had  already  paid  for  his  land.  Mrs.  Cole  ad- 
vised her  husband  to  settle  with  her  and  he 
finally  concluded  to  do  so.  She  demanded  two 
Dutch  rose  blankets,  five  gallons  of  whiskey  and 
one  sheep.  These  rose  blankets  were  woven  of 
a  long  nape-like  wool,  with  roses  interwoven. 
One  day,  after  he  had  procured  the  things,  she 
appeared  with  about  thirty  Indians  and  secured 
all  that  she  had  demanded,  being  very  particular 
not  to  have  the  sheep  killed  until  she  had  re- 
ceived the  blankets  and  whiskey.  The  sheep 
was  killed,  the  whiskey  distributed  and  a  noisy 
pow-wow  was  held  all  night,  Mr.  Cole,  expect- 
ing the  Indians  to  become  drunk  and  attack 
him,  said  to  his  wife,  "  Now,  Maria,  you  see  what 
trouble  we  have  got  into."  The  old  squaw, 
however,  left  with  her  friends  and  returned  to 
her  home  in  AYyoming  Valley  and  never  troub- 
led him  more.  They  made  a  rude  picture  of  a 
horse  in  Mr.  Cole's  cellar,  which  other  Indians 
seemed  to  understand,  and  during  all  the  Indian 
wars  that  followed,  his  property  remained  un- 
touched, although  the  battle  of  Conashaugh  was 
fought  within  half  a  mile  of  his  place.  Noth- 
ing was  disturbed  that  belonged  to  Case  Cole, 
because  the  Indians  said  he  had  paid  for  his 
land.  There  is  an  old  stone  fort  still  to  be  sei  o 
on  the  Jersey  shore  about  one-half  mile  below 
Cole's  old  house.  Cornelius  Cole's  son  Abram 
had  the  lower  part  of  his  father's  place,  or  what 


;mh; 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONltOK  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


is  now  the  Howell  and  Warner  farms.  His 
children  were  Hugh,  Buddand  James.  Aunchy 
had  the  upper  part  of  the  farm,  now  owned  by 
Moses  and  John  Dietrick.  She  was  the  first 
wife  of  Judge  John  Brink,  who  lived  on  part  of 
the  Cole  property,  and  William,  his  only  son  by 
her,  was  the  husband  of  Laura,  a  daughter  of 
Ira  Newman.  She  is  still  living  in  Dingman 
township  with  her  son,  James  Brink,  aged  eigh- 
ty-six years.  Judge  Brink  afterward  married 
Nancy  Drake,  and  Dow,  Howard,  Lydia,  Sarah 
and  Ann  Eliza  were  their  children.  William 
McCarty,  Sr.,  settled  in  Dingman  township  in 
1750  or  earlier.  He  had  two  sons, —  William 
McCarty,  Jr.,  who  married  Margaret  Buchanan, 
sister  of  George  and  Arthur  Buchanan,  and 
James  McCarty,  both  farmers.  Philip  McCarty 
was  a  brother  of  William  McCarty,  Sr.,  and 
lived  just  across  the  Raymoudskill,  adjoining 
<  !ase  Cole's  on  the  south.  Cornelius,  one  of  his 
sons,  was  a  merchant  at  Dingman's  Choice,  and 
one  of  his  sons,  Bernardi  McCarty,  lives  on  the 
old  Philip  McCarty  place. 

Joshua  Drake  had  a  log  tavern  near  the  cen- 
tre of  Dingman  township,  about  one  mile  from 
what  afterwards  became  known  as  the  Log  Tav- 
crn  Ponds.  lie  was  one  of  the  first  sett  lers  in 
that  part  of  the  township.  His  four  sons — 
Stephen,  Benjamin,  Ephraimand  John, — located 
in  the  neighborhood  of  their  father.  Redmond 
Drake,  a  son  of  Stephen  Drake,  now  an  old  man, 
is  still  living  in  the  vicinity.  Robert  Travis 
was  an  early  settler  near  the  centre  of  the  town- 
ship. His  son,  Jesse  Travis,  aged  eighty  years, 
is  still  living  in  Dingman's.  The  Aldriges  are 
another  old  family.  Richard  Huffman  is  a  farm- 
er near  the  Sawkill  Pond,  and  was  justice  of 
the  peace  for  a  number  of  years.  Tony  Healer, 
David  Case  and  the  Retallicks  lived  in  the 
vicinity  of  Union  School-house. 

George  Buchanan,  corrupted  to  Bowhanan, 
was  born  in  1763,  and  came  to  Milford  from 
Orange  County  when  he  was  about  twenty-five 
years  old.  His  first  wife  was  a  sister  of  Na- 
thaniel B.  Eldred,  and  his  second  wife  a  sister 
of  Frederick  Rose,  of  Rosetown.  He  kept  the 
first  hotel  in  Milford  and  had  the  brush  cut  out 
of  Broad  Street  and  opened  that  road.  He  was 
also   a    lumberman   and    tanner.     Pie  owned  a 


tannery  in  Milford,  on  the  Valentine  Kill,  in 
1838,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  after  being 
in  operation  seven  or  eight  years.  He  owned 
about  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Dingman 
township,  where  a  number  of  his  children  lived. 
He  died  when  eighty-two  years  of  age. 

Jesse  Olmstead,  a  lawyer,  from  Connecticut, 
came  to  Milford  in  1815  and  married  Mary, 
the  eldest  daughter  of  George  Bowhanan.  The 
<  )1  instead  family  moved  into  Dingman  town- 
ship, on  part  of  the  Bowhanan  property.  George 
Olmstead,  a  farmer,  was  for  many  years  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  Frank  Olmstead,  a  man  of 
considerable  ability,  has  been  sheriff  and  associ- 
ate judge  of  Pike  County.  Harriet  is  the  wife 
of  Rev.  George  Windsor.  Nancy  resides  with 
her  brother,  the  judge. 

Sally  Bowhanan,  another  daughter  of  George 
Bowhanan,  was  the  wife  of  William  Quinn,  a 
farmer  in  Dingman.  Theodore  Bowhanan  had 
a  tannery  in  Dingman  township.  Harry  Bow- 
hanan is  in  the  paper  business  in  New  York. 
John,  George,  James  and  Louisa  Bowhanan  live 
in  Milford.  Jane  married  William  Freel,  who 
was  one  of  the  first  merchants  in  Milford.  Em- 
ily is  the  wife  of  Ebenezer  Warner,  a  farmer  in 
Dingman. 

Arthur  Buchanan,1  a  brother  of  George  Bu- 
chanan, lived  at  Shohola  Farms  in  1797.  His 
only  son,  William,  died  in  Dingman  township. 
Olive,  one  of  Arthur's  daughters,  was  the  wife 
of  John  P.  Rockwell,  a  merchant  in  Milford, 
and  the  father  of  Charles  F.  Rockwell,  of 
Honesdale.  Mary  was  the  wife  of  Edwin  Power, 
a  merchant  in  Milford  and  Honesdale.  C.  E. 
Power,  merchant  in  Honesdale,  is  a  sou. 

A  number  of  Frenchmen  formerly  lived  in 
Dingman,  but  most  of  them  have  removed  from 
the  township.  Among  them  was  Ramie  Loreaux, 
who  built  a  large  brewvery,  stone  houses,  sheds, 
etc.,  on  part  of  the  old  McCarty  property.     He 


carried  on  an  extensive  business  and  ' 


i  a  prom- 


inent man  in  the  township  from  1832  until 
about  1872,  when  he  left.  Plis  daughter  was 
the  wife  of  Desire  Bornique,  who  had  a  watch- 
factory  in  Milford  and   was  an    active    business 


1  All  the  brothers  of  George  Bowhanan  wrote  their 
names  Buchanan,  which  is  the  correct  spelling  according  to 
the  family  records. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


man  until  he  died,  in  1884,  when  the  enterprise 
declined.  Joseph  Rigney,  another  Frenchman, 
has  a  large  summer  hotel  in  the  vicinity  of  Ray- 
mondskill  Falls  that  is  annually  patronized  by 
his  countrymen. 

Judge  OI instead  says  that  some  of  the  best 
lands  in  Dingman  township  for  agricultural 
purposes  are  in  the  western  part,  about  Rattle- 
snake Creek,  and  remain  as  yet  unoccupied. 
There  are  seven  schools  in  the  township, — the 
Franklin,  River,  Union,  Sawkill,  Rattlesnake, 
Dark  Swamp  and  German.  There  are  no 
churches;  the  Methodists  occasionally  hold 
services  at  the  Franklin  and  Union  School 
houses.  There  is  a  Sunday-school  at  the 
Franklin.  The  first  school-house  in  the  town- 
ship was  at  Brink's,  on  the  river  road.  The 
population  in  1880  was  five  hundred  and  eighty- 
six.  The  highest  point  on  the  Dingman  bluffs 
is  called  Utter's  Point,  and  is  often  visited  by 
summer  boarders  in  Milford,  a  good  view  of 
the  valley  being  obtained  on  a  clear  day  from 
Port  Jervis  nearly  to  the  Delaware  Water 
Gap.  The  battle  of  Conashaugh,  or  Ray- 
mondskill,  which  occurred  in  Dingman  town- 
ship, in  which  thirteen  of  the  settlers  were 
killed,  will  be  mentioned  in  the  general  his- 
tory. John  Greening  was  the  first  settler  on 
Rattlesnake  Creek,  in  the  western  part  of  Ding- 
man township.  His  sous  were  John,  Jerry  and 
Hubbard  Greening.  Jerry  Greening  remained 
there  and  has  a  farm  and  a  family  of  children. 
He  figures  conspicuously  in  Ed.  Mott's  "  Pike 
County  Folks,"  and  in  his  articles  for  the  New 
York  Sun.  During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion 
Jerry  Greening  and  one  or  two  of  his  boys 
were  drafted  ;  he  stayed  in  his  house  and  resisted 
twenty  United  States  cavalrymen  for  some 
time,  until  at  last  he  was  compelled  to  surrender. 
A  neighbor  gives  the  following  account  of  the 
affair  :  "  One  night  one  of  Jerry's  boys  came 
to  my  house  and  said,  What  shall  I  do?  the 
United  States  troops  are  after  me.'  I  had  lost 
a  boy  down  iu  Virginia  myself,  and  had  other 
sons  drafted,  one  of  them  in  three  different 
townships,  and  they  had  gone  West  ;  so  I  got 
Jerry's  boy  a  blanket  and  told  him  to  go  out 
in  the  barn  and  crawl  into  the  hay-mow.  Dur- 
ing the  night  I  heard  guns  go  off  in  the  direction 


of  Jerry's.     Next  morning  I  went  down.     The 

snow  about  the  house  was  trampled  and  covered 
with  blood  and  the  window-lights  were  shot 
out  of  Jerry's  house.  Mrs.  Greening  sat  by 
the  fire  with  her  head  down.  She  would  cry 
and  then  she  would  swear.  Her  husband  and 
Charles  Bates,  both  of  whom  were  drafted,  had 
a  shanty  where  they  slept,  but  had  come  home 
to  butcher  hogs,  and  there  the  cavalrymen  found 
them.  Jerry  was  well  armed,  and  when  the 
cavalrymen  came  up  he  fired  on  them,  and  a 
younger  son  of  his  helped  him  in  the  shooting, 
but  Bates  did  not  take  any  hand  in  the  filing. 
They  hit  one  of  the  cavalrymen  in  the  neck. 
A  ball  that  had  about  spent  its  force  hit  Jerry 
on  the  bone  of  the  hip,  flattened  out  and  fell 
down  into  his  boot.  The  soldiers  forced  their 
way  into  the  house  and  captured  Jerry.  Mrs. 
Greening  threw  a  straw  bed  over  Charles  Pates 
in  the  hall,  but  they  found  him  and  took  them 
both  down  to  Philadelphia."  Jerry  had  not 
been  in  the  barracks  in  Philadelphia  more  than 
two  hours  before  hr  got  into  a  fight  with  another 
man  about  who  should  use  the  fire  first  to  cook 
his  dinner  ;  but  fortunately  for  Jerry  he  had 
made  a  friend  in  the  backwoods  who  did  not 
forget  him  in  his  extremity.  Mr.  Cnthbert,  a 
gentleman  of  influence  in  Philadelphia,  stopped 
at  the  Sawkill  House  a  number  of  summers. 
En  his  hunting  and  fishing  excursions  he  often 
went  out  as  far  as  Rattlesnake  Creek,  where  he 
became  acquainted  with  Jerry,  who  was  a  guide 
to  him  in  that  region.  He  bailed  Jerry  out 
and  saved  him  from  receiving  any  further  pun- 
ishment for  his  belligerent  attitude  towards  the 
cavalrymen. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

DELAWARE    TOWNSHIP. 

Delaware  township  appears  in  the  list 
of  Northampton  County  townships"  continu- 
ously after  1766,  but  the  record  of  its  erectiou 
cannot  be  found.  Old  Delaware  township, 
which  extended  west  from  the  Delaware  River 
to  the  Luzerne  County  line,  was  bounded 
on  the  south  by  Sinithfield  (now  Middle  Smith- 
field)  and  extended   north   from   the   mouth  of 


908 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


theBnshkill,  up  the  Delaware  River  to  the  lower 
end  of  the  Minisink  Island.  The  present  town- 
ship of  Delaware  is  bounded  on  the  north  byDing- 
man  township,  on  the  east  by  the  Delaware  River 
and  New  Jersey,  on  the  south  by  Lehman 
township  and  on  the  west  by  Porter.  The 
first  settlements  on  the  Delaware  River  were 
made  on  the  New  Jersey  side;  but  in  or  about 
the  year  1735,  Andreas  Dingerman,  or  Andrew 
Dingman,  as  it  is  now  written,  crossed  the  Del- 
aware and  chose  a  place  in  the  wilderness  for 
his  home,  which  he  called  "Dingman's  Choice," 
a  name  which  it  still  retains  iu  local  usage,  al- 
though the  post-office  is  called  Dingman's  Ferry. 
When  Andrew  Dingman  first  crossed  the  river 
to  make  his  habitation  on  the  Pennsylvania 
side,  he  had  an  opportunity  to  make  a  choice, 
as  he  was  the  pioneer  settler  of  Delaware  town- 
ship. If  he  was  not  the  first,  he  was  among 
the  first,  and  is  the  first  of  whom  we  have  au- 
thentic account.  He  certainly  made  an  excel- 
lent choice  of  location  for  his  future  home, 
judging  from  present  developments,  for  here 
the  Delaware  River  flows  close  to  the  New  Jer- 
sey hills  and  leaves  a  wide  flat  of  rich  bottom 
land  on  the  Pennsylvania  side.  Here  Dingman 
Creek  bursts  through  the  mountain  bluffs  after 
dashing  over  the  rocks  at  the  factory  in  a  fall 
called  the  Factory  Falls,  and  lower  down  is  the 
"  Bettie  Brooks  "  or  "  Fulmer  Falls."'  Still 
farther  down  are  the  "  Deer  Leap  "  and  "  High 
Falls."  Near  the  foot  of  the  "  High  or  Ding- 
man Falls  "  a  small  rivulet  comes  seething  down 
in  rapids  and  waterfalls  a  distance  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  between  perpendicular  rocks 
standing  from  six  to  eight  feet  apart.  The 
surging  and  foaming  of  this  little  rivulet,  as  it 
dashes  aloug  between  the  rocks,  led  the  natives 
d>  call  it  "  The  Soap  Trough,"  but  recent  vis- 
itors have  named  it  "  The  Silver  Thread."  As 
Dingman  Creek  approaches  the  Delaware  River, 
the  deep  mountain  gorge  through  which  it  has 
been  flowing  grows  wider,  the  hills  separating 
like  the  letter  V,  making  the  flat  nearly  a  mile 
wide,  and  inclosing  it  in  a  peculiar  maimer. 
Here,  then,  with  a  broad  expanse  of  fertile 
river  bottom  land  under  his  feet,  with  a  creek 
that  would  supply  water-power  for  grist  and 
saw-mills    flowing   through   it,    surrounded    by 


mountain  bluffs,  "  rock-ribbed  and  ancient  as 
the  sun,"  which  environ  it  on  two  sides,  he 
feasted  his  eyes  upon  the  lavish  bounty  of  Na- 
ture, in  her  primeval  grandeur  and  magnificence, 
and  inhaled  the  pure,  health-giving  air  which 
floated  around  these  mountains,  "  yet  gorgeous 
in  their  primitive  beauty,  forest-crowned,"  and 
intersected  with  gushing  streams  of  limpid 
waters,  which  burst  through  the  rocks  from  the 
highlands  above  in  bold  and  beautiful  water- 
falls, where  for  ages  they  have  been  wearing 
deep  and  still  deeper  the  steep  gorges  and 
rocky  glens  in  her  riven  sides. 

Here,  amid  so  much  grandeur  and  beauty, 
Andrew  Dingman  made  his  choice  and  cut  the 
first  bush,  built  the  first  log  cabin  on  the  river- 
bank  and  put  the  first  ferry-boat  on  the  Dela- 
ware at  what  is  now  known  as  Dingman's 
Ferry.  Andrew  Dingman  was  born  at  Kin- 
derhook,  New  York,  in  the  year  1711,  and 
settled  at  Dingman's  Choice  in  the  year  1735, 
or  about  that  time.  His  first  log  cabin  was 
down  by  the  river- bank.  About  1750,  or 
some  time  previous  to  the  French  and  Indian 
War,  he  built  a  stone  house  not  far  from  where 
the  Dingman  "  Reformed  Church  "  now  stands, 
on  the  site  occupied  by  the  house  Fannie  Ding- 
man's farmer  occupies.  He  had  two  sons, 
Isaac  and  Andrew  Dingman,  Jr.,  who  was 
born  September  19,  1753,  in  the  old  stone 
house  which  was  destroyed  during  the  French 
and  Indian  War,  in  1755.  Dingman  immedi- 
ately rebuilt  another  house.  Mr.  Dingman 
was  endowed  with  a  dauntless  spirit  and  had 
now  a  farm,  with  orchards  and  barns.  He  was 
assisted  in  his  labors  by  his  two  sons  and  four 
slaves.  He  established  a  traffic  with  the  In- 
dians, who  often  visited  him,  and  from  his 
friendly  intercourse  and  dealing  with  the  na- 
tives he  derived  considerable  pecuniary  advan- 
tage. In  1744  he  obtained  a  warrant  for  the 
tract  which  now  comprises  a  part  of  the  M.  W. 
Dingman  estate,  and  in  1750  one  for  that  lot 
on  which  the  saw-mill  at  Dingman's  now 
stands.  He  subsequently  took  up,  as  it  is 
termed,  three  other  lots  of  land,  the  last  in 
1775. 

There  were  twenty-seven  log  and  stone 
houses  in  Delaware   as   it   was  then,   including 


PIKE  COUNTY 


Lehman  and  other  territory  west,  contempora- 
neously with  that  of  Andrew  Dingman,  Sr. 

Among  tlie.se  pioneers  were  Captain  Johannes 
Van  Etten,  who  had  a  fort  on  the  river  road 
about  four  miles  above  Dingman's  Choice. 
Benjamin  Decker  and  Daniel  Courtright  each 
had  cabins  or  houses  about  one  mile  north  of 
Dingman's.  There  was  a  stone  house  below 
the  ferry,  built  by  Colonel  John  Rosenkrans,  of 
New  Jersey,  which  was  unoccupied  some  two 
or  three  years  during  the  war  and  was  not 
burnt  or  destroyed  (probably  where  M.  V.  C. 
Shoemaker  now  lives).  There  was  also  a  fort 
about  three  miles  below  Dingman's  Choice,  at  a 
place  called  Deckertown,  where  Jacob  I  lorn- 
beck  afterwards  lived.  Below  Deckertown 
there  was  a  log  house  with  two  rooms,  owned 
and  occupied  l>y  Hendrickus  Decker,  who  had 
married  Hannah  Cariner,  sister  of  Andrew 
Dingman's  wife.  Jacobus  Van  Gordon  lived 
about  two  miles  farther  down,  in  what  is  now 
Lehman,  and  two  miles  farther  still  lived 
Eliphaz  Van  Auken. 

William  Allen,  of  Philadelphia,  sold  one 
hundred  and  ninety-three  acres  of  land  to  Peter 
Van  Aken  for  two  hundred  and  forty-six 
pounds  and  seven  shillings  and  one  pepper-corn 
a  year,  if  the  same  shall  be  demanded,  the  deed 
bearing  date  September  18,  1749,  for  land  in 
Bucks  County,  afterwards  Delaware,  now  Leh- 
man township.  Peter  Van  Aken  made  his 
will  in  Dutch,  commencing:  "I,  Peter  Van 
Aken,  of  Bucks  County,  in  the  province  of 
Pensilvauia,  being  advanced  to  a  great  age,  etc., 
etc."  He  first  makes  provision  for  his  wife 
Bussie  as  long  as  she  remains  his  widow.  Then 
his  oldest  son,  Eliphaz,  is  to  have  all  the  prop- 
erty if  he  lives,  which  shows  that  old  Peter 
Van  Aken  was  possessed  of  the  old  feudal  idea 
that  the  eldest  son  should  inherit  the  estate. 
If  Eliphaz  should  die,  then  the  other  five  sons 
were  to  share  equally  in  the  estate,  no  mention 
being  made  of  any  daughters.  It  so  happened 
that  Eliphaz  lived  and  occupied  the  property 
for  many  years.  This  will  was  probated  and 
translated  from  the  original  Dutch  in  Ulster 
County,  N.  Y.,  July  8,  1757,  which  was  several 
years  after  Northampton  County  was  erected. 
The  whole  transaction  shows  that  the   sturdy 


old  Dutch  pioneers  did  not  care  to  acknowledge 
the  authority  of  the  province  of  "  Pensilvauia," 
unless  compelled  to  do  so.  This  probate  com- 
mences as  follows :  "  SirChaiies  Hardy,  Knight, 
Captain,  General  and  Governor-in-Chief  in  and 
over  the  province  of  New  York  and  the  terri- 
tories depending  thereon  in  America,  and  Vice- 
Admiral  of  the  same,  etc." 

David  Van  Auken  occupied  the  next  house, 
about  one  mile  below  Peter  Van  Aken's,  and 
John  Emmons  had  a  log  cabin  about  one-half 
mile  farther  down.  The  next  house  below  was 
a  fort  occupied  by  Johannes  Brink,  called 
Brink's  Fort.  The  next  below  Brink's  was  a 
log  house  occupied  by  Thomas  Swartwood,  and 
the  next  a  stone  house  occupied  by  Benardus 
Swartwood.  Another  was  occupied  by  old 
William  Custard.  The  next  below  was  a  log 
house  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  occupied  by 
James  Mullen.  About  one-half  mile  farther 
on  was  a  stone  house  owned  and  occupied  by 
Captain  Emanuel  Hoover,  who  also  owned  a 
house  across  the  river,  on  the  Jersey  side,  at  a  place 
called  by  the  Indians  Walpack,  around  which 
house  was  a  stockade.  The  next  house  below 
was  at  liushkill,  owned  by  Manuel  Gunsalus  or 
Gonzales. 

Andrew  Dingman  built  a  flat-boat  for  ferry- 
ing purposes  with  a  hand-axe,  and  it  is  prob- 
able that  he  built  a  grist-mill  and  saw-mill  on 
Dingman's  Creek.  An  old  grist-mill,  with  one 
"  run  "  of  native  stones,  stood  near  the  present 
grist-mill.  Judge  Dingman  used  to  tell  his 
children  about  turning  the  bolt  by  hand  while 
the  miller  ground  the  grist.1 

The  early  settlers  appear  to  have  secured  the 
friendship  of  the  Indians  up  to  the  time  of  the 
French  and  Indian  War,  when  the  savages  com- 
mitted some  depredations  on  the  settlers  in  the 
Minisink,  burning  houses,  taking  prisoners 
and  otherwise  annoying  them.  During  the 
Revolutionary  struggle  they  conspired  with  the 
Tories  to  drive  the  hated  pale-faces  out  of  their 
hunting-grounds. 

One  of  Andrew  Dingman's  sons,  Isaac,  when 


Most  of  the  above  facts  ore  taken  from  Judge  Ding- 
n's  papers,  which  he  prepured  for  the  Historical  Society 
Pennsylvania. 


!U0 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


about  nineteen  years  of  age,  was  riding  a  horse 
up  the  road  to  the  barn  and  when  a  little  north 
of  the  old  Pingman  Hotel  (now  Fulmer's),  an  In- 
dian, who  was  secreted  in  the  orchard,  shot  him 
and  ran  away.  His  mother,  who  happened  (" 
be  standing  in  the  door  holding  the  future  judge, 
who  was  then  four  years  of  age,  by  the  hand,  ex- 
claimed, "  Law  me,  Isaac  is  shot!"  He  was 
mortally  wounded,  but  they  started  across  the 
river  with  him  in  a  flat-boat.  While  they  were 
going  over  he  asked  for  a  drink  of  water  and 
shortly  after  died  before  they  reached  the 
Jersey  shore,  where  there  was  a  fort  with  one 
cannon.  He  was  buried  on  the  Jersey  side,  near 
the  abutment  of  the  old  bridge. 

The  next  morning  the  Indians  attacked  the 
house  of  Hendrikus  Decker,  who  lived  a  little 
below  Deckertown,  as  before  mentioned.  The 
family  fled  for  their  lives  to  Fort  Decker,  which 
was  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  north,  at  Decker- 
town.  Six  of  the  family  reached  the  fort  in 
safety,  but  two  of  the  sons,  Henry  and  David, 
were  killed  and  one  of  them  was  scalped. 

Andrew  Dinginan,  Jr.,  "Foddy  Dingman," 
as  he  was  called,  was  born  in  the  old  stone 
house  September  19,  1753.  He  married  Jane 
Westbrook,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Westbrook, 
who  lived  across  the  river  in  New  Jersey,  and 
had  three  daughters,  each  of  whom  he  gave  a 
farm  on  the  flats  in  Walpack  township.  Andrew 
Dingman  took  the  upper  farm,  and  here  Daniel 
Westbrook  Dingman  was  born  April  14,  1775, 
on  the  Daniel  Smith  place,  in  a  house  that  stood 
opposite  Barney  Swartwood's.  Subsequently 
Andrew  Dingman,  Jr.,  sold  this  property  and 
bought  on  the  Pennsylvania  side  again,  near 
where  John  Whitaker  lives. 

Before  the  Revolutionary  War  the  nearest 
justice  of  the  peace  was  Benjamin  Van  Campen, 
who  lived  twenty-two  miles  from  Dingman's 
Choice.  The  county-seat  was  at  Newtown, 
near  Bristol,  and  there  Andrew  Dingman  at- 
tended court. 

In  1793  Daniel  W.  Dingman  was  commis- 
sioned as  lieutenant  of  a  company  of  militia 
by  Thomas  Mifflin,  Governor  of  Pennsylvania. 
( )n  the  '2d  of  August,  1 800,  he  was  commis- 
sioned lieutenant-colonel  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Third  Regiment  Pennsylvania   Militia  by 


Governor  McKean.  In  1801  he  received  a 
commission  as  high  sheriff  of  Wayne  County, 
by  the  same  Governor.  He  was  the  second 
sheriff  of  Wayne  County,  his  term  extending 
from  1801  to  1804.  The  court  was  held  at 
Wilsonville  from  1799  to  1802,  when  it  was 
removed  to  Milford  for  a  short  time  ;  conse- 
quently he  commenced  at  Wilsonville  and  closed 
his  term  at  Milford.  Atone  of  these  places  he 
lived  in  a  log  house,  the  jail  being  similar  to 
his  dwelling.  He  had  two  prisoners  in  this 
jail.  One  morning,  on  arising,  he  found  both 
his  prisoners  and  the  jail  were  gone.  During 
the  night  the  jail  was  torn  down  and  the  build* 
ing  reduced  to  saw-logs,  while  the  prisoners 
were  nowhere  to  be  found.  About  that  time  he 
was  visited  by  some  gentlemen  from  New 
Jersey  on  business,  and  "Black  Feen  "  over- 
heard some  very  uncomplimentary  remarks 
about  such  a  dwelling  for  a  sheriff  to  live  in, 
good  enough,  however,  for  a  county-seat  that 
was  liable  to  be  removed  any  day.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania 
from  1808  till  1813,  and  when  Pike  County 
was  set  off  from  Wayne  and  Northampton,  he 
was  commissioned  associate  judge  by  Governor 
Simon  Snyder,  October  10,  1814,  and  continued 
in  that  office  twenty-six  years,  when  his  term 
expired  by  limitation  under  the  new  Constitu- 
tion. John  Coolbaugh  sat  with  him  for  twenty- 
two  years  and  until  Monroe  was  erected.  They 
were  both  large,  stoutly-built  men,  and  weighed 
over  two  hundred  pounds  each,  while  Judge 
Scott,  the  presiding  judge  who  sat  between 
them,  was  a  tall,  spare,  intellectual  man 
of  great  legal  attainments.  His  associates  sel- 
dom interfered,  unless  in  relation  to  something 
of  a  political  nature.  Dingman  was  once 
Presidential  elector  and  cast  his  vote  for  James 
Monroe.  During  Jackson's  campaign  he  cuta  tall 
hickory  pole  and  floated  it  to  Easton,  on  a  raft, 
when  it  was  raised  on  Mount  Jefferson.  When 
taken  down  it  was  made  into  canes,  one  of  which 
was  presented  to  General  Jackson  and  another  to 
Judge  Dingman.  Solomon  Dingman,  his  grand- 
son, now  has  the  cane.  In  1846  he  was  corre- 
sponding secretary  of  the  Pennsylvania  Histor- 
ical Society.  Daniel  W.  Dingman  was  an  active 
business  man  and  a  successful    politician  of  the 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


911 


old  Jacksouian  Democratic  school.  He  built 
a  hotel  which  lias  since  been  enlarged  by 
Philip  Fulmer,  until  it  will  accommodate  one 

hundred  guests.  He  also  built  the  Dingman 
grist-mill,  and  being  given  his  choice  whether 
he  would  have  an  academy  or  a  county-seat 
located  at  Dingman's  Ferry,  chose  an  academy. 
In  all  public  matters  relating  to  Pike  County, 
he  was  a  leading  man.  While  in  the  Legisla- 
ture he  secured  an  act  making  Blooming  Grove 
the  county-seat,  but  thecommissioners  of  Wayne 
County  refused  to  levy  a  tax  for  public  build- 
ings and  the  county-scat  was  finally  fixed  at 
Bethany.  He  and  his  friends  then  had  the  county 
of  Pike  erected.  He  was  also  influential  in 
getting  State  appropriations  for  roads  over  the 
barrens  of  Pike  County.  Towards  the  close  of 
his  life  he  built  a  house  in  the  wilderness,  by 
Lake  Teedyuscung  or  Nichecronk,  where  he 
lived  a  retired  life  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
finally  came  back  to  his  old  home,  and  died  April 
12,  1862,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven 
years,  and  was  buried  in  the  Delaware  Ceme- 
tery at  Dingman's  Ferry.  Towards  the  close 
of  his  life  he  seemed  to  desire  posthumous  fame 
and  took  pride  in  the  fact  that  he  belonged  to 
the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society.  Pie  was 
thoroughly  identified  with  the  early  history  of 
Pike  County.  Dingman's  Ferry,  Dingman 
Creek  and  Falls  were  named  in  honor  of  the 
family,  and  Dingman  township  was  named  in 
honor  of  the  judge.  He  was  kind  to  Revolu- 
tionary heroes  and  Indian  fighters,  and  General 
Seeley,  Sam  Helm,  Mapes  and  Wagdon  found 
a  generous  stopping-place  with  him.  His  only 
sister,  Cornelia,  married  John  Van  Etten,  and 
lived  where  William  Courtright  now  lives  at 
Dingman's  Ferry.  She  was  eighty-six  years 
of  age  when  she  died.  Daniel  W.  Dingman  mar- 
ried Mary  Westbrook.  His  children  were  Cor- 
nelia, wife  of  Garret  Brodhead  ;  Jane,  wife  of 
Franklin  13  rod  head;  Margaret,  wife  of  Abram 
Coolbaugh.  Daniel  Dingman  lived  on  the 
river  road. 

Martin  Westbrook  Dingman,  who  was  born 
in  1798  or  1799,  and  married  Belinda,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Major  Hornbeek,  lived  for  some  years  on 
the  farm  afterwards  owned  by  Jacob  Hornbeck. 
From    thence   he  moved    to  Dingman's  Choice, 


bought  the  farm  and  hotel  of  his  father,  and 
carried  on  both  for  nearly  thirty  years.  In 
connection  with  this  he  also  did  considerable 
lumbering  and  business  in  the  grist-mill.  A 
man  of  scrupulous  honesty,  vigorous  health  and 
untiring  energy,  he  soon  became  comparatively 
wealthy.  About  1858  he  rented  the  hotel  to 
Daniel  Decker,  bought  the  residence  built  by 
W.  F.  Brodhead,  moved  into  it  and  carried  on 
farming  and  milling  until  his  death.  His  chil- 
dren are  Solomon  11.  Dingman,  who  married 
Elizabeth  Beenier,  and  lives  on  the  old  Adams 
farm ;  Margaret  Jane,  unmarried ;  Leah  E., 
wife  of  Albert  S.  Still ;  Mary  D.,  wife  of  Rev. 
Gilbert  S.  Garretson,  for  many  years  pastor  of 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Churches  at  Dingman's 
Ferry  and  Peters'  Valley,  and  now  settled  at 
Franklin  Furnace  (they  have  two  children, 
Henry  and  Fanny  B.  Garretson)  ;  Frances  C. 
Dingman,  lives  on  the  homestead  at  Dingman's 
Ferry ;  Andrew  Dingman  (3d),  who  is  still 
living,  aged  eighty-one,  married  Caroline  Sayre, 
who  recently  died,  being  nearly  eighty  years  of 
age — he  lived  by  the  river,  kept  Dingman's 
Ferry  for  many  years  and  hail  the  reputation  of 
being  a  good  ferryman,  being  succeeded  in  the 
same  business  by  his  son-in-law,  John  Kilsby. 
Dr.  Daniel  W.  Dingman,  of  Hawley,  is  one  of 
his  sons,  and  Alfred  Dingman,  of  Milford,  is 
another. 

John  Van  Etten  and  Margaret,  his  wife,  sold 
three  parcels  of  land,  containing  about  sixty- 
eight  acres  of  land,  lying  below  Namenock 
Island,  in  the  Delaware  River,  to  Johannes  Van 
Etten,  August  22, 1767.  This  John  Van  Etten, 
Daniei  Brodhead  and  John  Atkins  were  judges 
of  the  Orphans'  Court  in  Northampton  County 
in  the  year  1754.  Captain  Johannes  Van  Etten, 
who  lived  in  Delaware  township,  above  Ding- 
man's Ferry,  was  a  prominent  character  during 
the  Indian  wars. 

The  Van  Etten  family  were  among  the  early 
settlers  of  the  township,  coming  here  about 
1750.  They  were  far  earlier  in  New  York  and 
New  Jersey.  Some  time  prior  to  1660  the  pro- 
genitor of  the  Van  Ettens,  Van  Nettens,  Van 
Attas,  Van  Nattens  (the  name  appearing  in 
early  records  variously  spelled)  came  to  this 
country  from   Etten,  in   the   province  of  North 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Brabant,  Holland,  and  settled  at  Kingston,  Ul- 
ster ( 'minty,  N.  Y.  In  the  earliest  records  of 
the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  at  Kingston  is  re- 
corded the  marriage  of  Jacob  Jansen  Young- 
man  von  Etten,  in  Brabant,  to  Anna  Adriance, 
from  Amsterdam,  in  the  year  1665.  He  resided 
in  the  town  of  Hurley  until  his  death,  about 
1690,  and  left  surviving  him  his  widow,  five 
sons — lohn,  horn  1  665  ;  Peter;  Alien,  born  1670  ; 
Manuel,  born  1681  ;  Jacobus  or  James,  born 
1685 — and  four  daughters. 

In  1718  the  property  of  Jacob  Jansen  Van 
Etten  was  divided  among  his  children  by  con- 
veyance from  his  wife  to  each  of  their  children, 
and  from  about  that  time  the  sons,  with  their 
families,  began  to  seek  new  homes  in  the  then 
sparsely-settled  country  along  the  Hudson,  and 
a  little  later  the  Delaware  Valley. 

Peter  and  James,  with  their  families,  crossed 
the  Hudson  and  settled  in  Dutchess  County 
about  1720. \),  John,  the  oldest  son,  married 
Jane  Roosa,  daughter  of  Arien  Roosa,  about 
1692.  He  resided  until  his  death  in  the  towns 
of  Hurley  and  Rochester,  Ulster  ( 'ouuty,  N.  Y., 
and  had  a  large  family  of  children,  mostly 
girls.  vOne  of  his  sons,  Jacob,  born  1696,  is 
the  immediate  ancestor  of  the  numerous  family 
that  settled  in  the  Delaware  Valley.  April  22, 
171!),  .Jacob  married  Anna  Westbrook,  who  was 
born  in  Kingston,  and  they  lived  at  Knights- 
field  (the  name  being  written  "  Nytsfield  "  in 
the  Mahackkeinack  church  record),  in  the  town 
of  Rochester,  Ulster  County,  until  1730,  when 
Jacob,  with  his  family  and  some  of  the  sisters 
who  had  married,  following  in  the  footsteps  of 
many  who  migrated  over  the  old  Mine  road  to 
the  fertile  valleys  of  the  Neversink  and  Dela- 
ware, came  to  the  Delaware  Valley  and  settled 
ai  Namanoch,  along  the  river  on  the  New  Jer- 
sey side. 

He  was  prominent  in  the  early  history  of  the 
Minisink  Church,  which  was  organized  in  1737, 
and  his  name,  together  with  those  of  his  sons, 
appear  among  the  officers  and  those  aiding  in 
the  work.  His  oldest  daughter,  Helena  or 
Magdalena,  born  1721,  was  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
John  Casp.  Fryenmoet,  the  first  regular  pastor 
of  the  Minisink,  Walpaek  and  Mahakkeniack 
Churches,   their  marriage  being  among  the  ear- 


liest recorded  in  the  records  of  these  churches  in 
1742. 

John,  the  oldest  son  of  Jacob,  was  born  in 
1720,  others  of  the  family  being  Cornells, 
born  in  1723;  Anthony,  born  in  1726  ;  Jane, 
born  in  1728;  Johannes,  born  in  1730  ;  Sarah, 
born  in  1736  ;  Richard,  born  in  1739. 

In  the  year  1745  William  Allen,  merchant 
of  Philadelphia,  couveyed  a  tract  of  land  in 
Delaware  township,  opposite  Namanoch  Island, 
in  the  Delaware  River,  to  Jacob  Van  Etten,  of 
the  county  of  Morris,  in  the  eastern  province  of 
New  Jersey.  Through  four  generations  the 
title  and  possession  has  remained  in  members  of 
the  family  ;  three  great-granddaughters  of  Ja- 
cob now  hold  it,  and  reside  within  a  stone's 
throw  of  the  house  of  the  first  one  of  the  name 
who  settled  in  the  county JpThis  was  Johannes 
Van  Etten,  a  son  of  Jacob,  who  was  born  at 
Namanoch,  in  New  Jersey,  about  1730.  Upon 
his  marriage,  which  is  recorded  in  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church  at  Nopeuoeh,  Ulster  County, 
N.  Y.,  in  1750,  he  probably  located  in  Penn- 
sylvania. He  was  the  progenitor  of  a  large 
family.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
having  been  Maria  Consoles,  of  Ulster  County, 
N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  eleven  children.  After 
her  death  he  married  Rachel  Williams,  widow 
of  Daniel  Decker,  by  whom  he  had  four  chil- 
dren,—three  sons  and  one  daughter.  That  these 
sons,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  their  father, 
obeyed  the  Scriptural  command,  "  to  multiply 
and  replenish,"  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that 
each  had  eight  children  ;  many  of  them  still 
reside  in  the  county  and  along  the  Delaware 
Valley. 

John  settled  very  soon  after  Johannes,  near 
Easton,  probably  about  1760.  In  1767,  in  a 
deed  to  Johannes,  he  is  located  in  Fork  town- 
ship, Northampton  County.  He  married  Mar- 
garet Westfall  in  173S.  Their  children  were 
Helena,  born  in  1738;  Jacob,  born  in  1740; 
Daniel,  born  in  1742;  Catharine,  born  in  1741; 
Maria,  born  in  1746;  Simeon,  born  in  1748 
(".');  Margaret,  born  in  174S  ;  Samuel,  born  in 
1750;  Margreeta,  born   in  1752. 

Johannes'  children,  by  his  first  wife,  were 
Magdalena,  born  in  1751;  Manuel,  born  in 
1 754  ;    Kvmeriek,    born    in    1 756  ;    Johannes, 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


913 


Jr.,  born  in  1759  ;  James,  born  in  1763  (some 
say  Anthony) ;  Elizabeth,  born  in  1762 ;  Cath- 
arine, born  in  1771 ;  Simeon,  born  in  1776. 

Two  of  these  sons  were  wounded  in  a  fight 
with  the  Indians,  near  Philip  McCarty's,  and 
his  son-in-law,  Ennis,  killed. 

On  June  14,  1780,  John  Chambers  asked,  in 
a  letter  to  President  Reed,  for  arms  and  ammu- 
nition for  a  volunteer  company,  to  be  placed 
in  the  care  and  charge  of  Captain  Johannes 
Van  Etten.  And  on  July  4,  1780,  Lieutenant 
Samuel  Rea  wrote  to  President  Reed  that  he 
had  filled  up  a  commission  of  Captain  Johannes 
Van  Etten,1  and  that  the  Indians  had  taken  a 
Mr.  Dewitt,  near  Captain  Van  Etten's,  on  the 
Delaware. 

In  Penna.  Archives,  vol.  ii.  p.  720,  in  a  letter 
from  Captain  John  Van  Etten  to  Governor 
Morris,  dated  at  Fort  Hyudshaw,  July  24, 1756, 
mention  is  made  of  Johannes  Van  Etten  having 
a  conversation  with  some  Indians,  during  which 
a  disagreement  arose,  and  the  Indians  carried 
away,  as  they  thought,  a  load  of  swan-shot, 
while  one  of  his  companions  received  nine 
charges  and  lost  his  scalp.2 

The  fight  between  Captain  Johannes  Van 
Etten's  company  and  the  Indians,  in  which  the 
captain,  with  three  of  his  sons  and  son-in-law, 
Benjamin  Ennis,  were  engaged,  was  near  Mc- 
Carter's,  just  below  the  Raymondskill,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Delaware.  The  actual  engage- 
ment is  reported  by  the  old  inhabitants  to  have 
been  fought  near  or  on  lauds  now  owned  by  Ira 
Case,  in  Dingmau  township,  and  John  H.  Van 
Etten,  Esq.,  has  heard  his  father  say  that,  when 
a  boy,  in  company  with  his  father  (Cornelius, 
sou  of  Johannes),  he  visited  the  battle-field,  and 
they  found,  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks,  human 
bones,  a  skull,  etc. 

The  children  of  Johannes  by  his  second  wife 
were  Daniel,  born  1780  ;  Cornelius,  born  De- 
cember 8,  1782  ;  Solomon,  born  February  12, 
1789  ;  and  Dorothy,  who  married  John  Latti- 
more. 

The  sons  of  Daniel  were  Samuel,   John,   Oli- 


1  See  Chapter  VII.  of  General  History. 
'See  Penn.  Archives,  vol.  viii.   pp.  202  and  386.     See 
also  chapter  on  Revolutionary  Period. 
89 


ver  and  Cornelius ;  and  daughters,  Rachel, 
Jane,  Phebe  and  Cornelia. 

The  sons  of  Cornelius  were  Amos,  Solomon 
(father  of  Attorney  John  H.  Van  Etten,  of 
Milford,  and  of  Mathias  M.  and  Cornelius  S.) 
and  Robert  K.  ;  and  daughters,  Cathariue,  Ra- 
chel, Margaret,  Mary  and  Amanda. 

The  sons  of  Solomon  were  Emanuel,  Solo- 
mon, Daniel,  John  I.  ;  and  the  daughters, 
Julia  Ann,  Dorothy,  Huldah,  Hannah  and 
Eliza  Jane. 

The  first  saw-mill  was  built  at  Dingman's 
about  1800,  and  the  grist-mill,  where  Molli- 
neux  lives,  was  erected  about  1827  ;  the  grist- 
mill at  Dingman's  was  built  a  few  years  later. 
Andrew  Dingman  states  that  his  father  built 
the  tavern  where  Fulmer  now  is,  about  1810; 
that  a  man  by  the  uame  of  Winans  car- 
ried the  mail  on  horseback  from  Easton  to 
Milford,  about  that  time,  and  that  one  Jack- 
son was  the  first  postmaster  he  remembers. 
Jacob  Hull  was  the  first  merehaut,  as  early  as 
1810,  aud  Franklin  Brodhead  followed.  Jo- 
seph Ennis  was  a  ferryman  in  1805. 

The  first  school-house  was  a  log  school-house, 
near  Shoemaker's,  and  Mason  Dimmick  taught 
the  first  school  remembered.  Three  bridges 
have  been,  at  various  times,  erected  at  Ding- 
man's Ferry,  but  the  wind,  ice  aud  floods  have 
destroyed  them  and  made  it  necessary  to  resume 
the  ferry-boat.  Judge  Dingman  chose  an 
academy,  rather  than  the  county-seat,  though 
this  was  not  the  origin  of  Dingman's  Choice, 
as  has  been  shown.  When  the  matter  of  loca- 
tion aud  site  had  been  concluded  upon,  Judge 
Dingman  gave  one  and  one-half  acres,  by  deed 
bearing  date  July  15,  1813,  to  John  Nyce, 
John  Westbrook,  John  Lattimore,  Matthew 
Ridgway  and  Daniel  Jayne,  trustees  of  the 
Delaware  Academy.  The  deed  states  "  that 
for  good  causes  and  considerations,  and  the  sum 
of  five  shillings  to  him  in  hand  paid,  hath 
given  all  that  messuage,  etc.,  beginning  at  a 
cedar  standing  near  the  main  road."  This 
cedar,  which  has  remained  an  enduring  monu- 
ment for  more  than  seventy  years,  still  stands 
erect,  the  winds  wailing  a  recpiiem  over  the 
pioneers  of  the  Minisink,  who  sleep  the  si- 
lent sleep  of  death  in  the   Delaware  Cemetery, 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


near  by.  The  instrument  was  signed  in  the 
presence  of  Daniel  Dimmick  and  Samuel  An- 
derson. One  of  the  corners  of  the  plot  is  the 
State  road,  which  once  passed  below  the  site  of 
the  Reformed  Church.  When  the  State  with- 
drew its  aid  from  academies  this  property  was 
turned  over  to  the  school  directors,  and  is  now 
used  for  public  school  purposes. 

The  Dutch  Reformed  Church  was  organized 
in  four  places  in  the  Minisink  as  early  as 
1737.  Although  the  first  churches  were  on  the 
Jersey  side  of  the  river,  the  congregation  was 
drawn  from  both  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jer- 
sey. We  find  the  name  of  Andries  Dingen- 
man  as  a  member  of  the  consistory  in  1 748, 
in  the  following  action  : 

"October  22,  1748. — We,  the  undersigned,  lawfully 
and  ecclesiastically  Assembled,  have  resolved  to  sell 
the  present  residence  of  the  Dominie,  with  its  appur- 
tenances, to  the  Dominie,   provided    we  can   agree 
with  the  Elders  and  Deacons,  who  are   now  absent, 
at  the  approaching  meeting  in  November  next. 
"  To  establish  the  above,  we  sign  our  names, — 
"  Cornelis  Van  Aken. 
"  William  Ennis,  1748. 
"  Lambart  Brinck. 
"Andries  Dingenman. 
"Jan  Van  Etten. 
"  Benjamin  Depuy. 
"Dirck  Van  Vi.iet." 

"  November  5,  1748. — In  an  ecclesiastical  and  law- 
ful assembly  the  followiug  resolution  was  passed  : 

"  That  Dominie  Fryenmoet  shall  keep  the  deed  of 
his  house  and  lot,  and  shall  lend  it  to  nobody,  nor  let 
any  one  read  it  or  hear  it  read,  except  to  some  church 
officer,  at  his  own  discretion. 

"  For  the  establishment  of  the  above  we  append 
our  signatures, — 

"J.  C.  Fryenmoet,  President. 
"  Lambart  Bkynck. 
"  Andries  Dingenman. 
"cornelis  westbroek. 
"  Ja.  Swartwoudt." 

Rev.  George  Wilhelmus  Mancius,  pastor  of 
the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of  Kingston,  first 
preached  the  gospel  here  and  organized  churches 
both  aloug  the  Neversink  and  Delaware.  There 
were  four  churches  organized,  probably  about 
the  same  time,  viz.:  Machackemech  (now  the 
Reformed  Church  at  Port  Jervis) ;  Menissinck, 
at  Montague,  N.  J.;  Walpack,  with  which 
Dingman   and   Bush  kill   were  connected  ;  and 


Smithfield,  in  Monroe  County.  The  consistory 
minutes  of  these  churches  commence  August 
23,  1737.  Mancius  came  regularly  twice  a  1 
year,  in  May  and  November.  June  1,  1841,  J 
at  the  age  of  twenty,  Rev.  Johannes  Casparus 
Fryenmoet  was  chosen  as  the  first  regular  pas- 
tor of  these  four  churches.  He  was  found 
among  the  people  here,  a  lad  of  but  sixteen,  of 
much  promise,  a  native  of  Switzerland,  who 
had  received  a  partial  education  for  the  minis- 
try before  coming  to  this  country.  In  the 
scarcity  of  ministers  they  desired  him  to  become 
their  spiritual  teacher,  though  only  a  boy  and 
his  education  imperfect,  while  the  regulations 
of  the  churches  are  very  strict  in  requiring  an 
educated  ministry.  As  there  were  no  schools  of 
theology  in  this  country,  the  churches  raised  v 
money  sufficient  and  sent  young  Fryenmoet  to 
Holland  to  complete  his  studies  and  receive  or- 
dination from  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam,  upon 
which  the  Reformed  Churches  in  this  country 
were  then  all  dependent.  Four  years  later  he 
returned  and  begau  his  work  among  them.  He 
labored  for  fifteen  years  in  the  churches,  during 
which  time  a  large  number  were  added  to  their 
membership.  He  received  seventy  pounds  in 
equal  proportion  from  these  four  churches  and 
one  hundred  schepels  of  oats  for  his  horse  (a 
schepel  is  three  peeks).  They  all  paid  in  New 
York  money,  except  the  Smithfield  Church, 
which  tendered  him  "  Proclamation  Money." 
The  next  year  two  of  the  churches  agreed  to 
pay  forty  pounds  if  he  married  and  thirty-five 
pounds  if  he  continued  unmarried.  He  was 
married  to  Lena  Van  Etten,  by  Justice  Abram 
Van  Campen,  July  23,  1742.  Rev.  Thomas 
Romeyn  was  their  next  pastor,  from  1760  till 
1772.  After  this  they  were  for  thirteen  years 
without  a  pastor.  Rev.  Elias  Van  Benschoten, 
or  Van  Bunschooten,  as  he  usually  wrote  it,  had 
charge  from  May  11,  1785,  till  about  1800. 
He  preached  in  Dutch  and  English.  Mr.  Van 
Benschoten's  labors  were  greatly  blessed.  He 
was  a  man  of  some  eccentricities,  many  excel- 
lencies and  was  held  in  high  esteem.  He  was 
remarkable  for  his  frugality  and  strict  honesty. 
He  gave  seventeen  thousand  dollars,  which 
has  since  increased  to  twenty  thousand  dollars, 
to  Rutgers  College,  and  over  one  hundred  and 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


915 


twenty-five  Dutch  Reformed  ministers  have 
been  educated  by  this  fund.  It  should  have 
been  mentioned  that  in  1753  Smithfield  Church 
withdrew  and  Mr.  Van  Bensclioten  was  the  last 
minister  who  supplied  the  pulpit  of  the  three 
remaining  churches. 

Rev.  James  G.  Force,  who  came  in  1808, 
was  the  fourth  minister  at  Walpack  and  vi- 
cinity. In  1827  a  division  arose  and  the  Lower 
Church  of  Walpack,  as  a  result,  was  organized. 
Rev.  Isaac  S.  Demund  was  the  fifth  pastor  of 
these  churches,  in  1827,  the  only  church  being 
at  FJatbrookville.  The  other  places  of  worship 
were  school-houses  at  Peters'  Valley,  Pleasant 
Valley,  the  academy  at  Dingman's  Ferry, 
Horn  beck's  barn  near  his  tavern,  at  Mr. 
Schoonover's  house  at  Bushkill  and  at  Peters' 
Tavern.  Rev.  David  dishing,  the  next  minis- 
ter, was  settled  in  1831.  During  his  brief  stay 
a  deep  religious  interest  manifested  itself  in  the 
congregation  and  one  hundred  and  four  were 
added  to  the  church.  Prominent  among  those 
engaged  in  the  good  work  were  John  Nyce, 
Esq.,  Jacob  Westbrook and  Daniel  Schoonover. 
They  were  greatly  assisted  by  the  faithful  and 
devoted  Rev.  C.  C.  Elting,  of  Port  Jervis,  who 
spent  days  and  weeks  laboring  among  them. 
One  man  eighty  years  of  age  and  one  tavern- 
keeper  were  converted.  Rev.  Garret  C.  Schenck 
succeeded  Mr.  Gushing,  a  devoted  young  man, 
who  left  in  1835.  Immediately  after  the  rela- 
tions of  the  church  were  changed  from  the 
Classis  of  New  Brunswick  to  the  Classis  of 
Orange.  Rev.  James  B.  Hyndshaw  was  in- 
stalled pastor  January  17,  1836.  In  1841 
Rev.  Robert  Pitts  became  stated  supply  and 
remained  as  such  until  1860.  October  17, 
1855,  Upper  and  Lower  Walpack  were  divided. 
Upper  Walpack  has  the  two  congregations  at 
Dingman's  Ferry  and  Peters'  Valley  respec- 
tively, and  Lower  Walpack  has  the  two  congre- 
gations at  Bushkill  and  Walpack.  Rev.  Alex- 
ander McWilliam  was  the  first  minister  of 
Lower  Walpack,  in  1861.  In  1870  he  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  John  F.  Shaw,  and  Rev. 
Henry  Rex  is  the  present  pastor.  Rev.  Nathan 
W.  Jones  was  the  first  minister  of  Upper  Wal- 
pack under  the  new  arrangement  in  1861.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Gilbert  S.  Garretson. 


Church  Farm.— On  May  24,  1752,  James 
Alexander,  by  direction  of  the  Council  of  Pro- 
prietors of  the  Eastern  Division  of  New  Jer- 
sey, conveyed  to  Abraham  Van  Campeu  and 
Garret  Brink,  for  the  use  of  the  Reformed 
Church  of  Walpack  and  Pahaquarry,  professing 
the  doctrines  of  Calvin,  two  hundred  and  ten 
acres  in  Sandyston,  the  consideration  being 
"six  pence  and  a  pint  of  spring  water  yearly  " 
from  the  large  spring  on  the  premises,  "  if  de- 
manded." The  income  from  this  farm  was  to 
be  devoted  to  the  support  of  the  preaching  of 
the  Gospel  in  the  church.  The  farm  has  been 
sold  for  twelve  thousand  five  hundred  and  six 
dollars  and  the  proceeds  invested  for  the  benefit 
of  the  church.  The  first  movement  towards 
erecting  a  church  edifice  at  Dingman's  Ferry 
which  we  find  on  record  was  on  May  1,  1837, 
but  this  project  seems  to  have  slept  fir  over 
twelve  years,  when  it  was  revived,  and  Rev.  R. 
Pitts  and  John  I.  Westbrook  were  appointed  to 
raise  money  for  this  purpose.  The  effort  was 
successful,  and  the  church  was  erected  in  1850, 
at  a  cost  of  one  thousand  three  bundled  dollars. 
The  building  committee  consisted  of  John  I. 
Westbrook,  Albert  S.  Stoll  and  John  Van  Gor- 
den,  W.  F.  Brodhead  being  contractor. 

The  Methodist  Church  at  Dingman's 
Fekry. — Rev.  John  Retallick,  a  Methodist 
local  preacher,  aged  eighty-four,  says,  when  he 
first  came,  in  1830,  Rev.  Bromwell  Andrews 
and  another  man  preached  in  Sandyston,  N.  J., 
Milford  and  Dingman's  Ferry.  The  first 
Methodists  at  Dingman's  were  Andrew  Adams, 
who  lived  on  the  place  that  Solomon  Dingman 
now  owns,  and  his  wife  and  two  daughters. 
His  house  was  a  home  for  preachers.  The 
strongest  class  was  at  Milford.  Benjamin 
Drake,  John  Drake,  William  Watson,  Judge 
John  Brink,  Jonathan  Doolittle  and  wife  and 
Mrs.  Suter  were  promiuent.  About  1830  John 
Westbrook  and  wife  joined  the  Dingman  class. 
Daniel  Buckley  and  wife,  William  Hooker  and 
George  Reese  have  been  prominent  members 
since.  Joseph  Buckley  is  now  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday-school. 

There  are  seventy  members,  and  the  Sunday- 
school  numbers  about  forty  attendants.  The 
church  edifice  was  erected  in  1870.     Rev.  John 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUiNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Retallick  came  to  Dingman's  Ferry  from  Eng- 
land in  1830,  and  has  preached  for  fifty  years, 
during  which  time  he  has  performed  the 
marriage  office  for  fifty  couples  and  attended 
one  hundred  and  eighty  or  more  funerals.  Mr. 
Retallick,  who  lives  with  his  son  John,  on  the 
homestead  farm,  in  summer,  and  with  his  son- 
in-law,  S.  L.  Sarles,  at  Dingman's  Ferry,  in 
winter,  is  an  intelligent,  well-preserved  old 
gentleman.  Thomas  and  John  Gustin  were 
among  the  old  residents  at  Dingman's.  Joseph 
Brooks,  an  Englishman,  bought  three  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  acres  of  land  of  the  Gustins, 
on  the  Dingman  Creek,  in  1 820,  and  built  a  woolen 
factory  of  stone  in  1822.  It  is  forty  by  sixty- 
five  feet,  and  three  and  one-half  stories  high. 
He  employed  a  number  of  hands  and  operated 
the  factory  until  he  died,  in  1835.  The  children 
being  young,  the  works  were  closed.  Bettie 
Brooks,  his  M'idow,  who  is  still  living,  aged 
ninety-eight,  retains  her  faculties  to  a  remarka- 
ble degree.  She  says  her  father,  whose  name 
was  Holding,  helped  put  up  the  first  machinery 
for  manufacturing  purposes  in  Yorkshire  and 
Lancashire,  England.  She  could  ride  the 
swiftest  horse  when  a  girl,  and  received  many 
compliments  for  her  graceful  appearance  on 
horseback. 

There  is  a  water-fall  at  the  factory  called  the 
Factory  Falls.  The  Brooks,  or  Fulmer  Falls 
are  near  by  and  the  Deer  Leap  Falls  are  just 
below,  so-called  from  the  fact  that  a  deer  leaped 
from  the  rocks  above  the  falls  when  pursued  by 
a  hound  and  broke  his  neck.  The  next  falls 
below  are  the  Dingman,  or  High  Falls.  These 
falls  were  very  beautiful  when  the  writer  saw 
them,  in  winter,  covered  with  a  white  robe  of 
snow  and  ice,  while  the  rocks  were  lined  with 
a  frosty  incrustation  and  the  trees  and  bushes 
were  drooping  with  frost-petals,  hanging  pend- 
ant from  every  branch  and  glowing  resplendent 
in  the  morning  sun.  Just  below  the  Dingman 
Falls  a  little  stream  flows  over  the  gorge  be- 
tween perpendicular  rocks  about  six  or  eight 
feet  apart,  in  a  series  of  cascades  and  rapids,  a 
distance  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet, 
and  enters  the  Dingman  Creek.  It  rolls  and 
tumbles  between  these  rocks  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  gain  the  name  of  the  "  Soap  Trough,"  but 


since  summer  visitors  have  visited  the  spot  it 
has  been  called  the  "  Silver  Thread."  It  is  a 
very  unique  and  beautiful  fall.  John  Fulmer 
built  a  sole-1  eather  tannery  on  Dingman  Creek 
in  1851,  and  operated  it  till  1866,  when  it  was 
sold  to  William  Bell,  who  soon  closed  the  busi- 
ness. Th  ey  tanned  about  twenty  thousand  sides 
per  year  while  in  operation.  The  Fulmerville 
post-office  was  established  in  1853.  John  Ful- 
mer is  still  living,  aged  ninety-five.  Dr.  Philip 
F.  Fulmer,  his  son,  graduated  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania  in  1852.  He  was  super- 
intendent of  the  schools  of  Pike  County  from 
1852  to  1863,  and  is  the  first  resident  physician 
at  Dingman's  Ferry.  He  also  purchased  the 
old  Dingman  Hotel  and  enlarged  it  until  it  has 
a  capacity  for  two  hundred  guests.  Randall 
Van  Gordon  has  the  Delaware  House,  and  a 
Frenchman  has  the  Bellevue.  These  hotels  al- 
together will  accommodate  one  hundred  and 
fifty  guests.  The  natural  beauty  of  some  parts 
of  Pike  County  is  making  it  a  favorite  water- 
ing-place. The  Hornbeck  Creek  has  a  dozen 
falls  in  succession,  which,  like  steps,  have  led 
to  their  being  termed  the  "  Indian  Ladder." 
There  are  also  beautiful  falls  on  the  Adams' 
Creek,  but  they  are  dangerous  to  visit.  In  fact, 
every  stream  that  rises  in  the  highlands  of  Pike 
County  has  a  fall  of  about  two  hundred  feet 
before  it  reaches  the  level  of  the  Delaware ;  con- 
sequently there  are  falls  on  all  the  streams  that 
enter  the  Delaware.  Cornelius  McCarty  built 
the  house  and  store  now  owned  by  Judge  Ev- 
art  Hornbeck,  in  1849.  Thomas  Courtright, 
who  was  postmaster  for  many  years  at  Ding- 
man's Ferry,  is  descended  from  an  old  New 
Jersey  family.  Dr.  Fulmer  has  the  post-office 
now,  and  William  Brooks,  son  of  Joseph  Brooks, 
is  his  deputy. 

According  to  Dingman's  papers,  John  Rosen- 
crance,of  New  Jersey,  had  a  stone  fort  just  below 
the  ferry.  This  property  was  subsequently 
owned  by  Solomon  Westbrook,  grandson  of 
Antony  Westbrook  and  son  of  Jacob  Westbrook. 
Moses  V.  C.  Shoemaker  lives  on  the  property 
now,  and  recently  tore  down  the  old  stone  house. 

Colonel  John  "Westbrook,  as  he  was  gen- 
erally addressed  was  born  in  Sussex  County, 
N.  J.,  January  9,  1 789,  and  departed    this    life 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


917 


October  8,  1852,  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his 
age,  near  Dingman's  Ferry,  having  removed  to 
Pike  County,  Penna.,  with  his  father  when 
three  years  of  age,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death. 

When  nineteen  years  of  age,  February  14, 
1808,  he  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Judge 
Richard   Brodhead,   ami  sister  of  United  States 


nah,  widow  of  William  T.  Wilson,  being  in 
her  seventy  eighth  year;  Jacob  B.,  died  in 
1852  of  pneumonia  in  the  thirty-sixth  year  of 
his  age  ;  Richard  B.,  resides  in  Philadelphia, 
and  Jane  B.,  wife  of  Dr.  Vincent  Emerson, 
resides  in  Milford. 

The  business  of  Colonel  Westbrook  was  farm- 
ing though  at  times  he  engaged  in  mercantile  pur- 


Senator,  Richard  Brodhead,  all  of  Pike  County, 
she  then  being  sixteen  years  of  age,  having 
been  born  February  12,  1792.  She  survived 
her  husband  twenty-seven  years,  departing  Jan- 
uary 21,  1879,  aged  eighty-seven  years,  having 
been  the  wife  of  Rev.  John  Lee,  of  Newark, 
N.  J.,  for  a  few  years,  whom  she  also  survived. 
Four  of  Colonel  Westbrook's  descendants 
reached  adult  age,  and  three  still  survive  ;  Han- 


suits  and  in  lumbering.  In  his  twenty-sixth 
year  (1817),  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  his  county. 
Before  he  reached  twenty-one,  he  held  office  in 
the  State  militia  which  at  that  time  was  in  a 
flourishing  condition,  inspired  by  the  war  of 
1812.  At  one  time  he  was  Colonel  of  the 
regiment,  in  which  his  brother  Jacob  was 
major,  and  his  brother  Solomon  a  captain.  The 
annual  "  General  Training-day"  and  the  occa- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


sioual  parades  and  drills  are  well  remembered 
by  many  still  living.  In  these  "Mdd-days," 
he  was  always  a  conspicuous  figure,  and  was 
distinguished  for  his  commanding  manners,  his 
perfect  knowledge  of  military  tactics,  and  his 
dashing  horsemanship — the  latter  being  an  ac- 
complishment for  which  many  members  of  the 
family  have  been  noted  for  several  generations. 

In  1833  he  was  a  member  of  the  Pennsylva- 
nia Legislature,  and  while  at  Harrisburg  made 
the  acquaintance  of  James  Buchanan  and  other 
men  who  have  become  noted  in  history.  Thad- 
deus  Stevens  was  a  member  of  Assembly  at  the 
same  time.  It  was  then  that  the  great  "  Anti- 
Masonic  "  controversy  took  place  which  was 
followed  by  the  well  remembered  "  Buck-shot 
War,"  at  Harrisburg.  Colonel  Westbrook  was 
a  mason  of  "  high-degree,"  and  a  Jeffersonian 
Democrat  all  his  life.  He  was  proud  of  his 
personal  acquaintance  with  Major-General 
Andrew  Jackson,  and  often  made  eloquent 
speeches  at  the  "  Jackson  Feasts,"  that  were 
held  January  8th,  in  memory  of  the  battle  of 
New  Orleans.  He  was  accustomed  to  tell 
amusing  stories  of  his  conversations  with  Pres- 
ident Martin  Van  Buren,  in  Low-Butch,  to  the 
great  discomfiture  of  surrounding  politicians. 

In  1840  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  where 
he  served  with  faithfulness  and  acceptance. 
While  in  Congress  his  health  broke  down,  and 
though  he  lived  for  ten  years  afterward,  he  was 
never  quite  himself  again.  He  was  the  first  per- 
son ever  elected  to  Congress  from  Pike  County, 
and  declined  a  second  term  because  of  failing- 
health.  James  Buchanan  was  United  States 
Senator  when  Colonel  Westbrook  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  twenty-seventh  Congress,  and  a 
strong  political  friendship  grew  up  between  them, 
to  which  Mr.  Buchanan  referred  when  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  in  a  letter  to  a  mem- 
ber of  the  family,  carefully  preserved  as  a  relic. 
Two  incidents  only  connected  with  Colonel 
Westbrook's  Congressional  career  can  here  be 
noticed. 

Northampton  County  was  then  in  the  same 
district  with  Pike.  The  postmaster  of  Easton 
died.  While  the  politicians  were  getting  their 
petitions  ready  to  fill  the  vacancy,  Colonel 
Westbrook  had  influence  enough    with    Presi-  ! 


dent  Tyler,  to  secure  on  his  own  personal  rec- 
ommendation the  appointment  to  the  vacant 
office  of  the  widow  of  the  deceased  postmaster, 
whose  daughters  continued  the  management  of 
the  office  under  their  mother  as  they  had  done 
under  their  father.  The  disappointed  politi- 
cians grumbled,  but  the  people  were  pleased 
and  were  as  well  served  as  before.  It  is  very 
common  now  to  appoint  women  postmistresses, 
but  forty  years  ago,  it  required  some  courage 
and  political  independence  to  favor  such  an 
appointment  in  a  place  like  Easton.  The 
writer  to  whom  this  case  was  related  by  Presi- 
dent Tyler  himself,  is  not  informed  how  many, 
if  any,  women  were  appointed  to  post-offices, 
before  the  widow  Horn  of  Easton,  Penna. 

The  Morse  telegraph  was  publicly  inaugu- 
rated while  Colonel  Westbrook  was  in  Con- 
gress, and  the  first  appropriation  to  further  this 
enterprise,  was  advocated  by  him,  though  a 
plain  farmer  from  Pike  County,  while  Cave 
Johnson,  a  learned  lawyer  and  judge  from 
Tennesee,  and  afterward  a  member  of  President 
Polk's  Cabinet,  ridiculed  the  telegraph  bymov- 
ing  an  amendment  that  one-half  of  the  pro- 
posed appropriation  should  be  given  to  a  show- 
man, then  giving  experiments  in  Mesmerism  at 
Washington.  General  Samuel  Houston,  after- 
wards United  States  Senator,  proposed  from 
his  seat  in  Congress,  that  a  portion  of  the  ap- 
propriation should  be  given  to  the  MMUsrites, 
who  at  that  time  (1843)  were  predicting  the 
near  end  of  the  world.  Twenty-two  members 
voted  for  the  amendment  !  The  Pike  county 
farmer  was  not  one  of  them. 

What  would  the  congressional  sceptics  of 
1843,  now  say  of  the  triumph  of  telegraphy  ? 

Colonel  Westbrook  had  very  small  oppor- 
tunities for  school  learning,  yet  he  kept  fully  up 
with  the  progress  of  his  times.  He  never  saw 
a  grammar  until  his  children  carried  one  home 
from  school,  and  yet  he  had  a  wonderful 
knowledge  of  the  English  language,  though  his 
vernacular  was  Holland  Dutch.  This  was  the 
language  used  in  common  in  his  father's  family. 
An  oration  delivered  by  him  July  4,  181  0, 
when  in  his  twenty-seventh  year,  is  now  before 
the  writer.  It  is  truly  an  able  production, 
full  i  if  historic  illustrations,  and  philosophical  re- 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


919 


flections,  with  frequent  bursts  of  true  patriotism 
and  impassioned  eloquence.  There  is  not  a 
single  grammatical  error  in  the  composition. 
It  shows  a  wonderful  command  of  language. 
Even  the  punctuation  is  strictly  accurate,  and 
all  quotations  are  marked  as  such,  and  there  is 
not  an  i  without  its  dot,  nor  a  t  without  its 
cross.  It  is  a  MS.,  of  which  his  children  are 
proud.  His  perceptions  were  quick  and  clear, 
his  judgment  excellent,  and  his  intuition  truly 
remarkable.  He  was  a  natural  lawyer,  though 
never  engaged  in  litigation.  He  probably 
wrote  more  legal  documents  than  the  average 
lawyer  in  the  county.  People  came  from  many 
miles  and  even  from  New  Jersey  to  have  him 
write  their  wills,  deeds,  etc.,  and  county  justices 
of  the  peace,  wrestling  with  legal  questions, 
were  accustomed  to  consult  him  instead  of  the 
regular  lawyers.  For  these  services  he  made 
no  charge.  He  was  not  a  money  maker  nor  a 
money  hoarder.  Benevolence  was  his  distin- 
guishing characteristic,  next  to  his  uncom- 
promising honesty.  No  man  ever  suspected, 
much  less  charged  him  with  a  dishonest  act.  He 
often  gave  and  loaned  money  which  he  could 
ill  spare.  His  disposition  to  oblige  was  exces- 
sive. It  was  hard  for  him  to  say  no.  He  con- 
fided in  everybody,  endorsed  the  paper  of  too 
many  of  his  friends,  and  was  cheated  and 
deceived  by  men  from  whom  better  things 
might  have  been  expected.  He  died  a  poor 
man,  but  left  his  children  a  rich  legacy,  in  his 
high  sense  of  honor  and  undoubted  integrity. 
He  was  baptized  by  the  celebrated  Dominie 
Van  Benschoteu,  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church,  but  he  joined  the  Methodists,  while  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  in  1833,  of  which 
church  he  was  a  member  until  the  close  of 
life. 

THE    WESTBROOK    GENEALOGY. 

The  subject  of  the  above  sketch  was  the 
second  sou  of  Solomon  Westbrook,  who  was 
born  October  6,  1762,  and  died  March  30, 
1824.  He  married  Margaret  DeWitt,  Septem- 
ber 24,  1782.  They  had  five  children  ;  Jacob, 
John,  Solomon,  Margaret  and  Sofferiue.  The 
family  residence,  a  large  stone  house,  was  loca- 
ted on  the  stage  road  two  miles  below  Ding- 
man's  Ferrry,  Delaware    township,  Pike  coun- 


ty, Peuna.  He  located  there  in  1792  upon  a 
tract  of  land,  of  about  seven  hundred  acres 
situate  upon  the  western  bank  of  the  Delaware 
River. 

The  father  of  Solomon  Westbrook  was  Ja- 
cob Westbrook.  He  occupied  a  large  tract  of 
land  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Delaware,  about 
eight  miles  below  Port  Jervis,  in  what  is  now 
Montague  township,  N.  J.  His  substantial 
stone  house  was  often  used  as  a  fort,  in  troub- 
lous times  as  was  the  stone  house  of  his  son, 
Johannes,  which  was  located  three  miles  further 
down  the  Delaware  River.  Jacob  Westbrook 
married  Lydia  Westfall,  March  24,  1746,  and 
they  had  six  children,  named  Blandina,  Johan- 
nes, Soflerine,  Solomon,  Maria  and  Jane.  It 
seems  strange  that  so  beautiful  a  name  as  Blan- 
dina has  not  been  perpetuated  in  the  family,  and 
also  the  names  Magdalena  and  Helletie,  found 
in  early  Westbrook  records. 

The  father  of  Jacob,  was  Anthony  West- 
brook. He  resided  in  Minisink,  and  seems  to 
have  been  a  leading  man  in  this  pioneer  settle- 
ment on  the  Delaware.  In  1737,  he  was  a 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  an  elder  in  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church.  The  maiden  name  of 
his  wife  was  Antie  Van  Etten.  Nothing 
is  known  of  their  children,  except  Jacob 
and  Johannes  above  mentioned.  Anthony 
Westbrook  came  from  Guilford,  Ulster 
county,  X.  Y.,  and  settled  in  Minisink,  and 
became  a  large  laud  owner.  He  was  preceded 
by  his  brother  Johannes  who  became  an  influ- 
ential man  in  the  settlement.  Here  we  lose 
the  line  of  direct  descent,  but  there  is  abundant 
evidence  that  the  Westbrook  family  on  both 
sides  of  the  Delaware  were  descendants  of  the 
family  of  the  same  name  in  Ulster  county,  New 
York.  Several  members  of  that  family  early 
joined  the  train  of  emigration  through  the 
Mamakating  valley,  to  the  rich  flat  lauds  of 
the  Minisink  region.  Some  of  them  served 
with  distinction  in  the  Indian  wars  and  in  that 
of  the  Revolution. 

The  name  Westbrook  has  long  been  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  representative  pioneer 
names  of  this  country.  It  is  of  pure  Anglo- 
Saxon  origin,  and  the  representatives  of  the 
family     though    early    associated     with     the 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Dutch,  have  continued  to  manifest  the  Saxon 
characteristics.  As  early  as  1630  those  bearing 
the  name  were  at  Albany,  having  come  over 
with  the  Dutch  from  Holland  where  they  had 
fled  for  the  sake  of  religious  freedom,  to 
settle  on  the  manor-lands  of  the  patroon  Van 
Rensselaer.  John  Westbrook  was  at  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.,  October  9,  1665,  and  Job  and 
John  were  there  in  1689-90.  In  1721  Colonel 
Thomas  Westbrook  said  to  have  come  from 
Stroudwater,  Gloucestershire,  England,  was  a 
large  land  owner  and  ship  builder  in  the  State 
of  Maine,  and  the  town  of  Westbrook  in  that 
State,  is  named  after  him.  In  that  year  he  com- 
manded the  expedition  against  Norridgewock, 
which  broke  up  the  settlement  of  the  famous 
Jesuit  priest,  Father  Ralle,  and  captured  his 
papers.  In  1723  he  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Dunmore  chief  in  command  of  the  east- 
ern frontier. 

Many  existing  records  show  that  the  distin- 
guishing characteristic  of  the  Westbrook  family 
has  ever  been  love  of  liberty  and  resistance  to 
tyranny. 

Brodhead  Westbrook,  as  he  was  always 
called  in  youth,  is  a  son  of  the  Hon.  John 
Westbrook,  whose  biography,  with  a  genealogi- 
cal sketch  of  the  family,  may  be  found  in 
this  volume.  He  was  born  February  8,  1820, 
near  Dingman's  Ferry,  in  Pike  county,  where 
he  lived  with  his  parents  until  his  twentieth 
year.  His  early  educational  advantages  were 
limited  to  the  common  district  schools  and  the 
old  Delaware  Academy.  He  became  practically 
familiar  with  farming  and  horsemanship  in  his 
boyhood,  and  cannot  remember  the  time  when 
he  was  not  expected  to  make  himself  useful 
about  the  wood-pile,  the  barn  and  the  farm. 
He  taught  a  common  district  school  and 
"  boarded  around  "  before  he  was  seventeen,  and 
soon  after  taught  in  the  Delaware  and  Milford 
Academies.  About  this  time  he  commenced 
the  study  of  theology  under  the  preceptorship 
of  the  Rev.  Alexander  Gilmore.  He  received 
license  to  preach  on  September  6,  1839,  and 
was  admitted  on  trial  as  an  itinerant  preacher  in 
the  New  Jersey  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  at  Burlington,  N.  J.,  April 
18,    1840.       He  was  appointed  by  the  Confer- 


ence within  the  next  ten  years  to  serve  at  Par- 
sippany,  Hackettstown,  Stillwater,  Plainfield, 
Bloomfield,  Elizabeth  and  Mount  Holly,  all  in 
New  Jersey.  He  was  ordained  a  deacon  in  the 
spring  of  1842,  at  Camden,  by  Bishop  Waugh, 
and  an  elder  or  Presbyter  in  the  spring  of 
1844,  at  Trenton,  by  Bishop  Morris,  after 
passing  the  usual  four  year  course  of  study, 
credentials  of  which  he  still  holds  clean  and  un- 
impaired. 

On  January  27,  1852,  he  withdrew  from  the 
Methodist  Church  in  consecpience  of  a  change 
in  his  views  on  certain  theological  dogmas  and 
questions  of  church  polity  and  usage.  The  fol- 
lowing, so  highly  creditable  to  two  great  de- 
nominations, will  not  be  out  of  place  here : 
"to  all  whom  it  may  concern. 

"  Wliereas,  the  Rev.  Richard  B.  Westbrook  has 
signified  to  me  his  intention  to  withdraw  from  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
necting himself  with  the  Presbyterian  Church.  This 
is  to  certify  that  the  said  Rev.  Richard  B.  Westbrook 
is  an  ordained  Minister  in  good  and  regular  standing 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  Jersey  Annual  Conference  of  said 
Church,  and  as  such  we  recommend  him  to  all  where 
his  lot  may  be  cast  by  the  Providence  of  God. 
"  Richard  W.  Petherbridge, 
"  Presidinij  Elder,  Burlington  Dist. 

"  January  27,  1852." 

In  addition  to  regular  credentials,  the  above 
certificate  and  several  letters  of  recommendation, 
voluntarily  furnished  by  ministers  of  the  Con- 
ference were  presented  to  Presbytery  ;  and  after 
due  examination,  the  following  minute  was 
adopted. 

"  The  Rev.  R.  B.  Westbrook  having  made  appli- 
cation to  be  received  as  a  member  of  this  body,  ex- 
hibiting his  credentials  as  a  minister  in  good  standing 
in  the  New  Jersey  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  the  validity  of  whose  ordination 
we  most  cheerfully  acknowledge ;  and  having  satisfied 
the  Presbytery  as  to  his  piety,  his  literary  and  the- 
ological attainments,  and  his  accordance  with  the 
principles  and  polity  of  the  Presbyterian  Church ; 
and  having  also  answered  affirmatively  the  questions 
propounded  to  candidates  in  our  Confession  of  Faith, 
it  was  unanimously  voted  that  he  be  received  and 
enrolled  as  a  member  of  this  body. 

"  The  Presbytery  also  resolved,  that  it  highly  appre- 
ciates the  courtesy  and  fraternal  spirit  manifested  by 
our  brethren  of  the  Methodist  Church,  in  their  dis- 
mission    and    full     recommendation     of    the    Rev. 


vJ3 irvK. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


Mr.  Westbrook,   which   courtesy  we   hold   ourselves 
ready  when  occasion  offers,  to  reciprocate." 

This  is  probably  the  first  case  in  which  a 
Methodist  minister  was  in  snch  an  orderly 
manner,  transferred  to  the  Presbyterian  ranks. 

Mr.  Westbrook's  first  and  only  pastorate 
among  the  Presbyterians  was  in  Burlington, 
N.  J.,  the  very  city  in  which  he  had  been  re- 
ceived into  the  Methodist  Conference  twelve 
years  before.  While  pastor  of  this  church  in  1 853 
he  received  the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M.  from 
Princeton  College. 

In  1854  he  received  an  appointment  to  a 
secretaryship  from  the  American  Sunday-school 
Union,  and  removed  to  Philadelphia  where  he 
remained  until  the  spring  of  1861.  In  1860 
he  received  the  honorary  degree  of  D.D  from 
Washington  College  upon  the  nomination  of 
Rev.  William  S.  Plumer,  D.D.,  then  professor 
in  the  Western  Theological  Seminary  at  Alle- 
gheny City.  The  following  notice  from  the 
pen  of  Editor  John  S.  Hart,  LL.D.,  afterward 
professor  in  Princeton  College,  appeared  in  the 
Sunday-School  Times, — 

"  THE  RESIGNATION  OF  I>R.  WESTBROOK. 

"The  friends  of  the  Sunday-school  missionary  work 
throughout  the  United  States,  we  are  certain  will 
sympathize  with  us  in  the  feeling  of  profound  regret 
and  sorrow  with  which  we  announce  that  the  Rev. 
R.  B.  Westbrook,  D.D.,  has  resigned  his  office  as 
secretary  of  missions  of  the  American  Sunday-school 
Union. 

"  The  missionary  work  of  this  beloved  and  honored 
institution  has  never  in  its  whole  history  been  ad- 
ministered with  more  marked  ability,  or  with  more 
decided  and  signal  success,  than  during  the  period 
that  Dr.  Westbrook  has  been  entrusted  with  its  ex- 
cutive  control. 

"His  pulpit  services  are  much  in  request,  his  preach- 
ing being  of  that  earnest,  practical  and  instructive 
character,  combined  with  a  rich  gift  of  popular  elo- 
quence, which,  together,  soon  build  up  a  congre- 
gation. The  Board  of  Managers  in  accepting  Dr. 
Westbrook's  resignation,  '  bear  their  unanimous  testi- 
mony to  the  ability,  energy  and  large  measure  of 
success  which  has  marked  his  labors  in  the  service  of 
the  Society."  ' 

In  retiring  from  this  secretaryship  Dr.  West- 
brook decided  that  whatever  others  might  be 
able  to  do,  he  could  not  be  a  successful  investi- 
gator and  advocate  of  truth,  while  dependent 


upon  those  to  whom  he  might  minister  for  daily 
bread.  Before  leaving  Philadelphia  he  received 
a  unanimous  call  from  the  Fourth  Presbyterian 
Church  of  that  city,  and  also  from  the  State 
Street  Church  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  overtures 
from  several  churches  in  other  cities. 

While  not  intending  to  entirely  abandon  the 
office  of  a  public  moral  teacher  he  entered  the 
law  department  of  the  New  York  City  Uni- 
versity, and  received  in  due  course  the  degree 
of  LL.B.  He  pressed  ahead  of  his  class,  and 
before  graduation  was,  in  1863,  admitted  to 
the  New  York  bar  after  a  rigid  examination  of 
several  hours,  under  the  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  In  I860  he  was  admitted  as  attorney 
and  counsellor  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States  at  Washington,  D.  C.  His 
practice  was  mainly  in  the  New  York  Supreme 
Court.  Through  the  persuasion  of  Judge 
George  R.  Barrett  and  the  late  Colonel  Henry 
S.  Mott,  he  was  induced  to  make  an  invest- 
ment in  Pennsylvania  coal  lauds  in  the 
Clearfield  region,  and  he  afterward  purchased 
five  thousand  acres  of  coal  land  in  Cambria 
county,  Pa.,  and  to  develop  and  improve  these 
lands,  it  became  necessary  to  abandon  his  law 
practice,  as  the  work  was  done  under  his  per- 
sonal supervision.  Here  his  Pike  county  ex- 
perience in  boyhood  came  to  his  assistance. 
The  "  natives  "  were  astonished  to  find  that  a  city 
lawyer  and  clergyman  understood  all  about 
lumber  and  saw-mills,  and  knew  how  to  drive 
oxen,  mules  and  horses.  In  1882  he  sold  these 
lauds,  fully  developed,  and  retired  to  his  Phila- 
delphia residence,  "  free  from  worldly  care  and 
avocations."  It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note  that 
while  actively  engaged  in  secular  business  he 
diligently  pursued  his  studies  in  ecclesiastical 
history  and  polemic  theology.  In  1864  he  was 
arraigned  by  his  Presbytery  on  the  charge  of 
"abandoning  the  ministry  and  engaging  in  a 
secular  profession,"  and  was  suspended  "  until  he 
should  give  evidence  of  repentance."  The  sus- 
pension was  removed  in  a-  few  days,  as  Dr. 
Westbrook  signified  his  purpose  to  preach  as 
opportunity  might  offer.  After  this  he  supplied 
a  Presbyterian  pulpit  for  a  year,  and  at  the  same 
time  pursued  his  law  practice  in  New  York 
City,  refusing  to  accept  any  pecuniary  compen- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


sation  from  the  church,  whereupon  he  was  re- 
quested by  the  Presbytery  to  which  the  church 
belonged  to  receive  some  pecuniary  compen- 
sation or  surrender  the  charge,  and  he  accepted 
the  latter  alternative,  and  in  a  short  time  (1866) 
voluntarily  withdrew  from  the  "ministry  and 
communion  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,"  re- 
ceiving a  certificate  of  his  good  and  regular 
standing,  since  which  time  he  has  maintained 
a  position  of  ecclesiastical  independence. 

In  1870  Dr.  Westbrook  published  a  work 
on  Marriage  and  Divorce;  in  1882  he  pub- 
lished a  work  entitled  The  Bible,  Whence  and 
What?  and  in  1884,  a  work  entitled  Man, 
Whence  and  Wliithcrf  He  is  now  engaged 
upon  a  work  of  profound  research  relating  to  the 
origin  of  Christianity  and  Comparative  Re- 
ligions. In  the  preface  of  his  work  on  the  Bible 
he  says"  The  writer  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  ex- 
istence and  moral  government  of  God,  in  the  con- 
tinuance of  human  life  beyond  the  grave  and 
in  present  and  future  rewards  and  punish- 
ments." His  books,  published  by  Lippincott, 
Philadelphia,  have  been  very  favorably  noticed 
by  the  newspaper  press  generally,  and  exten- 
sively circulated,  and  are  well  known  as  able 
defenses  of  the  essential  principles  of  true  re- 
ligion and  morality,  while  dissenting  from  some 
of  the  dogmas  of  the  prevalent  theology.  The 
honorary  degree  of  LL.D.,  was  received  by  Dr. 
Westbrook  from  the  Wagner  Free  Institute  of 
Science  January  1, 1885,  of  which  institution  he 
is  trustee  and  treasurer. 

lie  has  recently  established  a  Free  Religious 
Lectureship,  in  Philadelphia — receiving  no  pe- 
cuniary compensation  for  his  lectures  and  paying- 
all  incidental  expenses  out  of  his  own  pocket. 

Dr.  Westbrook  was  married  when  twenty-one 
years  of  age  to  Sarah  H.,  third  daughter  of 
Judge  John  H.  Hall,  of  New  Jersey.  Four 
children  were  born  to  them, — Nathan  Bangs, 
John  Hall,  Charles  Kingsbury  and  Caroline 
Armstrong,  all  of  whom  survive.  The  mother 
departed  this  life  November  16,  1882.  The 
present  wife  of  Dr.  Wrestbrook  was  Henrietta 
Payne,  M.D.,  eldest  daughter  of  Rev.  Ara 
Payne,  of  Rhode  Island.  She  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Woman's  Medical  College  of  Pennsylvania, 
lucated  in  Philadelphia. 


The  Deckers  were  an  early  family  in  Dela- 
ware township.  They  were  located  along  the 
river  road  both  above  and  below  Dingman's 
Ferry,  but  the  largest  settlement  of  Deckers 
was  at  a  place  called  Deckertowu,  on  Decker 
(now  Hornbeck)  Creek,  where  they  had  a  fort 
during  the  wars.  August  8,  1768,  Broer  Decker 
sold  forty-three  acres  of  land  in  Delaware 
township  to  Heudrikus  Decker,  being  part  of 
one  hundred  acres  which  Broer  Decker  had 
purchased  of  William  Allen,  June  16,  1768. 
The  deed  to  Heudrikus  Decker  was  acknowl- 
edged before  John  Van  Campen,  justice  of  the 
peace  for  Northampton  County,  in  1773.  In 
1763,  Henry  Decker  was  appointed  constable 
of  Upper  Smithfield  township.  Hendrikus 
Decker  lived  just  below  the  creek,  and  lost  two 
sons  in  the  Indian  troubles,  as  has  been  else- 
where shown.  The  Deckers  of  Delaware  town- 
ship appear  to  have  been  squatters  generally, 
and  laboring  men.  They  are  among  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  Pike  County.  It  is  impossible  to 
tell  when  they  first  crossed  the  Delaware,  but 
it  is  probable  that  they  were  there  as  early,  if 
not  earlier,  than  Andrew  Dingmau.  In  the 
1781  assessment  of  Delaware  township  Elias 
Decker,  Cornelius  Decker,  Ezekiel  Decker, 
John  Decker,  Henry  Decker  and  Jacob  Decker 
are  assessed,  and  among  the  single  freemen 
Ezekiel  Decker,  Abraham  Decker  and  Isaac 
Decker  are  mentioned.  In  1800  the  names  of 
Elisha,  Benjamin,  Samuel,  Levi,  Emanuel  and 
Daniel  Decker  also  appear.  Notwithstanding 
there  were  so  many  of  the  name  in  Delaware 
township  in  its  early  history,  they  all  disap- 
peared years  ago  with  the  exception  of  Affe, 
daughter  of  Hendrikus,  who  married  Garret 
Brodhead,  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  After  the 
war  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight  acres  of  land  on  the  hills  west  of  Ding- 
man's  Ferry,  of  David  Lilch,  who  had  built  a 
log  cabin  and  made  a  small  clearing.  Mr. 
Brodhead  added  to  this  purchase  and  increased 
the  clearing  until  in  1801  he  is  assessed  with 
thirty  acres  of  improved  land  and  two  hundred 
and  seventy  acres  of  unimproved  land.  Affe 
Decker,  his  wife,  made  her  escape  from  her 
father's  house,  when  her  two  brothers  were 
killed,  by  jumping  from  the  window  and  fleeing 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


923 


to  Fort  Decker.  Garret  Brodhead  and  his 
wife  are  buried  in  Delaware  Cemetery.  He 
died  in  1835,  aged  seventy-nine,  and  Affe,  his 
wife,  in  1840,  aged  eighty.  Nicholas  Brod- 
head,  his  son,  lived  on  the  homestead,  which  is 
now  in  the  possession  of  his  son,  David  O. 
Brodhead,  who  cultivates  the  old  farm.  Gar- 
ret Brodhead  had  two  daughters — Hannah  (wife 
of  John  Brown)  and  Cornelia  (wife  of  Nathan 
Emery),  who  lived  at  Dingman's  Ferry.  The 
Deckers  were  large,  tall  men,  who  preferred  bor- 
der life  to  the  comforts  of  civilization,  and  most 
of  them  went  West.  John  Hecker  contracted 
for  a  place  of  sixty-seven  acres  above  Dingman's 
Ferry.  Hemadea  clearing  and  built  a  cabin,  but 
being  unable  or  disinclined  to  make  payment,  he 
traded  his  improvement  to  his  brother-in-law 
for  a  barrel  of  whiskey,  which  shows  the  value 
some  of  the  early  settlers  placed  upon  their 
possessions.  The  old  grist-mill  on  Decker 
Creek  was  probably  built  by  William  Austin, 
a  bachelor  miller,  as  early  as  1775.  It  was  the 
oldest  grist-mill  in  the  vicinity  and  is  assessed 
to  John  Frazier  in  1800  at  a  valuation  of  three 
hundred  dollars.  It  has  long  since  fallen  into 
decay  and  the  site  of  the  old  mill  is  known 
only  to  a  few  persons.  There  was  also  an  old 
saw-mill  at  the  same  place.  John  Frazier's 
children  were  John,  Benjamin,  Peter,  Jane  (wife 
of  Isaac  Van  Gordon),  Phoebe  (wife  of  William 
C.  Jagger),  Betsey  (wife  of  David  Sayre)  and 
William.  Benjamin  was  county  commissioner 
in  1844  and  justice  of  the  peace  in  Delaware 
township  for  twenty-two  years.  His  son,  John 
W.  Frazier,  owns  the  homestead  and  is  justice 
of  the  peace  in  Delaware  township  now.  Cor- 
nelius Angle  came  to  Delaware  township  in 
1823  and  bought  eight  hundred  acres  of  land 
of  Nicholas  Livengood.  He  was  an  enterpris- 
ing man  and  the  first  of  the  Delaware  farmers 
who  raised  his  bread  on  the  mountains.  His 
sons  Charles,  Jacob,  John  and  William  all 
remained  in  the  township.  George  W.  Don- 
aldson, a  Scotchman,  came  from  New  York 
recently  and  purchased  the  old  Angle  home- 
stead. He  has  expended  a  large  sum  in  the 
erection  of  buildings,  fences  and  in  otherwise 
improving  the  property. 

Jacob  Angle  recollects  that  Philip  Reser  had 


a  large  family  of  boys,  none  of  whom  remain. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  Henry  Steele,  with 
slight  exception. 

Cooper  Jagger  was  an  old  settler  on  the 
hills,  but  his  descendants  are  nearly  all  gone. 
The  Deckers  owned  all  the  lands  adjacent  at 
one  time,  but  never  improved  it.  Elias  Decker 
was  an  old  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  about 
ninety  years  of  age  when  he  died.  One  of  his 
sons,  Elisha,  lived  and  died  here ;  another  son, 
John,  did  business  in  New  York  and  lived  to  a 
great  age.  Abraham  Courtright  resided  here 
years  ago  and  some  of  his  children  are  still  in 
the  township.  Adam  Bensley  used  to  live  in 
the  neighborhood,  his  father  having  died  here, 
and  some  of  his  descendants  are  still  in  the 
township.  Gabriel  Layton,  who  died  recently, 
was  justice  of  the  peace,  his  brother,  John  Lay- 
ton,  having  been  superintendent  <>f  the  schools 
of  Pike  County  for  nine  years. 

Jacob  Hornbeck,  a  son  of  Joseph  Hornbeck, 
lived  on  the  river  road  in  Delaware  township, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Decker  or  Hornbeck 
Creek,  where  he  had  a  tavern.  He  was  a  major 
in  the  militia  and  apparently  a  man  of  some  in- 
fluence in  his  day,  being  both  a  merchant  and 
hotel-keeper.  His  daughter  Maria  was  the 
wife  of  Oliver  S.  Dimmick,  who  kept  a  hotel  a 
short  time,  then  moved  to  Milford  and  from 
thence  to  Matamoras.  Belinda  Hornbeck  was 
the  wife  of  Martin  W.  Dingman  and  lived  near 
Dingman's  Ferry.  Robert  Hatton,  an  English- 
man, came  to  Pike  about  1810  and  settled  on 
the  hills  of  Delaware  township.  He  was  noted 
for  his  wonderful  stories,  which  were  told  with 
the  utmost  gravity  and  apparent  candor.  His 
wife  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  one  years  of 
age.  He  had  two  sons,  James  and  Charles, 
county  surveyor  for  twenty  years,  and  knows 
more  about  Pike  County  land  than  any  one 
else  in  it. 

The  following  list  of  persons  taxed  iu  Dela- 
ware in  1801  shows  the  scope  of  the  township 
and  the  residents  at  that  time  : 


Garret  Brodhead. 
Richard  Brodhead. 
Jas.  Bertrou. 
John  Brink. 
Emanuel  Brink. 


John  Craig. 
Henry  Cronkright. 
Henry  Curtright. 
Isaac  Curtright. 
Win.  Custard. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


\Vm.  Custard,  Jr. 

James  Randolph. 

Michael  Heller. 

Jacob  Steel. 

Jacob  Cline. 

Isaac  Reemer- 

William  Howe. 

Gilbert  Steel. 

Conrad  Cline. 

Bernard  Swartwood. 

Nathan  Emery. 

Isaac  Steel. 

Jacob  Decker. 

Samuel  Seely.  ^ 

Benjamin  Impson. 

Frederick  ShafF. 

Elisba  Decker. 

John  Smith. 

Cooper  Jagger. 

Nicholas  Tilman. 

Elias  Decker. 

Maj.  Wm.  Smith. 

Henry  Jackson. 

Peter  Trach. 

Benj.  Decker. 

Win.  Smith. 

Henry  Jay. 

Moses  Van  Gordon. 

Samuel  Decker,  Jr. 

Jonas  Smith. 

Robert  Latimore. 

Johannes  Van  Etten. 

Abraham  Decker. 

Nicholas  Schoonover. 

John  Litch. 

Elijah  Van  Gordon. 

Levi  Decker. 

Ezekiel  Schoonover. 

Johannes  Litch. 

Isaac  Van  Gordon. 

Isaac  Decker, 
Samuel  Decker,  Sr. 
Emanuel  Decker. 
Benj.  Decker. 
Daniel  Decker. 
Andrew  Dingman. 
Daniel  W.  Dingman. 
Jerimah  Fleming. 
John  Frazier. 
Ledowicke  Hover. 
Solomon  Hover. 
Boudwine  Howey. 
Jacob  Hornbeck. 
Joseph  Hornbeck. 
John  Hover. 
Evert  Hornbeck. 
Benj.  Imson. 
John  Jinnings. 
Robert  Lattimore. 
John  Litch,  Jr. 
John  Litch. 
David  Litch. 
Win.  Mapes,  Esq. 
Wm.  Nyce. 
Geo.  Nyce. 
John  Nyce. 
Martin  Ryerson. 
Abraham  Reesner. 
Wm.  Rodman. 
TAXABLES   JN   DELAWAI 

Richard  Brodhead. 
Garret  Brodhead. 
Lenah  Brink. 
Daniel  Brink. 
Israel  Bensley. 
Peter  Berk. 
John  Berk. 
H.  Berk. 
Thomas  Blake. 
John  Coolbaugh. 
John  Courtright. 
Jane  Cronkrite. 
Joseph  Courtright. 
William  Custard. 
Benjamin  Custard. 
Daniel  W.  Dingman. 
John  Decker. 
Manuel  Decker. 


Henry  Steel. 
Anthony  Van  Etten. 
Emanuel  Van  Etten. 
Johannes  Van  Etten. 
Simeon  Van  Etten. 
John  Van  Etten. 
Alex.  Van  Gordon. 
Alex.  Van  Gordon,  Jr. 
Moses  Van  Gordon. 
David  Van  Gordon. 
Isaac  Van  Gordon. 
Eliphaz  Van  Auken. 
Wm.Wigton. 
Jonathan  Wright. 
Richard  Wills,  black. 
Solomon  Westbrook. 
Jeremiah  Wetsill. 
Jeremiah   Wetsill,  Jr. 
Solomon  Rosegrant. 
Joseph  Curtright. 
Daniel  Curtright. 
Sarah  Curtright. 
Peter  Frach. 
Thos.  Patterson. 
Richard  Miller. 
Peter  La  Bar. 
Benj.  Shik. 
Abram  Curtright. 
Wm.  Gustin. 

TOWNSHIP   IN   1814. 

Daniel  Decker. 
May  Day. 
Abraham  Decker. 
Andrew  Dingman. 
Henry  Decker. 
Elisha  Decker. 
Elias  Decker. 
Ephraim  Drake. 
John  Frazier. 
John  Howe. 
Evert  Hornbeck. 
John  Henry,  Jr. 
John  Henry,  Sr. 
Lodewick  Hover. 
Peter  Hover. 
Jacob  Hornbeck. 
Robert  Howe. 
Simon  Heller. 


Peter  Labar. 
Nicholas  Livergood. 
William  Mapes. 
Cuft'ey  Magons. 
Peter  Man. 
John  Nyce. 
George  Nyce. 
Philip  Reser,  Sr. 
Peter  Reser. 
Philip  Reser,  Jr. 
Jacob  Reser. 
John  Reser. 
Solomon  Rosencrans. 
Solomon  Redfield, 
John  Snyder. 
Lodwick  Smith. 
Isaac  Smith. 
Isaac  Schoonover. 
Ezekiel  Schoonover. 
Ezek.  Schoonover,  Jr. 
Bernardus  Swartwood. 
Henry  Steel. 

Single 
Wm.  Latimore. 
George  Latimore. 
Nicholas  Brodhead. 
Dan  Courtright. 
John  Man. 
Philip  Man. 
Wm.  Nyce. 
Jacob  Labor. 


Gilbert  Van  Gordon. 
John  Van  Gordon. 
James  Van  Gordon. 
John  Van  Sickle. 
Anthony  Van  Etten. 
Catherine  Van  Etten. 
Cornelia  Van  Etten. 
Cornelius  Van  Etten. 
Solomon  Van  Etten. 
Dan  Van  Etten. 
John  Van  Etten. 
Elipaz  Van  Auken. 
Solomon  Westbrook. 
John  Westbrook. 
Sol.  Westbrook,  Jr. 
Jacob  Walter. 
William  Fennal. 
Adams  &  Austin. 
Philip  Trach. 
Moses  Van  Auken. 
Henry  Zebes. 
M.  Van  Gordon. 
Men. 

Lodwick  Labor. 
Samuel  Runelfield. 
Henry  Nagle. 
Frederick  Vadican. 
Mason  Dimmick. 
John  Van  Gordon. 
John  Bodine. 
Benjamin  Frazier. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

PHILIP  F.  FULMER,  M.D. 

Philip  F.  Fulmer,  M.D.,  physician  at 
Dingman's  Ferry,  Pike  County,  Pa.,  was  born 
at  Stewartsville,  Warren  County,  N.  J.,  June 
19,  1830.  He  obtained  his  early  education  at 
the  academy  of  his  native  place,  and  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  years  entered  Lafayette  College,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  '48. 
He  began  reading  medicine  with  his  uncle,  Dr. 


(PJuta,  ^JL 


C*^&<-^LJL<<^ 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


925 


William  Wilson,  of  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  after  some 
preliminary  study  with  Dr.  James  C.  Kennedy, 
of  Stewartsville ;  attended  his  first  course  of 
lectures  at  the  New  York  Medical  College, 
followed  by  two  courses  of  lectures  at  the  Penn- 
sylvania University,  and  was  graduated  from 
the  latter  institution  in  the  spring  of  1853. 
The  same  year  of  his  graduation  in  medicine, 
on  account  of  his  father's  large  business  interests 
at  home  and  in  Pike  County,  Pa.,  Dr.  Fulmer 
came  to  Fulmerville,  Pike  County,  and  man- 
aged the  tannery  and  store  of  his  father  at 
Fulmerville  until  1866,  the  time  of  the  sale  of 
the  property.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession upon  his  settlement  at  Fulmerville, 
which  gradually  extended  until  1861,  when  he 
gave  it  his  special  attention.  His  field  of 
practice  rapidly  increased ;  his  quick  percep- 
tion, good  judgment  and  correct  diagnosis  of 
disease  made  his  name  familiar  throughout  the 
country,  and  soon  gave  him  reputable  rank 
among  the  first  in  that  part  of  the  State.  He 
has  continued  a  successful  practice  since,  adding 
annually  to  his  already  large  field.  In  1866 
he  bought  the  "  Way-Side  Inn  "  at  Dingman's 
Ferry,  then  known  as  "  Dingman's  Choice 
Hotel,"  the  only  house  for  the  accommodation 
of  travelers  in  the  place  at  that  time.  On 
May  25,  1865,  Dr.  Fulmer  had  married  Miss 
Ella  Bennitt,  of  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  a  woman  of 
culture  and  refinement.  They  took  up  their 
residence  at  Dingman's  upon  the  purchase  of 
the  hotel,  and  built  the  present  commodious  and 
elegaut  "  High  Falls  Hotel,"  which  for  many 
years  has  been  a  popular  summer  resort  for 
people  from  New  York,  Philadelphia  and 
other  places,  seeking  rest,  quiet  and  beautiful 
scenery  on  the  Delaware.  The  "  Way-Side 
Inn"  was  said  to  be  one  hundred  and  three 
years  old  when  Dr.  Fulmer  made  the  purchase, 
and  only  capable  of  affording  accommodations 
for  a  few  people.  He  at  once  set  about  re- 
modeling the  building  and  beautifying  the  prop- 
erty, which,  by  making  its  value  known  to 
people  seeking  a  home  away  from  the  busy 
scenes  of  city  life,  has  done  more  to  give 
Dingman's  a  wide  name  than  had  been  done 
during  its  entire  existence  before.  His  hotel 
will  accommodate  some   two   hundred    guests, 


and  "stands  in  the  centre  of  most  of  the  wonder- 
ful and  interesting  natural  features  with  which 
this  region  abounds.  It  may  be  safely  stated  that 
a  radius  of  ten  miles  in  any  direction  will  em- 
brace a  greater  variety  of  sublime  and  lovely 
scenic  attractions  than  can  be  found  elsewhere 
in  the  country  in  the  same  space.  All  about 
it  the  mountains  give  birth  to  brooks  and  rills 
that  in  their  descent  leap  down  in  falls  almost 
without  number,  and  in  shapes  weird  and 
lovely." — Editorial  Correspondence,  Home 
Journal. 

Another  newspaper,  in  speaking  of  the  hotel 
and  its  proprietor,  and  of  the  attractions  of  the 
locality,  says  that  "  the  High  Falls  Hotel,  with 
a  single  exception,  is  the  largest  in  the  county  ; 
.  .  .  that  it  will  accommodate  two  hundred 
guests,  is  well  supplied  with  clear  spring  water, 
has  bathing-houses  and  boats  in  the  river  for 
the  use  of  its  guests;"  .  .  .  and  adds  that 
"  the  village  has  two  mails  daily,  one  from 
New  York  and  the  other  from  Philadelphia," 
while  "  during  the  season  a  line  of  special  stages 
runs  between  Dingman's  and  Milford." 

The  same  writer  says  : 

"Trout  and  black  bass  fishing  is  fine.  Trout- 
fishing  in  six  mountain  streams.  The  hunting 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  village  is  excellent, 
and  game — during  the  hunting  season — is  taken 
in  abundance.  The  principal  streams  near  the 
town  are  Dingman's  Creek,  Adams'  Brook, 
Conashaugh  Brook,  Tom's  Creek,  Bushkill 
Creek  and  the  Raymondskill.  The  Dingman 
Creek  is  noted  for  its  great  natural  beauty  as  well 
as  its  fine  trout,  which,  though  not  so  large  as 
their  Long  Island  kindred,  are  more  in  number, 
growing  in  weight  as  the  fisherman  wanders 
down  the  current,  and  leaping  at  his  fly  with  a 
lusty  mountain  vigor — 'a  spring  like  the 
quiver  of  a  sword  blade.'  The  Adams'  Brook, 
near  by,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  streams 
in  the  Delaware  Valley. 

"  It  is  here  that  the  lover  of  nature  meets 
with  the  perpetual  and  delicious  laughter  of  the 
waters,  the  picturesque,  gloaming  recesses,  the 
thousand  leaps  and  eddies,  the  rock-hung 
pools,  the  shady  glens,  and  'the  forest-laced 
sunlight  and  shadow,  where  the  bobolinks  make 
music,  and  the  grass  is  still  spangled  with  dew.' 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  walks  and  drives  within  a  radius  of  teu 
miles  are  delightful,  the  principal  walks  being 
to  the  '  High  Falls,'  '  Tower  Falls,'  '  Soap 
Trough,'  '  Suspension  Cave,'  '  Lookout 
Rook,'  '  Fossil  Hill,'  '  Echo  Glen/  'Fathom- 
less Cave,'  '  Fairy  Glen,'  '  Emerald  Cascade,' 
'  The  Vestibule,'  '  Maple  Grove '  and  the 
'  High  Knob.' 

"  The  drives  comprise  '  Conashaugh  Val- 
ley,' '  Raymondskill  Falls,'  '  Bridal  Veil 
Falls,'  '  Sawkill  Falls,'  '  Titter's  Peak,'  '  In- 
dian Ladder,'  '  Iris  Grotto,'  'The  Wild 
Gorge,'  '  Silver  Lake,'  '  Fern  Bank,'  '  Hang- 
ing Rock  '  and  '  Laughing  Waters.'  Silver 
Lake  is  a  fine  sheet  of  water  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  in  length  and  well  stocked  with  pickerel, 
perch  and  other  gamy  fish. 

Reverting  to  the  proprietor  of  the  house,  it 
may  be  said  that  since  his  residence  in  Pike  Co., 
Dr.  Fulmer  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  all 
matters  of  importance  relating  to  his  immediate 
locality  or  the  county.  He  was  .superintendent 
of  the  common  schools  of  the  county  from  IS  57 
to  186(5,  and  has  been  a  school  director  since 
the  latter  date.  He  was  postmaster  at  Fulmer- 
ville  from  1854  to  1866,  and  has  been,  for  the 
past  two  years,  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
Northampton  County  Bank,  at  Easton,  Pa. 

His  father,  Judge  John  Fulmer,  born  in 
Richmond,  Northampton  County,  Pa.,  in  179-3, 
settled  at  Stewartsville,  N.  J.,  his  present 
residence,  soon  after  his  marriage,  where  he 
carried  on  a  store  and  tannery  until  1858,  and 
a  tannery  and  store  at  Fulmerville  until  1866. 
He  is  a  man  of  large  business  capacity,  was  one 
of  the  incorporators  of  the  old  Phillipsburg 
Bank,  and  one  of  its  directors  for  fifteen  years. 
Pie  was  postmaster  at  Stewartsville  from  1822 
to  1861,  an  associate  judge  of  the  Warren 
County,  X.  J.,  courts  for  twenty-five  years, 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Stewartsville 
Academy  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

Dr.  Fulmer's  mother,  Barbara  Ann  (1799- 
1882),  was  a  daughter  of  Mathias  Brakely,  of 
Warren  County,  who  was  of  German  descent. 
The  children  of  Judge  Fulmer  are  Brakely, 
who  was  a  merchant  in  the  home  store  until  his 
decease  ;  Andrew  J.,  a   merchant  at  Stewarts- 


ville in  the  same  store  ;  John,  deceased,  assisted 
in  conducting  the  business  at  Fulmerville ; 
Dr.  Philip  F.  Fulmer,  subject. of  this  sketch; 
William,  a  merchant  at  Bloomsburg,  N.  J.; 
Mary,  widow  of  Jacob  Strader,  of  Washington, 
N.  J.  ;  Emma,  wife  of  David  Clark,  cashier  of 
the  Danville  Bank,  at  Danville,  Pa.  Dr.  Ful- 
mer's parental  grandfather,  John  Fulmer,  came 
from  Germany,  and  was  a  tanner  and  farmer 
in  Richmond,  where  he  settled  and  resided 
during  his  life. 

Mrs.  Dr.  Fulmer's  father,  Wilson  W. 
Bennitt  (1801-1861),  resided  in  Elmira,  N.  Y., 
and  was  the  son  of  Piatt  Bennitt,  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  who  settled  at  Elmira  and  was  the 
founder  of  the  first  Episcopal  Church  at  that 
place.  Piatt  Bennitt's  wife  was  a  Wheeler,  of 
Horseheads,  N.  Y.  Wilson  W.  Bennitt's 
children  are  Frances,  of  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa., 
widow  of  the  late  Edward  Hubbell,  of  Bath, 
X.  Y.  ;  Zibah,  died  in  1881,  resided  at  St. 
Louis  and  was  superintendent  of  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  Railroad ;  Henry  is  a  banker  at 
Newberu,  N.  Y.;  and  Mrs.  Dr.  Fulmer. 

Mrs.  Dr.  Fulmer's  mother,  Mary  Tuttle 
(1806-1858),  was  a  uative  of  Elmira,  N.  Y., 
whose  mother  was  a  Cautine,  a  native  of 
France,  and  whose  father  was  an  Englishman, 
who  came  from  Long  Island  ;  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  at  Elmira,  was  one  of  the  first 
Masons  there,  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
first  Presbyterian  Church  iu  that  city.  Dr. 
Fulmer's  children  are  Frank,  died  at  the  age 
of  five  years  at  Richmond,  Va. ;  Nana  B.  and 
Philip  F.  Fulmer,  Jr. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


LEHMAN    TOWNSHIP. 


Lehman  township  was  erected  August  19, 
1829,  from  Delaware.  The  most  southern 
township  in  Pike  County,  it  is  bounded  ou  the 
north  by  Delaware,  on  the  east  by  New  Jersey 
and  the  Delaware  River,  on  the  south  by  Mid- 
dle Smithfield  township,  in  Monroe  County,  and 
ou  the  west  by  Porter  township. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


The  physical  features  of  Lehman  are  simi- 
lar to  those  of  Delaware,  though  the  bluffs  are 
not  as  precipitous  ami  more  broken  and  irregu- 
lar. The  falls  are  beautiful,  particularly  the 
Bushkill  Falls,  which  are  on  the  Little  Bush- 
kill,  about  two  and  one-half  miles  from  the 
village  of  Bushkill.  The  first  fall,  which  is  in 
Rocky  Glen,  is  about  eight  feet  high.  After 
flowing  through  the  glen  a  distance  of  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  it  falls  about  six  feet  on 
a  rock  shelf  or  step  about  ten  feet  long,  when 
it  takes  a  perpendicular  plunge  of  eighty  feet 
into  a  circular  basin,  whose  rocky  sides  are  two 
hundred  feet  high,  and  flows  onward  through  a 
deep  gorge  into  the  Big  Bushkill.  Josephine 
Gompton,  of  Philadelphia,  fell  one  hundred 
and  eight  feet  from  the  rocks  above  these  falls 
and  recovered  from  her  injuries.  The  Pell 
Falls  are  just  above  the  Bushkill  Falls.  There 
are  also  three  falls  on  Pond  Run,  which  enters 
the  Bushkill  just  below  the  falls.  One  of  these 
falls  has  a  perpendicular  descent  of  one  hundred 
feet  over  the  rocks.  There  are  also  five  falls  on 
the  Saw  Creek,  that  runs  through  a  beautiful 
gorge  and  enters  the  Big  Bushkill  about  three 
miles  above  the  village.  Lehman  is  undoubt- 
edly one  of  the  oldest  settlements  in  Pike 
County.  The  beautiful  flat  lands  along  the 
Delaware  are  very  fertile  and  the  Indians  con- 
tended for  them  with  vigor.  There  is  hardly 
an  old  family  from  Dingman's  Ferry  to  Bush- 
kill that  does  not  relate  traditions  of  contests 
with  the  Indians  in  which  some  of  the  family 
have  lost  their  lives  or  been  taken  prisoners. 
This  region  was  settled  about  1700,  as  near  as 
can  be  ascertained.  The  village  of  Bushkill 
lies  on  both  sides  of  the  Bushkill  River,  and  is 
almost  inseparable  in  its  history,  although  one 
part  is  in  Pike  County  and  the  other  in  Mon- 
roe. The  Monroe  part  is  distinguished  as 
Maple  Grove.  We  shall  review  them  together. 
William  Courtright,  John  Teal,  and  an  old  man 
about  eighty  years  of  age,  named  Maginnis, 
were  taken  prisoners  at  Maple  Grove  by  the 
Indians.  Maginnis  being  feeble  and  unable  to 
travel  very  fast,  was  killed  and  scalped  a  few 
miles  west  from  Maple  Grove,  at  a  place  still 
known  as  Maginnis'  Barrens.  Captain  Hoover, 
with  a  small  party  of  men,  started   in   pursuit. 


They  came  to  the  spot  where  the  Indians  were 
encamped,  at  "  Indians'  Swamp,"  near  the 
headwaters  of  the  Bushkill.  They  were  mak- 
ing preparations  for  supper  when  the  pursuing 
party  fired  on  them,  killing  two  of  their  num- 
ber and  wounding  a  third.  The  two  live  In- 
dians and  wounded  one  escaped  and  Courtright 
and  Teal  were  rescued.  Courtright,  however, 
was  wounded  by  his  friends  when  they  fired  on 
the  Indians,  so  that  he  used  crutches  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  The  settlers  on  the  Penn- 
sylvania side  were  more  exposed  than  on  the 
Jersey  side,  as  the  Indians  who  raided  the 
Delaware  Valley  had  their  seat  of  power  to  the 
west,  on  the  Susquehanna  ;  as  all  between  the 
Susquehanna  and  the  Delaware  was  a  wilder- 
ness, an  Indian  could  skulk  among  the  rocks  or 
stand  on  the  top  of  the  bluffs  and  survey  the 
valley  below.  He  could  see  the  farmers  coming 
over  from  the  Jersey  side  to  harvest  their  grain 
or  care  for  their  stock,  and  easily  attacking 
them  unawares,  would  carry  off  men,  women  and 
children  into  barbarous  captivity  or  kill  them 
on  the  spot.  The  evening,  when  the  farmers 
crossed  the  Delaware  to  milk  their  cows,  was  a 
favorite  time  for  the  savages  to  acomplish  their 
work,  after  which  they  skulked  away  under 
cover  of  darkness  over  the  pine  and  scrub-oak- 
covered  hills  of  Pike  County  westward  into  the 
wilderness,  where  it  would  be  unsafe  for  any 
white  man  to  follow  them.  During  the  Indian 
troubles  in  1ST54  stone  houses  or  forts  were 
erected,  most  of  these  forts  being  built  on  the 
Jersey  side,  although  it  appears  that  Fort 
Hvndshaw  was  on  Pennsylvania  ground.  At 
the  point  of  a  little  rise  of  grouud  not  far  from 
the  Bushkill,  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from 
the  Delaware,  near  a  spring  and  near  the  present 
road,  is  an  old  cellar  where  was  formerly  a  log 
fort  recently  torn  down.  The  oldest  in- 
habitants identify  it  as  the  site  of  Fort  Hynd- 
shaw.  Some  persons  place  this  fort  in  Paha- 
quwarry,  just  across  the  river  in  New  Jersey,  but 
the  reference  in  Pennsylvania  Archives  to  Fort 
Hvndshaw  favors  the  conclusion  that  it  was  in 
Smithfield  township,  on  the  Bushkill,  as  above 
indicated. 

Bushkill    Village. — Bushkill    was    first 
settled    by    the    Gonzales    or    Gunsaulis,    the 


928 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


.Smiths,  Schoonovers,  and  later  the  Hellers, 
Peterses  and  others.  Manuel  Gonzales,  a  Span- 
iard, lived  in  Bushkill  as  early  as  1750,  and 
perhaps  earlier.  He  had  two  sons, —  Manuel 
and  Samuel.  A  Gonzales  is  buried  at  Wurts- 
boro',  and  is  said  to  be  the  first  white  man 
buried  in  Orange  County.  His  name  was 
Manuel,  that  and  Samuel  being  favorite  names 
in  the  family. 

Old  Manuel  Gonzales  had  seven  daughters. 
Among  them  were  Catharine  (wife  of  John 
Turner)  and  Elizabeth,  who  was  taken  to 
Canada  by  the  Indians  when  seven  years  old. 
She  and  her  father  were  hunting  for  the  horses 
just  back  of  the  Bushkill  Church,  on  the  Dela- 
ware flats.  The  Indians  saw  them  and  started 
in  pursuit.  Mr.  Gonzales  jumped  into  a  wash- 
out near  the  river  and  was  concealed,  but  little 
Lizzie  ran  in  a  different  direction  and  was  cap- 
tured. They  heard  her  scream  when  she  was 
takeu.  The  first  night  of  their  encampment 
they  wished  to  kill  her,  but  an  old  Indian  said, 
"  No,  she  was  a  smart  little  girl,  and  he  would 
take  care  of  her."  They  took  her  to  Canada, 
where  she  lived  for  thirty-two  years,  and  mar- 
ried an  Indian  chief,  by  whom  she  had  two 
children,  who  died.  An  old  man  afterward 
came  to  Bushkill  and  remarked  that  if  Gonzales 
would  give  him  a  mug  of  cider  he  would  tell 
him  where  his  daughter  was.  The  man's 
description  was  so  accurate  that  Mr.  Gonzales 
and  a  neighbor  went  in  search  of  her.  They 
found  her  as  described,  but  she  did  not  wish  to 
return.  Although  her  husband  and  children 
were  dead,  she  was  with  difficulty  prevailed 
upon  to  abandon  the  life  she  had  so  long  fol- 
lowed. She  remembered  that  she  had  lived 
beside  a  large  river,  that  a  horse  jumped  over 
the  fence  and  killed  itself,  and  certain  apples 
that  she  used  to  eat.  She  also  remembered 
that  her  name  was  Lizzie,  but  she  had  forgot- 
ten her  other  name.  She  married  Peter  Quick, 
of  Belvidere,  after  her  return. 

Manuel  Gonzales  married  Betsy  Overfield, 
and  lived  and  died  in  Lehman.  He  had  one 
sou,  Manuel,  who  married  Sarah  Courtright, 
and  lived  in  Smithfield,  a  little  below  Bushkill. 
His  children  were  Betsey  (wife  of  Barney 
Decker,  a  farmer  in   Smithfield),  Ann  (wife  of 


George  Ivintner),  Margaret,  Susan  (wife  of 
Martin  Overfield),  Sarah  (wife  of  Jacob  Cort- 
right),  Heister  Gunsaulis  (married  Elizabeth 
Traeh  and  lived  near  the  homestead),  William 
(married  Mary  Kirwan,  and  lived  near  the 
former),  James  and  Samuel  moved  to  New 
York,  and  Mary  married  Andrew  Fri  tehee. 

Samuel  Gonzales  married  Elsie  De  Witt, 
moved  from  Bushkill  to  Smithfield  and  lived  on 
a  farm  ;  Catharine  was  the  wife  of  Jacob  Miller, 
a  farmer,  who  lived  in  Smithfield  ;  Mary  married 
John  Shoemaker  ;  Sarah  was  the  wife  of  Henry 
Peters,  a  merchant  in  Bushkill.  He  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  in  1812.  It  is  not  certain 
that  he  was  the  first  postmaster,  but  he  was  the 
earliest  official  remembered.  Israel  Bensley 
lived  in  the  log  house  where  Mrs.  E.  E. 
Peters'  hotel  now  stands.  That  is  also  the 
old  Manuel  Gonzales  place.  Henry  Peters  was 
a  son  of  Peter  Peters,  of  Philadelphia.  He 
was  a  merchant,  hotel-keeper  and  postmaster 
until  1857.  His  widow  resides  with  her  chil- 
dren, and  is  in  her  ninetieth  year.  She  pos- 
sesses a  retentive  memory  and  has  furnished  the 
writer  with  most  of  the  facts  in  relation  to  the 
Gonzales  family. 

Henry  Peters'  family  all  lived  in  Bushkill  and 
vicinity  and  are  among  the  most  enterprising- 
people  of  the  place.  The  children  were  Elizabeth, 
Elsie  G.,  Delinda,  Charles  B,.,  Maria  L.,  Catha- 
rine M.,  Samuel  G.  and  Wm.  N.  Peters.  Samuel 
G.  Peters  was  appointed  postmaster  in  1857, 
and  still  holds  the  office.  The  store  was  first 
started  by  Hefiry  Peters,  Solomon  Westbrook 
and  William  H.  Nyce,  under  the  firm-name  of 
Peters,  Westbrook  &  Nyce.  After  Westbrook 
and  Nyce  retired  Henry  M.  La  Bar  succeeded  as 
member  of  the  firm.  Mr.  La  Bar  married 
Elsie  G.  Peters  and  was  associate  judge  of 
Pike  County  one  term.  Charles  R.  Peters 
(now  deceased)  married  Elizabeth  E.  Cool- 
baugh,  the  gifted  daughter  of  Judge  Moses  Cool- 
baugh,  and  kept  the  hotel  on  the  old  Gonzales 
homestead  site.  Mrs.  Peters  and  her  sons  now 
conduct  one  of  the  most  attractive  summer 
resorts  in  the  Delaware  Valley.  Delinda  was 
the  wife  of  Colonel  Henry  S.  Mott,  of  Milford. 

Catharine  M.  Peters  was  the  wife  of  Frank 
Eilenberger,  a  merchant  in  Bushkill.     William 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


!IL'S 


N.  Peters  married  a  daughter  of  Judge  Maekey 
and  lives  at  Bushkill. 

Eliza  Gonzales  was  the  wife  of  Melchior  De 
Puy,  a  farmer  in  Smithfield.  Manuel  Gonzales 
(3d)  married  Susan  De  Puy,  and  lived  in 
Smithfield.  He  had  one  son,  Samuel,  who  died 
in  the  army.  Susan  Gonzales,  the  last  of  Sam- 
uel Gonzales'  family,  married  Martin  Mosier,  a 
farmer  in  Smithfield. 

George  Peters,  a  brother  of  Henry  Peters, 
married  a  daughter  of  Philip  Miller.  His  sons 
are  John,  Daniel  and  Philip,  who  have  fine 
residences  in  Maple  Grove  or  Hush  kill.  Henry, 
Jane,  Margaret,  Delinda  and  Susan  are  the  re- 
maining children. 

Rodolpbus  Scboonover  married  Hannah 
Hyndshaw,  and  lived  just  across  the  Bushkill, 
in  Smithfield,  where  Charles  Wallace  now  re- 
sides. He  was  one  of  the  old  pioneers  and, 
like  Gonzales,  no  one  recalls  the  date  of  his 
arrival,  though  it  was  probably  years  before  the 
Revolutionary  War.  His  sons  were  Daniel, 
Benjamin,  James  and  William.  His  daughters 
were  Hannah,  Dorothy,  Sally,  Susan  and 
Mary.  Daniel  married  Cornelia  Swart  wood, 
and  lived  on  the  old  place.  Their  children 
were  Barney,  Franklin  and  Rima.  Benjamin 
married  Elizabeth  Swartwood  and  lived  in 
Smithfield.  His  children  were  Samuel,  Simeon, 
William,  John  and  George,  Jane,  Sarah  and 
Hannah.  James  Scboonover  married  and  set- 
tled in  the  vicinity.  His  children  were  Rachel, 
Mary,  Cornelius,  Daniel,  Hyndshaw,  Elijah, 
James,  William  and  Rodolpbus.  Cornelius 
lived  to  be  ninety  years  of  age.  William,  of 
the  original  family,  moved  to  Ohio.  Sarah 
Schoonover  was  the  wife  of  William  Clark,  a 
farmer  in  Smithfield.  Their  children  were 
Hannah,  Mary,  Jane  and  Elizabeth,  John 
Daniel  and  Robert,  who  settled  near  home. 
William  Clark  came  from  Kentucky,  his  sister 
riding  all  the  way  on  horseback  to  visit  him. 
She  brought  with  her  silverware  and  a  little 
slave.  He  accepted  the  silverware,  but  refused 
the  slave.  Susan  Schoonover  was  the  wife  of 
Simeon  Swartwood,  who  lived  and  died  in 
Lehman. 

Old  Rodolpbus  Schoonover  had  a  grist-mill 
on  the  Bushkill,  the  oldest  grist-mill  in  this 
90 


vicinity.  It  was  built  before  the  Revolutionary 
War  and  received  bullet-marks  during  that  con- 
flict which  were  to  be  seen  years  afterward. 
It  had  one  run  of  stone.  Henry  Peters  built 
a  fulling-mill  which  was  burned,  when  he 
erected  the  present  Peters  grist-mill. 

Benjamin  Schoonover  built  the  first  foundry 
on  the  Bushkill,  in  1824.  It  was  the  earliest 
foundry  between  Lehigh  and  Newburgh.  He 
cast  plows,  and  obtained  his  own  price  for  them, 
receiving  eight  and  ten  dollars  for  coarse,  rough 
plows.  He  was  also  the  first  blacksmith. 
Simeon  Schoonover,  his  son,  succeeded  him  in 
the  business  and  rebuilt  the  foundry  twice  after 
it  burned.  John  M.  Heller  conducted  the  first 
wagon-shop.  Afterward  Simeon  Schoonover 
built  a  wagon-shop  in  connection  with  the 
foundry.  The  earliest  wagons  made  in  the 
Minisink  Valley  bad  cumbersome  felloes  pinned 
together  without  any  tire.  Simon  Heller  and 
William  Clark  built  (lie  grist-mill  now  owned 
by  Jacob  H.  Place,  and  William  Place  the  hotel 
now  owned  by  his  son,  H.  J.  Place. 

John  L.  Swartwood  erected  the  blacksmith 
and  wheelwright-shop  now  occupied  by  hisson- 
in-law,  William  B.  Turn.  Webb  Wallace  and 
Thomas  Newman  built  the  house  now  occupied 
by  William  Turn.  Oren  Sanford  and  Chauncy 
Dimmick  built  the  fulling  and  carding-mill  now 
occupied  by  Proctor.  Adam  Overpack  had  a 
tannery  in  Bushkill  in  1812,  and  Frederick 
Yadican,  from  Connecticut,  conducted  a  store 
at  the  same  time.  John  Heller  built  a  tannery 
on  the  little  Bushkill,  where  upper  leather  is 
oak  tanned.  In  1880  Frank  Denegri  purchased 
the  property,  which  is  in  full  operation  with 
twenty  vats.  Charles  L.  Heller  says  that  his 
grandfather,  Simon  Heller,  bought  the  property 
of  his  great-grandfather,  whose  name  bethinks 
was  John. 

Simon  Heller  married  Sarah  Carpenter,  their 
children  being  Sarah,  wife  of  Simeon  Schoon- 
over, who  lives  in  Maple  Grove,  and  is  nearly 
eighty  years  of  age ;  Mary,  wife  of  Samuel  G. 
Schoonover;  Amos  Heller,  who  lived  in  Phila- 
delphia ;  and  Susan,  who  married  Conrad  Ivin- 
ter  and  moved  West.  John  Heller  lived  on  the 
homestead  ;  was  justice  of  the  peace  for  twenty- 
five  years,  county  treasurer  and  associate  judge 


:m 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


of"  Pike  County,  and  an  honest  business  num. 
He  built  the  tannery  and  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness for  many  years.  I  lis  wife  was  Julia  A. 
Smith.  His  son,  Mahlon  G.  Heller,  resides  iu 
Fori  Wayne,  Indiana,  and  was  twice  a  member 
of  the  Legislature;  Amos  Heller  was  killed  by 
the  cars;  Charles  L.  Heller  lives  on  the  home- 
stead, and  is  by  trade  a  printer  and  harness- 
maker  ;  Mary  E.  married  Oliver  Smith,  and 
lives  in  Smithfield  ;  Ella  J.  married  G.  O.  Car- 
michael  ;  Sarah  E.  married  Webb  Quick,  who 
was  a  partner  in  the  tannery  when  he  died  ; 
John  M.  Heller,  who  had  the  first  wheelwright- 
shop,  afterward  conducted  a  carriage- works  in 
Milford,  and  later  still  in  Port  Jervis. 

Of  John  M.  Heller's  children,  George  R. 
Heller,  who  lived  in  Milford,  became  associate 
judge,  and  Martin  V.  Heller  is  an  Erie  Rail- 
road agent  at  Port  Jervis;  Ira  B.  N.  Heller 
was  a  printer,  a  trade  which  he  learned  in  the 
Milford  Herald  office. 

David  Smith  lived  in  Lehman,  was  a  lien- 
tenant  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  a  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  militia.  He  married  Mary  Stack- 
house.  His  son,  Jacob  J.  Smith,  lives  on  the 
homestead,  and  is  remarkably  well-versed  in 
the  early  history  of  Lehman.  James  S.  Smith 
was  sheriff  of  Pike  County  ;  Oliver  Smith,  a 
millwright,  lives  in  Smithfield ;  Elenor  was 
the  wife  of  James  Schuman. 

Peter  La  Par  was  an  old  settler  in  Bushkill. 
He  was  a  weaver,  kept  two  looms  in  his  house, 
and  wove  cloths  for  the  settlers.  He  had  a 
large  family,  all  of  whom  are  dead. 

Jeremiah  Fleming  lived  near  where  the  pres- 
ent bark-house  now  stands,  and  perished  in  a 
snow-storm  about  one  mile  from  Bushkill. 

John  Heller  kept  the  first  log  tavern  where 
Mrs.  E.  E.  Peters  is  now  located,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Henry  Peters.  The  first  tavern-sign 
was  a  little  brown  jug  hung  up  in  the  attic. 
Israel  Bensley  had  this  tavern  for  a  short 
time.  Joseph  H.  Place  also  has  a  hotel  in 
Maple  Grove.  Samuel  G.  Peters  succeeded  his 
father  in  the  mercantile  business.  Bushkill  is 
an  independent  school  district,  including  Maple 
Grove,  in  Middle  Smithfield  township.  The 
building  is  located  across  the  Bushkill,  in  Maple 
Grove. 


Old  Simeon  Sehoonover  says  "the  first  school 
that  he  can  remember  was  on  top  of  the  Hog 
Pack  Hill,  which  is  on  Smithfield  side.  The 
school-house  was  made  of  logs,  and  one  side  of 
it  tumbled  down  so  that  the  sheep  used  to  occu- 
py it  with  us.  They  would  take  possession, anil 
we  had  to  drive  them  out.  I  think  Jack  Rob- 
ison  was  teacher."  There  is  a  Dutch  Reformed 
Church1  in  Bushkill,  organized  in  connection 
with  the  church  across  the  river,  in  1737.  The 
first  church  edifice  erected  for  the  congregation 
worshipping  at  Bushkill  was  in  1832  (the 
year  of  the  great  revival),  the  lot  for  which 
was  given  by  Henry  Peters.  It  was  commenced 
iu  the  spring  of  1832,  while  the  Rev.  David 
Cushingwas  preaching,  and  completed  in  1833. 
It  is  said  to  have  been  due  to  his  efforts  in  no 
small  degree  that  the  house  was  completed.  He 
assisted  in  cutting  timber  for  the  frame,  on  the 
church  farm  in  Sandyston,  and  helped  raft  and 
run  it  down  the  river.  Out  of  ninety  dollars 
received  at  this  point  for  his  services,  he  sub- 
scribed fifty  dollars  towards  the  erection  of  the 
church.  Its  cost  was  a  little  over  two  thousand 
dollars.  The  building  committee  were  Simeon 
Sehoonover,  John  M.  Heller  and  James  Nyce. 
The  new  church  is  sixty  feet  long,  with  tower 
projection  and  pulpit  recess  seventy  feet,  and 
thirty  eight  feet  wide.  Henry  M.  Labar,  John 
M.  Swartwood  and  P.  J.  Guillot  were  building 
committee  until  the  building  was  inclosed,  and 
Jacob  Nyce,  William  Sehoonover  and  John 
Heller  at  the  time  of  its  completion.  Cost  of 
edifice,  $5359.95.  Dedicated  January  13, 1874, 
by  Rev.  S.  W.  Mills,  of  Port  Jervis,  who 
preached  the  historical  discourse  in  the  morning, 
and  Rev.  E.  P.  Rogers,  D.D.,  of  New  York, 
preached  the  dedicatoiy  sermon  in  the  after- 
noon. 

Walpack  Bend,  Bushkill.  —  Walpack 
Bend,  at  Bushkill,  on  the  dividing  line  between 
Monroe  and  Pike  Counties,  has  never  received 
that  notice  from  the  press  which  its  merits  de- 
serve. Its  curious  conformation  and  natural 
beauties  will,  when  fully  known,  make  it  a  de- 
sirable point  for  summer  tourists. 

The    Delaware    River,  rising  in  the  State  of 


church  history  of  Delaware. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


New  York,  runs  nearly  south  until  it  strikes  the 
Blue  Range,  at  Carpenter's  Point,  near  Port 
Jervis.  Having  no  other  course  to  take,  the 
Delaware  turns  nearly  at  a  right  angle  and  runs 
along  the  base  of  the  mountain  in  a  westerly 
direction.  The  Blue  Mountains,  at  this  point, 
is  nearly  a  solid  mountain,  but  a  small  stream 
here  starts  out  westerly,  parallel  to  the  Delaware 
River,  and  but  a  short  distance  from  it.  This 
stream,  known  as  Flat  Brook,  increases  in  size  as 
it  flows  on,  until  it  appears  to  have  worn  a  deep 
valley,  dividing,  as  it  were,  the  mountain  into 
two  different  ranges.  When  the  waters  of  the 
Delaware  reach  the  village  of  Bushkill,  in  Pike 
County,  it  receives  the  waters  of  the  Bushkill 
Creek,  a  large  stream  made  up  of  various 
streams  which  run  from  the  highlands  of  Pike 
and  Monroe  Counties. 

Receiving  then  the  waters  of  the  Bushkill, 
the  Delaware  turns  back  on  itself,  as  it  were, 
and  runs  nearly  east  for  some  distance  and  there 
meets  the  waters  of  the  Flat  Brook,  which  has 
been  paralleling  it  from  Carpenter's  Point,  a 
distance  of  nearly  thirty  miles.  In  thus  going 
north  the  Delaware  runs  along  the  south  side  of 
the  northerly  range  of  the  mountains  formed  by 
the  Flat  Brook  and  known  as  Godfrey's  Ridge. 
Then  receiving  the  waters  of  the  Flat  Brook, 
the  Delaware  makes  another  short  turn,  and 
flows  along  the  base  of  the  main  range  of  the 
Blue  Mountains  to  the  Delaware  Water  Gap, 
where  it  again  turns  to  the  south,  flows  through 
the  well-known  gap  and  passes  on  to  the  sea. 
The  bend  thus  formed  at  Bushkill  is  known  as 
Walpack  Bend.  From  a  point  just  above  the 
village  of  Bushkill,  a  long-range  rifle  will  throw 
its  charge  three  times  across  the  Delaware.  The 
scenery  about  the  Bend  is  beautiful,  and  the 
fishing  for  black  bass  is  reported  to  be  the  best 
on  the  Delaware  River.  The  summer  tourists 
who  patronize  the  summer  resorts  at  Bushkill 
enjoy  the  beauties  of  the  Bend ;  but  what  is 
wanted  are  large  and  commodious  hotels  or 
boarding-houses  on  the  high  points  of  God- 
frey's Ridge  in  New  Jersey,  or  on  the  correspond- 
ing highland  on  Hog  Back,  which  is  the  eu- 
phonious name  given  to  that  same  range  in 
Monroe  County.  When  this  is  done,  Walpack 
Bend  and  its  beauties  will  be  known  to.  and  en- 


joyed by,  thousands  who  have  never  heard  of  it 
before. 

Among  the  prominent  men  of  New  Jersey 
was  John  Cleves  Symmes,  who  lived  just  across 
the  Delaware  from  Bushkill  in  Revolutionary 
times.  Under  the  new  Constitution  of  New 
Jersey  he  was  the  first  councilor.  He  was  one 
of  the  County  Committee  of  Safety  that  held  a 
session  at  a  court-house  in  New  Jersey  the  10th 
and  11th  of  August,  1775,  about  eleven  months 
before  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1776,  Colonel  John  ( '.  Symmes  re- 
paired with  the  battalion  under  his  command 
and  formed  a  part  of  the  brigade  of  Colonel 
Jacob  Ford.  On  the  14th  of  December  in  that 
year,  while  quartered  at  Chatham,  charged  with 
the  duty  of  covering  the  retreat  of  Washington 
through  New  Jersey,  Colonel  Ford  received  in- 
telligence that  eight  hundred  British  troops, 
commanded  by  General  Leslie,  had  advanced  to 
Springfield,  four  miles  from  Chatham,  and  or- 
dered Colonel  Symmes  to  proceed  to  Springfield 
and  check  the  enemy,  if  possible.  Accordingly, 
Colonel  Symmes,  with  a  detachment  of  the  bri- 
gade, marched  to  that  village  and  attacked  the 
British  in  the  evening.  This  was  one  of  the 
first  checks  Leslie  met  with  after  leaving  Eliza- 
bethtown,  but  others  soon  followed,  and  his  fur- 
ther progress  in  that  direction  was  effectually 
stopped.  Colonel  Symmes  being  soon  after 
made  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
New  Jersey,  his  judicial  duties  compelled  him  to 
retire  from  the  field.  A  few  years  alter  the  in- 
dependence of  the  United  States  was  established 
Colonel  Symmes  removed  to  Ohio  and  became 
the  pioneer  settler  on  the  Ohio  between  the 
Miami  Rivers.  Here,  at  North  Bend,  Judge 
Symmes  laid  out  a  town  to  be  called  the  <  lity  of 
Symmes,  but  Cincinnati  having  been  selected 
for  the  station  of  the  government  troops  and 
location  of  Fort  Washington,  emigrants  flocked 
thither  on  account  of  the  protection  afforded  by 
the  fort.  Judge  Symmes  repurchased  most  of 
the  land  he  had  sold  and  abandoned  the  project 
of  a  city. 

Soon  after  the  organization  of  the  Northwes- 
tern Territory,  Judge  Symmes  was  appointed 
(February  19,  1788)  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  Territory  and  attended  the 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


sittings  of  the  court  at  Detroit  and  Marietta.  In 
the  year  1 808  he  built  a  large  aud  costly  house 
at  Great  Bend,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire,  the 
work  of  an  incendiary,  whose  aspirations  for  the 
great  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  the  judge  did 
not  encourage.  Colonel  Symmes  was  educated 
to  the  law,  but  never  practiced  that  profession. 
About  1760  he  removed  from  Long  Island  to 
Walpack,  Sussex  County,  N.  J.,  where  he  be- 
came the  owner  of  several  hundred  acres  of  choice 
land  in  Flatbrook  Valley,  including- the  present 
site  of  the  village  of  Walpack  Centre.  In  this 
neighborhood  he  erected  a  dwelling  and  planted 
an  orchard.  On  the  opposite  side  of  Flat  Brook 
he  built  a  grist-mill  on  a  mountain  stream.  In 
this  secluded  valley  home,  nestled  between  the 
mountains,  Symmes  brought  his  accomplished 
wife,  Anna  Livingston,  whose  father,  William 
Livingston,  became,  in  1776,  the  patriot  Gover- 
nor of  New  Jersey.  Sarah  Van  Brugh,  another 
of  Governor  Livingston's  daughters,  became 
the  wife  of  Joiin  Jay,  president  of  the  first  Con- 
gress, Governor  of  New  York  and  chief  justice 
of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  Mrs. 
Symmes  died  July  25,  1776,  and  was  buried  in 
the  old  Shapanack  burying-ground,  but  a  few 
hundred  yards  from  the  banks  of  the  Delaware, 
near  the  ruins  of  the  old  Shapanack  Dutch 
Church,  which  was  erected  before  the  Revolu- 
tion, being  built  of  logs  of  an  octagonal  shape. 
On  a  plain  marble  slab  which  marks  the  spot  is 
the  following  inscription  : 

"  In  Remembrance  of 
Mrs.  Anna  Symmes, 
who  was  born  October,  1741,  married  to  Honble  .Inn. 
C.  Symmes  30th  Oct.,  1760,  and   died  2~>  July,  1770, 
leaving  two  daughters,  Maria  and  Anna." 

Maria  married  Major  Peyton  Short,  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  Anna  married  William  Henry  Har- 
rison, afterwards  President  of  the  United  States. 
The  following  letter  explains  itself  : 

"  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  Aug.  14th,  1871. 

"  My  Dear  Sir  : — Circumstances,  partly  beyond 
my  control,  have  prevented  an  earlier  reply  to  your 
letter  relative  to  the  graves  of  Mrs.  John  Cleves  Sym- 
mes, in  Shapanack,  Sussex  County,  N.  J.,  and  I  now 
have  the  pleasure  to  say  that  about  18f>l  my  son 
Charles  had  his  attention  called  to  the  unprotected 
condition  of  the  grave  by  Miss  Dinah  Wy nkoop,  then 
a  resident   on   the   Dewitt  farm.     My   son    wrote   to 


Mrs.  Annie  Harrison,  one  of  the  daughters  of  Mrs. 
Symmes,  and  widow  of  President  Harrison,  residing 
at  Cleves,  Ohio,  who  immediately  authorized  him  to 
secure  the  title  to  the  property  and  have  a  wall  erected 
around  the  grave.  My  son,  who  resided  at  Easton,  Pa., 
immediately  communicated  Mrs.  Harrison's  wishes  to 
me  and  I  had  them  carried  out,  except  the  purchase 
of  title.  About  the  same  time  Mrs.  Harrison  had 
Gustav  Greenewold,  an  artist  of  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  to 
visit  the  spot  and  make  a  painting  of  the  place,  which 
was  done  in  a  very  handsome  manner,  and  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  Mrs.  Harrison.  The  painting  was  sent  to 
her  at  her  residence  in  Cleves,  a  short  distance  below 
Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

"  Truly  Yours,  &c, 

"  A.  G.  Brodhead. 
'*  To  Thomas  G.  Bunnell,  Esq.,  Newton,  N.  J." 

John  Cleves  Symmes  died  February  20,  1814, 
in  the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age,  and  was 
buried  at.  North  Bend.  The  Symmes  family 
trace  their  descent  from  Rev.  Zachariah  Symmes, 
who  was  born  at  Canterbury,  England,  April  5, 
1599,  and  came  to  New  England  in  1634,  in 
the  .same  ship  with  Ann  Hutchinson  and  Johu 
Lathrop. 

He  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Charlestowu, 
Mass.,  which  position  he  held  until  his  death, 
February  4,  1671.  His  son  William  came 
with  him  to  this  country.  He  was  a  sea-cap- 
tain, and  died  September  22,  1091,  leaving  a 
son  Timothy,  who  was  born  in  1683.  He  was 
a  farmer,  and  lived  near  Scituate,  Mass.  His 
son  Timothy  was  educated  for  the  ministry, 
having  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1733. 
His  first  wife  was  Mary  Cleves.  In  1742  he 
went  to  River  Head,  Long  Island,  where  his 
two  sous, — John  Cleves  Symmes,  the  subject  of 
the  above  sketch,  and  Timothy  Synnnes,  who 
was  an  active  man  during  the  Revolution,  and 
a  judge, — were  born.  Timothy's  son,  John 
Cleves  Symmes  (2d),  gained  considerable  noto- 
riety by  advancing  the  novel  theory  that  the 
earth,  like  an  eviscerated  pumpkin,  was  hol- 
low, that  its  interior  was  habitable,  and  that  an 
orifice  to  enter  this  terrestrial  ball  would  un- 
doubtedly be  found  at  the  North  Pole.  This 
theory  attracted  great  attention  throughout  the 
United  States  some  forty  years  ago,  more  espe- 
cially as  a  very  eloquent  lawyer,  named  Rey- 
uold,  became  a  convert  to  Symmes'  views,  and 
made  addresses  in  support  of  their  soundness  iu 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


933 


all  of  the  principal  cities.  Poor  Symmes 
wearied  out  his  existence  in  a  vain  effort  to 
procure  means  for  fitting  an  expedition  to  ex- 
plore the  under  shell  of  the  earth.  He  gained, 
however,  more  kicks  thau  coppers,  and  only 
succeeded  in  furnishing  the  wags  and  wits  of 
the  land  a  theme  to  exercise  their  waggery  upon. 
"  Sy  mines'  Hole  "  not  only  figured  in  the  news- 
papers, but  grog-shops  bore  it  upon  their  signs, 
with  various  devices  to  illustrate  it.  One  was 
the  representation  of  a  hollow  watermelon  with 
a  tiny  mouse  peeping  out  of  the  orifice  at  its 
polar  extremity  to  see  if  Symmes'  expedition 
had  come  in  sight. 

William  Custard  settled  on  the  river  road, 
two  miles  north  of  Bushkill,  in  or  about  the 
year  1790,  and  bought  of  Ezekiel  Schooaover 
and  others.  He  was  a  farmer,  his  wife  being 
Elizabeth  Van  Campen,  a  daughter  of  John 
Van  Campen.  His  children  were  Benjamin, 
who  lived  in  Smithfield  ;  William,  who  lived 
on  part  of  the  homestead  ;  Susanna,  the  wife  of 
William  Place,  who  built  a  hotel  at  Mellener's 
Cove,  in  1838.  It  was  formerly  a  gnat  stop- 
ping-place  for  raftmen,  as  there  is  a  wide  eddy 
at  this  place.  Mason  Dimmick  had  a  hotel 
here  years  ago.  He  was  one  of  the  first  school- 
teachers at  Milford  and  Dingman's  Ferry.  He 
was  also  associate  judge,  county  commissioner 
and  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  fiually  moved  to  Smithfield,  and  died  there. 
His  only  daughter  married  Thomas  Newman. 
The  other  children  of  William  Custard  were 
John  V.  Custard  ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John 
Hannas ;  Mason  IX  and  Cyrus,  twins,  all  of 
whom  located  in  the  vicinity  of  the  homestead. 

Jacobus  Van  Gordon  owned  land  on  the 
Pennsylvania  side  of  the  river  during  the  In- 
dian troubles,  kept  stock  there  and  cultivated 
the  farm.  There  was  a  fort  on  the  Jersey  side, 
opposite  Van  Camp's  Mill  Creek.  We  have 
documentary  evidence  as  to  the  ownership  of 
this  land  since  1742,  which  is  as  early  as  any  of 
Allen's  deeds  to  the  settlers.  William  F.  Al- 
len patented  all  the  Minisink  lands  in  1727, 
after  it  was  known  that  they  were  settled ; 
hence  no  documentary  evidence  in  the  form  of 
deeds  can  give  a  clue  as  to  the  period  when  this 
region  was  first  settled.     It,  however,  indicates 


the  owners  at  the  times  named  in  the  deed. 
From  parchment  deeds  in  possession  of  Randall 
Van  Gordon,  we  find  that  Daniel  Van  Campen 
and  Aunchy,  his  wife,  of  Upper  Smithfield, 
Northampton  County,  for  five  hundred  pounds 
proclamation  money  of  the  State  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, sold  to  Cobus  or  James  Van  Gordon,  of 
Delaware  township,  a  piece  of  land  containing 
"  34  and  §  acres  and  36  square  rods,"  being  one- 
third  of  land  sold  by  Jan  Van  Campen  and 
Lena,  his  wife,  deceased,  to  Abraham  Van 
Campen,  also  deceased,  lying  between  lands  of 
Garrett  Brink,  now  Isaac  Van  Campen  and 
Houser  Brink,  except  ten  acres,  reserved  to 
Abraham  Van  Campen,  the  said  grantor,  said 
deed  from  Jan  Van  Campen  and  his  wife,  Lena, 
being  confirmed  to  Abraham  Van  Campen  in 
1742.  Jacobus  Van  Gordon  purchased  "one- 
fourth  of  an  acre  and  twenty-one  rods  and  a 
half  of  land,"  of  Daniel  Van  Campen  in  1775, 
and  paid  him  seven  pounds  therefor.  On  a 
survey  of  lands  to  Jacobus  Van  Gordon  in 
1784,  Van  Camp's  Mill  Creek  is  mentioned, 
which  indicates  that  the  Van  Campens  were 
among  the  pioneer  settlers  in  Lehman,  and  that 
they  probably  had  mills  and  farms.  A  number 
of  stories  are  told  about  the  adventures  of  the 
Van  Campens  and  Van  Gordons  with  the  In- 
dians. One  of  the  Van  Campen  boys  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians,  and  a  party 
started  in  pursuit.  They  overtook  the  savages 
one  and  a  half  miles  beyond  Porter's  Lake,  at 
a  place  called  the  "Indian  Cabins,"  which 
are  holes  or  caves  under  the  rocks.  There 
the  Indians  halted,  camped  all  night  and  built 
a  fire,  making  it  a  very  comfortable  place. 
About  sunrise,  when  the  pursuing  party  arrived 
at  the  foot  log  across  the  Bushkill,  they  saw  a 
smoke  at  this  camping-place.  Soon  they  saw 
an  Indian  stir  the  fire,  and  shortly  after  an- 
other Indian  came  out,  young  Van  Campen 
following,  with  his  hands  tied  behind  him. 
Two  of  the  pursuing  party  fired,  and  the  two 
Indians  dropped  dead.  Young  Van  Campen 
ran  in  the  direction  of  the  smoke  of  the  guns, 
while  the  rest  of  the  Indians  fled  behind  the 
hills.  Old  Jacobus  Van  Gordon  had  cattle 
and  raised  crops  on  the  Pennsylvania  side. 
He  was  the  hero  of  many  narrow  escapes  from 


934 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Indians,  and  on  one  occasion  was  rescued  while 
protecting  the  milk-maids  after  a  fierce  strug- 
gle. 

In  those  troublesome  times  the  garrisons  were 
on  the  alert  and  easily  aroused.  Once  the 
Indians  captured  Van  Gordon's  servant  girl,  but 
a  pursuing  party  retook  her.  The  tradition 
about  a  boat-load  of  laborers  being  shot,  with 
the  exception  of  one  child,  who  was  not  killed, 
exists  among  the  families  here,  the  child  having 
escaped  by  lying  flat  on  its  face.  The  boat 
floated  over  to  the  Jersey  shore. '  There  is  also 
the  same  tradition  about  several  of  the  Deckers 
being  killed,  which  doubtless  refers  to  the  battle 
of  Conashangh.  Thus  did  the  settlers  from 
Cave  Bank  to  Bushkill  live  in  constant  alarm 
when  they  cultivated  their  land  or  gathered 
their  crops.  True,  there  was  Fort  Hyndshaw 
on  the  Bushkill,  and  the  forts  across  the  Dela- 
ware, but  it  was  comparatively  safe  for  the 
Indians  to  carry  off  a  defenseless  milk-maid  or 
shoot  a  reaper  from  some  hiding-place  in  the 
rocks,  an  opportunity  exercised  so  frequently 
that  the  inhabitants  on  the  Pennsylvania  side 
were  nearly  all  driven  across  to  New  Jersey  for 
security. 

Jacobus  Van  Gordon's  sons  were  Moses, 
Isaac,  Abraham  and  David.  His  daughters 
were  Susanna,  wife  of  John  Van  Campen ; 
Mary,  wife  of  Peregrine  Jones  ;  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  John  Henry.  Solomon  Rosecranse  also  mar- 
ried one  of  the  daughters.  Of  these  sons,  Moses 
was  the  only  one  who  remained  in  Lehman 
(then  Delaware).  He  married  Elizabeth  Van 
Etten,  and  was  a  farmer.  His  children  were 
John,  who  lived  north  of  the  homestead  on  the 
river  road ;  James  who  settled  south  of  the 
homestead  in  the  old  stone  house,  built  by  his 
grandfather.  He  was  for  many  years  justice 
of  the  peace.  His  son  Randall  had  the  place  a 
number  of  years,  but  finally  sold  it  to  Henry  C. 
Bowcn  and  purchased  the  Delaware  House,  at 
Dingman's  Ferry,  of  John  Lattimore,  where  he 
now  lives. 

Elizabeth  Van  Gordon  is  the  wife  of  James 
Brisco,  who  keeps  the  Half- Way  House  between 
Dingman's   Ferry    and    Bushkill.     Of    James 


See  history  of  Westfall  township. 


Van  Gordon's  children,  Moses  and  John  settled 
in  Lehman. 

Alexander  Van  Gordon  lived  in  Lehman, 
where  Dr.  Linderman  afterward  resided,  before 
1800.  His  children  were  Benjamin,  Joseph, 
Isaac  P.  Simeon  and  Mary.  These  children 
all  moved  to  Butler  County,  Ohio,  excepting 
Isaac  P.  and  Mary.  Isaac  P.  Van  ({onion 
bought  the  Abram  Steele  property,  in  Delaware 
township,  back  of  Dingman's  Ferry,  where 
he  lived  the  life  of  a  farmer.  J.  Wilson  Van 
Gordon,  one  of  his  sons,  was  sheriff  of  Pike 
County  one  term.  Hannah  J.  is  the  wife  of 
Jacob  Hornbeck,  and  Isaac  W.  Van  Gordou  is 
a  farmer. 

Genealogy  of  the  Brodhead  Family. 
— Daniel  Brodhead,  of  Yorkshire,  England, 
was  the  ancestor  of  the  Brod heads  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  was  captain  of  grenadiers  which 
were  part  of  the  forces  which  Colonel  Richard 
Nicolls  brought  over  in  1 664  by  authority  of 
( 'harles  II.,  King  of  England,  against  the 
Dutch. 

After  the  capture  of  New  Amsterdam  (now 
New  York),  from  the  Dutch,  in  1664,  all  the 
dependencies  of  the  Dutch  government,  on  the 
Hudson  River,  also  surrendered  to  Colonel 
Nicolls.  Captain  Brodhead  was  commissioned 
September  14,  1665,  "Chief  Officer  of  the 
Militia  in  the  Esopus,"  in  Ulster  County, 
where  he  settled  with  his  wife,  Ann  Tye,  also 
of  Yorkshire.  He  died  at  Esopus,  July  14, 
1667,  leaving  three  sons, — Daniel,  Charles  and 
Richard. 

The  son,  Richard  Brodhead,  born  in  1666, 
married  a  Miss  Jansen,  and  settled  at  Marble- 
town,  Ulster  County,  N.  Y.,  about  seven  miles 
west  of  Esopus.  His  son  Daniel,  born  April 
20,  1693,  and  named  after  his  grandfather, 
married  Hestei-jWyngart,  of  Albany,  and,  about 
the  year  1738,  moved  to  Pennsylvania  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  on  Brodhead's  Creek  (named  for 
him),  and  on  which  is  now  located  the  borough 
of  East  Stroudsburg.  He  called  his  settlement 
Dansbury,  and  as  such,  it  was  known  for  many 
years.  He  was  one  of  the  first  justices  for 
Northampton  County,  established  in  1752,  and 
a  son,  Charles  Brodhead,  was  on  the  first  grand 
jury  called   for  the  new  county.     He  and  his 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


:i::r> 


sons  were  famous  in  their  day  as  Indian 
fighters.  He  died  at  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  July  22, 
1755. 

His  son  Daniel  was  a  surveyor,  was  colonel 
of  the  Eighth  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  on 
Continental  Establishment,  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  War  of  Independence  until  1781, 
when  he  was  made  colonel  of  the  First  Penn- 
sylvania Regiment.  From  1778  to  1781  he  was, 
by  appointment  of  General  Washington,  made 
commander  of  the  Western  Department,  with 
headquarters  at  Fort  Pitt  (now  Pittsburgh), and 
was  honored  by  Congress  with  a  vote  of  thanks 
for  the  skill  and  ability  with  which  he  managed 
his  department.  After  the  war  he  followed  his 
profession  as  surveyor,  and  was  also  one  of  the 
State  justices.  Upon  the  adoption  of  the  Con- 
stitution of  Pennsylvania  of  1789  and  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  office  of  surveyor-general,  he 
was  made  the  first  surveyor-general  of  the 
State,  which  office  he  held  for  several  years. 
He  died  at  Milford,  Pa.,  in  1809,  and  is  buried 
in  the  beautiful  cemetery  at  that  place,  where  a 
handsome  monument  details  his  services. 

He  had  only  one  son,  also  named  Daniel  (by 
his  first  wife,  Elizabeth  De  Pue),  who  was  also 
an  officer  during  the  Revolution.  Pie  was  sent 
to  Virginia  in  1779,  in  charge  of  the  prisoners 
of  General  Burgoyue's  army.  He  subsequently 
settled  in  Virginia  and  raised  a  family.  Colo- 
nel James  O.  Brodhead,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  who 
has  achieved  a  national  reputation,  is  a  grandson 
of  his. 

Garret  Brodhead,  also  a  sou  of  Daniel  Brod- 
head, the  first  settler  of  the  family  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  a  brother  of  General  Brodhead,  was 
a  lieutenant  in  a  New  Jersey  regiment,  al- 
though a  Peunsylvaniau,  during  the  Revolution. 
He  married  Jane  Davis,  of  New  York  State,  and 
settled  on  his  lather's  farm  (uow  East  Strouds- 
burg),  where  he  raised  a  large  family,  and  died 
at  Stroudsburg  in  1804.  His  children  were 
John,  Daniel,  Richard,  George,  Elizabeth  (who 
married  Dr.  Francis  J.  Smith),  Rachel  (who 
married  David  Dills)  and  Samuel.  One  of  his 
sons,  Richard,  who  was  born  at  Stroudsburg, 
July  26,  1771,  and  subsequently  married  Han- 
nah Drake,  of  Stroudsburg,  was  the  person  who 
figured   conspicuously   during    his    life   in   the 


history  of  Wayne  and  Pike  Counties.  He  was 
a  man  of  splendid  physique,  over  six  feet  high 
and  of  stern  and  serious  character. 

He  took  great  interest  in  State  affairs,  regard- 
ing it  as  a  conscientious  duty,  and  he  looked 
upon  the  civil  and  political  duties  of  man  as 
matters  of  serious  obligation.  When  Wayne 
County  was  organized,  in  1799,  although  not 
thirty  years  of  age,  he  was  appointed  first 
sheriff  of  the  county  by  the  Governor  of  Penn- 
sylvania. In  a  paper  written  by  himself  in 
November,  1842,  he  thus  enumerates  the  offices 
he  has  held  as  follows  : 

1.  Sheriff  of  Wayne.  2.  Two  years  in  the  Legis- 
lature (1802  and  1803).  3.  Eleven  years  associate 
judge.  4.  Collector  of  United  States  revenue  tor 
Wayne  County  and  Pike  during  the  War  of  1812.  5. 
Appointed  State  commissioner  1  >y  Governor  McKean, 
iu  connection  with  General  Horn,  of  Easton,  to  in- 
vestigate the  expeditures  of  five  thousand  pounds, 
granted  by  the  State  to  David  Kittenhouse,  to  im- 
prove the  navigation  of  the  Delaware  River  from 
Trenton  to  Stockport,  (i.  Postmaster  seven  years. 
7.  Major  of  the  Second  Battalion,  One  Hundred  and 
Third  Kegiment  Militia.  8.  Prothonotary  for  Pike 
County.  9.  County  commissioner.  10.  All  the 
township  offices,  of  all  kinds,  except  constable.  11. 
County  auditor.  12.  Executor  of  rive  estates.  And 
I  now,  hereby,  bid  defiance  to  all  heirs,  legatees, 
creditors  and  others  to  prove  that  I  have  ever 
wronged  any  man. 

Judge  Brodhead,  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  life,  resided  on  his  farm,  on  the  Delaware 
River,  then  called  Wheat  Plains,  fourteen  miles 
below  Milford,  (uow  owned  by  Charles  Swarl- 
out),  where  he  moved  about  1791.  He  had 
a  post-office  established  at  his  house  called 
Delaware,  which  was  kept  on  that  spot  for 
nearly  half  a  century.  A  few  years  before  his 
death  Judge  Brodhead  moved  to  Milford, 
where  he  died  November  11,  1843. 

He  left  quite  a  large  family,  and  all  the  sons 
became  quite  prominent  citizens. 

One  son,  Wm.  Brodhead,  who  recently  died 
in  Milford,  married  Susan  Coolbaugh,  and  was 
one  of  the  best  business  men  ever  produced  in 
Pike  County.  He  was  several  years  commis- 
sioner and  judge  of  the  courts,  and  as  a  land 
lawyer  was  probably  equal  to  any  lawyer  in 
the  State,  although  not  a  lawyer  by  profession. 
He  was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,    and  lived 


936 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


late  enough  to  be  yet  remembered  by  the  peo- 
ple of  the  county,  whose  interests,  when  entrust- 
ed to  him,  he  guarded  so  well. 

Another  sou,  Garret  Brodhead,  married  Cor- 
nelia Dingman,  daughter  of  Judge  Dingman, 
and  resided  in  Pike  County  on  a  farm  near  his 
father's,  where  he  acted  well  his  part  as  citizen 
and  neighbor.  He  subsequently  moved  to 
Maucb  Chunk,  where  he  died. 

He  left  four  sons,  all  living  in  the  Lehigh 
Valley  and  connected  with  the  different  coal 
and  railroad  interests. 

One  son,  Albert  G.  Brodhead,  Jr.,  is  at  present 
superintendent  of  the  Beaver  Meadow  Division 
of  the  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad,  and  has  also 
been  judge  of  the  courts  of  Carbon  County  and 
State  Senator  from  that  county. 

Another  sou  of  Judge  Richard  Brodhead, 
Charles  Brodhead,  married  Mary  Brown,  of 
Stroudsburg,  and  located  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  what  is  now  called  Brodheadsville, 
on  the  Easton  and  Wilkes  Barre  turnpike.  He 
died  young,  but  his  establishment  became  the  nu- 
cleus of  a  thriving  ami  lovely  little  village.  His 
son,  Charles  D.  Brodhead,  remained  there  in  the 
mercantile  business  for  many  years,  but  later  re- 
moved to  Stroudsburg,  where  he  is  still  actively 
engaged  in  business.  He  has  been  Representa- 
tive, Senator,  and  is  now  oue  of  the  judges  of 
Monroe  County,  elected  without  opposition,  and 
highly  esteemed  by  all. 

Albert  G.  Brodhead,  another  sou  of  Judge 
Richard  Brodhead,  was  born  at  the  old  home- 
stead, Wheat  Plains,  Lehman  township,  Pike 
County,  (then  Wayne),  August  1(3,  1799.  In 
1823  he  married  Ellen  Middagh,  and  removed 
to  the  village  of  Conyngham,  in  Luzerne  Coun- 
ty, Pa.  He  engaged  largely  in  the  mercantile 
and  lumbering  business,  was  elected  four  terms 
to  the  Legislature  from  Luzerne  County,  and 
during  his  residence  there  was  probably  as 
popular  and  respected  a  man  as  lived  in  the 
county.  In  1838  he  purchased  the  "  Brodhead 
Homestead,"  at  Wheat  Plains,  from  his  father, 
where  he  resided,  universally  resj)ected,  until 
1865,  when  he  removed  to  Bethlehem,  Pa., 
where  his  only  son,  Charles  Brodhead,  resided, 
and  still  lives,  a  popular,  representative  citizen 
of  character  and  influence.     He  is  the  owner  of 


the  Moravian  Sun  Inn,  which  was  established 
in  Bethlehem  in  1758,  the  walls  of  which  he 
has  adorned  with  old  and  rare  paintings. 

Here  he  resided  until  July  18,  1880,  when 
he  peacefully  passed  away,  and  is  buried  in  the 
Moravian  Cemetery  in  that  place. 

Richard  Brodhead,  the  youngest  son  of 
Judge  Richard  Brodhead,  left  Pike  County  in 
1830,  to  study  law  with  Hon.  James  M.  Por- 
ter, then  the  leading  lawyer  of  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania. After  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  he 
entered  actively  in  politics. 

He  was  elected  three  successive  terms  to  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  Pennsylvania  by 
Northampton  Count}'.  He  was  elected  three 
successive  terms  to  Congress,  by  the  old  Tenth 
District, — Northampton,  Carbon,  Mouroe,  Pike 
and  Wayne, — and  in  1850  was  nominated  and 
elected  by  the  Democrats  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Legislature  to  the  United  States  Senate.  He 
served  six  years  with  great  acceptability  to  the 
business  men  of  Pennsylvania,  and  with  great 
credit  to  himself.  He  entered  Congress  poor  ; 
he  served  there  for  twelve  years,  and  return- 
ed poor,  but  with  a  character  for  integrity, 
honesty  and  purity  of  purpose  second  to  none. 
He  was  succeeded  in  the  Senate  by  Gen.  Simon 
Cameron. 

In  1849  he  married  Jane  Bradford,  of  Mis- 
sissippi, a  niece  of  Jefferson  Davis.  In  1856, 
after  bis  retirement  from  the  United  States 
Senate,  he  lived  a  retired  life  at  Easton,  where 
he  died  in  September  1863. 

He  left  two  children, — Richard,  who  is  a 
lawyer  in  New  York,  and  David,  who  studied 
law  with  the  Hon.  John  B.  Storm,  of  Strouds- 
burg, and  is  now  located  in  South  Bethlehem, 
Pa.,  where  he  is  achieving  an  honorable 
and  desirable  reputation  as  an  attorney  and 
politician. 

Of  the  other  children  of  Judge  Richard 
Brodhead,  Sarah  (the  eldest),  born  1791,  mar- 
ried Col.  John  Westbrook,  a  member  of  Con- 
gress from  Pennsylvania  in  1841-43,  and  an 
influential  citizen  of  Pike  County,  whose  char- 
acter and  life-work  are  fully  set  forth  else- 
where ;  Jane  married  Moses  S.  Brundage ;  Anna 
Maria  married  John  Seaman  ;  and  Rachel  mar- 
ried Dr.  John   J.  Linderman,  and    became  the 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


mother  of  Dr.  Henry  R.  Linderman,  late  di- 
rector of  the  Philadelphia  Mint,  and  of  Dr. 
Garret  B.  Linderman,  of  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Dr.  John  J.  Linderman  purchased  the  Alex- 
ander Van  Gordon  property  shortly  after  he 
obtained  his  license  to  practice  medicine,  in  1817, 
built  a  house  on  the  place  which  Father  Stack, 
of  the  celebrated  Stack  vs.  O'Hara  case,  now 
occupies,  and  practiced  medicine  for  fifty  years, 
being  the  first  resident  physician  of  Lehman 
township,  and  one  of  the  best  known  physicians 
in  Northeastern  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  great- 
grandson  of  Jacob  Von  Linderman,  who  settled 
in  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  purchased 
a  tract  of  land  and  a  number  of  slaves,  and 
built  a  substantial  house  after  the  manner  of 
the  German  country  houses  of  the  time.  His 
son  Henry  kept  the  homestead,  and  of  his 
children,  Oliver  and  Willet  were  lawyers,  who 
both  became  judges,  and  Dr.  John  Jordan 
Linderman,  who  lived  in  Pike  County  as  a 
neighbor  to  Judge  Richard  Brodhcad,  whose 
daughter  Rachel  he  married.  He  was  the  only 
man  who  voted  for  Clay's  election  in  Lehman 
township  during  the  Polk  and  Clay  Presidential 
contest,  for  which  the  Whigs  of  Eastou  pre- 
sented him  with  a  valuable  double-barreled 
rifle,  doubtless  feeling  that  one  who  was  able  to 
stand  alone  in  such  a  contest  merited  some  kind 
of  recognition. 

Dr.  Linderman  had  two  sons, — Henry  Rich- 
ard Linderman  and  Garret  Brodhead  Linder- 
man, who  attended  school  at  Dingman's  Acad- 
emy, near  their  home,  from  which  they  entered 
the  New  York  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons, where  they  both  obtained  their  degree  ; 
there  their  father  had  studied  before  them.  Dr. 
Henry  R.  Linderman  returned  to  Lehman 
township,  where  he  practiced  medicine  for  a 
while,  but  his  surroundings  were  not  congenial, 
and  in  1853  he  wrote  to  a  friend  saying,  f  He 
was  sick  and  tired  of  the  vexations  and  toils  of 
the  medical  profession."  He  was  at  this  time 
in  the  mining  region,  being  the  only  physician 
to  a  thousand  miners  and  their  families.  His 
uncle,  Richard  Brodhead,  who  was  then  in  the 
United  States  Senate,  secured  his  appointment 
as  chief  clerk  of  the  Mint  at  Philadelphia  in 
1855.     While    in    this    position,    in    1856,   he 


married  the  granddaughter  ofSamuel  Holland, 
of  Wilkes-Barre.  In  1864  he  resigned  and 
entered  a  banking-firm  as  partner.  April  1, 
1867,  he  was  commissioned  director  of  the  Mint 
by  President  Johnson.  He  was  an  active  Dem- 
ocrat, and  attended  the  convention  that  nomi- 
nated Seymour  and  Blair,  which  led  President 
Grant  to  request  his  resignation,  in  May,  1869. 
But  it  was  found  that  he  had  made  himself 
indispensable.  Having  been  a  devoted  student, 
he  had  mastered  the  scientific  and  financial 
knowledge  relating  to  his  office,  and  was  one  of 
the  best  authorities  in  this  country  on  coinage 
and  kindred  subjects  ;  consequently,  in  1870,  he 
was  sent  as  a  commissioner  to  the  Pacific  Coast, 
and  in  1871  to  Europe  as  a  commissioner  to 
observe  the  methods  of  coinage  at  the  different 
mints.  In  1872  he  wrote  a  treatise  on  the  con- 
dition of  the  gold  and  silver  markets  of  the 
world,  and  in  it  predicted  the  decline  in  the 
value  of  silver  as  compared  to  gold,  which  pre- 
dictions have  been  fulfilled.  He  called  attention 
to  the  disadvantages  arising  from  the  com- 
putation and  quotation  of  exchange  with  Great 
Britain  on  the  old  complicated  colonial  basis, 
and  from  the  undervaluation  of  foreign  coins 
in  computing  the  value  of  foreign  invoices  and 
laying  and  collecting  duties  at  the  United 
States  Custom-House.  He  also  recommended 
the  adoption  of  a  system  of  redemption  for  in- 
ferior coins.  He  was  the  author  of  the  Coinage 
Act  of  1873,  and  was  again  made  director  of 
the  mints  and  Assay  Office,  with  his  office  in 
Washington.  After  organizing  the  new  bureau 
under  the  act,  he  projected  the  trade  dollar, 
which  was  intended  for  circulation  in  China,  in 
order  to  find  an  outlet  for  our  large  production 
of  silver.  In  1877  he  published  a  book  entitled 
"Money  and  Legal  Tender  in  the  United 
States."  In  his  report  of  1877  he  presented  an 
exhaustive  review  of  the  metallic  standard,  and 
of  the  capacity  and  production  of  the  mines  of 
the  world.  The  Japanese  offered  him  fifty 
thousand  dollars  for  one  year's  services  in  or- 
ganizing their  mint,  but  owing  to  the  climate  and 
for  other  reasons,  he  refused  it.  Dr.  Linder- 
man's  published  opinions  were  received  with 
favor  in  Europe,  as  well  as  in  America.  His 
desks  were  constantly   covered  with  a  mass  of 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


correspondence  from  all  parts  of  the  world  ask- 
ing for  advice,  information  and  instruction  from 
him  as  a  great  authority.  In  person,  Dr. 
Linderman  was  nearly  six  feet  tall,  of  fine  pro- 
portions and  scholarly  appearance,  and  possessed 
of  a  genial  and  polished  address.  He  died  in 
Washington  in  1879,  and  is  buried  in  Bethle- 
hem. Dr.  Garret  B.  Linderman  removed  to 
Bethlehem  and  married  Lucy  Evelyn,  daughter 
of  Asa  Packer.  He  became  wealthy  and  was 
interested  in  the  development  of  the  iron  in- 
dustry there,  being  one  of  the  owners  of  the 
large  blast  furnaces  at  Bethlehem.  A  lar^e  and 
beautiful  stone  library  building  has  beeu  erect- 
ed to  the  memory  of  Lucy  Evelyn  Packer 
Linderinan,  his  wife,  in  connection  with  Lehigh 
University,  which  was  founded  by  her  father. 
Garret  Linderman's  sons  are  among  the  wealthy 
iron  operators  of  Bethlehem. 

Jacobus  Hornbeek  married  a  sister  of  Joseph 
Ennis,  the  old  ferryman  at  Dingman's.  Evart 
and  William  were  his  sons.  Evart  Hornbeek 
married  Jane  Van  Auken,  whose  brother  was 
shot  by  the  Indians.  He  lived  on  the  river 
road,  in  Lehman  township,  and  is  assessed  with 
three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  improved  land 
in  1801,  which  indicates  that  he  was  a  farmer 
of  some  importance.  His  sons  were  Daniel, 
John  G.  and  Jacob.  Evart  Hornbeek,  a  son  of 
Jacob,  is  associate  judge  of  Pike  County,  and  a 
merchant  at  Dingman's  Ferry.  Margaret,  Leah 
and  Jane  were  the  daughters  of  Evart  Horn- 
beck,  Sr. 

Solomon  Rosencrans  lived  on  the  hill  and 
was  a  blacksmith  and  farmer.  Rosencrans  is 
said  to  signify  "  the  wreath  of  roses,"  and  Mr. 
Rosencrans  was  a  good  man  for  his  day  and 
generation.  He  married  a  Van  Gordon,  his 
children  being  James,  John,  Simeon,  Sarah, 
wife  of  Cobus  Van  Gordon  ;  Catharine,  wife  of 
Solomon  Van  Etten ;  and  Hannah,  wife  of 
James  Jagger.  Hulda  and  Dorothea  went 
West,  Simeon  Rosencrans  married  Mary  Van 
Etten,  and  Daniel  D.  Rosencrans,  their  son, 
lives  on  the  homestead.  He  was  a  commissary- 
sergeant  in  the  Eighteenth  Pennsylvania  Cav- 
alry, Company  M,  during  the  late  war.  Forty 
soldiers  made  a  cavalry  charge,  at  Tierce  Point, 
into  the  streets  of  Hafferstown,  Md.,  just  after 


the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and  were  all  killed 
with  the  exception  of  fourteen,  who  were  taken 
prisoners.  One  white  horse  escaped  riderless 
and  made  its  way  to  the  battery.  Rosencrans 
ran  into  an  alley  and  tried  to  enter  a  barn,  but 
seeing  it  was  useless,  surrendered.  A  drunken 
Confederate  leveled  his  gun  at  him.  Rosen- 
crans expected  to  be  shot,  and  says  he  was  never 
in  such  fear  in  his  life  as  when  his  own  gun 
gleamed  brightly  in  the  rebel's  hands.  He  ex- 
claimed :  "  Just  one  moment ;  I  call  myself  a 
man,  and  no  man  that  is  a  man  and  a  .soldier  will 
shoot  a  prisoner  with  his  own  gun."  A  rebel 
major  that  came  up  drew  his  sword  and  ordered 
the  soldier  to  "  drop  that  gun  or  he  would  run 
him  through,  for,"  said  he,  "  that  man  is  a 
brave  soldier  and  shall  be  treated  as  a  prisoner 
of  war." 

Bernard  Swartwood  lived  south  of  "  Egypt 
Mills."  His  sons  were  John,  Simeon  and 
Leander.  John  lived  on  the  homestead,  and 
his  sons  were  Jacob,  who  lives  in  Falls  town- 
ship;  Henry,  of  Pittston  ;  John,  of  Smithfield; 
and  Bernardus,  who  had  the  homestead,  which 
his  widow  and  children  now  occupy.  The 
Swartwoods  are  an  old  family  in  Lehman. 
Part  of  John  Nyee's  property  was  first  surveyed 
to  Peter  Swartwood  in  1774,  by  him  conveyed 
to  William  Dunshee,  by  him  to  James  Swart- 
wood the  same  year,  and  by  him  conveyed  to 
Samuel  Seely  in  1794,  from  him  to  Nicholas 
Schoonover,  and  by  him  to  John  Cline  in  1800, 
from  Cline  to  Lodewick  Lenders,  in  1809  to 
Henry  Decker,  and  in  1814  to  John  Nyee. 
The  Swartwoudts  (Blackwoods)  were  a  Dutch 
family  and  noted  for  their  great  strength.  The 
annals  of  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  and  Sussex 
County,  N.  J.,  contain  accounts  of  the  Indian 
contests  of  this  family.  In  the  Delaware  as- 
sessment in  1781,  which  then  included  Lehman, 
James,  Thomas  and  Bernardus  Swartwood  are 
assessed.  Charles  Swartwood  now  lives  on  the 
old  Brodhead  place. 

Peter  Swartwood,  who  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  Lehman  township,  afterwards  moved 
to  Wyoming,  but  fortunately  was  on  a  visit  to 
Esopus  at  the  time  of  the  massacre.  He  did 
not  return  to  Wyoming,  but  went  to  Cayuta 
Creek,  in   Chemung  County,  N.  Y.,  where  his 


PIKE  COUNT V. 


former  neighbors  when  he  lived  in  Lehman, 
the  Ennises,  had  gone  before  him.  Mr.  Swart- 
wood  lived  to  be  ninety-nine  years  of  age,  and 
his  second  wife  lived  to  be  ninety-seven.  He 
had  eighteen  children,  and  there  were  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  of  his  descendants  living  when 
he  died.  One  of  his  sons,  William  Swartwood, 
became  a  major-general  of  militia  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Assembly  of  New  York  from  ( 'he- 
lming Comity.  Another  son,  Daniel  B.,  was  a 
member  of  the  Assembly  from  Tompkins 
County,  X.  Y.  One  of  the  daughters,  Rachel, 
married  Jesse  Barnes,  son  of  Abram  Barnes,  of 
Lacka waxen.  She  is  now  living  at  Cedar  Rap- 
ids, Iowa,  aged  eighty-six.  Her  son,  Peter  S. 
Barnes,  is  now  register  and  recorder  of  Wayne 
County. 

William  Xyce  made  his  first  purchase  in  Leh- 
man township  (then  Delaware),  April  29,  1779, 
of  Tsaac  Van  Campen,  for  two  thousand  one 
hundred  pounds.  The  first  piece  of  land  con- 
tained sixty-three  acres,  and  the  second  twenty- 
five  acres,  and  is  mentioned  as  a  part  of  the 
Garret  Brink  estate.  Jacobus  Van  Cordon's 
land  lies  adjoining  it.  July  12,  1779,  he 
purchased  two  hundred  acres  of  James  Beard 
at  sheriff's  sale.  May  7,  1784,  he  purchased 
forty-three  acres  of  Hendrick  C.  Courtright, 
being  part  of  a  tract  which  William  Ennis  and 
John  Brink  purchased  in  1741,  ami  which 
Courtright  had  secured  in  1745,  showing  that 
Courtright  had  lived  there  for  thirty-nine  years. 
The  Courtrights  were  among  the  pioneers  of 
Lehman.  Daniel,  Benjamin,  Henry,  Abraham 
and  Henry  Courtright,  Jr.,  are  assessed  in  Del- 
aware in  1781. 

William  Ennis  was  an  old  settler,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Ennis  lost  his  life  at  the  battle  of  Con- 
ashaugh. 

The  Brinks  were  also  an  old  family  both 
here  in  Lehman,  where  John  Brink  lived,  and 
elsewhere  in  Pike.  John  and  Benjamin  Brink 
are  assessed  in  Delaware  in  1781. 

William  Xyce  and  his  wife,  Dorothy,  sold 
two  hundred  and  five  acres  of  land,  called 
Xyceburg,  to  Abraham  Howell  for  three  hun- 
dred pounds,  September  3,  179o.  This  was 
probably  a  portion  of  his  possessions  in  Leh- 
man, for  his  sons,  William,  John  and  George, 


appear  on  the  stage  of  action,  and  are  assessed 
in  1800.  He  was  of  German  origin,  came  to 
Lehman  from  Harmony,  X.  J.,  and  probably 
returned  to  that  place  after  he  married  his 
second  wife.  The  spot  where  these  three  sons 
of  William  Xyce,  Sr.,  located  obtained  the 
name  of  Egypt  Mills  from  the  grist-mill  the 
Xyces  had  built,  and  it  is  not  impossible  that 
Isaac  Van  Campen  had  a  grist-mill  or  some 
other  mill  before  William  Xyce  came,  for  Van 
Camp's  Mill  Creek  is  mentioned  in  a  survey  to 
Jacobus  Van  Gordon,  who  lived  adjoining  this 
tract,  in  1784.  The  extraordinary  price  of 
two  thousand  one  hundred  pounds  for  eighty- 
eight  acres  of  land,  in  1779,  would  seem 
to  be  a  great  price  for  land  uuless  there  was 
some  improvement  ou  it,  but  Continental  money 
did  not  have  a  great  purchasing  value  during 
those  dark  days  nor  afterwards. 

"Egypt  Mills"  took  its  name  from  the  grist- 
mill the  Xyces  built  some  time  before  1800. 
Many  years  ago,  when  Pike  County  was  almost 
a  wilderness,  this  mill  was  one  of  the  sole 
dependences  of  the  "  up  river  people "  for 
bread,  and  particularly  of  those  residing  in  and 
about  Purdyville.  These  pioneer  settlers  had 
stated  times  at  which  to  visit  the  mill,  and 
would  come  to  the  place  at  regular  intervals  to 
purchase  Hour  and  meal,  which  they  carried  to 
their  homes  by  means  of  pack-horses.  In  time 
they  came  to  call  this  place  "  Egypt,"  from 
their  knowledge  of  Bible  history  and  the 
analogy  between  themselves  and  the  brethren 
of  Joseph.  The  mill  has  been  rebuilt  since 
that  time  and  probably  resembles  but  little  the 
one  it  supplanted.  A  distillery  once  stood  at 
or  near  these  mills.  The  Xyces  had  a  saw- 
mill and  Captain  Xyce  invented  the  first  carriage 
that  went  back  by  water-power  in  Pike  County. 
They  used  to  tread  the  carriage  back  previous  to 
that. 

William  Xyce  was  assessed  with  a  slave  in 
1800.  He  died  a  bachelor  in  1819,  his  prop- 
erty going  to  his  brothers,  John  and  George, 
who  were  among  the  wealthiest  men  in  Pike 
County  at  that  time.  They  were  members  of 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  and  elders  or 
members  of  the  consistory.  George  Xyce's 
family  moved  away  from  Lehman  a  number  of 


940 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


years  ago.  Daniel,  the  oldest  son,  went  to  New 
York.  Jacob  died  young.  William  worked 
in  the  Mint  in  Philadelphia.  Hannah  Nyce 
became  the  wife  of  Rev.  Robert  Pitts,  a  Dutch 
Reformed  minister.  .She  is  still  living,  at 
Stroudsburg.  John  Nyce  remained  in  Leh- 
man, and  owned  the  fertile  wheat  land  which  is 
still  in  the  hands  of  his  descendants.  It  was 
tor  this,  and  similar  lands  along  the  Delaware, 
that  the  Minsi  (or  Mousey)  Indians  so  earn- 
estly contested  years  ago.  John  Nyce  lived  to 
be  seventy-five  years  old,  and  was  a  devoted 
Christian  man.  During  the  latter  years  of  his 
life,  when  they  had  no  minister,  he  held  meet- 
ings in  school-houses  and  churches.  He  mar- 
ried Lena,  a  daughter  of  John  Westbrook,  who 
lived  on  the  flats  on  the  Jersey  side.  West- 
brook  owned  slaves,  and  gave  one  to  his  daugh- 
ter when  she  was  married.  Mr.  Westbrook 
was  a  wealthy  farmer,  and  gave  his  property  to 
his  two  daughters,  in  equal  portions,  as  long  as 
they  lived,  with  the  remainder  to  the  one  that- 
had  children. 

It  so  happened  under  this  arrangement  that 
Mrs.  Nyce  got  all  the  property.  John  Nyce's 
children  were  Major  John  W.  Nyce  ;  Judge 
William  H.  Nyce;  Mary,  wife  of  Moses  W. 
Coolbaugh  ;  James,  a  bachelor,  who  was  once 
county  commissioner ;  Lydia,  wife  of  Alfred 
Wells,  of  Middletown  ;  Catharine,  wife  of  Dr. 
John  Morrison,  of  New  York;  George  Nyce, 
who  married  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  William 
Place,  and  bought  his  Uncle  George's  farm  ;  and 
Jacob  Nyce,  who  married  Linda,  a  daughter  of 
George  Peters,  lived  on  the  old  homestead, 
operated  the  grist-mill  and  kept  the  post-office  at 
one  time.  Both  George  Nyce  and  his  brother 
Jacob  were  elders  in  the  Reformed  Church  and 
good  men. 

Major  John  W.  Nyce,  the  oldest  son  above 
mentioned,  was  born  on  the  homestead  farm  at 
"  Egypt  Mills"  July  23,  1794.  After  marriage 
he  moved  to  Saudyston,  just  across  the  river  in 
Sussex  County,  N.  J.,  where  he  lived  for  many 
years.  He  later  removed  to  Montague  and  re- 
sided there  until  his  death,  May  19,  1879.  He 
was  a  farmer  of  quiet  tastes,  to  whom  the  com- 
munity looked  with  respect,  strictly  moral  and 
temperate,  and  in  all  things  desired  to  do  right. 


For  more  than  sixty  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Reformed  Church,  and  was  ever  willing  to 
lend  an  assisting  hand  in  the  cause  of  Chris- 
tianity. He  was  the  father  of  ten  children, 
among  them  Colonel  John  Nyce,  who  entered 
the  army  as  a  private  and  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  second  lieutenant,  when  he  was  wounded 
in  the  right  arm,  in  consequence  of  which  he 
was  discharged.  He  re-enlisted,  was  a  major 
in  the  Thirty-third  Regiment,  or  Fourth 
"  Pennsylvania  Reserves,"  was  severely  wound- 
ed at  the  battle  of  Antietam  and  lay  on  the 
battle-field  all  night.  The  ball  struck  his  arm 
near  the  former  wound,  passed  through  his  right 
lung  and  struck  his  spine.  He  was  made  colo- 
nel of  a  regiment,  sent  to  North  Carolina,  but 
did  not  see  much  service,  and  being  mustered 
out  August,  1865,  returned  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  completed  his  law  studies  at  Strouds- 
burg with  Hon.  Charlton  Burnett.  He  built  a 
fine  residence  in  Milford,  opposite  the  court- 
house, and  practiced  law  there  until  1880,  when 
he  died  from  the  effects  of  his  wounds.  He 
married  Martha  A.  Allyn.  His  sou,  John  W. 
Nyce,  is  cashier  of  the  Stock  Exchange  Bank 
in  Caldwell,  Kansas.  Dr.  George  Nyce,  an- 
other son  of  John  W.  Nyce,  is  a  practicing  phy- 
sician at  Muucie,  Ind. 

Judge  William  N.  Nyce  married  Margaret 
Westbrook,  lived  in  New  Jersey  on  the  flats 
and  had  two  hundred  and  fourteen  acres  of 
land,  but  engaged  in  the  store-keeping  and 
lumbering  business,  much  to  his  detriment 
financially.  He  was  twice  a  member  of  the 
New  Jersey  Legislature,  and  after  his  removal  to 
Blooming  Grove  was  an  associate  judge  of  Pike 
County.  His  son,  Colonel  John  Nyce,  of  Haw- 
ley,  is  the  oldest  male  member  of  the  Nyce 
family  now  living.  He  was  made  a  colonel  of 
militia  iu  a  New  Jersey  regiment  by  Governor 
Pennington  in  1843.  His  wife  is  a  daughter 
of  Judge  Halsey,  of  Sussex  County,  N.  J.  He 
has  been  an  elder  in  the  Reformed  and  Presby- 
terian Churches  for  forty  years.  The  Nyce 
family  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  in  the  Del- 
aware Valley.  They  were  all  strong  Democrats, 
and  in  religion  stanch  members  of  the  Dutch 
Reformed  and  Presbyterian  Churches. 

Levi  Ladley,  an  old  settler  in  Lehman,  was 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


941 


a  hunter  and  fisherman.  He  built  on  the  hill 
where  Etta  Borland  now  lives.  John  Smith,  a 
German,  came  to  Lehman  and  bought  a  farm 
of  Manuel  Hoover  in  1798.  There  was  an  old 
stone  house  ou  the  place  at  that  time. 

He  had  seven  sons,  two  of  whom — Isaac  and 
Lodowick — settled  in  Lehman.  Jonathan  Seely 
built  a  saw-mill  ou  Pond  Run,  in  Lehman,  at  an 
early  day.  Ladley  lived  in  one  of  the  old  saw- 
mill houses.  Daniel  Smith  is  the  first  man  who 
attempted  farming  on  the  hills  of  Lehman. 
Henry  Bunnell  now  owns  the  property.  The 
next  farmer  on  the  hills  was  John  D.  Lawrence, 
who  commenced  on  the  place  now  occupied  by 
Wm.  D.  Courtright.  John  Henry  lived  above 
Brisco,  ou  the  hill  in  1800.  Bond  wine  Howey 
lived  on  the  place  now  owned  by  Martin  Over- 
field,  in  1800.  Benjamin  Imson  was  an  early 
settler  in  the  woods,  in  the  rear  of  Bushkill. 
John  Litch  lived  back  of  Egypt,  on  the  hills  ; 
his  son  William  also  lived  and  died  in  Leh- 
man. Jacob  Beusley  resides  on  the  hills  of 
Lehman,  and  is  a  farmer  and  hunter.  He  says 
his  great-grandfather  was  a  German,  who  came 
to  Smithfield  about  1750,  and  his  grandfather, 
Israel  Bensley,  was  a  native  of  the  township. 
He  rented  the  tavern  stand  of  Henry  Peters, 
who  had  bought  of  John  Heller,  and  kept 
public-house  in  Bushkill  for  a  time.  He  mar- 
ried Catharine  Van  Why.  His  only  son,  Adam 
Bensley,  was  a  farmer  and  lumberman  in  Leh- 
man. He  married  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Imson.  She  had  a  brother,  Robert  Imson, 
who  was  an  Indian  doctor.  His  children  were 
Jacob  Beusley ;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Jagger; 
Catharine  resides  on  the  Susquehanna;  and  Dan- 
iel, who  lives  in  Lehman.  Jacob  Bensley  has 
been  a  great  hunter  and  killed  many  deer. 
The  last  buck  he  killed  was  only  wounded  by 
the  first  shot,  He  turned  on  his  assailant,  and 
being  on  a  side-hill,  gave  him  a  severe  battle  be- 
fore he  and  his  dog  succeeded  in  killing  him. 
The  deer  had  him  down,  when  the  dog  annoyed 
him,  and  they  soon  worked  down  the  hill,  which 
afforded  Beusley  a  chance  to  rise  aud  load  his 
gun.  He  then  went  down  and  shot  the  buck. 
He  also  had  a  severe  fight  with  a  panther  about 
fifty  years  ago.  One  of  Bensley's  sous  is 
commissioner    of    the    county.     John    Burke, 


John  Titman  (who  had  many  lawsuits),  John 
Litch  and  George  Steward  were  on  the  hills 
when  Bensley  came. 

The  Hermit  of  Lehman. — Probably  no 
history  of  Lehman  township  would  be  com- 
plete without  some  account  of  Austin  Sheldon, 
that  ecceutric  missionary  Yankee,  who  lived  alone 
in  the  woods  on  the  hills,  two  or  three  miles 
back  of  "  Egypt  Mills."  He  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut and  was  one  of  a  family  of  eight  or 
ten  children.  There  are  two  theories  to  account 
for  his  singular  conduct.  One  was  that  he  was 
agent  for  a  book  concern,  unwittingly  spent  the 
money  and  never  had  the  courage  to  return,  and 
another  that  he  lost  his  wife,  for  whom  he  sorely 
grieved,  which  drove  him  to  a  hermit's  life.  What- 
ever the  cause  of  his  eccentricities,  he  first  ap- 
peared in  this  State,  in  Canaan  township,  among 
the  hills  or  Moosic  Mountains.  When  the 
settlers  encroached,  he  left  and  went  to  Bloom- 
ing Grove,  where  he  remained  a  short  time,  and 
then  removed  to  the  hills  of  Lehman,  where  be 
purchased  about  seventy  acres  of  Pike  County 
scrub  pine  and  scrub  oak  barrens,  and  erected 
a  sort  of  cabin,  where  he  dwelt  for  a  number  of 
years.  Finally  abandoning  this  cabin,  he  went 
farther  into  the  woods,  where  he  lived  in  a 
wretched  hovel  built  against  a  rock.  The  roof 
was  covered  with  pieces  of  bark,  old  carpet  and 
flat  stones.  A  large  flat  stone  against  the  en- 
trance answered  for  a  door,  and  in  one  corner 
adjoining  he  built  a  fire  on  the  ground,  having 
a  hole  in  the  roof  above  for  a  flue.  Here  he 
lived  and  suffered  the  rigors  of  this  northern 
climate.  Some  writer  described  him  in  roman- 
tic style  for  the  Milford  paper  aud  the  New 
York  Sum.  His  sister  saw  the  account,  made 
her  way  to  Pike  County  and  to  the  cave  of  her 
long  lost  brother.  On  seeing  him  in  this  for- 
lorn condition  she  wept  bitterly,  and,  being  a 
person  of  some  means,  urged  his  return  with  her. 
After  much  persuasion  he  finally  assented  and 
accompanied  her  to  Connecticut.  He  had  been 
absent  a  quarter  of  a  century  or  more  and  his 
home  surroundings  appeared  as  strangely  to  him 
as  did  those  of  Rip  Van  Winkle  after  his  long 
sleep. 

Soon  tiring  of  the  comforts  of  civilization,  he 
again  returned   to   the  wilds  of  Pike    County, 


1)42 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


where  the  majestic  rocks  and  murmuring 
waterfalls  ministered  calm  to  his  disquiet  spirit. 
He  was  a  good  blacksmith,  and  had  an  anvil 
beside  his  cabin,  where  he  made  butcher  knives 
for  the  neighbors.  He  was  a  great  reader,  par- 
ticularly of  the  Bible,  advocated  temperance, 
which  he  practiced  himself,  and  became  a  relig- 
ious enthusiast  towards  the  end  of  his  life.  He 
was  found  one  cold  winter  day  in  his  cabin  in  a 
stupefied  state,  with  his  face  somewhat  scorched 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


HENRY    M.    LA    BAR. 


Henry  M.  La  Bar  died  at  Bushkill,  Pa.,  in 
December,  1884,  in  the  seventy-eighth  year  of 
his  age.  In  order  that  the  character  and  life- 
work  of  such  a  man  should  be  properly  recorded 
in  the  local  annals   of  the  period,  it   has   been 


jp.pA>-<&J' 


s<2> 


by  the  fire.  He  was  taken  to  Tony  Heater's, 
where  he  died  at  an  advanced  age,  and  was 
buried  in  Delaware  Cemetery  about  the  1st  of 
February,  1886. 

Elijah  Van  Auken,  a  hunter,  lives  in  the 
backwoods  of  Lehman.  He  is  now  eighty-three 
years  of  age. 

The  schools  of  Lehman  are  Hemlock  Grove, 
Brodhead,  Schuyler's,  Meadow  Brook,  Pine 
Ridge,  Barn  Timber  and  Bushkill  Independent 
District. 


deemed  appropriate  to  publish  this  brief  outline 
of  his  career. 

He  was  a  decendant  of  the  old  La  Bar 
family,  whose  early  history  and  identification 
with  this  locality  are  elsewhere  recorded.  His 
father  was  George  La  Bar,  who  married  Sarah 
Jayne  and  occupied  during  his  life-time  the  old 
Jayne  place  in  Middle  Smithfield.  The  chil- 
dren were  Daniel,  Isaac,  Henry  M.,  Charles, 
George,  Margaret  (who  married  Rev.  S.  C. 
Bacon,  of  the    Methodist    Episcopal    Church), 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


943 


Anna  (who  married  Jacob  Bush,  of  Middle 
Smithfield)  and  Sarah  (who  married  Dr.  P. 
M.  Bush,|of  the  same  place). 

The  early  life  of  Judge  La  Bar  was  passed 
in  the  home-place  and  he  enjoyed  only  a  com- 
mon-school'education.  When  quite  young  he 
engaged  in  school-teaching  in  Montgomery 
township,  Sussex  County,  N.  J.,  and  subsequent- 
ly clerked  in  the  store  of  Solomon  Westbrook, 
at]  Dingman's  Ferry,    Pike   County,    Pa.,  for 


time  of  his  death  he  owned  about  fifteen  hun- 
dred acres  of  land.  He  was  a  member  for 
many  years  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of 
Bushkill,  and  in  politics  a  Democrat.  He  was 
elected  to  serve  on  the  bench  as  one  of  the  lay 
judges  of  the  county  for  several  terms,  and 
I  served  his  constituency  with  fidelity  and  ability. 
On  May  15,  1838,  he  married  Elsie  G.,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  Peters,  of  Bushkill,  who  survives 
him.       Few  men  have  enjoyed  a  more  enviable 


CHARLES    R.    I'KTKRS. 


several  years.  Later  on  he  filled  a  similar  posi- 
tion in  the  store  of  William  Nyce,  at  Bushkill, 
and  then  bought  him  out  and  the  firm  of  Hen- 
ry Peters  &  La  Bar  was  organized.  He  en- 
gaged in  trade  at  Bushkill  for  about  thirty 
years.  During  the  same  period  he  followed 
lumbering  and  got  out  ship-timber,  hoop-poles 
and  staves  for  the  market.  In  connection  with 
Henry  Peters  he  also  carried  on  the  milling  and 
store  business  at  Marshall's  Creek  for  a  time. 
He  acquired  a  large  property  by  exercise  of  in- 
dustry, integrity  and  economy,  and  enjoyed  a 
good  reputation  among  his  neighbors.      At  the 


reputation  in  Pike  County  than  Judge  La  Bar, 
and  he  has  gone  to  his  fathers  with  a  name 
honored  and  respected  by  all. 


CHARLES    RIIHJWAY    PETERS. 

Charles  Ridgway  Peters,  born  February  12, 
1822,  died  December  2,  1867,  was  a  grandson 
of  Peter  Peters,  who  emigrated  to  this  country 
from  Holland  about  the  period  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, in  connection  with  two  brothers,  Henry 
and  John,  and  landing  at  Philadelphia,  resided 
for  a  number  of  years  at  Chestnut  Hill,   near 


044 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


that  city.  He  was  a  miller  by  trade  ami  finally 
worked  his  way  up  to  Eastop  and  Stroudsburg, 
Pa.,  pursuing  his  vocation  all  the  time,  and 
closed  his  days  in  the  latter  place.  His  sou 
Henry  was  born  near  Philadelphia  in  Septem- 
ber, 1787,  and  died  March  2,  1857.  On  Janu- 
ary 16,  1814,  he  married  Sarah  Gunsaules,  of 
Middle  Smithfield,  born  July  23,  1794,  and 
still  living,  and  soon  after  bought  a  large  lum- 
ber tract  of  Judge  John  Coolbaugh  and  Mr. 
Van  Horn  (of  Easton),  including  most  of  the 
present  site  of  Bushkill,  Pa.,  and  located  in  a 
humble  dwelling-house  thereon.  For  many 
years  he  engaged  iu  lumbering  and  rafting,  also 
in  the  milling  and  mercantile  business  at  Bush- 
kill,  of  which  he  was  the  virtual  founder.  He 
was  the  first  postmaster  and  the  office  has  al- 
ways remained  in  the  family.  His  primitive 
dwelling  was  a  log-house,  containing  one  win- 
dow with  four  window-lights,  and  there  he 
established  a  sort  of  public-house  for  the  enter- 
tainment of  travelers,  the  first  of  its  kind  in 
the  locality.  The  house  was  torn  down  after 
standing  over  one  hundred  years,  and  occupied 
a  portion  of  the  present  site  of  the  residence  of 
Mrs.  Chas.  K.  Peters.  The  public  house  was 
kept  by  Henry  Peters  for  many  years  and  was 
carried  on  by  his  son  at  a  later  period.  He  was 
a  man  of  character  and  standing,  just  and  exact 
in  all  his  dealings  and  industrious  and  econom- 
ical in  his  habits.  His  children  were  Eliza- 
beth (1814-58);  Elsie  (1817),  widow  of 
Heury  M.  La  Bar;  Belinda  P.  (1819-71), 
who  married  Henry  S.  Mott,  of  Mil  ford ; 
Charles  R. ;  Maria  Louisa;  Catharine  Miller  ; 
Samuel  G.  and  Win.  Nyce.  The  latter  two  are 
engaged  in  trade  at  Bushkill. 

Charles  R.  Peters  engaged  in  farming  and 
hotel-keeping  at  Bushkill  during  the  whole  of 
his  life.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  active 
iu  church  work,  but  no  aspirant  after  public 
place.  He  was  generally  respected  and  esteemed 
for  his  integrity  and  uprightness  of  character. 
He  married,  February  4,  1852,  Elizabeth  E., 
daughter  of  John  Coolbaugh,  and  left  three 
sons, — Edwin  F.,  Harry  and  Van, — who  reside 
at  Bushkill.  That  pleasant  summer-resort,  with 
its  attractive  homes  and  picturesque  surround- 
ings, is  owned  almost  entirely  by   the  descend- 


ants of  Henry  Peters,  who  so  early  came  out 
into  what  was  then  a  wild  region  and  identified 
himself  with  its  development.  The  aged 
mother  of  the  family  is  still  the  central  figure 
around  whom  clusters  much  of  the  interest  of 
the  place. 


CHAPTER    X. 


l-AI.MYKA    TOWNSHIP. 


Palmyra  is  one  of  the  townships  erected  at 
the  time  of  the  organization  of  Wayne  County, 
in  1798.  Palmyra  when  first  formed  was 
bounded  north  by  Damascus,  east  by  the 
"  Hilborn  road,"  which  was  the  west  boundary 
of  Lackawaxen,  south  by  the  township  of 
Delaware  and  west  by  Canaan.  The  erection  of 
Dyberry,  in  1803,  took  five  miles  in  breadth 
from  the  northern  end  of  Palmyra,  and  by  the 
formation  of  Pike  County,  in  1814,  all  that  part 
of  the  township  east  of  the  Wallenpaupack 
was  included  in  Pike  and  became  Palmyra. 
That  portion  of  Salem  township  lying  east  of 
the  South  Branch  of  the  Wallenpaupack  was 
assessed  as  Salem  in  Pike  in  1815,  but  subse- 
quently became  a  part  of  Palmyra,  together 
with  a  slice  from  the  western  part  of  Dela- 
ware township.  Thus  when  Greene  township 
was  erected,  in  1829,  it  was  taken  from  Palmyra. 
The  present  township  of  Palmyra  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  Lackawaxen  township,  on  the 
east  by  Blooming  Grove  township,  on  the  south 
by  Greene  township,  and  on  the  southwest  by 
the  Wallenpaupack  River  and  the  townships  of 
Paupack  and  Palmyra,  in  Wayne  County. 
The  Wallenpaupack  has  a  slow  current  through 
the  flats  and  formerly  retained  the  waters  a  long 
time.  In  case  of  a  freshet  or  flood,  the  stream 
would  attain  high-water  mark  on  the  flats 
thirty-six  hours  earlier  than  at  Wilsonville,  only 
six  miles  distant  on  an  air  line.  From  Ledge- 
dale  to  Wilsonville,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles, 
the  stream  is  very  sluggish.  The  Indians  aptly 
named  it  "  Dead  waters."  In  1831-32  the 
people  were  stricken  with  fever,  and  but  two 
well  persons  were  to  be  fouud  in  the  settlement. 
The  inhabitants  attributed  the  sickness  to  want 
of  drainage,  and  asked  aid  from  the  State.     An 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


appropriation  of  three  thousand  dollars  was 
accordingly  made  to  be  used  in  straightening 
the  stream,  Enos  Woodward,  Otto  Kimble  and 
Moses  Killam  being  appointed  commissioners 
to  look  after  the  expenditure  of  the  money. 
The  stream  was  shortened  about  four  or  five 
miles  and  several  large  rocks  removed  at  Wil- 
sonville,  besides  lowering  the  bed  of  the  stream 
about  two  feet  for  one  or  two  hundred  feet  near 
the  bridge,  giving  the  waters  free  vent. 

The   following  is  a   list  of  the  taxables   in 
Palmyra  township,  returned  by  v\.bisha  Wood- 
ward, assessor,  in  1801  : 
John  Ansley.  Alpheus  Jones. 

Simon  Ansley.  Alexander  Jones. 

John  Ansley,  Jr.  John  Jeans. 

Joseph  Ansley.  Ephraim  Killam. 

Elisha  Ames.  Silas  Killam. 

David  Abbott.  John  Killam. 

Henry  Ball.  Moses  Killam. 

Robert  Bayham.  Abel  Kimble. 

Hezekiah  Bingham.        .    Ephraim  Kimble. 
Hezekiah  Bingham,  Jr.       Jacob  Kimble. 
Moses  Brink.  Daniel  Kimble. 

Stephen  Bennett.  Jacob  Kimble,  Jr. 

Richard  Beebe.  Walter  Kimble. 

John  Brink.    .  Benjamin  Kimble. 

Jonathan  Brink.  Eusebius  Kincaid. 

Thomas  Brown.  Barzilla  King. 

Benjamin  B.  Brink.  James  Logan. 

Denman  Coe.  Phineas  Lester. 

David  Cady.  Andrew  Lester. 

Jesse  Cady.  Arch  Murray. 

Simeon  Chapman.  John  Malonia. 

William  Chapman.  Richard  Nelson. 

Uriah  Chapman.  Stephen  Parrish. 

Jacob  Cronkright.  George  Parkinson. 

Roswell  Chapman.  George  Parkinson,  Jr. 

Phineas  Coleman.  John  Pillet,  Jr. 

William  Dayton.  Conrad  Pulis. 

Elias  Depui.^-  Silas  Purdy. 

Aaron  Duffey.  William  Purdy. 

Charles  Forseth.  Amos  Purdy. 

Jacob  Gooding.  William  Purdy,  Jr. 

Robert  Hartford.  Reuben  Purdy. 

Elias  Hartford.  Ephraim  Purdy. 

Samuel  Hartford.  Jacob  Purdy. 

William  Hartford.  Nathaniel  Purdy. 

James  Hartford.  Solomon  Purdy. 

Henry  Husted.  Samuel  Porter. 

Benjamin  Hanes.  Thomas  Schoonhoveu. 

William  Holbert.  William  Schoonhoven. 

Jonathan  Jennings.  Thomas  Spangenburgh. 

Reuben  Jones.  Daniel  Stroud.1 


1  It  is  stated  opposite   Daniel  .Stroud's  name  that  the  fac- 
tory-house is  taken  down. 
92 


Samuel  Smith. 
Christopher  Snyde 
Jedediah  Wyllis. 

Solomon  Wyllis. 


Enos  Woodward. 
Ebenezer  Woodward. 
Abisha  Woodward. 
Nathan  Williams. 


Wallenpaupack  Settlement.  —  Some 
time  between  1750  and  1700  a  family  named 
Carter  settled  upon  the  Wallenpaupack  Greek. 
This  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  white 
family  who  visited  the  neighborhood.  The  old 
Indian  path  from  Cochecton  to  Wyoming- 
crossed  the  Wallenpaupack  about  thirty  rods 
below  Carter's  house.  When  the  emigrants 
from  Connecticut  reached  the  Wallenpaupack, 
the  chimney  of  the  house  and  stone  oven  were 
still  standing.  Carter  and  his  family  had  been 
killed  and  his  house  burned  during  the  French 
and  Indian  War.  When  the  first  Wyoming 
emigrants  from  Connecticut  reached  the  Wallen- 
paupack they  halted  and  sent  forward  scouts  to 
procure  intelligence  of  the  country  along  the 
Susquehanna.  They  took  the  old  Indian  trail 
across  the  Wallenpaupack,  near  the  Marshall 
Purdy  place,  thence  through  what  is  now 
Paupack  and  Salem  townships,  westward  still 
through  Cobb's  Gap  to  the  Lackawanna  Valley1, 
and  thus  on  to  the  Susquehanna  River.  They 
encamped  at  Cobb  Mountain,  built  a  beacon - 
fire  that  could  be  readily  seen  by  those  whom 
they  had  left  behind  on  the  Wallenpaupack, 
but  their  return  is  doubtful. 

The  names  of  the  original  Wallenpaupack 
colony  were  Uriah  Chapman,  Esq.,  Capt. 
Zebulon  Parrish,  Capt.  Eliab  Varnum,  Na- 
thaniel Gates,  Zadock  Killam,  Ephraim  Killam, 
Jacob  Kimble,  Enos  Woodward,  Isaac  Parrish, 
John  Killam,  Hezekiah  Bingham,  John  Ansley, 
Elijah  Witters,  John  Pellet,  Sr.,  John  Pellet, 
Jr.,  Abel  Kimble,  Walter  Kimble,  Joshua 
Varnum,  Amos  Parks,  Silas  Parks,  David 
Gates,  Jonathan  Haskell,  William  Pellet, 
Charles  Forsyth,  Roger  Clark,  James  Dye, 
Nathaniel  Washburn,  James  Hallett,  Jasper 
Edwards,  Reuben  Jones,  a  man  named  Strong 
(probably  the  same  man  that  lived  at  Little 
Meadows  and  was  killed  there  by  the  Indians) 
and  Mr.  Frey,  who  was  the  school-teacher  for 
the  settlement.  Of  these,  the  first  seventeen 
returned  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
War.      Of  the  last  thirteen  named,  but  two  or 


946 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


three  returned  to  the  settlement,  a  few  of  them 
having  returned  to  Connecticut.  Joshua  Var- 
num  was  killed  during  the  war  ;  Dr.  Amos 
Parks  moved  to  Goshen,  Orange  County,  N.  Y. ; 
Jonathan  Haskell  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Miuisink,  in  1779;  Jasper  Edwards,  Stephen 
Parrish  and  Reuben  Jones  were  taken  prisoners 
by  the  Indians.  Reuben  Jones  was  a  powerful 
man  and  a  good  runner.  He  challenged  the 
Indians  to  run  a  race  one  day,  outstripped  them, 
and  thus  made  his  escape  and  settled  in  Pau- 
pack,  Wayne  County,  where  he  died  in  1812. 

Between  the  years  1774  and  1778  the  follow- 
ing persons  were  added  to  the  settlement: 
Ephraim  Kimble,  Jeptha  Killam,  Stephen  Par- 
rish (afterwards  an  Indian  doctor),  Uriah 
Chapman,  Jr.,Silas  Killam,  Joseph  Washburn, 
Stephen  Kimble  and  Jesper  Parrish.  The 
several  persons  named,  with  their  families, 
constituted  the  Wallenpaupack  settlement  from 
1774  to  1778.  The  settlers  laid  off  two  town- 
ships, the  one  in  which  they  were  all  included 
being  named  Lackaway,  and  the  one  farther  up 
the  Paupack,  Bozrah.  A  warrant  was  issued 
from  the  proprietary  office  November  25,  1748, 
under  which  a  tract  of  land  upon  the  Wallen- 
paupack Creek,  containing  twelve  thousand  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  was  surveyed,  14th  of 
October,  1751,  "  for  the  use  of  the  proprietaries 
of  Pennsylvania,"  called  "  The  Wallenpaupack 
Manor."  February  21,  17!).'),  this  manor  was 
conveyed  to  Hon.  James  Wilson,  who  gave  a 
mortgage  to  John  Penn  the  elder  and  John 
1 'en n  the  younger,  the  vendors.  In  1804  the 
mortgage  was  foreclosed,  and  Samuel  Sitgreaves, 
of  Eastou,  purchased  the  land  in  trust  for  the 
Penn  heirs.  All  the  Wallenpaupack  settle- 
ment was  on  this  manor,  and  the  first  valid 
titles  obtained  by  these  settlers  were  from  Sit- 
greaves. When  the  settlers  first  came,  in  1774, 
they  surveyed  the  land  and  fixed  the  boundaries 
of  each  settler's  portion  by  mutual  agreement. 
These  surveys  were  carefully  made  and  the 
boundaries  well  defined  and  the  lots  numbered. 
These  boundaries  became  fixed  and  are  those  by 
which  the  lots  are  known  and  described  to  this 
day.  The  Wallenpaupack  settlement  seems  to 
have  been  made  very  independently.  They 
did     not    derive    any    title    from    Connecticut, 


although  it  is  probable  the  Connecticut  claim 
led  them  to  this  country.  They  took  no  pains 
to  obtain  any  titles  from  Pennsylvania  and 
purchased  no  title  from  the  Indians,  but  simply 
proceeded  on  the  old  theory  that  title  is  acquired 
by  the  first  occupant.  They  found  the  beauti- 
ful Paupack  flats,  with  a  small  Indian  clearing, 
and  here  they  located.  Miner  says:  "The 
most  perfect  equality  existed  throughout  the 
settlement  as  to  rights,  privileges  and  property. 
The  lands  wire  disposed  of,  it  is  believed,  by 
lot.  The  title  of  each  man  to  his  land  was  the 
consent,  and  the  proof  of  this  title  was  the 
memory  of  his  neighbors.  Until  1804,  when 
land  was  purchased  at  sheriff's  sale  by  Mr.  Sit- 
greaves, no  deed  had  been  held  by  an  occupant 
for  a  single  acre."  The  Dutch  settlers  in  the 
Miuisink  were  assessed  in  Northampton  County, 
but  the  Wallenpaupack  settlement  at  Cushu- 
tunk,  on  the  Delaware,  and  the  straggling  set- 
tlements in  what  is  now  Wayne  County,  do  not 
appear  to  have  been  assessed  by  any  Pennsyl- 
vania authority  until  Wayne  County  was  set  off, 
in  1798.  The  Wallenpaupack  settlers  estab- 
lished their  own  civil,  military  and  ecclesias- 
tical form  of  government.  Silas  Parks  was 
chosen  first  justice  of  the  peace.  It  is  sup- 
posed he  had  a  commission  from  Connecticut ; 
but  it  was  discovered  that  he  played  cards, 
which  intelligence  was  immediately  forwarded 
to  Connecticut  and  he  was  superseded  by  Uriah 
Chapman.  John  Killam  was  elected  constable 
by  the  settlers  and  Captain  Zebulon  Parrish 
made  tithingman  or  tax-gatherer.  Captain 
Eliab  Varnum  had  command  of  the  troops  of 
the  colony  ;  Jonathan  Haskell  was  lieutenant 
and  Elijah  Witters  ensign. 

As  soon  as  the  settlers  had  determined  to 
locate  permanently,  they  built  a  fort.  It  was 
of  hewed  timber,  thick  enough  to  be  proof 
against  the  bullets  of  the  Indians.  These  tim- 
bers were  placed  upright  in  deep  ditches,  well 
filled  in  and  firmly  secured.  The  inclosure 
contained  about  one  acre  of  laud,  on  which  was 
a  never-failing  spring  of  water,  now  led  out  to 
the  road  at  the  Calvin  Pellet  place,  on  the 
corner  where  the  East  and  West  or  Salem  road 
and  the  River  or  Sterling  road  cross.  This 
noble  spring  will  ever  exist  to  identify  the  place. 


I'llvE  COUNTY. 


047 


Within  the  fort  was  a  block-house,  on  the  top 
of  which  was  a  bullet-proof  sentry  box.  A 
guard-house  was  also  built  just  outside  the  in- 
closure.  When  trouble  was  anticipated  with 
the  Indians,  the  people  with  their  families 
spent  their  nights  in  the  fort.  The  men  went 
in  gangs  to  plant,  hoe  and  cultivate  each  other's 
fields,  with  their  guns  slung  over  their  backs. 
The  settlers  built  cabins,  made  clearings  and 
lived  peaceably  among  themselves  and  with 
their  neighbors,  the  Indians,  for  two  years. 
"The  population  was  generally  composed  of 
Presbyterians.1  On  the  Sabbath  the  whole 
settlement  was  collected  together,  when  a  ser- 
mon was  read.  The  observance  of  the  Lord's 
day  was  rigidly  enforced,  and  the  morality 
and  decorum  of  the  settlers  carefully  insisted 
upon." 

There  was  a  saw-mill  on  Kimble  Brook, 
about  one  and  one-half  miles  from  the  fort. 
This  mill  was  built  Very  early  (between  1774 
and  1779),  probably  by  Jacob  Kimble,  Sr.,  or 
his  son  Abel.  The  old  mill  was  burned  by  the 
Indians  in  1779,  and  one  hundred  years  after- 
wards Joseph  Atkinson  had  a  saw-mill  burned 
on  the  same  site,  not  far  from  Marcus  Killam's 
residence.  After  the  settlers  returned  they 
built  a  saw-mill  and  a  little  tub  grist-mill,  which 
was  the  oldest  mill  in  the  settlement  and  the 
first  grist-mill  in  the  vicinity,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  mill  at  Wilsonville.  It  had  one 
run  of  native  stone,  procured  from  a  ledge  up 
the  Paupack,  on  the  Wayne  County  side,  in 
Dreher,  according  to  Ephraim  Killam  ;  but  old 
Thomas  Bartleson  claimed  he  helped  Abel 
Kimble  get  the  stone  on  Cobb  Mountain. 
Both  may  be  correct,  having  reference  to  differ- 
ent times.  Abel  Kimble  died  January  6,  1832, 
aged  seventy-seven,  and  his  wife  Sybil,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Uriah  Chapman,  May  21, 
1827,  aged  ninety.  During  the  years  1777  and 
1778,  the  settlers  upon  the  Wallenpaupack 
were  harassed  by  Indians  and  Tories,  who  had 
their  headquarters  at  Cochccton.  Brant  had 
given  orders  to    the  Indians    under   his  control 


1  In  this  account  we  have  followed  Miner,  but  the  early 
Connecticut  settlers  were  Congregatinnalisls,  although  they 
were  the  founders  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches  in  North- 
eastern Pennsylvania. 


not  to  molest  the  Wallenpaupack  settlement. 
In  1777  Mary  Gates,  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
Gates,  discovered  a  body  of  men  lurking  in  the 
swamp  near  the  Wallenpaupack  River,  as  she 
was  looking  for  the  cows.  She  notified  Lieu- 
tenant Haskell,  who  collected  the  force  of  the 
settlement  and  succeeded  in  capturing  the  whole 
body  of  Tories,  who  had  deserted  from  the 
American  army.  He  conducted  his  eighteen 
prisoners  to  Hartford,  Conn.,  where  they  were 
confined. 

On  the  3d  of  July,  1778,  the  battle  of 
Wyoming  occurred,  and  either  Hammond  or 
Stanton  notified  the  settlers  on  the  Wallenpau- 
pack. All  was  consternation  in  the  settlement 
and  preparations  were  hastily  made  for  imme- 
diate flight.  Before  sunset  on  the  4th  of  July, 
1778,  the  Wallenpaupack  settlers  were  on  their 
way  to  the  Delaware  River. - 

Captain  Zcbulon  Parrish,  his  son  Jasper  and 
Stephen  Kimble  were  captured  by  some  Tories 
and  Indians,  who  took  them  to  the  State  of 
New  York  and  kept  them  prisoners  until  the 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  Kimble  died 
while  imprisoned,  and  the  elder  Parrish  returned 
to  his  family.  Jasper  Parrish  married  an  In- 
dian wife  and  was  employed  by  the  government 
as  an  interpreter  among  the  Indians  near  Can- 
andaigua,  where  he  lived.  Stephen  Parrish, 
Jr.,  who  was  captured  with  Jones  and  Edwards, 
learned  the  mysteries  of  the  Indian  "Medicine 
Man,"  and  on  his  return  to  the  settlement  prac- 
ticed their  healing  art,  and  was  known  as  "  Doc- 
tor" Parrish.  He  left  the  settlement  in  1818, 
and  died  near  Canandaigua. 

Many  of  the  young  men  had  enlisted  in  the 
American  army.  Ephraim  Killam,  son  of  Za- 
dock  Killam,  and  Abel  Kimble,  son  of  Jacob 
Kimble,  Sr.,  were  in  the  battle  that  led  to  the 
retreat  of  General  Washington  from  Long 
Island. 

"  In  August,  1778,  four  young  men — John  Rellet, 
Jr.,  Walter  Kimble,  Charles  Forsythe  and  Uriah 
Chapman,  Jr. — returned  to  the  Wallenpaupack  for  the 
purpose  of  cutting  hay.  They  commenced  en  the 
upper  end  of  the  settlement  and  had  cut  all  the  hay 
except  that  on  the  farm  of  Uriah  Chapman,  whose 
place  was  the  lowest  down  the  creek.     One  afternoon 

2  See  Chapter  VII.  of  the  General  History. 


948 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


young  Chapman  went  to  a  neighboring  spring  for 
water.  Stopping  for  a  moment  on  the  way,  he  sat 
whistling  on  the  fence,  when  an  Indian  rose  and  fired 
at  him.  He  sprang  toward  a  sled  near  him,  where  the 
young  men  had  left  their  guns,  and  on  attempting  to 
raise  a  gun,  discovered  that  he  was  wounded.  The 
gun  dropped  from  his  hand,  when  he  ran  for  the  fort, 
which  was  still  standing,  reaching  it  toward  night. 
The  ball  had  passed  through  his  right  arm  into  his 
shoulder,  and  fifty-one  years  afterward,  on  his  death, 
it  was  found  lodged  against  his  spine.  The  Indians 
immediately  seized  the  guns,  and  the  other  young 
men,  who  had  heard  the  firing,  ran  to  the  fort.  They 
were  not  attacked  that  night,  and  the  next  day  left 
the  settlement." 

In  the  spring  of  1779  five  young  men  went 
back  to  the  settlement  to  make  maple  sugar. 
Their  names  were  Ephraim  Killam,  Jeptha  Kil- 
lam,  Silas  Killam,  Ephraim  Kimble  and  Walter 
Kimble.  They  stopped  in  one  of  the  log  houses 
about  one-half  mile  southwest  of  the  fort,  which 
had  been  burned.  The  place  is  still  marked  by  a 
mound  made  by  the  stones  of  the  old  chimney. 
They  tapped  the  maple-trees  and  fitted  up  the 
house  for  temporary  use.  One  evening  Silas  Kil- 
lam and  Walter  Kimble  were  out  of  the  house. 
As  young  Killam  was  proceeding  leisurely  along 
with  two  buckets  of  sap  strung  on  a  neck-yoke, 
a  party  of  Indians,  who  lay  in  ambush,  sprang 
across  his  path,  with  the  evident  intention  of 
capturing  him.  He  dropped  his  buckets  of  sap 
ami  started  for  the  log  house.  The  Indians 
gave  chase,  but  young  Killam  outdistanced 
them.  As  his  brother  Ephraim  opened  the 
door  to  receive  him  into  the  house  an  Indian 
fired  at  him.  The  ball  struck  the  head  of  a  nail 
in  the  door-post.  Some  of  the  pieces  wounded 
Ephraim  in  the  arm.  Walter  Kimble,  another 
young  man,  who  was  shooting  ducks,  seeing 
the  Indians  had  cut  off  all  hope  of  reaching 
the  house  in  safety,  started  for  the  Delaware 
River.  He  was  a  tall,  athletic  man,  and  outran 
his  pursuers,  who  followed  him  for  some  dis- 
tance. He  wore  a  pair  of  loose  shoes,  which  he 
cast  off,  took  a  pair  of  Indian  leggins  and  bound 
them  around  his  feet,  and  in  this  way  traveled 
all  night  in  the  snow,  which  melted  as  it  fell. 
The  next  morning,  about  breakfast-time,  he  ar- 
rived at  the  house  of  his  brother  Abel,  at  a  place 
called  Yantyne  Kill,  a  mile  above  Milford,  in  a 
pitiable  plight.     He  had  not  eaten  a  morsel  for 


more  than  twenty-four  hours,  and  exclaimed  as 
he  entered  the  house,  with  tears  in  his  eyes, 
"  The  boys  are  all  dead  !  "  The  boys  were  not 
dead,  however.  Immediately  after  the  Indians 
had  driven  Killam  into  the  house,  they  built  a 
fire  near  the  barn  and  settled  down  for  a  regu- 
lar siege.  One  of  the  Indians  exposed  himself 
while  gathering  wood  and  was  wounded  in  the 
hip  by  Ephraim  Kimble.  It  is  said  that  the 
Indian  afterwards  died  of  this  wound.  When 
all  was  still  and  the  Indians  were  quiet  these 
four  young  men  slipped  out  of  the  house  and 
started  for  the  Delaware  River,  which  they 
crossed  the  next  morning  at  Carpenter's  Point. 
Ephraim  Kimble  afterwards  located  at  what  is 
now  Kimble  Station,  Lackawaxen  township,  and 
his  brother  Walter  died  in  Ohio.  Moses  Kim- 
ble, Sr.,  was  in  the  battle  of  Lackawaxen,  or 
Minisink,  July  22,  1779.  He  blamed  the  offi- 
cers for  forcing  the  men  into  the  unequal  con- 
test, as  Brant's  forces  consisted  of  four  or  five 
hundred  Indians  and  Tories;  but  he  expressed 
the  opinion  that  had  the  stoue  breast-works  been 
thrown  up  earlier,  the  fortunes  of  the  day  might 
have  been  different.  The  Wallenpaupack  set- 
tlers made  no  more  attempts  to  return  to  the 
settlement  until  after  the  War  of  the  Revolution 
had  closed. 

The  following  letter  from  Captain  James 
Bonnel  to  Captain  Westfall  shows  the  condition 
of  affairs  in  1782,  just  before  the  settlers  re- 
turned to  the  settlement : 

"  Minisink,  31  August,  1782. 
"Dear  Sir:— 

"  I  am  exceeding  happy  to  inform  you  that  my 
scouts,  which  returned  last  evening  and  this  morning 
from  Bheholah,  Bluminggrove  and  Laqueway,  have 
made  no  discoveries  of  any  savages  or  other  Enemies. 
They  inform  me,  that  there  is  fourteen  Houses  Stand- 
ing at  Laqueway,1  and  that  the  grass  and  weeds  have 
grown  through  the  cracks  of  the  Flour,  and  that  they 
are  confident  from  the  appearance  of  things  that  there 
has  not  been  any  Enemy  there  this  Summer.  Pray 
let  me  know  if  you  have  heard  anything  from  Colo. 
Wisenfelts  or  if  you  have  made  any  late  discoveries 
of  the  Enemy. 

"I  am  Sir 

"your  most  obedient 
"Humble  Servant 
"  Capt.  Westfall.  "James  Bonnel." 


1  Laqueway  or  Lackaway  was  the  W.allenpaupack  set- 
tlement. 


J'IKK  COUNTY. 


Such,  then,  was  the  condition  of  things  when 
seventeen  of  the  original  settlers  returned  to  the 
Wallenpaupack  in  1783.  Fourteen  log  houses 
were  standing  with  the  grass  and  weeds  growing 
through  the  cracks  in  the  floors,  and  the  mea- 
dows were  growing  with  scrub  oak  and  pine. 
What  a  forlorn  and  dismal  look  the  old  settle- 
ment must  have  presented  to  the  hardy  pioneers 
as  they  returned  to  their  desolate  hearthstones 
to  begin  anew  life's  battle  for  existence. 

They  were  a  stalwart  race  of  men  and  women, 
however,  and  with  stout  hearts  commenced  the 
work  of  improvement  again.  With  less  of 
danger  to  encounter  than  attended  their  first 
residence,  they  suffered  many  more  hardships. 
The  year  of  their  return  the  corn  crop  failed, 
generally,  and  the  little  raised  was  pounded 
into  a  shape  fit  for  use  in  mortars  constructed 
of  pieces  of  wood.  The  flour  used  in  the  set- 
tlement was  carried  on  the  backs  of  the  in- 
habitants from  Milford.  The  winter  of  1783-84, 
was  a  severe  one  ;  the  snow  was  very  deep  dur- 
ing most  of  the  winter,  and  the  only  mode  of 
getting  to  and  from  Milford  was  upon  snow- 
shoes.  From  this  time  forward  the  Wallen- 
paupack settlement  was  prosperous. 

The  Wallenpaupack  Manor  extends  from 
near  Wilsonville  to  within  one-quarter  of  a 
mile  of  Ledgedale,  the  larger  portion  of  which 
lies  in  Pike  County.  During  a  number  of 
years  the  occupation  of  the  people  was  farming. 
The  beautiful  flat  land  along  the  Wallenpau- 
pack produced  grain  and  luxuriant  grass  for 
cattle,  and  in  a  few  years  there  was  a  demand 
for  pine  lumber  along  the  Delaware,  from 
Easton  to  Philadelphia.  There  was  good  pine 
along  the  Wallenpaupack  and  Lackawaxen 
Rivers.  The  settlers  manufactured  this  into 
lumber  and  floated  it  down  the  Lackawaxen 
and  Delaware  Rivers  to  market  in  some  cases; 
in  others  they  ran  the  logs  to  the  mills  be- 
low. In  this  way  the  WTallenpaupack  settlers 
became  comparatively  wealthy.  They  were 
generous,  hospitable  and  honest,  but  a  change 
came  over  the  settlement.  On  their  arrival 
they  were  Congregationalists  of  the  old  Puritan 
school,  and  strict  in  their  adherence  to  relig- 
ious worship  and  Sabbath  observance;  but  the 
demoralization  of  war  for   eight  years  during 


the  Revolution  must  have  been  great,  especially 
among  the  young  men. 

This  was  not  the  only  difficulty  in  this  set- 
tlement. The  people  became  divided  in  relig- 
ious matters.  Gideon  Draper  and  some  other 
Methodist  preachers  passed  through  in  1  807, 
and  made  it  their  principal  object  to  proselyte 
Abner  Chapman,  Esq.,  from  the  Congrega- 
tionalists in  Wallenpaupack,  as  it  had  been  their 
principal  object  to  proselyte  Major  Woodbridge 
from  the  same  church  in  Salem  ;  and  from  the 
manner  in  which  Gideon  Draper  gloated  over 
these  conquests  years  afterward,  as  preserved  in 
Peck's  "History  of  Early  Methodism,"  one 
would  suppose  it  more  important  to  proselyte 
one  member  from  a  sister  church  than  to  turn 
ten  sinners  from  the  error  of  their  ways  to  re- 
pentance. He  succeeded  in  organizing  a  small 
Methodist  class.  Hezekiah  Bingham,  Sr., 
Hezekiah  Bingham,  Jr.,  and  Nancy  Pellet 
helped  organize  the  Salem  and  Palmyra  Con- 
gregational Church  in  1808.  Rev.  Mr.  Purdy, 
a  Baptist,  of  Purdy  settlement,  occasionally 
preached  in  Paupack.  Last  of  all,  an  infidel 
moved  into  the  place  and  circulated  skeptical 
books  among  the  settlers.  The  result  of  it  all 
is  that  there  is  no  church  edifice  in  Palmyra 
township  to  this  day,  and  but  few  church  mem- 
bers. The  Methodists  have  an  appointment 
once  in  two  weeks  at  a  school-house  in  the  old 
settlement.  Rev.  Benjamin  Killam  is  said  to 
have  been  an  excellent  man,  and  at  one  time 
the  Methodists  had  a  well-organized  class  in  the 
place.  Mr.  Kincaid  was  one  of  the  old  school- 
teachers and  Ralph  Waldo  another. 

There  are  now  five  schools  in  the  township. 
The  old  school-house  in  which  P.  G.  Good- 
rich taught  was  near  Guerdon  Pellet's  house. 
He  also  taught  in  Paupack  a  number  of  years 
and  formed  a  very  high  opinion  of  the  people. 
He  says,  in  his  "  History  of  Wayne  County," 
"  In  doing  justice  to  the  memory  of  those  old 
settlers  we  could  write  scores  of  pages.  They 
and  their  children  have  passed  over  the  river, 
and  we,  standing  on  its  brink,  aged  seventy-six 
years  (he  is  now  nearly  eighty-two  years),  can- 
not but  look  back  with  admiration  of  that  noble 
people." 

Uriah  Chapman  settled  at  Blooming  Grove 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  M0N110E  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  kept  a  tavern.  He  had  a  numerous  family, 
all  of  whom  are  gone. 

Ephraini  Killam  married  a  daughter  of  John 
Ansliv.  His  family  were  men  and  women  of 
intelligence.  He  had  but  one  son,  Ira,  who 
married  a  daughter  of  Roswell  Chapman. 
Ephraim  Killam  was  a  well-informed  man  and 
scouted  thr  idea  of  civilizing  the  Indians. 
"  Why,"  hi'  used  to  say,  "an  Indian  is  just  as 
much  a  wild  man  as  a  wolf  is  a  wild  dog  ;  you 
cannot  tame  him." 

Moses  Kellam,  or  Killam,  son  of  Zadock 
Killam,  married  and  settled  in  Paupack  settle- 
ment, Palmyra  township,  about  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  south  of  the  fort.  He  was  justice  of  the 
peace  for  many  years ;  built  a  saw-mill  on 
Kimble  Brook  at  an  early  date,  a  grist-mill 
about  1825  and  put  in  the  first  burr-stone  in 
this  place.  His  children  were  Rev.  Benjamin 
T.  Killam  and  Moses  Killam,  Jr.  Benjamin 
T.  Killam,  who  preached  in  the  settlement  and 
adjacent,  was  an  active  Christian  and  an  excellent 
man.  He  married  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  Elijah 
Witter  (often  miscalled  Winter),  and  settled  on 
the  Paupack,  at  the  mouth  of  Gifford's  Creek, 
at  what  is  now  Beemerville.  He  was  a  farmer, 
lumberman  and  local  preacher  and  lived  to  be 
about  seventy-five  years  of  age.  His  children 
were  Anna  (wife  of  Thomas  Bortree,  who  died 
recently  in  Michigan  at  an  advanced  age),  Lewis, 
Emeline,  Alfred,  Elijah,  Moses,  Lucy,  Marcus 
N.  B.  and  Polly  (wife  of  James  Van  Camp, 
who  lives  in  Salem).  All  of  the  family  moved 
to  Michigan  with  the  exception  of  Anna,  Mar- 
cus, Moses  and  Polly. 

Marcus  N.  B.  Killam  stayed  on  the  old  place, 
purchased  the  Abel  Kimble  property  in  1870 
and  built  a  saw-mill  in  1871.  He  sold  thirty- 
four  hundred  acres  of  wild  or  timbered  land  to 
Farnham,  Collingwood  &  Co.,  and  now 
has  about  five  hundred  acres,  of  which  two 
hundred  and  fifty  are  Paupack  flats.  Mr.  Kil- 
lam lives  on  his  large  farm  in  a  very  comfort- 
able  manner  and  entertains  his  friends  with  the 
old-time  hospitality  for  which  Paupack  settle- 
ment has  ever  been  celebrated.  Marcus  N.  B. 
Killam,  without  doubt,  is  the  most  successful 
living  hunter  in  Northeastern  Pennsylvania. 
He  killed  his  first  deer  when  eleven  years  old 


and  did  not  miss  a  year  without  killing  one  or 
more  from  that  time  until  recently.  Some  years 
he  killed  a  dozen  and  one  year  secured  forty, 
killing  three  in  one  day.  He  at  three  different 
times  killed  three  bears  in  one  day.  He  killed 
nine  bears  a  year  for  three  successive  years.  He 
has  probably  killed  four  or  five  hundred  deer, 
more  than  one  hundred  bears  and  many  wild- 
cats as  well  as  smaller  game.  His  success  was 
owing  to  the  fact  that  he  lived  near  the  edge  of 
that  thick  spruce  and  pine  swamp  in  and  about 
"  Promised  Land,"  and  was  an  almost  unerring 
shot.  The  largest  deer  he  killed  weighed  two 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and  the  skin  forty 
pounds.  He  has  the  antlers,  which  spread 
twenty  inches  apart, 

Moses  Killam,  Jr.,  succeeded  his  father  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  lived  on  the  homestead  and 
ran  the  grist-mill  until  other  mills  were  built 
in  the  vicinity  and  the  saw-mill  was  in  opera- 
tion. Joseph  Atkinson  afterward  bought  the 
place.  He  was  a  leading  man  in  the  place  in 
his  day  and  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace  until  so  old  that  his  son  Ephraim  did 
the  writing  and  finally  succeeded  to  the  same 
office.  He  was  seventy-eight  at  his  death.  He 
married  Lucy,  daughter  of  Ephraim  Kimble, 
8r.;  his  children  being  Dan,  Benjamin,  Rush, 
Ephraim  and  George,  sons,  who  all,  with  the 
exception  of  Rush,  settled  in  the  vicinity.  The 
daughters  were  Irene,  wife  of  Amzi  L.  Wood- 
ward ;  Esther,  wife  of  William  Conklin^-,  of 
Hawlcy  ;  Christine,  wife  of  James  Gibson,  of 
Illinois ;  Milccnna,  wife  of  Arthur  Kimble,  of 
Hawley ;  Eunice,  wife  of  Mr.  McComb ;  Au- 
gusta, unmarried.  Silas  Killam  married  Sarah, 
a  daughter  of  Uriah  Chapman,  and  settled 
northwest  of  the  fort,  on  the  road  to  Salem.  He 
was  a  farmer,  his  sons  being  Ambrose,  Isaac, 
Harvey,  Silas  and  William.  They  all  moved 
away  but  Isaac  and  William. 

Asher  Killam  lives  on  the  Calvin  Pellet 
place  and  has  the  post-office.  Ephraim  Killam 
is  a  surveyor  and  justice  of  the  peace  in  Haw- 
ley. He  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the 
history  of  the  early  settlers  in  the  old  Wallen- 
paupack  settlement  and  contributed  materially 
to  this  history  of  Palmyra  township.  Elizabeth 
Witter,  wife  of  Benjamin  T.  Killam,  was  horn 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


951 


September  3,  1773,  lived  to  be  ninety-eight 
years  and  ten  mouths  old  and  claimed  to  have 
been  the  first  white  child  born  in  old  Paupack 
.settlement.  The  Indians  had  a  field  of  about 
seven  acres  which  they  cultivated,  by  the  old 
Ephraim  Killam  place.  They  also  had  another 
field  of  about  four  acres  on  the  Gabriel  Davis 
place. 

Stephen  Bennett  married  Mary,  the  daughter 
of  Nathaniel  Gates  and  settled  about  one  mile 
east  of  the  fort.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revo- 
lution. (Nathaniel  Gates  was  secreted  and  es- 
caped from  the  massacre  at  Wyoming  by  way 
of  Paupack.  He  saw  the  Indians  thrust  burn- 
ing pine-knots  into  the  prisoners.)  Stephen 
Bennett's  sons  were  Francis,  Frederick,  Rufus, 
Jared,  Stephen  and  Lebbeus.  The  daughters 
were  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John  Miller,  who  set- 
tled in  "  the  Beech,"  and  Samantha,  who  was 
unmarried.  Francis  Bennett  married  Esther 
Daniels  and  lived  in  South  Canaan  township. 
Frederick  Bennett  married  Jane  Killam  and 
moved  to  New  York.  Rufus  settled  in  Purdy- 
town,  west  of  the  homestead.  Jared  married 
Esther  Killam  and  remained  on  a  portion  of 
the  homestead.  Stephen  Bennett  married  De- 
sire, a  daughter  of  Joseph  Ainsley,  and  was  a 
lumberman.  Lebbeus  married  Laura  Ainsley 
and  lived  on  a  part  of  the  old  place.  Of  Jared 
Bennett's  children,  Isaac,  who  retains  a  portion 
of  the  homestead,  and  Nancy  Jane,  wife  of  M. 
N.  B.  Killam,  alone  remain  in  the  place.  The 
Bennetts  were  esteemed  as  honest  and  industri- 
ous citizens. 

Uriah  Chapman  settled  adjoining  the  Ben- 
netts, and  Hezekiah  Bingham,  Sr.,  next  to  Chap- 
man. The  latter  was  a  good  man  and  one  of 
the  first  members  of  the  Congregational  Church 
organized  in  Salem  in  1808.  His  sons  were 
Hezekiah  Bingham,  Jr.,  Rodolphus  and  Solo- 
mon. His  daughters  were  Nancy,  wife  of  John 
Pellet,  dr.;  Leura,  wife  of  Simeon  Chapman  ; 
Hannah,  wife  of  Roswell  Chapman  ;  and  Fanny, 
wife  of  Uriah  Kimble.  Hezekiah  Bingham, 
Jr.,  married  Eunice  Killam,  daughter  of  John 
Killam,  and  lived  about  one  mile  east  of  his 
father.  His  son  Moses  resided  on  the  old  place 
and  was  a  justice  of  the  peace.  He  died  with- 
out children.     John  Bingham   removed    to  the 


West.  Rodolphus  Bingham  kept  hotel  on  his 
father's  property,  which  was  the  place  of  hold- 
ing elections  when  Greene  and  Blooming  Grove 
were  part  of  Palmyra.  His  wife  was  Sally,  a 
daughter  of  Abel  Kimble's.  Florence  MeCarty 
Bingham,  one  of  the  sons,  went  to  Philadelphia 
and  bought  lumber  as  it  was  run  down  the 
river,  becoming  one  of  the  largest  lumber  deal- 
ers in  the  city.  He  died  without  children  about 
1875,  leaving  a  large  property  to  his  widow, 
who  is  devoting  her  fortune  and  her  life  to 
charity  and  nursing  the  sick. 

Jacob  Kimble,  Sr.,  was  a  tall,  bony  man  who 
lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one.  He 
was  a  miller,  farmer  and  lumberman.  His  irons 
were  Abel,  Walter,  Benjamin,  Daniel,  Ephraim 
and  Jacob.  One  of  his  daughters,  Lucretia, 
was  the  wife  of  Judge  Abisha  Woodward,  of 
Bethany,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  and  the  mother 
of  Hon.  George  W.  Woodward,  who  became 
chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Abel  Kimble  built  a  grist-mill  on 
Kimble  Creek  at  an  early  day.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son,  Burnham  Kimble,  whose 
sons  were  Philip  and  Arthur,  now  living  in 
Hawley,  and  Jackson,  who  is  on  the  Peter 
Warner  place.  The  daughters  were  Caroline, 
wife  of  Henry  Edwards;  Sybil,  wife  of  Guer- 
don Pellet ;  Ada,  who  removed  to  the  West;  and 
Sarah  Ann,  wife  of  Jackson  Nyce,  wdio  lives  in 
the  settlement.  Jacob  Kimble,  2d,  resided  on 
the  farm  afterward  owned  by  his  son,  Heman 
Newton  Kimble.  He  was  the  father  of  eighteen 
children.  In  the  days  when  shoemakers  went 
from  house  to  house,  boarded  with  the  family 
and  did  their  shoemakin^  for  the  year  (which 
was  called  whipping  the  cat),  it  took  one  of 
these  traveling  cobblers  three  mouths  each  year 
to  make  boots  and  shoes  enough  for  this  family. 
His  wife  was  Ann  Ainsley,  and  Moses,  Henry, 
Timothy  M ,  Delia  (wife  of  Joseph  Slocum), 
"Walter,  James,  Newton,  Harrison,  Milton, 
George,  Hannah  (wife  of  Aaron  Brown),  Lucy 
Ann  (wife  of  Judge  Ridgway),  and  Jacob  (who 
was  at  one  time  sheriff  of  Pike  County)  are  all 
the  children  that  Warren  Kimble  could  remem- 
ber.    Walter    Kimble,  of  the  original  family, 

ved  to  Indian  Orchard.      He  raised  a   lar^e 

family,  who  all  went  to  Michigan  with  the  ex- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ception  of  Stephen,  who  has  a  son  Stephen  liv- 
ing in  Cherry  Ridge.  Benjamin  and  Daniel 
also  settled  in  Cherry  Ridge.  Fannie  Atkin- 
son, the  second  wife  of  Joseph  Atkinson,  Sr., 
and  mother  of  Joseph  and  Lot  Atkinson,  of 
Hawley,was  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Kimble's. 
She  lived  to  an  advanced  age  and  was  highly 
respected  by  all  who  knew  her.  Daniel's  chil- 
dren located  in  the  vicinity.  Ephraim  Kimble, 
Sr.,  settled  at  Mount  Moriah  (now  Kimble's 
Station,)  in  Lackawaxen  township,  in  the  history 
of  which  an  account  of  his  family  will  be 
found. 

The  Kimbles  are  a  race  of  strong,  good-sized 
men,  possessing  vigorous  constitutions  and 
ruddy  countenances.  They  have  been  active 
working  people  and  contributed  their  share 
toward  developing  Pike  and  Wayne  Counties, 
besides  sending  a  large  number  of  their  sons 
and  daughters  to  the  West,  particularly  to  the 
Stale  i if  Michigan,  where,  as  lumbermen,  mill- 
ers and  farmers,  they  arc  an  undoubted  success. 
The  Kimbles  are  long-lived  and  have  families 
of  from  eight  to  ten  children  on  an  average. 
Like  the  La  Pais  in  Monroe  County,  the  de- 
scendants of  Jacob  Kimble,  Sr.,  can  now  be 
counted  by  the  thousands. 

Jesper  Edwards  lived  where  Moses  Bingham 
afterwards  settled.  His  sons,  Peleg  and  James, 
stayed  in  the  settlement,  and  Sabra  became  the 
wife  of  Jonathan  Brink.  Peleg  remained  on 
the  homestead.  Of  his  children,  Charles  mar- 
ried Susan  Roberts  and  lived  in  Lackawaxen 
till  a  short  time  before  his  death,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Beeinersville  ;  Henry  Edwards  lived 
in  the  settlement  as  a  shoemaker ;  and  Sabra 
became  the  wife  of  Jonas  Ainsley. 

John  Ainsley,  Sr.,  who  was  born  in  England, 
was  a  blacksmith,  as  was  his  son,  John  Ainsley, 
Jr.  Simeon  and  Joseph  were  the  other  sons. 
John  and  Joseph  married  sisters,  daughters  of 
Levi  Kimble,  and  Simeon  married  a  daughter 
of  Jacob  Kimble,  Sr.  Joseph  Ainsley  was  the 
inn-keeper  for  the  settlement.  His  sons  were 
Hudson,  Brenson,  Jonas  and  Joseph.  Hudson 
and  Joseph  moved  to  Buffalo.  Breuson's  chil- 
dren were  Leonard,  who  lives  in  St.  Louis,  and 
Joseph  Ainsley,  who  has  a  large  sash  factory 
in    Scrantcm.       His    factory    and    lumber    pile 


were  destroyed  by  fire  a  short  time  ago,  without 
insurance  ;  but  like  a  hero,  in  his  old  age  he  is 
building  up  again.  William,  of  Purdytown,  is 
a  brother.  Jonas  Ainsley  remained  on  the 
homestead,  kept  tavern  and  farmed.  His  widow 
and  son  George  live  there  still. 

John  Pellet,  Jr.,  was  in  most  of  the  conflicts 
with  the  Indians  on  the  Paupack.  He  married 
Nancy  Bingham,  daughter  of  Hezekiah  Bing- 
ham, Sr.  Their  children  were  Richard,  John, 
George,  William  Calvin,  Guerdon,  Ira,  Abi- 
gail (wife  of  Asa  Kimble)  and  Nancy  (wife  of 
Meacham  Kimble).  A.  D.  Pellet,  carpenter, 
of  Salem,  is  a  son  of  Richard  Pellet,  The 
Pellets  are  nearly  all  gone  from  the  settlement. 
They  were  a  prominent  family. 

David  and  Orrin  Lester,  who  were  Revolu- 
tionary soldiers,  lived  for  some  years  in  Pau- 
pack. 

Nathan  Sutton  had  a  small  tannery  with 
four  vats  up  at  the  Beemer  place,  where  he 
tanned  good  upper  and  sole  leather.  He 
ground  his  bark  with  a  horse  and  stone.  His 
son  Jonas  lived  on  the  homestead,  which  is 
now  owned  by  John  Burns,  who  has  found 
clay  adapted  to  the  purpose,  and  makes  a 
coarse  earthenware  at  the  place.  Jonas  Sutton 
married  Ann,  a  daughter  of  Solomon  Purdy. 
Their  children  were  Col bern  and  William. 

Peter  Warner  came  to  Paupack  from  Monroe 
County,  and  bought  on  the  corner,  across  from 
the  fort,  in  1827.  He  was  the  village  black- 
smith and   a  good  man. 

Stephen  Dimon  came  to  Wilsonville  from 
New  Jersey  in  1830,  and  in  1833  bought  John 
Connet's    improvements.     His    son,    Cornelius 

C.  Dimon,  built  an  addition  to  the  house,  and 
started  a  hotel  in  1856,  which  is  still  managed 
by  him.  Jane  Dimon  was  the  wife  of  Henry 
Gager,  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  Lydia  Dimon,  the 
wife  of  Newton  Kimble.  The  settlement  of 
Palmyra  township  has  latterly  included  many 
Germans. 

Frazier  Smith,  Jacob  Seaman,  Conrad  (tum- 
ble, Herman  Gumble,  Francis  Singer  and 
Casper  Wesling  settled  on  the  road  from  Henry 

D.  Clark's  to  Blooming  Grove.  Nelson  B. 
Kirkendall  lives  one-half  mile  southwest  of 
Dimou's.     Thomas  Robinson   is  one  mile  south 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


953 


of  Dimon,  on  the  Simpson  place.  Henry  Val- 
entine lives  on  the  N.  Kimble  property.  John 
Decker  formerly  kept  a  hotel  at  what  was 
known  as  the  Decker  stand,  on  the  Milford  and 
Owego  turnpike,  and  had  a  farm,  it  being  a 
stopping-place  of  some  importance  in  the  day 
of  stage-coaches.  The  Erie  Railroad  has,  how- 
ever, wrought  many  changes,  and  the  place  is 
growing. 

Charles  W.  Down  came  from  Easton  to 
Sterling  in  1830,  and  lived  where  Whittaker  now 
is,  on  the  Heman  Newton  place.  He  moved  to 
Palmyra  in  1858,  and  has  held  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace.  He  has  charge  of  the 
Ledgedale  Tannery  shipments  at  Hawley. 

James  Cromwell  built  the  Cromwell  Tannery 
about  1849,  and  his  brothers,  William  and 
Joshua,  bought  his  interest  and  run  it  until 
1883.  William  Cromwell  now  has  a  planing- 
mill  opposite  Hawley,  near  the  old  tannery. 
He  was  associate  judge  of  Pike  County  one 
term. 

Tafton. — Amasa  Daniels  was  a  squatter  and 
made  an  improvement  where  Tafton  now  is  at 
an  early  day.  Elizabeth  Valentine  bought  the 
property  for  her  son-in-law,  Royal  Taft,  about 
1821.  The  tract  consisted  of  four  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Taft  built  an  addition 
to  the  old  house,  a  barn  and  a  hotel,  known  as 
the  Tafton  House.  As  he  was  on  the  Milford 
and  Owego  stage  line,  he  soon  after  had  a  post- 
office  established  at  Tafton,  of  which  he  was 
postmaster.  He  continued  business  in  the  hotel 
until  1 84 1 ,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Thomas 
V.  Taft,  who  did  not  take  out  a  license,  but  kept 
travelers  simply  as  an  accommodation  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  built  a  store,  and  as  ad- 
ministrator conducted  the  business  until  the 
heirs  were  of  age.  Then  the  three  brothers, 
Thomas,  Charles  and  Theodore,  were  in  part- 
nership until  Thomas  and  Theodore  purchased 
Charles'  interest  and  continued  the  business  until 
1868.  Since  that  time  the  property  has  been  in 
the  hands  of  various  Germans.  Christopher 
Newberger  has  resided  there  a  number  of  years 
and  Joseph  Atkinson  manages  a  steam  saw-mill. 
Thomas  V.  Taft  now  lives  in  Hawley.  Charles 
V.  Taft  was  for  many  years  a  merchant  in  that 
place  and  has  been  succeeded  in  business  by  his 


son,  Royal  Taft.      The  Tafts  are  an  honest,  en- 
terprising family. 

Wilsonville. — About  1768  Rev.  Richard 
Peters,  Henry  Drinker  and  Abel  James,  of 
Philadelphia,  cut  a  road,  sometimes  called  the 
Wilderness  road,  from  Stroudsburg  to  Wilson- 
ville,  or  in  that  vicinity,  to  a  point  on  the  Wal- 
lenpaupack,  which  they  then  called  Factory  vi lie, 
and  sent  a  colony,  who  commenced  to  build  a 
woolen-factory  on  the  Wallenpaupack  rapids, 
between  Wilsonville  and  Hawley.  These  Phil- 
adelphia gentlemen  had  a  Utopian  scheme  where- 
by they  expected  to  become  rich.  Before  the 
days  of  steam,  water  was  more  highly  esteemed 
than  now,  and  the  water-power  furnished  by  the 
Wallenpaupack  near  its  mouth  was  considered 
to  be  of  great  value  even  at  that  early  day.  They 
intended  raising  sheep  on  the  hills  about  Wil- 
sonville and  having  everything  at  hand  for  a 
woolen-factory.  But  this  was  a  howling  wil- 
derness, the  home  of  the  wolf,  the  bear  and  the 
panther  rather  than  a  place  for  sheep-raising. 
The  result  of  this  project  is  soon  told.  In  1769 
Rev.  Richard  Peters  came  to  Stroudsburg  and 
asked  Colonel  Jacob  Stroud  to  take  a  load  of 
provisions  to  his  colony,  as  they  were  starving, 
which  he  immediately  did,  and  the  enterprise 
was  soon  after  abandoned.  The  Wallenpaupack 
Falls,  where  Wilsonville  is  located,  is  an  excel- 
lent water-power,  and  as  it  is  impossible  to  run 
rafts  over  it  in  safety,  the  owners  of  this 
privilege  have  had  a  monopoly  of  the  lumbering 
that  comes  from  the  forests  of  the  region  drained 
by  the  Wallenpaupack  and  its  branches.  The 
first  mill  where  Wilsonville  now  is  was  a  grist- 
mill built  by  Joseph  Washburn  and  burned  the 
3d  of  July,  1778,  according  to  Minor's  "  History 
of  Wyoming."  Subsequently  there  were  other 
mills  erected,  and  from  1799  until  April  5, 
1 802,  it  was  the  county-seat  of  Wayne  County. 
Leonard  La  Bar  was  in  Wilsonville  about  1818. 
He  had  two  saw-mills  on  Pike  County  side  and 
a  grist-mill  in  Wayne  County.  After  La  Bar, 
Roberts  &  Fuller  got  the  property  ;  Roberts 
died  and  it  was  sold  at  sheriff's  sale  to  Dan  Brod- 
head  for  seven  thousand  dollars  by  the  sheriffs 
of  Wayne  and  Pike  Counties,  at  the  same  time, 
one  selling  on  Pike  side  of  the  river  and  the 
other  on  Wayne  side.  James  M.  Porter  appears 


954 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


to  have  been  interested.  In  1843  William 
Shouse  came  to  Wilson  ville  with  his  sons  Jacob, 
John  and  Henry,  and  took  charge  of  the  mills. 
Jacob  died  and  John  and  Henry  assumed  full 
charge  of  the  business.  They  divided  the  prop- 
erty between  them  and  Henry  built  a  large  saw- 
mill on  the  Wayne  County  side.  They  did  an 
immense  lumber  business  and  ran  a  store  and 
grist-mill.  In  1869  John  Shouse  sold  his  inter- 
est to  Farnham,  Collingwood  &  Co.  for  fifty- 
five  thousand  dollars  and  returned  to  Easton. 
The  next  year  Henry  Shouse  sold  his  interest  to 
the  same  parties  for  fifty  thousand  dollars  and 
also  returned  to  Easton.  Shortly  afterwards  the 
new  company  purchased  the  Marcus  Killam 
tract  for  sixty  thousand  dollars.  The  mills 
have  a  capacity  of  about  ten  million  feet  of  lum- 
ber per  year.  Collingwood  A  Millard  are  now 
the  principal  owners.  The  large  tracts  of  tim- 
ber which  have  supplied  these  mills  in  years 
past  are  nearly  all  gone,  and  this,  like  other 
large  lumbering  establishments,  will  soon  only 
be  known  historically. 

William  Shouse  died  at  Easton  in  1877,  in 
the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age.  He  began  life  as 
a  cabinet  and  chair-maker.  From  1819  to  1836 
was  proprietor  of  the  Franklin  House,  at  Eas- 
ton. From  1836  to  1843  was  engaged  in  car- 
riage-making for  the  Southern  market,  and  in 
1843,  as  above  mentioned,  engaged  in  milling, 
lumbering  and  merchandising  at  Wilsonville. 
He  left  the  latter  place  in  1870  and  returned  to 
Easton.  He  was  the  originator  of  the  famous 
opposition  line  of  stages  to  Philadelphia,  and 
when  Pardee  Hall  was  opened,  he  was  the  oldest 
living  trustee  of  Lafayette  College.  He  was  a 
life-long  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and 
a  highly  respected  business  man.  His  son, 
John  Shouse,  was  a  member  of  the  Milford 
bar  and  associate  judge  of  Pike  County  one 
term.1 


1  In  writing  the  history  of  Wallenpaupauk  settlement, 
acknowledgment  should  be  made  for  the  assistance  ren- 
dered by  Ephraim  Killam,  Esq.,  of  Hawley,  M.  N.  13.  Kil- 
lam and  wife,  Thomas  V.  Taft  and  to  P.  G.  Goodrich's 
"  History  of  Wayne  County'' and  Charles  Miner's  "History 
of  Wyoming." 


CHAPTER  XL 

LACK  A  WAXEN    TOWNSHIP. 

Lackawaxen  TOWNSHIP  was  erected  in 
1798,  after  Wayne  County  M-as  set  off  from 
Northampton.  It  is  the  northern  township  of 
Pike  County,  and  is  bounded  on  the  northwest 
by  Wayne  County,  on  the  northeast  by  Dela- 
ware River  and  New  York,  on  the  southeast  by 
Shohola  and  on  the  south  and  southwest  by 
Blooming  Grove  and  Palmyra.  It  is  named 
for  the  Lackawaxen  River, which  passes  through 
the  township  from  west  to  east  and  enters  the 
Delaware  at  the  village  of  Lackawaxen.  Lacka- 
wack,  Lackawaxon  or  Lackawaxen,  as  it  is 
variously  spelled,  is  an  Indian  name,  meaning 
"swift  waters,"  and  it  is  very  appropriately  ap- 
plied to  this  stream,  which  is  a  very  rapid-flow- 
ing river.  It  rises  among  the  hills  of  Mount 
Pleasant,  in  Wayne  County,  and  flows  south- 
wardly through  Honesdale,  where  it  is  joined 
by  the  Dyberry  at  the  foot  of  Irving  Cliff, 
whence  it  continues  its  onward  course  through 
a  narrow  valley  scarcely  more  than  one-quarter 
of  a  mile  wide  to  Hawley,  when  it  flows 
between  Lackawaxen  and  Palmyra  for  a  few 
miles  through  the  famous  Narrows,  where  was 
once  a  waterfall,  blasted  out  by  State  appro- 
priation, for  the  accommodation  of  the  raftsmen, 
who  formerly  floated  a  large  amount  of  lumber 
down  this  stream  to  the  Delaware  and  thus 
down  to  Philadelphia.  The  valley  is  very 
narrow  through  Lackawaxen  township  and  in 
many  places  the  steep  hills  lay  so  close  to  the 
river  as  to  become  a  mountain  gorge  rather  than 
a  valley,  and  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
and  Erie  Railway  Companies,  which  occupy  the 
right  and  left  banks  of  the  stream  respectively, 
have  been  compelled  to  blast  out  great  rocks  to 
pass  through.  The  scenery  along  the  Lacka- 
waxen is  rugged  and  grand,  and  often  visited  by 
city  visitors  in  summer.  The  Lackawaxen 
receives  the  waters  of  Blooming  Grove  Creek 
and  Tink  Creek,  outlet  of  Tink  Pond.  Wolf 
Pond  and  Westcalong  Pond  are  the  other  prin- 
cipal lakes.  The  scenery  along  the  Delaware  is 
also  fine.  Masthope  Creek  flows  through  the 
northern  part  of  the  township  and  enters  the 
Delaware  at  Masthope. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


1)55 


Lackawaxen  Village. — Jonathan  Conk- 
ling  and  John  Barnes  were  the  first  settlers  in 
Lackawaxen.  They  located  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Lackawaxen  River,  Conkling  on  the  south  side 
of  the  stream  and  Barnes  on  the  north  side. 
They  came  before  the  Revolution.  Absalom 
Conkling  related  that  his  father  took  his  family 
and  a  few  things  in  a  canoe  and  paddled  down 
the  Lackawaxen  and  Delaware  to  the  stone  fort 
of  the  Westfalls.  One  day,  after  he  thought 
the  Indian  trouble  was  over,  he  and  two  of 
his  boys  rowed  up  to  their  home  at  nightfall. 
They  saw  a  light  in  the  cabin,  and  creeping  up 
carefully,  looked  through  a  crack  of  the  house, 
when  they  discovered  two  Indians  who  had 
taken  peaceable  possession.  They  had  a  fire  in 
the  fire-place  and  one  lay  asleep  while  the  other 
was  busy  picking  the  flint  of  his  gun.  Conkling 
and  his  boys  slipped  back  to  their  canoe  and 
floated  down  to  the  fort  again,  wheuce  they  and 
the  Barneses  came  back  after  the  war  and  again 
occupied  their  old  homes. 

Jonathan  Conkling's  children  were  John, 
Lewis,1  Benjamin  and  Absalom,  sons,  who 
lived  to  great  ages  and  died  in  the  township,  so 
far  as  ascertained.  The  name  has  become  ex- 
tinct in  the  township.  Absalom  died  at  Row- 
land's, aged  eighty-four,  more  than  forty  years 
ago.  Thyre,  Tamar,  Lydia  and  Freelove  were 
the  daughters.  Tamar  married  a  Brown  and 
lived  in  Milford  ;  Martha,  a  daughter  by  a 
second  wife,  married  Samuel  Barnard  and  lives 
below  Hawley. 

John  Barnes  married  Betsey  Haley.  Their 
sons  were  Thomas,  Abram,  Cornelius,  William, 
Nathan,  John  and  Jeremiah.  These  children 
and  their  descendants  are  scattered  through  the 
West  and  elsewhere.  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of 
John's,  was  the  wife  of  Charles  B.  Ridgeway, 
who  lived  at  Lackawaxen,  and  Judge  Thomas 
J.  Ridgeway,  their  son,  still  resides  there. 
Henry  Barnes,  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Ridgeway, 
located  iu  Milford.    Lucian  Barnes,  attorney-at- 


i  Lackawaxen  is  just  opposite  anil  about  one  and  one- 
half  miles  from  where  the  battle  of  Minisink  was  fought. 
Lewis  Conkiing  went  up  with  the  reinforcements  to  the 
point  of  t lie  hill  after  the  whites  gave  back.  They  saw  the 
Indians  that  were  burning  Terwilliger,  but  knew  nothing 
of  their  force  and  did  not  dare  attack  them. 


law,  and  Britton  Barnes  were  his  sons.  Vir- 
ginia was  the  wife  of  Dr.  Edward  Haliday. 
Hortense  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  D.  A.  Sandford, 
and  Martha  married  Samuel  Thrall,  of  Milford. 
Jeremiah  T.  Barnes,  a  descendant  of  one  of 
these  Barnes,  was  once  sheriff  of  Wayne  County 
and  an  extensive  lumberman.  Peter  S.  Barnes, 
another  descendant,  is  at  preseut  register  and 
recorder  of  Wayne  County. 

Jacob  Bonnel  came  to  Lackawaxen  shortly 
after  the  Conklings,  and  located  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Lackawaxen,  near  the  canal  I  nidge. 
William,  Benjamin  and  Joseph  Holbert  were 
here  early,  likewise  Elias  Brown.  Nathan  Lord 
located  one-half  mile  above  the  mouth  of  the 
Lackawaxen.  Charles  B.  Ridgway  came  to 
Lackawaxen  about  1807  and  located  on  the 
Lackawaxen  one  mile  above  its  mouth.  John 
Armstrong  was  the  first  merchant,  in  1827. 
William  F.  Dutcher  and  T.  J.  Ridgway  have 
been  merchants  since.  Benjamin  Holbert  had 
a  store-room  in  his  house  about  three  miles 
above  Lackawaxen  at  an  early  date.  They 
formerly  brought  goods  from  Newburgh  to  Mil- 
ford, thence  up  the  Milford  and  Owego  turnpike 
to  Darlingville,  and  thus  on  to  Lackawaxen. 

After  the  canal  was  built  they  used  it  for 
shipping  purposes,  and  now  employ  the  Erie 
Railroad.  Darlingville  was  on  the  turnpike, 
and  was  so  named  in  honor  of  Samuel  Darling, 
father  of  Deacon  John  P.  Darling,  who  was  its 
first  postmaster,  but  since  the  advent  of  rail- 
roads, this,  like  many  another  turnpike  village, 
has  degenerated.  John  Williamson  was  the 
first  postmaster  at  Lackawaxen.  Rev.  Dr. 
Thomas  House  Taylor  built  the  first  hotel, 
where  the  Williamson  House  afterward  stood,  in 
1852.  John  Williamson  purchased  this  prop- 
erty and  made  additions  to  it,  when  it  burned 
down.  He  then  built  the  present  Williamson 
House,  or  New  York  Hotel.  He  also  erected 
the  A  sher  House ;  Calvin  Van  Benschoten  built 
the  National  Hotel,  and  William  Holbert  the 
Lackawaxen  House  at  the  forks  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  Lackawaxen  Rivers.  The  hotels  will 
accommodate  two  hundred  guests,  and  are  de- 
signed for  summer  boarders  who  visit  this  de- 
lightful and  healthful  region  annually,  in  search 
of  health  and  rest. 


;i5i; 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


There  is  good  fishing  in  the  Delaware  and 
lakes  near  by.  The  York  Pond  covers  about 
one  hundred  acres,  and  is  an  immense  mountain 
spring  situated  about  four  hundred  feet  above 
the  Lackawaxen.  There  are  a  series  of  falls 
of  about  two  hundred  feet  descent  on  the  outlet 
of  this  pond,  where  is  located  a  club-house. 
Dr.  Debron  was  the  first  physician  in  Lacka- 
waxen ;  Elder  Kyte,  a  Baptist,  was  the  first 
preacher  in  the  township.  They  first  organized 
about  1827,  when  the  canal  was  built,  and  the 
Barryville  preacher  occasionally  preached.  Isaac 
Mills  was  the  first  deacon  in  the  Baptist  Church 
and  John  Johnson  and  family  were  among  the 
earliest  members.  Jeremiah  Barnes  and  family 
and  John  Barnes  and  family  were  the  leaders 
among  the  Methodists  who  held  their  first 
meetings  in  Jeremiah  Barnes'  house.  The 
Baptists  and  Methodists  built  a  Union  Church 
in  1848,  in  which  they  have  a  Union  Sunday- 
School  and  which  they  occupy  harmoniously 
for  religious  purposes.  The  Lutherans  organ- 
ized about  1856.  Henry  Banker  and  family, 
Anthony  Arntz  and  family,  George  Bisel  and 
family  aud  John  Hocker  and  family  were  the 
leading  members.  They  use  the  school-house, 
which  was  built  in  1856.  The  Catholics  have 
a  church  which  was  built  about  1865.  The 
first  school  was  taught  by  Mr.  Layton  at  the 
Nathan  Lord  place. 

Mordecai  Roberts,  a  Quaker  of  some  means 
from  Philadelphia,  settled  one  mile  north  of 
Rowland's  Station,  on  the  Lackawaxen,  in  1791. 
Although  he  was  a  Quaker,  General  Washing- 
ton so  far  conquered  his  prejudices  as  to  make 
him  a  messenger  to  carry  dispatches  to  different 
posts.  In  the  performance  of  this  duty  he 
sometimes  rode  forty-eight  hours  without  leav- 
ing his  saddle.  He  had  a  horse  shot  from 
under  him  at  one  time  and  was  severely 
wounded  by  a  bayonet  thrust  at  another  time. 
His  services  were  so  valuable  to  the  Americans 
that  the  British  offered  a  reward  for  his  head, 
but  he  lived  to  be  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
Lackawaxen  township  after  the  war.  His 
father,  Hugh  Roberts,  was  a  wealthy  man,  and 
built  a  Quaker  Church  in  Philadelphia.  He 
had  an  immense  fortune  left  him  in  England, 
said   to  amount  to  thirty-six   million   dollars, 


but  lacked  a  marriage  certificate  and  never 
obtained  it.  Mordecai  Roberts  purchased 
a  large  tract  of  land  in  Lackawaxen,  built 
mills  and  otherwise  improved  the  place.  He 
married  a  New  England  woman.  The  children 
were  Samuel,  wife  of  John  Monington,  of 
Philadelphia;  Anna,  wife  of  Jacob  Walters, 
of  Philadelphia,  one  of  whose  daughters  was 
the  wife  of  Andrew  Simons,  of  Hawley,  and  is 
now  living,  aged  eighty-four.  William,  Julia, 
Ann,  Mordecai  and  Thomas  are  children  by 
the  second  wife. 

Samuel  Roberts,  the  eldest  son  above  men- 
tioned, cleared  a  farm  about  two  miles  south- 
west of  his  father.  Now  standing  among  the 
apple-trees  there  are  pines  eighteen  inches 
through,  the  farm  having  all  grown  to  a  wilder- 
ness again.  Pike  County  scrub  oak  and  pine 
lands  have  to  be  kept  under  constant  cultiva- 
tion or  they  will  soon  be  covered  with  native 
forest-trees;  consequently,  farming  on  the  hills 
of  Pike  is  a  constant  battle  with  scrub  oaks  and 
scrub  pine.  Here  nature  wages  a  constant  war- 
fare, and  the  primeval  forests  unceasingly  claim 
the  soil  as  their  own.  Whether  Pike  County 
humanity,  animated  by  Pike  County  whiskey, 
will  conquer  the  den  of  the  rattlesnake  and  the 
lair  of  the  bear  is  an  undetermined  question. 
Certain  it  is  that  several  well  cultivated  farms, 
such  as  the  Roberts  place  and  the  Sylvan  ian 
Societies'  land,  have  been  reclaimed  by  the 
forests. 

Samuel  Roberts'  children  were  Betsey,  Ann, 
Abbey,  Lucy,  Urban,  John,  Samuel,  Mordecai, 
Susan  and  William,  who  all  grew  to  mature 
years,  married  in  the  townshij)  and  most  of 
whom  moved  West.  Ann  was  the  wife  of  Moses 
Brink,  son  of  Jonathan  Brink,  of  White  Mills, 
and  is  now  living  in  the  township,  aged  eighty- 
two.  John  Westfall  afterward  owned  the  old 
Mordecai  Roberts  place  in  1834.  He  raised  a 
large  family  of  children,  among  them  Solomon 
and  James,  of  Rowland's,  and  Gabriel,  of  Col- 
umbia, D.  T.  Judge  William  Westfall,  who 
died  at  the  Westfall  home  in  1882,  contributed 
many  articles  of  a  historical  character  to  the 
press,  and  was  for  years  a  correspondent  of  the 
Milford  Herald  and  Dispatch,  a  stanch 
Democrat.     He  was  elected  county  commissioner 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


957 


in  1851,  and  served  four  years  as  county  treas- 
urer, five  years  as  associate  judge,  five  years  as 
county  auditor,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature when  he  died,  besides  being  town  clerk, 
justice  of  the  peace  and  school  director  thirty- 
eight  years.  There  is  a  small  Methodist  Church 
near  this  place. 

Rowland's,  which  is  only  about  one  mile 
below  Westfall's,  was  first  started  by  Hon. 
George  H.  Rowland,  who  came  to  Lacka waxen 


better  to  be  first  in  a  hamlet  on  the  mountains 
than  second  at  Rome,  and  he  is  undisputedly 
the  first  in  that  township. 

Hon.  George  H.  Rowland.  —  Samuel 
Rowland  and  his  two  brothers  came  to  New 
York  from  Ireland  in  1720,  and  settled  in 
Dutchess  County.  His  son,  Samuel  Row- 
land, Jr.  (1722-1800),  had  a  son,  Robert  Row- 
laud  (1746-1812),  who  was  justice  of  the  peace 
in  colonial  times,  and  reared  a  family  of  chil- 


with  his  parents  in  1828,  and  beginning  some 
years  later,  when  a  young  man,  carved  out  a 
home  and  a  fortune  on  the  side  of  the  mountain. 
The  Erie  Railway  passes  through  here,  and 
the  station  is  named  in  his  honor.  He  has  a 
store,  farm,  and  had  a  mill  which  has  been 
recently  burned.  Mr.  Rowland,  when  he 
located  in  the  wilderness  among  the  rocks, 
proceeded    on   the    Caesarian  theory  that    it   is 


dren,  among  whom  wasGarrandus  (1776-1834), 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  born  at  Troy,  N.  Y., 
who  lived  and  died  near  Saratoga  Springs,  in 
Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.,  on  a  farm  owned,  in 
1886,  by  his  youngest  son,  Joseph,  now  seventy 
years  old,  and  the  only  surviving  son  of  twelve 
children. 

Garrandus  Rowland  married  a  Miss  Davis, 
and  reared  a  family  of  children.      He  was  a 


!i.-.s 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


fanner  and  carpenter  anil  joiner,  and  resided  in 
Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.  Samuel  H.  Rowland, 
a  son  of  Garraudus,  was  born  in  Saratoga 
County,  November  19,  1801,  and  there  married 
Lucinda  Rogers,  a  native  of  the  same  county. 
The  building  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal,  between  1823  and  1830,  offered  large 
inducements  to  contractors  in  its  construction, 
and,  after  its  completion,  great  opportunities 
opened  up  to  the  early  settlers  of  Wayne  and 
Pike  Counties  for  buying  land  very  cheap  that 
was  covered  with  valuable  timber,  and  within  a 
three  days'  trip,  at  high  water,  from  the  great 
natural  market,  Philadelphia.  To  this  new 
country  Samuel  H.  Rowland  and  his  young 
wife  came,  and  took  up  their  home  in  Pike 
County  April  17,  1828.  He  was  identified 
with  the  construction  of  the  canal  and  was  after- 
wards engaged  in  lumbering  and  merchandis- 
ing, following  the  latter  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  November  18,  1853.  He  had  a  good 
English  education  for  the  men  of  his  time,  and, 
during  his  early  manhood,  was  a  teacher.  He 
was  an  ardent  supporter  of  education  in  the 
vicinity  where  he  resided,  and  was  the  first 
school  director  elected  in  his  township  after  the 
law  was  passed  creating  that  office.  His  judg- 
ment in  matters,  and  his  practical  ideas  of 
things  in  general,  made  his  opinion  sought  by 
other  people,  and,  besides  being  often  selected 
to  adjust  settlements  between  others,  and  being- 
appointed  by  the  courts  to  settle  difficulties,  he 
was  chosen  and  served  for  two  terms  as  justice 
of  the  peace.  At  his  death  he  had  acquired  a 
competency,  and  of  his  means,  during  his  life, 
he  was  charitable  and  hospitable.  They  had 
five  children,  of  whom  George  H.  Rowland  was 
eldest,  and  was  born  in  Saratoga  County,  De- 
cember 26,  1827.  His  early  education,  from 
books,  was  obtained  at  schools  outside  of  home, 
largely  at  Honesdale,  as  there  were  no  schools 
in  the  neighborhood  when  the  family  removed 
from  New  York  State. 

For  two  winter  terms  he  was  a  teacher,  a 
good  experience  to  any  young  man  and  a  step- 
ping-stone to  business.  He  early  became  a 
partner  with  his  father  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Lackawaxen  township,  which  has  been 
the  home  of  the  family  in  Pennsylvania.       In 


1851  he  began  business  for  himself,  and  since 
that  time  has  been  largely  engaged  in  the  lum- 
ber and  mercantile  business,  and  also  in  farm- 
ing. While  a  young  man  he  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  politics,  and  for  twenty-five  years  has 
served  as  school  director,  and  been  often  select- 
ed a  delegate  to  State  Conventions,  being  once 
placed  on  the  State  electoral  ticket.  In  1861 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  and,  by  re-election,  served 
two  consecutive  terms.  In  1872  he  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate  and  served  three  years,  and, 
in  the  fall  of  1885,  he  was  chosen  to  fill  a  va- 
cancy in  the  same  office. 

Mr.  Rowland'slife  has  been  one  of  activity,  in- 
dustry and  care.  He  inherits  the  sterling  quali- 
ties of  his  father  in  his  integrity  of  purpose, 
his  devotion  to  principle  and  in  his  ability  to 
accomplish  whatever  he  undertakes.  His  wife 
is  Catherine,  daughter  of  Joseph  Ammerman, 
of  Salem  township,  whom  he  married  Novem- 
ber 3,  1849.  They  have  four  sons  and  four 
daughters. 

The  bridge  was  built  at  Rowland's  l>y  a  stock 
company  as  a  toll-bridge.  It  paid  well  but  the 
inhabitants  did  not  wish  to  pay  toll  when  they 
believed  the  county  ought  to  provide  them  with 
a  bridge  ;  consequently,  an  act  was  passed  by  the 
Legislature  authorizing  the  county  commissioners 
to  buy  the  bridge.  The  commissioners  agreed 
to  buy  it,  but  before  the  bargain  was  consum- 
mated a  new  board  of  commissioners  was  elect- 
ed, who  refused  to  ratify  the  action  of  the  board. 
Then  followed  a  tedious  lawsuit,  in  which  the 
matter  was  carried  to  the  Supreme  Court  twice. 
Pending  the  decision,  the  bridge  was  carried 
away  by  a  flood.  Mr.  Rowland  immediately 
telegraphed  to  the  commissioners  at  Milford  "to 
get  out  with  their  pike-poles,  as  the  bridge  was 
coming."  They  were  without  a  bridge  again,  and 
the  commissioners  did  not  care  to  incur  any  new 
obligations  while  the  suit  was  pending ;  but 
finally  agreed  with  Mr.  Rowland  that  if  he 
would  build  another  bridge  they  would  pay  for 
it,  providing  the  suit  went  against  them.  The 
suit  was  decided  against  them  and  the  county 
paid  the  whole  debt. 

Jesse  Walker  brought  two  homeless  boys 
with  him  from  Philadelphia  when  he  came  into 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


:i5'J 


Lackawaxen  township.     They  worked  for  him 

at  the  Narrows  until  of  age  and  for  some  years 
after,  for  which  they  claim  they  never  received 
adequate  remuneration.  Be  that  as  it  may,  when 
these  two  young  men,  Israel  Kelly  and  George 
Kelly,  started  life  for  themselves,  they  went  up 
on  the  hills  back  of  Rowland's,  by  honest  in- 
dustry cleared  up  a  good  farm  and  gained  a 
competence.  Israel  married  Ephraim  Kimble's 
sister  and  one  of  his  sons,  Randall  Kelly,  is  a 
leading  merchant  at  the  Narrows,  or  Kimble's 
Station,  as  it  is  now  called,  and  his  Uncle 
George,  who  was  never  married,  lives  with  him, 
aged  eighty-four. 

Peter  Killam  first  started  on  the  Lackawaxen 
above  Westfall's,  where  the  Blooming  Grove 
Creek  enters  the  Lackawaxen,  at  what  is  now 
called  Millville.  He  purchased  six  adjaeant 
tracts  of  land,  built  a  cabin  and  commenced 
lumbering  on  a  large  scale  for  that  day.  He 
built  one  saw-mill  at  Millville,  and  paid  for  his 
land.  "Fortune  smiled  upon  hi  m.  The  tang- 
led laurel  and  stately  pine  were  cutaway,  a  com- 
modious dwelling-house  erected  and  a  willing 
bride  established  as  mistress  of  his  mansion." 
Flushed  with  success,  he  built  another  mill 
about  one  mile  farther  up  the  river  and  thus 
began  a  series  of  misfortunes. 

About  1835  reverses  came :  his  mills  were  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  his  lumber  was  swept  away  by 
the  floods.  He  remained  until  1840,  then 
abandoned  his  property  to  his  creditors  and 
moved  farther  up  the  river.  Broken-hearted 
and  finally  ruined,  he  never  recovered  his  losses. 
After  he  left,  Dan  Drake  held  the  property  until 
he  was  drowned,  when  it  lay  vacant  a  while  and 
finally  fell  into  the  hands  of  John  Torrey  again, 
who  sold  it  to  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Com- 
pany. It  is  a  railroad  station  and  John  Dem- 
ing  has  a  furniture  factory  and  store  on  the 
site. 

Kimble's,  or  the  Narrows.  —  Colonel 
Hooper,  of  Philadelphia,  bought  a  tract  of  land 
at  Lackawaxen  Falls,  or  Mount  Moriah,  after- 
ward called  the  Narrows  by  the  raftmen  and 
now  Kimble  [Station,  at  an  early  day, — some 
think  as  early  as  1750  or  1760,  others  about 
the  time  Mordecai  Roberts  came,  in  1791.  He 
built  saw-mills  and  got  an   act  passed   making 


the  Lackawaxen  navigable  up  to  the  falls,  that 
gave  him  a  monopoly  above  and  an  outlet  be- 
low. This  continued  for  many  years,  until 
those  living  above  the  falls  had  the  stream 
chartered  and  obtained  from  the  Legislature  an 
appropriation  to  blast  out  the  rocks  at  the  Nar- 
rows and  make  the  river  navigable  for  rafts. 
After  spending  considerable  money  in  blasting- 
rocks  the  Narrows  were  rendered  passable,  but 
it  has  always  been  considered  the  most  danger- 
ous point  on  the  river  from  the  forks  of  the  Dy- 
berry  to  Philadelphia,  because  in  blasting  the 
rocks  which  constitute  the  fall  it  necessarily  left 
the  river  rapid.  It  takes  a  sudden  bend,  while 
the  rocks  close  in  on  either  side,  leaving  the  pass 
quite  narrow,  so  that  in  avoiding  Scylla  on  ike 
one  hand  they  encounter  Charybdis  on  the 
other  ;  hence  raftmen  who  could  navigate  the 
Narrows  safely  always  commanded  greater 
wages  for  that  service,  and  certain  men  spent 
their  time  during  rafting  season  in  steering 
through  this  dangerous  pass. 

One  of  the  first  rafts  through  the  Narrows 
was  run  from  Paupack  by  John  Nelden,  of  New 
Jersey.  William  R.  Walker,  Ephraim  Kimble, 
John  Graham,  Jonathan  Brink,  Joseph  Atkin- 
son, Sr.,  Jacob  Correll,  Abram  Shinier,  Peter 
Kellam,  Moses  Brink,  Mordecai  Roberts,  Sam- 
uel Roberts,  William  Roberts,  Jacob  Kittle  and 
Peter  Decker  were  some  of  the  old  "  Laeka- 
wack "  raftsmen.  They  were  sturdy  men  and 
used  to  gang  together  while  running  rafts.  If 
they  disliked  a  saloon-keeper  along  the  river,  he 
was  cleared  out.  When  in  the  city  they  held 
their  own  against  all  opposition.  In  saying 
this  it  should  not  be  understood  that  these 
men  were  quarrelsome.  They  were  simply 
great,  bony,  muscular  fellows  engaged  in  rough 
work  that  tended  to  make  men  strong  and  fear- 
less. Abner  Fish  was  a  steersman  and  noted 
fighter.  While  rafting  was  carried  on,  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  was  built  in 
1827-2.8,  beside  the  stream  from  Honesdale  to 
its  mouth  at  Lackawaxen  village,  and  thence 
down  the  Delaware  to  Port  Jervis  and  across  to 
the  Hudson  River  at  Rondout.  This  canal  is 
here  mentioned  because  in  its  construction  and 
operation  many  foreigners  were  employed, 
principally   Irish.     These  stalwart  lumbermen 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


looked  upon  the  canal  as  a  kind  of  rival  carrier 
and  the  Irishmen  as  intruders;  hence  many  dif- 
ficulties arose  between  them.  Eb.  Sheerer,  a 
burly,  stout  man,  was  particularly  opposed  to 
them.  He  was  a  powerful  man  and  there  are 
many  well  authenticated  stories  of  his  physical 
prowess  by  living  witnesses. 

It  is  estimated  that  fifty  million  feet  of  lum- 
ber and  logs  were  run  down  the  Delaware  River 
annually  some  years  ago,  and  the  Lackawaxen 
always  furnished  a  considerable  share  of  this 
lumber.  The  average  raft  of  round  timber 
was  sixty-five  thousand  feet,  although  they  often 
ran  larger  rafts,  and  of  sawed  lumber  they 
sometimes  had  two  hundred  thousand  feet  in 
one  raft.  One  of  the  largest  rafts  ever  taken 
down  the  river  was  managed  by  Thomas 
Barnes.  It  consisted  of  three  hundred  sixteen- 
feet  logs  in  one  raft.  Col.  Hooper,  as  before 
stated,  came  to  the  Narrows  probably  after  the 
Revolution  and  built  a  saw-mill  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river.  Jesse  AValker  came  from  Phila- 
delphia some  time  before  1800,  purchased  this 
property  of  Hooper  and  operated  the  mills. 
His  son,  William  R.  Walker,  built  the  first  saw- 
mill at  Tink's  Wig.  He  had  two  sons,  Webb 
Walker  and  Rankin  Walker,  who  emigrated  to 
the  West, 

Ephraim  Kimble,  a  son  of  Jacob  Kimble, 
the  first,  of  Paupack  settlement,  located  at  the 
Narrows  after  the  Revolutionary  War.  He 
built  a  saw-mill,  cleared  up  a  place  and  married 
Eunice,  a  daughter  of  Major  Ainsley's.  His 
children  were, — Elizabeth,  wife  of  John  Killam, 
who  lived  in  Purdytown  ;  William,  a  fanner 
and  lumberman,  who  married  Irena  Rice  and  had 
a  family  of  six  children,  Warren  Kimble,  the  old- 
est son,  lives  at  Matamoras.  He  is  seventy-three 
years  old  and  furnished  most  of  the  facts  in  rela- 
tion to  the  Kimble  family;  Lucy  was  the  wife 
of  Moses  Killam,  Esq.  ;  Ann  was  the  first  wife 
of  Jos.  Atkinson,  St.,  and  the  mother  of  John, 
George  and  Asher  M.  Atkinson,  who  was  super- 
intendent of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal ; 
Esther  was  the  wife  of  Chas.  B.  Seaman,  who 
was  sheriff  and  prothonotary  of  Pike  County  ; 
Crissie  was  the  wife  of  Dr.  Mahony ;  Maria 
married  David  Rice,  who  lived  at  the  Narrows  ; 
Sally  was  the  wife  of  Israel  Kelly,  of  Rowland's  ; 


Eunice  married  Calvin  Pellet,  of  Paupack  settle- 
ment ;  John  married  Phebe  Rockwell  and  lived 
in  the  vicinity ;  Ephraim  Kimble  (2d)  married 
Lucy  Killam,  built  a  store,  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  sou,  Ephraim  (3d),  at  Kimble  s,  as  owner  of 
the  store  and  saw-mill.  The  station  is  well-named, 
Kimble's,  in  honor  of  the  family  who  have 
lived  in  the  same  spot  to  the  third  generation, 
and  done  much  to  populate  the  surrounding 
country  and  develop  its  resources.  Asa  Kim- 
ble, one  of  the  descendants,  ought  not  to  be  for- 
gotten. He  married  Abbey  Pellet  and  moved 
up  on  the  Dyberry  ;  Ephraim,  George,  John  P., 
William,  Martin  and  Nancy,  wife  of  Ezra  Ge- 
nung,  were  his  children.  Abram  Skinner,  a 
son  of  Captain  Skinner,  of  Montague,  cleared 
up  a  farm  about  two  miles  below  Kimble's,  and 
was  one  of  the  best  farmers  in  Pike  County. 
Jacob  Correll  made  a  clearing  about  1791  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  where  James 
Hanners  afterward  had  a  store,  and  his  son, 
Alva  Hanuers,  now  conducts  it.  Eusebius  Kin- 
caid  made  a  clearing  about  one  and  one-third 
miles  from  Kimble's,  where  Joseph  Kimble  now 
lives. 

Israel,  Abel  and  Eli  Hammers,  three  brothers 
belonging  to  the  Society  of  Friends  of  Phila- 
delphia, came  into  Lackawaxen  township  about 
1820,  and  located  in  the  wilderness,  three  miles 
from  the  Lackawaxen  River,  on  the  outlet  of 
Tink  Pond,  where  they  purchased  three  tracts 
of  land,  then  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of 
white  and  yellow  pine.  One  brother  was  a  car- 
penter, one  a  tailor  and  the  other  a  man  of  all 
work.  They  constructed  a  dam  and  saw-mill, 
which  they  put  in  running  order  without  outside 
assistance.  They  manufactured  lumber,  built 
a  comfortable  house,  then  turned  their  attention 
to  manufacturing  lumber  for  the  Philadelphia 
market,  never  cutting  standing  timber,  but 
picking  up  that  which  had  been  felled  by  the 
wind.  They  hired  it  rafted,  and  thus  received 
sufficient  money  to  supply  their  simple  wants. 
They  cleared  up  a  good  farm,  kept  cows,  made 
butter  and  were  independent.  The  tailor  did 
the  mixing  and  baking.  He  stuck  a  notched 
stick  into  the  dough  and  when  it  had  raised  to 
the  notch  it  was  fit  to  bake.  They  made  their 
own  furniture,  and  the  tailor  made  their  clothes. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


96] 


About  1838  they  adopted  a  colored  boy,  and 
the  four  lived  in  perfect  seclusion.  No  female 
had  ever  crossed  the  threshold  to  that  uninviting 
dwelling.  They  were  growing  old  and  two  of 
them  had  never  seen  the  canal  or  voted  at  an  elec- 
tion. When  William  Westfall  was  a  candidate 
for  county  treasurer  he  brought  them  all  out  to 
vote  for  the  first  time.  After  castiug  their 
ballots,  they  looked  in  wonder  at  the  canal  and 
the  boats  floating  upon  its  waters.  Their  car- 
penter's tools  were  a  curiosity.  The  stock  of 
the  fore-plane  was  four  feet  in  length,  while  the 
jointer  was  eighteen  inches  longer.  After  grow- 
ing feeble,  they  put  their  lumber  out  on  snares. 
The  parties  ran  away  with  the  proceeds  and  left 
them  in  debt.  One  died,  and  the  remaining 
two  deeded  their  property  to  their  sister  in 
Philadelphia.  She  sold  it  to  Benjamin  Tanner, 
intimating  that  he  should  take  care  of  the 
brothers,  which  would  be  satisfaction  for  the 
purchase  money;  but  she  enforced  the  payment 
in  cash,  to  the  last  farthing,  and,  houseless  and 
homeless,  they  became  wards  of  the  township, 
which  fed  and  clothed  them  during  their  lives, 
and  after  death  buried  them  decently  on  the 
bank  of  the  Little  Blooming  Grove,  opposite 
Millville. 

Masthope  village  is  located  up  the  Delaware, 
where  Masthope  Creek  enters  it.  It  was  for- 
merly called  Sim's  Point,  because  Simeon  West- 
fall  began  life  there.  This  singular  name  was 
given  to  the  place  by  some  men  who  followed 
up  the  Delaware  in  search  of  a  mast  tall  enough 
for  a  man-of-war  they  were  constructing  at 
Philadelphia.  As  they  wended  their  way  along 
the  river  and  found  nothing  suitable  for  their 
purpose,  they  arrived  at  Simeon  Westfall's,  where 
Matamoras  now  is.  He  told  them  of  a  tree 
tall  enough.  They  were  nearly  discouraged, 
having  come  so  far  without  success,  and  accom- 
panied Mr.  Westfall  up  the  Delaware  as  a  lad 
hope.  At  the  point  above  indicated,  which  has 
since  been  known  as  Masthope,  they  found  a 
pine,  which,  by  digging  down  to  the  roots  and 
cutting  close  to  the  ground,  was  tall  enough  for 
their  purpose. 

The  first  lot  of  land  in  Lacka waxen  township 
surveyed  and  marked  upon  the  ground  was  near 
this  place.  Simeon  Westfall  and  William  Lit- 
'J4 


tie  ran  the  first  lumber  to  market.  It  was 
taken  from  a  tract  which  still  bears  their  name 
and  since  the  property  of  S.  M.  Shutes.  The 
Holberts  were  the  first  settlers  at  Masthope  to 
make  improvements,  their  farm  being  one  of  the 
oldest  in  the  township.  William  Holbert's  name 
appears  on  the  assessment  of  Lackawaxcn  in 
1800,  with  one  mill,  one  house,  four  oxen,  four 
cows  and  fifty  acres  of  improved  land.  The 
next  year  he  is  assessed  with  two  mills,  showing 
that  he  was  a  stirring  man  of  considerable 
means  and  a  good  farm  for  that  early  day.  In 
181:5  Joseph  Holbert  is  assessed,  and  Benjamin 
Holbert  is  assessed  as  an  inn- keeper.  The  Hol- 
berts are  an  enterprising  family,  and  by  lum- 
bering, tanning,  farming  and  hotel-keeping 
have  secured  competence. 

William  Holbert. — His  great-grandfather, 
William  Holbert  (1755-1834),  came  from  Con- 
necticut about  1770,  and  settled  in  Montague 
township,  Sussex  ( !o.,  N.  J.,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  and  lumbering.  He  owned  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  that  vicinity,  and  also  in  what  is  now  Pike 
County,  Pa.,  across  the  Delaware  River,  since 
called  Holbert's  Bend.  At  his  death  he  left  a 
large  property  in  real  estate  and  two  sous,  of 
whom  Benjamin  (1781-1855)  was  grandfather 
of  our  subject.  He  began  business  for  himself 
on  the  homestead  property  at  Holbert's  Bend, 
situate  ou  the  Pennsylvania  side  of  the  Dela- 
ware, where  he  continued  successfully  the  bus- 
iness of  a  farmer  and  lumberman  during  his  act- 
ive life.  His  wife,  Mary  Rider,  born  1783, 
bore  him  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  one  ot 
whom  was  Joseph  G.  Holbert  (1803-48).  He 
acquired  a  good  education  at  the  home  schools 
and  at  the  Burlington  (N.  J.)  Academy,  was  for 
many  terms  a  teacher,  was  a  fanner  and  lum- 
berman, and  gave  considerable  attention  to  sur- 
veying. He  was  a  man  highly  esteemed  by  the 
public  for  his  honesty  of  purpose,  for  his  gen- 
eral intelligence  and  for  his  ability  in  business. 
His  wife,  Sabra,  was  a  daughter  of  George  W. 
Brown,  of  Damascus,  Wayne  County,  who  died 
about  1882,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years. 

William  Holbert,  eldest  son  of  Joseph  G.  and 
Sabra  (Brown)  Holbert,  was  born  on  the  home- 
stead, in  Lackawaxen  township,  Pike  County, 
Pa.,  August  12,  1829.     He   obtained   his  early 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


book  education  in  the  neighborhood  .schools  and 
at  the  Milford  Academy. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business  at  Lackawaxen,  but  three  years 
thereafter  relinquished  that  business  and  engaged 
in  farming  and  lumbering  at  Masthope,  in 
the  same  county.  In  1S07  he  went  to  Berlin 
township,  Wayne  County,  where  he  continued 
his  farming  and   lumbering   interests  on  a  more 


interest.  He  is  a  man  of  large  business  capacity, 
judicious  management  in  all  business  affairs, 
and  an  active  and  through-going  citizen.  He 
is  the  owner  of  a  large  hotel  at  the  confluence 
of  the  Delaware  and  Lackawaxen  Rivers,  and 
a  member  of  the  "Cooke  Furniture  Company," 
of  Philadelphia.  His  life  has  been  largely  de- 
voted to  business  pursuits ;  yet  he  has  found 
time  to  serve  the  people  of  Wayne  County  for 


extensive  scale,  and  cleared  off  a  very  large 
farm.  In  1869  he  removed  to  Equinunk, 
Wavnp  County,  where  the  firm  of  Holbert  & 
Brauning  engaged  extensively  in  the  tanning, 
lumbering  and  merchandise  business.  The  large 
business  of  Holbert  &  Branning  passed  to  the 
exclusive  control  of  Mi'.  Holbert  in  1878,  which 
he  continues  in  18,86.  In  connection  with  their 
lumber  interest  they  carried  on  and  owned  and 
ran  several  saw-mills,  and,  in  1876,  Mr.  Hol- 
bert built  a  large  saw-mill  in  Camden,  N.  J., 
in  which    for  some  time  afterward  he  held  an 


|  four  years  as  commissioner,  and  has  served  in 
other  official  capacities  where  he  has  resided. 
He  married,  January  10,  1850,  Emma  Poole,  by 
whom  he  has  fivesurviving children, — Joseph  G. 
and  William  P.,  at  Equinunk  ;  Emma,  wife  of 
John  N.  Cole,  of  Damascus ;  Frederick  R.,  at 
Equinunk  ;  and  Nora,  wife  of  Ephraim  Kimble. 
The  mother  of  these  children  died,  April  26, 
1861,  and  for  his  second  wife  he  married  Eliza- 
beth Hornbeck,  on  Jan.  1 5, 1862,  now  surviving. 
The  assessment  of  Lackawaxen  for  1800, 
with  the  valuation,  was  as  follows : 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


Abram  Brass $63 

Charles  Boyles 15 

James  Boyd 15 

John  Brink 10 

John  Barnes,  Jr R6 

John  Barnes,  Si... 526 

Cornelius  Barnes J:'.l 

Jerry  Barnes 10:2 

Jacob  Coryell 470 

William  Cox 425 

Jonathan  Conklin ">t7 

Absalom  Conklin 5 


Brittain  Armstrong. 
William  Adams. 
Jonathan  Brink. 
Jeremiah  Barnes. 
Cornelius  Barnes. 
William  Barnes. 
Nathan  Barnes. 
John  Barnes. 
Stephen  Ballot. 
Joseph  Ballot. 
Moses  Brink. 
Daniel  Brink 
Joseph  Brown. 
Benjamin  Bruley. 
Aaron  Barlow. 
Lewis  Conkling. 
Benjamin  Conkling. 
Jaeob  Coryell. 
Peter  Coleman. 
Absalom  Conkling. 
John  Cressman. 
Daniel  Commin. 
Aaron  Dickertson. 
Stephen  Emberson. 
Charles  Chapman. 
Lewis  Crone. 
David  Gilbert. 
Win.  Esary. 
Ralph  Hawkins. 

Nathan 


Stephen  Everson $60 

Martin  Felin 70 

Joseph  Gooding 4'.) 

Henry  Haines... 126 

William  Holbort 873 

Ephraim  Kimble 534 

John  Mason 4"> 

Mordecai  Hoherts k,3 

John  Snyder 626 

Ephraim  Utter 24 

Elias  Van  Aken 4.V> 


114. 

Joseph  Holbert. 

Samuel  Ho/.ling. 
Joseph  Henck. 
Benjamin  Holbert. 
Tobias  Hornbeck. 
John  Johnson. 
Eusebius  Kineaid. 
Ephraim  Kimble. 
Wm.  Kimble. 
Nathan  Lord. 
Samuel  Morris, 
John  MeClanuon. 
Aaron  MulntyPi'. 
Simeon  Quick. 
Mordecai  Roberts. 
Samuel  L.  Roberts, 
Frederick  A.  Rose. 
Charles  B.  Simons. 
David  B.  Smith. 
James  Swartwood. 
Wm.  Smith. 
David  Smith. 
Jobawaw  Vansant. 
Jesse  Walker,  Esq. 
Erastus  Woodruff. 
Wm.  Woodruff. 
Peter  Young. 
George  Young. 
Peter  Killam. 


The  single  freemen  were  Lewis  Conklin, 
Benjamin  Conklin,  Nathaniel  Barnes,  Samuel 
Morris,  Israel  Brink,  Benjamin  Brink,  Henry 
Barnes,  William  Barnes,  Nathan  Lord,  John 
Morris  and  Patrick  Boyles.  In  1813  there  are 
fifty-three  persons  arrested.  Peter  Gaines,  an 
old  colored  man,  said  to  have  been  one  of  Col. 
Sam  Seely's  slaves,  cleared  up  a  good  farm  near 
the  Westcalong  Lake.  This  lake  covers  about 
seventy-five  acres,  and  Tink  and  Corilla  Lakes 
about  two  hundred   acres   more.     The  Thomas 


Ridgeway  farm  is  one  mile  above  Lackawaxen. 
Some  Germans  have  made  good  farms  opposite 
this  place.  The  early  settlers  used  to  go  down 
the  Lackawaxen  and  Delaware  Rivers  for  goods 
in  a  canoe  a  distance  of  thirty-three  miles.  The 
current  is  rapid  and  required  font-  or  five  hours 
to  go  down  light,  but  about  two  days  to  shove 
back  loaded.  Adam  Haines  probably  lived  on 
what  is  now  called  Haines'  Creek.  This  name 
occurs  in  the  early  assessments,  April  18,  1851. 
After  the  Erie  Railroad  passed  up  the  Delaware, 
there  was  a  sale  of  town  lots.  Messrs.  J.  W. 
Blackington  and  Allis  Whitney,  of  Honesdale, 
bought  an  entire  block  and  the  Holberts  nearly 
all  the  remainder.  A  terrible  railroad  disaster 
occurred  at  Masthope  a  few  years  ago.  The 
cars  plunged  off  the  track,  a  number  of  passen- 
gers lost  their  lives,  and  others  were  badly 
bruised. 

The Sylvanian Society,  <>.\e  of  Horace 
Greeley's  Fond  Hopes. — The  historv  of 
Lackawaxen  is  associated  witli  Horace  Greelev's 
experiment  at  co-operative  farming  at  Taylor- 
town.  This  place  is  situated  about  sixty  miles 
from  Lackawaxen  depot  anil  four  from  Row- 
land's. In  1842  Mahlon  Godley  owned  seven 
thousand  acres  of  land,  forty  acres  of  which 
were  cleared.  The  remainder  was  woodland. 
A  branch  of  the  Shohola  Creek  ran  through 
the  property.  On  this  creek  Godley  had  a  saw 
and  a  grist-mill.  Near  the  mills  were  a  frame 
house  and  a  log  house.  These  improvements 
comprised  the  village  of  Godleyville.  The 
stream  was  alive  with  trout,  and  the  surround- 
ing hills  were  equally  well  provided  with  the 
largest  and  liveliest  of  rattlesnakes.  The  soil 
was  rough  and  rocky,  and  no  wilder  spot  was 
found  in  Pike  County.  Horace  Greeley,  bv 
lectures  and  Tribune  editorials,  had  urged  the 
common  ownership  of  property  and  the  equal 
division  of  labor.  In  1842,  Greeley,  with 
others,  organized  the  Sylvanian  Society  and 
purchased  Godley's  property  to  test  the  ex- 
periment. To  join  the  society  it  was  necessary 
to  purchase  at  least  one  share  of  the  stock, 
which  cost  twenty-five  dollars.  Many  eminent 
persons  interested  themselves  in  the  project; 
among  them  Edwin  Forrest,  Edward  H.  Dixon, 
(since  famous  as  the  editor  of  the  Scalpel),  Mrs. 


!)<)4 


WAYNE,  I»IKK  AND  MONKOK  COUNTIES.   PENNSYLVANIA. 


George  Law,  Edward  Courtright,  of  Albany, 
and  Rev.  J.  I).  Williamson  were  stockholders, 
but  Horace  Greeley  had  by  far  the  largest 
amount  invested.  The  stock  amounted  to  ten 
thousand  dollars.  After  the  society  took  pos- 
session of  the  place,  they  improved  the  mills 
and  erected  an  immense  frame  structure,  which 
contained  the  living  apartments  of  the  mem- 
bers, a  common  dining  hall,  a  social  hall  and 
work-rooms.  A  wagon-maker's  shop,  black- 
smith shop,  shoe  shop  and  other  manufacturing 
establishments  were  started.  In  1843-44  the 
colony  numbered  three  hundred  and  seemed  to 
be  progressing.  No  stated  religious  instruction 
was  allowed,  but  any  preacher  could  be  invited 
to  preach  in  the  hall.  Great  attention  was 
paid  to  social  amusement,  and  dances  and  parties 
were  of  weekly  occurrence.  There  were  also 
weekly  lectures  on  popular  subjects.  Mr.  Gree- 
ley visited  the  colony  "frequently  and  delivered 
addresses.  Socially  and  intellectually,  matters 
were  successful,  but  the  labor  problem  disturbed 
the  little  community.  The  colony  was  governed 
by  a  board  of  directors  chosen  by  the  members. 
The  board  assigned  laborers  for  the  different 
branches  of  work  in  what  were  known  as 
groups.  One  group  was  set  to  plowing,  another 
to  felling  trees,  another  to  laying  walls  and  so  on, 
until  all  the  duties  were  variously  delegated. 

The  female  members  were  divided  in  the 
same  way  to  attend  to  the  domestic  duties  of  the 
society.  The  principle  of  equality  of  labor  was 
followed  by  changing  the  labor  groups  from  one 
branch  of  work  to  another,  day  by  day.  The 
mechanics,  and  all  who  were  skilled  in  labor, 
had  their  especial  duties. 

One  source  of  trouble  was  the  fact  that  a 
number  of  rich  and  prominent  families  in  New 
York  took  advantage  of  the  colony  as  a  sort  of 
reformatory  for  their  wayward  sons.  They 
eagerly  bought  stock  in  the  colony,  and  shipped 
to  the  care  of  the  society  material  which  they 
could  do  nothing  with  themselves,  merely  to  get 
it  off  their  hands.  These  young  men  had  never 
done  any  work,  and  had  a  natural  antipathy  to 
it.  Such  an  element  in  a  community,  where  la- 
bor was  the  highest  duty  of  all,  could  not 
help  but  be  a  disturbing  one.  Then  there  was 
trouble  with  the  female  members.     The  most  of 


them  had  never  done  manual  labor,  and  when 
such  found  themselves  assigned  to  a  day's  duty 
at  the  washtub  their  complaints  and  opposition 
to  such  a  system  were  loud  and  emphatic. 

The  dissatisfaction  caused  by  these  clashing 
views  of  the  duty  and  dignity  of  labor  was 
something  that  it  was  hoped  time  would  re- 
move ;  but  when  the  first  season's  crops,  upon 
which  reliance  was  placed  for  the  support  of  the 
colony,  independent  of  outside  resources,  were 
grown  and  housed,  and  found  to  be  utterly  in- 
adequate, the  very  foundation  of  the  colony  was 
endangered.  A  few  withdrew  from  the  society. 
The  prevalence  of  rattlesnakes  frightened  more 
away.  One  member  of  the  colony  brought  in 
seventeen  large  rattlers  in  one  day.  One  of 
these  serpents  was  so  large  that  John  Dutton, 
the  foreman  of  the  colony's  shoe  shops,  had  the 
skin  tanned,  and  he  then  made  from  it  a  pair 
of  slippers,  which  he  presented  to  Mr.  Greeley 
on  his  next  visit. 

After  it  became  apparent  that  the  tillable 
area  of  the  society's  land  was  not  equal  to  pro- 
viding it  with  necessary  supplies,  the  members 
went  to  work  with  a  will  to  increase  it,  and  the 
planting  for  the  season  of  1845  was  nearly  dou- 
ble what  it  had  been  previously.  Good  mar- 
kets had  been  found  for  the  shoes  and  wagons 
that  were  made  by  the  colony,  and,  although 
individual  capital  hail  been  sadly  drawn  upon, 
the  prospects  that  the  colony  would  be  self-sup- 
porting during  1845  were  so  cheering  that  the 
members  remaining  looked  hopefully  into  the 
future.  The  crops  never  looked  better,  in  all 
respects,  than  they  did  in  the  summer  of  1845 ; 
but  when  the  colony  awoke  on  the  morning  of 
the  4th  of  July  of  that  year,  nothing  was  seen 
but  a  blackened  waste  of  field,  garden  and  or- 
chard. Not  a  living  thing  remained  on  all  the 
tract.  The  heaviest  and  most  deadly  frost  that 
was  ever  known  before  or  since  in  that  region 
had  destroyed  all  remaining  hope  for  the  col- 
ony's existence.  Starvation  stared  the  colonists 
in  the  face,  and  in  two  days,  of  all  that  busy 
community  among  the  Pike  Couuty  hills,  not  a 
single  soul  remained.  Each  one  had  taken  his 
personal  goods  and  chattels  and  gone  his  way. 
The  Greeley  colony  was  deserted. 

The  interest  which   Horace  Greeley  took  in 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


this  socialistic  experiment  may  be  known  when 
it  is  stated  that  the  New  York  and  Erie  Rail- 
road was  then  completed  only  as  far  as  Middle- 
town,  N.  Y.  From  there,  to  reach  the  colony, 
a  most  tedious  coach  ride  of  forty  miles  over 
the  hills  of  Northern  New  Jersey  and  Pike 
County,  Pa.,  was  necessary ;  yet  Mr.  Greeley 
paid  frequent  visits  to  the  wilderness  commun- 
ity. He  took  the  failure  of  the  scheme  much  to 
heart. 

Among;  the  members  of  the  colony  was  a 
certain  farmer  from  Monroe  County,  Pa.,  named 
Kenzie.  He  was  such  an  enthusiast  in  the  idea 
of  co-operative  industry  that  he  sold  his  farm 
in  Monroe  County  for  eighteen  hundred  dollars, 
invested  it  all  in  stock  of  the  Sylvanian  Society, 
and  placed  at  the  colony's  disposal  his  team  of 
horses.  After  the  collapse  of  the  scheme  lie 
went  to  New  York,  as  he  afterward  said,  to 
give  Horace  Greeley  a  Monroe  County  Demo- 
crat's opinion  of  him.  He  found  Mr.  Greeley 
at  work  in  the  Tribune  office,  and  commenced 
to  berate  him.  Greeley  stopped  him,  and  asked 
him  how  much  he  had  lost  by  the  failure. 
Kenzie  told  him.  Mr.  Greeley  handed  the 
farmer  a  check  for  the  full  amount.  Kenzie, 
in  relating  the  incident  afterward,  said  that,  al- 
though he  had  always  been  a  Democrat,  that 
act  of  Greeley's  made  him  a  Greeley  Whig, 
and  he  remained  a  Whig  until  the  day  of  his 
death.  Among  the  other  colonists  no  hard 
feeling  was  manifested  against  Mr.  Greeley. 
They  were  grieved  at  the  colony's  failure,  not 
angry  at  its  founder. 

There  was  a  mortgage  of  three  thousand  dol- 
lars on  the  property  at  the  time  of  the  failure. 
It  was  foreclosed,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas 
House  Taylor,  of  New  York,  purchased  the 
property.  He  took  up  his  residence  at  the 
place,  and  spent  a  great  deal  of  money  in  im- 
proving it.  He  finally  sold  it  to  a  gentleman 
iu  Virginia,  but  it  has  been  sold  time  and  time 
again  since  then  for  arrears  of  taxes.  Not.  a 
vestige  of  mill,  shop  or  hall  remains.  The 
lead  pipe  that  conducted  the  water  from  moun- 
tain springs  to  the  settlement  was  taken  up 
years  ago  and  run  into  bullets  by  Pike  County 
hunters,  and  used  in  shooting  deer  and  bears 
that  have  returned  to  the  neighborhood  of  the 


overgrown  fields,  where  lie  buried  some  of  the 
fondest  hopes  that  Horace  Greeley  ever  cher- 
ished. 

Lackawaxen  township  has  the  following  schools 
— two  at  Lackawaxen  village,  one  at  Rowland's, 
Masthope,  Westfall's,  Millville,  Rosecrance, 
German  school,  Banner's,  Kimble's  and  Bais- 
den's,  which  is  at  Baisdensville,  nearly  opposite 
Hawley.  The  Baisdens  carry  on  boat-build- 
ing for  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Com- 
pany at  this  point. 

At  the  first  auditor's  meeting,  in  the  year 
1822,  Benjamin  Holbert  acted  as  town  clerk, 
retaining  the  position  until  the  spring  of  1831, 
a  period  of  nine  years,  keeping  the  accounts  ot 
the  township  on  sixteen  pages  of  a  common 
day-book  (similar  to  those  used  by  merchants 
at  the  present  time).  His  successor  was  C.  B. 
Ridgway,  who  officiated  for  two  years.  At  an 
election  held  at  the  house  of  Abraham  Shinier, 
on  the  15th  of  March,  1833,  it  was  decided  to 
hold  all  future  elections  at  the  house  of  John 
Westfall,  in  said  township.  April  22,  1836,  the 
auditors  allowed  James  Lord  §22.40  for  himself 
and  hired  help  for  breaking  roads  on  the  7th  day 
of  January,  1836.  At  the  same  meeting,  John 
Barnes  received  eight  and  Benjamin  Holbert 
seventy-two  dollars  for  breaking  roads  in  the  win- 
ter of  1836,  during  the  deep  snow.  At  this  time 
there  was  not  one  school-house  iu  the  township. 
James  Wheiling  and  a  Mr.  Marsh  had  taught 
several  months  each,  in  out-houses  and  canal 
shanties,  the  scholars  traveling  from  three  to 
five  miles  to  attend  their  schools.  On  the  27th 
day  of  June,  1837,  the  common-school  law  was 
put  in  force  by  dividing  the  township  into  nine 
districts  and  making  an  apportionment  of  two 
hundred  and  seventy-three  dollars,  according  to 
the  number  of  taxables  in  each  district,  as  fol- 
lows :  Lackawaxen,  fifteen  taxables  ;  Holbert's, 
twelve;  Sim's  Pond,  twelve;  Westfall's,  nine  ; 
Shinier' s,  eleven;  Narrows,  twenty-five;  Dar- 
lingsville,  ten  ;  Lord's  Valley,  ten  ;  Blooming 
Grove,  six, — total  number,  one  hundred  and  ten. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  at  this  time  parts  of 
Blooming  Grove  and  Shohola  were  embraced  in 
the  division — in  fact,  two  of  the  schools  were  lo- 
cated in  what  is  now  Blooming  Grove  township. 
Arrangements  were  immediately  made  for  build- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ing  school-houses  at  Lackawaxen  and  the  Nar- 
rows. The  one  at  Lackawaxen  was  built  of 
stone.  It  stood  a  few  years,  and  was  abandoned 
as  not  fit  for  use.  The  one  at  the  Narrows, 
hnilt  of  wood,  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

Abram  Bross  was  an  old  settler  at  the  Nar- 
rows. His  sons  were  Henry,  Abram  and  John. 
He  died  in  his  eightieth  year. 


( 1 79( )- 1857)  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  who  removed 
to  Pike  County  with  his  parents,  and,  although 
a  shoemaker  by  trade,  he  took  an  active  part  in 
public  matters,  was  an  influential  citizen,  and 
highly  esteemed  by  his  fellow-townsmen.  He 
was  successful  iu  business,  was  justice  of  the 
peace  for  many  years,  was  a  promoter  of  the 
1  educational  interests  of  the  county  in  its  early 


/? 


7  tyyz-is? 


Judge  Thomas  J.  Ridgeway. — His  grand- 
father, Thomas  J.  Ridgeway,  who  was  of  Scotch 
extraction,  and  a  tailor  by  trade,  and  wife, 
who  was  a  Miss  Mathews,  settled  at  Milford, 
Pike  County,  Pennsylvania,  from  Huntingdon 
County,  New  Jersey,  in  the  early  part  of  the 
present  century,  where  they  spent  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives  and  were  buried.  Among 
their  children  was  a  son,  Charles  B.   Ridgeway 


history,  and  during  his  life  sought  to  do  his 
part  well  in  the  interest  of  all  measures  calcu- 
lated to  improve  the  social,  moral  and  religious 
standing  of  the  community  in  which  he  resided. 
His  wife,  Elizabeth  Barnes  (1790-1832),  a 
native  of  Lackawaxen,  was  a  zealous  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  a  de- 
voted wife  and  mother.  She  died  of  cholera 
in  middle  life. 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


Thomas  J.  Ridgeway,  their  sou,  was  born  in 
Laekawaxen  township,  where  his  father  resided, 
October  25,  1811.  He  had  limited  opportu- 
nities for  book  knowledge  in  his  boyhood,  but 
early  in  life  got  practical  ideas  of  life's  work, 
and  the  necessity  of  a  proper  development  of 
the  faculties  to  be  successful  in  business  or  pro- 
fession. About  the  time  of  reaching  his  major- 
ity he  began  for  himself  as  a  lumberman,  as  at 
that  time  the  largest  and  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant and  profitable  in  Wayne  County  was 
the  lumber  interest,  and  a  large  number  of  its 
people  were  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
lumber,  and  its  shipments  down  its  various 
streams  to  their  confluence  with  the  Delaware, 
and  thence  down  the  Delaware  to  Philadelphia, 
the  great  natural  lumber  market  of  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania. Hecontinued  the  lumber  business  until 
1844,  when  he  engaged  in  farming  and  mer- 
chandising, which  he  carried  on  successfully  in 
Laekawaxen  township  until  1.S70,  and  then 
entered  the  official  employ  of  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal  Company,  with  which  he  has 
since  been  identified. 

Following  the  political  affiliation  of  his 
father  as  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party, 
he,  while  a  young  man,  began  to  take  an  inter- 
est in  local  and  State  politics.  He  has  served 
his  township  altogether  some  fifteen  years  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  the  county  two  years  as  its 
treasurer,  and  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor 
of  the  State  an  associate  judge  on  the  bench 
with  .fudge  Barrett,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term 
of  another.  Judge  Ridgeway's  good  judgment 
and  counsel  gave  him  prestige  in  the  courts  of 
the  county,  and  upon  the  completion  of  his 
term  to  fill  vacancy,  he  was  elected  for  a  full 
term  of  five  years. 

He  married,  in  1834,  Lucy  Ann,  daughter  of 
Jacob  Kimble,  of  Palmyra  township,  Piko 
County.  She  died  December  15,  1883,  and, 
with  her  husband,  have  been  members  of  the 
Universalist  Church. 

Their  children  surviving  are  Warren  K.; 
Elizabeth  R.,  wife  of  John  C.  Mott,  of  Milford  ; 
Anna  K.,  wife  of  C.  P.  Milliken,  of  New 
York  ;  George  K.;  Maria  S.,  wife  of  George  A. 
Brown,  of  Bingham  ton,  N.  Y. 


CHAPTER    XII 


SHoIIuI.A  TOWNSHIP. 


Shohola  was  erected  from  Laekawaxen, 
Westfall  and  Milford,  September  25,  1852.  It 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Delaware  River, 
on  the  south  by  Dingman,  on  the  southwest 
by  Blooming  Grove  and  on  the  west  by  Laeka- 
waxen township.  It  is  a  rugged,  rocky  town- 
ship, like  most  of  Pike  County,  and  largely 
covered  with  scrub  pine  and  oak.  The  Big 
Brink  Pond  covers  about  five  hundred  acres, 
and  the  Little  Brink  Pond  being  near,  although 
it  has  no  visible  outlet  or  inlet.  Brink  Creek, 
the  outlet  of  Big  Brink  Pond,  flows  north- 
wardly and  enters  Parker's  Glen  at  the  Dela- 
ware. The  Great  Walker  and  Little  Walker 
Ponds  are  northwest  of  the  Brink  Ponds,  and 
Walker  Creek,  their  outlet,  flows  into  Brink 
Creek  above  Parker's  Glen.  Shohola  Creek 
rises  on  the  High  Knob,  in  Blooming  Grove 
township,  and  breaks  over  the  rocks  in  rapids 
and  falls  of  about  forty  feet  descent  at  Shohola 
Falls,  thence  onward  in  its  tortuous  course 
through  the  western  part  of  Shohola  township, 
till  it  bursts  through  the  rocks  at  the  beautiful 
Shohola  Glen  and  enters  the  Delaware  at  Shohola 
village. 

Shohola  Village. — The  first  settler  at 
Shohola  was  Jesse  Wells  or  James  Wells,  who 
had  a  little  tub  grist-mill  and  a  saw-mill  at  this 
point  about  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Mrs.  Cowan,  whose  maiden-name  was  Bishop, 
lives  across  the  Delaware,  at  Handsome 
Eddy,  where  Canope  was  killed.  She  is  nearly 
ninety  years  of  age,  and  remembers  hearing 
Mrs.  Wells  say  she  heard  the  gun  when  they 
shut   Canope,  in    1784.'     Mrs.   Cowan  used  to 

i  Mrs.  Cowan's  maiden-name  was  Wood.  She  has  al- 
ways lived  along  the  Delaware  and  has  a  vivid  recollection 
of  early  incidents.  She  used  to  ride  to  Milford  to  store,  and 
make  the  horse  swim  the  Delaware  behind  the  little  battenu 
in  which  she  crossed.  There  she  bought  tea  at  three  dol- 
lars per  pound  and  molasses  at  two  dollars  per  gallon. 
One  day  during  the  War  of  1812  they  were  calling  troops 
together  at  Milford.  She  was  riding  a  horse  that  had 
been  in  the  service.  He  became  excited  when  he  heard 
martial  music  anil  was  determined  to  go  to  the  place  of 
rendezvous,  and  it  required  the  assistance  of  a  man  to  get 
the  old  war-horse  out.  of  town. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ride  on  horseback  with  her  brother  to  mill  at 
Shohola,  seventy-five  years  ago.  Van  Zant  & 
Eobison  had  the  mill  then.  One  winter  the 
streams  were  low  and  frozen.  The  Delaware 
could  be  crossed  anywhere,  and  the  little  mill  at 
Shohola  was  patronized  by  the  pioneers  along 
the  Delaware  and  through  Orange  County. 

David  Hickock  had  the  first  store  at  Shohola. 
He  lived  near  the  burying-ground  where  Henry 
Wurtzel's  barn  now  stands.  He  kept  the  goods 
in  his  house,  stored  under  the  bed.  His  stock, 
which  consisted  of  tea,  tobacco,  sugar,  etc.,  was 
thus  securely  tucked  away,  and  if  any  one  called 
for  an  article  he  would  reach  under  the  bed  and 
haul  out  the  box  that  contained  the  goods. 
This  led  the  ungrateful  natives  to  call  it  "  The 
Bed  Store."  He  brought  his  goods  from  New- 
burgh,  and  thence  across  the  ferry  at  Shohola. 
John  .  Johnston  lived  at  Shohola  and  worked 
about  the  mills  at  an  early  day.  There  is  an 
old  burying-ground  here,  where  the  pioneers 
are  buried. 

The  Shohola  of  to-day  owes  its  growth  to 
the  formation  of  a  stock  company  of  Wayne 
County  men — George  Nelden,  Hon.  N.  B. 
Eldred,  Elias  Calkins,  Joseph  F.  Keyes,  Moses 
Calkins  and  Chauncy  Thomas.  The  last  three 
of  these  moved  to  Shohola  and  made  improve- 
ments there,  but  to  Chauncy  Thomas,  who 
finally  owned  seven-eighths  of  the  stock  (all  but 
Nelden's  share),  belongs  the  credit  of  building 
up  the  present  village  of  Shohola.  He  first 
erected  the  hotel  in  1849,  Timothy  Horton 
being  the  first  hotel-keeper,  then  his  handsome 
residence  with  its  tastefully  laid-out  grounds, 
and  following  this,  he  built  the  store  which 
lie  conducted  successfully  until  1882,  the 
date  of  his  death,  leaving  a  large  farm  and 
property,  which  he  had  carved  out  of  the 
wilderness  by  his  untiring  industry  and  perse- 
verance. Stephen  S.  Gardner,  administrator 
of  Chauncy  Thomas,  sold  the  whole  estate,  con- 
sisting of  about  twenty-five  hundred  acres,  to 
J.  F.  Kilgour,  who  is  contemplating  extensive 
improvements  in  Shohola  Glen,  which  has  al- 
ready been  rendered  accessible  «and  famous 
through  expenditures  made  by  him  in  making 
roads  and  building  fenders  along  the  edges  of 
the  high    rocks    and    steep  bluff's,  and'  bridges 


across  the  Shohola.  As  it  is  on  the  Erie  Rail- 
road, it  is  easily  reached  from  New  York,  and 
thousands  have  visited  the  romantic  glen  during 
the  last  year,  and  Barry  ville,  which  is  just  am  iss 
the  river  from  Shohola,  is  connected  with  it  by 
a  suspension  bridge. 

Suspension  Bridge. — A  bridge  connecting 
the  village  of  Shohola  and  Barryville  had 
long  been  needed,  but  it  was  not  until  the  year 
1855  that  steps  tending  toward  the  realization 
of  that  need  were  taken.  In  that  year  John  E. 
Roebling  was  building  the  great  suspension 
bridge  at  Niagara,  and  Chauncey  Thomas  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  putting  one  across  the  Dela- 
ware at  this  point.  By  great  effort  he  enlisted 
some  of  the  leading  men  of  the  region,  a  stock 
company  was  formed  and  work  commenced. 
It  was  a  difficult  undertaking,  for  none  of  the 
workmen  were  practical  bridge-builders,  and 
none  of  them  had  ever  seen  a  suspension  bridge. 
When  it  came  to  anchoring  and  stretching  the 
cables,  Mr.  Thomas  thought  it  best  to  have  the 
aid  of  a  practical  man,  and  went  to  Niagara  to 
secure  the  assistance  of  one  of  the  force  there 
engaged.  Mr.  Roebling,  however,  could  not 
spare  any  of  his  employees,  but  made  a  few  oil- 
hand  plans  which  made  the  work  perfectly  clear 
to  Mr.  Thomas,  and  he  returned  and  completed 
it.  The  company  was  also  furnished  by  Mr. 
Roebling  with  much  of  "the  material  for  the 
bridge.  The  structure  was  completed  in  the 
fall  of  1855.  On  the  2d  of  July,  1859,  it  was 
blown  down,  but  was  rebuilt  the  same  fall.  In 
January,  1865,  it  again  broke  down,  but  was 
again  erected  in  the  fall  of  1866. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Germans  to  organize 
a  Lutheran  Church  was  held  over  Chauncy 
Thomas'  store  in  1857.  After  that  their  meet- 
ings were  held  in  the  school-house  until  a 
Lutheran  Church  was  erected,  iu  1871.  Rev.  J. 
Goetz,  of  Honesdale,  first  preached  here  and 
organized  the  congregation.  He  was  followed 
by  Rev.  J.  Bockstaler,  and  Rev.  J.  U.  Wagner, 
of  Hawley,  now  supplies  the  pulpit  once  a 
month.  When  the  township  was  organized,  in 
1852,  there  were  only  about  fifteen  voters  in  it. 
Deacon  Bross,  who  had  moved  from  Milford, 
and  Stephen  D.  Wells,  who  lived  atWroodtown, 
were  the  first  justices  of  the  peace,   and  Jennie 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


Bross  taught  the  first  school  in  a  log  house.  By 
far  the  greatest  improvement  made  in  farming 
in  Shohola  township  is  by  a  colony  of  Germans, 
nearly  all  from  Hesse-Darmstadt,  who  came 
here  shortly  after  the  Erie  Railway  was  built, 
and  went  into  the  dense  pine  forests  up  the 
Shohola  Creek,  about  Chauncy  Thomas'  farm, 
where  they  have  cleared  good  farms,  built  resi- 
dences and  comfortable  barns,  and  saved 
money. 

George  Hess  was  the  first  of  these  Germans 
to  come  to  Shohola.  He  had  worked  on  the 
railroad  in  1848,  and  in  1849  moved  his  family 
from  the  Hudson  to  Shohola.  Through  delays, 
lie  was  eleven  days  in  making  the  journey. 
With  his  axe  he  weut  into  the  forest  above 
Shohola  to  clear  up  a  farm.  He  was  joined  by 
Nicholas  Shields  shortly  after,  and  Francis 
Kreiter,  Peter  Eckhart,  Conrad  Eckhart,  Leo- 
nard Roman,  Jacob  Peaisbacher,  Henry  Bridge, 
Jacob  and  George  Haas,  Henry  Worcer,  Henry 
C.  Knealing,  Esq.,  George  F.  Hipsman,  John 
Keller,  Lewis  Schadler,  Nicholas  Hess,  Jacob 
Hess  and  John  Vogt  soon  followed.  These 
thrifty  Germans  all  settled  in  the  viciuity  of 
Shohola  and  cleared  productive  farms.  Henry 
and  Daniel  Kuhn  have  also  farms  farther 
back. 

John  Fletcher  Kilgour. — The  history  of 
Pike  County,  with  all  its  incidents  of  early  set- 
tlement and  subsequent  development,  would  be 
very  incomplete  did  it  not  give  somewhat  in 
detail  an  account  of  the  blue-stone  quarries 
located  therein,  and  of  the  men  who,  by  un- 
precedented example  in  the  history  of  the 
State,  have  been  foremost  in  making  this  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  successful  industries  in 
this  part  of  the  country. 

To  Mr.  Kilgour  may  be  safely  imputed  the 
honor  of  opening  up  and  developing  the  im- 
mense hidden  beds  of  blue-stone  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  couuty.  He  is  the  son  of  Thomas 
and  Julia  Ann  (Shutt)  Kilgour — the  former  of 
Scotch  extraction,  the  latter  of  Holland  Dutch 
origin — and  was  born  at  Kingston,  Ulster 
County,  N.  Y.,  March  14,  1841.  His  early 
education  from  books  was  obtained  in  the  city 
schools  and  academy,  where  he  learned  theo- 
retically   what   he  has  since   been  successful  in 


putting  into  practice.  At  the  age  of  sixteen, 
his  labor  being  valuable  to  his  father,  he  began 
driving  a  team,  hauling  stone  from  the  quarry  to 
the  dock,  and  continued  in  his  father's  employ 
until  he  reached  his  majority.  For  two  years 
following  he  quarried  stone  on  his  own  account 
near  Kingston,  and  for  one  year  thereafter  he 
conducted  successfully  a  retail  stoue-yard  at 
Newburgh,  on  the  Hudson.  Returning,  he 
continued  operating  stone  quarries  until  1868, 
when,  believing  that  large  stone  interests  might 
be  developed  in  Pike  County,  Pa.,  he  pur- 
chased some  four  thousand  acres  of  lumber 
property,  known  as  "  Pond  Eddy."  He  began 
operations  on  the  land  the  following  year  with 
fifty  men,  and  inside  of  two  months  he  increased 
his  force  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  men.  So 
successful  was  he  in  this  venture  that  during 
the  year  1869  the  firm  of  Kilgour,  Vignes  & 
Co.  was  formed,  comprising  the  following  gen- 
tlemen :  John  F.  Kilgour,  James  H.  Butter 
(afterwards  president  of  the  Hudson  River 
Railroad),  George  S.  Readington,  of  Port 
Jervis,  and  David  Vignes,  of  Kingston. 

In  1870  Mr.  Kilgour,  after  long  hesitation, 
entertained  a  proposition  from  -lames  Fiske,  on 
account  of  railroad  facilities  on  the  Erie,  and 
the  advantage  to  be  had  by  having  gentlemen 
in  New  York  interested  in  the  business  for  the 
purpose  of  making  a  ready  sale  of  the  products 
of  the  quarries,  to  organize  a  new  company, 
which  was  finally  agreed  upon  by  making  Mr. 
Fiske  president  and  Mr.  Kilgour  general 
superintendent.  Jay  Gould,  the  g#eat  capital- 
ist of  New  York,  then  beginning  to  attract 
attention  in  financial  circles  of  the  city,  and 
William  M.  Tweed,  then  at  the  head  of  its  busi 
ness  affairs,  were  stockholders  in  the  company, 
the  latter  taking  one  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  of  the  stock.  After  one  year's 
successful  operation  of  the  company,  through 
the  influence  of  Mr.  Fiske,  it  issued  a  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollar  gold-bearing 
bond  upon  its  franchise,  and  paid  the  interest 
until  general  disaster  met  the  business  men  of 
New  York  in  the  panic  of  1873.  In  the 
mean  time  the  deposing  of  Mr.  Tweed  lost  his 
valuable  influence  to  the  company  in  furnish- 
ing  aud  collecting  for  large  contracts  of  stone 


970 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


for  the  city.  Mr.  Fiske  was  shot  and  killed, 
and  Mr.  Gould  left  the  Erie  Railroad,  thereby 
thwarting  the  entire  plans,  which  had  induced 
Mr.  Kilgour  to  consent  to  the  organization  of 
this  company.  Still  worse  than  this,  his  indi- 
vidual responsibility  on  the  paper  of  the  company 
caused  his  failure  with  that  of  the  company, 
and  what  he  supposed  to  be  large  wealth,  mostly 
in  real  estate  in  Passaic  City,  N.  J.,  and  even 
his  own  residence,  had  to  be  largely  mortgaged 
to  secure  the  commercial  paper  indorsed  by 
him.  In  1877,  soon  after  this  collapse,  which 
he  had  tried  for  four  years  to  bridge  over, 
being  broken  in  health  and  without  means,  lie 
spent  the  winter  at  the  Hot  Springs  in  Ar- 
kansas. With  that  resolution  ami  indefatigable 
perseverance  characteristic  of  him,  although 
crowded  to  the  wall  through  the  unfortunate 
circumstances  of  others,  and  left  only  with 
experience  and  judgment  for  new  capital  to 
begin  business  with  again,  in  1878  he  leased  a 
yard  and  began  working  a  score  of  men  quarry- 
ing stone.  After  one  year  he  increased  the  num- 
ber to  one  hundred,  and  in  1883,  so  greaL  had  his 
success  been,  that  be  had  a  force  < if  t  wo  hundred 
and  fifty  men.  This  large  increase  of  force, 
superintendence,  and  consequent  increase  in 
business,  led  Mr.  Kilgour  to  associate  with  him- 
self, in  January,  1883,  E.  S.  Parker,  formerly 
of  the  firm  of  Herskie.  Parker  &  Co.,  of  New 
York,  and  the  firm  thus  organized  is  styled 
"  The  Kilgour  Blue-Stone  Company." 

The  business  of  the  company  has  rapidly 
increased  until  now,  in  1886,  they  employ  by  the 
day  four  hundred  and  fifty  men,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men  by  the  piece,  and  to  meet  the 
demands  of  their  trade,  contemplate  increasing 
the  number  of  their  men  to  eight  hundred 
during  the  year.  Within  the  last  few  years 
they  have  erected  large  mills  for  sawing,  plan- 
ing and  polishing  stone,  and  are  prepared  to 
do  the  finest  kind  of  carving,  moulding,  etc. 
Their  mills  are  erected  at  Parker's  Glen,  for- 
merly known  as  ( "art's  Rock.  The  name  is  in 
honor  of  Mr.  Parker,  a  member  of  the  com- 
pany. The  mills  are  run  day  and  night,  and 
electric  lights  are  used  by  night. 

The  company  now  owns  some  six  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  fee-simple,  lease  as  many  more, 


have  twenty-three  quarries  and  their  laud 
extends  along  the  Erie  Railroad  from  "  Saw- 
Mill  Rift,"  to  Hancock  on  the  main  line  and 
on  the  branch  to  Hawley. 

Their  public  enterprise  is  shown  by  the 
erection  of  a  school-house  for  the  benefit  of  the 
children  of  their  employes,  in  which  they 
place  a  competent  teacher  at  their  own  expense, 
and  they  have  erected  a  hall  for  the  use  of 
their  men,  as  a  temperance  hall,  for  the  "  order" 
called  "The  Frank  A.  Kilgour  Total  Absti- 
nence Society."  Mr.  Kilgour  is  the  sole 
owner  of  some  three  thousand  acres  outside  the 
company,  at  Shohola,  of  the  famous  "  Shohola 
Glen  Hotel,"  and  also  of  the  "  Shohola  Glen  " 
property.  The  superior  facilities  afforded  here 
for  the  pleasure-seeker, — skating  rink,  danc- 
ing-place and  numerous  other  attractions — will 
gain  wide  circulation  and  afford  a  resting-place 
for  busy  men  during  their  summer  vacations. 
Mr.  Kilgour  is  now  engaged  in  building 
a  "Switch-Back  Railroad,"  by  which  people 
can  be  transported  from  the  Erie  Railroad 
through  the  Glen  for  the  small  sum  of  five 
cents.  He  anticipates  being  able  to  accommodate 
one  hundred  thousand  people  at  the  (ilen  dur- 
ing the  season  of  1886,  intends  erecting  a  silk- 
mill  the  present  year  on  the  site  of  the  old  saw- 
mill, and  a  (iueen  Anne  residence,  together  with 
large  additions  to  his  hotel.  He  is  the  owner 
of  the  "  old  Thomas  homestead  "  farm,  which 
he  carries  on.  In  the  Grant  Presidential  cam- 
paign of  1872  he  erected,  at  an  expense  of 
seven  thousand  dollars,  a  wigwam  at  Passaic, 
N.  J.,  which,  after  it  had  served  political  ends, 
he  turned  into  what  was  known  as  "  Kilgour 
Lyceum."  Mr.  Kilgour  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  has  been  closely  identi- 
fied with  its  work  of  reform  for  many  years. 
He  was  an  intimate  friend  of  the  late  Senator 
Madden,  of  Middletown,  N.  Y.,  who,  at  the 
time  of  his  failure,  assisted  him  largely  to  re- 
engage in  business  and  thereby  attain  his  pres- 
ent success. 

Mr.  Kilgour  is  a  liberal  supporter  of  church 
and  educational  interests  at  his  own  home  at 
Passaic,  when'  his  large  contributions  for 
benevolent  objects  lighten  the  burdens  of  those 
less  able,  and  secure  to  himself  the  satisfaction 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


071 


of  feeling  that,  commensurate  with  liis  pros- 
perity, the  works  of  benevolent  charity  and 
every  object  and  enterprise  calculated  to  benefit 
his  fellow-citizens  should  also  be  built  up  and 
sustained.  He  has  always  been  known  as  a 
progressive  citizen,  large-hearted  and  generous, 
and  has  reached  the  royal  road  to  wealth  in  the 
same  way  other  men  have  found  it — by  dint  of 
hard  work,  energy,  patient  perseverance  and 
untiring  industry.  A  correspondent  of  the 
Port  Jervis  Gazette  says  of  him, — 

"  He  is  known  all  over  the  country  as  the  '  Blue- 
Stone  King.'  Long  may  he  enjoy  the  sobriquet,  for 
he  has  well  earned  it.  At  Shohola,  and  at  Parker's 
Glen,  iwhere  the  blue-stone  works  are  located,  Mr. 
Kilgour  shows  himself  the  same  generous,  liberal- 
minded  citizen  he  is  in  Passaic.  At  Shohola  he  has 
just  broken  ground  for  the  erection  of  five  cottages 
and  commenced  building  operations  on  the  construc- 
tion of  a  switch-back  gravity  road  that  is  to  carry 
visitors  to  points  of  interest  in  the  glen.  He  takes  a 
prominent  part  in  the  temperance  work  at  both  these 
places,  and  under  the  auspices  of  himself  and  son, 
Mr.  Frank  Kilgour,  a  live,  practical  reform  club  is  in 
practical  operation,  to  which  he  contributes  liberally 
and  judiciously.  He  is  very  much  liked  by  his  work- 
men, and  in  return  for  their  faithful  service,  does  all 
that  is  possible  to  render  their  work  attractive." 

He  married,  in  the  spring  of  18(34,  Maggie, 
daughter  of  Silas  Wood,  of  Kingston,  N.  Y., 
who  died  June  9,  1883,  leaving  the  following 
children  :  Frank  A.,  Albert  Stearns,  Maggie 
Belle,  Lulu  May,  John  Fletcher,  Jr.,  Florence 
Edna  and  Maud  Eva  Kilgour. 

Carr's  Rock,  orParkkr's  Glen. — Carr's 
Rock  was.  so  named  by  the  Delaware  raftsmen 
because  one  of  their  number  was  compelled  to 
stay  all  night  on  a  large  rock  at  this  point,  by 
an  accident  to  his  raft,  which  cast  him  on  the 
rock  that  ever  after  bore  his  name.  When  the 
Erie  Railroad  passed  through,  the  station  was 
so  named,  but  recently  it  has  been  called  Par- 
ker's Glen,  in  honor  of  the  partner  of  J.  F. 
Kilgour  in  the  blue-stone  quarry  business. 
Judge  John  Ryerson,  a  Quaker  from  Phila- 
delphia, had  a  saw-mill  ou  Walker  Creek  years 
ago.  He  was  an  educated  man,  and  lived  on 
the  river-bank  near  Carr's  Rock.  Peter  Van 
Auken  afterward  resided  there.  In  April,  1868, 
several  passenger  cars  from  the  Erie  Railway 
ran  off  at  this  point  and    caught  fire.     Six  or 


more  passengers  were  killed  or  burned  to 
death,  and  a  number  wounded.  Parker's  Glen 
has  now  become  the  headquarters  of  J.  F.  Kil- 
gour &  Co.'s  stone-works.  They  have  stone- 
mills  erected  and  machinery  for  sawing,  planing 
and  rubbing  stone.  The  stone  is  cut  to  order 
for  building  purposes.  A  large  quantity  of 
stone  is  cut  into  water-table  for  stone  and  brick 
buildings.  The  material  is  not,  strictly  speak- 
ing, blue  stone.  It  does  not  contain  as  much 
lime  as  blue-stone,  and  is  consequently  more 
durable  than  blue-stone  or  marble,  and  is  a 
rival  of  granite  for  durability.  This  new  in- 
dustry, which  is  being  developed  on  an  exten- 
sive scale  by  J.  F.  Kilgour  &  Co.,  is  likely  to 
prove  a  great  source  of  wealth  to  Pike  ( lounty 
in  the  future.  Her  rock-ribbed  hills  are  full  of 
a  fine-grained  stone  that  can  be  worked,  and  is 
susceptible  of  a  very  good  polish.  Being  ><{'  a 
durable  quality  and  accessible  to  the  New  York 
market,  Pike  County  quarries  will  be  worked 
more  in  the  near  future  than  at  present.  Flag- 
stones are  shipped  from  all  the  railroad  stations 
in  Shohola  and  Lackawaxen  townships.  Be- 
sides Mr.  Kilgour,  John  Smith,  Woodward  & 
Maxwell  and  others,  with  headquarters  at  Pond 
Eddy,  are  engaged  in  the  business.  There  are 
four  or  five  hundred  men  employed  in  the 
quarries,  and  otherwise  in  connection  withjthe 
business.  A  beautiful  waterfall  and  rapids  is 
seen  up  the  Walker  Creek,  not  far  from  Par- 
ker's Glen.  Mr.  Kilgour  contemplates  building 
a  silk-mill  at  Parker's  Glen,  which  will  make 
it  a  place  of  considerable  importance.  Calvin 
Crane  settled  on  the  river  about  one  mile  north 
of  Parker's  Glen  in  1 8:59,  and  cleared  up  a  good 
place  ;  his  son,  Manning  F.  Crane,  lived  there 
many  years.  Valentine  Eckhart  has  the  place 
at  present. 

Pond  Eddy. — A  man  by  the  name  of  <  !orey 
is  said  to  have  been  the  pioneer  of  this  point. 
Levi  Middagh,  a  son  of  Courtright  Middagh, 
cleared  a  farm  on  the  Delaware,  between  Par- 
ker's Glen  and  Pond  Eddy.  His  sons,  Levi 
and  James,  now  live  there.  Pond  Eddy,  doubt- 
less, received  its  name  from  the  fact  that  the 
Delaware  sweeps  towards  the  Pennsylvania  side, 
making  a  pond-like  eddy.  The  old  raftsmen, 
who   gave    names  to  the  different  points  along 


1)72 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  river,  would  soon  discover  the  resemblance 
and  thus  christen  it.  The  mountain  comes 
down  close  to  the  river  at  this  point  and  leaves 
but  little  room  for  buildings.  George  Connors 
has  a  store,  however,  and  there  is  a  suspension 
bridge  crossing  to  the  York  State  side,  where 
most  of  the  dwellings  are  located.  It  is  a  stop- 
ping-place on  the  Erie  Railway,  and  is  a  ship- 
ping point  for  stone  that  is  taken  from  the 
hills  in  tlic  vicinity.  The  first  attempt  of  im- 
portance made  to  develop  the  wealth  combined 
in  these  blue-stone  deposits  was  by  two  men 
named  Johnson  and  Rowe,  who  formed  a  co- 
partnership in  1865,  and  purchased  a  tract  of 
land  at  Pond  Eddy,  upon  which  was  a  quarry. 
They  quarried  some  splendid  stone,  hut,  owing 
to  the  hold  the  Hudson  River  stone  had  in  the 
market,  found  little  sale  for  it.  In  the 
spring  of  1865  Rowe  died  and  the  quarry  was 
disposed  of  to  other  parties,  doubtless,  the  New 
York  and  Pennsylvania  Blue-Stone  Company. 
For  miles  along  the  Erie  Railway,  in  Pike 
County,  the  mountains  are  filled  with  inex- 
haustible deposits  of  blue-stone,  and  their  de- 
velopment on  a  large  scale  is  only  a  matter  of 
time. 

Wool>TOWN  AND  THE  UPLAND  SETTLE- 
MENTS.— Hermannis  Brink  settled  at  what  is 
now  known  as  Woodtown,  about  the  time  of 
the  Revolution  or  shortly  after.  He  was  a 
lumberman  and  paid  little  attention  to  farming, 
having  at  that  time  a  saw-mill  on  Brink  Pond 
Brook.  They  cut  the  good  pine  all  off  of  this 
section  more  than  seventy  years  ago.  Jonathan 
and  Daniel  were  probably  his  sons.  They  left 
their  improvement,  being  later  owned  by  Horn- 
beck  and  David  Case,  who  sold  it  to  Charles 
Wood  in  1830.  Reeves  Wood,  his  son,  came 
with  him  and  built  a  saw-mill  on  Brink  Creek. 
He  remained  but  a  short  time,  however,  though 
Charles  Wood  stayed  and  cleared  a  farm  in  what 
is  now  called  Woodtown.  Decatur  Wells,  his 
son-in-law,  lives  on  the  homestead  and  Bradner 
Wood,  his  son,  adjoining  on  part  of  the  home- 
stead. 

Parker  Manning,  a  robust,  powerful  man, 
took  up  four  hundred  acres  of  land  not  far 
from  the  Walker  Pond,  he  and  his  boys  clear- 
ing two  good  farms  and  planting  orchards.   Be- 


sides, he  cleared  a  considerable  part  of  Taylor- 
town  land.  He  has  improved  altogether  two 
or  three  hundred  acres  of  Pike  County  land. 
Charles  F.  Higby  lives  on  one  of  these  places 
and  George  May  on  the  other.  Old  David 
Canfield  resided  in  the  vicinity  of  Woodtown 
during  the  Indian  troubles  and  his  sons  Jesse 
Canfield  and  John  Canfield,  who  were  rugged 
men,  cleared  productive  farms.  Charles  Kirk- 
patrick  and  Jacob  Keller  now  occupy  these 
places.  John  Lee  lives  in  the  vicinity  of 
Parker's  Glen,  on  the  old  Knapp  place.  George 
Haas,  Adam  Haas  and  William  Saddler  have 
farms  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Manning  clearing. 
Allen  Coursen  and  his  three  sons — Allen  N., 
John  and  Shaffer — improved  land  in  the  vicinity 
of  Brink  Ponds.  John  Curry  also  cleared  a 
farm  bordering  on  the  pond.  Lewis  cultivated 
a  farm  two  miles  down  the  creek  from  Shohola 
Falls,  his  son  Gabriel  owning  it  now.  Jesse 
McKane  cleared  a  farm  in  that  vicinity  and 
reared  a  family  of  twenty-two  children.  There 
is  a  large  saw-mill  at  Shohola  Falls,  employing 
about  thirty-five  men. 

There  are  five  public  schools  in  Shohola  town- 
ship— The  Wralker  School  near  Woodtown  ;  Pond 
Eddy;  Parker's  Glen  ;  Middagh's  and  Shohola 
Glen. 

Shohola  had  seven  hundred  and  fifteen  inhab- 
itants in  1880. 

Tobias  Hornbeck  built  a  hotel  and  saw-mill 
at  Shohola  Falls,  on  the  Milford  and  Owego 
turnpike,  about  1815.     He  came  about   1820. 

Isaac  Blackmore  lived  one  mile  east  of  Sho- 
hola at  an  early  date,  probably  before  1800. 
He  was  from  the  Eastern  States  and  an  educated 
man.  His  children  were  Hiram,  Ganges, 
Solomon,  Paul  and  Darien. 

Samuel  Helm  lived  about  one  mile  farther 
east.  Hiram  Helm  married  one  of  Black- 
more's  daughters.  The  Blackmores  were  large, 
tall  men,  and  lived  chiefly  by  hunting  and  fish- 
ing. Samuel  Helm  was  a  squatter  at  Lord's 
Valley,  and  when  Levi  Lord,  who  had  pur- 
chased the  property,  came  to  his  cabin-door, 
Helm  said  :  "  I  know  what  you  want ;  come  in 
and  welcome;  you  have  paid  for  the  land  and  it 
is  yours."  He  was  a  descendant  on  his  mother's 
side  of  Manuel  Gonsales,  the  first  white  settler 


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973 


of  Sullivan,  and  on  his  father's  side  of  Simon 
Helm.  His  father  was  Peter  Helm,  a  son  of 
Michael  Helm,  killed  near  Summitville  by  the 
Indians.  His  mother's  maiden-name  was  Eliza- 
beth ( ionsales.  Ho  was  nearly  six  feet  in 
height,  broad-shouldered,  muscles  well  devel- 
oped, nerves  as  true  as  steel  and  bones  as  strong 
as  a  lion's.  His  fists  would  strike  sledge-ham- 
mer blows.  He  could  run  like  a  deer  and  his 
eye  was  as  piercing  as  an  eagle's.  His  dress 
was  homespun,  hunting-shirt  buckskin,  pants 
of  rough  linen,  with  deer-skin  legging,  his 
shoes  moccasins.  When  prepared  for  a  deer- 
hunt  his  appearance  was  truly  regal. 

Helm  was  a  mighty  hunter  and  killed  wild 
turkeys,  grouse,  ducks  and  geese  without  num- 
ber. He  shot  scores  of  deer  on  the  runways, 
and  many  more  when  they  came  to  the  ponds  at 
night  to  water  and  feed  on  the  white  pond- 
lilies.  He  was  a  splendid  shot  at  a  target,  and 
at  night  could  easily  snuff  a  candle  at  fifty  paces. 

Sam  always  claimed  that  he  knew  of  mines 
of  valuable  ore  along  the  mountain,  and  among 
them  coal  and  silver.  He  was  not  a  scientist 
and  knew  nothing  of  the  transit  of  Venus,  but 
he  possessed  knowledge  of  immense  value  to  a 
frontiersman.  He  had  not  studied  grammar, 
yet  used  words  that  fully  expressed  his  mean- 
ing. He  knew  nothing  of  maps  and  geography, 
but  the  moss  on  the  trees  was  his  compass  by 
day  and  the  "pointers"  showed  him  north  in 
the  night-time.  He  had  no  watch,  but  the  sun 
and  stars  told  him  the  time  unerringly.  Ad- 
dition, subtraction,  multiplication  and  division 
were  all  the  arithmetic  he  had  ever  learned,  yet 
he  could  calculate  great  sums  with  wonderful 
exactness. 

Sam  was  very  clear-headed,  a  close  calculator, 
never  given  to  idleness,  and  yet  he  died  com- 
paratively poor  at  Shohola,  Pa.  Sam  was 
noble-hearted  and  everywhere  met  a  welcome  ; 
his  only  faults  were  a  dogged  pel-severance  in 
conquering  an  enemy,  and  the  Helm-Gonsales 
trait  of  forgiving  an  insult  when  properly  asked 
to,  but  never  forgetting  the  aggressor. 

At  the  time  of  Brandt's  second  invasion  of 
the  valley,  Helm  was  down  the  river,  near  the 
old  Van  Auken  fort.  When  the  houses  were 
burning  at  Peenpack,    he  was  with  the  scouts 


watching  their  movements.  When  Colonel 
Tusten's  force  came  across  the  mountain  he 
joined  them.  He  was  present  when  Meeker's 
bad  advice  was  given  and  complied  with.  He 
heard  Brandt  shout  to  our  officers  to  surrender  ; 
that  his  force  was  three  times  the  strongest,  and 
that  if  they  would  lay  down  their  arms  he 
would  give  them  protection.  The  answer  he 
received  was  a  bullet  through  his  belt.  Brandt 
now  gave  the  order  of  battle,  and  by  a  master- 
piece of  strategy  divided  the  forces  of  his  oppo- 
nents. Then  came  a  long  and  bloody  light, 
commencing  in  the  morning  of  that  hot  duly 
day  of  1779,  and  ending  near  sundown  with 
the  death  and  capture  of  Hathorn's  forces. 
Not  a  single  wounded  soldier  was  left  untoma- 
hawked  and  unscalped.  The  warriors  buried 
their  dead,  cared  for  their  wounded  and  left  the 
field  of  battle  triumphant,  leaving  the  bodies 
of  the  white  men  food  for  ravenous  beasts  and 
carrion  birds,  and  their  bones  to  bleach  amid 
the  storms  and  snows  and  frosts  of  many  win- 
ters. 

Sain  Helm  was  wounded  through  both  thighs 
at  the  battle  of  Conashaugh,  elsewhere  de- 
scribed. 

About  the  time  that  Sam  Helm  lived  at 
Shohola  there  was  an  Englishman  of  good 
education  trying  to  make  a  living  about  a  mile 
from  where  Ira  B.  Rosencranee  now  lives.  His 
success  was  very  indifferent,  and  the  father  of 
Colonel  Mott  and  the  late  C.  C.  D.  Pinchot 
went  up,  moved  him  down  to  Milford,  and 
succeeded  in  getting  a  school  for  him.  He 
taught  until  he  had  sufficient  funds  to  take  him 
to  New  York,  where  he  had  friends  in  Maiden 
Lane— then  the  heart  of  the  city.  He  was 
compelled  to  leave  his  wife  in  Milford,  and  she 
occasionally  wrote  rather  complaining  letters  to 
him.  In  answering  her  letters,  he  wrote  the 
following  lines : 

"When  Carpenter's   Point  shall  be  crossed   without 
ferry, 

And  the  falls  of  Shohola  shall  boast  of  a  store  ; 
When  Uncle  Sam  Helm  shall  cease  to  he  merry, 

Then,  dearest  Ellen,  I'll  love  you  no  more." 

When  Helm  would  get  a  little  more  "  tangle- 
foot" in  his  system  than  was  good  for  him,  he 
would   repeat  the  above  lines,  and  it  was  sup- 


974 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


pused  by  many  that  they  were  original  with 
him,  but  they  were  written  by  the  Englishman, 
as  above  stated. 

Sam  Helm  married  a  Westfall.  His  sons 
wnv  Solomon,  Hiram  and  William.  The  last 
of  the  race  remembered  about  Mil  ford  was 
young  Sam  Helm,  the  rattlesnake  tamer.  He 
was  a  descendant  of  the  Helms  heretofore  men- 
tioned. He  would  often  appear  on  the  streets 
of  Milford  with  a  box  of  rattlesnakes  that  he 
would  wind  around  his  neck  and  arms. 


CHAPTER    XIII 


BLOOMING  GROVE. 


Blooming  Grove  township  was  erected 
from  Laekawaxen  and  Palmyra  townships, 
December  17,  1850!  It  is  the  central  town- 
ship of  Pike  County,  and  the  only  one  that 
does  not  border  on  some  township  outside  of 
Pike.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lacka- 
waxen, northeast  by  Shohola,  east  by  Dingman, 
south  by  Porter  and  Greene,  and  west  by  Pal- 
myra. The  High  Knob  is  the  highest  point  of 
land  in  Pike  County,  being  seventeen  hundred 
feet  above  the  Water  Gap.  On  this  mountain, 
on  what  is  called  the  West  Knob,  the  Brod- 
head,  Bushkill,  Shohola  and  Blooming  Grove 
Creeks  rise,  within  one  fourth  of  a  mile  of  each 
other.  The  Big  Knob  and  Crasser  Ponds  lie 
on  top  of  the  knob,  about  one-fourth  mile 
apart.  Another  pond  is  at  the  foot  of  the 
knob.  Edmond  Lord  says  that  the  "  Big  In- 
dian Swamp"  was  a  pond  when  he  first  came 
there,  in  1810,  but  that  it  has  since  grown  and 
become  a  cranberry  marsh.  Blooming  Grove 
is  mostly  unfit  for  cultivation.  It  consists  of 
pine  and  scrub-oak  barrens,  off  of  which  most 
of  the  valuable  timber  has  been  taken. 

Dr.  Philip  P.  Monington,  a  land  speculator, 
sold  a  tract  of  land  in  Blooming  Grove  town- 
ship to  Levi  Lord  and  his  twelve  English  as- 
sociates,— Joseph  Brooks,  Robert  Hatton, 
Samuel  Hunt,  Wilson  Croft,  William  Whitta- 
ker,  John  Whittaker,  Thomas  Harselden, 
Robert  Ogden,  Abram  Johnson,  James  Powers 
and    William  Manly,  who  all  came  from  Eng- 


land in  the  same  ship,  in  1809.  On  investiga- 
tion they  found  Monington's title  not  good,  and 
all  but  Levi  Lord  settled  elsewhere  in  Pike 
County.  Mr.  Lord  had  a  survey  made  and  re- 
purchased the  land  where  Lord's  Valley  now 
is.  He  and  his  sou  Simeon  settled  there  about 
1810.  They  found  the  noted  hunter,  Sam 
Helm,  and  his  son  Solomon,  as  squatters,  hav- 
ing built  two  log  cabins.  Sam  gave  possession 
peaceably.  He  remarked,  "  Come  in  ;  the  land 
is  yours,  for  you  have  bought  it  and  paid  for 
it."  Sam  Helm  was  a  tall  hunter  and  trapper, 
with  an  eagle  eye.  He  lived  by  hunting  and 
fishing,  and  had,  probably,  been  there  a  num- 
ber of  years.  They  had  made  a  small  clearing, 
and  Mr.  Lord,  having  satisfied  them  for  their 
improvement,  moved  into  one  of  the  Helm 
cabins.  This  cabin  was  located  on  the  old  In- 
dian trail  from  Milford  to  Dolph  Bingham's, 
and  has,  for  many  years,  been  known  as  Lord's 
Valley.  The  main,  traveled  road,  at  that  time, 
was  from  Bushkill  through  by  Shohola  Farms. 
In  1850,  after  the  stage  route  was  opened,  Levi 
Lord  and  his  sons  built  a  brick  hotel,  from 
brick  which  they  burned  on  the  premises. 

James  Ivison  was  a  Methodist  preacher  at 
this  place.  Theodore  Bowhannan  built  a  saw- 
mill near  by,  at  Lord's  Valley,  which  after- 
wards became  the  property  of  Levi  Lord. 

His  children  were  Simeon,  who  succeeded 
his  father  in  the  hotel  business.  Simeon  Lord's 
sons  were  Baron  Lord,  who  lives  in  Hawley  ; 
Levi,  who  resides  at  the  High  Knob ;  and 
Simeon  Lord,  Jr.,  who  succeeds  his  father  at 
the  old  tavern-stand.  Of  Levi  Lord's  other 
children,  William  removed  to  Philadelphia; 
James  lived  in  Blooming  Grove  until  he  was 
forty-six,  and  then  went  West;  Edmond  Lord 
remained  until  he  was  forty,  and  then  moved  to 
Lehman  township.  He  is  now  eighty-four 
years  of  age,  and  a  hale,  hearty  old  man.  He 
recently  walked  from  Newton  to  Lord's  Val- 
ley, a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  carrying  a  load 
on  his  back,  between  the  rising  and  setting  sun. 
He  has  never  used  tobacco  in  any  form,  nor 
drank  liquor,  although  brought  up  in  a  hotel 
and  living  in  Pike  County.  His  father's 
family  consisted  of  sixteen  children.  One  sis- 
ter,   Betsey,    married     William     Manly,    who 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


975 


built  a  stone  tavern  at  the  forks  of  the  Bethany 
and  Hawlev  roads,  in  Lacka waxen  township. 
His  sister  Ellen  still  lives,  in  Philadelphia, 
aged  ninety-six.  Edmond  Lord  has  been  a  great 
hunter, and  killed  many  deer,  wild-eats  and  bears. 
William  Spearing  had  a  house  thirty  by  forty 
feet,  and  two  stories  high,  on  the  old  Wilderness 
road,  in  Blooming  Grove,  before  Solomon 
Westbrook  bought  it,  in  1827.  It  was  built  of 
large  square  sticks  of  hewn  pine  timber.  The 
old  mill  was  up  the  Blooming  Grove  Creek  about 
one  and  one-fourth  miles  from  where  the  Pau- 
pack  and  Tafton  roads  fork,  and  was  built  by 
Charles  B.  Seaman,  ex-sheriff  of  Pike  County. 
In  1827  Solomon  Westbrook  rebuilt  this  mill, 
and  John  C.  Westbrook,  his  son,  the  present 
saw-mill  in  1847,  and  the  grist-mill  in  1855. 
Solomon  Westbrook  was  a  merchant  and  lum- 
berman, and  once  sheriff  of  Pike  County.  He 
married  Hannah  Coolbaugh,  a  daughter  of  John 
Coolbaugh,  once  associate  judge.  His  children 
were  Margaret,  who  married  John  B.  Stoll,  of 
Newark,  N.  J. ;  John  C.  Westbrook,  who  was 
first  elected  prothonotary  in  1845,  and  has  been 
seven  times  re-elected.  The  prothonotary  in 
Pike  County  is  clerk  of  the  several  courts,  reg- 
ister of  wills  and  recorder  of  deeds.  Mr.  West- 
brook is  a  competent  officer,  and  merits  the  con- 
fidence which  the  voters  of  Pike  County  repose 
in  him.  Lafayette  Westbrook  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Assembly  from  Pike  several  times, 
and  now  lives  in  Stroudsburg.  Hiram  is  in 
Ridgewood,  N.  J.  Moses  C.  Westbrook  is  on 
the  homestead,  and  Susan  lives  in  Newark, 
N.  J.  John  Young  resides  in  the  vicinity,  and 
Mr.  Buskirk  has  a  grist-mill  at  Westbrook's. 
Joseph  Brown  first  settled  where  William  II. 
Nyce  afterward  lived.  Daniel  Brodhead  bought 
this  property  and  sold  it  to  Solomon  and  John 
Westbrook  and  William  H.  Nyce,  about  1835, 
when  John  Nyce  superintended  the  saw-mills, 
and  in  184G  William  H.  Nyce  came  with  his 
family.  His  wife  was  Margaret  Westbrook, 
his  children  being  John  Nyce,  who  measured 
logs  for  the  Wilsonville  mills  a  number  of 
years,  and  is  now  life  insurance  agent  at  Haw- 
ley ;  Safforyne  W.  Nyce,  who  lives  in  Milford  ; 
Andrew  J.,  who  lives  in  Paupack  ;  and  James, 
who  lives  in  Deckertown. 


Jacob  Kreinhans  bought  the  Blooming  Grove 
property  of  William  H.  Nyce  in  1851,  and 
built  a  tannery  on  Blooming  Grove  Creek,  con- 
taining fifty  vats.  He  purchased  in  all  about 
four  thousand  acres,  and  tanned  sole  leather 
until  the  bark  was  exhausted,  in  1882,  when 
he  purchased  the  Dr.  Edward  Halliday  prop- 
erty in  Milford,  where  he  now  resides.  John 
Ploss,  Charles  Durling  and  several  other  Ger- 
mans have  good  farms  in  the  western  part  of 
the  township,  on  Egypt  Creek.  Squire  L. 
Hazen,  William  Downey,  John  Pletcher  and 
some  others  own  farms  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
High  Knob.  There  are  two  post-offices  in  the 
township — one  at  Lord's  Valley  and  another  at 
Blooming  Grove.  There  are  also  schools  at 
each  of  these  places  and  one  near  the  High 
Knob.  There  are  no  churches,  but  occasionally 
preaching  is  heard  in  one  of  the  school-houses. 
The  population  of  the  township  in  1880  was 
four  hundred  and  seventy-two. 

The  scrub  oaks  of  Pike  County  make  good 
railroad  ties,  of  which  a  number  of  thousands 
are  furnished  every  year  to  the  Erie  Railroad. 
There  are  also  thousands  of  hoop-poles  shipped 
to  New  York,  and  thence  to  the  West  Indies; 
but  since  the  lumber  and  bark  have  become  ex- 
hausted, the  central  part  of  Pike  County,  like 
Blooming  Grove,  is  better  adapted  to  hunting 
and  fishing. 

The  Blooming  Grove  Park  Association  was 
projected  by  Win.  H.  Bell,  of  Branch  ville,  Sus- 
sex County,  N.  J.,  and  Fayette  S.  Giles  in 
1870.  John  C.  Westbrook  and  Lafayette 
Westbrook  deeded  thirteen  thousand  acres  of 
land  to  the  association,  and  they  have  since 
purchased  one  thousand  acres  in  addition.  F. 
S.  Giles  was  the  first  president  of  the  associa- 
tion. The  stockholders  have  changed,  and 
most  of  the  stock  is  now  held  by  New  York 
parties.  The  lands  lie  in  Blooming  Grove, 
Greene  and  Porter  townships,  and  include 
Lakes  Beaver,  Giles,  Scott,  Bruce,  Westbrook, 
Laura,  Ernest  and  Belle,  according  to  the  names 
which  the  association  have  given  them.  One 
square  mile  of  the  land  is  inclosed  by  a  wire 
fence,  as  a  breeding  park,  in  which  they  have 
about  two  hundred  deer.  The  club-house  is 
erected  on  ground  overlooking  Giles  Lake,   or 


976 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Blooming  Grove  Pond,  as  it  was  formerly 
called,  at  a  cost  of  about  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars. 

The  Shohola  Farms  are  on  the  old  Wilder- 
ness road,  about  three  miles  from  Shohola 
Falls.  This  is  a  very  old  place,  and  was  occu- 
pied by  an  Englishman  before  the  Revolution 
(as  early  as  1754),  who  kept  an  inn,  and  had 
barn  room  for  sixty  horses.  The  shingles  were 
nailed  with  four-inch  wrought  nails.  This 
man,  who  was  fourteen  miles  in  the  wilder- 
ness, lived  in  great  style  for  those  days,  if 
we  credit  the  story  of  an  old  lady  who  passed 
through  about  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  A 
farm  was  cleared,  and  good-sized  apple-trees 
were  growing  ;  but  at  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  this  owner,  who  appears  to  have 
been  a  Tory,  abandoned  his  property.  It  was 
managed  by  agents  for  years,  transferred  from 
inie  stock  company  to  another,  and  is  now 
owned  by  a  company  who  are  running  saw- 
mills and   lumbering  on   it. 

During  the  struggle  for  the  location  of  the 
county-scat  Daniel  Dingman,  who  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature,  secured  an  act  remov- 
ing the  county-seat  of  Wayne  County  from 
Bethany  to  Blooming  Grove,  but  the  county 
commissioners  bid  defiance  to  the  law,  and 
refused  to  levy  a  tax  to  erect  county  buildings 
there.  They  justly  claimed  that  the  county 
was  poor  and  unable  to  go  to  any  extra  expense. 
General  Spearing,  who  owned  laud  in  Bloom- 
ing Grove,  had  a  village  laid  out  in  town 
plots  and  built  several  substantial  log  houses, 
but  the  erection  of  Pike  into  a  new  county 
changed  the  status  of  affairs,  and  Milford 
raised  fifteen  hundred  dollars  by  the  1st  of 
June,  1814,  which  was  the  condition  under 
which  the  county-seat  was  established  at  Mil- 
ford.  The  High  Knob  is  on  the  most  elevated 
land  in  Pike  County,  and  forms  the  divide  or 
water-shed  between  several  creeks.  The  town- 
ship of  Blooming  Grove  contains  a  few  good 
farms,  but  it  is  better  adapted  to  hunting  and 
fishing. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

POUTER     TOWNSHIP. 

Porter  township  waserected  from  Delaware 
and  Lehman,  December  16,  1851.  It  lies  in 
the  southern  part  of  Pike  County,  is  bounded  on 
the  southwest  by  Monroe,  on  the  west  by  Greene, 
on  the  north  by  Blooming  Grove  and  Dingman 
and  on  the  east  by  Delaware  and  Lehman.  The 
Blooming  Grove  Park  Association's  lands  ex- 
tend into  the  northeastern  corner,  through 
which  runs  Taylor's  Creek,  emptying  into  the 
Big  Bushkill,  which  flows  through  the  northwes- 
tern part  of  the  township  aud  receives  the  wa- 
ters of  Rocky  Hill  Creek,  which  joins  it  west 
of  Porterville.  Rocky  Hill  Creek  is  the  outlet 
of  Rocky  Hill  Pond,  in  Dingman  township, 
and  also  receives  the  outlet  of  Porter  Lake. 
Saw  Creek  rises  in  the  northern  part  of  Porter 
township,  and  Mows  south  through  the  east  cen- 
tral part  of  Porter  and  the  southwestern  part  of 
Lehman,  into  the  Big  Bushkill.  It  receives 
the  outlet  of  Twelve-Mile  Pond,  which  is  in  the 
south  central  part  of  the  township.  Porter 
township  was  named  in  honor  of  Hon.  James 
Madison  Porter,  who  bought  a  large  tract  of 
land  of  James  Place,  cleared  a  farm  and  built 
the  first  house  out  by  Porter  Lake,  at  Porter- 
ville, iu  1849.  The  following  persons  were  as- 
sessed in  1853:  William  R.  Brodhead,  with  a 
house  and  saw-mill  ;  Wells  L.  Bowhanan,  house 
and  saw-mill  ;  Moses  and  John  Coolbaugh,  saw- 
mill ;  Martin  Cortright  &  Co.,  house  and  saw- 
mill ;  William  Overwild,  house  and  saw-mill  ; 
Elijah  Quigley,  saw-mill  ;  Wallace  A-  Bowhan- 
an,  house  ami  saw-mill.  Besides  these,  John 
Countryman,  Albert  Countryman,  Abraham, 
Isaac  and  Jacob  Decker,  Charles  Evans,  J.  Van 
Frast,  J.  B.  Hall,  John  Kittle,  Andrew  Lake, 
William  Overwell,  .lames  M.  Porter,  William 
Rake,  William  Smith,  Charles  Strunk,  W.  L. 
Smith,  Andrew  Shaft,  Moses  Smith,  Nelson 
Waker,  Jeffrey  Wells,  Christian  Yerkes  and 
John  Titman.  William  Rhinehart  and  N.  A. 
Khinehart  have  the  mill  and  hotel  at  Porters- 
ville  now. 

Philip  B.  Clark,  Henry  Evarts,  William 
Harrison,  Francis  Mercer,  Arthur  Post,  Wil- 
liam Hake,  William  S.  and  William  V.  Rhine- 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


hart,  Hiram,  Moses  C.  and  Jeffrey  Smith,  Luke 
Whittaker  and  Abram  C.  Heater  were  the  prin- 
cipal inhabitants  in  1880.  The  township  con- 
tains some  good  timber  land,  but  has  been  mostly- 
slashed  over  and  allowed  to  grow  up  without 
being  cleared.  There  were  but  ninety-nine  in- 
habitants in  the  township  in  1880.  They  have 
about  twelve  voters,  and  divide  up  the  offices 
among  them.  In  fact,  honors  are  plentiful  in 
Porter  township.  The  school  board  stood  a  tie 
for  three  years  in  relation  to  the  propriety  of 
building  a  certain  school-house  and  the  matter 
was  referred  to  the  courts.  The  court  could 
not  declare  the  seats  of  the  six  directors  vacant, 
as  there  was  not  material  enough  in  the  town- 
ship to  fill  their  places.  Abraham  Coolbaugh 
furnished  the  money  and  finally  one  or  more 
school-houses  were  built.  Philip  Clark  is  post- 
master, supervisor,  justice  of  the  peace,  etc. 
During  the  summer  Porter  Lake  is  visited  by 
hunters  and  fishermen.  There  is  a  school  near 
Twelve-Mile  Pond  and  one  on  the  Bushkill, 
above  Porterville.  A  State  road  runs  from 
Bushkill  through  the  township  and  on  through 
to  Blooming  Grove.  Another  road,  called  the 
Brodhead,  Titman  and  Ridgeway  road,  runs 
from  Egypt  Mills  to  Porterville. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


i.ukkm:  TowNsuri'. 


Greexe  was  taken  from  Palmyra  in  1859. 
It  is  the  southwestern  township  of  Pike  County 
and  bounded  on  the  north  by  Palmyra  and 
Blooming  Grove,  on  the  east  by  Porter,  on  the 
south  by  Monroe  County  and  on  the  west  by 
Wayne  County.  The  Seventeen-Mile  Run, 
Nineteen-Mile  Run,  Sugar  Hill  Creek  and  East 
Branch  all  flow  southeast  into  the  south  branch 
of  the  Wallenpaupack.  The  Big  Bushkill 
takes  its  rise  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town- 
ship. There  are  five  ponds,  among  them  the 
East  Branch  Pond  and  Promised  Land  Pond, 
which  is  an  artificial  or  saw-mill  pond  covering 
about  twelve  hundred  acres.  It  was  formed 
by  damming  up  the  head-waters  of  the  East 
Branch,  a  low,  swampy  region,  covered  with 
96 


spruce,  laurel,  pine,  etc.,  the  lair  of  bears  and 
wild-cats  in  former  times.  That  part  of  Greene 
which  adjoins  the  Paupack  was  part  of  Salem 
from  1808  until  1814,  after  which  Pike  was 
formed  and  the  Paupack  made  the  dividing 
line,  when  Greene  was  assessed  and  became  part 
of  Palmyra  ;  previous  to  that  it  was  included  in 
Delaware  township.  Greene  has  several  large 
hills.  On  approaching  from  Houcktown  the 
first  hill  is  Buck  Hill,  as  it  slopes  south.  It 
was  a  favorite  resort  of  deer  ;  hence  the  name. 
Panther  Hill  lies  south  of  the  Little  Sugar 
Hill  Creek.  Big  or  Carleton  Hill  lies  north- 
east of  Sugar  Hill,  while  Sugar  Hill  lies  south- 
west of  Sugar  Hill  Creek.  The  township  has 
been  principally  settled  from  the  Paupack  Val- 
ley, and  it  is  not  known  who  first  built  a  cabin 
on  the  flats,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Paupack. 
The  first  settlers  on  the  flats  were  mere  squat- 
ters and  located  their  cabins  to  suit  their  con- 
venience. It  is  said  that  Thomas  Dickerson 
cleared  across  the  Paupack  on  what  is  now  a 
part  of  the  Josiah  Whittaker  place.  Aside 
from  these  cabins  on  the  flats,  and  perhaps  be- 
fore any  of  them  were  built  in  Greene,  Abram 
Wissemere  or  Wismcr,  built  a  cabin  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  township,  back  of  Sugar  Hill, 
on  the  road  from  Stroudsburg  to  the  flats, 
known  as  the  Wismer  road.  James  Simons 
was  assessed  in  1809  with  four  hundred  acres 
of  land,  Abram  Simons  with  two  hundred 
acres,  Joseph  Simons  with  two  hundred  acres — 
three  acres  of  which  is  improved — one  house  and 
two  cows.  James  and  Abram  were  evidently 
non-residents  at  this  time.  James  Simons  lo- 
cated about  one-half  mile  east  of  the  Paupack 
and  cleared  up  a  good  farm.  He  built  the 
stone  house  now  'occupied  by  his  son  Samuel. 
His  son  Thomas  located  on  part  of  the  tract 
about  one-half  mile  north  of  the  homestead. 
Jabez  Simons  located  north  of  his  brother,  on  the 
lot  that  Benjamin  Sheerer  had  squatted  on,  hav- 
ingcleared  a  large  farm.  .James  Simons,  Jr.,  locat- 
ed about  one  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of  his 
father.  Abram  Simons  lives  on  the  old  Joseph 
Simons  place,  which  joins  the  James  Simons  farm 
on  the  southwest.  The  Simonses  live  about 
two  miles  from  Ledgedale.  David  Hartson 
Carleton,  a  chair-maker,  came  from  New  Eng- 


WAYNE,  PIKE,  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


land  and  located  at  the  foot  of  Big  or  Carletou 
Hill,  south  of  Sugar  Hill,  iu  the  year  1817.  He 
built  a  log  hut  and  made  quite  a  clearing.  His 
children  were  David  H.,  Eoxanua,  Mary, 
Thomas,  Emily,  George  W.,  Sally  and  Betsey. 
David  II.  Carleton  located  about  one-half  mile 
northwest  of  his  father,  was  the  first  justice  of 
the  peace  in  Greene,  and  county  commissioner 
at  one  time.  He  married  Nancy  S.  Dickerson. 
Among  his  children  are  David  Albert  Carleton, 
who  married  Elizabeth  Banks,  located  on  Buck 
Hill,  cleared  a  farm  and  built  a  comfortable 
dwelling.  Carleton  school-house  is  near  by. 
John  Carleton,  a  brother  of  the  foregoing,  mar- 
ried Mary  Banks  and  located  about  three  miles 
from  his  father.  Roxanna  married  George  Mil- 
ler and  lives  in  Wilkes-Barre.  Mary  was  the 
wife  of  John  Corey,  who  located  in  Greene, 
about  three  miles  east  of  the  Flats,  at  a  place 
called  Coreyville,  in  his  honor.  Thomas  D. 
Carleton  located  in  Dreher.  Emily  was  the 
wife  of  Robert  Bortree,  who  lived  in  Greene, 
Opposite  the  Robert  Bortree  mill  property. 
Sally  was  the  wife  of  Joseph  M.  Kipp.  Jacob 
Gilner  bought  the  old  D.  H.  Carleton  place. 
Thomas  Dickerson  settled  on  Sugar  Hill  in 
1814  or  earlier.  His  son,  Thomas  J.  Dicker- 
son,  who  married  Eliza  Beech  in  1830,  proba- 
bly obtained  an  education  by  reading  and  study 
at  his  humble  home.  He  served  with  faithful- 
ness as  (•( mnty  commissioner  for  six  years,  and 
was  justice  of  the  peace  for  twenty  years.  He 
lived  to  be  seventy-five  years  of  age,  and  often 
related  that  he  sat  at  the  door  of  his  father's 
cabin  at  close  of  day  and  heard  the  howl  of  the 
wolf  and  the  screams  of  the  panther  and  wild 
cat. 

Of  his  children,  Benjamin  moved  to  Kansas; 
Silas  J.  lives  on  part  of  the  homestead  ;  Ruth, 
who  married  G.  H.  Bortree,  and  Esther,  who 
married  J.  Butler,  live  on  part  of  the  home- 
stead ;  Augusta,  who  married  A.  Hopps,  lives 
on  lands  adjoining  the  homestead  ;  Richmond 
went  to  Texas  ;  John  Wilmer  Dickerson  was  a 
student,  while  others  were  telling  bear  stories 
or  otherwise  passing  their  time.  The  writer 
remembers  him  as  a  teacher  of  East  School.  He 
removed  to  Bedford  County,  became  county 
superintendent    and   representative   of  Bedford 


and  Fulton  in  the  Assembly.  He  studied  law, 
was  admitted,  finally  became  blind,  but  had 
some  one  read  the  Acts  of  Assembly  to  him 
and  continued  to  plead  cases  until  he  died,  when 
but  a  young  man.  Thomas  T.  Dickerson  was 
fatally  wounded  at  Charles  City  Court-House, 
Va.,  June  18,  1864,  during  the  late  war. 

Isaac  I.  Kipp  came  from  Philadelphia  to 
Greene  April  10,  1820,  and  settled  in  what  is 
now  known  as  Kipptown,  where  his  son,  John 
Kipp,  now  lives.  He  and  Jacob  Keene  built 
the  first  frame  house  in  the  township,  buying 
two  hundred  and  thirty-four  acres  of  land  of 
Edward  Tilghman.  The  settlers  in  the  town- 
ship, before  they  came,  were  nearly  all  squat- 
ters. Among  them  at  the  time  of  their  advent 
was  Abram  Wissemore,  who  lived  about  one- 
half  mile  from  Kipp's,  on  the  southwest.  He 
sold  his  squatter's  right  to  John  Dunning;  af- 
terward John  Burns  bought  the  land  of  Cad- 
walader,  and  Dunning  got  nothing  for  his  im- 
provement. Jacob  Keene,  who  came  with 
Kipp,  located  on  the  west.  Andrew  Corey 
and  Jesse  Ransberry  purchased  one  hundred 
and  ten  acres,  northeast  of  Kipp's,  about  1831. 
They  built  log  houses  and  cleared  a  farm. 
Thomas  J.  Dickerson  purchased  one  hundred 
and  seventeen  acres  north  of  Kipp's  in  1835. 
He  built  a  log  house  and  made  a  clearing. 
Jacob  Mash  purchased  one  hundred  and  seven- 
teen acres  east  of  Kipp's  in  1846.  James  Ed- 
wards came  from  Philadelphia  and  lived  on 
the  Jacob  Keene  place  until  1847,  when  he 
purchased  fifty-eight  and  one-half  acres  south 
of  Kipp's,  and  Charles  Batzel  secured  the  other 
half.  James  Edwards  now  lives  in  Salem, 
aged  eighty-seven.  His  sons  were  Joseph  B., 
John  and  Jacob.  Allen  Megargel  purchased 
four  hundred  acres  where  Ehrgood's  mill  now 
is  in  1816.  He  built  a  saw-mill  and  grist-mill 
about  1825.  Isaac  Megargel,  his  son,  took 
possession  of  the  property  in  1828  and  sold  it 
to  William  Ehrgood  in  1830.  The  first  saw- 
mill in  Greene  was  built  by  John  R.  Galpin, 
about  1843.  The  uext  was  the  Joseph  Atkin- 
son, Sr.,  saw-mill  at  Promised  Land,  which  was 
so  named  by  Mr.  Murray,  whoassisted  in  building 
the  mill.  The  Promised  Land  Pond  covers  an 
almost    impenetrable   spruce  swamp,  which    is 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


979 


but  a  continuation  of  the  swamp  known  as 
"  The  Shades  of  Death,"  the  name  being  doubt- 
less given  in  derision.  The  title  is  well  estab- 
lished and  denotes  all  that  wilderness  region 
of  scrub  oak,  pine  and  spruce  about  Atkinson's 
mill-pond.  The  Kipp  saw-mill  was  built  on 
the  East  Branch  in  1851.  Nathan  Houck's 
mills  and  stick  factory  were  erected  at  Houck- 
town,  on  the  Buck  Hill  stream,  in  1855. 
Thomas  Bartleson  purchased  land  of  Megargel 
about  1828,  cleared  up  fifty  acres  and  built 
the  largest  barn  in  the  township. 

John  K.  Brink  and  George  Smith  came  to 
Greene  about  1842.  After  the  ice  freshet  in  Pau- 
pack,  which  destroyed  Brink's  cattle,  his  family, 
who  succeeded  in  making  their  escape,  came  to 
the  Abram  Nye  place,  in  Salem,  and  from 
theDce  to  Greene.  He  purchased  one  hundred 
and  seventeen  acres  and  shortly  after  sold  one- 
half  of  it  to  George  Smith,  who  had  a  family 
of  twelve  children, — George  and  Lewis  R.  were 
twins  ;  Emeline  lives  w:th  her  mother  ;  Luuis 
lives  in  Greene ;  Levi,  James  R.,  John  and 
Benjamin  live  elsewhere. 

James  Baillie  settled,  in  1845,  about  one  mile 
west  of  East  Branch  Pond.  Augustus  Seifert 
and  Adam  Hazer  also  located  in  that  vicinity, 
on  the  road  from  Kipp's  mill  to  Roemerville. 
The  Reichel  brothers  settled  about  1846.  Then 
<>ame  Charles  Wolf  and  John  Fribilie,  and 
next  the  Waltz  Hotel  was  built.  Henry  Roe- 
mer settled  in  Roemerville,  which  is  on  Nine- 
teen-Mile Rim.  The  Roemer,  or  Winooka, 
Falls  at  this  place  are  about  sixty  feet  high. 
Charles  Monsette,  a  Frenchman,  had  a  steam 
mill.  Christian  Bletz  and  John  N.  Walter  lo- 
cated at  Roemerville ;  John  Barnhaff  settled  at 
Goose  Pond.  The  first  school-house  was  built 
on  Allen  Megargel's  property;  Joseph  Simons 
and  Isaac  I.  Kipp  were  the  first  teachers. 

Isaac  I.  Kipp  married  Susan  Vaughn.  His 
children  were  Mary  (wife  of  James  Cross)  and 
John  (who  married  Hannah  Correll).  John's 
sons  are  Isaac  M.  (a  blacksmith),  Horace  E.  (a 
wagon-maker),  Benjamin  F.  (who  has  the  saw- 
mill), George  W.  (who  was  once  commissioner 
of  Wayne  County  and  is  now  a  lumberman  in 
Bradford  County)  and  John  A.  (superintendent 
of  Pike  County  schools).       His  daughters   are 


Mary  (wife  of  Sylvanus  Van  Gorder),  Susan 
(wife  of  Thomas  H.  Gilpin,  who  built  a  store 
near  the  saw-mill  in  1866,  the  first  store  in 
Greene ;  he  has  a  stick  factory  in  connection 
with  his  saw-mill),  Margaret  (is  the  wife  of 
Horatio  Simons),  Betsey  (is  the  wife  of  George 
Banks)  and  Helen  W.  (is  unmarried). 

Joseph  Kipp  lived  where  Peter  Mash  now 
resides  for  a  number  of  years,  finally  sold  his 
place  and  moved  to  Vineland,  N.  J. 

Robert  G.  Croft  settled  on  the  Allen  Megar- 
gel property.  David  Robinson  came  to  Greene 
witli  Allen  Megargel  in  1816.  He  was  a  squat- 
ter in  Greene  for  a  number  of  years,  built  sev- 
eral houses,  but  never  owned  any  real  estate. 
His  son  Wesley  has  property  about  one  mile 
from  Ledgedale.  George  N.  Schwepenheiser, 
— which  is  the  old  way  of  spelling  the  name — 
came  to  Greene  in  1860,  and  bought  the  James 
Edwards  place.  His  son,  George  A.  Swepeu- 
iser,  lives  with  him.  He  took  the  census  in 
1880,  when  there  were  eleven  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven  inhabitants.  On  the  township's  erection, 
in  1829,  there  were  but  seventeen  votes  polled 
and  about  one  hundred  inhabitants.  The  names 
of  the  schi  ols  are  Maple  Grove,  Kipptown, 
Sugar  Cabin,  Sugar  Hill,  Coreyville,  Jones, 
Carleton's,  German  Valley,  Roemerville.  The 
Promised  Land  property,  of  several  thousand 
acres,  belongs  to  the  Shakers.  It  contains  a 
saw-mill  and  a  small  farm. 

Peter  Heberling  came  to  Newfoundland  in 
1835.  His  son  Peter  bought  a  tract  of  land 
west  of  Sugar  Hill,  and  cleared  a  farm.  Old 
Peter  Straub,the  last  of  the  old  German  settlers, 
lives  with  him,  aged  ninety-four.  William 
Hebberling,  John  Kindt,  Frederick  Klein, 
Charles  Augenstein,  Anthony  Roemer  and  a 
number  of  other  Germans  and  Frenchmen  have 
helped  to  clear  and  improve  Greene  township. 
William  Banks  came  from  England  to  Greene 
in  1843,  and  settled  on  the  Howe  A-  Elliott 
tract,  near  Sugar  Hill.  His  children  were  Wil- 
liam, James  and  Samuel,  who  assisted  their 
father  in  clearing  the  farm.  They  dug  a  pit, 
and  with  one  man  in  the  pit  and  another  above, 
sawed  sufficient  lumber  by  hand  to  build  a  plank 
house.  Mr.  Banks  and  his  sons  were  ingenious 
and  rendered  themselves  very  comfortable, 


980 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  Hemlock  Grove  Church  was  built  in 
1875.  The  first  class  iu  Greene  was  organized 
by  Rev.  J.  F.  Williams.  Lewis  Robacker  led 
the  first  class,  consisting  of  Lewis  Robacker  and 
wife,  Samuel  Banks  and  wife,  Horace  Kipp  and 
wife,  Mrs.  Hannah  Kipp,  Mrs.  Shiftier,  Mrs. 
John  Corey,  Mrs.  Hoover  and  Mrs.  Lavinia 
Kipp.  William  Banks  was  a  local  Methodist 
preacher. 

When  Henry  Roemer  went  to  the  head  of 
Sugar  Hill  Creek,  where  he  settled,  there  were 
no  neighbors  within  a  distance  of  seven  miles. 
He  built  a  log  cabin  in  1840,  covered  it  with 
bark,  and  logged  up  a  field  without  any  team. 
He  lived  to  be  eighty-three.  His  children  were 
Matilda,  Anthony  and  Adolphus.  His  first 
neighbors  were  John  Walter,  whose  place  is  now 
occupied  by  Frank  Miller;  Felix  Ollsommer, 
John  Morro  and  some  other  Frenchmen.  Al- 
fred Jolen  built  a  road  in  to  Hicks'  Pond,  and 
Charles  Low  has  a  saw-mill  located  there. 

Houcktowx. — Christopher  Betchler  built  a 
saw-mill  at  Corey  ville  iu  1850.  Richard  D.  Jones 
andH.  A.  Lancaster  purchased  this  mill  in  1882 
and  erected  a  large  stick-factory,  employing 
twenty-five  hands.  This  property  was  bid  in 
for  the  creditors  by  George  G.  Waller,  Esq.," 
and  is  now  operated  by  George  H.  Lancaster. 

H.  A.  and  George  H.  Lancaster  built  an  um- 
brella-stick factory  at  German  ATal ley  in  1878, 
and  in  1881  George  H.  Lancaster  sold  his  in- 
terest in  this  factory  and  the  one  at  Coreyville 
to  R.  D.  Jones,  who  employed  about  forty  hands. 
The  German  Valley  factory  burned  down  March 
15,  1886. 

After  Pike  County  was  separated  from  Wayne 
a  portion  of  Salem  west  of  the  Paupack  River 
was  assessed  as  Salem,  in  Pike  County,  in  1815. 
Thomas  Dickerson,  assessor,  returns  himself  with 
three  acres  of  improved  land  ;  Gabriel  Davis, 
whose  residence  was  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  with  three-fourths  acre ;  Abram  Wisse- 
rnore,  six  acres  ;  Jacob  Smith,  nine  acres  ;  Hen- 
ry Wissemore,  single  man,  on  eighteen  and  three- 
fourths  acres  improved  laud  in  Greene  in  1815. 

Greene  township  has  been  greatly  improved 
within  the  last  forty  years,  and  is  one  of  the  best 
agricultural  townships  in  Pike  County.  The 
hills  of  Greene  were  once  covered  with  hemlock 


and  hard-wood  forests.  The  southern  part  of 
Greene,  about  Sngar  Hill,  Buck  Hill  and  the 
vicinity  of  Houcktown,  were  grown  with  maple 
and  beech.  The  maple-groves,  in  particular, 
were  large  and  densely  wooded.  These  woods 
were  formerly  the  home  of  the  deer  and  the 
streams  were  celebrated  for  trout. 
r  Nathan  Horcic. — Very  little  is  known  of 
his  ancestry  beyond  the  fact  that  his  paternal 
grandfather  was  Peter,  who  lived  a  long  and 
useful  life  in  Lehigh  County,  Pa.  He  was  the 
first  sheritt  there,  and  an  active  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  His  maternal  grandfather 
was  Abraham  Harp,  who  spent  his  life  in  Berks 
County,  l\:'  Peter  Houck,  son  of  Peter,  and 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  notice,  was  born  in 
Alleutown  June  25,  1777.  He  married  his  wife, 
Elizabeth  Harp,  in  Berks  County,  Pa.,  May 
10,  1801,  and  the  majority  of  his  years  there- 
after was  spent  in  the  vicinity  of  Boyertown. 
He  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  in  politics 
an  active  Democrat.  He  died  December  30, 
1854,  and  the  death  of  his  wife  occurred  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1875.  Nathan  Houck,  sorruf-Peter 
and  Elizabeth  (Harp)  Houck,  was  born  March 
24,  1818,  at  Boyertown,  Berks  County,  Pa. 
He  served  his  father  until  about  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  and  in  the  meantime  acquired 
such  an  education  as  his  opportunities  at  that 
time  afforded.  The  next  sixteen  years  of  his 
life  were  divided  between  Philadelphia,  Mont- 
gomeryville  and  Spruce  Grove,  during  which 
time  he  was  engaged  in  cabinet-making,  lumber- 
ing, etc.  In  1855  he  purchased  of  John  Tor- 
rey  about  three  hundred  acres  of  laud  in  Greene 
township,  Pike  Cou^^  Pa.;  'where  he  im- 
mediately settled  with  his  family  and  has  since 
resided.  This  tract  of  land  was  at  that  time  an 
unbroken  wilderness,  and  Mr.  Houck  cut  the 
road  through,  leading  the  first  team  that  entered 
there.  He  at  once  began  the  erection  of  a  tem- 
porary residence,  the  material  used  in  its  con- 
struction being  peeled  bark.  The  first  and  only 
beds  they  had  for  some  time  on  which  to  rest 
their  weary  bodies,  consisted  of  boughs  or 
brush.  Here  presented  an  opportunity  for  Mr. 
Houck  to  put  into  practical  use  the  knowledge 
he  had  gained  from  lumbering.  He  lost  no  time 
in  making  a  beginning,  and    for  a  number  of 


PIKE  COUNTY. 


years  he  applied  himself  with  that  will  and  de- 
termination which  has  characterized  his  whole 
life,  and  by  careful  management  and  economy 
became  the  possessor  at  one   time   of  over  two 


thousand  acres  of  land,  and-ntw,  at  the  close  of-=te  Laanua,  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Elizabeth 


^  -the  yca4^J-8&5phe-has.jnanv  acres  under  a  good 
state_of— cultivation,  and  has,  besides,  -made 
extensive-ami  valuable  improvements  thereon. 

"~7 ,■'  During  the  War  of  the  -late-  Rebellion  ^  fur- 
nished the  government   immense  quantities   of 


works  give  employment  to  seventy-five  men, 
including  those  engaged  in  the  woods  preparing 
timber  for  the  purposes  above  mentioned. 

"Nathan  Houek  was  married,  April  14,  1841, 


(Berger)  Deetz,  of  Backs  County,  Pa.  Thev 
have  children, — John  D.,  born  September  28, 
1842;  Charles',  born  January  1,  1845  ;  Frank- 
lin, born  May  29,  1847  (died  in,  infancy)  ; 
Elizabeth,  born  March  17,  1849rwire  of  Dr. 
As. 


' 


cAaM^n^^^rtccJi 


tent  poles  or  sticks,  and  at  about  that  time  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  umbrella  and  parasol  sticks, 
also  clothes-pins,  toys,  etc.,  and  for  that  purpose 
erected  a  factory  in  1872,  and  has  si  nee  added 
to  it  until  it  is  now  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
country  of  its  kind.  It  employs  one 
hundred  and  ten  horse-power.  Capacity 
per  day,  for  umbrella  and  parasol  sticks,  two 
hundred  gross  ;  clothes-pins,  two  hundred  boxes 
of  five  gross  each;  tops  and  balls,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  gross  ;  and  when  in  full  operation  their 


Fletcher  Gilpin;  Amanda,  born  September  6, 
1851,"  wife  of  Emory  Gilpin  ;  Emma,  born 
February  10,  1854,  wife  of  Frank  Nicholson; 
Anna  M.,  born  June  9,  185(3,  died  October  5, 
1864;  Carrie  M.,  born  (Nov.  26,  1860,  wife  of 
Dr.  Arthur  Simons.  Mr.  tmdftlrs.  Houek  are 
-both  members  of  the  church,  and  in  politics,  he 
is  an  active  Democrat.  John  D^  «nd  Charles 
Houok  have  recently  succeeded  to  the  business 
their  father  established,  and,  with  the  inheritance 
of  his  good  name,  success  must  surely  await  them. 


HISTORY    OF    MONROE    COUNTY. 


CHAPTER   I. 

ERECTION     OF     THE     COUNTY — COUNTY-SEAT 
( '( INTEST CIVIL    LIST. 

Monroe  County  had  no  organized  exist- 
ence until  1836.  Prior  to  that  time  the  terri- 
tory now  comprised  within  its  limits  belonged 
in  about  equal  proportions  to  the  mother-county 
of  Northampton  and  to  Pike.  A  glance  at 
the  map  reveals  the  old  line  of  Pike  and  North- 
ampton Counties — prior  to  the  erection  of  Pike, 
the  south  line  of  Wayne  County,  extending 
straight  through  the  county,  in  a  direction  ap- 
proximately east  and  west,  and  forming  the 
northern  line  of  Tobyhauna,  Pocono,  Stroud 
and  Smithfield  townships. 

The  county  was  brought  into  existence  by  an 
act  of  Assembly  entitled,  "An  act  erecting 
parts  of  Northampton  and  Pike  Counties  into  a 
separate  county  to  be  called  Monroe,"  which 
was  approved  by  Governor  Joseph  Ritner, 
April  1,  1836.  Following  is  an  abstract  of 
this  enactment: 

"Sec.  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylva- 
nia in  General  Assembly  met,  and  it  is  hereby  en- 
acted by  the  authority  of  the  same.  That  the  town- 
ships of  Ross,  Chestnut  Hill,  Tobyhanna,  Pocono, 
Hamilton,  Stroud  and  Smithfield  north  of  the  Blue 
Mountains,  in  Northampton  County,  together  with 
the  townships  of  Middle  Smithfield,  Price  and  Cool- 
baugh,  in  Pike  County,  shall  be  and  the  same  are 
hereby  declared  to  be  erected  into  a  separate  county 
to  be  called  Monroe. 

"Sec.  2.  Provided  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  new 
county,  after  the  first  of  September  following,  should 
be  entitled  to  'the  courts,  jurisdictions,  officers,  rights 
and  privileges'  possessed  by  the  inhabitants  of  other 
counties  of  the  State. 


"Sec.  3.  Provided  that  the  courts  should  be  opened 
and  held  at  such  house  as  might  be  designated  by  the 
commissioners  to  be  chosen  at  the  next  election, 
until  a  court-house  should  be  erected  in  accordance 
with  further  provision. 

"  Sec.  4.  Enacted  that  all  suits  pending  in  the 
courts  of  Northampton  and  Pike  Counties  on  the  first 
of  September  following,  in  which  both  parties  should 
be  at  that  time  resident  in  Monroe,  should  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  courts  of  that  county. 

"  Sec  5.  Was  in  relation  to  the  collection  of  taxes 
and  militia  fines,  and  provided  that  all  arrears  of 
either  due  before  the  passage  of  the  act  should  be 
collected  as  if  the  act  had  not  been  passed. 

"  Sec.  6.  Provided  for  the  giving  of  security  by  the 
several  officers  to  be  elected. 

"  Sec.  7.  Authorized  the  officers  of  Northampton 
and  Pike  Counties  to  officiate  until  the  officers  of 
Monroe  County  should  be  qualified. 

"  Sec.  8.  Declared  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
counties  of  Northampton,  Wayne,  Pike  and  Monroe 
should  jointly  elect  such  numbBrof  Representatives, 
and,  in  conjunction  with  Lehigh  County,  two  Senators 
to  serve  in  the  State  Legislature,  as  said  counties 
were  entitled  to,  or  separately,  as  might  thereafter  be 
arranged.  It  was  further  specified  that  Monroe 
County  should  form  a  part  of  the  district  hitherto 
composed  of  Northampton,  Wayne  and  Pike  for  the 
election  of  a  member  of  Congress. 

"Sec.  9.  Was  in  regard  to  the  manner  of  fix- 
ing the  site  of  the  court-house,  and  prescribed  that 
it  should  be  decided  by  popular  ballot  at  a  special 
election  to  be  held  on  July  1st,  and  to  be  con- 
ducted by  the  same  judges  and  clerks  who  pre- 
sided at  the  preceding  general  election.  It  was 
further  provided  that  one  of  the  judges  from  each 
election  district  within  the  county  should  attend 
with  the  election  returns  on  the  second  of  July, 
at  the  house  of  S.  J.  Hollinshead,  in  Stroudsburg,  be- 
tween the  hours  of  two  o'clock  and  seven  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  and  add  the  number  of  votes  for  each 
site.  If  there  was  no  majority,  a  second  election  was 
to  be  ordered.  Moses  W.  Coolbaugh,  Benjamin  V. 
Bush,    William   Van    Buskirk,   Michael    Shoemaker 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


and  Joseph  Trach  were  by  the  terms  of  the  act  made 
trustees,  whose  duties  it  should  be  to  receive  written 
offers  of  donations  in  real  estate  and  money,  towards 
defraying  the  expenses  of  the  lands  and  public  build- 
ings for  the  use  of  the  County  of  Monroe,  the  same 
to  be  held  obligatory  on  the  persons  making  them, 
and  to  be  turned  over  to  the  county  commissioners  as 
soon  as  they  should  be  elected.  It  was  still  further 
provided  by  this  section  that  the  county  commis- 
siouers,  so  soon  as  they  should  be  elected,  should 
secure  to  themselves  and  their  successors  in  office  such 
lot  or  lots  of  land  as  had  by  popular  vote  been  desig- 
nated as  the  site  of  the  court-house ;  that  they  should 
receive  subscriptions  or  donations  in  money  or  ma- 
terial toward  the  erection  of  the  same,  a  county-jail 
and  public  officers  and  also  levy  and  collect  a  tax 
sufficient  for  the  building  of  such  structures. 

"Sec.  10.  Provided  for  the  exercise  of  the  powers  of 
the  Supreme  Court  judges  in  the  new  county. 

"Sec.  11.  Pertained  to  the  composition  of  the  judi- 
cial district,  and  enacted  that  the  county  of  Monroe 
should  be  annexed  to  and  compose  a  part  of  the  elev- 
enth district,  and  that  the  courts  should  be  held  on 
the  third  Mondays  in  February,  May,  September  and 
December,  .  .  .  the  first  court  to  be  held  on  the  third 
Monday  of  December  following  the  passage  of  the 
act. 

"  Sec.  12.  Related  to  certiorari*  and  appeals,  and 
provided  for  the  trial  of  causes  already  begun,  or 
which  should  be  commenced  prior  to  the  third  Mon- 
day of  October,  in  the  courts  of  Northampton  and 
Pike. 

"  SECS.  13  and  14.  Related  respectively  to  the  returns 
of  elections  and  to  the  imprisonment  of  criminals  in 
the  jail  of  Northampton  County  until  such  time  as  a 
prison  should  be  constructed  in  Monroe  County,  and 
Sections  15  and  10  consisted  of  further  specifications 
in  regard  to  jail  fees  and  the  removal  of  prisoners  to 
Monroe  County." 

The  territory  of  Monroe  County  was  only  re- 
duced seven  years  after  its  erection  by  the  set- 
ting off  of  Carbon  County.  The  great  town- 
ship of  Tobyhanna,  carved  from  the  vastly 
greater  one  of  old  Towamensing,  formed  a  part 
of  Monroe  County  upon  its  organization,  and  in 
1842  that  portion  of  its  territory  lying  between 
the  Lehigh  River  and  Tobyhanna  Creek  was  set 
apart  as  a  township  and  called  Penn  Forest. 
This  latter  township  was  all  that  Monroe  lost 
by  the  erection  of  Carbon.  The  act  by  which 
Carbon  was  brought  into  existence  provided 
the  following  boundary  lines  : 

"  Beginning  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Northamp- 
ton County ;  thence  southwardly  along  the  said  coun- 
ty line  till  it  intersects  the  northern   line  of  Lehigh 


County  ;  thence  eastwardly  along  the  top  of  the  Blue 
Mountain  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Monroe  County; 
thence  northwardly  along  the  Monroe  County  line, 
and  continue  the  same  point  of  compass  in  a  direct 
line  through  Tobyhanna  township,  in  Monroe  County, 
to  such  point  as  may  strike  the  Luzerne  County  line; 
thence  westwardly  along  the  Luzerne  County  line  to 
the  place  of  beginning.  .  .  .  Provided,  That  the  ter- 
ritory taken  from  Monroe  County  shall  only  embrace 
the  township  of  Penn  Forest,  and  that  the  said 
township  of  Penn  Forest  shall  constitute  the  whole 
of  the  territory  taken  from  Monroe  County  by  the 
provisions  of  this  act.1 

It  may  not  be  commonly  known  that  active 
measures  for  the  formation  of  a  new  county 
were  resorted  to  in  that  part  of  Northampton 
which  is  now  comprised  in  Carbon  County  and 
the  country  contiguous  during  the  early  part  of 
the  present  century.  Indeed,  oue  abortive  at- 
tempt, more  far-reaching  in  scope  and  of  still 
earlier  date,  has  been  chronicled  in  these  pages. 
Lehighton  (on  the  Lehigh,  within  the  present 
limits  of  Carbon  County)  was  ambitious  of  be- 
coming the  seat  of  justice  of  a  new  county  as 
early  as  1816.  From  time  to  time,  before 
Monroe  was  formed,  various  movements  were 
made,  tending  toward  the  erection  of  a  county 
centering  on  the  Upper  Lehigh,  any  one  ot 
which,  had  it  been  successful,  would  either  have 
long  delayed  the  establishment  of  Monroe  or 
materially  affected  its  territorial  limits  when  it 
was  formed.  There  was  a  general  dispi  isition  on 
the  part  of  the  residents  in  the  region  now  form- 
ing the  western  part  of  Monroe  to  favor  those  pro- 
jects of  county  erection  which  contemplated  the  lo- 
cation of  a  seat  of  justice  on  or  near  the  Lehigh. 
As  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  reader  who  is  curi- 
ous on  this  subject,  we  give  one  of  the  early  peti- 
tions (with  the  names  of  signers)  which  was  de- 
signed to  include  some  of  the  territory  which 
ultimately  was  embraced  in  Monroe.  How 
much  earlier  than  1836  this  project  was  entered 
upon  is  not  known,  but  it  was  probably  many 
years. 


1  The  framer  of  the  act  appears  at  first  to  have  been  in 
doubt  as  to  whether  Penn  Forest  was  in  existence,  for  he 
states  that  the  line  was  to  run  "  through  Tobyhanna  town- 
ship," but  at  the  close  of  the  clause  he  recognizes  the  exist- 
ence of  Penn  Forest,  and  makes  a  redundant  provision  as  to 
that  township  constituting  the  whole  of  the  territory  to  he 
taken  from  Monroe. 


:»S4 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Following  is  the  petition  referred  to  : 
"  To  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 

Common  icen/f/i  of  Pennsylniitia  : 
"  The  Petition  of  the  Subscribers,  Inhabitants  of 
Toamensin  and  the  western  part  of  Chestnut  Hill  and 
Ross  Townships,  in  Northampton  County,  north  of  the 
Blue  Mountain,  respectfully  represents, — 

"That  the  great  distance  of  this  portion  of  the 
County  from  the  seat  of  justice  at  Easton  occasions 
much  expense  and  great  inconvenience  to  your  Peti- 
tioners, and  this  expense  and  inconvenience  is  be- 
coming more  expensive  with  the  increase  of  Popula- 
tion, business,  and  improvements  north  of  the  blue 
mountain. 

"  These  disadvantages  have  heretofore  been  repre- 
sented to  your  Hon.  body  and  adivisiou  of  the  county 
so  as  to  remove  them  has  been  petitioned  for.  Your 
petitioners  now  trust  that  these  repeated  prayers  will 
induce  your  Hon.  body  to  enact  a  Law  that  shall  di- 
vide this  county  in  such  manner  as  to  give  to  your 
petitioners  the  reasonable  accommodation  of  a  Seat 
of  Justice  north  of  the  mountain.  And  your  Peti- 
tioners beg  leave  most  respectfully  to  propose  that  the 
line  of  such  division  should  begin  at  the  corner  of 
Schuylkill  and  Nprthampton  County  on  the  top  of  the 
Blue  Mountain  ;  thence  along  the  dividing  line  of 
said  Counties  to  where  it  strikes  the  Northampton 
County  line;  thence  along  the  said  line  to  where  it 
joins  the  Luzerne  County  line ;  thence  along  the 
last-named  line  to  where  it  strikes  the  Lehi ;  thence 
up  the  Lehi  to  the  mouth  of  Tobyhanna  ;  thence  to 
Muddy  Run  so  as  to  take  in  the  saw-mill  erected 
thereon ;  thence  (on  a  line  that  shall  include  the 
western  half  of  Chestnut  Hill  and  Rns^  town- 
ships) to  where  the  road  through  Smith's  Gap  in  the 
Blue  Mountain  strikes  the  line  of  Moore  township; 
thence  along  the  summit  of  the  Blue  Mountain  to  the 
place  of  beginning.  And  your  petitioners  further 
pray  that  the  seat  of  justice  for  the  proposed  new 
County  be  established  at  Lehiton,  the  place  where 
the  elections  for  East  Penn  township  are  held,  which 
place  is  for  various  reasons  the  most  convenient  and 
suitable,'  and  where  the  County  buildings  will  be 
erected  on  the  public  square  in  said  Town  by  the  vol- 
untary contribution. 
"  And  your  Petitioners  will  ever  pray. 


"  George  Olwine. 
Adam  Brown. 
George  Olwine,  Jr. 
George  Greensweig. 
John  Greensweig. 
Nicholas  Snyder. 
John  Boyer. 
Jacob  Snyder. 
Henry  Blose. 
Henry  Boyer. 
Andreas  Ziegenfuss. 
George  Boyer. 


Nicholas  Berger. 
Jost  Driesbach. 
Peter  George. 
Anthony  Lowyer. 
Peter  Korr. 
Edward  Murray. 
Henry  Burger. 
Heinrich  Sillfuss. 
Jacob  Sillfuss. 
Heinrich  Clinetob. 
Andrew  T.  Boyer. 
Jonathan  Greensweig. 


John  Golt. 
Paul  Golt. 
Peter  Blose. 
Jonathan  Heller. 
David  *  rreensweig,  J 
M.  G.  Christman. 
Peter  Lerfass. 
Nicholas  George. 
Jacob  Heath. 
John  Beltz. 
Christopher  Corell. 
John  Smith. 
David  Smith. 
John  Zess. 
Samuel  Richardson. 
Jacob  Smith. 
John  Smith,  Jr. 
Nicholas  Smith. 
Simon  Engbert. 
Adam  Engbert. 
Conrad  Clinetob. 
David  Christman. 
George  Clinetob. 
Joseph  (Iroble. 
George  Frever. 
Joseph  Frever. 
David  Brutzman. 
Philip  Frantz. 
David  Swartz. 
Samuel  Golt, 
Daniel  Golt. 
John  Golt. 
Jost  Driesbach. 
Jacob  Golt. 
George  Olewine. 
Jacob  Yundt. 
Wilhelm  Remely. 
Frederick  Scheckler. 
John  Beltz. 
Daniel  Closs. 


Linnert  Strohl. 

John  Strohl. 

Samuel  Bahler. 

John  Hasleman. 

Isaac  Hasleman. 

Conrad  Hasleman. 

John  Balliet. 

Samuel  Kline. 

John  Ziegerf'uss. 

Michael  Olewine. 

Jacob  Snyder. 

John  Kuntz. 

Daniel  Schneider. 

Peter  Snyder. 

Bernhart  Baumau. 

George  Kelcher. 

John  Kurn. 

John  Kelchner. 
Henry  Bauman. 
John  Bauman. 
David  Stroup. 

Nicholas  Blose. 
Henry  Blose. 
John  Boyer. 
Jacob  Hasleman. 
Jacob  Arner. 
John  Arner. 
John  Driesbach. 
Charles  D.  Bowen,  Jr 
John  Closs. 
John  Harkins. 
Thomas  Yorley. 
Jacob  Fisher. 
John  Ruddles. 
William  Pryor. 
Lewis  Erke. 
Jacob  Swenk. 
Christian  Houpt. 
Philip  Daubenstein. 
Jacob  Schwab." 


Before  the  election  to  determine  the  location 
of  the  seat  of  justice  was  held,  Daniel  Stroud, 
Stogdell  Stokes  and  other  citizens  of  Strouds- 
burg,  desiring  that  it  should  be  fixed  there, 
entered  into  bonds  agreeing  to  erect  the  neces- 
sary public  buildings  in  case  the  land  offered 
by  S.  J.  Hollinshead  should  be  chosen  as  the 
site,  without  any  cost  to  the  county.  The 
bonds  were  printed,  making  a  sheet  about  the 
size  of  one  page  of  an  average  newspaper,  and 
in  that  form  were  used  for  electioneering  pur- 
poses.    The  document  began  thus : 

"  Know  all  men  by  these  presents,  That  we,  Daniel 
Stroud,  Stogdell  Stokes,  Joseph  Wilson,  John  Boys, 
Morris  D.  Robeson  and  Michael  H.  Dreher,  of  the 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


borough  of  Stroudsburg,  are  held  and  firmly  bound 
unto  Moses  W.  Coolbaugh,  Benjamin  V.  Bush,  William 
Van  Buskirk,  Michael  Shoemaker  and  Joseph  Trach, 
trustees  appointed  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of 
Pennsylvania  passed  the  first  day  of  April  last,  and 
unto  the  county  commissioners,  who  shall  be  elected 
next  October,  and  afterwards,  for  the  county  of  Mon- 
roe, erected  by  said  act,  in  the  just  and  full  sum  of 
ten  thousand  dollars,  lawful  money  of  the  United 
States,  to  which  payment,  well  and  truly  to  be  made, 
we,  and  each  of  us,  do  jointly  and  severally  bind  our- 
selves and  each  of  our  heirs,  executors  and  adminis- 
trators, for  and  in  the  whole,  unto  the  said  trustees 
and  county  commissioners,  their  certain  attorney, 
successors  or  assigns.  Sealed  with  our  seal,  dated  the 
fourth  day  of  July,  A.  D.  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  thirty-six. 

"  Whereas,  by  the  aforesaid  act  of  the  Legislature  of 
Pennsylvania  passed  the  first  day  of  April  last,  .  .  . 
the  above  named,  Moses  W.  Coolbaugh,  Benjamin  V. 
Bush,  William  Van  Buskirk,  Michael  Shoemaker 
and  Joseph  Trach  were  appointed  trustees  to  receive 
proposals  and  subscriptions  and  donations  for  build- 
ing a  court-house,  jail  and  public  offices  in  and  for 
the  said  county  of  Monroe,  and,  whereas,  the  site 
whereon  to  erect  those  buildings  is  by  the  act  afore- 
said directed  to  be  ascertained  and  fixed  by  election 
in  this  month  (July)  inst.,  and,  whereat,  it  is  desired 
by  the  said  Daniel  Stroud,  Stogdell  Stokes,  Joseph 
V.  Wilson,  John  Boys,  Morris  D.  Robeson  and 
Michael  H.  Dreher,  that  the  site  fixed  upon  may  be 
in  the  borough  of  Stroudsburg  aforesaid,  and  accord- 
ingly, the  above  bounden  ...  in  case  the  site 
should  be  fixed  upon  by  election  this  month,  on  the 
land  of  S.  J.  Hollinshead,  in  Stroudsburg  aforesaid, 
propose,  offer,  engage,  covenant  and  contract  to  build, 
erect,  set  up  and  finish  in  a  good  and  substantial 
manner,  at  their  own  proper  expense,  free  and  clear 
of  any  expense  whatever  to  the  said  trustees  or  to  the 
commissioners  that  shall  be  elected  next  October  and 
their  successors,  or  to  the  county  of  Monroe  aforesaid, 
or  to  the  citizens  thereof,  on  such  site  in  the  said 
borough,  one  large  house,  fifty  by  thirty-three  feet 
on  the  ground,  three  stories  high,  either  the  whole  of 
stone,  or  the  basement  story  of  stone,  and  the  other 
two  of  good  brick,  etc." 

This  was  to  be  the  court-house  of  Monroe 
County.  The  lower  story  was  to  have  at  the 
west  end  two  rooms,  about  fifteen  feet  square, 
for  public  offices  and  to  be  made  fire-proof; 
one  corner  at  the  east  to  be  a  kitchen  and  the 
other  a  "  Debtors'  Jail,"  with  a  stone  jail-yard 
adjoining,  surrounded  by  a  wall  fifteen  feet 
high ;  the  middle  of  this  story  was  to  have  a 
"jailer's  parlor"  and  two  rooms  surrounded  by 
stone  wall  for  criminal  apartments. 


The  middle  story  was  to  lie  finished  for  a 
court-room,  and  the  upper  story  to  be  divided 
into  three  convenient  jury-rooms. 

There  were  various  other  specifications  in  the 
bond,  in  regard  to  a  cupola  and  bell,  a  well, 
etc.,  "  the  whole  to  be  finished  in  a  substantial 
and  durable  manner  without  any  needless  work 
or  useless  ornament." 

Stroud  and  his  associates  in  their  proposition 
left  it  to  the  option  of  the  commissioners 
whether  the  court-house  and  public  offices 
should  be  in  one  building,  with  the  jail  and 
jailer's  house,  in  another  building,  or  whether 
the  latter  should  be  separate  from  the  court- 
house and  public  offices.  In  case  the  latter 
should  be  thought  the  preferable  plan,  they 
agreed  to  build  one  large  building,  fifty  by 
thirty  feet  on  the  ground,  and  two  stories  high, 
to  be  used  for  the  court-house,  jury-rooms,  etc., 
and  another  to  serve  as  a  jail  and  jailer's  resi- 
dence, to  be  twenty-six  by  thirty-five  feet,  two 
stories  in  height,  with  a  garret. 

The  bond  was  signed,  sealed  and  delivered  in 
the  presence  of  Luke  Brodhead  and  Jacob  Bis- 
bing,  on  July  4,  1836. 

A  supplementary  provision  related  to  the 
supervision  of  the  commissioners  over  methods 
and  materials  in  buildings  and  arbitration  in 
case  of  disagreement  concerning  their  fitness. 

The  bond  of  the  builders  was  accompanied 
by  a  tender  of  land  to  serve  as  a  site  for  the 
proposed  buildings,  from  Mr.  Hollinshead,  ot 
which  the  following  is  the  substance  : 

"I,  Stroud  J.  Hollinshead,  propose  to  the  trustees 
.  .  .  that  I  will  at  any  time,  when,  hereafter,  I  may 
be  requested  to  do  so,  convey  by  a  good  deed,  clear 
of  all  incumbrances,  a  certain  lot  of  land  in  the 
borough  of  Stroudsburg,  beginning  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  William  Dean's  lot;  thence  extending 
nearly  westward,  precisely  the  course  and  parallel 
with  the  main  street,  called  Elizabeth  Street,  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  feet ;  thence  nearly  south- 
ward, to  square  off  precisely  from  the  last  mentioned 
line,  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  feet,  and  thence 
nearly  eastward,  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  to 
William  Dean's  lot,  and  thence  by  said  lot  nearly 
northward,  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  feet  to  the 
place  of  beginning ;  for  the  purpose  of  having  erected 
on  said  lot,  a  court-house,  jail  and  public  offices  for 
the  county  of  Monroe.  And  I  covenant  and  contract 
furthermore  to  open  a  public  street  through  my 
ground  to  commence  at  Elizabeth  Street  aforesaid,  of 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  width  of  fifty  feet,  between  my  Tavern-House 
and  stables,  and  to  extend  at  that  width  nearly  north- 
wardly to  the  south  side  of  the  above  described  lot. 
And  I  bind  myself,  my  heirs,  executors  and  adminis- 
trators and  every  of  them,  unto  the  trustees  .  .  . 
and  commissioners  for  the  time  being,  who  may  be 
duly  elected  for  Monroe  County,  on  the  penalty  or 
sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  to  make  a  good  and  law- 
ful title,  clear  of  all  incumbrances,  unto  the  said 
commissioners,  at  any  time  when  requested  to  do  so, 
for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  to  be  and  remain  the  prop- 
erty of  the  county  of  Monroe  and  the  citizens  thereof, 
forever,  after  the  first  day  of  November  next,  without 
charge.  In  witness  whereof  I  hereunto  have  set  my 
hand  and  seal,  the  eighth  day  of  June,  A.  D.  eighteen 
hundred  and  thirty-six. 

(Signed)  "Stroud  J.  Hollinshead. 

(S.  L.) 
"Sealed  and  delivered  in  presence  of 

"  William  Dean. 

"S.  Stokes." 

County-Seat  Contest. — A  curious  and  in- 
teresting contest  for  the  location  of  the  county- 
seat  occurred  after  the  erection  of  Monroe. 
There  were  three  localities  in  nomination  for 
the  seat  of  justice, — Stroudaburg,  Diitotsburg 
(also  known  as  Monroe  Square,  and  now  uni- 
versally called  the  Delaware  Water  Gap)  and 
Kellersville,  the  last-named  being  strongly 
championed  by  the  people  of  the  western  por- 
tion of  the  county,  while  the  chief  strength  of 
the  Smithfields,  Stroud  and  the  southern  and 
eastern  townships  naturally  went  to  Strouds- 
burg  and  the  Water  Gap.  Two  elections  were 
held,  the  first  resulting  in  no  choice,  and  both 
being  unquestionably  grossly  fraudulent.  In 
fact,  the  second  election  was  contested  in  the 
courts,  the  particular  issue  being  the  alleged 
dishonesty  of  the  Middle  Smithfield  election 
board,  for  which  its  members  were  arrested. 

In  the  issue  of  the  Northampton  Whig,  July 
20,  1836,  the  following  item  appeared  : 

"The  good  people  of  the  County  of  Monroe  seem 
to  be  halting  between  two  opinions.  They  had  an 
election  lor  the  seat  of  justice  on  the  second  instant, 
but  there  was  no  majority  of  the  whole  number  of 
votes  for  either  of  the  places.  Stroudsburg  had  but 
eight  hundred  votes,  Kellersville  about  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  and  Monroe  Square  (Dutotsburg)  about 
eighty  votes.  A  new  election  will  take  place  on  Tues- 
day next,  the  26th  instant,  at  which  we  learn  the  con- 
test will  be  confined  to  Stroudsburg  aud  Kellersville. 
The  parties  have  buckled  on  their  armor  in  earnest,  and 


every  honorable  means,  at  least,  will  be  resorted  to  by 
each,  to  insure  success.  In  each  place  they  have 
obligated  themselves  to  erect  the  court-house,  jail  and 
public  offices,  those  necessary  appliances  for  the  due 
conducting  of  the  public  affairs  of  the  county,  and 
the  punishment  of  any  rogue  wherewith  our  future 
neighbors  may  be  troubled." 

In  its  issue  of  August  3d  the  Whig  gave  the 
following  concerning  the  second  election  : 

"  We  give  below  the  result  of  the  election  for  the 
site  of  the  public  buildings  in  Monroe  County.  A 
warm  contest,  from  what  we  learn,  was  had,  and  it 
rumor  be  correct,  not  a  little  gouging  took  place.  The 
following  is  said  to  be  the  return  made  by  the  judges 
of  the  election. 

Stroudsburg.      Kellersville. 

Ross 0  238 

Chestnut  Hill 4  305 

Tobyhanna (3  126 

Pocono 55  95 

Hamilton  50  279 

Stroud 376  31 

Smithfield 224  2 

M.  Smithfield 345  2 

Price 57  9 

Coolbaugh 15  5 


I  hi;  2 


The  fraud  in  this  election  is  manifest  when 
it  is  taken  into  consideration  that  the  total  vote 
in  1836  was  two  thousand  one  hundred  ami 
ninety-four,  and  at  the  close  of  the  exciting- 
canvas  of  1840,  when  a  full  vote  was  certainly 
polled,  the  total  was  only  seventeen  hundred 
and  ninety-two.  Boys  of  fourteen  years  voted 
in  the  county-seat  election,  and  it  is  probable 
that  many  names  were  entered  upon  the  lists 
which  were  either  fictitious  or  copied  from 
tomb-stones  mossy  with  age. 

It  is  a  matter  of  tradition  that  the  Middle 
Smithfield  election  board  had  three  sets  of  re- 
turns of  varying  dimensions,  and  that  when 
the  roll  of  the  townships  was  (tailed,  they  kept 
an  account  of  the  total  vote,  and  then  reported 
that  list  which  was  sufficient  to  overcome  the 
vote  for  Kellersville,  without  being  excessively 
large.  One  return,  it  is  said,  was  larga  enough 
to  overcome  any  vote  that  could  possibly  be  re- 
ported from  the  other  townships. 

Following  is  the  vote  in  the  Presidential 
election  of  1840,  by  townships: 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


9*7 


Harrison.         Van  Bnren. 

Stroud 131  160 

Hamilton  45  222 

Lower  Smithfield 42  183 

Middle  Suiithfield 2  208 

Chestnut  Hill 23  201 

Pocono 18  Hi! 

Ross 32  147 

Price  12  51 

Coolbaugh 5  31 

Tobyhanna 35  98 

345  1447 

Total 1792 

John  Place  and  Samuel  Gunsaules,  who  con- 
stituted the  Middle  Smithfield  board  heretofore 
alluded  to,  were  indicted  for  fraud  iu  the  elec- 
tion and  appeared  for  trial  in  the  courts  of  Pike 
County  (those  in  Monroe  not  then  having  been 
organized).  The  only  item  which  appeared  in 
the  court  record  concerning  this  celebrated  case 
was  the  following  (at  the  January  Session  of 
1837): 

"  Commonwealth  vs.  John  Place  and  Samuel  Gun- 
saules.— Indictment  for  fraud  and  malpractice  in  the 
management  and  conducting  of  an  election.  Janu- 
ary 26,  1837  :  True  bill.  Same  day  continued.  The 
defendants  were  each  held  in  $300  for  appearance  at 
August  Sessions  next.  August  31,  1837  :  Upon  ex- 
ceptions filed  and  on  motion,  after  argument,  the  in- 
dictment was  quashed." 

The  trial,  however,  is  authentically  reported 
as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  which  ever  oc- 
curred iu  the  remarkable  old-time  courts  of  Pike 
County.  It  was  conducted  before  Judge  Scott 
•and  Associates  Dingman  and  Coolbaugh.  George 
W.  Woodward  and  M.  M.  Dimmick,  Esqs., 
appearing  for  the  prosecution,  and  Mr.  Brooks, 
of  Easton,  for  the  defence. 

Judge  Scott  quashed  one  or  two  counts  in  the 
indictment,  and  then,  for  some  reason,  left  the 
bench  ;  whereupon  Associate  Judge  Dingman 
assumed  control  of  the  case. 

"The  president  judge,"  said  he,  "has  seen  fit 
to  quash  several  counts  in  this  indictment  on 
grounds  of  common  law.  Now 'Bub'"  (al- 
luding to  Judge  Coolbaugh)  "  and  T  know  little 
of  law,  but  I  kuow  all  about  the  Legislature, 
for  I  have  been  a  member  of  that,  and" — lay- 
ing his  hand  impressively  on  a  copy  of  pamph- 
let laws—"  Bub  and  I  will  quash  the  other  in- 
dictments on  grounds  of  the  Legislature." 


And  they  did.  Considerable  acerbity  and 
asperity  arose  from  the  case,  but  it  finally  died 
away  and  the  unpleasantness  is  now  only  re- 
called in  facetious  speech  and  with  smiles  and 
laughter. 

THE  CIVIL  LIST. 

MEMBERS  OF    LEGISLATURE. 


183S. 

Joseph  Trach. 

1849. 

John  D.  Morris. 

1839-40 

Moses  W.  Cool- 

J. M.  Porter. 

baugh. 

Michael  Myers. 

R.  Brodhead. 

1850. 

John  D.  Morris. 

John  Flick. 

L851--52. 

Henry  S.  Mott. 

1840. 

John  Flick. 

1853. 

A.  Edinger. 

1841. 

Joseph  Kerr. 

1854-55. 

A.  Edinger. 

J.K.  Heckman. 

1856-57. 

L.  Westbrook. 

Asa  Packer. 

1858-60 

CD.  Brodhead. 

1842. 

Joseph  Kerr. 

1861-62 

(i.  H.Rowland. 

1844. 

James  Vliet. 

1863-64 

Peter  Gilbert. 

John  Jacoby. 

1865-67 

Allen  Craig. 

1845. 

John  Jacoby. 

1868-69 

James  Place. 

1846. 

No  returns. 

1870-72 

W.  B.  Leonard. 

1847. 

B.    S.   Schoon- 

1872. 

R.  S.  Staples. 

over. 

1873-74 

Win,  Kistler. 

C.  A.   Lucken- 

1876. 

A.     J.     Shoe- 

bach. 

maker. 

Jos.  Laubach. 

1880. 

M.  Frank  Cool- 

1848. 

B.    S.    Schoon- 

baugh. 

over. 

1882. 

M.  Frank  Cool- 

A.   G.  Luehen- 

baugh. 

bach. 

1884 

W.  E.  Gregory. 

Jos.  Laubach. 

State  Senators. — ' 

"hose  reu 

i-esenting  Mon- 

roe,    as    well    as  those    from    the  county.       In 
1836  the  senatorial    district    was  composed   ot 
Luzerne,  Wayne,  Monroe  and  Pike, — 
1838-11.  E.  Kingsbury.      I  1843.  Wm.  Overfield. 
1842-44.  Luther  Kidder.   I  1849.  Charles  Frailey. 

In  1850  a  new  district  was  formed,  consist- 
ing of  Wayne,  Pike  and  Monroe  Counties, — 
1853-55.  E.  W.  Hamlin       |    1856-58.  J.  W.  Walton. 

In  1857  anew  district  was  formed,  consist- 
ing of  Monroe,  Carbon,  Pike  and  Wayne, — 

1859-61.  Thos.  Craig,  Jr.  |  1868-70.  C.  Burnett. 
1862-64.  Henry  S.   Mott    1  1871-73.  A.  G.  Brodhead. 
1S65-67.  H.  B.  Beardsley.  | 

In  1874,  by  the  new  apportionment,  the  coun- 
ties of  Monroe,  Carbon  and  Pike  were  made  to 
constitute  the  Twenty-second  District, — 

1876-78.  C.  Burnett,  i  1883.  John  D.  Biddis. 

1879-82.  Allen  Craig.  !  1885.  G.  H.  Rowland. 

Members  of  Congress. — (Those  represent- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


iug  Monroe,  as  well  as  those  from  the  county.) 
— The  district  was  composed  of  Northampton, 
Monroe,   Pike  and  Wayne    from  the  erection 
of  Monroe,  and  Carbon  was  added  in  1843,  and 
a  part  of  Luzerne,  by  the  new  Constitution, — 
1841.  D.  D.  Wagener.         I  1853-57.  Asa  Packer. 
1841-43.  J.  Westbrook.       |  1857-01.  W.  Dimmick. 
1843-49.  R.  Brodhead.  1861-07.  P.  Johnston. 

1849-53.  M.  Dimmick.       I  1871-75.  J.  B.  Storm. 

CONGRESS. 

1866.   D.M.VanAuken.      I  1876.  F.  D.  Collins. 
1868.  D.  M.  Van  Auken.        1878-80.  Robt.  Klotz. 
1870.  J.  B.  Storm.  |  1882-84.  John  B.  Storm. 

DEPUTY   SURVEYORS. 

1st.  Jonas  Hanna.  I  4th.  Abraham  Barry. 

2d.   Jas.  H.  Stroud.  5th.  Robt.  W.Swink. 

3d.   Win.  S.  Rees. 

PRESIDENT    JUDGES. 


1836.    David  Scott. 
Wm.  Jessup. 
Luther  Kidder. 
Nath.  B.  Eldred. 
Geo.  R.  Barrett. 


1836.  Jas.  M.  Porter. 

1855.  Thus.  A.  Bell. 

1870.  Sam'l  S.  Dreher. 

1880.  Sam'l  S.  Dreher. 


ASSOCIATE   JUlMiES. 


1836.  John  T.  Bell   (ap- 
pointed). 
Jacob   Brown  (ap- 
pointed). 
M.  W.  Coolbaugh. 
1850.  M.  H.  Dreher. 
Stogdell  Stokes. 
Jeremy  Mackey. 
1861.  A.  Levering.' 
1800.  John  De  Young. 
1870.  Theodore    Schoch 
(ap.bytheGov'r). 


1871.  S.  G.  Throop'-  (ap- 

pointed   by    the 
<  rovernor). 

1872.  Peter  Graver. 

1875.  Jacob Stauffer'  (ap- 
pointed by  the 
Governor). 

Chas.  W.  Decker. 
1877.  Peter  Gruver. 
1880-85.  Chas.  D.  Brod- 
head. 


1842. 
1845. 
1848. 
1851. 
1854. 
1857. 


SHERIFFS. 

Joseph  S.  Teel.  I  I860. 

Samuel  Gunsaules.  I  1862. 

Olis  B.  Gordan.  I  1865. 

Andrew  Storm.  1868. 

Peter  Kemerer.  '  1871. 

James  N.  Durling.  1874. 

Henry  D.  Shaffer.  ,  1877. 

Melchoir  Bossard.  1880. 

James  N.  Durling.  !  1883. 


H.  C.Wolf(app'd). 
Linford  Marsh. 
Chas.  Henry. 
Peter  Merwine. 
Chas.  Henry. 
Jacob  K.  Shaffer. 
William  T.  Baker. 
George  Miller. 
James  S.  Fisher. 


REGISTERS    OF    WILLS    AND    RECORDERS    OF    DEEDS. 

1830.  Simon  Snyder.  I  1860.  Joseph  Barry. 

1842.  M.  H.  Dreher.  !  1863.  John  S.  Fisher. 

1845.  Samuel  Rees.  1872.  JohD   Appenzeller. 
1854.  William  S.  Rees. 


COUNTY    TREASURERS. 


1839. 
1841. 
1843. 
1845. 
1847. 
1S49. 
1851. 
1853. 
1855. 
1857. 
1859. 


Joseph  Trach. 
Jacob  Bush. 
Fred.  Kisler. 
Jacob  Shoemaker. 
Edward  Postens. 
Abraham  Levering. 
Chas.  Featherman. 
John  Edinger. 
Levi  Slutter. 
Charlton  Burnett. 
Jacob  Kresge. 
William  Smith. 


lNCl. 

1863. 

1805. 


1875. 
1878. 
1881, 

1885, 


H.  Eilenberger. 
George  Fabel. 
Simon  Meyers. 
Reuben  Gregory. 
Peter  Gruver. 
S.  Featherman. 
Jonas  Altemose. 
Linford  Marsh. 
Timothy  Kresge. 
Samuel  Kintz. 
Rogers  L.  Burnett. 


COUNTY    COMMISSIONERS. 


1836.  Joseph  Trach. 

Jacob  Shoemaker. 
Henry  Fenner. 
John  C.  Bush. 

1839.  J.  Kemmerer,  Sr. 

1840.  John  Smith. 

1841.  Elihu  Postern 
1842    Adam  Overfield. 

1843.  Peter  Neyhart. 

1844.  John  Kern. 

1845.  Melchoir  Dreher. 

1847.  John  Miller. 

1848.  Abram  Fenner. 

1849.  Joseph  Frable. 

1850.  Michael  Super. 

1851.  Melchoir  Dreher. 

1852.  John  C.  Strunk. 

1853.  Jacob  Altemose. 

1854.  Joseph  Heckman. 

1855.  John  C.  Strunk. 

1856.  Peter  S.  Hawk. 

1857.  Robert  Brown. 

1858.  John  D.  Fraley. 

1859.  Peter  Kuukle. 

1860.  Charles  Price. 

1861.  Reuben  Kresge. 


1863. 
1864. 
1865. 
1866. 
1867. 
1868. 
1869. 
1870. 
1871. 
1872. 
1873. 
1874. 
1875. 


James  Smiley. 
John  T.  Wiliiams. 
N.  Hefflefinger. 
Henry  Heller. 
William  Adams. 
John  Hanna. 
Jacob  Stackhouse. 
H.  B.  Biesicker. 
John  C.  Strunk. 
Samuel  Posten. 
Peter  S.  Edinger. 
Jacob  Frable. 
Samuel  Posten. 
Peter  S.  Edinger. 
Cornelius  Starner. 
Jacob  B.  Transue. 
J.  Kemmerer,  Jr. 
Cornelius  Starner. 
J.  E.  Hoodmacher. 
Chas.  Kemmerer.4 
J.  E.  Hoodmacher. 
William  H.  Garris. 
Evan  T.  Crosdale. 
Townsend  Price. 
Benjamin  S.  Jacob. 
Frank  H.  Smith. 


Schoch  in  place  of  Levering. 

!  Throop  was  appointed  in  place  of  Melchoir  Bossard. 
1  Stauffer  appointed  in  place  of  De  Young. 


Commissioners'  Clerks. — County  erected 
April  1,  1836;  commissioners  of  Northampton 
County  held  the  appeals  in  1836, — 

1837.  Harris  Colt,  of  Luzerne,  settled  here. 

1838-40.  Peter  Wyckoff,  of  Northampton,  settled 
here ;   attorney-at-law. 

1841-42.  James  H.  Walton, attorney-at-law  ;  native 
of  Stroudsburg. 

1843-50.  John  D.  Morris,  attorney-at-law,  from 
Bucks  County,  Pa. 

1851-54.  James  H.  Walton. 

1855-56.  Michael  H.  Dreher,  an  old  resident  of 
Monroe. 

1857-62.  Edward  B.  Dreher,  son  of  M.  H.  Dreher. 


Appointed  in  place  of  father,  deceased. 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


1863-135.  John  B.  Storm  ;  raised  in  Hamilton  town- 
ship, Monroe  County. 
1866-84.  Michael  H.  Dreher. 

1885.  George  H.  Dreher,  son  of  M.  H.  Dreher. 

1886.  William   Stroud   Rees,  of  Stroudsburg,  and 
the  oldest  citizen  of  the  borough  who  was  born  in  it. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE     BENCH     AND    BAR THE    OLD    AND    NEW 

I1AI!. — BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.1 

Monroe  County  was  erected  out  of  parts  of 
Northampton  and  Pike  Counties  by  an  act  of 
the  Legislature  approved  April  1st,  a.  d.  1836. 2 

The  act  provided  for  the  transfer  of  all  suits 
pending  and  undetermined  in  the  several  courts 
of  Northampton  County  and  Pike  County,  on 
the  1st  day  of  September  then  next,  where  both 
parties  to  such  suit  were  resident  in  the  county 
of  Monroe. 

Section  II.  of  said  act  provided  that  the 
county  of  Monroe  should  be  annexed  to,  and 
compose  part  of,  the  Eleventh  Judicial  District 
of  the  Commonwealth,  and  that  the  courts  in 
said  county  should  be  held  on  the  third  Mon- 
days of  February,  May,  September  and  Decem- 
ber in  each  year,  the  first  court  to  be  held  on  the 
third  Monday  of  December  then  next. 

In  pursuance  of  this  act,  the  first  court  ever 
held  in  Monroe  County  was  convened  on  the 
19th  day  of  December,  a.  d.  1836,  at  Strouds- 
burg. 

We  give  the  following  extract  from  the 
court  minutes  of  this  session  : 

"  December  19,  1S36.  This  being  the  day  appoint- 
ed by  law  for  holding  the  first  court  within  the 
county  of  Monroe,  there  attended  at  the  court- 
house in  Stroudsburg,  the  Honorable  David  Scott, 
president  of  the  Eleventh  Judicial  District  of  Penn- 
sylvania ;  Jacob  Brown  and  John  T.  Bell,  associate 
judges  of  the  same  Court.  The  several  courts  were 
duly  opened  by  John  W.  Burnett,  the  cryer  appoint- 
ed by  the  court. 

"  The  commissions  of  the  following  officers  were 
read:  Jacob  Brown,  associate  judge;  John  T.  Bell, 
associate  judge ;  Joseph  S.  Teel  as  sheriff  of  said 
county,  with  writ  of  assistance ;    Gideon   Burrett   as 


liy  Stephen  Holmes,  Esq. 
1  See  preceding  chapter. 


prothonotary  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  clerk  of 
the  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer,  and  clerk  of  Court 
of  Quarter  Sessions  ;  Samuel  Snyder  as  register  and 
recorder  and  clerk  of  the  Orphans'  Court. 

"On  motion  of  James  M.  Porter,  Esq.,  James  M. 
Porter,  Peter  Ihrie,  Hopewell  Hepburn,  Andrew  H. 
Reeder,  Horace  E.  Wolf,  Richard  Brodhead,  Jr., 
Newton  D.  Strong,  William  Davis  and  Peter  Wyckoff, 
Esquires,  were  duly  sworn  ami  affirmed  as  attorneys 
of  the  several  courts  of  this  county.  On  motion  of 
Richard  Brodhead,  Jr.,  Esq.,  M.  M.  Dimmick,  was 
admitted  and  sworn  as  attorney  of  the  several  courts 
of  this  county. 

"  On  motion  Alexander  E.  Brown  was  admitted  and 
sworn  as  attorney  of  the  several  courts  of  this  county. 
It  is  ordered  by  the  court  that  the  prothonotary, 
within  ten  days  after  the  end  of  this  term,  place  upon 
a  list  all  causes  at  issue  in  this  court,  for  trial  at  the 
next  term,  and  that  such  list,  kept  in  his  office  for  the 
inspection  of  all  concerned,  without  fee  or  reward, 
shall  be  deemed  sufficient  notice  of  trial  to  the  parties 
in  interest." 

The  list  of  admissions  above  given  contains, 
as  the  reader  will  observe,  many  names  after- 
wards illustrious  in  law,  politics  and  official 
station.  For  many  years  after  the  organization 
of  the  county  the  humble  little  court-house  at 
Stroudsburg,  was  regularly  graced  each  term  of 
court  by  some  of  the  best  talent  of  the  Eastern 
bar,  and  many  were  the  forensic  encounters 
between  the  Northampton  Titans,  to  which  tin; 
local  populace  listened  with  open-mouthed 
wonder  and  admiration. 

Gradually,  however,  with  the  lapse  of  years, 
these  legal  luminaries,  one  by  one,  disappeared 
from  the  horizon.  New  names  appeared  upon 
the  roll  of  practicing  attorneys  of  the  county 
and  new  faces  and  forms  supplanted  the  old  in 
the  arena,  but  the  old  portion  of  the  people  still 
delight  in  recounting  the  exploits  of  a  race  of 
great  lawyers  who  have  passed  away  ;  and  they 
never  tire  of  rehearsing  the  pungent  sayings  of 
the  old  time  bench  and  bar. 

For  the  first  few  terms  of  court  the  calender 
of  the  new  county  was  not  very  heavy.  The 
act  requiring  the  transfer-  of  all  suits  pending 
and  undetermined  in  the  several  courts  of 
Northampton  and  Pike  Counties,  September  1, 
1836,  where  both  parties  to  such  suit  were 
resident  in  the  county  of  Monroe,  was  com- 
plied with,  and  resulted  in  the  entry  upon  the 
court  records  of    the    county    of  one    suit    for 


990 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


August     Term,     1834,     the    first 
■ducket  entry  beiug  as  follows: 
"August  Term,  1834. 


appearance 


Hepburn 

for  prtr. 


H.  E.  Wolfe 

for  Deft. 


John  Murphy, 


Jacob  (ioer,  the 

elder. 


I    Summons     Case 
.   Issued  2d  Aug. 

I  1834.  Narr  filed 

|  Aug.   15,    1835. 

I  Rule    to  plead 

'  filed   Aug.    21, 

|  1835.     Aug.  24, 

I  1835,      Deft, 

I  pleads  not  guil- 

!  ty  and  Issue." 

The  case  was  afterwards  settled.  The  records 
of  November  Term,  1834,  show  one  case.  For 
April  Term,  1835' business  was  brisk,  the  records 
showing  four  cases,  two  of  them  being  actions 
of  scire  facias  on  Orphans'  Court  recogni- 
zances, brought  by  heirs  of  Conrad  Kresge, 
deceased. 

A.NECDOTES   OF     MoNROE    COUNTY    BENCH 

and  Bar. — In  the  early  settlement  of  the 
•country,  when  men  lived  in  isolated  communi- 
ties, with  little  intercourse  with  each  other,  and 
still  less  with  the  world  at  large,  a  stronger  in- 
dividuality of  character  was  developed  than  in 
the  present  age  of  steam  and  electricity,  when 
the  world's  news  is  spread  upon  the  breakfast 
tables  of  remotest  hamlets,  and  when  men,  by 
their  constant  and  widely-extended  intercourse 
become  so  fused  together  that  in  mental  charac- 
teristics, habits,  mode  of  life  and  thought,  dress, 
and  even  form  and  physiognomy,  one  may  be 
said  to  be  more  or  less  a  sample  of  the  lot. 

Monroe  County,  in  its  early  history,  was  no 
exception  to  this  universal  rule,  but  abounded 
in  odd  and  grotesque  characters,  concerning 
whom  many  amusing  stories  are  still  remem- 
bered by  the  older  portion  of  the  inhabitants. 

One  of  these  has  long  gone  the  rounds  and 
furnished  entertainment  for  many  a  reminiscent 
group;  but  as  a  specimen  of  genuine  Quaker 
wit,  as  well  as  of  terse  and  vigorous  argumen- 
tation, it  is  well  deserving  of  being  preserved 
in  more  durable  form. 

He  <lrorr  his  ovm  coir. — Evan  Foulke, 
a  Quaker,  lived  over  in  Cherry  Valley, 
.a  few  miles  from  Stroudsburg.  He  was  by 
trade  a  shoemaker,  and  one  of  his  eccentricities 
was  that    he    always   wore    his  leather  apron, 


even  when  he  came  to  town.  He  also  owned 
a  small  farm  and  had  a  number  of  cows. 
William  Drake  was  a  somewhat  litigious  char- 
acter living  in  Stroudsburg.  One  day  Drake, 
concluding  that  the  possession  of  a  cow  was 
essential  to  his  domestic  happiness,  took  his 
brother-in-law,  AYilliam,  otherwise  known  as 
Captain  Hallet  (who,  by  the  way,  was  another 
odd  character  in  his  day),  and  proceeded  over 
to  Foulke's  to  buy  a  cow.  Arrived  there,  after 
some  haggling  a  cow  was  selected,  the  price 
agreed  upon  at  twenty  dollars,  the  money  paid 
and  Drake  and  Hallet  drove  the  cow  to  Strouds- 
burg. The  next  day,  however,  Drake,  for  some 
reason  or  other,  became  dissatisfied  with  his 
purchase,  and  so,  again  accompanied  by  Hallet, 
he  drove  the  cow  back  to  Foulke's  and  demanded 
his  money.  If  his  object  was  to  lay  ground  for  a 
lawsuit,  he  appeared  doomed  to  disappointment, 
for  the  meek  old  Quaker  received  back  the  cow 
and  paid  back  the  money  without  a  murmur,  and 
Drake  and  Hallet  again  returned  home. 

After  pondering  over  the  situation  for  some 
days,  Drake  wrought  himself  up  to  the  convic- 
tion that  he  was  not  yet  square  with  Foulke, 
but  that  he  ought  to  have  compensation  from 
the  latter  for  his  trouble  in  driving  the  cow  home 
and  bark  again. 

So,  bound  to  have  a  lawsuit  anyway,  Drake 
posts  off  to  a  neighboring  justice  of  the  peace, 
Peter  Holliushead,  Esq.,  and  has  a  summons 
issued  against  Foulke. 

On  the  return  day  the  parties  appeared  in 
propria?  persona,  and  managed  their  own  cause. 
As  parties  could  not  then  be  witnesses,  the 
only  evidence  was  that  of  Hallet,  who  was 
called  by  the  plaintiff.  As  Hallet  came  to  the 
stand  a  discussion  arose  as  to  whether  it  was 
best  to  affirm  him  (Hallet  being  also  of  Quaker 
descent).  It  was  finally  concluded  that  if  he 
couldn't  be  believed  without  affirmation,  he 
couldn't  with  it,  and  so  an  affirmation  was  use- 
less. So  Hallet  went  on  and  told  his  story 
about  the  purchase  of  the  cow,  etc.,  substan 
tially  as  above,  but,  as  Foulke  thought,  with  a 
few  unwarranted  embellishments.  Having 
concluded,  Hallet  exclaimed  :  "  There!  I  could 
not  have  said  anything  more  if  I  had  been 
under  oath." 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


001 


"Indeed  !  friend  William,"  retorted  Foulke, 
"  I  should  have  been  very  sorry  if  thee  had 
said  near  as  much."  The  squire  then  asked 
Foulke  if  he  had  any  evidence  ;  and  being  in- 
formed that  he  had  not,  asked  him  what  he  had 
to  say  in  his  own  behalf. 

"  Well,  Peter,"  says  Foulke  to  the  justice, 
"  what  little  I  have  to  say,  I  will  say  to  Wil- 
liam,"— referring  to  William  Drake,  the  plain- 
tiff. Then,  turning  to  Drake,  he  proceeded  : 
"  William,  when  thee  came  to  my  house,  the 
cow  was  mine  and  the  money  was  thine  ?  " 
•  "  Yes,"  says  Drake,  "  That's  so." 

"  Well,  then  thee  gave  me  the  money  and  I 
gave  thee  the  cow,  and  then  the  cow  was  thine 
and  the  money  mine." 

"  Well  !  "  says  Drake,  assenting. 

"  Then  thee  drove  the  cow  home,  kept  her 
over-night,  and  the  next  day  thee  drove  her 
back  to  my  house  again.  Thee  gave  me  back 
the  cow  and  I  gave  thee  back  the  money,  and 
then  the  cow  was  mine  and  the  money  thine." 

"  Well !  "  says  Drake  again,  scratching  his 
head  ami  mentally  casting  about  for  a  loop-hole 
in  tlir  argument. 

"Well,  then,  friend  William,"  concluded  the 
Quaker,  as  he  drove  the  nail  home  and  clinched 
it.  "  Don't  thee  see  thee  has  been  driving  thy 
own  cow  all  the  time  !  " 

The  following  story,  although  not  strictly 
pertaining  to  either  the  bench  or  bar,  relates  to 
an  institution  that  may  be  said,  with  all  due 
.  respect,  to  be  an  accessory  of  both, — i.  <'.,  the  jail. 

It  illustrates  the  fact  that  in  the  early  days 
of  the  county  our  prisoners  had  oftentimes 
small  occasion  to  complain  of  a  too  rigid  admin- 
istration of  penitentiary  discipline. 

lie  wouldn't  let  them  in. — Ed.  Scott  was  the 
keeper  of  the  jail,  and  had,  as  tolerably  regular 
boarders,  two  petty  offenders,  who  were  nearly 
always  in  his  custody  for  one  trivial  offense  or 
another.  From  long  association  together  the 
jail-keeper  and  his  two  prisoners  became  fast 
friends  and  cronies,  and  occasionally  lost  sight 
of  the  real  relation  existing  between  them,  which 
fact  oftentimes  led  to  rather  ludicrous  incidents. 
The  trio  were  great  euchre-players,  and  usually 
whiled  away  the  winter  evenings  by  indulgence 
in  their  favorite  game,  which,  be   it  confessed, 


was  not  always  played  within  the  walls  of  the 
jail ;  for  occasionally  this  model  jailer  took 
his  prisoners  out  for  an  evening's  social  enjoy- 
ment with  some  of  their  cronies  about  the  vil- 
lage, and  occasionally,  too,  when  it  was  not 
convenient  for  the  jailer  to  go  along  (was  there 
ever  a  more  obliging  official  ?),  he  suffered  his 
prisoners  to  go  out  and  seek  recreation  by 
themselves. 

One  very  cold  night  in  January,  Scott  not 
feeling  well,  declined  to  accompany  his — guests, 
we  will  call  them,  and  the  two  latter  went  out 
to  have  a  game  of  euchre  with  a  friend,  and 
soon  after,  Scott,  forgetting  their  absence,  fas- 
tened up  the  jail  and  went  to  bed.  Some  time 
after  midnight  he  was  aroused  by  a  tremendous 
knocking  at  the  door,  and  with  visions  (if  a  new 
arrival  of  prisoners  and  of  consequent  fees 
dancing  in  his  mind,  Scott  hastened  down-stairs 
in  scant  habiliment,  expecting  to  meet  some 
constable  with  his  charge.  What  was  his  dis- 
appointment and  disgust,  on  opening  the  door, 
at  being  confronted  by  the  well-known  figures 
of  his  regular  boarders,  the  par  nobile  frabwm, 
who  were  humbly  seeking  shelter  under  his 
hospitable  roof.  Giving  his  prisoners  a  spiteful 
fling  into  the  hall  and  slamming  the  door  be- 
hind them,  this  worthy  custodian  of  evil-doers 
thus  delivered  himself: 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,  boys,  if  you  don't  get  in 
in  better  season  than  this  the  next  time,  I'll 
stay  abed  and  you  won't  get  in  at  all." 

He  had  a  good  right  there. — Analogous  to  the 
foregoing  is  a  story  told  at  the  expense  of 
Captain  Halleck,  who  succeeded  Scott  as  keeper 
of  the  jail. 

A  little  Dutchman  by  the  name  of  Price — not 
much  of  a  Dutch  name,  by  the  way — got  on  a 
spree  one  day,  entered  a  house  over  on  Fox 
Hill  and  stole  the  owner's  title  deeds,  for  what 
purpose  it  is  hard  to  imagine,  unless  it  was  the 
drunken  notion  that  by  stealing  the  man's  deeds 
he  mix  striding  his  house  mid  lot.  However 
that  may  be,  the  culprit  was  arrested  and  com- 
mitted to  jail,  and  in  due  form  of  law  was  pre- 
sented at  the  door  of  the  captain's  castle  as  a 
candidate  for  admission  therein.  Soon  after 
his  admission  to  the  jail  Price  became  very 
boisterous  and  unruly   and  the-  captain   under- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


took  to  administer  discipline.  Tne  two  men 
grappled  each  other,  and  after  a  brief  struggle 
the  captain  succeeded  in  throwing  his  antago- 
nist upon  the  floor.  Having  received  some 
contusions  in  the  scrimmage,  the  captain  did 
not  feel  particularly  amiable,  and  he  ejaculated, 
as  he  held  his  prisoner  down  with  one  hand 
and  wiped  the  blood  from  his  nose  with  the 
other  :  "  You  blamed  rascal  !  if  you  don't  be- 
have yourself  I'll  throw  you  out  o' here!"  To 
which  Price  rejoined,  between  his  drunken 
hiccups,  and  panting  for  breath  :  "  Hie — hie — 
I'll  let  you  know — hie — I've  got  as  much  right 
here  as — as  you  have  I  " 

The  Doctrine  of  "Cy  Pres." —  The 
following  good  story,  embodying  a  new  appli- 
cation of  the  legal  doctrine  of  cy  pres,  is  told 
by  that  veteran  of  the  bar,  Wm.  Davis,  Esq., 
and  is  inserted  with  his  permission  : 

At  an  arbitration  at  Knecbt's  Hotel,  many 
years  ago,  Mr.  Davis,  representing  one  side  (if 
the  case,  had  the  misfortune  to  have  a  client 
somewhat  given  to  over-indulgence  when  liq- 
uids were  handy,  and  found  considerable  diffi- 
culty in  getting  intelligent  answers  from  his 
client  whenever,  during  the  progress  of  the  trial, 
he  sought  information  from  him. 

At  length  the  opposing  counsel  called  to  the 
stand  a  tall,  slab-sided  specimen  of  humanity, 
whose  appearance  seemed  to  produce  an  inex- 
plicable effect  upon  Davis'  client,  who  was  now 
entirely  too  far  gone  to  make  himself  intelligi- 
ble. He,  however,  became  very  much  excited, 
and,  in  his  incoherent  way,  sought  to  convey 
the  idea  that  there  was  something  wrong  some- 
where. All  that  Davis  could  make  out  of  his 
whispered  ejaculations,  however,  was,  "  I — I — 
won't  —  have  him  !  I  don't  want  him!" 
"  Why '?  "  queried  Davis.  "  What  is  the  matter 
with  him  ?  "  "  I — I  (hie) — I  tell  you — I  don't 
want  urn  !  "  was  the  only  response.  "  Oh,  shut 
up  !  "  said  the  lawyer,  finally  losing  patience  ; 
and,  concluding  that  the  trouble  was  with  his 
bibulous  client  rather  than  with  the  witness,  he 
allowed  the  latter  to  be  sworn.  The  witness 
proceeded  to  tell  a  story  which,  if  true,  effect- 
ually settled  the  case  against  Davis'  client. 

Before  commencing  the  cross-examination 
•Davis  called  his  client  out  and  again  asked  him 


what  he  wanted  to  tell  him.  "There!"  said 
the  fellow,  as  he  got  out  of  doors,  "there  !  didn't 
I  tell— tell— tell  (hie)— tell  yer.  Didn't  I  tell 
yer  he  didn't  knoir  anything?"  "Don't 
know  anything !  "  exclaimed  the  irate  law- 
yer. "  He  seems  to  know  entirely  too 
much  for  you."  "  Yes,  but — but  I  (hie)  didn't 
want  inn,  yer  see,"  and  backing  up  a  tree-box, 
the  litigant  1  traced  himself  for  a  final  effort. 
"He  don't   know    what  an  oath  is!"      "The 

he  don't  !      Why  didn't  you  say  so  ?  " 

ejaculated  the  now  thoroughly  exasperated  law- 
yer as  he  rushed  back  to  the  court-room.  "  See 
here,  Jack,"  addressing  the  witness,  "  do  you 
know  the  nature  of  an  oath  ?  " 

The  witness  stood  mute.  The  question  was 
repeated  with  all  the  impressive  solemnity  that. 
no  man  could  employ  with  greater  effect  than  Mr. 
Davis.  Another  long  silence.  "  Oh,  put  your 
question  so  he  can  understand  it,"  interrupted 
the  opposite  counsel.  "  Well,  I'll  oblige  the 
gentleman,"  pursued  Davis.  "  Do  you  know," 
addressing  the  witness,  "  what  you  have  to  do 
when  you  are  sworn  as  a  witness  ?  "  Another 
long  silence,  and  then  the  witness,  on  further 
pressure,  said, in  a  hesitating  manner,  "Have — 
ter — tell — the — truth, — providing  I — know  if." 

"  Ah,  providing  you  know  it !  And  what 
if  you  don't  know  it  ?  " 

"  Then  I — have  ter — come  as  near  it  as  I 
can,"  drawled  the  witness.  The  answer  ex- 
ploded the  court,  and,  under  the  fulminations  of 
counsel  who  knew  so  well  how  to  ring  the 
changes  upon  it,  it  effectually  exploded  the 
testimony  of  this  witness. 

BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

The  first  president  judge  to  hold  court  in 
Monroe  County  was  Hon.  David  Scott,  who 
was  in  commission  at  the  time  of  the  erection 
of  the  county.  He  was  succeeded  by  Judge 
William  H.  Jessupp,  Nathaniel  P.  Eldred, 
Thomas  A.  Bell,  James  H.  Porter,  George 
R.  Barrett,  and  the  present  incumbent,  S.  S. 
Dreher.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  in  some 
instances  information  applied  for  at  the  proper 
source,  which  would  have  enabled  the  writer 
to  give  a  brief  biographical  sketch  of  some  of 
these  eminent  gentlemen,  has  not  been  given, 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


and  consequently  the  public  is  deprived  of  the 
interest  and  advantage  accruing  from  a  perusal 
of  such  personal  history.  In  other  instances 
all  desired  data  has  been  freely  and  cheerfully 
furnished.  This  is  particularly  true  of  the 
bench  and  bar  as  it  at  present  exists. 

The   Old  Bar   and  the   New. 

Hon.  M.  M.  Dimmick. — Milo  Melancthon 
Dimmick,  son  of  Daniel  Dimmick,  who 
married  Jane,  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  J.  Aerts,  was 
born  at  Milford,  Pike  County,  Pa.,  October 
30,  1812.  He  received  a  good  education,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  his  native  county 
when  about  twenty-three  years  of  age,  his 
certificate  being  signed  by  Amzi  Fuller,  Judge 
Eldred  and  Hon.  George  W.  Woodward.  About 
the  year  1841  the  subject  of  this  sketch  re- 
moved to  Stroudsburg,  the  county-seat  of 
Monroe  County,  where  he  resided  and  prac- 
ticed law  very  successfully  for  many  years. 
During  his  residence  here  he  was  twice  elected 
to  Congress — once  in  1848  and  again  in  1850. 
In  the  year  1854  he  removed  to  Mauch  Chunk, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death, 
November  22,  1872,  actively  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  He  was  at  one  time 
a  candidate  for  the  president  judgeship  of  the 
district,  but  was  defeated,  after  a  hot  contest, 
by  Hon.  James  M.  Porter,  of  Easton.  In  the 
spring  of  1871  he  was  named  as  a  delegate-at 
large  to  the  Constitutional  Convention,  and  came 
within  one  vote  of  being  nominated.  He  was 
tendered  the  county  nomination,  but  his  name 
was  withdrawn  on  account  of  his  ill  health. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  director  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Mauch  Chunk; 
president  of  the  Cemetery  Association,  a  vestry- 
man of  St.  Mark's  Parish  and  also  of  the  Church 
of  the  Good  Shepherd,  at  Milford. 

As  a  lawyer  it  was,  perhaps,  at  Stroudsburg, 
where  the  prime  of  his  life  was  passed,  that 
Mi-.  Dimmick  earned  his  best  title  to  distinc- 
tion. He  was  noted  for  tireless  industry, 
thorough  and  systematic  reading,  and  unspar- 
ing energy  in  the  success  of  his  clients.  And 
over  all — over  the  jar  of  the  forensic  encounter, 
as  over  the  sweet  amenities  of  social  life ;  over 
the  turmoil  of  political  contests,  as  over  the 
97 


quiet  and  unpretentious  discharge  of  his 
churchly  duties,  and  the  exercise  of  private 
beneficence — he  threw  the  mantle  of  a  noble 
and  large-hearted  charity,  which  endeared  him 
to  all.  He  was  peculiarly  a  gentleman  of  the 
old  school,  a  man,  sans  peur  et  sans  reproche 
— an  ideal  lawyer,  citizen  and  Christian  gentle- 
man combined.  Mr.  Dimmick  was  married, 
February  18,  1840,  to  Mary  Alice,  daughter 
of  Hon.  John  Cooper,  of  Danville,  Pa.,  and 
granddaughter  of  Hon.  Thomas  Cooper,  at  one 
time  president  judge  of  the  Twelfth  Judicial 
District  of  Pennsylvania,  and  subsequently 
president  of  the  University  of  South  Carolina. 
She  died  at  Mauch  Chunk  December  22,  1875. 
They  had  three  children, — Elizabeth  Mott,  (in- 
termarried with  Rev.  Hurley  Baldy),  John  C. 
and  Milton,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 

Hox.  Samuel  S.  Dreher. — A  conspicu- 
ous figure  in  the  local  history  of  this  part  of 
the  State  is  the  gentleman  whose  honored  name 
heads  this  sketch. 

SanmelS.  Dreher  was  born  at  Stroudsburg, 
Pa.,  April  10,  1824,  and  was  the  eldest  of  nine 
children  of  Hon.  Michael  H.  Dreher  and  Eliza- 
beth, his  wife,  whose  maiden-name  was  Smith,  a 
daughter  of  Adam  Smith,  of  Smithfield  town- 
ship. 

The  ancestry  on  both  sides  came  from  Ger- 
many. The  paternal  grandfather,  named  George 
Dreher,  was  born  in  Northampton  County,  Pa., 
married  Lydia  Heller,  of  the  Heller  family  at 
Wind  Gap,  and  soon  after  his  marriage  settled 
in  Hamilton  township,  which  afterwards  became 
a  part  of  Monroe  County.  In  the  year  1810  he 
moved  to  Stroudsburg,  when  his  son  Michael 
was  but  ten  years  of  age.    • 

The  grandfather  here  carried  on  the  tailoring 
business  and  also  kept  hotel  in  the  old  Stokes 
building,  where  the  express  office   now    stands. 

His  son,  Michael  H.,  on  his  arrival  at  man- 
hood, became  prominent  in  local  circles  and 
filled  many  offices  of  trust  and  profit  in  the 
county,  being  elected  for  many  successive  terms 
as  prothonotary,  register  and  recorder,  associate 
judge,  commissioners'  clerk  and  to  other  posi- 
tions of  responsibility,  the  duties  of  all  of  which 
he  performed  with  great  acceptance.  He  died 
September  2,  1885,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eigh- 


994 


WA\NE,  I'IKE  AND  MONROE  COI'NTfKS,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ty-five  years,  and  was  prompt  and  regular  in  the 
performance  of  his  duties  as  commissioners' 
clerk  up  to  a  short  time  before  his  death. 

Samuel  S.  Dreher,  the  subject  of  the  present 
sketch,  received  his  education  in  the  private 
schools  and  in  the  academy  at  Stroudsburg,  his 
first  academic  preceptor  being  the  now  venera- 
ble Frederick  Knighton,  who  still  survives  to 
enjoy  the  satisfaction  of  witnessing  the  full  de- 
velopment, in  life  and  character,  of  the  buds  of 
early  promise  afforded  by  his  young  pupils. 
Young  Dreher's  second  teacher  at  the  academy 
was  Ira  B.  Newman,  and  his  third,  Rev.  J.  B. 
Hyndshaw. 

Having  completed  his  preliminary  education 
under  these  and  other  like  faithful  instructors, 
young  Dreher,  at  the  early  age  of  about  nine- 
teen years,  entered  his  name  as  a  student-at-law 
in  the  office  of  Hon.  M.  M.  Dimmick,  the  sub- 
ject of  the  preceding  sketch.  A  fellow-student 
in  the  same  office  was  Nathan  Huston,  who  was 
examined  and  admitted  at  the  same  time  with 
young  Dreher,  to  wit:  at  May  Term,  1846. 
While  still  a  student-at-law,  Mr.  Dreher  clerked 
for  some  time  in  the  office  of  the  prothouotary 
and  register  and  recorder,  and  thus  obtained  a 
practical  insight  into  the  details  pertaining  to 
those  offices,  which  was  of  great  service  to  him 
afterwards  in  his  practice  as  a  lawyer. 

Immediately  after  his  admission  to  the  bar 
young  Mr.  Dreher  entered  into  partnership  with 
his  former  preceptor,  Mr.  Dimmick,  under  the 
firm-name  of  Dimmick  &  Dreher,  an  association 
which  continued  until  the  removal  of  Mr.  Dim- 
mick to  Mauch  Chunk,  in  1854.  During  this 
interval,  also,  Mr.  Dreher  served  two  terms  as 
district  attorney,  and  after  the  dissolution  of  the 
firm  of  Dimmick  &  Dreher  the  latter  continued 
the  practice  alone  until  his  election,  in  the  fall 
of  1870,  as  president  judge  of  the  old  Twenty- 
second  Judicial  District,  composed  of  the  counties 
of  Wayne,  Pike,  Monroe  and  Carbon. 

Prior  to  his  election  to  the  bench  Mr.  Dreher 
had  acquired  an  extensive  practice,  more  par- 
ticularly in  the  three  counties  last  above  named, 
and  wherever  known,  whether  as  lawyer  or 
judge,  his  name  lias  ever  been  a  synonym  for 
unspotted  integrity  and  probity  of  character, 
coupled  with  great  legal  acumen  and  an  habitual 


courtesy  and  kindliness  of  heart  and  disposition 
inseparable  from  the  man's  nature,  which 
made  him  the  friend  of  all,  high  and  low,  rich 
and  poor  alike. 

By  act  of  8th  April,  1874,  the  old  judicial 
district  was  cut  in  two,  Wayne  and  Pike  com- 
posing a  separate  district  and  retaining  the  old 
number,  twenty-two,  and  Monroe  and  Carbon 
composing  a  new  district  known  as  the  Forty- 
third.  Judge  Dreher's  first  term  having  expired 
in  1880,  he  was  re-elected  in  the  fall  of  that 
year,  and  we  trust  the  judge  has  many  years  of 
future  usefulness  before  him  in  a  position  he  is 
so  well  calculated  to  adorn. 

On  the  21st  of  December,  1848,  Judge  Dreher 
married  Sallie  Phillips,  a  lady  of  Stroudsburg, 
by  whom  he  has  had  five  children,  all  of  whom, 
together  with  several  grandchildren,  are  still 
living,  viz.  :  Anna  (intermarried  with  Joseph 
Matlack,  a  hardware  merchant  of  Philadelphia), 
Oscar  (who  is  now  teller  in  the  First  National 
Bank,  Stroudsburg),  Lizzie  (intermarried  with 
A.  A.  Dinsmore,  Esq.,  of  Stroudsburg),  How- 
ard (of  Fontana,  Kan.)  and  Addie  W.  (inter- 
married with  Dr.  J.  P.  Mutch ler,  of  Strouds- 
burg). 

In  politics,  Judge  Dreher  has  always  been  a 
Democrat,  as  have  been  his  father  and  brothers. 
In  early  life  the  judge  was  a  warm  and  active 
partisan  and  always  popular  on  the  stump,  and, 
although  in  later  life,  and  particularly  since 
going  on  the  bench,  he  has  kept  aloof  from  active 
politics,  at  heart  he.  is  still  true  to  his  original 
political  affiliations.  In  religion  the  judge  is  a 
Methodist,  and  has  been  for  many  years  a  mem- 
ber and  trustee  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Stroudsburg. 

Hon.  William  Davis. — The  subject  of  this 
sketch  may  be  truly  denominated  the  father  of 
the  Monroe  County  bar. 

With  one  exception,  the  first  lawyer  to  locate 
in  the  county,  Mr.  Davis  retained  his  health 
and  faculties  in  undiminished  vigor  until  a  few 
years  ago,  when  advancing  years  and  a  most 
assiduous  devotion  to  that  most  exacting  of  all 
professions — the  law — began  to  tell  upon  his 
iron  constitution.  Although  he  has  now  re- 
tired from  practice  in  court,  owing  mainly  to 
his  impaired    hearing,  he  is  daily  to   be  seen  in 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


his  office  and  on  the  street,  his  well-known 
figure  as  erect,  if  not  as  active,  as  of  yore. 

Mr.  Davis  was  born  in  Easton,  Pa.,  February 
17,  1813,  and  was  the  youngest  of  seven  chil- 
dren of  Moses  Davis,  intermarried  with  Mary 
Miller,  both  of  whom  resided  for  many  years 
in  Easton,  and  died  there.  On  his  father's  side 
Mr.  Davis  is  of  Welsh  extraction,  and  on  his 
mother's  of  German. 

His  parents  were  members  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  at  Easton,  in  the  organization  of  which, 
and  in  the  erection  of  the  church  edifice,  his 
father  took  a  very  active  part,  and  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  has  always  adhered  to  the  faith 
of  his  father.  Mr.  Davis  received  his  prelim- 
inary education  in  the  schools  of  Easton,  Allen- 
town  and  Philadelphia,  and  entered  Washington 
College,  Hartford,  Conn.,  but  graduated  from 
Union  College,  N.  Y.,  in  the  class  of  183:3. 
After  graduating,  young  Davis  entered,  as  a 
student,  the  law-office  of  Hon.  Joel  Jones,  at 
Easton,  and  upon  the  appointment  of  the  latter 
as  one  of  the  judges  of  the  District  Court  at 
Philadelphia,  continued  the  study  of  his  chosen 
profession  under  Hon.  Hopewell  Hepburn, 
also  of  Easton,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  April  20,  1836. 

In  December,  1837,  the  young  lawyer  moved 
permanently  to  Stroudsburg,  the  county-seat  of 
the  (then)  new  county  of  Monroe,  and  he 
"came  to  stay." 

Peter  Wyckoff,  Esq.,  had  located  here  ahead 
of  him,  but  with  that  exception  there  was  no 
other  resident  lawyer  in  the  county.  After 
being  here  some  time  Mr.  Wyckoff  offered  to 
sell  out  his  practice  to  the  new-comer,  but  the 
sturdy  reply  was  that  he  thought  the  field  was 
wide  enough  for  two  lawyers,  and  he  didn't 
wish  to  buy.  The  field  in  territorial  extent 
was,  indeed,  a  wide  one,  but  sparsely  populated, 
a  good  part  of  the  county  being,  doubtless,  at 
that  early  day,  a  wilderness.  Although,  in  the 
course  of  years,  other  lawyers  came  in  from 
other  counties,  and  others  still  sprang  up  indig- 
enous t<>  the  soil,  the  talents  and  industry  of 
Mr.  Davis  speedily  gave  him  a  leading  position 
at  the  bar,  which  he  never  relinquished  until 
bodily  infirmities  compelled  him  to  abandon  his 
practice. 


As  a  lawyer  he  has,  during  his  whole  pro- 
fessional career,  been  noted  for  the  most  ex- 
haustive preparation  of  his  cases  and  the  most 
unflagging  zeal  in  their  presentation  to  court  and 
jury.  No  adjudicated  case,  however  remote  its 
bearing  upon  the  question  at  bar,  escaped  him  ; 
there  was  no  legal  principle  available  that  he 
did  not  quickly  seize  upon  and  turn  it  to  his 
advantage.  He  always  seemed  to  delight  in  his 
professional  work  for  the  work's  sake,  and  the 
amount  of  time  and  labor  expended  in  a  cause 
was  very  frequently  out  of  all  proportion  to  the 


*&7L& 


pecuniary  importance  of  the  case  or  the  amount 
of  fees  accruing  from  it.  The  triumph  of  the 
legal  principle,  the  establishment  of  the  facts 
contended  for — these  were  the  prime  objects, 
and  to  their  accomplishment  he  enthusiastically 
devoted  unwearied  days  and  nights  of  research, 
and  secured  the  reports  of  the  judicial  decisions 
of  both  hemispheres. 

As  a  cross-examiner,  Mr.  Davis  was  always 
particularly  strong  and  searching.  It  was 
sometimes  almost  like  putting  a  witness  into  a 
chemical  retort  and  resolving  him  into  his  con- 
stituent elements,  and  woe  to  the  man  in  whom 
the  analysis  disclosed  the  slightest  falsehood  or 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


prevarication  !  Witnesses  sometimes  fainted 
under  the  ordeal. 

Apropos  to  this  is  a  story  that  Mr.  Davis  has 
often  told  himself,  with  much  gusto,  of  a  case 
in  which  his  peculiar  talent  for  cross-examina- 
tion received  due  recognition.  The  case  oc- 
curred in  Pike  County,  where  he  was  attending 
court,  heinji  concerned  in  other  cases,  but  not 
having  been  originally  concerned  in  this  one. 
There  were  numerous  defendants,  and  each  had 
his  own  separate  counsel,  but  one  of  the  defend- 
ants, at  the  last  moment  before  the  case  was 
called,  retained  Mr.  Davis  specially  to  "  cross- 
examine  ten  dollars'  worth,"  as  the  man  put  it. 
lie  did  cross-examine,  and  the  defendants  were 
all  acquitted. 

Mr.  Davis  was  very  fond  of  attending  the 
courts  of  Pike  County,  which  he  did  for  many 
years,  scarcely  missing  a  term.  He  had  many 
friends  there,  and  very  often  speaks  in  high 
terms  (if  the  kindness  and  hospitality  of  "  little 
Pike." 

When  oil' duty,  and  in  social  intercourse,  he 
was  always  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  hos- 
pitable of  men,  and  his  home  was  for  many 
years  the  centre  of  the  gayety  and  fashion  of 
the  town.  When  a  young  man  Mr.  Davis  was 
appointed  deputy  attorney-general  for  the 
county,  and  in  later  life  he  served  several  terms 
as  chief  burgess  of  Stroudsburg.  In  1868  he 
was  one  of  the  Presidential  electors,  and  was  a 
delegate-at-large  to  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  Pennsylvania,  in  1872-73. 

In  politics  he  was  originally  a  Whig,  and 
continued  with  that  party  until  it  became 
merged  in  the  Republican  party,  since  which 
time  he  has  always  remained  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Chicago 
Convention  in  1860,  and  aided  in  procuring 
the  nomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Mr.  Davis  was  married,  on  the  1 7th  of  May, 
1838,  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  to  Miss 
Sophia  Heekman,  of  that  city,  the  ceremony 
being  performed  by  Rev.  Joshua  Rogers,  then 
pastor  of  Trinity  Church,  Easton,  Pa.  Four 
children  were  born  to  them,  two  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  Of  the  two  surviving  children,  one 
is  Dr.  Arthur  H.  Davis,  a  practicing  physician 
of  Philadelphia,  and    the   other,   Mary  Alice, 


intermarried  with  Rev.  Theophilus  Heilig,  a 
clergyman  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  resident  in 
Stroudsburg. 

Hon.  James  H.  Walton  was  born  in 
Stroudsburg,  Monroe  County,  Pa.,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  preliminary  as  well  as  professional 
education.  He  studied  law  under  Peter 
Wyckoff  and  William  Davis,  Esq.,  and  was  ad- 
mitted about  1840.  He  soon  acquired  an 
extensive  and  lucrative  practice,  and  was  for 
many  years  closely  identified  with  the  business, 
political  and  social  affairs  of  the  county.  Pos- 
sessed of  an  easy  address  and  popular  manners, 
a  fluent  speaker,  and  of  hospitable  and  genial 
nature,  Mr.  Walton  was  a  favorite  among  the 
people,  and  a  ready  and  effective  political  cam- 
paigner. 

Having  already  filled  several  minor  county 
offices,  and  one  or  more  terms  as  State  Senator, 
he  was,  in  the  year  1857,  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Buchanan  as  treasurer  of  the  United 
States  Mint,  in  Philadelphia,  and  soon  there- 
after he  removed  with  his  family  to  that  city. 
He  continued  to  discharge  the  duties  of  his  ap- 
pointment with  fidelity,  until  a  change  of 
administration  brought  in  his  successor,  when  he 
opened  a  broker's  office,  in  South  Third  Street, 
in  partnership  with  a  Mr.  Yost,  under  the  firm- 
name  of  Walton  &  Yost.  They  did  a  large 
business  for  some  years.  About  the  year  1869 
Mr.  Walton  returned  to  Stroudsburg  and  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  his  profession,  which  he 
continued  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  in  the 
year  1875. 

Mr.  Walton  belonged  to  a  large  and  in- 
fluential family,  being  a  son  of  Dr.  William  D. 
Walton,  whose  numerous  desceudants  still  live 
in  and  around  Stroudsburg,  although  the  im- 
mediate family  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
broken5  up'and  scattered,  his  wife  having  died 
a  few  years  after  her  husbaud,  and  his  children 
being  now  settled  in  Philadelphia  and  elsewhere 
His  youngest  son,  Harry,  is  a  rising  young  law- 
yer of  Philadelphia,  giving  much  promise  of  a 
successful  career. 

Hon.  Charlton  Burnett  was  born  in 
Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  on  August  31,  1826.  He 
received  an  academic  education,  and  for  some 
years  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  Pennsylvania 


MONKOK  COUNTY. 


997 


and  New  Jersey,  subsequent  to  which  he  was 
engaged  as  a  book-keeper  in  Newbern,  N.  C. 
On  his  return  North,  in  the  year  1846,  he 
began  reading  law  with  the  Hon.  William 
Davis,  in  Stroudsburg,  and  pursued  his  studies 
under  Mr.  Davis  for  the  period  of  four  years, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Monroe  County 
in  the  year  1850.  Subsequently  he  held  the 
office  of  district  attorney  and  county  treasurer 
of  the  county  of  Monroe. 

In  186(5  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Senate  of  Pennsylvania  for  the  term  of  three 
years. 

In  1875  he  was  again  elected  to  the  State 
Senate,  serving  as  a  member  of  that  body  dur- 
ing the  years  '76,  '77  and  '78. 

On  the  expiration  of  his  second  term  in  the 
Senate  he  resumed  his  practice  of  the  law, 
which  he  has  pursued  to  the  present  time. 

Rogers  L.  Burnett,  a  son  of  Hon. 
Charlton  Burnett,  was  born  in  Stroudsburg, 
Pa.,  on  October  25,  1856.  He  received  a  mili- 
tary education  at  the  United  States  Academy  at 
West  Point,  having  been  appointed  a  cadet  at 
this  institution,  in  the  year  1874,  by  the  Hon. 
John  B.  Storm,  member  of  Congress  from  this 
district. 

Upon  leaving  West  Point,  in  the  year  1878 
he  began  reading  law  in  the  office  of  his  father, 
and  on  February  28,  1882,  was  admitted  to 
,  practice  in  the  several  courts  of  Monroe  Count)-. 

In  November,  ^1884,  he  was  elected  district 
attorney  of  Monroe  County,  which  office  he  now 
holds. 

Stephen  Holmes  was  born  near  the  village  of 
Alfred,  the  county-seat  of  York  County,  Maine, 
May  16,  1836,  and  was  the  youngest  of  the 
four  children  of  Stephen  and  Nancy  (Meserve) 
Holmes.  He  received  a  thorough  English  ed- 
ucation in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
place,  supplemented  by  an  academic  course  at 
Alfred  and  at  Limerick,  in  the  same  county, 
and  at  Yarmouth,  near  Portland,  Maine,  and  at 
the  age  of  eighteen,  having  comjjleted  his  edu- 
cation, came  to  Pennsylvania.  The  next  three 
years  were  spent  in  teaching  school  at  different 
points  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  and 
acting  as  clerk  and  book-keeper  for  different 
concerns.     In  May,  1858,  he  accepted  the  posi- 


tion of  principal  of  tin-  public  schools  of  Strouds- 
burg, and,  with  the  exception  of  one  year,  has 
since  resided  at  that  place.  In  the  fall  of  1858 
he  entered  the  office  of  Hon.  S.  S.  Dreher,  then 
one  of  the  leading  practitioners  of  Monroe 
County,  as  a  student  of  law,  still  continuing 
to  hold  his  position  in  connection  with  the 
public  schools  until  the  spring  of  1861.  At 
December  Term,  I860,  having  previously  passed 
a  satisfactory  examination  before  a  committee, 
composed  of  William  Davis,  Esq.,  of  Monroe, 
Lucius  Barnes,  Esq., of  Pike,  and  Max  Goepp, 
Esq.,  of  Northampton  Counties,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  in  the  several  courts  of 
Monroe  County.  While  engaged  in  super- 
intending the  schools  of  the  borough,  and  pur- 
suing his  studies,  he  also  devoted  himself  quite 
extensively  to  literary  work  as  contributor  to 
various  periodicals.  In  the  fall  of  1861  he  en- 
tered upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  As- 
bury,  Warren  County,  New  Jersey,  but  the  field 
not  proving  a  promising  one,  he  returned  to 
Stroudsburg  in  the  fall  of  1862,  and  the  year 
following  was  elected  district  attorney  of  Mon- 
roe County,  continuing  to  fill  that  position  for 
three  successive  terms,  until  the  fall  of  1872. 
In  the  fall  of  1869  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  and  at 
the  present  time  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  an 
extended  practice  in  Monroe  and  adjoining 
counties. 

As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Holmes  has  taken  high  rank 
in  his  profession,  having  been  thoroughly  fitted 
by  his  course  of  preparatory  training  for  the 
attainment  of  its  highest  rewards.  His  career 
as  district  attorney  first  manifested  to  the  public 
the  possession  of  that  acumen  and  fertility  of 
resource  so  necessary  in  the  incumbent  of  that 
office,  and  displayed  to  the  fullest  extent  a  per- 
sistency and  determination  of  character  that  has 
since  marked  his  career.  He  is  a  close  and  in- 
dustrious student,  preparing  his  cases  with  care 
and  system,  and  neglecting  no  point  that  can  be 
brought  to  bear  in  behalf  of  his  client's  inter- 
ests. He  is  a  good  speaker,  putting  his  points 
with  force  and  cogency,  and  seldom  failing  to 
interest  and  hold  the  attention  of  the  jury.  He 
also  occupies  a  prominent  place  as  a  man  in  the 
community  in  which  he  resides,  and  freely  sup- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA 


ports  and  lends  his  encouragement  to  all  move- 
ments of  a  progressive  or  elevating  character. 
He  is  a  useful  member  and  elder  of  the  Strouds- 
hurg  Presbyterian  Church,  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Stroudsburg  Bank,  of 
which  institution  he  is  counsel,  and  also  counsel 
for  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna  and  Western 
Railroad  Company.  In  politics  he  is  an  earnest 


ried,  in  18(i4,  Miss  Georgiana  Blair,  formerly 
of  Hope,  N.  .1.,  but  more  recently  of  Strouds- 
burg, Pa.,  and  has  three  children,  namely,  Edith 
May,  Frank  Blair  and  Norman  Meserve 
Holmes. 

Hon.  John  B.  Storm. — Foremost  among 
the  favorite  children  of  old  Monroe,  of  the 
present  generation,  we  may  place  the  subject  of 


supporter  of  the  principles  and  purposes  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  an  influential  member 
of  the  party  organization  in  Monroe  County. 
He  is  held  in  universal  respect  by  the  commu- 
nity with  which  he  has  identified  himself,  and 
whose  confidence  he  enjoys,  and  having  accom- 
plished what  he  has  at  so  early  a  time  in  life, 
has  a  promising   future  before  him.     He  mar- 


tins sketch.  Born  in  Hamilton  township,  in 
the  year  1838,  a  farmer's  son,  his  early  years 
were  passed  in  the  occupations  incident  to  his 
position,  and  presented  meagre  opportunities  for 
mental  culture.  By  sheer  determination  and 
force  of  character  he  pressed  his  way  through 
the  preparatory  schools,  and  finally  graduated 
from  Dickinson  College  in  the  year  1861. 


MONROE   COUNTY. 


Immediately  after  graduating  Mr.  Storm 
commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Hon.  S.  S.  Dreher,  and  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  the  year  1863.  He  had  before  this 
received  the  appointment  of  county  superin- 
tendent of  common  schools,  to  fill  a  vacancy  ; 
and  at  the  next  election  for  that  office  was 
elected  for  the  full  term  of  three  years,  and 
subsequently  re-elected.  In  the  year  1870  he 
received  the  Democratic  nomination  for  Con- 
gress, which  was  followed  by  his  election  to  the 
Forty-second  and  two  years  later  to  the  Forty- 
third  Congresses.  After  serving  four  years  as  a 
member  of  these  bodies  he  returned  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  which  he  pursued 
with  great  vigor  and  success  until  the  year 
1882,  when  he  was  again  nominated  over  dis- 
tinguished competitors  for  the  Forty-eighth 
Congress.  This  nomination  was  again  followed 
by  his  election,  and  again  by  his  re-election  in 
1884,  so  that  he  may  now  be  classed  as  a  veteran 
in  Congress. 

The  course  of  Mr.  Storm  in  Congress  has 
been  conservative  and  judicious,  and  although 
he  has  not  continually  thrust  himself  upon  pub- 
lic attention,  his  voice,  whenever  it  has  been 
raised  on  important  questions,  has  commanded 
respectful  consideration.  As  a  public  speaker 
Mr.  Storm  is  possessed  of  more  than  ordinary 
ability,  and  in  debate  his  efforts  will  compare 
favorably  with  the  best  of  his  contemporaries. 
As  a  lawyer  he  has  acquired  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive practice  and  is  noted  for  the  zeal  and  suc- 
cess with  which  he  conducts  trials  at  the  bar. 

In  politics  he  is  an  active  and  enthusiastic 
Democrat,  laboring  constantly  for  the  success  of 
his  party.  He  has  long  been  chairman  of  the 
Democratic  County  Committee. 

As  in  secular  concerns,  so  Mr.  Storm  carries 
the  same  spirit  and  vigor  into  religious  matters 
and  the  interests  of  the  church.  He  has  long  been 
a  prominent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Stroudsburg,  and  occasionally  supplies 
its  pulpit — always  with  great  acceptance. 

He  was  married,  in  1865,  to  Miss  Harriet 
Brown,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Brown,  of  East 
Stroudsburg,  by  whom  he  has  had  four  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom — a  daughter  and  two 
sons — survive. 


Lewis  M.  BursoiN,  born  July  28,  1822,  in 
Stroud  township,  Northampton  County  (now 
Monroe),  reoeived  an  academic  education,  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  under  John  D.  Mor- 
ris, August,  1840,  and  in  September,  1843,  was 
admitted  to  practice.  In  June,  1849,  he  sailed 
from  New  York  around  Cape  Horn  to  Califor- 
nia and  arrived  in  San  Francisco  December  20, 
1849.  While  in  California  he  was  located  most 
of  the  time  in  Humbold  County,  where  he  served 
several  terms  as  district  attorney  and  represented 
that  county  in  the  Legislature  in  the  year  1860. 
In  1866  he  went  to  Helena,  Montana  Territory, 
where  he  remained  about  two  years  and  then  re- 
turned to  California.  In  the  fall  of  1870  he  re- 
turned to  Stroudsburg,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

Thomas  McFall  McIlhaney  (1823-85), 
born  in  Lower  Mount  Bethel  township,  North- 
ampton County,  Pa.,  after  serving  the  county 
as  deputy  prothonotary  from  1854-57  and  pro- 
thonotary  from  1860  to  1878,  late  in  life 
read  law  with  Hon.  Charlton  Burnett,  of 
Stroudsburg,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  as  an 
attorney -at-law  in  1880.  He  soon  acquired  con- 
sidei'able  practice  on  account  of  his  large  ac- 
quaintance and  the  implicit  confidence  reposed 
in  him  by  his  many  friends,  and  continued  to 
labor  successfully  in  his  profession  until  his 
sudden  decease.  An  extended  sketch  may  be 
found  of  him  in  another  chapter. 

David  S.  Lee  was  born  in  Monroe  County, 
Pa.,  August  19,  1840;  engaged  in  teaching 
school  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years ;  October 
16,  1862,  enlisted  in  the  army;  was  orderly 
sergeant  of  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and 
Seventy-sixth  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volun- 
teers, and  was  honorably  discharged  October  17, 
1863,  by  reason  of  expiration  of  term  ;  was 
vice-principal  of  the  Mauch  Chunk  Academy, 
Carbon  County,  in  the  latter  part  of  1863,  and 
in  1864-65.  In  1865  commenced  the  reading 
of  law  at  Mauch  Chunk,  under  Hon.  M.  M. 
Dimmick.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year 
he  removed  to  Stroudsburg,  and  became  prin- 
cipal of  Stroudsburg  Academy,  which  position 
he  held  for  two  years,  at  the  same  time  continu- 
ing his  legal  studies  under  Hon.  C.  Burnett. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Monroe  County 
February  28,  1867. 


1011(1 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


In  1872  Mr.  Lee  was  elected  district  attor- 
ney over  numerous  competitors,  after  a  spirited 
canvass,  and  was  subsequently  twice  re-elected, 
serving  until  the  fall  of  1881. 

Chari.es  B.  Staples  was  born  at  Strouds- 
burg,  Pa.,  November  24, 1853,  the  son  of  Rich- 
ard S.  and  Mary  A.  Staples;  was  educated  in 
common  and  select  schools,  and  fitted  for  col- 
lege under  a  private  tutor  ;  entered  Dickinson 
College  in  1870,  and  graduated  in  1874,  the 
second  in  his  class  in  rank,  and  bearing  the 
honor  of  class  prophet,  and  anniversarian  of  the 
Belles-Lettres  Literary  Society.  He  studied 
law  under  William  Davis,  Esq.,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  May  26,  1876.  In  1880 
Mr.  Staples  was  a  delegate  to  the  National 
I  democratic  Convention,  held  in  Cincinnati.  In 
1881  he  was  elected  school  director  of  the  bor- 
ough of  Stroudsburg,  which  office,  however,  he 
resigned  after  serving  one  year.  In  1882  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  State  Central 
Committee.  On  May  14,  1885,  he  was  ap- 
pointed collector  of  internal  revenue  of  the 
Twelfth  Pennsylvania  District  by  President 
Cleveland,  and  assumed  the  duties  of  the  office 
June  8,  1885. 

Archibald  A.  Dinsmore  is  the  third  child 
of  Thomas  H.  and  Elizabeth  M.  Dinsmore.  He. 
was  born  at  West  Point,  Lee  County,  Iowa, 
<  tatober  30,  1851.  In  the  spring  of  1853  his 
parents  removed  to  Washington,  Washington 
County,  Iowa,  where  they  resided  until  the 
spring  of  1859,  and  lived  subsequently  at  Vau 
Rensselaer,  Mo.,  and  at  other  points  in  that 
State  and  in  Kansas,  where  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  received  an  academic  and  collegiate  edu- 
cation. 

In  September,  1873,  he  came  to  Stroudsburg 
and  taught  in  the  public  school  until  June, 
1874,  when  he  became  assistant  book-keeper 
for  the  Tanite  Company,  where  he  remained 
over  a  year,  and  then  commenced  the  study  of 
law  under  Hon.  C.  Burnett;  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  May  26,  1876. 

In  1877  Mr.  Dinsmore  was  commissioned 
county  superintendent  of  common  schools  to 
till  a  vacancy.  The  following  year  he  was 
elected  for  the  term  of  three  years,  and  has  been 
since   twice   re-elected.     He   was   married  No- 


vember 15,  1877,  to  Elizabeth,  second  daughter 
of  Hon.  Samuel  S.  Dreher,  by  whom  he  has 
had  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter. 

John  B.  Williams  is  the  oldest  son  of 
Jeremiah  and  Susan  Ruth  Williams,  born  at 
South  Sterling,  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  June  21, 
1854;  educated  in  common  schools,  Hollister- 
ville  Academy,  at  Hollisterville,  and  in  the 
State  Normal  School,  at  Trenton,  N.  J. ;  com- 
menced life  as  a  school-teacher,  then  served 
several  years  as  a  book-keeper  and  correspond- 
ent for  a  glass  manufacturing  company.  He 
then  registered  as  a  student-at-law  under  A.  A. 
Dinsmore,  Esq.,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
December,  1884.  He  has  given  some  attention 
to  military  affairs,  and  is  now  captain  of  Com- 
pany F,  Thirteenth  Regiment  Pennsylvania 
National  Guards. 

Henry  J.  Kotz,  born  at  New  Village  (now 
Bangor),  Northampton  County,  Pa.,  March  4, 
1846,  is  the  eldest  son  of  Jeremiah  Kotz. 
He  received  an  academic  education  at  the  Mo- 
ravian School,  at  Nazareth,  Pa.,  and  afterwards 
graduated  at  Eastman  Commercial  College ; 
studied  law  under  Hon.  J.  B.  Storm,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  December  16,  1879  ;  was 
elected  district  attorney  in  1881  and  served  one 
term. 

Jos.  H.  Shull,  born  August  17,  1848,  a 
son  of  Elias  Shull,  of  Northampton  County, 
Pa.,  was  educated  at  Lafayette  College,  Easton, 
Pa. ;  read  law  under  Hon.  Charlton  Burnett, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  year  1878. 

Cicero  Gearhart,  is  a  son  of  S.  Rees  Gear- 
hart,  of  Chestnut  Hill  township,  Monroe 
County,  Pa.  ;  educated  at  Franklin  and  Mar- 
shall College,  Lancaster,  Pa. ;  read  law  under 
A.  A.  Dinsmore,  Esq.,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  October  2,  1885. 

John  E.  Shull  was  born  August  5,  1846, 
in  Lower  Mount  Bethel  township,  Northampton 
County,  Pa.,  a  son  of  Elias  and  Margaret 
Shull ;  was  educated  at  Lafayette  College 
and  spent  some  time  in  teaching ;  read  law 
under  John  A.  Nash,  Esq.,  of  Pottsville,  Pa., 
and  was  admitted  there  in  November,  1881  ; 
removed  to  Stroudsburg  in  1883. 

There  are  many  more  names  which  ought  to 
grace  these    pages,  — names    of   former    practi- 


.MONROE  COUNTY. 


doners  at  this  bar,  some  of  whom  have  removed 
to  other  localities,  and  many  more  of  whom 
are  dead  ;  names  of  men  who  have  been  promi- 
nent and  honored  members  of  society  and  a 
power  in  their  profession, — but  our  space  is  lim- 
ited and  will  not  permit  of  more  extended  no- 
tices. We  have  aimed  to  give  a  list  of  all  who 
are  now  in  active  practice,  of  all  living  and  re- 
tired members  resident  here,  together  with  a  few 
of  the  best  known  deceased  members.  Our 
work  has  been  done  amid  the  turmoil  of  pro- 
fessional engagements,  and  without  that  oppor- 
tunity for  care  and  deliberation  which  we  could 
have  desired,  but  we  have  certainly  endeavored 
to  deal  fairly  and  impartially  with  all,  living 
and  dead.  In  the  language  of  an  immortal 
utterance, — "  With  malice  towards  none,  but 
with  charity  for  all," — we  invoke  the  spirit  of 
charity  from  all  concerned  toward  these  desul- 
tory and  imperfect  sketches. 


CHAPTER    III. 

MEDICINE         AND         PHYSICIANS  PERSONAL 

SKETCHES1 — DENTAL   SURGERY. 

The  physicians  of  Monroe,  and  formerly  of 
Northampton  County,  have  always  been  held 
in  high  esteem.  Some  of  the  oldest  and  most 
prominent  names  of  the  profession  have  been 
included  among  them. 

Though  there  has  never  been  any  medical  as- 
sociation organized  in  the  county,  the  dignity 
and  honor  of  the  profession  have  been  generally 
of  a  high  standard.  A  member  might  occa- 
sionally act  in  such  a  way  as  to  forfeit  the  con- 
fidence of  his  brethren,  but  he  has  soon  found 
the  necessity  to  conform  to  the  principles  which 
are  requisite  for  fraternity  in  such  a  profession. 
The  healthfulness  of  the  region  has  been  always 
proverbial.  The  seekers  after  health  have  re- 
sorted to  the  glens,  hill  and  dales,  and  have 
been  generally  repaid  for  the  visit.  At  this 
time  the  salubrity  is  so  renowned  that  scarcely 
a  farm-house  which  has  an  extra  chamber  and 
which  is  within  accessible  distance  can  be  found 
that  is  not  occupied  by  "  su mmer  boarders."  The 
Water  Gap  was  the  original  place  of  attraction, 


By  Dr.  F.  Kuightun. 


but  the  overflow  affects  the  whole  country  to  a 
great  extent.  The  influence,  too,  of  this  irrup- 
tion into  our  houses  is  also  very  perceptible 
upon  the  culture  of  the  residents.  The  differ- 
ence in  the  manners,  in  the  mode  of  expression 
and  iu  the  choice  of  words  has  banished  the 
former  rustic  uncouthness,  and  the  people  who 
were  formerly  regarded  as  "  back-woods  popu- 
lation "  show  a  degree  of  refinement  that  often 
surprises.  Almost  every  country  home  is  thus 
converted  into  a  health  invigorating  resort,  and 
if  it  cannot  be  said  that  the  sojourn  among  the 
hills  imparts  a  civilizing  influence,  it  can  be 
truly  asserted  that  it  has  "  softened  the  rude, 
and  calmed  the  boisterous  mind." 

Another  incidental  influence,  though  per- 
haps not  of  a  salubrious  character,  though  it 
may  be  considered  such  remotely,  is  the  active 
religious  element  that  is  impressed  into  many  of 
the  country  churches.  Earnest  Christain 
workers  are  often  among  the  guests  who  resort 
to  the  different  localities,  who  take  a  deep  in- 
terest in  the  undeveloped  religious  material, 
and  not  only  invest  it  with  a  different  life,  but 
impress  upon  the  people  the  possibility,  as  well 
as  the  luxury,  of  doing  good. 

Invalids  among  the  strangers  are  at  times 
numerous,  and  the  salubrity  of  the  climate  or 
the  gentle  exercise  of  fishing  or  hunting,  to- 
gether with  the  advice  of  some  judicious  phy- 
sician, contribute  towards  the  re-establishmeut 
of  partial  health.  There  have  been  some  in- 
stances of  extreme  longevity,  as  in  the  case  of 
George  Le  Bar,  elsewhere  noticed,  and  a  hale  old 
age  is  not  uncommonly  seen  on  the  streets  and 
at  the  homes  in  the  country. 

Among  the  names  having  more  than  a  local 
reputation  is  that  of  Linderman.  The  father 
of  the  two  more  distinguished  of  the  name  was 
John  J.  Linderman,  of  German  descent,  who 
settled  in  Pike  County,  where  he  practiced 
medicine  for  more  than  fifty  years.  He  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Hon.  Richard  Brodhead 
and  sister  of  Hon.  Richard  Brodhead,  late  Sen- 
ator from  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  Henry  Richard  Linderman,  son  of 
the  above,  was  born  in  Lehman  township,  Pike 
County,  December  26,  182o.  After  as  thorough 
an  academic  education    as  the  opportunities  af- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


forded,  he  read  aud  practiced  medicine  with 
his  father,  having  attended  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  New  York,  and  the 
New  York  Hospital.  He  remained  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  until  the  year  1845.  In 
the  early  part  of  1851  he  removed  to  Carbon 
County,  where  he  remained  nearly  three  years. 
In  September,  1853,  he  was  appointed  principal 
clerk  in  the  office  of  director  of  the  Mint,  in 
Philadelphia.  He  continued  in  this  position 
until  1865,  acquiring  the  knowledge  of  the 
duties  which  so  fully  qualified  him  for  his  sub- 
sequent position.  In  1867  he  was  appointed  a 
director  of  the  Mint,  which  place  he  filled  two 
years.  In  July,  1869,  he  was  selected  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  toexamine  the  branch 
Mints  and  obviate  the  wastage  in  smelting  gold 
and  silver  bullion.  He  suggested  several  im- 
provements, which  were  adopted  in  the  coinage, 
and  in  preparing  the  act  of  1873.  In  this  lat- 
ter year  he  was  again  appointed  director  and  or- 
ganized what  is  known  as  the  Mint  Bureau.  In 
1877  he  published  "Views"  on  the  financial 
question  then  occupying  the  attention  of  the 
country,  particularly  upon  the  money  and  legal 
tender  in  the  United  States.  He  died  at  Wash- 
ington, January,  1879,  and  was  buried  at  Beth- 
lehem, Pa. 

Dr.  Garrett  Brodhead  Lindermast, 
brother  of  the  foregoing,  was  born  October  15, 
1829,  also  in  Pike  County.  He  received  his 
academic  education  in  his  native  county,  until 
he  was  prepared  to  enter  upon  the  study  of 
medicine,  which  he  prosecuted  under  his  fath- 
er's direction,  and  was  graduated  in  March, 
1851,  at  the  University  of  New  York,  whence 
his  father  and  brother  had  graduated  before 
him.  He  first  settled  at  Uniouville,  Orange 
Couuty,  N.  Y.,  but  in  1854  left  there  for  Mauch 
Chunk.  In  1863  he  was  a  partner  in  the  firm 
of  Packer,  Linderman  &  Co.,  in  the  East  Sugar 
Loaf  Colliery.  After  1867  he  assumed  the 
agency  for  the  sale  of  coal  in  New  York,  and 
was  instruuiental  in  the  organization  of  the 
Lehigh  Coal  Exchange.  In  1870  he  removed 
to  Bethlehem,  aud  in  1872  organized  the  Lehigh 
Valley  National  Bank  there,  having  established 
the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  soundest  and 
-aost  progressive  business  men  in  Pennsylvania. 


Dr.  Fraxcis  Joseph  Smith  (Aerts)  settled 
in  Stroud  township  as  a  physician,  and  married 
Elizabeth  Brodhead,  to  whom  were  born  five 
daughters  and  a  son, — Francis  Joseph.  Dr. 
Smith  was  skillful  in  his  profession  and  a  man 
well  known  throughout  the  Minisink  Valley. 
We  give  a  short  sketch  penned  by  himself, — 

"  I  was  born  in  Brussels,  capital  city  of  the  Austrian 
Netherlands.  My  true  name  is  Josephus  Jacobus 
Aerts,  sou  ofZ.  B.  Aerts,  Lord  of  Opdorp  and  Ini- 
merseele.  I  altered  my  name  in  the  year  1777,  when 
I  proceeded  to  join  the  American  Army.  I  would  not 
expect  to  travel  through  Europe  (as  I  had  to  go 
through  France),  by  that  name,  without  being  ex- 
posed to  being  arrested  by  the  despotism,  either  of 
the  Emperatine  or  that  of  the  daughter — the  Queen 
of  France.  I  took  the  name  of  Smith,  and  my  pass- 
ports both  in  England  and  France  under  it,  also  my 
commission  from  Congress,  etc.  I  was  brought  up  in 
the  Roman  Catholic  religion,  in  which  I  was  regu- 
larty  instructed.  Having  been  employed  from  my 
youth  to  a  military  life,  but,  at  the  same  time,  to  the 
study  of  all  nations,  and  their  histories,  possessing 
the  German,  Low  Dutch,  French,  English,  Italian  and 
a  part  of  the  Greek  languages,  the  means  of  acquiring 
information  were  by  their  aid  facilitated.  I  took,  from 
the  age  of  eighteen,  an  extreme  aversion  to  despotic 
and  monarchical  governmeuts,  which,  in  part,  was 
the  occasion  of  my  being  made  a  State  prisoner,  and 
confined  in  irons  in  a  dungeon  for  six  months,  when  I 
made  a  lucky  esc  ipe  from  the  prison  in  Tomfels. 

"  I  went  into  Holland,  where  I  took  service  in  order 
to  be  protected  by  the  military.  Colonel  Mans,  who 
commanded  the  regiment  of  the  Prince  of  Milburg 
was  my  friend,  and  protected  me  until  his  death, 
when  I  traveled  through  the  greater  part  of  Europe, 
until  I  was  suffered  to  be  returned  to  Brussels. 
Having  endeavored  to  acquire  the  knowledge  of  the 
religions  of  all  kinds  of  nations,  sects,  etc.  I  am  now 
forty-six  or  forty-seven  years  of  age,  and  the  result  of 
my  inquiries  is  endorsed  in  the  following  lines  : 

"  All  sects  and  religions  differ  with  one  another, 
but  all  agree  that  there  is  one  God.  .  .  .  Ever 
since  1777  I  have  lived  in  America.  My  parents  died 
in  the  meauwhile,  and,  as  a  Rebel,  disinherited  me. 
My  brother,  Henricus  Aerts,  Lord  of  Borm  and  Op- 
dorp, invaded  my  patrimony,  which,  I  think,  ought 
to  amount  to  one  hundred  thousand  florins,  if  not 
more.  The  French  Republic,  I  hope,  will  keep  the 
Netherlands  and  do  justice  to  my  children,  with  dis- 
tinction on  an  equal  basis.  My  reasons  for  acting  as 
I  have  done  are  best  known  to  myself.  To  this  I 
would  add  that  if  it  was  not  done,  I  should  do  it 
again.  However,  these  reasons  are  known  to  some  of 
my  friends,  who  will  do  me  the  justice  to  explain 
them  at  a  future  day,  if  I  should  not  have  time  or  op- 
portunity to  do  it  myself.     After  my  decease,  I  wish 


MOXROK  COUNTY. 


1003 


these  few  lines  might  lie  published,  if  any  of  my 
friends  shall  see  cause  for  it.  My  desire,  further,  is  to 
be  buried  on  a  separate  spot  in  the  woods,  and  on  land 
claimed  by  me,  without  any  pump  or  ceremony  ;  car- 
ried by  old  Continental  officers  or  soldiers,  who  will 
be  so  obliging  as  to  perform  that  service." 

Dr..  Abraham  Reeves  Jackson  is  a  native 
of  Philadelphia,  born  June  17,  1827.  His 
parents  were  Washington  and  Deborah  Lee 
Jackson.  After  a  thorough  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  city  he  was  graduated 
with  honor  at  the  Central  High  School.  His 
first  inclination  was  for  civil  engineering,  but 
finding  it  not  so  congenial  to  his  taste  as  he  had 
anticipated,  he  entered  the  Medical  Department 
of  Pennsylvania  College,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1848.  His  first  location  was  Kresge- 
vi He,  in  Monroe  County,  whence  he  removed  to 
Columbia,  N.  J.,  and  thence  to  Stroudsburg, 
in  December  1849.  Here  he  was  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  medicine  twenty  years,  and 
few  have  ever  been  members  of  the  medical 
fraternity  who  have  attained  and  deserved  a 
higher  reputation.  In  1862  he  entered  the 
United  States  Army  as  contract  surgeon,  but 
was  shortly  appointed  assistant  medical  director 
of  the  Arm}'  of  Virginia.  His  constant  expos- 
ure to  the  malarious  influences  of  the  climate 
and  camp  life  brought  on  an  attack  of  typhoid, 
which  compelled  his  return  to  Stroudsburg. 
Through  his  exertions  was  organized  the 
Monroe  County  Agricultural  Society,  which 
was  of  great  utility,  and  of  which  he  was  secre- 
tary for  several  years.  Those  who  have  read 
Mark  Twain's  "  Innocents  Abroad,"  will  re- 
member the  "  Doctor,"  who  gave  occasion  and 
richly  enjoyed  the  humor  of  his  stateroom  chum. 

In  May,  1870  he  removed  to  Chicago,  hav- 
ing lost  his  wife,  and  entered  upon  what  had 
long  been  entertained  as  the  most  important 
sphere  of  his  life.  He  projected  and  carried 
into  successful  operation  the  establishment  of  a 
hospital,  exclusively  for  women.  This  institu- 
tion was  incorporated  September,  1871,  and  has 
become  one  of  the  most  beneficent  institutions 
in  the  West.  In  1872  he  was  appointed  lec- 
turer on  gynaecology  in  Push  Medical  College, 
which  position  he  held  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  relinquished  it  only  when  his  extensive 
practice  demanded  it. 


Dr.  Jackson  is  a  valued  contributor  to  the 
best  medical  journals,  and  is  everywhere  rec- 
ognized as  an  authority  in  his  favorite  depart- 
ment of  the  science.  Since  1874  he  has  edited 
the  Chicago  Medical  Register.  He  is  now 
president  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons of  Chicago,  and  also  professor  of  gynae- 
cology iu  the  same  institution.  He  is  also  as- 
sociate editor  of  the  Independent  Practitioner 
of  New  York,  and  of  the  Western  Medical  Re- 
porter of  Chicago.  In  addition  to  his  arduous 
professional  duties,  he  is  fond  of  literature,  and 
able  to  indulge  his  taste  in  this  pastime.  He  is 
also  a  remarkably  social  person,  and  a  favorite 
in  all  society  wherever  he  makes  his  entrance. 
He  is  a  religious  man,  having  early  connected 
himself  with  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Upon 
the  removal  of  Dr.  Jackson  from  Stroudsburg, 
he  relinquished  his  practice  in  favor  of  his 
brother,  George  W.  Jackson,  who  remained  in 
the  profession  and  acquired  considerable  reputa- 
tion until  a  premature  demise,  in  1877. 

Philip  M.  Bush.— In  a  little  hamlet  called 
Marshall's  Creek,  and  about  six  miles  north  of 
Stroudsburg,  still  lives  Dr.  Philip  M.  Bush,  at 
an  advanced  age,  though  very  active  and  ener- 
getic. His  family  was  of  Holland  origin.  The 
two  streams  of  settlement,  viz.,  that  of  Holland 
origin  from  New  Amsterdam  following  the 
Hudson  or  North  River,  and  the  English  from 
Philadelphia,  following  the  "  South  "  or  Dela- 
ware/met about  Bushkill  or  Shawnee,  and  the 
traces  of  each  are  distinctly  perceptible  to  this 
day. 

The  Bush  family,  or  Bosch,  as  written  by 
the  Hollanders,  seems  to  have  crossed  over 
from  Esopus  or  Rondout,  on  the  Hudson,  and 
met  the  north-moving  colonists  from  Philadel- 
phia, and  settled  on  the  plain  about  Shawnee. 

Dr.  Bush  was  born  in  Stroud  township.  He 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Herring,  of  Hamil- 
ton township,  then  in  the  county  of  Northamp- 
ton. 

He  attended  the  medical  institution  of 
Jefferson  College,  in  Philadelphia,  during  the 
winters  of  1833  and  1834.  He  settled  at 
Craig's  Meadows  immediately  upon  his  leaving 
the  college,  and  remained  till  1838,  when  he  re- 
moved   to  his  present  place  of  residence.       He 


1004 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


was  chosen  to  the  State  Legislature  and  served 
in  1847,  but  refused  any  subsequent  political 
honors. 

He  has  had  a  large  practice,  and  though  over 
fifty  years  in  the  profession,  his  interest  has  not 
waned,  but  he  is  still  familiar  with  the  litera- 
ture of  the  profession.  He  still  visits  patients, 
and  is  preferred  by  many  of  those  who  know 
him  to  any  one  of  younger  years. 

Dr.  Horace  Bush,  son    of  Philip  M.,  was 


volume,  and  Sarah  (La  Bar)  Bush,  daughter  of 
George  La  Bar,  a  descendant  of  an  old  family 
in  Monroe  County. 

The  early  life  of  Dr.  Bush  was  passed  upon 
the  home-farm,  during  which  time  he  acquired 
a  portion  of  his  education  at  the  district  school, 
and  in  attendance  at  the  old  Stroudsburg 
Seminary,  taught  by  Mrs.  Lizzie  Malvern. 
He  closed  his  educational  course  at  Wyoming 
Seminary,  Kingston,  Luzerne  County,  Pa.     In 


0U.fa 


born  at  Marshall's  Creek  ;  and  was  graduated  at 
Jefferson  College,  Philadelphia,  in  1875.  He 
practiced  medicine  at  East  Stroudsburg,  in 
partnership  with  his  brother  for  a  time,  when  he 
removed  to  Wyalusing,  Bradford  County,  where 
he  still  resides. 

Dr.  Lewis  Bush  was  born  June  3, 1848,  on 
his  father's  homestead  at  Marshall's  Creek, 
Smithfield  township,  Monroe  County.  His 
parents  were  Dr.  Philip  M.  Bush,  whose  life 
and  ancestry   are  elsewhere   written  of  in  this 


18139  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine 
with  his  father,  and  subsequently  attended 
lectures  at  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  at 
Philadelphia,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine in  1872.  That  same  year  he  located  in 
practice  at  the  Delaware  Water  Gap,  where  he 
remained  only  a  few  months,  and  then  estab- 
lished himself  at  East  Stroudsburg,  where  he 
has  since  continued  in  the  active  and  successful 
practice  of  his  professiou.     In  April,  1883,  he 


MONKOE  COUNTY. 


10(15 


admitted  to  partnership  with  him  Dr.  Irvine 
R.  Bush,  also  a  graduate  of  Jefferson  Medical 
College  in  the  class  of  1883,  the  present  firm 
being  known  as  Drs.  L.  &  I.  R.  Bush,  and 
enjoying  a  wide  and  extended  practice. 

Dr.  Bush  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
progressive  and  public-spirited  citizens  of  East 
Stroudsburg,  and  is  identified  closely  with  the 
development  of  the  varied  interests  of  the  place. 
He  has  always  taken  deep  interest  in  the  schools 


at  Millersville,  Pa.,  in  the  spring  of  1879.  He 
began  the  study  of  medicine  under  his  brother, 
Lewis  Bush,  in  the  fall  of  1879.  He  began 
his  course  of  medical  lectures  and  study  in  the 
University  of  Michigan  in  1880,  and  continued 
it  in  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  at  Philadel- 
phia, graduating  thence  in  the  spring  of  1883. 
He  has  since  resided  in  East  Stroudsburg  and 
practices  in  connection  with  his  brother. 

Dr.  C.  M.  Broxxell  is  a  native  of  Central 


{£&> 


jM^t^ 


of  the  borough  and  served  as  a  director  for  three 
years,  and  as  secretary  of  the  school  board  for 
the  past  two  years.  He  is  the  owner  of  the 
rink  and  other  real  estate  in  East  Stroudsburg, 
contributes  freely  to  church  and  other  worthy 
institutions,  and  is  justly  popular  among  his 
fellow-citizens.  He  married,  in  1874,  Anna 
Louisa,  daughter  of  Joseph  Huntsberger,  of 
Centreville,  Northampton  County,  Pa. 

Dr.  I.  R.  Bush  was  born  at  Shawnee,  April 
14,    1859;  entered   the  State   Normal  School 


New  York,  and  was  graduated  at  the  Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  School,  in  Philadelphia,  in  1883. 
The  removal  of  Dr.  Dungan  left  a  vacancy 
which  he  has  ably  supplied,  and  he  is  working 
himself  into  what  is  called  a  good  practice. 

Dr.  Cicero  Brodhead,  the  son  of  Luke  W. 
Brodhead,  of  Delaware  Water  Gap,  was  born 
November  13,  1852.  He  studied  medicine 
with  Dr.  A.  Reeves  Jackson  and  was  graduated 
at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  the  spring 
of  1875.     During  his  brief  professional  life  he 


1000 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


V 


eudeared  himself  greatly  to  the  community,  and 
died  February,  1884. 

Dr.  M.  G.  Lesh  was  bom  iu  Hamilton 
township  and  attended  the  common  schools 
near  his  father's  home.  He  entered  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Kutztown,  where  he  passed 
the  term  of  18(37-68.  He  was  a  teacher  in  the 
district  schools  of  the  county  six  years.  He 
entered  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  graduated 
in  1873.  He  attended  also  a  post-graduate 
course  at  the  same  institution  one  year.  After 
three  and  a  half  years'  practice  in  other  com- 
munities he  settled  in  East  Stroudsburg  in  1877. 
His  reputation  as  a  physician  is  proven  by  the 
fact  that  during  the  short  time  he  has  been  in 
practice  he  has  had  no  less  than  nine  students 
whom  he  has  directed  into  the  mysteries  of  the 
profession. 

Dr.  James  Hollinshead,  one  of  the  old- 
est practitioners  of  the  county  which  was  after- 
wards called  Monroe,  was  born  in  Philadelphia 
December  31,  1768,  being  the  eleventh  in  a 
family  of  thirteen  children.  He  was  educated 
in  his  native  city  so  as  to  qualify  himself  for 
teaching,  which  he  entered  upon  at  Salem,  N.  J., 
where  he  engaged  in  the  study  of  medicine 
and  was  graduated  at  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

He  removed  to  Stroudsburg  about  the  year 
1792  and  lived  on  the  Posten  farm,  about  a  mile 
north  of  what  is  now  East  Stroudsburg.  He 
practiced  here  about  eighteen  years  and  estab- 
lished a  reputation  as  a  person  of  more  than 
ordinary  skill,  being  frequently  the  preferred 
consulting  physician  in  critical  or  serious  cases 
till  near  the  close  of  his  life.  He  was  appointed 
a  justice  of  the  peace  soon  after  his  settlement 
in  the  county,  in  which  capacity  he  acted  for 
many  years. 

Dr.  Hollinshead  was  of  a  very  social  dispo- 
sition, cheerful  and  inclined  to  mirthfulness. 
He  favored  all  religious  denominations  impar- 
tially, and  when  no  opportunity  for  attendance 
upon  his  preferred  choice  occurred  he  was  al- 
ways an  attendant  upon  the  Quaker  meetings. 
He  was  highly  respected  and  married  into  the 
Stroud  family.  He  died  near  Stroudsburg 
March  31,  1831. 


Do.  Frank  Hollinshead,  grandson  of  the 
above,  was  born  at  Stroudsburg  June  6,  1826. 
He  studied  medicine  under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
W.  P.  Vail  and  was  graduated  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania  April,  1848.  He  settled 
at  Richmond,  Northampton  County,  Pa.,  almost 
immediately  upon  graduation,  where  he  re- 
mained till  1854,  when  he  returned  to  Strouds- 
burg, and  after  two  years  of  languishing  illness 
he  died  December  24,  1856. 

Dr.  N.  C.  E.  Guth  was  born  May  2,  1850, 
in  South  Whitehall  township,  Lehigh  County, 
Pa.,  received  his  academic  education  at  Millers- 
ville  State  Normal  School  and  professional  edu- 
cation at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  was  graduated  March,  1873.  His 
first  settlement  was  at  Perkasie,  Bucks  County, 
where  he  remained  till  October,  1876.  He  then 
removed  to  Gilbert's,  Monroe  County,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  Besides  the  calls  of  his  pro- 
fession Dr.  Guth  is  an  active  and  efficient 
worker  in  Sunday-schools  and  all  agencies  of  a 
beneficent  character. 

Dr.  J.  F.  Lesh  was  born  in  Hamilton  town- 
ship and  attended  the  common  school  of  his 
district.  He  also  attended  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1876.  Soon  after  leaving  the 
university  he  was  appointed  resident  physician 
of  the  State  Hospital  at  Harrisburg,  which  he 
occupied  one  year.  He  was  settled  for  a  short 
time  at  Weisport,  and  for  one  and  a  half  years 
at  Sand  Cut,  also  at  East  Stroudsburg  one  year. 
He  is  now  a  professor  in  an  institution  in  Kan- 
sas. 

Dr.  Amzi  Le  Bar,  son  of  J.  Depue  Le  Bar, 
and  his  wife,  Sarah  Ann  (Bush)  Le  Bar,  was 
born  in  the  township  of  Pahaquarry,  Warren 
County,  New  Jersey,  November  16,  1842. 
When  six  years  of  age  his  father  removed  to 
his  native  township  of  Smithfield,  where  the 
Le  Bar  family  settled  at  a  very  early  period,  as 
will  be  seen  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  there 
the  boyhood  of  the  doctor  was  passed.  He  at- 
tended the  district  school  of  the  township,  where 
he  derived  the  rudiments  of  an  English  educa- 
tion, and  until  1862  assisted  his  father  in  his 
business  of  tanning,  lumbering  and  store-keep- 
ing, and  engaged  in  school-teaching.  That  year 
he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  one  hundred  and  forty- 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


second  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  as  orderly-ser- 
geant, and  served  in  the  army  in  behalf  of  the 
Union  cause  until  July  3,  1863,  when  he  was 
discharged  because  of  disability  resulting  from 
fever,  having  attained  the  rank  of  second  lieu- 
tenant. For  some  time  after  his  discharge  he 
was  sick  at  home,  and  it  was  the  fall  of  1864 
before  he  regained  his  health.  He  then  travel- 
ed for  a  few  months  in  Wisconsin  and  Iowa, 
and  taught  school  at  Shawnee  in  the  winter  of 
1864. 


in  the  fall  of  1867  located  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Elmer,  in  South  New  Jersey, 
where  he  remained  until  February,  1868.  He 
then  located  in  Ashley,  Pa.,  in  what  is  now 
Luzerne  County,  and  engaged  in  practice  there 
until  November,  1871,  when  he  removed  to 
East  Stroudsburg,  Monroe  County.  In  the 
spring  of  1874  he  established  himself  at 
Stroudsburg,  the  county-seat  of  Monroe  Coun- 
ty, where  he  has  since  remained  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  large  and  successful  practice.  In  July, 


In  the  spring  of  1865  he  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  H.  R.  Barnes,  for- 
merly of  Allentown,  Pa.,  but  then  practicing  at 
Shawnee,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  began  at- 
tending lectures  at  Jefferson  Medical  College, 
Philadelphia,  where  he  enjoyed  the  benefits  of 
three  courses,  including  two  in  the  summer 
season,  and  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1867.  After  graduation 
he  remained  for  still  another  lecture  season,  and 


1880,  he  purchased  the  old  Hollinshead  drug- 
store on  Main  Street,  and  is  now  devoting  his 
chief  attention  to  the  large  business  which  he 
has  secured  there,  chiefly  limiting  his  profes- 
sional work  to  office  practice,  though  not  alto- 
gether refusing  to  go  outside  to  visit  his  regular 
patients.  His  practice  includes  all  the  branches 
of  medical  treatment  prescribed  by  the  profes- 
sion, and  has  not  been  limited  to  any  specialty, 
although  in  the  department  of  obstetrics  his  ex- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


perience  has  been  extensive  and  successful.  He 
occupies  a  leading  social  position  in  Strouds- 
burg,  and  is  one  of  the  progressive  and  enter- 
prising citizens  of  the  place.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  since  he- 
was  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  takes  an  active 
part  in  connection  with  church  work  in  Strouds- 
burg,  being  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath- 
school  at  the  present  writing.  He  married,  in 
1868,  Marietta,  daughter  of  Samuel  Bush,  de- 
ceased of  Shawnee,  and  has  children,—  John 
Clyde  and  Mary  Le  Bar. 

Thomas  W.  Loweree  resided  in  Stroudsburg 
from  1870  to  1872,  more  for  the  recuperation  of 
his  own  health  than  for  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. 

Dr.  S.  S.  Levering  was  born  November  3, 
1839,  received  his  academical  education  at  Wy- 
oming Seminary  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
began  the  study  of  medicine.  In  1859  he  com- 
menced practicing  in  connection  with  his  father. 
In  1863  he  located  himself  in  Pleasant  Valley, 
where  he  remained  eight  years,  when  lie  re- 
moved to  Brodheadsville.  In  this  place  he  was 
engaged  in  active  practice  till  November,  1884, 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  man  widely 
known  and  of  considerable  skill  in  his  profes- 
sion. 

George  W.  Seip,  for  the  brief  period  that 
he  resided  in  Stroudsburg,  left  a  reputation  for 
activity  that  is  seldom  acquired  after  a  much 
longer  time.  He  first  settled  in  Tannersville 
March  14,  1862,  and  moved  to  Stroudsburg 
May  15,  1866,  where  he  remained  till  October, 
1874,  when  he  removed  to  Philadelphia.  He 
is  now  at  Reading,  connected  with  the  Eye  and 
Ear  Infirmary  of  that  city. 

William  H.  Seip,  brother  of  the  above, 
settled  at  Tannersville  in  the  spring  of  1859, 
but  removed  to  Bath  in  a  short  time,  where  he 
still  resides. 

J.  Anson  Singer  settled  at  Brodheadsville  in 
the  spring  of  1883  ;  was  graduated  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  City  of  New  York  just  pre- 
vious. 

Several  doctors  have  for  a  short  time  settled 
at  Delaware  Water  Gap,  but  the  proximity  to 
Stroudsburg  seems  to  have  given  the  invalids 
there  a  preference  for  the  established  physicians 


of  Stroudsburg,  so  that  their  stay  has  been  very 
brief.  Joseph  B.  Shaw,  however,  lias  prolonged 
his  residence  there  until  he  seems  to  have  made 
it  his  local  habitation.  Dr.  Shaw  was  born  at 
Cape  May  City,  N.  J.,  September  17,  1845.  His 
father,  being  a  sea-captain,  removed  to  Phila- 
delphia, which  gave  the  son  au  opportunity  to 
attend  the  schools  there.  After  his  academic 
education  he  passed  four  years  in  a  drug-store 
and  graduated  from  the  College  of  Pharmacy 
in  1866.  He  then  established  himself  in  the 
same  business  at  Darby,  Pa.  During  this  time 
he  studied  medicine  with  his  brother-in-law  and 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
in  1877.  In  1879  he  removed  to  Delaware 
Water  Gap,  and  has  succeeded  in  fixing  himself 
there  permanently. 

Dr.  Joseph  H.  Shull  is  a  descendant  in  the 
fourth  generation  of  Elias  Shull,  who  resided  at 
an  early  period  in  the  western  portion  of  North- 
ampton County,  Pa.  The  family  is  of  German 
origin,  but  the  exact  time  of  their  emigration 
to  this  country  is  not  known.  Philip,  son  of 
Elias  and  grandfather  of  Dr.  Shull,  originally 
resided  at  what  was  known  as  the  "  Dutch  Set- 
tlement," in  Northampton  County.  He  married 
Margaret  Bryant,  of  English  descent,  and  had 
a  family  of  children,  of  whom  Elias  was  the 
father  of  Dr.  Shull.  His  wife  was  Margaret 
Eakin,  a  representative  of  an  old  Scotch-Irish 
family,  and  to  them  were  born  five  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  second. 
The  others  are  John  E.  Shull,  principal  of  the 
borough  schools  of  Stroudsburg  ;  Jennie,  wife 
of  Peter  Ross,  of  Bangor,  Pa. ;  Philip,  a  far- 
mer in  Union  County,  Pa. ;  Samuel  Eakin, 
principal  of  the  schools  at  South  Easton  ;  and 
Elias,  engaged  in  the  printing  business  in  Cleve- 
land, O.  Dr.  Shull's  father  was  a  farmer,  a 
member  of  the  State  Legislature  from  North- 
ampton County. 

Dr.  Shull  was  born  at  Martin's  Creek,  North- 
ampton County,  Pa.,  August  17,  1848.  His 
earliest  education  was  derived  at  the  district 
school  at  that  place,  and  was  followed  by  a 
special  course  of  study  under  his  uncle,  Alex- 
ander S.  Shull,  and  at  Blairstown  Academy, 
N.  J.,  under  A.  A.  Stevens,  principal.  He  sub- 
sequently entered  Lafayette  College,  Easton,  in 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


the  class  of  1873,  but  did  not  complete  the  cur- 
riculum. After  a  year  at  college  life  he  engaged 
in  teaching  in  Eastern,  and  began  the  study  of 
medicine  with  Dr.  Q.  E.  Snyder,  continuing 
with  Dr.  Traill  Green,  of  Easton.  He  then 
attended  medical  lectures  at  the  Long  Island 
Hospital  College  for  a  term,  but  subsequently 
entered  Bellevue  Hospital  College,  New  York 
City,  where  he  completed  his    medical    educa- 


successful  and  continuous  practice  in  Strouds- 
burg  since  the  period  of  his  location  there.  He 
is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  skillful  and  re- 
liable practitioners  of  Monroe  County,  and  his 
services  and  medical  knowledge  are  in  constant 
demand.  He  is  one  of  the  most  energetic  and 
studious  citizens  of  Stroudsburg,  and  is  con- 
stantly adding  to  his  store  of  knowledge  and  ex- 
tending the  sphere  of  his  usefulness.     Having 


tion  and    was    graduated    with    the   degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine  in  February,  1873. 

Immediately  after  graduating  he  began  prac- 
tice in  the  hospital  connected  with  the  college, 
and  remained  there  nine  months.  Late  in  the 
year  1873  he  returned  to  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  and 
entered  upon  the  active  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. With  the  exception  of  the  absence  of  a 
few  months  in  1874,  during  which  time  he 
traveled  in  the  West  and  South,  he  has  been  in 


been  called  as  an  expert  witness  to  testify  in 
several  important  cases  in  the  courts  of  Monroe 
and  Northampton  Counties,  he  formed  the  idea 
of  acquiring  the  legal  profession  also,  and  after 
two  years  of  special  preparation  in  the  office  of 
Colonel  Charlton  Burnett,  of  Stroudsburg,  was 
duly  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Monroe  County  in 
1877,  after  a  satisfactory  examination.  He  was 
thus  one  of  the  few  men  in  the  State  who  is  a 
member  of  both   the  legal  and  medical   profes- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.  PENNSYLVANIA. 


sious.  He  has  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law 
to  some  extent,  but  is  chiefly  occupied  at  the 
present  writing  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and 
in  looking  after  various  business  enterprises 
with  which  he  is  identified.  He  is  largely  in- 
terested in  the  development  of  the  slate  interests 
of  Northampton  County,  and  part  owner  of  the 
Monroe  Democrat,  of  Stroudsburg.  He  is  an 
ardent  supporter  of  the  principles  and  policy  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  one  of  the  leaders 
in  that  organization  in  Monroe  County.  He 
is  the  presiding  officer  of  Barger  Lodge,  No. 
325,  F.  and  A.  M.,  of  Stroudsburg,  a  mem- 
ber of  Martin's  Creek  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
connected  with  other  organizations  and  enter- 
prises calculated  to  promote  the  material  or  so- 
cial prosperity  of  the  community  in  which  he 
resides.  He  married,  May  1,  1873,  Miss  M. 
V.  Flory,  of  Bangor,  Pa.,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren,— Claude,  Samuel  and  Lucille  Shull. 

Dr.  F.  W.  Sopeb  succeeded  Dr.  J.W.  Flick 
in  practice  in  1884  in  Stroudsburg,  where  he 
remained  till  November,  1885,  and  removed  to 
Philadelphia. 

Dr.  Samuel  Stokes  came  to  Stroudsburg 
from  Bucks  County  about  1820.  He  first  as- 
sociated with  his  practice  the  business  of  an 
apothecary,  there  being  no  supplies  of  that 
kind  obtainable  nearer  than  Easton.  He  grad- 
ually made  it  his  business,  and  with  the  inter- 
mission of  three  years  at  Kellcrsville,  resided  in 
Stroudsburg  until  his  death,  in  1858.  Dr. 
Stokes'  residence  and  place  of  business  was  that 
now  occupied  by  Hon.  S.  S.  Dreher. 

Dr.  W.  E.  Gregory  was  graduated  in  medi- 
cine in  the  spring  of  1877,  and  selected  Scioto 
as  a  place  of  settlement.  He  is  at  present  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  E.  Grewer  was  graduated  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  in  the  spring  of  1873. 
His  first  settlement  was  at  Maple  Grove,  near 
Bushkill,  in  1878.  With  the  interruption  of 
about  one  year,  he  has  resided  there  until  the 
present  time.  Dr.  Grewer  has  acquired  quite  a 
reputation  for  skill  in  surgery. 

Dr.  W.  J.  Gulick  removed  to  Stroudsburg 
in  July,  1881,  and  is  acquiring  an  extensive 
practice. 


The  name  of  Grattan  became  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  of  the  last  century.  In  the 
person  of  Henry  Grattan  the  world  enjoyed 
oratory  almost  equal  to  that  of  Demosthenes. 
The  lines  of  Lord  Byron  will  be  remembered, — 

"  With  all  that  Demosthenes  wanted,  endowed, 
And  his  rival  or  master  in  all  he  possessed." 

Thos.  Grattan,  a  grandson  of  Henry,  was 
born  in  Parsontown,  County  Kings,  Ireland, 
June  23,  1796.  He  was  educated  in  Dublin, 
where  he  passed  a  full  collegiate  course  in  the 
arts,  and  upon  graduation  turned  his  attention 
to  the  study  of  medicine.  Under  the  direction 
of  his  uncle,  he  became  assistant  in  an  infirmary. 
His  marriage,  in  1816,  led  to  a  rupture  with  his 
uncle,  and  he  emigrated  to  America.  He  set- 
tled in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  now 
Monroe  and  later  near  Marshall's  Falls.  His 
practice  in  Ireland  gave  him  remarkable  skill 
as  a  surgeon,  which  he  exhibited  on  several 
critical  occasions,  and  is  said  to  have  never 
left  a  patient  crippled.  His  rare  exhibition  of 
skill  in  his  profession  rendered  him  a  distin- 
guished person  in  all  other  respects.  His  gen- 
erous nature,  stimulated,  perhaps,  by  familiarity 
with  the  lowly  and  the  pauper  population  in 
his  native  land,  induced  him  to  never  neglect  a 
call  for  the  service  he  could  so  effectively  reu- 
der.  Regardless  of  his  own  comfort  and  ap- 
parently of  his  own  health,  he  was  attentive  to 
every  applicant.  Thus  Dr.  Grattan  lived  and 
labored  till  April  12,  1864,  when  he  died  at 
the  age  of  nearly  sixty-eight.  Another  of  the 
name,  Matthew  George  Grattan,  was  born  in 
Ireland  May  6,  1818,  and  was  brought  to 
America  when  only  three  months  old.  His 
parents  came  and  settled  in  Smithfield,  while 
his  medical  education  was  pursued  at  Geneva, 
N.  Y.  He  returned  to  Smithfield  and  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  his  profession,  which  he  pur- 
sued only  a  short  time,  as  he  died  January  25, 
1849.  His  talents  were  of  a  superior  order 
and  his  character  unblemished.  Monroe  Coun- 
ty feels  a  just  pride  in  having  adopted  them. 

Dr.  George  H.  Rhoads  was  born  in 
Huntingdon  Valley,  Pa.,  January  9,  1857.  He 
obtained  an  education  chiefly  in  the  public 
schools   of   Philadelphia,  supplemented    by  an 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


1011 


academical  course  at  Wilmington,  Del.  He  was 
graduated  in  medicine  at  Jefferson  College, 
Philadelphia,  in  the  class  of  1879,  and  selected 
Tobyhauna  as  a  field  tor  medical  practice,  with 
a  fair  prospect  of  success. 

Dr.  J.  W.  Flick  is  a  native  of  Germany  ; 
was  graduated  at  one  of  the  medical  schools  in 
Philadelphia  in  1879.  His  preparatory  studies 
were  pursued  at  Dover,  Del.  His  settlement  in 
Stroudsburg  was  followed  by  unusual  success. 
Desirous  of  doing  still  better,  he  removed  to 
Scranton  in  1881,  whence,  after  a  few  months, 
he  removed  to  Honeoye  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Dr.  Samuel  L.  Foulke  was  born  iu  the 
vicinity  of  Stroudsburg,  graduated  at  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  in  1874,  but  has 
confined  his  attention  principally  to  a  drug-store. 

Dr.  George  W.  DrxciAX,  a  native  of  the 
western  part  of  the  county,  settled  in  Strouds- 
burg, June,  1876,  and  remained  until  1884, 
when  he  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  His  practice  was  homoeop- 
athy, and  after  his  first  Conference  appointment 
at  Tannersville,  he  still  continued  the  practice 
of  medicine  at  Stroudsburg,  until  his  removal 
from  the  county. 

Dr.  Nathaniel  C.  Miller,  a  son  of 
Philip  Miller,  of  Stroudsburg,  and  grand.son  of 
the  late  Charles  Miller,  of  Monroe  County, 
and  also  of  Hon.  Jacob  Cope,  of  Northampton 
County,  was  born  in  1848.  He  began  the  study 
of  medicine  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen,  with  Dr. 
A.  R.  Jackson,  and  was  graduated  at  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  iu  1870.  He  has 
been  in  active  practice  ever  since  his  gradua- 
tion. As  a  surgeon,  he  has  performed  some 
remarkable  operations,  specifically,  by  amputa- 
tion at  the  shoulder  joint  and  of  the  arm  above 
the  elbow.  He  holds  high  rank  as  a  physician 
and  surgeon  in  the  town  and  county,  and  is  a 
contributor  to  the  medical  journals. 

Dr.  Simon  E.  Miller,  born  in  Stroud  town- 
ship, 1848,  also  read  medicine  with  Dr.  A. 
R.  Jackson,  and  graduated  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1870  ;  practiced  in  Monroe 
County  ten  years,  when  he  removed  to  Wiscon- 
sin,  where  he  at  present  resides.     ■ 

The  name  of  Walton  many  years  ago  was 
prominent  in    the    medical    professon,  and  has 


been   perpetuated  to  the  third  generation  with 
distinction  and  renown. 

Dr.  William  Davis  Walton  was  born 
at  North  Wales,  Montgomery  County,  Pa., 
December  24,  1781,  and  received  his  medical 
education  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  soon  after  settled  at  Stroudsburg,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  active  practice  till  November 
18,  1863,  the  time  of  his  death. 

Dr.  Sydenham  Walton,  son  of  William 
D.,  was  educated  at  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1833,  and,  in  connection  with  his 
father  and  uncle,  divided  the  practice  of  the 
town  and  county.  He  was  highly  esteemed  as 
a  citizen  and  physician.  He  was  born  April 
30,  1812,  and  died  June  3,  1873. 

Dr.  Charles  Jenkins  Walton,  son  of 
William  D.,  was  born  at  Stroudsburg  Septem- 
ber 8,  1815,  was  graduated  at  the  Geneva 
Medical  College,  and  practiced  till  May  22, 
1856,  the  time  of  his  death. 

Dr.  Davis  D.,  son  of  William  D.,  was  born 
October  12,  1822,  graduated  at  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  practices  still  in  Strouds- 
burg, where  he  fir.st  commenced  his  profession. 

Dr.  William  Palmer  Walton,  son  of 
Davis  D.,  was  born  October  6,  1817,  and  was 
educated  at  Geneva  Medical  College.  He  prac- 
ticed in  connection  with  his  father  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  in  1880. 

Dr.  Thi  imas  Carey  Walton,  son  of  Syden- 
ham, was  born  in  Stroudsburg  in  1854,  studied 
medicine  under  the  direction  of  his  uncle,  Davis 
D.,  was  graduated  at  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  1878,  and  settled  in  Stroudsburg 
as  the  third  generation  of  the  Walton  family. 
He  finds  constant  employment  in  the  duties  of 
his  profession,  and  sustains  well  the  reputation 
of  the  family  name. 

Dr.  J.  P.  Mutchler,  a  native  of  Warren 
County,  N.  J.,  studied  medicine  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Dr.  Amzi  Le  Bar,  with  whom  he  was 
associated  in  practice  for  a  year,  and  at  present 
with  Dr.  J.  H.  Shall.     He  graduated  in  1875. 

Dr.  Charles  Vail,  a  native  of  New  Jer- 
sey, was  settled  in  Stroudsburg  before  the 
organization  of  the  present  county.  He  had  a 
large  practice  and  was  a  successful  physician. 
He  died  about  1836. 


mi: 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Dr.  William  P.  Vail,  brother  of  Charles, 
succeeded  him  at  his  death,  and  was  also  highly 
esteemed  in  his  profession  and  as  an  earnest 
Christian  gentleman.  He  removed  about  1848 
to  Johnsonsburg,  Warren  County,  K.  J.,  where 
he  resided  about  twenty-five  years.  He  now  re- 
sides at  Roselle,  N.  J. 

Dr.  Jackson  Lantz.1 — At  an  early  period 
of  our  colonial  history  the  ancestor  of  the 
Lantz   family,  of  Sussex   County,  N.   J.,  emi- 


the  homestead  where  he  lived  and  died,  in 
1827,  in  his  eighty-fourth  year.  His  wife, 
Mary,  reached  her  eighty-seventh  year.  The 
family  name  has  different  spellings,  according 
to  locality :  Lance,  Lants,  Lents  and  Lantz, 
the  last  being  probably  the  correct  one. 

Jacob  Lantz  married  and  had  born  to  him 
three  sons  and  six  daughters,  who  lived  to 
maturity,  namely, — George,  Peter,  Jacob,  Mar- 
garet, Anna,  Mary,  Sophia,  Eliza  and  Barbara. 


^~&/2tyfea^>*- 


7- 


grated  from  the  province  of  Alsace,  Germany. 
Jacob  Lantz  was  born  in  Germany  in  1741, 
and  settled  on  his  Hampton  farm  (now  known 
as  the  Dunn  farm),  situated  between  Newton 
and  Washingtonville,  Sussex  County,  N.  J., 
about  1759.  He  added  other  acres  to  his 
possessions,  at  one  time  owning  the  present  site 
of  Washingtonville.     But  the  Dunn  farm  was 


1  For  early  history  of  dental  surgery,   the  reader  is  re- 
ferred to  page  218,  this  volume. 


The  daughters  were  married  as  follows  :  Mar- 
garet to  Peter  L.  Struble;  Anna  to  Peter 
Smith ;  Mary  to  William  Snook ;  Sophia  to 
Peter  Heudershot;  Eliza  to  John  Anderson  ; 
Barbara  to  Antone  Longcore.  The  sons  also 
married  and  settled  in  their  native  county,  with 
the  exception  of  Peter,  who  finally  located  in 
Bradford  County,  Pa.,  where  he  raised  a  family 
consisting  of  two  sous  and  four  daughters. 
Jacob  settled  at  Andover,  X.  J.,   and  had  five 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


1013 


children,  namely, — David,  George  N.,  Mary, 
Catharine  and  Eliza.  George,  the  eldest  son 
of  the  second  generation,  and  grandfather  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  married  Catherine 
Hand,  and  about  1790  settled  in  Frankford 
township,  on  a  farm  now  owned  and  resided  on 
by  his  son  William,  located  about  seven  miles 
northeast  of  Newton,  where  he  died.  The  laud 
was  mostly  a  forest;  but  industry,  energized  by 
a  laudable  desire  for  competence,  soon  trans- 
formed the  forest  into  good  farm  land,  and  the 
price  of  his  labor  being  high  and  land  compara- 
tively low,  he  soon  greatly  added  to  his  posses- 
sions, and  at  his  death  was  the  owner  of  five  or 
six  farms. 

The  result  of  his  marriage  with  Catherine 
Hand  was  ten  children  (seven  sons  and  three 
daughters),  namely, — Maria,  Jacob,  Peter, 
George,  John,  Susan  Ann,  Robert,  William, 
Martha,  David  H.,  all  of  whom  married  and 
settled  in  their  native  county,  except  Robert, 
who  located  in  Yates  County,  near  Penn  Yan, 
N.  Y.,  married  a  Miss  Baily  and  raised  a  large 
family. 

George  Lantz  died  August  27,  1847,  in  the 
eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age.  A  few  years 
before  his  wife,  Catharine,  had  died,  in  the 
seventy-third  year  of  her  age. 

Jacob  Lantz,  the  ancestor,  and  his  three  sous 
were  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  Jacob  at  an 
early  date  and  his  sons  at  a  later  period.  Ad- 
jutant-General Stryker's  published  reports  and 
rosters  of  the  soldiers  from  Sussex  County, 
N.  J.,  state  that  George  and  Peter  Lantz  served 
as  privates,  and  a  Sergeant  Lantz,  whose  given 
name  is  not  stated,  is  recorded  in  one  of  Pay- 
master Gaston's  reports  of  the  date  of  1780. 

George  Lantz  was  drafted  in  the  War  of  181 2, 
but  peace  beiug  soon  after  declared,  he  saw  no 
service. 

In  1829,  Peter  Lantz,  the  father  of  the.  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  married  Margaret,  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  Demarest,  a  thrifty  farmer 
residing  in  Frankford  township  (now  Lafay- 
ette), Sussex  County,  N.  J.,  about  six  miles 
northeast  of  Newton.  On  the  death  of  Mr. 
Demarest,  in  1825,  his  farm  fell  to  two  of  his 
sons, — Cornelius  and  Gelliam, — afterward,  by 
purchase,  to  Cornelius  alone,  and  subsequently, 


at  his  death,  to  Joel  C,  who  owns  and  now  re- 
sides on  the  same. 

The  family  name,  which  is  spelled  in  three 
different  ways, — "  Demarest,"  "  Demorest," 
"  Demerest," — is  of  Huguenot  extraction. 
Parts  of  the  family  originally  settled  in  New 
York  and  in  Canada.  During  the  War  of 
1812  they  warmly  espoused  their  respective 
sides  of  the  contest.  Friendly,  and  frequently 
exchanging  visits,  each  side  knew  that  his 
country  was  in  the  right.  The  family,  in  that 
war,  gave  a  general  to  the  Canadian  army,  and 
captains  and  lieutenants  to  the  American  army. 

Peter,  immediately  after  his  marriage,  set- 
tled on  one  of  his  father's  farrus  and  devoted 
his  attention  to  farming.  In  due  time  he  had 
born  to  him  eight  children, — seven  sons  and 
one  daughter, — whose  names  were  David  A.t 
Jackson,  William  H.,  John  W.,  Martha  Ann, 
George  W.,  James  W.  and  Peter  W.,  all  of 
whom  lived  to  maturity,  except  William  H., 
who  died  July  30,  1850,  aged  sixteen,  and  Mar- 
tha Ann  and  Peter  W.,  who  died  in  infancy. 

David  W.  settled  in  Hightstown,  Mercer 
County,  N.  J.  ;  John  W.  and  James  W.  in 
Brooklyn,  Iowa  ;  and  George  W.  in  Waverly, 
N.  Y.  John  W.  and  George  W.  each  served 
three  years  in  the  Union  army,  in  the  late  Re- 
bellion. 

Peter  Lantz  died  in  Hightstown,  at  the  resi- 
dence of  his  eldest  son,  David  A.,  October  7, 
1877,  in  his  seventy-second  year.  His  wife, 
Margaret,  died  at  Lafayette,  N.  J.,  in  1867,  in 
her  fifty-eighth  year. 

The  earlier  years  of  Dr.  Jackson  Lantz  were 
passed  upon  his  father's  farm,  and  his  educa- 
tional attainments  were  governed  necessarily,, 
to  a  great  degree,  by  the  facilities  afforded  at 
district  schools.  To  the  educational  acquire- 
ments of  his  earlier  days,  however,  he  subse- 
quently greatly  added,  by  judicious  private 
study  and  investigation.  In  August,  1885,  he 
received  a  diploma  from  the  Chautauqua, 
Literary  and  Scientific  Circle,  as  a  graduated 
member,  having  pursued  the  prescribed  four 
years'  course  of  study  and  passed  a  satisfactory 
examination,  being  the  first  graduate  of  Monroe 
County  from  that  institution. 

In  1850,  in  his   nineteenth  vear,  after  learn- 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


ing  the  art  of  daguerreotyping,  he  purchased  a 
complete  establishment  (the  art  of  portrait-mak- 
ing by  solar  light  having  been  but  recently  in- 
vented by  the  celebrated  Frenchman,  Da- 
guerre),  and  commenced  the  duties  of  life  by 
following  the  portrait-making  business,  which 
he  continued  for  over  two  years,  throughout  the 
northern  section  of  New  Jersey  and  the  contigu- 
ous territory  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania. 
During  that  time  he  also  engaged  in  the  study 
of  dental  science,  under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
John  J.  Case  (now  of  Newton,  N.  J.),  and  com- 
pleted his  course  on  plate-work  with  Drs.  Wil- 
cox and  Sproull,  of  New  York  City.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1852,  having  received  a  thorough  pre- 
paratory training,  he  established  himself  as  a 
practitioner  of  dentistry  at  Stroudsburg,  Pa., 
where  he  has  since  enjoyed  a  large  and  success- 
ful practice.  His  work  is  of  a  general  charac- 
ter, including  all  the  branches  of  dental  science 
and  mechanical  skill  connected  with  the  profes- 
sion, of  which  he  is  au  assiduous  student,  and 
in  regard  to  the  development  of  which  he  keeps 
himself  thoroughly  informed. 

Since  taking  up  his  residence  in  Stroudsburg, 
Dr.  Lantz  has  identified  himself  closely  with 
the  business  interests  of  the  place.  In  connec- 
tion with  Colonel  Burnett  and  Thomas  A.  Bell, 
he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Monroe  Banking 
Company,  in  18G8,  which,  after  a  time,  merged 
into  the  Monroe  County  Banking  and  Savings 
Company,  and  finally  became,  under  new  or- 
ganization, the  First  National  Bank  of  Strouds- 
burg. He  is  the  largest  owner  of  the 
stock  of  the  Stroudsburg  Street  Railway 
Company,  and  is  also  largely  interested  in  the 
affairs  of  the  Van  Fleet  Fruit-Jar  Company, 
he  being  half-owner  of  the  patent.  He  is  en- 
gaged extensively  in  blue-stone  flagging,  at 
Henryville,  and  owns  two  quarries  at  that  place. 
He  served  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board  of 
Stroudsburg,  for  seven  years  ;  is  a  member  of 
the  Stroudsburg  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
with  which  he  has  also  been  officially  connect- 
ed ;  has  been,  for  over  twenty-five  years,  a 
faithful  Sabbath-school  teacher,  and,  one  term, 
assistant  superintendent.  He  is  one  of  the 
trusted  and  esteemed  residents  of  the  place  in 
which  he  has  established    his  home.       It   was 


during  his  term  of  office  as  chief  burgess  that 
the  lower  part  of  the  town,  including  a  part  of 
Main  Street,  was  carried  away  by  the  freshet  of 
1869.  To  meet  the  contingency,  the  members 
of  the  Town  Council  became  personally  re- 
sponsible for  the  payment  of  a  portion  of  some 
fifteen  thousand  dollars  of  indebtedness,  which 
was  subsequently  legalized  by  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature and  assumed  by  the  town  authorities,  and 
the  necessary  repairs  were  thereby  promptly 
undertaken  and  pushed  to  a  speedy  conclusion. 
In  this  instance,  as  well  as  in  that  of  the  flag- 
ging of  the  street-crossings,  as  well  as  in  other 
public  positions,  the  influence  and  executive 
skill  of  Dr.  Lantz  were  strongly  and  favorably 
exerted.  In  addition  to  the  offices  already  re- 
ferred to,  he  served  several  years  as  borough  audi- 
tor, six  years  as  notary  public  and  eleven  years, 
consecutively,  as  secretary  to  Town  Council. 

Though  born  and  bred  a  Democrat,  the  doc- 
tor was  among  the  first  to  join  the  Republicans 
when  the  questions  agitating  the  country  led  to 
the  formation  of  that  party,  in  1856.  He  served 
several  years  as  chairman  of  the  County  Repub- 
lican Committee,  and,  as  a  member  of  the  State 
Central  Committee,  was  delegate  on  several 
occasions  to  State  Conventions,  and  alternate 
to  the  National  Convention  in  1878. 

Though  most  firmly  believing  in  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Republican  party,  he  could  not  resist 
the  temptation,  in  1872,  to  partly  stray  from 
the  Republican  fold,  and  stepping  aside,  worked 
and  voted  for  the  success  to  the  Presidency  of 
Horace  Greeley,  at  whose  feet,  so  to  speak,  the 
doctor  had  sat  for  more  than  twenty  years, 
drinking  in  the  political  principles  and  policy 
as  taught  by  the  New  York  Tribune.  But  when 
that  campaign  was  over,  and  Mr.  Greeley  so 
overwhelmingly  defeated,  the  doctor's  firmly- 
fixed  principles  led  him  straight  back  to  the 
Republican  camp. 

He  married,  May  18, 1882,  Susan  E.,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  William  Angle,  formerly  of  Sus- 
sex County,  New  Jersey,  but  finally  of  Smith- 
field,  Pa.,  and  stepdaughter  of  Nicholas  Ruster, 
of  Stroudsburg.  Mrs.  Lantz  is  a  lady  of  culture 
and  refinement,  and  received  a  diploma  from 
the  Chautauqua  Literary  and  Scientific  Circle 
at  the  same  time  as  her  husband. 


.MONROE  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER     IV. 

EDUCATION  IN  M(  >.\T!<  »E  ('<  UNTY.  ' 

No  records  exist  concerning  the  earliest 
schools  of  Monroe  County.  That  there  were 
schools  within  the  region  now  comprising  the 
county  long  prior  to  the  Revolution  seems 
altogether  probable  when  oue  reflects  that  there 
were  settlements  along  the  Delaware  River 
early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  but  no  docu- 
mentary proof  of  those  primitive  educational 
establishments  remains,  and  no  one  has  been 
able  to  fix  an  exact  date  of  the  building  of  a 
school-house  prior  to  1810.  The  earliest  school 
of  which  any  one  appears  to  have  any  recollec- 
tion, says  Mr.  Morey,  was  the  oue  on  Keever's 
Hill,  in  Stroud  township,  on  the  public  road 
leading  from  Stroudsburg  to  the  Wind  Gap, 
and  outside  of  the  present  borough  limits.  The 
citizens  chiefly  instrumental  in  building  this 
school-house  were  Daniel  Stroud,  John  Stroud 
and  Mr.  Hollinshead.  It  was  a  log  structure, 
built  after  the  model  of  the  log  houses  of  those 
days.  The  first  teacher  M*as  a  Mr.  Curtis.  He 
gave  instruction  only  in  the  ordinary  English 
branches.  This  was  prior  to  the  year  1800, 
but  the  exact  date  cannot  be  given.  In  the 
year  mentioned,  or  possibly  a  little  earlier  or 
later,  the  school  was  moved  to  a  stone  building 
within  the  present  borough  limits,  situated 
where  Greene  Street  now  is,  on  a  lot  adjoining 
the  Friends'  Meeting-House. 

The  first  teachers  in  the  borough  of  Strouds- 
burg were  Nathaniel  and  Mary  Waters.  Mr. 
Gum  mere  (the  author  of  Gummere's  Surveying), 
his  brother-in-law, Mr.  McVaugh,  Dr.  Herring 
and  a  number  of  others  were  teachers  at  either 
the  old  log  school-house  or  the  school  held  in  the 
stone  building. 

At  Hamilton  Square,  in  Hamilton  township, 
:i  school  was  in  successful  operation  about  the 
year  1800.  The  building  in  which  it  was  held 
was  also  a  log  structure. 

About  the  same  time  a  school  was  organized 


1  In  1ST",  Mr.  B.  F.  Mo»ey  contributed  to  the  State 
School  Commissioners'  Report  an  outline  of  the  educational 
development  of  Monroe  County,  and  that  contribution 
forms  t lie  greater  part  of  the  chapter  here  given. 


in  Middle  Smithfield,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Coolbaughs  and  Overfields,  in  an  old  log  dwell- 
ing-house. Pupils  came  to  this,  as  to  the  other 
early  schools,  from  a  distance  of  five  or  six 
miles. 

In  Chestnut  Hill  township,  the  first  school- 
house  was  built  at  Pleasant  Valley  about  1810. 
It  was  a  double  house,  and  the  teacher  and  his 
family  lived  in  one-half",  while  the  school  was 
held  in  the  other.  The  first  teacher  is  said  to 
have  been  oue  Katz.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Frederick  Stiner  or  Sthiner,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, who  taught  about  fifteen  years,  and  then 
gave  place  to  Isaac  Grover.  Instruction  was 
given  both  in  English  and  Germau.  Another 
school  was  established  at  Keller's  Mills,  about 
the  same  time  as  the  one  at  Pleasant  Valley. 

By  1810  or  1812  there  were  several  schools 
within  the  limits  of  what  became,  in  1815,  the 
borough  of  Stroudsburg.  In  181b'  the  main 
school  was  moved  from  the  building,  which 
stood  in  Greene  Street,  to  one  on  the  same 
street,  on  the  opposite  side  of  Main  Street. 
For  the  building  of  this  house  four  hundred 
dollars  were  appropriated  by  the  State.  The 
structure  is  still  standing,  though  dilapidated 
and  abandoned.  It  was  used  as  the  place  for 
holding  the  principal  school  of  the  town,  a 
"  mixed  "  school  until  the  academy  was  built, 
after  which  none  but  female  pupils  were  receiv- 
ed there.  The  Presbyterian,  Methodist  and 
Baptist  congregations  worshipped  in  this  build- 
ing at  various  periods,  before  they  secured  other 
places  of  meeting. 

The  first  school  was  organized  in  Pocono, 
about  seventy  years  ago,  in  a  spring-house,  sit- 
uated in  Tannersville,  near  where  the  upper  ho- 
tel now  is.  The  teacher  for  a  long  term  of 
years  was  John  Anglemouyer. 

In  Jackson  the  first  school-house  was  built 
in  1827,  at  Jackson  Corners.  John  D.  Frailey, 
who  lived  to  be  upwards  of  ninety  years  of  age, 
was  the  first  teacher  here.  Another  house  was 
built  in  1829  at  Singerville,  and  a  school  was 
held  in  it  by  John  Possinger.  In  both  of  these 
schools  German,  as  well  as  English,  was  em- 
ployed as  the  medium  of  imparting  instruction. 

The  first  school  in  Ross  township  was  a  Ger- 
man school,  taught  bv  a  Mr.  Keener. 


1016 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


"  In  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  these  early  schools," 
says  Mr.  Morey,  "  instruction  was  imparted  in 
but  few  branches,  and  in  some  cases  it  was 
thought  sufficient  for  the  girls  if  they  learned 
to  read.  In  the  western  part  of  the  county  the 
schools  were  either  entirely  taught  in  German, 
or  at  best  in  German  and  English.  The  schools 
were   entirely   supported   by  subscription,  and 


sary  for  the  pupils  to  travel  a  distance  of  four 
or  five  miles,  owing  to  the  fact  that  in  a  few 
districts  the  people  live  quite  distant  from  one 
another.  Although  all  the  districts  have  not 
complied  with  the  terms  of  the  school  law  in 
the  past,  yet  this  year  (1877)  all  will,  I  be- 
lieve, have  five  months  school."  In  1884  the 
condition  of  the  schools  was  as  follows  : 


"3 
o 

-a 
m 

1 

SCHOLARS. 

1 
o 

5 
o 
S 

« 

RECEIPTS. 

DISTRICTS. 

O 

J 
o 
5 

o 
c 

t 

3 
p. 

Is 
H 

1.  Barrett 

2.  Chestnut  Hill.... 

3.  Coolbaugh 

4.  Eldred 

6 
13 
6 

7 
15 
5 

4 
8 
8 
3 
5 

6 
13 
6 
7 
15 
6 
4 
8 
8 
3 
5 

126 
262 
162 
127 
280 
117 
92 
135 
164 
31 
115 
207 
111 
246 
133 
132 
96 
35 
30 

117 
215 
141 
93 
195 
112 
80 
136 
140 
26 
75 
1S7 
117 
178 
128 
147 
67 
38 
32 

$840.57 

1,554.64 

700.35 

714.74 

2,341.96 

1,055.29 

367.45 

777.63 

1,079.05 

182.00 

573.98 

2,637.01 

1,206.70 

2.14S.21 

3,968.42 

L.070.59 

577.19 

280.48 

218.79 

$215.04          $S62.04 
291.84         1,959.01 
207.36     ,        945.31 
200.71     |        921.25 
407.81     j     2,711.45 
157.19          1.326.53 

$1,017.05 

1,893.16 

1,286.12 

954.01 

5.  Hamilton 

2,711.45 
1,341.97 

145.92 
202.75 
220.40 

594.19 

1,070.88 

1,299.45 

116.98 

651.48 

2,735.32 

1,651.29 

3,415.66 

15,156.53 

1,478.15 

835.50 

370.49 

448.39 

542.43 

974.82 

9.  Polk 

1,237.30 

202.82 

158.21 
327.93 
281.86 
312.57 
453.12 
214.27 
157.44 
73.73 
55.30 

717.91 

12.  Bmithfield 

13.  Smithfield,  M.... 

14.  Stroud 

12     j     12 
10          10 
12         13 

7     i       8 
5     1       6 
5     1       5 
3           3 
1            1 

3,195.56 
1,655.96 

3,107.18 

15.  Stroudsburg 

16.  Stroudsburg,  E... 

17.  Tobyhanna 

18.  Tunkhaunock  ... 

19.  Union  (Ind.) 

7,310.76 

1.470.05 

808.48 

547.42 

285.31 

135 

139 

2,601 

2,224 

$22,295.05 

$4,083.45 

$38,549.90 

$31,259.76 

but  very  few  poor  children  were  returned.  No 
schools  were  founded  by  churches,  or  in  the  in- 
terest of  any  denomination.  The  school  term 
was  in  most  cases  but  three  months. 

"Since  1844,"  continues  the  gentleman  from 
whom  we  have  quoted,  "  the  growth  of  the 
school  system  in  this  county  has  not  been  as 
great  as  it  should  have  been.  Although  all  of 
the  districts  have  accepted  the  terms  of  the  act 
of  Assembly,  establishing  common  schools;  yet, 
unless  the  State  will  give  more  aid  to  the  poorer 
districts,  the  results,  for  some  time  to  come, 
cannot  be  much  greater.  Some  of  the  districts 
had  no  schools  before  this  period,  but  now  all 
the  children  of  the  county  have  school  advan- 
tages.    In  some  distant  localities  it  is  yet  neces- 


Concerning  teachers,  County  School  Superin- 
tendent A.  A.  Dinsmore,  in  his  report  for  1884, 

says, — 

"  Considered  as  a  whole,  the  corps  of  teachers  for 
this  year  has  been  the  most  satisfactory  in  my  ex- 
perience. There  has  been  more  zealous,  earnest  work, 
more  inquiries  after  new  and  improved  methods  of 
instruction,  and  our  teachers  are  becoming  more 
generally  interested  in  school  literature,  a  majority  of 
them  being  subscribers  for  weekly  or  monthly 
journals.  We  have  one  hundred  and  thirty-four 
teachers,  of  whom  there  are  ninety-four  males  and 
forty  females.  Of  the  whole  number,  thirty-six  had 
no  previous  experience,  while  but  forty-five  had 
taught  more  than  five  years.  Our  old  teachers  are 
steadily  dropping  out,  but  we  are  getting  some  ex- 
cellent  material  in  their  places.  The  salaries  were 
increased  in  some  districts,  but  still  they  are  so  low 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


L01" 


that  our  'touchers  have  little  to  prompt  them  to  do 
good  work,  hut  a  sense  of  duty  and  a  desire  to  be 
useful." 

ACADEMIES. — Under  the  provisions  of  an  act, 
an  academy  was  built  at  Stroudsburg  many 
years  ago  to  serve  Monroe  County  as  a  higher 
educational  institution.  A  dispute  as  to  the 
part  of  the  town  in  which  the  building  should 
be  located  was  turned  to  good  advantage.  Some 
of  the  citizens  were  in  favor  of  building  the 
academy  on  a  hill  on  the  north  side  of  the  town, 
while  the  rest  were  inclined  to  favor  the  level 
tract  at  the  base  of  the  hill.  A  vote  for  trustees 
was  taken,  each  voter  paying  five  dollars,  and 
it  resulted  in  favor  of  building  on  the  hill, 
which  was  then  called  Academy  Hill — a  name 
which  still  clings  to  it.  In  this  way  funds 
were  raised  for  building.  Some  of  the  citizens 
took  such  a  deep  interest  in  the  success  of  their 
favorite  location  as  to  pay  the  required  five 
dollars  for  such  voters  as  were  too  poor  to  pay 
it  for  themselves.  The  amount  furnished  by 
the  State  was  two  thousand  dollars,  with  which 
sum  the  building  was  erected. 

Only  one  other  academy  was  built  in  the 
county.  In  1854  Rev.  Mr.  Howell,  a  Presby- 
terian minister,  came  to  the  Delaware  Water 
( rap  and  succeeded  in  building  a  church  there. 
I  le  then  conceived  the  idea  of  erecting  an  acad- 
emy at  that  place,  and  with  characteristic 
energy,  at  once  went  to  work,  and  in  1855 
opened  a  school  in  the  finest  school  building 
then  in  the  county.  In  1862  he  sold  the  build- 
ing to  Samuel  Alsop  (the  author  of  several 
mathematical  works),  who  conducted  a  school 
there  for  a  short  time — less  than  a  year — and 
then  converted  the  building  into  a  hotel. 

An  effort  was  made  by  Mr.  Schoedler,  a  Ger- 
man Reformed  clergyman,  to  establish  a 
Normal  School  at  Brodheadsville  in  1870.  He 
proposed  to  call  it  the  Wickersham  German- 
English  Normal  School.  His  effort  failed,  but 
an  institute,  which  he  held  there,  resulted  in 
much  benefit  to  the  teachers  of  the  county.  In 
1874  another  Normal  School  was  projected,  for 
which  Stroudsburg  and  East  Stroudsburg  were 
proposed,  in  turn,  as  locations,  but  the  period 
being  an  unpropitious  one,  this  effort,  like  Mr. 
Sehoedler's   failed. 


The  County  Supekintendency.  —  In 
1854,  after  the  law  had  been  passed  creating 
the  office  of  county  superintendent,  an  election 
was  held,  which  resulted  in  Hon.  Charlton 
Burnett's  receiving  a  plurality  vote.  The  law, 
however,  required  a  majority  vote  to  elect,  and 
Mr.  Burnett  not  having  this,  an  appointment 
became  necessary,  whereupon  Mr.  Curtin,  then 
Secretary  of  State,  appointed  to  the  office  C.  S. 
Detrich.  He  served  eight  and  three-quarter 
years,  resigning  in  1862.  Hon.  J.  B.  Storm 
was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy  and  served 
until  1869.  In  that  year  R.  \Y.  Swink  was 
elected,  but  the  election  having  been  contested, 
Jere  Fruttcbey  was  appointed  by  state  superin- 
tendent Wickersham.  He  served  six  years,  and 
during  that  period  the  salary  of  the  office  was 
fixed  at  one  thousand  dollars  per  year.  In 
1875  B.  F.  Morey  was  elected  and  served  until 
September,  1877,  when  he  resigned  to  take 
charge  of  the  Stroudsburg  schools,  and  A.  A. 
Dinsmore  was  appointed  by  the  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction  to  fill  the  vacancy.  He 
has  held  the  office  ever  since  and  is  the  present 
incumbent.  A  curious  fact  concerning  those 
who  have  filled  the  office  in  Monroe  County  is 
this  :  that  all  have  been  appointed  at  first  ex- 
cept Mr.  Morey. 


CHAPTER     V. 

HISTORY   OF   THE    REBELLION. 

Thirty-third  Regiment  (Fourth  Re- 
serve).— The  companies  comprising  the  Fourth 
Regiment  were  recruited,  one  from  eacli  of  the 
counties  of  Chester,  Monroe,  Montgomery,  Ly- 
coming and  Susquehanna.  The  companies 
were  ordered  to  rendezvous  at  the  camp  at 
Easton.  General  McCall,  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed to  command  the  division,  visited  the 
camp  on  the  14th  of  June,  and  gave  orders  for 
its  voluntary  organization.  The  following 
field  officers  were  elected  for  the  Fourth-  Regi- 
ment: Robert  G.  March,  colonel;  John  F. 
Gaul,  lieutenant-colonel ;  and  Robert  M.  Mc- 
Clure,  major.  The  regiment  was  clothed  and 
equipped  at  the  camp  near  Easton    in  -Inly.     It 


1018 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,   PENNSYLVANIA. 


was  ordered  to  Harrisburg,  encamping  at  Camp 
Curtin,  where  it  remained  until  July  21,  when, 
in  compliance  with  orders  from  Washington,  it 
moved  to  Baltimore  and  encamped  at  Carroll 
Hill,  reporting  to  General  Dix.  A  few  days 
later  it  moved  to  Stewart's  Mansion,  on  Balti- 
more Street,  where  it  remained  on  duty  until  the 
last  of  August,  when  it  was  ordered  to  the  gen- 
eral camp  for  the  Reserves  at  Tenallvtown. 
On  the  1st  of  October,  Colonel  March  resigned 
and  was  succeeded  by  Albert  L.  Magilton, 
lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Second  Reserves. 
Upon  the  organization  of  the  division,  the 
Fourth  was  assigned  to  the  Second  Brigade, 
commanded  by  General  Meade.  On  the  9th  of 
October  the  division  broke  camp  at  Tenallv- 
town and  encamped  in  line  with  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  near  Laugley.  In  the  brilliant 
little  victory  achieved  at  Dranesville  on  the 
20th  of  December,  the  Second  Brigade  was  held 
in  reserve  ;  but,  upon  the  opening  of  the  tight, 
marched  rapidly  to  its  support,  arriving  too  late, 
however,  to  be  engaged.  In  the  general  move- 
ment towards  Manassas,  in  March,  the  Fourth 
moved  to  Hunter's  Mills,  returning  to  Alexan- 
dria, where  it  encamped  and  remained  till  or- 
dered to  Catlett's  Station.  Upon  the  departure 
of  McClellan  for  the  Peninsula,  the  Reserves, 
constituting  a  part  of  the  First  Corps,  were  or- 
dered to  concentrate  at  Falmouth,  opposite 
Fredericksburg.  They  were  then  detached  from 
McDowell's  corps.  They  were  ordered  to  pro- 
ceed to  White  House,  on  the  Pamunky,  and 
form  a  junction  with  McClellan's  army.  The 
Fourth  Regiment  arrived  at  Mechanicsville, 
June  23d.  On  the  26th  a  severe  battle  was 
fought  by  the  Reserves,  on  the  line  of  Beaver 
Dam  Creek,  in  which  the  enemy  was  repulsed 
with  great  slaughter.  In  this  engagement  the 
Fourth  was  held  in  reserve.  The  following  day 
the  rebel  army,  sixty  thousand  strong,  attacked 
the  single  corps  of  Fitz-John  Porter.  In  this  en- 
gagement McCall's  division  was  held  in  reserve 
until  afternoon,  when  it  was  ordered  in.  The 
Fourth  Regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Ma- 
gilton, supported  Duryea's  Zouaves,  and,  driving 
the  enemy  from  the  woods,  moved  to  the  sup- 
port of  Colonel  Sickel,  whose  regiment  was  en- 
gaged in  a  bloody  and   terrific  contest.     Before 


the  Fourth  could  come  up  the  Third  had  re- 
pulsed the  enemy,  and  Colonel  Magilton  was 
ordered  to  the  extreme  left.  Soon  after  going 
into  action  there  his  regiment  was  over- 
whelmed, driven  back,  and  becoming  detached, 
was  forced  to  cross  the  Chickahominy  to  Smith's 
division  to  escape  being  captured. 

Retiring  from  the  Chickahominy,  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  wended  its  way  toward  the  James. 
At  Charles  City  Cross-Roads  the  Reserves  were 
drawn  up  across  the  New  Market  road  to  resist 
any  attack  from  the  direction  of  Richmond. 
On  the  30th  of  June,  the  enemy  having  massed 
its  forces  in  their  immediate  fronts,  attacked  at 
half-past  two  p.m.  The  fourth  was  posted  in 
the  front  line,  on  the  right,  in  support  of  Ran- 
dall's battery.  Says  General  McCall,  in  his 
official  report,  "  The  most  determined  charge  of 
the  day  was  made  upon  Randall's  battery  by  a 
full  brigade  with  a  wild  recklessness  that  I 
never  saw  equaled.  A  somewhat  similar  charge 
had,  as  I  have  stated,  been  previously  made  on 
Cooper's  and  Kern's  batteries  by  single  regi- 
ments, without  success,  the  rebels  having  been 
driven  back  with  heavy  loss.  A  like  result  ap- 
pears to  have  been  anticipated  by  Randall's 
company,  and  the  Fourth  Regiment  (as  was 
subsequently  reported  to  me)  was  requested  not 
to  advance  between  the  guns,  as  I  had  ordered, 
as  it  interfered  with  the  cannoneers,  but  to  let 
the  battery  deal  with  them. 

"  Its  gallant  commander  did  not  doubt,  I  am 
satisfied,  his  ability  to  repel  the  attack,  and  his 
guns  fairly  opened  lanes  in  the  advancing  host; 
but  the  enemy,  unchecked,  closed  up  his  shat- 
tered ranks  and  came  in.  It  was  here,"  says 
McCall,  "my  fortune  to  witness,  between  those  of 
my  men  who  stood  their  ground  and  rebels  who 
advanced,  one  of  the  fiercest  bayonet  fights  that 
ever  occurred  upon  this  continent.  I  saw  skulls 
crushed  by  the  heavy  blow  of  the  butt  of  the 
musket,  and,  in  short,  the  desperate  thrusts  and 
parries  of  a  life  and  death  encounter,  proving, 
indeed,  that  Greek  had  met  Greek,  when  the 
Alabama  boy  fell  upon  t lie  son  of  Pennsyl- 
vania." The  casualties  in  the  Fourth  Regiment, 
during  the  seven  days  of  battle,  were  upwards 
of  two  hundred.  From  Malvern  Hill  the  Re- 
serve-  marched    with  the   army    to  Harrison'i 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


1019 


Landing,  until  summoned  to  support  Pope  on 
the  Rapidan.  Mel 'all  having  resigned,  thecom- 
maud  was  given  to  General  John  F.  Reynolds, 
under  whom  it  marched  to  the  plains  of  Ma- 
nassas, and  was  engaged  in  the  second  battle  of 
Bull  Run.  The  loss  in  this  to  the  Fourth  was 
one  killed  and  eleven  wounded.  The  regiment 
next  met  the  enemy  at  South  Mountain. 
Colonel  Magilton  assumed  command  of  the 
Second  Brigade;  Major  Nyce,  that  of  the  regi- 
ment. The  Fourth  lost  in  this  engagement  live 
men  killed  and  twenty-five  wounded. 

From  South  Mountain  the  Reserves  moved 
through  Boonsboro',  and,  crossing  Autietam 
Creek,  opened  the  battle  on  the  evening  of  the 
Kith  of  September,  where  the  Fourth  was  in 
advance.  The  Fourth  lost  in  this  engagement 
five  killed,  forty  wounded  and  missing.  In  the 
battle  of  Fredericksburg,  which  was  fought 
December  1,3th,  the  Fourth  participated  and  held 
the  right  of  the  second  line.  The  Fourth  lost 
in  this  engagement  two  killed,  thirty-four 
wounded  and  four  missing.  Among  the  wound- 
ed was  Lieutenant-Colonel  Woolworth,  com- 
manding the  regiment.  Soon  after  the  battle 
of  Fredericksburg,  Colonel  Magilton  resigned, 
and  Richard  H.  Woolworth,  major  of  the 
Third  Regiment,  was  promoted  to  fill  the  va- 
cancy. On  the  8th  of  July,  1863,  the  Reserves 
were  ordered  to  the  defences  of  Washington  to 
rest  and  recruit.  Here  the  Fourth  remained 
until  the  6th  of  -January,  1864,  when,  in  com- 
pany with  the  Third,  it  was  ordered  to  do  duty 
in  West  Virginia.  The  Third  was  commanded 
by  Major  William  Briner,  the  Fourth  by  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel T.  F.  B.  Tapper,  the  whole  un- 
der Colonel  Woolworth.  The  detachment  per- 
formed picket  duty  from  January  7th  till  the 
28th.  On  the  latter  date  it  was  ordered  to 
take  cars  for  transportation  and  was  halted  at 
New  Creek.  The  exigency  which  called  the 
Third  and  Fourth  to  this  spot  appeared  to  have 
passed,  and  they  pitched  their  tents  on  the  north 
branch  of  the  Potomac.  On  the  10th  of  Feb- 
ruary the  Third  Regiment  was  transported  to 
Martinsburg.  The  Fourth  followed  in  a  few 
days.  In  February  the  Fourth  was  moved  to 
Kearneysville,  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road, to  perform  picket  duty,  until  March  27th, 


when  they  were  moved  to  Harper's  Ferry,  and 
performed  picket  duty  at  Harper's  Ferry  till 
April  3d.  At  that  date  the  Third  and  Fourth 
were  again  sent  westward  to  Grafton,  two  hun- 
dred miles  from  Harper's  Ferry,  and  on  the 
22d  of  April  started  for  Parkersburg,  where 
they  were  transferred  to  steamboats  down  the 
Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha, 
thence  up  the  river  to  Brownstown.  General 
George  ( 'rook  had  command  of  the  troops  con- 
centrating in  the  Kanawha  Valley.  Immedi- 
ately after  landing  at  Brownstown,  General 
Crook  placed  Colonel  Siekel  in  command  of  the 
Third  Brigade,  composed  of  the  Third  and 
Fourth  Reserves  and  the  Eleventh  and  Fif- 
teenth West  Virginia  Regiments.  The  Fourth 
was  commanded  by  Colonel  P.  H.  Woolworth. 
On  Saturday  morning,  April  30th,  the  Third 
Brigade  started  from  Brownstown  and  marched 
up  Kanawha  Valley.  On  the  morning  of 
May  2d,  the  command  started  from  Great  Falls 
for  the  village  of  Fayette,  the  extreme  out- 
post held  by  the  Union  forces  ;  the  brigade  of 
infantry  and  battery  on  duty  there  were  added 
to  General  Crook's  command.  The  design  of  the 
expedition  was  to  strike  the  Virginia  and  Tennes- 
see Railroad  at  Wytheville  and  Dublin,  destroy 
it  and  thus  co-operate  with  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  cutting  the  main  artery  which  fur-' 
nished  supplies  for  Lee's  army.  On  the  6th  of 
May  the  advance  had  a  lively  skirmish  with  the 
Sixtieth  Virginia,  at  Prineetown.  During  the 
next  two  days  the  command  made  a  forced 
march,  crossed  the  East  River  Mountain,  passed 
through  Rocky  Gap,  and  moved  through  Walk- 
er's Valley.  On  the  8th  Shannon's  bridge 
was  gained.  On  the  morning  of  the  9th  the 
command  passed  through  the  Gap.  When  the 
summit  was  gained  the  position  of  the  enemy 
was  discovered,  an  engagement  took  place  and 
resulted  in  the  rout  of  the  enemy.  The  loss  in 
this  engagement  was  one  hundred  and  seven 
killed,  five  hundred  wounded  and  twenty  mis- 
sing. The  two  Reserve  regiments,  numbering 
from  five  to  six  hundred,  had  from  seveuty-five 
to  one  hundred  killed  and  wounded.  Chaplain 
Pomeroy  buried  the  remains  of  Colonel  Wool- 
worth,  who  fell  mortally  wounded  at  the  head 
of  his  regiment,  underneath  a  locust-tree,  near 


102(1 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


by  the  stream  over  which  the  regiment  charged. 
Captain  Lenhart  was  wounded  early  in  the  en- 
gagement. On  the  morning  of  the  10th,  Gen- 
eral Crook's  command  pushed  on  across  New 
River.  New  River  was  crossed  on  the  night 
of  the  1 0th  at  Pepper's  Ferry.  On  the  1 1th 
the  command  marched  in  the  rain  during  the 
day  and  reached  Blacksburg  in  the  afternoon. 
<  )n  the  following  day  the  march  was  pursued  to 
the  summit  of  Salt  Pond  Mountain.  May  15, 
the  command  reached  Union,  county  seat  of 
Monroe  County,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  16th, 
Greenbrier  River.  On  the  19th  of  May  the 
command  halted  at  Beadow  Bluff,  in  Fayette 
County.  By  the  time  it  reached  this  point  some 
of  the  men  were  suffering  terribly  from  hunger, 
and  no  less  than  three  hundred  were  without 
soles  to  their  shoes.  On  May  22d,  General 
Sickel's  brigade  was  ordered  to  Millville,  near 
Louisburg.  While  here,  their  term  of  service 
having  expired,  the  Third  and  Fourth  Regi- 
ments received  orders  to  return  to  Pennsylvania, 
to  be  mustered  out.  Arriving  at  Philadelphia 
on  Wednesday,  June  8th,  they  were  mustered 
out  of  service,  the  Fourth  on  the  17th  of  June. 

Thirty-third  Regiment  (Fourth  Reserves), 
Company  F. — This  company  was  mustered  in 
June  11, 1861,  and  mustered  out  June  17, 1864. 

Officers. — George  B.  Kellar,  J.  W.  Shoemaker,  Enoch 
S.  C.  Horn,  Nathan  C.  Davis,  John  Nyce,  John  W. 
Burnett,  George  D.  Hufford,  John  S.  Huflbrd,  Samuel 
R.  Bossard,  Anson  R.  Keller,  Jacob  Slutter,  Michael 
F.  <  Jaffey. 

Privates. — Peter  J.  Rupert,  Josiah  Smith,  J.  An- 
drew Haney,  Philip  Altemus,  Andrew  A.  Neal,  Thom- 
as A.  H.  Knox,  Jacob  T.  Keller,  Anthony  Albert, 
Andrew  Albert,  Christopher  Bogart,  John  H.  Betz, 
Jerome  Bender,  T.  A.  D.  Coleman,  Joseph  M.  Cristal, 
Elias  Compton,  Aaron  Culberson,  Franklin  Culber- 
son, B.  F.  Christman,  Peter  A.  Gruber,  Wm.  W.  Gor- 
den,  Titus  Harp,  Florian  Hille,  Charles  Hagenuan, 
Augustus  Kester,  C.  Krunkmocker,  George  W.  Kess- 
ler,  Andrew  Learn,  Paul  Myers,  Abraham  B.  Miller, 
Emanuel  Miller,  John  McDermot,  Christian  Nahr, 

David  Price,  Mathias ,  Ferdinand  Renz,  Charles 

Rust,  Albert  Schook,  Stewart  Schook,  Thomas  Serfass, 
Mathias  P.  Shaf'er,  John  Staley,  Jonas  Sitzer,  John 
Shatter,  Henry  B.  Sitzer,  George  W.  Sitzer,  Jerome 
Sitzer,  John  Sober,  William  K.  Tidd,  Samuel  Van 
Busskirk,  Allied  Vanaken,  Jas.  S.  White,  Abel  T.  Wal- 
rathj  George  Woodling,  William  Walton,  Henry  M. 
Walrath,  George  Williams,  George  Wolfe,  W.  H.A. 
^Vaguer,  William  H.  Warner,  Joseph  H.  Weisse. 


Sixty-seventh  Regiment. — On  the  27th 
of  July,  1861,  John  F.  Staunton,  of  Philadel- 
phia, received  authority  from  the  Secretary  of 
War  to  recruit  a  regiment.  A  camp  was  estab- 
lished at  Camac's  Woods,  near  the  city,  and  re- 
cruiting was  immediately  commenced  in  various 
part  soft  he  State.  The  first  company  was  raised  in 
Carbon  County,  and  was  mustered  into  the  ser- 
vice on  the  28th  of  August.  Owing  to  the  be- 
lief that  widely  prevailed  that  no  more  troops 
would  be  needed,  the  progress  was  slow,  and 
the  companies  were  not  all  in  camp  and  the  or- 
ganization perfected  until  the  spring  of  1862. 
The  men  were  principally  recruited  from  the 
counties  of  Monroe,  Carbon,  Wayne,  Jefferson, 
Schuylkill,  Indiana,  Westmoreland,  Luzerne, 
Northampton  and  Philadelphia. 

The  field  and  staff  officers  were  John  F.  Staun- 
ton, colonel  ;  Horace  B.  Burnham,  lieutenant- 
colonel  ;  Harry  White,  major  ;  John  F.  Young, 
adjutant;  Thomas  P.  Parker,  quartermaster; 
Robert  Barr,  surgeon  ;  James  W.  Pettinos,  as- 
sistant surgeon  ;  Edward  C.  Ambler,  chaplain. 
Thomas  F.  Corson  subsequently  joined  as  as- 
sistant surgeon.  On  the  3d  of  April,  1862,  the 
regiment  moved  by  rail  to  Baltimore,  and  thence 
to  Annapolis,  Md.,  where  it  relieved  the  Elev- 
enth Pennsylvania.  It  was  employed  in  guard- 
ing the  Branch  Railroad,  in  performing  provost 
guard  duty  in  the  city,  and  special  duties  in 
different  parts  of  Eastern  Maryland.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 186.3,  the  Sixty-seventh,  numbering  nine 
hundred  men,  proceeded  to  Harper's  Ferry,  doing 
guard  duty  for  a  few  weeks.  It  was  then  trans 
ferred  to  Berryville,  where  it  formed  the  Third 
Brigade  of  General  Milroy's  command.  The 
headquarters  was  at  Winchester,  and  the  force 
under  him  was  charged  with  holding  the  rebels 
in  check  and  protecting  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad.  "  Late  in  March,"  says  Milroy,  in  his 
official  report,  "  in  pursuance  of  an  order  issued 
upon  my  own  suggestion,  I  stationed  the  Third 
Brigade  of  my  division,  consisting  of  the  Sixth 
Regiment  Maryland  Volunteer  Infantry,  Sixty- 
seventh  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, First  Regiment  New  York  Volunteer 
Cavalry  and  the  Baltimore  Battery,  at  Berry- 
ville, Colonel  McReynolds,  of  the  First  New 
York  Cavalry,  commanding.     My  instructions 


MONKOK  COUNTY. 


to  Colonel  McReynolds  were  to  keep  open  our 
communications  with  Harper's  Ferry,  and  to 
watch  the  passes  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  with  the 
exception  of  expeditions  across  the  Shenandoah 
for  the  purpose  of  breaking  up  the  haunts  of 
Mosby's  men.  Little  of  note  occurred  while 
here. 

"  On  the  evening  of  Friday,  the  12th  of  June, 
Colonel  Staunton,  who  had  been  at  Winchester, 
returned  with  the  intelligence  that  the  enemy  in 
large  force  was  moving  down  the  valley,  and 
was  then  but  a  few  miles  distant.  Orders  were 
soon  received  from  General  Milroy  to  hold  the 
command  in  readiness  to  retire  at  a  concerted 
signal,  and  reinforce  him  at  Winchester.  On 
Saturday  morning,  at  a  few  minutes  before  eight 
o'clock,  the  cavalry  patrol  on  the  Front  Royal 
road  reported  the  enemy   advancing    in  force. 

"Deeming  it  advisable  to  unite  the  command 
as  speedily  as  possible,  the  signal  was  given  for 
Colonel  McReynolds  to  move.  As  his  van- 
guard left  the  town,  the  advance  of  the  enemy 
appeared  in  sight.  After  a  long  and  fatiguing 
inarch  the  command  reached  Winchester  at  ten 
p.m.  The  tired  troops  had  scarcely  thrown 
themselves  on  the  wet  ground  for  rest,  when 
they  were  again  put  in  motion.  The  Sixty- 
seventh  was,  at  daylight  of  Sunday,  ordered 
into  the  rifle-pits  encircling  the  Star  Fort,  a  mile 
and  a  half  north  of  Winchester. 

"  There  are  three  ranges  of  hills  on  the  north 
of  Winchester.  The  first  range  was  occupied 
by  three  forts.  The  Star  Fort  was  intermediate, 
and  was  held  by  the  Third  Brigade,  under 
Colonel  McReynolds.  During  Sunday,  long 
masses  of  the  enemy  were  seen  moving  north- 
ward, and  it  was  apparent  to  all  that  it  was  a 
part  of  the  main  body  of  the  enemy,  and  be- 
fore evening  the  small  command  of  General 
Milroy  would  be  completely  surrounded.  Gen- 
eral Lee  having  quietly  broken  camp  upon  the 
Rappahannock,  the  isolated  command  of  Gen- 
eral Milroy  was  the  first  obstacle  he  encoun- 
tered. About  four  o'clock  the  enemy  opened 
upon  the  two  principal  forts.  At  a  council  of 
war  during  the  night  it  was  decided  to  evacu- 
ate. At  a  little  before  noon,  when  only  four 
miles  from  Winchester,  a  large  body  of  the 
enemy    was    encountered,    which     immediately 


opened  a  heavy  fire.  Again  and  again  the 
troops,  led  by  Genera]  Milroy  in  person, charged 
his  well-supported  guns,  and  succeeded  in  cap- 
turing some  of  his  pieces,  but  were  not  able  to 
hold  them;  with  fresh  troops,  in  overpowering 
numbers,  he  drove  back  our  forces,  render- 
ing any  attempts  to  break  his  line  futile.  At 
the  opening  of  the  engagement  the  Sixty-sev- 
enth and  Sixth  Maryland  were  deployed  to  the 
right.  Scarcely  had  they  advanced  three-quar- 
ters of  a  mile  in  this  direction,  when  they  found 
themselves  in  the  very  midst  of  the  enemy.  A 
severe  engagement  ensued,  in  which  the  little 
force  made  a  gallant  but  hopeless  defence.  The 
Sixty-seventh,  which  was  in  the  advance,  find- 
ing itself  completely  overpowered,  and  surround- 
ed on  all  sides  by  masses  of  the  enemy,  was 
obliged  to  give  up  the  contest  and  surrender. 
The  fragment  of  the  Sixty-seventh  which  es- 
caped capture  was  reorganized  at  Harper's  Fer- 
ry, and,  with  the  rest  of  Milroy 's  command,  was 
formed  in  two  brigades,  which  subsequently 
became  the  Third  Division  of  the  Third  Corps. 
The  regiment,  with  this  division,  was  engaged 
in  fortifying  Maryland  Heights  until  the  30th 
of  June,  when,  the  works  having  been  disman- 
tled, the  ordnance  and  stores  were  shipped  to 
Washington,  General  Elliott's  brigade,  to  which 
the  Sixty-seventh  belonged,  acting  as  a  guard. 
It  arrived  on  the  4th.  From  Washington  the 
division  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  at 
Fredericksburg.  In  the  campaign  which  fol- 
lowed, during  the  fall  and  winter  of  1863,  the 
regiment  shared  the  fortunes  of  the  Third  Corps. 
During  the  winter  a  large  portion  of  the  men 
re-enlisted,  but  so  many  had  originally  joined 
the  regiment  at  a  late  date  that  there  were  not 
a  sufficient  number  eligible  to  re-enlistment  to 
entitle  it  to  a  veteran  furlough.  General  Meade, 
however,  in  consideration  of  the  fact  that  nearly 
all  who  were  eligible  had  done  so,  permitted 
the  veterans  to  be  furloughed  in  a  body,  and  to 
take  their  arms  with  them.  The  remainder  of 
the  regiment,  consisting  of  about  two  hundred 
men,  being  left  without  officers,  was  temporarily 
attached  to  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth 
Pennsylvania.  The  veterans,  numbering  three 
hundred  and  fifty,  accompanied  by  their  offi- 
cers, departed  for  Philadelphia.     Attheexpira- 


11(22 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


tion  of  the  thirty  days'  furlough  they  returned 
to  Washington,  and  were  ordered  to  report  to 
Genera]  Abercrombie,  at  Belle  Plain.  Colonel 
Staunton  was  then  placed  in  command  of  a  reg- 
iment of  cavalry  and  a  battery,  in  addition  to 
his  own,  and  directed  to  proceed  to  the  White 
House,  where  he  arrived  early  in  June,  and  the 
Sixty-seventh  was  retained  for  duty  at  this 
post. 

In  the  operations  of  the  army  under  General 
Wright,  which  lasted  duringthe summer,  through 
Northern  Virginia  and  Maryland,  the  regiment 
participated.  In  the  early  part  of  September, 
Colonel  Staunton  and  Captain  Berry  being  now 
out  of  service,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Burn- 
ham  having  been  discharged  at  the  expiration 
of  his  term,  to  accept  the  rank  of  major  in  the 
regular  army,  the  command  of  the  regiment 
devolved  upon  Adjutant  John  F.Young.  From 
the  15th  of  June,  1864,  the  regiment  was  with 
Sheridan  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  campaign 
until  the  close  of  the  year,  when,  with  the  corps,  it- 
was  ordered  to  rejoin  the  army  in  front  of  Peters- 
burg in  the  subsequent  operations  of  the  corps, 
including  the  final  campaign,  which  ended  at 
Appomattox  Court-House  on  the  19th  of  April, 
1865.  After  the  surrender  of  Lee  the  regiment 
marched  with  a  part  of  the  army  to  Danville, 
near  the  North  Carolina  border,  where  Johnson 
was  still  in  command  of  a  large  rebel  force. 
After  his  capitulation  it  returned  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Washington,  and  on  the  14th  of 
July,  1865,  was  mustered  out  of  service. 

Company  D.— This  company  was  mustered 
out  July  14,  1865. 

Officers. — Captains,  George  K.  Stuller,  Samuel 
Barry,  Frank  A.  Hubbell;  First  Lieutenants,  Charles 
L.  Edmonds,  William  H.  Altemus ;  Second  Lieuten- 
ants, Robert  Thompson,  Franklin  Stout;  First  Ser- 
geant, William  Good  ;  Sergeants,  Abraham  C.  Barry, 
William  H.  Stubbs,  William  P.  Levers,  George  H. 
Benson,  Barnet  Snyder,  Joseph  Cramer,  Emanuel 
Mast;  Corporals,  Henry  Little,  Charles  Yetter,  Levi 
Goung,  Robert  Daily,  Alvin  P.  Edmond,  Samuel 
Hardy,  George  Levers,  Reuben  F.  Gerhardt,  George 
Bartholomew,  Matthew  MeCutchon,  George  T.  Mor- 
row, Jessie  Siglin,  Peter  Hinkle;  Musicians,  Jacob 
Stone,  Drake  Halleck. 

Privates. — Andrew  Allison,  Martin  Arnold,  Azor 
Addison,  Samuel  Belcher,  Benjamin  Boyer,  John  F. 
Barry,    Andrew  Blacksmith,    Reuben  Burger,   Davjd 


Brotzman,  Peter  A.  Bender,  John  Burners,  John  L. 
Gallery,  Andrew  J.  Correll,  Geo.  Crause,  Geo.  I  lleren 
ger,  Daniel  Cobet,  Wm.  Correll,  Jos.  Cramer,  Hiram 
Culler,  Henry  Collier,  Alfred  Coffin,  Samuel  Cutler. 
John  0.  Duncan,  Daniel  Decker,  William  Dehaven, 
Benjamin  Dehaven,  John  Diel,  Emanuel  Dickinson, 
Theodore  Downs,  Philip  Engle,  Jacob  Engle,  T.  G. 
W.  Edmond,  Alexander  Everett,  John  Fretts,  Henry 
Flyte,  Andrew  Feiker,  Benedick  Gehring,  John 
(ireenwalt,  Peter  Hartraan,  George  Hause,  William 
H.  Harris,  Jr.,  David  Handylong,  Andrew  Hardy, 
Thomas  H.  Hall,  Alexander  Hitchman,  Isaac  llein- 
line,  Samuel  Heller,  Levi  Howell,  Jeremy  M.  Har- 
mon, Conrad  Hammond,  Gottfried  Ingeli,  William 
Irwin,  Abraham  Jacobs,  John  Jennings,  William  II. 
Jennings,  John  W.  Kilsby,  Uriah  Kelley,  Henry 
Earns,  Joseph  Kollor,  Andrew  Kintz,  Samuel  Kearn, 
Richard  Kresge,  Paul  L.  Kemerer,  Myram  M. 
Knowles,  George  W.  Larcon,  Albert  Leming,  George 
Lertenberger,  John  Leschen,  Jacob  Lautier,  George 
Lanigan,  John  Loner,  John  M.  Lessig,  John  Line- 
burrv,  Lawrence  Laod,  Jervis  Lockard,  John  I.  Meix- 
all,  Israel  Mitzger,  Christopher  Moyer,  Charles  Mark- 
man,  John  Morris,  William  Mee,  John  Minton, 
Patrick  Malone,  Peter  Murray,  Francis  Moloy,  Amos 
W.  Marsh,  James  T.  Merrihue,  Samuel  McCutcheoa, 
William  G.  McCartney,  John  McGee,  George  Mc- 
Grath,  John  Nevier,  Isaac  Nogle,  Henry  Nofster, 
John  R.  Owens,  JamesS.  Prosser,  Andrew  Piece,  Abra- 
ham Resb,  Thomas  Ryan,  William  H.  Radciff, 
Lewis  Ruth,  Edwin  Rees,  Josiah  Ruth,  Samuel 
Ruth,  Peter  B.  Snyder,  William  Smith,  John  Swam- 
bank,  John  M.  Stubbs,  Leonard  Shook,  Michael 
Soder,  Daniel  Smith,  John  Sims,  Samuel  Singer, 
Joseph  Shoemaker,  Jacob  B.  Setzer,  John  F.  Stiner, 
John  Shingle,  Peter  Sobens,  Percival  Stam,  George 
Schwab,  Simon  B.  Seglin,  William  Seglin,  Joseph  A. 
Stubbs,  Peter  Supers,  Morrow  B.  Beaton,  Robert  Shel- 
ton,  Leander  B.  Short,  Charles  Short,  Edward  F.  Stan- 
ton,Samuel  T.  Turner,  Christian  Truly,  Samuel  Trout, 
Gasper  Williams,  Christopher  Wood,  George  H. 
Walters,  Peter  E.  Wolfe,  Daniel  Wolfe,  Burton 
Winter,  Thomas  Watts,  Stephen  Woolsey,  Henry  H . 
Weiss,  William  Werkbiser. 

Sixty-seventh  Regiment,  Company  G. — 
Mustered  in  February  21,  1862,  and  mustered 
out  August  5,  1862. 

Officers. — Captains,  Joseph  Altemus,  Peter  Marsh  ; 
First  Lieutenants,  Aaron  Kresge,  Thomas  Madden  ; 
Second  Lieutenants,  Francis  F.  Young,  Jacob  An- 
drews;  Sergeants,  Charles  F.  Cramer,  William  L. 
Brouch,  Samuel  Rinker,  John  H.  Bellis,  William  R. 
Black,  Franklin  Altemus,  John  D.  Newhart ;  Cor- 
porals, John  H.  Eyer,  James  Lindsay,  Amos  Kresge, 
Jacob  Staple,  Lewis  Ruth,  William  H.  Smith,  Ed- 
ward Marsh,  Justice  Woombacker,  Samuel  Altemus, 
Henry  Kemmerling,  George  Klintop,  William  Grat- 
tin,  Henrv  Butts,  Johnson  Miller. 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


1023 


Frivaies. — Elias  Altemus,  Conrad  Aul,  John  Alte- 
mus, Henry  Arnold,  Henry  Beahler,  Reuben  Burger, 
William  Belcher,  Michael  Burkhoeder,  Jacob  Boro- 
man,  Henry  Beers,  John  P.  Bennett,  Jacob  C.  Bash, 
John  F.  Bloom,  John  Bender,  John  Burger,  James 
Bentley,  Jacob  Fenner,  George  Fisher,  Edward  Ful- 
len,  Aaron  Flyte,  Hiram  Ferrier,  John  Fenner,  Henry 
Flyte,  Hiram  Frantz,  John  Gross,  TheodoreF.  Hal- 
lock,  Ferdinand  Hartig,  Henry  Hoodmaker,  Leonard 
Hiller,  Samuel  E.  Hoyt,  Samue!  K.  Johnson,  Solomon 
Kresge,  Samuel  W.  Curry,  John  Cooper,  Lcti  Correll, 
William  Christman,  John  Correll,  John  Hotter,  Jam- 
son  Dougherty,  Peter  Drexter,  Thomas  Dehaven,  Ben- 
jamin Eschen bach,  Ernest  Emmel,  Peter  Engle,  Jona- 
than Eberhart,  Adam  Elfner,  J.  S.  Eschenbach, 
William  Frantz,  Michael  Kresge,  Emanuel  Kresge, 
Levi  Kresge,  James  Kresge,  Isaac  Knapp,  Lawrence 
Lava,  Michael  Little,  John  P.  Lincoln,  Gaines  La- 
mont,  Peter  Leddy,  Joseph  Lininger,  William  Long, 
Edward  Mekell,  Daniel  Miller,  Uriah  Moore,  William 
Mills,  Martin  Murray,  William  R.  Miller,  Marshall 
Miller,  Edward  Mintzer,  Daniel  H.  Miller,  <  (scar  W. 
Mertz,  Charles  Manghan,  Amos  S.  Miller,  Andrew  F. 
Miller,  Reuben  Mabus.  John  Marcul,  Jonas  Miller, 
George  Macling,  William  J.  Miller,  John  Murphy, 
Charles  Mitchell,  Michael  McDonoug,  P.  T.  McCon- 
aughty,  David  MeKinney,  Harman  McAfoos,  James 
McDonald,  Dennis  McGee,  Edward  Nevil,  William 
S.  Nelson,  John  H.  Nupp,  Henry  Osterling,  John  D. 
Parmenter,  Andrejv  Price,  John  H.  Price,  Noah 
Pace,  Nathan  Rouch,  Damas  Rick,  C.  W.  Redeuour, 
Francis  Rutlinger,  George  A.  Rarlerty,  John  Rees, 
Armoriah  Reed,  Caleb  Rinker,  Charles  Randall,  Jo- 
seph Reprogle,  Myram  Rumles,  William  Reghard, 
John  A.  Smith,  Daniel  Stout,  James  L.  Smith,  Jacob 
Speelman,  John  Smith,  John  A.  Seiler,  Joseph  F. 
Smith,  Edward  Setzer,  Elias  Scott,  Stewart  Shupp, 
William  Shenburger,  Joseph  Schock,  Joseph  Swain- 
bank,  Joseph  A.  Stubbs,  Peter  Sobers,  Jacob  Starrier, 
John  Small,  John  Stout,  Matthew  J.  Steen,  William 
Bandt,  Peter  Transue,  James  H.  Tock,  Joseph  Turn- 
bull,  George  L.  Vanhorn,  Simon  Wyant,  John  Wil- 
son, Conrad  Wineman,  Benjamin  Washburn,  Wil- 
liam H.  White,  Jonathan  Williams,  Allen  N.  Work, 
Wallace  Whitesell,  William  Whipple,  Charles  Zum- 
keller. 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-second  Regi- 
ment.— The  One  Hundred  and  Forty-second 
Regiment  was  made  up  of  three  companies  from 
Somerset  County,  and  one  from  each  of  the 
counties  of  Westmoreland,  Mercer,  Monroe, 
Venango,  Luzerne,  Fayette  and  Union,  the 
last-named  being  Company  F,  of  which  the 
original  commanding  officer  was  Captain  John 
A.  Owens. 

The    regimental    rendezvous    was    at    Camp 


Curtin,  Harrisburg,  where  the  companies  were 
mustered  into  the  service  as  they  arrived  dur- 
ing the  month  of  August,  1862.  On  the  1st  of 
September  the  organization  of  the  regiment  was 
effected,  under  the  following-named  field  offi- 
cers:  Colonel,  Robert  P.  Cummings,  of  Somer- 
set County;  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Alfred  M.  Mc- 
Calmont,  of  Venango ;  Major,  John  Bradley,  of 
Luzerne.  Within  two  days  from  the  time  the 
organization  was  completed  the  regiment  moved 
to  Washington,  D.  O,  where  it  was  first  em- 
ployed in  the  construction  of  fortifications  for 
the  defense  of  the  city.  In  the  latter  part  of 
September  it  was  moved  to  Frederick,  Md., 
where  it  remained  a  few  weeks,  and  early  in 
October  it  marched  to  Warrenton,  Ya.,  it  hav- 
ing been  assigned  to  duty  in  the  Second  Brig- 
ade, Third  Division  (the  Pennsylvania  Reserves) 
of  the  First  Corps.  From  Warrenton  it  moved 
to  Brooks'  Station,  on  the  Richmond,  Freder- 
icksburg and  Potomac  Railroad. 

The  men  of  the  regiment  first  smelt  the  smoke 
of  battle  at  Fredericksburg,  on  the  13th  of  De- 
cember. The  Reserve  Division  formed  a  part 
of  General  Franklin's  grand  division,  and  at 
noon  on  the  12th  crossed  the  Rappahannock, 
and  took  up  a  position  for  tlic  night  along  the 
river-bank.  Early  on  the  following  morning 
the  division  crossed  the  ravine  which  cuts  the 
plain  nearly  parallel  with  the  river,  and  formed 
in  line  of  battle.  The  One  Hundred  and  For- 
ty-second Regiment  was  deployed  on  the  left  of 
the  division,  supporting  a  battery.  Finally  the 
order  was  given  to  charge,  and  the  regiment 
went  forward  with  a  cheer,  but  was  met  by  a 
fusilade  so  deadly  that  its  advance  was  checked. 
"rCxposed  to  a  destructive  fire,  from  which  the 
rest  of  the  brigade  was  shielded,  it  could  only 
await  destruction,  without  the  privilege  of  re- 
turning it,  and  with  no  prospect  of  gaining  an 
advantage  ;  but  with  a  nerve  which  veterans 
might  envy,  it  heroically  maintained  its  position 
till  ordered  to  retire.  Out  of  five  hundred  and 
fifty  men  who  stood  in  well-ordered  ranks  in 
the  morning,  two  hundred  and  fifty  in  one  brief 
hour  were  stricken  down.  After  this  disastrous 
charge  the  division  fell  back  to  the  position 
west  of  the  ravine  which  it  had  occupied  on  the 
previous  day,  where  it  remained  until,  with  the 


1024 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


army,  it  crossed  the  river  on  the  night  of  the 
15th,  and  two  days  alter  went  into  winter-quar- 
ters near  Belle  Plain  Landing."  ' 

In  February,  1863,  the  regiment,  with  the 
Reserves,  were  sent  to  the  defence  of  Washing- 
ton, and  remained  there  till  late  in  April,  when 
it  again  moved  to  the  Rappahannock.  During 
the  progress  of  the  great  battle  of  Chancellors- 
ville,  which  occurred  a  few  days  later,  it  was 
held  in  readiness  for  service,  and  remained  for 
many  hours  under  a  heavy  artillery  fire,  but  did 
not  become  actually  engaged.  After  the  battle 
it  recrossed  the  river  with  the  army,  and  reoccu- 
pied  its  old  camp  near  the  Rappahannock  until 
the  advance  of  the  army  to  Gettysburg.  In 
that  great  conflict  the  regimeut  fought  with  con- 
spicuous bravery  on  the  1st  and  3d  of  July,  not 
being  called  into  action,  but  held  in  reserve 
during  the  struggle  of  the  2d.  Its  losses  in 
the  entire  battle  were  one  hundred  and  forty- 
one  killed  and  wounded  and  eighty-four 
missing  (most  of  whom  were  made  prisoners) — a 
total  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five.  Among 
the  wounded  were  Colonel  Cummins  and  Cap- 
tain Charles  R.  Evans,  of  the  Union  County 
company,  and  Lieutenant  Andrew  G.  Tucker,  of 
the  same  company,  the  wounds  of  the  colonel 
and  Lieutenant  Tucker  both  proving  to  be 
mortal. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  year  1863  the 
regiment  took  part  in  the  general  movements  of 
tlir  army  (including  the  advance  against  the  en- 
emy's strong  position  at  Mine  Run),  but  was 
not  actively  engaged  in  battle.  Its  winter-quar- 
ters were  made  near  Culpeper,  Va. 

On  the  1th  of  May,  18(54,  it  left  its  winter- 
quarters  and  moved  across  the  Rapidan  on  the 
campaign  of  the  Wilderness.  At  noon  on  the 
5th  it  became  hotly  engaged,  and  fought  with 
determination,  holding  its  ground  stubbornly 
until  near  night,  when  it  was  forced  to  retire. 
Its  losses  were  heavy.  On  the  6th  it  again  saw 
heavy  fighting  along  the  line  of  the  Gordons- 
ville  road.  On  the  7th  it  moved  to  Laurel  Hill, 
and  held  position  there  until  the  13th,  when  it 
moved  to  Spottsvlvania  Court-House.  There 
it  remained  a  week,  throwing  up  defenses,  and 
a  great  part  of  the  time    under  heavy  artillery 


fire.  On  the  21st  it  again  moved  on,  and  in 
its  advance  southward  fought  at  North  Anna, 
Bethesda  Church  and  Tolopotomoy,  arriving  at 
Cold  Harbor  on  the  6th  of  June.  Moving 
thence  across  the  Chickahominy  to  the  James, 
it  crossed  that  river  on  the  16th  and  took  posi- 
tion in  front  of  Petersburg.  Its  first  fight  there 
was  on  the  18th,  on  which  occasion  it  succeeded 
in  dislodging  the  enemy  in  its  front,  and  held 
the  ground  thus  gained.  It  took  part  in  two 
actions  on  the  line  of  the  Weldon  Railroad,  also 
in  that  at  Peebles'  Farm  (September  30th),  and 
others  during  the  operations  of  the  summer  and 
fall.  On  the  6th  of  February,  1865,  it  fought 
and  suffered  considerable  loss  in  the  action  of 
Dabney's  Mills. 

Breaking  its  winter  camp  on  the  30th  of 
March,  it  participated  in  the  assault  on  the  ene- 
mv's  works  on  the  Boydton  plank-road,  and 
again  fought  at  Five  Forks  on  the  1st  of  April, 
suffering  severe  loss.  Eight  days  later  General 
Lee  surrendered  at  Appomattox,  and  the  brig- 
ade of  which  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sec- 
ond formed  a  part  moved  to  Burkesville  Sta- 
tion as  a  guard  to  stores  and  other  property  cap- 
tured from  the  enemy.  After  a  stay  of  two 
weeks  at  Burkesville  the  regiment  was  ordered 
to  Petersburg,  and  moving  thence  by  way  of 
Richmond  to  Washington,  D.  O,  was  there 
mustered  out  of  service  on  the  29th  of  May, 
1865. 

COMPANY  (J. — This  company  was  mustered 
in  August  31,  1862,  and  mustered  out  May  29, 
1865,  except  when  otherwise  specified. 

Officer*. — Captains,  William  K.  Haviland,  Cicero 
II.  Drake;  First  Lieutenants,  Charles  P.  Orvis,  B.  T. 
Huntsman  ;  First  Sergeants.  Josiah  Heekman,  Amzi 
Labar,  Jacob  F.  William  ;  Sergeants,  Aaron  Smith, 
Levi  C.  Drake,  John  It.  Miller;  Corporals,  Jackson 
Eberitt,  Justus  Gunble,  Ed.  Brancles,  James  Con- 
nelly, Theodore  Feemer,  Jervis  Ney,  John  B.  Law- 
rence (nine.),  Silas  Hanna  (mue.) 

Privates. — James  D.  Arnst,  Daniel  Amic,  Elijah 
Blowers,  Peter  Benson,  Linford  D.  Belli-,  Lewis  I'.el- 
lis,  James  Bradshaw,  Edwin  Bureh,  Amos  Belles, 
John  Compton,  Daniel  Countryman,  William  T. 
Crock,  Philip  D.Connolly,  Elmer  H.  Delong,  Wil- 
liam D.  Develt,  Edwin  R.  Eberitt,  Balser  Feller, 
James  Frable,  Jeffrey  Fenner,  Edwin  R.  Gearhart, 
Amos  Gan'iss,  James  Hoover,  Moses  llowey,  Amos 
Howey,  James  Hull',  Benjamin  Hull,  Joseph  I'. 
Hickman,  Joseph  L.  Jaggers,  Jacob  Knecht,  Stew- 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


art  Kresge,  Joseph  Kresge,  Henry  Kneeht,  David 
H.  Meeker,  John  Metz,  Abraham  B.  Marsh, 
Thomas  W.  Neauman,  Charles  Neauman,  Al- 
bert Overleigh,  Philip  Roro,  Joseph  Rinker,  C.  F. 
Shinerling,  John  Small,  Omer  B.  Smith,  George 
Smith,  Jr.,  Ephraim  Stein,  Thomas  Strunk,  Elijah 
Strunk,  Thomas  Smiley,  Henry  Shafer,  Henry  Slut- 
ter,  Charles  Terry,  Ananias  Transue,  George  W. 
Transue,  Jerome  Tittle,  William  H.  Vanrohy,  Charles 
B.  Wallace,  Jacob  Woolbert,  Thomas  Woolbert, 
James  Wilson,  William  F.  Wells,  Charles  S.  White, 
Jacob  T.  Woolbert, 

One  Hundred  and  Seventy-sixth  Regi- 
ment, Nine  Months'  Service  (Drafted  Mil- 
itia).— Of  this  regiment  several  companies  were 
from  Lehigh  County  and  the  remaining  three 
from  Monroe.  They  rendezvoused  at  Philadel 
phia  in  November,  18b'2,  and  a  regimental  or- 
ganization was  effected  with  the  following  field 
officers  :  Ambrose  A.  Lechter,  colonel ;  George 
Peekingtou,  lieutenant-colonel  ;  Win.  Schoon- 
over,  major.  Soon  after  its  organization  the 
regiment  was  sent  to  Norfolk,  Va.,  where  for  a 
month  it  was  subjected  to  careful  instruction 
and  discipline.  The  regiment  was  selected 
to  accompany  General  Foster  in  his  expedition 
for  the  reinforcement  of  the  army  operating 
upon  the  defences  of  Charleston.  Proceeding  to 
Newbern,  N.  G,  it  was  incorporated  with  Fos- 
ter's forces,  and  on  the  27th  of  January,  1863, 
set  sail,  arriving  at  Hilton  Head  on  the  5th  of 
February.  While  in  the  Department  of  the 
South  the  regiment  was  not  engaged  in  any 
hostile  operations,  but  was  principally  employed 
in  fatigue  duty  upon  the  fortification  and  in 
provost  duty.  Soon  after  the  expiration  of  its 
term  of  duty  it  returned  North  and  was  sent  to 
Philadelphia,  where,  on  the  17th  and  18th  of 
August,  it  was  mustered  out  of  service. 

Following  are  the  rosters  of  the  Monroe 
companies  of  the  regiment: 

COMPANY  C. — This  company  was  mustered 
in  November  3,  1862,  and  mustered  out  August 
is,  1863. 

Officers. — Captain,  Chas.  W.  Warwick;  First  Lieu- 
tenant, William  M.  Loder;  Second  Lieutenant, 
L.  Smith ;  First  Sergeant,  Wm.  B.  Thompson ; 
Sergeants,  Simon  Flory,  Lewis  Long,  Stephen 
D.  Compton,  Chas.  Hallett,  Joseph  T.  Walton,  Geo. 
N.  Dreher,  William  Schoonover,  Marion  W.  Rhoads; 
Corporals,  Morris  H.  Strouss,  James  Saeger,  Samuel 
S.   Lee,  Samuel  Warner,  Amos  Anglemoyer,  Charles 


Gillespie,  Ervin  Coffman,  Daniel  Bush,  M.  R.  Mus- 
sleman. 

Privates.  —  Davis  Anglemoyer,  Nelson  Besbmy, 
William  Buckley,  Levi  S.  Belles,  Oliver  Bruch,  John 
Belles,  Harvey  B.  Burch,  Nelson  Bush,  Geo.  Barry, 
Simon  B.  Coslar,  John  Coolbaugh,  Benjamin  Depue, 
Alphs.  B.  Dunham,  Valentine  Erbach,  John  E. 
Edes,  A.  Eylenberger,  Jesse  Froal,  Charles  Freder- 
ick, Thomas  J.  Fish,  Joseph  H.  Gougher,  Chas. 
Graw,  Augustus  Graw,  Mason  Garress,  George  S. 
Gruber,  Jacob  F.  Heller,  Maurice  Henry,  John  D. 
Heller,  S.  Hoenshied,  Theodore  Houser,  Uriah  S.  Hil- 
gert,  Gerhart  Hasse,  William  Hanna,  Peter  F.  Kotz, 
Henry  Kintner,  Franklin  Lill,  Edward  Miller,  Benja- 
min G.  Miller,  William  H.  Neville,  James  S.  Strunk, 
Hercules  Sergent,  William  Sergent,  Charles  Sergent, 
George  W.  Smith,  Daniel  H.  Staples,  John  Stump, 
Peter  W.  Schleiker,  Lawrence  Smith,  Nelson  Staples, 
Hiram  Sebring,  Jacob  Schoonover,  Isaac  Smith,  Ja- 
cob Saucenbach,  Madison  Smith,  Isaac  Peters,  Wil- 
liam Postens,  George  W.  Rose,  John  E.  Noack,  Dan- 
iel Neyhart,  James  Remhart,  Frank  Reed,  George  M. 
Smith,  John  S.  Staples,  Levi  Slutter,  George  W.  Sees, 
Joseph  S.  Sees,  Moses  P.  Staples,  Franklin  Shiffer, 
John  R.  Storms,  Demus  Tucker,  John  C.  Ulrich. 
James  Werkhiser,  Joel  Williams,  Henry  < '.  White. 
William  Wells,  George  Watson,  John  Yeiley,  Ed- 
ward Yelter,  John  Zanu. 

COMPANY  F. — This  company  was  mustered 
in  ou  November  3,  1862,  and  mustered  out 
August  17,  1863. 

Officers. — Captain/Joseph  Nicholas  ;  First  Lieuten- 
ant, Alonzo  B.  Shafer  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  Godfrey 
Ruff;  First  Sergeants,  John  H.  Fenner,  Timothy 
Gresge,  Samuel  Shively,  W.  E.  Zacharias,  Walter 
Barnet,  Peter  Sheffer ;  Corporals,  W.  M.  Hood- 
macher,  Paul  Cresge,  Samuel  H.  Weiss,  J.  J.  Greena- 
moyer,  Nathan  Everett,  George  Shafer,  William 
Brong. 

Privates. —  George  Anglemoyer,  Francis  Addie, 
Jacob  Altemose,  Jacob  E.  Altemose,  David  Bos- 
ley,  John  S.  Busly,  Joseph  Bruch,  William  H. 
Barthold,  Simond  Bond,  Robert  F.  Sisco,  George 
W.  Cumterman,  William  Carroll,  Abraham  Crotzer, 
William  S.  Delory,  Henry  Ehlers,  John  Eping, 
Jacob  Evans,  James  P.  Frowfelker,  Charles 
Garring,  Emanuel  Getz,  Levi  Getz,  Reuben  Gross, 
Josiah  Gurr,  John  W.  H.  Gurr,  Samuel  Gunsales, 
George  Matthias,  Reuben  Hardy,  Jeremiah  Hood- 
macher,  Adam  S.  Houck,  Joseph  Hardy,  Joseph 
Haney,  Charles  H.  Haney,  H.  Hoodmacher,  Edward 
Kresge,  Joseph  D.  Kresge,  Jacob  Kresge,  Peter  H. 
Kresge,  Leonard  Kresge,  Christian  Kresge,  Joseph 
R.  Kresge,  Adam  Learn,  Samuel  Martz,  John  Mis- 
sion, Barnet  Mission,  Washington  Miller,  Henry 
Miller,  Jacob  W.  Newhart,  Albert  Opitz,  Jacob  Rep- 
sher,    A.    H.   Schoonover,   George   W.    Schoonover, 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Lewis  Shrader,  George  M.  Shafer,  John  W.  Shiverly, 
Henry  Siglen,  Sebastian  Singer,  David  Smith,  John 
D.  Smith,  David  E.  Snyder,  Eli  Stull,  Val.  Schueitz- 
gut,  Frank  H.  Smith,  Emanuel  Shafer,  Lenfbrd 
Smith,  Joseph  Smail,  John  Shaw,  Pierson  Smith, 
John  Traviss,  John  Vanscouton,  Charles  D.  Wound, 
William  Werkhiser,  Henry  Walt,  Franklin  Walker, 
Daniel  Williams,  Henry  Weber. 

Company  H. — This  company  was  mustered 
in  on  November  3,  1862,  and  mustered  out 
August  17,  1863. 

Officers.— Captain,  Samuel  S  Keller  ;  First  Lieu- 
tenant, Harvey  Bates;  Second  Lieutenant,  Joseph  P. 
B.  Primrose  ;  First  Sergeant,  David  S.  Lee ;  Sergeants, 
Michael  Van  Buskirk,  Daniel  M.  Hainey,  Frank  J. 
Price,  Edward  Dodenduf,  William  Setzer ;  Corporals, 
Andrew  J.  Stites,  John  B.  Hufford,  Henry  Filker, 
James  G.  Brown,  William  H.  Fenner,  Monroe  A. 
Newton,  William  H.  Butz,  John  G.  West,  Lingford 
Ruth. 

POvatea.— John  Adams,  Charles  A.  Albright, 
David  A.  Ams,  Henry  Bassold,  Reuben  G.  Berger, 
David  Bisbing,  Jacob  Bisbing,  James  L.  Bisbing, 
Jacob  Bealer,  Reuben  Burger,  Amos  Burger,  John 
Brensinger,  Joseph  Burger,  Charles  Bachman,  Joseph 
Clock,  Daniel  H.  Custard,  Reuben  Cbristman,  Martin 
Graham,  Andrew  Dreher,  William  Dunhiller,  Wash- 
ington Fable,  John  Fenner,  Henry  Fairbanks,  Eman- 
uel Grouer,  Levi  Greenswig,  Abraham  Greenswig, 
John  Harris,  J.  C.  Helgeit,  Jacob  Hofner,  Peter 
Hawk,  Silas  Katz,  John  M.  Kingley,  Chas.  King, 
George  Leedom,  Philip  Lessig,  Nathan  Metzgar,  Al- 
fred Miller,  George  Miller,  Levi  Miller,  William 
McDonough,  Thomas  Newhart,  Thomas  Newgent, 
Edward  B.  Newell,  Matthew  Newhart,  Dennis  Oles- 
nur,  Henry  Price,  Andrew  Riley,  Jacob  Ruth,  Je- 
rome Shindler,  Henry  Shoemaker,  Reuben  Smith, 
Hiram  Strieker,  Ellis  Stoll,  Joseph  Starner,  John 
Snyder,  Uriah  Shelly,  David  Shelly,  Gideon  Smith. 
Henry  Sigler,  Charles  Smith,  George  W.  Umphred, 
Hiram  Vanhorn,  Theodore  Werkier,  Henry  Wel- 
drick,  Linford  Williams. 

One  Hundred  and  Ninety-Eighth  Reg- 
iment (one  year's  service). — The  regiment 
was  recruited  in  Philadelphia,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Union  League  Association,  during 
the  summer  of  1X64.  Recruiting  was  com- 
menced soon  after  the  muster  out  of  service 
of  the  Reserve  Corps,  and  Horatio  G.  Sickle, 
who  had  command  of  the  Third  Reserve  Regi- 
ment, was  selected,  in  conjunction  with  James 
II.  Ofne,  chairman  of  the  executive  committee, 
to  superintend  the  work  of  filling  the  ranks 
and  organizing  the  command.  On  the  9th  of 
September    the    organization    was    completed, 


with  the  following  field  officers:  Horatio  G. 
Sickle,  colonel ;  John  B.  Murray,  lieutenant- 
colonel  ;  Edwin  A.  Glenn,  major.  On  the  19th, 
the  regiment  proceeded  to  join  the  army  of  the 
Potomac  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Ya.,  and  upon 
its  arrival  was  assigned  to  the  First  Brigade, 
First  Division  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  and  joined 
it  at  a  point  on  the  Weldon  Railroad.  Soon 
after  its  arrival  Colonel  Sickle  was  placed  in 
command  of  the  brigade  and  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Murray  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the 
regiment.  At  the  battle  of  Peebles'  Farm, 
which  opened  on  the  30th,  the  regiment  partic- 
ipated, and  in  the  engagement  which  occurred 
on  October  2d  the  regiment  suffered  a  loss  of 
one  killed  and  five  wounded.  On  the  27th  it 
moved  with  the  corps  for  a  demonstration  upon 
the  South  Side  Railroad.  On  the  6th  of  De- 
cember it  was  engaged  with  the  corps  in  tin: 
destruction  of  the  Weldon  Railroad.  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Murray  was  relieved  on  account  of 
physical  disability  on  the  27th  of  December, 
and  the  command  devolved  on  Major  Glenn. 
The  next  engagement  participated  in  by  the 
regiment  was  at  Hatcher's  Run,  February  (J 
and  7,  1S65,  resulting  in  a  loss  to  the  regiment 
of  three  killed  and  thirteen  wounded.  In  the 
action  known  as  the  battle  of  Lewis'  Farm,  on 
March  25,  1865,  the  regiment  sustained  griev- 
ous losses.  Major  Charles  I.  Maceuen  and 
Captain  George  W.  Mulfrev  were  killed  ;  Gen- 
eral Sickle,  Captains  Samuel  Wrigley,  Benja- 
min F.  Gardner  and  Thomas  C.  Spokeman, 
Lieutenants  Jeremiah  C.  Keller  and  William 
E.  Miller  wounded.  The  entire  loss  was  three 
hundred  and  eleven ;  twenty-eight  were  killed. 
On  the  morning  of  the  31st  it  again  moved  off 
and  met  the  enemy  at  White  Oak  Swamp,  and 
in  the  engagement  that  followed  sustained  a 
loss  of  six  killed  and  forty-six  wounded.  Soon 
after  the  conclusion  of  the  battle  the  regiment 
moved  towards  Five  Forks,  joining  with  Sher- 
idan's cavalry,  and  in  the  engagement  which 
followed  suffered  the  loss  of  their  commander, 
Major  Glenn.  The  loss  to  the  regiment  was 
one  killed  and  fifteen  wounded.  On  the  15th 
of  May  the  regiment  commenced  its  march 
homeward  and  remained  at  Arlington  Heights 
until  June  3d,  when  it.  was  mustered  out. 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


11)27 


Company  M. — This  company  was  mustered 
in  from  October  Id  to  15,  1864,  and  mustered 
out  June  4,  1865. 

Officers.— Captains,  William  S.  Plory,  John  M. 
Barclay;  First  Lieutentant,  Mordecai  E.  Morris; 
Second  Lieutenant,  Charles  F.  Colwell ;  Corporal, 
James  Clark. 

Privates. — Lorenzo  Bird,  Thomas  Blackearn,  Ed- 
ward L.  Baker,  John  W.  Burnett,  Leonard  Broad- 
stone,  Isaac  G.  Buck,  Jacob  Beck,  John  Bugless. 
John  W.  Burke,  William  Barth,  Philip  Bute,  Wil- 
liam Benner,  William  G.  Carr,  Joseph  Crinsmore,  W. 
M.  Carpenter,  Dennis  Dugan,  Patrick  Dempsey,  Jon- 
athan Davidson,  Francis  Diehl,  Dominick  Dougherty, 
Seeley  S.  Drake.  Samuel  O.  Dietrich,  Peter  Edinger, 
James  Farral,  George  Fogt,  Patrick  Fitzgeral,  James 
Fagan,  Thomas  Goheen,  Thomas  Griffin,  Swayze 
Gorden,  Anthony  Hetzel,  Samuel  A.  Houser,  Frank 
Horms,  George  Hammer,  Jacob  High,  George  A. 
Houser,  Michael  Hofaleck,  William  B.  Hammond, 
George  Jacobs,  George  H.  Johnson,  Francis  Kelly, 
John  Kembler,  Daniel  E.  Kimble,  Lewis  Keinast, 
Daniel  F.  Kettra,  William.  Leahey,  William  Leaver, 
Frederick  Leudower,  Hugh  Lunney,  Charles  Linder, 
Franklin  Livezey,  Lewis  Muller,  William  Miller, 
David  Meese,  Benjamin  Miles,  Elias  Morehouse,  Isaac 
Miles,  Patrick  Meckell,  Henry  Maniske,  William  S. 
Miller,  Edward  McDonough,  Thomas  McCauley, 
Charles  T.  Orner,  Adolph  Ochs,  Daniel  Pugh,  Bern- 
hard  Peter,  Abraham  R.  Rhoads,  William  Rich, 
Matthew  Russell,  John  Richards,  William  Roberts, 
Jeremiah  Ring,  Evan  B.  Shaler,  W.  H.  Shoemaker, 
Charles  Surgent,  William  Slichter,  Christian  Schnei- 
der, James  Simpson,  Sydenham  Staples,  Edward  A. 
Slack,  Edwin  Staples,  William  Stewart,  Robert 
Smith,  George  Sholly,  Isaiah  Strouss,  Samuel  Smith, 
John  Thomas,  Roma  R.  Tiel,  Daniel  Titus,  William 
Waugh,  Lewis  Wells,  John  Wireman,  Michael  Ward 
and  Conrad  Wentzel. 

The  following  is  the  roster  of  the  colored 
recruits  from  Monroe  County  (three  years' 
service) : 

Charles  Adams,  Walter  Jackson,  Stephen  Henry, 
Jacob  Boyd,  Co.  G,  22d  U.  S.  Colored  Regiment ; 
must,  in  June,  1863  ;  must,  out  Nov.,  18(35. 

Amos  Huff,  Ogden  Huff,  Moses  Washington,  Dan- 
iel Washington,  Co.  K,  8th  U.  S.  Colored  Regiment; 
must,  in  Sept.,  1803  ;  must,  out  Nov.,  1865. 

John  A.  Quake,  Jr.,  Co.  H,  25th  II.  S.  Colored 
Regiment;  must,  in  Feb.,  1864  ;  must,  out  Dec,  1865. 

SOLDIERS   NOT   IN  FULL   COMPANIES. 

Lt.  Theodore  B.  Staples,  adjt.,  174th  P.  V. 
Col.  John  Schoonover,  1st  and  11th  N.  J.  V. 
1st  Lt.  Chas.  S.  Detrick,  q.m.,  174th  P.  V. 
1st  Lt.  M.  M.  Kistler,  Co.  I,  48th  P.  V.  M. 
Arthur  H.  Davis,  Co.  D,  129th  P.  V. 


P.  S.  Williams, Co. D,  125th P.  V.;  Co. 1, 80Lh  \.  ^  .V. 

A.  C.  Junken,  Co.  H,  30th  P.  V.  M. 

Geo.  Jansen,  Co.  H,  30th  P.  V.  M. 

Josephus  Williams,  asst.  act.  surg.  U.  8.  Navy. 

Edward  P.  Melick,  Co.  G,  132d  P.  V. 

H.  F.  Dungan,  Co.  G,  121st  P.  V. 

Stephen    Gerish,  Co.  D,  112th  1'.  V.,  Co.  D  and  121st. 

Amos  K.  Miller,  Co.  1>,  2d  P.  V.  Art. 

Gerret  Rumsay,  Co.  F,  3d  P.  V.  Art. 

Amos  Skitter,  Co.  K,  47th  P.  V. 

Theodore  D.  Douns,  Co.  G,  29th  P.  V. 

Evi  Rosenkrans,  Co.  C,  48th  P.  V. 

Wm.  Stone,  Co.  F,  2d  P.  V.  Art. 

Joseph  T.  Walton,  1st  lieut.  Co.  F,  10th  P.  V. 

John  A.  Stone,  2d  P.  V.  Art. 

Benj.  F.  Butts,  Co.  A,  105th  P.  V. 

Rev.  John  L.  Staples,  chaplain,  16th  P.  V. 

Chevis  Waters,  Co.  C,  48th  P.  V.  M. 

Geo.  Shackelton,  Co.  C,  48th  P.  V.  M. 

Samuel  Hinkle,  Co.  A,  97th  P.  V. 

Harry  Puterbaugh,  Co.  A,  143d  P.  V. 

Emery  Price,  Co.  D,  2d  P.  V.  H.  Art. 

Geo.  M.  Primrose,  Co.  F,  3d  P.  V.  Art. 

J.  B.  Van  Why,  Co.  F,  3d  P.  V.  Art. 

Theodore  Frederick,  Co  F,  11th  P.  V. 

Lewis  Van  Vleit,  Co.  H,  15th  N.  Y. 

Andrew  Pipher,  Co.  M,  18th  P.  V. 

Elrazer  Price,  Co  D,  2d  P.  V.  Art. 

Uriah  Transue,  Co.  K,  90th  P.  V. 

Levi  Zigenfus,  Co.  H,  27th  P.  V.  M. 

John  L.  McCarty,  Co.  G,  2d  P.  V. 

Commodore  Price,  Co.  D,  97th  P.  V. 

Henry  H.  Feiter,  3d  P.  V.  Art. 

Barnet  Metzger,  Co.  I,  21st  P.  V. 

Jacob  L.  Ruth,  Co.  I,  147th  P.  V. 

Nelson  Bisbing,  Co.  C,  167th  P.  V. 

Martin  V.  Smith,  Co.  B,  169th  P.  V. 

Daniel  Bush,  Co.  C,  167th  P.  V. 

Morris  Henry,  Co.  C,  167th  P.  V. 

Ed  D.  Miller,  Co.  C,  167th  P.  V. 

John  Spring,  Co.  B,  5th  P.  V.  Cav. 

Luther  Gordon,  Co.  H,  30th  P.  V.  M. 

Chas.  Hillyer,  2d  N.  J.  Cav. 

Morton  B.  Smith,  Co.  K,  132d  P.  V. 

John  Coolbaugh,  Co.  K,  132d  P.  V. 

Conrad  Warnick,  N.  J.  Lancers. 

Wm.  Taylor,  N.  J.  Lancers. 

Jacob  S.  Buskirk,  51st  P.  V. 

Linford  Ruth. 

Samuel  Stone. 

Milton  Brown,  Co.  K,  132d  P.  V. 

Peter  McDonough,  Co.  G,  121st  P.  V. 

Michael  McDonough,  Co.  G,  121st  P.  V. 

Sixty-seventh  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Vol- 
unteers, Company  E. — Solomon  Kintner,  George 
Mount,  Aaron  Culberson,  Lewis  Freeland,  James 
Heller,  George  Brewer,  Theodore  Brewer,  Morris 
Nauman,     Benjamin    Remhart,    Edward    Remhart, 


1028 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONKOE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Charles   Remhart,    Morris    Decker,   James   Murray, 
John  Coffrey,  Valentine  Deck,  William  Jones. 
Colored  Men  (United  States  Colored  Regiments). 

Eighth  Regiment,  Company  G.— Robert  Smith, 
Jake  Boyed,  Moses  Washington,  Daniel  Washington, 
Amos  Huff,  William  Smith,  John  Jones,  Bernier 
Haines,  San  ford  Haines,  Benjamin  Ray,  O.  H.  P. 
Quacko. 

Twenty-fifth  Regiment,  Company  G. — John 
Quacko,  John  A.  Quacko,  William  Anderson,  Solo- 
mon Frister. 

Twenty-fourth  Regiment,  Company  E. — Geo. 
Ray,  James  Ray,  Stephen  Henry,  Charles  Adams, 
John  Lee,  Walter  Jackson. 

Two  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  Company  C. — Edward 
Baltz,  August  Baltz,  Hezekiah  Daily,  Ananias  Fel- 
ker,  Nathan  Hofford,  Abraham  Hofner,  Alexander 
Harps,  Gustavious  Houck,  Andrew  Keller,  E.  B. 
Marsh,  Simon  Frach,  A.  B.  Van  Buskirk,  Enoch  Wer- 
keisher,  Abel  Williams,  William  Wise,  Charles 
Walter,  Jerome  Brewer,  Ed.  Bossard,  Frcman  Kresge, 
George  Snyder,  Isaiah  Snyder,  Moses  Swink,  Freman 
Werkheiser,  Josiah  Werkheiser,  John  W.  Yinger, 
John  Daly,  John  M.  Snyder,  Hesekiah  Daily,  Samuel 
Gower,  Joseph  Snyder,  Ananiah  Felker,  John  Mc- 
Xeal. 

Two  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  Company  G. — Sam- 
uel Reinhart,  Owen  Gower,  J.  B.  Smiley,  Joseph  L. 
Hallott. 

Two  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  Company  I. — John 
A.  Transue  and  George  S.  Brown. 

Two  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  VOLUNTEERS,  Company'  H. — Jacob 
Buskirk,  Edwin  A.  Levering,  William  H.  Brink, 
Charles  Christian,  John  H.  Brush,  Samuel  S.  Brewer, 
Charles  Frederick,  Samuel  Frederick,  Josiah  C. 
Houck,  Alfred  Metzger,  Daniel  Seri'ass,  Henry 
Slutter,  P.  E.  Williams,  William  H.  Young.  Jacob 
Phillips,  John  H.  Burch  and  Peter  Kratser. 

Forty-eighth  Regiment  (Mhjtia),  Com- 
pany C. — This  company  was  mustered  in  July 
2  and  8,  18(53,  and  mustered  out  August  26, 
1863. 

Officers.— Captain,  William  S.  Florry  ;  First  Lieu- 
tenant, Augustus  G.  Kester;  Second  Lieutenant, 
Peter  A.  Bossard  ;  First  Sergeant,  John  Allen  ;  Ser- 
geants, Samuel  Williams,  William  Kiser,  Thomas  D. 
Barry,  William  Taylor ;  Corporals,  Edward  H. 
Rhodes,  Isaac  Larue,  George  Fox,  Samuel  Bisbing, 
Theodore  Saylor,  Charles  L.  Waters,  John  F.  Barry, 
Thomas  L.  Scauman  ;  Musicians,  Harrison  L.  Wolfe, 
Edwin  Wolfe. 

Privates. — Richard  R.  V.  Adams,  James  Arnold, 
Jacob  S.  Burskirk,  William  H.  Beltz,  Nelson  Cook, 


John  A.  Clements,  It.  Cress,  George  Dutat,  Morris  L. 
Drake,  Robert  Eilenberger,  Lewis  Fetherman,  John 
J.  Fetherman,  Swayze  Gordon,  Emanuel  Heller,  Sep- 
temius  Heller,  Thomas  E.  Heller,  Horace  Huston, 
David  Huntzman,  George  P.  Johnson,  John  C. 
Kleckler,  Lewis  Keimst,  Edward  E.  Levering,  George 
M.  Lane,  Jacob  Nixsell,  John  McCarty,  Constantine 
McHugh,  Josiah  Newton,  George  Philman,  John 
Philip,  John  Rouch,  Evi  Rosenkrans,  Morris  E. 
Stone,  John  O.  Saylor,  Edward  W.  Slack,  Charles  E. 
Smiley,  Henry  Smith,  Jr.,  James  Shiffer,  John  H. 
Smith,  Peter  Shafer,  Edward  A.  Schroch,  William 
H.  Wolfe,  Thomas  G.  White,  Elani  Williams,  John 
White,  Charles  Werkheiser,  William  H.  Werkheiser, 
Madison  It.  Williams. 

Michael  M.  Kistler. — Michael  M.,  son 
of  Michael  and  Magdaleua  (l>robst)  Kistler, 
was  born  on  the  homestead,  in  Lynn  township, 
Lehigh  County,  April  14,  1833.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  began  learning  the  trade  of  a  tanner 
with  his  brother  Joel,  in  his  tanneries  at 
Kistler's  Valley  and  at  Ringtown,  Schuylkill 
County,  where  he  remained  for  six  years,  re- 
ceiving therefor  his  board,  clothes  ami  one 
year's  schooling.  He  had  formed  the  acquaint- 
ance, while  at  Ringtown,  of  Miss  Catherine 
Rumbel,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret 
(Andrews)  Rumbel,  whom  he  married  upon 
reaching  his  majority.  She  was  born  in  1823, 
and  her  parents  both  died  where  they  resided. 
Their  children  are  Albert  Franklin,  a  cigar 
manufacturer  at  East  Stroudsburg ;  Mary  Ma- 
randa  (1858-82)  was  the  wife  of  Sylvanus 
Warner,  of  the  same  place  ;  Hiram  Wilson,  a 
lumber  merchant  of  East  Stroudsburg  ;  Lucy 
Elmira,  Stephen  Bird  and  Lillie  Irene  Kistler. 

After  his  marriage  he  started  a  small  tannery 
at  Ringtown,  which  he  successfully  carried  on 
for  six  years,  when,  loyal  to  his  country's  de- 
mand for  men  to  preserve  the  Union,  he  re- 
linquished his  business  and  went  to  the  front. 
In  the  summer  of  1861,  upon  the  first  call  for 
three  years'  men,  a  company  was  formed  at 
Ringtown  on  the  condition  that  Michael  M. 
Kistler  would  command  it.  The  matter  being 
presented  to  him,  he  finally  accepted  and  took 
ten  days  to  prepare  for  his  departure  and  close 
up  his  business.  Upon  reaching  Harrisburg, 
he,  however,  declined  the  honor  of  the  cap- 
taincy of  the  company,  but  accepter!,  upon  its 
completion,  the  position   of  second  lieutenant. 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


1029 


The  company  became  a  part  of  the  Forty-eighth 
Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  Company 
I,  and  left  Harrisburg  for  Fortress  Monroe  on 
August  20th  ;  thence  to  Hatteras  Island,  N.  C, 
where  the  regiment  joined  Burnside's  fleet,  and 
proceeded  to  Roanoke  Island,  where  they  took 
the  fort  and  captured  some  three  thousand 
prisoners  on  February  14,  1862,  destroying  the 
rebel  gun-boats.  Thence  the  fleet  went  to  New- 
ben],  N.  C,  and  stormed  successfully  the  rebel 


of  McClellan's  army  in  affording  protection  to 
Washington.  While  at  Fredericksburg  Mi-. 
Kistler,  lor  meritorious  services,  was  promoted 
to  first  lieutenant.  This  threatening  danger  now 
being  evaded,  the  army  had  a  skirmish  with  the 
enemy  at  Slaughter  Mountain,  whence  it  pro- 
ceeded to  Kelly's  Ford,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Rappahannock,  where  for  two  weeks  the 
Union  men  remained  constantly  on  the  alert, 
and  were  engaged  in  numerous  skirmishes  with 


^  ^//^jjg>^ 


breast-works  on  the  Neuse  River,  capturing,  on 
March  14,  1862,  four  thousand  prisoners  and 
sixty-eight  cannons  ;  thence  to  Fort  Macon, 
N.  C,  where,  after  two  weeks'  battering,  they 
took  the  fortress,  which  surrendered  with  one 
thousand  five  hundred  men.  Thence  the  army 
proceeded  to  reinforce  General  McClellan's 
army  on  the  Peninsula,  but  arriving  too  late 
for  action,  proceeded  ma  Aquia  Creek  and 
Fredericksburg,  Va.,  and  formed   the  advance 


the  rebels,  who  were  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river.  This  led  to  the  second  battle  of  Bull 
Run,  which  was  fought  by  the  army  under 
General  Reno,  August  28,  29  and  30,  1862. 
Lieutenant  Kistler  received  a  bullet  through  his 
coat  collar  and  had  his  sabre  scabbard  knocked  off. 
On  September  1st,  following,  General  Reno  and 
his  brave  army  fought  the  battle  of  Chantilly, 
where  the  brave  and  daring  Generals  Kearny 
and   Stevens   fell.     On   September    14th     the 


11)30 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


army  under  General  McClellan,  with  General 
Burnside  commanding  the  left  wing-,  fought  the 

buttle  of  South  Mountain,  where  General  Reno 
was  killed,  and  on  the  17th  the  memorable 
battle  of  Antietain,  by  Generals  McClellan  and 
Burnside,  was  fought.  At  this  latter  engage- 
ment Lieutenant  Kistler  received  a  bullet 
wound,  the  ball  entering  by  his  shoulder  strap, 
passed  through  his  right  lung  and  lodged  near 
the  back-bone  under  his  shoulder-blade,  where 
most  of  it  remains  at  the  writing  of  this  sketch, 
in  1886.  .  After  four  months'  leave  of  absence 
he  returned  to  his  regiment  at  Fredericksburg; 
thence  proceeded  with  it  to  Lexington,  Ky., 
when,  by  the  advice  of  Dr.  Carpenter,  of  Potts- 
ville,  Pa.,  then  superintendent  of  the  hospitals 
in  the  Ohio  Department,  he  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  military  aid  to  the  Medical  Department 
of  Dennison,  United  States  Army  General 
Hospital  at  Camp  Dennison,  Ohio,  whither  he 
went  and  remained  until  April,  1866.  At  this 
camp  he  had  charge  of  the  quartermaster, 
commissary  and  ordnance  departments,  and 
also  of  the  sick,  wounded,  muster,  pay  and  de- 
scriptive rolls.  On  October  1,  1863,  he  was 
mustered  as  commanding  officer  of  the  First 
Company,  Second  Battalion,  in  the  Ohio  De- 
partment of  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  sta- 
tioned at  the  same  camp.  To  this  latter  position 
he  was  appointed  by  Secretary  of  War  Stanton 
and  received  his  commission  from  President 
Lincoln.  In  April,  1866,  he  was  ordered  to 
proceed  to  his  home  and  await  further  orders, 
and  on  June  30th,  following,  he  was  mustered 
out,  as  his  services  were  no  longer  needed. 

In  1867  he  established  himself  in  mercantile 
business  with  his  brother,  Stephen,  at  Bartons- 
ville,  Monroe  County,  Pa.,  and  after  three 
years  opened  another  store  at  Tannersville. 
They  continued  the  two  for  ten  years  there- 
after, besides  adding  to  their  business  the 
manufacture  of  shoe-pegs,  clothes-pins  and  chair 
stock  at  Tompkinsville.  In  1872  be  purchased 
a  lot  on  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Cortland 
Streets,  in  East  Stroudsburg,  and  the  following 
year  built  thereon  the  fine  four-story  "  Kistler 
Block."  In  1878  he  removed  to  East  Strouds- 
burg, where  he  built  his  present  brick  resideuce 
in    1883,  on   Cortland  Street,  corner  of  Alley 


"('."  Upon  the  death  of  his  brother  Stephen, 
in  1880,  the  partnership  was  dissolved,  their 
common  property  divided,  and  he  retired  from 
active  business  except  to  oversee  his  farm  in 
Tunkhannock  township  and  take  care  of  his 
other  property.  Lieutenant  Kiestler's  life  has 
been  an  active  one,  and  withal  his  integrity  of 
purpose  in  life's  work,  and  his  accumulation  of 
a  competency,  his  pride  still  lingers  in  the  great 
honor  of  fighting  for  the  preservation  of  the 
Union,  and  in  his  sacrifice  for  his  country  when 
in  its  greatest  peril.  Both  himself  and  wife  and 
the  older  members  of  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

His  father,  Michael  (1796-1880),  was  a 
resident  of  Kistler's  Valley,  Lehigh  County, 
was  a  farmer  and  tanner,  and  both  himself  and 
wife,  Magdelena  Brobst  (1801-81),  were 
buried  at  Jerusalem  Church.  Their  children 
are  Stephen,  a  man  of  large  business  capacity, 
a  tanner,  merchant  and  large  real-estate  owner, 
died  in  1880;  Parry,  a  farmer  in  Lehigh 
County  ;  Sarah  is  the  wife  of  Stephen  Snyder, 
of  Perryville,  Carbon  County  ;  Jacob,  a  retired 
farmer  of  Lehigh  County ;  Joel,  a  tanner  and 
farmer  in  Lehigh  and  Schuylkill  Counties,  died 
in  1884;  Polly  married  Eli  Sechler,  of  Lehigh 
County,  and  died  about  1856;  Mary,  wife  of 
Charles  Foust,  of  Albany  township,  Berks 
County ;  Daniel,  of  West  Peun,  Schuylkill 
County,  farmer  and  tanner  ;  William,  a  grocer 
of  Stroudsburg  ;  Michael  M.,  subject  of  this 
sketch  ;  Angeline,  wife  of  Peter  Seip,  of  Weisen- 
berg  township,  Lehigh  County  ;  and  Catherine, 
who  married  a  Mr.  Brobst,  and  died  in  1858. 

His  grandfather,  Jacob  Kistler,  settled  on  the 
old  homestead  in  Kistler's  Valley,  where  he 
reared  an  interesting  family  of  children,  Philip, 
Jacob,  Daniel,  Michael  (father  of  our  subject), 
Solomon,  Catherine  and  Magdalena.  His  great- 
grandfather was  George  Kistler,  who,  among  a 
number  of  Palatinates  or  Swiss,  moved,  between 
1735  and  1745,  from  Falkner  Swamp  and 
Goshenhoppen  (present  Montgomery  County, 
Pa.)  up  to  Lynn  township,  and  settled  in  the 
vicinity  of  what  is  now  Jerusalem  Church, 
formerly  called  Allemangel  Church,  Lehigh 
County.  He  was  elder  of  this  church  about 
1755  to  1 70S.    The  names  of  his  children  were 


MONKOE  COUNTY. 


1031 


George  Kistler,  Jr.,  who  afterwards  resided 
near  Kutztown  ;  Jacob  Kistler,  grandfather  of 
our  subject;  John  Kistler;  (Samuel  Kistler; 
Philip  Kistler  ;  Michael  Kistler;  Barbara  mar- 
ried first  a  Brobst  and  afterward  Michael 
Mosser,  of  Lowhill ;  Dorotea  married  Michael 
Reinhart;  and  Elizabeth  married  a  Keller,  near 
Hamburg,  Pa. 


C  H  A  P  T  E  R  V  I. 


The  Delaware,  Lackawanna  and  Wes- 
tern Railroad  was  the  earliest,  and  is  yet 
I  he  principal,  thoroughfare  of  steam  travel  in 
Monroe  County.  It  had  a  very  early  inception, 
and  Henry  Drinker,  a  strong  and  prominent 
character  in  the  herculean  pioneer  projects  of 
Northeastern  Pennsylvania,  was  the  originator 
of  this  great  line  of  traffic  which  built  up  the 
city  of  Scranton,  and  in  the  territory  which  is 
the  especial  province  of  this  volume  gave  rise 
to  many  minor  improvements  brought  into  ex- 
istence thriving  East  Stroudsburg  and  gave  an 
outlet  to  New  York. 

The  original  Drinker  family  were  old  Qua- 
kers prominent  in  Philadelphia.  Soon  after 
the  Revolutionary  War  Henry  Drinker,  the 
great-grandfather  of  Joe,  was  interested,  with 
Benjamin  Rush,  George  Clymer,  Samuel  Mere- 
dith, Robert  Morris  and  others,  in  the  purchase 
of  Pennsylvania  wild  lands.  This  portion  of 
the  State  was  then  an  entire  wilderness,  and  in 
1789-91  Henry  Drinker  purchased  from  the 
State  twenty-five  thousand  acres  of  land  in 
.what  are  now  the  counties  of  Lackawanna, 
Wayne,  Pike  and  Susquehanna.  A  great  por- 
tion of  this  land  was  on  the  head-waters  of  the 
Lehigh  River,  in  the  first-named  county,  then  a 
part  of  Luzerne. 

To  open  this  isolated  settlement  to  the  outside 
world  and  make  the  region  accessible,  Henry 
built,  in  1819,  the  first  turnpike  road  into  the 
Lackawanna  Valley.  This  he  bad  chartered  as 
the  Philadelphia  and  Great  Bend  turnpike.  It 
was  sixty  miles  long  and  extended  from  Stan- 
hope, N.  J.,  to  Drinker's  Peach.     It  is  known 


as  the  "  Old  Drinker  road  "  to  this  day,  and  is 
a  landmark  in  fixing  boundary  lines. 

In  1819,  also,  Drinker  became  aware  of  the 
presence  of  anthracite  coal  in  the  valley,  and, 
although  it  was  then  comparatively  valueless, 
efforts  to  introduce  it  having,  up  to  that  time, 
met  with  little  success,  he  believed  in  its  actual 
importance,  and  foresaw  the  advantages  of  a 
better  communication  between  the  Delaware  aud 
Sustpiehanna  Valleys.  His  idea  was  a  railroad, 
although  there  was  not  one  in  existence  in  the 
world  at  that  time,  except  the  crude  English 
mine  tramways.  Drinker  blazed  with  an  axe  a 
route  from  the  mouth  of  the  Lackawanna,  now 
Pittston,  through  the  unbroken  forest,  across  the 
lofty  Pocono  Mountains  to  the  Water  Gap,  a 
distance  of  sixty  miles,  and  satisfied  himself  that 
such  a  scheme  as  he  proposed  was  feasible.  In 
1826  he  obtained  a  charter  from  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Legislature  for  the  Susquehanna  Canal 
and  Railroad  Company.  The  commissioners 
appointed  by  the  act  were  Henry  W.  Drinker, 
William  Henry,  Jacob  D.  Stroud,  Daniel 
Stroud,  A.  E.  Brown,  S.  Stokes,  James  N. 
Porter  and  John  (  'oolbaugh. 

Drinker's  idea  was  a  railroad  with  incline 
planes  or  a  canal,  horse-power  to  be  used  if  a 
railroad,  between  the  planes,  and  water-power 
to  raise  the  cars  upon  the  planes.  He  inter- 
ested a  number  of  prominent  men  in  his  project 
and  in  1831  a  survey  of  the  route  was  made. 
The  engineer  employed,  Major  Ephraim  Peach, 
reported  that  the  road  could  be  built  for  six 
hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 

After  considerable  work,  Henry  Drinker 
induced  George  aud  Seldon  Scranton,  of  Ox- 
ford, N.  J.,  to  become  partners  in  the  scheme, 
associating  them  with  the  project,  after  inducing 
the  Morris  Canal  Company  to  take  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  stock,  a  road 
known  as  the  Lackawanna  and  Western  Rail- 
road was  built  from  Scranton  to  Great  Bend, 
by  the  Scrautons,  Drinker  dropping  out  on  ac- 
count of  severe  losses  which  he  had  sustained  in 
opening  up  the  country  with  roads,  and  endeav- 
oring to  develop  the  coal  and  iron  resources  so 
abundant  in  that  region.1     This  was  completed 

1  Henry  W.  Drinker,  by  Ihc  sale  of  his  lands,  which  in 
creased  iu  value  with  the  advent  of  the    railroad   aud  the 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


in  1851.  Until  that  time  all  travel  to  New 
York  had  been  by  stages  to  Middletown,  N.  Y., 
or  across  Wayne  County  to  Narrowsburg,  N.  Y., 
where  connection  was  made  with  the  Erie.  The 
journey  required  two  days.  The  completion  of 
the  Lackawanna  and  Western  reduced  the  time 
to  one  day,  although  the  journey  was  twice  as 
long.  This  was  an  outlet  formed  by  groping 
blindly  among  the  hills  in  the  wrong  direction, 
and  apparently  diverging  towards  Great  Bend, 
sixty  miles  away,  before  starting  for  New 
York. 

A  practical  movement  was  made  in  the  right 
direction  in  184!>,  when,  chiefly  through  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Scrautons,  a  company  was  char- 
tered to  run  a  road  from  the  Delaware  Water 
Gap  to  some  point  on  the  Lackawanna,  near 
( Ibbb's  ( rap,  called  "  The  Delaware  and  Cobb's 
Gap  Railroad  Company."  The  commissioners 
named  in  the  act  and  invested  with  authority 
to  effect  an  organization  were  Moses  W.  Cool  - 
baugh,  S.  Wr.  Shoemaker,  Thomas  Grattan,  II. 
M.  La  Bar,  A.  Overfield,  I.  Place,  Benj.  V. 
Rush,  Alphcus  Hollister,  Samuel  Taylor,  F. 
Starbird,  .las.  H.  Stroud,  R.  Bingham  and  W. 
Nyce.  It  will  be  noticed  from  this  list  of  names 
that  the  people  of  Monroe  had  an  active  hand 
in  promoting  this  enterprise.  It  was  at  Strouds- 
burg,  at  Jacob  Knccht's,  that  the  first  meet- 
ing of  the  commissioners  was  held,  November 
28,  1850,  and  the  first  meeting  of  the  stock- 
holders was  held  at  the  same  place  at  the  house 
of  Stroud  J.  Hollinshead,  December  26,  1850. 
They  chose  Colonel  George  W.  Scranton,  a 
man  in  whom  the  people  had  entire  confidence, 
president  of  the  company.  He  had  been  the 
owner  of  the  original  charter  of  the  old  Drinker 
Railroad,  and  this  the  company  purchased  of 
him  for  one  thousand  dollars,  in  1 85-3.  A  joint 
application  was  then  immediately  made  by  the 
Delaware  and  Cobb's  Gap  Railroad  Company 
anil  the  Lackawanna  and  Western  Railroad 
Company,  for  an  act  of  the  Legislature  consolidat- 
ing them,  and  such  an  act  was  passed  March  1  1 , 
1853.  Thus  was  consummated  a  union  under  the 
present    name   of  the  Delawai-e,    Lackawanna 


development    of    i.he  coal   trade,   died  October  13, 
leaving  a  large  fortune. 


and  Western  Railroad,  and  a  solution  of  the 
problem  of  connecting  Scranton  and  its  coal 
mines  with  the  New  York  market  was  assured. 

:  Colonel  Scranton  was  elected  as  president  of  the 
consolidated  company,  and   long  continued  by 

!  repeated  re-elections  to  hold  that  responsible 
office. 

Measures  were  immediately  adopted   to  con- 

!  struct  the  road  from  Scranton  to  the  Delaware 
River,  at  a  point  five  miles  below  the  Water 
Gap.  The  necessary  surveys  had  been  pre- 
viously made  by  E.  McNeill,  chief  engineer  of  the 
company,  who,  by  indefatigable  labor,  had  pro- 
cured crestline  and  other  preliminary  surveys, 
which  enabled  him  to  establish  a  favorable  line 
with  easy  grades,  practicable  for  a  heavy  traffic 
over  the  barren  heights  and  perplexing  undu- 
lations of  the  Pocono. 

Books  were  opened  for  subscriptions  to  in- 
crease the  capital  stock,  which  had  at  the  time 
of  the  consolidation  amounted  to  $1,441,000, 
and  such  was  the  confidence  felt  in  the  success 
of  the  enterprise,  not  only  by  the  original  stock- 
holders, but  by  other  capitalists,  that  the  whole 
sum  required,  $1,500,000,  was  obtained  in  a 
few  days. 

The  contract  for  the  construction  of  the 
Southern  Division — the  original  Delaware  and 
Cobb's  Gap  Railroad — was  put  under  way  in 
June,  1853.  As  heretofore  explained,  this  sec- 
tion, sixty-one  miles  in  length,  extended  from 
Scranton,  through  Cobb's  Gap,  and  so  on  in 
a  general  southeasterly  direction,  through  the 
western  part  of  Luzerne  (now  Lackawanna) 
County  and  across  the  county  of  Monroe, 
through  the  Delaware  Water  Gap,  to  a  point  on 
the  river  five  miles  below,  where  it  connected 
with  the  Warren  Railroad  of  New  Jersey. 
( roing  by  this  railroad  nineteen  miles  to  New 
Hampton  Summit,  and  there  making  connec- 
tion by  the  Central  Railroad  of  New  Jersey 
with  Jersey  City,  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna 
and  Western  Railroad  Company  found  a  market 
for  the  product  of  the  extensive  coal-fields  of 
which  it  had  becoiue  possessed,  and  a  few  years 
later  the  relations  between  the  Lackawanna 
Valley  and  the  sea-board  were  rendered  still 
more  intimate  by  the  leasing  of  the  Morris  and 
Essex  Railroad. 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


1033 


Isaac  Trisbaugh  Puterbaugh,  who  for 
over  forty  years  has  been  identified  with  the 
management  of  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna  and 
Western  Railroad,  and  officially  connected 
therewith,  was  born  in  Nescopeck  township, 
Luzerne  County,  Pa.,  December  22,  1822. 
His  early  opportunities  for  book  knowledge 
were  very  limited,  and  confined  to  the  district 
school.  At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  went  to  live 
with    his    brother,    Samuel     H.,    a    miller,    at 


(juaintance  of  Miss  Elizabeth  George,  a  daughter 
of  Henry  and  Catherine  George,  of  Nanticokc, 
Luzerne  County,  Pa.,  whom  he  married  in 
1843.  The  result  of  this  union  was  one  son, 
Harrison  S.  Puterhaugh,  a  conductor  on  the 
Delaware,  Lackawanna  and  Western  Railroad 
since  1871,  and  who  married  May  Lungar,  of 
New  Hampton,  N.  J.,  and  one  daughter,  Alice, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years. 
Soon   after  his   marriage    Mr.    Puterhaugh 


Pittston,  Pa.,  and  remained  with  him  there 
and  at  Mehoopauy  for  three  years,  which  was 
followed  by  one  year's  service  on  the  farm  of 
Bishop  Jennings.  Going  to  Wilkes-Barre,  he 
apprenticed  himself  to  Hugh  Fell,  a  wheel- 
wright, for  three  years,  and  upon  the  death  of 
Mr.  Fell,  earned  on  the  business  on  his  own 
account  for  two  years  thereafter  in  the  same 
shop,  and  for  some  time  afterwards  in  a  shop 
built  by  himself. 

While  in   Wilkes-Barre   he  formed  the  ac- 
101 


|  removed  to  Scranton,  then  a  small  hamlet  of  a 
few  houses,  at  the  time  of  the  construction  of 
the  Northern  Division  of  the  Delaware,  Lacka- 
wanna and  Western  Railroad.  There  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  company,  and  at  first 
engaged  in  building  cars  to  be  run  on  the  road, 
and  subsequently  served  as  conductor  on  coal, 
passenger  and  other  trains  until  1865.  For 
one  year  he  had  taken  up  his  residence  at  Great 
Bend,  where  the  death  of  both  his  wife  and 
young   daughter   occurred.      In    1X65   he   re- 


1034 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


moved  to  East  Stroudsburg,  then  a  part  of 
Stroud  township,  where  he  lias  continued  his 
official  relations  with  the  company,  and  acted 
as  dispatcher  of  trains,  looking  after  wreckages 
and  employees,  and  after  the  general  busi- 
ness ill'  that  division  of  the  road.  His  identi- 
fication with  the  workings  of  the  road  since  its 
construction  has  made  his  name  familiar  all 
along  the  line,  and  wherever  known,  his  in- 
tegrity of  purpose,  his  conscientious  regard  for 
the  rights  of  others  and  his  sound  judgment 
and  discretion  in  the  management  of  men  have 
gained  for  him  the  confidence  and  favorable 
opinion  of  all. 

Since  his  residence  at  East  Stroudsburg  lie 
has  been  closely  identified  with  the  growth  and 
prosperity  of  the  place,  and  a  contributor  to  its 
various  interests.  Upon  the  erection  of  the 
borough  of  East  Stroudsburg,  in  1871,  he  was 
chosen  its  first  chief  burgess  on  the  Democratic 
ticket,  and  by  re-election  served  in  that  capacity 
for  two  years.  He  has  served  also  as  auditor  and 
school  director  of  the  borough  for  several  terms. 
Very  soon  after  settling  at  East  Stroudsburg, 
Mr.  Puterbaugh  bought  the  property  where  the 
Lackawanna  House  now  stands,  on  Crystal 
Street,  and  subsequently  furnished  the  means  to 
build  the  present  hotel,  and  built  the  house 
occupied  by  Dr.  Lewis  Bush,  adjoining  the 
hotel.  ( )n  the  corner  of  Cortland  and  Starbird 
Streets  he  erected  the  residence  now  occupied 
by  A.  C.  Loder,  ticket  agent  at  East  Strouds- 
burg, and  in  1882  he  erected, the  residence  of 
his  sou  on  Cortland  Street.  He  is  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Stroudsburg  and  was  for  some  time  one  of  its 
directors,  and  he  is  the  treasurer  of  the  fund  for 
the  erection  of  the  silk  manufactory  at  East 
Stroudsburg,  in  process  of  construction  in  1886. 
His  father,  George  Puterbaugh,  was  a  farmer  in 
Nescopeck  township,  and  died  in  Dallas  town- 
ship, in  the  same  county,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  over  four-score  years.  His  mother,  Efne 
Henry,  was  a  native  of  New  England,  and 
removed  with  her  parents  to  Nescopeck  town- 
ship. She  died  about  two  years  before  her 
husband.  Both  were  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  Their  children  were  Andrew, 
George,  John,  Joseph,   Samuel    II.,   Isaac   T. 


(the  subject  of  this  sketch),  Margaret  and  Eliza- 
beth. Of  these,  only  Isaac  T.  Puterbaugh 
survives  in  1886.  The  family  is  of  German 
origin. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

TOPOGRAPHY  AND  GEOLOGY. 

The  first  thing  to  be  noticed  in  Monroe 
County  topography  is  the  uniformity  of  its 
mountain,  and  consequent  drainage  systems. 

However,  to  the  eye  of  the  mere  landscape 
hunter,  as  he  surveys,  from  some  height,  a  wild 
diversity  of  hill  and  vale,  of  jutting  crags  and 
unexpected  "  knobs,"  of  billowy  ridges,  scatter- 
ing lakes  and  meandering  streams,  there  appears 
rather  a  class  of  natural  beauty,  than  any  sug- 
gestion of  order,  or  of  methodical  arrangement ; 
nevertheless,  to  the  more  patent  and  analytical 
investigation  of  the  student  of  nature,  the  lead- 
ing topographical  features  of  the  county  will 
present  themselves  as  parts  of  one  harmonious 
design. 

Traversing  the  county  in  a  northeast  and 
southwest  direction  run  three,  and,  in  the 
west  end  of  the  county,  four,  parallel  ranges  of 
mountains,  or  hills,  and  these  determine  the 
courses  of  the  numerous  creeks  and  rivers  of 
the  county. 

First,  on  the  north,  we  have  the  high  table- 
lands of  the  Pocono  Plateau,  elevated  above 
tide-water  from  one  thousand  five  hundred  to 
two  thousand  feet,  and  along  which,  and  back 
from  the  southern  escarpment  ten  or  twelve 
miles,  runs  the  northern  boundary  line  of  the 
county. 

South  from  the  precipitous  southern  escarp- 
ment of  the  mountain  a  rolling  plain  extends 
six  to  eight  miles,  to  Godfrey's  Ridge  in  the 
east  and  to  Wire  Ridge  in  the  west  end  of  the 
county.  This  rolling  country  lies  at  an  eleva- 
tion above  tide  of  from  one  thousand  to  four 
hundred  feet,  the  decline  being  gradual  from 
the  north  to  the  south. 

We  now  come  to  the  second  notable  elevation 
in  Monroe  County  topography — Godfrey's 
Ridge,  otherwise  known  geographically  as 
Walpack    Ridge,   and    also    known    locally   as 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


1035 


Fox  Hill,  Chestnut  Hill  Mountain  and  Doden- 
dorf  Mountain,  the  last  two  names  being  applied 
in  Ross  and  Eldred  townships  to  detached 
elevations  which  are  really  continuations  of  the 
same  ridge.  The  next  important  range  south  is 
the  Blue,  or  Kittatinny  Mountain,  along  the 
crest  of  which,  for  about  twenty  miles,  runs  a 
portion  of  the  southern  line  of  the  county. 
The  fourth  elevation  above  referred  to  as  giving 
character  to  the  drainage  is  Wire  Ridge,  ex- 
tending in  a  westerly  or  southwesterly  direction 
from  the  west  line  of  Hamilton  township,  and 
bisecting  the  western  extension  of  the  Strouds- 
burg  Valley. 

From  the  numerous  springs,  or  spring-fed 
ponds  upon  the  Pocono  Plateau,  or  its  southern 
slope,  most  of  the  streams  that  traverse  the 
county,  and  ultimately  find  an  outlet,  either 
through  the  Delaware  Water  Gap  or  the  Lehigh 
Gap,  have  their  rise.  These  streams,  commenc- 
ing at  the  eastern  or  Pike  County  line,  and 
naming  them  in  their  order,  are: 

Big  Bashkill,  which  in  the  lower  portion  of 
its  course  forms  the  boundary  between  Monroe 
and  Pike  Counties,  Marshall's  Creek,  Brod- 
head's  Greek,  Pocono  Creek  and  McMichaeVs 
Creek.  All  of  these  rise  in  the  Pocono  region, 
and  pursuing  a  general  course  of  south  to  south- 
east, empty,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  into 
the  Delaware  River,  which,  from  the  eastern 
line  of  the  county  to  the  Delaware  Water  Gap, 
flows  along  the  northern  foot  of  the  Blue 
Mountain,  and  forms  the  remaining  portion  of 
the  southern  boundary  of  the  county.  The 
Pocono  Creek  empties  into  McMichael's  Creek, 
and  McMichael's  into  Brodhead's  Creek  at 
Stroudsburg,  and  all  of  the  streams  above 
mentioned,  in  their  course  from  the  Pocono 
Mountain  to  the  Delaware  River,  cut  through 
the  hard  rocks  of  the  intervening  ridges,  forming 
thus  those  wild  gorges  and  magnificent  cataracts 
and  cascades  which  have  been  the  wonder  and 
delight  of  many  generations,  both  civilized  and 
uncivilized. 

Cherry  Creek  and  Aquanehicola  Creek  lead 
a  more  quiet  life,  and  have  a  less  romatic  his- 
tory. They  head  near  together  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  Wind  Gap,  and  flow  in  opposite 
directions  along  the  narrow  valley    which    lies 


between  Godfrey's  Ridge  and  the  Blue  Moun- 
tain. Cherry  Creek  pursues  a  northeasterly 
course,  emptying  into  the  Delaware  just  below 
the  mouth  of  Brodhead's  Creek  and  just  above 
the  Delaware  Water  Gap.  Aquanehicola 
Creek  flows  southwest,  along  the  westward 
extension  of  the  same  valley,  and  empties  into 
(lie  Lehigh  River  at  Lehigh  Gap,  in  Carbon 
County. 

Pohopoco  or  Big  Creek  and  Frantz's  Creek 
rise  in  the  western  part  of  the  county  and  flow 
southwest  across  the  Carbon  County  line  ;  the 
former  along  the  north  side  of  Wire  Ridge, 
emptying  into  the  Lehigh  River,  near  Weiss- 
port,  and  the  latter  along  the  south  side  of  the 
same  ridge ;  but  at  Little  Gap,  in  Carbon  Coun- 
ty, it  cuts  through  Godfrey's  Ridge  on  the 
south  and  empties  into  the  Aquanehicola. 

Besides  these  streams,  which  traverse  the  low- 
land districts  of  the  county,  there  are  three  or 
four  belonging  entirely,  so  far  as  their  relations 
to  Monroe  County  are  concerned,  to  the  Pocono 
Plateau,  viz.:  The  Tobyhanua,  which  rises 
near  the  north  line  of  the  county,  pursues  a 
general  southwest  course  to  the  Little  Tunkhan- 
nock,  which  here  forms  the  line  between  Mon- 
roe and  Carbon,  and  here,  mingling  its  waters 
with  the  latter  stream,  the  two  combined  con- 
tinue the  northwest  course  of  the  Little  Tunk- 
hannock,  emptying  into  the  Lehigh  River  near 
Stoddardsville. 

The  Tunkhannock,  or  Big  Tunkhannock,1 
rises  near  the  middle  of  the  Plateau,  flows 
southwest  and  empties  into  the  Tobyhanna,  near 
the  middle  of  its  course.  The  Little  Tunk- 
hannock, before  referred  to,  rises  near  the  south- 
ern edge  of  the  Plateau,  flows  through  Long 
Pond,  in  Tunkhannock  township, — the  pond 
being  a  mere  lateral  expansion  of  the  creek  as 
it  flows  through  a  tract  of  swamp  laud, — crosses 
the  old  Easton  and  Wilkes-Barre  turnpike  and 
then,  making  a  sharp  bend  to  the  northwest,  at 
which  point  it  is  intersected  by  the  artificial 
boundary  line  between  Monroe  and  Carbon,  it 

1  In  the  Second  Geological  Survey  of  Pennsylvania,  re- 
port for  Pike  and  Monroe  Counties,  p.  30,  this  stream  is 
called  "  Tunkhanna,"  and  the  Little  Tunkhannock  is 
called  simply  the  "  Tunkhannock,"  but  locally  these  two 
streams  are  distinguished  by  the  names  here  given. 


1II3C 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


taken  a  direct  course  to  the  Lehigh,  meeting  on 

the  way  the  Tobyhanna,  as  before  mentioned. 
The  Lehigh  River  is  the  only  remaining  notable 
stream  of  the  county.  This  river  rises  in 
Wayne  County,  flows  .southwest  and  for  about  ! 
twelve  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Tobyhan- 
na it  forms  the  line  between  Monroe  County  on 
the  one  side  and  Lackawanna  and  Luzerne  J 
Counties  on  the  other. 

Monroe  County,  then,  is  an  irregular  figure 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Luzerne,  Lackawanna, 
Wayne  and  Pike  Counties,  on  the  east  by  Pike 
County,  on  the  south  by  the  Delaware  River, 
separating  it  from  New  Jersey,  and  by  a  sur- 
veyor's line  along  the  top  of  the  Blue  Moun- 
tain, separating  it  from  Northampton  County, 
and  on  the  west  by  a  surveyor's  line  and  the 
Little  Tunkhannock  and  Tobyhanna  Creeks, 
separating  it  from  Carbon  County.  In  its  ex- 
treme length  it  is  about  thirty-one  miles,  dis-  ; 
regarding  the  meanderings  of  the  Delaware 
River,  and  about  thirty  miles  in  extreme  width. 
Its  southern  and  western  lines  are,  however, 
several  miles  longer  than  its  northern  and  east- 
ern lines.  Its  superficial  area  is  five  hundred 
and  eighty-five  square  miles,  or  three  hundred 
and  seventy-four  thousand  four  hundred  acres, 
of  which  fully  one-half  lie  on  what  we  may 
call  the  second  floor  of  the  county  :  i.  e.,  on  the 
Pocono  Plateau. 

A    cross-section   of  the    county   would   look 
about  like  this, — 


Possessed,  so  tar  as  yet  discovered,  of  a  few 
valuable  ores,  and  with  a  rock  formation  that 
gives  little  promise  in  this  direction,  with  sur- 
face strata  whose  place  in  the  geological  gamut 
is  thousands  of  feet  below  the  coal-measures  of 
the  adjoining  counties  north  and  west,  there 
would  seem  to  be  little  of  a  mineralogicul  na- 
ture in  Monroe  County  geology  of  value,  re- 
garded from  a  merely  economic  stand-point, 
aside  from  her  flagstone,  her  limestone,  her 
cement  and  paint-beds,  and,  in  some  localities, 
her  Marcellus  slates  and  iron-ore. 

But  throughout  this  romantic  district  there  is 
rich  and  abundant  material  for  scientific  re- 
search, and  to  the  eye  of  the  scholar,  if  not  to 
that  of  the  capitalist,  the  rocks  of  Monroe  must 
ever  be  of  profound  interest ;  for  here  nature 
has  stamped,  in  indelible  lines,  the  record  of  her 
pre-historic  operations  ;  and  here  the  God  of 
nature,  before  He  gave  the  Decalogue  to  Moses, 
inscribed  upon  these  tables  of  stone  the  fiat  of 
His  will. 

Glaciation. — The  evidences  of  glacial  action, 
except  in  a  portion  of  the  western  townships, 
are  wide-spread  and  abundant  throughout  the 
county,  in  the  shape  of  drift  deposits,  morainic 
mounds,  glacial  stria,  and  the  planed  and 
polished  surfaces  of  the  rocks,  as  well  as  by 
their  disruption  and  erosion. 

The  two  great  gaps  which  occur  in  the  Blue 
Mountain  within  the  limits  of  this  county,  and 
which  are  known  as  the  Delaware  Water   Gap 


S-'A1,l:  :  llori'/ontal  linry,  ",  tni I.-h  to  1  inch  ;  vorti 
Rotebences:    <>,  Pocono  Platean;  b,  southern  escarpment  of  mountain;   r,  rolling  country,  extending  from  Pocono  range,  on  the   north 
to  Godfrey's   Bidge  on  the  south,  in  the  eastern  em!  of  the  county,  and  to  Wire  Bidge  in  western  end  of  county  ;    d,  Godfrey's  Ridge,  otherwise 
called  WalpacU  Ridge  ;  •,  Cherry  Valley:  /,  .Monroe  County  side  of  theBlue  or  Kjttatiuny  Mountain. 

The  map  on  the  following  page  shows  a  topo-  i  and  the  Wind  Gap,  stand  as  everlasting  nionu- 
graphical  outline  of  the  county  with  its  principal    ments,  doubtless,  of  the  resistless  power  of  the 


streams  and  mountain  ranges. 

Geologists  declare  that  Monroe  County  is  as 
interesting,  in  a  geological  point  of  view,  as  it 
is  uninteresting  mineralogically.  (See  Second 
Geological  Report,  Pike  and  Monroe  Counties, 
1882.1 


great  northern  glacier,  which  at  one  time  cov- 
ered nearly  the  whole  face  of  this  county,  in 
common  with  much  of  Northern  Pennsylvania 
and  the  States  adjoining. 

Upon    the   tops    of  our  highest    mountains, 
twenty-one  hundred   and   fifty  feet  above  tide, 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


the  great  glacier  has  left  his  foot-prints  in 
Scratches  and  grooves  in  the  solid  rock,  and  in 
the  Stroudsburg  Valley  and  Cherry  Valley  as 
well,  the  same  well-known  marks  are  found  at 
elevations  only  four  hundred  to  four  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  above  tide.  The  direction  of 
these  stria:  is  always  'toward  the  southwest, 
corresponding,  in  some  degree,  with  the  trend  of 
the  mountains.  The  strur  of  greatest  eleva- 
tiou,  viz. :  those  at  twenty-one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  above  tide,  which  are  found  in  Cool- 
baugh  township,  above  Tobyhanna  Mills,  bear 


Ridge,  has  been  removed  from  the  top  and  side 
of  the  northern  slope  by  this  same  power,  all 
the  way  from  Carpenter's  Point  to  Strouds- 
burg. The  cauda-galli,  which  originally 
underlay  the  eorniferous  limestone,  has  been  de- 
nuded, except  in  protected  folds,  and  now  forms 
the  surface  rock  of  the  north  slope,  bare  and  pol- 
ished by  the  ice,  while  huge  blocks  of  the  eornif- 
erous limestone  have  been  hurled  over  the  south 
front  ef  the  ridge,  and  scattered  far  and  wide  by 
the  transporting  power  of  the  ice,  or  deposited  in 
mounds  and  ridges,  along  with  morainic  ih'hris. 


Wayne.  Co 


TOPOGRAPHICAL    OUTLINE    MAP    OF    MONROE    COUNTY, 


S.  5°  W.,  or  very  nearly  due  south ;  those  far- 
ther down,  and  nearer  the  sturdy  barriers  of 
Godfrey's  Ridge  and  the  Blue  Mountain,  bear 
more  to  the  west,  some  of  them  as  much  as  70° 
west  of  south. 

The  hard  rocks  of  Southern  Monroe,  like 
the  eorniferous  limestone  and  cauda-galli  of 
Godfrey's  Ridge,  have  been  planed  and  polished 
by  this  same  resistless  agency,  and  Professor 
White,  in  his  report  upon  the  Second  Geologi- 
cal Survey  of  Pike  and  Monroe  Counties  (pp. 
46,  47),  states  that  nearly  the  entire  stratum  of 
eorniferous  limestone,  which,  in  pre-glacial 
times,  covered  the  southern   side   of    Godfrey's 


This  stupendous  result  was  doubtless  facili- 
tated by  reason  of  the  double  system  of  joints 
which  prevails  in  this  stratum, — to  wit,  the 
bedding-planes  and  transverse  seams  furnish- 
ing numerous  fissures,  into  which  the  glacier 
drove  its  Titanic  wedges,  thus  tearing  off  im- 
mense masses  of  rock  at  once, — but  if  this  has 
been  done  to  Godfrey's  or  Walpack  Ridge,  it  is 
not  difficult  to  believe  that  the  same  agency  was 
able,  and  actually  did,  cleave  asunder  the  Me- 
dina sandstone  and  Oneida  conglomerate  of 
the  Blue  Mountain,  when,  with  imperceptible 
movement,  but  with  an  energy  resistless  as  fate, 
the  great  ice-sheet  pressed  down  upon  it,  and 


10.-5S 


WAYNE,   PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,   PENNSYLVANIA. 


thus,  aided  and  supplemented  by  the  wild  rush 
of  the  pent-up  sub-glacial  waters,  were  the  two 
gate-ways,  above  referred  to,  opened  tli rough 
the  mountain. 

Professor  White,  in  his  Report,  already  re- 
ferred to  (p.  63),  referring  to  the  Wind  Gap, 
says : 

"  I  could  find  no  evidence  that  the  Northern  Tee  had 
ever  passed  through  the  notch,  so  that  its  origin  can- 
not be  ascribed  to  glacial  erosion,  although  it  may  have 
served  as  a  waste-weir  through  which  the  water  from  the 
melting  lee  escaped  Southivard,  when  it  filled  the  old 
valley  to  the  North  to  an  elevation  higher  than  the 
level  of  the  surface  in  the  Gap.  ' 

And  Professor  Lesley,  in  a  note  upon  the 
same  subject,  says  : 

"  If  this  gap  "  (referring  to  the  Lehigh  Gap),  "  and 
the  Delaware  Water  Gap  were  occupied,  the  one  by  a 
high,  wide  tongue  of  ice,  banked  against  the  Bake- 
Oven,  and  the  other  by  the  great  New  York  main 
glacier,  then,  although  the  sub-glacial  waters  would 
still  issue  by  ice-caverns  through  the  two  gaps,  the 
residual  surface  glacial  waters  would  probably  be 
obliged  to  pour  over  the  crest  of  the  Blue  Mountain. 
If  they  did  this  at  the  Bake-Oven  for  a  short  time, 
the  only  part  of  the  problem  of  the  genesis  of  these 
two  remarkable  topographical  phenomena  remaining 
unexplained  would  be  the  selection  of  these  two 
points  along  the  crest  in  preference  to  any  others." 

The  great  terminal  moraine  enters  the  county 
across  the  crest  of  the  Blue  or  Kittatinny  Moun- 
tains diagonally,  between  Fox  Gap  and  Wind 
Gap,  and  is  thence  plainly  traced  by  its  ridge 
of  drift  deposit,  in  a  northwesterly  direction, 
to  the  vicinity  of  Saylorsburg,  where  it  turns 
north,  by  the  way  of  Mechanicsville,  Brod- 
lieadsville  and  McMichael's  to  Pocono  Knob, 
back  of  Tannersville,  encircling  the  Knob  on  its 
eastern  and  northern  sides  at  about  two-thirds 
of  its  height,  thus  plainly  indicating  that  in  the 
glacial  age  this  Knob  stood  a  solitary  island  iu 
the  edge  of  a  boundless  sea  of  ice ;  thence  to  a 
point  near  the  division  line  between  Tunkhan- 
nock  and  Tobyhanna  townships,  where  it  turns 
Westward,  and,  crossing  Tunkhannock  town- 
ship north  of  Long  Pond,  it  passes  out  of  the 
county  a  little  north  of  the  point  where  the 
Little  Tunkhannock  Creek  becomes  the  county- 
line. 

This  great  moraine,  as  it  traverses  the  Poco- 
no  Plateau,   is  described    by   Professor  Lesley, 


State  Geologist,  as  a  ridge  of  drift  one  hundred 
feet  high,  of  so  remarkable  an  aspect  that  it 
has  been  named  by  the  inhabitants  "  The  Long 
Ridge." 

DfiLFT  DEPOSITS. — Behind  this  moraine — 
I.  c,  north  and  east  of  the  line  indicated — the 
whole  country  is  covered  with  drift  deposits. 
This  includes  the  whole  county,  except  the 
townships  of  Eldred  and  Polk  and  portions  of 
Ross,  Chestnut  Hill  and  Tunkhannock,  where 
drift  deposits  are  not  found,  or,  if  so,  occurring 
iu  the  form  of  modified  drift,  worked  over  by 
post-glacial  floods. 

The  drift  is  of  the  ordinary  composition,  con- 
sisting of  boulders  of  every  size,  from  a  peb- 
ble to  masses  of  rock  weighing  hundreds  of 
tons  and  containing  thousands  of  cubic  feet, — 
some  of  them  angular  and  others  rounded  and 
water-worn, — together  with  much  sand,  clay, 
and,  in  many  localities,  quick-sand.  The  boul- 
ders are  of  rocks  coming  to  the  surface  in  this 
aud  adjoining  counties,  no  granitic  or  metamor- 
phic  rocks  having  been  observed  among  them. 

The  drift  is  of  varying  depth, — from  two 
hundred  feet  or  more,  in  some  of  the  valleys, 
down  to  a  few  feet,  or  perhaps  an  occasional  boul- 
der on  some  of  the  summits.  This  is  true  of 
the  southern  part  of  the  county,  where  the  land 
is  rolling.  On  the  Pocono  Plateau  the  drift 
is  spread  more  uniformly,  to  a  depth  of  twenty 
to  thirty  or  thirty-five  feet,  post-glacial  erosion 
having  had  less  effect  than  where  deep  valleys 
and  high  hills  alternate. 

"  Kettle-Holes  "  and  Resulting  Lake- 
lets.— Frequent  depressions,  or  kettle- holes, 
occur  in  the  drift,  and  some  of  them,  having  be- 
come filled  with  water,  now  constitute  beautiful 
ponds  or  lakelets.  Two  of  these — Echo  Lake, 
in  Middle  Smithfield  township,  aud  Minneola 
Lake,  in  Chestnut  Hill  township — are  surround- 
ed by  high  banks  of  drift  and  have  no  visible 
outlet,  although  the  former  has  a  subterranean 
drainage  into  Coolbaugh's  Pond,  and  thence  by 
the  way  of  Pond  Creek  into  Marshall's  Creek  ; 
and  the  latter  lias  a  similar  underground  outlet 
through  the  coarse  gravel  into  McMichael's 
Creek,  one-fourth  of  a  mile  distant. 

Lake  Paponoming,  on  the  line  between  Ham- 
ilton and  Ross  townships,  is  also  an  old  glacial 


.MONROE  COUNTY. 


1(>39 


kettle-hole,  filled  with  water,  surrounded  by 
banks  of  drift  forty  or  fifty  feet  high.  It  has, 
however,  now,  surface  drainage  over  a  low 
place  in  its  drift  environment,  into  the  Lake 
branch  of  McMichael's  Creek.  This  lake  is  lo- 
cated in  the  line  of  the  great  terminal  moraine. 
It  is  a  beautiful  lake  and  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lar resorts  in  the  county. 

To  the  deposition  of  the  drift  material  in  the 
glacial  age,  modified  by  subsequent  floods, 
many  of  the  striking  features  of  the  landscape 
in  the  vicinity  of  Stroudsburg  are  due,  as  well 
as  many  peculiarities  of  soil.  Several  fine  ex- 
posures of  till  occur  in  this  region,  the  brick- 
yards of  Stroudsburg  and  East  Stroudsburg  being 
adaptations  of  the  clay  of  this  deposit  to  practi- 
cal purposes. 

Bttbibd  Valleys. — Monroe,  as  well  as 
Pike  County,  is  remarkable  for  its  great  num- 
ber of  buried  valleys.  The  Delaware  River, 
all  the  way  from  Port  Jervis  to  the  Delaware 
Water-Gap,  flows  over  one,  or,  more  strictly 
speaking,  partially  over  two,  lying  at  least  one 
hundred  feet  below  the  present  bed  of  the 
river,  the  original  channel  having  been  silted 
up  to  that  depth. 

The  Stroudsburg  buried  valley  really  ex- 
tends through,  all  the  way  from  Stroudsburg  to 
the  Hudson  River  at  Rondout,  although  the 
middle  section  of  it — i.  e.,  that  part  from  Port 
Jervis  to  Bushkill — is  occupied  by  the  Dela- 
ware River,  which  flows  through  it,  that  stream 
entering  the  valley  at  Port  Jervis  and  leaving 
it  at  Bushkill,  at  which  latter  point  the  river 
cuts  through  Walpack,  or  Godfrey's  Ridge,  and 
enters  the  Clinton  Red  Shale  Valley,  running 
parallel  with  and  south  of  the  Stroudsburg 
Valley. 

The  Marcellus  Shale  is  the  bed-rock  under- 
lying the  whole  course  of  this  valley  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  a  great  part  of  its  course  in  New 
York.  The  eastern  section  of  this  valley,  run- 
ning from  Port  Jervis  to  Rondout,  is  at  its 
highest  point  but  about  eighty  feet  above  the 
river  at  Port  Jervis,  and  this  fact  has  given 
rise  to  a  theory  with  some  scientists  that  the 
Delaware  may  have,  in  pre-glacial  times,  run 
thai  way  mid  formed  a  tributary  of  the  Hud- 
son.      However  apocryphal   this  may  be,  it  is 


certain  that  the  identity,  or,  rather,  the  unity, 
of  the  different  sections  of  this  valley  is  attest- 
ed by  their  geological  structure,  by.  the  charac- 
ter and  depth  of  their  drift  accumulations  and 
by  the  conformation  of  the  hill-ranges  on  either 
side. 

This  same  Marcellus  shale,  or  Stroudsburg 
Valley,  continues  on  west  from  Stroudsburg,  by 
the  way  of  Kunkletown  and  Sciota,  near  which 
latter  point  it  is  bifurcated,  one  branch  passing 
northwestward  along  the  north  branch  of  Mc- 
Michael's Creek  to  Brodheadsville,  and  thence 
west  and  southwest  to  the  Lehigh  River,  near 
Weissport,  the  latter  part  of  its  course  being 
occupied  by  Pohopoko  Creek.  The  other 
branch  keeps  southwestward  from  Sciota,  along 
the  Lake  branch  of  McMichael's  Creek  and 
Frantz's  Creek  to  the  point  where  the  driftless 
area  commeuces,  in  Ross  township,  southwest  of 
the  great  terminal  moraine,  where  the  wide, 
drift-filled  valley  suddenly  terminates,  and  the 
creek  continues  through  a  deep  trench  cut  out  of 
the  Marcellus  shale,  which  here  comes  to  the 
surface. 

So  that  practically  we  may  say  there  is  one 
continuous  valley,  underlaid  with  Marcellus 
shale  and  filled  with  drift  material,  with  a  com- 
paratively uniform  surface  from  five  hundred 
to  seven  hundred  feet  above  tide,  running  all 
the  way  from  Rondout,  on  the  Hudson,  through 
Stroudsburg  to  Weissport,  ou  the  Lehigh.  It 
constitutes  a  natural  route  for  a  railroad  from 
the  coal-fields  to  New  England,  which  has  long- 
been  contemplated,  and  which  will  doubtless 
some  time  be  built. 

Cherry  Valley,  just  south  from  the  Strouds- 
burg Valley,  running  parallel  with  it  and  sepa- 
rated from  it  by  Godfrey's  or  Walpack  Ridge,  is 
very  similar  to  the  one  just  described,  only  that  it 
has  for  its  bed  the  Clinton  red  xhale  instead  of 
the  Marcellus  shale. 

This  valley,  like  the  Stroudsburg  Valley, 
exists  in  three  sections,  of  which  Cherry  Valley 
proper  is  the  western.  It  begins  in  Orange 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  keeping  along  the  base  of 
the  Shawangunk  (Blue)  Mountain,  passes 
through  New  Jersey  to  the  Delaware  River  at 
the  Walpack  Bend.  At  this  point  the:  Dela- 
ware   River,     having    cut    through     Walpack 


1040 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Ridge,  enters  the  valley  and  flows  down  it  to 
the  Delaware  Water  Gap,  where  it  cuts  through 
the  Blue  Mountain.  The  eastern  section  in 
New  Jersey  is  called  Flatbrook  Valley  ;  the 
middle  portion  occupied  by  the  river  is 
called  the  Delaware  Valley,  but  Flatbrook 
Valley,  Delaware  Valley  and  Cherry  Valley 
are  essentially  one  and  the  same,  and  to  this 
may  be  added  the  Aquanchicola  Valley,  extend- 
ing through  to  the  Lehigh. 

Geological  Structure. — The  rocks  of 
Monroe  County,  with  the  exception  of  a  narrow 
strip  along  the  southern  border,  belong  entirely, 
like  those  of  Pike,  to  the  Devonian  Age.  Silu- 
rian strata  first  come  to  the  surface  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Walpack  Ridge,  enter  largely  into  the 
composition  of  that  ridge,  together  with  the 
lower  members  of  Devonian  formation,  and 
thence  continue  to  form  the  surface  rock  to  the 
southern  line  of  the  county. 

The  interval  between  the  Mount  Pleasant 
conglomerate,  of  Pocono  Series  (No.  X.)  and 
the  Oneida  conglomerate  (No.  IV.)  (both  in- 
clusive) compasses  all  the  strata  of  Monroe 
County,  some  of  the  intervening  members 
being  entirely  absent. 

Commencing  at  the  north  line  of  the  county, 
the  highest  peaks  of  the  Pocono  Mountain  are 
capped  with    Mount  Pleasant  conglomerate,  in 
massive,  grayish-white  cliffs.     Next  in  order  in 
the  descending  scale  come  the  red  rocks  of  the 
( 'aixkill  Series  (No.  IX.),  the  Mount  Pleasant  j 
red  shale,  members  of  which   form  the  surface  i 
rock  over  much  of  the  whole   Pocono   Plateau, 
from  the  north  line  of  the  county  to  the  south-  i 
era  escarpment  of  the  mountain.     Below  this  ' 
comes  a  thin  stratum   (of  uncertain  thickness, 
because  always  partially  concealed  under  drift) 
of  green  sandstones  and  shales,  called   the  Elk 
Mountain  sandstones  and  shales,  and  estimated  i 
by  Prof.  White  at  about  two  hundred  feet  in 
thickness.    Next  comes  the  Cherry  Ridge  Group, 
consisting  of  conglomerates  (composed  of  quartz 
pebbles,  pieces  of  sandstone,  shale  and  fish  frag- 
ments, all  cemented  into  a  reddish-gray  matrix 
of  coarse  sand)  and  red  shale.     The  conglomer- 
ates form  the  front  escarpment  of  the  Pocono 
Mountain,    west    from   Tannersvillc,  and   crop 
out  in  long  lines  of  cliffs  in   the  southeastern 


portion  of  Tunkhannock  and  Coolbaugh  town- 
ships. 

The  Honesdale  sandstones,  next  in  order,  run 
through  Barrett,  Paradise,  Pocono,  Chestnut 
Hill  and  Polk  townships,  being  estimated  at  500 
feet  in  thickness  at  the  western  line  of  the  county. 

The  Montrose  red  shale,  next  in  order,  runs 
through  Barrett,  crossing  the  Delaware,  Lack- 
awanna and  Western  Railroad,  near  Henry- 
ville,  with  a  thickness  of  six  hundred  feet, 
and  continuing  on  through  Pocono,  Jackson, 
Chestnut  Hill  and  Polk  townships,  attaining 
a  thickness  of  more  than  fifteen  hundred  feet  at 
the  western  line  of  the  county. 

The  Delaware  River  Jlags. — This  is  a  series 
of  greenish-gray  sandstone  and  shale  which  ex- 
tends all  the  way  trom  the  Delaware  to  the 
Lehigh,  crossing  Pike,  Monroe  and  Carbon 
Counties.  In  Monroe  County  it  passes  through 
Barrett,  Paradise,  Pocono,  Jackson,  Chestnut 
Hill  aud  Polk  townships.  Excellent  flagging 
is  quarried  in  this  series  at  various  points  in 
the  northeastern  section  of  the  county.  Where 
exposed  to  atmospheric  influences  the  stone 
splits  easily  along  the  bedding  planes  into 
sheets  from  two  to  six  or  eight  inches  in  thick- 
ness and  of  lengths  varying  from  two  to  fifteen 
or  twenty  feet,  according  to  the  space  between 
the  natural  transverse  seams.  In  Barrett  town- 
ship, on  the  West  Bushkill,  there  is  a  fine  ex- 
posure of  flagstone  at  the  base  and  side  of  a 
hill  and  of  true  clay  slate  at  the  top.  This  top 
stratum,  being  entirely  free  from  sand  and  grit 
and  easily  splitting  to  any  desired  thickness,  on 
a  line  with  the  bedding  planes,  is  excellently 
adapted  to  fine,  ornamental  work,  such  as  man- 
tels, table-tops,  etc.,  if  existing  in  sufficient 
quantities, — a  fact  yet  to  be  determined. 

The,  New  Milford  red  shale. — This  is  the  last 
red  horizon  above  the  base  of  the  Catskill  Series. 
It  crosses  Big  Bushkill  Creek  near  Ressaca,  and 
Brodhead's  Creek  near  Spragueville,  where  it 
is  exposed  in  a  cutting  of  the  Delaware,  Lack- 
awanna and  Western  Railroad,  just  above  the 
station,  dipping  25°  N.  25°  W.It  crosses  Poc- 
ono Creek  about  one  mile  and  a  quarter  above 
Bartonsville  and  continues  westward,  increas- 
ing in  thickness,  through  Jackson,  Chestnut 
Hill  and  Polk  townships. 


MONKOK  COUNTY. 


Starrucca  sandstone. — This  is  a  succession  of 
hard,  greenish-gray  sandstones,  destitute  of  or- 
ganic remains,  and  corresponding  physically 
with  the  other  CatshiU  sandstones.  They  rep- 
resent the  Starrucca  beds — greatly  thickened — 
of  Wayne  and  Susquehanna  Counties.  They 
cuter  Monroe  County  about  three-fourths  of  a 
mile  above  Little  Bushkill  Falls,  and  pass  south- 
westward,  crossing  Big  Bushkill  below  Etessaca, 
and  Brodhead's  Creek  and  the  Delaware,  Lack- 
awanna and  Western  Railroad  at  Spragueville, 
and  the  Pocono  Creek  about  one  mile  above 
Bartonville.  Continuing  westward,  red  beds 
begin  to  make  their  appearance  in  this  horizon. 
Through  Pike  and  Monroe  Counties  these  beds 
are  about  six  hundred  feet  thick. 

Fossils  of  the  Catskill  Series. — The 
only  evidence  of  animal  life  during  the  epoch 
of  the  Catskill  formation  is,  according  to  Prof. 
White,  the  occasional  appearance  of  what  ap- 
pears to  be  the  fish-bone  fragments  in  the  cal- 
careous breccia*  occurring  in  the  upper  half  of 
the  series.  No  molluscan  fossils  have  been  ob- 
served in  all  the  large  area  covered  by  these 
rocks. 

Plant  remains  also  are  of  rare  occurrence. 
The  ouly  locality  in  the  district  where  any  de- 
terminable forms  have  been  observed  is  in  a  cut 
on  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna  and  Western 
Railroad,  a  short  distance  below  Henryville. 
There,  near  the  base  of  the  Montrose  red  shale, 
great  numbers  of  Archceqpteris  Jacksoni  occur. 
In  many  places,  however,  pieces  of  si  cms  and 
fragments  if  plants  are  to  be  seen,  but  so  broken 
up  as  not  to  be  classified. 

Next  in  order,  progressing  downwards,  come 
the  Chemung  beds,  the  Portage  Scries  being  ab- 
sent from  this  district. 

We  again  quote  from  Professor  White,  in  his 
report  on  the  Second  Geological  Survey  of  Pike 
and  Monroe  Counties,  p.  105; — 

"  The  series  is  made  up  of  a  succession  of  bluish- 
gray,  hard  sandstone  beds  in  layers  from  one-half 
to  two  feet  thick,  often  somewhat  micaceous,  and 
usually  interstratified  with  blue,  sandy  shales.  Oc- 
casionally olive  sandstones  make  their  appearance. 
The  whole  series  is  sparingly  fossiliferous,  the  most 
common  forms  being:  Strejdor/ti/nc/tus,  Chemiiiigeiixex, 
Spirifer  disjunct  us,  Pteronites  spf  Prodwstella  tp .' 
The  species  are  generally  badly  presented,  and  while 
102 


all   have  a  well-known    Chemung  facics,    many   were 
undeterminable." 

The  red  beds  of  Chemung,  which  are  else- 
where present  in  Northern  Pennsylvania,  are 
absent  from  the  Pike  and  Monroe  districts. 

The  Hamilton  Series,  upper,  middle  and  low- 
er, are  well  represented  through  the  district, 
entering  it  at  Bushkill  and  running  about  S. 
65°  W.  to  the  western  margin  of  Hamilton 
township,  where  it  bifurcates,  one  prong  reach- 
ing the  Lehigh  at  Bowman's,  and  the  other  on 
the  crest  of  the  Lehighton  axis.  The  thickness 
of  the  whole  Hamilton  series  at  Stroudsburg  is 
twenty-two  hundred  feet,  at  the  meridian  of 
Brodheadsville  two  thousand  feet,  and  grad- 
ually thinning  away  to  the  Lehigh  River.  All 
the  members  of  this  series  are  quite  fossilifer- 
ous, the  Tally  limestone,  notably  so,  being 
composed  of  corals,  shells  and  crinoids  ingreat 
abundance.  This  coral  horizon  is  seen  strong- 
ly developed  along  the  road  just  south  from 
Gilbert's  post-office,  and  also  about  a  mile  north 
from  Kresgeville,  in  Polk  township.  The  ef- 
fect of  atmospheric  influences  upon  these  beds, 
in  the  removal  of  the  lime  from  their  calcareous 
portions,  is  well  illustrated  along  the  road  from 
Stroudsburg  to  Spragueville,  near  the  house  of 
Edward  Bonynge,  where  there  is  a  fine  expos? 
ure  of  the  bed,  honeycombed  and  spongy  from 
this  cause. 

The  Upper  HeMerberg  beds  are  represented 
in  this  county  by  the  coniferous  limestone  and 
the  cauda-galli  grit,  the  Onondaga  and  Scho- 
harie beds  of  New  York-  not  appearing.  The 
corniferous  limestone  and  en nda-galli  thin  away 
to  the  westward,  and  seem  to  disappear  entirely 
near  the  western  line  of  Hamilton  township, 
coincident  with  a  thickening  of  the  Oriskany 
sandstone,  on  which  they  rest. 

The  belt  of  coniferous  limestone,  fortunately 
for  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  county,  is 
quite  narrow,  seldom  more  than  one-fourth  of  a 
mile  in  width,  and  often  not  near  so  much,  the 
rocks  being  steeply  inclined,  and  mostly  con- 
fined to  the  north  foot-slope  and  south  side  of 
Godfrey's  Ridge. 

There  is  a  fine  exposure  of  both  of  these  strata 
in  the  long  rock  cut  on  the  Delaware,  Lacka- 
wanna  and    Western    Railroad,    below    East 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Stroudsburg,  known  as  "  Forest  Cut,"  where 
the  contact  of  the  coniferous  limestone  with 
the  cauda-galli  is  plainly  seen.  There  is  also 
a  good  example  of  the  effects  of  atmospheric 
exposure  upon  the  cauda-galli  to  be  seen 
along  the  road  from  Stroudsburg  to  the  Dela- 
ware Water  Gap,  where  the  same  passes  over 
the  top  of  Godfrey's  Ridge,  or  "Foxtowu  Hill," 
as  it  is  locally  known.  As  we  have  elsewhere 
said,  the  caudi-gaM  firms  the  surface  rock  on 
the  top  of  this  ridge,  owing  to  the  removal,  by 
glacial  agency,  of  the  corniferous  limestone. 
There  is  a  strong  outcrop  over  the  crest  of  the 
ridge  of  "slate  gravel,"  as  it  is  locally  known, 
and  appreciated  as  excellent  road  material.  It 
is  rock  of  this  stratum  broken  up  into  chips 
and  splinters  by  the  action  of  the  weather,  very 
similar  in  appearance  to  the  same  kind  of  mate- 
rial found  in  the  Hamilton  sandstone  and  Mar- 
cellus  shale  strata,  along  the  Mil  ford  road, 
above  Bushkill. 

Fossil  mollusJcs  and  corals  are  quite  abundant 
in  the  corniferous  limestone,  especially  so  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Stroudsburg. 

Passing  now  into  the  Silurian  Age  of  the 
world,  we  find  beneath  the  cauda-galli  a  rep- 
resentative of  the  Oriskany  formation.  Com- 
mencing as  a  cherty  pebble  bed,  not  more  than 
eight  or  ten  feet  thick  at  the  eastern  line  of 
Monroe  County,  it  thickens  up  in  its  passage 
across  the  county,  until  at  its  western  line  it  ap- 
pears as  a  massive  quartz  conglomerate  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  thick. 

Beneath  this  stratum  come  the  Lower  Hel- 
derberg  beds.  First,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county  a  series  of  shales  and  conglomerates, 
denominated  the  Stormsvitle  shales  and  conglom- 
erates, which  in  their  progress  westward  seem 
to  become  merged  in  the  overlying  Oriskany 
formation,  accounting  thus  for  the  thickening 
up  of  the  latter. 

The  glass  factory  at  East  Stroudsburg  ob- 
tains its  sand  from  the  Oriskany  formation  in 
Hamilton  township.  It  makes  excellent  bot- 
tles, fruit-jars,  etc.  West  of  Hamilton  town- 
ship the  Oriskany  is  much  broken  up  and  dis- 
integrated, forming  beds  of  fine,  white,  silicious 
material  of  unknown  depth.  These  beds  are 
found  in  the  vicinity  of  Saylorsburg  and  Kun- 


kletown,  an  analysis  of  two  specimens  from 
which,  by  Messrs.  McCreath  and  Stinson,  gives 
the  following  results  : 

No.  I.  No.  n. 


.    .    .  82.020    Silica  .   .   . 
>  Oxide  i  Alumina,  i 

.  .  .  11.000       of  fron. 

.   .   .      .280    l.i .   . 

.  .  .      .774    Magnesia 


96.016  I  96  147 

Stormsvii.le  Hydraulic  Cement  Beds. 
— These  beds  extend  from  the  eastern  line  of 
the  county  southwestward  beyond  the  centre 
of  the  county,  and  are  from  five  to  ten  feet  in 
thickness.  Professor  AVhite  identities  these 
beds  with  the  great  water  lime  beds  of  Kondout, 
Kingston  aud  Rosendale,  N.  Y.,  and  from 
analyses  had  of  this  material  there  is  no  doubt- 
but  excellent  cement  might  be  manufactured  at 
various  points  in  this  stratum. 

Messrs.  McCreath  and  Stinson  show  the 
composition  of  the  Stormsville  cement  beds  as 
follows,  four  of  the  specimens  coming  from 
Middle  Smithfield,  and  the  fifth  from  Hamil- 
ton township  i1 


Carbonate  of  Lime 

Carbonate  of  Magnesia  .   .    . 

Oxide  of  Iron 

Alumina.  . 

Sulphur 

Phosphorus 

.   .    ,    S8.910  36  IJ- 
23  724    IT   181 

.'   !   '.  1      ]065 

III.    !    IV.         V. 

o.29U|  :;;;; 

.113'  .   .  .  |  .  . 

■I,-T     ■  .    ■  ■  ■ 

The     "  insoluble    residue"    in    each    of    the 
above  after  ignition  gave  the  following  : 


Al^- 

III.        I\ 

24. Son  ■Si.'. i7o 

V. 

Oxide  of  Iron 

Ul.l  Alumina  .... 

2.500     2.741 
0.220     0.111 

aiai 

Totals 

27.274  2U.SI73 

2S.ll-.ll  27.027 

15.934 

An  important  member  of  the  Lower  Hdder- 
berg  series  is  the  BossardsvUle  limestone.  This 
rock  is  extensively  quarried  in  a  thick  stratum 
of  this  formation  at  Bossardsville,  in  Hamilton 
township,  whence  it  derives  its  name.  All  the 
principal  limestone  quarries  of  the  county  are 
in  this  formation.  This  limestone  burns 
readily  into  a  light,  gray  lime,  very  valuable 
for  agricultural  and  building  purposes. 


1  Takeu   from  Second  Geological    Report 
Monroe,  pp.  136,  137. 


MONROE   COUNTY. 


1043 


Analyses  of  this  limestone,  taken  from  differ- 
ent localities,  and  made  by  Mr.  McCrealh  at 
his  Harrisburg  laboratory,  give  the  following 
result : l 


I.     1     II.     1    III.        IV. 

V. 

94.285  87.928  82.732  98.267 

(13.875 

1.528i    1.937     2.83(1     1.384 

1.311(1 

D.700     2.110    1.360    0.84(1 

0.680 

0.056     0.229     P.695     0.113 

11.153 

0.014     0.019    0.007     0.O10 

0.010 

InsnlnliloHesi.lllf 

2.850     7.860  11.930     4.25(1 

3.920 

I.  and  II.  were  taken  from  the  Bossardsville 
quarries  in  Hamilton  township;  III.,  IV.  and 
V.  were  taken  from  C.  Van  Auken's  quarries, 
in  Middle  Smithtield  township. 

A  due  regard  for  allotted  space,  in  a  work  of 
this  character,  will  hardly  permit  even  cursory 
mention  of  all  the  different  strata.  Passing 
from  the  Lower  Helderberg  (No.  VI.),  we  come 
next  to  the  ( 'linton  red  shale  (No.  V.). 

These  shales  are  of  a  deep,  dull  color,  and,  as 
we  have  before  remarked,  underlie  the  whole  of 
Cherry  Valley  and  Aquanchicola  Valley,  and 
the  Delaware  River  has  scooped  the  main  por- 
tion of  its  channel  out  of  the  same,  all  the  way 
from  Walpack  Bend,  or  Decker's  Ferry,  to  the 
Delaware  Water  (in p. 

No  fossils  whatever  are  found  in  these  red 
beds,  and  to  their  destitution  of  organic  life 
Professor  White  attributes  the  fact  that  the  iron, 
of  which  a  large  percentage  is  contained  in  the 
rocks,  exists  in  a  diffused  state,  instead  of  being 
collected  into  ore-beds.  He  says  that  if  all  the 
irou  contained  in  the  two  thousand  feet  of  this 
rock  which  crops  out  on  the  Lehigh  could  be 
collected  into  one  mass,  it  would  make  a  solid 
bed  of  metallic  iron  more  than  fifty  feet  thick 
Hence  it  is  not  for  lack  of  iron  that  no  ores 
occur  in  the  Clinton  red  shale  of  Monroe 
County,  but  because  in  bygone  ages  there  was 
a  lack  of  organic  life  to  concentrate  it  in  layers. 

The  Medina  Sandstone  and  the  Oneida 
Conglomerate,  No.  IV. — A  series  of  green- 
ish-gray sandstones,  often  interstratified  with 
red,  sandy  layers,  the  sandstone  frequently 
showing  scattered  pebbles  of  quartz,  underlies 
the  Clinton  red  shales.  These  beds  are  exposed 
along  either  bank  of  the  Delaware   River  in  its 

1  Taken  from  the  same  report  to  which  reference  has 
been  so  frequently  made,  p.  142. 


passage  through  the  Gap,  and  they  constitute 
the  Medina  sandstone. 

Immediately  beneath  appears  the  Oneida 
conglomerate,  consisting  of  very  hard,  massive, 
gray  rocks,  containing  vast  quantities  of  quartz 
pebbles,  many  of  them  quite  large,  with  no  red 
ro<-/;s  irliatever. 

These  gray,  conglomerate  rocks  extend  down 
to  the  Hudson  River  slates,  which,  however, 
do  not  appear  in  this  county,  but  come  to  the 
surface  about  half  a  mile  south  of  the  county 
line,  in  Northampton. 

The  Oneida  rocks  make  the  summit  of  the 
Blue  Mountain,  and  their  great  hardness  and 
indestructibility  have  preserved  that  range,  as 
well  as  the  Delaware  and  Lehigh  Water  Gaps, 
from  erosion. 

Ores. — The  red  rocks  of  the  Catskill  Series, 
like  the  Clinton  red  shale,  show  a  large  per- 
centage of  iron,  but  in  a  diffused  form.  There 
is  an  equal  absence  of  fossils  and  of  iron-ore. 
In  Ross  township,  however,  on  the  land  of 
Samuel  Lessig,  there  has  been  found  quite  a 
large  deposit  of  brown  hematite  iron-ore,  in  the 
Lower  Helderberg,  and  five  to  eight  feet  above 
the  Decker's  Ferry  sandstone  of  the  group. 

An  analysis  of  specimens  from  this  locality 
gives  the  following  result  : 

I.  If. 

Iron 41.500  39.425 

Sulphur 0.030  0.007 

Phosphorus 0.305  0.321 

Insoluble  residue 23.500  26.730 

A  bed  of  bog  iron-ore  occurs  on  top  of  the 
Marcellv,8,  opposite  Kunkletowu,  in  Eldred 
township.  This  was  once  manufactured  into 
metallic,  paint  quite  extensively,  and  made  a 
very  fine  trrticle.  The  deposit,  so  far  as  devel- 
oped, appears  quite  rich  enough  to  warrant  min- 
ing and  shipping,  if  it  exists  in  sufficient  quan- 
tities. 

Beds  of  bog  iron-ore  also  exist  near  the  vil- 
lage of  Sciota,  in  Hamilton  township,  imme- 
diately above  the  Mareellus  shale,  and  nodules 
of  iron-ore  have  been  found  on  the  land  of 
John  Merwine,  near  Merwinesburg,  at  the  foot 
of  the  Pocono  Mountain,  scattered  over  the  sur- 
face of  the  red  Catskill  rocks. 

Lead,  Copper   and    Zinc-Ores. — In  the 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Medina  sandstone  and  Oneida  conglomerate  of 
the  Shawangunk  or  Blue  Mountain  ores  of 
lead  and  zinc  are  known  to  exist,  although  none 
in  paying  quantities  have  so  far  been  discovered 
within  the  limits  of  this  county.  In  Middle 
Smithfield  township,  on  land  of  Mr.  J.  Turn, 
in  the  Clinton  red  rocks,  at  the  upper  end  of 
Paxon's  Island,  there  occur  many  traces  of  cop- 
per in  scattered  parches  of  green,  and  also  traces 
of  zincblende. 

SCHOOL  Slates. — In  Polk  township,  near 
the  western  line  of  the  county,  school  slates 
were  once  extensively  manufactured  in  the  Mar- 
eellus  beds.  They  made  a  superior  article,  and 
their  manufacture  could  still  be  carried  on  with 
profit  were  it  not  for  the  lack  of  railroad  facili- 
ties, rendering  it  impossible  to  compete  with 
localities  more  highly  favored  in  this  respect. 

Ochre.  — Much  ochre  is  found  in  Ross  town- 
ship, interstratified  with  the  iron-ore  in  the  Lower 
Helderberg  formation.  It  is  of  a  dull  yellow- 
ish color  and  would  doubtless  make  good  paint, 
although  never  tested  practically  so  far  as  we 
know. 

It  has  beeu  analyzed,  however,  with  the  fol- 
lowing result  : 

Silica 57.400 

Alumina L9.033 

Sesquioxide  <>t'  iron 10.107 

Lime 0.100 

Magnesia 1.740 

Water 6.458 

Soils. — The  best  soils,  as  well  as  (he  worst, 
for  agricultural  operations  are  found  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county:  the  best,  in  the 
Hamilton,  Lower  Helderberg  and  Clinton  red 
geological  areas  ;  the  worst,  where  the  Upper 
Helderberg,  the  Orixhtni/  sandstone,  the  Medina 
sandstone  and  the  Oneida  eontjlomt  rate  come 
to  the  surface. 

This  mixed  condition  extends,  to  a  greater  or 
less  extent,  over  portions  often  townships,  viz.: 
Middle  Smithfield,  Smithfield,  Stroud,  Hamil- 
ton, Pocono,  Jackson,  ( !hestnut  Hill,  Ross,  Polk 
and  Eld  red. 

The  difference  between  the  two  classes  of 
rocks  above  referred  to,  in  regard  to  their  soil- 
making  properties,  rests  primarily  in  the  com- 
parative readiness   with    which   they    break    up 


and  decompose,  and  assimilate  with  the  finer 
portion-  of  drift  material  or  alluvial  deposits 
accumulated  upon  them.  The  corniferous 
limestone  and  cauda-gaUi,  composing  the  Upper 
Helderberg  of  this  district,  and  also  the  Oneida, 
conglomerate,  are  notable  for  the  facility  with 
which  they  do  not  disintegrate.  They  are  hard 
and  unyielding  in  their  nature,  and  have  pre- 
served for  ages,  with  little  change,  the  contour 
of  Walpack  Ridge  and  the  Blue  Mountain, 
with  the  gaps  or  gorges  in  the  latter  range. 
Of  course  there  can  be  no  farming  where  these 
beds  come  to  the  surface,  and  it  is  fortunate 
that  their  dip  is  so  rapid  and  their  surface  area 
not  more  extended.  They  have  their  use  in  the 
economy  of  nature,  doubtless,  in  giving  to  our 
scenery  its  character  of  picturesqueness  and 
sublimity. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  the  soft  shales  and 
limestones  of  the  Hamilton  and  Lower  Helder- 
berg beds,  and  in  the  Clinton  red  beds  of  the 
Delaware1,  Cherry  and  Aquanchicola  Valleys, 
we  have  a  very  fine  agricultural  region,  produc- 
ing all  the  cereals,  root  and  other  vegetables  in 
great  abundance. 

Full  one-half  of  the  county  (the  northern 
halt)  is,  as  we  have  seen,  underlaid  with  rocks 
of  the  ( 'atskUl  group.  Here,  too,  a  mixed  con- 
dition of  things  prevails.  Where  the  surface 
is  not  littered  with  boulders  of  the  drift  deposit, 
or  rendered  barren  by  reason  of  massive  sand- 
stone outcrops,  farming  is  not  only  practicable, 
but  pleasant  and  profitable. 

The  inhabitants  of  this  region  are  turning 
their  attention  more  and  more  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  as  the  county  is  gradually  cleared  of 
its  native  forest  growths  and  the  lumber  inter- 
ests, which  have  heretofore  been  predominant, 
decline.  New  clearings  dot  the  wilderness,  and 
thrifty  homes  here  and  there  greet  the  eye, 
where  a  few  years  ago  there  was  nothing  but  a 
dreary  waste  of  "  scrub-oaks "  and  laurel. 
There  are  extensive  tracts  of  sandy  loam  and  red 
shale  soil  upon  the  Pocono  Plateau,  compara- 
tively free  from  boulders  and  loose  stones,  easily 
farmed,  fertile  and  productive.  Land  is  cheap 
and  the  writer  confidently  expects  to  see,  in 
the  next  few  years,  a  large  development  of  th  e 
agricultural  resources  of  this  region. 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


1045 


Two  representative  farmers  of  this  region, 
one  in  the  extreme  west  and  the  other  in  the 
extreme  east,  report  as  follows: 

Mr.  Jacob  Blakeslee,  of  Tobyhanna  township, 
writes, — 

"  I  have  75  acres  cleared  and  under  cultivation.  I 
have  not  raised  wheat  since  1879 ;  then  I  had  over 
25  bushels  to  the  acre.  The  production  of  rye  (lasl 
crop)  was  very  good,  but  I  did  not  measure  I  In1 
amount.  The  production  of  oats  was  55  bushels  per 
acre;  corn  in  ear,  50  bushels  per  acre;  potatoes,  125 
bushels  per  acre;  hay,  2  tons  per  acre.  Apples, 
such  as  Baldwins,  Greenings,  Rusty  Coats,  &c,  air 
very  fine  and  plentiful.  Also  Pears,  Plums  and  the 
small  fruits  are  produced  in  great  abundance.  Apiaries 
thrive  excellently;  there  being  an  abundance  of 
natural  food  for  the  bees.  As  regards  soil,  I  may 
say  the  different  kinds  are  argillaceous,  Sandstone  and 
Shale.  The  predominating  element  is  Shale,  which 
varies  in  color  from  red  to  gray,  and  finally  to  a  rich 
black  color.  The  soil  is,  in  places,  loamy.  I  think 
the  country  is  best  adapted  to  the  production  of  corn, 
oats,  hay  and  potatoes;  rye  and  wheat  also  do  ver\ 
well. 

"  In  fertilization  I  used  last  year  5  tons  of  phos- 
phates and  100  tons  of  barn-yard  manure.  I  prefer 
the  manure. 

"  In  speaking  of  the  history  of  this  place.  I  may 
say  that  thirty-five  years  ago  this  region  was  a  dense 
forest.  At  that  time  lumbering  was  the  chief  indus- 
try. Since  then  the  country  has  been  cleared  by  cut- 
ting and  fire,  so  that  now  there  is  a  comparatively 
level,  open  country,  interspersed  with  clumps  of  wood- 
land. With  the  removal  of  the  forest,  the  people 
turned  their  attention  to  agriculture,  and  with  great 
success.  As  a  proof  of  the  richness  of  the  soil  1  add 
that  land  first  cleared  raises  very  fine  and  heavy  crops 
of  hay  for  six  years  without  fertilization.  As  a  pas- 
turage land  this  region  is  unequaled.  Horses,  cattle, 
&c,  are  brought  from  the  adjoining  counties  of  this 
State  and  also  from  New  Jersey  to  be  pasturec I.     .  .   . 

"  As  a  country  for  stock-raising,  this  locality  is  un- 
surpassed." 

We  will  add  that  Mr.  Blakeslee  makes  a 
specialty  of  stock  raising  and  is  equally  suc- 
cessful with  horses,  cattle  and  sheep. 

Mr.  Joseph  Brower,  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Barret  township  and  near  the  eastern  line  of  the 
county,  settled  some  thirty  years  ago  in  an  un- 
broken wilderness,  although  many  thrifty 
farms  are  now  under  cultivation  or  being 
cleared  for  that  purpose  in  his  vicinity.  He  re- 
ports as  follows : 

"Acres  under  cultivation,  about DO 


Wheat  raised  per  acre 18  bushels. 

Rye          "          "  "  Hi 

Oats        "         "  "  30 

Corn        '■'          "  "  35 

Potatoes'*         "  "  100 

Tons  of  hay       "  "  2 

"  Different  kinds  of  soil:  Red  Shale  and  Claj  loam. 

We  find  the  red  shale  is  In  si  for  rye,  wheat  and  com. 
Fertilizers  used  the  last  season:  Manure,  180  tons: 
lime,  150  bushels. 

"Apples  raised,  330  bushels ;  buckwheat  raised,  40 
bushels  per  acre." 

A  Bone  Cave. —  In  closing  this  chapter,  it  is 
proper  to  advert,  as  a  matter  of  archaeological 
interest,  to  a  cave  which  exists  in  Walpack,  or 
Godfrey's  Ridge,  in  Stroud  township,  about 
two  miles  west  of  Stroudsburg.  A  cave  was 
long  known  to  exist  at  this  point,  on  laud  of 
Mr.  Hartman,  near  the  summit  of  the  ridge, 
consisting  of  little  more  than  a  hole  in  the  face 
of  the  limestone  cliff;  but  in  the  year  1879  or 
1880,  Mr.  T.  D.  Paret,  an  enterprising  manu- 
facturer, fond  of  scientific  pursuits,  took  the 
place  in  hand,  and  by  his  excavations  in  the 
clay  deposit  that  had  nearly  filled  the  cave,  and 
in  the  ilr/iris  outside  of  the  entrance,  developed 
the  true  nature  of  the  cave  and  unearthed  many 
curious  relies  of  bygone  ages. 

An  account  of  these  discoveries  cannot  be 
better  given  than  by  the  following  extracts 
which  we  quote  from  the  proceedings  id'  the 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia, 
of  the  date  of  September  21,  1880,  at  which 
Professor  Leidy  made  a  report  upon  the  sub- 
ject. 

"Bone  Caves  of  Pennsylvania. — Professor  Leidy  re- 
marked that  in  the  early  part  of  August,  in  company 
with  Dr.  T.  C.  Porter,  of  Easton,  he  had  visited 
Hartman's  Cave,  in  the  vicinity  of  Stroudsburg,  Pa. 
They  had  been  invited  by  Mr.  T.  Dunkin  Paret,  of 
that  place,  who  had  recently  undertaken  the  explora- 
tion of  the  cave,  and  hail  obtained  from  it  an  inter- 
esting and  important  collection  of  animal  remains, 
which  had  been  submitted  to  Professor  Leidy's  exam- 
ination. 

"  The  cave  is  situated  about  tiw  miles  from  Delaware 
Water  Gap,  in  a  ridge  which  separates  Cherry  Valley 
from  the  valleys  of  the  Pocono  and  McMichael's 
Creeks.  The  ridge  is  an  anti-clinal  fold  of  the  Hel- 
derberg  or  Upper  Silurian  limestone,  and  the  cave 
occupies  the  axis  of  the  fold,  and  opens  in  the  face 
of  a  cliff  formed  by  a  cross  section  of  the  ridge.  An 
accumulation  of  debris  forms  aslope  at  the  base  of 


1(I4() 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  cliff,  and  above  the  debris,  and  just  below  the 
arching  roof  of  the  cave,  a  low  passage-way  has  long 
been  known,  into  which  adventurous  boys  would 
creep. 

"Mr.  Paret  commenced  the  exploration  by  having 
a  passage  dug  through  the  debris  to  the  entrance  of 
the  cave,  and  then  extended  the  trench  within  the 
latter  for  upwards  of  a  hundred  feet  and  to  a  depth 
sufficient  to  walk  erect.  At  one  place  within  the 
cave,  the  digging  was  carried  to  the  rock  floor.  It 
would  thus  appear  that  the  cave  is  occupied  bj  a  bed 
of  clay  about  ten  feet  in  depth.  On  this  is  a  thin 
layer  of  stalagmite,  and  on  this  again,  about  a  foot  of 
black,  friable  earth,  mingled  with  animal  and  vegetable 
remains. 

"  Professor  Leidy  supposed  that  during  the  glacial 
period,  a  stream  of  water  from  melting  snow  and  ice 
at  a  higher  level  had  made  a  passage-way  through  the 
fissured  limestone  of  the  anti-clinal  axis,  and  had 
left  in  it  the  abandant  clay  deposit.  When  the  cave 
ceased  to  be  a  water-course,  the  layer  of  stalagmite 
was  formed,  and  subsequently  the  more  friable  earth 
accumulated  from  materials,  such  as  dust  and  leaves 
blown  in  and  mingled  with  the  remains  of  animals. 
occupants  of  the  cave,  and  of  their  food.      .     .     . 

The  remains  thus  far  discovered  are  of  such  inter- 
est as  to  encourage  Mr.  Paret  to  continue  further 
exploration.  Most  of  those  collected  to  the  present 
time  were  exhibited  by  Professor  Leidy,  and  consist 
of  the  following : 

"  Numerous  fragments  and  splinters  of  limb  bones 
of  smaller  and  larger  animals,  many  or  most  of  which 
exhibit  the  marks  of  being  gnawed,  whether  by 
rodents  or  smaller  carnivores  is  somewhat  uncertain. 
A  few  also  show  the  marks  of  canine  teeth  of  medium- 
sized  carnivores.  Some  of  the  splinters  pertain  to 
such  large  and  strong  bones  as  to  render  it  question- 
able whether  they  were  produced  by  even  our  largest 
carnivores,  and  probably  are  the  remnants  of  human 
feasts,  in  which  the  bones  were  crushed  to  obtain 
the  marrow.  Numerous  bones  and  fragments  of 
others  of  the  smaller  and  smallest  animals.  These 
include  especially  limb  bones  and  lower  jaws,  and  less 
frequently,  skulls,  fragments  of  others  and  vertebrae. 
Many  of  these  are  also  gnawed,  while  many  are  not. 

"  The  fragments  of  larger  bones  may  be  supposed 
to  have  been  conveyed  into  the  cave  by  small  carni- 
vores. A  few  pieces  of  bone  are  somewhat  charred, 
and  a  small  fragment  of  a  lower  jaw,  containing  a 
molar  tooth  of  the  bison,  also  apparently  exhibits 
the  marks  of  fire.  This  probably  is  a  remnant  from 
a  human  feast,  which  may  have  been  carried  into  the 
cave  by  some  small  gleaner. 

"  All  the  bones  and  fragments  together  amount  to 
about  half  a  'bushel.  Most  of  them  pertain  to  ani- 
mals of  a  kind  still  living,  though  some  of  them  no 
longer  belong  to  the  fauna  of  our  State,  and  a  few  of 
the  remains  are  those  of  extinct  animals.  How  far 
the  remains  of  different  species  are   cotemporary  is 


uncertain,  though  it  is  most  probable  that  they  were 
introduced  through  a  long  succession  of  years  from 
the  time  following  the  glacial  period. 

"The  remains  of  extinct  animals  consist  of  an  in- 
cisor tooth  and  half  a  dozen  molars  of  the  great 
rodent  Castoroides  Ohioensis,  and  portions  of  the  upper 
and  lower  jaw  with  teeth  of  a  young  Peccary,  the 
Dicotylcs  nasuius,  previously  known  only  from  a  sin- 
gle fragment  of  an  upper  jaw  discovered  in  Indiana 
(Extinct  Mammalia  of  North  America,  385,  pi. 
xxviii.,  figs.  1,  2,  Jour.  Acad.  Nat.  Sc.  vii.  1869). 

"  The  remains  of  animals  no  longer  living  in  Penn- 
sylvania are  as  follows:  Bones  and  teeth  of  the 
Caribou,  or  Woodland  Reindeer,  Rangifer  caribou. 

"A  fragment  of  the  lower  jaw  containing  the  last 
molar  tooth  of  the  Bison,  B.  Americanus. 

"Many  lower  jaw  halves  and  other  bones  and  teeth 
of  the  Wood-rat,  Neotoma  floridana.  Most  of  these 
are  of  comparatively  large  size,  and  of  the  character 
of  similar  remains  referred  by  Professor  Baird  to  a 
supposed  extinct  species,  with  the  name  of  Neotoma 
magister.  (U.  S.  P.  R.  R.  Exp.  and  Surveys — Zool- 
ogy, viii.  1857,  498). 

"  Remains  of  other  mammals  are  as  follows:  Lynx, 
Felix  Canadensis;  Wolf,  Canis  lupus;  Gray  Fox, 
Viilprs  Virginianus;  Skunk,  Mq/hitiismrphitiea : ;  Wea- 
sel, Putorius  ermineus ;  Raccoon, Procyon  lotor  ;  Mole, 
Scalops  agvaticus ;  Dusky  Bat,  Vcs/ieiiitio  fiisrus  ; 
Little  Brown  Bat,  V.  subuMrn ;  Woodchuck, Areto- 
mys  monax ;  Porcupine,  Erethizon  dorsatus ;  Beaver, 
Castor  fiber;  Muskrat,  Fiber  ssibethicus ;  Cray  Squir- 
rel, Sciurus  Carolinensis  :  Ground  Squirrel,  Tamias 
x/ritttiix ;  Gray  Rabbit,  Lrjiux  sylvatii-ns  ;  Meadow- 
Mouse,  Arvicola  riparius;  White-footed  Mouse,  Hes- 
peromys  leucopus ;  Deer,  dermis  Virginianus;  Elk, 
( 'ervus  Canadensis.     .     .    . 

"The  collection  further  contains  numerous  bird 
bones,  chiefly  of  the  wild  turkey,  some  of  turtles, 
and  others  of  several  species  of  snakes.  In  the  same 
stratum  were  also  found  a  number  of  shells  of  mol- 
lusks,  chiefly  Helix  albolabris,  H.  alternata  and  //. 
tridentata.     Also  a  valve  of  Unio  complanatus. 

"  The  human  remains  are  of  an  interesting  charac- 
ter. ( )ne  is  a  large  stone  celt  of  hard,  brown  slate, 
obtained  from  the  bone  earth  some  distance  within 
the  cave.  There  are  five  bone  awls,  several  of  which 
exhibit  marks  of  gnawing.  Some  of  these  were  found 
in  the  cave  and  others  in  the  outside  debris.  An  im- 
plement consists  of  the  prong  of  an  antler,  worked  so 
as  to  be  barbed  on  one  side,  and  was  probably  used  as 
a  needle  for  making  nets. 

"  A  small  implement  of  bone  resembles  in  its  pres- 
ent condition  a  crochet  needle,  such  as  is  now  em- 
ployed by  ladies  in  making  worsted  work.  It  is 
much  gnawed  away  on  one  side  and  looks  as  if  it 
may  have  been  like  an  ordinary  needle  with  a  perfo- 
ration, and  this  now  rendered  incomplete  from  the 
gnawing. 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


1047 


"  Another  implement  is  a  fish-hook  worked  out  of 
bone. 

"Such  bone  implements  are  among  the  rarest  of 
human  relies  in  our  portion  of  the  country. 

"  Another  remarkable  relic  is  a  cone  shell  bored 
through  the  axis  as  a  bead.  The  shell  is  a  marine 
species,  Comix  tornatus,  found  on  the  western  coast  of 
Central  America.  Its  presence  among  the  cave  re- 
mains would  indicate  an  extended  intercourse  among 
the  inhabitants  of  early  times." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

smith  field  township.1 

Organization  and  Description  of  the 

Township. — As  is  well  known  to  most  readers 
of  the  local  history  of  this  region,  Smithfield 
was  the  northernmost  township  of  Bucks  County. 
Its  southern  border  was,  as  now,  the  Blue 
Mountain  ;  its  eastern,  the  Delaware  River ; 
while  on  the  mirth  and  west  its  jurisdiction 
extended  as  far  as  the  temerity  of  the  white 
man  would  permit  him  to  penetrate  into  the 
wilderness. 

The  whole  of  the  Pennsylvania  portion  of 
the  Minisink  was  at  one  time  comprised  in  the 
territory  of  Smithfield. 

Its  topographical  features  are  diversified  and 
beautiful,  even  in  its  present  circumscribed 
limits. 

The  valley  lands  are  the  result  of  alluvial  de- 
posits, possibly  lacustrine  in  origin,  and  are 
arable  to  great  depths,  with  a  productive 
capacity  resembling  the  prairies  of  the  West. 
The  larger  portion  is,  however,  broken,  irregu- 
lar and  hilly.  The  characteristic  natural  fea- 
tures are  the  Blue  Mountain,  the  Delaware 
River  and  the  Delaware  Water  Gap  (described 
elsewhere).  The  larger  streams,  besides 
the  Delaware,  are  Brodhead  Creek,  which 
conveys  the  water  from  the  Pocono  Mountain 
to  the  Delaware,  and  passes  through  a  wild, 
picturesque  country  before  reaching  Smithfield; 
with  its  tributaries  it  drains  a  large  part  of  the 
area  of  the  county.  Marshall  Creek  enters 
Brodhead  Creek  a  short  distance  before  the 
latter  reaches  the  Delaware.     It  is  noted  for 


By  Luke  W.  Brodhead. 


its  two  pretty  water-falls  and  for  its  apparently 
inexhaustible  supply  of  brook  trout.  Cherry 
Creek  is  the  other  important  stream  in  Smith- 
field.  All  of  these  are  noted  trout  streams. 
( Iherry  ( 'reck  was  named  after  Edward  Cherry, 
or  "  Ned  "  Cherry,  by  which  name  the  creek 
was  known  for  some  years.  Cherry  was  one  of 
the  very  early  settlers  of  this  portion  of  Smith- 
field  before  1738.  Marshall  Creek  is  said  to 
be  named  after  Edward  Marshall,  the  success- 
ful walker,  or  runner,  in  the  "  walking  pur- 
chase." Brodhead  Creek  was  named  after 
Daniel  Brodhead,  who  settled  on  the  stream 
at  East  Stroudsburg  in  17o8.  The  Indian 
name  was  Analoming  (now  written  Analo- 
mink).  That  portion  of  Brodhead  Creek, 
from  the  junction  of  Marshall  to  the  Dela- 
ware, is  sometimes  called  Smithfield  Creek. 
The  Dutch  in  the  Minisink  do  not  seem  to  have 
adopted  very  readily  the  Indian  names  of  the 
local  streams,  but  chose  rather  to  apply  to  each 
their  own  word  "  kill,"  or  kil,  for  creek,  leav- 
ing, as  we  may  suppose,  the  descriptive  part  of 
the  name  to  follow,  as  some  characteristic  of 
the  stream  suggested  itself.  But  in  a  country 
where  both  land  and  streams  are  made  to  order, 
the  greatest  possible  peculiarity  a  creek  could 
present  to  the  mind  of  a  Hollander,  would  be 
to  see  it  overgrown  with  trees  and  shrubs  ; 
hence,  in  going  forth  in  the  Minisink  to  take  a 
survey  of  his  newly-acquired  "  claim,"  and  ob- 
tain a  description,  the  phenomenon  of  the 
sparkling  waters  issuing  from  beneath  the  over- 
hanging bushes,  meets  his  eye,  and  readily  the 
happy  epithet  rushes  to  his  mind  and  finds 
expression  "  Bosch  Kil  !  "  (Bush  Kill),  and  he 
eagerly  makes  the  following  note:  "Bosch  Kil 
empties  into  the  Zuydt"  (Delaware),  and  ex- 
claimsr  "  That  is  very  good  !"  But  he  is  destined 
to  a  more  serious  tax  upon  his  imaginative 
powers.  In  the  further  exploration  he 
comes  upon  another  stream,  with  bushes  to 
the  right  of  it,  bushes  to  the  left  of  it  and 
bushes  all  over  it,  and  to  fiud  different 
names  for  two  things  possessing  one  and  the 
same  characteristic  was  puzzling  indeed,  and 
it  is  not  to  be  wondered  that  he  concluded 
it  was  about  the  time  to  sit  down  and  take  a 
smoke,  with  the  hope,  too,  of  soothing  his  per- 


104S 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


plexed  brain.  He  rises  after  a  rest  and  finds 
himself  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  proceeds  at 
once  to  enter  in  his  note-book,  in  good  strong 
Dutch,  the  following  memorandum  :  "  A  Bosch 
Kil  empties  into  the  Bosch  Kil  and  the  Bosch 
Kil  empties  into  the  Zuydt."  And  he  hur- 
riedly retraces  his  steps,  not  caring  to  encounter 
another  bushy  creek  in  the  exhausted  condition 
of  his  vocabulary. 

A  recent  examination  of  some  early  title 
papers  became  quite  puzzling  in  finding  that 
what  was  subsequently  called  Brodhead  Creek 
was  then  entitled  "  a  Bush  Kill,"  and  its  tribu- 
tary, Marshall  ('reek,  called  in  the  same  paper 
"  another  Bush  Kill." 

Following  is  a  copy  of  (he  first  petition  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Smithfield  for  the  location  of 
a  township  in  17  Hi  : 

"To  the  Judges  and  Justices  of  the  peace  of  the 
Co  Court  of  Quarter  Sessions  for  the  Co  of  Bucks 
to  lie  held  at  Newton  13  June,  1746.  The  petition  of 
the  most  [part  of  the  inhabitants  and  Freeholders  of 
Smithfield  Humbly  Sheweth, 

"  That  we,  your  petitioners,  having  siiil'cred  in  many 
respects  for  the  want  of  a  Township  layed  out  &  is 
likely  to  suffer  more  and  more  with  all  due  submis- 
sion desire  your  Honours  would  be  pleased  seriously 
and  speedily  have  a  Township  layed  out  in  the 
Manner  following,  viz — to  begin  at  the  (lap  in  the 
mountain  where  the  River  Delaware  runs  through  & 
from  thence  five  Or  six  miles  north  &  to  west  corner 
&  from  thence  to  the  N.  corner  of  Christoff  Den- 
mark's plantation  &  from  thence  north  a  straight  line 
to  the  Eiver  Delaware  <\  thence  to  several  corners 
thereof  to  the  place  of  Beginning. 


'  Patt  Ker. 
C.  Denmark, 


Win.  Me  \  Nab. 


Bernard  .\  Si  roud. 

Abram  ( Hark. 
John  Pierce. 
Robert  Hannah. 

Samuel  x  Vanarou 


Valentine  \  Snyde 


John  lloss. 
Jonathan  Gerenly. 


Pieter  J.  x  West! nook. 


Nicholas  Dpui. 
Daniel   Depui. 
James  Hyndshaw. 
Aaron  Dupui. 

Isaac  Tak. 
Ilea  ma  Seonmaker. 
Joseph  Savin. 
Riehd.  Howell. 

his 
Lambert  x   Hush. 


John  X  Dim  ker. 
mark 

John  Riley. 

his 

R.  x  Sehoonover. 

John  Houog. 
John  Courtright 
Thomas  Herson." 


"  In  this  petition  for  the  organization  of  Smithfield, 
the  subscribers  ask  that  the  line  of  the  proposed 
township  may  go  to  the  north  corner  of  Christoff 
Denmark's  plantation  and  from  thence  north  a 
straight  line  to  the  River  Delaware.  The  name  of 
( Ihristoff  Denmark,  Jr.,  appears  as  one  of  the  signers. 
There  is  a  creek  in  Lehman  township,  Pike  County, 
called  Denmark,  on  which  it  is  supposed  he  lived. 
Che  petitioners  ask  that  a  north  line  may  be  drawn 
from  this  point  to  the  Delaware.  As  the  river  makes  a 
detour  towards  the  west,  this  north  line  would  have 
struck  the  Delaware  somewhere  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Lackawaxen,  including  all  the  Minisink  on  the 
Pennsylvania  side  of  the  river.  But  little  is  known  of 
Christofell,  or  Christopher  Denmark,  Sr.  It  appears 
from  the  court  records  that  he  died  about  17*57,  and 
that  his  children  were  Christopher  and  Barnabas. 
Their  names  do  not  appear  after  that  date." 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  second  petition 
!  I  7  18),  which  appears  to  have  brought  about 
the  desired  result: 

''To  the  Hon  the  Judges  of  the  Court  of  Q.  S. 
held  at  (and)  for  the  Co  of  Bucks  the  13th  day  of 
Sept  1748.  The  petition  of  Sundry  inhabitants  of 
Smithfield  and  Dansbury  beyond  the  Blue  Mts — 
Humbly  Sheweth  That  in  May  in  the  year  1744  there 
was  a  road  laid  out  from  a  considerable  bend  of  the 
river  Delaware  to  one  John  McMichle's  plantation  cfc 
iliout  2  years  ago  the  same  was  continued  to  Nasaretb 
from  whence  there  continued  a  road  to  Philada. 
have  your  petit  (however  your  petitioners)  not- 
uotwithstanding  are  as  far  from  receiving  the  advan- 
tages proposed  by  having  the  road  afd.  (aforesaid) 
laid  as  before  owing  entirely  as  your  pets  (petitioners) 
conceive  to  the  want  of  a  twp.  (township)  which  your 
pet.  (petitioners)  pray  may  extend  from  the  river 
Delaware  along  the  mountain,  to  a  (tap  on  the  same, 
through  which  the  road  from  McMichle's  to  Nass 
i  Nazareth)  goes,  from  thence  northerly  to  a  large 
creek  commonly  called  the  Bushkill  down  thesame  to 
Delaware  af'sd.  (aforesaid)  &  down  Delaware  to  the 
place  of  beginning— And  as  the  quantity  of  land  in- 
cluded in  the  above  description  may  be as  two 

large  for  a  township  your  pets  (petitioners)  humbly 
pray  your  Honors  to  consider  that  more  than  ,|  there- 
of is  Ha rrens,  that  your  Pets  in  general  are  new 
settlers  &  and  that  the  road  to  be  opened  being  very 
stony  &c  requires  considerable  strength  to  make  it 
answer  the  convenience  of  yours  petitioners 


Aaron  Dupui. 
John  teed. 

Jones. 

John  Baker. 

Adam   ll.Snell. 
John  Baker. 
Bernard  Stroud. 
Samuel  Drake. 


Samuel  Barber. 
Jonathan  Barber. 
James  Carle. 
Benjamin  Barber, 
Aia  Clark 
David  Teed. 
Daniel  Roberts. 
Daul.  Brodhead. 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


1049 


Moses  Dupui. 

hiB 

Charles 

John  x  McMicble. 

John  Garlinghouse. 

mark. 

Hendrike  Cuatoneyman. 

John  Hilliman. 

Edward  Hally. 

John  Pierce. 

John  McDowell. 

Seitz. 

Samuel  Holmes. 

Jennings. 

Joshua  Parker. 

Edwd.  Snell. 

Benjamin  teed. 

his 

William  Maeknot. 

Geo.  x  Harron. 

James  Powell. 

mark. 

Andrew  Robinson. 

Thos.  Hill. 

James  Philips. 

his 

Elisha  Johnson. 

John  x  Brink." 

Johnson  Decker. 

mark. 

"  Ordered,  That  the  Surveyor  Gen.  or  his  Dept.  lay 
out  the  Twpt.  according  to  the  within  petition  &make 
return  thereof  to  the  next  court." 

The  population  in  1742  is  stated  to  have 
been  five  hundred.  In  1780  its  taxables  num. 
bered  two  hundred  and  fifty,  which  shows  a 
population  of  about  twelve  hundred  and  fifty. 
Of  course  the  "poor  Indian"  was  left  out  in 
this  estimate. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  just  how  the 
native  population  was  regarded  by  the  isolated 
settlers  above  the  Blue  Mountain  at  this  period 
in  its  history.  Without  higher  motives,  policy 
would  dictate  that  they  should  be  treated  gene- 
rously and  kindly  for  the  security  of  the  settlers, 
as  for  some  years  they  must  have  been  at  the 
mercy  of  the  Indians,  who,  for  the  time,  greatly 
outnumbered  the  whites. 

It  would  seem  that  many  of  the  natives  were 
either  employed,  or  the  younger  members 
adopted,  by  the  wealthier  families.  Nicholas 
De  Pui  seems  to  have  had  in  his  employ,  or 
had  care  over,  Indians  and  Indian  boys  named 
"  Joseph,"  "  James  "  and  "  Pammer  "  ;  Samuel 
De  Pui  provided  for  "  Cobus,"  "  Howpeek," 
"  Arry,"  "  Anthony  the  Great,"  "  Poxino," 
etc.;  James  Hyndshaw,  on  the  Bushkill,  his  In- 
dian boy  "  Joo "  ;  Benjamin  Shoemaker, 
".lames,"  etc.  These  all  were  names  given  as 
by  adoption,  and  is  evidence  of  almost  paternal 
regard  for  the  younger  members  of  the  tribe  on 
the  part  of  these  early  settlers,  and  it  proves, 
too,  that  the  Indians  in  the  Minisink  at  that 
day  were  not  of  the  character  of  those  we  hear 
of  in  the  West  at  the  present.  The  former  were 
as  we  found  them;  the  latter  are  as  we  have 
made  them. 
103 


The  Shawnees  were  a  Southern  tribe,  invited 
here,  it  is  said,  by  the  Lenni  Lenapes  about 
1680.  They  proved  to  be  troublesome  and  an- 
noying to  their  benefactors.  They  are  spoken 
of  by  the  Miusis  as  "  the  worst  of  Indians." 
We  are  led  to  wonder  why  the  Indian  town  on 
the  Delaware,  and  the  large  island  opposite,  in 
Smithfield,  should  have  been  named  "  Shawnee," 
— having  evidently  been  so  named  by  the  In- 
dians themselves — as  the  Shawnees  were  not  at 
any  time  the  dominant  party  in  any  portion 
of  the  Minisink. 

For  some  years  after  the  white  settlers  first 
came  to  this  valley  the  degradation  and  suffer- 
ing of  its  native  people  had  not  been  realized  to 
the  extent  felt  in  other  portions  of  the  country, 
though  the  transfer  of  their  homes  of  the 
"  stranger "  had  commenced  even  before  the 
"  Walking  Purchase."  They  had  escaped  for  a 
time,  in  this  secluded  valley,  the  devastating 
storm  that  was  raging  without,  and  found  here 
a  refuge  and  a  home  of  comparative  quiet, 
among  those  who  had  treated  them  humanely 
and  in  whom  they  confided.  The  continued 
peace  and  security  which  the  early  settlers  also 
enjoyed  in  this  valley,  and  particularly  at  this 
juncture,  when  the  Indians  were  suffering  so 
much  on  every  hand  by  the  intrigues  of  the 
whites  and  the  cruelty  of  their  enemies,  is  proof 
of  the  peaceable  character  of  the  Minsi  Indians, 
and  that  they  were  inclined  to  deal  justly  and 
live  fraternally  with  those  who  manifested  a 
like  disposition. 

There  is  a  small  remnant  of  the  Dela wares 
still  living  in  Western  Kansas.  The  government 
recognizes  them  in  their  tribal  relation,  and  con- 
tinues to  appropriate  to  them  a  small  sum  an- 
nually. 

Early  Settlements. — It  is  generally  ad- 
mitted that  Nicholas  De  Pui  was  the  first  per- 
manent resident  of  Smithfield  and  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania portion  of  the  Minisink  ;  that  he  loca- 
ted here  in  1725,  purchased  a  large  body  of 
land  from  the  natives  the  second  year  after,  and 
repurchased  a  portion  of  the  same  land  of  Wil- 
liam Allen  in  1733. 

But  the  ubiquitous  John  Smith  had  a  name 
here,  if  not  "a  local  habitation,"  when  these 
events  were  transpiring ;  whether  he  was  here 


1050 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


before  anybody  else,  or  only  intended  to  be  rep- 
resented here  before  anybody  else,  is  not  ascer- 
tained. 

It  is  at  least  certain  that  he  had  claim  to  laud 
in  the  territory  that  has  ever  since  born  his  fam- 
iliar cognomen,  and  that  the  claim  was  recognized 
by  William  Allen  in  his  first  deed  to  Nicholas 
De  Pui.  The  first  tide  of  immigration  into  this 
valley  flowed  from  the  direction  of  the  Hudson, 
entering  the  Delaware  Valley  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Mamakating  and  spreading  throughout  its 
borders.  Previous  to  1780  there  were  very  few 
settlers  here  from  any  other  direction.  They 
made  selection  of  the  level  lands  along  the  river 
and  in  many  instances  their  descendants  occupy 
the  original  possessions. 

The  second  wave,  as  it  may  be  termed,  set  in 
from  the  South  after  1780,  bringing  mainly  de- 
scendants from  the  early  settlers  in  Montgomery, 
Bucks  and  Northampton  Counties.  This  class 
located  in  Cherry  Valley  and  in  the  Valleys  of 
Brodhead  and  Pocono  Creeks.  This  immigra- 
tion continued  up  to  and  after  the  year  1800. 

(For  further  account  of  Smithfield,  see  Local 
Reminiscences). 

All  the  early  settlements  made  in  the  valley 
of  the  Minisiuk  were  by  persons  residing  on 
the  Hudson,  in  and  about  Esopes  and  New 
Paltz,  and  they  were  almost  exclusively  of  low 
Dutch  or  Holland  origin,  and  found  their  way 
into  this  valley  by  the  old  Mine  road. 

We  have  no  certain  account  of  any  perma- 
nent settlement  made  in  the  Pennsylvania  por- 
tion of  the  Minisiuk  earlier  than  that  of  Nicho- 
las De  Pui,  in  1 725.  His  two  brothers,  Abram 
and  Ephraim,  came  at  the  same  time  and  locat- 
ed in  the  New  Jersey  portion  of  the  Minisiuk. 
Abram  afterwards  removed  down  the  Delaware 
and  purchased  a  property  on  the  Pennsylvania 
side  opposite  Foul  Reef,  of  whom  Judge  Depuy, 
of  honorable  eminence  in  New  Jersey,  is  a  de- 
scendant. What  became  of  the  enterprising 
Hollanders  who  penetrated  this  valley  many 
years  before,  for  mining  purposes,  at  Paha- 
ijuarra,  is  not  known  ;  it  is  thought  that  a  few 
of  these,  with  their  families,  remained,  as  there 
are  well  authenticated  accounts  of  earlier  settle- 
ments in  the  New  Jersey  Minisiuk  than  1725. 
The  Van  Campens  came  about  this  date  and 


were  friends  of  the  De  Puis.  The  De  Puis,  how- 
ever, were  not  of  Holland,  but  of  French  origin.1 

The  intercourse  of  the  people  of  this  portion 
of  the  Delaware  Valley  was  exclusively  with 
their  countrymen  residing  in  towns  along  the 
Hudson,  fmm  which  they  had  themselves  emi- 
grated. Their  outlet  was  by  the  "old Mine" 
road,  which  commenced  about  three  miles  above 
the  De  Pui  settlement,  in  New  Jersey,  where 
the  mining  operations  were  carried  on,  to  the 
Hudson,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  miles.  And 
they  found  this  road  very  serviceable  in  enab- 
ling them  to  transport  the  surplus  products  of 
their  farms  to  market  by  sleds  in  winter,  and 
to  bring  from  thence  their  needed  supplies. 

The  mines  appear  to  have  been  worked  to  a 
considerable  extent.  Two  horizontal  drifts  of 
several  hundred  feet  in  length  penetrate  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  a  few  hundred  feet  above 
the  river  Delaware,  with  several  smaller  open- 
ings adjacent. 

The  mines  are  distant  about  eight  miles  from 
the  Delaware  Water  Gap  in  Pahaquarra.  This 
name  is  corrupted  .from  the  original  Indian 
name  of  the  Delaware  Water  (nip,  "  Pohoqua- 
line,"  called  also  at  different  periods  Pabqua- 
line  and  Pahaqualia,  meaning  a  river  passing 
between  two  mountains. 

Colonel  Jacob  Stroud  is  familiarly  associated 
with  the  delightful  town  bearing  his  name.  He 
was  well  known  as  an  active,  enterprising  business 
man  and  figured  prominently  in  the  history  of 
the  times  in  which  he  lived. 

He  was  born  at  Amwell,  N.  J.,  in  1735.~ 

In  1738  Daniel  Brodhead  purchased  fifteen 
hundred  acres  of  land  extending  from  what  was 
formerly  known  as  the"  Flower  Garden,"  above 
Stroudsburg,  to  and  including  the  "  falls  "  and 
water-power  now  owned  by  Wrilliam  Wallace, 
and  at  this  place  Ephraim  Culver  built  a  grist- 
mill in  1753,  which  was  the  second  mill  north 
of  the  mountain — the  first  being  Depui's  at 
Shawnee. 

From  the  annals  of  the  "  Red  Rose  Inn  "  we 
learn  that  Ephraim  Culver,3  the  sixth  landlord 


l  See  history  of  the  i'amWy,  posted. 
s  See  "  History  of  Stroudsburg." 

'■>  The  descendants  of  Ephraim  Culver  have  been  employed 
from  the  begining  of  the  century  at  the  gun-factory  of  Jas. 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


1(151 


in  succession  at  that  historic  hostelry,  late  of 
Lower  Smithtiehl,  miller,  but  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, born  30th  July,  1717,  in  the  town  of 
Lebanon,  was  installed  at  this  inn,  as  near  as  we 
can  ascertain,  about  the  time  of  the  vernal  equi- 
nox of  1759. 

In  1753  he  left  Connecticut  and  removed 
with  his  family  to  Smithfield  and  settled  upon 
a  small  glebe  he  had  purchased  of  Daniel  Brod- 
head.  On  this  site,  now  the  centre  of  the 
borough  of  Stroudsburg,  he  erected  a  grist-mill 
(its  wheel  was  turned  by  the  waters  of  Mc- 
Michael's  Creek)  and  looked  forward,  no  doubt, 
to  years  of  peaceful  industry,  and  then  retire- 
ment from  business,  and  rest  in  the  evening  of 
life.  But  these  prospects  were  rudely  marred 
when  Mr.  Culver,  on  the  11th  of  December, 
1755,  saw  a  cloud  of  smoke  ascending  from  the 
site  of  his  home  and  mill,  as  he  was  fleeing 
with  his  wife  and  children  from  the  destroying 
Indians.  With  others  of  his  neighbors,  Mr. 
Culver  sought  a  friendly  asylum  at  Nazareth. 
There  ere  long  he  united  with  the  Moravians. 
Mr.  Culver  was  tendered,  in  1756,  the  position 
of  landlord  of  the  "  Crown  Inn,"  at  Bethlehem. 

The  "  Red  Rose  "  was  situated  north  of  Naz- 
areth, on  the  road  to  the  Wind  Gap. 

The  "  Crown  "  was  an  inn  of  still  greater 
historic  celebrity,  established  at  Bethlehem,  in 
1745. 

On  the  same  day  that  Mr.  Culver's  house 
and  mill  were  burned  many  of  the  dwellings  in 
the  valley  between  the  Lehigh  and  Delaware 
were  laid  in  ashes  and  several  of  the  inhabitants 
killed.  Numbers  fled  to  the  Brodhead  settle- 
ment at  Dansbury  (East  Stroudsburg),  where  a 
united  and  determined  effort  was  resolved  upon 
to  stay  the  further  progress  of  the  infuriated 
Indians.  The  main  building  was  hastily  for- 
tified and  filled  with  the  wretched  and  home- 
less sufferers,  aud  such  arms  as  could  be  pro- 
cured were  placed  in  the  hands  of  those  who 
could  use  them  effectually. 

They  were  soon  attacked  by  a  party  of  sav- 
ages, hitherto  unresisted  in  their  devastating 
inarch  down  the    valley,  numbering,  according 


Henry,  at  Boulton,  Northampton  County,  Pa.     ^See  Stroud 
township.) 


to  different  accounts,  about  two  hundred  war- 
riors, who  signaled  their  approach  by  firing 
barns,  stacks  of  grain  and  everything  else  with- 
in their  reach.  The  attack  upon  the  fortified 
house  was  commenced  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
day  named,  but  the  Indians  were  unable  long 
to  withstand  the  well-directed  fire  from  the 
building  and  were  forced  to  retire  with  severe 
loss  of  men 

De  Pur  Family. — Nicholas  De  Pui  was  a 
Huguenot,  and  fled  from  France  to  Holland  in 
the  year  1685,  when  Louis  X  1  Y.  exposed  them 
to  Papal  vengeance  by  revoking  the  Edict  of 
Nantes,  an  act  of  stupendous  folly  on  the  part 
of  Louis,  to  say  nothing  of  its  inhumanity,  for 
he  thereby  drove  some  of  the  best  French  arti- 
sans out  of  France  into  Holland  and  England, 
where  they  taught  those  nations  how  to  manu- 
facture certain  articles  which  made  them  com- 
petitors with  France  in  the  markets  of  the  world, 
and  it  may  be  truly  said  that  every  nation  that 
received  these  refugees  was  made  stronger  and 
better  thereby.  Many  of  these  exiles  found  a 
home  in  America  ;  among  them  were  Nicholas, 
Ephraim  and  Abraham  De  Puy,  or  De  Pui,  as 
it  was  originally  written,  who  first  fled  to  Hol- 
land and  shortly  after  emigrated  to  America, 
and  found  their  way  up  the  Hudson  to  the 
Esopus.  Ephraim  located  on  the  Hudson  and 
Abraham  located  on  the  Pennsylvania  side  of 
the  river,  below  Belvidere,  and  has  numerous  de- 
scendants, among  them  Judge  David  A.  Depue, 
of  New  Jersey.  Nicholas  De  Puy  came  to  the 
Minisink  in  1725,  and  was  the  first  white  settler 
in  the  Pennsylvania  portion  north  of  the  Blue 
Mountain  of  whom  there  is  any  authentic  ac- 
count, and  his  deed  from  the  Indians,  dated 
September  18,  1727,  for  three  thousand'  acres 
of  land  lying  along  the  Delaware  River  north 
of  the  Water  Gap,  including  the  three  islands 
Shawano,  Manwallamink,  and  another  small 
island,  signed  by  the  Indian  chiefs  Waugoan- 
lennegea  and  Pemnogque,  is  the  oldest  docu- 
mentary evidence  of  any  settlement  of  the  Min- 
isink on  the  Pennsylvania  side  of  the  river.  He 
was  evidently  a  man  of  some  wealth,  and  with 
the  assistance  of  his  slaves  and  his  large  family 
of  children  he  was  able  to  establish  himself 
firmly  and  build  up  a  home  in   the  wilderness. 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES.   PENNSYLVANIA. 


He  cultivated  the  friendship  of  the  Indians  and 
they  were  his  true  friends.  He  obtained  his 
title  from  these  proud  Lenni  Lenapes,  and  they 
considered  it  a  valid  one,  although  there  is  no 
consideration  mentioned  in  the  Indian  deed,  and 
it  is  otherwise  defective  as  a  legal  title,  and  yet 
it  had  been  given  in  good  faith  by  the  Lenni 
Lenape,  or  Original  people,  as  they  called  them- 
selves, and  they  respected  the  title  which  they 
had  given,  and  who  does  not  sympathize  with 
that  spirit  of  independence  which  manifested 
itself  some  years  later,  when  Nicholas  Scull,  the 
proprietaries'  surveyor,  was  engaged  in  measur- 
ing off  some  of  these  same  lands  to  Mr.  De  Pui, 
in  order  that  he  might  obtain  title  to  them 
through  the  proprietaries,  when  the  Indians 
advised  the  surveyor  to  put  up  iron  string  and 
go  home,  which  he  did  ?  This  act  is  an  evidence 
of  good  faith  towards  Mr.  De  Pui,  and  an  as- 
sertion of  original  ownership  on  the  part  of  the 
Indians  which  the  proprietors  could  understand. 
The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  original : 
"  Indian  Deed  to  Nicholas  Depui. 
"  This  indenture,  made  the  18th  day  of  September, 
in  the  year  of  the  reign  of  our  Soverent  Lord  George 
the  Second,  by  the  grace  of  God,  of  Great  Britain, 
France  and  Ireland,  King,  defender  of  the  faith,  An- 
no Domini  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven,  Nicklas  Depui,  of  Kizenick,  in  the  county  of 
Ulster,  yeoman,  of  the   one   part,  and  Indian 

owners  and  possessors  of  the  said  tract  of  land  hereaf- 
ter of  the  other  part,  witnesseth  that  the  said  Indian 
owners,  possessors  of  the  said  land  aforesaid,  for  and 
in  consideration  of  to  them,  the  said  Indian  owners 
and  possessors,  well  and  Truly  to  them  in  hand  paid 
by  the  said  Nicklas  Depui,  at  and  before  the  enseal- 
ing and  delivery  of  these  presents,  the  receipt  of 
which  they,  the  said  and  every  of  them  doe  and 

doth,  aquit,  release  and  discharge  the  said  Nichlas 
Depue,  there  heirs,  executors  and  administrators  and 
assigns,  Have  granted,  bargained  and  sold,  released 
and  confirmed  the  said  Nichlas  Depue  all  the  said 
tract  of  land  lying  in  Pensalvena,  in  the  county  of 
Bucks,  joining  to  Dellaway  River,  beginning  by 
Peter  Ribble  on  the  south  side  of  the  land  by  the 
North  of  a  creek  and  thereover,  and  runs  up  south- 
westly  eighty  chains ;  from  thence  Northwest  so  far 
as  the  top  of  the  high  mountains,  and  from  thence  all 
along  the  said  mountains  as  the  coast  runs,  so  along 
till  we  come  over  against  Peghgoquery,  and  thence 
with  a  south  east  line  so  as  the  river  runs,  including 
all  the  Islands  and  lowlands  appertaining  to  the  said 
tract  of  land  belonging  to  the  heirs  of  Sir  William 
Pen,  Containing  Three  Thousand  Acres  more  or  less, 


together  with  all  the  Intress,  woods,  timbers  ande  un- 
derwoods, with  all  and  all  other  privileges  and  advan- 
tages whatsoever,  all  manner  of  mines,  minerals  and 
quarrys,  pastures  and  privileges  whatsoever  ;  all  these 
the  said  Indians  and  every  of  them,  their  rights  and  in- 
terests, property,  claim  of  in  the  said  tract  of  land  be- 
longing or  in  any  manner  of  way  appertaining,  and 
reversion  and  reversions,  remainder  and  remainders 
thereof,  and  of  every  pusell  there  of  to  have  and  the  said 
tract  of  land  hereby  granted,  bargained,  sold,  re- 
leased and  confirmed,  with  these  and  every  of  these 
appertenances,  unto  the  said  Niclas  Depue,  their  heirs 
and  executors  &  admenstrator  or  assigns  forever,  free 
from  any  claim  to  be  maid  by  us  or  any  of  us,  or  any 
other  Indians  whatsoever,  and  we  will  and  ever  war- 
rant and  forever  defend  the  said  Nichlas  Depue, 
there  heirs,  executors,  administrators  and  assigns  in 
a  quiet,  peaceable  possession  thereof  against  all  other 
Indian  or  Indians  whatsoever. 

"  In  witness  whereof  we,  the  said  Indian  owners 
and  possessors,  hereunto  set  our  hand  and  seals  the 
day  and  year  first  above  written. 

"Signed,  sealed] 
and  delivered  in  |  Waugounlenneggea  C.  (Seal.l 
the  presence   of  [  Pemnogque  V.  (Seal.) 

us.  J 

Notwithstanding  this  title  from  the  Indians, 
which  they  considered  good  and  which  they 
were  evidently  ready  to  warrant  and  defend  as 
they  had  agreed,  Mr.  De  Pui  acknowledged  the 
title  of  the  proprietaries  and  repurchased  a  good 
portion,  if  not  all,  of  this  land  of  William  Allen,1 
of  Philadelphia,  who  had  patented  ten  thousand 
acres  of  laud  in  the  Minisink  in  1727. 

1  The  Aliens  occupy  a  distinguished  place  in  the  early 
history  of  Pennsylvania.  Proud  says,  "William  Allen  was 
the  son  of  William  Allen,  who  died  in  Philadelphia  in 
1725.  He  had  been  an  eminent  merchant  in  the  city  and 
a  considerable  promoter  of  the  trade  of  the  province,  a  man 
of  good  character  and  estate."  William  Allen,  the  younger, 
had  been  appointed  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  in 
1750,  a  position  which  he  heid  for  many  years.  He  en- 
joyed the  friendship  of  the  Penn  family,  and  his  daughter 
Ann  married  Governor  John  Penn.  He  speculated  very 
extensively  in  lands,  and  by  shrewd  and  careful  methods 
secured  an  ample  fortune.  Secretary  James  Logan,  writing 
to  Thomas  Penn,  in  England,  says  he  "had  a  method  of 
procuring  a  knowledge  of  the  quality  and  worth  of  lands, 
which  he  effected  hy  private  arrangements  he  made  with 
the  surveyors  who  traversed  the  wild  lands,  ...  to 
whom  he  gave  douceurs  ;  in  this  manner  he  became  the 
wealthiest  of  the  land  speculators,  as  persons  desirous  of 
purchasing  good  tracts  would  purchase  of  him  in  prefer- 
ence to  all  others."  Judge  Allen  had  married  one  of  the 
daughters  of  Andrew  Hamilton,  a  former  Deputy  Governor 
under  William  Penn.  He  had  three  sons, — Andrew,  Jame» 
and  William. 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


Mr.  Depui  rented  of  Allen  for  a  few  years, 
and  in  1733  he  commenced  to  purchase  of  him. 
During  that  year  he  purchased  one  tract  of  four 
hundred  and  twenty-six  acres  for  fifty  pounds  ; 
the  three  islands, — Manwallamink,  containing 
one  hundred  and  twenty-six  acres  ;  the  Great 
Shawna,  containing  one  hundred  and  forty-six 
acres ;  and  a  small  island  over  which  the  rail- 
road now  passes,  containing  about  thirty  acres, 
for  four  hundred  pounds.  He  also  bought  an- 
other tract  containing  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
two  acres  the  same  year,  and  by  further  pur- 
chases in  the  years  following  he  acquired  a  large 
property  along  the  Delaware  above  and  below 
Shawnee,  nearly  all  of  it  being  fertile  river 
flats.  He  built  a  large  house  and  planted  an 
apple  orchard  and  also  built  a  grist-mill,  which 
is  mentioned  as  reserved  to  Moses  Depui,  his 
son,  in  a  deed  dated  1743.  He  cultivated  the 
flats  and  adjacent  islands  and  lived  like  a  prince 
among  the  aborigines.  "  Few  communities  can 
lay  claim  to  a  family  of  greater  worth  and  re- 
spectability, and  fewer  still  can  witness  a  repu- 
tation such  as  this  family  possessed,  maintained 
untarnished  for  five  successive  generations.  For 
nearly  half  a  century  Mr.  Depui  and  other 
members  of  his  family  continued  in  undisturbed 
friendship  with  the  Indians  of  the  Minisink, 
and  after  the  main  body  of  the  tribe  were  ex- 
iled, the  few  who  fondly  lingered  until  the  out- 
break of  1755 — when  they  were  hunted  like 
wild  beasts  of  the  forest — ever  found  a  generous 
welcome  at  his  door."  '  According  to  Nicholas 
Depui's  will,  made  in  the  year  1745,  his  sons 
were  Moses,  Aaron,  Samuel  and  Daniel,  and 
the  daughters  are  Cathrina,  Susanna,  Magda- 
lena,  Johanna  and  Elizabeth.  Cathrina  Roseu- 
krans  deceased  before  that  time,  and  her  chil- 
dren— Hendrikus,  Harnod,  Garret,  Benjamin 
and  Moses — are  provided  for  in  the  will.  Of 
these  sons,  Samuel  Depui  retained  the  home- 
stead, and  during  the  war  his  house  was  stock- 
aded and  a  swivel  gun  mounted  at  each  corner, 
and  was  called  Depui's  Fort.  "  The  sou,  like 
his  father  before  him,  had  no  fear  of  the  Indi- 
ans, living  among  them  in  peace  and  security 
until  the  French  began  to  exert  a  wicked  influ- 


1  Delaware  Water  Gap,  by  L.  W.  Brodhead. 


ence  upon  them,  when  Depui  became  alarmed, 
and  he  and  his  neighbors  asked  for  colonial 
help.  These  calls,  which  afterward  became  fre- 
quent, were  always  respected  and  help  came, 
Depui  invariably  assuring  the  government  that 
he  had  abundant  provision  to  keep  the  men." 
And  it  is  recorded  that  in  all  the  public  life  of 
the  original  Depui  reported  by  various  officials 
of  the  colony  only  one  charge  was  found  by  the 
commissary-general.  They  doubtless  considered 
the  assured  safety  to  life  and  property  against 
the  depredations  of  the  Indians  a  full  remuner- 
ation for  keeping  the  men.  Samuel  Depui  was 
a  very  powerful  man.  A  characteristic  anecdote 
is  told  of  him  in  connection  with  John  Heading, 
who  revived  the  old  mine  just  across  the  river 
from  Depui's,  although  it  proved  to  be  a  poor 
speculation  for  investors.  Reading  became 
provincial  Governor  of  New  Jersey.  He  and 
Depui  were  warm  friends.  One  day  Reading 
was  telling  him  of  the  trouble  he  had  with  a 
negro  servant.  The  negro  was  a  strong  man 
and  knew  it.  Whenever  any  one  wanted  him 
to  do  anything  he  would  say,  "  Well,  now,  if 
you  are  stronger  than  I  am,  I  will  do  it ;  sup- 
pose we  try  strength  and  see  who  shall  do  tin- 
work."  In  this  way  he  managed  to  do  about 
as  little  as  he  pleased.  Depui  said,  "  Send  him 
to  me."  The  negro  was  sent.  Depui  set  him 
to  do  some  work  near  the  river,  and  the  negro 
commenced  in  his  old  way :  "  If  you  are 
stronger  than  I  am,  1  will  serve  you  ;  if  not, 
we'll  see."  Depui  threw  him  down  the  side- 
hill  about  twenty  feet  and  followed  him  up 
with  a  kick,  and  was  about  to  throw  him  into 
the  Delaware  when  the  African  cried,  "  Hold, 
hold,  sir;  I  knock  under  !"  and  became  after 
that  an  obedient  and  trusty  servant. 

Samuel  Depui  received  a  few  years  after  an 
injury  which  shortened  his  life.  One  day,  as 
he  and  some  others  were  shoving  a  Durham 
boat  up  the  Delaware,  it  stuck  on  a  reef,  and  two 
men  were  trying  to  shove  it  off,  when  Depui 
stepped  forward  and  took  a  pole,  saying  that  he 
could  shove  it  off  alone.  As  he  was  making 
the  effort  the  pole  broke  and  be  fell  forward  on 
the  pole  with  such  force  that  it  penetrated  his 
side  and  wounded  him  severely.  He  lived  for 
a  number  of  years,  but  was  never  well  again. 


1054 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Nicholas  (2d)  son  of  Samuel,  built  the  stone 
house  which  is  now  standing  at  Shawnee  in 
1785.  Robert  R.  De  Puy,  of  Strondsburg,  is  the 
owner  of  the  old  estate  at  this  time.  His  father 
was  Nicholas  (3d)  son  of  Nicholas  (2d).  Moses 
Depui,  who,  from  the  order  in  which  they  are 
mentioned  in  the  will,  appears  to  have  been  the 
eldest  son  of  Nicholas  Depui,  and  was  the  owner 
of  the  grist-mill,  as  appears  from  deeds  in  1743. 
In  1747  he  was  appointed  a  magistrate.  In 
Hubbard's  "  Life  of  Major  Moses  Van  Cam- 
pen  "  the  following  occurs  concerning  him  : 

"  He  was  distinguished  for  an  exemplary  re- 
ligious character  as  well  as  for  kindness  and 
liberality  to  the  poor.  He  acted  for  a  number 
of  years  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  office  he  seemed  more  like  a 
father  consulting  and  settling  the  differences  of 
a  large  family  than  like  the  generality  of  those 
who  administer  justice.  He  never  would  allow 
a  suit  between  any  of  his  neighbors  to  come  to 
issue  before  him,  but  in  almost  every  instance 
effected  a  reconciliation  between  the  parties 
without  going  through  the  expensive  and,  in 
too  many  instances,  painful  steps  of  a  lawsuit." 

"  The  De  Puis  were  not  of  Holland,  but 
French  origin.  The  family  fled  from  France, 
it  has  been  generally  supposed,  on  account  of 
the  persecutions  following  the  revocation  of  the 
Edict  of  Nantes,  in  1685,  and  came  to  America 
about  that  time  ;  but  we  find  in  the  list  of  early 
immigrants  to  New  Netherland  (New  York) 
the  following  :  '  Oct.,  1662,  in  the  ship  "  Pem- 
berton  Church  "  Nicholas  Du  Pui,  from  Artois, 
and  wife  acd  three  children,'  and  in  the  list 
of  patents  granted  by  the  Dutch  government  of 
New  York  from  1630  to  1664,  one  to  Nicholacs 
De  Puis  for  a  plantation  on  Staten  Island  on 
the  19th  March,  1663;  also,  as  appears  by  an 
abstract  of  the  will  of  Nicholas  De  Puis,  of  New 
York,  dated  Oct.  13th,  1685.  These  together 
will  show  that  the  family  came  to  this  country 
at  a  much  earlier  period  than  is  generallv  sup- 
posed." l 

The  Van  Campen  Family. — John  Arenson 
Van  Campen  arrived  in  New  York,  June    19, 

'From  Historical  Notes  of  the  Minisink,  by  L.  W.  lSi-oil- 


1658,  in  the  ship  "Brown  Fish"  according  to 
Dutch  doc,  vol.  viii.  p.  408,  Albany.  "  Claus  " 
Nicholas  Van  Campen,  called  "a  farmer's 
boy,"  came  from  Holland  on  board  the  ship 
"  Faith"  in  1662.  Dutch  doc,  vol.  viii.  pp.  408 
to  412,  show  the  passage  pf  his  wife  Gretchen, 
(Grace),  who  came  with  their  son,  and  the  passage 
was  remitted  on  account  of  the  military  services 
of  John  A.  Van  Campen.  In  1692,  John  Van 
Campen  petitioned  for  laud  for  himself  and 
military  company  on  Shawangunk  Creek.  This 
\\as  probably  John  A.  Van  Campen,  who  came 
to  America  in  1658.  In  the  year  1700,  in 
Colonel  Jacob  Rutson's  regiment,  and  Captain 
Joachim  Schoonmaker's  company  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-five  men  from  Dutchess  and 
Ulster  (bounties,  Lieutenant  John  Van  Cam- 
lien's  name  appears.  George  Van  Campen  of 
Olean,  New  York,  from  whom  these  facts  were 
obtained,  thinks  that  this  was  a  son  of  John  A. 
Van  Campen's.  Dutchess  was  divided  from 
Ulster  in  1713.  Ulster  then  comprised  all  of 
the  land  west  of  the  Hudson  to  the  Delaware. 
In  172s,  John  Van  Campen  was  a  freeholder 
in  Marbletown,  Ulster  County,  and  in  1737, 
Jacob  Van  dampen  was  in  the  list  of  freehol- 
der- in  Dutchess  County.  In  1726,  John 
Van  Campen  had  a  lawsuit  with  John  Conrad 
Weiser  about  obtaining  an  Indian  title  to  laud 
west  of  the  Delaware,  from  a  point  then  known 
as  Pionpock  to  a  point  opposite  Van  Campen's 
Island.  Cornelius  Van  Campen  is  mentioned 
as  a  corporal,  in  1738,  in  a  militia  company  in 
Ulster  County,  N.  Y'.  Moses,  John,  Benjamin 
and  Cornelius  Depui  are  also  mentioned  in  the 
1  ist  of  troops.  In  1761 ,  Cornelius  Van  Campen, 
Aaron  Van  Campen  and  Benjamin  Van  Campeu 
are  ass<  ssed  ill  Smithfield  township,  Northamp- 
ton County.  Garret  Van  Campen's  name 
appears  among  the  residents  in  1777,  and  John, 
.Moses  and  Abram  Van  Campen's  names  appear 
as  early  as  1778.  Among  the  slave-holders  in 
Smithfield  in  1780  was  John  Van  Campen, 
who  owned  lour  slaves,  and  Benjamin  Van 
Campen,  who  had  five  slaves.  "  At  a  meeting 
held  in  Philadelphia,  Saturday,  March  3,  1770, 
at  which  the  Hon.  John  Penn,  Esquire,  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor etc.,  William  Logan,  Richard 
Peters,  Benjamin  Chew  and    James  Tilghman, 


MONROE  COUNTY. 


1055 


Esquires,  were  present,  the  Board  after  hav- 
ing considered  the  present  state  of  the  intrusion 
and  settlements  made  by  the  Connecticut  people 
on  the  proprietary  lands  within  this  province 
(at  Wyoming),  were  of  the  opinion  that  if  two 
prudent  persons,  living  in  the  north  part  <>i 
Northampton  County  were  immediately  vested 
with  the  authority  of  magistrates,  it  would 
greatly  conduce  to  the  preservation  of  peace  and 
better  execution  of  the  order  of  government 
from  time  to  time,  in  defeating  the  measures  of 
those  people  and  checking  the  progress  of  then- 
scheme  of  settlement  on  the  lands  at  Wyoming 
and  on  the  Delawere. 

"  The  Governor  therefore,  on  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  members  of  the  Council  present, 
issued  two  special  commissions,  appointing  Garret 
Brodhead  and  Van  Campen,  Esquires,  justices 
of  the  Court  of  Quarter  .Sessions  of  the  Peace 
and  the  County  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for 
the  county  of  Northampton."  This  John  Van 
Campen  was  a  son  of  Colonel  Abram  Van 
Campen,  of  Pahaquarry.  He  actively  espous- 
ed the  cause  of  the  Pennamites  in  the  Connec- 
cut  troubles,  and  was  in  frequent  correspondence 
with  President  Reed  during  the  Revolution. 
He  lived  in  the  stone  house  which  stood  in 
Shawnee,  where  George  Y.  Bush  afterwards 
located  ;  the  latter,  with  Benjamin  Y.  Bush, 
Esq.,  were  his  grandsons.  Colonel  Abram 
Van  Campen,  father  of  the  above-mentioned 
John  Van  Campen,  came  to  the  Minisink  about 
the  same  time  that  Nicholas  Depui  did,  aud 
purchased  a  large  body  of  land  in  what  is  now 
called  Pahaquarra  (Pahaqualine),  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Delaware,  five  miles  above  Nicholas 
Depui's.  He  was  promiuent  in  defending  the 
frontier,  which  was  then  along  the  Delaware,  in 
1755,  during  the  French  aud  Indian  War,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  judges  of  Sussex  County, 
New  Jersey,  which  embraced  a  portion  of  the 
Minisink,  and  was  organized  November  20, 
1753.  He  and  his  associates  were  appointed, 
by  order  of  His  Majesty,  King  George  II.,  and 
commissioned  judges  of  the  Pleas,  with  power 
likewise  to  act  as  justices  of  the  peace.  The 
Van  Campeus  were  tall,  noble-looking  men  and 
were  always  an  influential  and  highly  respectable 
family.     Abram   Van  Campen    married   Miss 


Jennins  and  had  four  sons,— Benjamin,  Moses, 
Abram  and  John.  Benjamin  died  young. 
Abram  married  Miss  ('ape,  of  Philadelphia,  and 
their  children  were  Moses,  Andrew,  Mary, 
Maria,  John  and  James.  Of  these  children, 
Moses,  married  Miss  Overfield  aud  their  chil- 
dren were  William,  Jacob,  Benjamin,  Susan 
and  Sarah,  wife  of  Moses  Shoemaker. 

Andrew  Van  Campen  married  Miss  Michaels  ; 
their  children  were  Mary,  Sally,  John,  James, 
George.  Maria  Van  Campen  was  the  wife  of 
John  Nyce.  John  married  Miss  Pipher ;  their 
children  wire  Mary,  Sarah  and  John.  James 
married  Miss  Pipher,  and  their  children  were 
Andrew,  Frank,  James  and  John.  Moses 
Shoemaker's  children  were  Moses,  Andrew  and 
Mary.  John  Van  Campen,  of  the  original 
family,  married  Sarah  Depui.  They  had  one 
son,  Abram,  and  three  daughters, — Mary, 
Blandina  and  Susanna.  Abram  married  Sarah 
Dewitt.  They  had  two  daughters,— Susan, 
whose  first  husband  was  Solferyne  Westbrook, 
and  second  husband  was  William  Dusenbury, 
of  Sandyston,  ST.  J.,  opposite Dingman's  Ferry; 
and  Catharine,  wife  of  Robert  T.  Green,  aud 
brother  of  Dr.  Trail  Green,  of  Lafayette  College, 
of  Easton  Pa.  Mary  Van  Campen  was  the 
wife  of  George  Bush,  of  Shawnee.  Blandina 
was  the  wife  of  Henry  Shoemaker,  of  Paha- 
quarra, and  Susanna  was  the  wife  of  Judge 
John  Coolbaugh,  wdio  was  the  sou  of  William 
Coolbaugh,  who  came  from  Germany.  He  was 
a  sea-captain  and  well  educated.  He  came  to 
Smithfield  from  Kingwood,  Hunterdon  County, 
N.  J.  His  wife  was  Sarah  Johnson  ;  both  of 
them  are  buried  at  Shawnee.  Of  their  ten 
children,  Cornelius  and  John  were  all  that 
remained  in  Smithfield.  John  Coolbaugh  who 
married  Susanna  Van  Campen,  was  associate 
judge  of  Pike  County  twenty-two  years,  and 
his  descendants  are  among  the  prominent  men 
of  Monroe  County.  Of  Moses,  son  of  Cor- 
nelius Van  Campen,  who  probably  married  a 
sister  of  Nicholas  Depui's,  we  have  the  fol- 
lowing account : 

Cornelius  Van  Campen  '  came  from  Holland 


Life  and  Times  of  Major  Moses  Van  Campen,  by  Join 
Sf.  Hubbard.  1821. 


1056 


WAYNE,  PIKE  AND  MONROE  COUNTIES,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  settled  in  New  Jersey.  He  married  a 
Depui  (Depee  or  Depue,  according  to  some 
records),  and  soon  after  the  birth,  on  January 
21,  1757,  of  their  first  son,  Moses  Van  Campen 
(who  became  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary 
army  and  a  celebrated  border  adventurer  during 
the  exciting  times  before,  during  and  after  the 
war  for  independence),  they  removed  to  the 
Pennsylvania  side  of  the  Delaware  and  settled  a 
little  above  the  Water  Gap.  In  1769  Cornelius 
Van  Campen  took  his  son,  Moses,  and  went  to 
the  Wyoming  region,  where  he  had  purchased  a 
fine  tract  of  laud  under  the  Pennsylvania  title. 
The  constant  turmoil  arising  from  the  contested 
title  to  the  Wyoming  was,  however,  distasteful 
to  him,  and  relinquishing,  temporarily,  the  idea 
of  cultivating  the  beautiful  land,  and  having  in 
the  mean  time  sold  his  farm  on  the  Delaware,  he 
removed,  in  1773,  with  his  entire  family,  to  the 
west  branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  in  Northum- 
berland County.  While  living  here  Moses 
Van  Campen  went  with  Colonel  Plunket's  force 
of  Pennsylvanians  to  drive  the  Connecticut 
party  from  the  valley  of  the  Wyoming.  In 
1776  he  was  presented  with  the  office  of  ensign 
in  Colonel  Cook's  regiment,  raised  chiefly  in 
Northumberland  County,  to  join  the  Continental 
army  under  Washington,  but  was  with  some 
others  induced  to  remain  upon  the  frontier  by 
James  McClure,  one  of  the  County  Committee 
of  Safety,  who  knew  that  he  was  familiar  with 
the  woods  and  the  ways  of  the  Indians,  who,  il 
was  foreseen,  would  prove  most  stealthy  foes.  He 
served  very  effectually  as  a  frontiersm